hostel
The fragrance inside the carriage grew stronger, lingering around Mei Sheng and not dissipating for a long time. Instead of calming her, it made her even more awake.
As his breathing became heavier, the man's hands also became restless, his slender fingers hooking around the sash of his moon-white outer garment at his waist, gently caressing and playing with it.
A powerful aura enveloped Mei Sheng, causing her face to flush red and making it difficult for her to breathe. She hurriedly pushed and pulled, and the two separated slightly.
He seemed unsatisfied, his phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, his large hand gripping Mei Sheng's fair wrist, his gaze fixed on her, his eyes like a furnace fire, burning hot to the touch.
She felt she couldn't continue like this, so she looked for an opportunity to break the tense situation.
It was as if a cold wind had swept in from beneath the curtain, giving the rising heat inside the carriage a chance to subside. Mei Sheng seized the opportunity to lift a corner of the curtain, looked inside, frowned, and said angrily, "Is this the road south?"
Her hair was blown about by the wind. Pei Jue held her smooth hair in his hand, leaned close to her ear, and chuckled, "What's wrong, Mei'er? You're not lost anymore?"
Last night, while searching her room, a servant found several torn pages. Others might not recognize them, but he, who was always intimately familiar with the terrain, would surely know that they were part of a topographical map of Zhang Pei's residence.
I wonder which family this child comes from, that she is so skilled at painting, unlike an ordinary girl.
Even though Tang Yun had told him that Mei Sheng didn't know the way, Pei Jue had come to realize that she was far from being lost; she was probably quite adept at it.
The more he discovered new and interesting things about her, the less he wanted to let her go. Perhaps at first glance he was only attracted by her appearance, but now he had become more and more interested in her.
Suddenly, Mei Sheng's heart skipped a beat. She immediately thought of the few scraps of paper in her room. Apart from that, she couldn't think of any other clue that might have given her away. In the rush that day, the papers hadn't been completely burned.
Seeing Mei Sheng's tense face, Pei Jue gently comforted her, "Since I've decided to take you in, I'll naturally let you play these games. But in the future... it won't be that simple."
Pei Jue left half of his words unsaid, leaving the rest for Mei Sheng to understand.
The implication was that she could run away as she pleased, but Pei Jue would find her again and again, and if he found her, she shouldn't regret the consequences.
After saying that, he deliberately stretched out his finger to press on the cleft of Mei Sheng's lower lip, and when she cried out softly in pain, he pressed his finger against it violently.
A woman's soft voice and shameful pleas could be heard coming from inside the carriage.
Pei Jue seemed to murmur with dissatisfaction and doubt: "Most women in this world rely on men for survival. Wouldn't it be better for them to stay by my side?"
Mei Sheng closed her eyes and didn't reply. She knew that she couldn't reason with the person in front of her, and she wouldn't create any paradoxes that were incompatible with this dynasty, lest she get herself into trouble.
However, as she drifted off to consciousness, she still managed to reply, half-jokingly, "I want to go home."
She wanted to go home, to all her family and friends. She had always wanted to find a place to settle down when she first came into this world, to try a possibility that might not even have a one in ten thousand chance.
She felt out of place in this world, and after nearly a year of enduring it, her resentment only grew stronger.
During this time, she kept the thought of going home to herself and tried not to think about it, because the more she thought about it, the less Mei Sheng could control her thoughts.
The skin around his eyes gradually warmed up, and tears rolled down his face like rain, flowing into Pei Jue's palm, making his heart burn.
Go home? He murmured the word, and for some reason, he felt a sense of loss. He hugged his beloved child tightly, a chill running through him, as if the child would disappear if he didn't hold on tighter.
Upon closer inspection, he realized she was quite carefree; she had actually fallen asleep, leaving Pei Jue alone to ponder. His slightly agitated mind instantly calmed down, and he sarcastically remarked, "I'm bewitched."
The carriage traveled along the official road, passing through some hilly areas before stopping at a post station along the way to rest for the night before continuing its journey.
At the entrance of the post station, a young waiter saw this and hurriedly led the horse to the backyard, then called for people to let the guests go upstairs to rest.
At dusk, Han Zhou reported to Pei Jue about the soldiers from the capital who had returned to Wu County with Qing Yao, as well as other matters concerning their southward journey.
"This is a letter sent by the Crown Princess." Han Zhou knocked on the door and entered, placing the letter on the table.
Pei Jue gave a soft "hmm," casually picked it up, glanced at it a few times, and then burned it out with the candlelight.
Thinking of the matter in Yanjing, Pei Jue's eyes darkened, but his tone remained ordinary: "Since Father is so fond of beautiful women, just send a message to the manor, and they will know what to do."
Han Zhou felt a chill run down his spine. So those few girls the master left behind before he departed were there for this very moment. The master loved visiting brothels, but how could those girls, usually suffering from illnesses, possibly get close to him?
It seems this time is different from usual; the master is truly enraged.
"Go down."
Pei Jue dismissed everyone, went to the inner room, removed the wooden sticks propping up the window, and the room immediately became warm.
He stepped forward and lifted the obstructive curtain, revealing Mei Sheng's tightly closed eyes. With just one glance, he could tell that the woman was pretending to be asleep.
Pei Jue chuckled and deliberately reached out to lightly touch her cheek. Before he could go any further, she suddenly woke up and hurriedly took a step back.
Mei Sheng looked at him warily, and in her panic, the blanket slipped off, revealing her undergarment.
She swiftly grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around herself, leaving only her eyes showing as she stared straight at him, like a frightened little animal, making her seem pitiful.
Pei Jue chuckled inwardly and showed the small porcelain bottle in his hand: "This is to bring you medicine."
Although Mei Sheng was annoyed, she wouldn't go against her own health. She took the small porcelain bottle and then slowly and deliberately asked the guest to leave.
Pei Jue remained still and said gently, "Shall I apply the medicine for you?"
Thinking about why the medicine needed to be applied, Mei Sheng turned cold and said, "No need."
Pei Jue was slightly disappointed, but seeing that she was not throwing a tantrum at him like before, and although her face was cold, she was also more energetic, he stopped teasing her and said loudly with a laugh, "Wait for you for a moment, then go down to eat."
Quite some time later, Mei Sheng finally went out. She had come to a realization: rather than arguing with Pei Jue, it was better to go along with it for now and take things slowly.
After dawdling for quite some time, Mei Sheng finally went out, expecting a light scolding. However, Pei Jue didn't say anything, and his face showed no displeasure whatsoever.
Long tables and benches were set up on the first floor, and apart from the aroma of food, there were also soft conversations.
The two descended the steps, but unfortunately, Pei Jue was called away shortly after.
Perhaps because of the rain, there were not many diners on the first floor. Mei Sheng carefully drank her porridge and ate her pancakes. The food at night was not as plentiful as during the day, and there were only these simple dishes.
"Help me!"
"He's a kidnapper!"
At the door, a burly man in a straw raincoat dragged a young woman, soaked to the bone, into the house. The man was large, while the woman was thin and disheveled, clearly indicating that the marriage was a forced sale.
The desperate, hoarse voice was exceptionally loud, but the few people sitting nearby eating snacks remained unmoved, glancing at the person briefly before looking away.
Seeing Mei Sheng's surprised expression, a round-faced aunt at the side table advised, "They look like a couple. Look at that young woman, she's probably just trying to attract attention to make some money."
"Look at that fair and delicate skin, how could she have survived without this man's care?"
The auntie's words were all baseless guesses. Mei Sheng asked her in detail if she knew the two people. The round-faced auntie shook her head and scoffed, her eyes full of disdain.
Just then, a sound came from behind. The young woman had crashed into the lacquered wooden table and was calling for help from others. But most of the people on this floor were poor travelers, and none of them had the kindness to help a stranger.
Moreover, even the young waiter at the inn kept his distance, afraid of getting involved in anything.
Mei Sheng's gaze inadvertently fell on the jade pendant at the young woman's waist. His eyes flickered slightly, and ignoring the aunt's advice, he got up and went to the two people in front of him.
"Does the young lady have any evidence to prove that she was abducted? If so, I am willing to help you." Mei Sheng's voice was soft and melodious, and her attire suggested she was from a wealthy family.
The wailing young woman seemed to have caught a glimmer of hope. She quickly broke free, not caring about her disheveled clothes, and clung tightly to Mei Sheng's dress, crying and screaming, unable to utter a single meaningful word.
Seeing this, the burly man glared at Mei Sheng with a fierce expression. He swung his hand forcefully, but before he could get close, he was frightened to the spot by the guards behind Mei Sheng.
With her strength released, the young woman seized the opportunity to escape, running with disordered steps to hide behind Mei Sheng.
Seeing that the big man was about to make a move again, the guard drew his sword. The blade gleamed brightly, indicating that it was sharpened.
Now, the big man only dared to curse a few times and leave a few harsh words before fleeing the place in a panic.
The young lady was indeed no pushover. Seeing the villain leave, she carefully examined Mei Sheng's attire, then covered her face and said, "Thank you so much for saving my life, young lady. You truly have the heart of a Bodhisattva. You are like a fairy from heaven..."
With flattery in her words, and seeing the young woman crying with tears streaming down her face, Mei Sheng gave her face and pretended to be innocent and naive: "Sister, don't say that. My father once said that when we go out, we should help each other. You are so pitiful, how could I bear to leave you in the hands of evil people?"
Upon hearing this, the young lady immediately kowtowed several more times to Mei Sheng. After the first kowtow, she paused slightly, then propped her head up and swayed precariously, saying, "Miss, I didn't want to trouble you, but I haven't had a rest for the past three days. Could you please give me a place to stay?"
The woman was dressed in rags, her hair half-undone, and after her movements, she looked rather disheveled. Only her fair and delicate face remained visible beneath the yellow mud.
Mei Sheng frowned slightly, then booked a private room for her. The rain was pouring down, and there were plenty of empty rooms in the inn; coincidentally, the young woman's room was next to hers.
Inside the house, Pei Jue listened to the guards' instructions without preconceived notions, thinking that Mei Sheng was doing good deeds and hadn't even seen through the woman's little tricks.
He had no idea what Mei Sheng's purpose was, but he ordered the guards to keep a close eye on her and kill her if she posed any threat to Mei Sheng.
Upon hearing this, the guards respectfully withdrew.
In the stillness of the night, Mei Sheng took out the cracked yellow jade pendant from the cloth bag at her waist. In the dim candlelight, her eyes were slightly cold.
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