Chapter 50

On New Year's Eve, in the small courtyard, two red lanterns under the eaves swayed gently in the cold wind, casting a warm yet lonely glow. Xi Xiao stood alone in the courtyard, watching as the clouds carefully carried a Kongming lantern filled with wishes into the night sky. That little light gradually flew further and further away, merging into the boundless darkness.

As Yunwu clapped her hands and breathed out white puffs of steam, she ran back, and Xi Xiao's face immediately lit up with a smile. She took Yunwu's cold hand and said, "It's cold outside. Come inside and have something hot first. We'll set off that box of fireworks later, and then..." She paused, a barely perceptible hint of sadness flashing in her eyes, which was quickly covered by her smile, "...and then we'll bring out three rocking chairs and put them here, warm a pot of fine wine. I heard it'll snow tonight. We can enjoy the snow while sipping wine. Wouldn't that be the most delightful thing in the world?"

Her smile was somewhat forced, and even her tone carried a deliberately lighthearted quality. Yunwu could hear the irreparable guilt and bitterness beneath that laughter, but she didn't point it out. Instead, she responded playfully as usual, "Miss, you're clearly just craving wine, but you insist on using something as elegant as snow appreciation as an excuse!"

Xi Xiao raised her eyebrows and joked with her for a few moments, as if her thoughts had been truly touched. The two walked hand in hand into the brightly lit house, where Xi Yu was arranging the last set of bowls and chopsticks. When she looked up and saw them come in, a gentle smile spread across her face: "Today is New Year's Eve, so I'll make an exception and allow you to have a few drinks."

Before he finished speaking, two girls cheered and surrounded him, one on each side, their mouths brimming with sweet, auspicious words. The room was filled with laughter and warmth, as if one had been transported back to the carefree days in Medicine Valley. Yet, beneath this joyful atmosphere, a lingering, silent sadness remained, impossible to dispel.

After finishing their meal, the three of them were excitedly carrying fireworks to the courtyard when suddenly a series of urgent and chaotic knocking sounds came from outside the gate, interspersed with indistinct human voices and sobs.

Xi Yu instinctively stepped forward to answer the door, but Xi Xiao suddenly grabbed his sleeve. Her heart tightened inexplicably, and a strong sense of foreboding gripped her. She stubbornly shook her head, her voice trembling slightly: "Senior brother, don't go. What happens outside... has nothing to do with us."

"Xi Yu, open the door!" A deep but anxious voice came from outside the door, clearly penetrating the door panel, followed by what seemed to be a woman's suppressed sobs.

Xi Yu paused, slowly turned his head to look at Xi Xiao, his eyes revealing a deep, indescribable weariness and helplessness. He said softly, "They are from the Marquis's residence."

A bitter smile tugged at the corners of Xi Xiao's lips, as if she was about to cry at any moment, but in the end she slowly let go of her hand. Xi Yu took a deep breath, stepped forward, and unlatched the door.

As soon as the door opened, a group of people rushed in. Leading them were Marquis Wenyuan and his wife, both with somber expressions. Behind them followed Pei Qie, who was pale and kept his head down, and Zhao Youyou, who was holding his arm and constantly covering her face and crying.

"Do you know that His Majesty intends to conquer Beijiang and wipe out the remnants of the Regent's forces? This time, he has appointed your brother as the commander-in-chief!" Marquis Wenyuan ignored everyone else, glaring angrily at Xi Yu, and launched into a scathing rebuke, "He has been weak since childhood, has he ever read even half a book on military strategy, or practiced martial arts for even a moment? His Majesty has always treated my Marquis's family with great kindness, so you should know why he is doing this!!"

Xi Yu's face was gloomy, her lips were tightly pressed together, and she did not say a word.

Xi Xiao stepped forward, blocking Xi Yu's path, and looked at Marquis Wen Yuan with a cold gaze, saying bluntly, "Your Excellency, you didn't come all this way on New Year's Eve just to tell us this news, did you?"

Marquis Wenyuan seemed to disdain speaking to her, his gaze still fixed on Xi Yu, his tone firm and unquestionable: "I want you to go to war in place of your brother. This is what you owe the Marquis's mansion, and it is also your duty as a son!"

"Don't even think about it!" Xi Xiao's voice suddenly rose, her refusal resolute. She stood protectively in front of Xi Yu, her gaze sweeping fiercely over the people of the Marquis's mansion. "For the sake of the Marquis's empty reputation, you used him as a pawn in the Medicine Valley back then, making him your scapegoat. Did you ever show him the slightest pity? When he paid such a terrible price, you didn't show any concern or remorse. Now that Pei Jue's life is in danger, you want to push him out to die again. Isn't he your own blood relative?!"

She became more and more agitated as she spoke, her long-suppressed resentment and heartache surging forth: "When he was only eight years old and you sent him to the Medicine Valley, were your reluctance and tears all fake? The red-gold thread that you tied to my senior brother's wrist, a prayer for his longevity, is still treasured close to his body to this day. Have you and my lord forgotten all of this?!"

Lady Hou's face paled at these words, tears welling in her eyes. She glanced at Xi Yu, who remained silent and cold-faced, knowing that her son had long since lost all respect for the Hou family. Turning to Xi Xiao, her initial guilt instantly transformed into malicious rage. She shrieked, "If it weren't for you, this troublemaker, he would have already completed his mission and returned to the Hou family in glory. We had already arranged a suitable marriage for him. He was bewitched, insisting on abandoning the name 'Pei Yun' and severing ties with the Hou family—all because of you!"

Seeing Xi Xiao stunned by the sudden accusation, the Lady Hou's tone became even colder and more sarcastic: "Now he has made himself into this half-dead state because of you. It's all because of you that His Majesty cannot tolerate him, cannot tolerate the Hou family. You wicked devil, you jinx!"

As she spoke, she lost control of her emotions and tried to shove Xi Xiao. Seeing this, Yun Wu hurriedly stepped forward to stop her, but was kicked away by the enraged Marquis Wen Yuan. Her petite body crashed heavily into the beams of the corridor with a thud.

"Clouds and mist!" Xi Xiao exclaimed, her eyes instantly burning with rage. She instinctively wanted to rush forward and fight Wen Yuanhou to the death.

However, a cold hand gripped her wrist tightly. Xi Yu stopped her, gazing deeply at her with endless sorrow in his eyes. His voice was as soft as a sigh, yet carried a heartbreaking tenderness: "Xiao Xiao, wait for me, I... will be back soon."

Xi Xiao grabbed his sleeve tightly with her other hand, tears streaming down her face. She shook her head desperately, sobbing uncontrollably, "No...you won't come back...you're going to abandon me again...I don't want to...I won't let you go!"

Zhao Youyou, who had been sobbing quietly to the side, suddenly stopped crying. She staggered to Xi Xiao's side and knelt down with a "plop". The cold stone bricks instantly penetrated her clothes.

"Miss Xi!" She looked up, her face streaked with tears, her voice filled with anguish and despair. She gripped Xi Xiao's clothes tightly with both hands. "Please, please have mercy and help me! Pei Qie and I have just gotten married... I... I'm pregnant. My child can't be born without a father. If he goes to that battlefield, he'll be sent to his death. There's no way he'll survive. But if Young Master Xi goes... with his abilities, perhaps... perhaps there's still a glimmer of hope. Please!"

Xi Xiao took a half step back, but before she could speak, the Lady Hou behind her shouted sternly, "Oh dear, what is your status, and what is her status, that you would lower yourself like this? Get up right now!"

Zhao Youyou seemed not to hear at all, and continued to kowtow repeatedly to Xi Xiao, her forehead quickly turning bruised and red. She spoke incoherently, pleading plaintively, "Miss Xi, I beg you... let Young Master Xi go... the Marquis's mansion is, after all, his home... we are connected by blood, he can't just stand by and watch the Marquis's mansion suffer..."

The last words, "home" and "blood ties," struck Xi Xiao's already battered heart like the heaviest hammer. All her resolve and anger were shattered in that moment. She helplessly lowered her hands, her fingertips icy cold.

She silently turned around and walked step by step towards Yunwu, who was curled up under a pillar, her face pale with pain. Behind her, Xi Yu made a painful and urgent promise, her voice filled with heart-wrenching sorrow: "Xiaoxiao, I will definitely come back, you have to believe me..."

Xi Xiao didn't answer or turn around. She simply and slowly, with utmost care, helped Yunwu up, letting her lean against her. Then, she took out the silver needles she always carried, her fingers trembling slightly, yet she moved with remarkable stability, searching for and applying the needles. Her entire focus was on her fingertips, as if the courtyard gate behind her, which was slowly closing, and the person she cared about most in her life, were no longer relevant to her.

A heavy creak—the sound of the latch falling shut separated the two worlds.

Just then, large, goose-feather-like snowflakes began to fall from the sky without warning, instantly turning the world into a vast expanse of white. The icy snowflakes landed on Xi Xiao's hair, but she was completely unaware. She simply struggled to support the slender Yunwu, slowly and laboriously making her way back into the house, step by step.

Looking up, I saw a person standing quietly in the flickering candlelight inside the room.

He wore a blue-white brocade cloak, his long, dark hair was not bound by a crown, but loosely tied back with a simple jade hairpin, the rest flowing smoothly down his back. He had shed the awe-inspiring majesty of an emperor, and in the warm light, he looked like a gentle and refined young master from a noble family, as if time had turned back and he had returned to the way he looked when they first met at the Marquis's mansion.

It is Pei Yun.

The crane-like figure behind him silently stepped forward and carefully took Yunwu, who was being supported by Xi Xiao. An elderly imperial physician who was accompanying them, carrying a medicine chest, immediately followed closely behind, leading them to the side courtyard.

In an instant, the noise subsided, and only the two of them remained in the warm room. The air was so still that they could hear the snowflakes fluttering down onto the window paper.

“Today,” Pei Yun’s gentle voice broke the silence first, like a babbling brook, yet carrying a hint of barely perceptible bitterness, “is my birthday.”

He walked slowly closer, his gaze falling on her tear-streaked, cold and indifferent face, and asked softly, "Actually, that day was Xi Yu's birthday. Because you couldn't be with him for that birthday, you decided to remove the love potion?"

There was a hint of genuine regret in his tone, as if the worm that had tormented him to the point of unbearable pain was something worth cherishing. "Do you... hate me that much?"

He instinctively wanted to get closer, but seeing her standing there so coldly and resolutely, radiating an aura that kept people at a distance, he felt an unprecedented fear in his heart, and his steps involuntarily stopped.