Chapter 38 You really are Pei Heng.
The knife was too close to her; water dripping from her wet clothes splashed onto the back of her feet.
Xie Yushu did not answer immediately; this was such a good opportunity to catch the shadowy figure staring at Xiao Dao.
She was really tired of being "watched," and she also wanted to know if the shadowy figure who helped the Pei family was actually Pei Heng. She thought she might as well take advantage of the opportunity at Yuqing Temple to force the shadowy figure to show himself.
"Xiao Dao, is that person still watching you?" Xie Yushu asked Xiao Dao in a low voice, "Outside Suxin Zhai?"
"Probably." Xiao Dao didn't hear her answer about whether he could stay, and wanted to ask again, but her hand was grasped by her.
She took his hand, pulled him down a little, and whispered in his ear, "Xiao Dao, can you lead that person to the Jade Maiden's room?"
The warmth and fragrance wafted towards him, and Xiao Dao's heart pounded. Before he could even think, he blurted out, "Yes."
But after answering, he realized what she meant and looked at her in surprise: "Yu Su's room? Why?"
"Didn't you say that the female Taoist priests around Yu Su are all highly skilled in martial arts?" Xie Yushu said in a low voice, "Then let's take this opportunity to use those female Taoist priests to capture him, so that he will never have the chance to take you away again."
Xiao Dao was surprised that she had come up with such a method of using someone else to kill, and hesitated for a moment before saying, "What if he gets caught and reveals that I committed murder?"
Xie Yushu knew what he was worried about and told him, "He won't tell."
If that person really was Pei Heng, and his capture of Xiao Dao was a secret mission ordered by the Emperor, how could he possibly reveal Xiao Dao's background? He must be more worried than anyone else about Xiao Dao's background being exposed, right?
"You don't need to worry about the female Taoist priests around Yu Su recognizing you. Just do as I say." Xie Yushu went through the plan in her mind. Although there were risks, it was a good deal to get rid of the people watching her from the shadows.
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The lights had just been turned off in the room, and Wan Susu and Meng Min had only been lying down for a short while when there was a knock on the door.
The female Taoist priest guarding the gate quickly came to report to Wan Susu: "Master Yusu, it is that Miss Yushu."
"Yu Shu?" Meng Min sat up. "Did she come here so late at night because of something?"
Wan Susu also ordered someone to light lamps and let Yushu in.
The door had barely opened when Xie Yushu rushed in, supporting Jin Ye and Yin Ya, and threw herself into Meng Min's arms by the bedside, trembling as if startled: "Someone...someone's mother..."
Meng Min touched Xie Yushu's trembling back and quickly lifted her face, asking, "What happened, Yushu? Why are you so frightened?"
Xie Yushu's face was deathly pale, his eyes bloodshot, like a frightened little bird. He clung tightly to Meng Min, saying fearfully, "Mother, there's someone outside the window... a man has been staring at me..."
Meng Min was also startled. How could there be a man in Su Xin Zhai? The Emperor strictly forbids men from entering.
She quickly patted her trembling back to comfort her: "Who is it? Did you see clearly, Yushu? Did the thunderstorm frighten you tonight?"
"Men are never allowed to enter Suxinzhai." Wan Susu hurriedly asked, "Is Yushu mistaken? Is it a female Taoist priest on night watch?"
Xie Yushu shook his head with red eyes, looking so frightened that he couldn't speak.
Jin Ye knelt down and said, "Reporting to Lady Yu Su, Madam, our lady is absolutely not mistaken. It was indeed a man staring at our lady's room from outside the window. I was originally going to Su Xin Zhai to get tomorrow's clothes for our lady. When I came back, I saw a dark figure on the big tree outside our lady's window with a black cloth covering his face."
"It really was the old lady! The man ran away as soon as we saw him!" Yinya said in a panic. "The lady's attendant was right outside the courtyard gate, and he saw him too!"
Wan Susu was so shocked that she covered her chest. She was about to order all the lamps in Suxinzhai to be lit when she heard a low shout coming from the heavy rain outside the door.
"Who goes there!"
Then came the sounds of fighting.
Wan Susu jumped up in a panic and hurriedly asked the female Taoist priest outside, "What happened?"
A flurry of footsteps and shouts from the female Taoist priests echoed down the corridor: "Catch those two! Don't let a single one escape!"
Another male voice quickly replied, "I am Madam Pei's attendant!"
Xie Yushu recognized the voice and immediately said, "It's my attendant, Xiao Dao."
"Someone really broke in?" Meng Min exclaimed in surprise, pulling Wan Susu close and then hugging Xie Yushu tightly in her arms. Like a most reliable elder, she immediately instructed Zhenniang, "Quickly, inform the masters of Yuqing Temple!"
Xie Yushu nestled in her arms, watching the trembling figures on the window and listening to the sounds of fighting. His heart pounded with worry, both that the female Taoist priests were too powerful and might injure Xiao Dao, and that they weren't powerful enough to catch that person.
Meng Min assumed she was scared, so she gently cupped her face and said softly, "Don't be afraid, the masters at Yuqing Temple are very kind..."
Before he could finish speaking, several shouts were heard, and a dark figure slammed against the door, smashing it open and rolling in.
"lady!"
"Miss!"
"Protect the female champion!"
Amidst a cacophony of exclamations, Xie Yushu felt a jolt from the cold wind. He saw Xiao Dao clinging tightly to the hands of a man in black, tumbling in with him.
Xie Yushu was so anxious that he didn't care about anything else. He immediately stood up, stepped forward, and shouted, "Are you surnamed Pei?"
The man's hand paused in surprise. He looked up at her, his face covered by a black cloth, revealing only a pair of murderous eyes.
In that moment of hesitation, the female Taoist priests rushed in to capture him, and Xiao Dao immediately reached out to tear off the black cloth covering his face.
Just as they were about to capture him, the man pulled out a black ball and slammed it to the ground. The black ball exploded like a firecracker with a loud "bang," and billowing smoke rose up, instantly obscuring the vision of all the female Taoist priests.
Xie Yushu heard Xiao Dao grunt, as if he had been thrown out with a heavy "thud".
She knew something was wrong, but it was too late. A hand suddenly shot out from the billowing smoke and grabbed her neck. At the same time, a wet hand grabbed and pulled her arm.
"Miss!" Jin Ye tried to stop her.
She had already fallen into the arms of the man in black.
"Don't move!" The man in black, gripping her neck, whispered to the approaching female priests, "Don't come any closer!"
The smoke was dispersed by the wind, and Meng Min and Wan Susu turned pale with fright when they saw Xie Yushu being held hostage.
"Let her go!" Xiao Dao rushed over, half of his face covered in blood.
"If you don't want to hurt her, don't come over." The man in black tightened his grip on Xie Yushu's throat, forcing her to look up.
She winced in pain.
Xiao Dao froze for a moment and immediately said, "Don't hurt her, I'll go with you, just let her go."
"If you don't want to die in Yuqing Temple, release her." Meng Min said nervously, "You are also injured, and you should know that it is difficult for you to escape from Yuqing Temple unscathed. If you release my daughter, I will order the nuns to let you leave."
Xie Yushu had her throat gripped, so she couldn't see Meng Min's face, but she could hear her voice trembling. Yet, she still tried to remain calm and save her.
"You can leave as long as you let her go," Wan Susu said anxiously.
“Madam, I had no intention of hurting anyone.” The man who was gripping her throat said in a low voice, “It is truly forbidden to enter tonight. I only wish to leave. I ask all the nuns to make way for me, and I will release this Madam Yushu.”
Wan Susu immediately ordered all the female Taoist priests to make way.
"You can leave now." Meng Min stared at the jade book in his hand.
But then he put his arm around Xie Yushu's waist and whispered, "Please come down the mountain with me, Madam. I won't hurt you."
He grabbed her and rushed out the door, where they encountered Xiao Zhen, who was leading the Imperial Guards into Suxinzhai.
Xiao Zhen was stunned for a moment when he saw Xie Yushu being held hostage, then said coldly, "Release her and you'll have a chance to live, but if you hurt her..."
He raised his hand, and the Imperial Guards simultaneously drew their bows and aimed at the man in black.
"Fourth Prince, don't fire the arrows! Don't hurt Yu Shu!" Meng Min rushed out and said urgently.
Wan Susu gripped Meng Min's hand tightly: "Let Zhen'er go." She'd rather let the assassin go than harm Yu Shu.
Xiao Zhen stared at the man in black, then glanced at Xie Yushu, who was soaked to the bone by the heavy rain. There was no fear or tension on her face. She looked at him and shook her head almost imperceptibly. What did that mean? Was she telling him to step back?
Xiao Zhen couldn't understand her meaning, but he didn't want to risk her life to catch an assassin, so he raised his hand and ordered the Imperial Guards to move aside.
"Excuse me," the man in black whispered in Xie Yushu's ear, then pulled her into his arms, leaped up, and carried Xie Yushu out of Suxinzhai like an arrow.
Xie Yushu was so soaked by the rain that he couldn't see anything. He only felt like he was being carried and run wildly, being jostled around like crazy.
Soon, she was led onto a horse. Grabbing the horse's mane, she gasped and asked, "Where are you taking me? Didn't you say you'd let me go once we got down the mountain? So breaking promises is a family tradition of the Pei family."
The person behind her paused, then grabbed her throat again and said coldly, "Why does Madam Pei insist that I am a member of the Pei family?"
The hand gripping his throat wasn't very strong. Xie Yushu turned his head to look at him, meeting his completely unfamiliar eyes, and said, "I not only know that you are a member of the Pei family, but I also know that you are Pei Heng, Pei Shilin's uncle who went missing on the battlefield."
His eyes froze, and even his brows furrowed.
Xie Yushu guessed correctly. Looking into those eyes, she continued, "Let me guess again. You captured me not only to escape Yuqing Temple, but also to lure Xiaodao there, right?"
He just stared at her without saying a word, as if he was afraid that she would guess something if he said anything. He suddenly whipped his horse and fled into a mountain path before Xiao Zhen and the Imperial Guards arrived.
The horse was jolting along, and Xie Yushu felt like he was about to be thrown off, his hands gripped tightly. Somewhat annoyed, he said, "Uncle, why go to such lengths to get me followers? You could have just told me directly!"
He looked down at her in the night rain. Her Taoist robe was completely soaked, and her face was wet as she nestled in his arms, her eyes squinting from the rain. She looked gentle and kind, but he knew very well that she had turned the Pei family upside down and had ambiguous relationships with Song Jie and the Fourth Prince.
She said those words now to test him, to see if he was Pei Heng.
He couldn't answer any of her questions; if he did, he would fall into her trap.
But she was quick-witted and said, "Uncle kidnapping his niece-in-law, your Pei family is truly a den of snakes and rats."
These words even included his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He couldn't bear to listen and reached out to cover her mouth, just about to scare her into shutting up.
She bit his hand hard, almost tearing off a piece of flesh. He pulled back in pain and saw that his finger was bleeding from her bite.
She disgustedly raised her arm to wipe her mouth, frowning as she said, "Pei Heng, you know I'm your nephew's wife, yet you still laid hands on me!"
He was also furious, and looked down at her coldly, saying, "When you got into Song Jie and the Fourth Prince's carriage, didn't you ever think that you were Pei Shilin's wife?"
She looked up at him in the rain, a smile suddenly appearing on her lips, and said, "You really are Pei Heng."
He was taken aback before realizing she was just trying to provoke him! He had fallen for her trap!
What a cunning woman!
"Then let me guess, why are you willing to be mistaken for a petty thief to follow Xiao Dao?" Xie Yushu said smugly, "You don't want to kill him, you just want to take him away. You risked the serious crime of disappearing on the battlefield to track him all the way here, could it be..."
"Shut up." He hissed at her, his eyes flashing with murderous intent: "If you want to live, shut your mouth and pretend you know nothing."
Sure enough, the knife was the secret mission he was carrying out. This mission could not be known to anyone, which is why he would rather be injured than expose his identity in Suxinzhai.
Xie Yushu looked up at him, then suddenly said, "You can ask me for help, Uncle. You've been keeping watch for so long, you must know that Xiaodao listens to me very well."
In the vast, rainy night, he looked down at her again and felt that her face, washed clean by the rain, was as white as a mountain spirit. She looked harmless, but she was clever, cunning, and dangerous. It was hard to guess which of her words were true and which were false, but it was easy to get all the secrets that she couldn't tell you out of you.
Just like she said she could help him now, wasn't this whole mess tonight something she deliberately orchestrated?
"Was it your plan to suddenly appear and fight me, forcing me into Suxinzhai?" he asked her. "I saw Xiaodao enter your room, your two maids came out to guard it, and then Xiaodao rushed out to fight me, alerting the people of Suxinzhai... Tonight, you wanted to use Xiaodao and the guards of Suxinzhai to force me to reveal my identity?"
She looked surprised and said, "The Pei family actually has some smart people."
Every sentence she uttered was a sarcastic jab at him and the Pei family.
Pei Heng couldn't understand her at all. "Why did you do this?"
“Xiao Dao is my man. You’ve been haunting him, so naturally I have to scare you away.” Xie Yushu replied without hesitation, “It’s just a pity that I didn’t expect so many female Taoist priests couldn’t take you down.”
"Trying to scare me? Aren't you trying to get rid of me?" Pei Heng asked with a sneer. "Since you've guessed who I am, you should know very well what the consequences will be if my identity is exposed at Yuqing Temple."
What are the consequences?
Naturally, it would be a serious crime to fail a secret mission, disappear before the war, or commit dereliction of duty.
She knew this, which is why she took the risk, but unfortunately she still underestimated Pei Heng's fighting power.
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The guards rushed into the Prime Minister's residence in the rain and knelt down outside the bedroom door to report: "Your Majesty, something has happened at Yuqing Temple. Madam Pei has been kidnapped by an assassin."
The light in the room flickered, and Song Jie, barefoot, opened the door, his face pale, and asked, "Didn't Xiao Zhen bring the Imperial Guards to Yuqing Temple? Why did the guards in the temple let the assassins kidnap people?"
The guard lowered his head and quickly reported what had happened.
Song Jie couldn't help but cough, thinking, "That useless thing, Xiao Zhen!"
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Author's Note: You can criticize Pei Heng. [shy]
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