Chapter 11: His identity exposed; he personally pierced his courtesy name.
A ring of wisteria blossoms entwined around the stone archway, their sparse shadows swaying between the two figures.
The two chatted about the art of flower cultivation.
Lin Xian said, "You can put a few broken tiles at the bottom of the flowerpot, fill the bottom with coarse soil, and fill the base of the seedling with fine soil. This way, the flower will be easier to survive and grow better."
"Hmm, I'll try next time." Mingying smiled faintly. Mr. Lin was so humble and polite that she respected him even more. She asked in return, "It seems Mr. Lin often grows flowers too?"
"Like you, I spend my free time planting flowers to pass the time." As if remembering something, Lin Xian added, "I have painted two camellia paintings. I gave you one last time, and I have the other at home. If we have the chance next time, I will give it to you as well."
Although the woman before him was confined to the inner quarters and of such a lowly status, every time he saw her, he could always see a budding vitality in her eyes.
Mingying quickly declined, saying, "Such a fine painting, given to someone like me by the master, is truly a hidden gem."
She was just a maid, but his paintings were worth more than a thousand of her lives.
Lin Xian saw through her embarrassment and awkwardness, and said calmly, "As I said before, the beauty of the world has no fixed owner, let alone personal preferences."
Mingying suddenly recalled those two sentences he had spoken at Fuguang Tower that day, which resonated in her mind: "I have always carefully studied your paintings, sir—"
"What are you talking about?"
A male voice carried on the wind, interrupting Mingying's words.
When Mingying heard that familiar voice, her heart skipped a beat.
She turned around abruptly and saw Pei Xiaoyun standing behind her at some point. His narrow eyes were deep and dark, and the corners of his mouth were slightly curved.
"Young master."
She felt as if someone had grabbed her throat, a chill ran through her, and she bowed hesitantly, stepping aside.
Her heart was pounding, and her thoughts were a jumbled mess.
Did he arrive early this morning? How much did he overhear just now? He doesn't like her going out, he doesn't like her talking to other men. Last time you managed to hide the matter of Fuguang Tower from him, but what about this time?
Pei Xiaoyun ignored her and looked at Lin Xian: "This is one of my concubines. She's always been unruly. Has she offended you?"
Although these words were meant for Lin Xian, she lowered her head even further upon hearing them.
Her face looked somewhat embarrassed; the more she tried to pretend not to care, the more disheveled she became.
Lin Xian: "It wasn't a collision. The mansion is too big, and I just happened to be asking this young lady for directions."
Pei Xiaoyun glanced at the two men with an inscrutable expression.
He asked Mingying to wait on the steps, and then invited Lin Xian to sit in the pavilion.
A servant brought him hot tea, and he sat opposite Lin Xian.
It seemed calm and peaceful, but it was anything but.
"Back then, you gave up a career in government and devoted yourself to the art of painting. I heard that now, people are willing to spend a fortune to buy one of your paintings."
When the painting was mentioned, he glanced at Mingying briefly, then looked away without changing his expression.
Mingying met his gaze briefly, and in that single glance, her palms were covered in a fine sheen of sweat. Unable to decipher his meaning, she lowered her head, trying to stare a hole through her own shadow.
After all, she had received Mr. Lin's paintings and kept them in her room without his knowledge.
Lin Xian remained calm and composed: "It's nothing but a laugh. A mere trick, how can it compare to your current status as a rising star with immense power and influence?"
Pei Xiaoyun simply laughed it off.
He looked at Mingying, who stood at a loss on the steps, and tapped the stone table with his knuckles. "Mian'er, come, pour tea for the guests."
Upon hearing his words, Mingying stepped forward with small steps. When her icy fingers touched the teapot, the heat seemed to melt her. Her fingertips trembled slightly as she moved the tea towards Lin Xian, saying, "Young Master Lin, please have some tea."
Pei Xiaoyun suddenly grabbed her trembling wrist and looked at her with a smile: "Why are you trembling? Are you scared of strangers?"
She was startled and almost knocked over the teapot.
She racked her brains for an explanation, but before she could speak, Lin Xian interrupted, "You summoned me here for what reason? Surely it's not to catch up?"
Pei Xiaoyun glanced at Lin Xian without leaving a trace.
He chuckled inwardly: What a wonderful show of fighting and protecting each other.
He said, "I want you to draw a map of the mountains in the six northwestern regions for me. After you do it, I will give you five times the reward."
Lin Xian remained silent for a moment, then drank the tea: "It's not that it's impossible, it's just that I can't finish the painting in a day or two."
Pei Xiaoyun needed his help, so she suppressed her displeasure and waited for him to be more polite before saying, "It's fine. You can stay at Lanqingzhuoyuan for the time being. After you finish painting, I will send someone to take you back to Hangzhou."
“Alright,” Lin Xian replied.
Mingying continued to listen attentively.
Seeing that Pei Xiaoyun was focused on official business and showed no anger on his face, she vaguely felt that she was overthinking things.
Unless Mr. Lin tells him, he might not know.
Besides, Mr. Lin doesn't seem like a troublemaker.
After Lin Xian agreed, Pei Xiaoyun instructed the servants to take him to the courtyard to settle in. He also specifically ordered that whatever Lin Xian wanted while he was painting should be given to him.
Lin Xian left, but Mingying remained leaning against the stone pillar, lost in thought.
"What are you standing there for? Don't you have any duties to perform?"
Pei Xiaoyun glanced at her.
"This servant takes her leave." Mingying curtsied and hurriedly withdrew, the huge weight in her heart finally lifted.
He didn't notice.
She's overthinking it.
—
Pei Xiaoyun left after meeting Lin Xian and did not return until late at night.
Having escaped once again by sheer luck, Mingying dared not speak to Lin Xian again, even though Lin Xian was staying at Lanqing Zhuoyuan.
Lin Xian was a man of principle, and when he encountered her, he would not take the initiative to talk to her, but would just nod slightly.
The full moon hangs high in the sky; it is already 11:45 PM.
Today it was Mingying's turn to keep watch. She waited for Pei Xiaoyun to return while making knots in her room.
With nimble fingers, a few strands of silk were plucked into a lark knot, with a delicate, warm, snow-white jade pendant hanging from the end. Such a plum blossom knot is most beautiful when pinned to a belt.
This tassel has a fashionable design, but it's not overly complicated or ostentatious. She wants to show it to Pei Xiaoyun when he comes back, hoping he will like it.
The light in front of the door suddenly brightened; he had returned.
She didn't notice the sinister look in his eyes and eagerly stepped forward to greet him, only to be met with two cold words.
"Kneel down."
She felt a sudden tightness in her chest; her earlier eager anticipation was replaced by fear, and she gradually knelt down.
Kneeling on the ground, not daring to raise her head, she could only see the shadow cast by his wide robe.
He wanted to punish her, but she didn't even dare to ask why.
Pei Xiaoyun ignored her and turned to deal with some official business.
His silence and refusal to comment were like a knife hanging over Mingying's head; if she made the slightest movement, the knife would fall.
She twisted her fingers until they turned white, and bit her lower lip until it was a deep red.
He hadn't been angry in a long time. She couldn't figure out what she had done wrong, no matter how hard she tried.
Was he annoyed that she hadn't waited for him outside on the porch? Or was the charcoal inside not warm enough?
Just as she was completely baffled, she saw him walking towards her.
Pei Xiaoyun closed the book, went to the table, picked up the square box, and opened it. Inside were the same pair of earrings. He had wanted to give them to her that day, but her ear piercings were too small for her to wear.
Recalling the scene of her singing and dancing with Lin Xian during the day, a fire burned in his heart, burning away all the tenderness he had left.
There's nothing inappropriate about it.
It's just a matter of whether she wants to wear it or not.
He took out the pair of earrings, dragged over a round-backed chair, and sat down in front of her.
Without uttering a word, he touched her soft earlobe with his fingertips, pierced the silver hook on the earring, and stabbed a hole in her earlobe, as if he wanted to carve his mark into her body with ruthlessness.
"It hurts...Young Master..."
An immense fear, like a raging flood, roared and devoured her.
Why did they treat her like this?
She couldn't guess the reason, nor did she dare to fight back desperately. All she could do was cry out and clutch his sharp, cold clothes tightly with both hands, hoping for his pity.
The left earlobe was pierced, and blood dripped onto the pearl in the earring, staining the pinkish-white pearl crimson.
"Don't shout." Pei Xiaoyun shook off her hand, pierced her right ear with the other earring, staring blankly and angrily.
"Look how good you look in it." He leaned forward suddenly, capturing her pained expression. "Compared to the painting he gave you, which do you prefer?"
Mingying felt as if she had been struck by lightning, her limbs and bones turning cold.
She was too naive, actually hoping to deceive him.
He could always see her every move; nothing she did escaped his eyes. It was like a bird kept in a cage; if it glanced outside, its owner would clip its wings.
"say."
His words were cold and harsh, as if they could dismember her and swallow her whole.
If Mingying wanted to drown in his shadow, her words of defense seemed pale and powerless: "This servant has nothing to do with Mr. Lin. We have only met twice, and it was just a chance encounter."
Pei Xiaoyun remained silent for a long time before reaching out her hand.
Mingying moved forward and pressed her face against his palm, like a cat or dog seeking affection.
"He gave you the painting, so it's only fair to return the favor. What are you planning to give him in return? How about I give you to him instead?" Pei Xiaoyun's palms were wet with her tears, and he wiped them away with his fingertips.
He waited quietly for her answer; if she answered yes, he would not hesitate to snap her neck.
The warmth dripped down her neck from her earrings, and with each drop, Mingying flinched a little.
Should I give her away to someone else?
In that instant, what struck me even more than astonishment was a bone-chilling cold.
Although she feared his domineering nature, she could also be captivated by his tenderness, even if only for a moment.
She had been with him for almost four years. During the most difficult year, she was constantly hampered by others and surrounded by crises.
When the assassin broke into the mansion, she shielded him from an arrow. The arrow grazed her neck, drawing blood. It was the first time she had ever been so close to death.
In the dead of winter, she was delivering a secret message for him. Fearing being caught, she hid in the icy lake for a day and a night.
She accompanied him from obscurity to fame and fortune, but he treated her as a plaything from beginning to end. Once his interest in her waned, it was time to get rid of her.
But all she ever wanted was for him to treat her like a human being.
Pei Xiaoyun's expression remained unchanged: "Are you willing or not?"
Mingying shook her head.
Honestly, I can only shake my head.
Pei Xiaoyun got the answer she wanted, wrapped her arms around that snow-white neck, and bit down again on the scabbed tooth mark.
The warmth inside the tent was intense, but Mingying was cleaved apart by his force.
The wind and waves were raging, and she was like a small boat adrift in the whirlpool, then overturned by the giant waves. Her cries were broken, and she gasped for breath like a dead fish, only to have her mouth shut by his lips. She could neither live nor die.
It was even more ruthless and frenzied than the last time.
He held her hair in his palm, gathering her flowing black strands one by one.
As she was on the verge of fainting, he loosened his restraints. She thought he was being lenient and letting her go, but a sharp pain suddenly shot through her chest.
He painstakingly tattooed his courtesy name on her body, stroke by stroke, and ruthlessly took everything from her.
The two characters "Ling Yuan" were tattooed on fair skin, their outlines filled with crimson, dazzlingly beautiful.
"Young master, it hurts... don't do this to me..."
Mingying kept crying until she had almost cried all her tears, at which point he finally stopped.
She lay in his arms, sobbing, her face pale and her hair disheveled, but her eyes were clear and bright.
"Go and get the painting." Pei Xiaoyun gently stroked her face. "Since you don't want to be with him, how can you take someone else's painting for no reason?"
Mingying's pupils contracted, and she struggled a few times in his arms.
For the first time, she harbored selfish thoughts and wanted to disobey his wishes.
She really liked that painting, and Mr. Lin gave it to her sincerely.
"Should I take it myself, or should I have someone search it?" Pei Xiaoyun's patience ran out, and her voice turned cold.
Mingying suddenly stopped breathing. Lin Xian lived in the courtyard, and she didn't want to make things awkward.
After getting off the bed, he put on a piece of clothing that he had torn to shreds and went to retrieve the painting.
Pei Xiaoyun took the painting, casually unfolded it, glanced at it a few times, and said sarcastically, "It's not bad, but are you worthy of it?"
He wouldn't allow her to have any other thoughts; all she had to do was stay obediently by his side and be a beautiful woman, and that would be enough.
Mingying remained silent, her neck stiff, but her eyes slowly reddened.
Some say she deserves it, while others say she doesn't.
Looking at her like this, Pei Xiaoyun became even more sarcastic: "What, he said a few words to you and you've become so arrogant?"
"The world and its affairs have no permanent masters? Aren't you now kneeling down and begging your master?"
Mingying's heart felt like it had been torn apart, crushed into pieces, and then trampled into the ground, turning into a pile of mud that could never be pieced back together.
Shame, self-respect—all gone.
Her tears fell to the ground like blooming flowers.
Pei Xiaoyun casually wiped away her tears: "Go tell him that you are just a woman from the inner quarters, ignorant and foolish. Giving you this painting is truly a waste of a precious gem and an insult to this work."
A note from the author:
----------------------
[anger]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
