Chapter 6: Setting a trap to seduce my cousin A-Zhi, but you're the one I care about most...

Lin Zhi had a dislocated bone, and after the female doctor straightened it, she couldn't wait to be helped to the front hall.

Although all four members of the Pei family were present in the front hall, it was eerily quiet.

Lin Zhixin's heart skipped a beat, and her breathing became erratic.

She was no stranger to such scenes.

Back when her uncle and aunt were arguing about which family to sell her to, their family was in the same boat.

Lin Zhi took a deep breath, lowered her head, and stepped forward.

"Please sit down."

Lin Shaowan frowned, looking at Lin Zhi with a pang of heartache. But this stubborn niece wouldn't listen, shoving aside the servant's hand and wobbling to steady herself.

"What happened today was all my niece's fault..."

"What happened today was all my fault."

Lin Zhi's voice was as light as a butterfly's fluttering wings, easily drowned out by Pei Lang's voice.

Both Pei's father and Lin Shaowan looked at him with some surprise, and Pei's father frowned in confusion: "Are you wrong?"

Pei Lang stood in the hall, intentionally or unintentionally blocking Lin Zhi's view.

He replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Yes, as the elder brother, I failed to properly discipline my younger siblings; it is all my fault."

“My son is willing to accept punishment and also willing to go to the Marquis’s residence to apologize.”

Pei Mingli prioritizes righteousness and is especially protective of his elder brother.

He stepped forward and said, "Father! This is my fault! I attacked Lu Jue first!"

Lin Shaowan's eyes narrowed, and she glared at him fiercely.

Seeing his son like this, Pei's father was also very troubled: "You've only been back for a short time and you've already caused me trouble again?"

"Your mistake? Can you admit it?"

"Just today in court, His Majesty said that war has broken out again on the border, which means he will need you! If Marquis Lu finds something wrong with you now, where will you put His Majesty?"

A hint of hesitation flashed across Pei Mingli's resolute face; he had actually forgotten about this important matter.

Lin Shaowan clutched the handkerchief in her hand, "Husband, what should we do?"

“Mingli is currently the most promising young major general in the court. If he is punished like this, I'm afraid he will never have a chance to rise again!”

Pei Mingli gritted his teeth, looking like he was ready to risk everything: "Father, Mother! I will take responsibility for my actions. I was the one who hit Lu Jue, so I will admit my mistake!"

Lin Zhi bit her lower lip. She had thought the matter was serious, but she hadn't expected it to involve the court. She opened her mouth to explain that the matter originated from her, but before she could speak, she suddenly felt a chill. When she looked up, she met her uncle's somewhat cold and disdainful gaze.

Lin Zhi was shocked, but her gaze was drawn to a figure with broad shoulders and a narrow waist.

"Father, I will take full responsibility for this."

"The Crown Prince relies heavily on his son, so His Majesty won't blame him too much. Besides, Marquis Lu still needs my help, so he'll at least give me some face."

Suppressing his anger, Pei's father wasn't senile; he could see that his two sons were covering for Lin Zhi. The veins on his forehead bulged: "Fine, you two brothers are just showing off, aren't you?"

"Since that's the case, then go to the ancestral hall and kneel properly before me! Come out again when you've come to your senses!"

Pei's father turned and left, and Lin Shaowan hurriedly followed.

Pei Lang followed the order and headed to the Pei family ancestral hall.

Lin Zhi's eyes stung with tears as she was deliberately ignored by the Pei family father and son, and she forced herself not to let them fall.

As Pei Mingli passed by Lin Zhi, he didn't forget to whisper a comforting message: "It's just kneeling in the ancestral hall, cousin, there's no need to worry."

Looking at the main hall, which had become empty in the blink of an eye, Lin Zhi was gripped by immense panic.

After dismissing the two maids, she insisted on walking alone, enduring the pain in her ankle. Lin Zhi's eyes were somewhat blank.

It was one thing for her second cousin to speak up for her, but because of her aunt, Pei Mingli had always taken good care of her.

But what was Pei Lang's motivation?

Just a few days ago he was glaring at me, but now he'd rather bow down to Lord Lu and kneel in the ancestral hall than let me escape.

Lin Zhi felt uneasy. Having lived under someone else's roof since childhood, she believed she was quite good at reading people's expressions and thoughts.

If this were done by someone else, they would always have some ulterior motive, but this person is Pei Lang. What could he possibly want from me? And what do I have?

Lin Zhi frowned and, without realizing it, walked to the area around the servants' quarters in the backyard of the Pei residence. When she came to her senses and wanted to leave, she clearly heard several voices talking about her from the other side of the wall.

"Isn't this young lady a jinx? She caused the deaths of her parents, and now she's making our Pei family uneasy."

"What a source of trouble! What's wrong with that young Marquis Lu? Noble ladies in the capital would love to get close to him, and for him to take a liking to her is a huge favor. He even managed to seduce the eldest and second young masters to plead for her."

"Miss Biao is indeed beautiful, but what kind of celestial being is our young master? How could a mere orphan girl possibly be worthy of him? It's only because of this madam that she enjoys her current good life. She'll only find peace when she's sent away to marry..."

Lin Zhi didn't know how she got back to her residence. She only remembered that when she got back to her room, her ankle was swollen so badly that the two little girls were in tears.

Ignoring the pain in her feet, Lin Zhi had only one thought in her mind: to marry Pei Mingli.

Once I marry him, these unpleasant things will never happen again.

In the middle of the night, Lin Shaowan frowned as she waited for Yu Shu to return. As soon as she saw her enter, she hurriedly asked, "How is Mingli?"

Yu Shu nodded: "Don't worry, Madam, the young master is fine. His legs are just a little numb. I've already given him the knee pads."

Lin Shaowan nodded, but then noticed that she was still holding a pair in her hand.

Yu Shu looked somewhat troubled: "The eldest young master refused to accept this, and I dared not say anything more, so I had no choice but to take it back."

Lin Shaowan's well-maintained face was obscured by the candlelight: "What exactly is Pei Lang planning?"

“He has harbored resentment towards me since he was a child. His harmony with Mingli is only because that kid can’t see through his inner thoughts.”

"But today he really made me a little uneasy."

Seeing her mistress frowning, Yu Shu tried to comfort her, saying, "The late Madam has been gone for many years, the Second Young Master is also kind, and the Eldest Young Master may have already let go of it."

"People's hearts are made of flesh and blood, how can they not be tamed?"

Yu Shu spoke sincerely, but Lin Shaowan remained silent. She knew better than anyone what kind of person Pei Lang was.

Insidious and lurking, every derogatory word in the world can be used to describe him. However, his brilliance is so dazzling that people only see his radiance and cannot see his dark side.

Pei Mingli had not been able to endure kneeling for long after recovering from his injuries, and was helped out of the ancestral hall by a servant the following evening.

When Lin Zhi went with her aunt to pick up the person, she saw Pei Lang still kneeling upright in the center of the ancestral hall.

"Azhi, let's go back."

"good."

Lin Zhi was greeted by her aunt, but after taking two steps, she couldn't help but turn back.

Under the dim sunset, Pei Lang's body was half in the light and half in the shadows in the ancestral hall, kneeling upright before the memorial tablet of his late wife.

It was unclear when he returned to his residence. A few days later, when news of Pei Lang was heard again, it was from Chun Tao who said that the eldest young master had personally visited the Marquis's residence.

Lin Zhi put down the incense in her hand and couldn't help but frown: "Go apologize?"

Chun Tao nodded thoughtfully: "That's right, but after all, Marquis Lu has to give the eldest son some face. After all, the eldest son is the Crown Prince's tutor and a favorite of the Emperor."

Lin Zhi was somewhat absent-minded as she finished embroidering the Guanyin picture, her eyes glazed over.

"Hiss!" A drop of bright red blood seeped out from the fingertip.

Lin Zhi glanced at it and was relieved that it hadn't gotten on the embroidery, but she still felt a vague unease.

"The eldest young master fainted! He had to be carried back!"

When Lin Zhi arrived outside Lanxue Pavilion, her aunt and uncle had already arrived, and Pei Mingli was standing to the side with his sword, ready to go to the Marquis's mansion to settle accounts.

"Cousin, calm down!"

Lin Zhi frowned and stopped the person, her eyes filled with a worry she herself didn't realize.

"What's wrong with my cousin?"

Pei Mingli's neck turned red with anger: "My brother went to the Marquis's residence and ended up like this. He must have been secretly harmed by that Lu Jue!"

"Don't talk nonsense!"

Pei's father also looked unwell. He stared at Xingyun, who was standing to the side, and called someone over: "You've been following the young master the whole time. Tell me what's going on?"

Xingyun, a burly man with a slightly hunched back, replied, "My lord, actually the young master's injury has nothing to do with the Marquis's mansion."

"It was a few days ago that the young master injured his knees while kneeling in the ancestral hall. Today, the pain flared up, which is why he missed a step and fell down the stairs at the Marquis's residence."

Upon hearing that his son's injury was caused by him, Pei's father's face darkened, and he fell silent. Fortunately, the doctor came out and said it wasn't serious; his son only needed to rest at home for two months.

"The Marquis also said that the young master of the Lu family was also at fault in this matter, and he will not pursue it any further."

Hearing Xingyun's words, Pei's father finally felt relieved, but he still couldn't help but sigh when he looked at Lin Zhi.

Pei Mingli tossed his sword to the servant boy and was about to go in to see his elder brother when Lin Zhi stopped him: "Second cousin, the other day we talked about His Majesty sending you on a campaign, has a date been set?"

Pei Mingli frowned and thought for a moment: "It will be around the time of Mother's birthday, not many days away."

Upon hearing his words, Lin Zhi's face lost some color, but she remained composed and did not let him notice anything amiss.

A few days later, as she sat alone in the pavilion, she saw a servant pushing Pei Lang over.

She wanted to run away as soon as she saw Pei Lang, but since he had helped her this time, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward.

"Is your leg injury any better, cousin?"

Pei Lang's face was still a little pale, but perhaps because he was ill, he looked much gentler than usual, and his deep, dark eyes were not as cold as before.

"It's alright. His Majesty has sent a royal physician to examine you. You just need to rest and recover."

Lin Zhi had often been punished by Pei Lang to copy texts. In her heart, Pei Lang was like a second teacher to her, which is why she was so reserved in front of him and didn't know what to say.

Seemingly sensing Lin Zhi's nervousness, Pei Lang sighed softly: "Cousin A-Zhi, do you know what I've been thinking about most since this happened?"

Pei Lang had never called her by her name before, and Lin Zhi felt uneasy hearing his gentle tone. She shook her head nervously.

Pei Lang pulled out a handkerchief that looked somewhat familiar from his pocket: "This is the one you dropped on the ground in a panic that day."

“What I’m most worried about is that you’ll blame yourself for this, that those who coveted you were wrong, and that you were not wrong.”

A seemingly casual remark struck Lin Zhi's heart like a heavy hammer.

She was beautiful but lonely; her appearance had been a burden rather than a help since childhood. Even when Lu Jue was pursuing her, people would only talk behind her back about how she was a vixen and shameless.

But I never expected Pei Lang to say these words today.

Lin Zhi was deeply shaken, and her thoughts were written all over her face.

Pei Lang suppressed the impatience in his eyes and patiently continued to play the gentle and kind role. But before he could speak again, he saw Lin Zhi, like a little beast that had smelled danger, quickly take the handkerchief, bow politely, and leave.

It was as if the person in front of her was not her gentle cousin, but a venomous snake that wanted to devour her whole.

As this thought crossed his mind, Pei Lang's expression changed slightly.