Chapter 7 Bai Yu Ru Mu: Lord Pei should compensate us.

Fireworks transported from Liling bloomed one after another in the night sky, adding a vibrant touch to today's birthday celebration.

"What a grand affair." Xie Chengyu pulled his cloak tighter and turned to ask Meng Lingyao, "You don't seem to be in much interest; you barely touched your chopsticks at the table."

Meng Lingyao pursed her lips, "Thinking about the many people in our dynasty who occupy official positions but do nothing and only know how to freeload, I lose all appetite."

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Regardless of whether all the guests enjoyed themselves, the banquet continued in a lively manner until 3:45 PM before finally ending.

After bidding farewell to the group from the Marquis's residence, Meng Lingyao boarded the carriage, faintly smelling a trace of alcohol on her clothes. Remembering that she had sweated earlier that day, she knew she would need to bathe upon returning home, and wash her hair as well. Winter clothes don't dry easily, and if she delayed, she would miss her bedtime.

Thinking of this, Meng Lingyao instructed the driver to take a shorter route.

The driver readily agreed, raised his whip, and turned into the alley.

On the way back, Shen Xiaoshan insisted on not sitting in the carriage with the women anymore.

“When I came, it was inconvenient to show my face during the day, but now it’s dark…” He clutched the hem of his clothes, “I am, after all, a man, this is not right.”

"Alright then." Seeing his insistence, Meng Lingyao didn't try to persuade him any further.

However, this young man from the south lacked respect for the chill of a northern winter night, and he huddled up in a ball, like a little sparrow nestled on the carriage shaft. Meng Lingyao found it amusing and casually handed him a hand warmer, saying, "Warm your hands."

Just as Shen Xiaoshan was about to decline, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from ahead.

"Whoa—"

The coachman tightened the reins and shouted, "Miss, someone is stopping the carriage!"

Meng Lingyao raised her eyes and saw the person who had come. Lu Heming was still wearing that elegant brocade robe, and dozens of guards behind him were holding torches. The firelight tore his gentle face into a ferocious look.

The visitor is not friendly.

Meng Lingyao's heart sank slightly. She pursed her lips, never expecting Lu Heming to be so audacious.

She smoothed out the wrinkles in her clothes, remained seated in the car, and looked puzzled.

"Lord Lu, may I ask why you have stopped my carriage?"

“Miss Meng,” Lu Heming bowed, “I am truly sorry to have disturbed your carriage, but I just remembered something important.”

His gaze seemed to be venomous as he stared straight at Shen Xiaoshan. "The maid who delivered the cloak to the Meng family during the day is the swindler that the Lu family has been chasing."

“That swindler is very good at sweet talk and has deceived many people in Wu County. Miss Meng, don’t be fooled.”

"How could that be?" Meng Lingyao said calmly, "She's just a little maid. Lord Lu must have mistaken her for someone else."

Lu Heming had been on tenterhooks all day and had no patience left to play along. He sneered when he heard this: "Whether it is or not, I will know once I check."

He lunged forward, reaching out to grab Chen Xiaoshan. Cang Dian lunged to block him, but was shoved aside.

"Lu Heming!" Meng Lingyao roared, "How dare you... right under the Emperor's nose..."

Before the words were finished, a sound of something cutting through the air suddenly rang out.

"Whoosh—"

An arrow grazed Lu Heming's fingertip and embedded itself in the carriage shaft, its white fletching trembling. Pei Xu rode in through the snow in the night, his Dali Temple token hanging from his waist belt, his longbow still in his hand.

"Lord Lu." He reined in his horse a few steps away, his tone as cold as frost, "Robbing officials' families in the street violates Article 13 of Volume 7 of our dynasty's laws."

Lu Heming was so startled that he took half a step back and forced a smile, saying, "Young Master Pei, I was just arresting a swindler who had escaped from Wu County."

"The task of apprehending fugitives in the capital is the responsibility of the Prefect of the Capital. If there are any clues, they can also be reported to the Court of Judicial Review. I wonder when the task of supervising this has been assigned to the Hanlin Academy?"

Pei Xu spoke in a flat tone, without any hint of questioning or sarcasm, as if he were simply stating a fact that everyone in the capital knew.

Lu Heming was speechless for a moment.

Pei Xu didn't need his answer. He raised his hand to signal, and the constables behind him immediately stepped forward to arrest the man.

"If Lord Lu has any objections, he may appeal to the Dali Temple."

Lu Heming's expression changed drastically, but he dared not stop him.

If it were someone else, he might have invoked the Lu family's name to discuss the matter further.

But it was Pei Xu who was chosen.

Seeing that there was no way to resolve the matter peacefully today, Lu Heming gritted his teeth in resentment and forced himself to remain calm, saying, "In that case, I have no choice but to go to the Dali Temple to bother Minister Pei."

Jian Su, who had been waiting for a long time, stepped forward and grabbed Lu Heming immediately upon hearing this.

Once you enter the gates of the Dali Temple, you can forget about ever leaving.

He gripped Lu Heming's wrist tightly with a blank expression, twisted it behind his back with all his might, causing Lu Heming to grimace in pain.

The Lu family members were all arrested by the Dali Temple constables. Pei Xu dismounted and walked towards the Meng family's carriage.

Fear still lingered in Shen Xiaoshan's eyes. Pei Xu looked directly at him and said firmly, "Shen Xiaoshan."

Shen Xiaoshan unconsciously flinched, his pleading gaze falling on Meng Lingyao, "Miss..."

Upon hearing Pei Xu's address, Meng Lingyao's pupils dilated slightly, and she immediately understood.

He already knew all of this.

Meng Lingyao lowered her eyelashes and sighed, "Shen Xiaoshan, this is Minister Pei of the Court of Judicial Review." She placed the delicate hand warmer into Shen Xiaoshan's arms and comforted him, "Go. Minister Pei is upright and just, and he will give you justice."

The phrase "upright and strict" was a bit difficult to pronounce, and Meng Lingyao spoke very quickly, but Shen Xiaoshan heard it clearly.

Pei Xu lowered his eyes, remained silent, and waited quietly for the two to talk.

“Yes…” Shen Xiaoshan nodded slowly, jumped off the carriage shaft, and walked behind Pei Xu. After taking two steps, he turned back to look at Meng Lingyao a few more times, his eyes wet, looking like a fledgling bird that had been driven out of its home to learn to fly.

Meng Lingyao felt an inappropriate urge to laugh, and the corners of her lips unconsciously twitched up.

In the next instant, she regained her composure, helped Songlan down from the carriage, curtsied, and performed an impeccable bow. Her plain white shawl swayed with her movements, like a ray of moonlight falling on snow, her fragility and light beauty both condensed on that thin piece of gauze.

"Thank you for saving me, sir."

"It's my duty." Pei Xu nodded slightly, turned to leave, but then stopped. "Miss Meng."

Meng Lingyao looked up and met his calm gaze. In the snow's light, his features were exceptionally clear.

“Doing good is a good thing,” he said calmly, “but one should prioritize one’s own safety.”

These words, spoken by a young and handsome man, sounded like the admonitions of an elder from above.

It makes people feel like they've suddenly become shorter.

Meng Lingyao moved her lips, wanting to retort, but considering that Pei Xu had just subdued Lu Heming, she only smiled slightly and thanked him again.

After Pei Xu led the Lu family members away, Song Lan finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Miss, let's hurry back to the manor. We are so grateful to Pei for everything tonight..."

She stopped speaking before she could finish, knowing full well that her young mistress had never liked Pei Shaoqing.

Meng Lingyao didn't respond. Instead, she quickly pulled out a bronze mirror from the carriage cabinet and carefully examined her reflection.

Good, her hair wasn't messy, her makeup was perfect, and even her lipstick was applied evenly.

She put down the mirror, turned to Songlan, and asked, "Was there anything wrong with my behavior just now?"

"ah?"

Songlan was taken aback for a moment, then quickly shook her head, "No, no, Miss remained calm and composed in the face of danger, showing great composure."

"Mm." Meng Lingyao nodded.

Fortunately, they weren't at too much of a disadvantage.

It was only because there was no one in the alley at this moment that Pei Xu's many glorious deeds would have been added to the list, and she would have become the "beauty" in the story of the hero saving the beauty.

Inevitably, rumors of instant attraction will circulate, and some will even be jokingly told at gatherings that they should repay the life-saving grace with their bodies.

As Meng Lingyao thought about it, she couldn't help but shiver. She quickly picked up the hot tea that Song Lan had poured for her and slowly took a sip.

Thank goodness, thank goodness...

A soft gasp came from outside the car: "Hiss, it's so deep."

Songlan lifted a crack in the sedan curtain. "What are you doing?"

Cang Dian raised the white-feathered arrow in his hand, the one Pei Xu had used to stop Lu Heming's actions, and pointed to the carriage shaft.

A deep mark, more than an inch deep, was left on the carriage shaft, silently telling the story of the danger that had just occurred.

The steam from the tea condensed into fine droplets on her long eyelashes. Meng Lingyao blinked, and had to admit that being able to hit a target from a hundred paces was indeed more impressive than hitting the bullseye every time with a hammer.

"What strength!" Songlan peered inside, then declared righteously, "Miss, we should ask Lord Pei for compensation."

Meng Lingyao suppressed a laugh and pointed at the orchid, "You're not ashamed, but I am."

Songlan muttered under her breath, "If you break someone else's things, you should pay for them."

"Exactly, exactly! They even took our Shen Xiaoshan with them," Cang Dian chimed in. "I wonder if they can protect him. Shen Xiaoshan eats five steamed buns in one sitting!"

Meng Lingyao understood perfectly well that the two of them were just trying to amuse her, and her brows relaxed. "Don't worry, Pei Shaoqing has the ability."

Meng Lingyao couldn't help but believe that the Dali Temple had been in complete control of everything since Shen Xiaoshan entered the city. He could pronounce Shen Xiaoshan's name in one breath and appear here at just the right time.

Well then, let's just say that Pei Xu fulfilled the duty of "receiving the emperor's salary and bearing the emperor's worries."

The journey was delayed, and I arrived home a little later than expected.

Meng Lingyao, being a clean freak, insisted on bathing and changing clothes. The Meng family had no shortage of charcoal and hot water, so they naturally went along with her wishes.

However, her hair was very long and thick, so it took quite a while to dry.

She wrung out the water with a fine cotton cloth, then slowly fanned herself with a small fan, and a delicate fragrance spread with the breeze. The charcoal fire inside was warm, so she didn't feel cold at all.

Meng Lingyao leaned against the daybed, her cheeks flushed from the hot water after her bath, and even her fingertips were slightly pink.

It was her usual time to fall asleep, and Songlan's movements as she fiddled with her hair felt very comfortable. Her eyes were hazy, and she was getting sleepy.

Suddenly remembering something, Meng Lingyao opened her eyes. "Songlan, where did you put the snow rabbit lantern that Zhou Yizhi gave us during the day?"

She was quite pleased with the little rabbit she had carved, even though she knew it was just a little trick to amuse her daughter. But whatever the case, it was worth it to put her heart into it.

"Don't worry, miss. I put it on the windowsill. It's cold outside, so it won't thaw anytime soon. You'll still be able to see it tomorrow morning."

"Yes, that's good."

Meng Lingyao felt relieved and leaned back on the soft cushion, and before she knew it, sleepiness had returned to her eyes.

Her eyelashes fluttered, and she once again drifted into a dream.