Taking advantage of the fact that Lin Shuo could not see from this angle, Lou Yun gazed at Pei Qing with smiling eyes. A playful smile curved her lips, and she raised her phoenix eyes, signaling for the man above her to continue.
Though she lay beneath him, pinned down and oppressed, she carried herself with the playful composure and nonchalance of someone who controlled the situation.
It was precisely that hunter's gaze that threw Pei Qing into disarray. His hand froze in place, and he made no further move for a long time. Inwardly, he berated himself for being so hopeless. How had merely seeing her left him standing stock-still like a stone lion at the gate, unable to carry on with a scene he had rehearsed a thousand times in his head?
Lou Yun's eyes shifted, their gaze rippling with allure. Knowing how easily embarrassed Pei Qing was, she kindly seized the initiative to keep their act going.
Using the momentum of her struggles, she fell into the young man's arms, took his hand, and guided it toward her collar, resting her head lightly on the shoulder of the dumbstruck Pei Qing.
"If the Imperial Preceptor refuses to cooperate any longer, I'll have to enjoy the Dongpo pork knuckle all by myself."
The warm breath spilling from her lips made the young man's ears burn. He could not help turning his head to evade it, only to be rooted in place by her words.
"Young master, don't!"
Lou Yun's words stood in stark contrast to her expression. Her voice conveyed the frailty and helplessness of a respectable woman being abducted, while her face bore an undisguised gaze that lingered over Pei Qing's face like a beast king surveying its territory before finally moving away.
"Little..." Pei Qing had barely begun when the thought of what he had to say next left him too embarrassed to speak.
At last, under Lou Yun's encouraging gaze, he delivered the whole line. "Little beauty, with a face like yours, weren't you born to be my wife? Come with me today, and I guarantee you'll feast on fine food and drink for the rest of your life!"
By the time the young man finished speaking, his face was impossibly red. Like dye dripping onto paper and slowly spreading, the flush traveled from the tips of his ears down his neck, disappearing beneath his collar.
Judging by his expression alone, anyone would have said Pei Qing was the one being teased.
The more Lou Yun saw Pei Qing like this, the more delighted she became. She had settled
on this plan for two reasons in the first place.
First, it could lure Lin Shuo into taking the bait. Second, she could see a different side of Pei Qing.
Whichever she achieved, she would win.
When Lin Shuo, standing nearby, got a clear look at Pei Qing's face, he froze for a moment. He rubbed his eyes, then stared closely for a while longer before daring to confirm that this heavenly beauty before him really was harassing someone else!
Could anyone truly be more beautiful than the person before him?
The question flashed through Lin Shuo's mind. The next moment, Lou Yun turned her face toward him. Although she wore no makeup, she was, as the saying went, a lotus emerging from the water. Her face alone possessed a naturally sculpted beauty stripped of all adornment.
Having encountered two beauties in a single day, Lin Shuo considered himself fortunate. Leaning on his attendants, he leaped into the pit prepared especially for him.
Lin Shuo staggered over to Pei Qing and spread his arm, about to drape it over the young man's shoulders.
Caught off guard by a faceful of wine fumes, Pei Qing frowned. Only by restraining himself again and again did he keep from shoving the man away outright.
Now that someone else had taken his weight, Lin Shuo grew even more brazen. He let go of his servant, casually tossed aside the wine flask in his hand, and pointed at the sky. "Beau... pfft, young master, you won't win a lady that way. Come, come, let me teach you. I'm telling you, I'm very... hic... very good at training beauties!"
"Young master, young master, you mustn't! The master gave instructions. The authorities have been strict with their investigations lately. You can't act recklessly."
"That's right! Young master, the master said we can't let you do as you please during this time!"
The attendants on either side, one retrieving the flask and the other supporting him, looked panicked as they urged him one after another.
"Shoo, shoo! This is Jiangling! Jiangling! Understand? How would that old emperor, far away at the edge of the sky, know what happens in Jiangling? Here, I'm king! Understand?!" Lin Shuo shoved away the attendant supporting him impatiently, hooked an arm around Pei Qing's neck, and pulled him closer to continue boasting of his "glorious" deeds.
Forgotten off to the side, Lou Yun watched Lin Shuo's every move, her gaze fixed especially on the hand looped around the young man's neck.
It was not merely his movements. The even more vile filth lurking in Lin Shuo's wine-clouded eyes when he looked at Pei Qing disgusted Lou Yun still more.
Ice gathered in her eyes. Fury and revulsion at having something of hers defiled engulfed her. Sooner or later, she would chop off this beast's hand.
"Young master! You mustn't!"
"Please, young master!"
The two attendants tried to keep persuading him, only for Lin Shuo to kick each of them in the backside.
Lin Shuo cursed, "You dog slaves! You won't even listen to me anymore? Do you believe I'll whip you both to death right here today? Decide whether you want to die at my hands today or be punished by my father after you return!"
Both attendants went white with fright and fell to their knees, begging for mercy. "We were wrong, young master! We were wrong!"
Only then did Lin Shuo's expression improve considerably. He ordered, "Go, seize that beauty and bring her here!"
"Yes."
"Yes."
The two reached for Lou Yun's arms together. She made a show of struggling a few times and cursed, "How dare you! Have you no regard for the law?"
"The law? You don't know, do you, beauty? Here in Jiangling, I am the law! The only law!" Lin Shuo was arrogant beyond measure. Even while uttering such treasonous words, he dared point at the sky, as though afraid Heaven would not know.
Those repeated remarks scorning imperial authority finally made Pei Qing's face darken despite himself. When Lin Shuo slung an arm around him again as though they were close brothers, he restored his usual expression.
"Take her away!"
The two attendants marched Lou Yun away, and Pei Qing made as though to stop them. "Hey!?"
Lin Shuo stopped him. "Young master, come, come, let me explain. I'm absolutely not taking her away to steal her from you. Think about it. Wouldn't it be better if I trained her first and then gave her to you? Once you have a beauty in your arms, you might even thank me!"
"Well... all right." Pei Qing paused for form's sake, then agreed to Lin Shuo's words.
Delighted to hear this, Lin Shuo insisted on bringing Pei Qing back to his residence for a visit.
"Brother, what's your name?" Lin Shuo tugged him toward home.
"Ye Jun." Completely enveloped in wine fumes with no way to escape, Pei Qing could only try to breathe in as little of them as possible, sparing his words as though they were gold.
"Ye Jun, Ye Yun, a fine name! From today on, you're my good brother! To tell you the truth, my father is the governor of Jiangling. I know every fun place in all of Jiangling. I'll make sure Ye... Brother, how old are you?"
"Twenty-two."
"Good, good, good. Brother Ye, you're a few years older than me. Don't worry. With me, Lin Shuo, around, I guarantee you'll linger in Jiangling and forget all about going home!"
Pei Qing stood half a head taller than Lin Shuo. When Lin Shuo reached an exciting part of his chatter, he tugged down hard, nearly snapping Pei Qing's neck.
Only with a deft application of force did he free his neck from Lin Shuo's grasp. Then Lin Shuo's legs weakened, and he collapsed into Pei Qing's arms. Helpless, the young man had to support him as they walked, all but carrying him in an embrace.
Behind them, Lou Yun caught quite a bit of this out of the corner of her eye, and sparks almost shot from her eyes. Fortunately, Lin Shuo had not completely lost his human sixth sense. He shuddered violently and quickly straightened up, moving off Pei Qing.
He looked left and right without finding the source of the cold draft, then continued boasting. "And I have plenty of beauties, too. There's bound to be someone more..." Lin Shuo's mind turned. He had intended to say someone prettier than Lou Yun, but when he thought of the group in his rear courtyard, they really did seem unpresentable beside her.
Unwilling to lose face, he bellowed, "There's bound to be someone who catches your..." Eye, he meant to say, but a turn of his head brought Pei Qing's otherworldly face into view, and he choked again.
Shaking his head, he blurted out, "Anyway, there's definitely someone who'll satisfy you, Brother Ye!"
"Then you have my thanks, Brother Lin." With no experience dealing with such a scoundrel, Pei Qing replied stiffly.
Chapter 23
Lin Shuo laughed heartily and waved a hand, signaling for the attendants to take Lou Yun in through a side entrance.
Before leaving, Lou Yun glanced at Pei Qing and made a hand gesture behind her back.
Pei Qing met her gaze without betraying anything, then followed Lin Shuo into the residence.
They had only just stepped through the entrance when an elderly man with a limp came toward them. Seeing from afar that the two attendants were no longer beside Lin Shuo and that Pei Qing had appeared instead, his expression darkened further.
When he saw Pei Qing up close, however, his expression turned from cloudy to sunny. With this man's looks and bearing, had the young master made a worthy friend?
Oh no! How did I run straight into Lame Zhang!
Lin Shuo pivoted, grabbed Pei Qing, and tried to flee. Steward Zhang was the old man's eyes and ears. If he saw that Lin Shuo had brought someone home, he would definitely report it to the old man!
He grabbed Pei Qing's hand to escape, only for Zhang Dequan's words to stop him. "Young master, won't you introduce this friend beside you?"
"Uncle De, this is a good friend I just made today." Lin Shuo stopped and scratched his head, explaining awkwardly.
Although he knew Lin Shuo was incapable of making any normal friends, Pei Qing's appearance and bearing were simply too deceptive. Unwilling to give up, Zhang Dequan continued questioning him. "Greetings, young master. I more or less watched our young master grow up. Lately, the master has been paying particular attention to his studies, so he hasn't been allowing the young master to bring friends home to amuse themselves. Might I ask what brings you to our residence?"
Pei Qing coughed lightly and answered calmly, "I am Ye Yun, from Chuanshu. I traveled here specifically to compile a travelogue. Brother Lin and I felt like old friends upon our first meeting today, so I accepted his invitation to visit. My apologies for intruding without prior notice."
With that, Pei Qing even bowed to Zhang Dequan, frightening the lame old man into dropping his cane and reaching out to support him while saying, "Please, you mustn't! You mustn't!"
Quick-eyed and quick-handed, Lin Shuo caught the cane and tucked it into Zhang Dequan's palm. Affectionately linking his arm through the old man's, he coaxed him good-humoredly. "Oh, Uncle De, don't worry. Brother Ye is absolutely an upright gentleman."
After seeing Zhang Dequan off, Lin Shuo draped his arm over Pei Qing's shoulders again with a grin and praised him. "That's just like you, Brother Ye! You fooled Lame Zhang in no time at all. You have no idea how highly my father values him."
Lin Shuo did not get to feel pleased with himself for long, because that evening, Lin Bian sent someone to summon Pei Qing for questioning.
"Knock, knock." A clear female voice came from outside. "Young master, my master requests your presence."