Chapter 64 The Mind of a Petty Person
Pei Yanzhi pondered for a moment and said, "After we return to Yanzhou, you can stay at the manor, how about that?"
Upon hearing this, Ji Shu suddenly looked up. Had he gone mad?!
Does he not know who lives in the mansion, or does he simply not care, or is it to humiliate himself?
If she really moved in, she, a woman, would be caught in the middle between father and son. If others found out that he had been involved with Pei Xingjian, she could foresee the turmoil that would ensue.
She had thought he was a gentleman, but he went back on his word. He had clearly said that she would live outside the mansion and that if he needed anything, he could come to the mansion on his own without anyone stopping him.
It's only been a short time, and you're already trying to change your mind. What a despicable person!
She recalled that a few days ago, when Chunzhi told her about the night she had a fever, he had taken care of her all night and didn't leave until dawn. So, he must have had wicked thoughts about her long ago.
What's even more terrifying is that he might have been involved in drugging people that night. Even if he's innocent, couldn't he have sought out a doctor and found an antidote?
Why must I personally serve the medicine?
I only regret that I didn't realize it sooner, and that I have gradually led myself to this state.
Seeing that she was lost in thought and remained silent for a long time, Pei Yanzhi asked, "How have you decided?"
Ji Shu swayed with anger at the thought of these things, but she forced herself to steady her breathing, knowing that it was not the right time to mention Pei Xingjian.
He then said, "It's not that I'm unwilling, but I've always been unruly. If I were to offend a noble person in the manor, wouldn't that make the Lord lose face?"
Pei Yanzhi stared at her face for a long time, his gaze intense, which made Ji Shu feel guilty, and she turned her head away to avoid his burning gaze.
He looked away, squeezed her small hand, and said in a comforting tone, "It's alright. There are only a few people in the manor, including my mother and my second brother's family. There's no one else."
"As for Xingjian... or is it that you don't want to stay in the manor because you're afraid of running into him?"
The room was suffocatingly silent. Ji Shu felt a tightness in her chest and protested, "The young master and I are completely innocent. What is there to be afraid of running into?"
"That's good, then it's settled." His tone was authoritative and left no room for refusal. "After you go back, you will move in with me."
"No one dared to treat the people I brought back with disrespect, nor did anyone dare to criticize them."
He seemed oblivious to the change in her expression, his deep eyes fixed on her as he said, "It's getting late, let's rest."
Ji Shu had no time to think at this moment. She wanted to save Lian'er, but she wasn't selfless enough to risk her own life for it.
She doesn't owe anyone anything.
But if she backs out now, she believes there will be other things waiting for her. In the end, this is just what he wants to get, and he doesn't care about the process at all.
What he wanted from the beginning was never the agreement for this year. Only now did Ji Shu realize that perhaps she had been unable to control her own destiny from the moment she followed him.
Ironically, it took me until today to finally understand this.
Tonight, she really didn't want to deal with him, and even being perfunctory felt like a waste of energy. She simply turned to the side and said indifferently, "We have to travel tomorrow morning. Would you please go out and rest, my lord?"
But tonight, Pei Yanzhi had no intention of letting her go. A man who had just tasted the sweetness of love was not about to easily let go of a lamb that was offered to him, even if she was unwilling.
He would gladly stay by his side even if forced to.
Just thinking about how absent-minded he looked when Pei Xingjian was mentioned earlier made his anger surge uncontrollably, and Ji Shu felt the breathing behind her gradually become heavier.
He swept her up in his arms, and Ji Shu, startled, frowned and pleaded softly, "My lord, I'm really not feeling well tonight, could we do it tomorrow...?"
Pei Yanzhi grabbed her hands and pinned them to the edge of the bed, his voice low and sarcastic as he said, "When have you ever been comfortable? Since you've never been comfortable, it's all the same to me."
When Ji Shu suddenly heard him refer to himself as "I, the Lonely One," her heart sank. She knew his anger was rising and that he was always domineering and there was no way to escape. So she closed her eyes tightly and let him do as he pleased, hoping to minimize the harm to herself.
The candlelight was still burning, but Ji Shu didn't want to see his face. She bit her lip tightly, but Pei Yanzhi grabbed her chin and then leaned down to cover her lips with his.
Chunzhi waited outside the door and vaguely heard the noise inside the room. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she quickly stepped back a few paces. Just then...
Lian'er came up from downstairs and saw that Chunzhi hadn't gone in to serve her, so she was about to go inside when Chunzhi quickly stopped her, saying, "Lady Lian, it's not convenient for you to receive guests right now."
"This...it's still early." It's time for dinner.
Observing Chunzhi's shifty expression and hearing the faint sounds coming from inside the room, Lian'er was slightly taken aback.
She had once been a maid in the Hanzhong palace, and was naturally more knowledgeable about matters of the bedchamber than Chunzhi, even standing here.
The soft moans coming from inside the room could be heard, and the two men's eyes met, both blushing.
Lian'er coughed lightly, composed herself, and said, "Since Madam is not feeling well, I will take my leave now and come to see Madam again tomorrow morning."
Chunzhi breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this and nodded.
After she left, Chunzhi went downstairs with a headache and instructed the kitchen to prepare hot water. Then she turned back and sat on the threshold to wait quietly.
After venting his anger, Pei Yanzhi put on his inner robe and turned to look at the person on the bed. In the brocade quilt with mandarin duck patterns, Ji Shu lay with her back to him, revealing a large expanse of dazzlingly white shoulder blades.
A few strands of her sweat-dampened long hair clung to her neck, covered in red marks and teeth marks, a shocking sight against her fair and smooth skin.
Ji Shu's eyes were tightly closed, her face was completely bloodless, her slender eyebrows were furrowed, and even her lips were covered with tiny wounds, which hurt even when she pressed them together.
She was sobbing softly, as if silently expressing her dissatisfaction with him. Perhaps her emotions had calmed down after venting, and Pei Yanzhi felt pity for her when he saw her like this.
But he didn't regret it, and steeled himself, shouting loudly outside, "Bring water!"
Chunzhi quietly brought in hot water, wrung out a towel and was about to go forward when Pei Yanzhi put on his clothes and said, "Take good care of your wife."
He then turned and left.
Chunzhi stepped forward and gently called out, "Young lady, young lady!"
Ji Shu responded almost inaudibly, then pulled the blanket up to reveal a face streaked with tears.
Startled, Chunzhi dropped the handkerchief in her hand and rushed to the bedside, exclaiming, "Young lady, what's wrong with you!"
Ji Shu's appearance was truly terrifying; she looked dejected and didn't say a word, only tears kept falling from the corners of her eyes.
Chunzhi gently wiped her cheeks with a warm handkerchief. Ji Shu remained motionless, as if she had gone numb. After a long while, she finally closed her eyes and fell asleep, feeling utterly exhausted.
Chunzhi dared not leave and made a makeshift bed on the ground. She felt a sense of unease. She had finally seen the young lady in a better mood these past few days. What was wrong with the lord and the young lady now?
For the next few days, Ji Shu stayed in the carriage and didn't go out. Fortunately, Lian'er would occasionally come up to the carriage to chat with Ji Shu.
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