She knew perfectly well that Pei Zhiheng had no such feelings for her.
Yet under Old Madam’s iron-fisted authority, Xie Rutang still went to the kitchen herself the next day, made a bowl of chicken soup, and brought it to Dali Temple.
At the government offices, she told the guards on duty that she was a member of the Shen household, sent by Old Madam to bring Lord Pei some food.
In no time, she arrived at the room where Pei Zhiheng usually worked.
Before she could even go in, she heard a soft, lilting laugh from inside. Xie Rutang stopped in her tracks.
Inside, Pei Zhiheng wore a blue robe patterned with clouds, yet it did nothing to diminish his handsome, noble bearing.
Su Yao was there too.
Xie Rutang was just about to turn around and find a corner to hide in.
But Pei Zhiheng noticed her at once.
His eyes were black and cold. Then his gaze fell to the food box beside her.
Xie Rutang wore a white silk dress, somewhat old but still fine. Her face was smooth as jade, her hair was simply pinned without ornaments, and her figure was slender and graceful.
When Su Yao saw her, a flicker passed through her eyes. She stepped forward and took the food box from Xie Rutang, her manner far more distant than it had been the last time. “I’ll take it.”
“Sister-in-law, you needn’t trouble yourself. Once I enter Pei Residence, I’ll be the one looking after Lord Pei’s meals. I know his tastes and habits. If someone else takes care of things, I’m afraid they won’t be thorough enough—and might overstep their place.”
Knowing Su Yao was making a pointed remark, Xie Rutang’s fingertips paused. Miss Su must have heard something, she thought.
Su Yao kept smiling, though her eyes held only the faintest warmth. “As a widow, Sister-in-law, you ought to rest more. Don’t wear yourself out over such trivial matters.”
Xie Rutang smiled. “You’re right, Miss Su.”
Seeing her give in, Su Yao looked down on her all the more for being so weak-willed.
She knew how high Brother Pei’s standards were. Xie Rutang had nothing but a pretty face; in every other respect, she was entirely lacking. There was no reason for Brother Pei to fall for her. Pei Zhiheng wasn’t so shallow.
The news her informant had gathered at Shen Residence made Su Yao’s heart race.
Was Pei Zhiheng really going to marry Xie Rutang? This was madness!
After delivering the soup, Su Yao drove Xie Rutang out, claiming that she was disturbing Lord Pei’s peace and quiet.
Xie Rutang bore no resentment. She had never had designs on Pei Zhiheng in the first place; she had only come because her mother-in-law had forced her.
Night fell at Shen Residence.
A full moon hung overhead, and the bamboo grove was filled with the intermittent chirping of insects.
Xie Rutang lifted her skirt and walked slowly along the stone path. Suddenly, a pair of hands reached silently out from behind her. Broad palms, rough with calluses, clamped firmly over her mouth.
She suffered from night blindness.
The lantern in her hand fell to the ground. Darkness closed in completely, and boundless fear engulfed her. She could no longer see.
Xie Rutang was about to scream, but her mouth was covered.
He pinned her against the cold wall. The hand locked around her lower back grew warmer and warmer.
When she caught the cool, austere scent on the man, Xie Rutang sucked in a sharp breath, fury surging straight to her head.
A strong smell of alcohol washed over the side of her neck.
Xie Rutang froze. He was drunk.
She remembered that news of Crown Prince Li Guan and the Crown Princess’s return to the capital had spread throughout the city that morning.
“Be good.”
Xie Rutang couldn’t see at all.
Suddenly, her waist felt cold. Pei Zhiheng’s long fingers slipped the silk sash from around her waist with practiced ease.
The summer night was stifling, and she was dressed lightly. Her clothes were easy to undo.
All she could hear was her own heartbeat, suddenly speeding up and pounding against her eardrums like a drum.
Xie Rutang was furious and humiliated.
Earlier, with Miss Su there, he had been cold and distant, as if he couldn’t wait to make it clear that they had nothing to do with each other.
But as soon as Miss Su left, he had done this to her!
He reeked of alcohol. His lips were icy as he kissed her, lost in the moment. She could tell he was in a terrible mood, as though he were venting—almost as if he were remembering another woman.
Shaking with anger, Xie Rutang finally made up her mind and bit down hard on his shoulder.
Pei Zhiheng drew a ragged breath and loosened his hold in pain.
Only then did the wine-clouded darkness in his eyes begin to clear, revealing the snow-cold desolation beneath.
When Pei Zhiheng realized it was her, his brows furrowed.
He came to his senses, withdrew his hand from beneath her clothes, and turned cold again.
“I’m sorry. I was drunk.”
Xie Rutang was shaking with anger. By the faint lantern light on the ground, she dressed as quickly as she could. She didn’t want to speak to him at all.
But she couldn’t help wondering bitterly: who had he mistaken her for just now? The Crown Princess?
And what about him and Miss Su? Was theirs merely a marriage between two prominent families?
So his desire and his heart were separate.
A moment later, Xie Rutang was fully dressed beside the rockery. She carefully smoothed the loose strands of hair he had mussed with his kisses, then set her jade hairpin back in its proper place.
But the corners of her eyes were still red.
Pei Zhiheng watched her for a long while.
“Why are you dressed like this in the residence? Are you trying to seduce men?”
Xie Rutang was so taken aback that she didn’t know what to say.
Her fingers froze as she straightened her collar.
She picked up the lantern again and looked down at her clothes. There was nothing improper about them.
Xie Rutang wore a pale pink gauze top embroidered with jade butterflies, and a brocade skirt without a single flower embroidered on it.
As she was still in mourning, she could only choose fabrics in light, understated colors. This was already the plainest outfit in her wardrobe.
Because the summer night was hot, she had dressed in lighter fabric, but she was still properly and modestly attired. At most, a slender stretch of her fair neck was exposed; no other part of her skin showed.
So why did he think that? Why would he say such a thing?
Xie Rutang dug her nails into her palm, hard enough to hurt.
Perhaps Pei Zhiheng had never once really looked at her.
Xie Rutang tried to defend herself, swallowing her anger. “I thought this was decent enough.”
Pei Zhiheng’s eyes were deep as ink, his feelings impossible to read. “Your clothes are too immodest and vulgar. That’s why they stirred up my desire.”
Xie Rutang: ??
She wanted to ask the Minister of the Dali Temple before her, What is wrong with you?
What she wore today was no different from what she usually wore around the residence.
Why did he think she was trying to seduce men today?
Why had he never said so before?
Her husband had died in battle, and her mother-in-law was eager to make Pei Zhiheng the head of the household to ease her longing for her son. How could Xie Rutang dare to offend him?
She still had to rely on him to survive in this residence. Without his support, every step would be difficult.
She clenched her sleeve, tears brimming in her eyes. “Yes, Second Master is right. It was my fault…”
“I’ll go back and change out of this.”
Only then did Pei Zhiheng nod. He said nothing more and strode out of the bamboo grove.
Moments ago, he had kissed her with wild abandon. Now he was once again an untouchable flower on a lofty peak.
After he left, Xie Rutang clutched her chest. At last, unable to hold back her feelings any longer, she bent down and crouched where she stood, weeping.
Pei Zhiheng was going to marry Su Yao, yet he refused Dual-Lineage Succession. Why, then, had he done this to her? Why humiliate her?
She cried in a daze for a long time before finally forcing herself back to Green Parasol Courtyard.
Xie Rutang sank into the bathtub to bathe. Petals covered the water’s surface, and their rose-red hue made her body look all the more delicate and fair.
But no matter how thoroughly she washed, she couldn’t remove the red marks Pei Zhiheng had left on her body. They were like his personal brand.