Chapter 73 Eavesdropping

"It's the 'Green Petals Reflecting the Snow' here, a scene unique to this place." He paused, as if weighing his words, his gaze slowly sweeping across this small yet elegant world, and he said softly, "This place was built by the late Crown Prince during his lifetime."

Luo Zhaohan's heart trembled slightly.

The former crown prince, the one who was rumored to be extremely talented but died young!

Sun Honglei walked to the front of the pavilion, his rough fingertips brushing against the cool, jade-smooth surface of the stone drum. His voice deepened, becoming almost dreamlike and soft:

"About... seven years ago? On a winter night with a heavy snowfall. I was still young then, following my cousin, Prince Rui..."

When he mentioned "Prince Rui", his tone faltered slightly, "I've been here once."

Memories seemed to come alive before his eyes:

"That night, the snow was much heavier than today. The sky and the earth were a pure white. His Royal Highness the late Crown Prince, my cousin Prince Rui, and several other relatives and nobles of similar age were there. Oh, and that kid Pei Ji was there too. They were all gathered in this pavilion, gathered around the warm stove in the middle, chatting and talking about everything, full of energy. With their youthful spirits, they spoke freely about the country and the world, without any scruples. I was just a teenager at the time, and His Royal Highness took pity on my young age and allowed me to stand by and serve them, pouring wine and warming their cups."

He seemed to see again the warm fire illuminating the energetic faces of young people.

The prince is as gentle as jade, with bright eyes, and a charming demeanor when he talks and laughs.

Prince Rui's cousin often had a cynical smile on his face, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle.

Prince Chu Yuxun of Jin hadn't yet shown his true potential. And then there was Pei Ji, the always taciturn yet impossible to ignore...

The fire crackled, the warmth of the charcoal mixed with the cool, crisp fragrance of green-calyx plum blossoms and the steaming aroma of warm wine in the pot.

The prince clapped his hands on the railing and laughed, saying that he wanted to create an unprecedented peaceful and prosperous era. Prince Rui drank the wine in the cup, pointed at Pei Ji and laughed at him for pretending to be profound.

The laughter penetrated the falling snow and traveled far away.

Sun Honglei's voice was choked with a barely perceptible sob:

"Although I was just standing by and serving, the scene and feeling that night are a beautiful moment that I will never forget in my life."

He lowered his eyes, looked at the shadows of flowers swaying in the wind on the snow outside the pavilion, and fell silent.

The cold wind seemed to be a little gentler, not daring to disturb the reminiscence and confusion in his eyes.

Luo Zhaohan listened quietly, and the tense string in his heart seemed to relax a little.

Under the dry well.

Every word Sun Honglei spoke was like a fine ice needle, piercing Pei Ji's confused mind with incredible clarity.

"…built by the late Crown Prince…"

"... Seven years ago... it snowed heavily..."

"...Stand by...Pour the wine and warm the cups..."

"...a beautiful scene that will never be forgotten..."

A sorrow deeper than the ice at the bottom of the well and hotter than the evil fire in his body suddenly gripped Pei Ji's heart.

His knuckles turned white as he clasped the wall of the well with his fingers due to the unspeakable grief. A strong, fishy and sweet taste surged in his throat, but he had to swallow it back, burning his internal organs.

Deep within his frenzied body, deeper darkness and silent cries swallowed him whole.

The sound of ice being crushed on the soles of shoes is subtle and clear, like stepping on people's hearts.

Inside the well wall, Pei Ji's figure instantly solidified like a stone sculpture, and even his breathing stopped instinctively.

One step, two steps, getting closer and closer, and stopped above the wellhead where only a thin layer of soil remained.

Luo Zhaohan is outside.

Just a few steps away.

This realization was like boiling oil poured into the heart, and the blood, which was already scalding from the drug, instantly boiled and roared.

The drug's effects completely took over, madly crashing against the crumbling dam. Heat waves surged from deep within his bones, burning every inch of his sanity.

His fingertips unconsciously dug into the slippery mossy cracks on the well wall, leaving several deep marks, and the cold and slippery touch briefly stimulated his chaotic consciousness.

Go! Go now! Leave through the secret passage!

He just had to move the loose, disguised brick behind him and enter the dark passage he had already dug.

This thought was extremely clear, but it was like legs and feet nailed deep in the mud, so heavy that they could not move at all.

Sun Honglei's voice sounded at the right moment, with a deliberately displayed intimacy and unguarded joy: "Miss Luo, hurry up, it's too cold here, come into the pavilion to avoid the wind and snow!"

Then came the sound of him awkwardly sweeping the snow off the stone bench.

"Thank you." Luo Zhaohan's voice penetrated the soil and the cold wind. It was still clear and cool, without much emotion. Then he stepped lightly onto the stone steps and walked into the pavilion with an excellent view.

The cramped darkness at the bottom of the dry well is completely separated from the vast world in the pavilion.

Pei Ji pressed herself against the wall of the well, as if she could "see" the scene in the pavilion through the soil and bricks: she must have been standing in front of the railing with the best view, gazing at the amazing sight of rime on this snowy night.

And Sun Honglei...his eyes, which must be filled with the stars and the moon at this moment, could only accommodate her silhouette.

The picture was as clear as if it was chiseled out in Pei Ji's mind in an instant with a chisel, bringing with it a stinging pain like a needle.

He suddenly closed his eyes, his body trembling slightly from the jealousy and physical torment at this moment.

It's too late.

The moment Luo Zhaohan was moved by Sun Honglei's words just now was the last chance for him to escape.

That moment of hesitation, like the first burst of blood in a dam, had already doomed the current situation.

Would he rashly trigger the masonry mechanism at the entrance to the secret passage? The sound and looseness, in the dead silence of this snowy night where you could hear a pin drop, would be tantamount to exposing his whereabouts.

Once the secret world beneath this dry well is exposed, especially the secret passage connecting to the outside of the palace... the consequences will be so wide-ranging and the turmoil it will stir up will be so severe that it is impossible for one person to bear the consequences.

Leave!

Even if it's despicable! Even if it's shameless!

Even if there is no return!

He wants to listen!

Listen to her voice.

Even if it's just a few words, even if it's just a laugh with others.

The immense shame was like ice-cold water pouring over one's head, but it couldn't suppress the evil fire boiling deep in one's bones.

"Are you worthy?" A cold question rose from the deepest part of his heart, like a sharp hook, piercing into his burning flesh and blood, bringing him deeper self-loathing and self-abandonment. "Filthy peeping, despicable eavesdropping. Pei Ji, this is the unbearable you."

But every nerve in my body, every bone seam scorched by drugs, was screaming frantically: Stay! Just a moment! Listen just a moment longer!

Fine, cold snowflakes fell lightly on his forehead, nose tip, and burning lips.

In an instant, an extremely faint but clear coolness spread like a tiny electric current.

However, this coldness was like a drop of water dropped into a pot of boiling oil. The stimulation was so strong that it triggered an even more violent counterattack.

The power of the medicine seemed to be instantly aroused, igniting an even more crazy and fierce flame in his meridians.

"Ugh..." He finally suppressed a broken groan, but a more fishy and sweet breath came out from between his teeth.

The tide of despair rose up little by little.

What remains is an abyss.

Leaving is also a dead end.

On the verge of completely losing control——

In the pavilion, Sun Honglei's voice finally rang out again, this time with an unprecedented solemnity and unconcealable nervousness:

"Miss Luo! I've specially invited you to this secluded place tonight... There's something extremely important that I want to discuss with you face to face. I've been thinking about it for a long time..."

He spoke faster, with the urgency and determination typical of a young man. "I'm afraid I might have offended you, young lady. But I've been feeling really frustrated for a long time, and today I need to get to the bottom of it all!"

Under the dry well, Pei Ji's body, which was as taut as a bowstring, suddenly stiffened, like a prisoner waiting for the final guillotine on the execution ground.

Is it time for a showdown? Is Sun Honglei going to declare his feelings?

How would she respond? Surprise? Shyness? Joy?

A sharp pain instantly pierced Pei Ji's heart. He didn't even dare to think about the word "yes." The thought itself was like a poisonous snake.

There was a brief silence, like ice crystals condensing in the dead air.

Luo Zhaohan's voice rang out, calm, steady, without the slightest ripple:

"I have a rough idea of ​​the important things you are referring to."

There seemed to be a silent gasp in the pavilion for a moment.

At the bottom of the well, Pei Ji's heart also rose to his throat at that moment.

"Miss Luo...you actually know what I want to say?!" Sun Honglei's voice suddenly rose, filled with incredible ecstasy.

"That's great! It's really great! It turns out that Miss Luo, you also..." He was even a little excited and incoherent. He subconsciously took a step closer to Luo Zhaohan, and his eyes, which were sparkling with love, were instantly lit up with ecstasy.

At the bottom of the well, the dead, stagnant water was suddenly stirred violently by an invisible force.

Pei Ji closed his eyes tightly, veins bulged on his forehead, and there was a thick, insoluble fishy smell between his lips and teeth.

"I believe you're referring to the recent visit from Concubine Li." Her tone remained calm and even. "The Concubine's words revealed a lot of expectations for me and Young Master Sun. Young Master Sun's serious inquiry must be due to the fact that Concubine Li summoned me privately or hinted at something."

The air in the pavilion, which was filled with ecstasy, seemed to freeze in an instant.

Sun Honglei's approaching steps froze in place.

There was a dead silence, with only the sound of a cold wind carrying a few dead leaves scraping past the sharp corners of the pavilion, like a cold mockery.

At the bottom of the dry well, Pei Ji suddenly opened his eyes. The darkness could not completely conceal the shock and a hint of absurd relief that flashed across his eyes?

Luo Zhaohan continued speaking without pause, like the most sophisticated ritual:

"This matter concerns Prince Rui's reputation and the Queen's kindness. Since it involves you and me, no matter what Young Master Sun thinks, we both face the same dilemma. I thought that since Young Master Sun and I are both indifferent to this..."

She paused for a moment, as if considering her words, and then asked directly:

"Then, does Master Sun have any good ideas? One that would both save the reputation of Prince Rui's mansion and dissuade Concubine Li from this idea?"

What?

The bright lights in Sun Honglei's heart that were instantly ignited quickly went out and dimmed with a crackling sound as Luo Zhaohan's words were like a shower of ice water.

Under the wall of the well, Pei Ji's fingers, which were clenched into a fist, finally loosened slightly.

The blood-mixed mud slid silently from the cracks between the nails.

The dead silence was like a thick layer of ice, frozen in the empty pavilion. Only the distant cold night wind would occasionally pick up snowflakes, which would blow across the iron horses on the pavilion's eaves, making short jingling sounds.

The color drained from Sun Honglei's face the moment Luo Zhaohan finished speaking, leaving him as pale as freshly snowed in moonlight. He stood there, his body tense as a drawn bow, staring straight into Luo Zhaohan's eyes.

No.

Those clear eyes were frank and almost cold.

Luo Zhaohan keenly noticed the drastic change in his expression and the sudden surge of pain in his eyes, and his brows frowned slightly, almost imperceptibly.

She hesitated for a moment, and although her voice was soft, it clearly broke the frozen ice:

"Mr. Sun? Are you feeling unwell?"

"Uncomfortable?" Sun Honglei pulled the corners of his lips with difficulty, and a few low and hoarse chuckles escaped.

"Yes... I feel quite uncomfortable..." His eyes were glued to Luo Zhaohan's face, and his voice was extremely dry. "I just want to ask Miss Luo, is it really just because of Concubine Li that you accepted the invitation today?"

He found it extremely difficult to speak the words, and every word was as painful as a knife scraping against his bones.

Luo Zhaohan's eyes remained clear, and he nodded without any evasion.

"Oh... I see..." The last bit of light in Sun Honglei's eyes was completely extinguished, turning into bottomless ashes and intense bitterness and unwillingness.

Luo Zhaohan looked at him like this, and a sense of vigilance rose in his heart.

The body subconsciously took a tiny step away.

That's it.

That silent retreat was like the last spark that ignited the explosives.

Sun Honglei suddenly raised his foot, and his tall figure, with a biting cold air, rushed towards Luo Zhaohan regardless of everything!

"you!"

Luo Zhaohan's pupils suddenly contracted.

She instinctively mobilized her internal strength to deal with it, and at the same time exerted force with her feet, trying to retreat again!

Below!

The dark bottom of the dry well.

Pei Ji stood up straight, almost relying on his beast-like instinct, completely forgetting where he was.

His back slammed hard against the cold, slippery wall of the well, sending bits of dirt and small pieces of damp moss cascading down. Even more fatally, the unholy fire within him, which had been forcibly suppressed for so long, erupted completely out of control with this sudden and unpredictable surge.

"Well--!"

There was an extremely subtle sound of fabric rubbing against each other, yet it was extremely abrupt in the silence, like a small stone dropped into calm water. Although it was slight, it was hard to ignore.

At the same time, in the pavilion.

Luo Zhaohan was about to retreat, but at the critical moment, he suddenly froze for a moment.

She had practiced martial arts for a long time, and her six senses were far superior to those of ordinary people. Between the sound of the wind brought by Sun Honglei's approaching figure and her own retreat, an extremely subtle "swish" sound penetrated the cold wind on the pavilion and the breathing and heartbeats of the two people, and entered her ears extremely clearly.

The location is exactly in the direction of the dry well below!

Alarm bells rang in my heart.

Luo Zhaohan's eyes instantly became as sharp as ice cones, and he subconsciously looked towards the dry well covered with thick snow outside the pavilion.

A cold light flashed in his eyes, and murderous intent was hidden.

There was nothing but snow beside the dry well. Maybe it was really snow pressing down on the dry branches?

With his mind racing, Luo Zhaohan suppressed the sudden feeling of strangeness and focused most of his attention back on the urgent situation at hand.

Sun Honglei noticed Luo Zhaohan's brief distraction and his eyes that suddenly turned cold and sharp.

That wasn't the expected shyness, but rather pure shock and vigilance? Even a cold scrutiny?

Could it be...that even he felt so uncomfortable being close to her?