Chapter 35 Pei Ji, the Little Green Tea
Although Zijuan was successfully won over by Shengsheng and agreed to keep her secret, it was still her first time stepping into this bamboo forest, and she couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Zijuan was even more nervous than Shengsheng, afraid of being seen and causing Shengsheng to be gossiped about. From the moment they approached the bamboo forest, she had been nervously looking around, paying attention to the movements around her.
"Zijuan, Zijuan, what are you doing?" Shengsheng asked curiously.
Zijuan was extremely cautious, like a spy on a mission: "Princess, I'm checking to see if anyone has seen us!"
"Why?" Sheng Sheng thought for a moment, "Is Sister Zijuan afraid that others will see me? It's okay, I don't care about these things."
"No, Princess, you've just returned to the palace, and there are plenty of people watching you. We should be cautious. What if His Majesty and the Empress don't approve of you going to see Young Master Pei?"
With a helpless sigh, he said, "Fine."
It's already November, and the bamboo, an evergreen plant, is still as green with a hint of yellow as when Sheng Sheng first came here.
The woods were quiet, with the occasional bird call making it very pleasant.
There was no one in the courtyard of Jingyue Pavilion, but the medicine stove was burning, making a bubbling sound, and the aroma of medicine filled the air.
The main house door was half-open, probably to let in some air.
Sheng Sheng told Zijuan to wait outside for a moment, then tiptoed up the steps, hid behind the door, and peeked inside.
Both windows inside the room were open, letting in sunlight.
Pei Ji was sitting at the table reading a book, his expression indifferent. His slender fingers touched the corner of the book as he gently turned a page.
A bright-eyed, white-toothed young man, in the prime of his life, radiating the dawn.
It turns out that there really are people who are handsome from a young age.
After quietly enjoying the moment for a while, Sheng Sheng perhaps accidentally chuckled, and the little dumpling hiding behind the door was quickly discovered by Pei Ji.
Pei Ji saw the person who had arrived, and a hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes. He did not let the person in immediately.
Sheng Sheng remained completely oblivious, flashing her usual bright smile as she softly asked, "Brother Pei Ji, may I come in?"
The little dumpling is still innocent and adorable, and her eyes still hold the purest kindness.
Pei Ji was silent for a moment, then put down the book in his hand and said with a smile, "Come in."
Sheng Sheng happily skipped in, only to find a footstool had appeared under the table sometime during the night.
The footstool is very new, as if it was just made recently.
Sheng Sheng looked down at the footstool with curiosity: "Brother Pei Ji, what is this?"
"Step stool".
As Pei Ji answered, he picked up the little dumpling and placed it on the stool next to him.
"Is this for Shengsheng?" The little dumpling looked at him, cupping her face in her hands, and her two short legs started swinging again.
Pei Ji noticed that she seemed to really like swinging her legs; every time she sat on a stool, her two short legs would automatically start swinging.
As she swung her legs, the movement caused her whole body to tremble slightly, and the ribbon in her hair swayed back and forth, making her even more adorable.
Pei Ji didn't answer this time, but simply smiled and poured her a glass of water.
She sipped her water slowly and noticed the book on the table; it wasn't the same one she'd seen last time.
These books all share a common feature: the edges of the pages are slightly yellowed, but the corners are not curled up and still maintain a straight outline.
It's clear that the owner of the books has read them many times and cherishes them very much.
"Brother Pei Ji, do you really enjoy reading? It seems like every time Sheng Sheng comes, except for the first time I met you, you're always reading."
Pei Ji chuckled: "Besides reading, there's nothing else to do."
As a hostage in an awkward position with no other friends, what else could he do here besides read books?
Sheng Sheng's breath hitched, and upon hearing this, she couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache.
Pei Ji, however, remained calm and spoke casually, as if he were already used to it and didn't care.
Sheng Sheng wanted to comfort him, but felt that comforting him would only make it seem like she was pitying him.
Sheng Sheng put down her water glass and changed the subject with a smile: "By the way, Brother Pei Ji, when we were talking about the first time I met you, what happened to that big pit? Why was there a big pit there?"
The little dumpling awkwardly changed the subject, unable to hide the emotions in her eyes.
Pei Ji's eyelashes trembled slightly, and his fingers tightened: "The bamboo forest is secluded, and occasionally some wild rabbits and the like appear. That pit was made by Afu to catch prey, and once we catch them, we can add some food to Jingyuexuan's meal."
"Hmm?" Sheng Sheng frowned. "But Sheng Sheng heard that Father... um, Sheng Sheng heard that His Majesty did not intend to mistreat you. He instructed the Imperial Household Department to give Jing Yue Xuan the same things as the other masters."
Sheng Sheng's original intention was just to ask about this matter, but halfway through the conversation, the little dumpling inexplicably felt a bit embarrassed.
Anyway, that's what Yan Hu said. Although she felt that her father wasn't the type to mistreat Pei Ji, she really didn't know the specifics.
The little dumpling always felt like she was a bad person when she heard her own father mistreated others.
Sheng Sheng lowered her voice, feeling inexplicably guilty.
The little dumpling even changed the way she addressed the emperor, burying her head in the sand. Although she had never told him about her princess status, she forgot that the way Huang Ying addressed her on the day they first met had already revealed her identity.
Pei Ji saw through her thoughts, but didn't care much. He even found her little expression amusing, so he rubbed her head and comforted her instead.
"His Majesty has indeed not treated me harshly. When I came to Yu Kingdom, His Majesty granted me the same treatment as everyone else in the palace. He also made an exception to let me go to Wenhua Hall to study together. It was my own request to live in Jingyue Pavilion."
The little dumpling finally breathed a sigh of relief. She knew it; how could her father be the kind of person who would mistreat others?
"Then why do we still need to hunt to supplement our livelihood? Don't they give my brother meat to eat?"
Pei Ji did not answer immediately; he lowered his eyes, seemingly lost in thought.
After a moment, Pei Ji parted his thin lips slightly: "Although His Majesty has issued an edict, the actual implementation is done by those below. There's the Imperial Food Bureau in charge of food, the Imperial Household Department distributing daily necessities, the Imperial Clothing Bureau in charge of clothing... There are so many, and it has to go through layer by layer of processing. His Majesty can't possibly have the time to manage all of this, nor will he be distracted by me, a hostage. I have no power or influence, and everyone can bully me. It would be too easy for them to skimp on my share. Perhaps they gave me ten points at the beginning, but after going through layer by layer, by the time it reaches Jingyue Pavilion, it might only be one point."
Pei Ji spoke calmly, but his eyes, which had been curved into crescents, widened to a bulge, and his apple-shaped cheeks puffed up slightly in shock.
Sheng Sheng Ting slowed her breathing, her mind completely absorbed in those words, and naturally she didn't notice the fleeting deep meaning in Pei Ji's eyes when he lowered them.
"Ah..." Sheng Sheng pursed her lips, somewhat at a loss, "Sheng Sheng doesn't know these things."
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