Mother imprisoned
That night, Cheng Yayin did not return to Pei Mansion, but followed Qi Sheng back to Cheng Mansion and rested in her former courtyard. She only asked Lan Yue to go back and deliver a message, saying that she had not finished talking with her sister-in-law and would stay at home for one night, so he didn't need to worry.
She also asked Qi Sheng not to tell anyone else in the family about what happened tonight, and told her father that she was homesick and had come back for a short stay. No one noticed her abnormality.
It was not until she returned to her room that Cheng Yayin dropped the polite smile she wore in front of others. She slumped down on the edge of the bed as if all her strength had been drained.
The two maids were terrified by her appearance. They had no idea what the old lady had written in the note to the young lady, but they knew that the young lady had lost her soul since she read it. The young lady and her husband had been so close lately that they couldn't wait to be together all the time, yet tonight, they didn't know why she was staying at the Cheng residence. They didn't dare ask, but seeing that Cheng Yayin looked extremely tired, they cautiously asked if she wanted to wash up and rest early.
Cheng Yayin acted as if she hadn't heard anything. Her eyes were blank, her mind wandering to who knows where, and her face flickered with confusion and suspicion. Seeing this, the two maids dared not say anything and could only stand silently by her side, accompanying her in a daze.
After an unknown amount of time, Cheng Yayin seemed to have made up her mind. She stood up suddenly and walked towards the desk on the other side of the room.
"Miss, are you going to write something?" Lan Yue and Yi Xing followed her, both looking worried. "It's so late. Miss, you've been busy all day. You should get some rest early."
Cheng Yayin ignored him, walked behind the table, and took a fresh roll of white paper from the shelf, spreading it on the table. Lanyue and Yixing exchanged a glance, helpless, so they watched Cheng Yayin pick up her brush, dip it in ink, and begin to sketch on the paper.
It turned out that Cheng Yayin was not writing, but drawing. She recalled and wrote at the same time. After a while, a person's face appeared on the paper. Lan Yue said in surprise: "Isn't this the old man who came to the mansion today? Why are you drawing him?"
Cheng Yayin asked in return, "Do you still remember the appearance of the old Taoist priest who came to my house to tell my fortune when I was seriously ill four years ago?"
The two maids didn't understand what she meant, but they still recalled it one after another: the mole on the forehead, the long eyebrows and drooping cheeks, the upturned mustache, the beard reaching the chest... Cheng Yayin followed their instructions and sketched each detail on the old man's portrait. When it was finally completed, the two maids were stunned and speechless. After a while, Yixing was the first to shout in surprise: "This... isn't this Jian Zhu's cousin? What's going on? Was he the Taoist priest back then?"
Lan Yue looked at Cheng Yayin helplessly: "Miss, this..."
Cheng Yayin seemed to have been drained of all her strength in an instant. The pen in her hand fell to the paper with a snap, leaving a pool of ink. She fell powerlessly into the chair behind her, supporting her forehead with her hand, looking down and saying nothing.
At this moment, everyone's heart was filled with turmoil. Lan Yue and Yi Xing looked at each other, neither daring to speak. After a long moment, Cheng Ya Yin said weakly, "Take the painting and burn it. Don't let anyone know what happened tonight."
After the portrait was silently burned, Cheng Yayin pulled herself up to shower and go to bed, but she didn't sleep well that night. Everything that had happened was tangled in her mind, impossible to untangle or sever. She struggled all night, and as dawn approached, a single thought became increasingly clear: she didn't believe Pei Songsheng was such a person. They had been through so much, finally achieving a happy ending. She couldn't just let these specious assumptions fool her into mistaking him. She had to find out the truth herself.
With her heart full of worries, she woke up early the next day. Unexpectedly, Pei Songsheng arrived even earlier. When she finished washing up and walked out of the yard, he was already outside chatting with his eldest brother. The eldest brother turned around and saw her, and immediately teased, "A Zheng, you came just in time. Your husband is so clingy. You only stayed home for one night, and he couldn't wait to come and take you back. What's wrong? Are you afraid that my family won't return your wife to you?"
The latter sentence was directed at Pei Songsheng. Pei Songsheng smiled and made no rebuttal, his eyes fixed on Cheng Yayin, who was standing under the archway with hanging flowers, his gaze as gentle as ever.
Cheng Yayin forced a smile and slowly walked towards him.
Jokes aside, the good relationship between his sister and her husband was a joy for a brother to see. Cheng Qiwang tactfully left, leaving the place for the couple to talk about their feelings, and went to find his own wife.
As Cheng Yayin approached, Pei Songsheng saw her face clearly. The joy in his eyes was immediately replaced by worry. He touched her face and asked, "Why do you look so bad? Did you not sleep well last night?"
Cheng Yayin looked at him, her lips moving silently. A thousand words were piled in her throat, but at this moment, she was a little afraid to speak. She quickly lowered her head, using the action of adjusting her hair to hide the strange look in her eyes, and said nonchalantly, "I haven't been home to sleep for a long time, and I'm a little tired of the bed."
Pei Songsheng did not suspect anything. After having breakfast with Cheng Yayin at the Cheng Mansion, he took her back to the Pei Mansion.
In the carriage, he had a lot to say to his wife, but seeing Cheng Yayin leaning against the wall with her eyes closed tiredly, he did not disturb her, but just pulled her head over and leaned it on his shoulder to make her more comfortable.
As soon as she touched Cheng Yayin, she suddenly opened her eyes and looked at him in surprise and wariness. Pei Songsheng was a little surprised by her eyes, and she seemed to realize that something was wrong. She blinked, and the surprise faded, and her eyes returned to their previous tiredness.
"I'm sorry." Pei Songsheng said gently, "I scared you, didn't I? I was just worried that you would feel uncomfortable."
He continued to embrace Cheng Yayin. This time she did not refuse, letting Pei Songsheng hold her, relaxing and burying her head in his shoulder, breathing heavily.
Pei Songsheng carried her down from the car. She seemed to have no strength at all, and Pei Songsheng was very worried. He asked her to go back to the house and get some sleep. If she still couldn't recover, he would call a doctor.
Cheng Yayin listened to him quietly, her emotions swirling wildly. The words she wanted to say got stuck in her throat, and she started retching. This startled Pei Songsheng, who quickly helped her sit down. Lanyue and Yixing also rushed over in panic. Lanyue was at a loss, and seeing her symptoms, she blurted out in surprise, "Why is Miss vomiting? Could it be..."
Cheng Yayin suddenly looked up, her expression shaken. Pei Songsheng was also deeply shaken. Thinking of her dizziness, fatigue, and other symptoms, he was instantly filled with uneasiness, surprise, and joy. Even the hand that was supporting Cheng Yayin began to tremble slightly. He quickly called Jian Zhu and asked him to go and get a doctor immediately.
While waiting for the doctor to arrive, Cheng Yayin's emotions were extremely complicated. If she became pregnant with Pei Songsheng's child at this juncture, it would only make the situation more difficult. She still had many questions that needed to be answered, and this was definitely not the right time to conceive.
She looked confused and at a loss, then looked at Pei Songsheng. He was not much better than her, with a tense face. But when he met her eyes, the tense expression immediately softened into a comforting smile, as if to say, he could take care of everything.
But as he held Cheng Yayin's hand tightly, his palm was clearly hot and brimming with sweat. He must have been nervous and excited. If it weren't for what happened last night, she would have been looking forward to this child with the same trepidation as him. But in just one night, everything had changed for her. Their hands were still tightly clasped together, but their moods were completely different.
Thinking of this, Cheng Yayin felt a surge of bitterness in her heart. She leaned weakly against the head of the bed, silent and speechless.
The doctor came quickly. It was Doctor Fang who had treated Pei Songsheng before. In the whole Shengjing, except for Doctor Wang, his medical skills could make Pei Songsheng feel at ease. This matter was of no trivial importance, so Jian Zhu specially invited him.
After taking Cheng Yayin's pulse, Doctor Fang stroked his beard and said to the anxious couple, "Madam is fine. It's probably her spleen and stomach that are out of balance due to her restlessness. I'll prescribe a prescription. Follow the instructions and boil the medicine. If you can calm down and be at peace, you'll be fine in three to five days."
Pei Songsheng was stunned for a moment and subconsciously looked at Cheng Yayin, catching the look of relief that flashed across her face.
After seeing off Doctor Fang, Lan Yue and Yi Xing went to boil some medicine. Pei Songsheng returned to the room and looked at Cheng Yayin, who had her head down, lost in thought. He asked gently, "A Zheng, is there anything I did wrong that made you sad? If so, you must speak up. Don't worry alone. It's not good for your health."
Cheng Yayin's eyelashes trembled, as if she had made up her mind. She looked up at him and talked about something seemingly unrelated: "Our winning move to defeat Meng Yu was the Divine Sorrow that Doctor Wang hid behind the screen. Doctor Wang said that this poison is invisible and intangible, and the symptoms of the poisoned person look no different from those of an acute illness, so it is difficult for those who are not familiar with the symptoms of this poison to detect it. Let me ask you, you knew that Doctor Wang had this poison recipe in his hand, so you were able to cooperate with him in the first place, right?"
"...Yes." Pei Songsheng frowned in confusion, "A Zheng, why are you asking this?"
Hearing his affirmation, Cheng Yayin's heart seemed to be hit by a heavy hammer. After calming down, she asked resolutely, "Let me ask you, when I was seriously ill and could not recover, I had no choice but to marry you because of the hope of getting married. In fact, I was not sick, but I was suffering from the divine sorrow, right?"
Pei Songsheng's expression changed, and his eyes widened instantly. He didn't say anything, but his expression gave him all the answers.
As expected. Cheng Yayin couldn't explain her current mood. It was as if her heart was dead, and it was as if something was burning fiercely in her heart, almost swallowing up her rationality. For a moment, she could not say anything except a wry smile.
After a brief moment of shock, Pei Songsheng came back to his senses, frowning, his expression full of hurt: "So you suspect that I teamed up with Doctor Wang to poison you four years ago?"
"No, it's not." Cheng Yayin shook her head, her eyes gradually reddening. "We've been through so much together. I don't believe you're that kind of person, but you must know the inside story. I want you to tell me who poisoned me and why you hid the truth from me."
"A Zheng, I can swear to heaven that the person who poisoned me was not me, nor was it Doctor Wang!"
"Who is this person?"
Pei Songsheng pursed his lips and said nothing.
Cheng Yayin looked at him disappointedly and asked, "Let me ask you again, back then, was it you who had the servants in the mansion disguised as Taoist priests and went to my house to tell my father that my illness was caused by an unlucky fate and that I had to marry you to bring good luck to my family in order to be cured?"
Pei Songsheng's eyes dodged for a moment, but he finally nodded in agreement.
Cheng Yayin smiled bitterly and said, "So you're telling me that you weren't the one who poisoned me, but you were the one who used the poison to facilitate our marriage?"
Her eyes were filled with disappointment and disbelief. Pei Songsheng was stung, and panic spread to his heart. He said anxiously: "A Zheng, believe me, it is indeed selfish to ask for your hand in marriage, but I will never get you by hurting you. I was... I was trying to save you!"
"Save me?" Cheng Yayin shook her head with tears in her eyes and said, "So you did use poison to plot my marriage. Let me ask you, is it because my mother knew about your plan and didn't want me to get married like this, and tried her best to obstruct this marriage, that you imprisoned her in Ganye Temple?"
Pei Songsheng's eyes widened in shock: "A Zheng, how could you think of me like this?"
Cheng Yayin took out the note from her sleeve, threw it in front of him, and asked, "Then what's going on?"
Pei Songsheng unfolded the note and was shocked at what he saw, and was speechless for a long time.
There were only a few words on the note, but the force of the words was so strong that it could be felt through the paper, and the words were filled with resentment, which made people tremble when reading it.
"Mrs. Pei schemed to marry my son, but I, as a mother, refused and died, so I was imprisoned in the temple. My son, save me!"
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