I like you so much

Cheng Yayin helped Pei Songsheng back to the room, dismissed the servants, and took off his outer and inner garments, revealing the gauze wrapped around his right shoulder. A pool of blood was soaked on the white cloth.

Cheng Yayin pointed her finger at his wound, frowned and said, "Please ask the doctor to take a look."

Pei Songsheng glanced back at his shoulder, shook his head and said, "It's okay, just apply some medicine and rebandage it."

The hemostatic powder and gauze were in the room. Cheng Yayin fetched them, skillfully and carefully unwrapped the bloodstained gauze for him, and re-bandaged it. While applying the medicine, she kept muttering, "You're always like this. You don't talk about the pain, you don't talk about the grievances, and you hide so many things in your heart and don't let anyone know. I'm telling you this is not good, do you know? From now on, you have to say whatever you think, otherwise I will really be angry. You saw it just now, I can be very fierce when I scold people, don't think I won't bear to scold you."

Despite her complaints, she applied the medicine gently. Pei Songsheng had his back to her, and although he couldn't see her expression, he could picture her baring her teeth in a fierce pose, and he couldn't help but smile. The pent-up resentment from his argument with his father seemed to be gently smoothed by an invisible hand, and his heart was filled with a peaceful joy.

After bandaging the wound, Cheng Yayin helped him put on his clothes. She stood up and was about to put the medicine box back, but Pei Songsheng grabbed her wrist. She lost her balance unexpectedly and fell on his legs.

Cheng Yayin let out a small cry of surprise and subconsciously grabbed his collar, but quickly let go for fear of touching his wound. She wanted to get up, but he held her tightly, unable to move. She opened her eyes wide and asked, "What are you going to do?"

Pei Songsheng looked into her eyes and said, "I like you so much."

Cheng Yayin's face flushed instantly: "Why do you say that suddenly?"

"Don't you tell me to say whatever I'm thinking?" Pei Songsheng smiled and leaned over, gently touching the tip of his nose with hers. "I'm thinking right now, I like you so much, I love you so much, I want to be with you like this forever, never separate."

A thousand-year-old iron tree blooms in one day, and the sweet words pour out like they are free, which is really unbearable. Cheng Yayin was extremely embarrassed and buried her red face in his neck. Their heartbeats connected, resonating and echoing in the distance.

After calming down for a while, Cheng Yayin raised her head and asked, "Did I touch your wound just now? Does it hurt?"

Pei Songsheng shook his head and whispered to her forehead, "A Zheng, kiss me and I won't feel any pain."

In the past, Cheng Yayin would never have thought Pei Songsheng would say such a thing. But now they were so close, Cheng Yayin looked at him without blinking, as if bewitched, and offered her lips to him.

Pei Songsheng lowered his head slightly and accepted the kiss. The two hugged each other tightly, rubbing against each other, and the kiss became deeper and deeper.

The kiss was becoming increasingly unstoppable. Cheng Yayin's breath was strained, and she retreated. But after a moment's separation, Pei Songsheng returned the kiss, his hands pressed against her back, firmly pressing her towards him. Cheng Yayin felt the growing heat of his body, and as if startled, she pushed him away, jumped up, and said, "No."

Pei Songsheng, unable to extricate himself from the warmth in his arms, looked at her with a fascinated expression. Cheng Yayin glanced at him, turned her head away and said embarrassedly, "You're still injured..."

Pei Songsheng lowered his head, his jade-like face flushing slightly, and silently adjusted his skirt. The two of them, one sitting and the other standing, had been so close just now, but now they were reluctant to look at each other.

After a moment, Pei Songsheng took a deep breath, stood up, and said he was going to the study to take care of some things. Cheng Yayin nodded and watched him leave the room and go into the room opposite. After a while, she couldn't wait any longer and followed him, lifting her skirt.

The study door was open, as if waiting for someone to fall into its trap. Cheng Yayin leaned against the doorway and saw Pei Songsheng sitting behind his desk, his demeanor calm and composed, his former elegant demeanor restored. Seeing her coming, he smiled at her and gestured for her to sit by the window sill, where he could see her at a glance.

Cheng Yayin didn't sit over, but walked behind him and hugged him from behind.

"Do you feel like I always reject you?" she asked.

Pei Songsheng smiled lightly and shook his head: "You did the right thing. There are more important things to do now."

Cheng Yayin leaned over to read what he had written. On a large sheet of rice paper, Meng Yu's name was written in the center. With him at the center, the names of all the victims and the details of the cases were listed, giving a complete and clear account of the whole story.

"Have you figured out how to deal with him?"

Pei Songsheng put down his pen and turned to face her. "Although I don't agree with my father's principles, he is right in one thing. No matter how absurd Prince Jin'an is, he is still a prince. To Your Majesty, the grievances of a dozen women are insignificant compared to the dignity of his own son and the royal family. Even if he is forced to convict Prince Jin'an under pressure, it will only be a lot of noise and little action. Afterwards, it will be as if nothing happened, and it will not hurt Prince Jin'an's foundation at all. He is well aware of this, so he is fearless."

"So directly exposing it won't work. What are your thoughts?"

Pei Songsheng was silent for a moment, then suddenly took Cheng Yayin's hand and asked solemnly, "A Zheng, if you discovered that I'm not necessarily a noble person and that I'd do anything to achieve my goals, would you be disappointed?"

Cheng Yayin was stunned: "What do you mean?"

Pei Songsheng said, "I am about to do something. It's dishonorable, improper, and even defies the will of Heaven. But only by doing this can I offend the Emperor and make him show no mercy. However, this is extremely risky. Once exposed, the entire Pei family will be destroyed. If you follow me, the Cheng family will also be implicated. I don't want to involve you in such a dangerous matter, so if you want to leave... I will not stop you."

His tone was serious. Cheng Yayin vaguely guessed what he was going to do. She sighed and said, "Are you asking for a divorce from me again?"

Pei Songsheng lowered his eyes, his lips moved slightly, but he couldn't say anything.

Cheng Yayin nodded, pulled her hand out of his, folded her arms and looked at him, saying, "You're really good. When the matter is done, the lady will be angry and leave. I wonder how you will cry and try to win me back."

Pei Songsheng immediately became uneasy: "A Zheng, don't be angry."

"I'm not angry." Cheng Yayin said helplessly, "Have you forgotten? I told you this isn't just your business. I'll be with you no matter what you do. Besides, my hatred for King Jin'an is no less than yours. I want to witness his execution with my own eyes. Don't think of leaving me out of it."

Pei Songsheng said with emotion: "Okay, I was wrong. No matter what we do, we will do it together."

He stretched out his hand to embrace his wife, but Cheng Yayin ducked out from under his arms, raised her head and said, "You tried to push me away again, but I won't let you off easily this time. I'll punish you by making you stay alone in your empty room for a few days while I return to the Cheng Mansion."

Pei Songsheng smiled helplessly: "A Zheng, didn't you say you weren't angry?"

"I'm not angry, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be punished," Cheng Yayin said confidently, turning to call Lanyue and Yixing to pack their bags. Pei Songsheng didn't try to stop them, knowing that his father-in-law had been worried day and night since their encounter in Ganchuan, and had lost a lot of weight. Seeing her father like this, Cheng Yayin naturally felt extremely guilty and had long intended to go back and stay with him for a while to recuperate.

Pei Songsheng naturally agreed that his wife wanted to go back to her parents' home to take care of her father. He called Jian Zhu and asked him to pack a carriage and personally send his wife back to Cheng Mansion.

*

Half a month later, Prince Jin'an entered Shengjing.

This idle prince had always enjoyed traveling, his whereabouts uncertain. However, his return to Shengjing this time was unusually grand and impressive. Many commoners witnessed his heroic figure riding through the streets, and all marveled at his imposing bearing, a true descendant of a noble family.

When Pei Songsheng left the court, he happened to meet Meng Yu who was about to enter the palace.

It wasn't so much a coincidence as it was Meng Yu's intention to wait for him. Seeing him leave the palace gate, he kicked his horse's flank and slowly rode over. He stopped in front of him, glanced down at him, and said lazily, "Master Pei, long time no see. How are you feeling?"

Pei Songsheng bowed to him and said calmly, "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I'm all right now."

As the two exchanged pleasantries, several officials, leaving court, passed by. Seeing their conversational gestures, they wondered when they had first met. A closer look struck them as odd. Although both wore calm expressions, an unusual aura surrounded them, creating a sense of confrontation.

The officials took the opportunity to pay their respects to Meng Yu and secretly looked up at him. Meng Yu gave them a neutral look, and although he did not show any displeasure, the officials all felt a chill, and after saying hello, they hurried away.

After everyone left, Meng Yu looked at the majestic palace gate and sneered, "I thought Lord Pei was a loyal minister who was not afraid of power, but it turns out he's afraid of getting into trouble. I've been waiting for you in Ganchuan for half a month, and you haven't made any move. I'm really disappointed."

Pei Songsheng smiled faintly and said nothing.

Meng Yu glanced at him sideways, saying with a half-smile, "If you've offended me, don't think you can keep yourself safe. My concubines are still imprisoned in the Dali Temple. When they return, I will personally examine their bodies. Even if they are missing a single hair, I will not let the Dali Temple, who are arbitrarily handling cases, and the Pei family, who framed and falsely accused them, off."

Pei Songsheng was not moved and nodded, saying, "Your Highness, please do as you please." After that, he slowly walked away.

Meng Yu looked at his steady back, the smile on his face gradually disappeared, and he tightened his grip on the whip.

When Pei Songsheng's carriage stopped at the gate of Cheng Mansion, Cheng Yayin was practicing calligraphy with her father.

When the housekeeper, Uncle Chen, arrived to announce the arrival of the son-in-law, Cheng Yayin continued grinding, her expression normal, but her eyes kept drifting toward the door, a flicker of joy hidden in them. Cheng Hongyi took in his daughter's expression, nodded, and said with relief, "Moxing, this child, has finally seen the light after waiting for so long."

Cheng Yayin was slightly surprised and said, "Father, did you know that he had feelings for me? Then why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"You can express your feelings with your mouth? You have to see with your eyes and feel with your heart. If you don't have feelings for him, it's useless for me to tell you every day."

Cheng Yayin's cheeks flushed slightly at what her father said, and she said unconvincedly, "Father, you make it sound like I was so heartless before."

While the father and daughter were talking, Pei Songsheng had already entered the study and greeted Cheng Hongyi first. Cheng Hongyi said, "Moxing is here. Let's take this little girl back home today. She's been making a lot of noise in front of me all day and it's giving me a headache."

"Father!" Cheng Yayin said coquettishly.

Cheng Hongyi invited the couple to have lunch before leaving. Pei Songsheng agreed, but as he spoke, his eyes were fixed on Cheng Yayin, a smile spreading across his face. The young couple exchanged glances as if no one was around. Cheng Hongyi saw it, and was delighted, but said with disdain, "Such an annoyance. Find a place to exchange glances. I'm an old man, I can't handle such sweetness."

Cheng Yayin responded immediately and happily took Pei Songsheng's hand to go to the courtyard where she used to live.