Chapter 4

The sky was dark, with sluggish clouds hanging over the horizon. The air was still and the people were sweating profusely from the heat. Suddenly, several muffled thuds were heard from the sky, and a flash of lightning streaked across the sky.

A lantern hung from one corner of the square carriage, casting a warm glow that fell upon the curtains.

Several city guards were watching intently when a slender, white finger peeked out, slightly lifting the carriage curtain to reveal half of a delicate, beautiful face.

Wen Shu asked in a weak voice, as if she had never seen such a scene before, "What happened?"

Hanxiang replied, "They said a criminal has escaped and they need to inspect the carriage."

"Oh, I see." Wen Shu leaned forward slightly, her eyebrows furrowing. "It's really unfortunate. I sprained my ankle on my way to the temple today, and I'm afraid I'll have some difficulty moving around now."

A rich sandalwood scent wafted from inside the carriage, followed by the woman's smile.

The city guards were completely unreasonable, even a little wary. They were about to speak loudly when Wen Shu's expression changed. She shouted at the man wearing a red-tasseled helmet at the city gate from afar.

"Uncle Qi!"

Qi Pingzhi, who was inspecting the city gate, was taken aback when he heard this. He turned around and saw that it was Wen Shu. He said a few words to his subordinates and then walked over.

Wen Shu smiled shyly and said to Qi Pingzhi, "Uncle Qi, I went to the temple with my mother to fulfill a vow today, but I twisted my ankle and really can't get down. Please be lenient with me, Uncle Qi."

Qi Pingzhi laughed heartily twice after hearing this, "I thought it was something serious."

He stood close by and glanced into the carriage, where he saw a delicate young woman sitting gracefully, rubbing her ankle with a half-smile.

They don't look like Tibetans at all.

Qi Pingzhi pressed his hand on his waist knife, a hint of worry, whether genuine or not, appearing on his face. "You fell into the water a few days ago, and Xuan'er was so worried he couldn't eat or sleep. I'll send him to check on you again tomorrow."

Wen Shu smiled and said, "Young Master Qi is preparing for the imperial examination, so let's not disturb him."

Qi Pingzhi waved his hand, "What kind of disturbance is this? He can't concentrate on his studies for a day without seeing you all better."

"Uncle, you flatter me. I'll come over for tea another day."

After Wen Shu exchanged a few polite words, Qi Pingzhi waved his hand and let her go.

As the carriage passed through the city gate, Wen Shu let out a heavy sigh of relief. Her thin clothes clung to her back, already soaked with sweat, and her drooping skirt spread out on the white woolen carpet, covering the scarlet bloodstain.

There appeared to be only one person inside the carriage, but if you listened carefully, you could hear two distinct breathing sounds.

Wen Shu lifted the carriage curtain, patted Hanxiang's shoulder, and instructed, "Go to Mother's medicine shop first."

Hanxiang was unaware of Pei Lingjun's existence and assumed that Wen Shu simply didn't have enough medicinal herbs to keep up with, so she nodded in agreement.

The carriage made a turn on the main street of the city gate and went in another direction.

At the city gate.

The city guards found it increasingly strange; the sandalwood scent inside the carriage was far too strong. How could an ordinary woman's incense have such a strong aroma?

Seeing that he was preoccupied, Qi Pingzhi came over and asked him what was wrong. The city guard told him everything, and Qi Pingzhi smiled meaningfully, patted the guard on the shoulder, and said, "Do you think the prefect doesn't know about the order to arrest the criminal? How could the prefect's wife possibly harbor a criminal?"

The carriage turned into the alley and drove straight into an inconspicuous manor.

Wen Shu dismissed the servants in the medicine shop before daring to get out of the carriage. Inside the trunk beneath her, a man deftly pushed open the lid and stood up. The rich scent of sandalwood mixed with the smell of blood wafted into his nostrils, and he subconsciously frowned.

Inside the courtyard, the woman stood far to the side; the sky was dark, and he couldn't see her expression.

"Leave after dark, and I can pretend I've never met you."

After she finished speaking, she turned her body away, as if she didn't want to look at him anymore.

Pei Lingjun looked down at his tattered and bloodstained clothes, and helplessly tugged at the corners of his lips. This was the first time in his life that someone had so openly shown him disdain.

"Have you ever heard the saying, 'Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda'?" Pei Lingjun pressed the wound on his side that was bleeding continuously, swallowed the blood surging in his mouth, and leaned against the carriage to relieve his strength, saying, "I am too badly injured. If I go out, I will be caught by those people anyway. If you refuse to help me, I will just expose you as well."

Wen Shu narrowed her eyes. Pei Lingjun's words sounded shameless no matter how you looked at them. She retorted, "You're threatening me? Then why don't I just hand you over to the authorities right now? Who do you think they'll believe then?"

Pei Lingjun's eyes flashed with a cold light as he used both soft and hard tactics, "I'm not threatening you. You are the wife of the Wen family, and your father is the prefect of Anyang Prefecture. Everyone in Anyang Prefecture will believe you."

“However,” Pei Lingjun changed the subject, “to be honest, the person who wants to kill me is someone from the palace. Regardless of whether you are related to me or not, as long as I expose you, they will definitely eliminate you without leaving a trace. At that time, the entire Wen family will be implicated.”

Wen Shu was stunned. She did know Pei Lingjun's identity and the purpose of his trip. The person who wanted to kill him must be a powerful figure, or even someone from the palace.

"Does Madam Wen think she can reach the Emperor's ears and seek justice for herself?" Seeing her wavering, Pei Lingjun patiently persuaded her, "As long as Madam Wen allows me to recover from my injuries, I guarantee that I will not implicate the Wen family in the slightest."

Wen Shu sneered, thinking to herself that what he said was really high-sounding.

"But you've already dragged me down with you." With no suitable weapons around, Wen Shu touched a silver hairpin in her hair. Pei Lingjun was seriously injured and could be described as weak as a chicken. It would be easy for him to fight back.

“If you die, my Wen family will not be implicated.”

Perhaps she wouldn't have ended up like she did in her previous life: her family was raided, she was exiled, her mother passed away, her younger brother died in battle, and there was that cup of poisoned wine that sent her to her death. If it weren't for Pei Lingjun, none of this would have happened.

Wen Shu clutched the silver hairpin, her hands trembling uncontrollably beneath her wide sleeves. "Then...you might as well die!"

"Boom—"

Lightning flashed across the sky, followed by a deafening rumble of thunder, and large raindrops began to fall.

The sharp tip of the silver hairpin pressed against the young man's neck. Both of them were soaked to the bone, and the rain washed away the bloodstains on their bodies. The pale red color stained the puddles and spread little by little.

Pei Lingjun's face was pale. He grabbed Wen Shu's wrist with one hand and pulled her forward forcefully. The hairpin tip pierced her flesh, drawing blood.

Pei Lingjun didn't feel his life was in danger at all. He stared intently into her eyes and said, "But I bet that Madam Wen is a kind-hearted person and wouldn't be so careless with other people's lives. Otherwise, Madam Wen would have already betrayed me when we were in the carriage, wouldn't she?"

Wen Shu slightly opened her eyes, suddenly pulled away, and the silver hairpin slipped from her hand and fell to the ground with a "clang".

A crisp sound swept over her, piercing through the love and hate of those years, making her scalp tingle.