On the other side, Pei Zhiyu learned the full story from Chenbi.
Upon hearing that Jiang Sui had directly thrown the bracelet, his tightly drawn lips curved slightly upward, genuine amusement surfacing in his eyes.
Well thrown. His Suisui naturally had that confidence.
But since Suisui had been wronged because of this, he would have to get justice for her.
The Seventh Princess…
His expression darkened slightly as he asked, “Aside from that, did anything else happen?”
“Reporting to the Young Lord, this servant kept watch the entire time and made sure the Madam had no further contact with the Princess.”
Pei Zhiyu lowered his gaze and gave a slight nod, somewhat reassured.
“Prepare the Crispy Yellow-Alone that the Madam likes and send it over shortly.”
Chenbi curtsied and withdrew.
The door happened to open at that moment, and Shiyue poked her head out to say:
“Young Lord, the Madam requests your presence inside.”
Pei Zhiyu had just been lowering his head. The setting sun cast a long shadow from the corridor pillar, falling across him and hiding half his face in darkness—at first glance, there was something almost sinister and cold about him.
But he quickly raised his head, a smile at his lips dissolving that momentary chill as if it had been nothing but an illusion:
“Very well.”
As Shiyue turned back into the room, she couldn’t help pressing a hand to her chest and letting out a quiet breath.
Strange—just now, when she saw the Young Lord, her heart had inexplicably skipped a beat.
Remembering Jiang Sui’s words, she stepped aside to let Pei Zhiyu enter, unable to resist stealing another glance at his retreating back.
Could a gentleman as upright as the Young Lord truly fulfill the Young Madam’s request?
If he couldn’t, and the Young Madam grew even more unhappy… she wouldn’t do anything foolish, would she?
Shiyue thought and thought, then couldn’t help rubbing her forehead in frustration.
Entering the bedchamber, Pei Zhiyu looked at the figure seated before the vanity mirror, removing hair ornaments, and unconsciously softened his footsteps.
He so wanted to go hug Suisui right now—but if he did, wouldn’t it startle her?
He restrained himself, stopping a few steps behind Jiang Sui, positioning himself so she could see him perfectly in the mirror.
“My wife is angry with me.”
His voice was gentle—not a question, but a certainty.
In the mirror, the young woman’s hair had half fallen loose, making her face appear even fairer and more delicate. Her round eyes met his in the reflection, then she let out an extremely soft “hmph” through her nose.
Like a kitten sneezing.
Pei Zhiyu’s gaze softened, and the corner of his lips unconsciously curved upward again.
So it was only a small sulk, then.
He moved smoothly to stand behind her, gently pressing down on the hand that was pulling out a hairpin, and said softly:
“Let me.”
Her hand was enveloped in warmth, and Jiang Sui couldn’t help narrowing her eyes before quickly pulling her hand back, lowering her gaze in acknowledgment.
Pei Zhiyu carefully removed the remaining ornaments from her hair one by one, his fingertips unhurriedly parting the strands to avoid tugging.
He continued speaking:
“It’s my fault, for letting my wife suffer such grievance.”
Jiang Sui, who had been absentmindedly looking down, paused. She slowly raised her eyes to meet his, and murmured with a hint of reproach:
“…So my husband knows.”
Pei Zhiyu couldn’t help but smile. He leaned over to take the jade comb from the vanity, his chest brushing against her head, almost as if embracing her from behind.
His grip on the comb tightened slightly, but he straightened up as if nothing had happened, cradling her silk-soft hair in one hand and combing through it slowly.
“It was your husband’s negligence, failing to resolve this trouble.”
“Leave it to me from now on.”
Jiang Sui blinked, looking at him in the mirror with a mix of curiosity and nervousness:
“Husband… don’t you think I’m being too petty?”
This was why she hadn’t dared tell him at first.
She had originally wanted to be magnanimous and act like she didn’t care, but the more she held it in… the more she realized she couldn’t quite hold it in.
Pei Zhiyu’s long fingers wove through her cool, soft hair. At her words, he chuckled softly:
“How could I?”
“My wife, in truth, I’m very happy.”
He lifted his lashes to meet her gaze in the mirror, his smiling eyes carrying a note of sincerity:
“The fact that my wife is willing to throw a little tantrum with me only shows that she cares about me.”
“How could I possibly blame you?”
He even wished… she would do it more often.
He loved that she depended on him, loved that she got jealous and willful over him, loved that her gaze always followed him… As long as it was Suisui, he loved everything about her.
Jiang Sui bit her lip lightly, her blinking eyes sparkling with obvious delight and joy, yet she still forced her lips into a straight line and ventured:
“R-really?”
Pei Zhiyu watched her trying to appear composed while failing to hide her happiness, and couldn’t help but laugh again. He answered:
“Of course.”
“You are my wife. Naturally, I will protect you and stand by you.”
The light in Jiang Sui’s eyes grew even brighter. She paused for a moment, then said softly:
“Husband, I should have told you sooner. I’m sorry…”
“It’s fine.”
Pei Zhiyu’s heart had already turned completely warm and soft. His hand unconsciously came to rest on her head—which barely reached his chest—and he gave it a gentle pat.
Jiang Sui didn’t react at first, letting out a comfortable little hum and even instinctively tilting her head back to nuzzle into his palm.
It wasn’t until a few breaths later that they both seemed to snap back to reality.
In the three months since their marriage, they had treated each other with nothing but mutual respect. Such an intimate gesture had never happened before.
Pei Zhiyu’s hand, still resting on her head, froze. He didn’t know whether to pull it away, and looked at the mirror somewhat nervously.
Would Suisui… not like it?
Yet the young woman in the mirror was also looking down, her emotions unreadable.
Jiang Sui’s heart was racing, the blush on her cheeks burning all the way to the tips of her ears.
It wasn’t shyness, but… excitement.
Her husband… he…
“Husband, it’s alright…”
She spoke in a soft, gentle voice, barely suppressing the slight tremor in her tone from her overwhelming excitement, her half-lowered lashes concealing the glistening moisture welling up in her eyes.
Pei Zhiyu’s stiff palm slowly relaxed, but then rose a few inches, pressing down again as if touching fragile glass, gently rubbing.
His palm tingled with a cool, silky sensation, and his breathing grew heavier. Beneath the calm surface of his eyes, something seemed to stir, yet he still held back, his voice hoarse as he said:
“Then, my lady, afterwards… could I—”
Jiang Sui lowered her eyes and gave a slight nod.
Pei Zhiyu took a slow, deep breath, closing his eyes to suppress the wild joy surging in his chest.
His hand slid down along her hair and came to rest on her shoulder. Jiang Sui’s whole body tensed, nervous yet expectant as she waited for his next move.
But Pei Zhiyu pressed her shoulder for a moment, then withdrew his hand.
Although he truly wanted to hold her like this… just this much had made Suisui blush and grow shy. If he went any further, he was afraid it would truly frighten her.
Better to take it slow.
The feeling of his hand lifting from her shoulder left Jiang Sui’s heart feeling hollow, a deep sense of disappointment welling up.
Well, it was already no small feat that her husband had gone this far today.
But then… so acting a little petulant and playing the wronged one could make her husband cross his usual bounds…?
A flicker passed through Jiang Sui’s eyes, and the emptiness in her heart was filled by the plans she was silently devising.
That medicine was effective, but if her husband could be like this while fully awake… wouldn’t that be even better?
While she was lost in her own flights of fancy, Pei Zhiyu spoke from behind:
“My lady, about the princess—”
“Wait,” Jiang Sui quickly interjected, saying, “Husband, Her Highness is after all of noble birth, and there may be some misunderstanding. Since I am a woman, it would be more convenient for me to handle matters. Please leave this to me.”
She had suddenly realized Zhao Yuling’s usefulness.
She couldn’t let her husband simply take care of her so cleanly.
Pei Zhiyu furrowed his brow, not entirely approving, but when he met Jiang Sui’s pleading gaze, his heart softened again, and he conceded:
“You… you’re just too kind-hearted.”
“Very well, but I will have people follow you. If she does anything to you again, I will not yield another step.”
Jiang Sui curved her eyes into a gentle smile, nodding with an air of pure innocence.