Send back to her parents' home
Most of the killers were killed by Doctor Hu's unexpected hidden weapon, and some of them escaped under the cover of thick smoke. It is unknown whether they are still hiding in the forest.
After Xue Zhi shook off the assassin's pursuit, he immediately sent people into the city to ask for troops. The soldiers could not arrive in a while, and it was dangerous to stay in the forest, so several people returned to the city first and went straight to the clinic.
After returning to the city, they found a nearby clinic. The doctor opened the door with sleepy eyes. When he saw their miserable condition, he was immediately frightened awake and hurriedly invited them in.
Pei Songsheng and Xue Zhi were both covered in blood and needed bandages. Cheng Yayin had scrapes on her hands and legs, and bruises on her ankles. A female doctor applied medicine to her in the inner room.
Through a curtain, she heard the conversation between Pei and Xue.
"Although it was dangerous, it's a blessing in disguise that Brother Pei was able to regain consciousness." The sound of rustling sleeves could be heard, and Xue Zhi seemed to bow his head in greeting. "It's my fault that you and your sister-in-law are in such danger. If I had been more cautious, I wouldn't have revealed my identity so early. I just didn't expect those tomb robbers to be so cruel, not even caring about human life."
"They are not tomb robbers." Pei Songsheng said.
"Brother Pei, what do you mean?"
Pei Songsheng: "Let's not even talk about whether the tomb robbers have the ability to gather such a group of elite killers. Since they are in the business of reselling antiques, they should know that there are not many channels for selling antiques. Doing such a thing in the dark market is equivalent to cutting off their own financial resources. So the tomb robbers are just a disguise, they are going to take your life."
Cheng Yayin nodded behind the curtain. Her idea coincided with Pei Songsheng's.
Xue Zhi was surprised and asked, "So Brother Pei is saying that this was a trap set by that person?"
It wasn't said directly, but all three knew who he was talking about.
Pei Songsheng nodded: "It seems that he not only targeted me, but also attacked you. And he was even more ruthless. He didn't intend to leave you alive after the attack."
He hadn't finished speaking, but Xue Zhi and Cheng Yayin both understood what he meant - if Xue Zhi died in the dark market, everyone would only think that he died while investigating a stolen antique case. Even if Pei Songsheng wanted to investigate afterwards, under the murderer's vicious scheme, he would sooner or later become a mentally insane useless person, and then no one would be able to find out the truth of the matter.
Xue Zhi gritted his teeth and whispered, "What a cruel method."
He was not only ruthless but also meticulous. He was able to plant agents in the residences of imperial officials and possessed complete knowledge of the cases being investigated by the Dali Temple. He even managed to spread false information to confuse the Dali Temple and lure Xue Zhi into the dark market, leading to his trap. This man was not only highly skilled, but also possessed an unparalleled identity.
The unknown murderer weighed heavily on the three people's minds like a dark cloud, and they fell silent at the same time.
By the time they left the clinic, dawn had broken. The city guards had searched the woods, but the few surviving killers were nowhere to be found. They had taken the remaining bodies back to the Dali Temple for an autopsy, which would yield results tomorrow.
Cheng Yayin specifically asked if any of the city guards had spotted a scarred Hu man in the woods, but they all said no. She wasn't surprised, just a little disappointed.
This man had a deep connection with her mother. If it weren't for him, she and Pei Songsheng would have died on the spot. It was a pity that she didn't have the chance to thank him. After tonight, he would continue to wander around, and she didn't know if she would ever see him again.
After explaining everything, Pei Songsheng and Xue Zhi said goodbye at the door of the clinic and reminded each other to be more careful when traveling recently.
Someone from the Dali Temple had already gone to Pei's house. Jian Zhu drove a carriage to the clinic to pick up the couple. He was shocked to see their miserable state covered in blood and mud. He finally understood why the Dali Temple official had asked him to bring two sets of clothes.
Cheng Yayin and Pei Songsheng changed into clean clothes in the clinic and finally looked less embarrassed.
After going out, Pei Songsheng first helped Cheng Yayin into the carriage. He didn't know what he said to Jian Zhu. After eating for a while, he lifted the curtain and got into the carriage.
After this turbulent night, both of them were very tired and sat on either side of the carriage, each with their own thoughts.
Cheng Yayin kept her head down, not knowing what she was thinking. Pei Songsheng was a little worried and asked her if she was still scared.
Cheng Yayin shook her head. She was simply exhausted. This night had been filled with so much joy and sorrow, a life-or-death situation. After relaxing, she felt completely drained of energy. Her eyes hadn't recovered from crying, and she didn't feel like talking.
Pei Songsheng didn't say anything to disturb her, but Cheng Yayin's eyes quietly fell on his hands wrapped in gauze.
He said he had come to his senses the moment he hit the tree. In other words, the man who had wielded the knife to chop trees and cut iron for her after that, refusing to give up despite knowing there was no hope, refusing to retreat even in the face of danger, and protecting her without regard for his own life, was not Lu Xingyuan, destined to sacrifice everything for Xuan Li in the story, but Pei Songsheng.
Cheng Yayin felt a strange feeling in her heart, as if something was crawling on her heart, a little itchy and a little numb.
She was about to say something when the carriage suddenly stopped.
Have we arrived at Pei Mansion so soon? She lifted the curtain and saw that the carriage was parked in front of Cheng Mansion.
"Why stop here?"
Pei Songsheng didn't answer her. He lifted the curtain and got out of the car first, then helped her out and said, "There's no time to make any more arrangements in such a hurry. You go home first. I'll ask Lan Yue and Yi Xing to bring your things back when it's daybreak."
Cheng Yayin: "What do you mean, you want to send me home?"
"You can see that I will be very busy from now on, and I'm afraid I won't be able to take good care of you."
"When did I ask you to look after me?"
The tone of this sentence was not very good, but Pei Songsheng's attitude was uncharacteristically firm, "Go home. It's inconvenient to disturb your father-in-law at this late hour. I won't send you in."
Cheng Yayin didn't know why he suddenly acted like this. Was it because he had turned back into Pei Songsheng, remembering their close relationship some time ago, and was afraid of the awkwardness of seeing each other, so he wanted to send her away? Or was he still thinking about the divorce?
Thinking of this, she said nothing more, turned around and walked towards the gate of the mansion, feeling a sense of inexplicable depression in her heart.
It was still dark when Cheng Yayin knocked on the door. She felt Pei Songsheng watching her from behind, even walking a few steps toward her with a lantern to illuminate her way. She felt even more frustrated that Pei Songsheng was trying so hard to be so considerate, only to be forced to return to her parents' home.
The doorman opened the door sleepily, rubbing his eyes as he asked who was disturbing us so late. When he saw it was Cheng Yayin, he immediately opened his eyes wide, "Miss, why are you back?"
Cheng Yayin walked in without saying a word and asked the doorman to close the door.
The doorman looked at Pei Songsheng outside the door, hesitating and not daring to move. After being glared at by Cheng Yayin, he immediately closed the door.
After the door closed, Cheng Yayin didn't rush to leave. She went forward and listened to the noise outside. Pei Songsheng got on the carriage after the door closed. Jian Zhu cracked the whip and the sound of horse hooves could be heard.
Listening to the sound of the wheels going away, Cheng Yayin snorted in anger. Just now, she had been so devoted to him, and now she was just leaving.
She ignored the doorman's hesitant look and turned back to her room in the backyard.
Even after she got married, her bedroom was still cleaned regularly, and her bedding was always fresh. The doorman was a clever one, and as soon as Cheng Yayin left, he went to call the housekeeper, Chen Bo, who immediately ordered a few maids to go to Cheng Yayin's small courtyard to clean up and serve her.
After taking a shower, Cheng Yayin fell headfirst onto her bed. This night had been too thrilling. Although she was full of thoughts, she was also exhausted and fell asleep almost as soon as she touched the pillow.
However, she didn't sleep for long as the bright morning light woke her up. She rubbed her eyes, washed up, and went to the front hall, where she met the eyes of her father who had been waiting for her.
Uncle Chen reported to Cheng Hongyi early in the morning that Cheng Yayin was sent home by Pei Songsheng overnight. Cheng Hongyi was afraid that the young couple would have a quarrel, so he wanted to ask Cheng Yayin for details, but seeing that his daughter looked tired, he didn't say much and pointed to the table for her to eat.
There were some exquisite snacks and light porridge and side dishes on the table, but they had hardly been touched. It was obvious that they were waiting for her.
The Cheng family's rule was not to talk while eating or sleeping, so even if Father Cheng had many questions in his mind, he wouldn't ask them at this moment. This made Cheng Yayin feel a lot more relaxed. She was feeling depressed and just wanted to fill her stomach without bothering to explain anything.
After breakfast, Lanyue and Yixing returned to the Cheng residence, carrying their bags. Cheng Yayin glanced at them and returned to her room without much interest, not sending anyone to pack. It was Uncle Chen who had the luggage moved back to her courtyard.
Cheng Yayin said that she didn't get enough sleep last night and wanted to catch up on some sleep, so Cheng Hongyi didn't disturb her. But when he saw that the luggage had been sent back, he felt really uneasy and pulled Lanyue and Yixing to ask them about their lives.
The two maids were also confused. They only knew that the young lady took her son-in-law out to do some business last night. Because the place they were going to was special, it was inconvenient to take them with them, so she asked them to wait in the mansion.
They waited in the mansion until almost dawn, but the son-in-law came back alone with a wound on his hand. He asked them to pack up the young lady's daily necessities and return to the Cheng Mansion at dawn.
They were terrified, but seeing the concerned look on the uncle's face when he told them to pack up, it didn't seem like he was arguing with the young lady. After hearing this, Cheng Hongyi felt even more confused.
Cheng Yayin slept until the afternoon. When she woke up and saw the familiar furnishings in her boudoir, she seemed to be still unmarried.
Memories of last night quickly returned, and she felt a bit uncomfortable. She stood up and walked to the yard, where she sat on the swing her eldest brother had made for her when she was a child, slowly rocking and staring blankly at the blue sky.
After a while, her father also came over. He looked like he had something to say, but he pretended to be taking a walk in the yard. He walked around her, looking at her from time to time, as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself.
"Don't think about it. This wasn't my idea. He insisted that I come back." Cheng Yayin spoke first, breaking the silence. Before her father could speak, she said, "Don't ask me why he did this. I don't know either."
Cheng Hongyi sighed and said, "Conflicts are inevitable between husband and wife, but neither of you is unreasonable. There must be a reason for this."
The reason? Cheng Yayin thought about it, but she couldn't really put it into words.
It can't be said that Pei Songsheng became a different person due to dementia, treating her as his beloved and kissing her until her skin was broken. Now that he has regained consciousness, it is inevitable that he will feel embarrassed. So we should send her back to her parents' home to calm down for a while, and then discuss the divorce with her.
Seeing his daughter remained silent, Cheng Hongyi added earnestly, "The essence of a relationship between husband and wife lies in speaking directly. If you can't be honest, there could be consequences."
Cheng Yayin was already upset, and upon hearing this, she retorted, "Father may not understand the ways of husband and wife that well."
"What do you mean?"
Cheng Yayin thought of the burly figure of Doctor Hu last night, and then looked at her father's thin scholarly frame. She couldn't help but feel deeply worried for her father. "Father, don't always bury your head in your desk. Move more, strengthen your body, and grow a beard."
Cheng Hongyi stroked his long chin bewilderedly. Cheng Yayin said, "Not this kind." She drew circles on her face, "I want this kind that covers the whole thing, a big circle."
Cheng Hongyi frowned: "Nonsense, that's not nice."
"But maybe mother would like this."
"What nonsense! We were originally talking about you and Mo Xing, how did you bring up your mother again?"
"I'm just thinking about Father," Cheng Yayin said confidently. "Father, you may look handsome, but Mother might be tired of you after seeing you for decades. And you keep talking about all sorts of things all the time. If Mother had been tired of you, she would have gone to the temple to find some peace and quiet."
"You kid, why are you talking about this again?"
After a few words with her father, Cheng Yayin finally felt better. In the afternoon, she was reading in her room, but her heart was still uneasy. The scene of Pei Songsheng standing in front of her in the moonlight, holding a broken knife and protecting her, kept appearing in her mind.
By then he had regained consciousness, but he still stood in front of her fearlessly, determined to live and die with her.
An idea suddenly popped up in her mind, and she had no mind to do anything else unless she verified it.
Thinking of this, Cheng Yayin stood up and searched through the parcel where the books were kept. She asked Lanyue, "Where is my copy of Pinghu Poetry Selection?"
Lan Yue asked doubtfully, "I didn't bring it here. Miss has read it several times before, and didn't she say the writing was not good?"
"I suddenly wanted to take another look."
"Then I will go back to Pei Mansion to get it."
"Let's go back together. I just happen to have something else to get."
"yes."
*
Pei Mansion's study.
Pei Songsheng worked at his desk for a long time. His right hand was wrapped in thick gauze, making it difficult for him to hold a pen. After writing for a long time, his wrist felt sore.
He put down his pen, stood up and stretched his wrists a few times, then turned around to look for something on the shelf. The heavy gauze accidentally knocked a book off his shoulders.
He wanted to bend down to pick it up, but a slender white hand was one step ahead of him, picked up the book first and put it back on the shelf.
Pei Songsheng looked at her and asked in surprise, "Why are you back?"
"I came to ask you for something." Cheng Yayin looked at him leisurely.
"What?"
She said each word seriously: "Divorce letter."
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