Back in the carriage, Feng Wenyu contemplated for a moment before instructing Jinshu:
“Send some medicine to Young Master Pei and his companion.”
The two still had traces of blood on them—she couldn’t tell whether it was someone else’s or if they themselves were injured.
Feng Wenyu’s Dai Mei unconsciously furrowed. Although her ancestral home was in Yangzhou, she had lived in Jingcheng since she could remember. The security under the emperor’s feet was always better than elsewhere, and she never realized local bandits could be so rampant.
She suddenly recalled Gu Yushi’s reason for breaking off the engagement—he was following imperial orders to investigate a case in Jiangnan.
Jiangnan had many merchants, especially the salt merchants Gu Yushi was investigating. Though they bore the label of “merchants,” salt and iron were officially sold, and those who held such positions all had powerful backgrounds.
Human interactions boiled down to the two words “benefit,” and the profits salt merchants could embezzle were beyond ordinary imagination.
When blinded by profit, people lose all rationality.
If the mere wealth carried by Pei Yan and his servant could drive bandits to kill, then the interests Gu Yushi was uncovering during his investigation would only be more terrifying.
If Feng Wenyu previously had no real understanding of the dangers Gu Yushi mentioned, after Pei Yan’s incident, she suddenly realized that perhaps Gu Yushi’s words were indeed true.
The perils of the Jiangnan trip were far beyond what she could imagine.
For a moment, Feng Wenyu was lost in thought.
In the other carriage, Jinshu brought over the medicine. When Pei Yan saw it, he didn’t refuse:
“Please convey my gratitude to Feng Guniang on my behalf.”
Jinshu nodded: “Young Master Pei should tend to your wounds soon. It will take three more days to reach Yangzhou City, and it would be bad if the injuries worsen.”
Their group had no physician, and they didn’t plan to make any further stops for rest.
Jinshu had already noticed a wound on Pei Yan’s arm—it seemed to be from a blade. Though not deep enough to reveal bone, it was still mangled and bloody. The sight made her extremely uncomfortable, and she quickly averted her gaze.
Pei Yan’s servant, Leyang, breathed a heavy sigh of relief upon seeing the medicine: “Fortunately, this young lady and her master are kind enough to give us a ride.”
Medicine wasn’t cheap, and they were already a burden. For the master to send them medicine to treat their wounds was more than generous.
As for stopping to let them seek medical treatment, Leyang wouldn’t even have the nerve to ask—that would be pushing their luck too far.
But Leyang wasn’t unconcerned about his master’s injuries. Only now, with the medicine in hand, could he finally relax.
He hurriedly tended to his master’s wounds, his face full of guilt and remorse:
“If not for pulling me aside, Young Master wouldn’t have been injured at all.”
Pei Yan’s brow was tightly furrowed, a thin layer of cold sweat on his forehead. He said softly, “Enough.”
Leyang had accompanied him on his travels—he couldn’t just stand by and watch Leyang lose his life to bandits’ blades.
Leyang knew his master’s temperament and dropped the subject, but he couldn’t help his curiosity: “Does Young Master know that Feng Guniang?”
After all, Feng Guniang had immediately addressed him as “Young Master Pei” upon seeing them.
Pei Yan lowered his gaze. He still wore a blue robe, and even though it was stained and disheveled, it couldn’t conceal his refined demeanor. After a long pause, Pei Yan said quietly:
“We’ve only met once before.”
Without much thought, and now free from the fear of losing his life, Leyang spoke cheerfully, “Then the young master and Feng Guniang truly share a fate.”
After a brief pause, Leyang hesitantly asked:
“After all this, does it count as Feng Guniang having a life-saving grace toward us?”
Calling it a life-saving grace might be a bit excessive, but if Feng Guniang hadn’t agreed to give them a ride, with nothing on them and being on a mountain road, who knows what they might have encountered or whether they would have faced retaliation from the bandits.
Pei Yan seemed to have thought of something, as a faint blush crept up to the tips of his ears. He lowered his gaze and said:
“I owe her a favor.”
The words “a favor” lingered on his lips, but his voice was unusually soft, and in the quiet space, they carried an inexplicable ambiguity.
Leyang also nodded seriously and sighed, “I wonder which family Feng Guniang is from. This favor is a big one. When we return to the residence, Lao Ye and the madam will surely pay a visit to express their gratitude.”
Leyang wasn’t one to dwell on things and quickly moved on. He looked at his young master and couldn’t help but grimace:
“It’s just hard on you, young master. All the effort you put into obtaining those scriptures, only for them to be stolen by those illiterate bandits!”
Hearing Leyang mention the two volumes of scriptures, Pei Yan couldn’t help but feel a tinge of sorrow in his eyes.
But Pei Yan knew what was important: “As long as we’re alive, that’s what matters most.”
He tilted his head, lifted the brocade curtain, and looked out the window, his gaze lingering for a moment on the carriage ahead.
Besides, this journey wasn’t entirely without its merits, was it?
“Of the moonlit nights under heaven, two-thirds belong to Yangzhou, the unrivaled beauty.”
The carriage made its way into Yangzhou City, bustling with people and a prosperity that carried a charm entirely different from Jingcheng. Willow branches trembled gently in the slanting breeze, brushing past scenes of delicate grace.
As soon as they entered the city gates, the carriage came to a halt, and Feng Wenzhou stepped down.
Pei Yan and Leyang were already waiting by the carriage.
Feng Wenzhou didn’t let Feng Wenyu come down. He stepped forward and nodded slightly, “We’ve arrived in Yangzhou City. Young Master Pei, you may go about your business.”
Pei Yan had long sensed Feng Wenzhou’s resistance toward him, so he wasn’t surprised by this. He wanted to glance at Feng Wenyu but ultimately restrained his gaze and nodded:
“May I ask where the two of you will be staying? For the life-saving grace, I ought to pay a visit to express my gratitude.”
Leyang gave his young master a puzzled look. Hadn’t he said it was just a favor earlier? How did it become a life-saving grace now?
Hearing this, Feng Wenzhou’s impression of Pei Yan improved slightly. While he didn’t like Pei Yan, he disliked people with poor character even more. At least Pei Yan seemed to understand the importance of repaying kindness.
Feng Wenzhou didn’t hide anything:
“We’re heading to the Zhou Residence.”
With that, Feng Wenzhou didn’t linger any longer. He turned and got back into the carriage, loudly instructing the procession to move forward.
Pei Yan had no reason to stop them and could only watch silently as the procession departed. He stood in place for a long time, so long that Leyang grew puzzled:
“What are you looking at, young master?”
Pei Yan snapped out of his thoughts. The slanting breeze brushed past his brows as he said, “Nothing.”
Leyang was eager to return home: “Then let’s hurry back. We’re a few days later than planned, and Lao Ye and the madam must be worried sick.”
Pei Yan didn’t object and turned with Leyang to head toward the Pei Residence. Yet, he couldn’t help but glance back instinctively.
The Zhou family of Yangzhou, then.
At the same time, Feng Wenyu cast a teasing glance at Feng Wenzhou: “Weren’t you guarding against him like a thief? Why did you suddenly tell him we’re going to our maternal grandparents’ home?”
Feng Wenzhou felt somewhat vexed at being teased:
“Our whereabouts aren’t exactly a secret. If he’s determined to know, he’ll find out even if I don’t tell him.”
Besides—
“He already owes us a favor anyway.”
Feng Wenyu chuckled softly, leaning against the carriage interior as her shoulders shook with laughter. The young girl’s bright eyes sparkled like autumn waters, though she didn’t contradict Feng Wenzhou: “We’re almost at Grandfather’s house. While we’re staying here, you mustn’t neglect your studies.”
Suddenly recalling something, Feng Wenyu frowned:
“And don’t get too close to Zhou Chiyu either.”
Zhou Chiyu was also a child of her uncle’s family—her cousin. However, Zhou Chiyu was born of a concubine, though his birth mother had died during childbirth, after which he was raised by the legal wife alongside his cousin Zhou Chibai.
Unlike his cousin, Zhou Chiyu was the youngest child in the household and had been somewhat spoiled, resulting in a rather unruly temperament.
Feng Wenyu didn’t want to speculate whether her aunt had deliberately encouraged this behavior, but regardless, she didn’t want her second brother to be led astray by Zhou Chiyu.
Mention of his studies made Feng Wenzhou instinctively become serious:
“Of course not.”
He had returned to Yangzhou primarily to accompany his younger sister, but also to prepare for examinations. Though he appeared reserved, he had clear plans in mind. After ten years of diligent study, he wanted to prove himself.
Moreover, to put it bluntly, having long resided in Jingcheng, he wasn’t particularly close with either of his Zhou cousins.
By nature solitary, aside from his full sister Feng Wenyu, he rarely exchanged many words even with his own elder brother Feng Wenxu, let alone a distant maternal cousin.
Had their second uncle’s family not been assigned to a post in Qilu, leaving only collateral relatives in their hometown, they wouldn’t have needed to stay with the Zhou family this time.
When they arrived at the Zhou Residence, their uncle’s family had already arranged for someone to wait for them at the entrance.
No sooner had they alighted from the carriage than an elderly maidservant greeted them warmly: “Young Master and Young Miss must be weary from your journey. Madam received word of your arrival today and has been waiting since morning.”
Feng Wenyu and Feng Wenzhou exchanged glances, both feeling somewhat helpless.
They were well-acquainted with their aunt’s character—she tended to fawn over those of higher status while looking down on others, but had always been enthusiastic toward them. As beneficiaries of this treatment, they found it difficult to criticize their aunt, though inwardly they remained slightly uncomfortable.
As they were led to the main courtyard, they heard their aunt Lu Shi’s cheerful voice before even seeing her:
“Has A-Yu and A-Zhou arrived?”
The bead curtain was lifted as the two entered side by side. The young man and woman shared about fifty percent resemblance, particularly in their eyes and brows. Madam Lu actually paused for a moment before finding her voice. She took Feng Wenyu’s hand and sighed emotionally: “A-Yu has grown increasingly beautiful—I simply can’t take my eyes off you.”
Feng Wenyu blushed at such direct praise from an elder. Unaccustomed to such straightforward compliments, her cheeks flushed pink, and she dared not let her aunt continue:
“It’s been so long since we last met, Aunt. Have you been well? And Grandmother—is she still in good health?”
Madam Lu beamed until her eyes nearly disappeared: “All well, all well! Everything’s even better now that you’ve returned.”
Seeing his younger sister bearing the full brunt of their aunt’s attention, Feng Wenzhou quietly sighed in relief.
Half an hour later, Madam Lu finally relented and let them go. Feng Wenyu promptly retreated to the courtyard where she would be staying during this visit.
By now, only the last vestiges of sunset remained on the horizon.
Meanwhile, in a dimly lit room, a man leaned halfway against a chair. Grasping the end of an arrow shaft, he yanked it out without the slightest hesitation. His chest heaved violently, his face growing increasingly pale, yet he remained silent throughout.
Once he had caught his breath, he lowered his head, bit a corner of the silk fabric, tore off a strip, and bandaged the wound.
A few drops of blood had splattered onto his face, accentuating the cold severity in his brows and eyes.
Suddenly, fireworks bloomed outside.
He instinctively looked up, his gaze lingering for a long, long time on the blazing, brilliant fireworks in the sky.
At the Zhou Residence, in a small courtyard, Feng Wenyu was leaning by the window, idly resting.
Shuyao hurried over, exclaiming excitedly:
“Miss, miss! Come quickly and see—they’re setting off fireworks in the city!”
As soon as she finished speaking, a loud bang was heard, and fireworks burst into bloom in the sky outside. Feng Wenyu also instinctively raised her head. Her face was illuminated by the fiery light, her Dai Mei delicate and beautiful, the jade hairpin in her hair swaying gently like a butterfly alighting.
Shuyao was captivated by the sight.
For a moment, she couldn’t quite tell whether the fireworks in the sky were more dazzling or the person before her outshone them all.