Chapter 103: Unable to Escape His Five Finger Mountain
Zhuang Wan's smile was uglier than crying: "W-why are you here?"
"What do you think?"
Pei Xingju walked over slowly.
Every time he took a step forward, Zhuang Wan took a step back. She didn't retreat any further, nearly falling on the threshold, until she frantically held onto the doorframe.
What else could she say? She had fled so far, planned for so long, and yet, in the end, he had found her so easily.
She felt hopeless and extremely desolate.
He suddenly appeared here and stood in front of her so openly.
He must have known her whereabouts for a long time, but he kept silent, watching the show like a cat catching a mouse. When the show was over, he would easily reach out and catch her.
Zhuang Wan felt like she was the dying mouse.
Killing is not enough, so why should he tease me like this?
"I have nothing to say," Zhuang Wan said, not feeling the mood or energy to continue playing along. "Kill me if you want."
She is really tired!
Pei Xingju paused, feeling a little angry. He had been worried about her all these days, but she had misunderstood him to this extent.
His face darkened: "Who said I want to kill you?"
Zhuang Wan was stunned, her mind short-circuited for a moment: "Aren't you here to arrest me?"
"Why did I arrest you? Or..." He said in an ambiguous tone, "Do you know that you have done something wrong to me?"
Zhuang Wan felt guilty and hesitated, "I...I..."
What does he mean?
Zhuang Wan couldn't figure out his current attitude. Could it be that... he hasn't recovered his memory yet?
But six months had passed, and according to the book's plot, he should have recovered. Given Pei Xingju's personality, how could he possibly tolerate her after she'd lied to him for so long and even used him to escape? Cutting her into pieces would be the least of his worries.
She was confused and asked tentatively, "You... haven't remembered yet?"
Pei Xingju glanced at her quietly, said nothing, and walked into the room.
"You left the capital just to come here?"
He swept his eyes around the courtyard and finally stopped at the corridor.
The courtyard wasn't large, but it was clean and tidy. Under the porch stood a row of worn clay pots, each containing neatly planted daffodils. The bright, delicate blossoms bloomed in the morning, bringing with them an indescribable sense of the everyday world.
He could also faintly smell the aroma of fish porridge, which was refreshing and tempting.
Unconsciously, a smile appeared on the corner of his lips: "You live a comfortable life."
Zhuang Wan was confused and asked uncertainly again, "Why...why are you here?"
"Something's going on."
"What's up?"
"Court secrets."
"But why do you live across the street? Did you know I was here?"
Pei Xingju walked casually to the rocking chair in the courtyard and sat down.
"Is breakfast ready? I'm hungry."
“........”
He asked with familiarity and casualness. Zhuang Wan looked him up and down carefully, and once she was sure he wasn't really there to arrest her, she went into the kitchen with a suspicious look on her face to get some porridge.
When she came out again, she was holding a food tray with a bowl of porridge, a plate of pickles, and a plate of green onions and eggs.
Pei Xingju was leisurely teasing Xiao Wangcai.
Wangcai seemed to like him particularly. He used his round body to pull at his thighs, wanting to jump on his lap. The tail on his butt was almost broken by shaking.
Zhuang Wan placed the breakfast on the small table in the courtyard and moved it in front of Pei Xingju. Then she picked up Wangcai and stood aside.
"You eat it," she said.
Pei Xingju lifted his sleeves and saw only a bowl of porridge on the table. He raised his eyes and asked, "Aren't you going to eat?"
Zhuang Wan was in no mood to eat. Her mind was in a mess and she had no idea what was going on.
"I have no appetite," she said.
After a moment of silence, Pei Xingju chuckled and said, "Go get another bowl of porridge, and let's eat together."
Zhuang Wan was astonished, her suspicions growing. He had even invited her to dine with him. Even at Pei's residence in the capital, they had never dined together.
She was not used to it: "No need, I can't eat it."
Pei Xingju didn't force it, picked up the chopsticks and started eating slowly.
While he was eating, Zhuang Wan also made some food for Wangcai. Wangcai lay in the corner and licked his dog bowl loudly.
With a moment's leisure, Zhuang Wan looked out the door, meeting the gazes of Jingzhe, Lixia, and Guard Lü. Jingzhe remained expressionless, standing erect, while Guard Lü and Lixia gave her an awkward smile before lowering their heads, not daring to look at Zhuang Wan.
Zhuang Wan walked over and asked in a low voice, "Have you adults known about my whereabouts for a long time?"
Guard Lu said sincerely, "Miss Zhuang, I actually only found out about this after I got here."
Zhuang Wan looked at Jingzhe and asked, "Tell me, have your masters known that I'm here for a long time?"
Jingzhe: "Miss, please don't ask me. I won't answer."
"Then tell me," Zhuang Wan turned to look at Lixia, "Have you known my whereabouts for a long time?"
Lixia nodded.
"When did you find out?"
"My Lord has been asking Jingzhe to follow the girl secretly."
Jingzhe: “…”
"Since when have you been following me?"
"At the palace."
"So..." Zhuang Wan was frantic. "He also knows about the deal between me and Lord Cheng?"
Lixia nodded.
"He also knew that I was left in the wild and met Miss Liang?"
Lixia continued to nod.
"Then..." Zhuang Wan almost lost her temper. "Does it also know exactly how I took the boat and how I got to Luyang?"
Lixia said sympathetically: "Miss, don't ask, you came all the way to Luyang or the adults..."
Realizing that she had let the cat out of the bag, Lixia quickly shut up.
Zhuang Wan's eyes widened. "What did you say? Speak clearly!"
Lixia shook her head and said nothing, and Zhuang Wan stared at Jingzhe.
Jingzhe was stared at by her for a long time, so he simply said: "Miss, the master was ordered by the emperor to come to Hezhou to investigate a case, and Luyang is a county under the jurisdiction of Hezhou. The master said it was on the way."
By the way...
When Zhuang Wan heard this, she felt as if a bolt of lightning struck her head, shattering her into pieces.
It turns out that Pei Xingju arranged my coming to Luyang step by step.
From the moment she arrived at the palace, he'd planned her departure, the preparations, the boat ride, and the escort agency. Perhaps even Liang Yixin was part of his plan, and the escort agency was something he'd already arranged. He'd just waited for this fool, secretly happy, to escape here, only to have the pleasant sea breeze blow her mind.
She asked him why he was so easy to talk to when they were at the palace. He didn't object when she sent Jingzhe and Lixia back, and didn't ask her where she was going. It turned out that he was waiting for her here.
Thinking of this, Zhuang Wan became furious.
This is really bullshit! There is no plot in the book about Pei Xingju coming to Hezhou to investigate the case!
She slowly turned her head to look at Pei Xingju who was having breakfast in the courtyard.
Pei Xingju held up an empty bowl and smiled at her: "Fill another bowl."
Sheng your sister!
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