The White Moonlight Turns Out to Be a Black-Hearted Lotus - Chapter 28

Over the following days, even if the two of them didn’t want to exercise restraint, they had to.

After reflecting at home for nearly half a month, Ji Yuanhui was finally summoned back to the Ministry of Rites.

In the East, the prince of the State of Jing, who had raised an army, had successfully seized power. The Sibin Temple and the Ministry of Rites were busy spinning in circles, working incessantly to prepare the return of the hostage prince whose status had suddenly skyrocketed.

When the old man takes a gamble and wins, the son goes from a hostage to a royal prince; his luck was truly remarkable.

This matter had previously been handled entirely by Ji Yuanhui. After staying at home for a while, he returned to find that the matters he had once arranged were in a complete state of chaos, meddled with by others. Ji Yuanhui felt his vision go dark and nearly fainted. He couldn’t help but suspect that the reason he was called back was simply because this mess was so disastrous that no one else was willing to take over and clean it up.

This matter could not be taken lightly. To the North, the Turks had been eyeing them covetously for more than a day or two. Although there were no large-scale wars for the moment, small frictions were constant; war could break out at any moment.

At this critical juncture, it was imperative not to have conflicts with other neighboring countries. One should befriend them if possible. The best-case scenario was to form an alliance to fight the Turks together; the worst was to be locked in a stalemate with the Turks while the other side took advantage of the crisis to invade.

Naturally, efforts had to be made to steer things toward a positive outcome. War was no joking matter; an army required men, which inevitably meant the forced conscription of young and strong labor. Maintaining an army required military funds, which necessitated increasing taxes. If a household lost its able-bodied labor and had to pay more taxes, how were the common people supposed to survive?

The administration of the Great Zhou was truly not known for its integrity. Officials at every level extorted those below them. By that time, aside from those killed in battle, it was hard to say how many would starve to death.

If soldiers fought for their country for years, only to return home with bodies full of injuries and find that their parents, wives, and children had starved to death at the hands of corrupt officials, who would still be willing to serve the country? If another war broke out, they wouldn’t be defending the land with their lives; instead, they would likely take advantage of the chaos to raise the banner of rebellion.

For the common people, whether he or the First Prince took the throne in the future, either would be better than the Crown Prince.

On the surface, he was backed by the military generals of the Northwest, but in the shadows, he also had the Southeast Navy of the Zhou family. Raising an army required money, and the fastest way to get money was, of course, through the confiscation of property. Even if it were only for the sake of funding the military, he was bound to purge those influential clans and corrupt officials.

As for the First Prince, he was backed by the censorate and pure officials, who were naturally incompatible with those powerful clans. Different paths leading to the same destination—even if only to consolidate his own position, the First Prince would have to remove those stumbling blocks to ensure his future path was stable.

But the Crown Prince was different. He was held up by the powerful clans. If he ascended the throne, it would, in a sense, represent a successful division of the spoils. Naturally, he could not touch his own foundation.

Perhaps it was a bit early to think of these things. The pressing matter at hand was to appease the State of Jing to the East, ensuring at least ten years of peace between the two nations.

Ji Yuanhui was busy to the point that his feet barely touched the ground, and Pei Xu was not doing much better. As a new official, there were many matters to attend to, and in his spare time, he had to investigate that sutra-reciting old monk. Although Ji Yuanhui had assigned people to help him, Pei Xu’s cautious nature led him to prefer doing things personally; otherwise, he could never truly feel at ease.

Both of them left early and returned late. When they got home, they were so exhausted that they would fall into bed and sleep as soon as they embraced. Before any other thoughts could arise, they would already have lost consciousness.

The Great Zhou allowed for one day of rest every five days. Having finally endured until the last day of work, Ji Yuanhui was eager to return home. However, several colleagues suggested going for a drink to celebrate a fellow official’s approaching wedding date.

This was indeed a joyous occasion. Ji Yuanhui didn’t intend to spoil their fun, so when invited, he went along.

As the sky grew dark, Steward Zhang had just stepped out of the accounting room when he saw a dark figure standing in the courtyard, holding a tall horse.

Steward Zhang was so startled, his breath caught in his throat. Peering closer, he saw it was Ji Yuanhui, standing there with his horse, looking around blankly.

“Master, oh my,” Steward Zhang walked over. “Why have you brought the horse in here?”

“Uncle Zhang.” Ji Yuanhui’s brow furrowed, his expression very serious. “I forgot where the stables are.”

When he didn’t show any expression, he looked quite fierce; it was no wonder that not a single servant had dared to step forward to assist him on his way in.

“Xiao Hai, come here.” Steward Zhang signaled to a passing servant. “Take the Master’s horse to the stables.”

The servant lowered his head and led the horse away.

Steward Zhang had been specially selected by Zhang Dingguang to help Ji Yuanhui manage his household affairs when he left the palace to establish his own residence. Looking further back, Steward Zhang had also been by his side during those years in Longxi. He wasn’t an ordinary domestic servant; he was more like an elder to Ji Yuanhui.

“Master, follow this old servant. Gui Tang is this way.” Steward Zhang led the way with a smile. “Master has not been good with alcohol since his youth. It is still the same now; it is better to drink less in the future.”

“I only had a little.” Ji Yuanhui followed behind him. “I remembered I had something to do, so I came back.”

“Master, we have arrived.” Steward Zhang stopped. “This old servant shall take his leave.”

Ji Yuanhui gave a hum of acknowledgement and stared at the two characters for Gui Tang (Cinnamon Hall).

Last night’s stars, last night’s wind; by the west side of the painted building, east of the Cinnamon Hall.

The words chosen were quite good, but the handwriting didn’t look like his, no matter how he looked at it.

Ji Yuanhui took two steps forward, then remembered that he probably smelled of alcohol. He had to wash up first; his wife wouldn’t like it if he smelled of liquor.

After scrubbing himself clean, Ji Yuanhui lifted his hem and sniffed carefully. Once certain there was no smell, he finally felt at ease.

But then he felt something was wrong. No one could control him—not even his wife. Why was he being so obedient to someone else?

But… who was his wife again?

Ji Yuanhui went into the inner chamber. The bed curtains hung lightly, and someone had left a lamp lit for him. The blurry light traced the silhouette of a person.

He reached out to part the curtains. The person on the bed had a tranquil face and was still fast asleep.

It’s Rongrong… Rongrong is fine.

Anyone else would not be allowed, but Rongrong could. He had come back specifically to find Rongrong.

Since they faced each other day and night, Pei Xu had long grown used to his scent and touch. Even when Ji Yuanhui climbed onto the bed and pulled him into his arms from behind, he did not wake up.

So beautiful…

He tenderly pressed kisses against Pei Xu’s cheek and ear, using his teeth to gently graze the small mole on his earlobe. Seeing the sleeping person furrow his brows in unease because of him, he didn’t stop; instead, he intensified his actions, stroking his waist and abdomen, his fingers hooking into the belt of the robe and pulling it open. The person in his arms was wearing very thin clothes; they were very easy to peel away.

Despite his movements being light, Pei Xu eventually woke up when a finger probed inside.

Pei Xu’s breathing was unsteady. Having just woken up, his voice was a bit hoarse as he tried to turn back in unease: “Your Highness…”

“Don’t be afraid…” Ji Yuanhui leaned down to kiss him, working on him slowly. “It won’t hurt. We’ll take it slow.”

The preparation had been thorough, and Ji Yuanhui’s movements were slow, so acceptance was relatively easy. However, it had been several days since they last did it, and Pei Xu was still moved to tears.

Ji Yuanhui kissed away his tears, grinding against him slowly and heavily, kissing and biting the fair skin of his neck. “Did you miss me?”

“Mm…” As soon as Pei Xu opened his mouth, his voice was disrupted by a sudden movement, becoming syrupy and drawn out.

“Do you miss me, or are you just in heat?”

“Miss…” Pei Xu suppressed a light gasp, tilting his neck back. “Miss Your Highness.”

“You like me so much.” Ji Yuanhui’s movements remained slow and heavy, maximizing the pleasure Pei Xu could receive. “You aren’t even angry when you’re suddenly pulled up in the middle of the night to be bedded.”

“Your Highness is compassionate and hasn’t made me… uncomfortable…” Knowing he was thin-skinned, although Ji Yuanhui often teased him, he didn’t often say such explicit things to him. Pei Xu’s ear tips turned a bit red. “Did Your Highness drink?”

“A little.” Ji Yuanhui kissed him, turning him over into a face-to-face position, pulling his legs to hook around his own waist, and pressing down again. “While drinking, I suddenly thought of you, so I came back.”

Ji Yuanhui locked fingers with him, pulling the back of his hand to his lips to kiss it. “I was thinking of you the whole way back.”

Sometimes, Pei Xu wished Ji Yuanhui could be a bit rougher with him. He liked the feeling of his emotions being tossed high, leaving his mind blank and without room to think of anything else.

But Ji Yuanhui was always so gentle—gentle to the point of being a bit slow—giving him the leisure to think and the strength to clearly see the love overflowing in those eyes.

The two of them got up early the next morning.

Although it was a rare day of rest, the old monk was holding a sutra lecture at the end of the Chen hour (around 9:00 AM), so they had to go see it.

Pei Xu’s skin was fair, and every suck left a red mark. Looking into the mirror at the bite marks on his neck that the collar couldn’t hide, he felt a bit troubled and had to find some cosmetic powder to cover them.

“I was dizzy from drinking yesterday; I didn’t mean to toss you about.” Ji Yuanhui took a jade pendant and diligently helped him tie it to his waist, then sat beside him, pulling his hand to press it against his own face. “Next time I act foolish, just slap me a couple of times, and I’ll wake up. Don’t just endure everything I do.”

Pei Xu laughed, stroking Ji Yuanhui’s face. “That would hurt…”

“And it’s not like I didn’t like it.” He blinked. “Your Highness missed me, and I missed Your Highness too.”

Ji Yuanhui laughed as well, leaning in to peck his lips.

The two of them disguised themselves and arrived at the teahouse. After handing over the entry vouchers, they entered to find a dozen or so people already gathered sporadically inside.

The two exchanged a look and went off separately to converse with people and gather information.

Ji Yuanhui locked onto a bloated man sitting in a corner, eating pastries.

He walked over and said sincerely, “Brother, may I trouble you for a moment?”

The man looked him up and down with a squint. Seeing that his clothing and aura were extraordinary, he said, “Speak.”

Ji Yuanhui put on a worried expression. “Is this Grandmaster truly effective? My parents and elder brothers insisted I come to listen, but I really have no confidence in my heart. If I spend so much silver and it turns out to be useless, wouldn’t that be a terrible loss?”

“You’ve asked the right person. Do you know who I am?” The man looked very self-important. “My father is a Director in the Ministry of Works, the right-hand man of His Highness the Crown Prince! Listen to me, you can rest assured and just listen. Make sure to record everything the Grandmaster says; you definitely won’t lose out on this silver.”

Ji Yuanhui still maintained an uneasy look. “But it costs a thousand taels of silver just to listen to one session, and the Grandmaster needs five sessions to finish the lecture. This cost is truly a bit…”

“Your parents and brothers are the ones with foresight. You are young and short-sighted; one cannot only look at the silver in front of them,” the man said disdainfully. “As the saying goes: ‘Three years an honest prefect, a hundred thousand taels of silver.’ Once you become an official, how much silver will you not have?”

“Brother, your insight is profound!” Ji Yuanhui put on an expression of sudden realization and continued, “I have one more thing I am worried about. I wonder if you could clear my doubts?”

The man waved his hand. “Just ask. There is nothing this young master doesn’t know.”

Ji Yuanhui lowered his voice and asked, “I am still a bit worried. Is this place truly reliable? If the imperial court were to investigate…”

“Just put your heart in your stomach and listen. Do you know who else is here?” The man’s finger pointed at the people in the distance one by one. “That one is the grand-nephew of the current Prime Minister. And that one is the nephew of the current Minister of Works…”

“With so many great deities here, could the whole boat really be capsized?”