Consort of a Thousand Faces Chapter 270.1 - countering every move

Chapter 270.1: countering every move

Pei Qianhao didn’t wait for Su Xi-er’s reply, and pulled her onto his legs. His left hand held her injured arm, while his right hand caressed her hair slowly. His warm breath caressed her ears as he asked, “How do you plan to deal with Yun Ruofeng?”
His voice was soft and slow, but his tone was firm. It made it seem as if he was serious, and would punish him as she wished.
Su Xi-er thought for a moment. If I use Pei Qianhao to deal with Yun Ruofeng, that would just be relying on him and admitting that I can’t do anything for myself. Besides, he has no reason to become involved in Nanzhao’s matter as the Prince Regent of Beimin. If someone is to punish Yun Ruofeng, then it should be Lianchen.
Hence, Su Xi-er shook her head. “Prince Hao, you can’t get involved directly. If this matter is leaked to anyone, then it would look like you’re trying to manage Nanzhao. At that point, it would no longer be something as simple as a personal matter, but a matter between the two nations instead.”
“Should this Prince chide you for having a clever little mouth, or for thinking too much? This Prince is extremely displeased that he offended you, and so he must be harshly punished. Taking half of his military power away was just a small warning; it will be up to the Emperor of Nanzhao to punish him in the end.”
Half of his military power was taken! With how important the military is to him, this is simply a slap in Yun Ruofeng’s face!
“Prince Hao, did you have a private talk with Nanzhao’s Emperor?” Su Xi-er looked at him carefully, her body leaning against his chest.
“Your eyes start to shine as soon as I mention Nanzhao’s Emperor. You are not allowed to think about him at all.” He pinched her waist, as if he was punishing her.
“This servant is curious, what did you discuss with Nanzhao’s Emperor?” Su Xi-er continued to ask, focusing on him with a glint in her eyes.
The more she wanted to know, the less he wanted to tell her. “Your body hasn’t recovered yet, and you should spend more time resting. After that, we will leave Nanzhao and return to Beimin.”
“Mmm, this servant will go and rest up.” Su Xi-er abruptly tried to get up and walk off.
Pei Qianhao was unhappy. I only wanted her to stop being so curious, which was why I told her to rest properly. Who knew that she would immediately leave? He reached out a hand to pull her back. “Do you get sleepy whenever you see this Prince?”
“Prince Hao, this servant is following your order to go and rest.”
Right after she finished her sentence, an imperial guard from the Prince Hao Residence walked up with a letter in hand. “Prince Hao, a guard from the Pei Residence delivered a letter from Lord Pei. He has just arrived after hurrying over to Nanzhao.”
Pei Qianhao took the letter and glanced over it, his eyes growing darker with each line he read. At last, he passed the letter to the imperial guard. “Burn it and tell the guard from the Pei Residence to bring a message back. This Prince will return to Beimin in three days; as for…”
At this point, Pei Qianhao looked at Su Xi-er and paused. “Aren’t you sleepy? You may withdraw and rest up.”
Su Xi-er understood that he meant for her to leave. I am not allowed to hear what comes next. Thus, she bowed and turned to leave.
However, she only rounded the corner before hiding behind the wall just next to the main hall.
“Su Xi-er, Prince Hao has ordered you to rest up in your room.” The imperial guard urged, not daring to order her directly as Su Xi-er was currently favoured by Prince Hao.
Su Xi-er gestured for him to be quiet. “I will return to my room soon; don’t make a sound.”