Xie Zhi followed Changming inside. In the main hall, behind a large huanghuali rosewood desk, Pei Du sat with a jade-handled brush in hand, his head lowered as he wrote.
The desk was piled high with official documents and scrolls, alongside brush stands, brush washers, and other writing implements.
“My lord,” Changming announced, “the Old Madam has sent someone to bring you some refreshments.”
Without looking up or pausing his writing, Pei Du replied calmly, “Leave them there.”
Changming exchanged a glance with Xie Zhi before quietly withdrawing.
Xie Zhi cautiously lifted her eyes toward the man seated above.
Half a year had passed since they had last met. He looked exactly as before—strikingly handsome, yet with sharp, severe brows and eyes that kept everyone at a distance.
Cold. Proud.
Untouchable.
The moment she saw his face, all the painful memories from six months ago surged back into her mind. Her grip on the food basket tightened unconsciously.
It was then that Pei Du sensed another presence in the room.
He looked up.
His gaze met Xie Zhi’s flustered expression.
Truthfully, Xie Zhi had always been a little afraid of him.
Ever since Pei Du had brought her back to the residence six months earlier, everyone in the household had assumed he had feelings for her.
A man who had spent years keeping women at arm’s length had suddenly returned from Yangzhou with a wounded young woman covered in injuries.
How could people not speculate?
Even the Old Madam believed the same.
After bringing her back, Pei Du had ordered someone to send her to the Old Madam’s courtyard. A few days later, he left under imperial orders to investigate a case in Yingzhou. They had not seen each other since.
Although Xie Zhi never said anything, the Old Madam had instead comforted her.
“Don’t overthink it. He hasn’t taken a wife yet, so naturally he can’t openly keep a woman in his chambers. That’s why he left you with me first. When the time comes, I’ll personally present you to him. Only then will everything be proper.”
Xie Zhi had tried to explain herself.
But everyone simply assumed she was being shy and smiled knowingly.
She was insignificant and had little standing, so there was no point arguing. Thus, she ended up living in Chunhui Garden in a haze of misunderstanding.
But she knew the truth.
Pei Du did not like her.
Not in the slightest.
Their very first meeting had taken place inside the prison where she was being sentenced.
The members of her family had long lost the will to fight among themselves. Their faces were ashen as they waited for judgment.
When the sentence was announced—that they would be reduced to the lowest social status and registered as slaves—heart-rending cries erupted throughout the prison, nearly piercing Xie Zhi’s ears.
She looked toward Pei Du, who sat at the highest seat.
He gazed down coldly upon everyone, expression utterly indifferent, like an emotionless Buddha.
She was exceptionally beautiful, and before long the madam of a brothel took a liking to her and offered to buy her.
Though she had been raised sheltered within the inner quarters, she knew well enough that such a place could never be a good destination.
Years ago, when her mother had been gravely ill, five-year-old Xie Zhi had begged her father to let her see her mother one last time.
No matter how desperately she pleaded, he refused.
He had hurried away without sparing her a glance—only to retrieve another beautiful woman from that accursed place.
From that day onward…
She lost her mother.
And the brothel became the place she hated most in the world.
How could she endure spending the rest of her life there?
She had struggled alone to survive in the rear courtyard of the Xie family for more than a decade, never once knowing what it felt like to have a father’s love.
Why should she bear the consequences of Xie Jinhuai’s crimes?
It wasn’t fair.
So, just as she was about to be taken away, she seized what felt like her last chance at survival and knelt before Pei Du.
“My lord… could you take me with you?”
At the time, however, Pei Du merely looked at her with unconcealed disgust, as though she were something filthy.
He ordered someone to pull her away before turning and leaving without another glance.
Xie Zhi paid dearly for that reckless plea.
After being taken to the brothel, the madam had her severely beaten.
Two days later, unwilling to receive customers, she escaped under cover of darkness.
But she was soon discovered.
The brothel’s guards pursued her relentlessly through the streets.
With nowhere left to run, she climbed into an unattended carriage parked by the roadside.
She listened as the men searching for her passed right beside it.
Just as she was beginning to think she had escaped…
Someone lifted the carriage curtain and stepped inside.
Curled up in the corner, filthy and disheveled, Xie Zhi looked up—
—and froze.
It was Pei Du.
Tears rolled down her cheeks before she could stop them.
The memory of his rejection only days earlier remained vivid in her mind.
She was certain…
There was no way he would save her.
In an instant, she made her decision.
She scrambled to her feet and stumbled toward the carriage door.
“My lord, please don’t be angry. I’ll get out myself.”
But just as she was about to jump down…
He suddenly grabbed her wrist.
“Are you sure?”
“My respects, my lord.”
Xie Zhi’s clear, gentle voice rang out as she curtsied.
Pei Du set down his brush and looked at her.
“Bring it here.”
She quietly stepped forward, took out the two dishes from the food basket, and placed them on the desk.
“My lord, the lychee syrup should be drunk soon, or it will turn sour.”
Pei Du picked up the spoon and stirred the bowl without taking a sip.
Instead, he looked up at her.
The young woman’s hair was still slightly damp, and a faint, refreshing fragrance lingered about her.
It seemed she had only recently bathed.
For some inexplicable reason, irritation and disgust welled up inside him.
“When I brought you into this residence, I told you to know your place and stay out of trouble. Do you remember?”
As he spoke, he set the spoon down.
The crisp clink of porcelain echoed through the room.
Xie Zhi felt the back of her neck tighten.
She had no idea how she had offended him again.
After hesitating, she answered softly,
“Yes, my lord.”
“When I had you sent to my grandmother’s courtyard, you were registered as a third-rank maid, weren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“If I remember correctly, third-rank maids have endless chores. Before dawn they sweep the courtyards and wash clothes, working until dusk. Under ordinary circumstances, they are not even allowed to leave the courtyard freely.”
He fixed her with a sharp stare.
“Then explain this.”
“Why did you get into a conflict with Yuyang at the family academy today?”
As expected of the Vice Minister of Justice.
His methods were meticulous.
He had only just returned to the residence, yet he already knew every major and minor incident that had taken place.
Xie Zhi’s face turned pale.
She knelt immediately.
“My lord, after I was entrusted to the Old Madam, she treated me with great kindness. Not only did she spare me from rough labor, but she also allowed me to serve tea at the family academy every morning… and to listen in on the lessons.”
“Why?”
His voice grew colder.
“If you try to brush me off again by saying it was merely because of my grandmother’s kindness, don’t blame me for showing no mercy.”
Xie Zhi lowered her head even further.
“Because… the Old Madam believed I was… my lord’s…”
Her voice became softer and softer.
Then, as though suddenly remembering something, she raised her bright, clear eyes to meet his.
“My lord, I did explain it… but no one believed me. And you left in such a hurry…”
Just as he expected.
Pei Du despised people who harbored ulterior motives and sought to climb the social ladder by exploiting someone else’s power.
“I already told you that I saved you only because that day happened to be the anniversary of my late mother’s death.”
“I will personally explain everything to my grandmother.”
“I also hope you understand what you should and should not do from now on.”
“Don’t make me regret the decision I made that day.”
With those cold words, Pei Du turned and walked out of the study.
Xie Zhi remained kneeling where she was.
Her heart was filled with despair.
She did not dare move for a long time.
Just as she was about to stand…
An angry female voice suddenly rang out from the courtyard.
“Brother! I heard Lichun is here with you!”
“Do you know she actually ran away after being punished? She’s utterly lawless!”