After Pretending to be an Idiot, I Was Targeted by the Cold-Blooded Zhangyin - Chapter 25

After resting for a night at the traveling palace, they continued their journey the next day.

Xie Changsheng was called into Gu Feiyi’s palanquin again. Gu Feiyi grabbed Xie Changsheng’s wrist and had him sit on his lap, just like the day before. First, he braided Xie’s hair. Dozens of tiny braids were gathered at the back of Xie Changsheng’s head, woven into one large braid, and secured by Gu Feiyi with a red hair ribbon.

Gu Feiyi looked at his handiwork with satisfaction for a long while. If not for those eyes being so dazed and devoid of spirit, his little pet would truly be as endearing as a New Year’s doll.

Once he had finished admiring the hair, he took out a snow-white handkerchief to wipe his hands. He wiped each finger, one by one, with meticulous care. He was so thorough that Xie Changsheng began to doubt himself. “Is there poop on my head?”

“What is ‘poop’?”

“Oh,” Xie Changsheng said. “It means ‘soaring.’ I have wings growing on my head, signifying that I will rise higher and higher in status.”

Gu Feiyi finally finished wiping his hands. He brought the handkerchief to his nose and smiled. “Plum fragrance. Did the Little Highness use the incense this servant sent over last night?”

Without waiting for Xie Changsheng to answer, Gu Feiyi tucked the handkerchief into his robes and asked, “Rise higher? The Little Highness is already an esteemed Prince; where else could you possibly rise?”

Xie Changsheng stared into space. “Rise into the sky. Gu Feiyi, I figured it out last night. As long as I pull my own hair hard enough and step on my left foot with my right, I’ll be able to walk into the heavens in no time. Do you have any messages for Chang’e? One gold bar per sentence.”

Gu Feiyi: “…”

To say this fool was smart would be a lie against one’s conscience. Yet, to say he was stupid—he actually knew how to earn gold.

Gu Feiyi massaged his aching temple and raised his voice slightly: “Feng Wang.”

Shortly after, Feng Wang appeared outside the carriage, holding a plate of grapes. Gu Feiyi took the grapes and placed them on the small table in front of him. He asked Xie Changsheng, “Does the Little Highness want to eat?”

Xie Changsheng let out an “Mm” and reached for them. But before his hand could touch a grape skin, Gu Feiyi swatted it away mid-air. Xie Changsheng turned to look at him, his eyes filled with bewilderment, shock, and accusation.

Under Xie Changsheng’s condemning gaze, Gu Feiyi simply smiled. “This servant will peel them for the Little Highness.”

He kept his arms around Xie Changsheng, reaching forward past the boy’s waist to take a grape. Gu Feiyi peeled the skin slowly and meticulously; the grape was soft, and the juice ran down his fingers.

Gu Feiyi let out a loathing tsk. He had been so enthusiastic about feeding his little pet that he had momentarily forgotten how much he hated sticky textures. “Little Highness, wipe this for me.”

Xie Changsheng gave an “Oh” and bluntly grabbed Gu’s sleeve to wipe it.

Gu Feiyi tsked again. “Use the handkerchief.”

Xie Changsheng: “Ah, didn’t bring one.”

Gu Feiyi: “Use mine.”

Xie Changsheng let out another “Ah.” “Where is it?”

Gu Feiyi said, “In my chest.”

Xie Changsheng reached into Gu Feiyi’s lapel and felt around until he found the folded handkerchief. In that short time, the grape juice had slid from Gu Feiyi’s fingers all the way down to his forearm. Xie Changsheng wiped it off as if he were cleaning a table.

Gu Feiyi laughed. “Truly pampered and spoiled; you don’t even know how to use a handkerchief properly.”

…This man really knows how to belittle people.

Xie Changsheng was about to argue that he was just a simple child from a farming family when Gu Feiyi pressed the translucent grape against his lips. Xie Changsheng swallowed his words, carefully avoided Gu Feiyi’s fingers, and bit into the grape.

It was cold, sweet, and soft.

“I had them chilled in a well. Is it sweet?”

Xie Changsheng nodded.

Gu Feiyi smiled again. “If it’s sweet, then eat more.”

He continued peeling grapes for Xie Changsheng. Occasionally, when juice ran down his fingers, he would lift his hand for Xie Changsheng to wipe it. There weren’t many grapes, and Gu Feiyi didn’t eat a single one, peeling them all for Xie Changsheng.

When only one was left, Xie Changsheng felt a bit bad. “You eat it.”

Gu Feiyi looked down at Xie Changsheng sitting in his lap. Curling his lips, he ignored the boy’s suggestion and insisted on putting the final grape into Xie Changsheng’s mouth.

The way his little pet ate was very interesting: he would hold the food in his mouth first, then chew vigorously. When he chewed, those slightly drooping, affectionate eyes would squint with satisfaction. If he was especially happy, he would nod his head slightly and wiggle his body.

It was a joy to watch. Gu Feiyi didn’t regret not eating them; he only regretted that there were so few grapes and the plate was empty so quickly.

As Xie Changsheng’s Adam’s apple rolled, the grape was swallowed down. Gu Feiyi suddenly felt a trace of regret. Perhaps he should have kept that last grape for himself.

He put his own finger into his mouth. The tip of his scarlet tongue circled the finger, sucking lightly to taste the flavor of the grape.

Gu Feiyi said, “So sweet.”

He looked up and saw Xie Changsheng staring straight at him. “Little Highness, what is it?”

“Nothing,” Xie Changsheng muttered. “I wanted to discuss the transmission methods of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease with you, but the problem is you wouldn’t understand.”

Gu Feiyi: “…”

The capital and the hunting grounds were not very far apart. Fang Ling had said that if he moved at full speed, he could arrive in a day and a night at most. However, the Old Emperor was either stopping to rest at a traveling palace or visiting an official’s house to admire beauties.

At this rate, it should have taken several more days to arrive. But Xie Changsheng was so dizzy from the carriage ride that his head was spinning. Seeing that he was listless and barely eating, Gu Feiyi ordered the pace to be increased.

—When Gu Feiyi first entered the palace, the Emperor’s throne was not yet stable. It was Gu Feiyi who came to his side and helped him. The voices of criticism vanished. The voices of opposition vanished. The ministers began to fear and respect him. The endless official business was handled by Gu Feiyi. The treasures and beauties the Emperor desired were gathered by Gu Feiyi. Even when he wanted to refine Pills of Longevity, Gu Feiyi could find materials no matter how hard they were to obtain.

After over a decade, the Old Emperor could no longer function without Gu Feiyi by his side. Since it was Gu Feiyi’s request, the Emperor had no objections.

The next day, the autumn hunt procession finally reached the hunting grounds. The accompanying officials were already enthusiastic and, after a brief rest, headed to the field.

By tradition, the first arrow was to be fired by the Emperor. But he had already ascended the viewing platform to embrace his beauties. Thus, it was the Crown Prince, Xie Chengjing, who opened the hunt. He drew his bow to its limit and released; the arrow struck a wild rabbit driven out by the attendants.

The officials cheered and applauded, and Xie Changsheng clapped for him too. “Big Brother is so great!”

Xie Hemiao watched with his pipe in hand, his smile weary. His leg was always in pain; walking was painful enough, let alone riding and shooting. Naturally, he could only watch the hunt from the sidelines. He loathed these scenes of seemingly harmonious celebration; they always made him feel like a rat living in a sewer. Every time he saw them, he couldn’t help but want to say something to spoil the mood and prick at their smiles.

Xie Hemiao originally wanted to say, “The Crown Prince’s riding and archery skills are truly excellent; a cripple like me is so envious.” The words were at his lips, but he stopped himself.

He was afraid Xie Changsheng would cry again. On a large scale, the Emperor was watching; if the Old Man thought he was bullying his favorite son, there would be no way to reason with him. On a small scale, the little fool’s crying was indeed piercing and noisy; hearing it just made one’s heart feel troubled.

While he was thinking, Xie Changsheng walked up to him. Xie Hemiao maintained his tired, disinterested expression. “Little fool, what are you doing here?”

“Second Brother,” Xie Changsheng pulled on his sleeve. “I heard you can’t ride a horse either. Come pick grass leaves with me!”

“Pick grass leaves? For what?”

Xie Changsheng sighed. “Second Brother, you’re so stupid. To see whose grass is the longest, of course.”

…How boring.

Xie Hemiao stared at Xie Changsheng for a moment, then suddenly raised his pipe and tapped him twice on the head. Before Xie Changsheng could get angry, he turned his back and patted it. “Come, little fool. Second Brother will carry you there.”

There were very few people at the hunting grounds who couldn’t ride or shoot. Fortunately, Xie Changsheng and Xie Hemiao could keep each other company, making their lack of skill less embarrassing. They circled the hunting grounds, comparing the length of grass leaves and the hardness of leaf stems, whittling away half the day.

Later, Xie Hemiao was surrounded by a group of officials for a chat. Finding it boring, Xie Changsheng wandered off to play elsewhere. He found a spot and, using his old trick, began sculpting mud men. Kittens, puppies, frogs, and skyscrapers were all lined up in a row.

He was sculpting happily when he sensed someone approaching. Xie Changsheng looked up and saw Gu Feiyi.

Today, most people at the hunting grounds were wearing hunting gear for convenience. Gu Feiyi did the opposite, wearing a jade crown and a heavy cloak, his eyes shimmering with unreadable light.

As he drew closer, Gu Feiyi’s gaze fixed on Xie Changsheng’s hands and body, which were covered in mud and water. He had been on the platform accompanying the Emperor and officials, but looking down, he had seen the moment Xie Changsheng hopped onto Xie Hemiao’s back. Suddenly, he also wanted to try the sensation of walking while carrying Xie Changsheng.

He hadn’t expected that in just a short while, his little pet would be as dirty as if he’d rolled in a mud pit. A sense of helplessness rose in Gu Feiyi’s heart. To make matters worse, Xie Changsheng acted as if he weren’t dirty enough and used his sleeve to wipe his face. Instantly, a muddy streak appeared on his originally white cheek.

Gu Feiyi let out a light tsk. Looking at the smudge on that beautiful face, his hands felt itchy.

He said, “Little Highness, come here.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Xie Changsheng stood up and walked over. Gu Feiyi narrowed his eyes with satisfaction. He remembered how, at the very beginning, Xie Changsheng’s first instinct to any request was to say “No.” But the little pet had finally learned to be obedient and no longer resisted his commands.

As Xie Changsheng drew near, Gu Feiyi took out a handkerchief. Xie Changsheng closed his eyes, obediently allowing Gu Feiyi to wipe away the mud bit by bit. Since the handkerchief wasn’t damp, the wiping took some effort. By the time he finally cleaned the boy’s face, a large portion of it had been rubbed red.

His skin was certainly delicate and tender.

Gu Feiyi withdrew his gaze from Xie Changsheng’s face, turned around, and beckoned. An attendant waiting not far away received the command and led forward a magnificent, pitch-black horse. Gu Feiyi walked to the black horse and took the reins.

Seeing this, Xie Changsheng asked curiously, “Gu Feiyi, are you going hunting too?”

“Taking arrows to shoot exhausted prey that has been intentionally driven out—does that count as hunting?” Gu Feiyi smiled, staring at Xie Changsheng. He seemed to have thought of another interesting experiment; his eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.

“This servant is here to teach the Little Highness how to ride.”