The truth is hard to find
Pei Songsheng clutched the note tightly, looking horrified: "Have you been to see your mother?"
He looked as if she had been to some dangerous place. What was his real intention in preventing her from seeing her mother? Cheng Yayin suppressed the deep pain in her heart and said, "I have been through life and death with you. I trust you and am partial to you. I simply don't believe you are someone who would do such a thing. I just want to know the truth. Why did you send someone to pretend to be a Taoist priest to plot my marriage? What kind of agreement did you reach with my father? Why did you lock my mother up in the temple and not allow me to see her for so many years? Who was the person who poisoned me back then? If you don't want us to be alienated due to misunderstandings, please explain everything to me!"
She stared at Pei Songsheng intently, her gaze like sharp double blades, piercing both of them. She refused to move her eyes even though her heart was broken. She hoped to see a glimmer of hope in his eyes that could save her from the current predicament. She longed for him to tell her that it was all a misunderstanding, that the people who hurt her had been dealt with, and that they could stay together without any burden, just like before.
As long as he said it, she would believe it. Even if there were many doubts, she could cover her eyes and ears, pretend that those doubts had never happened, and believe only in him wholeheartedly.
Pei Songsheng looked at her, his eyes flickering with struggle, but in the end he just let out a long sigh and said, "Whether it's your father or me, we just want to protect you."
Cheng Yayin clearly heard a string in her heart snap.
The light in her eyes gradually faded. After a long moment, she said feebly, "So what you call protecting me means hiding things from me, deceiving me for years, and separating me from my mother for four years?"
Pei Songsheng didn't say anything, or rather, he didn't know what to say because he had nothing to refute.
Cheng Yayin took a deep breath, her lungs feeling like they were filled with broken porcelain. Every breath she exhaled, every word she spoke felt like blood being dug out of her flesh. But she held on, saying calmly, "Again, I don't believe you'll hurt me, but I must know the truth. If you're determined to hide it or cover up for someone, there's no need for us to meet."
After saying that, she dragged her weak body, threw off the quilt and got out of bed, called Lanyue and Yixing, and asked them to pack up and return to Cheng Mansion.
Pei Songsheng naturally didn't want to leave, holding onto Cheng Yayin and refusing to let go. Seeing this, the two maids didn't know what to do, whether to take the luggage or not. Cheng Yayin didn't have the energy to struggle or resist, she just looked at Pei Songsheng quietly, her eyes full of questioning and determination.
In the end, Pei Songsheng let go first, sent her home, and calmed down.
Cheng Yayin's return so soon surprised the Cheng family. Seeing her cold expression, she must have had an argument with Pei Songsheng and returned to her parents' home in anger. Cheng Qiwang said in surprise, "Weren't they both so close this morning, reluctant to part even for a moment? How come this couple is like the weather in the northwest, sunny when it wants to and rainy when it wants to."
Cheng Yayin kept a stern face and said nothing. Even though Cheng Qiwang was a broad-minded person, he could see that the situation was serious. He couldn't help but frown and asked her if she had suffered any injustice from Pei Songsheng.
Cheng Yayin remained silent. Cheng Qiwang's expression grew increasingly grim. He was about to lose control and go find Pei Songsheng to settle the score, but Cheng Hongyi restrained him and said to Cheng Yayin, "It's normal for couples to have small arguments, but it's almost Chinese New Year. Why would you run back to your parents' home? Ah Zheng, I know you have your own ideas, but you should also listen to Moxing more."
This sentence touched Cheng Yayin's heart. She looked at her father and said in a calm voice, "Father, why do you always protect her? How do you know that this time it must be my fault? I want to ask you, father, do you know that I was not sick back then, but poisoned? Why did you join Pei Songsheng in locking mother up in Ganye Temple for four whole years?"
As soon as these words were spoken, it was like a thunderclap exploding out of nowhere. Everyone was stunned. Cheng Hongyi's face trembled slightly, and he looked at Cheng Yayin in disbelief.
Xicheng Qiwang was the first to react and asked, "A Zheng, what did you mean just now? Did you say that mother was locked up?"
Before Cheng Yayin could say anything, Cheng Hongyi scolded her, "You bastard, stop talking nonsense!"
The usually calm and composed second brother Cheng Qigu couldn't help but say, "Why is father stopping us? This is a serious matter. We need to let A Zheng explain it clearly."
Cheng Yayin: "Brother, don't ask me. I don't know anything. I asked Pei Songsheng, but he refused to tell me anything. So I want to ask my father what is going on. Before asking, I still had fantasies. How could my father help others calculate his daughter's life? There must be a misunderstanding. But when I saw my father's expression, I knew it was all true."
Cheng Hongyi choked for a long moment, then said in surprise, "Are you suspecting that Xin Moxing is plotting a vicious scheme against your marriage? You...you are so ungrateful!"
Even at this point, her father was still partial to Pei Songsheng. Cheng Yayin's eyes reddened as she questioned, "Father, why is he speaking for him like that? I'm your daughter, why do you always side with an outsider? Is it just because he's your proudest student?"
"I'm not on his side, it's just..." Cheng Hongyi shared Pei Songsheng's hesitant expression, as if he had something he wanted to say but absolutely couldn't. After a long pause, he sighed deeply and said, "My child, this marriage between him and you is considered marrying up for our Cheng family, and for the always arrogant Master Pei, it's absolutely not worth considering. You don't know that in order to marry you, Mo Xing knelt in the rain and begged his father for three days, finally forcing Master Pei to agree. His true love for you is evident to all, so you must not misunderstand him based on baseless speculation!"
Cheng Yayin didn't know about this. She had harbored doubts long before. Even with lives at stake, Imperial Tutor Pei's temperament would never easily approve such an ill-matched marriage. She hadn't known that Pei Songsheng had already fought tooth and nail for her so long ago. She knew the timing was unfortunate, and now, hearing about it, she felt more bitter than moved.
She smiled sadly and said, "His heart may be sincere, but if there is really calculation in his heart, to me, it is like sand mixed with honey, which is hard to swallow."
After she finished speaking, she ignored everyone's different looks and went straight back to her own courtyard.
She locked herself in her room. All day, her father, eldest brother, and second brother took turns knocking on her door, some eagerly, some gently trying to persuade her to open the door, wanting to talk to her. But Cheng Yayin was exhausted, not wanting to see anyone, not wanting to listen to anyone. She covered herself with the quilt and left Lanyue and Yixing to deal with the polite refusal.
As the New Year approached, the atmosphere in the Cheng family was very solemn from top to bottom because of this incident. The servants went in and out to clean the house, but when they saw that the masters were all frowning, they all kept silent.
Cheng Yayin didn't go out for dinner. Lanyue and Yixing urged her to eat something, but she didn't react. She sat on the bed in a daze, her soul drained. It was only when Qi Sheng knocked on her door with a lunch box that she regained consciousness.
In front of her father and brothers, Cheng Yayin could still be willful, but it was difficult to offend her sister-in-law, so she asked Lanyue to open the door, let Qi Sheng enter the house to set the dishes, and forced a pair of chopsticks into her hands, telling her that no matter how angry and wronged she was, she would not go hungry.
Although it tasted like chewing wax, Cheng Yayin still reluctantly ate a few bites for Qi Sheng's sake.
Qi Sheng had come over specifically, not just to persuade her to eat a few bites of food. After all, she had accompanied Cheng Yayin to Ganye Temple and knew more about the situation than her husband. She had followed Cheng Yayin's instructions and not told anyone about the incident, but seeing Cheng Yayin's distracted look, she couldn't help but offer some words of comfort.
"A Zheng, I actually understand you. Like you, I can't tolerate any injustice. If I knew that the person I love had been plotting and deceiving me, I would have turned around and left without a second thought," Qi Sheng said. "But don't you think this matter is too strange? You told me the story of you and Lord Pei before, and I was deeply moved. It's not easy for you to achieve a happy marriage, and it's hard to find a good match. If you miss out on this opportunity due to misunderstandings, wouldn't you regret it?"
"I've thought about what my sister-in-law said, but he refuses to tell me anything and is always vague. How can I trust him?"
The truth was confusing, and Qi Sheng was not in a position to judge the affairs between Cheng Yayin and her husband. However, she really could not bear to see Cheng Yayin so sad, so she changed the subject and made a few jokes about some unimportant things. At least she managed to make Cheng Yayin smile a little. She felt relieved and invited her to go out with her tomorrow. There were several world-famous sights in Shengjing City that she had not seen yet.
It was Cheng Yayin who volunteered to take Qi Sheng around Shengjing, and she also understood that she did this to take her out to relax, so of course she would not refuse.
The next afternoon, the warm sun broke through the clouds and the freezing weather warmed up slightly, so Cheng Yayin and Qi Sheng prepared to go out.
The frost on the road made it difficult to travel by car, so the two decided to walk. Although the weather was good today, the wind was chilly. Cheng Yayin stood on the leeward side of the door while Lanyue fastened the belt of her cloak. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone enter the door and hurriedly walk towards the main hall.
She looked closely and found that the man looked very familiar. He was actually a servant in the Pei Mansion, who had always been highly valued by Jian Zhu.
The people from Pei Mansion came here in a panic, just to look for her. Could something have happened to Pei Songsheng?
Thinking of this, Cheng Yayin's heart tightened. She didn't care that the belt of her cloak had not been tied yet, and she lifted her skirt and ran after him.
"Hey, what happened?" Qi Sheng was originally tidying up his clothes nearby. Seeing this, he didn't understand what was going on. But when he saw Cheng Yayin's panic-stricken look, he immediately quickened his pace to catch up.
The two of them ran to the main hall door. Cheng Hongyi was talking to his two sons inside. Cheng Yayin was about to ask the servant when he ran straight towards Cheng Hongyi. He hurriedly bowed and said anxiously, "My humble servant is rude. Please don't blame me, Mr. Cheng. My master asked me to come here to report that there was a sudden fire in Ganye Temple. The fire started in the wing where the Cheng family members lived. The situation is critical, so I came to inform you."
Cheng Hongyi and his two sons suddenly stood up. Cheng Hongyi stood up too quickly and staggered. Cheng Qiwang quickly supported him and finally he stood up. With a trembling hand, he pointed to the door and said, "Hurry up and get the car ready. I need to go."
His two sons helped him out. The servant of the Pei Mansion led the way and said, "Don't worry, Mr. Cheng. Fortunately, the discovery was made in time. My master has already rushed over. Madam Cheng will be safe. But my master specifically told me not to let my wife know about this, otherwise..."
The voice stopped abruptly, and Cheng Hongyi looked at the door with a frozen expression.
Cheng Yayin was standing there, looking at these people, her face pale and her eyes filled with tears.
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