Within moments, Xie Yunzhen felt restless and uneasy, wanting nothing more than to take her leave at once.
Wen Lu happened to appear at the doorway. He greeted Pei Shu with a bow before stepping into the inner chamber. Pei Shu raised his eyes, and the maids swiftly cleared the dining table and withdrew from the room.
Seeing this, Xie Yunzhen unconsciously took half a step forward. Her mind was a tangled mess, and she desperately wished to leave this place as quickly as possible.
It was then that Wen Lu spoke, his voice carrying a hint of caution: “My lord, I’ve gotten to the bottom of it.”
Pei Shu merely cast him a sidelong glance before rising to his feet.
He had never cared for sitting long after meals, so he reached out and casually took a travelogue from the bookshelf nearby, then said unhurriedly, “Speak.”
His tone was as even as ever, revealing neither pleasure nor displeasure.
Wen Lu turned and clasped his hands toward Xie Yunzhen, his face full of apology: “My apologies, Mistress Xie. It was my incompetence—I never imagined that matchmaker was so cunning, secretly pocketing the silver that rightfully belonged to you. Here is five hundred taels. Please accept it.”
When the lord had sent him to Ning Village to find a village woman named Xie Yunzhen, how could a grown man like him feel comfortable going directly to a young woman’s door to discuss such matters? He’d thought to use the matchmaker’s name as a front, which would also throw that old fox Liu Wenhong off the scent. Who could have guessed that matchmaker had such a black heart and such audacity? She’d likely sized up Mistress Xie’s character, assuming that with one of them so high above and the other so simple and inexperienced, neither would ever speak of such trivial money matters. But man proposes, heaven disposes—who could have foreseen this turn of events?
“Steward Wen, there’s no need for this…” Xie Yunzhen said, mildly surprised. She hadn’t expected Wen Lu to come specifically to address this.
Wen Lu pressed the five hundred taels of banknotes into Xie Yunzhen’s hands without allowing any refusal. She glanced down and quickly said, “This is fifty taels too much—”
Wen Lu smiled and waved his hand: “That’s what you deserve, ma’am. Had you not inadvertently revealed the truth, that thieving woman would have kept deceiving me and my lord.”
At this, Pei Shu swept a glance his way, and Wen Lu hastily amended with an apologetic smile: “Me, it was me—not my lord. It was my own foolishness that let that woman pull the wool over my eyes.”
“Rest assured, ma’am. That matchmaker is utterly unscrupulous—I imagine she’s done such black-hearted deeds more than once. My lord has given the word, and after this affair, she won’t be able to do business in Raocheng any longer.” A hint of coldness crept into the end of Wen Lu’s words. It seemed this was the first time he’d encountered someone bold enough to try such underhanded tricks on them. His expression, however, bore a striking resemblance to Pei Shu’s cold countenance.
Xie Yunzhen clutched the five hundred taels in silence, lowering her hand. Though this affair was Granny Li’s own doing, she couldn’t help but draw a sharp breath inwardly. The fate of ordinary people could be so easily swayed by a single word from the powerful and noble…
But in the end, Granny Li had brought it upon herself. Xie Yunzhen felt no sympathy.
She unconsciously looked toward Pei Shu, seeing his expression unchanged as he gazed down at the travelogue, seemingly unconcerned with such trifling matters.
She was momentarily lost in thought as the curtains of the inner chamber swayed. A gentle breeze drifted in, carrying the lingering fragrance of peonies from before the steps outside.
It was late spring, when flowers shed their fading reds.
Xie Yunzhen glanced outside and thought to herself that it was time for her to leave.
She still had to pack her clothes—she was going to Liuhe County…
She vaguely remembered that it had been this very season back then, too.
Xie Yunzhen gave a slight nod to take her leave of Pei Shu, then turned and stepped away. Before she could cross the threshold, Wen Lu called out to her, and she turned back with a puzzled look.
Wen Lu glanced at Pei Shu, then at Xie Yunzhen, looking rather troubled, as if uncertain whether this matter ought to be spoken of in front of Xie Yunzhen.
Pei Shu disliked his hesitant manner and chided lightly, “If you have something to say, say it.”
Wen Lu gave an “ah” and hurriedly said, “Sir, Old Seven’s men came to pass on word that—” He paused mid-sentence, stealing a glance at Xie Yunzhen, then steeled himself and continued, “They say they saw Miss Xie’s younger sister entering the city.”
“What?” The unexpected news sent a flash of panic into Xie Yunzhen’s eyes, her face turning pale with alarm.
Younger sister? Was it Yunqi or Yunzuo? Or had both come? But how could that be? Ever since they had settled in Ning Village, in all these years her mother had only brought the twins to the city once, during the New Year. After that, she had always forbidden the siblings from wandering about, and they had been obedient, never once defying their mother.
Yunzhen’s heart raced with anxiety, afraid something had happened at home: “Was it only my sister? What about my mother?”
Wen Lu scratched his head: “I’m not entirely sure of the details, but don’t worry, Miss Xie! It’s definitely not a matter concerning your mother—Uncle Jiang has already stabilized her condition, you can rest assured on that front. However, your younger sister seems to have entered the city together with a woman surnamed Tian. Do you have any idea who that might be?”
Surnamed Tian—Xie Yunzhen’s heart relaxed somewhat. She thought to herself, at least it’s not her coming alone. But Tian Zhi—why had she suddenly returned to Ning Village?
She raised her eyes toward Pei Shu. He had not lifted his head, his expression focused as he scanned the pages rapidly, his long, handsome fingers turning the leaves of the book with a soft rustling sound.
Before Xie Yunzhen could speak, his deep, magnetic voice fell: “Depart at shen hour, or you won’t make it into the county town before the gates close tomorrow evening.”
That meant he was tacitly permitting Xie Yunzhen to leave the residence, telling her to resolve the matter of her sister and return before the afternoon departure.
“Thank you for your consideration, sir.” Xie Yunzhen dared not delay. After taking her leave of Pei Shu, she hurried off in the direction of the residence’s exit.
Wen Lu, seeing her haste and fearing trouble might arise, quickly chased after her a few steps—but then thought better of it. If he were to be seen by Miss Xie’s sister without warning, it might arouse suspicion.
This matter was best left for Miss Xie to resolve on her own.
Near Qing’an Academy in the west of the city.
Half a year ago, Tian Zhi’s family had moved from Ning Village into the city. They had set up a stall beside the academy, selling breakfast and midday meals and such. Sometimes, when the academy held examinations and crowds were especially large, they would call Yunzhen over ahead of time to help. After deducting the cost of the round-trip carriage fare, a full day of busy work could still earn a few dozen wen in wages.
Xie Yunzhen thought to herself that Raocheng was so large, and since her sister had come with Tian Zhi, she might as well go to Tian Zhi’s home and wait there like a hunter watching for the rabbit. That was better than all three of them running aimlessly through the streets.
By the time she reached Tian Zhi’s home, a few alleys away from the academy, the door was tightly locked. She knocked, but no one answered—Tian Zhi’s parents must not have closed their stall yet. Xie Yunzhen mused that she might as well wait by the door; people had to come home eventually, didn’t they?
In the afternoon, the alley was especially quiet. Green foliage stretched out from over the courtyard walls of each household, sunlight spilled generously down, and a gentle breeze brushed past, gradually soothing the anxiety in Xie Yunzhen’s heart.
She stood there for who knew how long, until she spotted two figures approaching from the mouth of the alley. She looked closely—it was Tian Zhi and Xie Yunzhuo.
Xie Yunzhen let out half a sigh of relief, thinking to herself that Yunzhuo at least knew what was important and hadn’t brought their younger sister along as well.
She hurried over at a quick trot.
“Big sister!!” Xie Yunzhuo, his voice thick with tears, threw himself into Xie Yunzhen’s arms and hugged her tightly. At nine years old, the boy’s strength was already beginning to show, nearly knocking Yunzhen to the ground.
“I was out buying supplies for someone today and thought I caught a glimpse of you two. I figured my eyes were playing tricks on me, so I thought I’d wait by your door to see. Who knew it really was you? What’s going on?”
She steadied herself, and to avoid raising suspicion about why she’d suddenly appeared there, she made up an excuse while bending down to wipe away Yunzhuo’s rare boyish tears.
At Xie Yunzhen’s question, Yunzhuo and Tian Zhi immediately launched into a jumble of explanations, leaving her completely bewildered.
It took a moment before Xie Yunzhen finally pieced together what all the fuss was about.
It turned out that the day before, Tian Zhi had been selling breakfast by the academy with her parents as usual, when a few unfamiliar customers came by. That in itself wasn’t strange—until those people started chatting and mentioned that Manager Chen of the Jinfu Pastry Shop was preparing to report someone to the authorities over a customer finding something wrong with the food, while also sending people to Ning Village to seize Xie Yunzhen.
Tian Zhi was startled by this. She knew all about the conflict between Yunzhen and Manager Chen, so she hurried back to Ning Village to warn Yunzhen. But when she got there, Yunzhen was nowhere to be found. When the twins talked with her, the excuse Xie Yunzhen had given when she left Ning Village fell apart. Worried that Xie Yunzhen had been missing for days and had told such a big lie, the twins insisted on reporting it to the authorities. Tian Zhi couldn’t talk them out of it, and she was also afraid that Xie Yunzhen might have already been captured by Manager Chen’s men, so she rushed into town with Xie Yunzhuo in a panic.
Hearing that they hadn’t gone to the authorities yet, Xie Yunzhen breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing them pressing her about where she’d been these past few days, she opened her mouth and had a story ready: “It was the day that Manager Chen tried to pin the blame on me. I accidentally offended some noble person in the city and broke their belongings. I couldn’t afford to pay for it, so I had to work at their residence to repay the debt. I was afraid Mother would worry, so I made up an excuse.”
Given her “track record” of lying, Tian Zhi worried that Yunzhen had run into serious trouble and was shouldering it alone, so she pressed for more details.
Yunzhen simply said that if they didn’t believe her, she could take them to the noble’s residence and ask the household steward to confirm the truth.
Since Xie Yunzhen had said as much, Tian Zhi naturally wouldn’t actually go find some steward to verify—she didn’t want to cause Yunzhen more trouble.
She could only spit out in dissatisfaction: “What kind of noble is so stingy?”
Xie Yunzhen gave a bitter smile, thinking to herself how easily the lies came to her now.
Having cleared up the misunderstanding, she managed to soothe Yunzhuo with much effort, then earnestly begged Tian Zhi again to help escort Yunzhuo back to the village.
As for Manager Chen, she wagered that with his prideful nature, even if he couldn’t find her, he wouldn’t dare cause trouble for her mother in Ning Village. Besides, her neighbor auntie was a fierce and loyal woman—with her and her husband around, nothing should go wrong.
With her thoughts sorted, Xie Yunzhen claimed she’d return to Ning Village in a few days, but for now she needed to get back to work at the residence. She bid them farewell.
Watching Tian Zhi lead Yunzhuo away, Xie Yunzhen smoothed the hair by her ears and prepared to hurry back to the Pei residence.
Just as she turned the corner of the alley, she found someone blocking the path ahead.
He was stern-faced, looking rather menacing: “Madam Xie, if you please.”
“It’s no easy feat getting to see you.”
The sun slanted westward as the Pei family’s carriage rolled along the official road, wheels creaking over the ground. Inside the carriage, Yunzhen and Pei Shu sat facing each other, silent for the entire journey.
It seemed that Pei Shu had given the order, and the driver hurried, finally arriving at Han Mountain Post House before sunset.
Had they not rested here, the road ahead would have been a desolate mountain path with no signs of human habitation until they reached Liuhe County the next day.
As night deepened, Pei Shu sat in his guest room, reluctant to move.
Tonight would be the fourth dose of the antidote. Since morning, he had been feeling unwell, and now it went without saying—his body was already plagued by the illusion of being scorched and torn apart by heat.
Yet on the surface, he appeared as composed as ever, calm and unhurried, showing no urgency to visit Xie Yunzhen in the adjoining room.
Just then, Wen Lu pushed open the door, closed it behind him, and whispered a few words into Pei Shu’s ear.
“Are you certain?” He raised an eyebrow, looking over.
Wen Lu nodded, his expression grave: “I’m certain, sir. One of Old Seven’s men saw it with his own eyes—that man is Liu Wenhong’s trusted aide. He went up to the second floor of the bookshop with Lady Xie and stayed there for a long while before coming out.”
“Just as I thought.” After hearing Wen Lu’s words, Pei Shu grew even more certain of his suspicions.
At that moment, a night breeze blew in from outside, causing the hinged window to creak and rattle.
The oil lamp on the table flickered violently before its flame dwindled, and the inner chamber gradually fell into shadow.
Wen Lu was baffled: “Sir, how did you guess that Liu Wenhong and Lady Xie were connected?”
Pei Shu picked up the lamp trimmer and stirred the wick, his voice tinged with nonchalance: “Ask any local you happen to meet—especially the country folk outside the city walls. How many of them know who the county magistrate is? She’s a village woman who only occasionally comes to town to do a bit of small trade and never causes trouble. How would she know the name of the local official?”
That night when he had spoken with Xie Yunzhen, what had surprised him was not that she had guessed correctly, but that she had blurted out Liu Wenhong’s name so readily.
At first, he had assumed it was merely a coincidence, but being cautious by nature, he had quietly ordered someone to keep watch—and sure enough, the old fox had shown his tail.
What he found most intriguing, however, was how a village woman and this Liu Wenhong had come to know each other.
Wen Lu, hearing his master’s explanation, seemed to grasp something, yet still felt there was something that didn’t quite add up. Just as he was about to press further, he suddenly saw Pei Shu place a long finger before his thin lips, signaling him to be silent. Then he snuffed out the oil lamp, plunging the inner chamber into sudden darkness.
“Someone’s coming.”
Cold moonlight crept through the window, and several phantom images were cast upon the paper covering the door.
Author’s note:
Pei the dog is about to stop being human. This Lu can only say—don’t come crying later, alright?