The wolf-hair brush in Pei Shu’s hand fell onto the rice paper with a soft thud.
Discomfort churned within him, and his instinct was to push Xie Yunzhen away. His free hand had already touched her waist, ready to shove her aside, when he suddenly felt it would be deeply inappropriate and withdrew his hand.
He had been the one to pull her into his embrace so wantonly, and now he wanted to push her away—such fickleness would be a slap in the face to a woman with any sense of pride.
The aphrodisiac drug was at work, and the Gu insect was impossible to resist. Pei Shu felt reason and desire burning through his body, and he could clearly sense the scales in his heart tipping, little by little, toward one side.
Which side had gained the upper hand needed no further elaboration.
Besides, he had never been one to deny himself. With that thought, he felt somewhat at ease: well, he had spent so much genuine gold and silver after all, and she didn’t seem all that resistant, did she?
Pei Shu’s conscience settled at once. His suspended hand naturally pressed against Yunzhen’s waist, while the hand that had been gripping her chin picked up the brush once more, dipped it in a bit of ink, and continued painting on the paper.
This, in turn, drew Yunzhen’s gaze and sobered her considerably. But her waist was held tightly by the magistrate, and her original intention had been to rise from his lap—yet with the slightest movement, an ambiguous friction arose between them. So she decided to remain still and let stillness overcome motion, no longer trying to create distance. Instead, she flushed red and pretended to admire the magistrate’s painting.
No one would ever guess that at this moment, her heart was pounding like a war drum, so tense that even her own breathing sounded unnaturally loud.
She forced herself to calm down and stop her mind from wandering. Recalling Pei Shu’s earlier words, she ventured in a low voice: “The old fox you mentioned, Magistrate—could it be our Raocheng county magistrate, Liu Wenhong?”
Pei Shu’s hand holding the brush paused. He raised an eyebrow and turned to look at her, somewhat surprised: “How do you know?”
“You may not be aware, Magistrate, but as early as a month ago, there were rumors that a high official from the capital would be coming to Raocheng—said to be several ranks above the county magistrate. That must be you. Since you’re such a high official, apart from the big figures in Pingzhou City, I can’t think of anyone in Raocheng besides Magistrate Liu who could have access to you. That kind of aphrodisiac drug, unless someone could get close—”
Xie Yunzhen suddenly froze.
She suddenly remembered the man beaten to a bloody pulp she had encountered on her first day entering the residence.
What had Steward Wen said? A traitorous wretch?
“Magistrate, is it the one I met that day—”
“—Exactly.” Pei Shu cut off her words, his tone indifferent, as if he didn’t wish to say more.
Xie Yunzhen was perceptive enough not to press further. After all, she knew that given the nature of their relationship, it was already rare for the magistrate to have explained so much to her.
Even someone as powerless and ordinary as herself could be framed by Manager Chen of the pastry shop with such elaborate scheming—let alone the cutthroat intrigues of officialdom. Even if the magistrate dared to speak, she wouldn’t dare to listen.
The study fell silent for a few breaths. Pei Shu lowered his gaze to her flawless white neck and suddenly asked: “Why haven’t you changed into the new clothes?”
At this mention, Xie Yunzhen quickly said: “The ones you had them send over, Magistrate—are they all for me?”
Pei Shu didn’t answer but countered instead, a knowing smirk curling at the corner of his mouth: “What do you think?”
Unexpectedly, Xie Yunzhen shook her head. “The gifts you’ve given me, my lord, are too fine and too many. I have no use for them, so I can only thank you for your kindness.” Although she liked every single one of them, given her current circumstances, wearing such ostentatious clothing outside the residence would be tantamount to confessing her situation. And since she wouldn’t be staying in the residence much longer anyway, there was no need—it would only draw unwanted attention. Before long, the entire household would know of her existence in the Pei residence.
“What I give you, you keep,” Pei Shu said, glancing at Xie Yunzhen’s attire with an unyielding tone. “I don’t wish to see such eyesore clothing within my residence.”
He was not the sort to suffer his own eyes to be offended. A beauty deserved fine garments and ornate adornments—she could carry them well.
After a brief internal struggle, Xie Yunzhen obediently yet helplessly conceded, “Understood, my lord.” This lord was truly exceptionally particular and stubborn. She would only be here for a short while—why make such a fuss?
But Yunzhen knew well that one must not twist a tiger’s whiskers, so she mustered her courage and changed the subject. “I’ve also received the fifty taels of silver you gave me, my lord. Since it’s inconvenient for me to leave the residence, might I ask Steward Wen to find an experienced physician to go to Ning Village and treat my mother?” It wasn’t that she was being obstinate about this matter—her mother’s illness simply could not wait. The physician at Ruichun Hall was unavailable, so she had to settle for the next best option.
Xie Yunzhen thought to herself: a physician from the city would surely be better than the village doctor in Ning Village, wouldn’t he?
Unexpectedly, Pei Shu caught something amiss in her words. His handsome brows furrowed as he said slowly, “Find Wen Lu…? Fifty taels?”
Yunzhen was bewildered, nodding in a docile, simple-minded manner.
“Xie Yunzhen, what I gave you was not merely fifty taels.” Pei Shu let out a cold laugh. “Do I strike you as the stingy sort?”
Fifty taels? Though he cared little for matters of female chastity, he was well aware that what he had done was the shameless act of forcibly taking another man’s betrothed under the guise of compensation. But what was done was done—guilt, remorse, he had none of such things.
Yet to say he had only offered fifty taels as recompense would be an insult.
“No, my lord is most generous, and I am deeply grateful.” Xie Yunzhen thought he was hinting that she had forgotten to count the ten taels for the flatbreads, and considering the several sets of clothing and jewelry he had gifted her, she honestly shook her head.
Sixty taels was no small sum for an ordinary farming family. Fifteen taels would go back to Ning Yankui, she would keep ten for other matters, and the rest would go toward her mother’s medical treatment and household expenses—enough to sustain them for quite some time.
Had it not been for this unexpected turn with Pei Shu, she feared she might not have held out and, in a moment of desperation, truly become a concubine to Manager Chen’s simple-minded son. Though her current situation was hardly more honorable than being a concubine, if she had entered the cage of the Chen household, she feared she would have been trapped there for the rest of her life.
At least with this transaction with the lord, neither party was beholden to the other…
“Grateful?” Pei Shu let out a mocking laugh, his gaze dark and distant, as if thinking of something. “Xie Yunzhen, what I instructed Wen Lu to give you was five hundred taels.”
“Five hundred taels?!”
Xie Yunzhen was so startled she jumped off Pei Shu’s lap, staring at him in disbelief, wondering if she had misheard.
Pei Shu couldn’t be bothered to repeat himself. Since the information about the money didn’t match, there was no need to guess—someone’s hands had been dirty.
But finding Xie Yunzhen was something he had personally tasked Wen Lu to handle. Could the lad have involved an outsider?
Well, well, Wen Lu—since when did you learn to be so sly and deceitful?
He suppressed a hint of displeasure and said, “Also, regarding your mother’s matter, there’s no need to trouble my attendants. I’ve already sent Uncle Jiang to Ning Village to treat her. He’s an old physician who came with me from Shangjing, highly skilled in medicine. You can rest assured.”
Upon hearing this, Xie Yunzhen forgot all about the fifty taels versus five hundred taels and expressed her gratitude profusely: “Thank you, my lord!”
Pei Shu hadn’t expected that an act of compassion he’d done without much thought—not even a casual favor—could elicit such exuberant emotion and a smile so sweet it warmed the heart.
He would never admit that for a moment, he’d been captivated by the sight.
He averted his gaze, lowering his eyes to stare at the half-painted painting of pines and cranes, but in an instant, Xie Yunzhen’s next move caught him completely off guard.
Perhaps even Yunzhen herself hadn’t expected that upon hearing Pei Shu had already arranged a physician for her mother, she’d be so overjoyed as to lose herself entirely, impulsively throwing herself into Pei Shu’s arms and, tilting her face up, planting a kiss at the corner of his lips.
The wolf-hair brush in Pei Shu’s hand fell with a clatter onto the rice paper, dark ink spreading in a blot, ruining what had been a fine painting.
His hand gripping Yunzhen’s slender waist tightened involuntarily, and he thought to himself: This village woman—her behavior is far too wanton.
As one might imagine, when the two came to their senses and their eyes met, Xie Yunzhen was utterly mortified. She promptly fled in a panic.
On the way back, she silently cursed herself for losing her head, daring to be so bold as to take liberties with the lord.
After returning to the small courtyard, Xie Yunzhen buried her face in her blanket, covering her head to calm herself for a long while before she could free herself from the shame and embarrassment.
Perhaps because her behavior had startled them both, Pei Shu didn’t summon her for the midday or evening meal. Xie Yunzhen was naturally glad to have the peace and solitude, and since she was accustomed to eating only two meals a day at home, she had nothing to do after lunch. With her mother’s illness now taken care of, her heart felt light, and she only wanted to lie down for a nap. Little did she expect that when she woke, it would already be dusk.
This was the first good sleep Xie Yunzhen had gotten since entering the household, though she didn’t know that her every move was being watched, which was why no one had disturbed her.
When Nanny Zeng learned she was awake, she timed her arrival precisely, carrying a food box containing the contraceptive decoction. She also mulled over the intent behind the young master’s earlier decision to have her, a favored old servant, look after Xie Yunzhen. Turning it over in her mind, she felt it was anything but ordinary, so she brought along an embroidery basket, planning to supervise Xie Yunzhen drinking the decoction while also engaging her in casual conversation.
After all, this was the first woman by her young master’s side—who knew what the future might hold. Her approach was also to ensure the young lady didn’t feel the Pei household was overbearing or intimidating, lest it damage their rapport in the days to come.
Watching Xie Yunzhen drink it down as readily as the last time, Nanny Zeng couldn’t help but feel a touch of tenderness. She took Xie Yunzhen’s hand and asked somewhat obliquely, “You and the young master… did you agree to this yourself? You didn’t refuse him?”
Xie Yunzhen didn’t understand why she was asking, but she nodded.
She did notice, however, that Nanny Zeng referred to the lord as “young master” at this moment—a term of respect, yet spoken with a natural familiarity toward a younger generation, suggesting she must be very close to him.
Nanny Zeng patted her hand and sighed, “Good thing you didn’t refuse, or you might have suffered some hardship.” She had watched Pei Shu grow up; she knew his temperament inside and out.
Xie Yunzhen grew even more confused: “Nanny, why do you say that?”
Nanny Zeng had no idea that Pei Shu had been drugged. She simply assumed that the young master, who had never shown the slightest interest in women in all these years, had finally experienced a stirring of desire and had taken a fancy to a beautiful village woman in the countryside. She smiled, her words laden with meaning: “You don’t understand. Even if you refuse, Miss Xie, some things are no longer within your control.”
Xie Yunzhen was taken aback. So did Nanny Zeng know or not know the root of her entanglement with the master? She truly could not make sense of her words.
What she did not know was what Nanny Zeng was thinking: she had served three generations of the Pei family and had watched her young master grow up. What kind of temperament did he have? In all of Shangjing, one could not find a more fastidious and particular person than him. Even the Emperor had disregarded propriety to seize another man’s wife—and their young master? Over the years, how many women had caught his eye and lingered in his memory? Not a single one!
But one thing was certain: once he set his sights on something—be it an official post, an inanimate object, or a living being—no matter how much fuss was made, in the end, not a single one escaped the palm of her young master’s hand.
So why had the youngest and most powerful head of the Pei family taken a fancy to a village woman from a remote mountain hamlet?
Seeing that Xie Yunzhen seemed not to grasp her meaning, and recalling that the young master had privately instructed her to give Xie Yunzhen some extra silver once she left, Nanny Zeng smiled bitterly and shook her head.
A leaf before the eye blocks the view of Mount Tai. The young master she had watched grow up, always so strategic and confident, had come to this after all.
Letting the matter drop, Nanny Zeng chatted with Xie Yunzhen about embroidery patterns until the night grew deep, then rose to take her leave.
As luck would have it, when she reached the small courtyard gate, she ran into Wen Lu rushing over in a hurry. Nanny Zeng grabbed his arm and frowned, asking what was the matter.
“Ah, Nanny, I was just looking for you. What are we to do?”
Wen Lu leaned in and whispered into Nanny Zeng’s ear. As she listened, she glanced toward the direction of the inner chamber, and even she—who had seen much in her years—could not hide the shock and reluctance on her face.
This was terrible. If Miss Xie found out, she would surely faint from worry.