Chapter 31 "Madam, it would be better if you sat down..."

Shen Yuanjia had mixed feelings about Yao Niang.

Rationally, she told herself that it was Han Zhihuan who was lustful and greedy, and that even without Yao Niang, he would have other women.

But every sleepless night, she couldn't help but secretly resent her, resenting that she had stolen Han Zhihuan's heart, resenting that she had shattered the illusion of a happy and fulfilling family life, and tearing open the bloody reality for her to see.

However, the upbringing she received from childhood did not allow her to act like those shrewish women, recklessly resorting to beatings and scoldings to vent her anger.

She once encountered a similar situation on the street: a married woman found her husband's mistress, stripped the woman naked, and threw her onto the street, allowing passing strangers to harass and molest her. Meanwhile, she stood there arrogantly, declaring to those around her, "See? This is what happens to vixens!"

The woman in the outer room, her snow-white skin exposed, frantically tried to cover herself, crying and pleading in grievance.

And the man who caused her to end up like this, he only dared to hide in the distance, without even the courage to step forward and rescue her.

The onlookers applauded and cheered, but Shen Yuanjia only felt sorry for the two women—the man they were fighting over and trying to please was nothing more than a cowardly and selfish wretch.

Shen Yuanjia secretly vowed then and there that he would never become that kind of person.

At that time, she and Han Zhihuan were deeply in love, and she never imagined that her words would come true.

She hated Han Zhihuan so much that she wished she could strip him naked and throw him out into the street so everyone could see this heartless man.

But she was the wife of the heir of the Marquis of Pingxi, and she had to save face for the Shen family, the Han family, and her daughter Heng'er. She couldn't let herself become the talk of the town and a laughing stock.

From the moment she agreed to Zhao Lan's request to bring the two maids back and gradually arrange for them to become Han Zhihuan's concubines, Shen Yuanjia knew that she had completely given up on him.

But she couldn't stop thinking about Yao Niang.

After tossing and turning for several nights, she finally mustered up the courage to come to Bitao Lane again and persuade Yao Niang to "turn over a new leaf".

"Men can be more terrifying when they're jealous than women. Women at most mess with each other and have minor squabbles, but when men go crazy, they can really draw blood."

Shen Yuanjia told his sister, "A few years ago, there was a case in the outskirts of Beijing. A widow hooked up with a man from the village and asked him to help her with spring plowing. But she thought he worked too slowly and wasn't satisfied, so she found another man. As a result, the two started to compete and bicker with each other. The first man, because he was mocked by the second man for not being able to satisfy her, broke into the widow's house in the middle of the night and brutally murdered her."

It is said that when the constables rushed to arrest him, the man was still clinging to the widow's already bluish and stiff body, muttering something like, "Now you are finally mine alone..."

Shen Lingyue got goosebumps all over. What kind of crazy, sickly, and forceful love is this?

"Think about it, even peasant women and men in the countryside can kill each other in a fit of rage over love entanglements. Yao Niang's lovers are all of high status. She seems to be able to navigate between many people with ease, but what if something happens to her one day?"

If you walk by the river often enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet.

Shen Lingyue looked at Shen Yuanjia with a completely new gaze, "So, eldest sister, you went to persuade Yao Niang... to retire from the life of a scoundrel?"

Shen Yuanjia pursed his lips. "No matter what, she agreed to break up with your brother-in-law, which is a favor to me. I think I should advise her to find someone to marry as soon as possible, at least to be a proper wife, rather than living in constant fear like this."

Yao Niang's lovers include both single and married men. If they were ever discovered by someone else's wife, they might not be as easy to talk to as Shen Yuanjia.

Shen Yuanjia remembered that when she hesitantly said these words to Yao Niang, the latter's smile instantly vanished, and her eyes welled up with tears.

"It's rare that someone as noble as you doesn't look down on me... Sister Shen, whether you acknowledge this or not, in Yao Niang's heart you are the best sister ever."

Yao Niang tilted her head back to stop her tears from falling, and then gave a self-deprecating smile.

"I'm not bragging, but although I grew up in a brothel, a low-class place that everyone looks down on, with my looks and talent, if I really wanted to reform myself, it would be easy for me to marry a rich merchant, or even become a favored concubine in a royal or noble household."

"Sister, it's not that I'm inherently promiscuous or unwilling to spend my life alone; I simply have unavoidable difficulties..."

Xu Yaoniang was once the daughter of a good family. She still remembers that her family lived in a small county town surrounded by mountains and rivers. They owned a silk shop and, while not extremely wealthy, they were well-off.

If nothing unexpected happens, she will grow up smoothly into a beautiful young woman under the loving care of her parents, then get married, have children, and live a peaceful life in a small town in the misty Jiangnan region.

Until fate played a cruel joke on her when she was ten years old. On the Lantern Festival, her whole family went out to see the lanterns, but they were separated by the crowd. She and her five-year-old sister were drugged and taken away by a group of kidnappers. When they woke up, they were already drifting on a riverboat a hundred miles away.

"Those kidnappers operated on a traveling basis, finding out which family had a pretty girl wherever they went, and then seizing the opportunity to drug and abduct her..."

Xu Yaoniang recalled in a trembling voice: "My younger sister, Lan Ya'er, was only five years old at the time, but she was already a well-known beauty in the alley, especially with that red mole between her eyebrows. Everyone who saw her said she was a fairy child reincarnated from heaven, and the neighbors even told my parents to keep a close eye on her..."

After being abducted, they were locked in a dark cargo hold below the ship's cabin. The kidnappers only gave them a little rice porridge and broken pieces of steamed bread each day, enough to keep them from starving but not enough to give them the strength to escape.

Every time the ship docked at a port, several girls were abducted and never returned.

Ten-year-old Xu Yaoniang dared not close her eyes all night, guarding her younger sister closely, fearing that the kidnappers would separate the two and sell them.

In the end, they were sold to a brothel on the banks of the Qinhuai River.

"The madam of the brothel is known as Peony Maiden. She is all smiles and charming to outsiders, but when it comes to disciplining girls, she is ruthless. She has a hundred ways to make people suffer, but she will not leave a single mark on their skin, so as not to damage their status."

At first, Xu Yaoniang stubbornly refused to give in, but Lan Ya'er had been tossed about on the boat for several days. She was so young and suddenly faced such a huge change. She was shocked and frightened. Not long after she went ashore, she contracted tuberculosis and coughed so badly that she was dizzy and faint.

Peony Lady smiled and waved the packet of medicinal herbs in front of her.

“Good daughter, you can handle it, but your sister can’t wait. As long as you listen to your mother, you two sisters will have endless clothes and jewelry, and countless riches and honors in the future. Why do you have to be so stubborn?”

Then he took her to the back gate to see a girl who had been abducted and refused to submit. After enduring all kinds of torture, she jumped into a well. She was wrapped in a straw mat and thrown into a mass grave outside the city.

Faced with the consequences of resistance and her sister's painful cough that was almost suffocating, Xu Yaoniang could no longer hold on and broke down, hugging Mudan Niang and crying.

"Mom, I was wrong, I'll be good, please save my sister... I'll study hard and earn lots and lots of money for you! But Lan Ya'er is still young, please let her go!"

Her life was already ruined, but she couldn't let her sister fall into the mire of despair as well.

After Lan Ya'er recovered from her illness, Xu Yaoniang put away her stubborn and rebellious nature and obediently followed the masters in the brothel to learn skills, how to speak, and how to serve men.

A year later, she officially became a courtesan in the building. Although she was young, she already had a small reputation for beauty.

Two years later, Peony Girl announced that she was about to get married, and held a grand flower banquet to auction off her virginity.

Sometimes Xu Yaoniang would think that she was born with a lowly fate, born to serve men, otherwise how could she have learned so quickly and so skillfully?

After she officially began accepting customers, her fame spread far and wide. Countless pleasure boats lined the ten-mile stretch of the Qinhuai River, yet none could steal Yao Niang's thunder. Every year, she was undoubtedly the number one courtesan in the beauty pageant.

Mudan Niang increasingly regarded her as a cash cow, calling her her "good daughter" and "darling" all day long. When Xu Yao Niang forbade Lan Ya'er from learning to entertain guests, she readily agreed.

Lan Ya'er grew up in the brothel with Xu Yaoniang, who carefully protected her, keeping her away from the filth of the outside world. The other girls in the brothel also treated Lan Ya'er like their own little sister. At that moment, everyone seemed to reach a consensus: protecting Lan Ya'er was protecting the last bit of purity in their hearts.

"But Lan Ya'er... is too beautiful. Beauty is not a good thing for her, but a deadly disaster..."

As Lan Ya'er grew older, her beauty became increasingly undeniable. Mu Dan Niang's gaze towards her changed from initial pity to a calculating look, and she even secretly took Lan Ya'er to learn to dance from a master when Xu Yao Niang was out receiving guests.

She fooled Lan Ya'er, saying it was a surprise performance for her sister's birthday and asked her to keep it a secret.

Lan Ya'er believed it, and two months later, when Xu Yaoniang saw Lan Ya'er wearing a light gauze dance dress and dancing gracefully with childlike innocence, she felt as if the sky had fallen.

That was the first time she had ever hit Lan Ya'er hard, scolding her for being so young and not learning anything good, and that if she dared to dance again, she would no longer want her as her younger sister.

It was from that day that Xu Yaoniang realized that she could no longer let Lan Ya'er live in such an environment. She had to take her younger sister away to a clean and peaceful place.

Xu Yaoniang had accumulated a considerable fortune over the years and wanted to redeem herself, but Mudan Niang made an outrageous demand, asking for an exorbitant price that she could not possibly afford.

“Daughter, this price isn’t just for you, it’s for you and Lanya’er.”

Peony Lady's eyes gleamed with greed. "Lan Ya'er is even more talented than you were back then. She's the kind of promising talent I've been dreaming of."

As long as she can keep these two sisters firmly in her grasp, for the next twenty years, her brothel will be the best on the Qinhuai River, and no one in this industry can surpass her, Peony Lady.

Xu Yaoniang gritted her teeth in hatred, but the reason why Mudan Niang could be so unscrupulous was that she had a powerful figure backing her. Otherwise, how could so many girls of unknown origin in the brothel obtain legitimate household registration documents without the government sending anyone to investigate?

She wanted to escape with Lan Ya'er, and the only way was to find a more powerful figure to associate with and use his influence to coerce Mudan Niang into releasing her.

But Jinling is not like the capital. The only notable figures there are a few idle members of the imperial family who have been marginalized early on, or officials who have been demoted to the secondary capital to retire. Who can she rely on?

But before Xu Yaoniang could find a powerful figure who could help the sisters redeem themselves, an unexpected event occurred.

It is said that a nobleman from the capital saw Lan Ya'er playing in the back alley of the brothel and was amazed by her beauty. Peony Girl took advantage of Xu Yaoniang's absence and secretly sold her.

When Xu Yaoniang returned, she almost went crazy, grabbing Mudan Niang by the neck and demanding to know who she had sold Lan Ya'er to.

Peony refused to speak no matter what. As soon as she broke free of her restraints, she immediately called the thugs in the building to tie Xu Yaoniang up and lock her in a room. She was locked up for seven days in a row, and even had to cancel several of the events she was supposed to perform, and she also lost a lot of money to the guests.

The more she acted this way, the more certain Xu Yaoniang became that Lan Ya'er must have been sold to a very important person, and that Mudan Niang had been offered such a generous reward that she was willing to give up her cash cow for the next twenty years.

When she was locked in her room, refusing to eat or drink, and feeling utterly hopeless, Mudan Niang shamelessly tried to persuade her to think more positively.

"I've watched Lan Ya grow up. She's so beautiful and lovely, I cherish her more than anything. How could I send her into a fire pit? She has a better place now, you, as her older sister, should be happy. From now on, she only has to serve one person, isn't that much better than you, sleeping with thousands of men?"

Xu Yaoniang spat at her fiercely, her voice hoarse like that of a mother wolf who had lost her cubs, "Then tell me, who exactly was Lan Ya'er sold to?!"

Peony Girl, like a gourd with a sawed mouth, left the chicken soup and food and then left.

"If you want to starve to death, then do as you please. Just consider it a waste of your mother's love for you."

Xu Yaoniang seemed to have given in and started eating, no longer clamoring to go find Lan Ya'er.

Half a month later, the brothel caught fire. Peony Girl, who was drunk, was unable to escape and was burned alive in the room.

With the help of a patron in the government office, Xu Yaoniang retrieved her indenture, left the brothel that had fallen apart, and eventually made her way to the capital.

She spent several years carefully selecting her targets, getting in touch with them, making them fall head over heels for her, and getting them to help her find out where Lan Ya'er was.

In the capital, powerful and influential people roamed everywhere. As a courtesan, she was all alone and powerless. She had no choice but to rely on the power of these wealthy and powerful people.

...

"So there's such a story behind Yao Niang..."

Shen Lingyue listened with a heavy heart and handed her a clean handkerchief. "Big sister, don't cry. Haven't you heard this story before?"

Shen Yuanjia pressed a handkerchief to her eyes, but tears still welled up uncontrollably. She choked out, "Yes, I cried at Yao Niang's place, and now that I'm telling you about it, the more I talk about it, the more heartbroken I feel..."

Heaven has been so unfair to Yao Niang. Why did she have to endure so much suffering at such a young age?

Shen Lingyue clenched her fists and gritted her teeth, "Human traffickers should all go to hell! Skin them alive, dismember them, and never be reincarnated!"

Shen Yuanjia nodded emphatically. These kidnappers who cause the separation of families deserve to be subjected to even the most cruel tortures.

“At that time, I was thinking, if Yao Niang hadn’t been abducted, how would she be any different from us? We were just lucky to grow up safely at home. If we were in her shoes, I don’t even want to think if I could have survived…”

Shen Lingyue sighed, then asked, "What about Yao Niang's parents? Didn't she ever think of going home to see them after she escaped from Jinling?"

Shen Yuanjia's tears, which he had just stopped, started flowing again, and he cried even harder.

"Of course she went back... but seven or eight years have passed, and everything has changed; her family is gone and she's dead..."

Yao Niang returned to the small county town, pretending to be an orphan girl from out of town seeking refuge with relatives. She inquired with the neighbors and learned that her parents had been possessed after losing their two daughters, going to the government office daily to plead for justice and begging the magistrate to send more people to search further afield. Later, they even sold their possessions and embarked on their own search for their relatives, not returning for several years, and no one knew if they had died out there.

With her parents' fate unknown, Lan Ya'er is Xu Yaoniang's last and only remaining relative in the world, which is why she is so determined to find her.

"Oh, oh dear..." Shen Lingyue's nose also started to sting. The two sisters put their heads together and cried silently for a while before they managed to stop their emotions.

"Sister Yao Niang has a red mole between her eyebrows, and she was sold to a big shot in the capital?"

Shen Lingyue analyzed, "With such obvious physical characteristics, it shouldn't be that hard to find out, right?"

Shen Yuanjia shook his head: "I'll say it again, the capital is too big and there are too many people. Having a red mole between the eyebrows is not a unique feature. Yao Niang has found several others in the past two years, but none of them are her sister."

Not to mention her lovers, who couldn't easily pry into the private affairs of the women in the inner quarters, even Shen Yuanjia himself recalled that when he went to banquets or visited some high-class mansions, he didn't pay much attention to any maids or concubines with a red mole between their eyebrows.

She said to Shen Lingyue, "If you hadn't come today, I was planning to come find you in a few days. When we go out to visit other people in the future, we can keep an eye out for Yao Niang. If we can help the sisters reunite, it would be a good deed."

"No problem," Shen Lingyue patted her chest and assured her, "I'll search with you."

But when it comes to doing good deeds and accumulating merit...

Shen Lingyue's eyes flickered, and she leaned closer mysteriously.

"Big sister, have you ever heard of the Nine Heavens Goddess of Fate?"

Shen Yuanjia: ?

...

Shen Lingyue returned to the Marquis's residence with a box of incense that Yao Niang had personally prepared, and went straight into the Jiu Si Courtyard.

"Come on, let's share this scent! I knew you'd like it!"

Yan Yi poured her a cup of tea and noticed that Shen Lingyue's eyes were slightly red. She couldn't help but ask, "Weren't you going to the Marquis of Pingxi's mansion to find some melons to eat? How come you've ended up looking like a red-eyed rabbit?"

"Sigh, I've had my share of gossip, but it's a long story."

Shen Lingyue put down her teacup and tapped it lightly on the table as if striking a gavel. "Let me tell you, my older sister said..."

Blah blah blah.

As she spoke, just like Shen Yuanjia, waves of inexplicable grievances and heartache welled up within her, her eyes grew redder and redder, and she began to sob.

"...Waaah, I used to laugh at my older sister for being so easily moved to tears, but it turns out it's really easy to get involved when telling stories to others!"

She finished telling the story of Yao Niang and Lan Ya'er with great difficulty, while sobbing. Then she pointed to the box of spices and said, "Yao Niang learned this from an old and faded sister in the brothel. She was once very popular when she was young, but as she got older, she became a disliked woman and ruined her health. She could not get married, so she took out her life savings and opened a small spice shop. She studied and restored many ancient spice recipes."

Yao Niang was afraid that she would eventually follow in her footsteps, as relying on her beauty to serve others was not a long-term solution, so she had to find a way to make a living.

Unexpectedly, it was discovered that she was extremely talented in blending incense, even surpassing her teacher.

Yan Yi took some spices and put them into a small copper incense burner and lit them. Soon the room was filled with a light, cool fragrance, reminiscent of white plum blossoms in the snow and pine trees in winter, without any heavy or sticky feeling.

Yan Yi comforted Shen Lingyue to stop crying, gently shaking her head, "She is so intelligent and kind, yet she has fallen into prostitution. It's truly pitiful."

She asked Shen Lingyue, "Do you want to help her find her sister?"

"Yes! Human traffickers are already despicable, but to sell the pretty little girls they kidnap into those filthy places is to make their crimes even worse."

Shen Lingyue clenched her fist. "If we can find Lan Ya'er, it will not only reunite the sisters, but also add another lineage to 'Nine Heavens Goddess of Fate.' Wouldn't that be killing two birds with one stone?"

She looked at Yan Yi expectantly again: "Did you feel anything from that precognitive dream? Try it tonight and see if you can dream about Lan Ya'er?"

Yan Yi chuckled: "We'll only know after I fall asleep."

"Yes, this is probably going to be a huge project, otherwise Yao Niang wouldn't have gone for years without any results. Let's put this task on the list first! In the future, we can keep an eye out for 18-year-old girls with a red mole between their eyebrows when we go out."

Shen Lingyue's emotions came and went quickly. After finishing the business, she started rambling again, saying whatever came to mind.

"I heard that Yunshao Girls' School is very difficult to get into. Our Heng'er is only four and a half years old this year, or six years old by the traditional Chinese age reckoning, and she just barely met the entrance exam requirements. She passed on her first try. Isn't that amazing?"

"Oh, and another thing, it seems my older sister has completely given up on Han Zhihuan. Do you know what she used in those two connecting rooms?"

Shen Lingyue kept it a secret.

Yan Yi pondered for a while, then asked uncertainly, "Could it be some kind of contraceptive medicine?"

Based on Xiaoyue's description, she guessed that her eldest sister probably wouldn't be the kind of person who would be willing to raise her husband's illegitimate son.

To everyone's surprise, Shen Lingyue waved her hand and said, "What's the use of just keeping an eye on the two concubines at home? What if Han Zhihuan goes out to have an affair again and brings back a child?"

Looking at her gloating little expression, Yan Yi thought for a moment, "Could it be that you gave your brother-in-law a sterilization drug, solving the problem once and for all?"

"You got it right!"

Shen Lingyue transformed into a little otter, clapping wildly with her eyes shining.

"That's why I said, do you know how amazing Yao Niang is?"

"She actually concocted a magical fragrance that could render men infertile without harming women's bodies, called Jinfang San."

This incense recipe was independently developed by her; she dared to say it was unique in the entire Great Ye Dynasty, and even doctors of average skill couldn't discern its secrets.

In order to find her sister, Yao Niang had to juggle relationships with several men, but she had no intention of having children with any of them.

She didn't want to drink the contraceptive soup. Girls from brothels knew how toxic that stuff was; it would ruin their health in a few years.

After developing the Jinfang Powder, she would light a small piece whenever someone stayed overnight at her place.

Those foolish men were completely kept in the dark, even praising the fragrance she used for its elegant scent, saying it was calming and helped them sleep.

Yes, after all, male cats tend to eat well, sleep well, and be in a good mood after being spayed/neutered. ^_^

If Shen Yuanjia hadn't taken the initiative to visit her and persuade her, patiently listened to her recount her past, and offered to help her find out where her sister was, Yao Niang wouldn't have given her such outrageous spices.

Moreover, she was only given the prepared spices, not the recipe, and she didn't know the secrets of the preparation process, so no one else could replicate it.

Shen Yuanjia didn't bring his sister any of these incenses this time, but he mentioned it briefly before leaving, saying that if his brother-in-law ever dared to wrong her in the future, he should use them on him.

Shen Lingyue smiled coldly at the time, "Using spices is so boring, I choose physical castration."

Shen Yuanjia: ...

She can tell her mother next time she goes home that she no longer needs to worry about her younger sister being heartbroken.

Yan Yi was also very surprised after hearing about the effects of this spice, and couldn't help but say, "Yao Niang... if she were in our world, she would definitely be a chemical genius."

Oh, and maybe I should add a double degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Shen Lingyue slammed her fist on the table. “That’s why I said human traffickers deserve to die! She could have become famous for her talent, and she could have had a peaceful and smooth life. Now all of that has been ruined.”

Moreover, human traffickers have always been very difficult to catch, and every year countless children are separated from their parents and end up in other places.

Those who were lucky might be sold to wealthy families to carry on the family line, or become slaves or maids in other people's homes; those who were unlucky were either subjected to "harvesting and mutilation" and forced to beg on the streets, or sold to brothels and other filthy places, where they suffered endless humiliation and died young.

Shen Lingyue suddenly closed her eyes, put her hands together, and made a wish to Yan Yi.

"Your Highness, please remember to help us find Lan Ya'er's whereabouts. Also, it would be best if you could give us clues about a few human trafficking gangs so we can catch them all in one fell swoop. Please, please!"

Yan Yi sighed, wondering if Little Moon really thought of her as a lucky charm in a wishing well.

When Pei Jingyi returned from his shift, this was the scene that greeted him as soon as he entered the room.

A rare look of bewilderment crossed his handsome face: "What are you doing?"

Shen Lingyue opened her eyes in surprise and blurted out, "Big brother, why are you back so early?"

Pei Jingyi was speechless for a moment, then pointed outside and said, "It's already late afternoon."

He was on time for his shift.

Shen Lingyue looked out the window and muttered, "Time flies so fast."

It seems like she hasn't even exchanged more than a few words with Yan Yan yet.

However, since Pei Jingyi had returned, she couldn't be a third wheel, so she got up and smiled as she said goodbye to the two of them.

Pei Jingyi politely watched Shen Lingyue leave the courtyard before entering the house and slowly beginning to remove his official robes.

Yan Yi sat at the table without moving, hesitating whether she should go forward to help and maintain the loving image, while Pei Jingyi had already unbuttoned his outer robe and changed into casual clothes.

He sat down opposite Yan Yi and poured himself a cup of tea. "You and your sister-in-law have been together all day?"

"Oh, she went to the Marquis of Pingxi's residence this morning and only came over this afternoon."

Yan Yi explained that in the morning at Tanghua Garden, her mother-in-law, Meng Wanyin, had indeed prepared a clean, empty room for her so that she could first familiarize herself with the personnel structure and financial framework of the Marquis's mansion, and then gradually get started managing household affairs.

Pei Jingyi nodded, filled Yan Yi's cup again, raised it with both hands, and spoke in a clear voice.

"Madam, you've worked hard in managing the household. I'd like to offer you a toast with tea instead of wine."

Yan Yi was taken aback by his sudden seriousness and instinctively pushed him away, saying, "Actually, I didn't do anything... it was just my duty..."

Pei Jingyi raised the teacup forward again, his peach blossom eyes fixed on her intently and without blinking.

"The Marquis's mansion is full of people and complicated matters. If you hadn't married me, you wouldn't have had to go to so much trouble. It is only right that I respect you, and I am extremely grateful."

Yan Yi couldn't refuse him, so she took the tea and sipped it. Seeing that he was still staring at her face, she had no choice but to raise the cup again and drink it all in one gulp.

"Is this okay?"

Her lips, moistened by the tea, were a pale cherry blossom color, which then took on a touch of red under his gaze.

Pei Jingyi gazed at her intently for a moment, then, as if nothing had happened, spoke gently, "Madam, what shall we eat tonight?"

...

In the evening, it was time to rest.

Yan Yi and Pei Jingyi have already slept in the same bed for two nights. The bed is spacious enough that the two of them tacitly positioned themselves one inside and one outside, with room for another person to sleep in the middle, so that they do not disturb each other.

Yan Yi was bending over to tidy up the pillows and bedding by the bed when she suddenly heard the beaded curtain rustle behind her, and a fresh, moist mist slowly drifted in.

She turned around and met Pei Jingyi, who had just come out of the shower room, wearing only a moon-white nightgown, with his hair still slightly dripping wet.

During the day, he would tie his hair up and wear a crown, with his eyebrows and eyes gently lifted, making him appear very noble and dignified.

Now, with his dark hair draped over his shoulders, he exudes a more relaxed and comfortable air.

The neckline of the nightgown was a little too big, vaguely revealing a glimpse of her snow-white, straight collarbone. Her skin, thoroughly moistened by the moisture, shone with a lustrous sheen, further confirming the saying, "My beloved is as pure and handsome as jade."

She was taken aback.

Didn't he take a shower in the study before coming over the past two days?

Pei Jingyi looked apologetic. "It seems that the bathtub in the study was damaged by Shumo and is leaking, so I had to come back here to bathe. I hope Madam doesn't mind?"

Yan Yi quickly composed herself and shook her head, "It's alright, it's not a big deal."

Just remember to write something in the public account tomorrow to get a new bathtub for his study...

As Yan Yi was thinking, she heard Pei Jingyi say in a lighter tone, "Then I'll bathe here from now on—otherwise I'll sweat every time I walk from the study, which is uncomfortable."

Yan Yi: "...Okay."

She pointed to the incense burner placed beside the bed not far away, "Dry your hair before you sleep, or you'll get a headache."

After saying that, I found it a little funny. In the past, only girls had to worry about how long hair was hard to dry after washing. But here, men and women are treated equally.

Pei Jingyi obediently sat down, slowly rubbing his hair with a dry towel, when suddenly he hissed.

Yan Yi hurriedly asked him what was wrong.

He turned his head to look at me, his slightly drooping eyes revealing a hint of innocence and pity.

"It seems... they've accidentally gotten tangled together."

Yan Yi hurried over to check. Pei Jingyi loosened the towel, and a clump of wet hair in his palm seemed to be tangled together, twisted into several knots.

Pei Jingyi tried to separate them with his slender fingertips, but as soon as he inserted them, instead of clearing them, he felt a sharp pain that made him wince.

"Don't move around," Yan Yi said hurriedly. "The more you touch it, the more messy it will become. I'll go get a comb."

She turned and ran to the dressing table, found a finely combed bamboo comb, and half-squatted in front of Pei Jingyi to gather the tangled strands of hair.

The knot is in the middle, which is rather awkward. If it's just cut off without thinking, Pei Jingyi's hair will be missing a section, which is not aesthetically pleasing.

Therefore, we can only slowly, little by little, pry it open.

This was a patient and meticulous task. After squatting for a while, Yan Yi felt her legs and feet go numb, so she moved slightly.

Pei Jingyi had been watching her closely, and seeing this, he said, "It would be better if Madam sat down."

He grabbed Yan Yi's wrist, moved his body back, and pulled her to his side.

So the two sat close together on the short couch, with Yan Yi's arm forced to rest on his thigh, otherwise she might pull his scalp.

The moment I braced my arm against him, I could clearly feel the man's muscles tense up.

Yan Yi was completely focused on fighting her hair and didn't dare to look up at his face.

They were so close, so close that they could smell each other's breath; the faint scent of soap beans emanating from him wafted into her nose.

It felt like an eternity before she finally brushed aside the last strand of hair, lifted her head with a sigh of relief, and unexpectedly bumped into Pei Jingyi's face.

Her lips brushed lightly across his cheek, so lightly, like a dragonfly skimming the surface of water.

She froze instantly, her mind went blank, and she didn't know where to put the comb she was holding.

It wasn't until Pei Jingyi's gentle voice brought her back to her senses, "Thank you for your trouble, Madam."

He appeared clear-headed, as if the touch just now was a minor accident that he didn't take to heart at all.

"No, it's nothing."

Yan Yi quickly got up and discreetly put the comb back in the drawer, pretending to tidy something up.

She lowered her head and bit her lip in frustration.

It was just a minor accident. Pei Jingyi didn't even say anything, so why are you panicking?

Calm down, calm down...

Yan Yi mentally prepared herself, turned around and calmly nodded to Pei Jingyi: "Then you can wipe it slowly, I'm going to sleep first."

Pei Jingyi responded with an "okay".

Yan Yi lay down on the bed, pulled the blanket up to her shoulders, placed her hands on her abdomen, closed her eyes, and began to drift off to sleep.

The story Shen Lingyue told during the day began to echo in her mind, and she couldn't help but silently make a wish to the ethereal Goddess Xuan Nu, hoping to dream of useful clues tonight.

I don't know how much time passed, until I felt a slight weight on my side, followed by Pei Jingyi's concerned question: "Still not asleep? Is something on your mind tonight?"

He had gone to bed around this time the previous two nights, but Yan Yi was already fast asleep.

Yan Yi opened her eyes and looked at him: "It's okay, I'll lie down for a while longer."

"good."

The two of them closed their eyes again.

After a while, Pei Jingyi noticed that the person beside him was breathing rapidly and couldn't help but ask, "Madam, are you asleep?"

Yan Yi: "...Not yet."

It's strange, why is it that the more I want to sleep, the less I can fall asleep?

In the dim light of the bed curtains, she heard Pei Jingyi ask her softly, "I overheard some colleagues talking about acupoints on the hands that can help you sleep. Shall I massage them for you?"

Yan Yi hesitated for a moment, then slowly extended her left hand. "Will it take a long time? Won't it affect your shift tomorrow?"

"No, it's just a few acupoints, it's very simple."

Pei Jingyi grasped her hand, his knuckles curling up, and gently swirled his fingers around a spot on her palm.

Then I slid down along the base of my palm and continued kneading in a different spot.

His massage was neither too light nor too heavy, and even had a rhythmic quality. The skin against skin brought a slight warmth, and her thoughts calmed down with his soft voice.

Yan Yi closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

Unbeknownst to her, Pei Jingyi held her hand gently all night and never let go.

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Author's Note: Welcome to the epic TV series—The True Repayment Story ( )

Congratulations to the cunning Pei Baobao for upgrading from going to bed together to holding hands while sleeping! [cheering emojis]