Unexpected changes

Almost half a month has passed since Pei Wenjin was caught sneaking out of the manor by the princess, and he hasn't moved an inch since.

He was not unaware of what was happening outside, and that was why he had a premonition that Xiao Diting would come looking for him.

The servants changed the scent of the incense in the room. Xiao Diting, still half-asleep and having a jumbled dream, felt a sharp pain in the back of her neck. The pain grew clearer and clearer, jolting her awake.

Her eyes widened, her pupils contracted sharply, and her body reflexively jerked upwards, only to be swiftly pressed down by Pei Wenjin. He called out in a low voice, bringing her back to her senses: "Don't move!"

Xiao Diting suddenly realized what was happening, and when he met Pei Wenjin's serious gaze, he instantly calmed down.

How long did I sleep?

Pei Wenjin reached out and helped her up: "One hour."

Xiao Diting got up half-crippled, put on her boots and took a few steps on the ground. She subconsciously wanted to stretch, but unfortunately, she was pulled painfully by the wound on her back before she could stretch halfway.

She couldn't help but hiss.

That damned imperial advisor was clearly aiming to kill her. Luckily, she was dressed warmly enough for sleeping in the winter, so it's a miracle she wasn't killed outright.

"Shall we apply medicine?" Pei Wenjin looked at her and smiled slightly. He held a small porcelain bottle in his hand and teased her with it. "This is the best wound medicine, and there's only one bottle left."

Xiao Diting curled his lip: "There are plenty in the palace."

Despite saying that, she still walked to the edge of the couch and sat down, casually taking off her outer robe. She was thinking of some words when, without realizing it, Pei Wenjin grabbed her hand and pulled it over her head.

"That's enough." Pei Wenjin sat behind her, his expression unseen, but one could only imagine how fascinating it must have been.

Xiao Diting's back injuries were mostly concentrated on his shoulders and spine. The imperial physician had already treated them briefly last night, applying medicine and wrapping them with gauze.

It seemed that because she had been running around and hadn't been able to rest, the gauze was starting to bleed. Pei Wenjin, as if he had handled this kind of thing a million times, skillfully helped her remove the gauze. With a quick pull, he removed the gauze completely, the blood and flesh sticking to it.

The feeling of being wrapped up on her shoulders suddenly disappeared. Just as she was about to ask how this person could know everything, she heard the voice behind her, suppressing her anger: "How did you get into this state?"

Xiao Diting didn't take it seriously: "He got whipped, it looks scary, don't make a fuss."

"You were smoking some kind of weird substance, and your wounds are all festering... Didn't you feel anything at all?!"

Xiao Diting was startled by the shout and turned to look at Pei Wenjin. Originally, she didn't feel anything, but after he said that, she belatedly realized that she was heartbroken.

The pain had been so intense, like it was being held down by bandages, that I'd become numb to it.

No wonder Pei Wenjin reacted so strongly. Xiao Diting's back was covered in bruises and whip marks, which covered her entire shoulder and spine.

"What a quack!" Xiao Diting cried out in pain, clutching his outer robe. His words suddenly became rapid. "Let me tell you, last night that imperial physician with the goatee sprinkled something on my back. I feel like my elbows are numb now..."

Pei Wenjin held her thrashing body and applied the wound medicine to the most horrifying cut: "That's anesthetic, it'll be fine in a bit."

The feeling of applying the wound medicine was like being doused with chili oil and dipped in soy sauce. Xiao Diting suddenly stood up, but Pei Wenjin, who was prepared, grabbed his waist and pressed him down: "Sit down!"

"I'm not applying it anymore!"

Good medicine tastes bitter!

With a couple of gentle tugs, Xiao Diting was lifted back onto the bed by Lord Pei, who held her waist. This time, to prevent her from moving around, Pei Wenjin positioned her in a "big" shape and quickly and steadily applied the medicine to her shoulder.

Xiao Diting collapsed onto the bed, her eyes rolling back in pain, cold sweat pouring down her face. She grasped at the air in vain, not even noticing when Pei Wenjin had covered her with his clothes.

"I've fallen for your tricks, I believed you." Xiao Diting didn't have the strength to get up, so he stayed in the same spot for a long time before slowly getting up a little, lying on his side on the couch, looking over with wet eyes.

Pei Wenjin leaned down slightly, getting very close to her.

"What a piece of junk medicine," she muttered.

“Back in the military, the brothers would apply this to their broken arms and legs. Even the most stubborn person would scream in pain.” Pei Wenjin smiled and brushed the hair from her forehead, then lowered his eyes as if remembering something.

"Before I became a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, I was just a general's attendant. I fought many battles with the commander-in-chief and worked my way up to where I am today."

"So that's why you secretly transferred some of the grain, for the sake of the commander-in-chief?"

Pei Wenjin stretched out his hand and gently pinched her nose: "Smart."

The Pei family had been loyal and virtuous for generations, and the emperor's attitude towards him was mostly lenient. Pei Wenjin's official position in the Northwest was probably not just that of a general's attendant. She wisely refrained from asking about these secrets, after all, she assumed that the general in the Northwest being trapped in the capital must have been involved in a complex situation.

"The commander-in-chief occasionally receives military reports, which mostly say that there are few bandits causing trouble and that everything is fine... But in fact, the real situation is far more serious than these few words suggest."

"I had heard about the Huaizhou matter a long time ago. I secretly intervened and left some grain to supply the Northwest. Then I made arrangements around the area, which prevented the matter from being resolved. I had no choice but to do so, but it was also for the sake of the commander-in-chief."

"And what case is the Ministry of Justice investigating?" Xiao Diting suddenly became serious. "You said it's related to you, could it be this matter—"

As if to prevent her from asking any more questions, Pei Wenjin leaned down to kiss her. Xiao Diting pushed away the scheming human-shaped pendant and turned her head away, saying seriously, "Don't think you can fool me like this!"

Pei Wenjin was pushed back half an inch by her, but he didn't really let go. Instead, he followed her force and lay down on the edge of the bed, his well-defined knuckles gently resting on her waist, wanting to hold her tightly in his arms.

His eyes were already beautiful, and his long eyelashes cast a small shadow beneath them, making his voice softer: "Your Highness came to my residence injured, is it only for official business?"

Xiao Diting was taken aback, not yet realizing what he was up to, when he saw Pei Wenjin raise his hand to touch the corner of his lips, looking somewhat aggrieved: "Your Highness is being a bit too heartless, turning your back on me after taking advantage of me."

He spoke with such sincerity and deep anger, gently brushing his warm cheek against hers: "You can ask me anything anytime, but such tender moments will never come again."

These words were soft and carried a deliberate show of weakness. Xiao Diting was already distracted by his eyes when he got close, and now that he was being coaxed like this, the energy to keep asking questions in his mind really dissipated a little.

She stared at the barely noticeable beauty mark under Pei Wenjin's eye, and almost unconsciously reached out to touch it: "Your face..."

Before she could finish speaking, Pei Wenjin seized her wrist and pressed her hand against his cheek with slight force, his voice low and husky: "Does Your Highness find it beautiful?"

Xiao Diting snapped back to reality, pulled her hand back, and glared at him: "Pei Wenjin! You're doing this again! What's the matter with the Ministry of Justice's case—"

Before she could finish speaking, Pei Wenjin leaned down and interrupted her, his breath on her ear carrying an undeniable certainty: "The year is almost over, and the Marshal will be returning to the capital. You can go and ask her yourself."

These words were like a reassurance, or a deliberately thrown hook, allowing Xiao Di to hear the crucial information, and the question he was about to ask actually got stuck in his throat.

Seeing that she didn't speak, Pei Wenjin knew he had gotten through this ordeal. He reached out and gently pulled her slipped outer robe back up, carefully avoiding the wound on her back. His movements were unusually gentle. "It's getting dark. If you stay any longer, the palace will send people to look for you. Shall I see you to the door?"

Xiao Diting was rendered speechless by his series of actions and could only hum in response. When she got up, Pei Wenjin held her waist firmly, afraid that she would aggravate her wound.

From the inner courtyard to the main gate, Pei Wenjin didn't mention a single word about the case, only occasionally offering a few words of advice like "Be careful on the road" and "Don't wander around when you get back," which gave Xiao Diting goosebumps all over.

Xiao Diting grabbed Lord Pei's collar with a mournful expression: "I don't care which wandering ghost you are, get off Lord Pei right now, it's very hellish, you know that—"

Pei Wenjin, having succeeded in his wicked scheme, grinned maliciously and shoved her into the carriage, forcibly cutting off her subsequent complaints.

When Xiao Diting got into the carriage and lifted the curtain, she could still see Pei Wenjin standing in the shadows at the door, waving at her from afar.

As the carriage drove away from the Pei residence, she belatedly slapped her leg—she had been led astray by that brat Pei Wenjin again!

Just a few days later, news came from the palace that Pei Wenjin's confinement period had ended, he had been reinstated, and he was allowed to return to court.

Xiao Diting was just thinking of finding an opportunity to ask him about the case again when she was unexpectedly summoned by the emperor. She was first scolded for "acting too flamboyantly recently" and then effectively confined to her quarters, told to "rest peacefully" in the palace and not to interfere in matters outside the palace.

Xiao Diting knew this was the emperor giving her a warning, so she could only swallow her anger and comply. After this quiet period, the year-end arrived.

At the New Year's Eve palace banquet, Xiao Diting, dressed in elaborate palace attire and adorned with a golden hairpin, stood beside the emperor as a princess, her posture dignified and her face expressionless.

Pei Wenjin, dressed in the flying fish robe of the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and with an embroidered spring knife at his waist, stood among the military officers, his posture upright like a pine tree. When his gaze swept across the hall, it only lingered on her for a moment before quickly moving away, as if she were a stranger.

Inside the palace, the sounds of string and wind instruments filled the air as ministers raised their cups to offer New Year's greetings to the emperor, creating a lively scene.

Xiao Diting held her wine cup, but her eyes involuntarily drifted towards Pei Wenjin. She saw him occasionally talking quietly with the military officers beside him. His profile looked particularly cold and hard in the candlelight, completely different from the way he had acted coquettishly with her in the mansion that day. She couldn't help but snort in her heart—he was putting on quite a show.

Just then, the high-pitched voice of Eunuch Shouxi came from outside the hall: "Your Majesty, the Northwest Commander has been summoned back to the capital and is now outside the hall, requesting an audience with Your Majesty!"

Upon hearing this, the emperor put down his wine cup and laughed, "Summon them quickly!"

Xiao Diting's heart skipped a beat. Just as she was about to listen carefully to the sounds outside, a little eunuch walked up to her, bowed and whispered, "Your Highness, the Second Prince is waiting for you in the side hall. He says he has important matters to discuss with you."

Xiao Diting frowned. Apart from Chunyan, who was arranged to come here, she had never seen the Second Prince since she transmigrated.

Why do you suddenly want to see her at today's palace banquet?

Although Pei Wenjin was puzzled, he could not refuse the Second Prince's request. He could only apologize to the Emperor and follow the eunuch to the side hall.

The young eunuch moved swiftly, leading her through a winding path to a secluded, warm pavilion. He bowed and said, "Your Highness, the Second Prince is still inside handling some matters. Please wait here for a moment while I go and inform him."

Xiao Diting nodded, watching the little eunuch turn and leave, his doubts growing even stronger—this warm pavilion was very secluded, not the kind of place the Second Prince would stay.

She stood there for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, but didn't see a single person. A sense of unease began to rise in her heart. Just as she was about to turn around and leave, she heard footsteps behind her.

She turned around and saw the young eunuch who had led the way earlier. Behind him stood two tall eunuchs, looking at her expressionlessly with a hint of hostility in their eyes.

Xiao Diting's heart skipped a beat, realizing something was wrong—he had been set up.