Spring Once More

 chapter 37
Happy New Year!

(Traditional Chinese cover scanned by Dairytea)

Chapter Thirty-seven

Where the h.e.l.l did Master Pei come from?

Pei Qixuan yawns from behind his fan. “As soon as you left, I organized my things and followed.”

Of course, I need more of an answer than that.

Pei Qixuan"s eyes crinkle into pretty arches. “Milord, perhaps you"ve forgotten something.” He reaches into his breast pocket, takes out a metallic object about the size of a hand and waves it.

I glance at it. Unmoved, I drawl, “This sh...”

He proceeds to stick it in my face. “Isn"t this the proof of ident.i.ty that His Majesty granted to Your Highness?”

“Yes,” I yawn, too. “But it doesn"t matter. I"m more concerned that it will be mistaken for a fake.”

I can"t believe he came all the way just for this chunk of metal. I take it from him and feel the weight in my hand. f.u.c.k! Seeing this s.h.i.t makes me furious.

So before I left, I went to the palace to ask the emperor for a piece of proof, which is what the imperial investigator must have in all the dramas I"ve seen. When the time comes, you let that baby shine, and everyone in the scene falls to their knees – totally bad a.s.s. Since I was going to be an investigator, I couldn"t go without.

The emperor said that of course I"d get it and he already gave orders for such a thing to be made. It would be delivered to me before my departure.

I had doubts at the time. Shouldn"t it be the Shangfang Baojian or a gold pa.s.s with the emperor"s insignia? Why did it have to be made on the spot?

The night before I left, Prince Ren and Prince Kang came to see me off. The latter carefully took from his sleeve an object wrapped in yellow satin, even making the effort to use both hands. Meanwhile, the former explained solemnly, “The Imperial Smiths worked overnight under the orders of our brother, His Majesty. Reveal it not unless in the more dire of circ.u.mstances.”

Unwrapping the satin, I set my gaze on this crucial item and immediately the flames of fury were lit. A black iron pa.s.s strung with a red string at the top and adorned with a ta.s.sle on the bottom…

The front said: Imperial Representative

The back said: His Seventh Highness

Prince Ren went on to inform me of the intricacies of the length of the red string. It was long enough to be worn around the neck, but also short enough to be hung on the belt when necessary.

>That motherf.u.c.ker!

I remembered that I threw that piece of s.h.i.t into the rock formations in the garden so that it may rest with the crickets. I can"t imagine how Pei Qixuan found it.

“So you came all the way for this thing?” I can"t help but confirm.

He answers in the affirmative while going through a couple more yawns. “You didn"t travel very hastily, so Xiao-Quan and I picked the two fastest horses in the manor thinking we would simply catch up and deliver the item. But we didn"t take into account the fact you travelled along the state highway whereas we took the shortcuts. Then I considered the likelihood that your vehicle and steeds would cross the river and decided to speed ahead so that I could await your arrival here with transportation prepared for your convenience.”

He looks rather lethargic. I guess he"s had a tough time on the road.

I take a cushion and tuck it behind his back. “And how did you know I would be here today?”

He fans himself, leaning against the frame of the carriage. “I arrived in Fengyang yesterday, and I estimated that I was ahead of Your Highness by at most a day. I rapidly reserved rooms in an inn, hired the horses and cars and rushed to the river. Fortunately, the timing was good.”

“Yes, fortunately you crossed before us,” I emphasize. “Otherwise, we would have had to hop into town.”

To that, he just smiles.

The inn he reserved is nothing less than the largest establishment in Fengyang, and the manager and staff are even more enthusiastic than those in Zhengxing. We are shown to our premium suites, and we are able to settle in and have a cup of tea before a manservant informs us that supper has been prepared in a private room in the front complex.

Holding a cup of wine, Fu Qingshu smiles at me. “My wise brother, you certainly have talented people hidden in your manor.”

Pei Qixuan raises his cup towards the young marquess with a smile. “I"m afraid you praise me too highly, Master Fu.”

The young marquess puts down his drink. “You are too humble, Master Pei. I only regret not having met you sooner. Being a fool of a son, I was never able to have such a special person in my manor. How lamentable!”

“I am even more afraid now,” Pei Qixuan responds with gently arching eyes.

I look back and forth trying to find a way to defuse the situation.

“This pepper chicken was cooked well.”

After supper, I summon Xiao-Shun. “Did you deliver the congee that I asked the kitchen to prepare?”

The servant nods. “I just came back from Master Su"s room. He was asleep, so I left it to cool on the table.”

I wave him away. “I shall go see for myself.”

Master Su is indeed fast asleep. As soon as we arrived, I ordered hot bath water to be prepared for him. He must have been exhausted, because he fell asleep right after bathing.

I touch the bowl which turns out to be the right temperature. Su Yanzhi hasn"t had food since morning, so I should wake him up to eat some congee. I creep to the bed to find him very much asleep. I hesitate to wake him, but he stirs.

I pa.s.s the bowl to him, and he thanks me after taking a few spoonfuls.

“Eat up. You haven"t had anything else all day.”

Flashing a genuine smile that is quite rare for him, he finishes the food. I then place the bowl back on the table. “Someone will come in the morning to clean. I"ve forbidden anyone from coming to your room tonight so you can get a good night"s sleep. Sweet dreams.”

His gaze trails me as I leave. “You should get some rest, too. And don"t forget to apply the ointment.”

That really tugs at my heartstrings. Master Su isn"t like the other masters in that he doesn"t say this kind of thing often. I mean, it"s the first time that I"ve heard it.

I amble back to my room only to find Pei Qixuan sitting at the table drinking tea. He looks at me, and I grin. “Sorry, wrong room. Good night.”

“This is the right room.” He puts down his cup.

Scratching my nose, I step back into the room. “What"s the matter, Master Pei?”

“Milord, you have been awfully distant these days,” he complains, approaching me. “You used to always call me by my given name.”

He eyes me intently. This last bit he spoke into my ear which left the hairs on the back of my neck quivering. I cough as I shuffle discreetly backwards.

“Well, seeing that we are on an imperial investigation, I thought I should speak with prudence.”

He continues to scrutinize me with those moist, glistening eyes of his. Just as I"ve sorted out my fl.u.s.tered emotions, he suddenly raises his hand to my left eye.

“Why are you so careless?”

“It"s not a problem,” I a.s.sure him. “It will go away in a few days" time. Just a b.u.mp on the door frame.”

“Oh. Again?” he questions, its insinuation obvious.

I actually have no idea what to do since he"s the master who I"m most afraid of. His hand leaves my face, but then his face gets closer. I gulp nervously while searching for a retreat strategy, but then out of nowhere he flashes a relaxed smile and lays a gentle hand on my shoulder.

“Rest well. By your leave.”

The tiny gust as he pa.s.ses by leaves the tip of my nose stinging from the cold.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
ayszhang: h.e.l.lo everyone! Happy New Year! :D In a few hours I will be flying taking a 30-hour journey across half of the globe to Astana, Kazakhstan, where I will be living for the next few months. I want to welcome every reader who has joined us this year, and thank those who have come back after or who have always been... We appreciate every one of you, and I like to think our community is only getting bigger :) This year we had a new translator join us with a brand new project of a brand new genre! Check it out here if you haven"t already... Here is to another wonderful year with lots and lots of love for everyone with a good heart, no matter their appearance, religion, genitals, age, or whatever <>

Dairytea:

Chapter Thirty-eight

Spring Once More by  is licensed under a .