Li Shen would never put Wei Yingshu in danger under any circumstances, but he was now absolutely certain that the packet of poison was on her.
Since Pei Liang had been able to think of this strategy first and arrange for someone to find and switch the poison in advance, hiding the real poison on Wei Yingshu would have been no trouble at all.
After all, ever since the cooking competition began, everyone’s attention had been focused on the arena. Even Li Shen himself, having deliberately planted his own people among the crowd to guide public opinion, had instinctively assumed that this aspect was already under his control and had neglected to keep watch over it.
Pei Liang had already kept a close eye on the few people stirring up trouble in the crowd and had ultimately caught them all. So why couldn’t she have taken advantage of the chaos to slip someone else through?
With everyone’s eyes fixed on her, Wei Yingshu began to panic. “Why—why is everyone looking at me?”
“Are you suspecting me of being the mastermind?” she asked incredulously. “Just because I’ve had conflicts with the Pei family in the past, you’re going to pin such a serious crime on me? I’m only a young woman. How could I possibly possess such cunning and scheming?”
Young Master Wang, seated beside her, nodded repeatedly. “Exactly. Yingshu is as innocent and gentle as they come. She feels sorry even when she steps on an ant. How could she possibly poison someone or set up such a deadly trap? Don’t wrong her.”
Pei Liang, however, said, “Miss Wei, there’s no need to panic. Everyone’s reaction is merely a conjecture based on what has happened in the past. Indeed, there is no proof.”
“But just as Manager Chi’s death made First Pavilion the greatest suspect a moment ago, if someone present truly wishes to harm me, then, at least on the surface, you do have the greatest motive for suspicion.”
“Still, everything must be based on evidence. Since everyone here is a suspect and will be searched, why don’t you come forward first to prove your innocence and put everyone’s doubts to rest?”
“A body search? Why should I allow myself to be searched in full view of everyone?” Wei Yingshu hurriedly took two steps back, her face filled with resistance. “What would become of my reputation?”
Gu Xiu said, “Don’t worry. The female guests will naturally be taken to a private room separately, where they will be searched by female constables.”
Even after hearing this, Wei Yingshu still felt uneasy. She watched helplessly as Pei Liang turned the tables at the last possible moment.
The charges that had been meticulously assembled one after another, the trap from which there had seemed no escape—in the beginning, Wei Yingshu had appeared to have no way to defend herself, yet everything had remained within her control.
This made Wei Yingshu realize with startling clarity that both she and Li Shen had underestimated Pei Liang far too much.
And since Pei Liang had dared to point the finger directly at her, she must have made preparations long ago.
Wei Yingshu kept retreating. With one hand hidden beneath her sleeve, she secretly felt around her body—and her heart gave a violent jolt.
At that moment, with all eyes upon her, no one could miss even the slightest reaction.
A female guest beside Wei Yingshu, who had been watching the spectacle, gave her a push. “Since it’s a female constable conducting the search, why are you still making such a fuss? Go on, and stop causing trouble for everyone.”
The implication was clear: if something incriminating could be found on her, there would be no need to search everyone else.
But Wei Yingshu’s fingers were already trembling after touching the inexplicable object that had appeared inside her clothes. When the other woman pushed her, the object slipped free and fell to the ground.
The female patron hurriedly took a step back. “It wasn’t me! Everyone saw—I only pushed her on the shoulder. This thing fell out of her clothes.”
A constable quickly stepped forward and picked up the packet. After examining it, the coroner said, “It is indeed the Impermanence Hook that killed Manager Chi.”
The crowd erupted.
“So it really was the Wei family who did it?”
“To come up with such a vicious scheme—clearly they meant to wipe out the entire family. What a black-hearted, venomous lot.”
“Exactly. The Pei and Wei families have never gotten along, but wasn’t every dispute caused by the Wei family themselves? If they hadn’t acted so shamelessly, no one could have found fault with them.”
“After all, the Wei family’s livelihood was inherited from the Pei family. Yet they don’t show even the slightest regard for that connection.”
“A whole family of vicious, despicable wretches. Back then, Wei Qigui’s foolish kindness saved that woman—who would have thought she’d turn out like this?”
Wei Yingshu’s face went pale with terror. The accusations around her, combined with the panic of disaster looming overhead, left her confused and helpless.
No, she couldn’t panic. Just like Pei Liang, she had to remain calm. Staying calm was the key to solving any trouble.
Wei Yingshu drew a deep breath. “Everyone, even if this poison was found on me, that still doesn’t prove I poisoned Manager Chi. And it certainly doesn’t prove that I bribed witnesses to frame the Pei family or drag the late Emperor into this.”
“There are all sorts of people coming and going in First Pavilion. Who’s to say someone didn’t plant it on me midway in order to frame me?”
Her words were not entirely unreasonable, but the diners around them had no patience for being dragged into the matter.
They immediately protested, “What are you implying? Are you trying to drag all of us down with you?”
“Everyone in this circle is a familiar face. We’re all respectable businessmen and longtime neighbors who’ve dealt with the Pei family for decades. Who would frame you?”
“Exactly. Even if we had the inclination, we wouldn’t have the ability. I’ve heard that Manager Wei has an extensive network and influence reaching everywhere.”
As he spoke, he glanced at the Young Master Wang standing beside her.
The Young Master Wang was already frantic because the woman he loved had been falsely accused. Hearing the crowd kick her while she was down, he snapped, “What are you doing? Aren’t you afraid of being punished for spreading false rumors and making baseless accusations?”
Before he had even finished speaking, a cold voice said, “Young Master Wang certainly sounds more imposing than your father—or even the Governor of Shuntian Prefecture.”
Young Master Wang’s heart jolted. When he turned around and saw that it was Gu Xiu who had spoken, he immediately fell silent.
Gu Xiu was not taking sides, however. He continued, “Still, Manager Wei’s argument is not without merit. With several charges being woven together and the circumstances so tangled, it would indeed be too hasty to convict her solely because the poison was found on her. The matter must be investigated thoroughly.”
Li Shen and Young Master Wang both breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Gu Xiu did not take sides, everything would be fine. With Wei Yingshu’s connections, even if she were taken to the authorities for questioning, she would not suffer much. As long as she insisted that she knew nothing, they could not convict her.
But Pei Liang had already raised her blade. How could she possibly let it fall gently now?
She turned to Gu Xiu. “My lord Marquis, I became suspicious as soon as the Chi family came to our door. I run a restaurant, so it’s impossible for me not to know the state of the trade. Besides, Old Master Chi was acquainted with my grandfather, so naturally I paid the matter a little more attention.”
“I knew that Zuiyang Tower had fallen into decline these past few years and that Master Chef Chi was a discreet man. Even if they envied the glory of my First Tower, they shouldn’t have been the first to step forward. So, before the competition, I had someone go out and make inquiries. He should be back by now.”
“Please allow us to have him report to you, Marquis.”
Gu Xiu nodded. “Send him in.”
A servant whose face he did not recognize entered.
He went straight to the point. “Marquis, allow me to report. I first went to the Chi family’s Zuiyang Tower, but the doors were tightly locked, and the place looked utterly desolate. After making inquiries, I learned that it had been closed for several days.”
“I then tracked down the Chi family residence. That house was empty as well. No one answered when I knocked. According to the neighbors, the Chi family had dismissed all their servants recently, and there had been sounds of quarrels and smashing things a few days ago.”
“The neighbors said that Master Chi had once again pawned household belongings to gamble and gotten into a dispute with his family. Since such incidents had happened before, they hadn’t paid much attention.”
“However, after that night, no one had seen the Chi family’s young lady or young master. The young lady and the Eldest Young Master Chi present here share the same mother; both were born to Master Chi’s first wife. Madam Chi is Master Chi’s second wife, and she has a son of her own. The youngest young master is only six years old. Normally, he is lively and mischievous, and he loves inviting the neighborhood boys his age to play every day. Yet he hasn’t been seen for several days.”
Gu Xiu asked, “Did you go inside and look around?”
The servant replied, “That would have been trespassing on a private residence. This humble one did not dare.”
That was clearly a lie told with his eyes wide open. Unless he was certain of what he was implying, he would not have brought it up and steered everyone’s thoughts in that direction.
Sure enough, Pei Liang said, “Master Chef Chi, the young lady and young master of your household haven’t been seen for several days. Are they unwell, or have they gone to visit relatives and friends?”
Master Chef Chi and the Eldest Young Master Chi had gone pale, their eyes filled with despair.
Even Madam Chi, who had spoken so confidently at the beginning, could no longer hold her ground. “Y-yes, that’s right. They’ve gone to visit relatives and friends. You needn’t ask any further.”
“Why not? The accusations your family made concern the lives of my entire household. Now that we’ve proven your claims false, naturally we must thoroughly investigate your motives from the source.”
“Your family seems to have suffered quite a few upheavals recently, and the whereabouts of your children are highly suspicious. If they merely went to visit relatives and friends, then tell us where they are now and prove that your claims are not false.”
“Very—very far away. They’ve gone south to Jiangnan. It will probably be several months before they return,” Madam Chi said.
“Is that so? Travel is difficult these days, yet the Chi family was willing to let an unmarried young woman and a little boy of only a few years travel there alone?”
“Still, I must remind you: children are in danger when they are away from home, especially with matters at an impasse as they are now. Since all of your accusations against me are likely to come to nothing, the crime of implicating the late emperor to frame others will be enough to send all of you to prison.”
“I simply wonder when you’ll be able to get out. Will the people responsible for ‘looking after’ the young master and young lady of your household remain loyal? Otherwise, an unmarried girl in the bloom of youth and a small child, left without their family’s protection, may meet with a most unfortunate fate.”
Large beads of sweat dripped down the faces of the Chi family. They feared Li Shen’s ruthless methods, but at the same time, they had failed to accomplish what they came for and had instead dragged themselves into the mess. Their grandson and granddaughter were still being held by those villains, and what fate awaited the children was all too easy to imagine.
The first to break down was Madam Chi. She hurriedly fell to her knees and began kowtowing to Gu Xiu.
“My lord, I’ll confess. I’ll tell you everything.”
“Someone set my husband up, luring our shopkeeper into gambling. Not only did he lose the entire family fortune, he was also tricked into signing the papers to sell his own children.”
“That villain brought people to our door and brazenly snatched away our eldest daughter and youngest son. Since their own father had sold them, even taking the matter to the authorities would have done no good.”
“He used that to threaten us, promising to return both our Zuiyang Restaurant and our children if we did as he instructed and framed the Pei family. But for his scheme to succeed, a life had to be sacrificed.”
“We had to choose between that good-for-nothing who ruined our family and our two children. There was no other choice.”
“That bastard knew nothing of the plan. He thought the medicine he swallowed was merely a laxative. The instructions he was given were that it would be used to frame the Pei family by claiming that their ingredients were tainted. But the instructions given to me were what I was supposed to say after he died.”
“We had no choice. We could only sacrifice the wretch who had brought our family to ruin.”
“Our Chi family was indeed shameless, but my lord, Shopkeeper Pei—the children are innocent. For the sake of our confession, please send someone to rescue them.”
The Chi family had just shown the most despicable of faces when they falsely accused another, and the onlookers still loathed their shamelessness. Yet after hearing what had happened to the family, they could not help but sigh with sympathy.
Just like what had happened at Tianxiang Restaurant, this was yet another case of a wastrel bringing disaster upon his entire family. Those in the crowd whose own sons were prone to reckless mischief had already begun considering how they would discipline them once they returned home.
Master Chef Chi and Eldest Young Master Chi also knelt beside Madam Chi. From that moment on, there could no longer be any doubt about where the Pei family’s culinary skills had come from.
Gu Xiu sighed. “What happened to your Chi family is certainly pitiful. But to escape your own predicament, you framed the Pei family and accused them of wrongdoing. Such a false accusation concerns the lives of the entire Pei family. How could the Pei family possibly be considered guilty?”
“Take them into custody for now.”
He then ordered someone else, “Take a team and investigate the whereabouts of the Chi family’s children.”
“Marquis, wait,” Pei Liang said. “I already have a lead on the whereabouts of the Chi family’s young master and young lady. They should already be in the process of being rescued. We’ll know the result shortly.”
“Oh?” A flicker of curiosity passed through Gu Xiu’s eyes. He was rather interested in how she had managed it.
Just then, the people sent to find Old Quan and Old Xu returned as well.
Each of them had brought someone back.
The person with Old Quan was a woman over fifty, with a gentle and mild-mannered appearance. Old Xu, meanwhile, had brought back a young man—his eldest grandson.
The moment the two saw them, their expressions changed.
Pei Liang said, “Look. In scarcely any time at all, we uncovered the cause of the matter. So how could you possibly guarantee that they would still be alive after everything was done?”
Old Quan burst into regretful sobs. “After spending my entire life navigating the darkest intrigues, I never thought I would grow old only to make such a foolish wish. I truly failed to see through this.”
It turned out that Old Quan’s having lost his son and being left entirely alone was true. But afterward, he had met this woman, whose surname was Zhang. She too had suffered a hard fate. The two of them supported one another, and in time, each became the other’s solace.
Old Quan knew that he was nearing the end of his life. The only thing he could not let go of was the thought that, once he was gone, the woman who had depended on him would be left alone, facing a miserable old age. So when someone approached him with the promise of a large sum of money, he hesitated for a while before agreeing.
As for Old Xu, his eldest grandson had been tricked into gambling and run up a crushing debt, leaving him no choice but to betray, against his conscience, the employer he had served all his life.
There was a reason people said that one reliable trick could carry you anywhere. Li Shen’s scheme had been simple and crude, but it worked. As long as a family had one unfilial member, a little manipulation was all it took to hold the entire household hostage.
That was also why Pei Liang had kept Pei Fugui in the old family home in the countryside. Idiots were not frightening in themselves. What was frightening was giving idiots far too much power in an age like this.
With that, every accusation against Pei Liang had been completely cleared away.
Gu Xiu was just about to have the men escorted to Shuntian Prefecture when Pei Liang spoke again. “My lord, we still haven’t caught the mastermind behind all this.”
Gu Xiu raised an eyebrow. “You heard them yourself. The people who came forward to deal with these men were not all the same person. They were probably just underlings acting on someone else’s orders. The person who set this whole scheme in motion is cunning. We won’t be able to get anything out of them.”
“We can only take them back to the yamen and have an artist draw portraits based on their descriptions of the people they dealt with, then issue wanted notices throughout the city.”
Pei Liang merely smiled. “As it happens, I’ve had a stroke of luck. When my men were returning after finishing their business and passing through the southern part of the city, they happened upon several gangs of thugs fighting.”
“Since we are residents of the capital and it is everyone’s responsibility to help maintain order in the neighborhood, my men went over to break up the fight.”
“Who would have thought that one of the gangs would not only refuse to listen, but would even dare attack innocent bystanders? With no other choice, my men joined forces with the other groups, subdued them, and took them into custody.”
Pei Liang pointed at the men who had been dragged out for inciting the rumors. “These men look unfamiliar, and no one knows where they came from. Why not ask those people whether they know each other’s backgrounds?”
Gu Xiu gave her a half-smile. “Your men are truly capable, Shopkeeper Pei. There isn’t a single thing they can’t do. They’ve made the proper constables at the yamen look like a pack of useless layabouts.”
Pei Liang smiled. “As a woman traveling about outside, my safety naturally comes first. It’s only to be expected that I would set a higher standard when hiring men to protect me and guard my home.”
Gu Xiu did not believe that explanation. However, remembering the rumors in the capital that she and Shi Feiyu shared an ambiguous relationship, he simply assumed that the capable man had sent protection for his beautiful lady.
He did not pursue the matter.
Meanwhile, Li Shen, standing among the crowd, had already realized that the tide had turned against him.
So it turned out that framing Ying Shu had not even been Pei Liang’s final move. She knew very well that with Ying Shu’s connections, the evidence was far from solid enough to cause any real harm.
An ordinary woman might lose half her life after being thrown into prison, but Ying Shu had people bribing and greasing palms on all sides. The son of the prefect surnamed Wang had even personally looked after her. Aside from damaging her reputation, the affair would have no substantial effect on her.
But now, after becoming the leader of the underground forces in the southern part of the city, Li Shen was experiencing for the first time the despair of having everything fall apart, of being utterly powerless to turn the situation around.
That woman had planned it well. She had simply gone with the momentum of events. Taking advantage of the opportunity to trap him here, she had joined forces with several gang leaders who held grudges against him and prompted them to strike.
No, this had never been a spur-of-the-moment decision. Each of his enemies was more cautious than the last; none of them would have rashly followed a woman’s orders and joined forces in so short a time.
That woman must have begun making arrangements the moment she returned to the capital. How laughable that he had actually taken her for an ordinary cook.
Sure enough, the people who had supposedly been dragged into the fight between rival gangs were precisely those sent to contact the Chi family, Old Quan, and the members of the Xu family.
The moment the Chi family saw them, their emotions surged.
“It’s him! It’s him—the one with the mole beneath his lip. I’d recognize him even if he were reduced to ashes!”
“Where have you hidden my daughter and son?”
A worker from the Pei family replied, “We questioned him. They were being held in an old residence in the Chi family’s area. They’ve already been rescued.”
As he spoke, two somewhat disheveled figures were brought forward: a young girl of about fifteen or sixteen, and a little boy of five or six.
The two had been held captive for several days. Their meals and drinks had been handled perfunctorily, they had not even been allowed to wash their faces, and constant fear had left them looking utterly haggard.
The moment the Chi family saw them, they embraced each other and burst into tears.
Later, Master Chef Chi came before Pei Liang, knelt down, and wept bitterly.
“Shopkeeper Pei, my Chi family has wronged you.”
Pei Liang hurriedly had someone help him up.
“Your family was coerced as well. It would be a lie to say I harbor no resentment, but when it comes to the conspiracy behind this, you were merely pawns pushed forward. There’s no need to make your entire family bear the crimes of the mastermind.”
“We’ll leave it to the prefect to decide.”
That was already an exceedingly fair response, and the surrounding crowd naturally broke into praise for the Pei family’s benevolence.
Pei Liang continued, “Marquis, once we determine whose command these men are under, we can follow the trail and uncover the identity of the mastermind.”
Gu Xiu nodded. Aside from the men who had been brought in, nearly all of Li Shen’s people had been captured. There was no need even to interrogate them under torture. Quite a few people present had some understanding of the underworld, and they could already tell which faction these men belonged to.
“Aren’t these men from the Blue Bat Gang?”
At the thought that Li Shen was still present—and that Pei Liang had just exposed him—the crowd’s eyes turned toward him.
Pei Liang smiled faintly.
“Master Li, you and I have never even met. Why go to such lengths to set up this elaborate scheme against me?”
Li Shen sneered.
“No particular reason. I simply dislike you. Does my Blue Bat Gang need a reason to act?”
“It only means you were better than me. I, Li Shen, have lost to you, and I’ve no cause to complain. I admit defeat today. What are you going to do about it?”
Pei Liang replied, “I don’t believe there’s such a thing as hatred without cause in this world. What’s more, if mere dislike were enough to make Young Master Li expend so much manpower, money, and effort to target someone, you’d be far too busy to do anything else all year round.”
By then, Li Shen had been dragged out and forced to kneel on the ground.
Pei Liang lowered her head and leaned close to him.
“Do you think that by taking everything upon yourself, you can keep her out of it?”
“Unfortunately for you, I’m the sort of person who, once I act, uproots the weeds completely. Even if a mad dog like you disappears, as long as her hostility toward me remains, she’ll continue to be a source of trouble.”
“I don’t have the ability to change someone else’s dangerous thoughts. So I’ll simply eliminate the people who harbor them.”
Li Shen’s eyes nearly split with rage. Then he saw Pei Liang wave her hand, and yet another person was brought in.
Now that her name had been cleared and Gu Xiu had tacitly acknowledged that the people she commanded all belonged to Shi Feiyu, everyone present had, without realizing it, come to accept her as the one in charge.
At the sight of the newcomer, the pupils of both Li Shen and Wei Yingshu contracted.
The man was Wei Yingshu’s maternal uncle.
Pei Liang said, “I have only been back in the capital for a short while, so I do not know where Young Master Li comes from or why he bears such a grudge against me.”
“However, this man is Liu Cai, the maternal uncle of Chef Wei. He now works under Young Master Li, collecting debts for him and throwing his weight around with great authority.”
“I have also heard the chefs and workers who used to work at Heavenly Fragrance Restaurant mention that Wei the shopkeeper, Wei the chef’s birth mother, spoke of Young Master Li all day long, using his reputation to withhold wages and mistreat her employees.”
“Clearly, Young Master Li and the Wei family share a close relationship. And the Wei family has long harbored a deep grudge against mine, so—”
“Those are all merely your one-sided claims,” Li Shen cut in. “Those workers now depend on your First Floor Restaurant for their livelihood. Naturally, they’ll say whatever you tell them to.”
“Bah! Still trying to wriggle out of it?” one of the neighborhood’s longtime patrons spat. “That poisonous woman surnamed Wei has been using your name, Li Shen, to bully the surrounding businesses for years.”
“Do you think we’re all deaf? We were only afraid of the gang of ruffians and street thugs at your command. Those of us doing business couldn’t afford to waste time tangling with scoundrels, so we could only swallow our anger and endure.”
“The restaurant that opened near Heavenly Fragrance Restaurant the year before last was harassed by you people every few days until it went under. On the day they left, the Wei woman even came to mock them and got into a fight with the neighboring shops. Wasn’t she accompanied by your men, Li Shen?”
“You, Li Shen, are nothing more than a dog for the Wei family. What are you putting on airs for?”
“Exactly! The poison was found on the woman surnamed Wei—there’s ironclad evidence. It was clearly you, Li Shen, who instructed her to set this poison trap and harm the Pei family. Don’t even think about denying it.”
“What a pair of adulterous villains!”
The crowd hurled accusations at them from every side. Wei Yingshu tried desperately to hide, but someone yanked her out and forced her down onto her knees.
Young Master Wang could not believe that the woman he loved was so vicious. He instinctively tried to intervene, only to be struck across the face by the Prefect, who had just arrived. His mouth split open, and blood immediately poured out.
“I told you not to associate with this wanton slut! Go home, and from now on, you’re forbidden to leave the house even once.”
“It wasn’t me! It wasn’t me!” Wei Yingshu desperately denied it, panic and dismay written all over her face.
Unfortunately, none of the high-ranking officials’ sons present had enough influence to sway a case personally adjudicated by a marquis. Thus, Wei Yingshu and Li Shen were taken together and locked in the Shuntian Prefecture prison.
An ordinary case of murder and false accusation might not have been so serious. But the most important issue was that they had dragged the late emperor into it. The Prefect of Shuntian had long despised this woman, so he naturally showed them no mercy.
As for the young masters from the other families, one of them had recently caused the wealthy Liu family to lose its imperial merchant license after being implicated by Wei Yingshu. The Wang family’s household had been repeatedly pressured by the Shi family and Marquis Gu. As for Li Shen, there was no need to mention him—he would have to pay for this with both his fortune and his life.
That woman was nothing but a calamity in the shape of a fox-spirit. In the past, their families’ precious heirs had protected her with their very lives. Their relatives had been afraid to punish them too harshly lest they hurt their own sons. But now that their entire families risked being dragged into the affair, even the most indulgent parents would sooner break their wastrel sons’ legs than let them become involved.
Who could possibly bear responsibility for implicating the late emperor?
As a result, the days Wei Yingshu and Li Shen spent in prison were anything but pleasant.
Li Shen already had a mountain of charges against him. Once the tree fell, the monkeys scattered, and he was sentenced to death before long. As for Wei Yingshu, because she continued to deny everything, while Li Shen took all the blame from beginning to end, the case remained deadlocked for the time being.
Regardless, someone had died in the main hall of the First Tower, and that was bound to be a source of bad luck.
So Pei Liang shut down the First Tower and bought back Fragrant Heaven Tower from Wei’s Mother.
Because she had abused Li Shen’s influence in the past to bully others and run roughshod over the law, Wei’s Mother had also been convicted of a relatively minor offense. She needed money to pay for her release and grease a few palms.
With her daughter in custody and the future looking grim, Wei’s Mother naturally had to make plans for her own future. Thus, Pei Liang encountered no obstacles when purchasing Fragrant Heaven Tower.
In no time at all, the signs of Fragrant Heaven Tower and the World’s Number One Tower were merged once more, returning both establishments to the Pei family’s control.
At that moment, Pei Liang could feel the resentment and longing belonging to this body finally being soothed. Reclaiming the family business for its rightful owner could be considered payment for borrowing Pei the Little Chef’s body.
When Fragrant Heaven Tower reopened, its old customers returned one after another.
For a while, it seemed as though everything had returned to normal.
Busy days always passed quickly. Before she knew it, it was once again time for Shi Feiyu’s day off.
Thinking about the sumptuous feast she had promised herself, Pei Liang had even reduced her workload several days in advance.
Just as Shi Feiyu had said the last time, he came straight to Pei Liang’s home after being granted leave, with no intention of returning to the Shi residence.
Qiu Sanxiang and Ying Siji came with him, and they had brought no unnecessary attendants.
The three of them arrived at Pei Liang’s residence at the hour of the Rooster, just in time for dinner.
They had been staying at the military camp for over a month and were covered in dust from the journey, so Pei Liang sent them off to bathe first.
By the time the three handsome men emerged, fresh and clean, dinner had already been laid out.
But Qiu Sanxiang and Ying Siji had no attention to spare for the food they had been dreaming about for so long.
Their heir had emerged from the room dressed in a pearl-white brocade robe that seemed to shimmer with an otherworldly radiance. At first glance, even the two men—who had followed their young master for more than a decade and had long since grown used to his looks—were stunned by his beauty.
As he approached, every step seemed to trail a hazy glow. His hair, black as ebony and still slightly damp, was gathered beneath a flawless jade crown worth a fortune.
Fresh from his bath, the heir’s face was pale and clear, his cheeks faintly flushed from the heat of the water, his lips glistening with moisture.
What… what was this? Why did he look like a beautiful attendant waiting to be summoned to the bedchamber?
The heir was usually simple and understated, yet he was already enough to keep the young ladies of the capital awake at night. If he went out looking like this, the two of them might not be able to protect him from all the trouble he would attract.
The moment Shi Feiyu entered the bathing room, he had seen the clothes and accessories prepared for him in the changing room, and his heart had leapt with eager anticipation.
Now that he had come out and found the two fools staring at him without blinking, he couldn’t help looking forward even more to Pei Liang’s reaction.
When Qiu Sanxiang and Ying Siji saw that their heir said nothing, they hurriedly praised him.
“Our young master is truly a dragon among men, blessed with the beauty of a celestial being. Shopkeeper Pei is fortunate indeed to have found you.”
Shi Feiyu could barely contain his smugness, though he put on a shamly modest expression and said, “Nonsense. When two people are together, what matters is whether their hearts are in harmony. Only shallow people concern themselves with appearances.”
Yes, yes, that was what he said with his mouth. They certainly hadn’t seen him taking his time getting dressed.
The three of them arrived at the dining hall, where Pei Liang had already been waiting for quite some time. The moment she saw Shi Feiyu, she lost all interest in dinner.
She made no attempt to conceal her dazzled admiration, nor did she show the slightest trace of the shyness one might expect from other women. Instead, there was an unmistakable air of aggression in her gaze—as though one of her hands had already slipped beneath his clothes.
Under that intense exchange of looks, Shi Feiyu could hardly believe that he was the first to lose his nerve.
He shifted his gaze away somewhat awkwardly, the tips of his ears turning red.
Though Qiu Sanxiang and Ying Siji were both innocent virgins with no experience of such matters, the atmosphere between the two made their faces flush and their hearts race.
Neither of them said a word, yet somehow they both felt like unnecessary third wheels, and wished they could sink straight through the floor.
Fortunately, Pei Liang withdrew her gaze and said, “Let’s eat first.”
Only then did the strange tension ease.
Shi Feiyu took the seat beside Pei Liang. She placed a piece of tofu in his bowl and praised him, saying, “You look wonderful.”
“Your beauty is unparalleled beneath the heavens. There is no one else in the world like you. What an honor it is for this splendid robe and jade crown to adorn you.”
Qiu Sanxiang and Ying Siji had not even picked up their chopsticks before they felt as though someone had stuffed a mouthful of something into each of them. It was unpleasant, but in an instant, they felt completely full.
The flush at the tips of Shi Feiyu’s ears had yet to fade, and now it deepened once more. He forcibly restrained the corners of his mouth, unwilling to appear frivolous before a woman.
Keeping his face composed, he nodded. “The workmanship is exquisite, and I like it very much.”
“But don’t give me things like this in the future. I’m with you, not because I covet these possessions.”
“Really? What a pity.” Pei Liang put on an air of sorrow and sighed. “There’s another black set being made as we speak. I love the way you look in white, your sleeves flowing like an immortal’s. And I also love the way you look in black—dignified, imposing, and fierce.”
“I personally designed the patterns and hidden motifs in that black fabric, and even went to special lengths to find the ink-jade ornaments for it. If you refuse it, then keeping it will be meaningless. I suppose I’ll just have to see which other handsome young gentlemen in the capital have the bearing and elegance to wear it. They’ll certainly be inferior to you in more ways than one, but at least that way, such fine and beautiful things won’t have come into this world for nothing.”
Shi Feiyu’s expression darkened at once. He demanded, “What other gentlemen? Which one are you planning to adorn?”
“Your money may be used only to take care of me, and may be spent only on me. If you dare set your sights on someone else, I’ll make sure that even if he has the desire, he won’t have the life to enjoy it.”
Sanxiang and Siji abruptly looked up.
My lord, do you even hear yourself?
It was obvious that she was merely teasing him. Why was he reacting like a wife who had discovered that her husband was chasing after pretty flowers and had to keep a tight rein on the household purse?
The two exchanged a glance, each silently asking the other: Was their heir really not after Shopkeeper Pei’s money?
Seeing that he had taken the bait, Pei Liang found him both adorable and amusing. She coaxed him, “All right, all right. The measurements and tailoring were done specifically for you. Who else could wear them? If you refuse them, they’ll have nothing ahead of them but a miserable fate, abandoned in some corner.”
“Just think of them as pitiful, and accept them anyway.”
Men always had some inexplicable sense of pride. They were never straightforward about anything. Even though he had already given himself over to her, he still could not quite let go of his reservations.
When Pei Liang was in a relationship, she was genuinely generous. She truly enjoyed using fine things to dress up her handsome men, and loved seeing them brimming with confidence, polished and resplendent.
It was rather strange. Other kept men supported by wealthy women spent all day scheming to wring every possible benefit from them.
Yet hers rarely asked her for anything of their own accord, so whenever she gave them gifts, a special ritual had developed.
She had to give them enough face and build them a proper way down before they would accept. In return, however, they were far more enthusiastic in bed afterward, so Pei Liang didn’t mind indulging them.
Sure enough, all the anger vanished from Shi Feiyu’s face. Under such an onslaught, his vanity was thoroughly satisfied.
She must have eyes for no one but him; otherwise, why would she be so devoted and willing to give so much?
Shi Feiyu felt he ought to accept her kindness, but he didn’t want to appear too eager.
Thus, he put on an aloof air and said, “You don’t need to flatter me like this. I know you’ve always been good at tugging at my heartstrings. Since you insist on giving it, I’ll accept.”
“But let me make one thing clear: I’m accepting this lavish gift not because I covet its finery or expense. It was dressed up for your sake in the first place. If I were alone, what need would I have for such extravagance?”
“I know women like you enjoy showing off and comparing yourselves with one another. You’ve taken such great care to dress me up, and it reflects well on you, too.”
“So, when you spend these things on me, you’re mostly just satisfying yourself.”
Sanxiang and Siji were utterly dumbfounded by his shameless speech.
They hadn’t even started eating yet, so how had they already caught the fragrant aftertaste of tea meant to cleanse the palate after a meal?
Yet Shopkeeper Pei wasn’t angry in the slightest. Instead, she smiled and said, “Naturally. Wherever you go, you represent me. If other men have something and you don’t, where would that leave my reputation?”
Under the table, Shi Feiyu took her hand and leaned closer, whispering, “Don’t worry. I’ll personally bestow upon you the greatest honor in all the world.”
Sanxiang and Siji silently rose to their feet. “Young Heir, Shopkeeper Pei, please enjoy your meal.”
“You haven’t eaten anything yet,” Shi Feiyu said.
The two hurriedly replied, “We’ll eat in the kitchen.”
After they left, Shi Feiyu was left completely baffled.
Then, suddenly, a slender hand—not delicate, but far from coarse—slipped inside his clothes. Through the inner layer, he felt the warmth of her palm, even the faint calluses against his skin.
Shi Feiyu’s breath caught. His muscles tensed as a wave of tingling desire surged through his nerves, lifting him toward the clouds.
Pei Liang’s breath brushed his ear.
“Actually, I’m not very hungry either.”
“What about you?”
