The White Moonlight Turns Out to Be a Black-Hearted Lotus - Chapter 7

On days without morning court, Ji Yuanhui occasionally had to clock in for duty.

Ji Yuanhui didn’t know why the Emperor had stuffed him into the Ministry of Rites; he couldn’t see a single part of himself that aligned with the word “Rites.”

Fortunately, the Ministry of Rites had the lightest workload among the Six Ministries, and Ji Yuanhui was happy to enjoy the leisure.

The Crown Prince governed the Ministry of Works, and the First Prince governed the Ministry of Revenue—both were prime spots for lining one’s pockets. Where there is profit, intrigue inevitably follows. While the two of them were fighting tooth and nail, locked in an inseparable struggle, Ji Yuanhui would already be patting his backside and slipping away early to go home.

Ji Yuanhui’s direct superior, the Minister of Rites, was a perpetually smiling old man. He was incredibly slick, handled affairs flawlessly, and spoke with such precision that not a single fault could be found. This was likely why he hadn’t taken a side yet managed to avoid persecution several years ago when Wang Yin was purging dissenting factions in court.

Although the current state of the imperial court wasn’t much better, it was already far stronger than in the past. Seven or eight years ago, the court, and even the inner palace, were almost entirely under Wang Yin’s absolute rule.

Besides being the Prime Minister, Wang Yin was also the Imperial Tutor, serving two successive reigns. Later, when the Emperor had a Crown Prince, he became the Crown Prince’s Grand Tutor. Many factions in the previous court—officials in high positions—were either his disciples or former subordinates. In the inner palace, his daughter, Empress Wang, had borne two sons, making her position rock-solid.

During those years, Wang Yin was incomparably smug; he could order the execution of even a third-rank official at will. The Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review had knelt before the Hall of Golden Chimes, weeping bitterly and crying out for justice, but after kneeling for several days, he never saw the Emperor, and not a single colleague dared to help him up.

In a twist of absurdity, the Chief Justice, who had spent half his life managing the penal system, was eventually framed by Wang Yin’s cronies and thrown into the Ministry of Justice’s prison.

Wang Yin’s days of covering the sky with one hand lasted for several years, until the First Prince was propped up by the scholars of humble origin to contend against him.

If one were to say the First Prince was supported solely by those of humble origins, Ji Yuanhui wouldn’t believe it. The Emperor must have been pushing things along from behind the scenes, though no one dared to say it aloud.

The two factions fought for years, and the turning point occurred during a certain winter. Wang Yin’s son, Wang Qian, was serving as the Inspector of Bingzhou. Due to his extortionate taxation and profligate waste, a refugee riot broke out. Wang Qian was stabbed to death in the street, the Inspector’s manor was razed by fire, and his entire family was wiped out in an instant.

Upon hearing the news, Wang Yin spat blood and fainted, remaining bedridden for months. The First Prince’s faction took this opportunity to topple many of Wang Yin’s officials, leaving his party severely weakened.

At that time, Pei Xu’s father was a Prefect in a subordinate county of Bingzhou. It was also in that year of the riots that Pei Xu ended up wandering the border between Bingzhou and Longxi. Ji Yuanhui had picked him up and kept him by his side for two years before he was eventually recognized by the Pei family and brought back to the capital.

Although Wang Yin’s faction had been heavily hit, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. His influence remained significant, only partially checked by the First Prince’s faction, leaving the two sides in a state of eerie, strained balance.

But anyone could see that this balance wouldn’t last. After all, neither side was a tame animal. One was a wolf and the other a tiger, both eyeing the other greedily. As soon as one showed a sliver of weakness, they would tear into each other like beasts scenting blood until one died and the other emerged victorious.

After finishing his shift, Ji Yuanhui didn’t rush home. Instead, he rode his horse to a Taoist temple built halfway up a mountain on the outskirts of the city.

Familiar with the routine, he handed his horse to a servant sweeping at the foot of the mountain and hiked up on foot. A young Taoist boy came to greet him: “The official has arrived. How many guests’ tea should I prepare this time?”

“Don’t bother. I came alone this time.” Ji Yuanhui looked around. “Where is your master?”

“Master has been in the Plum Garden these past few days and hasn’t ventured out. Do you need me to lead the way?”

“No need, I remember the path.”

Ji Yuanhui easily found the plum grove in the backyard of the temple. The mountain air was chilly, so the plum blossoms were still in bloom. Ji Yuanhui saw that person under a tree of brilliant flowers.

Dressed in green with white hair, he was slumped drunkenly by a stone table, leaning against a stone stool without a shred of dignity.

Ji Yuanhui had met this old Taoist as soon as he was old enough to remember things. No one knew his surname or name, but he seemed to possess special privileges, allowing him to walk freely through the palace. When Ji Yuanhui was a child, this man already had a head of white hair, looking like a man in his eighties or nineties by hair alone; yet his face looked only about twenty years old, and after more than a decade, it hadn’t changed a bit.

This Taoist was no good. When Ji Yuanhui was young, the man had tricked him into eating many strange elixirs. After eating them, he would either suddenly see evil spirits clinging to people or suddenly understand the language of animals. The effects varied, and the duration was inconsistent. For an adult, it might have been interesting, but for a child, it was a pure nightmare.

Ji Yuanhui walked over, grabbed the man’s shoulders, and tried to shake him awake.

“Old Taoist, demon priest, charlatan… stop sleeping!” Ji Yuanhui shook the Taoist vigorously. “How can you sleep! Did you feed me something strange again when I wasn’t looking?”

The Taoist looked as if he had drunk too much and was mentally clouded. He slowly opened his eyes, and it took a long time for them to focus. His gaze swept around before landing on Ji Yuanhui’s face. He let out a few wheezing chuckles and said cryptically: “Alive?”

“If I weren’t alive, would I have been poisoned to death by you?” Ji Yuanhui was getting angry. “Don’t dodge the question. Recently, I can suddenly hear what my husband is thinking. Is this your doing? What did you do to me?”

“Oh, slow down, my head hurts.” The Taoist slowly crawled up from the ground and moved to a stone stool. He rubbed one temple while asking, “How old are you now?”

Ji Yuanhui looked at him warily. “What are you planning now? Witchcraft? Voodoo?”

“Oh… how heartbreaking. How can you talk to your great-grandfather like that? I watched you grow up; would I harm you?”

Ji Yuanhui had suffered too much at his hands to believe that such a bizarre occurrence wasn’t his doing. “Is there any point in using me for your amusement?”

“Being able to hear what your husband is thinking…” The Taoist’s eyes were still narrowed, but his gaze cleared up, appearing finally sober. “My goodness, isn’t that a good thing? To hear it directly means you don’t have to spend your days pretending to be magnanimous while hiding in the shadows like a resentful ghost or a bitter husband, second-guessing and spying.”

“It really was you, but what do those last few sentences mean?” Ji Yuanhui’s brow furrowed. “When have I ever ‘pretended’ to be magnanimous? I don’t need such methods to know what he’s thinking.”

“Ah… such trust in that child. Let me guess how old you are now.” The Taoist closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. “With power comes suspicion. Right now, you must have nothing… twenty-one? Twenty-two? Definitely no older than twenty-three.”

Ji Yuanhui’s frown deepened the more he listened. “What are you talking about? Did you rot your brain with alcohol? I’m three months shy of twenty-two.”

“Oh, twenty-one. A newlywed, no wonder.” The Taoist smiled. “To be able to hear what he’s thinking—do you really not want such a great opportunity? You act like a true gentleman now, but men are fickle things, especially the Ji family. Not a single one of you is any good, haha.”

“Truly no regrets?” The Taoist yawned. “I’ll remind you one last time: an opportunity like this will never come a second time.”

“I don’t want it,” Ji Yuanhui said disdainfully. “I have no use for it.”

“At least you look like a human being when you’re young…” the Taoist mumbled something that Ji Yuanhui didn’t quite catch.

“Take these and eat them. Two pills a day. When you finish the bottle and haven’t remembered… cough, haven’t reached the desired effect, come back for a second bottle.” The Taoist tossed a small vial to him. “Don’t do anything else at night; sleep well and dream a lot.”

Ji Yuanhui was skeptical. “Will this work?”

The Taoist looked at him with eyes full of grandfatherly affection. “How could an ancestor harm you?”

Ji Yuanhui shivered, disgusted by the look. “If it doesn’t work, I’ll tear down this wretched temple of yours.”

The Taoist said nonchalantly, “Suit yourself.”

Ji Yuanhui tucked the porcelain vial away, his gaze falling on the plum trees in full bloom.

Truly beautiful… at this time of year, such fine plum blossoms were likely rare elsewhere.

“Flowers can dissolve sorrow.” Before Ji Yuanhui could speak, the Taoist smiled. “Take a branch with you.”

…

When Ji Yuanhui returned to the manor, he was surprised not to see Pei Xu waiting for him. He asked Steward Zhang, who was nearby, “Where is Young Master Pei?”

“In response to Master, a guest arrived today. He seems to be a former junior disciple of Young Master Pei,” Steward Zhang said. “The Young Master is still receiving him.”

Alarm bells rang in Ji Yuanhui’s mind. “A junior disciple?”

Steward Zhang was diligent in his work, having mastered the preferences and basic history of his masters. “He should be a fellow disciple from when the Young Master was studying in Dongling Prefecture. Before becoming your companion, the Young Master studied at the Dongling Academy.”

Having said that, Steward Zhang observed Ji Yuanhui’s expression and continued, “Will Master go over now? Shall I go announce you first?”

“No need, I’ll go myself.” Ji Yuanhui took off his outer cloak, tossed it to Steward Zhang, and headed straight for the guest parlor.

As he reached the outside of the parlor, Ji Yuanhui faintly heard a voice:

“Senior Brother, it’s only been a few years, and you’ve actually married so early…”

It was a very young voice, likely around the same age as Pei Xu. Ji Yuanhui paused, and by some strange impulse, stopped at the door.

He had a feeling the next sentence wouldn’t be anything good.

Sure enough, the next moment, the person sobbed, “Senior Brother, did your father force you? I heard people say that Third Highness is arrogant and overbearing, and… and a playboy who hasn’t read a book since childhood. They even said, they even said…”

Ji Yuanhui clenched his fist and laughed in anger.

To slander him so much—was this one of the First Prince’s men or the Crown Prince’s?

Inside the room, Pei Xu’s voice was remarkably calm. He even asked with a hint of amusement, “They even said what?”

The junior disciple continued, “They said he doesn’t even recognize a few characters! How could such a crude person be worthy of you, Senior Brother? If you ask me, the Crown Prince is still…”

Ji Yuanhui clicked his tongue. So, he was the Crown Prince’s man.

“Junior Brother said it himself—it’s just what people say. Have you not heard that ‘public clamor can melt gold, and accumulated slander can dissolve bone’? It’s better not to speak such baseless words in the future.” Pei Xu interrupted him composedly. He was smiling, but the threat in his tone was unmistakable. “Illness enters through the mouth, and disaster exits from it. It’s better for Junior Brother to be cautious with his words.”

The man shut his mouth awkwardly. Pei Xu didn’t pick up the conversation, simply drinking his tea, causing the atmosphere to grow cold.

Ji Yuanhui knew that Pei Xu was usually very smooth in public; there was no conversation he couldn’t handle. Seeing him like this, he was clearly angry and intentionally ignoring the guest to drive him away.

However, the man was unwilling to leave just like that. He started a new topic and pressed, “I heard that the noble families have many rules. Have they made things difficult for you, Senior Brother?”

“What does Junior Brother mean by that?” Pei Xu looked into his eyes, which flickered with ill-concealed expectation and malice. “Or rather, what answer do you want to hear? If I say I am doing well, you will surely ask other spiteful questions. Is it only if I say I am unhappy that you will be satisfied?”

“Those words are hurtful, Senior Brother. You make me sound like some villain who can’t stand to see others do well.” The man blinked innocently, putting on a wounded expression. “You used to be the teacher’s favorite student. I’m just feeling sorry for you on our teacher’s behalf.”

“If our teacher weren’t currently in prison, but right here…” Duan Xi’s tone shifted, his voice carrying a gleeful smile, “Knowing that you hadn’t met a good match, he would probably be far more heartbroken than I am… Ah! Pei Zehuai, what are you doing!”

With a loud thud, a teacup shattered at Duan Xi’s feet, splashing tea all over him.

“My apologies, my hand slipped.” Pei Xu withdrew his hand. It was obviously intentional, but his tone was matter-of-fact. “You know my health has always been poor. Since you feel sorry for me, you can surely understand if my hand slips once, right?”

Duan Xi’s face darkened as he took a step back, his smile barely holding together. “Of course. You must take care of your health, Senior Brother.”

He gritted out those last few words, but Pei Xu nodded as if he hadn’t noticed the malice. “Naturally. There are no suitable clothes in the manor, and your current appearance… seems a bit too impolite. You should head home and change quickly.”

Impolite? Who was the one who poured tea on whom? Who was the impolite one?

Duan Xi gnashed his teeth in hatred, but this wasn’t his territory. If Pei Xu suddenly had a fit and ordered the servants to beat him up, he would have no one to turn to. Thus, no matter how indignant he was, he finally just said “farewell” with a black face.

Pei Xu remained seated. “My health is poor, so I won’t see you out. Go on.”

Duan Xi flicked his sleeves and left.

Eavesdropping wasn’t exactly honorable, so Ji Yuanhui hid in a side room. He waited until the footsteps faded before pushing the door open, only to run into Pei Xu waiting at the doorway.

Ji Yuanhui clutched his chest, startled. “You’re like a cat, walking without a sound.”

Pei Xu only asked, “Could Your Highness hear clearly from the side room?”

“Mostly…” Ji Yuanhui rubbed his nose. “When did you find me?”

“I heard you when you walked to the door.” Pei Xu’s voice was very calm. “Your Highness has excellent hearing, and mine isn’t bad either.”

Just as Ji Yuanhui was thinking of how to comfort him, his waist was suddenly hugged. Looking down, he saw Pei Xu had closed his eyes with a look of exhaustion, leaning against him and whispering, “I’m a bit tired. Your Highness, could you hold me for a while?”