Family Letter
Although there was no one around, it was still unsafe to talk here. Xu Ruoyan ignored Pei An's words and instead pulled him into the carriage to return to the clinic.
Seeing that they had finally returned, Banxia hurriedly ran over: "Madam, Grandpa Wang, who lives on the street, came by just now, but he went back first when he saw that you weren't there. I told him to come again tomorrow."
Xu Ruoyan patted her head, told her she understood, and instructed her to guard the door and not let anyone in. Then she went into the back room with Pei An.
"Sister-in-law, did my brother really not make things difficult for you?" Pei An was still worried and couldn't help but ask again.
Xu Ruoyan pinched his nose with amusement: "No, don't worry. On the contrary, I have good news."
"Good news?"
Pei An was highly skeptical of her statement.
Xu Ruoyan winked at him confidently: "I don't know what Pei Huai was thinking, but he wants me to work in the Imperial Hospital."
To everyone's surprise, Pei An didn't show any joy upon hearing this. Instead, he jumped up and shouted at the top of his lungs, "What kind of good news is this?!"
"Hey, hey, calm down," Xu Ruoyan hurriedly pressed him back into the chair. "Think about it, once I enter the Imperial Hospital, I'll have more time to monitor Pei Huai and Qi Feng. That way, I can provide you with information at any time, making it easier for us to carry out our actions, right?"
Pei An thought for a moment and realized that this made sense.
But what's the difference between letting your sister-in-law stay under Pei Huai's nose and sending a sheep to the wolf's mouth?
"Don't worry," Xu Ruoyan ruffled his head haphazardly, making his neatly styled hair messy. "Don't you know how capable your sister-in-law is? I can definitely handle it, so don't worry."
But no matter how Xu Ruoyan tried to comfort him, Pei Huai's tightly furrowed brows refused to relax.
He couldn't help but say, "I know you're very capable, sister-in-law, but Qi Feng is too dangerous after all. My brother was in danger back then..."
He immediately stopped talking at this point.
Xu Ruoyan asked suspiciously, "What's wrong with Pei Jue?"
Pei An hesitated for a long time, but finally couldn't hold back and blurted out everything he wanted to say:
“My brother had a perfectly good plan. The Shadow Pavilion, or as it is now, the Shadowless Pavilion, is full of experts. They were all secret guards personally selected and trained by my brother and Brother Zhu. They were supposed to protect my brother and ensure his safe ascension to the throne.”
"And then?" Xu Ruoyan pressed.
Pei An became increasingly dejected as he spoke, his voice growing increasingly soft.
"Then, Qi Feng, who usually keeps a low profile, intercepted my brother halfway and seriously injured him, ruining all his preparations over the years."
As he spoke, Pei An's gray pupils trembled uncontrollably, fear spreading in his eyes, gripping his heart tightly, making him feel like he was suffocating.
"Sister-in-law, you didn't see how badly my brother was injured..." His eyes were utterly vacant, his fingers unconsciously digging into the cracks in the wooden table, oblivious to the blood seeping out.
Xu Ruoyan glanced down and was immediately struck by the bright red color. She quickly grabbed his stubborn hand and pulled it away, then grabbed a piece of gauze from the side and wrapped it around his neck.
Pei An, however, seemed completely oblivious to the pain, continuing to mutter incantations.
“My brother’s eyes were also ruined by him. My brother is like this now because of them.”
As he spoke, large tears rolled down his cheeks, slamming onto the wooden table before disappearing in an instant.
Like that buried past.
Xu Ruoyan sighed heavily, pulled Pei An into her arms, and gently patted his back as if comforting a child.
Pei An's every word made her heart clench, but she knew now was not the time to be sad. If they wanted to truly avenge Pei Jue, they had to speed up their plan and not let Qi Feng continue to run rampant.
While comforting Pei An, she calmly said, "Don't tell your brother about my joining the Imperial Hospital yet. I'll find a suitable time to tell him myself."
Pei An pulled away from Xu Ruoyan's embrace, somewhat embarrassed, wiping away the tears on his face.
"Then you must be careful, sister-in-law."
Don't worry.
Looking at Xu Ruoyan's smile, Pei An suddenly felt a reassuring power surging through his body.
There's nothing his sister-in-law can't do, he thought.
"Oh right, sister-in-law, does my brother's letter mean that he has taken care of things and will be back soon?"
Xu Ruoyan nodded: "If nothing unexpected happens, that's how it is."
His older brother is also very capable, and he and his sister-in-law are a perfect match.
Pei An felt a surge of pride and completely forgot to ask his brother and sister-in-law how they met.
"So, sister-in-law, what are your next steps?"
Pei An kept asking questions, completely unaware that he hadn't used his brain since his brother and sister-in-law arrived.
Xu Ruoyan was also thinking.
Their original plan was too slow. She's an impatient person and wants to finish everything as quickly as possible. And after hearing Pei An's words, she's even more eager to make that scoundrel Qi Feng pay the price, the sooner the better.
She shifted her position, ignoring Pei An's questioning gaze, and continued to think.
However, Pei Jue wouldn't be able to return home for a while, and it wouldn't be convenient for them to communicate by letter. In the meantime, they wouldn't be able to share information or discuss their next steps together.
Xu Ruoyan became increasingly agitated, and finally made a decisive move with a single swing of her hand.
Whether Pei Jue is there or not, she can decide for herself what she wants to do.
"I'm going to drug Pei Huai."
Pei An immediately clapped to show his absolute support for his sister-in-law.
But it wasn't long before he discovered that it wasn't feasible.
"Sister-in-law, are you saying you're going to poison my brother?" Pei An asked with some suspicion. "But my brother and Qi Feng will definitely be very cautious, so it might be difficult for you to do it."
Xu Ruoyan glared at him, annoyed: "I definitely won't use such a brainless trick. I'm going to put some things with conflicting properties in Pei Huai's treatment medicine. This will not only slow down his treatment process, but may also worsen his condition."
"But won't the imperial physicians in the Imperial Hospital find out? After all, although their medical skills are not as good as my sister-in-law's, they are still among the best in the country."
Xu Ruoyan considered the options in her mind again. She needed to come up with a way to deceive everyone. But no matter what, drugging was the fastest method.
If it could be combined with some acupuncture...
Wouldn't that mean dying even faster?
Xu Ruoyan smiled wickedly.
Pei An, standing to the side, was shocked to see Xu Ruoyan lost in her own imagination.
How could his sister-in-law have suddenly been possessed?!
"I not only have to drug Pei Huai, I also have to drug Qi Feng."
Pei An looked at her with a very uncertain look: "Sister-in-law, are you sure? Qi Feng is definitely more difficult to deal with than Pei Huai. I think we can't be too eager for quick success. We should take it slowly."
Xu Ruoyan raised her hand to stop his persuasion.
"Let me think about this some more. You should go back now."
Pei An kept turning back to look at his sister-in-law's pensive back, looking uneasy.
His sister-in-law is quite decent and reliable, but that wicked smile she gave just now was really scary.
Perhaps this is what is meant by "righteousness turning into evil".
Seeing that it was getting late, Xu Ruoyan packed her things, gave the two little ones some instructions as usual, and then locked the door and headed home.
She didn't let Pei An see her off, thinking she should take a walk and clear her mind. These moments of solitude are perfect for reflection, especially with the cold wind blowing, which makes her mind instantly clear, almost like she's been soaked in cold water.
It would be difficult to do this without anyone noticing, since Qi Feng had spies everywhere in the vast palace, both visible and invisible, monitoring everyone in the palace at all times.
If she really wants this plan to succeed, she must use some modern methods...
Lost in thought, she found herself at her doorstep without even realizing it.
A gate, less than two people tall, stood before her, telling her she was home.
As usual, Xu Ruoyan calmly pushed open the door and then subconsciously looked towards Pei Jue's room.
The lights are off, are they asleep?
She thought about it for a long time in a daze before realizing that Pei Jue was still in the Jiangnan region.
She was utterly exhausted. She tapped her head in exasperation.
Even though Pei Jue was not present, her daily martial arts skills could not be neglected. The moment the sword hilt touched her hand, it moved with her movements, riding the wind and clouds, straight to the mountain peak.
A series of fluid sword flourishes descended, leaving Sanqi and the others passing by in awe.
Although it wasn't the first time they had seen their wives practice martial arts and swordsmanship, they still couldn't help but marvel at it every time they saw it.
The lady's figure and strength are in no way inferior to a man's!
Xu Ruoyan flicked her wrist, sheathing the sword behind her back, and glanced at them indifferently: "One must not be half-hearted when doing things."
So the three of them quickly lowered their heads and slunk away.
Xu Ruoyan wiped the sweat from her forehead, her gaze uncontrollably drifting to the window of Pei Jue's room to the side.
Although they always said they were just business partners, their feelings for each other naturally deepened over time. Even though Pei Jue had been away from home for several days, Xu Ruoyan felt a sense of loneliness for the first time.
Perhaps it was because of Pei An's words that she heard them and took them to heart, which made her feel even more sorry for Pei Jue.
Just as she was thinking, a voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts.
"Madam, a letter from Master!" Sanqi excitedly ran towards Xu Ruoyan, waving the letter high in the air.
Xu Ruoyan's breath hitched, and she quickly stepped forward to take it.
Perhaps because she had used too much force in her wrist while practicing swordplay, her hand was shaking when she unfolded the letter, and she almost tore it apart by accident.
Upon opening the letter, familiar words came into view.
"Madam, I read your letter with pleasure. How have you been lately? Spring is already in the air here, and the scenery is delightful. If I have the chance, I will definitely bring you here to see it for yourself..."
It was all just trivial, everyday talk, much of which Pei Jue repeated in every letter he wrote. But now, as Xu Ruoyan read it, she felt an unusual pang of sadness.
She blinked hard at her sore eyes and carefully put the letter away.
I don't know when I started looking forward to your news, I don't know when I started worrying about your well-being, and I don't know when my longing for you grew even stronger.
All I know is that a home is only complete when you are there.
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