Chapter 16: Plum Garden, the Handsome Youth in Green

After a few sarcastic remarks from Xue Songyun, he brushed his sleeves and left.

His personal attendant, brought from home, glanced at Pei Ziqing. The expression on his face seemed to be a mix of pity and schadenfreude. “Do you know who you offended just now? That’s the eldest son of the Xue family—someone even the lord of the city has to give some face! If you offend him, do you think you’ll have a good outcome? If I were you, I’d escape right now. Our young master just needs to show a little humility, and the Lord will eagerly present everything to him. Don’t think my young master only wants your life.”

After saying this, the attendant jogged to catch up.

Pei Ziqing sat on the ground, his eyes lifeless.

Wearing only a thin layer of revealing clothing, he didn’t feel cold just a moment ago. After all, he was used to enduring the cold and being tough-skinned and thick-skinned.

But now he felt a bone-chilling cold, shivering uncontrollably.

Ironically, it is truly ironic.

He had considered various reasons, just not this one.

It turned out he was nothing more than a plaything used by that woman to stimulate her male favorite.

He couldn’t even be considered a pet!

Pei Ziqing slowly got up from the ground, a gloom covering his eyes.

So, what would happen next?

Would that woman hand him over to the beloved young master, Xue, allowing him to decide his fate?

Or would she, in front of young master Xue, personally help her brother seek revenge?

Logic told Pei Ziqing that he should escape immediately, but many scenes flashed through his mind.

The woman looked at him with clear, cold eyes, but without disgust.

She helped him apply medicine, served him dishes, and even gave him a name…

Pei Ziqing’s expression changed unpredictably.

In the end, he still went to that plum garden.

The garden was full of brightly blooming winter plums, the fragrance wafting through the air. Pei Ziqing didn’t venture deep into the garden, hiding behind a large tree. He grabbed the snow on the ground and rubbed it onto his body.

His skin was frozen, turning purplish, and his lips were slightly pale. Yet, like a puppet, he ruthlessly rubbed the snow onto his skin with forceful and exaggerated movements.

After wiping away the thick layer of dirt on his body, Pei Ziqing realized something was wrong.

All the injuries on his body were gone?

The new wounds disappeared, and even the several-year-old injuries were gone.

Not only that, but the skin became fair and tender, feeling smooth to the touch.

After a moment of confusion in Pei Ziqing’s expression, he suddenly remembered something. The gloom in his eyes dispersed, revealing a hint of starlight.

If what the servant said earlier was true, why would the woman give him such a miraculous elixir?

She must genuinely care about him.

Pei Ziqing rubbed his eyes, forcing back the hint of mist that had welled up.

Pathetic; he actually felt like crying.

But he was genuinely happy. He thought he was going to be abandoned again.

The little freak quickly cleaned his lower body, humming a little tune in his heart.

After cleaning himself thoroughly, he jumped up, grabbed a handful of plum blossoms, crushed them, and applied them to his skin, which had turned purplish from the cold. He used the fragrance of the plum blossoms to mask any lingering odor.

After tidying up, he walked back with light steps.

Not long after the child left, on the second-floor pavilion next to the plum garden, a man in green stood by the window, staring in the direction the child had left.

The man was handsome and elegant, looking as if he had just awakened, with disheveled clothes revealing a large expanse of fair and firm skin on his chest.

A jade-like, slender arm wrapped around the man’s waist from behind, gently caressing his chest and abdomen. A sweet and charming voice followed: “When will the emperor return? The sisters in the harem don’t have my good fortune.”