Chapter 45
Chapter 45
Xing Shuwei felt as though she had been struck by lightning.
His question was no different from a blow to the head. She could only force herself to remain calm and stay in his arms like an obedient cat.
Pei Xianjing fixed his deep eyes on her, then turned and carried her down onto the daybed.
Xing Shuwei did not dare resist.
The window stood open a crack, and the spring night wind was cool.
The rustling of wind through the leaves poured clearly into Xing Shuwei’s ears.
She did not know whether the wind had lifted the hem of her skirt or whether it had simply been lifted.
“Weiwei, you’re unwell. Just lie still.” His cool breath spilled across her face.
Xing Shuwei felt like a puppet.
But Pei Xianjing had no shortage of ways to make a puppet move.
Biting her lip and knitting her brows, she whispered in a small, soft voice, “Don’t.”
“No. I don’t want to.”
A chill rose beneath her, like the northern wind in winter boring straight into her body.
Mist filled Xing Shuwei’s eyes as she looked at him. Her pearly teeth bit down on her lip as she endured.
“Do you not want it, or do you not want me?” No emotion could be heard in Pei Xianjing’s voice.
Xing Shuwei had no way to answer.
The truth would offend him.
But in her present terror, he would surely detect a lie the moment she spoke it.
Like a raging flood or savage beast, Pei Xianjing battered down the defenses Xing Shuwei had built around her heart again and again.
He was too frightening.
No matter what she planned, he seemed to know it all.
Xing Shuwei looked at him as tears slid from the corners of her eyes. “I’m afraid.”
That was the truth.
As though all strength had left her, she straightened her bent legs.
The instant tears spilled from her eyes, she said with resignation, “I’m afraid I’ll die in the Pei family, that I’ll die at Princess Jin’an’s hands.
“If leaving you is the only way I can live, then I have no other choice.
“Brother Jing knows better than I do that no one will tolerate me. Isn’t that so?”
“You’ll marry the Princess and move into Princess Jin’an’s residence. What will happen to me?”
The heart that had been pounding wildly in Xing Shuwei’s chest gradually calmed.
“Yan’er is already living a life worse than death at Zhenxi Hall, his whole body covered in wounds. Why shouldn’t I let him fight for a chance himself?”
In the end, she still did not believe he could protect her.
Pei Xianjing looked away. “Sleep.”
He withdrew his hand and casually pulled the quilt over her.
His reaction was exactly what Xing Shuwei had expected.
She was right. He would certainly marry Princess Jin’an.
Yet for some reason, her heart seemed to plunge into the frozen depths of an icy lake.
Pei Xianjing lay down quietly and drew her into his arms. “Don’t let your thoughts run wild.”
“There are many things you can do nothing about no matter how much you think. You will only add to your troubles.
“And don’t think yourself clever. Your schemes may only make matters worse.”
Xing Shuwei said nothing. Turning her face away, she lay with her back to him.
After a long while passed without him moving, she suppressed her tangled thoughts and edged closer to him again.
When Pei Xianjing gave no response, anxiety churned in her heart.
She held her rigid body in place, breathing so faintly she seemed to have stopped altogether.
Pleasing Pei Xianjing and the Pei family was like a sword suspended above her head.
At the slightest misstep, that sword could wound her at any moment.
Xing Shuwei wept soundlessly in the darkness.
After an unknown length of time, Pei Xianjing reached over with one long arm and pulled her into his embrace.
Only then did Xing Shuwei’s suspended heart finally settle.
She had no power to openly break with Pei Xianjing.
It would be easier for Pei Xianjing than Princess Jin’an to kill her-or make her wish she were dead.
Only in the latter half of the night did Xing Shuwei finally fall into a deep sleep.
Pei Xianjing felt no drowsiness. He rose and dressed, took the golden-thread nanmu box from beneath his pillow, and went to the study.
Chengde lit the candles in the study.
Pei Xianjing bent over the desk and wrote a letter.
He opened the golden-thread nanmu box, removed the still-sealed letter inside, and placed the one he had written in its stead.
“Chengde, find a way to deliver this letter to Consort Chu tomorrow,” he instructed.
Chengde accepted it in both hands. “Eldest Young Master, are you truly going to stop investigating the Qizhou case?”
Pei Xianjing did not even raise his eyes. “Now is not the right time. Once the Eastern Palace’s occupant is decided, that will be the time to settle old accounts.”
“But if the Eleventh Prince is ultimately chosen, then when you settle accounts with the Chu clan, Eldest Young Master, I’m afraid it will leave a lasting grudge in the Eleventh Prince’s heart. In the future…”
If the Eleventh Prince ascended the throne in the future, the rift between them might lead him to settle accounts with the Eldest Young Master in turn…
The Eldest Young Master had clearly decided to uproot the problem completely even if it meant opposing the entire Grand Secretariat. Why had he suddenly changed his mind?
Even the Emperor had called the Eldest Young Master the sharpest blade in Great Yue.
Within the realm, it could cut out long-standing abuses; beyond its borders, it could strike deep into the enemy’s heart.
That blade could not be allowed to grow dull.
Yet why did Chengde feel that the Eldest Young Master’s blade had not merely dulled, but had even become chipped?
“Just do as I say,” Pei Xianjing said.
Chengde tucked the box safely away. “This subordinate obeys.”
* * *
When Xing Shuwei awoke, she found Qiutong keeping watch beside her.
“Why is it you? Where is he?” Xing Shuwei sat up with a start.
Qiutong helped her upright. “He entered the palace early this morning. They said the Emperor has given the Eldest Young Master a new appointment and summoned him to the palace to receive the decree.”
After washing and dressing simply, Xing Shuwei returned to Qianchen Pavilion with Qiutong.
She had barely entered the courtyard when Qingling, Lady Pei’s senior maid, arrived behind her.
“My lady sent a calling card to the Marquis of Qingyuan’s estate yesterday and arranged a meeting on Miss Xing’s behalf at the Spring Breeze Restaurant on Shenwu Avenue.
“Please prepare yourself and go quickly, Miss Xing. It would not do to keep someone from the Marquis’s estate waiting.”
After delivering the message, Qingling turned and left.
Xing Shuwei had Qiutong help her with some simple grooming before leaving the estate through a side gate.
Lady Pei had thoughtfully arranged a carriage for her.
When she arrived at the Spring Breeze Restaurant, a waiter greeted her with a smile. “Miss Xing, please follow this humble one.”
Xing Shuwei was surprised. “How did you recognize me?”
The waiter smiled. “The noble heir showed this humble one a portrait of you.
“And truly, you’re even more beautiful in person than in the painting.
“Oh, listen to this humble one’s foolish mouth! I don’t mean that the noble heir painted you poorly. You’re simply as beautiful as a celestial maiden.”
The flattery sounded grating to Xing Shuwei.
She frowned without answering, but quickened her pace.
Zhang Mingan was far too ostentatious in everything he did. She did not like it.
The waiter led her to the door of a private room and withdrew. Qiutong remained outside on guard.
Xing Shuwei pushed open the door and found Zhang Mingan sitting astride a chair with a dissolute air.
A portrait of her hung on the wall, and he was admiring it as he drank.
Xing Shuwei hurriedly shut the private room’s door.
“Aren’t you afraid word will spread when you behave so ostentatiously?” Xing Shuwei’s voice was distant.
Zhang Mingan turned to look at her. “What is there to fear? I only hope I can marry you and bring you home soon, so I won’t have to moon over your portrait every night.”
Xing Shuwei perched on the edge of her seat. “What makes you think you’ll be able to marry me?”
With a snap, Zhang Mingan opened his folding fan. “Didn’t you come here today precisely to marry me?”
He saw through her intentions at a glance.
“I can marry you, but first you must obtain an edict of the Empress Dowager for me. You must also arrange a position in the Embroidered Uniform Guard for my brother, one far removed from danger.”