Liu Yan looked at Pei Lian, her eyes welled with tears, looking pitiful and charming.
Regardless of the people standing around, she moved on her knees toward Pei Lian, her bright and beautiful face now covered in tears.
Looking at Pei Lian with an innocent expression, she reached out to grab the corner of his robe, but was rejected by Pei Lian.
Seeing her hand suspended in the air, Liu Yan was completely shocked.
Is His Highness doubting her?
“Your Highness, this concubine does not know who wants to frame me.”
“This hairpin went missing years ago. I thought since it was just a wooden hairpin of little value, I didn’t pay it any more mind.”
“I never thought that today someone would use it to frame me.”
As Liu Yan spoke, her tears slowly streamed down again.
Pei Lang usually doted on her the most, but now, because of that cheap woman, he doubted her so much.
This gave Liu Yan a sense of crisis.
She looked at Shen Zhi sitting behind Pei Lian, her heart full of resentment and anger.
Liu Yan had a prior record, so Pei Lian would not believe her words.
“I will have someone investigate the whole matter clearly, and at that time, I will naturally restore your innocence,” Pei Lian said indifferently, moving his gaze away from her and looking at the people standing in the courtyard.
“All of you, go back. If anyone dares to spread word of this matter, I believe you all saw the end of that person just now.” Pei Lian’s voice was calm and devoid of emotion, yet they felt a chill down their spines as they listened.
When the Crown Prince killed that groom, he hadn’t shown any mercy at all.
If this matter were to be spread, he would truly kill those who gossiped.
Everyone hurriedly bowed and replied: “This consort/concubine obeys.”
Because of this wooden hairpin, Liu Yan was confined to the Lanyue Pavilion by Pei Lian and forbidden from coming out.
Soon, the Lanxin Pavilion returned to its former quiet state, and when Pei Lian turned back to look at Shen Zhi.
He found that Shen Zhi was completely not herself; her body was trembling, and her face was filled with fear and dread.
Her hands were tightly clenched into fists, and she was in a state of extreme tension.
Seeing her like this, Pei Lian frowned slightly.
“Shen Zhi?”
He called out to her, his voice not loud, yet Shen Zhi was startled by his call.
Seeing that she didn’t respond to him, Pei Lian frowned even tighter, and he reached out to pat Shen Zhi’s shoulder.
This touch made Shen Zhi scream like a frightened bird: “Ah—”
At the same time, she stood up from her chair, her innocent face revealing terror.
The large, bright eyes that usually looked at Pei Lian were now filled with fear and dread.
The people around were all startled by Shen Zhi’s shout. Su Wen and Nanny Zhao’s hearts skipped a beat upon seeing this.
What is wrong with the mistress?
Why is her reaction so intense?
“Shen Zhi, what is wrong with you?” Pei Lian hurriedly grabbed her shoulders, his gaze fixed on her face as he asked sternly.
Shen Zhi emerged from those memories. Seeing Pei Lian standing in front of her, she was stunned for a moment, followed immediately by tears falling.
She suddenly began to cry, leaving Pei Lian and the surrounding servants somewhat confused.
Was she scared by that cruel scene just now?
At this moment, risking her life, Su Wen stood out and looked at Pei Lian, saying: “Your Royal Highness, Consort Shen might have been frightened by what just happened.”
“Please do not be angry, Your Royal Highness.”
Pei Lian looked at her frightened-bird appearance and only felt something was wrong.
It was just killing one person, why would she look like this?
Thinking of how she needed to light sleep-inducing incense to fall asleep at night, and that if she didn’t, she would have nightmares.
Shen Zhi… is very abnormal.
Shen Zhi, slowly recovering, gave Pei Lian a faint smile and said: “Your Highness, this concubine is fine.”
“I was just frightened.”
As she spoke, she grabbed Pei Lian’s wrist, and with her almond-shaped eyes looking at him, she said with a smile: “Thank you, Your Highness, for proving my innocence.”
“Hm.” After Pei Lian responded, he grabbed her and walked into the house.
The room had been ransacked by Lin Shiya’s people. Pei Lian glanced at it and impatiently shouted: “Clean this up for me at once!”
Following his words, the servants outside immediately entered and began to tidy up.
They put all the objects back in their places and picked up the storybooks that Shen Zhi liked, smoothing them out one by one.
The torn parts were also picked up by Nanny Zhao and set aside; she planned to fetch some paste later to stick them back together so the mistress could continue reading.
Soon, the room was restored to its original state, and Shen Zhi sat in a chair holding a cup of tea.
She had a deep dread and fear of blood.
Shen Zhi always felt that if she saw that stuff, she would definitely die.
And the method of death would be a particularly agonizing one.
Either kill her with one strike, or don’t kill her at all.
She did not want to experience that feeling of her body growing colder and colder, feeling her body’s blood flowing away less and less, ever again.
Every time she was stabbed to death, she had to endure painful struggles there.
No one would save her, and no one would give her a finishing blow.
Pei Lian saw that she was dazed, looking terrified, and not even drinking the tea in her hand.
“Shen Zhi.” Pei Lian reached out to grab her and discovered that Shen Zhi’s hands were abnormally cold; even though it was the hottest part of summer, her hands felt as if she were holding ice cubes.
“Why are your hands so cold?”
Pei Lian frowned, took the teacup from her hand and set it aside, his large, warm hands immediately grasping hers.
Her face was turning pale, her body was still trembling lightly, and a thin layer of cold sweat had broken out on her forehead.
Shen Zhi… she must be ill.
“Summon the imperial physician!” Pei Lian turned his head and shouted toward the outside of the door.
“Yes—” Qingxue responded.
Pei Lian looked at her dazed state and, feeling a pang of heartache, reached out to pull her into his arms.
His large, strong arms held Shen Zhi’s waist tightly, and it was only then that Pei Lian realized that Shen Zhi was very thin, with almost no meat on her body.
This stirred different emotions in Pei Lian for her.
Pei Lian, who was usually not one to comfort others, clumsily raised his hand to gently pat her back, his voice turning gentle: “Do not fear, I am here; no one will hurt you.”
Hearing this, Shen Zhi immediately reached out and tightly grabbed the yellow ceremonial robe he was wearing. She treated Pei Lian as her only straw to grasp for life. In this feudal era where schemes and intrigues were endless, Pei Lian’s status was like a great tree that could shelter her from wind and rain.
With reddened eyes looking at him, her red lips parted slightly, and a voice as small as a mosquito’s buzzed in Pei Lian’s ear: “If Your Highness wants to kill this concubine in the future, could you give this concubine a quick death?”
“Just like how you dealt with Ma Ding today—immediately, just one strike across this concubine’s neck would suffice.”
As she spoke, Shen Zhi even pointed to the spot of her own carotid artery, “Right here.”
“It must be a fatal blow in one strike.”
Hearing these words, Pei Lian was stunned on the spot.
Why would she have this thought?
“I will not kill you; not now, and not in the future,” Pei Lian looked at her calmly and said coldly.
The two of them were now grasshoppers on the same rope; if she died, he would also start over.
“Shen Zhi, you only need to understand this one point.”