Chapter 3 Punishment for Offending His Fiancée
"Mian'er, is that so?"
That sentence was so somber it was almost dripping with gloom.
Mingying's heart pounded, and she immediately began to argue.
However, Pei Xiaoyun didn't seem to care about her explanation. He glanced coldly at Pei Jingzhou, who was struggling on the ground, as if he were looking at a stupid ant, and then left without looking back.
Mingying buttoned up her clothes and quickly followed behind him, keeping her head down and not daring to speak to him again.
Such things do happen.
Once upon a time when she was in Yangzhou, an official came to visit her. During the meal, he heard her play a pipa piece and jokingly asked Pei Xiaoyun if she would be willing to part with her beloved pipa as a gift.
As a servant, she naturally dared not refute him to his face, but she guessed that the young master would not give her away to someone else.
As expected, Pei Xiaoyun immediately turned cold and chased the person away, but left her standing outside the door all night.
She had been soaked in the rain all night, feeling wronged but unable to speak out.
It was clearly not her fault, so why treat her like this?
But later she found out that he didn't like her going out, nor did he like her getting too close to other men. Even if there was nothing between them, if he saw it, she would be the one who suffered.
In his presence, she was like a humble ant crawling slowly, unworthy to tell him she liked him, and dared not disobey his wishes.
He said he liked her gentle and unassuming nature, so he named her Mian'er (meaning "soft and gentle girl"). When he called her name, she would respond again and again.
When I returned to Lanqing Zhuoyuan, only a few rays of the setting sun remained in the sky.
Pei Xiaoyun went straight into the study, laid out some paper as if he was going to write something. He didn't say anything, so Mingying didn't dare to go in and disturb him. Because he didn't say anything, she didn't dare to leave at will, and could only stand outside the door in the cold wind.
Lights were lit in every courtyard, and the candlelight reflected in Mingying's eyes, making her look dazed.
Still feeling the effects of the cold, she was getting tired from standing. The cold wind clung to her skin, and she kept rubbing her frostbitten knuckles, thinking to herself: I should have worn more clothes today.
Pei Xiaoyun's personal guard, Kong Qing, dressed in black, walked over and, seeing Ming Ying standing in front of the door, couldn't help but ask suspiciously, "Why is Miss Ming standing here?"
Kong Qing was an old friend who had followed Pei Xiaoyun since Yangzhou, and was also familiar with Ming Ying. The three of them, master and servant, had gone through thick and thin together.
Mingying glanced at the upright figure in the room, said nothing, and only shook her head at Kong Qing.
Kong Qing guessed Pei Xiaoyun's temper, so she didn't say anything more and stepped inside.
The old emperor is seriously ill, and all affairs of the court have been handed over to the crown prince. Pei Xiaoyun, as the crown prince's only confidant, is drafting a plan to reopen the imperial examinations for the crown prince.
"Sir, I have found out that the Duke forcibly abducted a peasant woman a year ago and ordered his guards to beat her and her entire family of four to death. The woman, unable to bear the humiliation, committed suicide by hitting her head against a wall. Because a lot of money was spent, the matter was suppressed."
Kong Qing reported this as soon as he entered the room.
Pei Xiaoyun paused slightly, a mocking smile playing on her lips: "Anything else?"
He simply couldn't believe that his father's hands were so "clean".
"The young lady who had been staying at the manor suddenly became pregnant. Upon investigation, I found that the child was related to the Duke. Later, the young lady was secretly sent to the estate, but she suddenly fell ill and passed away a few days later."
“Very good.” Pei Xiaoyun’s eyes gleamed with excitement. “Send all the evidence we’ve gathered to the Dali Temple.”
That old bastard must die.
He will get rid of these annoying mice and sparrows in the house one by one.
After Kong Qing left, he picked up his pen and wrote with great flourish. The words that fell were like clusters of flames, which gathered together and burned fiercely.
"Thud"
The wolf-hair brush was broken. His back was slightly bent, and he was breathing heavily. His forehead was covered with sweat, as if countless ants were gnawing at his bones, trying to suck his blood and flesh dry.
His eyes were bloodshot. He clutched his chest to catch his breath and raised his hand to sweep the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone off the table.
The noise inside startled Mingying, who was dozing on the stone steps. She heard his faint, heavy groan, and with a start, she lifted her skirt and ran inside.
Steam rose from behind the beaded curtain, and a wave of hot mist swept over her, causing her frozen knuckles to feel a slight tingling heat.
Pei Xiaoyun was already in a daze and fell to the ground.
Mingying had seen him like this before. Ever since she followed him, she knew that he had been poisoned and that he would have several times a month when he was in the most miserable state.
She didn't know why he was like this. To outsiders, he was an arrogant young master, as proud as a snow-capped mountain, but when he took off his robes at night, his back was covered with hideous scars.
He never told her these things, and she dared not ask.
Judging from his appearance, the poison has flared up again.
"Young Master..." Her voice trembled with worry for him as she used all her strength to help him up.
Pei Xiaoyun's heavy body pressed down on her, and after she was settled, his large hand suddenly grabbed her neck.
He exerted force inch by inch, as if he wanted to break her neck.
Mingying's face was bluish-purple, and hot tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. She desperately pounded on his hand, only able to let out soft sobs.
"Waaah..."
Pei Xiaoyun finally opened her eyes. The woman in front of her had tears streaming down her pale face, like a flower that had been battered by wind and rain.
He realized what he was doing and loosened his grip.
Recognizing her, he uttered a few words from his pale lips: "Who let you in?"
He deliberately ignored her, yet she dared to come in on her own initiative.
Mingying was suffocating and her whole body was limp. She dared not delay for a moment and forced herself to use her strength to find the medicine in the jade box.
Find the jade porcelain bottle he always carried, pour out a brown pill, and then pour a cup of warm water to his lips. "Young master, take your medicine quickly."
She couldn't bear to see him like that, and even if he wanted to punish her afterward, she would still barge in.
Pei Xiaoyun was in unbearable pain and swallowed the pill with the warm water that she was given.
After taking the medicine, he rested his chin on his hand and pretended to sleep.
Those people, those events, those bizarre and mottled scenes flashed before his eyes one by one.
He suppressed a low gasp from his throat, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.
Mingying took the initiative to massage his forehead to relieve the pain. After a while, his breathing gradually calmed down, and the poisoning attack passed again.
Seeing that he was alright, Mingying gently removed her fingers from his forehead, bent down, and softly asked him, "Young Master, are you feeling better?"
Pei Xiaoyun's thin eyelids twitched slightly as he gazed into her soft, moist eyes, which held only him in them.
He felt the pent-up emotions in his chest dissipate somewhat, soothed by her sweet voice.
He almost strangled her to death just now.
"Much better." He looked at her neck, which was tinged with red marks. "Did I hurt you just now?"
Mingying shook her head. She knew that when he was poisoned, he was delirious and couldn't recognize people.
"It's good that you're alright, young master."
She suddenly realized that he hadn't let her in, and turned to leave, but Pei Xiaoyun grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms.
Pei Xiaoyun held her in his arms, letting her sit between his legs, his chin resting on her shoulder, inhaling the fragrance of her hair.
"Have you still not finished learning the characters I taught you when we were in Yangzhou?"
Mingying felt a surge of warmth in her heart, her cheeks flushing slightly: "Yes, I set off when I was only halfway through writing the calligraphy."
Her handwriting wasn't very good.
He taught her to write stroke by stroke. For countless days and nights before, he held her like this, teaching her to correct her posture and strokes.
“Come on, I’ll teach you how to finish writing.” Pei Xiaoyun, just like before, enveloped her hand in his palm.
Her clear, melodious voice was like a sweet, refreshing wine, captivating Mingying completely.
Her mind was in turmoil, how could she concentrate on writing? Her limbs were burning with heat.
"Focus." Pei Xiaoyun kissed her fair earlobe. "If you misspell a word, the punishment will be the same as before."
Mingying's face instantly flushed crimson. Being held so intimately by him, she unconsciously made many mistakes in her writing.
Then, a pair of hands reached under her skirt, carrying out those shameful punishments...
—
As soon as the gong sounded, the servants began their morning sweeping.
When Pei Xiaoyun got up, Mingying woke up. She wanted to get up to serve him, but he pressed her back into bed: "I'll call them. Weren't you saying you were tired all night? Sleep a little longer."
His eyes were filled with the lingering tenderness of last night.
Mingying blushed and buried herself back in the covers.
Pei Xiaoyun ordered someone to bring in several new sets of clothes. Knowing that she was shy, he turned her over and gently touched her rosy nose. "The clothes you wore yesterday weren't warm enough. Don't wear them anymore. I made you some new clothes."
Mingying slowly stood up, gazing at the several beautiful new outfits, her eyes sparkling with a subtle light: "Thank you, young master, I will wear them."
Pei Xiaoyun loved her obedient appearance the most. His dark eyes deepened, and he wanted to strip her completely naked. However, he couldn't indulge in the pleasures of the bedchamber because of his official duties.
As he left, he said, "You are not allowed to go anywhere today. Just stay in this courtyard. If you are bored, let Ling Shuang take you to a few waterside pavilions. I will be back soon."
—
After Pei Xiaoyun left, Mingying casually picked out a peach-pink dress to wear. This dress was already quite eye-catching, and she didn't want to wear any more jewelry. Given her status, it wasn't good to be too flamboyant.
There wasn't much to do in the courtyard, so she and Ling Shuang did needlework in the morning and played backgammon in the afternoon. Remembering that Pei Xiaoyun had said he would be back early, she put down the backgammon and went to make tea for him.
He loved drinking the osmanthus dew she brewed the most.
The small porcelain stove bubbled and steamed, sending up wisps of white mist.
Her thoughts drifted, and suddenly she thought of her days in Yangzhou.
When he returned from his official duties, he would bring her her favorite snacks, have a cup of tea brewed by her, and teach her to read and write at night.
She couldn't quite understand the whole book, but she always loved to flip through some supernatural tales. He would deliberately embellish them and tell them to her, which scared her so much that she would hold him tightly as she slept at night.
For those three years, it was just the two of them.
Those were the days she missed the most.
The porcelain lid was lifted by the boiling tea, pulling her back to reality.
The tea was boiling, and it was time to add rock sugar. She went to ask Ling Shuang where she could get rock sugar, and Ling Shuang told her to go to the kitchen to get it.
When the kitchen servants saw her arrive, they politely gave her a large bag of rock sugar.
Mingying thanked her and, as she came out, a small, snow-white dog followed her. She crouched down and petted it, and the dog wouldn't leave her side, following her all the way to the inner courtyard.
She finished brewing the tea and saw the dog lying on the threshold. She guessed it belonged to someone in the kitchen and wanted to take it back, but it darted out through the side gate.
She hurriedly went out to chase after him, and walked along the pebbled path until she arrived at the outer courtyard.
The Duke's Mansion is elegant and spacious, with a layout featuring winding corridors.
She was new to the area and unfamiliar with the various courtyards. By the time she caught up with the dog, she had no idea where she was.
Walking forward through a bamboo grove, you come to a small building with a covered walkway. A man and a woman are walking side by side, their steps slow and their posture ambiguous.
Mingying recognized the tall, jade-like man in the blue round-necked robe he had worn that morning; it was Pei Xiaoyun.
The woman beside him was beautiful, adorned with jewels, and affectionately took his hand, sweetly calling out, "Brother A-Yun."
Mingying lowered her eyes, her heart ached, and her feet felt like they were glued to the bluestone bricks; she didn't know how to take a step.
Finally, the woman standing next to Pei Xiaoyun noticed her, frowning slightly: "Brother A-Yun, who is she?"
Pei Xiaoyun's gaze on Ming Ying grew colder, as if he wanted to bore a hole through her.
After a long pause, he said calmly, "Just a servant in the manor."
He glanced at Princess Jianing beside him, and seeing that Mingying was still not leaving, he displeasedly shooed her away: "No manners, get down here now."
A note from the author:
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