Chapter 13: Reputation, Take It or Leave It

Chapter 13: Reputation? Take It or Leave It

A woman in red was recounting something to the emperor. She carried herself tall, her every move bold and free-spirited, and neither her attire nor her accessories resembled the Central Plains style.

Pei Yuhuai grew curious: "Who is she?"

Ruo Ning explained, "She's an envoy of the Sang Kingdom, I think. I saw her once before when I left the palace."

"Oh~ She seems totally different from the women of our dynasty."

"Don't get any ideas about her."

"??"

Pei Yuhuai was speechless. What ideas would he even have?

He glanced at the woman again and unexpectedly met a pair of icy cold eyes, making him shiver.

Amitabha. Buddha protect me.

Lan He stepped forward, bowing respectfully to the princesses, his tone calm: "This humble monk has run into a small problem. Might I trouble His Royal Highness the Hereditary Prince for a helping hand?"

Pei Yuhuai waved his hands without a second thought: "No way, no way."

He quietly nudged Pei Rongjing.

Pei Rongjing caught on and grinned mischievously: "National Master, how about I go instead? My elder brother has things to do shortly—he, he's got to talk to the envoy about something."

He pointed at the woman in red.

And with that, the moment the words left his mouth, Pei Yuhuai felt the temperature around him drop a few degrees.

Qu Ning watched the two of them, then stole a glance at Ruo Ning, and said, "If the National Master is in difficulty and the Hereditary Prince is unavailable, why not have the eldest princess go with the National Master to take a look?"

"..."

"?"

Pei Yuhuai immediately stepped forward: "Then I'll go. We can't have the Second Princess doing that. I'll go, I'll go."

He followed Lan He.

"What exactly do you need my help with? Spit it out—I still have wine to drink."

Lan He stopped in his tracks and turned to look at him: "Don't go near Princess Quying, nor the Imperial Son-in-Law. Got it?"

"?" Pei Yuhuai frowned. "Hey, you dare to order me around? What's it to you?"

"Something's off about the Third Princess."

"I know something's off with her." It'd be weird if she were normal.

"And Ji Huaiyu."

Lan He gave him a sharp look: "Stay away from him."

Pei Yuhuai felt a chill from that look, but he stubbornly refused, chuckling to himself. As if he'd ever let Lan He control him. He bolted off immediately.

Lan He didn't chase. He had important duties today—he still had a ceremony to perform.

Aside from that small hiccup, the entire banquet went smoothly. Lan He performed the rites for the departed souls, praying for the royal family and the people.

But after he stepped down, he was nowhere to be seen.

Pei Yuhuai, meanwhile, was buzzing around everywhere, eating and chatting with the Sangguo people, having a grand old time. The only downer was having to see Ji Huaiyu's face.

"Yuhuai, you're finally willing to talk to me."

Ji Huaiyu clasped his hands nervously, his awkward manner resembling the shy young man from two years ago.

Back then, Ji Huaiyu had been unconscious at the gate of the Marquis's estate.

It was Pei Yuhuai who carried him inside, got him a doctor, and cared for him attentively, staying by his side.

Seeing that Ji Huaiyu had lost both parents and had nowhere to go, Pei Yuhuai felt sorry for him and begged his father to let him stay at the Marquis's estate as his companion and playmate.

Back then, Ji Huaiyu was a simple, innocent kid.

After one drunken night, Ji Huaiyu, in a daze, confessed his feelings for Pei Yuhuai, heartbroken over a love that could not be spoken aloud—and it hit the young prince right in the heart.

Their names were even kind of similar.

Combined with everything that followed, Pei Yuhuai had come to believe Ji Huaiyu was a gift from heaven, so he treated him like gold, cherishing him dearly.

He followed rules for him, spent money for him, paved his way, and gave up his own freedom for him.

Two years, and in return, his beloved earned the top score in the imperial examinations—and gave him the cold shoulder.

Water under the bridge.

He, Pei Yuhuai, was the type to move on. He wouldn't dwell on the past.

"Imperial Son-in-Law, if you have something to say, say it quickly. I've got stuff to do."

Ji Huaiyu's brow furrowed.

He looked tense, hesitating for a moment before speaking: "Please, just call me Huaiyu. There's no need for us to be so formal."

Tch.

You don't deserve it.

Pei Yuhuai turned his head and noticed that Princess Quying, who had been leading the way, had quietly snuck off, leaving just the two of them in the imperial garden.

Some "virtuous" princess.

He gave a cold smile: "The princess keeps singing your praises time and again. Seems like you two share a deep marital bond."

"No, no, Yuhuai, you misunderstand me. The princess and I are merely in an arranged marriage—it's just a transaction, with no real affection between us. Moreover..."

Ji Huaiyu stared at him with burning intensity, speaking each word deliberately: "The princess knows of the bond between you and me. You misunderstood me, and my heart ached deeply—that's why she helped me."

He said it with such sincerity, as if he had truly been forced into this marriage.

He'd never noticed Ji Huaiyu could put on such a good show before.

Pei Yuhuai looked at him with a complicated expression for a long moment, then just shook his head, speechless: "Well acted. Truly well acted. With talent like that, you could be an actor."

He added another line: "Or a male attendant."

How utterly ironic.

A sharp pang shot through Ji Huaiyu's heart: "Yuhuai, are you truly so heartless to me? I really had no choice. If you don't believe me, I can leave the princess. But what about your reputation?"

He knew the young marquis's biggest fear was having his fondness for men exposed.

But Pei Yuhuai just spread his hands: "I'm a playboy. No one would be surprised by anything I like. Reputation? I could take it or leave it."

He'd already stopped caring.

As long as he didn't cross the line.

Ji Huaiyu still refused to give up: "I don't believe it. You loved me so much back then. How could you just stop loving me? Are you just trying to get a rise out of me? Is that it?"

"..."

He grabbed Pei Yuhuai's wrist, desperately trying to pull it to his chest: "Yuhuai, feel it. My heart beats only for you. Do we really have to be like this? I got married for you."

"Warning⚠️: Ji Huaiyu's affection for Pei Yuhuai has decreased, currently at the second stage."

Ji Huaiyu froze mid-motion.

Pei Yuhuai took the opportunity to pull his hand back, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe it vigorously: "Don't get my hands dirty. Back off."

Ji Huaiyu was on the verge of breaking down, his face twisting.

"I know you care about your reputation. I had to get married first to throw people off the scent and be with you more freely. Can't you understand my good intentions?"

"Yuhuai, the princess and I truly have no feelings for each other. We haven't even slept together. Really, if you don't believe me, I, I can sleep with you. You used to want to so badly..."

Bang.

Pei Yuhuai couldn't take it anymore and threw a punch.

"I'm the young marquis of the Marquis's estate. I can have anyone I want just by snapping my fingers. I have no interest in someone who's already been married. A man who doesn't respect himself is like rotten chives in a muddy ditch—despised by everyone."

"Yuhuai..."

Ji Huaiyu choked up for a moment. This was a lesson he had once taught Pei Yuhuai, originally to stop him from wanting intimate contact.

He never thought it would one day be used to cut off his own retreat.

Could it be that he truly had changed his heart?

Ji Huaiyu was thoroughly enraged, charging forward fiercely to grab Pei Yuhuai's sleeve: "Stop right there, Pei Yuhuai. Who exactly have you set your sights on? Tell me!"