In the dead of night, Xue Qingqing woke from her discomfort, her entire body aching and limp.
The pressing she'd done during the day hadn't helped at all—if anything, the pain was sharper than before. Even the lightest brush of fabric against her skin made her suck in cold air.
Outside the courtyard, insects chirped crisp and long. Little Tiger babbled in his sleep beside her, and every so often a night bird swept past the window with a flutter of wings.
Xue Qingqing's mouth was parched. Though she didn't want to move a muscle, she forced herself to prop up her limp arms, climb off the bed, and feel her way toward the tea table.
She lifted the teapot—empty.
She'd have to go to the main hall for water.
Mustering her spirits, she took a few steps, pushed aside the hanging curtain, and entered the main hall.
The door stood open, and moonlight spilled across the floor like water, coating everything in a layer of cold, clear silver frost.
After drinking, she turned to head back to her room—but caught a glimpse of a quilt piled at the foot of the bed.
The man on the bamboo couch was sleeping soundly, completely unaware that he was now bare beneath the moonlight.
Xue Qingqing walked over, picked up the quilt from the floor, patted off the dust, carefully spread it open, and draped it over the man.
"Don't… don't leave me…"
A weak, choked voice suddenly emerged. Xue Qingqing paused and looked at the sleeping face.
Bathed in pale moonlight, Pei Huaizhen's complexion was pallid, his smooth forehead beaded with fine sweat. His thick brows were drawn tight, his eyelids twitching restlessly. Compared to the easygoing facade he'd maintained during the day, he now seemed utterly fragile.
Thinking of what he'd been through, Xue Qingqing couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy. Seeing the sweat on his brow, she took out her handkerchief and reached to wipe it away.
But the moment the cloth touched his forehead, his hand shot up and seized her wrist with force.
Xue Qingqing was about to cry out in fright when the choked voice came again, weakly calling to her: "Mother…"
"Please…"
In the dimness, he pressed her hand to his lips, trembling, begging: "Don't abandon me…"
His breath was hot and damp against her skin. Through the thin layer of flesh, Xue Qingqing could almost feel the surging blood flowing through the man's body.
Somehow, she swallowed the scream that had risen to her lips.
Even she found it hard to believe.
Just a day ago, she'd avoided Young Master Shen like the plague, unable to let go of his cruel treatment of the village chief. Now that she knew his past, she found herself strangely unsurprised.
After all, as long as a person was alive—rich or poor, noble or lowly—if they were rejected by their caretakers in childhood, the trauma was immeasurable. Let alone growing up cheerful and sunny, simply not developing dark thoughts was already a rare feat.
"Shen Zhuo's" actions were the inevitable result of his childhood experiences. If anything, he himself was the victim.
Xue Qingqing sighed inwardly, feeling helpless.
She moved gently, carefully withdrawing her hand from the man's grasp, trying not to disturb him.
"Mother…" The vague murmuring suddenly grew urgent, his voice turning plaintive. "Come back!"
Before the words faded, his body jerked and his eyes snapped open.
They stared at each other.
Startled, Xue Qingqing pulled her hand away with more force, stumbling back several steps in the moment of release.
Pei Huaizhen panted heavily, a faint flush spreading across his pale face from agitation. Beneath his disheveled hair, his eyes shimmered with a liquid gleam.
Seeing Xue Qingqing, he seemed to come back to himself. He lowered his head in chagrin, his voice hoarse: "Forgive me, I was presumptuous with Miss Xue."
Xue Qingqing's hand still held lingering warmth, damp, carrying the medicinal scent unique to the man on the bed.
She steadied herself, not knowing what to say, and asked: "Would you like some water?"
Pei Huaizhen raised his head, staring at her blankly.
Xue Qingqing turned, poured another full cup, and brought it to him.
Pei Huaizhen took the cup like a man dying of thirst finding sweet rain, draining it in two or three gulps.
"Drink slowly," Xue Qingqing said softly. "No one's going to take it from you."
After drinking, Pei Huaizhen let out two breaths of pent-up air, his expression visibly relaxing. His shimmering eyes were especially bright in the dimness as he gazed at Xue Qingqing with focus, saying gently: "Thank you, Miss Xue."
Xue Qingqing hated being stared at like that—it made her whole body feel awkward. She rose to return to her room: "I came out for water and saw your quilt had fallen off, so I came to cover you. Go back to sleep. I'm heading back."
"Miss Xue," Pei Huaizhen called after her, his voice warm, his shimmering eyes full of entreaty. "Would you stay and talk with me for a while?"
Xue Qingqing looked up at him. She didn't keep walking, but she didn't sit back down either. Standing, she asked: "What do you want to talk about?"
"Anything at all," he said, his brows curving, a smile on his lips. "As long as it's you speaking to me."
Xue Qingqing thought for a moment, then sat back down and looked at him. "So what do you plan to do next? Although there are some unresolved feelings between you and your mother, you can't just keep wandering outside like this. Didn't you mention you have a younger brother? If you stay away from home for so long, he must be worried sick."
Pei Huaizhen's eyes dimmed instantly. After a long silence, he spoke in a flat tone, asking, "Does Miss Xue know whose face I saw in my last glance before I was pushed off the cliff?"
Xue Qingqing shook her head.
Pei Huaizhen looked into her eyes. "It was the face of the one you just mentioned—my dear younger brother."
Xue Qingqing was stunned, her almond-shaped eyes wide open.
Pei Huaizhen's expression darkened, as if sinking into memory. "On the day I left home, he used training as an excuse and asked me to bring him along. On the way, he said he knew of a shortcut that could save half the journey. I trusted his words and was led by him into treacherous mountains. He then tricked me to the edge of a cliff and shoved me off with his own hands."
"He was spoiled by our mother since childhood and always delighted in making things difficult for me. On the day we left, I had a feeling he harbored ill intentions—but I never imagined—"
Pei Huaizhen's eyes showed pain, his voice trembling. "He actually wanted me dead."
Xue Qingqing had been shocked moments ago, but now she was entirely furious. She raised her voice. "But you're his own brother! How could he do this to you? Is there no one who can control him? What about your father? Can't your father rein him in?"
"Father?"
Pei Huaizhen let out a cold laugh. "His marriage was arranged by our parents—there was never any affection between him and my mother. Over the years, they grew weary of each other's sight. In his eyes, his beloved concubine is his true wife, and the concubine's son is his true son. If not for the order of seniority and the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate birth, he would have wished nothing more than to register the entire family estate under the concubine's son's name and cut all ties with me."
Xue Qingqing was at a loss for words.
Pei Huaizhen let out a bitter laugh. "My mother wants to leave the family estate to her youngest son, and my father wants to leave it to his concubine's son. In that household, no one expects me to return alive anymore."
After a long silence, Xue Qingqing finally spoke, asking hesitantly, "What does your family do?"
She truly couldn't imagine what kind of family could be so cold-blooded.
Pei Huaizhen paused for a moment, then said, "They're in business."
Xue Qingqing said, "No wonder."
Most merchants were fickle and profit-driven. Besides, not all parents loved their children.
Xue Qingqing suddenly felt a pang of sadness, thinking that Shen Zhuo had managed to survive this long—it couldn't have been easy.
"Actually, even now, I've never hated my brother," Pei Huaizhen said, closing his eyes, his brow filled with inner turmoil. "He's just young and doesn't know any better. He needs someone to guide him. I know that deep down, he's not a bad person."
Hearing this, Xue Qingqing grew even angrier and couldn't help but speak up for him. "What do you mean 'just young'? Does being young make murder legal? If he's this vicious to his own brother, there's no need to even imagine how he treats outsiders. It's absolutely insane."
Pei Huaizhen shook his head gently, his voice choked with emotion. "What Miss Xue says makes sense, but he is after all my own flesh and blood. How can I sever that bond?"
Xue Qingqing fell silent.
If a day ago she had seen the man before her as an unfathomable abyss, now in her eyes he was a shallow stream whose bottom could be seen at a glance.
Because he was separated from his mother in childhood, he clung to her desperately. Because his mother cursed him, he sealed off his heart. And because of all these painful experiences, he had developed a sensitive and extreme temperament.
All of Xue Qingqing's wariness toward him had stemmed from the fact that this person was of unknown origin and unpredictable.
But at this moment, this person's good and bad were laid bare before her. Even knowing his hands were stained with blood, she was no longer so afraid.
She even tried to counsel him. "Young Master Shen, sometimes people can't place too much importance on family bonds—especially when the other party doesn't see you as family. Otherwise, all your forbearance is just asking for trouble."
Pei Huaizhen was momentarily taken aback, then nodded. "What Miss Xue has said has been most instructive to me."
Then, with some curiosity, he asked, "Miss Xue, what are your parents like? Do they treat you well?"
Xue Qingqing paused for a moment, thinking of her parents in the modern world.
Both of them were high school teachers who had been strict with her, but like all parents who love their children, they cared for her and cherished her. They would worry whether her monthly salary was enough after she started working and would transfer her money every few days.
Xue Qingqing lowered her face, trying her best to contain her emotions, and said calmly, "My parents are wonderful, and they treat me very well."
Pei Huaizhen nodded and laughed at himself. "I truly envy you."
Xue Qingqing didn't know how to comfort him.
After a long internal struggle, she simply said, "It's late, Young Master Shen. You should get some sleep. Tomorrow I'll brew you some tea with sour jujube seeds—it's the best for calming the mind and aiding sleep."
Pei Huaizhen said gratefully, "Thank you, Miss Xue."
Xue Qingqing stood up to return to her room.
"Miss Xue." Pei Huaizhen called out to her.
Xue Qingqing turned around and looked at him.
Pei Huaizhen's eyes reddened slightly, seemingly moved, and a faint smile tugged at his lips. "Meeting you is the greatest fortune of my life, Shen."
Xue Qingqing curved her lips gently. A loose strand of hair fell from her temple, softly brushing her cheek, as gentle and lovely as a budding narcissus.
"You should rest early, Young Master Shen."
She parted the cloth curtain and returned to the inner room.
Perhaps speaking had drained her energy, for Xue Qingqing fell into a deep sleep shortly after lying down, her breathing even and long—clearly the sound of someone sleeping soundly.
Outside the window, the birdsong gradually faded. Dark clouds veiled the moonlight, plunging the room into pitch darkness and a long, profound stillness.
In the darkness, a hand with well-defined knuckles crept silently forward, reaching before Xue Qingqing's face. A fingertip lifted that loose strand of hair and gently tucked it behind her ear.
"Your subordinate has already spread the news of Prince Qi's plot to assassinate the Crown Prince, as Your Highness instructed."
Outside the cloth curtain, Jingzhe's voice was extremely low, yet exceptionally clear:
"It is now circulating widely in Qi lands and the capital. Prince Qi has traced the source of the rumor to the personal guards of the Third Prince. He has privately gathered evidence that the Third Prince colluded with court officials, formed factions for personal gain, and secretly sent death warriors into Shu. Afterward, he returned from his fiefdom to the capital, bringing many senior ministers to the morning court to impeach the Third Prince for plotting against the heir apparent and framing him with false accusations, presenting the evidence before the court."
From the darkness came a low chuckle from Pei Huaizhen.
"Forged quickly enough."
Whether Prince Qi actually plotted against the Crown Prince didn't matter, and whether the Third Prince spread the rumor didn't matter either. What mattered was that Prince Qi had long been in close, private contact with the Second Prince.
As everyone knew, the Emperor favored his Second Prince.
"What did the old man do?" Pei Huaizhen asked.
Jingzhe: "His Majesty flew into a rage and intended to strip the Third Prince of his title and confine him to Qingquan Palace."
Pei Huaizhen scoffed lightly. "How convenient. Lose the eldest son, depose the third son, and the throne falls right into his beloved second son's lap."
He spread his fingers, and through the pitch-black night, his fingertip brushed against the woman's soft earlobe.
"Continue."
"The Empress heard of this and rallied her allies at court to defend the Third Prince with all her might. His Majesty then changed his decision and had the Third Prince taken to the imperial prison instead, postponing the verdict."
"Oh, so he hasn't died yet?" Pei Huaizhen sounded somewhat disappointed.
Jingzhe said, "If you wish to solidify the charges against the Third Prince, the only way now is for Your Highness to appear and personally testify."
Silence fell.
The sleeping woman remained unaware, taking the faint tickle on her earlobe for a stray strand of hair. A soft, languid murmur escaped her throat as she turned over, her face now tilted upward.
Pei Huaizhen's fingertip happened to slip into her slightly parted lips.
Soft, moist, warm.
He paused briefly. "Very well. There's plenty of time. I'll play with him slowly."
"No need to return to the capital."