That night, at the Left Prime Minister’s residence—
A torrential rain had fallen in the late afternoon, and the flowers and plants in the courtyard had absorbed their fill of moisture, leaving a damp coolness lingering in the air.
A single lamp burned in Pei Ji’s study. He sat in the grand master’s chair with an air of casualness as he attended to state affairs, yet an oppressive aura radiated from him throughout.
The candlelight fell upon his features, further accentuating the depth of Pei Ji’s brows and the handsomeness of his countenance.
“My lord…”
It was only when the tightly shut window suddenly opened that a dark shadow silently landed on the ground.
Only then did Pei Ji set down the brush in his hand.
The shadow reported: “This subordinate followed your orders and investigated the entire history of the eldest Miss Jiang. Ten years ago, after the true daughter of the Jiang household went missing, the family adopted this false daughter from Ci You Nunnery. It was only a year ago, when the true daughter returned to the Jiang household, that the eldest Miss Jiang’s circumstances began to change. At today’s banquet, it was the second Miss Jiang who, together with her elder brother, administered the drug to the eldest Miss Jiang and arranged for a man to frame her for adultery and ruin her chastity. However…”
Pei Ji already knew what came next.
What he hadn’t expected was that he, too, had been drugged at today’s banquet.
By the time he realized it, he had happened upon the chamber where Jiang Qingning was staying, and had also encountered the arranged man lurking outside—who was subsequently eliminated by Pei Ji as an enemy.
And so, he and Jiang Qingning became a case of mistaken circumstances in an affair of passion.
“So you’re saying that today’s drugging of This Venerable One has nothing whatsoever to do with Jiang Qingning?”
Then why did Jiang Qingning know that he had been afflicted with Aphrodisiac Incense?
Pei Ji narrowed his eyes, his fingertips tapping lightly on the desk as he pondered.
“Today, the eldest Miss Jiang never went to the front banquet, and she remained at the ladies’ gathering without much movement. There was no possibility for her to make a move against you, my lord.”
Though these words cleared Jiang Qingning of suspicion, Pei Ji still harbored doubts.
However…
He thought of how, when Jiang Qingning had been beneath him today, the fear and dread contained in those tear-filled eyes had not been feigned.
He had once instructed Jiang Qingning for a period of time and knew that she, as his former student—one who could be read at a glance—could not possibly possess such superb acting skills as to deceive him.
But then again, he could never have imagined that he would end up entangled with his former student.
Truly a sin…
Pei Ji rubbed his brow, cutting off the images of this afternoon from his mind.
He lowered his voice and asked: “Has that man’s body been properly disposed of?”
“Yes, it has been cleaned up thoroughly.”
After answering, the shadow guard couldn’t help but ask: “My lord, now that you’ve brought the eldest Miss Jiang back today, what are your intentions?”
The question was somewhat overstepping, and Pei Ji cast a cold glance at the figure on the ground.
The shadow guard prostrated himself in fear.
In the silence of the study, something seemed to flicker in Pei Ji’s eyes as they reflected the candlelight.
He changed the subject and asked: “When will Princess Anyang return to the capital?”
“Perhaps… it will still be several months before she can set out.”
“Mm, you may withdraw.”
With a wave of his hand, Pei Ji extinguished the candlelight on the desk.
On the other side, Jiang Qingning, who had been brought back by Pei Ji, had already fainted in the sedan chair before even entering the residence.
She had been caught in a heavy rain and suffered shock, and had injured herself all over when she jumped from the carriage. That she had managed to hold on until that point was a testament to her resilience.
Now that she had awakened, she found herself in yet another unfamiliar environment, and unease inevitably rose in her heart.
Thinking about everything that had happened today, Jiang Qingning wore a bitter expression as she lamented inwardly: How could so many upheavals befall a person in a single day?
[Oh, the Female Supporting Character is awake.]
[Who else saw the Main Villain carry the Female Supporting Character out of the sedan chair and into the house in front of all the servants? I couldn’t stop grinning.]
[One is strong and mighty, the other is delicate and clinging—well, I’m just a simple soul, and I love this kind of dynamic.]
[So with this plot now, the Female Supporting Character has escaped her fate of dying on Commandant Chen’s bed, and instead she’s going to be intertwined with the Main Villain?]
[Great, great! This makes it even better to ship.]
Jiang Qingning didn’t understand what “shipping” meant, but seeing those Golden Characters say she had escaped her original fate, she couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Yet that relief couldn’t be complete.
Compared to Commandant Chen, who tormented people on East Street, Pei Ji was no easy person to deal with either.
Rumor had it that ever since he became the Left Prime Minister, he wielded absolute power and was ruthless and merciless. In the past two years, he had brought down countless once-prominent noble families and had countless lives on his hands.
Even though he had brought her back to his residence, how was she supposed to live from now on?
Was she really going to serve Master Pei like a beast of burden?
But…
Jiang Qingning’s little face scrunched up. It wasn’t that she was unwilling—it was just that she had been a young lady for ten years, raised without ever lifting a finger.
How could she possibly do the work of serving others?
She feared that her days ahead would be like closing her eyes—plunged into darkness with no end in sight.
Jiang Qingning pressed her lips together, and as she thought about it, her eyes reddened first.
Unexpectedly, a commotion came from outside the door.
[The Main Villain is coming!]
Jiang Qingning’s heart fluttered with panic.
It was already evening—surely Master Pei wouldn’t be so quick to make her his slave?
Hoping to delay things as long as possible, Jiang Qingning quickly hid under the blankets, tightly shut her eyes, and pretended to be fast asleep.
When Pei Ji entered, what he saw was a person with most of her face buried under the bedding.
Jiang Qingning’s brows were tightly furrowed, as if afraid someone wouldn’t notice the traces of her feigned sleep.
What a fool!
Pei Ji sneered inwardly, even more convinced that Jiang Qingning had no ability to scheme against him.
He crossed his arms and stepped closer, his imposing aura pressing down so heavily that even the one pretending to sleep grew restless.
“If you’re still going to sleep, don’t blame me for striking your palms.”
Ah?
“Master Pei…”
The shadow of having her palms struck by Pei Ji before loomed over her heart, and Jiang Qingning clutched the blankets, snapping her eyes open at once.
The moment she saw Pei Ji, she timidly shrank back.
Having ended up in the same bed with her master today, and then being brought back by him, she still hadn’t figured out how to face Pei Ji.
“Not pretending anymore?”
Pei Ji wore a stern expression, just like a teacher scolding a lying student.
He knew that the words “striking your palms” were enough to intimidate Jiang Qingning.
Jiang Qingning had no choice but to sit up and obediently shake her head.
[Haha, the Female Supporting Character is really afraid of her master.]
[If it were me, I’d be scared of a strict teacher from the past too—though if my old teacher had been half as handsome as the Main Villain, I would have studied hard and strived every day.]
[I really love how timid and pathetic the Female Supporting Character looks.]
[I can’t wait to see what happens next in their household—will the Main Villain keep her as a concubine, or as a little maid to serve in his study? Will they still get up to some steamy business?]
The room was very quiet, strings of Golden Characters flying past before her eyes. Whenever Jiang Qingning watched them in front of Pei Ji, she always felt a nervousness like being caught by her teacher for not paying attention in class, leaving her at a loss for where to look.
“Your eyes are wandering—what are you looking at?”
Sure enough, Pei Ji still noticed her unease.
No matter how slow-witted Jiang Qingning was, she knew she couldn’t reveal that she could see the Golden Characters. She could only shrink her neck and dryly utter the word “Nothing.”
Pei Ji sat to the side, seemingly too lazy to press further, and only asked: “Do you know what you’re supposed to do by returning to the manor with me?”
Jiang Qingning instinctively replied: “Serve Teacher Pei like a beast of burden?”
Pei Ji let out a scoff, extremely disdainful: “You even know how to serve people?”
Jiang Qingning fell silent, but her mind was racing.
What does Teacher Pei mean by this?
Is he not going to make her work as a servant at the manor? Is he going to let her go?
Then before she leaves, could she ask him for a little bit of money to get by?
As she thought about it, a hint of a smile suddenly appeared on her small face.
She immediately looked up at Pei Ji, but he had already stepped to the bedside first and pinched her cheek.
Pei Ji said with a half-smile: “Jiang Qingning, This Venerable One intends to take you as my wife.”