Chapter 60 Refusal

  Min An's face turned red as if it had been dyed with a layer of sunset glow. Li Peinan smiled to himself and reached out to help him tie his belt. After the fragrance passed, a faint scent wafted over again, and Min An was really not used to being so close to Li Peinan, so he took a step back. "Young Master, don't you have something to say? Please give your orders soon." He clenched his fists in his sleeves, as if giving himself encouragement.

  Li Peinan looked at Min An's fleeting gaze and said in a gentle voice: "Don't be afraid, I won't tease you again, nor will I punish you."

  Min Anjue realized that he had heard the sentence very clearly and quickly nodded. With the guarantee, he tried to lift his head to look at Li Peinan and continued to wait for him to finish speaking.

  "After returning to Changping, you will move into the Shizi Mansion to live."

  Min An still remembered the various things that Fei Yi and Shi Wei had said about the Crown Prince's mansion, where strict rules bound people, King Chu Nan was lurking in the dark, and the priceless General Zhen Yu was flying around pecking at corn everywhere. These three things were what he worried about most, so before Li Pei Nan's words fell, he immediately shook his head.

  "Why not respond?" Li Peinan asked gently.

  Min An didn't dare to say any reason, he just shook his head. Li Peinan thought for a moment and asked Min An to sit down. As soon as he removed his hand from Min An's shoulder, he immediately stood up again like a shot and left the seat.

  Li Peinan naturally saw Min An's tension and smiled: "Since you won't tell me the reason, it must be something that can't be said out loud." He took out a prepared green silk bag from his sleeve, with five cicada-wing gold leaf neatly arranged inside. He spread them flat on his hand and looked at Min An, saying: "A small trinket worth 100 taels, in exchange for one honest sentence from you, it's a fair deal."

  Min An's gaze fell on the golden leaves, he thought for a long time and still lifted his head with difficulty to look at Li Peinan's shoulder: "No work no pay, let's just forget it."

  Li Peinan smiled slightly and pressed the green silk bag directly into Min An's hand, saying: "You used to be greedy for money, but now you don't dare take it. I already know where the reason lies."

  Min Anjue realized that he didn't understand the sentence, picked up the treasure given by Fei Yi, and faced Li Peinan with a fairly calm face, just nodding without speaking.

  "What scares you is not me, but the Emperor." Li Peinan carefully examined Min An's expression, getting so close that Min An couldn't hide the changes on his face. After hitting the nail on the head, Li Peinan continued: "The Emperor's usual tactic is to take hostages of those around him, and if we deduce from this, the person he has taken should be Wu Ren."

  Min An pressed her lips together, wanting to nod, but thinking of Chu Nan Wang's intimidation and temptation, she ultimately shook her head.

  Li Peinan took a step closer, his hand reaching out to support Min An's face, and said in a low voice, "I understand now. You really have been bullied by your father, and you're scared." Min An hastily retreated a step back, feeling that it was no longer a good idea to pretend to be calm, and asked urgently, "Is there anything else you want to instruct me on, sir?"

  "Yes."

  Min An retreated a bit further back and waited for Li Peinan to finish speaking.

  Li Peinan said: "When I return to Changping, I will move into the Shizi Mansion and live there. I won't punish you anymore. To make you happy, I am willing to do anything. You must believe that I am not treating you as a plaything. No matter what your background is, you are very precious in my heart. As for Father's side, let me handle it, don't be afraid."

  He saw Min An's tension and rejection, and finally said what was on his mind. However, he had been cold and distant for a long time, and many habits were hard to change in an instant. So although his stern eyebrows relaxed, his face remained calm.

  Min An had already formed an impression in his heart after being repeatedly reminded by outsiders - that the prince had some strange habits, and it was best to keep a distance from him regardless of gender; also, whether or not one understood what the prince said, they had to agree with him, otherwise they would be considered extremely disrespectful and punished. Most importantly, the king had already taken hold of his master's case files, and could do harm to his master at any time... Min An thought anxiously for a moment, weighing the importance of the words spoken by the prince and his master, then looked at Li Peinan who was quietly waiting for his response, and soon made up his mind.

  Min An bowed his head and said, "Thank you, young master, for looking down on me. I am a clean and honest man, I don't dare to tarnish my reputation by staying by your side, so please let me go."

  Li Peinan slowly straightened his body, put his hands behind his back, and took out the usual calm tone. "I don't care about reputation, how dare you say I do?" His voice gradually cooled down, and his dark eyes pressed down on Min An, making him unable to lift his head: "Do I need to strip off your clothes to see if you're really a clean man?"

  Min An was completely bewildered by the last sentence, his mind feeling extremely muddled. He backed away with a pale face until he reached the window and caught a whiff of cool breeze, which slightly cleared his head. He recalled the prince's low voice mentioning the crown princess's request and hastily grasped this last straw to save himself, asking in a trembling voice: "Since you don't care about your reputation, does that mean you're determined to marry me?"

  Min An's inquiry was so clever that Li Peinan couldn't ignore the issue. Marrying a humble woman as his wife or taking a concubine by his side would both have terrible consequences. The ridicule of the world, the mockery in the palace, and the determination to defy the greatest taboo under heaven - all these Li Peinan, as a proud son, would have to bear on his shoulders.

  Li Peinan quickly replied: "I won't marry a wife."

  "Still want me to stay in the mansion?"

  "Uh-huh."

  Min An wiped away his sweat and replied briskly: "I don't want to."

  Li Peinan's face turned cold, seeing Min An reveal a resolute expression, he dropped a sentence: "You can't stop me." and walked out of the bamboo house. He had been in the arena for a long time, tempering himself in the waves, cultivating a temperament that controlled everything, how could he tolerate being defeated by a mere child, let alone when that person was not even in his heart.

  Min An leaned against the table and sat down, letting the cold sweat on his forehead flow down without wiping it off. After a long time, he finally regained his senses and thought to himself, "The young master said he wouldn't punish him again, I hope the young master still remembers that even if he answered incorrectly, he can't come back to find fault with him."

  Author's note: Sorry, time is too short, can only code so much, bowing in apology.