A pair of cool hands rested upon Qi Changyiâs mouth, and his lashes fluttered slightly at the touch.
When his eyes finally peeled open, his vision was still a little hazy. âPei-gegeâŚhuh? What are you doing here?â
Qi Changyiâs heart was suddenly flooded with anxiety; he quickly pulled open the curtain and peeked outside.
The sedan chair was moving forward; everything was peaceful and quiet.
âCome here.â Pei Zheng called in a low voice.
Qi Changyi seemed to recall a terrible memory; his body began to shake uncontrollably, and his movements were clumsy and slow.
Pei Zheng simply grabbed his arm and pulled him forward. He lifted his hand and gently smeared something onto Qi Changyiâs lips.
Whatever it was, it was cold and carried a strange medicinal odor. Qi Changyi braced himself for the stinging pain, but surprisingly, there was only a cool, numb feeling where his wound was.
âMake sure to apply it every day, so it doesnât leave a scar.â
A small, delicate medicine box fell into Qi Changyiâs palm. He held it and thought for a while before he lowered his head and whispered in an aggrieved voice, âBut there are some scars that wonât go awayâŚSo uglyâŚâ
Pei Zheng lifted the little manâs chin, âWhere?â
The tips of Qi Changyiâs ears flushed red; under Pei Zhengâs unrelenting gaze, he had no choice but to gingerly pull his collar down, revealing his small, snow-white collarbone.
A reddish scar in the shape of a bite mark contrasted his smooth, jade-like skin; the ambiguous location really made one think of unspeakable things.
Pei Zhengâs eyes darkened. Unconsciously, his grip on Qi Changyi tightened slightly, âHow did this happen?â
âWhaâŚPei-gege, it was you, you bit me.â
Qi Changyi was aggrieved to tears; how could he have forgotten the things he had done so easily?
Pei Zhengâs grip loosened, and his eyebrows furrowed. Had he bitten the little man while he was drunk? The scar was deep and dark; it must have hurt a lot.
His slender fingers caressed the scar twice before he closed the little manâs robe, âItâs not ugly.â
âAh?â
âItâs very pretty.â
âReally?â
âMm.â
Qi Changyiâs pained expression eased a bit.
The sedan chair continued forward for a while. It finally swayed and stopped once more; they had arrived at the hunting grounds.
The guards and servants quickly began to set up tents, and everybody else got out of their sedan chairs to stretch their legs.
Li Yu pulled open the curtain, âYour Highness, do you want to come out andâŚAhhh! L-L-Lord Pei!â
Since when was Lord Pei in here as well? How did he not notice him at all?
He was really too insidious and cunning!
Qi Changyi immediately shoved his hand over Li Yuâs mouth and glared at him. His voice was filled with panic, âKeep your voice down!â
Pei Zheng stared at the nervous little manâs back, and the corners of his mouth turned upwards. Without a single trace of stealth, he popped out of the sedan and began to walk with an arrogant, flamboyant swagger.
Fortunately, there werenât that many people outside. The few guards who spotted Pei Zheng immediately bowed respectfully, but their minds were already swimming with speculations.
What a strange situation!
While the Emperor took Aâmu Le and his entourage to their tents to rest, the other nobles and princes excitedly prepared to go hunting.
Qi Changyi also returned to his tent. He didnât know how to ride a horse, so naturally, he couldnât go hunting with the rest of his brothers. He could only stay behind and play in the sand alone.
As Aâmu Le was walking into his tent, Qi Changyi was having an enthralling conversation with the sand castle in front of him
He acted out the scene in a gruff voice, âWhat a bold thief, you dare break into the palace? Drag him out! His punishment will beâŚtickling!â
His tone softened, âSpare me, please spare me, Iâll never do it againâŚâ
Aâmu Le couldnât hold back his laughter.
âKid, why donât you go hunting with them? Isnât it boring to stay in your tent all day long?â
Qi Changyi played with his fingers, âI donât know how to ride a horse.â
Aâmu Le smiled and said, âIs that it? Come with me.â
He pulled Qi Changyi out of the tent and took him to the stables.
âPick any horse youâd like. Iâll teach you.â
Qi Changyiâs eyes flickered with excitement. He had never experienced the view from the back of a tall horse.
He picked a white pony that looked relatively docile, and Aâmu Le supported Qi Changyi to sit on its back. The horse twisted its body in discomfort, and Qi Changyi was so terrified that he immediately grabbed onto the horseâs neck and refused to let go.
âAhhh, Iâm going to fall, Iâm going to fall! I donât want to fall! Donât move, good horsey, donât move, donât let me fall, okay?â
Aâmu Le held the reins, and after several minutes of coaxing, Qi Changyi finally relaxed a little and sat upright on the horse.
His legs swayed with the horseâs every movement, and the smile on his face was bright and heartwarming.
âKid,â Aâmu Le suddenly turned. âWhat do you think? Do you like riding?â
Qi Changyi nodded vigorously, âI do!â
âThen, do you want to continue riding horses in the future?â
Qi Changyiâs smile immediately dimmed slightly, âI, I canât, Royal Father wonât let me leave the palace.â
Aâmu Le stopped walking. âIf there was a chance for you to escape the palace, escape Pei Zhengâs control, and live a free and unfettered life, would you take it? Even if you could never return to the palace again?â
EscapeâŚfrom Pei-gege?
The thought made Qi Changyiâs heart wrench painfully.
I donât want to.
He wanted nothing more than to stay by his Pei-gegeâs side and accompany him till the end of time.
It didnât matter if he was locked in the palace for the rest of his life; Qi Changyi couldnât bear to be apart from him.
âYour Highness.â
Pei Zhengâs ice-cold voice sounded from behind, and Qi Changyi swiveled in panic.
He was mounted on a tall horse with a shiny black coat; he clutched the reins in his hand and wore a stern expression on his face.
âEnvoy Aâmu Le is also here, why didnât you go hunting?â Pei Zhengâs leg swung gracefully; he quickly got off of his horse and walked towards the two of them.
He saw that Aâmu Le was holding the ponyâs reins. Without saying a word, he brushed past Aâmu Le, stretched his arm out, and hooked a finger at the little man.
This person had to be coaxed by Aâmu Le for so long to even sit properly on the horse, yet he immediately let himself be carried off at the flick of a finger. Pei Zheng gathered the little man into his arms and held him tightly against his chest.
âPei Zheng, donât forget our agreement. What do you think youâre doing?â
âNothing. Iâm just reminding you not to stick your nose into everyone elseâs business.â Pei Zheng walked toward his horse with the little man in his arms. âOtherwise, you canât blame me for being ruthless.â
Pei Zheng placed Qi Changyi atop his horse before he got on and sat behind him. He glanced back at Aâmu Le, who was still standing in the same spot, and rode away.
The little man who had just been smiling so brightly was completely obscured by a long black robe.
A strange smile appeared at the corner of Aâmu Leâs mouth, âOnce I want something, Iâll definitely find a way to obtain it. Pei Zheng, weâll wait and see!â
Pei Zheng took Qi Changyi back to his tent and instructed Cheng Feng to keep watch; he was not allowed to take half a step outside of the tent.
âAlso, youâre not allowed to ride horses anymore.â
Qi Changyi nodded obediently, and Pei Zheng opened the tent flap and left.
âA-Feng1.â
âA-Feng.â
âA-Feng?â
Cheng Feng heard Qi Changyiâs soft voice, and he pointed to himself in surprise, âYour Highness, are you talking to me?â
Qi Changyi nodded.
The corners of Cheng Fengâs mouth twitched; it was the first time someone had called him that.
But if it was the little Highness, any nickname was fine with him.
âA-Feng, where did Pei-gege go?â
âHe went hunting. I heard that the barbarians excel at horsemanship, and they hunted more prey than us. His Majesty lost face and couldnât bear the humiliation, so he ordered Master to take them down a peg or two.â