Chapter 45
After applying the medicine to Pei Du, Xie Qinghong returned the Snow Melting Ointment to him, instructing him, "This needs to be applied three times a day, otherwise it will leave a scar."
Pei Du stared at her and asked, "You don't like having scars?"
Xie Qinghong choked. She couldn't very well say, "Looking at your face reminds me of my jinx," so she changed the subject: "Well, it's not like that. It's just that you look..."
Seeing Pei Du's increasingly pale expression, she had a sudden inspiration. Remembering that he loved to hear sweet words and needed to be coaxed every day, she sighed softly, "You are so beautiful, but this scar has ruined your appearance by half. It's such a pity."
"So you only liked my face back then?"
Xie Qinghong was puzzled. Why couldn't he coax her today? He could only continue, "Not for your face, but for your health, you still need to apply the medicine properly. Is your face only for me to see?"
Pei Du lowered his eyes, and a sense of gloom washed over him. Xie Qinghong hissed, keenly sensing that something was wrong with him. However, she had no experience in comforting others and didn't know what she had said wrong. She silently observed for a while, looked around to make sure no one was watching, then reached out her hand, slipped it between his loose fingers, and gently squeezed it.
"Alright, my cousin is waiting for me to eat, you should go eat too." She spoke softly, as if whispering affectionately, "You must be tired from traveling such a long way."
Then Pei Du was left on the bench. He clenched his fingers loosely. Was a young lady's hand really that soft? He had never been so intimate with anyone before. The moment his fingers touched hers, his ears turned red. Fortunately, Xie Ayao didn't notice. He managed to maintain the composure of a prince.
Zhou Yujin immediately opened the door after the person left. He dared not speak out against the bully's words, even though he had actually spread rumors in front of his fiancée that he was weak and illiterate! Did you have nothing else to talk about? I never thought that someone as upright as Pei Du could have such a dirty heart. You will surely be punished!
He glared at Pei Du, who calmly stood up and returned to the private room, saying, "You are not allowed to tell her what I forgot."
Zhou Yujin feigned concern, saying, "Why is that? If Miss Xie knew you had a mental illness, she might feel even more sorry for you." Miss Xie, come quick! This person has a problem with his head! Don't miss this opportunity; take advantage of it and bully him to the fullest!
“There’s no need, and it’s better to avoid making her worry.” Pei Du said calmly with a hint of smugness. “I only injured my face, and she’s already worried this much. If she knew anything else, she’d probably be too worried to sleep.”
When Xie An returned, he gave him another instruction, telling the two burdensome children to keep their mouths shut.
While eating, Zhou Yujin thought to himself: He must be afraid that Miss Xie will hold him accountable. He remembers everything else perfectly well, but he just forgot about his engagement with her. That Pei Du is quite good at being prepared for danger even in times of peace.
However, the visit to the Liang family ended very quickly. After entering the house and exchanging greetings, Pei Du had originally thought that the betrothed couple should go out for a walk. Even if it was an arranged marriage, they should still cultivate their feelings for each other. Otherwise, a blind marriage would be quite worrying.
But as soon as he tentatively brought up the subject, his future mother-in-law shut him down. Madam Xie treated him like a thief, as if he had committed some heinous crime and was not worthy of any trust.
Madam Xie smiled warmly, showing concern for his health, as well as that of his father, mother, and even his uncle and aunt. However, she did not respond to his suggestion to take people out for a walk.
He remained silent for a while, realizing that amnesia had indeed caused him some trouble. However, his other two burdens were even more useless, only knowing how to drink tea and eat snacks, and not uttering a single word of human language.
Fortunately, they were eventually allowed to talk alone in the pavilion. Pei Du asked, "What do you usually do at home?"
Xie Qinghong replied, "I'm reading. I'm still studying at the academy and have exams to take, but I should be returning to the capital at the end of the month."
Huaizhou is not far from Yuecheng, only three days' journey, but Wangjing is much farther away. Pei Du's brows furrowed slightly: "Wangjing is currently in turmoil; it might not be safe for you to return now."
Xie Qinghong knew this, but the Liang family was ultimately her maternal grandparents' family, and she couldn't stay here forever. Not to mention, her brother was getting married at the end of the year, and her mother had to go back to prepare for the wedding.
She said, "I'll stay at home. If you need anything, just write to me. I just heard that you were ambushed while you were fighting the pirates and were seriously injured and bedridden for many days. You should be more careful in the future. It seems that mountain bandits are not quite the same as pirates."
Pei Du: "..." Who was it that said all this? And why doesn't Xie Ayao seem to care at all? It turns out that all they care about is the superficial friendship of a marriage based on looks.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Xie Qinghong thought he was embarrassed, so he quickly praised him: "But you are still very capable. You were able to take down that bandit den by yourself. If I hadn't been watching the whole time, I would have thought the rumors were just nonsense."
Pei Du was stunned for a moment, and some forgotten memories flashed back like a scene. He seemed to be alone, no, with one other person, he wiped out the bandit den in the mountains outside Huaizhou City.
He suddenly realized that this was the truth; he had actually taken Xie Ayao to suppress bandits. No wonder Madam Xie looked at him like a thief—this was the real reason why he had "done such a thing".
Pei Du found it hard to believe he could do something so outrageous. In his mind, he should be like other young masters from noble families, taking his fiancée to gaze at the moon over the Yulan Bridge or to admire flowers in the brothel. At the very least, he should do something that only a decent person would do.
As for leading Xie Ayao to suppress bandits, that seems like something only a rough and brute would do. How could it possibly be Pei Du?
He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Xie Ayao was so smart, could it be that he had already figured out from his words and actions that Xie Ayao had forgotten something and was deliberately lying to him?
Just as this thought crossed her mind, Xie Qinghong pulled her hand again: "Be careful in the future. I'll be waiting for you to come pick me up in Wangjing next year."
Pei Du's brow twitched slightly, feeling that next year was still a long way off. He sighed resentfully, "Couldn't it be earlier?" If he had asked for it in the first place, how could the wedding date be set so far in the future?
It was rare to see Prince Pei so humble, so Xie Qinghong couldn't help but follow his lead and said, "Alright, then come pick me up earlier. I'll take you to see the land that Yuan Qingqing and I have planted. By the way, what do you think of my policy essay?"
Pei Du couldn't recall what the policy proposal was, but nodded without changing his expression: "Very good, there is room for it."
Xie Qinghong nodded confidently, "I think so too."
——
Xie Qinghong had only been home for a few days when a wave of people came to visit her. Each of them seemed hesitant to speak, unable to finish their sentences, but their eyes were filled with worry, as if they were afraid of upsetting her.
It wasn't until Cui Luo came and cleared up her doubts: "Do you remember Song Lingxi? I wrote in your letter that she mysteriously disappeared from the pagoda, and people in the capital were in a panic for a while. Rumors about fox spirits and ghosts were circulating, but they gradually calmed down after a few days. Later, someone found a notebook of hers, which actually contained several things that had not yet happened, and then they were verified one by one."
Xie Qinghong asked, "What does that have to do with me?" Although Song Lingxi was not a reincarnation of the God of Literature, she was indeed somewhat disappointed.
Cui Luo said, "She also wrote about you in it, saying that you were married off to the south for ten years and lived a lonely life. The climate in the south is harsh and the waterways are difficult to travel. Not to mention that the Prince of the South is cruel and heartless, favoring his concubine over his wife."
Xie Qinghong: "?" To be honest, she and Song Lingxi had no grudges against each other, but this person seemed to have a specific target for her, and would cause trouble for her from time to time.
Cui Luo patted and rubbed her little face: "I think she's delirious. What she's saying doesn't make sense. She even wrote that Qin Heng and Zheng Yingluo were blessed by heaven but ended up as an ill-fated couple. I think they are now happily married. It would be a miracle if anyone actually believed what she wrote."
Xie Qinghong asked in surprise, "So she can really just disappear into thin air?"
“No, not exactly,” Cui Luo said softly. “They were rescued. I overheard my father and the others discussing something, and it was the work of the Hu people. You’ve been away for the past few months and haven’t been out in town since you came back, so you didn’t notice that there are more and more Hu people on the streets. His Majesty even ordered the Ministry of Works to build a new ten-mile-long street, which is still under construction. He said it will only be for Hu people to live in.”
"Is there really no one in the court who objects?" Xie Qinghong was stunned. "Now that these barbarians have moved into Wangjing, how can they possibly leave?"
Cui Luo sighed softly, "Who can argue with that? But His Majesty insists on it. My dear, I heard from my father that after I get married at the end of the year, my family will gradually move back to Bozhou."
Families with a long history have an extraordinary sense of the fate of a dynasty. They can sense the impending doom simply by observing the behavior of those in power, and then make decisions that are most beneficial to the family. For example, the Cui family moved south to their ancestral home, which ensured that they could preserve their foundation to the greatest extent possible.
Xie Qinghong couldn't comment on the Cui family's actions, but she understood her father and brother's character; even in a desperate fight, they wouldn't allow the barbarians to trample their land. She remained silent for a moment, then hugged Cui Luo's shoulders and said, "Sister Luo, I think the Prince of Nan is very good, better than any other young man I've met before. What do you think of my brother?"
Speaking of Xie Qingya, Cui Luo smiled gently: "Of course they are wonderful, you are all so kind."
After seeing Cui Luo off, Xie Qinghong sent A Yue out to inquire around and learned that Song Lingxi's prophecy had spread far and wide. Because her future was particularly tragic, it had caused quite a stir among the people, who also criticized the rumored Prince Pei, who favored his concubine over his wife.
However, she had also heard that the Prince Pei had a face like a demon and was a reincarnation of an Asura, capable of beheading seventy or eighty people with a single sword, so she dared not curse him harshly. Therefore, she felt more sorry for her, for her tragic fate and unfortunate life. She was born into nobility but fell into the mire, and was betrayed by the Prince of the South. She even composed a song for her called "Lament of a Beauty".
However, there were also those who feigned sorrow for her, saying that it was her fate and could not be changed, and told her to accept her fate; there were also those who gloated that she had been too domineering in the past and that she deserved this fate; and there were even those who tried to proselytize her, saying that believing in Buddhism would make her more magnanimous and not hold a grudge against her in the future, and that if she felt uncomfortable, she could convert to Buddhism.
Xie Qinghong exclaimed in astonishment: This is outrageous! I have to write this down.
She immediately wrote a letter to Pei Du, including the lyrics and music of "Lament of a Beautiful Woman," telling him that someone said he favored his concubine over his wife and that he was finished.
Incidentally, I wrote in my grudge notebook: "Item 11: Because of Pei Du, I was ridiculed and met a miserable end."
Pei Du felt extremely wronged upon receiving the letter. He found the phrase "favoring the concubine over the wife" particularly offensive. He would only marry Xie Ayao; where would he get a concubine?!
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