His gaze rested ahead without the slightest focus. When a familiar figure suddenly flashed through his field of vision, the young man shook his head, mocking his own wishful thinking.
How could it be? At this hour, the family banquet had only just ended. How could she possibly appear here? Besides, Noble Consort Su was still in the inner palace. Even if she wanted to stay up to see in the new year, she ought to seek out her birth mother.
Pei Qing suddenly found the Star-Picking Terrace, where he had spent more than a decade, rather cold and desolate. He had clearly passed every previous year this way. Was this winter especially cold?
The young man waited a little longer, until the clamor and laughter rose from the ground once more.
New Year's Eve... was almost over.
The children below had already lit their fire starters, clamoring to set off fireworks. Three or four stood in a row, covering their ears as they waited for these soaring things to bloom into beautiful flowers in the sky.
The young man rose and walked to the railing. If there was anything good about spending the new year on the stargazing terrace, it was probably only that it offered the best view of the fireworks.
This was also the liveliest moment he could experience that day. Sometimes, he wondered whether this counted as stealing other people's joy and reunions. Like a thief hidden in the dark, unable to obtain them himself, he lurked in the shadows nearby, as though simply being beside them would let a little of that worldly warmth fall upon him.
Even so, every year he still stood at the railing like a hidden voyeur, gazing greedily at the bustle that belonged to others.
"Pei Qing!"
The woman's voice crossed obstacle after obstacle and reached his ears, striking heavily against his heart.
The young man turned in a fluster. Countless little ornaments hung from his elaborate ceremonial robes, striking haphazardly against his body with the movement, yet Pei Qing seemed not to feel them at all. He stared blankly at the person in the doorway who should almost certainly not have been here.
The person before him opened and closed her mouth. Behind him, firecrackers thundered so loudly that Pei Qing could not hear a single word, yet, as though he had heard, he gave Lou Yun a smile so beautiful it made the heart tremble.
"Your Highness, happy New Year."
Pei Qing had yet to change out of his ceremonial robes and had only removed his mask. He looked like a divine son placed upon an altar and forbidden to touch the mortal dust, who had shed his unapproachable shell to reveal the heart within that yearned for the mundane world, tempting Lou Yun to join him on a road of no return in betrayal of the gods.
Lou Yun settled the turmoil in her heart and stood beside the young man at the railing. Listening as the clamor below gradually faded, she felt her heart quiet in that instant as well.
Did Pei Qing watch the people below like this every year?
Before she could voice the question in her heart, a soft touch reached her senses first.
The young man leaned forward, closed his eyes, and reverently placed a kiss at the corner of Lou Yun's mouth before she could react.
He withdrew after that fleeting touch. His eyes seemed filled with stars, and his gentle voice reached Lou Yun's ears.
"This is my return gift for Your Highness spending New Year's Eve with me."
Lou Yun looked back at Pei Qing. The shyness in his eyes had not faded, but some unknown force had pushed him, allowing his desire to offer something in return to gain the upper hand. It made Pei Qing, who grew terribly shy over the smallest things, suddenly do something utterly startling.
Pressing a hand against the young man's head, Lou Yun firmly pulled him toward her and teased with a smile, "Not enough."
Pei Qing, who had only been holding himself together on a single breath of courage, immediately crumbled. He glanced helplessly around, his pearly teeth pressing into his lip until its edges turned white.
Lou Yun's gaze grew unfathomable as she stared at those pitiful lips being tormented by their owner, her heart clamoring to rescue them from their cruel master.
Her fingertip tentatively slipped between them. Not wanting to bite Lou Yun, Pei Qing obediently loosened his teeth, laying that soft place fully bare before her.
Lou Yun leaned in and pressed against him. The body in her arms stiffened for an instant. She gently lingered along the outside; as the hunter, she was in no hurry. She tenderly helped the young man adjust, then tentatively advanced once he relaxed. Pei Qing obediently tilted his head up to make her movements easier.
Noticing his movement, Lou Yun chuckled and rubbed the back of his head as a reward. Finally, she drove straight in, giving the good boy his final reward.
By the time Lou Yun released Pei Qing, his eyes were brimming with moisture. Their clarity was gone, replaced by a daze from the overwhelming stimulation, and he unconsciously licked his lips.
Upon discovering the wetness on the tip of his tongue, Pei Qing turned scarlet all over. He did not even dare look at Lou Yun, standing blankly in place. Unfortunately, the little toes curled against his wooden clogs betrayed his bashfulness.
Lou Yun leaned close and waved a hand up and down before him. "Gone silly?"
Pei Qing said nothing. He moved past the hands Lou Yun held before his eyes and relaxed his whole body against her.
"Will you stay up with me?" he asked in a muffled voice.
"Hmm?"
Pei Qing buried his face against her neck and shoulder, secretly breathing in that reassuring scent, and deliberately softened his voice. "Please, Your Highness."
With Pei Qing pleading like this, Lou Yun was no different from a muddleheaded ruler whose judgment had been clouded by beauty. Naturally, whatever Pei Qing
said, she agreed to.
Discovering that his scheme had worked, Pei Qing secretly revealed a triumphant smile where Lou Yun could not see.
He was entirely unaware that the affection in Lou Yun's eyes was almost overflowing as she stroked the back of his head.
Having lived two lives, how could Lou Yun fail to see through the young man's downright clumsy scheme? She indulged him simply because he was Pei Qing.
Chapter 38
After New Year's Eve, everyone's attention shifted to the palace examination, and Pei Qing was no exception. Sure enough, he had barely enjoyed a little free time before he pulled Lou Yun along in disguise to the inn he had specifically arranged for scholars coming to the capital for the examinations, to sound out Great Yan's rising generation before the imperial examinations began.
Sigh-
Lou Yun let out a long breath. Pei Qing would probably never shake his lifelong habit of worrying over everything.
"You two look unfamiliar. Have you only recently arrived in the capital?" A plainly dressed man sat down beside them with considerable familiarity.
"We only arrived in the capital today and found lodgings. I am Su Fangyi. May I ask your name, brother?" Lou Yun cupped her hands in greeting.
"My name is Fan Buluo. I came from the north. And this is?"
"Ye Yun," Pei Qing answered succinctly. He remembered this Fan Buluo. Whenever he came here to lecture, this man was the one who could answer his questions.
"Brother Ye, Brother Su." Fan Buluo enthusiastically explained, "You've certainly come to the right place. Our Imperial Preceptor opened this inn especially for scholars like us who lack traveling funds. It's just a pity the Imperial Preceptor isn't lecturing today, or there would be several times as many people in this hall, if not more."
At this, Lou Yun raised her teacup and took a light sip, looking at Pei Qing with an amused half-smile. Her intrigued gaze seemed to say:
Look, here comes an admirer of yours.
Xie Wan spotted the pair from a distance. Although both wore face coverings, she recognized Lou Yun's figure and appearance at a glance and walked toward them with a teapot.
After Lin Bian was arrested, Pei Qing had taken away all the homeless women from the Pleasant Breeze Courtyard and placed them in A Zi's shops, allowing them to lead stable lives.
For some reason, once Xie Wan learned that Pei Qing was both the Imperial Preceptor and her beloved's young master, she had plunged headfirst into the Beast Taming Pavilion and come to the capital, saying she wanted to work for Pei Qing.
That was what she said, but Pei Qing was overwhelmingly busy every day, and the two had barely exchanged a few words.
Instead, because of the time she had spent with Lou Yun at the Pleasant Breeze Courtyard, the two found themselves increasingly congenial and had eventually become rare confidantes.
"Fine Biluochun tea. Please enjoy." Xie Wan set down the teapot. As she left, she even winked mischievously at Lou Yun: Go for it!
Lou Yun took a mouthful of tea. It had been brewed just as she liked it, and she smiled as she poured half a cup for Pei Qing as well.
By now, Fan Buluo had thoroughly opened the floodgates of his praise for the Imperial Preceptor: he could ascend to heaven and descend into the earth, there was nothing he could not do, he possessed the bearing of a celestial, he was a genius seen only once in a century, and so on.
He praised the person opposite Lou Yun until both his ears turned red. Pei Qing had long since become so embarrassed by these words that he did not know where to look. Lou Yun, however, was wonderfully encouraging, practically chiming in after every compliment Fan Buluo offered.
The two sang in perfect harmony. Fan Buluo, in particular, had never met someone whose views aligned so closely with his own. He practically regarded Lou Yun as another version of himself in this world. The more he spoke, the more excited he became, until his hand had already reached toward Lou Yun, wanting to hold hands as they chatted at length.
Pei Qing, who had remained silent throughout, frowned upon seeing Fan Buluo's movement and lifted the teapot, blocking the man's first attempt.
A little later, Fan Buluo reached an especially exciting point and stretched out his hand to grasp hers again. Pei Qing raised his hand once more to pour Lou Yun tea.
Lou Yun echoed Fan Buluo while watching the young man, naturally taking in every one of these little movements. Amused, she quietly waited to see what he would use to block him next.
When Fan Buluo reached out for the third time, Pei Qing finally could not bear it any longer. He filled the cup of the man whose spit was flying as he spoke and held it before him.
"Brother Fan, why not have some tea?" Listening closely to Pei Qing's tone, one could faintly detect the grinding of teeth.
But the single-minded Fan Buluo clearly heard none of it. Grabbing Pei Qing's arm, he said with tears of emotion in his eyes, "I thought Brother Ye was aloof and proud. I never imagined you were a good person too! Thank you. All that talking has made me thirsty."
The Imperial Preceptor had inexplicably been handed a good person card, yet he could not feel happy at all, because he still had not managed to stop Fan Buluo's mouth. Of course, he might not be able to stop his movements either.
Lou Yun deliberately lifted her cup, shielding her face with her broad sleeve. People who could drive the good-tempered Pei Qing to desperation were truly rare, and she almost failed to hold back her laughter.
Quite a few people nearby had been watching. Seeing that Fan Buluo had finally stopped, someone teased, "Our Brother Fan is going to become the Imperial Preceptor's number one supporter."
At first, the jokes were all good-natured and harmonious. Somehow, a discordant voice suddenly rang out.
"The Imperial Preceptor's literary accomplishments are undeniable, but I believe Master Jiang Wen's literary talent is in no way inferior to his."
The moment these words fell, quite a few voices rose in agreement.
"Yes, yes. I've attended Master Jiang Wen's lectures before, and I do think the two are evenly matched."
"I heard Master Jiang Wen is holding a lecture at the Purple Bamboo Garden today. Why don't we go listen together?"