“That maid is pretty good; transfer her to my side.” Chu Yunge instructed. “By the way, the matter has blown up, and her new fiancé knows about it, right? What was his reaction?”
“The engagement has already been called off, and that maid didn’t make a fuss.” Yan Feng felt that the men of Chu State were overall lacking a bit; one after another had problems.
Chu Yunge raised her eyebrow again: “Quite decisive and straightforward.” She wanted her even more.
“To serve Your Highness is her good fortune.”
Normally, a master who saw a maid caught up in such trouble would definitely chase her out. Now that Chu Yunge kept her, she would surely be grateful beyond measure.
A smart person should know to be loyal to Your Highness.
If she dared not be loyal, there was no need to worry; he was watching, and he had plenty of ways to make her loyal forever.
Du Ruo came to report on the matters Chu Yunge had instructed her on earlier and happened to hear that sentence. She sensed a deep crisis and hurriedly stepped forward to pour tea for Chu Yunge. She wanted to do more when she saw Yan Feng about to peel melon seeds for Chu Yunge, but Yan Feng spoke first.
“Your Highness, for you.”
Chu Yunge reached out her hand, and Yan Feng placed a full handful of peeled melon seeds into it.
“For me?” Chu Yunge raised her eyebrow. Yan Feng had only peeled them without eating any earlier; she hadn’t expected them to be for her.
Chu Yunge ate two: “Mmm… As expected of Yan Feng peeling them; they’re sweeter and more fragrant.”
Yan Feng took her words seriously: “Really? Then from now on, this subordinate will peel them all for Your Highness.”
He, Yan Feng, was that capable; he could peel ten plates in a day.
“No need; this kind of thing is fine occasionally.” Chu Yunge found Yan Feng adorable: “You can go now.”
Yan Feng nodded somewhat disappointedly: “Alright, Your Highness, this subordinate takes his leave.”
Yan Feng left, and Chu Yunge munched on the melon seeds he had left behind. Just as she thought to stroll to the study, Pei Ji arrived.
In truth, he had come early but hadn’t entered; he had paced outside, hesitant to speak, somewhat dispirited and distracted.
“Your Highness.”
Chu Yunge looked at Pei Ji’s neck, her eyes lighting up strikingly: “Pei Ji, coming to see me first thing in the morning with your neck full of strawberries—are you planning to come out publicly?”
Last night he had claimed to be a normal man, and today he was outing himself?
So thrilling, so fast.
“Publicly come out about what? How could there be strawberries on my neck?” Pei Ji looked utterly baffled.
Of course, they didn’t know what “planting strawberries” meant.
“It’s kiss marks. Who gnawed those kiss marks on your neck?” Chu Yunge eyed the three red, ambiguous traces on Pei Ji’s slender neck—even one on his Adam’s apple. She could already picture how intense last night had been.
Chu Yunge tsked: “No wonder you look so dazed; you’ve decided to come out?”
Men’s words were truly for slapping their own faces. Moments ago, he had stressed to her that he didn’t like men, and now this excitement.
She couldn’t hold back her gossipy, ambiguous expression as she pressed: “How did it feel? Did it smell good?”
Had he been fully bent? The speed was too fast; she had planned to watch the Chu Emperor’s drama, but Pei Ji proved disappointing.
Chu Yunge felt somewhat exasperated at his lack of steel; he had fallen at the speed of a single kiss?
Pei Ji finally realized what she meant.
“Your Highness… what nonsense are you spouting? What ‘smells good,’ what ‘how did it feel’?”
He touched his neck and stomped in fury: “The one who randomly kissed and groped last night was you, yet you’re flipping it back on me.”
“But the one with a neck full of kiss marks is you.” Chu Yunge eyed Pei Ji’s wronged look and drew in a cold breath: “You didn’t even know? Did that person knock you out first?”
So thrilling, too thrilling.
The Chu Emperor was insidious enough, playing so boldly.
Was it because Pei Ji was such a straight man with strong martial arts that he knocked him out for kisses?
Had Pei Ji not stayed up all night and clearly known he hadn’t done any of it, Chu Yunge’s earnest act would have fooled him.
“Don’t spout nonsense—what ‘that person,’ ‘this person.’”
His mentality cracked a bit, defenses breaking.
He didn’t want to dwell, but Chu Yunge was the Chu Emperor’s own sister; her demeanor meant she knew something. Combined with last night’s odd sensations, he couldn’t help overthinking.
In his heart, the Chu Emperor was the Chu Emperor. Yet now she implied that despite the full harem, he took interest in men too.
Bi Emperors like that weren’t common in history but existed.
Those were distant history, far from him—he never imagined it happening to himself.
He was a man, but His Majesty seemed to have taken a fancy to him. What kind of mess was this?
The thought chilled Pei Ji’s spine; he felt utterly unwell.
If it were anyone ordinary, he would have beaten them senseless, but the Chu Emperor… he couldn’t.
Chilled and uneasy, he panicked and clutched his neck: “Don’t talk rubbish; let me see.”
“Go ahead and look; once you do, you’ll know how intense it was.” Chu Yunge watched the drama eagerly, not minding the trouble.
Du Ruo perceptively handed over the small copper mirror, her eyes gleaming with gossip and a spark of eagerness. Later, she would definitely call out Pei Ji—how could he betray Your Highness?
She was now Your Highness’s defender and had to curse him out for her.
Pei Ji glanced once, doubt flashing by, then abruptly reacted.
“What kiss marks? These are clearly mosquito bites.”
Pei Ji looked at Chu Yunge: “You really are… your head full of that kind of thing.”
The pure of heart saw purity, the wise saw wisdom—but Chu Yunge, the lustful, saw lust everywhere.
She assumed everyone was like her, kissing people left and right.
“Mosquitoes?” Chu Yunge looked deeply skeptical; she couldn’t blame everything on mosquitoes—unfair to the bugs.
Pei Ji sent Du Ruo out, drew close to Chu Yunge, and explained softly: “It really was mosquitoes. I’m not used to sharing a bed with anyone, so I guarded outside for His Majesty. That’s when the mosquitoes bit me.”
Once the Chu Emperor fell asleep, he had slipped out immediately.
The Chu Emperor’s actions had shocked him deeply; one blow after another left him distracted. Nights had many mosquitoes; he got bitten before reacting, then spent half the night swatting them.
Thanks to his skills, or it would have been worse—not just a neck full of bites, but his whole body.
Chu Yunge was on the verge of more lewd remarks.
“Your royal brother…” Pei Ji started to speak but clamped his mouth shut; it wasn’t right to ask. He only hoped it was all his imagination.
“My royal brother is praised by all. Didn’t you always admire him before? When this princess snatched you away, didn’t you run to him for backup?” Chu Yunge smiled ambiguously.
Pei Ji wore a constipated expression, wishing he could travel back and slap himself silly.
“You… he…” He hesitated, then shut up, considering the Chu Emperor’s special status.
Chu Yunge found Pei Ji’s reaction amusing. She had thought he was already taken, but clearly not.
From Pei Ji’s current state, he couldn’t accept it at all.
A good show was coming; she wondered how Pei Ji would ultimately be conquered.
Pei Ji’s mind nearly exploded. No wonder Your Highness had suddenly accused him of liking men back then—it was because he had been close to the Chu Emperor?
What a mess.
Did Xie Wangze know?
Word was Xie Wangze had a good rapport with His Majesty too; that old fox might have sensed it ages ago.
She didn’t know his stance.
Come to think of it, His Majesty treated Xie Wangze well too. Did His Majesty have designs on Xie Wangze as well?
Pei Ji drew in a cold breath, his mind truly on the verge of exploding.