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墨書 Inktalez
In the dark and damp Kyoto Dungeon, a nauseating stench of decay filled the air.
Pei Guanjing hung suspended by heavy iron chains, his hands raised high above him. His clothes were tattered and filthy, stained with dried blood, presenting a pitiful sight. Once a figure of grace akin to an immortal, he had now fallen to the depths of despair, reduced to a prisoner in dire circumstances.
The guards, seeing him in such a fallen state, often took pleasure in tormenting him. A whip cracked against his back, tearing through flesh and skin, blood instantly seeping out and staining his already ragged clothing.
Yet Pei Guanjing gritted his teeth and remained silent. He slightly tilted his head, gazing through the narrow window of his cell at the sky outside, wordlessly as if everything beyond those walls had nothing to do with him. Only one person far away occupied his thoughts.
A Chen, I am waiting for you.
As if sensing this connection, Ye Chen was listening to Mo Sheng’s plan when he suddenly turned his gaze toward the direction of the Heavenly Prison. A sharp pain struck at his heart, as if an invisible hand was tightly gripping it.
The plan had been laid out for a day; Mo Sheng would lead him into the cell and secretly swap Pei Guanjing out under the guise of deception. Ye Chen would then have the Dark Guard provide cover, ensuring that by the time Lou Yu discovered what had happened, they would have long since left the capital with Pei Guanjing.
“Who is he?” At the entrance of the Heavenly Prison, Mo Sheng and Ye Chen were stopped by a guard who stared at Ye Chen for a long time, unable to recall when such a handsome person had come here.
Mo Sheng quickly stepped forward with a beaming smile. “Xu Laoda, this isn’t one of ours; she’s here to see her husband. He’s currently in prison, and she just wants to take a last look and bring some food. It’s no trouble at all.” As he spoke, Mo Sheng cleverly adjusted his angle and discreetly handed over a heavy pouch of silver to Xu Laoda.
Xu Laoda raised an eyebrow and glanced at Mo Sheng before quickly stuffing the silver into his pocket without revealing any emotion. Then he instantly put on a warm smile. “Since you brought her, I’ll do you a favor. You can go in.”
Thus, Ye Chen successfully entered the Heavenly Prison.
Everywhere were guards stationed; every few steps there was someone on duty. Ye Chen felt that his previous plans had been utterly naive—how could he have imagined such an outrageous scheme? But Mo Sheng remained unfazed. Along the way, he produced tokens and led Ye Chen boldly into the dungeon. Whenever someone inquired, he would slip them money, claiming they were visiting family until they reached the deepest part of the dungeon.
The cell was damp and filthy, dimly lit with an oppressive atmosphere hanging in the air. Ye Chen followed closely behind Mo Sheng, slowly stepping further inside.
The surroundings were eerily silent; it seemed that only their footsteps echoed through the empty corridor. After what felt like an eternity—long enough for Ye Chen to think he was walking toward doom—Mo Sheng finally stopped. He deftly pulled out a key and unlocked the cell door, gesturing for Ye Chen to enter while stepping aside.
As the prison door swung open, the chains rattled with a crisp sound, startling the lifeless figure suspended in midair. The person’s head bobbed slightly before drooping again, as if still lost in a deep slumber.
The dimly lit cell housed a solitary figure leaning against the wall, head bowed, arms suspended by two chains that hung from the ceiling.
Ye Chen felt his heart skip a beat, his breath quickening. He stepped forward, gently pushing the door open and walking inside.
At that very moment, the person slowly lifted their head.
Their eyes met, and Ye Chen was momentarily frozen, as if time had come to a standstill.
Pei Guanjing was equally stunned, disbelief and joy filling his gaze.
After five years apart, the youthful innocence that once graced Ye Chen's features had faded, revealing a strong and mature demeanor. The once tender bud had blossomed into a striking vermilion mark.
In Ye Chen's eyes, Pei Guanjing appeared gaunt, his temples touched by the frost of hardship. His body bore countless whip marks, and his clothes were soaked in blood, rendering their original color unrecognizable.
Yet in this moment, his dark eyes sparkled with brilliance, shining like morning stars—the last glimmer of hope in the darkness.
“A Chen,” after a long silence, Pei Guanjing broke the stillness between them. His voice was hoarse and broken, lacking the rich timbre of yesteryears. “You’ve come.”
Ye Chen felt tears welling up but quickly held them back, forcing a smile that was gentle yet calm, no longer the clear tone of his younger self. “Yes, I’ve come to take you home.”
Pei Guanjing couldn’t help but chuckle at that. A faint smile appeared on his lips, gradually widening into hearty laughter.
In this lifetime, he had never felt such joy.
At this moment, he felt complete; there were no more burdens on his heart. What were power and kingdoms compared to the person before him who was alive and smiling while speaking to him?
“Ye Chen,” the laughter jolted through his body, sending waves of pain coursing through his wounds. But at that moment, he couldn’t care less; he simply smiled and said, “Ye Chen, come here, let me hold you.”
Ye Chen slowly stepped forward, extending his arms to gently embrace his thin waist. Leaning against his chest once more, Ye Chen felt a pang in his heart, his eyes reddening as tears threatened to spill.
For five years, he had missed this embrace at every moment. And now, he was finally back against his chest.
Pei Guanjing felt a sense of completeness wash over him. He rested his chin lightly on Ye Chen's head, inhaling the familiar yet long-missed faint scent of Haitang from his hair. He desperately wanted to wrap his arms around him tightly and never let go again. Yet at that moment, his arms were shackled by iron chains, rendering him immobile. He instinctively struggled a bit, the chains clinking with a metallic sound.
Ye Chen lifted his head from Pei Guanjing's embrace and noticed the skin between his arms had long been worn raw, covered with thick scabs. Now, with the struggle, the scabs had broken open, and blood began to flow freely.
A sharp pain pierced Ye Chen's heart as he hugged Pei Guanjing's waist tighter and then looked up to soothe him, saying, “Guanjing, don’t move.”
“But Ye Chen, I really want to hold you again,” Pei Guanjing replied softly, gazing down at him with deep affection.
Feeling a bittersweet ache in his heart, Ye Chen forced a smile and said, “Holding you is the same.” With that, he tightened his grip around Pei Guanjing’s waist and rested his head back against his chest.
Tears could no longer be held back and fell silently.
At that moment, he didn’t care whether Pei Guanjing would see them. Still leaning against his chest, he chuckled through a sniffle, “I came in such a hurry that I didn’t bring any tools. I can’t help you get free; I really feel useless.”
Pei Guanjing looked at him with eyes full of tenderness and smiled, “It’s enough that you’re here. I don’t care about anything else.”
Ye Chen was momentarily stunned. “Guanjing, do you really want to be trapped here waiting to die?”
Pei Guanjing smiled but remained silent. How could he wait for death? With Ye Chen by his side, he would not die. As long as Ye Chen was there, nothing else mattered anymore.
Seeing him silent, Ye Chen glanced up at him before lowering his head again to rest against his chest.
"Viewing, I've arranged for someone to come after I leave. They will rescue you and take your place. Just follow that person, do you understand?" Ye Chen said softly.
He was just over twenty years old; even if five years had passed, he would only be thirty now. Yet, Pei Guanjing had streaks of white in his hair and looked haggard.
In these five years, wasn't he supposed to be thriving? Wasn't it rumored that he had pushed Lou Yu back to Cangzhou multiple times, nearly leading to a complete military defeat, just a step away from the high position everyone admired? But now, seeing him like this, what had happened?
Pei Guanjing smiled and changed the subject. "A Chen, you seem to have gained some weight compared to five years ago."
The two of them avoided discussing Pei Guanjing's affairs in the capital over the past five years.
Ye Chen smiled and looked up at him, his eyes filled with tenderness. "I’ve already had a child, so of course I weigh more than before."
These words struck Pei Guanjing like a heavy blow, causing his heart to race.
Indeed, Ye Chen had left him while pregnant. Without him as a father figure to comfort her, Ye Chen must have endured quite a bit of hardship. Looking into Ye Chen's smiling eyes, Pei Guanjing felt momentarily blank, unsure of what to say.
Ye Chen continued, "It's a boy. He’s already over four years old now, looks like you but doesn’t have your temperament—he's quite mischievous and never stays quiet for a moment. Do you think his personality comes from me?"
Pei Guanjing still couldn't find his voice, filled with guilt for Ye Chen and their child.
He had let them down; all these years, he had never taken care of them. Especially during Ye Chen's pregnancy and childbirth, he hadn’t been by her side. His A Chen was still just a child herself but had given birth to another child for him. It was hard to imagine the suffering Ye Chen must have endured over the years.
Ye Chen continued, "I named him Ye Fei Yi. What do you think, Guanjing?"
Pei Guanjing felt as if his throat was blocked; he couldn't speak but could only nod repeatedly, tears welling in his eyes.
Ye Chen's eyes slightly reddened as his voice trembled with emotion. "A Fei could talk by the time he was one year old. He has never known his father. Whenever he plays with other children in the alley, they call him a bastard without a father. He has asked me more than once where his father is. I told him he doesn’t have one, but then he would ask why he doesn’t have a father and where his father is. I simply cannot answer that question."
Pei Guanjing gasped for breath, feeling a sharp pain in his chest as if he were on the verge of suffocating. His eyes were fixed on Ye Chen, filled with an unprecedented sense of guilt and regret.
Ye Chen paused for a moment, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes. He continued, “At that time, I was thinking about what to do. How should I answer him? But after thinking for many days, I still didn’t know how to start. So, Guanjing,”
He slowly lifted his head, gazing deeply into Pei Guanjing’s eyes. “I think this question can only be answered by you.”
Pei Guanjing nodded vigorously, his gaze resolute. “Alright, I will answer him myself. I will give him a complete home.”
Suddenly, tears streamed down Ye Chen’s face like pearls falling from a broken string. “But Guanjing, you’re going to die. In just a few days, you will be executed publicly. How will you answer him then? What if A Fei asks me this question? What should I say? Should I tell him that his father is dead and that he will never have a father again? You can’t die! What will A Fei and I do if you die?”
As he spoke, Ye Chen became increasingly agitated. He wrapped his arms tightly around Pei Guanjing’s waist and buried his face in his chest, unable to contain the sorrow within him any longer. He cried out loud, completely oblivious to the fact that his tears and snot were staining Pei Guanjing’s clothes.
Pei Guanjing felt Ye Chen trembling in his embrace, filled with helplessness and guilt. His hands were bound by chains, preventing him from holding Ye Chen tightly or gently wiping away his tears.
The only thing he could do was rub his chin gently against Ye Chen’s head, speaking softly like a gentle spring breeze to comfort him. “A Chen, believe me. I won’t die; I absolutely won’t die. From now on, I will be with you and our child, living a good life together. I promise you that I will no longer think about power or thrones. I will take you and our child and live a simple and stable life. I will listen to everything you say from now on, alright? Whatever you want me to do, I will do it. And whatever you don’t want me to do, I will never do again, okay?”
Pei Guanjing lowered his head slightly and placed a gentle kiss on the top of Ye Chen’s head.
“A Chen, be good; don’t cry anymore.”
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