Alas, the Chief Cabinet Minister sounded mighty now, all power and pomp—but if Prince Wu toppled and the Emperor seized the reins, that Prime Minister would be the first blaze in the bonfire.
Shen Jiujiu’s mind flashed with the little bird beneath the guillotine blade.
No!
He shook his head hard.
What nonsense was this?
He’d always known his mother didn’t set much store by the court, but he’d never dreamed she saw things quite like that.
And honestly? She wasn’t wrong.
Worst case, if the realm truly descended into chaos, a level-headed merchant like her—who didn’t rush in hot-blooded—would thrive where others fell.
But… but…
Shen Jiujiu toppled backward into Xie Jingtang’s palm, his tiny claws scrabbling at thin air.
When he’d first died and woken as a little bird, Shen Xinian had been lost in despair. But the moment Pei Du claimed that birdcage, everyone he’d met was utterly lovable.
Sui Ziming, the one who roamed the grounds, was lovable. Zhong Bo was lovable. Even the dark guards who snuck him bits of dried meat on the sly were lovable.
Of course, Benefactor was the best. The most lovable.
Shen Jiujiu adored Pei Mansion.
He adored every soul in it.
He couldn’t bear to picture the day he heard Pei Mansion had been obliterated overnight—what that would do to him…
No, no, no.
Benefactor—Benefactor couldn’t leave his little bird.
Shen Jiujiu bolted upright as inspiration struck. He unleashed a torrent of chirps at Xie Jingtang, eyes blazing.
Mother, Jiujiu has to repay the debt!
Benefactor had saved Shen Xinian’s life, then sheltered Jiujiu until this reunion with Mother. So… so…
Shen Xinian or Shen Jiujiu—he had to repay it all!
Xie Jingtang couldn’t parse the chirp language, but the frantic wing-flaps and gestures made it clear: no dice on her temptations.
“He sends you out on spy errands like this? One wrong encounter with a ruthless type, and you’d be little bird flatbread!”
“Loyal to a fault.”
Xie Jingtang jabbed his chest in exasperation, denting the soft fluff there.
“What kind of love potion did that master of yours pour into this tiny head?”
The little bird blinked.
Love potion? Well…
Shen Jiujiu puffed out his chest, beak parting wide: “Chirp chirp chirp chirp!”
Benefactor’s handsome!
The adorable display earned him another barrage of kisses from Xie Jingtang on her little bird dumpling.
Footsteps echoed from outside.
Xie Jingtang was still in the room, the door unlatched. After a knock, it eased open, and a head wreathed in dozens of tiny braids poked through.
The girl, her braids jingling with gemstone ornaments, grinned. “Tangtang, an invitation just arrived.”
She wasn’t speaking that garbled tongue from before, but crisp Great Zhou official speech—the kind Shen Jiujiu knew cold.
But…
Tang… Tangtang?
Shen Jiujiu whipped his head toward his mother.
Xie Jingtang took the nickname in stride. “Mm. You heading there too?”
“Wouldn’t miss it—I’ve got deals to close.” The girl bounded inside with featherlight grace, her gaze landing on the bird in Xie Jingtang’s hand. Her smile deepened. “Looks like you two are hitting it off?”
Xie Jingtang’s voice carried real regret. “I’ve fallen hard for this little guy, but his master’s got first dibs.”
The girl drifted closer, then bent down until her face was inches from Shen Jiujiu.
In those eyes so near, he caught his own reflection as a bird.
But…
For an instant, it felt like she pierced right through his feathered form, straight to the human soul beneath.
“Who says so?~ Maybe the little bird wants to come with you.”
She straightened, her finger grazing his wing ever so lightly. In a murmur: “You’re even cuter than I pictured!”
Xie Jingtang eyed the bird, then slipped into Western Regions dialect for her reply.
Shen Jiujiu nestled in her palm, playing the vacant bird while committing their voices to memory.
Sure, a little bird couldn’t shoulder burdens or speak human words.
But little birds were clever.
Photographic memory, sharp as a tack.
Mother had clearly been hoodwinked by this Western Regions woman. He’d log every scrap he overheard around her—and once Benefactor ransomed him back, he’d crack that dialect in record time.
Xie Jingtang wasn’t from the Western Regions’ Yueshi tribe, so she naturally wasn’t of one mind with their High Priestess. Theirs was a purely cooperative relationship. Before going to meet Pei Du, she had to make sure everything—both what needed saying and what didn’t—was laid out crystal clear.
As per their prior agreement, her collaboration with the Yueshi would end once they accompanied the Western Regions Envoy Group into the Capital. Any benefits the Yueshi might wring from Pei Du afterward had nothing to do with her.
Once Xie Jingtang and the Western Regions Girl reached a consensus, they prepared to pack up and head out.
Both women turned almost simultaneously to the little bird cradled in Xie Jingtang’s palm.
Shen Jiujiu looked up, peering left and right.
Oh. He got it.
They were going out.
The little bird pondered for a moment, then flitted to the cage. With a patter of tiny feet, he hopped inside, turned around, and let his long tail feathers trail over the edge, bending them slightly.
He stretched his claws through the gaps in the cage and latched the hook himself. Then he lifted his head. “Tweet.”
Let’s go.
The little bird was ready.
Xie Jingtang eyed the special cage hook she’d prepared—the one she’d only opened once in front of him—and the corner of her mouth twitched.
Clearly, after she’d given in that one time, the cage could no longer hold this little bird dumpling.
She’d seen fluffy, ball-like long-tailed tits in the Western Regions before.
But this one… wasn’t it just a tad too clever? Clever enough to send a chill down the spine upon closer reflection?
~~~
The meeting spot Pei Du had chosen was a private room on the third floor of a restaurant.
Xie Jingtang understood the choice perfectly.
With all the eyes on the Western Regions Envoy Group since their arrival, the Relay Station was hardly suitable for business—let alone for someone like Prime Minister Pei, a man of real power, to show up casually.
Xie Jingtang had shed her Western Regions disguise and donned simple men’s attire to conceal her identity. The Western Regions Girl had thrown on a hooded cloak, pulling the hood over her head as well.
Such outfits weren’t uncommon; her slender figure screamed “young lady,” and noblewomen from strict households in the Capital often veiled themselves similarly when venturing out.
Pei Du was the only one in the room.
The poised man sat in a pearwood chair by the window. When Xie Jingtang entered, he didn’t rise immediately but inclined his head slightly, his gaze as steady and deep as a tranquil pool.
Back when Xie Jingtang had been in the Capital, Pei Du had still been the prodigious young genius of the National Duke Mansion, Pei Fuguang. They had no real connection, but she’d heard the tales of that Pei family youth—his jade-like grace and golden talent, his dazzling brilliance.
“Madam Xie,” Pei Du said, his lips curving in just the right measure of warmth. “Please, sit.”
Steam rose from the celadon teacups on the table. Two cups sat before Pei Du, suggesting he’d anticipated more than one visitor.
The Western Regions Girl threw back her hood without ceremony and took a seat beside Xie Jingtang.
Pei Du’s gaze, however, fell on the birdcage Xie Jingtang had set by the table. He arched a brow faintly.
Both Xie Jingtang and the Western Regions Girl could clearly sense it: the moment Pei Du’s eyes landed on the cage, both his expression and the curve of his lips softened into something genuine and warm.
Shen Jiujiu, who hadn’t made a peep since they entered and had stayed huddled quietly in the cage, caught sight of his Benefactor’s amused gaze. He tucked his wingtips in front of him and poked at them nervously, his little bird head drooping.
Before Pei Du could speak, Shen Jiujiu hesitantly lifted his bird eyes again.
See? The little bird was locked in his cage.
The little bird shouldn’t play both sides.
He deserved to get caught.
The little bird knew he’d been wrong.
Clutching his little bird rear and flicking his slender tail feathers, Shen Jiujiu pattered over to the edge of the cage. He could’ve opened it himself but didn’t lift a claw. Instead, he opened his beak in full little bird seductress mode.
“Tweet tweet tweet, tweet tweet~”
The little bird hadn’t seen his Benefactor all day.
Benefactor, cuddle time~
Pei Du raised a hand to lightly cover the smile tugging at his lips and brow, then reached out to inspect the cage hook. Without waiting for Xie Jingtang to say a word, he unlatched the little door with ease.
Shen Jiujiu darted out at once, rubbing against Pei Du’s finger before turning to dunk his beak into Pei Du’s teacup.
Far from stopping him, Pei Du gently smoothed the little bird’s wings with a finger. The quiet authority he’d exuded upon their entrance softened in an instant.
Shen Jiujiu took a sip, then sneaked his Benefactor a little bird glance full of autumnal charm. Turning his back on his own mother, he folded his wings and gave Pei Du a tiny, playful wiggle.
His Benefactor was the best, the gentlest, the one who understood the little bird’s heart best of all.
Don’t make things hard on Jiujiu’s mother, okay~
Lord Pei said nothing, merely resting his fingers on the table.
The little bird scooted closer and gave those fingers several gentle pecks.
Xie Jingtang: “…”
She was a merchant, well-traveled across seas and deserts alike. She’d seen it all—people and things beyond count.
Xie Jingtang had a strong capacity for acceptance.
Especially in the Western Regions, where folks revered the Peacock God and kept all manner of birds. Tales of people falling for birds or birds courting humans weren’t exactly rare.
After witnessing that whole exchange between man and bird, the way Xie Jingtang looked at the little bird dumpling had changed.
Should’ve said upfront that you and your master had this kind of relationship.
Her heart settled a bit, and she reined in the impulse to snatch the bird that had stirred earlier.
Good thing she hadn’t brought up buying him. Otherwise, the deal might fall through, and she’d have offended the man outright.
After all, Prime Minister Pei didn’t strike her as…
the truly magnanimous sort.
