Consort of a Thousand Faces

Pei Qianhao headed straight to the boiler room. Exchanging clothes and letting another woman carry water into my room; if I hadn’t discovered it and removed my clothes, wouldn’t my body have been seen by another woman?

 

An oppressive air began to surround Pei Qianhao as this thought crossed his mind, making it seem as if the surrounding atmosphere had stagnated.

 

Pushing open the tightly shut door however, there was not a soul in sight as Pei Qianhao entered.

 

If she’s not in the boiler room, where has she gone? Has she hidden because she is aware of her wrongdoing? Pei Qianhao snorted coldly before walking out of the room. No matter where you are, this prince will ferret you out and punish you severely!

 

~~~

 

Su Xi-er was currently perambulating in the back garden of the County Government Office, clad in the light yellow dress. The brilliance of the moon gently reflected off of her, creating the illusion of silvery halos surrounding an immortal fairy.

 

However, the conflicted expression in her eyes and her knitted eyebrows made people realise that ‘fairies’ also had worries.

 

Su Xi-er was searching for a type of flower that she had recognised the fragrance of earlier. Only Nanzhao has this type of flower, but I can’t find it even after following its scent here.

 

It just happened to be this situation that Pei Qianhao found her in. It was his first time seeing Su Xi-er in anything other than the coarse clothing she usually wore. Her hair bun was also not highly coiled up anymore, with some tied at the back of her head in a few loops while the rest drifted freely at her shoulders.

 

With the moonlight illuminating her fair face, her eyes became increasingly captivating.

 

Pei Qianhao silently walked over without uttering a single word. Only when he reached Su Xi-er’s side did she notice his presence.

 

Su Xi-er then bowed as she leisurely greeted him. “This servant pays her respects to Prince Hao.”

 

Her tone was calm, as if she had long expected that he would come.

 

Pei Qianhao’s eyes were slightly narrowed. “This servant? This prince can’t make out anything that looks like a servant on you.”

 

“Prince Hao, things happen for a good reason. This servant saw that the Shui Family’s young miss was full of passion, imploring this servant to let her bring the hot water to you.”

 

“Full of passion?” Pei Qianhao couldn’t help but snort coldly. He then hooked his right hand around Su Xi-er’s waist and watched her fixedly. “Since you have witnessed such a passionate and yearning expression from another woman, you should at least learn from it.”

 

Su Xi-er looked at him in a composed manner. He wants me to be full of passion for him as Shui Yinglian is. However, the words ‘full of passion’ no longer have anything to do with me.

 

“This servant is unable to do that.” The words slowly left her parted pink lips.

 

Perhaps it was the moonlight that was titillating, perhaps it was her different attire that night, or perhaps it was that aloof and arrogant aura of hers, but Pei Qianhao’s breath hitched for just a moment as his gaze became deeper.

 

The air around the two of them seemed to congeal as his lips closed in on hers. Just as they were about to connect, the fragrance of a certain flower wafted past Su Xi-er’s nose, causing her to suddenly push Pei Qianhao away with both hands.

 

She turned around and followed that flower fragrance, completely disregarding a certain someone, who was already pulling a long face. 

 

Su Xi-er surveyed her surroundings. It should be around here. With that in mind, she prepared to walk into the parterre.

 

Before she could step in however, she was pulled back by Pei Qianhao. “What are you looking for?”

 

“A type of flower. This servant’s mother often picked them for me when I was young.” She then tried to shake him off.

 

Instead of letting go, Pei Qianhao only grasped her wrist more tightly. “Some flowers in the parterre have barbed thorns on their stems. If you carelessly enter, you may end up badly mutilated.”

 

How could I be badly mutilated? He’s simply scaring me.

 

Su Xi-er looked at the parterre. The flower fragrance was clearly emitted from here.

 

“What flower are you looking for? What’s the name?”

 

Su Xi-er looked at him and replied softly, “A yellow flower in the shape of a star. The name is...my mum named it as ‘Weiyi’[1].”

 “Weiyi?” Pei Qianhao asked back. There’s no flower with this name, but I do know of a type of flower that is yellow and in the shape of a star.

1. It means one and only.