Wait for me to come back
The sun gradually set in the west. Cheng Yayin held the reins tightly, not daring to relax even a little, but she felt increasingly anxious.
Perhaps due to fatigue from blood loss, Pei Songsheng's breathing was so light that it was almost inaudible when he leaned on her shoulder. She was extremely frightened and called out to him several times before finally waking him up.
Feeling his head slowly move in the crook of his shoulder, and his breath gently spraying on her ear, Cheng Yayin could no longer suppress the tears that she had suppressed for a long time. She choked and said, "Don't sleep, talk to me, I'm really scared."
I was afraid that once he fell asleep, he would never wake up again.
Pei Songsheng sighed softly and called out in her ear, "A Zheng."
"Well, I'm here. You talk and I listen."
"Actually, I've liked you for a very, very long time." Pei Song said in a weak voice, "I've liked you since we were little, since I didn't even know your face or name. But I was so stupid and foolish that I didn't know how to like someone, or how to express my feelings. I was young back then, and I always thought that when I grew up, I would come and ask you to marry me, but I was worried that someone as dull and boring as me would never be able to please you.
"I want to see you every day, but I want you to be with someone who shares your interests and live a happy and comfortable life. I've been struggling with this for years. I'm afraid that if I rashly propose to you, you'll be upset. I'm also afraid that if you really meet someone you like, there will be no possibility for us from now on... You see, I'm such an indecisive man. Are you disappointed?"
Cheng Yayin's tears were already pouring down her cheeks, her heart aching like it was soaked in acid. She fought hard to suppress the trembling sobs in her voice and feigned a cheerful tone, saying, "No way. It's a good thing you didn't rashly ask my father for marriage back then, or I really would have been scared off. We're destined to have a long and arduous journey together; it's all arranged by heaven. Once this is over, we'll have a happy life ahead of us."
She felt Pei Songsheng's breath gently brushing against her ear. He seemed to smile softly, and leaned his face against hers, nuzzling against hers affectionately. "You're right, God has his own plans... What happened three years ago was a calamity for you. At that time, I was certainly extremely anxious and wanted to save your life, but in the dead of night, I couldn't help but wonder if this was a chance God gave me. I want to seize it, even if I can only use this despicable method to keep you for a few years. As long as I can see you every day and talk to you a few more times, I will have no regrets."
A few sobs escaped her teeth, and Cheng Yayin sobbed, "I'm sorry, I found out all this too late."
"I confessed too late." Pei Songsheng's heart was filled with bitterness. He wanted to raise his hand to wipe away her tears, but he didn't even have the strength. He paused, his voice trembling. "I always thought that if you didn't like me, telling you these things would only be a burden to you. If you did like me, then everything before would not be a missed opportunity. I wish I knew how far I've come. But I'm afraid that if I don't say it now, I won't have the chance to say it again."
"No! We can definitely go home together!"
Cheng Yayin said this, but the sky gradually darkened, the road ahead seemed endless, and there were pursuers behind her who might find her at any time. She felt confused.
Whether it was due to blood loss or the poison spreading through her body, she could feel Pei Songsheng's breath growing weaker and weaker. His arms gradually lost their ability to hold her and fell to his sides. Cheng Yayin grabbed his hands and placed them around her waist, but he was still weak. To prevent him from falling from the horse's turbulence, Cheng Yayin could only use one hand to tightly grasp his hands around his waist. This forced the horse to slow down, and returning to Beijing became even more distant.
Pei Songsheng doesn't have much time left. If he delays any further, it will be too late to return to Shengjing.
Moreover, in Ganchuan Villa, there is a Xia Changhuan who urgently needs her rescue.
Cheng Yayin was burdened with anxiety. She had no time to collapse or hesitate, so she could only grit her teeth and move forward.
How could Pei Songsheng not understand her state of mind? He whispered in her ear, "Leave me here, you go back first."
"No!" Cheng Yayin said firmly, "We agreed to go back together."
"A Zheng, you know very well that Boss Xia helped us escape, and now she's in the hands of Prince Jin'an. If we can't get back in time for help, every moment of delay will put her in greater danger." Pei Songsheng was clearly extremely weak. He panted a few times and continued, "As for me, there are less than twelve hours left. You can't rush back with me. It's better to leave me here and rush back to find Doctor Wang to save me."
Cheng Yayin gritted her teeth and said nothing.
Pei Songsheng knew her concerns, and said in a weak but solemn voice, "A Zheng, I promise you, I will hold on until you come back."
Cheng Yayin struggled in her heart for several times, and finally pulled the reins, found a hidden cave, and helped Pei Songsheng in to settle down.
It was already pitch dark. Using the faint moonlight from the cave entrance, Cheng Yayin pulled the arrow from Pei Songsheng's shoulder and bandaged his wound with a piece of her skirt. Pei Songsheng kept his eyes downcast, letting her do what she wanted. His eyelids even blinked much more slowly, as if he was running out of energy.
After hastily treating his wound, Cheng Yayin held his face and said, "Don't sleep. You must hold on and wait for me to come back."
Pei Songsheng looked at her, a reassuring smile slowly forming at the corners of his pale lips, and he nodded slightly.
Cheng Yayin reluctantly stood up and walked to the cave entrance, looking back every few steps. She looked back at his pale and weak appearance, as if he would disappear into the night at any time. She ran back and hugged his uninjured shoulder tightly, tears streaming down her face. "Pei Songsheng, listen, whether it's Yang Zhilan and Yao Wanniang, or Lu Shiyuan and Xuan Li, none of them are our stories, and a messy ending is definitely not our ending. I promise you, after we are all home safely, I will spend my whole life writing our story with you. So you must not break your promise, you must hold on and wait for me to come back."
Pei Songsheng raised a hand, placed it behind her back, and said, "Okay. I promise you."
*
Jian Zhu had been waiting at the east gate of Shengjing for many days.
That day, the master left the city to chase the carriage of Prince Jin'an. He was ordered to inform Master Xue, so he lagged behind. When he was about to lead his men out of the city, he ran into the people who had been with the master at the city gate. The master and his wife were nowhere to be found.
After asking, they found out that it was the adults who asked them to come back, and the adults were in a strange condition at the time. They didn't know what was going on, and they didn't dare to disobey, so they had to come back first.
Jian Zhu immediately understood that the master's soul-leaving powder had struck again. Master Xue and Jian Zhu immediately chased him out of the city and found the spot where the master's poison had struck. But no one was there. The wheel tracks and horse hoof prints on the ground were gone, evidently having been meticulously cleaned. It was as if the group had vanished into thin air, with no trace of them left.
At that time, Jian Zhu saw that Master Xue's face was very bad. He gritted his teeth and said that it was all the work of Prince Jin'an. He said he would go back and report the matter to the Dali Temple, but after waiting for two days without any response, Jian Zhu could no longer bear it and went to the Dali Temple to inquire. Only then did he know that Master Xue had been imprisoned by Master Hu, the Dali Temple Minister.
Jian Zhu immediately sought the help of Imperial Tutor Pei. Knowing his son was missing, Imperial Tutor Pei was naturally distraught and sent people everywhere to search for him, but to no avail. Unaware that his son and daughter-in-law would disappear for no reason, Imperial Tutor Pei questioned Jian Zhu about the cause of the incident, and Jian Zhu revealed everything he knew. He had assumed the matter was of grave importance and that the old man would report it to the court, requesting military support to help him rescue his son. However, Imperial Tutor Pei remained silent for a long time, his face solemn, and ultimately remained silent. He simply requested the military department to send troops to search for them, claiming that his son and his wife had been abducted by bandits.
It has been more than half a month and there is still no news.
For the past two weeks, Jian Zhu had practically lived by the city gate, gazing out at the end of the road each day, hoping that one day his master and his wife would appear. As usual, he waited until late at night. The soldiers guarding the city admired his loyalty, but they couldn't help but warn him, "It's pointless to wait like this. If your master had truly been abducted by bandits, he would have been killed long ago."
Jian Zhu ignored him and continued to look ahead stubbornly.
The soldier sighed and continued to guard his post.
It was curfew time, and no one would pass through the official road at this time. However, Jian Zhu saw from afar what seemed to be a man on a horse, running towards this side.
He suspected he was seeing things, so he rubbed his eyes and continued to watch. The man was getting closer and closer, and even the sound of horse hooves gradually became clearer. Jian Zhu's heart was pounding, and he ran over with a torch in hand. He saw the person sitting on the horse clearly. His hair was disheveled, his face was haggard, and his complexion was pale, but there was a fire burning in his eyes.
"Yes, ma'am!"
*
Cheng Yayin had been in the city for only half an hour when she hurriedly left the city again with a group of people. They rode in the dark and finally arrived at the valley where Pei Songsheng was hiding, at the junction of Shengjing and Ganchuan, at dawn.
Cheng Yayin did not sleep all night and did not get off the saddle. She relied on her faith to support her and did not fall down. When she arrived at the place, she reined in the horse and stopped suddenly. She almost rolled off the horse. Without waiting for anyone to help her, she got up and stumbled towards the cave entrance.
"Pei Songsheng, here I come!"
She pushed aside the weeds covering the entrance to the cave, but the blood in her body froze instantly.
It was empty inside, no one was there.
Doctor Wang, draped in a cloak, ran over with a medicine box in hand. He took a look inside and exclaimed in surprise, "Where's Lord Pei? There are only a few hours left. If he doesn't receive acupuncture to detoxify, he'll be in danger!"
Cheng Yayin woke up as if from a dream, and ran around in the vicinity with unsteady steps, looking for Pei Songsheng. The servants of the Pei Mansion also searched everywhere, but there was no trace of Pei Songsheng.
Jian Zhu's heart felt as if it had sunk into an icy cave. Seeing Cheng Yayin's expression, he could only pull himself together and said calmly, "My Lord has been waiting here all night. He must be hungry and thirsty, and must have gone somewhere to find food. Everyone, mount your horses immediately and expand the search area!"
Cheng Yayin, lost in thought, heard Jian Zhu's words and tried to mount her horse. After taking a step, her legs gave way and she fell to the ground. Jian Zhu hurried over to help her, but she sat there with a blank look in her eyes. It was clear she was exhausted. If she hadn't been holding on for the sake of her master, she would have fainted long ago.
Jian Zhu couldn't bear to look at her expression any longer, so he turned his head away and said, "Madam, you've been tired all night. Please wait here. We will definitely find you, my Lord."
Cheng Yayin watched the morning light rising in the sky. As the day grew brighter, her heart grew colder. She murmured, "I left him behind."
Not only Jian Zhu, but even Imperial Physician Wang couldn't bear it and tried to comfort her, "Madam, this is not your fault. If you hadn't returned to Shengjing to find me in time, even if you had brought Master Pei back, I'm afraid it would have been too late to save him."
The sounds in her ears were just a chaotic buzzing. Cheng Ya stared blankly at the empty cave, muttering to herself, "I clearly agreed to go home with him, but I left him behind... How could I leave him here alone? He's injured and bleeding. I left him here alone. It's all my fault..."
The morning light gradually fell on her shoulders, the sun was high in the sky, but Cheng Yayin felt that her day would never be bright again.
Cheng Yayin's tears flowed out of her eyes like pearls from a broken string. Finally, she couldn't hold back and burst into tears: "I abandoned him, I hurt him! If it wasn't for saving me, if I didn't feed him the antidote... What should I do? It's all my fault, it's all my fault..."
Before leaving, she vowed to Pei Songsheng that she would come back to find him, but she didn't expect that it would be a farewell forever.
Cheng Yayin cried her heart out, and everything around her seemed to be collapsing. She didn't hear Doctor Wang's comfort, nor did she hear Jian Zhu's surprised voice, nor did she hear anyone calling out in her ear, until she fell into a familiar warm embrace, as if someone had pulled her back from hell to the world.
"Zheng, I'm here."
Cheng Yayin opened her tearful eyes, and the handsome face gradually became clearer before her eyes. She cried so hard that her head felt dizzy. After a long while, she asked, "Is this an illusion?"
"It's not an illusion, it's me." Pei Songsheng wiped away the tears on her face with heartache, "When the sky was about to dawn, people from the Jin'an Palace came here to search, so I hid somewhere else. I'm sorry for making you worry."
Cheng Yayin stared at him blankly, her heart gradually warming. Pei Songsheng said, "I promised you that I would wait for you to come back, and I won't break my promise. I also want to write our story with you."
Cheng Yayin's eyelashes trembled, and two lines of hot tears rolled down her face again, this time filled with relief. Before she could respond, Pei Songsheng could no longer hold on, closed his eyes, and fainted.
Everyone was shocked, and Cheng Yayin was horrified. Doctor Wang immediately came over with a medicine box and said, "Don't worry, I'll give him acupuncture to remove the poison!"
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