“Hm? Only Eunuch Zhang from the Imperial Household Department is privy to this matter. How did you know that it was this prince who instructed it?” Pei Qianhao appeared unconcerned, but actually harboured questions in his heart. Don’t tell me that she has even won Eunuch Zhang over?
“Prince Hao, why are you so certain that only Eunuch Zhang is aware of this matter?”
Pei Qianhao’s gaze deepened. “You’ve become quite efficient at speaking in circles, even managing to threaten this prince in the process.”
“This servant isn’t threatening you. I only want to know, why did you transfer Ruo Yuan to the Laundry Service Bureau?” Su Xi-er matched his gaze with her own.
Her answer was dead silence. Only after several minutes did she hear Prince Hao’s deep voice again.
“You really want to know? Are you not clear about the reason? What things have you done that offended your superiors?”
Su Xi-er enunciated her words as she replied, “Since it was this servant who offended you, why didn’t you directly punish this servant instead of randomly punishing me in a roundabout manner?”
Pei Qianhao’s eyes narrowed even further, his voice full of a might befitting his noble station as he spoke a single word.
“Impudent!”
Su Xi-er no longer feigned weakness; even if she continued to pretend, Prince Hao wouldn’t believe her anyways. Either way, he doesn’t have the evidence to prove that I was the one who ambushed him in the woods beside the Palace Side Quarters.
“This servant is only judging the case as it stands. Prince Hao, you can punish this servant however you wish, but I hope that you won’t implicate others.”
“Since you wish to be punished so badly, this prince will naturally oblige. I take it you will accept whatever punishment I decide on?” he asked coldly. His gaze caused a sudden feeling of doubt to arise in Su Xi-er.
How does he plan to punish me? Is it a perverted method of punishment? If that’s the case, I will have to tell him properly that I refuse to go along with it.
“Prince Hao, you can punish this servant however you want, but you can’t…” Su Xi-er paused and observed Pei Qianhao’s expression carefully.
She only saw that besides a small smirk on his face, Pei Qianhao’s countenance was still ice-cold. “What can this prince not do? Tell me specifically.”
Su Xi-er paused for a moment before finally coming to a firm decision. He has already done such shameless actions in the past. No matter how ridiculous it is and how egotistical I may be, I have to at least make just one thing clear…
“You can’t take advantage of this servant’s body.”
Pei Qianhao’s expression stiffened for a split second, the atmosphere becoming even more awkward.
I never thought that I would hear someone say that to me in my life. In fact, Su Xi-er is probably the only one who dares to do so in this whole world. The very notion was so ridiculous and amusing that he could do little more than offer a helpless smile.
In short, he was unable to express his current mood in words. Despite his internal conflicts however, he kept the same cold smirk visage on his face, making people unable to discern his mood.
Pei Qianhao chuckled. “This prince originally didn’t plan on it. Now that you have brought it up however, this prince really wants to. Do you know about this prince’s principles when handling things?”
Su Xi-er had never seen such a shameless man before. Is this considered a principle? Not revealing his intentions normally and instead forcing others unreasonably?
“If that’s the case, this servant will decline.”
“Do you think you have the right to decline? Look at how the wind is blowing restlessly on this dark night. The environment is also not bad.” Pei Qianhao deliberately raised his hand just to see her reaction.
Every time we meet, she always acts in a unique way that surprises everyone, although the surprise is sometimes a shocking surprise instead.
“Prince Hao, on such a dark and windy night, it’s actually a more appropriate time for killing someone.”
However, his expression returned to normal very quickly. “You want this prince to kill you?”
Su Xi-er shook her head. “You won’t kill this servant, Prince Hao.”
“And just what is the basis for your confidence?” Pei Qianhao barked back. But she’s right. At the moment, I can’t bear to kill such an interesting person.
“Based on my intuition.” Su Xi-er spoke plainly, “I feel that Prince Hao is not the type of person to kill and punish as you please.”
Su Xi-er clearly had a silver tongue. After provoking his anger, she had simultaneously smothered his temper and with compliments, placing him on a pedestal at the same time. If he still punished her and did something to Ruo Yuan, his way of handling things would be beneath his dignity.
“You’re getting increasingly quick-witted when talking. This prince can’t even punish you.” Pei Qianhao walked closer to her while Su Xi-er retreated backwards, pulling the distance between them apart.
When he saw how she was avoiding him like a savage beast, Pei Qianhao was displeased and asked coldly, “How’s your needlework?”
Su Xi-er replied, “It’s still alright.”
Needlework. In my previous lifetime, I would often sew and mend Yun Ruofeng’s clothes in the tent of the army camp during the war. It was then that I started to get better at sewing.
“Since your sewing is acceptable, you don’t have to scrub the chamber pots from tomorrow onwards. This prince will order someone to send clothes over for you to sew and mend. You will scrub the chamber pots after you are done.”
Su Xi-er looked at him. With his status, any damaged clothes should be thrown away. Why does he still want to mend them? Even if that were the case, the one mending them should be an imperial seamstress in the imperial palace. Although my skills are acceptable, they definitely can’t reach the point of being aesthetically pleasing.
Pei Qianhao looked at her bewildered expression and thought that she was unwilling. “If you are unwilling, this prince’s whip will be released.”
“It’s not that this servant isn’t unwilling. It’s just that this servant is curious if the clothes belong to you, Prince Hao?”
“Of course they belong to this prince. Would this prince keep the clothes of others?”
Su Xi-er revealed her doubt. “Prince Hao, with your noble status, any damaged clothes should be thrown away. Even if they are to be mended, this servant isn’t qualified to do so.”
Pei Qianhao laughed. “You spoke so much just to refuse to mend them?”
“No, I am simply curious.”
Pei Qianhao raised an eyebrow as he looked at her. “A person with an eminent status can’t mend his clothes when they’re torn? Isn’t His Majesty considered the person with the highest status in this world? If the Dragon Robes are torn, are they supposed to be thrown away too?”
Su Xi-er scrunched up her slender eyebrows slightly. I can tell from his words that the clothes he sends over for me to mend won’t be ordinary clothes. They will only be clothes that can’t be thrown away even if they’re torn.
However, clothes with important uses don’t tear easily. Even if they’re torn, they have to be handed over to the Apparel Management Bureau to be handled properly. Even those expert seamstresses would have to get together to discuss how to impeccably restore the garments.
After mulling over it, she replied, “This servant’s abilities are limited to mending ordinary clothes.”
What she said elicited a chuckle from him. “Sometimes, being too intelligent can actually lead to you thinking too much and becoming a smart-aleck instead. You’ll naturally know what clothes they are when you see them tomorrow. In short, they are within the scope of your capability.”
Since he had spoken, Su Xi-er could only consent. “Alright, this servant will wait for your clothes, Prince Hao.”
After she spoke, the wind suddenly picked up. Pei Qianhao glanced at Su Xi-er. “It’s already very late at night. What are you still staying here for? Go back to the Palace Side Quarters. As for the Laundry Service Bureau, if this prince finds out that you have snuck into this palace again, you will wash clothes with the fat palace maid.”
Su Xi-er immediately replied, “This servant will be leaving now.”
The clothes to be washed in the Laundry Service Bureau were endless, and one could never finish washing. No matter if it was spring, summer, autumn, or winter, every year was like that.
Compared to washing clothes, she would rather scrub the chamber pots. Although the smell was a factor, Su Xi-er would always rinse them out a few times before mixing in some Chinese Honey Locust to remove the odour. Furthermore, she would always wash herself after she finished scrubbing them.
However, she had only taken a few steps when she heard his deep and low voice from behind.
“The medicinal powder this prince gave you also has the benefit of making your body fragrant.”
