Jiang Ci froze, suddenly realizing the intimate position she was in, lying on top of Pei Yan as his hands slowly tightened around her. Embarrassed and flustered, she angrily said, “What’s so scary about a venomous snake? You’re even more frightening than that snake!”
Pei Yan looked at Jiang Ci’s angry face, his lips curling into a slight smile. “Oh? Tell me, why am I more frightening than that venomous snake?”
Jiang Ci stared directly at Pei Yan and coldly replied, “You’ve meticulously plotted to incite this martial arts conflict, making everyone fight to the death for the positions of Alliance Leader and Hall Master. Isn’t that more terrifying than a venomous snake?”
Pei Yan was momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter. “You are a clever little thing!”
Jiang Ci raised her fist to punch him, but Pei Yan caught both her hands. With a slight exertion of force, he twisted her arms behind her back, causing her to cry out in pain.
Pei Yan slightly loosened his grip and said with a smile, “If you want me to let go, tell me how I meticulously plotted and incited this martial arts conflict. If you get it right, I’ll release you.”
With her arms twisted behind her back, Jiang Ci caught a faint, pleasant scent and felt her body gradually soften. She had to rest her head on Pei Yan’s shoulder, trying hard to ignore the warm, comfortable, yet slightly strange sensation in front of her. Recalling everything she had heard and seen, especially Pei Yan’s later conversation with An Chen, she said softly, “That Yuan Daxia, Young Master Nangong, and Miss Feng were all brought in by you to deliberately cause trouble, right?”
Pei Yan smiled and said, “Continue.”
“The play they’re putting on is truly brilliant. The little princess has a straightforward temper and probably didn’t realize she was being used by you.”
Pei Yan held Jiang Ci tighter and blew a breath into her ear. “So, I didn’t bully her.”
Jiang Ci’s face gradually reddened. “Sect Leader Liu and Elder Yu are your people. When Young Master Nangong and the others stirred up trouble, you let the little princess start the melee, giving Elder Yu an excuse to propose establishing a council and increasing the number of candidates. Sect Leader Liu agreed, while you pretended to be uninvolved, or rather, that the imperial court was uninvolved.”
Pei Yan looked at Jiang Ci’s flushed cheeks, his smile fading. “You’re not stupid at all, to have figured out so much.”
Jiang Ci felt his body slowly rising, as if about to pin her down. Her heart began to race, but she tried to remain calm and said softly, “Lord Prime Minister, you must keep your word. Since I’ve guessed correctly, you should let me go.”
Pei Yan chuckled but said nothing, slowly releasing his right hand. Jiang Ci quickly jumped to the ground and ran to the door. However, she suddenly stopped and turned back, flashing a sweet smile at Pei Yan. “Lord Prime Minister, your strategy is like taking a large piece of meat that sixteen dogs were fighting over and dividing it into nine smaller pieces for dozens of dogs to fight over. Now Changfeng Manor is filled with barking dogs and flying fur, while you hide on the sidelines watching the show!”
Pei Yan laughed heartily. “You always come up with these fresh analogies. It’s quite fitting.”
Jiang Ci’s smile grew more mischievous and proud. “But Lord Prime Minister, there’s one thing I can’t figure out.”
Pei Yan slowly sat up and smiled. “What can’t you figure out?”
With one foot out the door, Jiang Ci quickly said, “This piece of fat meat was originally in your mouth, Lord Prime Minister. Why did you spit it out?”
Seeing Pei Yan about to leap up, Jiang Ci let out a scream and ran at full speed to the kitchen, slamming the door shut behind her. Hearing that he hadn’t pursued her, she felt a sense of satisfaction, patting her chest and grinning proudly.
In the west wing room, a playful smile appeared on Pei Yan’s face as he lay back down on the couch and closed his eyes to rest.
Jiang Ci prepared the meal and set it out in the main hall. After waiting for a while without seeing Pei Yan emerge, she tiptoed to the west wing room door and peeked in. Pei Yan was still lying on the couch, seemingly asleep.
Jiang Ci called out softly, “Lord Prime Minister!”
Pei Yan’s breathing remained even, as if he were in deep sleep. Jiang Ci hesitated, then mustered the courage to walk to Pei Yan’s side and called again, “Lord Prime Minister!”
When Pei Yan still didn’t move, Jiang Ci was about to push him when her gaze fell on his exposed right arm. At the wrist where the green snake had bitten him earlier, she could see two faint fang marks, fortunately not breaking the skin. Recalling the scene, Jiang Ci slowly reached out to touch Pei Yan’s right arm.
Pei Yan’s arm twitched slightly, and Jiang Ci quickly withdrew her hand. She found his eyes, full of amusement, staring at her. Feeling her cheeks burn, she turned and ran.
In the afternoon, the cold wind picked up, carrying raindrops mixed with snow, pattering down in the courtyard.
Jiang Ci stood under the corridor, looking up at the sky. Hearing footsteps, she didn’t turn around but said softly, “It’s going to snow.”
Pei Yan stood with his hands behind his back, also looking skyward. “Right now it’s rain mixed with snow. By evening, it will likely be the first heavy snow of the winter.”
Jiang Ci stretched out her hands, catching a handful of rainwater dripping from the eaves. The icy cold made her shiver. Pei Yan shook his head, clicking his tongue. “I think you’ve eaten too much.”
Jiang Ci smiled faintly. “My senior sister and I used to compete to see who could catch more rainwater like this. On snowy days, we’d see who could build the taller snowman.”
“Missing your senior sister?”
“Yes. I wonder where she is now and when she’ll come find me. If—” Jiang Ci lowered her head, stopping mid-sentence.
“If what?” Pei Yan suddenly leaned close to her ear and asked loudly.
Startled, Jiang Ci covered her ears and angrily said, “If I were to acknowledge someone else and take the antidote, I’d die rather than wait for her at your manor. I’d go straight back to Deng Family Village!” With that, she ran back to her room, slamming the door shut.
Pei Yan took out a slender white porcelain bottle from his robes, weighing it in his hand. His eyes narrowed as he gazed at the withered bamboo in the courtyard, swaying in the rain. He murmured to himself, “Looks like it is going to snow.”
Jiang Ci, preoccupied with thoughts of snow, slept restlessly. Around midnight, hearing the rain outside the window gradually lessen, she guessed it had started snowing. She dressed and put on the fox fur coat Pei Yan had given her, then quietly walked out to the corridor.
A cold wind carrying the fresh scent of snow hit her face. The courtyard was already a blanket of white, with silver flakes dancing against the dark sky and the warm orange glow from inside, creating a dreamlike scene.
Jiang Ci slowly walked into the courtyard, tilting her head back to let snowflakes fall on her cheeks. She murmured, “How lovely. Another year of falling snow. The harvest in Deng Family Village should be better next year.”
A thought occurred to her, causing some worry. She spoke to herself, “I wonder if the senior sister asked Second Sister-in-law to look after San Ya and the others when she left the mountain. I hope they don’t freeze in this heavy snow.”
A light chuckle came from the eastern wall. Jiang Ci looked up to see a man in a gray fox fur coat standing on the wall. His features were handsome—it was Young Master Nangong whom she had seen earlier that day.
Nangong Yu leaped down from the wall, brushing snow from his clothes. He smiled and asked, “Little girl, who are you?”
Jiang Ci smiled back. “And who might you be, noble sir? Why are you engaging in such petty behavior, climbing walls on this snowy night?”
Nangong Yu was slightly taken aback. Pei Yan laughed as he came out of his room. “Yu De, don’t underestimate this girl. She’s quite sharp-tongued!”
Nangong Yu’s gaze swept over the fox fur coat Jiang Ci was wearing. Pei Yan walked over and asked, “Yu De, do you want to chat on the couch or gather around the stove to drink wine and appreciate the snow?”
Jiang Ci quickly interjected, “Of course, drinking wine by the stove and appreciating the snow is more elegant!”
Pei Yan waved his right hand, and Jiang Ci ran to the kitchen, laughing. She prepared everything and brought it to the corridor, then lit the candles inside and outside. The two men had already seated themselves around the charcoal stove. Jiang Ci warmed the wine pot and filled their cups, then ran back to the kitchen to prepare some snacks.
Nangong Yu watched Jiang Ci’s retreating figure and smiled. “That silver snow pearl fur coat is an imperial gift. You’re quite generous to give it away, Young Lord!”
Pei Yan leaned back in his chair, holding his wine cup to his lips, a glint in his eyes. “No one noticed you coming, right?”
“Don’t worry. My lightness skill might not match yours, but there are few in this world who could track me without my noticing.” Nangong Yu took a small sip and sighed. “Sometimes I envy you as Prime Minister. At least you get to enjoy the fine wines of Xi Zi Kingdom regularly.”
“I’ll have some sent to you later,” Pei Yan smiled. “Just don’t get drunk again and fall asleep in a dry well for three days and nights.”
Nangong Yu laughed. “Young Lord always teases me about that incident. Be careful, or when you take a wife, I’ll reveal all your embarrassing childhood stories to your lady!”
The two chatted and laughed for a while. Pei Yan noticed Jiang Ci returning with two plates of food and smiled. “You’re quite quick.”
Jiang Ci set the dishes on the nanmu wood table and dusted off her hands. “All done. Enjoy your drinks. I’m going to bed.”
Pei Yan watched Jiang Ci enter her room, then turned to pour wine for Nangong Yu. “Any recent movements from the Gao family?”
“Nothing much. Zhang You returned from Gao Cheng and stayed in Hexi Prefecture for three days. He visited the Gao residence, so it seems Prince Zhuang has ordered him to secure the Alliance Leader position this time.” Nangong Yu picked up some crispy tripe with his chopsticks and nodded repeatedly. “Young Lord, this girl you found is quite good. You’re in for some culinary treats. Where did you buy her? Why can’t I stumble upon such good fortune?”
A smile played on Pei Yan’s lips. “Marquis Yue helped us this time, but he’s not without ulterior motives.”
“That girl Feng Yunyao played her part well. Young Lord, you also took a risk letting that green snake bite your wrist. Though I know your internal strength is impressive, I was still worried.”
Pei Yan spoke leisurely, “Disrupting the martial arts assembly may be His Majesty’s wish, but Marquis Yue wanting to have a hand in it is something we can’t let His Majesty know about. How else could we allay his suspicions without putting on this show? Who knows which of today’s attendees might be His Majesty’s spy keeping an eye on me.”
“This way, Feng Yunyao is sure to enter the council. Along with Uncle Yuan and me, how do you plan to arrange the remaining five positions, Young Lord?”
Pei Yan narrowed his eyes, gazing at the swirling snow in the courtyard. “Zhang You and Shi Xiuwu can’t be allowed to become Alliance Leader, but they should be on the council. Shaolin’s Song Hongqiu is Academic Dong’s man, so he should be in too. This way, we can not only reduce their military power but also set them against each other.”
“Hmm, what about the other two?”
“Po Qing has a fiery temper but strong martial arts. Letting her into the council will ensure lively meetings in the future.”
Nangong Yu slapped the table and laughed. “It’s impressive how Young Lord came up with this balancing act and calculated that these people would take the bait!”
Pei Yan gave a cold smile. “They all want to be Alliance Leader, yet each fears they won’t succeed. Naturally, they’re happy to see the council established, with everyone getting a piece of the pie.”
“His Majesty likely has the same idea.”
“Yes, the martial arts disciples forming factions within the military has long been His Majesty’s greatest concern. Add to that the various martial arts sects throwing their weight around in local prefectures and interfering with government orders, and His Majesty has been looking for a chance to clean house. I saw through his intentions and that’s why I proposed resigning from the Alliance Leader position.”
“This Alliance Leader position is a hot potato. Whoever takes it will suffer, but it’s amusing that none of them can see this point. Starting tomorrow, the martial arts world will be in chaos,” Nangong Yu said thoughtfully.
“‘Chaos’ is exactly what His Majesty wants. In the fight for Alliance Leader and Council Leader positions, not only will the various sects fall into conflict, but the disciples will also turn against each other. This way, His Majesty wouldn’t have to worry about the martial arts forces growing too powerful and repeating the events of the dynasty’s founding. As for us, we’ll just sit back and watch the show.”
“The most brilliant part is that this council will become the root of future conflicts in the martial arts world. I doubt they’ll be able to agree on a single matter.”
Pei Yan chuckled. “I’ll need Yu De’s help in the future.”
Nangong Yu’s smile was as clear as the moon and fresh as the wind. “Of course. My Nangong family has been indebted to the Pei family for generations. Before my father passed away, he repeatedly instructed me to assist Young Lord. This is my duty.”
Pei Yan bowed slightly and clinked glasses with him. “In my heart, that’s not what matters most. The friendship we’ve forged since childhood is what’s truly important.”
Nangong Yu sighed. “Indeed. When my father sent me to Changfeng Manor, I saw that you were even younger than me. I was quite reluctant at first, but those sparring matches weren’t for nothing.”
The two exchanged a smile. Pei Yan sighed softly, “All these years, you’ve been keeping an eye on the Gao family for me, rarely appearing in public. No one knows of our relationship. Now that you’re entering the council, your peaceful days are over. In the future, there will likely be even more dangers.”
Snow gusted into the corridor on the wind. Nangong Yu spoke slowly, “Whatever the Young Lord decides, I, Nangong Yu, will follow with all my strength!”
Pei Yan stood up from his chair and slowly stepped down from the stone steps. He stood with his hands behind his back, letting the flying snow settle on his hair and shoulders. After a long while, he said softly, “Yu De, I have a feeling that our peaceful days may be numbered!”