Chapter 52
Chapter 52
Xing Shuwei turned her head aside, burying half her face in the pillow.
Pei Xianjing repeatedly soaked the cloth, wiping her face and laying it across her forehead.
Although he spoke with deliberate patience, his voice could not conceal his anger. “Who suffers when you torment yourself like this?”
Xing Shuwei’s voice was low and soft. “I was born with a worthless life. No matter what I do, I’m the only one who suffers.
“Forget merely falling ill. Even if I died, no one would shed a single tear for me.”
“Does it matter what I’m going through, what kind of life I want, or what is in my heart?”
At those words, Pei Xianjing’s hand, which had been about to pull open her collar, stopped.
She did not want to see the estate physician in Qiansheng Pavilion. For the first time, he considered simply yielding to her wishes.
He could wipe down her body to lower her temperature, then decide whether to summon the estate physician after judging the severity of her illness.
In the future, he would yield to her wishes even more.
He had volunteered to become Imperial Tutor to the Eleventh Prince, creating room to maneuver regarding his marriage to Princess Jin’an.
He considered her in everything he did. But what of her?
“Xing Shuwei, do you think I don’t know about the ways you’ve deceived me?” Seated on the edge of the bed, Pei Xianjing clenched the cloth tightly in his hand.
“I indulged you too much and made you forget your place.
“You may want to die, but I refuse to allow it. I will make you understand who holds your life and death in his hands.”
Splash! The cloth struck the basin.
Pei Xianjing rose and left.
Before long, Gao Li hurried in with two maids.
She straightened Xing Shuwei’s clothes and escorted her back to Qianchen Pavilion.
At Pei Xianjing’s order, Chengde braved the rain to bring a physician from outside.
They used the side gate near Qianchen Pavilion, and no one noticed.
The physician administered acupuncture, prescribed medicine, and instructed her to take it on time three times a day. Only then did Chengde escort him out of the estate.
By the time all the commotion ended, it was already five in the morning.
* * *
During the days Xing Shuwei spent recovering, Lady Pei sent people to summon her.
Each time, Xing Shuwei had Qiutong dismiss them.
Lady Pei grew displeased and came to Qianchen Pavilion early one morning.
Xing Shuwei’s face remained deathly pale, and she looked weak enough for the wind to topple her.
Lady Pei seated herself in the place of honor and glanced coldly at her. “Even I cannot summon you now. How imposing you have become.”
Xing Shuwei curtsied. “Weiwei has been ill these past two days and feared passing the sickness to you, my lady. That is why I did not dare disturb you at Panlin Court. Please forgive me.”
Lady Pei had come to ask about the progress of the edict of the Empress Dowager and had no patience to watch her exchange false pleasantries.
“What brilliant methods you have. You went to all that trouble, yet failed to obtain the edict and ruined Jing’er’s spotless reputation instead.
“Do you know that if I hadn’t mediated for you, the Duke would have had you and your brother beaten to death?” Lady Pei said.
Xing Shuwei understood the unspoken meaning. Lady Pei was threatening her with Yan’er’s life yet again.
Nothing they did to her mattered, but they constantly threatened her with Yan’er!
Xing Shuwei bent even lower. “Weiwei remembers what she promised you and would never dare delay. Please give me a few more days, my lady.”
Lady Pei snorted coldly. “Feng’er is still young, so naturally I am in no hurry. But you have little time left.
“Did you know Princess Jin’an intends to select a personal guard from Zhenxi Hall?
“If she happens to choose your brother, a quick death would be a fortunate end. What you should fear is a life worse than death.”
Xing Shuwei’s expression changed drastically at those words.
Her knees struck the floor as she knelt before Lady Pei. “My lady, please show mercy. The Princess regards me as a thorn in her eye and flesh.
“If Yan’er falls into her hands, nothing good can possibly await him.
“Weiwei is willing to stake her life on obtaining the noble title for the Fifth Young Master. Please, my lady.”
Lady Pei lowered her eyes and looked at her without betraying any reaction.
Xing Shuwei bent forward and kowtowed to Lady Pei.
When Lady Pei gave no response, she continued kowtowing without pause.
Kneeling beside her, Qiutong’s eyes filled with tears of heartache.
Not one of the masters in this Duke’s estate treated her mistress as a human being. Every one of them wanted to trample Miss beneath their feet.
After roughly eight minutes, Lady Pei finally said, “Rise. How will you face anyone if you damage that face by kowtowing?”
Only after thanking Lady Pei profusely did Xing Shuwei rise from the floor.
Seeing Xing Shuwei’s tear-drenched face finally eased much of the discomfort in Lady Pei’s heart.
“As long as you fulfill my wish, I can certainly fulfill yours.
“But if you try to play tricks with me, do not blame me for showing no mercy.
“Whether your brother lives depends entirely on what you do. I await your good news.”
With that, she led her maids and matrons away.
Somehow, word of the calling card Lady Pei had previously sent to the Marquis of Qingyuan’s estate reached Pei Xianjing, and he became angry with her.
This time, she absolutely would not issue another calling card for Xing Shuwei.
Feng’er lacked both scholarly and martial ability, while the second branch had always been close to Pei Xianjing. She could not afford to openly break with him.
Xing Shuwei would have to find her own solution.
Qiutong bolted the courtyard gate of Qianchen Pavilion.
When she returned to the room, she saw Xing Shuwei sitting on the daybed in a daze, Noble Consort Zhang’s token in her hand.
“Miss, are you planning to use this token?” Qiutong asked.
Xing Shuwei’s fingertip stroked the token. “No. The moment we use this token will be the moment we leave the capital for good.”
Qiutong looked discouraged. “Can we truly leave, Miss?”
“We can,” Xing Shuwei said.
If they did not leave, sooner or later they would lose their lives here.
She had had enough of confinement and threats.
They all knew Yan’er was her vulnerable point, so they used his life to control her.
She had been naive before, believing that placing Yan’er in the Embroidered Uniform Guard would keep him beyond the reach of the Duke’s household.
But Pei Xianjing could reach into the Embroidered Uniform Guard at any moment. He entered and left the imperial prison freely, and even whether Shen Yanqi could accompany the Emperor depended on a single word from him.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard was no longer a safe place where Yan’er could establish a life.
Xing Shuwei had now witnessed Pei Xianjing’s power and terror.
She told Qiutong, “There is nowhere safe in this world anymore.
“If we want to live freely, we must first ‘die’ once.”
Qiutong’s eyes widened. “This servant is foolish and doesn’t understand what you mean, Miss.”
“We’ll fake our deaths and slip away under cover of the deception,” Xing Shuwei said.
At those words, Qiutong hurriedly turned to glance at the closed door behind her.
The plan had not even begun, yet her heart already seemed ready to leap from her chest.
“That won’t be easy, will it, Miss? How flawless would our plan have to be to deceive the Eldest Young Master?
“Besides, where will we go after leaving the capital? Is there anywhere in Great Yue where we can establish ourselves?”
Xing Shuwei’s voice was calm. “We’ll return to Qizhou.”
“Qizhou’s pacification is within sight, while Pei Xianjing has become involved in the succession struggle.
“Even if he wishes to leave the capital and take up a post in Qizhou, he can no longer do so.
“Zhang Mingan has entered the Ministry of War. With his methods, he will soon become the clear choice to take charge of Qizhou.
“He and Pei Xianjing are at odds. Even if he discovers us one day, he won’t tell Pei Xianjing, if only to spite him.”
Xing Shuwei looked at Qiutong as though seeking an answer and continued, “Besides, to Pei Xianjing, I’m nothing more than a plaything he hasn’t yet tired of.
“While I’m alive, I amuse him.
“Once I’m dead, it will take only a few days for him to cast me from his mind.”
“Miss.” Qiutong did not know what to say.
The Eldest Young Master might seem temperamental and unpredictable, but over these four years, his feelings for Miss had not been entirely false.