Chapter 21.5 - After the Sickly Beauty Transmigrated Into a Book, He Married the Arrogant Crown Prince

The bamboo forest is deep and secluded, with towering bamboo trees all around. The dense bamboo leaves block out the few rays of sunlight.

All the way in, Song Beiyao didn't see Pei Ji's figure. Suddenly, the sound of wind rose, and the bamboo leaves rustled. Song Beiyao instinctively felt a cold glint approaching from behind. As soon as he turned around, the sword's edge pointed directly at his heart, stopping just a hair's breadth away from piercing it, leaving him no room to evade.

Song Beiyao was immediately drenched in cold sweat. He looked up and saw Pei Ji in a black outfit, his black hair tied up and blowing in the wind, his face hidden in the shadows, making it hard to see clearly.

At that moment, he suddenly realized that if Pei Ji truly wanted to kill him, it would be as easy as crushing an ant.

This is an absolute suppression of military power.

"Cough, cough, cough..." Song Beiyao seemed to be suddenly startled, covering his lips and coughing a few times. Then, as if he had lost all her strength, he fell straight towards the tip of the sword.

Pei Ji immediately retracted his sword, and Song Beiyao fell into his arms.

"Stand straight." Pei Ji reached out to push the person away, but after a few heavy coughs, the person in his arms fell silent.

He slightly furrowed his brow, his large hand moving to rest on Song Beiyao's shoulder, looking down.

A few strands of early morning light penetrated through the bamboo leaves, falling onto this area. The young man in his arms had tilted his head up at some point, looking at him with a smile, a hint of mischief in his eyes, "Were you worried about me just now, husband?"

Pei Ji's gaze traced down from his picturesque brows and eyes, landing on the tip of his nose, then on his lips full of smiles, rolling up and down in his throat, "You did that on purpose?"

Song Beiyao blinked at him, "If my husband intends to test my reaction, why can't I test my husband as well?" 

"What are you testing?" Pei Ji's voice was heavy.

"I’m testing..." Song Beiyao placed one hand on Pei Ji's chest, his voice slowing down, speaking word by word with a serious and gentle expression, "Testing if my husband has any feelings for me."

The hand resting on his shoulder was suddenly withdrawn, and Pei Ji strode away from the bamboo forest without looking back.

Song Beiyao instinctively lunged forward, quickly steadied her footing, glanced at the gray number in the lower left corner that jumped to -135, curled her lips, and hurriedly chased after him, "Doesn't my husband have feelings for me?"

"None."

"But I can clearly see that husband is moved."

"Shameless."

……

In the past few days, Pei Ji has been busier than before. Except for that morning in the bamboo forest, Song Beiyao hasn't seen him for the next two days.

At the end of January, the capital city of Li remained bitterly cold. The night before the palace banquet, Song Beiyao sat by the stove at the main house's entrance, warming tea and admiring the snowy scenery, while Ling Feng rested his chin on his hand, dozing off beside him.

At this moment, two young servants hurriedly stepped into the courtyard, each carrying a rectangular wooden tray covered with red satin, not knowing what was inside.

The two walked to the main house's door and said to Song Beiyao, "Consort, this is the outfit His Highness the Crown Prince personally selected for you. He wants you to wear it to the palace banquet tomorrow."

Ling Feng, who was nearby, suddenly jolted awake, his head drooping heavily, mumbling, "No wonder someone came to take your measurements the other day."

He stood up, walked in front of someone, lifted the red silk to take a look, and exclaimed, "Wow, this outfit..."

"Lingfeng, don't be rude, bring them all inside." Song Beiyao then said to the two servants, "Thank you for bringing it here. Please let my husband know that I really like it."

"Yes, my lord."

After the two left, Ling Feng finally spoke up, "You haven't even seen it, how do you know if you'll like it?"

Song Beiyao replied with a smile, "Whether you like it or not, it's someone else's heartfelt intention. How can you let it go to waste?"

"Tsk, such a fuss." Ling Feng brought over two wooden trays, placed them on the low table beside him, and lifted the red silk covering them.

He first took out the clothes from a wooden tray. The top and bottom, clearly an inner layer. The white outfit inside is fine." He put it back and then picked up a dark red robe from another wooden tray.

"This outer cover-up, look at this color, it doesn't match you at all!" I just don't understand how Pei Ji picked such a thing.

After Ling Feng finished speaking, he immediately looked at Song Beiyao, hoping to get his agreement and complain together. Unexpectedly, Song Beiyao was staring at the clothes in his hand, his eyes flickering slightly.

"What's wrong? You don't like this, do you?" Ling Feng was incredulous.

"Give it to me to take a look." Song Beiyao reached out to take it.

The texture is smooth and the quality is excellent. This color is not as bright as red, nor as dull as the usual dark red. It is just right, dignified yet not lacking in lightness. The cuffs and collar are edged with gold thread, adding a touch of brightness.

Song Beiyao gently folded the clothes and placed them back on the wooden tray.

A top fashion magazine once commented on him, saying he would look good even in a burlap sack, but only burgundy truly complements his natural charm. Just like a gentle rose blooming at midnight, it exudes a captivating fragrance in the tranquility.

Song Beiyao didn't expect that Pei Ji would accidentally choose this color.

In the original text, the reason why the Great Zhou mobilized its forces so extensively when the Northern Qi envoys arrived was precisely because the Northern Qi regent, Helian Zhuo, had also come.

The specifics of what happened at the palace banquet were not detailed, but it was known that after the banquet, Pei Ji's biological sister, Princess Heyi, was designated to marry Helian Zhuo as part of a diplomatic marriage.

Although Northern Qi was a powerful nation, the emperor was merely a puppet, and the real power holder was the regent Helian Zhuo. This person is cruel and ruthless, with a penchant for beautiful, soft-bodied, and skilled young girls. He is also addicted to sadism, and many women have died from being tortured by him in bed.

In the original text, after Princess Heyi was married off to Northern Qi, she fell ill and died within a month. The news returned to the Great Zhou, and Pei Ji was heartbroken, determined to ascend the throne and lead the army to attack the Northern Qi.

……

The palace banquet will start at the fourth watch of the evening.

The Prince's Mansion is a considerable distance from the palace. In the afternoon, around the hour of Shen, the people from the mansion came to the Yannuan Pavilion to inform Song Beiyao that it was time to depart.

From the moment he got on the carriage, Song Beiyao opened the window and looked outside.