Chu Yunge said inexplicably, “What stimulation? My head hurts, and he said he would massage it, so he helped me for a bit.”
Li Guangi was truly a little treasure. At first glance, he seemed like just a cute little puppy dog, but upon closer inspection, he had quite a bit going for him. She had originally meant to reassure him that he did not need to fear Xie Wangze, that Xie Wangze would continue handling their affairs as usual but would not make things difficult for him. He would keep helping with the accounts as before. But then Li Guangi noticed her headache and immediately showed off his massage skills.
Her headache had come on suddenly, accompanied by some tinnitus. Fortunately, Li Guangi was there.
She glanced at the fuming Pei Ji and said helplessly, “Are you feeling unwell again? With all that anger, come up here.” It seemed the poison had flared up.
But Pei Ji did not move. “He’s here. I’m not getting on.”
“Forgot that you, Little Marquis, are particular and can’t stand two people on the bed.” Chu Yunge rolled her eyes. “Or you could use your internal force to treat this headache of mine?”
She remembered that Pei Ji’s internal force was quite unique.
“Fine.” Pei Ji lifted his chin and looked toward Li Guangi.
He could use his internal force to treat her headache, but Li Guangi had to leave.
Chu Yunge also looked at Li Guangi. “You head back first. We’ll have breakfast together tomorrow.”
Ever since Pei Ji had jumped in through the window, the emotions in Li Guangi’s eyes had shifted from shock to pain, and now only numbness remained.
He nodded, got off the bed at the fastest speed, and left the bedchamber like he was fleeing. He did not even notice that he had put his shoes on backward.
He had shared dinner with the Princess, accompanied her on a walk, and then looked at the account books she had sent over first.
After the Princess finished bathing, she had a headache and even allowed him onto the bed to serve her with a massage.
He had told himself to stay calm, but his heart still pounded fiercely. He used all his strength to control his hands, keeping them from trembling and his eyes from wandering.
But he had still accidentally glimpsed the Palace Guarding Sand on the Princess’s arm.
He could not describe that feeling. So the Princess had not let Yan Feng serve her, and she had not even consummated with the Prince Consort.
But before he could recover from that joy, the Little Marquis had appeared.
He was so dazzlingly radiant that Li Guangi could barely keep his eyes open.
The way he looked at him was filled with disgust and rejection, as if he could not understand why the Princess would keep him around or allow him onto her bed.
Under the Little Marquis’s gaze, he had nowhere to hide. Indeed, the Little Marquis came from a noble background and possessed superior martial arts, while he came from ordinary origins, had nothing to his name, and was even a mute.
The difference between them… No, he did not even qualify to compare himself to them.
The Little Marquis was a dazzling sun, Xie the Prince Consort was an unattainable moon, and he was merely a speck of dust.
He could not even liken himself to the dimmest star in the sky…
Pei Ji watched Li Guangi leave with a cold gaze and let out a cold snort. “I really don’t know what you see in him, taking a liking to such a pretty boy.”
A grown man with not a shred of masculine spirit.
Pei Ji could not understand it. He was full of masculine vigor, with superior martial arts, and with something so superior right here, how could Chu Yunge take a liking to Li Guangi?
Although… he had not let her touch him or succeed, the fact that she turned around and took a liking to someone like that still made him uncomfortable.
Unable to hold back, Pei Ji asked directly, “How does he compare to me… to us? What are you thinking?” It could not be that she was deliberately using Li Guangi to provoke them, could it?
Chu Yunge gave him a blank look. “What kind of talk is that? To each their own.
His skills are indeed not as good as yours, and his background is not as good either, but he’s so obedient. He has his own charms and unique traits. It’s perfectly normal for me to like him.”
Sure enough, men hated cute little puppy dogs and pretty boys, but us women liked them.
“I don’t care if you like him or not. In any case, don’t use your status to bully or make things difficult for him.”
Pei Ji grew angry. “How could I possibly make things difficult for him? What is he, that he’d be worth my trouble? Acting all obedient—he’s not a girl. What’s the point of a boy being obedient and endearing?”
Chu Yunge looked at him disdainfully. “Who says girls have to be the obedient and endearing ones? I don’t care for that, and I just like boys who are obedient and endearing. No matter what others think, in my view, Li Guangi has a lot more going for him than you lot.”
Pei Ji had not really meant it that way. Everyone was different, after all. He had just been unwilling and said the wrong thing. Being looked down on by Chu Yunge already frustrated him, and hearing the follow-up made him even more upset.
“How does he have more going for him than us? Go on, tell me.”
Chu Yunge only stated the most basic point. “He likes women.”
Just that one point made him better than all of them.
What did it matter how outstanding men were if she could not have them?
She only cared about those she liked whom she could actually have.
Pei Ji nearly laughed himself to death. “I thought Your Highness was going to list some impressive strengths of his, but that’s it?”
He let out a “ha.” “Who doesn’t like women?”
Utterly baffling.
He figured Chu Yunge simply could not find any real merits in Li Guangi and was spouting nonsense.
Chu Yunge could not be bothered with him. Talking about who did not like women now—wait until later, after all the back-and-forth with the Chu Emperor, and he would wake up to reality.
Seeing Chu Yunge fall silent, Pei Ji still felt uncomfortable.
“Praising him with that kind of reason… looks like you really do like him. If you like him so much, why not chase after him and explain that nothing will happen between us? He looked so panicked with his little face pale as a ghost earlier. He must be pretty heartbroken.”
Pei Ji sneered sarcastically.
Chu Yunge glanced at him. “Explain what? Nothing will happen between us, but in the future, I’ll have other male favorites, and sooner or later, something will happen with them.”
“I can’t possibly stick to just one. If he’s willing, he stays; if not, he goes. There are plenty of men in the world.”
With her power, influence, and beauty, there would be no shortage of men throwing themselves at her.
At this point, Chu Yunge suddenly remembered her male favorites. In her memories, a few of them seemed pretty good.
“I just remembered, I haven’t properly checked out my male favorites yet. I need to find time to take a look, and maybe find some new ones.”
Pei Ji could not accept hearing this. “You… how can you be like this? Talking about male favorites all the time.”
“What’s wrong with me? You weren’t happy when I was always staring at you before, and now that I’m not staring at you, you’re still not happy? Don’t ask for too much.”
Chu Yunge spread her hands. “His Majesty approved of this Princess keeping male favorites. What right do you have to be dissatisfied?”
Pei Ji felt even more stifled. “How could you…”
“What about me? Don’t worry, this Princess has power, influence, and looks. She doesn’t lack for suitors and has no need to force anyone—not Li Guangi, and certainly not you. You can rest easy.”
Pei Ji opened his mouth but did not know what to say. Her no longer obsessing over him was good, but he felt no joy in his heart—only that she had changed too quickly.
She had seemed so fond of Li Guangi just moments ago, yet now she could cast him aside without a thought.
Just like how she had once been obsessed with him, only to turn around and take a liking to Li Guangi, casting him aside.
Was the Princess truly so heartless?
Pei Ji fell silent, looking somewhat unhappy, and Chu Yunge grew a bit unhappy too.
“Are you deliberately picking a fight just to weasel out of what you promised? I’m feeling unwell—hurry up and use your internal force.”
Chu Yunge reached out and tugged Pei Ji.
Pei Ji pursed his lips, said nothing, and placed his hand on Chu Yunge’s back, channeling internal force into her.
Chu Yunge felt a warmth on her back, and soon that warm energy spread throughout her body, easing the pain and discomfort.
She could not help but moan. “Finally feels good.”
Hearing her moan, Pei Ji yanked his hand back as if scalded.
Chu Yunge looked at Pei Ji. “Tired? Lie down quick.”
Pei Ji lay down silently. Chu Yunge grabbed his wrist. “Pei Ji, from now on, let’s help each other. I’ll detoxify you, and you give me your internal force.”
Pei Ji said nothing. With her whole body warm and comfortable, Chu Yunge soon fell asleep.
That night was different from the previous one.
Perhaps because of the internal force, her body felt comfortable, so she slept deeply without tossing and turning like before.
But her presence was the greatest test for Pei Ji.