indulge
Dark clouds shrouded the desolate streets, and the tattered sails of the restaurants on both sides were disheveled by the wind.
Unconsciously, Wen Zhibai's hand landed on the door knocker of the Wen residence, but no one responded. She pushed harder, but couldn't open it no matter what she did.
Suddenly, a woman's cries came from behind.
"Zhibai, it hurts so much, Mother..."
She slowly turned around, and the woman in front of her was her mother.
Jiang Xuwan clutched the blood gushing from her neck, her pale face devoid of tears, numbly calling her name and repeating the same words over and over.
"Mother, it hurts so much... Zhibai..."
Wen Zhibai wanted to cry but couldn't shed a single tear. She approached her beloved family member, who was so close, step by step, but Jiang Xuwan remained five steps away from her.
"Mother!" she cried out, but she could not hear her own voice.
...
Raindrops fell from the eaves onto the floor, white mist swirled in the valley, a cool breeze lifted the gauze curtain by the door and slipped into Pei Qinzhou's sleeve. He curled up slightly, his eyelashes trembling a little.
The rain continued into the night, and he stayed by Wen Zhibai's bedside for a while.
It was early morning, and the two were still asleep.
Beside a slender, jade-like hand are another person's distinctly shaped fingers.
The two, one big and one small, were placed side by side, but with a distance between them.
Wen Zhibai's fingertips twitched. She had just woken up from a nightmare, her forehead still covered in cold sweat, and her pillow was damp.
The sound of soft breathing beside her calmed her down a bit.
It was all a dream.
Wen Zhibai looked at Pei Qinzhou's sleeping face. At this moment, he was no longer as cold and aloof as he was in front of everyone. His eyebrows were slightly lowered, and the light from outside the window refracted through the glass fan in the room, casting a rainbow of colors on his profile and outlining his handsome features.
She unconsciously brought her hands closer together, and even the slightest touch allowed her to feel the coolness of his hands.
It's cool at night.
Pei Qinzhou opened his eyes slightly, then quickly closed them again. He didn't expose her little scheme, but instead placed his hand on the back of her hand.
Wen Zhibai was startled.
The two of them pretended to sleep.
She dared not move. What would she say to Pei Qinzhou after she woke up? How could she explain what happened last night?
Perhaps not wanting him to become a part of her nightmares, tears streamed down her face.
"What's wrong?" Pei Qinzhou had woken up at some point.
Wen Zhibai opened her eyes, sat up, and after a long while said, "Pei Qinzhou." She slowly raised her eyes and said, word by word, "I want to go back."
Pei Qinzhou didn't speak. He was about to touch her face when she dodged away.
"Don't touch me," Wen Zhibai said coldly.
He lowered his head, took out a handkerchief, and placed it in her hand: "Wipe yourself."
The next second, she threw the handkerchief off the bed: "I don't want your things!"
Pei Qinzhou said with a hint of self-deprecation, "Well, it's okay, you can have me."
“I understand the Crown Prince’s intentions yesterday, and you certainly understand them even better. My presence with you will only bring you trouble. It was no easy feat for you to reach your current position. You and the Crown Prince are vying for a share of the empire, and a bright future is within your grasp. Pei Qinzhou, it’s not worth delaying because of me.”
The struggle for power, wealth, and territory remains constant.
"I don't care about the Crown Prince or the world. Do you really not know what I care about most?"
"...Do you think you can keep me here forever like this?"
"Yes, I know I can't keep you."
"Since you know this, why do you still force me to stay by your side? Do you think this will make me fall in love with you? No, I will only hate you."
“…What do you want?” He gritted his teeth.
Wen Zhibai knelt on the bed and grabbed his sleeve: "From now on, we will go our separate ways and owe each other nothing."
"We're even?" Pei Qinzhou felt a pang of sorrow. "Why? Why do you always have to leave me in such a hurry? You said you wouldn't abandon me!"
Pei Qinzhou's words carried anger, yet were also extremely restrained. His face was very close, allowing Wen Zhibai to see him truly for the first time—
Pei Qinzhou was much more mature than the boy she remembered. The immaturity had faded from his eyes, replaced by an indescribable melancholy.
“Pei Qinzhou…I—”
"Tell me, why?! Why do you choose to leave me again and again? Do you know how much I miss you when you're not here? I've lost count of the sleepless nights I've spent because of you. I keep telling myself that I promised you I would wait for you no matter how long it takes, but what about you? Why did you promise to come back to me, but you broke your promise time and time again?"
Every word he uttered caused her even more heartache.
Wen Zhibai was stunned. Pei Qinzhou was clearly blaming her, but she felt more of his grievance and helplessness.
After Pei Qinzhou finished speaking, he hugged her tightly.
He said these things not to complain about her, but to complain about the cruelty of fate and the time without her.
Wen Zhibai closed his eyes and slowly asked, "Lord Pei...do we know each other?"
Her words pierced his heart like a sharp blade.
After a long while, Pei Qinzhou calmed down and returned to normal: "It's alright, you can get to know me slowly again."
So, you still won't let me leave?
This time, he chose to tell her his answer directly, his thin lips lightly touching her lips, but it was only a fleeting touch, ending abruptly:
“I’m not young anymore…that’s my answer.” But the next second, just as Wen Zhibai was about to speak, Pei Qinzhou’s lips covered hers again.
Unable to push him away several times, Wen Zhibai was out of breath and desperately bit his lip until it bled. He groaned in pain, but didn't stop, instead becoming even more intense.
They longed to be intimate.
Wen Zhibai's ears burned, but in the end, it ended with a resounding slap.
"Smack!"
He playfully tapped the spot on her lip where she had bitten it with his middle finger, then looked into her eyes, which were filled with shame, anger, and confusion.
"Pei Qinzhou!! You bastard!" Wen Zhibai covered her mouth, threw the pillow next to her at him, and cursed, "I hate you!"
He easily caught the pillow with one hand: "Ugh...you hate me, what should I do?"
Pei Qinzhou approached her step by step.
Wen Zhibai retreated in a panic: "What are you doing..."
His hands, veins bulging, rested on her ankles, pulling her down beneath him. He leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Wen Zhibai, it's no use if you hate me. I can't help but like you anymore."
Wen Zhibai turned her head away and placed her hands on his chest to prevent him from getting any closer.
Pei Qinzhou found it amusing, then spread his hands: "I won't touch you. But look at me." His voice was gentle and irresistible: "You're too oblivious when it comes to feelings."
Not knowing what to say, Wen Zhibai turned around and faced away from Pei Qinzhou.
Are you angry?
Wen Zhibai ignored him.
Just then, Xie An stood outside the door and knocked.
Pei Qinzhou walked out, and Xie An whispered something in his ear, instantly making his expression serious.
He glanced back at Wen Zhibai and said only, "Wait for me to come back," before hurriedly leaving.
Wen Zhibai was distressed when she saw things deviating from her original plan.
However, since Pei Qinzhou wouldn't let her go out, she decided to bring things from outside in.
Crown Prince
Inside the vast palace, palace servants bent over and hurriedly placed teacups on a golden nanmu wooden table. The aroma of tea lingered between Xia Chengen and Pei Qinzhou. Neither of them spoke, silently observing each other's every move.
Xia Chengen tapped his fingers lightly on the table until only the two of them remained in the hall, then he pushed a letter from the opposite side of the table in front of Pei Qinzhou.
"What happened yesterday was due to the carelessness of the servants, who chose to pave the ground with moss-covered pebbles, which caused Miss Wen to accidentally fall into the lake. I have already ordered that they be dealt with. I would like to ask Lord Pei to apologize to Miss Wen on my behalf."
"Your Highness, you can speak frankly to me about anything from now on. I have no origin in life and no destination in death. I am a solitary person and do not need repeated tests. There is only one point: Wen Zhibai is my bottom line. If she is not good, even if the world is overthrown, I will never enter this world."
Having said all that, Xia Chengen didn't say anything more. He had known Pei Qinzhou since he was sixteen and knew Pei Qinzhou's personality better than anyone else.
He watched as Pei Qinzhou opened the letter, waited for him to finish reading it, then sighed deeply and said, "Lord Gao secretly met with the Emperor last night, and this morning the Emperor summoned the other princes, but kept it a secret from me. Tell me, why is that?"
Xia Chengen casually opened his folding fan and shielded their faces: "As you expected, as soon as your man appeared, they couldn't wait to make a move against the Jiang family."
"The Jiang family has been out of the court for many years. Can the Gao family alone have orchestrated all of this?"
"I also find it strange that the Gao family has been keeping a close eye on the Jiang family for so many years, but only broke through this barrier today."
Pei Qinzhou lightly tapped the letter, and it instantly turned into a pile of ashes. Although Xia Chengen had seen it many times, he couldn't help but be amazed.
After a short while, as dust settled in the light and shadow, Pei Qinzhou rose from the cushion, and Xia Chengen also got up to see him off from the palace.
"Can't you avoid getting involved in this mess? Are you really that eager to protect the Jiang family?"
"I want to protect her."
"Why……"
Pei Qinzhou stopped in his tracks: "Your Highness has no one to love, so you wouldn't understand."
"No, Pei Qinzhou, how dare you—" Xia Chengen laughed in anger, pointing at Pei Qinzhou, but was interrupted by Pei Qinzhou.
"In my opinion, the young lady from the Qi family in Beicheng is quite good. I have heard that she is virtuous and kind, skilled in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, the same age as His Highness, and from a family of military generals. She is a good match for him."
Everyone knows that Miss Qi is incredibly ugly and rumored to be tall and burly; Pei Qinzhou must have done this on purpose.
However, Xia Chengen had considered those things he mentioned. If he were to marry a young lady from a prominent family in Shangjing, it would be beneficial to his struggle for imperial power.
Unfortunately, all the people I met were too boring.
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