Chapter 57
Chapter 57
In the end, Xing Shuwei could no longer tell whether the sounds in her ears came from her own screams or the stone striking people’s skulls.
Her hands moved faster and faster, her entire body stretched taut to its limit. Even when the others stood still, to her eyes, they appeared ready to lunge at her together.
“Get out.”
“Get away from me!”
Her eyes were bloodshot.
She could not die.
She could not let these men defile her, much less allow herself to contract the epidemic.
She had survived with such difficulty. She still had to help Yan’er escape his misery, and better days still awaited her.
She could not die.
The bluestone slab in her hands was already covered in blood, yet she showed no sign of stopping.
The two remaining refugees were thoroughly intimidated by Xing Shuwei. Afraid she would smash their heads next, they turned and fled.
Bang! The door was kicked open from outside.
Pei Xianjing had heard Xing Shuwei’s cries for help as he passed nearby.
The two refugees who had just reached the door were kicked off their feet and sent sprawling.
Pei Xianjing strode forward and seized Xing Shuwei’s arm. “Weiwei, are you all right?” he cried hoarsely.
As though she had not heard him, Xing Shuwei raised the bluestone slab in both hands and swung it at him.
“It’s me, Weiwei.” Pei Xianjing caught her bloodstained hands and pried her fingers open one by one.
Only after a long while did Xing Shuwei realize who he was.
She neither cried nor shouted. She blinked, then collapsed backward as if all her strength had left her.
Pei Xianjing swept her into his arms and ordered Chengde coldly, “Kill them all.”
“Yes.”
Chengde acknowledged the order and drew the sword at his waist.
Cold light flashed. Before those men could even beg for mercy, they became lifeless corpses.
Chengde ordered his men to bring tung oil and set the entire inn ablaze.
Flames shot into the sky in an instant.
Pei Xuanfei had watched everything from a distance.
Menglian had witnessed it all as well.
“Miss Pei, let’s see how you explain this to the princess now,” Menglian challenged her.
Pei Xuanfei’s lips trembled. “I cannot explain it to the princess. At a time like this, the princess should be thinking about how she will explain it to the Emperor.
“If Eldest Brother contracts the epidemic because of this and must be quarantined outside the city, none of us will escape blame.
“Could the lives of a few lowly refugees possibly matter more than Eldest Brother’s safety?”
After forcing herself to calm down, Pei Xuanfei seized Menglian’s arm. “You cannot go anywhere. Send someone back to Princess Jin’an’s residence with a message.
“The situation has grown too serious, and refugees have died. No one but the princess can suppress it.”
No matter how Menglian struggled, she could not shake her off. She asked in alarm, “Are you trying to implicate the princess?”
Pei Xuanfei said, “I was acting on the princess’s orders. If I am interrogated, I can only tell the truth.
“In any case, I did not arrange for those infected refugees to be there. Even if blame is assigned, my offense will be minor.”
* * *
Pei Xianjing placed Xing Shuwei in the carriage, took the reins himself, and drove her into the city.
The carriage raced all the way to the side gate of the Duke’s estate.
Pei Xianjing turned, lifted her into his arms, and leaped down from the carriage. He hurried through the gate and headed straight for Qiansheng Pavilion.
“Gao Li, summon the estate physician.” Pei Xianjing issued the order with panic on his face.
Gao Li hastily acknowledged him and hurried off to fetch the physician.
Pei Xianjing carried Xing Shuwei into the bedchamber, removed her filthy clothes and threw them on the floor, then brought hot water to wipe her face.
“You’re safe now, Weiwei.” He comforted her as he cleaned her face.
Xing Shuwei’s lips trembled as she stared at him blankly.
Pei Xianjing dressed her in a clean set of clothes. “The estate physician will be here soon. Once he has examined you, I will have someone help you bathe.
“Those people are dead. Don’t worry. You won’t contract the epidemic, all right?”
Xing Shuwei grasped his hand. “Brother Jing, thank goodness you came.”
The words were mostly sincere, with just enough deception mixed in.
Xing Shuwei knew this was the perfect opportunity to ask Pei Xianjing to save Yan’er.
No one dared take anything involving an epidemic lightly. No matter how bold Pei Guofei was, he would never risk spreading an epidemic merely to harm her.
Only Princess Jin’an possessed that kind of audacity.
Since they were already irreconcilable, why should Xing Shuwei care whether she offended her?
Retreating at every turn would only encourage the other woman to demand more.
If the princess wanted her life and thrust a blade into her heart, then she would let Princess Jin’an taste what it felt like to be hurt as well.
“Brother Jing, Princess Jin’an will not tolerate me. Please, you must help me.”
As Xing Shuwei spoke, large tears began to fall. “With Brother Jing’s intelligence, you can surely guess who was behind the mortal danger Weiwei faced today.
“Even under these circumstances, the princess still wants Yan’er to serve as her personal guard…
“How can Weiwei possibly feel at ease?”
“Brother Jing, Weiwei has been careful at every turn. Knowing that the two of you are to marry, I have deliberately avoided you.
“Why is the princess still so cruel to me?
“Brother Jing, I’m so afraid.
“What if I die young and can no longer keep Brother Jing company?”
Xing Shuwei knelt on the bed and made to kowtow to Pei Xianjing.
A complicated emotion flashed through Pei Xianjing’s eyes as he reached out, intending to take her into his arms.
But as if frightened, she retreated again and again in panic.
“Weiwei may already have contracted the epidemic. Brother Jing should stay farther away from me.”
With the strength in his arms, Pei Xianjing pulled her directly into his embrace.
“I’ll stay with you,” he said.
If they were to fall ill, then they would fall ill together.
If the Emperor feared the epidemic would spread through the capital, then Pei Xianjing would accompany Xing Shuwei outside the city.
She had just suffered such a terrible fright. How could he bear to leave her alone?
Xing Shuwei let her arms hang at her sides and sobbed uncontrollably.
Pei Xianjing had saved her life yet again.
She had tried everything she could think of to escape Pei Xianjing, yet whenever her life hung in the balance, he was always the one to appear in time.
The estate physician hurried in carrying his medicine chest. After Pei Xianjing explained what had happened, the physician said, “Eldest Young Master, please have everyone else in the courtyard withdraw. I will examine you and Miss Xing first.”
“Examine Miss Xing first,” Pei Xianjing instructed.
The estate physician obeyed and placed his fingers on Xing Shuwei’s wrist.
Pei Xianjing kept only Gao Li in the bedchamber to attend them. He ordered everyone in Qiansheng Pavilion to remain inside and forbade anyone outside from entering.
He stood guard before the bed, watching the estate physician examine Xing Shuwei.
After a long while, the physician withdrew his hand from her pulse and frowned. “Miss Xing’s pulse is erratic, and she also has a high fever.
“We will have to wait until tonight has passed to determine whether she contracted the epidemic.
“If the high fever subsides, she will be fine.
“If it does not fall but rises instead, I fear she will have contracted it.”
“If she has contracted the epidemic, is there any way to cure her?”
Pei Xianjing looked at the physician and demanded an answer anxiously.
His voice had lost its usual composure and now carried palpable urgency.
“That depends on where these refugees came from.
“We must then send a letter to ask the local officials whether they have developed a prescription to treat the epidemic.
“Only by treating the illness according to its specific symptoms can the medicine cure it,” the physician said.
He rose from the stool and bowed respectfully to Pei Xianjing. “Eldest Young Master, please allow this humble one to examine your pulse as well.”