The White Moonlight Turns Out to Be a Black-Hearted Lotus - Chapter 27

Ji Yuanhui held a black chess piece between his fingers, resting his chin on his hand as he looked across with a smile. “Still haven’t decided where to place it?”

Pei Xu wavered, his finger hovering over the board. “Your Highness, allow me to think a moment longer…”

As they played, a servant knocked at the door to report that a man claiming to be a strategist from the First Prince’s estate requested an audience.

The two exchanged a look. Pei Xu rose and stepped behind a nearby folding screen, while Ji Yuanhui set down his chess piece and took a sip of tea. “Show him in.”

The servant bowed and withdrew, returning shortly to lead a gentleman dressed in white into the room.

The man was well-mannered, bowing immediately upon entry. “Greetings, Third Highness.”

Ji Yuanhui nodded and pointed to the seat Pei Xu had just occupied. “Sit.”

“Beyond conveying my master’s regards to Your Highness, I have brought a few items,” the man said. He didn’t waste time on pleasantries, instead pulling two paper slips from his sleeve and placing them on the table. “I hope these may be of use to Your Highness.”

Ji Yuanhui glanced at them. “What are these?”

“Recently, a new tea house opened in the west of the city. A monk surnamed Wang is there preaching scriptures. It is said that by listening to his recitations and prayers, even the least capable candidate can pass the civil service exams as a Gongshi.” The man’s eyes lingered for a moment on the chessboard and the half-eaten plate of cherries nearby before continuing, “These are the entry vouchers. They are currently selling for a thousand taels of silver each.”

The Crown Prince was actually bold enough to leak exam questions for profit.

Ji Yuanhui’s eyelids flickered. He grasped the implications almost instantly, but his voice remained steady. “Merely a charlatan of the wilderness. Does anyone truly believe a demon-monk who swindles people for money?”

“That monk only shaved his head two days ago. Before becoming a monk, he was a retainer at the Crown Prince’s estate. The justice of the world’s scholars now rests entirely upon Your Highness’s shoulders.”

The man pressed a finger to the corner of the vouchers and pushed them toward Ji Yuanhui, no longer beating around the bush. “My master’s meaning is this: he takes no credit for this merit; it belongs entirely to Your Highness. Consider it a test of his sincerity. Does Your Highness find this gesture sufficiently earnest?”

“If Your Highness is satisfied, then perhaps there can be more frequent contact between brothers in the future. My master has campaigned in the capital for many years; his information is more far-reaching than Your Highness’s. Should anything arise in the future, he will certainly inform you immediately.” The man’s attitude was humble. “The Third Highness provides the power, and my master provides the information. It is a win-win for both parties.”

A win-win? How could his fox-like eldest brother ever do something so selfless?

Pushing all the risky, responsibility-laden work onto him while wrapping it in such pleasant words.

The current situation at court was murky; no one could see where the Emperor’s heart truly leaned. If the Emperor remained lucid and used this incident to purge the administration and crack down on the sale of offices, it would be a great achievement. But the fear was that the Emperor might lose his head and choose to suppress the matter to protect the Crown Prince. If that happened, not only would they have worked for nothing, but they would have offended every powerful official in the capital.

Yet, success or failure, the First Prince stood to gain regardless.

If they succeeded, even if they couldn’t topple the Crown Prince, they would ruin his reputation. A man without the people’s heart, unworthy of his position, would be dragged down sooner or later.

If they failed, the resolution of the matter would help him gauge the Emperor’s attitude, allowing him to act with greater caution in the future.

He was being used as a pawn… His brother had calculated correctly that since Ji Yuanhui had already fallen out with the Crown Prince, he wouldn’t let an opportunity like this slip by.

Ji Yuanhui twirled the chess piece in his hand, his stance noncommittal. “I have been stripped of my official post. Where would I get ‘power’?”

“If memory serves, Young Master Pei’s post happens to be in the Ministry of Justice—a most fitting position.” The man kept his eyes downcast, never looking up to meet Ji Yuanhui’s gaze. The monk has a preaching session in five days. Your Highness can go see for yourself before making a decision.”

With that, he rose and bowed again. “My master’s message has been delivered. If Your Highness has no further commands, this lowly one shall take his leave.”

Ji Yuanhui was somewhat surprised that the man truly only came to talk business. “Are you sure? Think again, is there really nothing else?”

The man bowed deeply in a final salutation and turned to leave.

Just as the man stepped out of the room, Ji Yuanhui heard a loud clatter. He turned back to find that Pei Xu had risen so hurriedly that he had knocked the folding screen askew.

Without stopping to straighten the screen, Pei Xu rushed out after him.

Xuan Cunli walked very quickly; Pei Xu could barely keep up. He was forced to call out to him: “Senior Brother!”

The man paused and turned around. Just as Pei Xu was about to step forward, the man raised his hand in a gesture of refusal.

“Zhehuai, stay your steps.” Xuan Cunli looked much more haggard and withered than in Pei Xu’s memory. He stood several paces away, wearing a somewhat bitter smile. “Do not see me off any further.”

In that brief moment, Pei Xu remembered many things: how his teacher and Senior Brother had smiled while choosing his courtesy name, and how his elders had shielded him when he was first ostracized in a strange land…

This was one of the few people who had ever been truly kind to him.

With a rare bluntness, he asked, “If Senior Brother had no intention of seeing me, why did you send the flute as a gift?”

“It was the master’s command; I dared not disobey.” Xuan Cunli shook his head, his expression filled with shame and regret. “The First Prince knows we come from the same sect and hoped I could use that to bridge the relationship between the two sides. I had no intention of disturbing you, but I had to send some token of identification.”

“Then why didn’t you leave a word or two? I almost thought…”

“If you thought I intended to utilize you and therefore never wanted to see me again, that would have been for the best.” Xuan Cunli smiled bitterly. “Your Senior Brother is a walking disaster; do not let it stain you.”

“I had clearly planned what to say to make you feel such pain that you’d never want to see me again, provided you were still willing to meet me.” His old, washed-out robes clung to his frame in the wind, making his already thin body appear even more fragile and broken, devoid of his former elegance and spirit. “But now that I see you, I cannot bear to say those words and make you sad.”

Xuan Cunli thought of the game of chess in the study; the placement of the white pieces was entirely in Pei Xu’s style. Pei Xu loved cherries, and that Highness had them prepared everywhere, even in the study. The game was only half-finished; they must have been playing just before he arrived. Their relationship seemed quite good.

“Your life was difficult before, and it hasn’t been easy to reach this moment of sweetness after the bitterness… Your Senior Brother is covered in mud now; do not come close.”

Pei Xu couldn’t imagine how he had spent these past years to exhaust himself to such a state. He wanted to step forward and ask properly, but Xuan Cunli retreated several steps as if startled.

“Stay back, stay back, do not come any closer.” His eyes were mournful, almost brimming with tears. “If you want me to feel a bit better, then do not approach. You are the only one left from my past. Sometimes I begin to believe in fate—did I bring ruin upon them? If you come near me today and something happens in the future, I could not atone for it even with ten thousand deaths.”

Pei Xu stood paralyzed by the other man’s resistance, watching helplessly as he departed.

Ji Yuanhui stood at a distance watching, thinking that Pei Xu looked as if he were frozen stiff. He stepped forward, pulling the dazed and grieving man into his arms to warm him. “Do you want to help him?”

Pei Xu opened his mouth, then looked down and shook his head. “But he won’t let me.”

“How pitiful.” Ji Yuanhui’s tone was unreadable as he wrapped an arm around Pei Xu’s waist and led him back. “Your kindness has been rejected yet again.”

Once inside, Ji Yuanhui poured a cup of warm tea and tucked it into Pei Xu’s hands.

Perhaps because the man he saw today was so far removed from the high-spirited Senior Brother of his memory, Pei Xu seemed somewhat dazed and incredulous.

In his memory, that man was so intelligent and handsome, handling everything with ease. Thus, he had subconsciously felt that as long as he was alive, he would have the ability to live well anywhere.

But once a person’s heart has been shattered, how could they have the strength to care whether they were living well or not?

“The world is unpredictable. Even I have heard of the great reputation your Senior Brother once had,” Ji Yuanhui said. “But today, if you hadn’t told me he was that Young Master Xuan, I’m afraid no one would recognize them as the same person.”

“The Xuan clan and the then-Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, the Lu clan, were old family friends. My Senior Brother shared a deep bond with the only son of the Lu family; even the wedding date had been set…” Pei Xu’s fingers tightened around the teacup. “But the Crown Prince coveted my Senior Brother’s talent and beauty. He interfered, insisting the Xuan family break the engagement and send my Senior Brother to his estate.”

“My Senior Brother refused, and Lord Xuan also disagreed… Not long after, Lord Xuan was invited by the Prime Minister for a ‘casual chat’.” Pei Xu took a long breath. “What followed was the public murder of the third-rank official, Lord Xuan of the National Academy. Lord Lu of the Judicial Review spoke out against the injustice and was also imprisoned and implicated. From then on, the Xuan and Lu clans fell into ruin…”

Everything, all of it, was personal retaliation.

“Parents, family, and his fiancée—all suffered because of the Crown Prince’s selfish desires.” Pei Xu set the teacup down and lowered his gaze. “That is likely why he was willing to join the First Prince.”

It was a truly tragic past.

Ji Yuanhui paused, then handed the vouchers Xuan Cunli had left to Pei Xu. “The imperial examinations concern the very foundation of the state. Regardless of anything, this must be investigated. But the most troublesome part is that it is tied to the Crown Prince.”

Pei Xu took the slips and turned them over in his hands. “The exams are the foundation, but the Crown Prince is also the foundation. Is Your Highness worried that His Majesty will sacrifice the former to protect the latter?”

Ji Yuanhui’s brow twitched. “Will he not?”

“Your Highness worries too much. At least for now, His Majesty doesn’t have to make a choice,” Pei Xu said softly. “There are never truly incompetent heirs, only irresponsible teachers and wicked subordinates.”

Ji Yuanhui looked up, his thoughts clearing significantly. “You mean, no matter what, the only one who will be dealt with this time is the Prime Minister?”

“That is a good thing. After all, if the roots aren’t eradicated, no matter how the branches are broken, they will have a chance to sprout again. The Wang family is the root of the Crown Prince’s faction.” Pei Xu allowed a small smile. “Although His Majesty has left the capital to recover from illness, it’s impossible for him to be entirely ignorant of the news in the capital. Today’s situation doesn’t seem like ignorance on His Majesty’s part, but rather a calculated move to go with the flow.”

[His Majesty likely already intends to depose the Crown Prince, but because he is being thorough, the process is slow. If Wang Yin falls, it will be difficult for the Crown Prince’s faction to rise again.]

[When that time comes, where will there be any celestial nobility… There will only be stray dogs to be beaten and killed at will.]

The last two sentences sounded too much like those of a traitorous official. Pei Xu, perhaps still clinging to the dignity of a scholar, stopped there. He didn’t say them aloud but instead smiled and took a sip of tea, his mood visibly improving.

There was a light in his eyes, peaceful and serene, but upon closer inspection, a surging ambition was faintly masked beneath that gentle expression.

Ji Yuanhui found this spirited appearance truly beautiful and couldn’t help but reach out to touch his face.

Though Pei Xu didn’t know why Ji Yuanhui was suddenly touching his face, he could see the admiration and treasure in those eyes. So, he closed his eyes and tilted his head slightly, pressing his cheek into Ji Yuanhui’s palm.

At the first touch, Pei Xu closed his eyes. At the second touch, Pei Xu smiled softly. At the third touch, Pei Xu leaned over and fell into his embrace.

He opened his eyes in Ji Yuanhui’s arms and looked at him. “I’ve been touched by Your Highness until I have no strength left…”

Ji Yuanhui chuckled. “Wronging me again.”

Pei Xu unfolded the vouchers held in his hand. “Your Highness, let me handle this matter.”

Ji Yuanhui asked, “How do you plan to do it?”

“Secrecy leads to success; it shouldn’t be publicized. Moreover, with a matter like this, the fewer people who know, the better.” Pei Xu’s logic was clear. “First, I’ll probe the reality of the situation, then record it truthfully. I will bypass the Minister and present the report directly to the Emperor. If all goes well, the Golden Feather Guard will assist in making arrests, detaining the leaders, and interrogating them to find the accomplices.”

Pei Xu sighed. “It’s easy to say, but putting it into practice will inevitably involve many twists and turns. With the Emperor not in the capital, even just presenting the report will take a great deal of effort.”

Ji Yuanhui said slowly, “I will help you deliver the memorial. Do whatever you want to do with a free hand.”

“Thank you, Your Highness… With a case this large, I hope it can stir up some waves.” Pei Xu’s expression turned sad as he gripped a corner of Ji Yuanhui’s sleeve. “They made my Senior Brother’s family suffer so much.”

Ji Yuanhui stroked his hair rhythmically. Pei Xu was relaxed, and his words began to flow more freely. “Back when we were studying at the academy, Senior Brother treated me very well… He treated everyone well; everyone said he was a gentleman. I didn’t know what a gentleman was supposed to be like, so I tried to emulate his mannerisms and way of dealing with people. But my temper isn’t as good as his; I couldn’t be that magnanimous. I was always getting angry, so in the end, I gave up.”

“Emulating his mannerisms?” Ji Yuanhui’s hand paused, then continued as if nothing had happened. “Did you like him very much?”

“No.” Pei Xu blinked. “It was because he had a good reputation; I was a bit envious.”

Ji Yuanhui couldn’t help but laugh.

Pei Xu was somewhat competitive, but it wasn’t obvious; he quietly vied with himself. If he won, he’d hold his head high like a little peacock; if he didn’t, it didn’t matter—since he hadn’t made it public anyway, he just acted as if it never happened.

“Your Highness’s expression was so serious just now.” Pei Xu reached out and touched the corner of his lips. “When you don’t smile, it’s like you want to eat me up.”

Ji Yuanhui pressed forward, pinning him between himself and the low table, and nipped at the fingers Pei Xu had placed near his lips.

They were so close… they could almost hear each other’s heartbeats.

“Deep love brings sharp jealousy. It springs from the heart; I cannot control it.” Ji Yuanhui pressed his palm against Pei Xu’s chest, as if measuring his heart. “Can you truly be without jealousy or resentment?”

Pei Xu’s eyelashes trembled, but he didn’t deny it. He offered an excuse: “It’s only human nature.”

Ji Yuanhui squeezed and pressed his cheeks; Pei Xu parted his lips, and Ji Yuanhui leaned down to kiss him. It was a fierce kiss, leaving Pei Xu’s tongue feeling numb.

When he was finally released, Pei Xu was dizzy from the lack of oxygen. He gripped Ji Yuanhui’s arms for support, and for a split second, he caught the surging darkness in the depths of Ji Yuanhui’s eyes.

Logically, he should have been afraid. His heart was indeed racing, but it wasn’t out of fear—it was out of pleasure.

Perhaps he wasn’t quite normal, at least not in the conventional sense. He didn’t remember when he had become like this; his emotions were usually dull and low, and only by Ji Yuanhui’s side could he feel a bit better.

“Your Highness…” Before his breathing had even steadied, he wrapped his arms around Ji Yuanhui’s neck again. “Kiss me once more.”

Ji Yuanhui naturally had no reason to refuse. One thing led to another, and sparks inevitably flew. By the time his reason returned from its wandering, he was already deep inside.

“Rongrong.” Ji Yuanhui took a deep breath, easing his movements. “Shouldn’t we exercise some restraint?”

“Mmm…” Pei Xu’s eyelids were flushed. He kept his eyes half-closed and bit down on his curved index finger, his voice making it unclear whether he was actually answering.

As for restraint… that was something to be discussed in the future.