Chapter 78 Pei Xingju! You bastard!
On that day, at 2:15 pm on the evening of the same day, Pei Xingju, who had disappeared for three days, suddenly came back.
Upon learning this, Zhuang Wan immediately jumped out of bed. She walked out of the osmanthus courtyard calmly and saw the servants of the Pei Mansion busying around.
"My Lord will accompany the Emperor to the palace tomorrow, so please hurry up."
"Don't forget the purple gold and jade paper that the master usually uses."
"Oh, and there are also books in the library. The books in the second and third rows on the east side are the ones adults often read. They are also packed in camphorwood boxes."
"Have you ironed the adults' spare clothes? Remember to iron a few extra sets..."
The servants, maids, and old women were all busy preparing for Pei Xingju's trip.
Zhuang Wan watched this and thought to herself, it seems Pei Xingju didn't plan to take her with him. Otherwise, why hadn't she received the notice to go to the palace?
To confirm this, Zhuang Wan caught up with a passing servant and asked, "Did your master tell you to prepare things for Muxiangyuan?"
The servant was bewildered for a moment and shook his head: "My Lord, you have never given any instructions."
"Oh, go ahead." Zhuang Wan breathed a sigh of relief.
It seems that her "breakup speech" that day did work.
She walked along the corridor, intending to return to the Osmanthus Courtyard, but halfway there she decided she should go to the front yard to see Pei Xingju. After all, he had disappeared for three days and was leaving the next day, so it was only right that she say goodbye.
But what should I say when I see him?
They have broken up and will go their separate ways after tomorrow. It would be a bit awkward to meet each other now.
Let’s just forget it.
She thought.
However, just as she was struggling, she suddenly saw Pei Xingju coming in from the moon gate opposite.
Zhuang Wan immediately turned sideways as if she had seen a ghost, pulled a branch of a willow tree across the yard, and pretended to enjoy the scenery.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Pei Xingju's footsteps pause for a moment, and then he continued walking with his hands behind his back, expressionless, as if he hadn't noticed her. Soon, he turned the other way, passed through the corridor, and disappeared.
Is this...he accepted the breakup so quickly?
Zhuang Wan was a bit bewildered, not quite understanding Pei Xingju's current attitude. But then she thought, it made perfect sense for him to accept. She'd already broken up, so what else could he do? He couldn't just keep pestering her, could he? Men all wanted to save face, and Pei Xingju was the male protagonist, so face was paramount.
Yes! That must be it!
After figuring this out, Zhuang Wan felt relieved. It seemed that he really didn't plan to take her to the palace.
Whether it was excitement or nervousness, Zhuang Wan suffered a rare insomnia that night. She lay in bed, unable to sleep, thinking about how she would find a reason to leave after Pei Xingju left tomorrow, how she would go to the escort agency to hire someone, and how she would disguise herself and sneak off to Jiangnan.
She has already thought about what kind of house location to buy in Jiangnan.
Hmm... she definitely needs a small courtyard; she loves to plant flowers. The house doesn't have to be big, just two entrances, with mountains and water, fish and a pond. She can also hire a maid to do the laundry and cooking, and a servant to drive the horses and run errands. Life is simple, low-key, luxurious, and comfortable...
In this comfortable state, Zhuang Wan fell into a drowsy sleep until the rooster crowed at midnight.
.
In the early morning, clouds and mist filled the mountains, and the sun shone through the mist, casting golden light all over the ground.
At this time, the official road was winding with carriages, horses, and pedestrians that stretched as far as the eye could see, and they were heading towards the palace in an orderly manner.
Pei Xingju was a third-rank official in the court and a close confidant of the emperor. In order to make it easier for the emperor to summon Pei Xingju to discuss matters on the road, the Ministry of Rites arranged Pei Xingju's carriage at the front of the team.
At this moment, Pei Xingju was sitting in the car reading a book, and a man knelt on one knee in front of the car door and reported in a low voice.
"Sir, we have some information on the matter you instructed me to investigate," he said. "The owner of Furong Cloth Shop is Su Zhiyan, twenty-one years old. She is originally from Ganfeng, Qingzhou. Her father was once the prefect of Qingzhou. Later, Sir Su got into trouble, and the Su family was raided. At the age of thirteen, Su Zhiyan became a singing girl in a brothel. At fourteen, she was redeemed by a mysterious person and then appeared in the capital four years ago to do business. Her Furong Cloth Shop is doing very well, and the wives of officials in the capital are almost always her customers. Occasionally, Su Zhiyan also attends tea parties hosted by ladies."
"A mysterious person? Can you find out who it is?"
"I'm incompetent. The man was just passing through Qingzhou. According to the brothel's mother, Su Zhiyan only sang a song for him, and he redeemed her for fifty taels of silver. No one knows where she went. Four years ago, Su Zhiyan appeared in the capital to run a cloth shop. Apart from the wives of officials, she didn't interact with anyone else."
After a moment of silence, Pei Xingju waved his hand and said, "Go down."
"Yes." The guard left.
Pei Xingju closed the book, lost in thought.
He had seen this woman in a teahouse the last time, and at first sight, she struck him as unusual. It was said that Zhuang Wan had recently made the acquaintance of this woman, and that she had treated him very well.
How could there be any good in this world without a reason? Furthermore, Su Zhiyan was a businessman, and profit was always her priority. She might not have simply wanted to get to know Zhuang Wan.
Here, he was still thinking, when suddenly he heard a roar.
Pei Xingju came to his senses and immediately shouted to stop the car.
.
When Zhuang Wan woke up, she sadly found herself in a carriage heading to the palace.
She was confused.
Confused and angry!
"Why am I here? Who brought me to the carriage? Did you get my consent? Do you know how to respect others? Stop now! I want to get off!"
She was shaking with anger.
Is there anything more despairing than planning something for a long time and seeing it’s about to succeed, only to wake up one night and find yourself back to where you were before liberation?
Zhuang Wan was furious! Hysterical!
Soon, she heard the sound of greetings outside and knew that it was Pei Xingju coming.
Immediately stared at the car door with death.
When the car door opened, Pei Xingju saw Zhuang Wan in her middle clothes, wrapped in a thin blanket, her hair disheveled. Her eyes were like bells, and she looked furious.
Inexplicably, he felt like laughing, but he held it back.
"What are you doing?" He asked, "We are on the road right now, and the Emperor is in front of us. If I startle him, won't I be beheaded?"
What was Zhuang Wan afraid of? She was already so angry that she had lost all reason.
"Pei Xingju! You bastard!"
The next moment, Pei Xingju jumped onto the carriage and covered her mouth with his hand.
In addition to the carriages and horses, there were also Jingzhe Lixia and Qiutan, as well as the imperial guards, palace maids and eunuchs, etc.
Everyone heard this roar.
They looked at each other in shock: "Did I hear it wrong?"
"You heard right, Master Pei was scolded."
"I don't know how Lord Pei offended Miss Zhuang. Now he is coaxing people in the carriage."
Upon hearing this, everyone smiled ambiguously with a look of understanding.
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