When he saw the luxurious robes on Xie Wangze, the pickiness in Pei Ji’s eyes grew even more intense. He had deliberately dressed up a bit, appearing even more aloof and refined, yet carrying a wordless temptation.
He indeed had ulterior motives.
Pei Ji’s picky gaze stirred irritation in Xie Wangze’s heart.
“Little Marquis, everything should have a limit.”
Even when making excuses, at least make one that sounded plausible. What kind of excuse was the poison acting up?
In the afternoon, he had still denied being tempted by the princess, but by night he could not hold back. He stared at his “bone princess” like a dog, eavesdropped outside the window, and sabotaged things—utterly despicable.
Pei Ji also despised Xie Wangze’s actions. “These are the words I want to say to you, Young Master Xie. A real man should stand tall between heaven and earth.”
Scheming to take the princess’s chastity for detoxification—what kind of hero was that?
Hostility filled the air between the two, and they quickly looked away.
“Your Highness, I also need to detoxify tonight. Three people will be lively, and the bed is big enough.”
Chu Yunge watched Xie Wangze and Pei Ji exchanging glances, tsking to herself inwardly. Pei Ji was probably worried that she would seduce them, so he did not want them alone and had deliberately come to stand guard, right?
That hug of hers earlier had looked like seduction in Xie Wangze’s eyes, so he had gone along with it?
Right, Xie Wangze wanted to return to Chen State, and the poison in his body was a major problem.
So he wanted to seize the chance to detoxify.
No wonder he had suddenly kissed her.
Those who could ascend the throne as hostages were no simple characters. His endurance was beyond ordinary people. For the sake of detoxification, he went all out—whether he liked it or not, he mounted.
He probably thought sleeping once would do the trick.
Chu Yunge figured it out, and her gaze toward Xie Wangze grew complicated.
What a fine person you were, yet you insist on pure love. Otherwise, it would not have been impossible.
Xie Wangze ignored Chu Yunge’s gaze as best he could. He also did not want to share a room with Pei Ji and was about to refuse when Chu Yunge spoke first.
“Do whatever you want.”
She did not care either way.
Xie Wangze looked at Chu Yunge, his lips pressed tight.
Pei Ji raised a brow at the response. “Many thanks, Your Highness.”
He nearly lay down directly between Chu Yunge and Xie Wangze to separate them but held himself back.
“Then I’ll sleep… on the inside.”
“Whatever.” Chu Yunge maintained her indifferent attitude.
After all the fuss and being kissed, Chu Yunge decided to step out for a moment to cool off.
Xie Wangze’s kiss had been quite forceful—fierce and domineering. As expected of the gentle, black-bellied hostage gong; his skills were no joke.
Gazing at the moon outside the window, Chu Yunge felt like all she needed was a cigarette to strike a profound pose.
After Chu Yunge left, the atmosphere in the bedchamber immediately turned tense and icy.
“Not calmed down yet?” Pei Ji glanced at Xie Wangze. “Looks like the aphrodisiac soup worked well.”
“What aphrodisiac soup?” After Xie Wangze shot back, the throat-soothing soup that Ju An had given him at dinner flashed through his mind.
He had not thought much of it at the time and drank it straight down. Now he realized that soup was the problem.
“Ju An!” Xie Wangze gnashed his teeth. No wonder he had felt so strangely impulsive tonight—he had even directly kissed the princess.
It was all Ju An’s doing.
He knew Ju An had done it to help him detoxify, but how could he let Pei Ji know about it?
Xie Wangze clenched his fist, seething with inner hatred and embarrassment. On the surface, however, he only sneered. “I didn’t expect Little Marquis to even know what soup I drank. You must be well-versed in the way of a concubine, always keeping tabs on the ‘main wife’s’ every move.”
He let out a light chuckle. “Tonight, Little Marquis forced your way in under the pretext of detoxification. Will you start intercepting Her Highness halfway like those concubines the day after tomorrow?”
Pei Ji bristled with annoyance at the jab. “Who is the concubine here? You, a prince consort obsessed with returning to Chen State—do you really think yourself the main wife…”
At that point, he suddenly calmed down.
Pei Ji let out a long “oh.” “Young Master Xie, you’re so unforgiving. Looks like you’re angry and jealous too.”
Xie Wangze found it laughable. “Ridiculous.”
“Still not admitting it? Aren’t you mad that I ruined your little plan, and that Her Highness agreed to let me join?”
Pei Ji snorted. “Xie Wangze, Young Master Xie—your body is far more honest than your mouth.”
Xie Wangze ignored Pei Ji’s ravings.
He had only wanted to detoxify; nothing had spiraled out of control.
The strangeness in his body was simply the result of Ju An’s tonic.
When it came to returning to his country, wanting to detoxify was not wrong.
He had no time to bicker with Pei Ji or play jealousy games.
Forget a mere kiss and its palpitations—even consummation, so what? It was just the inevitable sensations of a first time.
With time, it would pass like fleeting clouds, fading and dispersing soon enough.
“If Little Marquis likes Her Highness, strive for her yourself from now on. No need to use me as a stepping stone.”
Once he returned to Chen State, the princess and Little Marquis could toss and turn however they pleased.
Pei Ji’s face stiffened. Incredulous, he turned his head and saw Xie Wangze’s aloof expression, as if it were none of his business.
He frowned, then suddenly breathed a sigh of relief before reacting to retort.
“When did I ever say I like Her Highness? Young Master Xie, your nonsense should have a limit too. You want to go back to Chen State, so you keep slandering me and pushing Her Highness my way—what’s the point?”
“I came tonight because of our discussion today—to keep you from being fooled, to watch you.”
In his agitation, Pei Ji’s voice grew louder.
Xie Wangze frowned at the sound and was about to warn him when Chu Yunge’s voice rang out.
“I know neither of you likes me. No need to shove each other around—I don’t want you either.”
Chu Yunge tsked.
How interesting. She had just returned and overheard Xie Wangze telling Pei Ji that if he liked her, he should go for it, only for Pei Ji to deny it profusely and make excuses.
She wondered if they had said it on purpose for her to hear.
She had not begged either of them to want her—what a joke.
Chu Yunge gave the two a cold glance.
Xie Wangze stiffened, his mind going blank.
Pei Ji saw her expression change, and his thoughts fell into chaos, tinged with panic. “I… I didn’t mean it like that.”
Annoyance flashed in his eyes. He felt as if invisible tough threads had wrapped around him—stifled, stuffy, extremely uncomfortable. Yet for the moment, he could not find words to retort; anything he said felt off.
After all, they had been talking about the princess behind her back, and she had overheard.
Badmouthing someone was not the act of a gentleman, and now they were caught. He had no idea how things had spiraled like this.
Chu Yunge looked at their stiff faces and pursed her lips.
“You don’t need to push so hard. I don’t care if you like me or not—I won’t touch you. No need to be so cautious or send someone specially to ‘protect’ me. What do you take me for?”
“Three-legged frogs are hard to find, but two-legged men are everywhere. With so many men in the world, why would I fixate on you two?”
Chu Yunge grew more exasperated as she spoke.
She strictly followed her principle of internalizing her anger rather than exploding at others—to vent it out.
She directly grabbed Xie Wangze’s collar and yanked him over. “Earlier, I hugged you purely because I was scared of a ghost. I didn’t kiss you—you kissed me because you wanted to detoxify. True or not?”
Xie Wangze’s pupils shrank. Staring into Chu Yunge’s furious eyes, his own darkened, complex emotions surging beneath. His lips pressed into a line as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he only lowered his gaze.
“Yes.” His low voice carried an inexplicable suppression, his face showing restrained coldness and distance.
Chu Yunge stared at him fixedly for a moment before shoving him away.
“Good that you admit it.”