Chapter 27 General Pei

The rain was getting heavier.

Before Xie Yushu could answer, Cangshu spoke up, "Five thousand taels... no, ten thousand taels, Madam..."

"Come with me." Xie Yushu didn't say she wouldn't save him. After all, Song Jie was one of her golden leeks, and he couldn't die before she had drained him dry. But if they insisted on giving her money, she would be happy to accept it.

She couldn't refuse money.

Without hesitation, Xie Yushu brought Song Jie and Cangshu into his bedroom. He ordered Xizhi and the others to find some medicine and tools. Only after helping Cangshu take off Song Jie's shirt did they discover that the crossbow bolt had penetrated very deeply, almost piercing Song Jie's shoulder.

Song Jie lay on the couch, half his body covered in blood, his face and lips as white as paper, but his eyes were fixed on her. Seeing her frown for him, her warm fingers carefully untied his belt, and she said anxiously, "How can I pull it out so deep? Get a doctor, don't let him die here..."

He couldn't help but laugh despite the intense pain; his chest heaved, and even more blood flowed from his shoulder.

"You can still laugh when you're about to die?" Xie Yushu stared at him in astonishment.

Song Jie nestled in the soft bedding, surrounded by her fragrance. Seeing her so tense and in pain, he felt a strange warmth: "Are you afraid I'll die, Xie Yushu? Maybe I'll be the one who dies a terrible death today."

Xie Yushu was speechless, and frankly said, "You won't die."

The main villain is dead, so who will drive the plot forward for the male and female leads? This plot device still has to survive until the finale.

"Are you afraid I'll die?" he asked again, as if he absolutely needed to hear an answer.

Just then, Xiao Dao brought over hot water and cotton cloth. When he saw Song Jie lying on the couch with his upper body bare, his expression stiffened, and he immediately said, "Please go out. I'll do these dirty chores."

He gently pulled Xie Yushu's hand away and handed her a handkerchief so she could wipe the blood off her hands.

Xie Yushu knew she couldn't be of much help, so she took the handkerchief and went out to instruct Zhao Feng and Wang An to keep an eye on the courtyard wall. She was afraid that the shadowy figure would appear out of nowhere again and do something strange. After thinking for a moment, she called Yinya over and asked her to check if Pei Shilin was dead.

Inside the room, Xiao Dao lowered the bed curtains, fearing that the Prime Minister's body would defile her eyes. She returned to the bedside to help, but when she saw blood all over the bed, she frowned. Her bed was probably ruined.

Song Jie's view was blocked by the bed curtains, but when he looked at the lame attendant, he could clearly sense his displeasure: "Are you Xie Yushu's servant? What's your name?"

Xiao Dao pretended not to hear him and didn't want to pay attention to him.

Song Jie, thinking he was mute, found him annoying and said, "Get out."

To everyone's surprise, he remained unmoved and said, "I am Miss Yushu's person, and I only obey Miss Yushu's orders."

So he could talk.

Song Jie was so angry that he coughed up blood.

Cangshu rolled up a piece of cotton cloth and held it to his mouth for him to bite on, whispering, "Prime Minister, don't breathe too hard. I'll seal your acupoints first and then pull out the crossbow bolt."

Song Jie bit down on the cotton cloth, closed his eyes, and endured the pain.

※

Hearing Song Jie's extremely painful groans from the outer room, Xie Yushu shrank back in pain.

After a while, Xiao Dao came out carrying a basin of bloody water.

Xie Yushu asked him how he was doing.

He said rather unhappily, "I've passed out. I'm afraid I'll have to stay here with you tonight."

As expected, Cangshu followed closely behind, his face covered in blood and sweat, and bowed to her, pleading softly, "The Prime Minister has fainted. Madam, could you please let him rest until he wakes up? I will tell the Pei family that the Prime Minister forced you to take care of him while he was injured, and that he stayed behind against his will."

After saying that, he carefully took out a five-thousand-tael silver note with his blood-stained hands and handed it to her: "This is all the silver note I have with me..."

Xie Yushu glanced at the wind and rain outside the door. She wasn't such a vicious person; she would let it go for the sake of the money.

She took the silver notes, noticed Cangshu's bloodied palm, and sighed, "You're injured too, apply some medicine first."

Cangshu withdrew his hand and shook his head guiltily, saying, "It was my carelessness that caused the Prime Minister to suffer such a serious injury."

He didn't treat his own wounds; he simply washed himself, wrapped himself in cotton cloth, and went back into the bed curtains to take care of Song Jie.

Xie Yushu felt a pang of guilt towards Cangshu. In the original drama, he was loyal to Song Jie. In the end, he took a sword for Song Jie and died first. After Xie Yushu's death, Song Jie went mad, cut off the emperor's head, sat on the dragon throne, looked at the imperial guards surrounding him, and the male and female protagonists, and asked the female protagonist two questions.

He asked, "Jia Ning, even if Xiao Zhen is just using you, are you still going to help him kill me?"

Xie Jianing said without hesitation, "You killed so many people and drove my father to his death. You deserve to die!"

He then asked, "What do you get in return for helping him to this extent? The position of Empress? But Jia Ning, if you want, I can even help you sit on the throne of the ruler of the world."

Xie Jianing was shocked: "You're crazy, you're really completely crazy... What I wanted was never wealth and luxury!"

well.

Xie Yushu looked at the rain with sorrow; she longed for wealth and glory.

The female protagonist and her mother couldn't even imagine what it would be like to live in this era; they couldn't fathom the joy of being an emperor.

If she could become empress, why would she be afraid of her uncle Pei Heng's triumphant return to the capital? Even if she killed Pei Shilin, Pei Heng would still have to kneel down and pay homage to her.

"Host... I find it hard to understand your feelings, but you really can't change the ending for the male and female leads." The system reminded them again with difficulty: "They can't become emperors."

Xie Yushu seemed not to hear, lost in thought. Couldn't Song Jie support her? She wanted to be the emperor.

"Host, are you listening?" the system called to her.

"Madam." Granny Xizhi came over from the corridor, glanced into the room, and said in a low voice, "You can stay in the side room tonight. I've prepared everything for you."

Xie Yushu withdrew his gaze, looked at Xizhi and smiled slowly: "I'll stay here tonight and make do on the side couch for the night."

"How can this be?" Xizhi quickly lowered her voice and said, "You are still Madam Pei. If people find out that you and Prime Minister Song were alone in a room together..."

"We've been in the same room for a while now. You heard it just now. My mother-in-law is eager for me to keep Prime Minister Song company." Xie Yushu waved his hand and glanced into the bed curtains. "Besides, he's unconscious. Someone has to look after him. If something really happens to him and he dies in my room, wouldn't that be even more troublesome?"

Looking at Miss Yushu, Xizhi finally saw through the true colors of the Pei family mother and son after this night. They didn't treat Miss Yushu like a human being at all. Why should Miss Yushu continue to uphold the virtues of womanhood? What is the virtue of womanhood anyway? Without the support of her maternal family and with such a den of wolves in her husband's family, Miss Yushu must find a way to survive for herself!

If we could get in touch with this Prime Minister Song and help Miss Yushu get a divorce smoothly, that would be a way out.

At this moment, Xizhi didn't care about anything else. She grasped Yushu's hand and said, "Miss is right. I'll go and tidy up the side couch for you."

Xie Yushu looked at Xizhi with some surprise. She seemed to have made up her mind and gone into the room where two big men were lying. She quietly tidied up the side bed.

Xie Yushu thought: If even Xizhi's views could be changed, what can't be changed?

※

The noise in the outer room was very quiet.

Through the thin gauze bed curtains, Cangshu vaguely saw Xie Yushu sitting on the side couch in the outer room. She was whispering to her maid, "Boil some hot water and prepare a bowl of my bird's nest."

Is Madam planning to stay in the room tonight?

Cangshu was surprised. He thought that since they hadn't paid, the lady would at most lend the prime minister a room and then kick them out as soon as he woke up.

The bed curtains were lifted, and the lame attendant entered. He still looked unhappy as he came over and handed Cangshu a bowl of bird's nest soup.

Cangshu took the medicine and whispered to Xie Yushu in the outer room, "Thank you, Madam, but the Prime Minister is currently unconscious and cannot be fed anything."

He heard Xie Yushu laugh outside and say to him, "The bird's nest is for you."

Cang Shu was stunned. "For me?" How could he possibly deserve this...?

"Eat some, otherwise how can you stay up all night taking care of Prime Minister Song?" Xie Yushu was also eating bird's nest while sitting at the octagonal table outside.

Cang Shu saw her thin back through the gauze curtain, and his heart was filled with mixed feelings. He thought that it was only natural for anyone to feel good about Miss Yu Shu, because she was a very good person. It was just a pity that she had married the wrong person and married a scoundrel like Pei Shilin.

"There is hot water and ginseng soup on the table. You can feed Song some when he feels better," Xie Yushu whispered to me from outside. "My people and I are resting in the outer room. You can call them if you need anything."

Cangshu felt a warmth in her heart and eyes, and said again, "Thank you, Madam. You've gone to so much trouble."

He truly wished the Prime Minister could hear this, could know that Miss Yushu wasn't only kind to him for money, and that there were still people in this world willing to treat the Prime Minister with kindness…

"He's awake, so you should leave quickly." Xiao Dao couldn't help but whisper to Cang Shu, "Don't cause any more trouble for Miss, none of you are good people."

He spoke very directly.

Cangshu stood awkwardly in place, holding the bowl and looking at him, but she understood his hostility. Yes, in the eyes of this lame attendant, Pei Shilin was no good, but the Prime Minister was also a villain who used and coerced Miss Yushu...

He wanted to defend the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister did use Miss Yushu at first to alleviate his illness, but tonight he wanted Miss Yushu to keep him company. He had even booked a banquet at Fanlou, just wanting Miss Yushu to have a meal with him.

Xiao Dao ignored him and turned to leave.

Xie Yushu pointed to the bird's nest on the table and asked him to sit down and eat.

Xiao Dao sat beside her, feeling a pang of sadness for her. Miss was the best person he had ever met. She was willing to share such expensive bird's nest with them. Jin Ye, Yin Ya, Granny Xi Zhi, and Zhao Feng all received a share.

She's always been like this; if she gets a good meal, those who follow her will definitely get one too.

But such a good person did not receive a good reward.

He only learned from the commotion in the courtyard today that her husband and mother-in-law had treated her so badly, sending her to take care of Prime Minister Song time and time again... Such a mother and son should be shot dead with a crossbow bolt!

He gulped it down in one go, and heard her chuckle and say, "Are you a water buffalo?"

He looked up at her. She had removed her makeup and hair and was sitting under the lamp. Her eyes and brows were gentle and seemed to be glowing. She smiled and added another bowl for him: "Eat slowly. It's not like I can't afford to feed you."

Xiao Dao felt even more bitter. He wished he had power and influence. He would kill all those who bullied her and make her a princess, an empress, the most noble and supreme woman in the world.

He thought of the man who wanted to take him away, the man called General Pei. He never understood why General Pei was so determined to capture him and why he ordered his subordinates not to hurt him.

Shouldn't an assassin like him be killed as soon as he's caught? Why was it ordered that he be brought back to Bianjing unharmed?

The lamplight flickered, and Xiao Dao couldn't help but lean closer to Xie Yushu: "Miss..."

He moved closer and closer, and Xie Yushu instinctively grabbed his shoulder: "What are you doing?"

But he only whispered to her, "The person who shot the crossbow seems to be my enemy."

Xie Yushu glanced inside the tent, then got up and went out with Xiao Dao to speak.

The night rain poured down like a torrential downpour.

Xie Yushu stood under the corridor and heard Xiao Dao whisper that he guessed the person who shot Song Jie today was the one who had been eavesdropping outside the wall that day, because the person who had been eavesdropping outside the wall was his enemy.

That day, someone outside the wall injured Zhao Feng. He rushed out and fought with that person, and he immediately knew who it was. The person's purpose in hiding outside the Pei family's wall was probably to capture him.

He was injured because the man was trying to take him away.

Xie Yushu turned his head to look at him, frowning slightly. Xiao Dao lowered his head guiltily and said, "I haven't told you because I was afraid you... would kick me out."

As the wind and rain blew, Xie Yushu asked him in a low voice, "Who exactly are you? You're not a beggar, are you?"

Xiao Dao shook his head, clenched his fingers, and said, "I don't know who I am... I have no parents."

He found it difficult to reveal that he was an assassin who killed for money; he was afraid that Xie Yushu would be afraid of him and would never let him stay by his side again.

The wind blew her skirt, and the rain was about to soak the tips of her shoes. Xiao Dao subconsciously walked in front of her and used his blanket to block the rain that was sweeping in.

He heard Xie Yushu sigh softly and say in a conciliatory tone, "I won't force you to reveal your background. You can be whoever you are, as long as you remember that you are someone I have bought, and from now on you can only obey my orders."

Xiao Dao looked up at her in surprise and immediately nodded: "I will only listen to your orders, I will always only listen to you."

"Okay." Xie Yushu looked at him and asked him gently, "Then tell me now, what is the name of your enemy?"

Xiao Dao shook his head, then immediately said, "I don't know his name. I only know that his men call him General Pei."

Xie Yushu's heart finally died. How many General Peis were there in this world? Wasn't that Pei Heng, Pei Shilin's uncle?

It really was him.

But why did Pei Heng kidnap Xiao Dao? Who exactly is Xiao Dao?

Xie Yushu suddenly thought: Could Xiao Dao be the secret mission Pei Heng had in the original drama?

The worst part is that her character, a supporting female character, dies too early in the script, so she only knows the general outline of the later plot and doesn't know the specifics of the secret mission.

She looked at Xiaodao, reached out and brushed the raindrops off his shoulder, and gently asked him, "Xiaodao, no matter who you are, you are my Xiaodao."

Under the swaying corridor lamp, Xiao Dao's ears and face were completely red. Looking at her with a drunken gaze, he murmured repeatedly, "I will always be your Xiao Dao."

She heard the system say, "Congratulations, host, you have gained 1 point of popularity."

That crossbow bolt tonight made her realize that money alone is not enough for her; she also needs power and influence. She also tries her best to utilize every valuable person, turning them into her crossbow bolts.

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Author's Note: I'm half an hour late today because I was a bit stuck on the story. I need some encouragement! [shy]