Chapter 64 A Painful Conscience "Yaoyao...would you like to see her?"...

"Does Sun Fanghai have a daughter who married Cui Wulang as a concubine?" Meng Lingyao asked slowly.

Wang Chaogui nodded frantically, his bound body writhing like a maggot. "Yes, yes, yes! That's right! Miss, please see the truth! I was acting under his orders! He's done many things for the Cui family over the years, and I know a lot about it. I'll confess everything! I only beg you to spare my life..."

Seeing his expression, Meng Lingyao frowned and looked away.

She was always very familiar with the marriage relationships of various families in the capital, but she knew mostly about the wives or young ladies of each family, and knew very little about the concubines.

I knew about this Concubine Sun because she was extremely favored in the Cui family. At the lotus-viewing banquet last year, Cui Wulang ignored his own wife, but took Concubine Sun with him on a painted boat. The two of them were whispering sweet nothings to each other, oblivious to everyone else.

At that time, she was busy getting close to Lu Heming. On one hand, she could hear Lu Heming's sour poems, and on the other hand, she could hear lewd songs and ambiguous laughter from the boat next door. She barely managed to maintain the perfect shyness on her face.

Having figured out the connection with the Cui family was like finding the end of a tangled mess of threads.

— Cui Wulang was indeed Madam Cui's nephew.

It turned out that long before her engagement to Zhao Xu, the "mother-in-law" from her dreams had already completely disliked her. Meng Lingyao's eyes turned slightly cold, and a mocking smile curved her lips.

Just as Pei Xu was about to speak, a burst of extremely exaggerated applause suddenly erupted in the hall—

"Clap clap clap clap!"

Dan Yue clapped her hands enthusiastically, showering praise upon her as if it were free, "Miss Meng is quick-witted and exceptionally intelligent! I investigated for several days, repeatedly interrogating Wang Chaogui, before finally finding a clue. I never expected that Miss Meng would grasp the key point so quickly. I am truly ashamed..."

He became more and more enthusiastic as he spoke, "That's exactly right! Sun Fanghai is very close to the Cui family because of his daughter, and is entirely part of the Cui faction, following Cui Wulang's lead in everything. This scheme was indeed orchestrated by the Cui family! Miss, you have a keen eye and have hit the nail on the head!"

The applause came unexpectedly, instantly dispelling most of the gloom in Meng Lingyao's heart. She blinked, and when she looked up, she met Dan Yue's bright, adoring eyes.

She was almost amused by his "amazing" expression. Her tense lips relaxed slightly, and a smile appeared on her face. "It's just a common deduction. It's not worth praising it like this."

Before Dan Yue could speak again, Pei Xu's gaze swept over Meng Lingyao's slightly upturned lips, and then he gave him a light glance.

Dan Yue shrugged, immediately fell silent, lowered her head, took a half step back, and resumed her proper standing posture.

Pei Xu withdrew his gaze and asked, "Is there anything else you'd like to ask?"

Meng Lingyao shook her head.

She now understood what had happened. She couldn't recall whether she had experienced this in that strange dream; perhaps she had, perhaps she hadn't—it didn't matter anymore.

She wasn't surprised at all that it came from Madam Cui. It was nothing more than a show of force; given her methods, she would use a soft knife in the open but a hard knife in the shadows—that was always how she was.

Pei Xu nodded. "Send him to the Dali Temple."

Dan Yue nodded, then swiftly dragged the trembling Wang Chaogui out.

A thousand-mile dike can be destroyed by an ant's bite.

She had no doubt about Pei Xu's abilities; even a small pawn like Wang Chaogui could overturn the entire game in his hands.

The pavilion returned to tranquility. Meng Lingyao suddenly remembered something, raised an eyebrow, leaned slightly forward, rested her chin on her hand on the table, and looked at Pei Xu. "Lord Pei, in that case... haven't I added another merit to the Dali Temple?"

Pei Xu gazed at her suddenly bright eyes and brows, his expression relaxing slightly. "Yes, thank you, Miss Meng."

Meng Lingyao's smile deepened, and she lightly tapped the table with her slender finger, following up with, "In that case, the Dali Temple must have some... special reward rules for such great achievements?"

She tilted her head slightly, as if pondering, "Surely I can't just send this hero away with a simple thank you?"

“There are indeed some unwritten rules,” Pei Xu said calmly. “In such cases, according to old custom, the Dali Temple would host a banquet to entertain the informant who has made great contributions.”

"I wonder if I could have the honor of inviting Miss Meng to stay for lunch today?"

Still basking in the joy of being a meritorious official, Meng Lingyao nodded in agreement without a second thought, "Very well, then I thank you for your kindness, sir."

After she finished speaking, she suddenly froze—

wrong!

Was this meal a reward for her, the "informant," or was it to please the Minister of Justice before him?

In a flash, she felt annoyed, but she forced herself to remain calm and composed. She picked up her teacup and took a sip, her long eyelashes fluttering a few times.

Pei Xu noticed her subtle change. He didn't point it out, but simply moved his fingers slightly, picked up the celadon teapot on the table, and added some more tea for her.

“A few days ago,” he put down the teapot, his expression still indifferent, as if recounting an ordinary story, “I wrote to the Princess, informing her of my intention to propose marriage to the Meng family.”

"Cough..." Meng Lingyao quickly swallowed the tea in her mouth, raised her eyes to glare at him, her eyes filled with a mixture of surprise and annoyance, "The Princess is busy with the turmoil in the southwest, why did you go and disturb her?"

That glare didn't seem fierce at all; instead, it resembled a small animal whose tail had been stepped on, its fur standing on end, baring its teeth in a show of bravado. It made you want to stroke its fur, or perhaps, conversely, to make its fur even more disheveled.

Pei Xu's gaze lingered on her blushing cheeks for a moment, his Adam's apple bobbing imperceptibly, before he said slowly, "The Princess is also my closest elder, and marriage is a serious matter; propriety cannot be disregarded."

Meng Lingyao opened her mouth, but before she could speak, he continued, "After His Highness received the letter, he sent me some things, saying it was to 'lend a hand.' Yaoyao...would you like to take a look?"

When he called her by her nickname, the last syllable lingered, lightly brushing against her ear, tickling her and seeping straight into her heart.

Meng Lingyao felt a chill run down her spine, and her fingers tightened around the cup. "Who gave you permission... to call me that?"

Pei Xu lowered his eyelashes slightly, and when he raised them again, her image was reflected in his dark eyes. "Is it not allowed? I heard my uncle and aunt call you that."

Meng Lingyao wanted to retort, "Those are my parents, how can they be compared!", but when she met his expectant yet slightly nervous eyes, her words softened, and she just pursed her lips and whispered, "...Fine, whatever you say."

Pei Xu's lips curved into a faint smile, like the moon emerging from the clouds, its light shimmering briefly, yet clearly imprinted in Meng Lingyao's eyes.

"Thank you so much, Yaoyao."

“To be fair, I should also call you—” Meng Lingyao hesitated for a moment, “… Pei Xu, then it will be fine.”

You may call me Yanxing (雁行).

"No need," Meng Lingyao shook her head decisively. "Calling me by my courtesy name makes it sound like I'm from an elder's family." They shouldn't make her seem too old.

Pei Xu, as if he had lost all his temper, agreed.

After finishing his tea, Pei Xu stood up. "The gift His Highness gave me is in the study. Would you like to come with me to take a look?"

Meng Lingyao was slightly taken aback. "The study? Is it alright for me to go?"

The study of a court official was always a place of confidentiality, and she, an outsider, felt it was too presumptuous to step in.

Pei Xu raised an eyebrow slightly, and asked in a nonchalant tone, "What's wrong with it?"

Meng Lingyao was taken aback by his matter-of-fact frankness, and her concerns vanished. She stopped refusing and got up to follow him.

Stepping into Pei Xu's study, she almost held her breath. It was even more austere and tidy than she had imagined. Several bookshelves reached all the way to the ceiling, and the books on them were arranged as if measured with a ruler. Desks, side tables, pen holders, inkstones... everything was in its proper place, spotless.

Meng Lingyao had no doubt that if even a speck of dust were added or a single wolf-hair brush were missing from the room, the owner would notice it instantly. This orderly arrangement was worlds apart from her father's study.

In the study of the Meng family mansion, miscellaneous books and strange objects were piled up like a small mountain. She would occasionally go in to flip through a few miscellaneous books or secretly hide a few storybooks, and no matter how long it went by, she would not be discovered.

Pei Xu walked to the desk, took out an exquisite nanmu box from the drawer, and handed it to Meng Lingyao. "His Highness specially sought this out, saying it was made by craftsmen from the southwest."

Meng Lingyao took the box; its surface was warm and smooth to the touch. Carefully unfastening the clasp, she revealed a set of exquisitely beautiful jewelry lying quietly on the dark green velvet lining.

The main body is crafted with an astonishingly intricate silver wire work, seemingly weaving together forest vines and starlight, perfectly adorned with verdant turquoise and crimson agate, and further inlaid with a few softly glowing seed beads. The interplay of ruggedness and delicacy creates a magnificent yet tasteful piece, brimming with exotic charm, entirely different from the opulent grandeur of gold, silver, and jade artifacts from the capital.

Her breath hitched slightly, and her eyes lit up with amazement. "How exquisite... It's kind of Your Highness to still remember this amidst your busy military affairs."

A thought flashed through her mind, and she called out, "Songlan."

Songlan responded and came over. Meng Lingyao opened the brocade box that she had brought with her.

Inside were neatly stacked exquisite porcelain bottles of various sizes and shapes, all of which were the fragrant dews she had prepared as gifts for today. She quickly picked out the small jade bottle on top, the liquid inside being a translucent pale amber color.

Songlan immediately recognized the small bottle as the only finished product among them, and blinked involuntarily.

Meng Lingyao picked up the bottle of the finest perfume, turned to Pei Xu, and handed it to him, her eyes bright. "I've heard merchants mention that the southwest is hot and humid, teeming with insects. This is my newly made perfume, remarkably effective at repelling mosquitoes. I'll trouble you, Pei..."

When she mentioned his name, she stuttered awkwardly.

The name "Pei Xu" felt like a burning hot charcoal, rolling around on her tongue before sliding back down, leaving only a faint blush on her earlobe. She forced herself to remain calm and continued, "...Pei Xu, could you please convey this return gift to His Highness for me?"

Pei Xu's gaze lingered on the brocade box, remaining silent for a moment before looking away. "Your Highness will surely appreciate Yao Yao's return gift." He paused, "I also happen to have some official documents to deliver to the Southwest Army, which I can take with me."

Meng Lingyao felt a little relieved, then took the brocade box from Songlan's hands and handed it to Pei Xu with both hands, saying, "These bottles are a little undercooked, but they're good for clearing the mind and refreshing the head."

"This is the gift I have brought to your residence today. Please do not find it too simple."

The moment Meng Lingyao took the box, she clearly felt that Pei Xu's cold aura softened visibly, melting away like solid ice meeting the spring sun.

He stared intently at Meng Lingyao, his gaze focused and sincere. "Excellent, I like it very much."

His gaze was so pure and sincere that it made Meng Lingyao's conscience ache.

She bit her lip without making a sound.

Next time, next time, I'll definitely prepare a decent and generous gift.

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Author's note: Pei Xu to Dan Yue: The person I invited, and you're singing and dancing here?