Pei Minxue held the hairpin and rubbed the marks on it.
This hairpin was placed in Pei Zhi's coffin by Pei Minxue himself.
Pei Zhi's burial items were all placed by Pei Minxue.
Pei Minxue's fiancée had passed away, and the betrothal gifts had been returned.
There were many precious jewels and ornaments inside, which Pei Minxue then used to accompany Pei Zhi in her burial.
Only the hairpin in his hand.
This hairpin was a betrothal gift from a friend to Pei Minxue. It wasn't particularly valuable, but the sentiment behind it was precious.
Pei Minxue's friend's family is in business.
When choosing burial items for Pei Zhi, Pei Minxue unintentionally put a hairpin in.
Finally, Pei Minxue's friend, holding the hairpin, angrily came to question Pei Minxue.
He claimed that if Pei Minxue didn't think much of him as the son of a merchant, he could have just said so; why did he have to sell him off behind his back?
After repeatedly asking, Pei Minxue learned that the hairpin was handmade by a friend in his own workshop.
The friend originally intended to give it to his fiancée, but since Pei Minxue got engaged first, he gave it to Pei Minxue instead.
It is unique in the whole world; there is only one like it.
So how did such a unique item end up in the pawn shop?
After apologizing politely to his friend, Pei Minxue repeatedly explained that he had encountered difficulties at home and had pawned a batch of jewelry.
I accidentally mixed in the hairpin; please forgive me, my friend.
Seeing that Pei Minxue had lost a lot of weight, his friend ultimately decided not to argue with him.
After seeing his friend off, Pei Minxue had his servant drive the carriage to the burial place he had chosen for Pei Zhi.
Pei Minxue personally dug open the coffin and confirmed that it was empty.
Having worked in the Ministry of Works for two years, Pei Minxue could naturally tell whether the coffin was broken open from the inside or pried open from the outside.
If the coffin was pried open from the outside, the marks will most likely be on the outside.
All traces of this coffin were found inside.
After Pei Minxue returned, he also received information from his friends.
Although the person wearing the red hairpin was masked, their figure indicated that they were a young girl.
Pei Minxue leaned back in his chair, a ridiculous idea popping into his head.
No one except Pei Zhi herself broke the coffin open from the inside.
Pei Zhi did not die at all, or rather, Pei Zhi faked her death.
Everyone thought she was dead.
Pei Zhi dared not pawn so many precious jewels, for fear of being discovered.
So they chose this inconspicuous and not very valuable hairpin.
Unfortunately, Pei Zhi misunderstood this time.
If she pawned those valuable jewels, Pei Minxue's friends wouldn't have come knocking on her door.
See, there are such coincidences.
Pei Minxue then asked why Pei Zhi was so calm when he spoke with her that day.
So, Pei Zhi had already made up her mind, which is why she was so calm and unhurried.
Pei Zhi set a trap and fooled them all. She's really clever.
Pei Zhi abandoned her status as the legitimate daughter of the Duke's mansion, her parents, and her brother, and fled outside.
Pei Minxue looked at the hairpin in his hand, hesitating whether to tell Xiao Chengci that Pei Zhi was still alive.
As long as Xiao Chengci is told that Pei Zhi is still alive, it's only a matter of time before he finds her, given his identity.
Pei Minxue put the hairpin into a box, since Pei Zhi was unwilling to stay in the capital.
Since Pei Zhi wants to fake her death, then as her older brother, he can't do anything more for her.
At least, he could keep Pei Zhi's secret.
Moreover, would it be a good thing for Pei Zhi if people really knew that she was still alive?
That's not necessarily true.
This was Pei Zhi's choice, and he respected it.
Pei Zhi was completely unaware that her survival had been discovered.
Because Pei Zhi is currently dealing with something even more troublesome.
Aunt Wang arrived with the so-called Master Gao, along with quite a few servants.
A group of servants surrounded Pei Zhi's courtyard, inside and out.
This time, Aunt Wang was full of confidence and extremely arrogant.
"Is this the wealthy man Gao that your aunt mentioned to you before? Isn't he a handsome man?"
Pei Zhi looked the wealthy man up and down, and really couldn't see where his good looks came from.
Or, to put it another way, he was pot-bellied, short and fat, and old.
Pei Zhi nodded: "Aunt Wang is right."
Aunt Wang was alarmed. Had this brat given in?
"Since Aunt Wang thinks that Master Gao is a handsome and talented man, why don't you become his concubine?"
Pei Zhi sincerely suggested, "With servants following you wherever you go, and eating and drinking well every day, isn't that better than your current life?"
"You little hussy!" Aunt Wang angrily pointed at Pei Zhi and cursed, "It's your great fortune that Master Gao has taken a liking to you."
"Today, you have no choice but to obey."
After Aunt Wang finished speaking, she looked at Master Gao with a fawning expression, "Master Gao, I told you, isn't this girl pretty?"
"There's no girl this pretty in all the surrounding villages."
From the moment he saw Pei Zhi, Master Gao's eyes never left her.
Master Gao believed that he had been with countless women in his life.
Whether it was the women in the brothel or the beautiful concubines in his backyard.
No one combined could amaze him as much as the woman before him.
"This woman is truly a beauty that could make fish sink and geese fall from the sky, and make the moon hide and flowers blush."
Aunt Wang whispered, "Then let's stick to the price we agreed on before, twenty taels?"
Master Gao immediately said, "If things go well today, I'll give you twenty taels right away."
Aunt Wang's eyes lit up immediately after hearing this.
“Aya, let me tell you, today you have no way to escape. You might as well submit to Master Gao and save yourself from causing more trouble.”
Pei Zhi retorted, "If I don't comply, are you going to kill me?"
Aunt Wang sneered, "You're an orphan. Even if you were beaten to death, who would be willing to seek justice for you?"
That's why Aunt Wang was rejected by Pei Zhi so ruthlessly last time.
The reason why they came directly to our door this time was because they brought Master Gao and others with them.
Pei Zhi is an orphan, and no one will stand up for her.
Even if we force her, so what?
Pei Zhi picked up the clothesline pole next to her and stretched her arms and legs a little.
She hadn't done any manual labor in a long time, but fortunately, she had done a lot of heavy work, such as slaughtering pigs, in the fishing village these days.
Seeing this, Aunt Wang covered her mouth and laughed so hard she almost hurt herself. "There are so many of us, do you really have to suffer a little?"
Today, Master Gao brought twenty servants with him.
Whether Pei Zhi likes it or not, she is going to become Gao Yuanwai's concubine today.
"I'm not taking a knife today because I'm worried I might accidentally kill someone," Pei Zhi said casually. "I don't want to go to jail."
Aunt Wang hurriedly said, "Master Gao, this little slut is asking for trouble. She needs to be taught a lesson, otherwise she won't know her place and will be even harder to manage in the future."
Master Gao nodded with some regret, "Don't hurt her face."
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