Consort of a Thousand Faces

Su Xi-er finally spoke. His anger will only get worse the longer I stay silent. "Prince Hao, this servant didn't mean to stay out for the whole night. It was just that this servant found an auntie that was too pitiful. She had to raise her child by herself, and had no money to speak of. This servant knew that it would displease you, but with how sudden it was, I had no choice."

 

After a substantial amount of time, Pei Qianhao answered in a composed voice, "And so?"

 

Su Xi-er responded immediately, "So, may Prince Hao not take this to heart."

 

"Ha... Not take it to heart. You are saying things so lightly." Pei Qianhao suddenly laughed. The cold laughter that sounded out implied at a deeper meaning.

 

Yet, he had not the slightest idea how strange his words sounded.

 

"This is the first time this Prince waited for someone, and for a little maidservant at that. Su Xi-er, you previously said that you would be waiting for this Prince at the Flowers Arrive Inn. How amusing it is now that the tables have turned. But for you to try to brush everything off with a single statement, do you think that this Prince is easy to fool?"

 

"Prince Hao, this servant has never thought of fooling you. Since it has come to this, you can do whatever you want."

 

Pei Qianhao looked at her displeased countenance. It felt as though she had given up on persuading him, deciding that it was more trouble than it was worth, and that he could punish her as he pleased.

 

"Do you really think this Prince wouldn't dare to punish you?"

 

Su Xi-er had heard this sentence so many times that she had already come to a conclusion. No matter the punishment, he will spare my life.

 

Unless all his face as a master was lost because of me, he wouldn’t deal out any truly harsh punishment.

 

Pei Qianhao’s temper was at fever pitch, but looking at Su Xi-er’s blank expression, he felt as if had nowhere to vent it.

 

Su Xi-er felt that she had done nothing wrong. Widow Liu was deserving of a beating, and Head Constable Liu was deserving of punishment. Née Li and Xiaobao are pitiful and needed help.

 

Silence reigned for a substantial amount of time before Pei Qianhao eventually raised his head and looked at Su Xi-er. He chuckled softly. "You seem to have too much free time on your hands. How does a widow hooking up with a married man have anything to do with you?"

 

Enunciating her words steadily, Su Xi-er responded, "This servant can't stand such bullying. Prince Hao, this servant is a woman, and will feel pity when I see a man bullying his wife and son. Men won’t understand such things."

 

The unexpected response caught Pei Qianhao off guard. It’s true that I wouldn’t have interfered in such a trifling matter if it had been me. Such things occur everywhere, and everyone has their own way of living. Even if she hadn’t interfered, they would have found some way to survive.

 

"Su Xi-er, this is Nanzhao, not Beimin. You are not to interfere with such trivial issues in the future. This Prince doesn't care about that nonsensical pity that only you women understand."

 

"Nonsensical?" Su Xi-er's intonation went up a notch before she continued, "Nonsensical indeed."

 

Such a tone aroused extreme annoyance in Pei Qianhao. She is only pretending to defer to me on the surface while bottling up her grievances in her heart.

 

His gaze turned cold as he stared at her. "What would it be if it wasn't nonsense?"

 

"Prince Hao is right, it's nonsense. This servant has spoken wrongly." Su Xi-er continued to act submissively, but this only served to further enrage Pei Qianhao. It was like he had hit a fistful of cotton, and it had bounced back at him with no effect.

 

Su Xi-er could sense his displeasure, and knew they couldn't dwell on this matter any longer. Hence, she initiated a change of topic. "Prince Hao, you are also concerning yourself with Nanzhao's matters. What happened to Head Constable Liu was your doing."