Chapter 44
Chapter 44
As Matron Gao’s voice fell outside the door, Xing Shuwei took two steps back and moved to one side.
Lady Pei answered in a grave voice, “Understood.”
When her gaze returned to Xing Shuwei, it was like a knife.
Xing Shuwei could feel that gaze threatening to flay her alive, but she no longer had any desire to trade false pleasantries with Lady Pei.
What had four years of caution and devoted service earned her?
No one remembered her kindness.
On the contrary, whenever the slightest thing displeased them, they took it all out on her without caring whether she lived or died.
“How capable you are.” Lady Pei finally forced the words through gritted teeth. “Speak. What do you want?”
Xing Shuwei raised her eyes. Her clear gaze brimmed with gratitude.
In Lady Pei’s eyes, she was nothing but a calculating little wretch pretending innocence after gaining the upper hand.
Xing Shuwei smiled. “Banknotes worth ten thousand taels of silver.
“I also need you to find a pretext to let me come and go freely.”
Lady Pei’s expression chilled further. “Ten thousand taels? You truly dare demand the moon.”
Xing Shuwei lowered her eyes. “My brother and I will need to establish a home elsewhere in the future. Ten thousand taels isn’t much.”
“Weiwei is in no hurry. You may take your time considering it, my lady.
“The Empress Dowager still holds a decree left by the late Emperor.”
Lady Pei was about to speak when Matron Gao’s voice came again, saying that Menglian had been waiting for quite some time.
Lady Pei did not dare delay any longer. In the space of a moment, she had already made her decision. “Very well. You shall have what you asked for.
“There is no time to lose. Find that scoundrel and have him handle it as soon as possible.
“But let me make this clear: once I give you ten thousand taels, I will have no extra silver left to grease any palms.”
Ten thousand taels to buy Feng’er a noble title was worth it.
That damned scoundrel from the Zhang clan had even told Xing Shuwei about the decree from the late Emperor that the Empress Dowager held.
Clearly, Xing Shuwei’s seductive wiles had thoroughly ensnared him.
“Yes,” Xing Shuwei answered, following her out of Panlin Court.
Upon returning to Qianchen Pavilion, Qiutong helped her recline on the daybed. “Miss, what did Lady Pei say? She can’t possibly have let us off easily, can she?”
Xing Shuwei took a sip of the tea Qiutong handed her, her eyes seeming veiled in thin ice. “If I begged her, she would only think me easy to bully and become even worse.
“But I offered her a bargain. No matter how reluctant she may be, she will hurry to fulfill my demands.”
Holding the teacup, Qiutong shook her head in puzzlement to show she did not understand.
Xing Shuwei said, “The Empress Dowager can influence the situation in Qizhou and stand against both the Empress and Noble Consort Zhang. Clearly, she wields real power.
“By sending me the Empress Dowager’s calligraphy, Zhang Mingan has already shown his intention to use me.
“I have no wish to become involved, but there is no escaping it.
“Since that’s the case, I may as well use the opportunity to find a way out for myself.”
When Pei Xianjing was with her, he rarely spoke of matters concerning the court.
Most of Pei Guofei’s information came from the young masters he associated with, and there was no telling what was true or false.
After considering it from every angle, Xing Shuwei felt that Zhang Mingan’s information might actually be the most accurate.
Since she had resolved to get Yan’er into the Embroidered Uniform Guard, she had to arrange a safe and suitable post for him.
At eight that evening, Chengde came to summon Xing Shuwei.
“Miss Xing, the Eldest Young Master asks you to go to him at once.”
Standing beneath the corridor, Xing Shuwei answered wearily, “I’m not feeling well. I’ll go attend him in a couple of days.”
Chengde’s voice came again. “Please don’t make things difficult for this subordinate, Miss Xing.”
Thoroughly deflated, Xing Shuwei set off for Qiansheng Pavilion with Qiutong.
When she arrived, Pei Xianjing was bathing.
“Weiwei, come here,” he called when he heard the door open.
Through the folding screen, Xing Shuwei looked at his back. Without turning his head, he rested his two long, powerful arms on the rim of the bathtub.
Xing Shuwei answered and slowly walked over.
She saw his discarded clothes hanging over one side of the screen, their hems caked in a thick layer of blood and mud.
Her brows drew together. Holding her breath, she concentrated and detected a strong stench of blood that made her uneasy.
Xing Shuwei knew she could not simply stand there waiting, so she reached out to wash his back.
“You’re injured. Don’t touch the water. Once you’re better, you can take your time attending me.” Pei Xianjing’s voice was very soft.
To Xing Shuwei’s ears, his words felt like the steam rising from the bathtub and brushing her face-hot and damp.
She stood beside the tub in such embarrassment that she had no idea where to look.
She and Pei Xianjing had been intimate many times, but she had never truly looked at him.
At that moment, he resembled a green pine blanketed in snow that suddenly shook every flake from its branches.
He stepped stark naked out of the bathtub.
How mortifying!
How could he be so shameless?
Upright gentleman? Elegant young nobleman? Pei Xianjing was nothing of the sort.
He had said nothing. He had not even done anything.
It was no more than the most ordinary movement, yet it made her face flush crimson with mortification.
Pei Xianjing stood before her and unhurriedly put on his inner robe.
Many candles burned in the room, filling it with bright light.
Pei Xianjing said, “I would have returned earlier, but I made a trip to the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s imperial prison. Did you eat well this evening?”
Xing Shuwei followed behind him. As she passed the folding screen, she saw the blood and mud even more clearly.
Why had he suddenly mentioned the Embroidered Uniform Guard?
Xing Shuwei increasingly felt like a bird startled by the mere twang of a bowstring whenever she was before him.
She had to weigh every word Pei Xianjing said, terrified that one wrong answer would arouse his suspicions.
“Brother Jing has worked hard,” she said gently.
Pei Xianjing sat on the daybed and patted his thigh, indicating that she should sit.
Xing Shuwei did not dare disobey. Once seated, she wound both arms around his neck.
“The Embroidered Uniform Guard may sound impressive, but outsiders know nothing of its hardships. Does Weiwei know what kind of work they normally do?”
Xing Shuwei did not want to know, nor did she want to answer.
Every day, she had to guess at one person’s thoughts and guard against another’s schemes. She was exhausted.
Still, she shook her head. “I know nothing of court affairs.”
“Then I will tell you. You must remember every word carefully.” Pei Xianjing held her, every word and gesture as gentle as water.
Yet Xing Shuwei could feel a chill radiating from him, as though it meant to seep into the cracks between her bones.
“Their duty is to contend with every civil and military official at court.
“They kill those whom the Emperor cannot openly kill.
“The lives on their hands include the good and the wicked alike.
“Every time a new emperor ascends the throne in Great Yue, the Embroidered Uniform Guard is purged in blood.”
“I fear that after exhausting yourself in schemes, you will instead send your brother down a road to certain death.”
Xing Shuwei instantly went rigid in his arms.
She had not even mentioned the matter to Zhang Mingan. How did Pei Xianjing already know?
As expected, he had been thinking all along of using Yan’er to threaten her.
Xing Shuwei’s throat constricted, as though something were lodged within it.
Her delicate face turned deathly pale, her brows knitting and relaxing only to knit again.
Only after a long while did she lift her eyes to him. “I…”
Her mind suddenly became a tangled mess, and she could not utter a complete sentence.
Pei Xianjing hooked a long finger beneath her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. “Weiwei, don’t you trust me?”