Two-crossing mandarin ducks
Cheng Yayin turned around and saw that it was Pei Songsheng who came.
Before I went out, I specifically told him to wait for me at home. I didn't expect him to come over anyway, and he called me "A Zheng" just now. Could it be that Pei Songsheng has recovered?
Cheng Yayin's eyes lit up, and she trotted over to him. Then, remembering Prince Jin'an who was watching from behind, she suppressed her excitement and said, "You weren't feeling well, and I told you to rest at home. Why did you insist on coming to thank the prince in person?"
As she spoke, she winked at Pei Songsheng, asking him to cooperate with her. But he ignored her, walked over, took her hand, and turned away.
Cheng Yayin was startled and looked at his face carefully. There was a hint of anger in his grievance. It was obviously not Pei Songsheng.
She was a little disappointed. The little slave thought she was going out to meet a man secretly and was feeling jealous.
But she couldn't just leave like that. As Pei Songsheng pulled her away, she turned back and said to Meng Yu, "I have some urgent matters at home waiting for me to deal with. We're leaving now. I'll come visit His Majesty when I have time."
Before she finished speaking, Cheng Yayin felt the hand on her wrist tighten, and Pei Songsheng pulled her along even faster. This was truly rude, but Prince Jin'an wasn't one to be bound by conventional etiquette, so I hoped he wouldn't mind.
Cheng Yayin was forced to walk quickly, almost jogging as she left. She didn't notice that Meng Yu was looking at their backs, as if thinking about something.
The outline of the palace gradually disappeared from view. Cheng Yayin broke free from Pei Songsheng's hand and said angrily, "How could you take me away without even saying hello? He's the prince, and it was he who saved us when we were in danger that day. I came to him today to thank him. How could we be so rude to our savior?"
Pei Songsheng turned to look at her and asked with a stern face, "Is this the kind of man the Master likes?"
Cheng Yayin: "What are you talking about? I just went to thank him for saving my life. Why do you think I like him?"
Normally, if Cheng Yayin got sullen, Pei Songsheng, as a horse slave, would have listened to her instruction silently. But today, for some unknown reason, he looked directly at her and said, "Because that's just the way he is."
Cheng Yayin: "...Who?"
Pei Songsheng lowered his head, his tone tinged with bitterness. "I don't know who he is, but I've seen a lot of his poems at home. He must be a very talented and extraordinary man, just like the man just now. Does the master like men like this?"
Cheng Yayin was silent for a moment, then asked, "Why do you feel that way?"
Pei Songsheng didn't answer but asked, "I look a lot like that person, don't I?"
Cheng Yayin choked. What was going on? Why was Pei Songsheng always jealous no matter who he became? And this time, he was even jealous of himself.
Pei Songsheng thought she was agreeing, and his eyes suddenly turned red. "During this time, Master has always been very good to me. He speaks softly to me and never hits or scolds me. All this is because I look a lot like the person in your heart, right? You asked me to call you A Zheng because that's what that person calls you, right? Now every time you look at me, it's like you're looking through me at another person. If you didn't love him deeply, how could you miss him so much, even using me as a substitute and having me in front of you every day?"
Cheng Yayin wanted to make excuses to get by, but she was stunned when she heard him say that. Was she always thinking about Pei Songsheng?
She had indeed sensed something was amiss within her these past few days. Perhaps it wasn't just these few days; it seemed as though something had already been changing within her. It was simply that, because Pei Songsheng had always been by her side, and now they were experiencing an unusual separation, she felt as though she had been caring too much about him. She had tried to convince herself that this was because they were now inseparable allies, but deep down, she felt otherwise.
She looked at Pei Songsheng and murmured to herself, "Will he know if you think this way?"
She revealed that look of searching for the phantom of another person in him again. Pei Songsheng turned his head away and said stiffly: "I'm not him, how would I know."
Looking at Pei Songsheng's awkward look, Cheng Yayin wanted to wait for him to regain his senses. She wondered how he would feel when she remembered how she had been jealous of herself.
But the most urgent thing was not to imagine the future with Pei Songsheng, but to comfort him now. He used this face to make an expression of grievance and forbearance. Cheng Yayin couldn't bear it and said, "Don't let your imagination run wild. It's you in front of me now. Come on, I'll go shopping with you."
She pulled Pei Songsheng towards the bustling street without saying a word, but what she was thinking in her heart was that she had been married to Pei Songsheng for three years, but she had never had a good tour of Shengjing with him.
Shengjing is the royal capital, where the wealth and splendor of Daxi gather. It has always been a place of endless fun. Cheng Yayin has wandered through the streets and alleys here countless times. Even with Pei Songsheng by her side, she still feels that everywhere is new and wants to see everywhere with him.
Pei Songsheng was originally in a bad mood, and Cheng Yayin dragged him around for a walk. The two held hands tightly together, as if they were an inseparable couple. Cheng Yayin smiled like a flower when she looked at him, as if he was the only one in her eyes and heart. He gradually became addicted to this intimacy, and the heavy haze in his heart dissipated without wind, and his heart was as sweet as if it was filled with honey.
He thought, no matter who she had in her heart, as long as the person beside her was him, there was nothing to be greedy about.
It had been a while since she had been in such a good mood. Cheng Yayin took Pei Songsheng out for a walk for most of the day. They found a small restaurant and ate a bowl of plain noodles together before planning to go home.
The servants that Cheng Yayin had brought with her had already been sent back to the mansion. Together with Pei Songsheng, she slowly walked along the moat towards Pei's mansion in the twilight, taking a walk to digest the food.
When they reached Yuanyang Bridge, Cheng Yayin saw the old boatman again. There was no happy event today, and he was sitting at the bow of the boat, looking at the sky bored.
Cheng Yayin pointed at that place and asked, "Do you know where this is?"
Pei Songsheng shook her head and explained, "This is called the Mandarin Duck Bridge. Legend has it that if a newlywed couple takes a boat under the bridge together, they will live together forever and be able to continue their love in the next life. The boatman's boat is a marriage boat. I heard it was blessed by the Yue Lao Temple and is very effective."
After saying this, Pei Songsheng still looked confused, not knowing why she was saying all this to him. Cheng Yayin pulled him directly to the shore and headed straight for the marriage boat. Pei Songsheng was stunned at first, then his heart began to beat fast. He was almost flattered to be led by her to the old boatman.
Cheng Yayin wasn't wearing men's clothing this time, so the old boatman didn't recognize her at first. It wasn't until he saw Pei Songsheng beside her that he realized what was happening. He immediately stood up, rippling the water beneath his feet. He glared at the two men and said, "I've seen people dine for free, but I've never seen people ride a pirate ship. You two look respectable people. How could you do such a shameless thing? You don't look like you can't come up with fifty taels of silver."
Before he could finish his words, Cheng Yayin placed a heavy ingot of silver in his hand, and the old boatman's eyes immediately widened.
Cheng Yayin said, "One hundred lian, to pay for the last boat fare. Today we will take your marriage boat again."
The old boatman took the money and immediately returned to his welcoming demeanor, but inwardly he was complaining about the young couple, who hadn't come here to take the boat when they got married, yet were coming here again and again. But no one would object to money, so he immediately beamed and prepared to row.
Pei Songsheng, however, was somewhat displeased. From what the boatman had said, it was clear that the hostess had once been on a boat with someone who looked very similar to him, which meant they had made a lifelong promise. Now that he was accompanying her, was it because that person was no longer around, and she could only use this opportunity to reminisce?
He could accept that she didn't have him in her heart, but that didn't mean he didn't mind being treated like that.
Cheng Yayin tried to pull Pei Songsheng aboard, but couldn't. Looking back, he was aggrieved again, his eyes red with a hidden redness. "If the master wants to revisit the old place, he can just go find that person directly. Why humiliate me like this?"
"You don't want to?" Cheng Yayin crossed her arms and said helplessly, "What can I do? I've already paid the money, wouldn't it be a loss if I don't take this trip? If you don't want to, then I can only find someone else. Do you want to see me share my fate with someone else?"
She always knew how to manipulate Pei Songsheng. No matter how unwilling Pei Songsheng was, he had no choice but to let her pull him aboard.
The short journey was over quickly, and this time it was Cheng Yayin who was still reluctant to leave. After landing, Pei Songsheng looked at her joyful expression and said with a sad heart, "The person the master likes doesn't seem to be a good person. Otherwise, why didn't he stay by your side? You can only look to me, a substitute, for comfort."
Cheng Yayin took his arm and said, "He has always been with me."
Pei Songsheng's expression changed: "He's dead?"
Cheng Yayin quickly covered his mouth, stared at him and said "Pooh" three times, "What nonsense are you talking about? He is alive and well, and he will definitely live a long life."
How could anyone curse themselves like this? Cheng Yayin was both angry and amused. "Don't you dare say such nonsense again. There's a reason why I took the boat with you today. You'll understand later. When you see him, remember to tell him that I've taken the marriage boat with him twice. I've bought out not only his next life, but also his next life after that. And it's a forced sale. No returns."
After she finished speaking, she saw Pei Songsheng's surprised expression and realized what she had said. The domineering aura she had just had disappeared instantly. She didn't dare to think about how to explain it to him after he recovered, so she turned around and left in shame.
Hearing footsteps behind her, Cheng Yayin was afraid that he would catch up with her, so she ran away immediately and dived into the crowd.
It was getting late, and the streetside shops were all lit up. Cheng Yayin wandered through the crowd, her mind preoccupied with the scene just now. She didn't know why she'd said those words. Although she had a vague feeling that Pei Songsheng had feelings for her, what if it was just an illusion? She had been so reckless in revealing her feelings, leaving no room for retreat. What if he wasn't interested at all? Wouldn't that be embarrassing?
The more she thought about it, the more she felt that Pei Songsheng might not have any feelings for her at all. After all, he had proposed divorce not long ago. His kindness to her during this period was just due to his natural gentle nature. Because she was his wife, he felt responsible for her.
Maybe when he regains consciousness this time, the first thing he will do is to explain things clearly to her and draw a clear line between them. Cheng Yayin became more and more discouraged as she thought about it. She followed the crowd aimlessly until she reached a place where people were gathered. She didn't know what they were doing, but it looked very lively.
Cheng Yayin now urgently needed to use the hustle and bustle of the crowd to dilute the loneliness in her heart, so she squeezed into the crowd. It turned out that there was a juggler performing magic tricks. He held a sip of wine in his mouth and sprayed it towards the torch in his hand. The flames burst out instantly. Cheng Yayin was startled and took a step back. She accidentally stepped on the hem of her skirt and stumbled, falling into a warm embrace.
Someone took advantage of the situation and hugged her, whispering in her ear, "I won't return it."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
