Chapter 67: A Worry-Free Night's Stay

  Li Peinan's white sandalwood fragrance seeped into Min'an's nostrils, and Min'an already knew who the visitor was. He let out a big sigh of relief. "Young Master still has the mind to make jokes, but someone has already lost their life."

  A flash of lightning illuminated the small house, making it shine brightly. Li Peinan took a glance at the scene inside and said, "He's dead from fear of punishment, what are you doing here causing trouble? Leave quickly." He exerted force on his hand to pull Min An away. As for Min An's complaints, he had his own judgment.

  Min An clung to the window frame, resisting Li Peinan's strength: "A life for a life, how can you just leave?"

  Li Peinan carelessly slapped him, only managing to slap his palm, and Min An was startled and fell over. Then he grabbed his body again. "Listen to me, the case is settled here, don't make more trouble."

  Min An recalled that Fei Yi was also of the same mind, and with a gloomy expression, he indeed left the side hall. Although the two young masters did not speak clearly, their implied meaning was to maintain peace in the mansion, avoid implicating Fei Yi in the crime of regicide, and possibly even protect the favored official, Xiao Da Ren. Therefore, they simply agreed on the outcome stated in the confession. It would be better for the guard to have a short life, and end with an unverifiable death.

  Min An's heart was tangled with a knot of unease, and he wasn't quite convinced by this outcome. If the people below were useless, they would be treated like hunting dogs, just as he had witnessed before. The lonely death of the guard stirred up a sense of sympathy in him. Li Peinan carefully observed his expression, deliberately slowed down his pace, and patiently said: "Between Ni Yi and the guard, I can only choose one. If you continue to cling to this matter, it will inevitably affect Ni Yi, spare your heart."

  Min An walked slowly, his toes unintentionally kicking a small stone, and he looked around with a puzzled expression. "The young master's words make sense, but I still feel a chill in my heart. A life is not something that can be easily taken away, is it? The guard brother also took his own life because he couldn't survive. But the young master should think about why he couldn't survive."

  Li Peinan stood under the dark sky, without a word.

  Min An lowered his head and said, "My status is lowly, I don't know if my words can be heard by the young master. In the future, if such a thing happens again, the young master must make an effort to protect the people below him, because only with such a master can we dare to follow wholeheartedly."

  A loud clap of thunder resounded through the sky, and a flash of lightning illuminated the courtyard, making Li Peinan's standing shadow even more desolate. He fell silent for a moment before finally responding, "As you wish."

  Li Peinan had always been a man of his word, and Min An knew it. Although he had obtained Li Peinan's promise, he still felt some resistance in his heart, and all the way, he kept turning away, not allowing Li Peinan to touch him. Li Peinan followed behind, keeping a close eye on him, and every time a flash of lightning struck, he would grab Min An's right hand to guide him.

  Min An was busy fighting against the heavens and also had to guard against Li Pei Nan's tricks, sweating profusely and feeling increasingly anxious. He took advantage of a brief moment of clarity to look around and realized he wasn't on the path back to Bamboo Cottage, so he turned around and headed in the opposite direction. Just then, Li Pei Nan, who was behind him, suddenly knelt down and bumped into Min An's legs with his knee, causing Min An to stumble and almost fall onto the stone road.

  Min An turned back and glared at Li Peinan, who said coldly: "You can't go anywhere tonight, just stay in my quarters."

  "Why?!" Min An asked indignantly.

  "In case I bring trouble to others."

  "Master is more precious than others, how can I bear to harm you? No, no." As he spoke, he shook his head and walked back in the dark.

  Li Peinan said lightly, "I'm willing." He withdrew his hand from behind him, lifted his sleeve and gently clapped in the direction of Min An's path, forcing Min An to involuntarily move forward even if he had to jump.

  All the way, Min An stumbled and staggered, but against Li Peinan's ruthless tactics, he was helpless. Seeing the main gate of the mansion wide open, he hugged the stone lion's foot and refused to budge another step.

  These days, Li Peinan has been getting closer to him, even making some bland jokes. He's not an idiot, so he naturally knows that Li Peinan wants to get close to him. Moreover, he still remembers a sentence Li Peinan said - next time you enter the dormitory, don't think about leaving, no matter if it's a man or a woman.

  Min An muttered beside the stone lion: Is it that the young master's taste is even heavier than Fei Yi, who loves to drink salty tea?

  Li Peinan didn't have much intention of taking advantage of Min'an at this time, he just wanted to keep an eye on him and not let him scare others, especially the king. Min'an refused to leave, Li Peinan simply grabbed his neck from behind and dragged him inside the gate, he struggled and flailed his arms wildly, Li Peinan then said in a low voice: "The leopard is watching the door downstairs, if you wake it up, you'll be the one taking care of it."

  Helpless, Ming An gave up his resistance and was pushed all the way to climb the stairs and enter the bedroom. The brocade bed curtains hung down in layers, covering a house of soothing fragrance, soft palace lamp light spilled out from all corners, casting a warm glow on the ink paintings on the walls.

  Min An stood in the middle of the room, looking around and sniffing the cool fragrance, and had to admit that this was a elegant place. The pale thunder fell into the window, contrasting with the peaceful scenery in the house, dispelling many ominous intentions.

  Min An felt a bit better from his headache and sat up in bed, asking: "Whose brush and ink is this? Did the young master paint it?"

  Li Peinan glanced at the wall hanging and casually replied: "The paintings are prepared by the hotel itself."

  Min An leaned in and took a closer look: "I think one of them is fake. The style is different from the others."

  Li Peinan naturally knew which one it was, and didn't turn his head or respond.

  Min An said: "This looks like a woman's handwriting, the painting of the stone does not show its steep and rugged attitude, the ink wash is difficult to distinguish between layers, it seems to be intended to outline a scene."

  Li Peinan walked over and pulled back Min An: "A scribble, not worth appreciating."

  Min An sighed and said: "It's actually able to enter the eyes of Master Fa, and it needs to be carried with him all the time. It can be seen that it is a painting of a girl who is favored."

  Li Peinan smiled: "You asked so many questions, are you concerned about my private affairs?"

  Min An immediately shut up and stopped asking, turning his eyes to look at others, guessing in his heart that the owner of the painting was either Xiaoxue or Princess Ryoko who currently lived in the Crown Prince's mansion.

  "Go to sleep, I'll keep watch over you."

  Min An looked around and saw that there was only one bed, so he had to ask clearly. "Where does the young master sleep?"

  I'm not sleeping.

  "Oh." Min An responded with a sound, turning his head to find if there was a hidden corner in the room where he could place himself. Li Peinan asked: "Looking for what?"

  Wardrobe.

  Li Peinan's room did not have a closet, and the entire side hall was his dressing room, where various clothes were placed. He heard Min An's reply and didn't suspect much, directly opening the painting cabinet and saying: "Use this."

  Min An walked over and took out the painting scrolls, incense boxes from the cabinet, and removed the middle shelf to clear a space. He saw Li Peinan standing aside with his hands behind his back, expressionless, so he dragged the brocade quilt on the bed into the cabinet, then rolled onto the quilt himself, curling up.

  Li Peinan picked up a chair and sat in front of the painting cabinet, asking: "Does Lei Yu Tian sleep like this on rainy days?"

  Min An nodded with a shrug: "A bit safer."

  "Is there no other habit?"

  "If you don't mind, young master, could you find me a soft and fragrant embroidered pillow?"

  Li Peinan really walked out the door and came back with a soft pillow. He looked into the cabinet and saw that Min An was already asleep. Min An had curled up tightly, as if protecting himself from external disturbances, and occupied the entire bottom of the cabinet. Li Peinan was afraid he wasn't sleeping comfortably, so he wanted to reach in and adjust his posture. As soon as he touched his shoulder, Min An let out a shrill cry like a cat whose tail had been stepped on: "Don't touch me!"

  Li Peinan paused for a moment, looked at Min An's face, gently stroked his eyelids, and coaxed him to sleep again. Outside the window, thunder rumbled, and Min An's breathing was slow and steady, as if his emotions were disturbed. Li Peinan stood guard in front of the cabinet for half the night, seeing nothing unusual, before getting up to drink a cup of tea.

  At this time, the thunderstorm was intense, with heavy rain pouring down, and the raindrops hitting the windowsill with a loud crash. The chaotic noise had entered Min An's dream, making him sleep restlessly. He would occasionally wipe his forehead on the quilt, subconsciously wiping away sweat. The sound coming from his ears was urgent and intense, similar to the drums played by the opera troupe, telling the heart-wrenching story of "The Twins' Revenge". The more he listened, the more frightened he became, reminding him of the rainy night eleven years ago, when his brother or sister had cried out in a similarly mournful tone.

  "Sister, run... sister, run... brother is protecting you..." The scene from eleven years ago reappeared in Min An's mind, forcing him to struggle and spit out some words.

  The opera's lyrics, the stormy weather, finally led Min An to indulge in his past dreams. He couldn't distinguish between dreams and reality, was awakened by a flash of lightning, suddenly rolled out of bed, hugged his pillow and ran out the door.

  Li Peinan was prepared and stretched out his hand to pull Min An into his arms, saying in a low voice: "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, open your eyes and look, I can protect you."

  Min An turned his head to look at Li Peinan's face, the light in his eyes was already scattered: "Who are you? Return my sister's life!" He threw the pillow aside and exerted his only fist and footwork, kicking and punching wildly, trying to struggle out of Li Peinan's arms.

  Li Peinan saw him suddenly go mad, and could only hold his hands tightly, separating his injured arm, trapping him in his arms. Min An struggled for a while, exhausted, his hat fell to the ground, and his dark hair scattered like water, covering his forehead and eyebrows. Due to his efforts to struggle free, his cheeks were stained with a layer of rouge, and his pale lips deepened in color, as if holding two peach blossoms.

  Li Peinan gazed intently at the person in his arms, thinking to himself that this was clearly a beautiful daughter, yet she insisted on dressing as a man. He looked at her lip color and couldn't help but lean in for a kiss.

  Min An turned his face away and said in a low voice: "I'm already awake, let me go, young master."

  Li Peinan's lips were almost touching Min'an's, and he could only feel a sense of regret in his heart. He tightened his hold on her instead. Min'an struggled to breathe on Li Peinan's shoulder, "Sir, please let go, I can't catch my breath."

  Li Peinan held still, even hearing his own rapid heartbeat, Min An coughed slightly, and he relaxed his arms a bit, asking: "When will you recover your daughter's body?"

  Min An's face turned pale as snow upon hearing this. "How could you make such a joke, young master? I don't like it at all."

  Li Peinan quickly pressed several places on Min An's body, his movements so fast that Min An was caught off guard and couldn't react in time. "Here, here, and here, all prove that you're a woman."

  Min An's brain went blank for a moment, and it took him half a day to recall where that palm had touched him. He looked at Li Peinan in disbelief, then started to struggle with all his might, his face flushing bright red. Li Peinan hadn't intended to let go, but he couldn't help getting scratched by Min An's fingers, even getting hurt on the face, and finally he could only release Min An.

  Min An turned and ran towards the gate of his residence, Li Peinan reminded him from behind: "The leopard is at the foot of the building." Min An escaped to the stairs, with the help of the light, he saw that the leopard was sleeping at the door, his heart sank, and he couldn't help but sit down on the wooden step.

  Li Peinan walked out and patted her head: "Making such a big noise, aren't you afraid that the followers will come to investigate? Do you want outsiders to see your daughter's body, just sit here."

  Min An could only walk back to her quarters in a huff. Li Peinan picked up the soft pillow and stuffed it into Min An's hands: "Go sleep on the bed, I won't touch you with even one finger."

  Min An Ti looked at him: "Really?"

  "Really."

  Min An still trusted Li Peinan's promise, and he fell asleep on the bed with his pillow in his arms. A moment ago, he had been staring at Li Peinan with wide eyes, but Li Peinan just sat in the chair behind the curtain, regulating his breath, without changing his posture by a single hair. Finally, Min An's eyes grew tired, and sleepiness overcame him, causing him to unknowingly close his eyes.

  Li Peinan heard Min An's breathing even out, so he got up and walked to the bedside, unbuttoned her collar, and took a look at her neck. There was a slight bulge in her throat, and as soon as he touched it with his hand, he knew roughly what had happened.

  Min An, who was fast asleep, felt a touch and frowned, turning her head slightly to the side. A patch of snow-white skin peeked out from the collar of her clothes. Li Peinan's eyes fell on her neckline, but he couldn't quite make out what it was, so he stood in front of the bed for a moment before deciding how to react next.