Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Qingcheng Mountain Wrapped in Horsehide

When we were traveling back from the outskirts of Beijing, it was already getting dark with only a few lonely stars hanging in the sky, and the sky in the southwest was extremely dark.

The abandoned yard in the back mountain of Pei's mansion was overgrown with weeds, piled with useless wooden shelves, and had no servants guarding it. At this time, the gloomy sky was accompanied by a cold wind that made people's pores stand on end.

Outside, there was a slanting wind and light snow. Lu Suizhu hid under an eaves. There was a brazier opposite her and a few stacks of yellow paper at her hands. She burned the paper while looking around vigilantly.

When she returned in the carriage, she asked Pei Zhiji, "What will happen to the body?"

He replied: "On Mount Qingcheng, he died wrapped in his horsehide."

Thinking of this, Lu Suizhu felt a pang of sadness in her heart. She squatted beside the brazier, her words full of regret and helplessness.

"I'm sorry, Grand Tutor Li. Although your untimely death in the Eastern Palace had nothing to do with me, I witnessed it with my own eyes. I'm just a small ant, and it's hard for me to protect myself, let alone destroy a city or shake a tree. Now I've become the one who helps the tyrant commit atrocities.

"But don't worry, if I find the opportunity in the future, I will definitely do my best for you."

"I hope you will have a safe and smooth life in your next life, and don't run into Xiao Mao again."

She was muttering to herself and burning paper without stopping for a moment. From time to time, the snow fluttered on her face. She was so frightened that she almost jumped up, but she continued as the surroundings were pitch black and no one was around.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"ah--"

Suddenly, a hand was placed on Lu Suizhu's shoulder. A cold wind ran up her back. She screamed in fear and fell to the ground.

The brazier was overturned, and a few sparks fell on the wet ground. Lu Suizhu fell to the ground, holding her heart and gasping for breath. She looked at Pei Zhiji, who was standing behind her with an umbrella.

She brushed off the dust on her body, held on to the wooden stake beside her, and finally stood up again with her weak knees. She swallowed her saliva, still feeling scared.

"Why is Lord Pei here so late at night?"

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you this?"

Pei Zhiji stared at the unburned paper scattered all over the ground, kicked it aside, and walked forward a few steps.

"I, I'm burning paper for my fourth uncle's grandmother. She passed away many years ago, and lately she's appeared in my dreams saying that she's short of money." The voice grew smaller and smaller in the rustling wind, and turned into flying snow and disappeared completely.

"Yeah?"

At this time, Pei Zhiji put away his umbrella and stood under the eaves. His tall body blocked the flying snow. He looked ahead, but every word he said hit Lu Suizhu's heart.

"Lu Suizhu, your parents are unknown. At the age of six, you were sold to a family surnamed Li in Shangjing as a maid. Later, the Li family got into trouble and laid off their servants, so you and your master became dependent on each other. I wonder where Miss Lu got her fourth aunt from?"

The chilly wind didn't even feel cold anymore. Half of Lu Suizhu's face melted into the moonless night. She watched Pei Zhiji coldly recount her life story, feeling an indescribable sense of grievance welling up in her heart. "My last name isn't Lu. It was the human trafficker who forced me to take his surname when he abducted me and registered me for household registration."

Her voice was choked, and her eyelashes were wet. Pei Zhiji took out a plain white handkerchief from his arms, with only a orchid embroidered on one corner.

"I'm sorry, I lost my temper."

Lu Suizhu wiped away her tears twice and noticed a faint medicinal smell on the handkerchief, which was very similar to his usual smell. Taking advantage of Pei Zhiji's guilt, she continued to take advantage of him: "Your Excellency also knows that I am an orphan and that life is not easy. Yet you deliberately mock me at night."

"That's not what I meant."

"That's what you mean."

Pei Zhiji felt that this was ridiculous and couldn't help but defend himself: "You were the one who bullied me first, how can you be so unreasonable?"

"Your Excellency is clearly making excuses, and every word pierces my heart." A single gasp was heard from the other side, barely noticeable in the snowy night. Lu Suizhu's handkerchief covered her mouth, and in an instant, she changed her words: "I simply felt pity for the corpse today and wanted to burn some paper for him. I'm hiding here because I'm afraid you, the Pei Mansion, might be against it."

Pei Zhiji laughed silently, with a hint of contempt on the corner of his mouth.

"Miss Suizhu is kind-hearted."

His expression clearly showed disbelief, and he clenched the handkerchief tightly in his hand. Lu Suizhu coughed weakly twice and looked shaky.

"Master Pei, do you know why I went to the lake to rescue Wang Miaoyin?"

Pei Zhixing looked at her sideways.

"Because you are Huai Shen's caring brother, and he cares about your health, I care too."

Pei Zhiji's fingers were weakly clenched into fists, and no one knew what he was thinking. Xiao Feng came hurriedly and said that the old lady invited Pei Zhiji to go to Chunhui Hall for a chat. Only after Pei Zhiji's background was completely blended into the bright moonlight did Lu Suizhu return to the room with peace of mind.

If it weren't for her yesterday, his marriage to Wang Miaoyin would probably be a foregone conclusion. She originally wanted Pei Zhiji to feel guilty about her jumping into the ice lake, but now, by chance, he should be even more grateful for her kindness.

The old lady, Prime Minister Pei and Madam Pei were all present in Chunhui Hall.

"The story of Wang Miaoyin has spread like wildfire. Minister Wang is already interested in a marriage between the two families." Prime Minister Pei took a sip of his strong tea. He rarely worried about his children's marriages, but since this involved the Wang family, he couldn't just give a perfunctory response. "Zhiji is already past twenty. I think it would be better to go with the flow and marry into the Wang family. It would be a good thing."

"The person who saved Miss Wang in the lake was not me." Pei Zhiji's eyes were calm and there was no clue.

"You saw Miss Wang's wet body. With so many eyes watching, how are you going to defend yourself?"

"Master Xu also saw it."

"You—" Pei Xiang stood up from his chair in anger, the tea splashing down the cup and onto the rosewood table, leaving a stain: "So, you are determined not to marry me?"

"If my father forces me to do so, I will go before His Majesty and swear an oath that I will never marry or have children in my lifetime."

Seeing the cold and stiff atmosphere and Pei Zhiji's tough attitude, Mrs. Pei quickly stepped forward, pulled Prime Minister Pei back, and gave him a soothing look.

"Zhiji, today, my grandmother wants to tell you something else. As a member of the Pei family, you must always be aware of your status and know what you should and shouldn't do."

The old lady glanced at Pei Zhiji, her expression showing suspicion as she spoke: "Don't get too close to Lu Suizhu. It would be disgraceful if it got out."

The dry grass in the corner flower bed was covered with snow, and it felt wet when touched. Under Qiu Zhu's constant persuasion, Lu Suizhu put on more clothes, and a thin layer of velvet was wrapped around the pink collar.

"Looking at the weather, I'm afraid it's going to snow again tonight."

The sky, blurred by too much water and looking like ink, was tinged with a light black. The thick clouds were like heavy blocks of lead, piled up and squeezed together.

There was a smile in the corner of Zhao Ma's eyes. The second young master had sent another letter home, saying that he had arrived in Ningzhou and would be able to join the three armies in a month or so.

"The last time the Second Young Master returned home was when the snow was at its thickest."

I hear dogs barking at the wooden door, and people returning home on a windy and snowy night. The families of the soldiers should be even more deeply moved when they see the snow. The border is bitterly cold, and how many people hope to bring their husbands and sons with them when the wind blows the remaining snow and they struggle to get home.

"I hope it snows more so that the Second Young Master can come back soon."

Qiuzhu and Madam Zhao were chatting and laughing together, both very happy. Lu Suizhu also smiled and lowered her head to cooperate with them.

Nanny Yun from the old lady's room came to deliver a message, saying that the Crown Princess was about to give birth and the mansion did not want to cause any trouble, so she asked Lu Suizhu to behave herself and stay out of the courtyard less often, especially not to have any inappropriate thoughts about the master of the mansion.

Nanny Yun put a thick stack of Buddhist scriptures on the table. It was more like dropping the papers than putting them down. The moment the papers fell, the tea in the cup splashed out and soaked everything.

"The old lady said that Miss Lu came from a brothel. People from such a filthy place should copy more Buddhist scriptures to cultivate their character and get rid of bad luck."

This was said very bluntly, she just disliked Lu Suizhu's cleanliness. She smiled helplessly without getting angry, and reached out to take it carefully.

Nanny Yun's hands were wrapped in a thick bandage, and every movement caused her to feel excruciating pain. Cold sweat broke out on her hands. Before leaving, she glared at Lu Suizhu fiercely, her voice as sharp as a dagger.

"Miss Lu, don't even think about being lazy or asking for help. If the old lady finds out, even the second young master won't be able to save you."

No matter what was said, Lu Suizhu nodded in agreement. Nanny Yun punched the cotton and felt that it was meaningless. After sending the person away, Lu Suizhu slowly sat down.

Looking at the thick stack of papers, Qiu Zhu couldn't help but ask, "How long will it take to finish copying such a thick book? Isn't this just deliberately making things difficult for me? I'm afraid this Nanny Yun is using the old lady's name to settle a personal grudge."

Lu Suizhu shook his head helplessly, thinking that this idea was ridiculous.

How could Pei Zhiji be seduced so easily? The old lady really doesn't understand her eldest grandson well enough.

Although she could read, she found it difficult to understand the obscure writing style of the eight-legged essay. Her master had once found a teacher to teach her how to read, but he only gave her a superficial introduction.

However, she was much more fortunate than Hua Wu and Yuan Yuan. No decent man would be willing to teach a prostitute how to study. Scholars were particularly disgusted with them. They were afraid that any more contact with them would damage the character of the scholars, so they tried to avoid them as much as possible.

Lu Suizhu didn't recognize many of the characters in the scripture, and copying them was extremely tiring and laborious. She pointed to a character "槈" and asked Qiuzhu, but they didn't recognize it either.

Most of those who were sold as maids were children from poor families. If they could go to school, they would not be in the situation they are in today.

After a quick glance, Nanny Zhao waved her hands repeatedly, her smile somewhat forced. "How can an old woman like me recognize a few words at my age? Why don't you ask the eldest young master? He was the third place winner of the imperial examination, chosen by His Majesty. He studied under that... gentleman. I, an old woman, don't have a good memory either. Anyway, the eldest young master is the most knowledgeable person in this mansion."

"Forget it then." Lu Suizhu could hardly smile. She bent down, dipped the brush in ink, and copied the word neatly on the paper.

Copying books when she had nothing to do was Lu Suizhu's only pastime. She would mutter to herself while copying. When she encountered words she didn't know, she couldn't read them and could only use "what" instead.

This went on for a few days, and suddenly a voice came.

It seems helpless, but it sounds unusually gentle.

"nou"

"What?"

"That word is pronounced nou, with an entering tone." After thinking for a moment, he added, "It's a weeding tool."

Lu Suizhu looked like a peach in her pink dress. Her eyebrows were slightly curved and she smiled happily. She shouted at the wall with a higher pitch than usual.

"Thank you, Master Pei—"

Sure enough, there was no response again.

Occasionally, when Lu Suizhu was sitting in the yard, she could hear Pei Zhiji talking to others. Most of the time, it was outsiders talking, and Pei Zhiji would occasionally respond with a word or two. She was used to it.

The prince hasn't been looking for her recently, so she is happy to have some free time.

Pei Zhiji was disturbed by mundane affairs every day and had no time to relax. When he came back, he had to listen to Lu Suizhu chattering in the yard. There was a pile of documents in front of him, and he buried his head in them with a helpless smile.

"My lord, you smile in a way that suggests a very miserable life."

Pei Zhiji said coldly: "I can still receive a salary from the court even if I suffer a little, but your life is truly miserable."

When Shangshu Wang proposed to reform the imperial examination system, many people in the court responded, stroking their beards and nodding in agreement. However, no one submitted a letter proposing how to reform it.

It has been more than a month since the Minister of Rites fainted, and the imperial physician has been unable to find the cause. This matter fell directly into the hands of Pei Zhiji. His Majesty said that young people should have more experience and so on. In the past two days, Pei Zhiji has been visited by people before he took off his official uniform to discuss the reform of the imperial examination system. He has rarely had a moment of leisure.

Nowadays, most of those who pass the imperial examinations come from official families, and their power is complex and intertwined. It is difficult for people from poor families to make a name for themselves. The superiors are satisfied with such a system, and even if the people feel it is unfair, what can they do? The so-called reform is nothing more than a time-consuming and laborious formality of changing the shell, and it is still difficult to cure the corruption inside. It will take more than one day to shake it.

Lu Suizhu, who was copying scriptures next door, saw Qiuzhu's sudden joy and asked, "What happened?"

"The prince's carriage has just stopped outside. We will be able to see him soon."

Lu Suizhu's heart skipped a beat, and the pen fell to the ground with a "bang".