Looking into the guarded eyes of the young woman before him, Pei Du suddenly felt inexplicably restless.
The very night Old Madam had arranged for Xie Zhi to move into Guanxue Tower, Changming had already reported the matter to him.
He didn’t need to think to know it had been the old lady’s deliberate doing.
He neither approved nor objected. He simply couldn’t understand why his grandmother was so enthusiastic about such matters.
Yet today, as he happened to pass Guanxue Tower, he had stopped for reasons he himself couldn’t explain and followed Pei Hong inside.
He was only here to check whether any of the ancient books had been damaged.
It had nothing to do with her.
That was what he told himself.
Just then, a young servant hurried into the library. After bowing to Pei Du, he rushed over to Pei Hong, who was searching for books among the shelves, and whispered urgently,
“Bad news, Fifth Young Master! Yao Liniang from Pixiang Garden is threatening to kill herself!”
“What?!”
Pei Hong froze for a moment before hastily putting down the book and striding toward the exit.
As he passed Pei Du, he cupped his hands in apology.
“Third Brother, something urgent has come up. I’ll have to take my leave first.”
Then, remembering something, he turned to Xie Zhi.
“Miss, would you please find that volume and deliver it to my mother in Ninghui Garden?”
With that, he disappeared in a hurry.
Xie Zhi had no idea why Pei Du was still here. Since he hadn’t left, she naturally welcomed the opportunity to stay as far away from him as possible.
If she had once entertained the faintest hope of relying on him during her darkest days, those thoughts had completely vanished after what had happened.
…
At last, after helping the young page locate the requested copy of The Classic of Navigation, the boy accidentally tore off the book’s cover page while pulling it from the shelf.
Only ten years old, he turned pale with terror.
“This is a priceless ancient text! If Registrar Tong finds out, he’ll beat me to death!”
Xie Zhi examined the damaged page. Instinctively, she looked back, only to discover that Pei Du had already left without her noticing.
She gently comforted the frightened boy.
“This book is already very old. The pages have become fragile with age. It isn’t entirely your fault.”
With a sigh, she gathered the loose cover page together with the book, reminded the boy of a few things, registered the damage at the recording desk on the first floor, and finally left Guanxue Tower.
Ninghui Garden lay on the western side of the Pei residence, separated from the library by Xingbo Lake.
It was around dinnertime. The heat of the day had faded, and many young ladies and servants were strolling along the lakeside.
Summer evenings were always the liveliest.
Graceful willow branches swayed over the water as drifting blossoms occasionally floated down. Clusters of blooming lotus flowers covered the lake, while several small boats drifted leisurely among them, carrying the young ladies of the estate as they admired the scenery and enjoyed themselves.
Holding the book in her arms, Xie Zhi followed the lakeside path toward Ninghui Garden.
Halfway there, she suddenly heard a sharp female voice.
“Lichun! Stop right there!”
It was Princess Yuyang.
Xie Zhi’s heart skipped a beat as an ominous feeling rose within her.
Turning around, she saw Princess Yuyang standing behind her, surrounded by a large group of maids and older servants.
“My respects, Your Ladyship.”
“Where are you going?”
Yuyang looked her up and down before her gaze settled on the book in Xie Zhi’s hands.
Xie Zhi truthfully explained that she had been assigned to work at Guanxue Tower and was delivering the book to Pei Hong’s mother at his request, silently praying the princess would not make things difficult for her.
Unexpectedly, Yuyang merely stared at her for a moment before saying indifferently,
“Oh. Then go.”
Relieved, Xie Zhi bowed and prepared to leave, secretly thinking that the princess must be in a particularly good mood today.
The very next moment, hurried footsteps came from behind.
An old serving woman snatched the book right out of her hands.
“What are you doing?”
Xie Zhi called after her.
The broad-shouldered woman shot her a glare before presenting the book to Princess Yuyang.
Taking it, Yuyang glanced at the title.
“The Classic of Navigation? Such a precious ancient manuscript. And you’ve even damaged the cover. It seems you’re not very competent at your duties.”
With a casual flick of her wrist, she tossed both the book and its detached title page into Xingbo Lake.
Splash.
They disappeared beneath the rippling water.
“Oh dear. Third Aunt is the strictest and most old-fashioned person imaginable. Now that you’ve ruined such a valuable book, you’d better think carefully about how you’ll explain yourself.”
Smiling, Yuyang brushed past Xie Zhi and walked away.
Staring at the spot where the book had vanished beneath the water, Xie Zhi spoke in a subdued voice.
“I’ve long heard that Your Ladyship is both highly accomplished and gentle by nature. I truly don’t believe I’ve ever committed any unforgivable offense. Why is it that you refuse to leave me alone?”
Yuyang had already walked past her, but upon hearing those words, she stopped in her tracks.
She turned back, leaned close to Xie Zhi’s ear, and whispered,
“Do you really not know what you’ve done?”
Xie Zhi was utterly bewildered.
“I truly don’t.”
“Half a year ago, the man who brought you to the Pei residence that night was Qi Songqing, wasn’t it?”
The seemingly random remark left Xie Zhi momentarily dazed.
Half a year earlier, when she had traveled to the capital with Pei Du, it happened to be New Year’s Eve.
Pei Du had been occupied with reporting to the palace and had no time to return home. Along the way, they happened to encounter Qi Songqing—a nephew from Old Madam’s maternal family—who was traveling from Huaizhou with his family to pay New Year’s respects.
So Pei Du simply had Xie Zhi accompany them to the Pei residence first.
Since she was unfamiliar with everything there, Xie Zhi hadn’t wandered about after arriving. Instead, she had quietly waited in the tea room for five or six hours until Pei Du finally returned late that night.
At the time, she had assumed he had bought her for that purpose.
Though frightened, she thought it was still far better than remaining in the brothel.
She had already resigned herself to her fate.
Yet when he returned, he simply took her straight to Chunhui Garden.
That brief journey together had been the entirety of her acquaintance with Qi Songqing.
Besides, she had no desire to ever see him again.
The very thought of him disgusted her.
So why did it sound so suggestive when Yuyang spoke of it?
Could it be…
Did Princess Yuyang like Qi Songqing?
Realizing this, Xie Zhi hurriedly tried to explain their relationship.
But Yuyang refused to believe a single word.
Grinding her teeth, she snapped,
“Jintang told me everything, down to the last detail. She saw the two of you on the street that day. She saw you seducing him!”
“And that name, Lichun—he gave it to you, didn’t he?!”
Xie Zhi was completely dumbfounded.
Who was Jintang?
When had she ever seduced Qi Songqing?
That day, they had traveled to the Pei residence by carriage. How could anyone on the street possibly have witnessed such a thing?
And besides, the name Lichun had clearly been something Pei Du had casually given her.
What did it have to do with Qi Songqing?
She opened her mouth to defend herself, but Yuyang gave her no chance.
“We’ll see. In a few days, when Grandmother goes to Ci’en Temple to offer prayers, I’ll marry you off to the stable groom in my courtyard. You’ll spend the rest of your life serving me. Only then will I truly be at ease.”
After Yuyang left, Xie Zhi felt her heart sink to the bottom.
The woman was completely unreasonable.
Yet she was nothing more than a servant now, powerless to resist.
She had to think of a way out.
But before that…
She needed to deal with the immediate crisis.
Looking at the calm surface of the lake, Xie Zhi slowly drew another book from inside her robe.
It was none other than The Classic of Navigation—
the very copy that no longer had its cover page.