identity
Today is the day for a musical contest in the pavilion in the middle of the lake at Baiyu Bridge. Most of the participants are women, and those with lower official positions and higher aspirations all come to compete.
The thunder and rain had just passed, and the air was filled with a damp coolness. Along with the various exotic flowers by the lake, the autumn breeze carried an exceptionally fresh scent.
The sound of a zither drifted from the pavilion, drawing loud cheers from the men sitting around it. However, most of them were pretentious young men who knew nothing of refined music and were only interested in the slender, graceful figures of the women in the pavilion.
Inside a pavilion not far from Baiyu Bridge, the windows and doors were tightly shut, as if it disliked the hustle and bustle and couldn't see the grand spectacle over there.
"Why go out and suffer like this if you're not feeling well?" A man in dark black robes stood there, exuding an air of nobility. His black robes were embroidered with subtle gold patterns and adorned with rubies. A piece of black jade with flowing cloud patterns hung at his waist, and he wore black gilded boots.
Pei Jue frowned slightly, his eyes revealing a hint of disapproval. After speaking, he took a few steps forward, pulled out an outer robe from the hardwood Xiangfei cloth rack beside him, and wrapped it around the frail and unwell woman in front of him.
The woman lowered her head, her hair adorned with silver willow-shaped ornaments, a small jade pendant hanging from the end of a hairpin. Her clothes were simple: a blue upper garment and a pearl-colored lower skirt. A medicinal scent emanated from her, lingering in the air.
The most striking feature was the white veil covering her face; every time she coughed, her eyes would well up with tears, making her appear utterly pitiful.
The autumn air was chilly, but Mei Sheng didn't put on airs. She pulled her wide robe tighter, raised the food box hidden in her hand, and smiled, "Naturally, I'm delivering food to you, Master."
The woman was wrapped in a large robe, which made her face look smaller than the palm of her hand, but her eyes were slightly raised, watery and clear, and she was exceptionally beautiful.
Pei Jue was momentarily dazed. Had his wish come true today, just yesterday?
But judging from her appearance, she didn't seem to be faking it, nor did she ask for anything. Pei Jue couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and lightly scold, "Why would I need your dishes?"
Although it was a light rebuke, there was a hint of joy in her words, and the usual coldness in her eyes lessened slightly. Pei Jue raised his hand and felt the comfortable temperature on his forehead, which put his mind at ease.
Seeing the table laden with delicious food, Mei Sheng silently put down the food box, looking listless.
Seeing her distress, Pei Jue was in a good mood and gave her face. He took the initiative to pull the food box in front of him, picked up his chopsticks to taste the food, and praised her a few times.
Suddenly, the sound of a zither outside the window evoked the sounds of mountains and rivers, making one feel as if they were in a clear spring, implying a sense of tranquility and serenity.
Mei Sheng was lost in thought and even considered opening the window to see who was playing such a beautiful zither. But Pei Jue firmly held the window shut and shook his head at her: "You are still weak and cannot open the window to let in the wind."
For a moment the atmosphere between the two was acceptable. Mei Sheng suddenly fell into memories and smiled, "I wonder if you still remember two months ago, when you said you wanted me to help you break off your engagement?"
"I wonder whose daughter and gentleman are getting married?"
Pei Jue's chopsticks didn't even pause; his eyes were smiling as he looked at her and said, "You can be jealous too?"
It's easy to see from Pei Jue's attitude that he didn't take this seriously at all; it must have been a joke at the time, so the travel permit must have been a lie to deceive her.
And to be a maid?
Now, does she look like a maid? She's waited on hand and foot, gets to change into different clothes every day, and can even order the kitchen to prepare her own meals.
It's just... I can't go out.
Mei Sheng gave a sarcastic laugh, still unwilling to give up. She swallowed her jealousy and feigned arrogance: "I wonder if Your Highness would allow me to leave the manor from time to time?"
Now the two are neither master and servant nor have any official status, but that is enough for Mei Sheng to pretend to be pampered, and then she said with a smile, "It's so boring staying at the mansion every day."
Upon hearing this, Pei Jue frowned, thinking that she had gone off to play somewhere yesterday and had become too wild, so he coaxed her, "We'll talk about this later. Where did you go yesterday? Why are you all dressed up like this?"
However, since the woman had finally changed her attitude towards him, he was pleased with it, and his brow relaxed slightly, so he didn't scold her.
Mei Sheng's smile faded slightly, but not wanting to disrupt the current atmosphere, she turned to Pei Jue with a beaming smile, as if to explain.
Before Mei Sheng could speak, there was a knock on the door.
"Master, Miss Lu requests an audience." Han Zhou remained as taciturn as ever.
Before he could even utter the words "I don't see you," Pei Jue glanced at the woman beside him and saw her hurriedly putting a face mask on. A thought struck him, and he said, "Hmm."
If she could take this opportunity to reveal her true identity, that would be the best outcome.
Behind the screen, a woman's figure slowly approached. The closer she got, the more panicked the woman beside her seemed, almost burying her face in her hands.
Forget it. Pei Jue thought to himself that it was really boring to bully a little girl, so why bother arguing with her so much.
"What is it?"
Lu Qiao stopped as instructed, and behind the screen, she performed a set of proper etiquette without overstepping the bounds.
She held the object in both hands, lowered her head slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke with even greater deference: "Thank you for your help yesterday, Governor Pei."
Pei Jue glanced at the object, and the servant beside him placed it on the table; it was the Pei-character token.
"It was just a small favor."
Lu Qiao breathed a sigh of relief. As long as it was Governor Pei, that was fine. He would never spread rumors like that, and her matter would definitely be kept secret.
This conversation should have ended quickly, but after thinking it over, I still reminded him, "Governor Pei, since you know that the girl from the Zhou family is an imposter and the real girl has long been lost, why did you still agree to this marriage?"
Lu Qiao was dressed in red, flamboyant and bright, but a hint of hesitation and disgust flashed in her narrow eyes.
Could it be that he believed the rumors about his appearance circulating among the neighbors?
After speaking, her expression turned somber: "That Madam Lin of the Zhou family is vicious; she's been spreading rumors everywhere that the girl looks like my cousin. Her purpose is..."
"What is your purpose?" A casual voice came from behind the screen.
Lu Qiao raised her eyes and decided to finish what she had to say. She had initially thought it was to curry favor with the Crown Prince, but now she thought differently: "Naturally, it's for you, my lord."
In his words, he was treating this person as a substitute. Mei Sheng nodded secretly, "That's right."
Pei Jue hovered his fingertip over the woman's hair, circling it twice, his eyes showing no surprise: "Oh?"
Seeing that the governor did not believe her, Lu Qiao spoke excitedly: "That's true. I've seen that girl before. She only looks a little similar to me, but her manners and etiquette are very crude."
"I don't think so. She has a very good appearance, and her manners and etiquette are quite interesting." Pei Jue sat on the table, his fingertips moving constantly, running up his fine and smooth black hair, looking obedient.
The thought had barely formed in his mind when the woman pulled her hair back, and the skin that touched it trembled slightly, causing his hand to shake.
Lu Qiao panicked, suddenly remembering that day at the restaurant when she exposed the woman's identity, and Pei Jue even sent someone to tell her not to spread the word.
Now that no one was around, she was determined to bring these clandestine schemes to light and put them to trial: "Governor Pei, the Zhou family has been bringing their daughters back one after another. Their intentions are certainly not wicked. I hope Governor Pei will be careful and not fall into that woman's trap!"
After he finished speaking, no sound came from inside.
"Governor Pei?"
"Who do you think you are? Get down!" His words were full of impatience. If it weren't for her status and Pei Jue's unintentional desire to tease the woman in front of him, he wouldn't have tolerated her saying such things.
Lu Qiao had just spoken when the order to leave was given, so she could only leave with Han Zhou. A sound came from just before she stepped out the door.
Looking through the gap, Lu Qiao subconsciously turned her head back.
"Miss Lu, please."
Stepping out of the pavilion, Lu Qiao pondered for a long time before her expression suddenly changed. The commotion she had just heard and the glimpse of long hair she had inadvertently caught—that Governor Pei had actually done such a rule-breaking thing in broad daylight.
She looked up, a surge of anger rising within her, though she didn't know where it came from. The window that belonged to that person remained tightly shut, never opened.
On the couch, Mei Sheng braced herself against Pei Jue with one hand, her face full of hesitation, but she finally tentatively uttered the words that had been buried in her heart for a long time.
Actually, I lied to you.
Mei Sheng's eyebrows trembled slightly, her eyelashes fluttered incessantly, her breathing became slightly rapid, and her hands unconsciously gripped the fabric tightly.
Pei Jue noticed her unusual nervousness and asked in a gentle tone, with a hint of confusion, "What?"
Without anyone noticing, his hand had become entangled in the ends of her hair again, twirling it leisurely, his powerful aura enveloping the surroundings and completely enveloping the woman.
"Actually, I am a girl from the Zhou family."
Pei Jue raised an eyebrow. The woman so close to him had droopy eyelids, clearly feeling guilty and not daring to look at him.
"I see."
A realization flashed in Mei Sheng's eyes. It seemed that this person had indeed investigated her identity long ago, just as she had suspected.
Over time, they gradually stopped treating her like a maid. If she weren't a girl from the Zhou family, she might have been taken away by someone else on a whim, just like on the first day she returned to the Pei family.
Mei Sheng concealed the coldness in her heart, raised her eyes, and looked pitiful: "Ever since my mother took me back, she has kept a close watch on me. But I grew up in the countryside and couldn't bear it, so I could only listen to her."
"Later, my mother arranged a marriage for me. I was scared when I heard about it. That day, I panicked and tried to sneak out to play. When I regretted it and tried to find my way back, I got lost and couldn't find my way back."
"That night, I met you, sir."
Pei Jue nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and listened quietly.
Mei Sheng thought to himself: The traces from that day have long been washed away. Even if he had gone to investigate a few days earlier, he wouldn't have been able to find anything.
But she couldn't say that she hadn't intended to run away, because he wouldn't believe her anyway. Instead, she could say that she had considered escaping to play, in order to lower his guard.
"So, are you still afraid of me now?"
Pei Jue suddenly grabbed the woman's chin, his eyes smiling, and stared at Mei Sheng.
Upon first meeting Pei Jue's gaze at such close range, Mei Sheng felt her heart skip a beat, and she was suddenly stunned, her face instinctively turning red.
"I......"
Pei Jue scrutinized the reaction opposite him, smiled with satisfaction, and glanced at Mei Sheng's lips out of the corner of his eye. Her lips were like peach blossoms in early spring, with just the right amount of color.
With each breath, the touch on his hand grew hotter and hotter, the heat seeming to spread, flowing down his arm and into Pei Jue's heart.
He moved closer until the woman's long, flowing hair fell beside his cheek. His eyes darkened, and he was about to make a move.
"Sir, there is an important matter in the main hall."
The sound woke one of the people who had been lost in thought. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Mei Sheng quickly pushed him away, covered her face in shame and anger, and left.
When Han Zhou entered the house, he saw his master's eyebrows furrowed, looking at him with an expression he had never seen before, as if he were dissatisfied or angry.
He quickly cupped his hands in greeting: "Your Highness invites you."
"Um."
Upon hearing this, Pei Jue made up his mind; it seemed this charade should come to an end. The fact that the Crown Prince was able to safely reach Yuquan Manor showed that he had not only exposed the Fourth Prince's various crimes but also broken the situation of being trapped in the Eastern Palace.
Next, they discussed the matter of heading south.
"Serve her these dishes as usual, and also give her this token, telling her she can go to the hot spring on her own."
Pei Jue turned to the side, gave his instructions, and then walked outside.
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