Chapter 45 It's Not What You Think
In the carriage, Jiang Baohe comforted Zhuang Wan and told her not to think too much.
Zhuang Wan nodded indifferently, but was thinking about her plan in her heart.
At the latest, she would have to "break up" with Pei Xingju and leave the capital within a month. However, how to leave and where to settle down required careful planning.
"I can see that Lord Pei has you in his heart, otherwise, he wouldn't have taken the pressure of impeachment to bring you into the palace. Princess Wu Jing is just a princess of a small country, and Lord Pei is a minister valued by the emperor. If Lord Pei didn't want to marry her, I don't think he would force the marriage..."
Jiang Baohe patted Zhuang Wan's hand and said, "Don't worry!"
Zhuang Wan nodded: "Thank you, Sister Baohe, for your comfort. I feel much better now."
She smiled and said, "Sister Baohe, don't worry. Although I love Pei Xingju, I won't lose myself. Whether he marries Princess Wu Jing or not is his business. If he loves me now, I will love him. If he loves someone else, then I won't love him anymore. There are so many men in the world. Why should I hang myself on a tree?"
Hearing this, Jiang Baohe was stunned for a moment, then she laughed.
"I was narrow-minded. I actually thought you would be so sad and upset. I didn't expect you to be stronger and more open-minded than I thought."
"You're right! We don't have to force things, we don't have to be obsessed with things. Who knows if changing paths won't lead to a brighter future?" She held Zhuang Wan tightly in her arms. "It was indeed right to get to know you. Your words have enlightened me and opened my eyes to the vastness of life."
Zhuang Wan turned around and saw her face light up. She didn't know what she was referring to, but everyone had their own frustrations and worries, and Jiang Baohe, a noblewoman, couldn't escape them either.
"Sister Zhuang, my shop is in front. Can I take you in to sit down?" Jiang Baohe said after a while.
"Sister Baohe runs her own shop?" Zhuang Wan was surprised for a moment, then suddenly realized something: "Right, this is a good idea."
She had been worrying about how to find an excuse to contact the escort agency and the caravans. Wouldn't it be convenient to open a shop? She could use the shop as an excuse to contact the caravans traveling north and south, and then follow them out of the capital.
Jiang Baohe asked: "What's a good idea?"
"Nothing much," Zhuang Wan smiled. "What does Sister Baohe's shop do?"
Jiang Baohe said, "My dowry includes several shops, some selling rice and grain, and some selling daily necessities. The one in front is a rouge shop. If you see any rouge you like, just pick it out and I'll give it to you."
Zhuang Wan winked at her playfully, "Sister Baohe, I'm never polite. Don't feel bad if I pick the expensive one."
Jiang Baohe spat at her: "Just pick it up, are you sure a few boxes of rouge are going to make me poor?"
The two of them laughed and played together.
.
At noon, Pei Xingju returned home after finishing his work at the office. When he learned that Zhuang Wan had not returned yet, he went to the study to read.
I don't know why, but I feel absent-minded today and find it hard to concentrate even when reading.
After finally getting through half an hour, Pei Xingju heard that Zhuang Wan had returned. He instinctively stood up, but after taking two steps, he sat back down and picked up his book again.
But this time, I felt even more restless than before.
That morning on Ningyang Street, the image of Zhuang Wan covering her face as she left kept resurfacing in his mind. Her resentful expression, her aggrieved face, the heartbroken look as she turned to get into the car—one scene after another, like twine, wrapped around his heart, leaving it messy and uneasy.
After a while, he closed the book.
"Someone come!"
The guard came in: "Sir, what are your orders?"
"What's the current situation at Muxiangyuan?"
The guard had just changed shifts and said nervously, "Sir, I will go ask Jingzhe right away."
After a moment of silence, Pei Xingju stood up and said, "Forget it, I'll go take a look."
.
Zhuang Wan and Jiang Baohe parted ways after lunch at the restaurant. When they returned to the osmanthus courtyard, they found it hushed and deserted. As they approached, they discovered that the maids and servants were all hiding in the side room, stealing food.
"Okay, what delicious food are you eating here without my knowledge?"
Qiu Tan's mouth was red and swollen, and she hissed as she spoke, "Miss, you're back. Uncle Niu just made some edamame. I've never eaten it like this before. I didn't expect it to be so flavorful."
Zhuang Wan peeked over and saw a large plate of spicy edamame in red oil on the table.
Wow! This is really good stuff!
In her previous life, Zhuang Wan always ordered red oil edamame at the night market. It was spicy and fragrant, and she couldn't stop eating it. She immediately joined the others, squeezing in at the small table with the maids and servants to eat.
But I don’t know what kind of pepper Uncle Niu put in it, it was extremely spicy. Zhuang Wan was so spicy that tears came to her eyes after eating it for a while.
Not long after, Zhuang Wan couldn't bear it anymore and ran out.
However, after going out, he accidentally caught a glimpse of someone standing outside the courtyard gate and slowly stopped.
Pei Xingju didn't know when he came. He stood with his hands behind his back, silently standing at the door and staring at the corner.
There were several green vines growing in the corner of the wall. Those vines were the rose seedlings she had planted before. She originally thought that they were drowned by the heavy rain, but she didn't expect that they had such tenacious vitality that they quietly climbed up the wall and took root.
After a moment, Pei Xingju turned his head and was stunned when he saw her appearance.
After looking at each other for a moment, Zhuang Wan adjusted her facial expression and walked over.
She placed her hands in front of her and bowed politely: "When did you come?"
Pei Xingju's eyes were dim.
She usually called him Yuzhi, and occasionally called him Pei Xingju out of mischief. But only one morning had passed, and now she was calling him "you" in a strange way.
Moreover, this kind of etiquette was what she had first seen when she entered the mansion. At that time, she was very cautious and careful. Later, as she gradually became familiar with it, she relaxed a little. Now that she was polite to him, he was actually not used to it.
"I... was just passing by and happened to come in to take a look," he said.
"Yeah." Zhuang Wan lowered her head and responded.
The air was quiet, and Pei Xingju even felt a little depressed.
After thinking for a while, he asked, "Why are you crying?"
"?"
Zhuang Wan looked up, her eyes were red and moist, and she really looked like she had been crying quietly.
"I wasn't crying, I just..." It was hard to say it was because of the spicy food, so Zhuang Wan made up a reason that sounded like an excuse: "I just got sand in my eye."
Sure enough, Pei Xingju felt complicated after hearing this.
The woman in front of him lowered her head slightly, clearly crying secretly but pretending nothing happened. But she didn't know that the more she acted like this, the more guilty she made him feel.
Of course he knew why she was crying.
There were rumors that the emperor would marry Princess Wujing to him, and she couldn't help but think too much after hearing these rumors.
She was already from a poor family and had to live under someone else's roof. If even he abandoned her, she would be even more lonely and helpless.
Thinking of this, Pei Xingju spoke to comfort him: "Don't worry, it's not what you think."
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