Chapter 144

"—But in this life and in my past life, I have only ever loved you, Wen Shu."

"I don't want any beauty or unyielding spirit. All I've ever wanted is you."

After the words were spoken, the room fell silent, with two breaths rising and falling in sync, until the candlestick crackled, breaking the temporary stillness.

lie.

Wen Shu closed her eyes. That was enough. She didn't want to get entangled in these grudges anyway.

In this life, as long as my mother and younger brother are safe and sound, it is enough for them to live together like this.

There's no need to take other people's opinions to heart.

Seeing that Wen Shu remained silent, Pei Lingjun rolled up his sleeve and pointed to the few crescent-shaped marks on his arm that were deep enough to expose the bone, saying, "Mother was ill and injured herself without realizing it."

Seemingly taken aback by Pei Lingjun's response, Wen Shu was momentarily stunned.

First Madam...

Since her rebirth, she has dreamt countless times of dying in the Pei family estate, of Granny Cao who served the First Madam, of the cup of poisoned wine, and of Caizhi who was by her side.

He appeared before her again and again, and no matter how she struggled and tried to escape, she could not escape her fate of being killed.

She was plagued by nightmares time and time again, unable to escape the demons in her heart.

But who can be blamed?

It was something she forced herself to have.

"A-Shu?" Pei Lingjun hadn't heard Wen Shu speak for a while, so he shook her arm. Unexpectedly, the woman seemed startled and quickly pulled away, turning her head to get the medicine without looking at him again.

“I have already asked someone to inquire about Wenji’s enlistment procedures,” Wen Shu said, bowing her head and handing a porcelain jar to Pei Lingjun. Her voice was cold and desolate. “Commander Pei, you don’t need to come anymore.”

"No need...to do it again?" Pei Lingjun held her shoulders, leaned down to look her in the eye, the collar of his embroidered green bamboo collar slightly wrinkled, and he saw the coldness in her eyes. "A-Shu, in the end, you still hate me, hate me for not being able to protect you?"

"The past is gone like smoke. I am no longer the fourth daughter of the Wen family. Commander Pei, there is no need to dwell on the past anymore. Let's just consider Wen Shu dead."

How could this be? How is this possible?

The young man took two steps back in disbelief, his heart pounding with bitterness. "Fine, I'll pretend that the fourth daughter of the Wen family is dead. How about I take a liking to Wen Shu, who runs a pharmacy on South Street?"

Wen Shu was too lazy to argue with him, so she pushed him out the door and said, "It would be better if Commander Pei didn't come uninvited in the future. The security in Shanzhou is not that bad. If you are caught as a philanderer and taken to the yamen, it would be a loss."

"Smack—"

The door closed, and the moonlight reflected on the white snow on the ground, covering it with a blanket of frost.

The young man outside the door responded, "Where would you find such a dedicated flower thief?"

The candles went out, and the courtyard returned to a silent stillness.

Inside the room, Wen Shu casually placed the brocade box on the table, tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep, the scene flashing frequently in her mind.

Wen Shu sighed, turned to the side, and sighed softly. She knew that the Lady of Ningyuan Marquis was prone to relapse. According to the people in the manor, the news of the death of the Marquis of Ningyuan from serious injuries had been too much of a blow to her.

Losing both a husband and a son would be a devastating blow to any woman.

Moreover, the Marquis's mansion was on the verge of collapse at that time.

Sometimes she would have a seizure, becoming extremely mad, asking everyone she met where the Marquis of Ningyang and his eldest son were, sometimes ignoring people and even hurting them.