Emerging from the Ancestral Hall, both men carried the mingled scent of sandalwood and aged wood clinging to their clothes.
Shen Xinian didn’t like it much.
The smell had a faint mustiness of dust to it, always calling to mind wood rotting from the inside out.
Pei Du had someone deliver water. Shen Xinian peeked into the bathing area at the large wooden tub, his eyes flickering.
Pei Du was untying the pouch at his waist, not even lifting his head. “Lord Jiujiu, this official laid all his cards on the table today, holding nothing back. He deserves to hold Jiujiu close and sleep soundly.”
The Chirp Azure Heaven, who had tried to back out of his promise, flushed red and muttered under his breath, “You never said you didn’t like sudden transformations… Next time I’ll change somewhere else and scare you half to death…”
Pei Du paused in his movements.
Shen Xinian lifted his chin confidently.
Lord Pei sighed. “Go bathe already. Don’t you hate the smell on you? You were sneezing the whole way back.”
Shen Xinian dawdled beside the screen.
Then, right in front of Pei Du, he transformed into a little black bird and tentatively flew over, landing in Pei Du’s outstretched palm.
The bird’s beak pecked here and preened there on its feathers, its beady little eyes sneaking glances at Pei Du every so often.
Mischievous little thing.
Pei Du gazed at Shen Jiujiu’s tiny black face but deliberately said nothing.
Shen Jiujiu sprawled in Pei Du’s palm, staring up at him with pleading eyes and gently kicking at Pei Du’s fingers with his claws.
I’ve even gone with you into the Ancestral Hall to pay respects to your birth mother. That’s basically confirming our relationship by any measure. What’s wrong with fiancés sharing a lovers’ bath? I’ve already turned into a little bird of my own accord. That’s incredibly restrained of me.
Shen Jiujiu slanted a glance at Pei Du, then slowly sat up in his palm and nudged Pei Du’s thumb with his claw.
Lord Pei had lost his composure just a little today, and the desires he had kept so tightly suppressed began to stir restlessly.
He swallowed. “You won’t suddenly transform back while we’re in the tub, will you?”
Shen Jiujiu’s black face turned utterly solemn as he raised a wing in oath.
Pei Du cradled the little black bird, paused for a moment, then carried Shen Jiujiu toward the bathing partition.
Shen Jiujiu curled the tips of his wings into a triumphant fist-pump gesture.
Steam rose from the water in the tub, with a bucket of cold water set nearby.
Pei Du first placed Shen Jiujiu on the high clothing rack and shrugged off his outer robe, draping it to the side.
When his fingertips brushed the collar of his inner shirt, he felt the unabashedly scorching gaze from nearby, but somehow he just couldn’t bring himself to continue.
There was a hurdle he simply couldn’t cross. Pei Du closed his eyes. “Xinian.”
Shen Jiujiu, who had been riveted to the sight of the beautiful man undressing, snapped to attention. “Chirp!”
Pei Du’s voice was soft, exceedingly polite. “Could you turn around, please?”
Shen Jiujiu tilted his head.
The little bird could clearly see the flush creeping up Pei Du’s neck and the knuckles bent awkwardly at his collar.
He… he looked uncharacteristically ill at ease.
Shen Jiujiu suddenly understood everything.
Oh oh oh oh. Benefactor’s shy.
Should’ve said something sooner!
The little bird turned around with exaggerated politeness, its long tail feathers dangling over the edge of the rack and swishing back and forth in the air.
It even lifted its wings to cover its eyes.
Pei Du immediately felt he’d been making a mountain out of a molehill.
He lowered his gaze and untied his sash.
Inner shirt, belt, trousers, underlayer… one garment after another slipped off to pile on the floor.
Pei Du disliked the Ancestral Hall’s scent as well. These clothes would have to be dealt with later, no doubt.
He hesitated, but in the end left his undergarments on.
The moment Pei Du’s hand dropped, he clearly heard a sigh of regret.
He didn’t turn around. Instead, he took a small step forward and looked at the clear, transparent water in the tub.
The little black bird on the rack behind him had indeed turned its back to him—or so it seemed. But a bird’s neck was remarkably flexible.
That head had sneakily dipped low, poking into the gap beneath its raised wings. The black wing feathers provided perfect camouflage for its beady little eyes, who knew how long it had been peeking like that.
Pei Du: “…”
Shen Jiujiu, who realized from Pei Du’s movements that he’d been caught: “…”
The little black bird casually withdrew its head as if nothing had happened, pecking at its wings here and preening its chest fluff there, putting on a show of being very busy indeed.
Pei Du silently bent down and ladled cold water into the tub.
Steam billowed up, gradually tinting that flawlessly handsome face with pink, fine beads of sweat beading at his temples.
The little black pervert bird fluttered over and landed with prim restraint on the rim of the tub. Its claws gripped the narrow edge as it took dainty little bird steps along it.
Little birds excelled at perching on such precarious ledges. No matter how water splashed nearby, Shen Jiujiu stood firm as a rock, his eyes gleaming as he waited for Pei Du to enter the water.
Not this time. No way was he letting anything cover the little bird’s eyes again!
Pei Du didn’t cover anything, true.
He simply sat straight into the tub, undergarments and all.
Shen Jiujiu could scarcely believe it. “Chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp?!”
Who on earth bathed without taking off their pants?!
The hot water rose over Pei Du’s chest, warming a faint blush across his alabaster skin. He turned the ladle over onto the water’s surface and languidly extended a finger toward Shen Jiujiu.
The fluffy little bird, all puffed up with indignation, hopped onto Pei Du’s finger with a huff, claws digging in.
Shen Jiujiu caught that fleeting smile that crossed Pei Du’s face, clear as day.
This man was teasing the bird on purpose!
Bullying the bird!
Shen Jiujiu pecked sharply at Pei Du’s knuckle, then with great dignity hopped into the ladle on his own. He dipped his wings into the water and paddled vigorously, sending the ladle-boat drifting away.
Fine, if he won’t let me look, I won’t. I don’t care anyway. It’s just pecs and abs—who doesn’t have those!
Starting tomorrow, he’d rise early every day to practice horse stance and martial arts!
Puffed-up with anger, Shen Jiujiu looked even fluffier than usual, so downy that even damp, there was no sign of it being wet—waterproof through and through.
Pei Du undid his hair, simply pinning it back loosely. He lounged against the tub wall, one hand propping his cheek, a few wet strands clinging to his neck. A gentle smile played on his lips as he watched Shen Jiujiu paddle the ladle in circles around the tub, the corners of his eyes crinkling with a seductive charm that suited him to perfection.
Shen Jiujiu… Shen Jiujiu once more stared, utterly entranced despite himself.
His wings paddled harder without thinking, drawing the ladle right up to Pei Du and docking it alongside his beloved’s firm, handsome muscles.
Shen Jiujiu spread his wings and splatted right against Pei Du’s chest, rubbing his cheek blissfully against it.
Chirp. This was the true haven for a little bird to embrace.
Pei Du scooped up Shen Jiujiu, who was slowly sliding into the water, cradled him in his palm, and carefully washed the little bird with his fingers.
Shen Jiujiu didn’t play any tricks to tease Pei Du into laughing. Instead, he lay cooperatively in Pei Du’s palm, letting him clean his wings.
“How are your plans for the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion coming along?” Pei Du asked.
The little black bird, lost in enjoyment, cracked open one eye.
It seemed that old geezer had truly gotten under Pei Du’s skin, or else the usually hands-off Pei Du wouldn’t have bothered asking specifically.
Shen Jiujiu pondered for a moment, parting and then closing his bird claws. “Chirp chirp chirp.”
Pei Du watched intently and fell silent for an instant before rubbing the little black bird’s face—whose expression Shen Jiujiu himself couldn’t see—with his damp fingers.
Shen Jiujiu tilted his head up to let Pei Du scrub away, his own expression a mix of helplessness and indulgence.
Go on and rub. You still won’t be able to see my expression even after.
I’m not going to fade—
“Chirp?!”
Shen Jiujiu glared at the black smudge on Pei Du’s hand.
Pei Du looked thoughtful as he grabbed a nearby cloth and began meticulously wiping the little bird’s face.
After a few attempts, Pei Du nodded in understanding. “Plain water won’t do it, but soapberry can wash it off.”
Such disguises were naturally meant to be waterproof, but the method to remove them couldn’t be too obscure, or they’d become a liability in emergencies.
Shen Jiujiu flung his beak wide open and unleashed a furious bird roar at Pei Du. “Chirp chirp chirp chirp!!”
Then wash the rest of me besides my face!!!
With this yin-yang bird getup, how was he supposed to look presentable as a human?
Shen Jiujiu rammed his head repeatedly against Pei Du’s palm, chirping and humming all the while.
“No washing,” Pei Du said, struggling to keep a straight face. “Not unless you tell me when you’ll deal with the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion.”
The little bird was outraged and let out a loud protest. “Chirp chirp chirp chirp!”
Stingy man!
He just hadn’t decided on the best way to avenge his mother—one that would be the most impressive, the most domineering!!
Shen Jiujiu delivered an angry headbutt to Pei Du.
Pei Du couldn’t hold back. He dipped his fingers in more soapberry water, carefully avoiding the eyes, and rubbed the little bird’s head.
On any other day, this coquettish display would have been utterly adorable, whether the bird was white or black. But right now, Chirp Azure Heaven’s face had been scrubbed much whiter, revealing the faint blush beneath his eyes, while his body remained pitch black.
He looked exactly like a little bird wearing a headpiece with a stark color divide.
This time, Pei Du completely lost it.
A muffled chuckle bubbled up from his chest first. He reflexively raised a hand to cover his mouth, but the laughter spilled through his fingers anyway—clear and bright, carrying a sense of pure delight that even he hadn’t fully registered.
The little bird gazed up at him.
Pei Du’s initial restrained chuckles gradually swelled into full-throated laughter. He laughed so hard his shoulders shook, but he didn’t stop.
That laughter echoed through the steam-filled compartment, infusing the very air with joy and vibrant warmth.
He pressed one hand to his cheek, sinking deeper into the water as the laughter intensified.
Shen Jiujiu let out a soft “Chirp.”
Before Pei Du could react, water sloshed loudly in the bathtub. His arms suddenly grew heavier, enveloped in a rush of wetness, warmth, and affection.
The tub wasn’t large to begin with—barely big enough for two grown men.
Which meant Shen Xinian and Pei Du were pressed very close. Extremely close.
Shen Xinian knelt carefully between Pei Du’s legs so as not to crush him, then wrapped his arms around Pei Du’s head, drawing it gently but firmly to rest against his neck.
“I’m here. Come here, let me hold you.”
Shen Xinian ran his fingers lightly through Pei Du’s wet hair, stroking again and again.
There was no lingering sensuality, only tender reassurance.
“You’ve already been the Pei family’s golden child. Everyone knows Great Zhou produced a Prime Minister from the Pei family.”
“Back then, I searched high and low for you and only managed to get your fake name from the carriage rental station—the one you signed.”
“The trail went completely cold after that, but luckily, I had money.”
“I followed that name all the way, inquiring from Jinling to Jiangnan.”
“But I was always a few steps behind. By the time I caught up, you had already set off back to the Capital.”
“Even so, I finally learned your real name—from the lips of Jiangnan’s common folk.”
Pei Du’s forearm brushed against Shen Xinian’s waist. He hesitated for a moment before tightening his grip, pressing his scorching palm against the small of Shen Xinian’s back.
Shen Xinian’s chin nuzzled gently against the hair at Pei Du’s temple.
“Maybe to you, the court’s corruption and the power struggles between the Emperor and Prince Wu are lofty matters the people can’t comprehend or even see.”
“But the people can see who treats them well. They can see who truly cares about them, where their lifeline lies, where hope for tomorrow can be found.”
That year, the Grand Canal’s waters surged violently, breaching the dikes. Grain ships were stranded for days, yet the granaries delayed releases on grounds of “transport disruptions.”
Rice prices in Suhang skyrocketed as a result. The people couldn’t afford food and survived on wild greens, tree bark, and fruit. Starving corpses appeared in many villages.
Before long, refugees began fleeing their homes.
“The people didn’t understand why their hard-earned crops left them with nothing to eat, but they knew Jiangnan’s officials despised them and wouldn’t lift a finger.”
“Then one day, a young man dressed as a scholar arrived from the Capital. He went door to door, asking about their plight, his eyes brimming with compassion.”
“The people knew nothing of earth-shaking power struggles or noble lineages. They had no idea this youth needed a shining achievement to enter the Cabinet and become Great Zhou’s youngest Prime Minister with real authority. All they knew was that someone had come to see them, to listen to them. So they clung to him with all their desperation.”
“If it proved useless, so be it.”
“The world was full of futile struggles—just one more disappointment.”
“But this time, that young man answered their outstretched hands and their anguished cries.”
“He removed every implicated official from office and investigated them thoroughly. He recovered two hundred thousand shi of embezzled grain and immediately opened the granaries to ease Jiangnan’s famine.”
“He erected the Livelihood Stele in front of Suzhou Prefecture’s yamen, carving the new canal transport regulations and officials’ duties onto it for the public to oversee.”
“In just half a year, canal transport in Jiangnan flowed smoothly once more. Grain ships came and went like shuttles, rice prices returned to normal, and the markets along the Grand Canal bustled with life again.”
“The people could once more survive in the lands their ancestors had tilled for generations.”
To be sure, from Pei Du’s perspective, he hadn’t fully toppled Prince Wu or purged Jiangnan’s bureaucracy clean.
But in a world like this, where were there ever so many utterly incorruptible officials?
“Later on, he returned from Jiangnan to the Capital and joined the Cabinet, rising to become Prime Minister.”
“As long as he held the seat of Prime Minister for even a single day, no one dared to openly tamper with the Livelihood Stele he’d placed in Jiangnan or flout it in broad daylight. Exploitation might still linger in the shadows, but in the face of that stele, the common folk could finally catch their breath and glimpse a tomorrow.”
“From that point forward, the people of Jiangnan never forgot his name.”
“His name was Pei Du—their Prime Minister.”
The water in the bathtub had cooled from faintly warm to tepid, yet scalding droplets traced down Shen Xinian’s neck.
“He was a truly good man, fulfilling every duty expected of a Prime Minister.”
“It’s just… he was only human, and he’d grown far too weary.”
Shen Xinian’s cheek pressed gently against Pei Du’s ear. The young man’s frame had yet to fully fill out, coming across as rather slight, but his embrace was solid and unyielding, a bastion that would never give ground.
“Let’s rest for a while. It’s all right.”
“Think about what truly matters—what we must do, who it’s for, the path we have to walk.”
“Little Bird’s right here with you.”
“You need to understand this: whether you take on the role of Pei Fuguang or not, Little Bird loves you.”
As Shen Xinian spoke, memories surfaced of all those times he’d playfully flapped his hands like wings to form little hearts for Pei Du, and he let out a soft chuckle.
Shen Jiujiu had covertly confessed his affections more times than he could count, but Pei Du had likely never grasped the meaning behind it.
So Shen Xinian’s eyes crinkled in a warm smile as he traced the shape of a heart on Pei Du’s upper back with his fingertip.
“Little Bird will love you forever.”
“Heart~”
