Chapter 4

Chapter 4

That opportunity came very quickly.

At the start of the new year, His Majesty held a grand banquet for all his officials at Chonghua Palace. In high spirits, he drank quite a bit too much, until he was so drunk he could barely walk straight.

Pei Yunruo directed the palace servants in clearing away the remains of the feast while also ordering someone to escort His Majesty back to Mingzheng Hall and look after him properly.

By the time she finished dealing with matters at Chonghua Palace, it was already midnight. She had just washed up and was about to sleep when someone began pounding on the palace gate loudly enough to shake the sky.

A palace servant went to look-and it was His Majesty.

Pei Yunruo went out to receive him, half exasperated and half amused. She had only just opened her mouth to ask, “Why has Your Majesty come here?” when he had already thrown himself at her and pulled her into a full embrace.

His Majesty was drunk and dazed, all his usual imperial dignity collapsed. He looped his arms around Pei Yunruo’s neck and wheedled like a little child, “Sister.”

Pei Yunruo blushed crimson with embarrassment and coaxed him in a low voice, “Your Majesty, be good. Don’t make a scene here.”

Drunk as he was, His Majesty’s eyes looked as though shattered stars had fallen into them. He simply stared at Pei Yunruo with those wide, misty eyes.

Those watery eyes reminded me of a big black dog I had kept when I was little.

Outside, it had been imposing and majestic, but the moment it came home, it would wag its tail at me with its tongue lolling out. Its expression was exactly the same as His Majesty’s right now.

His Majesty nuzzled against Pei Yunruo’s neck. “Sister, I feel awful. I just want to stay by your side.”

Pei Yunruo could do nothing with him when he acted like this, so she could only bring him inside and personally wipe his hands and face.

His Majesty vomited seven or eight times that night. Pei Yunruo patiently cleaned up the mess each time, and once he felt a little better, she fed him sobering soup spoonful by spoonful.

In the latter half of the night, when His Majesty finally stopped throwing up, he held Pei Yunruo’s hand and rambled on to her about all sorts of things.

The palace lamps glowed dimly. Pei Yunruo sat beside His Majesty and kept watch over him, wiping him down while answering him softly.

His Majesty tormented her the whole night. It was not until dawn that Pei Yunruo finally fell asleep beside him.

When His Majesty woke and saw Pei Yunruo’s sleeping face, a smile suddenly spread across his drowsy features. His gaze swept over her face with the utmost tenderness, as if he could never look at her enough.

He rose on tiptoe, carefully lifted Pei Yunruo in his arms, and placed her on the bed. Then, smiling, he raised a finger to his lips, signaling for the palace servants to be silent.

He went out for a while and gave some instructions. After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, he slipped back in quietly.

I saw him tuck a red pouch beneath Pei Yunruo’s pillow.

Pei Yunruo was woken by his movements. His Majesty simply took it out with a grin and held it before her, showing it off as if it were some precious treasure. “Your New Year’s money.”

Before Pei Yunruo had even opened her eyes, she laughed. “How old am I already? Your Majesty is still giving me New Year’s money?”

But His Majesty answered with complete confidence, “What law says grown-ups can’t receive New Year’s money? As long as someone dotes on you, you can receive it no matter how old you are!”

I clearly saw tears in Pei Yunruo’s eyes, and thought to myself: faced with someone like this, could she truly keep herself from falling for him?