Chapter 9: I Have Something Even Harder on Me, Chancellor Gu… Part 2

At the thought, Pei Jingyi smiled thinly. “Then I’ll trouble you to lead the way. We mustn’t keep the Chancellor waiting.”

Relieved, the eunuch quickly turned to lead the way.

The Chancellery was located in a corner of the Inner Palace, the traditional office for the heads of the government throughout the Chen Dynasty. Vermillion pillars towered toward the sky, and the eaves curled upward with grand intensity. Two stone lions stood before the doors, radiating an atmosphere of solemn majesty.

Inside the spacious hall, Iron Eagle Guards stood on either side, watching Pei Jingyi with wary eyes as he entered.

Behind a red sandalwood desk in the center, Gu Huaiyu sat draped in a snow-white fox fur cloak. His finger hooked the edge of a memorial, flipping through it with nonchalance.

Pei Jingyi cupped his fist but did not bow. “This subordinate greets the Chancellor.”

Gu Huaiyu didn’t raise his lashes, remaining focused on the document as if he hadn’t heard the man’s voice.

The hall was deathly silent, save for the occasional soft crackle of the charcoal fire.

Pei Jingyi wasn’t intimidated. His gaze swept shamelessly over the other man—from the pale, sickly beauty of his face to the hint of a collarbone peeking out from his slightly open collar.

After finishing the memorial, Gu Huaiyu set it on the desk and looked up. “General Pei, why do you not kneel when seeing this Chancellor?”

Pei Jingyi raised an eyebrow, his tone matter-of-fact. “The Late Emperor granted me special permission to be exempt from kneeling.”

Gu Huaiyu remembered, of course. Emperor Rui had been afraid of pushing this wolf too far, fearing he would return to Bingzhou and raise an army in rebellion, so he had granted him many privileges.

But Gu Huaiyu was not afraid. He knew perfectly well that Pei Jingyi would rebel sooner or later. Rather than waiting for this wolf to grow fangs and tear the court apart, it was better to grind down his spine now and domesticate him into a loyal dog.

“The Late Emperor? If you call his name, will he answer?”

Gu Huaiyu tapped his finger lightly on the desk.

Two Iron Eagle Guards stepped forward fiercely, grabbing Pei Jingyi’s shoulders and slamming their weight downward!

“In my domain, General Pei must follow my rules.”

Pei Jingyi’s form didn’t budge. The two guards weren’t even as tall as his shoulders. They exerted so much force that the veins on their faces bulged, yet it was like trying to shake an iron tree. They couldn’t move him an inch.

He allowed the guards to hold his arms, standing with his hands behind his back. “Is the Chancellor holding a grudge over today’s arrow?”

Gu Huaiyu touched the back of his hand to his cheek, where the sticky sensation of the pigeon-blood wine still lingered. “Could it be that General Pei thought he was here to receive a reward?”

Pei Jingyi chuckled. He dropped his shoulders, and in the instant his muscles tightened, the two guards were thrown back by the recoil. They stumbled, their palms numbed by the shock!

He didn’t continue the confrontation. Instead, with a crisp and decisive movement, he dropped to one knee in a standard salute. “There is no need for this, Chancellor. If you insist that I kneel, I shall naturally comply.”

Gu Huaiyu finally stood up and walked over to him. He raised the tip of his boot and slowly pressed it onto the back of Pei Jingyi’s hand.

It was this hand that had nearly sent an arrow through his throat today.

The sole of the boot slowly ground against his knuckles. The pressure wasn’t heavy, but it was saturated with humiliation.

Pei Jingyi allowed the boot to press down. Suddenly, he let out a low laugh. “The Chancellor’s feet are quite delicate. Were they perhaps bound for you as a child?”

No one had ever dared to offend Gu Huaiyu in such a way. The strength in his foot suddenly intensified, grinding harshly against Pei Jingyi’s fingers. “That mouth of yours has caused you quite a bit of trouble, hasn’t it, General?”

Pei Jingyi looked up at him. The beauty looked down from on high, his face as cold as untouched snow, his lowered lashes casting shadows like deep pools. He was exceptionally handsome.

Unmoved, Pei Jingyi even leaned forward slightly. “I am merely speaking the truth. For the Chancellor to have such exquisite feet is truly a rare sight.”

Gu Huaiyu had intended to stop there for today, but he changed his mind. He slowly rubbed the tip of his boot against the back of Pei’s hand, as if wiping dust from his sole. “General Pei, there is no need to enter the palace tomorrow. I grant you three days of leave.”

Pei Jingyi narrowed his eyes. “Oh? What orders does the Chancellor have for me?”

Gu Huaiyu hooked his slender fingers in the air. An Iron Eagle Guard immediately brought forward a woven black gold wire whip.

The body of the whip glinted coldly under the candlelight, its tip studded with tiny barbs.

Pei Jingyi’s casual smile vanished as he stared straight at Gu Huaiyu.

Gu Huaiyu leisurely wrapped the whip around his palm, the dark leather forming a sharp contrast against his white jade-like wrist. He used the handle of the whip to tilt Pei Jingyi’s chin upward, leaning down slightly. “Why is the General silent? Hmm?”

With every breath, Pei Jingyi inhaled the faint fragrance clinging to the man, which made his throat itch strangely. “The Chancellor’s whip is of a perfect thickness, and it’s polished so brightly. Truly beautiful.”

Snap!

The tip of the whip suddenly lashed against the side of his neck, leaving a red welt.