Peacock

"Ah Yan, does it still hurt?"

In truth, it did hurt. How could it not hurt after being slapped so forcefully? Even with the anti-swelling ointment applied, it still ached dully, even pulling at his temples. But facing the woman's earnest gaze and tear-filled eyes, he could only force a strained smile and pretend not to care, saying, "Mother, it doesn't hurt. It just looks scary, that's all."

Lady Ning wanted to touch his face, but hesitantly pulled her hand back. Through her tears, she choked, "Ah Yan, don't blame your father. He only wants you to improve, which is why he's so strict with you. You must listen to him, alright."

These words, which were usually just unsettling to hear, now felt like another slap across the face. Su Yanjun's head ached even more, and he exhaustedly changed the subject. "Don't worry, Mother, I know. Where is my sister?"

"I had her go back to her room to rest." A subtle, unnatural expression flickered across Lady Ning's face as she explained, "She was at banquets all day and is exhausted. She'll come see you tomorrow when she's free."

"Oh." Su Yanjun, seemingly oblivious, thoughtfully urged her, "Mother must be tired too. Your son is fine, please go back and rest early."

By the lamplight, Lady Ning saw his lowered gaze and half-swollen cheek. He was clearly a handsome and gentle child, yet he had gritted his teeth and swallowed so much pain he shouldn't have had to bear. At this thought, she couldn't help but feel another pang of heartache. With a blink, tears rolled down her cheeks. "Ah Yan, you've been wronged..."

Su Yanjun froze at her words. He didn't reply immediately, waiting quietly for what she would say next. Unfortunately, though he waited a long time, he never heard the words 'It's not your fault.'

Su Yanjun was already used to it. Ever since he was a child, he would be harshly punished by his father for the slightest mistake, while his mother would only cry when they were alone and say, "You must be obedient. Your father wants you to improve. Don't bring shame to the Su Family."

"Mother."

He suddenly spoke, "If one day the Su Family is no more, I'll take Mother and Sister away with me, alright?"

Lady Ning was taken aback. "How could the Su Family be no more?"

"Who can say for sure." Su Yanjun leaned back casually on the soft cushions, his gaze distant. "Dynasties rise and fall, it's a common occurrence, let alone a single family. If we weren't in Zhaojing, where would Mother like to go?"

"Watch your words!" Lady Ning scolded urgently. "What kind of family are we? How can you say such things so casually! Have you forgotten how your father disciplined you!"

"Mother, it's just you and me here. There's no one else."

"We are all branches and leaves on the tree of the Su Family. We flourish together and fall together." Lady Ning turned her face away from him and said coolly, "I am your father's wife, a daughter-in-law of the Su Family. Your sister will also marry in the future and have her own family and children. None of us will go with you."

Su Yanjun didn't make a sound. After a while, a sound like a choked laugh came from behind the bed curtains.

"Is that so."

Lady Ning tried to hold back, but finally couldn't help but say in a low voice, "Your sister..."

"I know."

Su Yanjun cut her off. "I know, Mother. Today you went to a banquet at Marquis Yongning's Manor to find a consort for the Sixth Prince. Now that Pei Rusong is the Prince Consort, a marriage alliance with a noble clan is no longer viable, so Father wants to continue forging a connection with the Imperial Family, correct?"

Lady Ning nodded with difficulty, as if trying to convince herself as much as Su Yanjun. "The Sixth Prince has no hope of ascending the throne. In the future, he'll be an idle prince. If Niuniu marries him, she'll be provided for her entire life, and... and she'll have you, her brother, to rely on. This is already a very good outcome."

This "no hope of ascending the throne" did not mean it wasn't his turn in the line of succession, but rather that the Sixth Prince, Wen Gong, was born with a limp, and had thus been excluded as a candidate for the throne from the very beginning.

Su Yanjun didn't respond to her. Instead, he abruptly asked, "Mother, do you hate Princess Chiming?"

Lady Ning looked at him in confusion.

"Because she stole Pei Rusong, my sister has to find someone else to marry," Su Yanjun said. "It's also because of her that the Crown Prince's situation at court is so difficult... It's as if she were sent by the heavens to be our family's nemesis."

"Well..." Lady Ning said hesitantly, "Regarding your sister's matter, it was indeed her fault... But she is the Princess. Even if I hate her, what effect could I possibly have on her?"

To Lady Ning, Princess Chiming was not the same kind of woman she usually interacted with. She could dislike an official's wife or befriend the wife of a duke, but disliking Princess Chiming was like disliking the dark clouds in the sky—the clouds wouldn't care, and if you got caught in the rain, you could only blame your own bad luck.

"Yes," Su Yanjun said with emotion, gazing up at the canopy above his bed. "If you're powerful enough, you can do whatever you want. Though I'm on a different side from her, I admire her greatly."

He pushed himself up and noticed Lady Ning looking at him with a slight, bewildered frown.

She didn't understand, didn't want to look into it, and didn't dare to ask more. After all, she was a person who couldn't even say, 'It's not your fault.'

Su Yanjun rose and supported Lady Ning, walking her to the door. He said with dutiful deference, "It's late, Mother. Please go back and rest now."

Lady Ning repeatedly instructed him to quietly reflect on his mistakes, then departed, surrounded by her maids. Her departing figure was beautiful, her bearing a model of propriety. The gold hairpins, jade combs, and the embroidery on her dress shimmered with a gorgeous luster even under the moonlight.

Leaning against the door, Su Yanjun recalled her earnest admonitions and thought that she would probably never understand.

After all, right under Princess Chiming's nose, not even Pei Luan would dare to slap Pei Rusong.

The moment Wen Chan entered, she sensed something was off in the atmosphere. Following an indescribable air of resentment to its source, she found him. "Peacock?"

He Lanzhi rose with a beaming smile and bowed to her, saying cheerfully, "Greetings, Your Highness. I'm back."

Behind him stood none other than Pei Rusong, a dark aura swirling between his brows. Though he looked like an aloof and inviolable beauty, Wen Chan felt as if she were hallucinating, seeing a cat with all its fur on end crouching before her.

Wen Chan nodded at He Lanzhi, then asked Pei Rusong curiously, "What's wrong? Who stepped on your tail this time?"

Pei Rusong said coldly, "It's nothing."

Wen Chan: "Liar. 'Something' is written all over your face."

He Lanzhi's gaze shifted between the two, a smile like a mischievous fox spirit on his face. He suddenly exclaimed with feigned surprise, "Oh dear, the Prince Consort couldn't possibly be angry with me, could he?"

Wen Chan felt a vein in her temple twitch uncontrollably. "You two have already met?"

The Crow suddenly dropped down from the sky, a piece of puffed rice candy in her mouth, crunching on it loudly. "I know!"

Wen Chan: "Please, do tell."

"Peacock heard the Prince Consort had returned and refused to wait inside, insisting on going out to see what was happening. The Prince Consort asked who he was, and he claimed to be Your Highness's trusted aide, your brother-in-arms, and so on..."

Like a ghost haunting the room, Pei Rusong recited hollowly from behind He Lanzhi, "It was 'the eyes and ears, the trusted aide, the capable general, the most dependable brother-in-arms, the most relied-upon right hand, the man who has weathered storms with Your Highness and journeyed across the world at her side,' heh..."

He let out a cold, icy laugh, clearly bothered to death but feigning indifference. Wen Chan pressed a hand to her forehead. "Peacock arrived earlier than I expected. I forgot to tell you he was coming."

The moment Pei Rusong heard the name "Peacock," he knew the man was a member of the Deep Forest. But they had never met face-to-face in his previous life, so he had no idea there was such a flippant man by Wen Chan's side. What infuriated him the most was that this bastard had fluently reeled off that long list of titles, scrutinized him with a superior, critical gaze for a long moment, and then arrogantly declared, "Your looks are passable, I suppose. From now on, you may call me Elder Brother."

Pei Rusong: ???

This was outrageous! Not even the Crown Prince had ever spoken to him like that!

For a moment, Pei Rusong's mind went to certain forms of address like 'sister,' and he thought, 'Surely the Princess doesn't have this kind of setup in the Deep Forest?' He instinctively retorted, "On what grounds?"

He Lanzhi's eyebrows nearly shot into his hairline. He gave him a smug look and said, "On the grounds that I have known Her Highness for ma-ny, ma-ny more years than you have."

Pei Rusong: "..."

He Lanzhi became even more audacious. "Back then, I traveled with Her Highness for three years. Might I ask where the Prince Consort was at that time? Ah, surely you weren't still at home memorizing your books?"

And Pei Rusong had remained in low spirits ever since.

After hearing the recap from the Crow, who loved stirring up trouble, and the additions from the victim, Pei Rusong, Wen Chan endured He Lanzhi's gloating gaze. She hesitated with feigned seriousness for a moment, then sat down beside Pei Rusong and patted his shoulder comfortingly. "Well, actually, he's not wrong..."

Pei Rusong stared at her, his eyes welling up. "Which part?"

"The part about calling him Elder Brother."

The Little White Flower looked like he had been struck by lightning. "Do I have to... Is it not possible to refuse?"

Wen Chan nodded with grave determination.

Pei Rusong completely lost it. "...Impossible! I refuse to acknowledge it! I will absolutely not call him brother!"

He Lanzhi: "Aye."

"Hahahaha..."

Wen Chan finally broke, clutching Pei Rusong's shoulder as she shook with laughter. After a good while, she recovered and cleared her throat. "It's fine, go on and call him that. He's my older cousin, after all. You won't be losing out."

Pei Rusong: ?

"Let me introduce you. My maternal aunt married into the Helan Clan of Huai Prefecture. This is my older cousin, He Lanzhi, courtesy name Yuan Ji. He's also a member of the Deep Forest, code name 'Peacock.'" Wen Chan grinned mischievously. "So, based on my family relations, you really do have to call him Elder Brother. But you won't be doing it for free. In the future, if you're ever short on cash, just go find our dear cousin. He has plenty of money."

He Lanzhi suddenly sensed something was amiss and narrowed his eyes. "Hm?"

Pei Rusong instantly understood what Wen Chan meant. The 'money' she was talking about wasn't what He Lanzhi carried on his person, but the fact that the Helan Clan of Huai Prefecture was a fabulously wealthy and famous family in the Jiangnan region. They had made their fortune through maritime trade, owned countless properties, and the taxes they paid in grain and coin each year were enough to support the population of several prefectures.

He suddenly stood up, strode forward, and grabbed both of He Lanzhi's hands, calling out with deep and sincere emotion, "Cousin!"

He Lanzhi: "...Such overwhelming enthusiasm seems a bit fake, my good brother-in-law."

Pei Rusong's smile remained fixed. Gripping He Lanzhi's hands tighter, he said earnestly, "I have not met such a godlike person as you in many years, Cousin. I was overcome with emotion and couldn't contain myself. Please, don't treat me as a stranger."

In the dead of winter, a drop of cold sweat slowly trickled down He Lanzhi's forehead. 'You don't look like you're meeting your cousin,' he thought. 'You look like you've just caught the God of Wealth.'

"Alright," Wen Chan said, having laughed her fill. She composed herself and spoke seriously. "Cousin, let go of his hands. Stop bullying our Prince Consort. Let's talk business."

"Your Highness, you should be controlling your Prince Consort!" He Lanzhi roared, unable to take it anymore. "Is there no justice in this world? Who's bullying who here?!"