Chapter 138 The Old Madam's Suspicion Gradually Arises

Ji Shu raised her hand and slapped away his touch. Pei Yanzhi raised an eyebrow and smiled, following closely behind her. Ji Shu looked at her dress, which was already wrinkled beyond recognition.

He said angrily, "Go back by yourself, I'm not going."

My gaze swept over the figure in the mirror, whose eyes were shimmering and whose springtime charm had not yet faded. Anyone who saw this would know what had just happened; there was no way it could be hidden from everyone.

Pei Yanzhi had the same idea; he didn't want Pei Xingjian or any other man to see her in such a seductive manner.

"Alright, if you really feel unwell, we'll have someone take you home."

Ji Shu glanced at him indifferently and said nothing more.

After he left, she told Chunzhi to come in. As soon as Chunzhi stepped in, she smelled the lingering, enchanting scent in the room.

Thinking of the figure he had just seen by chance, his heart tightened. He didn't know whether he should tell his wife or not. If he didn't, he would feel uneasy.

Ji Shu, exhausted, propped her forehead with her hand and ordered, "Clean up the house before you leave." She didn't want the old lady's family in the courtyard to know what had happened inside.

Chunzhi understood what was going on, so she quickly started to tidy up.

Ji Shu used powder to cover the spring-like look in the corners of her eyes, and loosely tied her hair into a bun.

After Chunzhi finished tidying up, she saw that the young lady looked tired, so she stepped forward and reached out to massage her temples. She couldn't help but say, "Young lady, I think I just saw the prince."

Ji Shu suddenly opened her eyes and looked at Chunzhi in the mirror.

"when?"

"Half an hour ago!"

Ji Shu accidentally spilled all the pearl powder in her hand on the ground. She looked up at Chunzhi in a daze. What was she doing half an hour ago? Wasn't it him and Pei Yanzhi...?

She knew all too well how petty Pei Yanzhi was; he could remember even the most baseless accusations.

No wonder he personally helped him dress, and chose to do it in the old lady's secluded courtyard; he clearly anticipated that Pei Xingjian would follow.

She was truly furious at the thought of letting him witness it.

Her face, which had just been flushed with spring, turned as pale as paper in an instant. She closed her eyes and only now realized with a start that it wasn't that she couldn't let go of Pei Xingjian, but that her father had fallen into a demonic state.

Suddenly, as if struck by a sudden thought, her eyes fixed on Wei Ziming. She had clearly said she would break one of his legs, but the next day he had lost his tongue and was no longer able to have sex.

Thinking of this, I couldn't help but feel a chill run down my spine.

If Wei Ziming could go to such lengths just to harass her, how could he possibly treat her and her only son?

Seeing the young woman's ashen and sorrowful face, Chunzhi asked worriedly, "Madam, are you alright?"

Ji Shu sat on the stool in a daze and said softly, "Zhi'er, he already knows!"

Chunzhi asked, puzzled, "Madam, you mean...?"

Ji Shu shook her head. "It's not important anymore. He's already dealt with Wei Ziming behind the scenes."

"Now I feel like a clown, being played by him, with no dignity whatsoever."

Chunzhi looked at her helplessly, not knowing what had happened between the lady and the lord, only feeling that she had said something wrong, which had caused the young lady to be so distressed.

After Ji Shu got up, her legs were still a little weak. She walked to the door and whispered, "Let's go back."

"yes."

...

An hour later, Pei Yanzhi returned to the table. Madam Pei saw that he had returned alone and did not see Ji Shu behind him.

He frowned and asked, "Where is your wife?"

Pei Yanzhi cleared his throat and said, "Oh, she said she had drunk some wine and felt a little dizzy, so I told her to go back and rest early."

Madam Pei looked him up and down. His expression remained unchanged, so she didn't say anything more. She said, "If that's the case, it's common for you to drink too much. Take some hangover soup with you when you leave, so you don't have a headache tomorrow morning."

Pei Yanzhi responded.

Song Yunshu's gaze shifted back and forth between her elder brother and Pei Xingjian, especially after Pei Xingjian returned, his expression was far from pleasant, but she didn't know exactly what had happened.

Considering that his elder brother had been late in returning, Ji Shu was not there, and Xing Jian's expression was strange, could it be that something unpleasant had happened between the three of them inside?

Or perhaps... Pei Xingjian stumbled upon something?

Suppressing the surging speculations in her heart, Song figured the news she had found in Chongzhou would arrive soon.

After sitting for a short while, Pei Yanzhi got up to take his leave: "Mother, there are still official matters waiting for me to attend to in the study, so I will take my leave now."

Knowing that he was busy with his daily affairs, Madam Pei thought that today was a time for the family to reunite, so she smiled and agreed, "Alright, alright, no matter how busy you are, you must eat on time and take care of your health."

After bowing, Pei Yanzhi glanced at Pei Xingjian, who remained silent, and strode away.

After everyone left, Madam Song naturally didn't want to stay any longer, so she also took her leave.

Just as Pei Xingjian was about to leave, Madam Pei suddenly spoke up: "Xingjian, stay here, your grandmother has something to ask you."

Song only glanced back at him.

Pei Xingjian followed Madam Pei into the house. Before he could even sit down, he heard his grandmother ask a question that made his back stiffen and cold sweat pour down his back: "Did you know Ji Shu when you were in Chongzhou?"

"Why do you ask, Grandmother?" Pei Xingjian looked up abruptly and answered instinctively.

Granny Chang served the tea and waited quietly to the side. Madam Pei took the teacup and said slowly, "You have grown up by your grandmother's side since you were a child. When it comes to understanding you, no one can compare to me. Not to mention that I can see it, I'm afraid even your second aunt can see it."

"I've noticed you seem quite distracted whenever you see Ji Shu. Is there something between you two in the past?"

Madam Pei stared sharply at him. She had always treated Pei Xingjian like her own grandson since he was a child, but in such a vast place as Yanzhou, it was absolutely unacceptable for a father and son to fall in love with the same woman.

Especially since that person was his father's wife, the matriarch of Yanzhou—this was a scandal!

Pei Xingjian raised his voice and said, "What is Grandmother suspecting? Is she suspecting her grandson? Even if her grandson knows the madam, it doesn't matter. After all, my father and I stayed in Chongzhou for two months."

"When I saw Lady Ji today, I was indeed shocked. It's not because I have anything to do with her. We just met in Chongzhou. I never thought that one day she would become my father's wife."

Seeing that he denied it outright and his tone was so earnest that it seemed genuine, Madam Pei breathed a sigh of relief without showing any emotion.

"That's good. Your father has rarely had someone by his side these past few years. No matter what, you should respect her as you respect your father, understand?"

Pei Xingjian lowered his eyes, swallowing the bitterness in his heart. Everyone was advising him to let go of Ji Shu. How could he not want to? But was it really up to him?

He whispered "Yes."