Duan Jiu quickly returned to the alley.
The sun hung high in the sky, and a carriage stood in the shade of a crooked old locust tree in the alley.
As he approached the carriage, a voice came from within, “Is the matter settled?”
Duan Jiu lowered his head slightly, “This subordinate has failed in his task and is willing to accept punishment.”
The carriage curtain was lifted slightly by a folding fan, revealing an extraordinarily elegant face, though the eyes now held a deep chill.
Duan Jiu bowed his head even lower and explained, “All the young ladies are in the courtyard, only Liu Zhiwei’s room had someone inside, but…”
“But what?”
“That person was the Jiang family’s second young lady,” Duan Jiu said.
The hand holding the curtain paused for a moment before lifting it higher. The carriage was equipped with ice, and cool air seeped through the window.
Duan Jiu couldn’t decipher his lord’s current mood. He had followed Pei Jing since childhood, for over ten years now.
Even after all these years, Duan Jiu still couldn’t understand Pei Jing. There probably wasn’t anyone in this world who could truly understand him.
The curtain fell back into place as Pei Jing stepped out of the carriage. He glanced toward the courtyard wall and said, “This prince will retrieve it personally.”
…
Jiang Fei didn’t enjoy scheming against those young ladies, but she also couldn’t stay too long in someone else’s room. If something went missing later, she wouldn’t be able to clear her name even if she jumped into the Yellow River.
After washing up, she rose from the tub, put on her underwear, and gathered her wet hair when she suddenly sensed something was wrong.
Jiang Fei sharply turned her gaze toward the screen, where the silhouette of a tall figure was visible – clearly a man judging by the build.
In that brief moment, numerous questions flashed through Jiang Fei’s mind.
When had he entered?
To slip in unnoticed, either the maid had been harmed or they were in cahoots.
Was this arranged by Liu Zhiwei?
What if he was here for money or her virtue? She had no money, but she did have some beauty to speak of.
This was ancient times – if word got out, would she be unmarriageable for life?
Pretending not to have noticed the presence, Jiang Fei calmly averted her gaze, picked up her outer garment and put it on, while thinking about how to escape.
There was a window here – she could push it open and climb right out.
She quickly rushed to the window and pushed it outward with all her strength.
???
The window didn’t budge.
She pushed again, still no movement.
Damn it! Could it have been sealed from the outside?
Pei Jing had been observing her from behind the screen for quite some time, watching her shake the window until it rattled noisily, giving him a headache.
Finally unable to bear it any longer, he stepped out from behind the screen and said expressionlessly, “It pulls inward.”
Jiang Fei: “Oh, thanks.”
As soon as she finished speaking, her body stiffened abruptly. She turned her head, “What are you doing here?”
Pei Jing leaned against the screen, “Why shouldn’t I be here?”
Jiang Fei breathed a sigh of relief. Since the visitor was ‘Wei Mingzhen,’ she didn’t need to be afraid anymore. Even if they ended up with cooked rice here, people would only say they were a bit impatient.
Besides, she would be more than happy to have cooked rice. Then she wouldn’t need to think of ways to increase Wei Mingzhen’s favorability toward her – he wouldn’t be able to refuse marrying her even if he wanted to.
“You’re not following me, are you?”
Pei Jing wore an expression that said ‘what nonsense are you spouting.’
“Oh.” Jiang Fei understood. “You’re not following me, yet you appear in Liu Zhiwei’s room. You couldn’t be…”
She narrowed her eyes, then raised an eyebrow.
Pei Jing felt that her gaze and expression were rather improper and asked, “Be what?”
Jiang Fei wore an expression that said she understood perfectly well but simply refused to speak, casually grabbing a cloth to wring the water from her hair.
Pei Jing slowly approached, a faint smile on his face, and took the cloth from her hand, gently drying her hair.
Jiang Fei felt somewhat uncomfortable with this sudden intimacy and instinctively wanted to pull away.
But then she thought, if she were to marry him in the future, it wouldn’t just be drying her hair—she might have to do even more intimate things. She had to start getting used to it now.
The cloth moved upward from her hair ends, the motion so slow it felt like flirting.
Jiang Fei’s back stiffened. “Is… is it done?”
“Not yet,” Pei Jing’s voice murmured softly by her ear.
“Then hurry up.”
“Alright.”
As he said this, the corners of Pei Jing’s lips curled slightly, and the cloth suddenly wrapped around her neck, pulling her backward.
Jiang Fei was yanked off balance, her back colliding with Pei Jing’s chest.
“Wei… cough, cough…”
The cloth around her neck tightened gradually. Pei Jing tilted his head closer, his breath warm against her ear as he said slowly:
“Don’t shout. I don’t like it.”
Jiang Fei’s pupils contracted abruptly. The suffocating sensation made her instinctively clutch at the cloth around her neck. “Kill… kill…”
Pei Jing frowned slightly, loosening his grip a little. “Kill who?”
Finally, a bit of air rushed into Jiang Fei’s lungs. She gasped heavily. Pei Jing seemed impatient for her answer and urged:
“Quick, say it. Kill who?”
Jiang Fei tilted her head back, struggling to speak. “Kill… me…”
Pei Jing’s lips curved into a smile as he replied with excitement, “Alright.”
The cloth tightened once more.
Jiang Fei: ???
Wait, I haven’t finished speaking!
Jiang Fei hurriedly grabbed “Wei Mingzhen’s” hand, her nails digging almost into the back of his hand. “I… I haven’t… finished.”
Pei Jing paused, loosening his grip slightly. “Do you have any last words?”
At that moment, Jiang Fei felt like cursing every single one of his ancestors.
“Kill me, and you might end up a widower!”
She finally managed to shout the words out, startling Pei Jing so much that he instinctively released the cloth.
Freed, Jiang Fei immediately retreated to the window, eyeing “Wei Mingzhen” warily.
Oh my god, this man is insane—completely insane! How is he even crazier than Pei Jing?
Pei Jing is the “Jade-faced madman,” but this guy doesn’t even bother hiding it.
“Why do you always want to kill me?” Jiang Fei rubbed her neck, certain it would bruise by tomorrow from how hard he’d pulled.
Pei Jing: “Didn’t you tell me to kill you?”
“I hadn’t finished speaking, okay?” Jiang Fei yelled at him furiously. “What’s the rush? Are you in such a hurry to send me to my grave? Couldn’t you wait a moment for me to finish?”
Pei Jing: “…”
Having already started yelling, Jiang Fei decided to go all out. “Do you even know what it means to be gentle with women? Or what gentlemanly manners are? If you’re drying my hair, just dry my hair! Why do you have to go straight for my neck? You’re a grown man—don’t you dare deny you wanted to kill me. If you didn’t, why would you strangle me?”
Pei Jing fell silent for a moment, as if finally understanding the meaning behind her outburst.
“I strangled you to ask what your guess was.”
Hearing this, Jiang Fei’s anger flared even higher. “If you wanted to ask, couldn’t you just ask properly? Do you think I wouldn’t have answered if you hadn’t strangled me?”
Pei Jing was stunned by her yelling. No one had ever dared speak to him in such a tone before.
Everyone feared him, tread carefully around him, kept their distance with reverence.
“But many people won’t speak up unless you show them who’s boss.”
This was the conclusion Pei Jing had drawn over the years. Only by making others fear him, dread him, would they not look down on him.
Jiang Fei rolled her eyes and stepped forward, jabbing her finger forcefully against Pei Jing’s chest.
“From now on, speak properly! Don’t go around intimidating people all the time. Communicate first. If communication doesn’t work, then consider other methods. Besides eating, mouths are also for talking. Got it?!”
She withdrew her hand, rubbing her fingertips together. The texture felt surprisingly pleasant.
If she’d known earlier, she wouldn’t have used just one finger—she should have pressed both hands against him directly.