Ye Wanqiu’s curved lips never fell.
She leaned beside Pei Yanzhou, though not fully against him, their robes and sleeves already brushing together once more.
Such closeness, Song Jinyin had never seen on anyone else.
“Just a maid, and you’re this upset over her?”
“I don’t want to bother with a lowly servant, but earlier, when Brother Yanzhou wasn’t here, she stood there like she was the mistress…”
Song Jinyin’s lips moved slightly, wanting to defend herself, but in the end, she closed her mouth.
What was there to say?
His attitude was already clear. Even if she had done nothing, as long as she displeased the Ye family’s young lady today, this punishment was unavoidable.
Pei Yanzhou was uncharacteristically patient.
Listening to Ye Wanqiu’s complaints, he even relaxed his furrowed brow slightly, a faint smile curling his lips. “Grandmother said I was bullying you. She should come and hear this herself.”
“Brother Yanzhou…”
“Alright, let her kneel here for a day. Will that satisfy you?”
Song Jinyin lowered her head further, hiding the mist in her eyes.
Her knees grew increasingly numb, and the slap from last night still seemed to burn with heat.
She suddenly felt that life held less and less hope.
The silver she had saved had been gradually spent on her frail body, which now required frequent medicine. She thought of going out to search for her father, but she didn’t know where the great flood that year had swept him away.
Her vision blurred slightly. In her sleeves, Song Jinyin clenched her hands tightly, trying to use the pain in her palms to stay alert.
If she collapsed here, the Ye family’s young lady would likely think she was feigning illness and retaliate even more harshly.
“Since Brother Yanzhou says so, how could Wanqiu not be merciful?”
Ye Wanqiu’s tone was both coy and reproachful as she tugged at his sleeve again. “But Wanqiu wants to play chess with Brother Yanzhou. Having her here is rather distracting.”
Pei Yanzhou didn’t hesitate for a moment. He instructed Steward Wang to fetch the chessboard, then spoke coldly to the figure on the ground. “Get out and kneel in the courtyard.”
Song Jinyin stood up, turned, and without even glancing at the two above her, moved as if her soul had been drained, dragging her weary steps woodenly, one by one, toward the outside.
Just endure a little longer.
Perhaps it wouldn’t be long now. Once Pei Yanzhou’s marriage was settled, she could leave this cold mansion—as long as she still had her life.
Seeing her offer no resistance, even the usual stubbornness in her replaced by a desolate air, Pei Yanzhou’s eyes darkened, his jaw tightening for a moment. But when he caught sight of the chessboard, he relaxed, picking up a black piece.
……
A light autumn rain fell today.
The fine drizzle, carrying a chill, landed on Song Jinyin’s hair and cheeks, freezing her entire body stiff and numb.
Occasionally, the clear, pleasant laughter of a woman drifted from inside the hall, while maids moved back and forth along the corridor, carrying trays in and out.
Pastries, clear tea, and from time to time, replenished charcoal and warming stoves.
Song Jinyin never imagined that someone like Pei Yanzhou would be willing to coax a young lady so attentively.
That year, when she first arrived at Guogongfu, though the Duke had concealed her mother’s identity, bringing her into the mansion as an ordinary widow, the gentle and virtuous Duchess had immediately guessed the plight of their mother and daughter.
At that time, the Duchess had already been bedridden for a long while, yet she treated Song Jinyin with great kindness, often calling her to her side to keep her company. Occasionally, she would comfort her like a young daughter, teaching her the ways of the world.
As time passed, she often saw Pei Yanzhou coming to visit his mother.
Pei Yanzhou rarely smiled, so Song Jinyin was somewhat afraid of him.
Even the late Duchess had once remarked with a laugh that her son had a cold temperament and would likely struggle to win a woman's affection in the future.
Yet now, the front hall was filled with laughter and cheerful conversation—a display of attentiveness and patience Song Jinyin had never witnessed from him before.
Once again, a mist blurred her vision.
How could she have deliberately harmed the Duchess? How could she have intentionally kept mother and son apart? How could she have been so greedy for wealth, trying to climb up to him and even to his friends?
But she hadn’t confessed—her mother had.
Song Jinyin remembered when Pei Yanzhou, carrying a long sword, found her mother. Hiding behind the Duke, her mother seemed to have made up her mind and pushed her forward.
"A life for a life. If the Shizi accepts it, this girl will henceforth be a servant in Shizi Yuan. Whether she lives or dies, as long as it eases your anger."
The Duke had expended considerable effort to suppress the matter.
But because of it, Song Jinyin fell from being the daughter of an official to a slave, becoming the greatest absurdity in Guogongfu.
The two chess players finally stopped.
As Song Jinyin was dampened by the fine rain, the woman inside lifted her delicate chin and walked slowly toward her under Pei Yanzhou’s umbrella.
At first glance, the two indeed seemed well-matched.
"Brother Yanzhou, I’m heading back to the estate."
"Mm, be careful on the road."
Pei Yanzhou looked at Steward Wang. "Did you deliver the gift I asked you to pick for Miss Ye to the carriage?"
"Reporting to Shizi, it has already been arranged according to Miss Ye’s preferences."
Ye Wanqiu pursed her lips into a smile, her voice softening further. "Brother Yanzhou is so good to me…"
"If you know it’s good, will you still go to my grandmother to stir up trouble next time?"
Ye Wanqiu glanced at the person still kneeling on the ground, somewhat bashful. "Brother Yanzhou, don’t be angry. Wanqiu will be more sensible in the future and won’t use others’ matters to upset you."
It wasn’t until Ye Wanqiu had left the courtyard that Pei Yanzhou, standing not far away, finally moved.
To watch someone depart like this in the rain—if not deeply in love, how else could it be explained?
Song Jinyin stared at the ground in the distance, her heart feeling as if it were being twisted, aching in waves.
All these years, she had remembered Pei Yanzhou’s kindness to her when she was first sent to Guogongfu.
Perhaps out of atonement, or perhaps out of pity for this Shizi brother who had once risked his life to save her, Song Jinyin had always been the one who remained humble and cautious.
Watching his departing back was something she carefully did every day.
But now, she felt she likely wouldn’t anymore.
Pei Yanzhou’s steps halted before her. As he crouched down, his gaze once again turned deep and coldly severe.
They were close—so close that in his eyes, Song Jinyin saw her own rain-soaked, disheveled reflection.
His fingertip traced the lingering red marks on her face, then pressed hard against a spot where the skin had broken.
"Does it hurt?"
There was no tenderness—only hatred.
"Since Liu Shi sent you here to atone, then in this courtyard of mine, every time Liu Shi comes, you will kneel."
The raindrops fell with a crisp sound.
Song Jinyin dared not nod.
That slight, fragmented pain was no longer something worth mentioning to her.
But at the mention of Liu Shi and the recollection of the scenes from earlier, the redness at the corners of her eyes, which had just begun to fade, immediately spread again.
"Why are you crying? Isn’t it only on the bed that you deign to show weakness before me?"
Pei Yanzhou's hand tightened further, his deep eyes churning with turbulent emotions that pushed him to the brink of losing control.