Chapter 40 The corpse made her give up on him, but she changed her mind and fell in love with him again.
After finishing his work, Pei Xiaoyun finally had time to return to the mansion to see Mingying.
According to the maid who was assigned to serve her, she has gradually started to eat a little these past few days, but she still sits alone by the window, looking at something from day to night, and doesn't respond to anyone calling her.
Upon hearing this, he couldn't help but sneer. What else could she be thinking about but Lin Xian?
The room was dark and dim, with only the outlines of a few tables and chairs clearly visible.
He lifted the beaded curtain and went inside. With a loud bang, a vase crashed to his feet, sending tiles flying.
He gritted his teeth, his anger rising, and smashed the beaded curtain, making it sway wildly. He called for a maid to light a lamp, and only then did he see that the room was a mess, with everything smashed and nothing of value left.
She took off her shoes, curled up in the corner of the tatami mat, hugged her legs, and stared at him with resentful eyes.
"Who gave you the guts?" His Adam's apple bobbed as he pulled her off the bed.
Normally, she wouldn't dare to act so recklessly.
Because Lin Xian died, she lost all restraint and decided to go all out and fight him to the bitter end.
Mingying was thrown onto the soft mat with a dull thud, but it didn't hurt. Tears welled up in her eyes.
These past few days, she has been under house arrest here, unable to hear a single word from the outside world, and countless anxieties are coiling around her heart like venomous snakes.
She witnessed him fall off the cliff and knew that people are only human, so she gradually succumbed to reality and believed that the odds were against her.
No matter what, she just wanted to see him one last time.
But Pei Xiaoyun wouldn't do that; he wouldn't agree to help her find someone.
He pushed everyone to this point, yet he still wouldn't let her go.
Pei Xiaoyun stared at her face for a while.
Those eyes were swollen like a pair of ripe peaches; it goes without saying who those tears were for.
What would she do if she were told that Lin Xian was not dead? Would she immediately wipe away her tears, endure the humiliation, and continue to feign compliance with him in order to be with the one she loved?
But he doesn't like to force people.
He also didn't want to keep someone whose heart didn't belong to him by his side.
Therefore, she will never know the truth.
He wanted her to slowly give up, to gradually forget a "dead man," and to willingly stay with him.
“I can find his body for you.” He forced down his agitation and said to her in a slightly calmer tone, “But the dead cannot be brought back to life, and you are not allowed to cry for him anymore.”
Mingying's breathing trembled slightly; she found it hard to believe what she heard.
Helpless, she wiped away her tears, met his deep, dark eyes, and hoped that what he said was true.
The dead cannot be brought back to life, but she didn't want him to lie there alone; she was determined to find him.
"I want to see my brother..." She wiped away her tears, but still couldn't stop sobbing.
“He’s fine. I’ve sent him back to the Northwest to guard the border.” Pei Xiaoyun grabbed her wrist. The blood on her fingertips had frozen and was terribly cold. “As long as you behave, I promise I won’t hurt him. In a few days, I’ll reunite you and your brother.”
It's that same excuse again.
Mingying bit her lower lip, her back trembling with anger. A tear fell onto the cushion, instantly spreading into a blotchy mess.
He only uses the people around her to coerce her; it used to be Ziming, and now it's her brother.
She loathed this despicable and shameless man.
But she was trapped here by him and couldn't do anything.
In the days that followed, all Mingying could do was wait for his news.
She was afraid he would change his mind, so when facing him, she dared not resist or express her dissatisfaction. She maintained a forced smile on the surface, and no matter what he said, she would just nod or shake her head calmly.
Pei Xiaoyun saw that she didn't speak all day and was at a loss. He couldn't possibly pry her open her mouth and force her to talk.
Fearing she might develop a mental illness from being bored, they ordered someone to catch the two gray sparrows that often perched on the windowsill and chirped, and put them in a cage for her to raise.
When they returned the following evening, the cage was empty.
"You released those two birds?"
Mingying had dark circles under her eyes and looked unwell. When she saw him come in, she only frowned slightly: "Why are you locking them up? They have wings and can fly freely. It's really pitiful to keep them in cages."
Pei Xiaoyun could easily tell that she was implying that she was a pitiful bird in a cage.
What's so pitiful about her?
He feeds her and dresses her, and now he treats her like a master, fulfilling her every wish, yet she still claims to be pitiful.
He didn't mince words with her, his brows furrowing as he coldly snorted, "You seem to have forgotten the days when you were a maid."
When she was his concubine, she was exposed to the wind and sun all day long, serving tea and water, but she never uttered a single complaint.
They really don't know what's good for them.
“I was foolish before.” Mingying was afraid of angering him, so she didn’t dare to say more and just said something vague.
Just like a starving and freezing person who sees a tattered piece of clothing or a dirty steamed bun, they would pick it up and treat it as a treasure.
But she was no longer the person who expected to be cared for; she no longer cared about clothes or steamed buns.
But he still insisted on giving her those broken things, saying that he was good to her.
Those three years in Yangzhou were the silliest time of her life.
She has had more and better things.
His meager goodness is less valuable than grass and not worth mentioning.
Her words had a hidden meaning, but Pei Xiaoyun understood them completely.
She was so cold and heartless, erasing their tender past as if Mian'er, whom he held in his hands, had never existed.
Spring breeze blows along the ten-mile road of Yangzhou.
In her eyes, it was something that could be completely forgotten.
What he now sees is nothing more than a stubborn, unyielding stone.
Lin Xian must have bewitched her.
"I found his body." He smiled, a strange curve forming his lips, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.
It doesn't matter, Lin Xian is already "dead," and no one will interfere with their relationship anymore.
Everything can go back to the way it was before.
Mingying's knuckles suddenly curled up, a hint of life squeezed out of her face, and layers of blurry images appeared before her eyes. Her voice trembled and became hoarse: "I want to see him!"
Pei Xiaoyun readily led her to the county government's morgue.
He had examined the body of the death row inmate repeatedly. The body was eight or nine parts similar to Lin Xian's. It was deliberately faked as a serious injury, with the face gouged out and bloodied, so she could not easily see through it.
When Mingying got off the carriage, her legs felt like lead, and she walked very slowly, almost as if Pei Xiaoyun was pushing her.
The closer she got, the more she couldn't stop herself from crying.
Thinking of the scenes of him fighting the Wuhuan people and falling off the cliff to buy her time, her heart felt as if it had been ripped open again, spasming and convulsing with pain. Every breath of cold air felt like inhaling thousands of knives.
She still couldn't believe that her gentle and refined husband would lie there quietly, neither speaking nor moving...
"Weren't you supposed to see him off on his final journey? Hurry up and leave." Pei Xiaoyun couldn't help but feel annoyed seeing her crying so sadly.
Upon arriving at the morgue, the body was covered with a white sheet.
Upon seeing this, Mingying's legs went weak, and if Pei Xiaoyun hadn't supported her arms, she probably would have collapsed to the ground.
A bluish hand hung limply under the white cloth, with a little finger missing from the palm.
Mingying covered her mouth and nose, trembling, and tears flowed silently like a dam bursting.
Is it him? Is it really him?
Those hands that combed her hair, dressed her, painted her paintings, and composed music for her.
She thought of that night, when the two of them sat facing each other, separated by a dim candlelight. He stood upright, like a pine tree, as he picked up his brush to paint.
His warm voice rang in my ears: "I'm drawing you, drawing you so I can see you anytime."
She wanted to reach out and touch it, but all that warmth had long since vanished like smoke.
Pei Xiaoyun listened to her crying, but remained indifferent. He waved for someone to lift the white cloth, revealing a bloodied and mangled face.
"When I sent people to find him, he was lying on the rocks, already dead, and his face was unrecognizable."
When Mingying saw that face, although the features were indistinguishable, the outline kept overlapping with the face in her memory.
"Ziming, Ziming..."
Overwhelmed by grief, she wanted to rush over, but Pei Xiaoyun held her back tightly.
If she gets closer and discovers something amiss, wouldn't she start threatening to kill herself again?
"Alright, the dead cannot be brought back to life." He whispered in her ear, seemingly having reached his limit, "For your sake, I will give him a proper burial."
Having met once, I have already done more than enough.
He pulled her towards the door, but Mingying kept turning back to look at him, finally shaking off his hand: "Let go of me, I want to see him again..."
They went through the wedding ceremony, and she became his lawfully wedded wife.
She wanted to accompany him on his final journey and personally attend his funeral.
But she was no match for Pei Xiaoyun's strength. She was completely powerless as he picked her up and put her into the car. She tried to struggle, but he held her down tightly with his large body.
"Don't push your luck. I will have someone take good care of his funeral arrangements."
Pei Xiaoyun had expected her to be sad, but she never imagined she would cry like this, almost running out of tears, looking like a completely different person.
He couldn't help but wonder if she would do the same for him if he died one day.
He quickly dismissed this absurd idea; if he were to die, he would take her with him.
For all eternity, she will never be able to leave him.
Mingying reacted violently, using both hands and feet to push away the weight on her. Pei Xiaoyun was annoyed by her antics, so he simply tied her up with a rope and warned her, "I'm telling you, I can find him, and I can grind him to dust. From now on, you are not allowed to shed a single tear for a dead man, do you hear me?"
He gently wiped her eyes with his fingertips. Her skin, reddened by tears, resembled a withered flower, as if it would shatter at the slightest touch.
Mingying's eyes were lifeless as she huddled in the corner, silently shedding tears.
She lost all hope, felt worse than dead, and slowly withered away.
By the time they arrived at the mansion, dusk had fallen.
Pei Xiaoyun untied her and, after some coercion and enticement, forced her to drink the liquid, and she finally stopped crying.
He ordered a maid to wash her face. With a hot towel covering and wiping, her face turned bright red, her features scrunched up, like a lost cat.
His expression shifted slightly, and he was about to step forward to say something to her when he saw her suddenly lose her balance and lean forward, pressing against his chest...
Since He Lianqing had not yet arrived in Guanzhou, he had to ask other doctors for help.
After examining her, the doctor said that she had fainted due to excessive grief and a sudden surge of anger.
He had planned to set off for Xuzhou the next day, but considering that she was still unconscious and the journey would be tiring, he had no choice but to put aside his work and wait for her to wake up.
Five days later, He Lianqing and Xing Wei arrived, and Mingying also woke up.
Pei Xiaoyun was talking with the local magistrate in his study when he heard that someone had woken up. He quickly dropped the trivial official business and went straight to his bedroom.
As I reached the threshold, I saw a maid carrying out a bowl of untouched medicine.
The maid looked troubled and shook her head, indicating that she refused to drink.
Pei Xiaoyun said coldly, "Bring it in."
I thought that after a serious illness, I would be more gentle when I woke up.
Unexpectedly, it turned out to be a hard rock.
As soon as he entered, Mingying, wearing only a thin nightgown, was leaning against the bed. When she saw him come in, she remained calm and acted as if no one else was around.
Pei Xiaoyun felt a surge of anger rising within her. She took the medicine from the maid's hand, almost spilling some, and said to her with suppressed anger, "Your brother heard that you were sick and sent a letter. He drank the medicine for me himself, and I'll read it to you."
Mingying suddenly looked up, her breathing becoming rhythmic, opening and closing.
The only glimmer of hope that sustained her was her brother.
"I'll drink it." She murmured, picked up the medicine, and drank it all in one gulp.
After drinking the medicine, the two looked at each other and remained silent.
It was a long period of calm.
Seeing that the grief in her eyes had lessened a bit, Pei Xiaoyun forcefully pressed her head against his chest without saying a word. "He is dead. From now on, every spring, I will have someone burn two extra stacks of paper money for him. It's all in the past. From now on, you should stay with me obediently, and I will not mistreat you."
That person is dead, so she should be able to give up now.
In this world, if she doesn't go with him, who else can she go with?
Mingying was forced to press against his chest, and she sneered repeatedly.
Did he think that now that her husband was dead, she would devote herself entirely to him? Impossible!
She knew him perfectly well; if it weren't for him, everyone would be doing just fine.
After he finished speaking, she pushed him away.
"Don't touch me."
This push caught Pei Xiaoyun off guard. He was surprised by her resistance, and her continued indifference shattered his hopes.
She wouldn't let him touch her?
Does she intend to "remain faithful to her husband"?
"My patience has its limits. You're still thinking about a dead man?!"
Mingying wouldn't allow him to say that. Her eyes gleamed with determination, and her words were clear and forceful: "No matter what he is like, he is still my husband, and nothing will change that. If you can't stand it, then kill me with one blow. If you don't kill me, we'll live like this."
She and Pei Xiaoyun had long since severed all ties.
There is only hatred left, no affection.
Pei Xiaoyun clenched his fist, making his knuckles crack, and a sinister smile appeared on his face: "Fine, you're very good."
After saying that, he coldly turned and left.
He didn't look at her again.
His words and actions instilled fear in Mingying. She genuinely thought he was going to go out and get a knife to kill her. She shrank back under the covers, clutching her cold fingertips, ready to be slaughtered, waiting for death to come.
But until the candlestick was blown out by the wind, his footsteps were never heard again.
She breathed a slight sigh of relief, but a wave of exhaustion washed over her, and she collapsed.
Late at night, in Guanzhou Prison.
The air was thick with the stench of blood; dead bodies were everywhere.
He Lianqing looked pale and sickly, and as he watched the bloody corpses of death row inmates being carried out, he almost vomited bile.
Looking at the food mixed with blood and hair placed at the door, he had no appetite at all, even though his stomach was empty.
He and Xingwei escaped death from the cliff and returned to Hangzhou with each other's help. They were immediately taken to Guanzhou. Not only did they eat their mouths full of sand on the way, but when they arrived in Guanzhou, they were thrown into prison.
He knew that he had angered Pei Xiaoyun, who was secretly warning him that if he continued to meddle, he would become one of those corpses.
I heard that Ming Ying was arrested and taken back as usual, and Young Master Lin also unfortunately fell off a cliff and died.
He squatted in the corner, grabbed a handful of dry straw, and watched the bits of straw spill through his fingers.
One can't help but wonder if all that effort was for nothing, and whether it was right or wrong.
If he had abandoned his humble abode that day and gone far away alone, he would probably be wandering the world now.
Doing so many futile things just to gain a sense of peace of mind, there's no question of whether it's worth it or not.
At least he can get a good night's sleep in a place like this.
With a thud, the iron gate opened and closed, and the wind that followed instantly diluted the heavy stench of blood.
He Lianqing thought it was a prison guard bringing food, so she didn't even lift her eyelids and said weakly, "Don't bring any more. Seeing that stuff makes me want to throw up my food from the day before yesterday."
It must have been really tough on Pei Xiaoyun, who came up with all sorts of ways to disgust him every day, putting bits of meat or fingers in his food.
But the commotion didn't stop. A clean food box was placed beside him, and a woman's indifferent voice came: "Hurry up and eat. Your master is waiting for you to prepare the medicine."
He Lianqing suddenly opened her eyes. After not seeing him for a few days, Xing Wei had changed his clothes. He was wearing his usual black clothes, his hair was tied up high, and he looked aloof.
He could hardly imagine the day they fell into the ravine, how she risked her life to pull him out despite being seriously injured.
Only he knew that she wasn't just a cold and aloof person.
But she seemed to be used to decorating herself with sharp, hard thorns; he had only seen her disheveled and vulnerable state for a fleeting moment.
He slowly opened the food box. The food was simple, but it was clean.
Pei Xiaoyun would certainly not treat him so kindly; these things must have been given to him secretly.
He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. Her posture was not as upright as usual. She was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed and her brows slightly furrowed.
Needless to say, Pei Xiaoyun must have reprimanded her for her poor performance and made her go to receive the punishment.
"Thank you." He withdrew his gaze hastily, took out the food, and sighed, "If you had listened to me that day, you wouldn't have had to suffer this punishment."
After they climbed out of the stream, soaking wet, he suggested that if they returned to the manor, Pei Xiaoyun would definitely blame them and they would suffer the consequences.
Why don't we each go our separate ways and go our separate ways, wherever we want?
Xingwei's brow twitched, and she suddenly drew her sword, pressing it against his neck: "You saved me, I saved you, so we're even. But I haven't settled the old score with you for lying to me."
"I was just saying," He Lianqing said helplessly, spreading her hands. "Haven't we come full circle again?"
She was still the same as always, with a fiery temper and a hard heart, ready to draw her sword after saying just a few words.
After a few breaths of stalemate, Xingwei met his gaze, her mind a complete blank.
For some reason, she's been having this feeling lately, as if some extremely bad memory is about to surface and fill the blank space in her mind.
But the tangled mess has no beginning or end, and the slightest disturbance causes immense physical and mental anguish.
Leave? But where should she go?
Her memory was hazy; she couldn't remember her home or her family.
She sheathed her sword and said calmly, "I don't know where to go. I just want to follow my master and seek revenge on the Wuhuan people."
As for what revenge she wanted, she couldn't remember.
He Lianqing thought she was unyielding, but he didn't expect her to answer him seriously.
He said, “A gentleman takes revenge even after ten years. My master and senior sister also died under the swords of the Wuhuan people. I hate them too, but I think they would want me to live well. Your family must feel the same way.”
As he spoke, his eyes reddened: "I believe that one day, our iron cavalry from the Central Plains will crush the Wuhuan Kingdom and make them pay for their crimes."
Xingwei gripped the sword hilt tightly, her wrist trembling in her sleeve. Hearing his words, her heart ached uncontrollably.
I don't know what's causing the pain.
—
Mingying barely slept a wink all night; every time she closed her eyes, all she could see was Lin Xian's unrecognizable face.
He died saving her, but she couldn't collect his body or see him off on his final journey.
She felt guilty towards him, so she dared not let him into her dreams.
She sat quietly all night until nothing more came out of her eyes, her vision blurred, like a wandering soul devoid of energy.
Early in the morning, a ray of light shone in, and she blinked slightly, but nothing could arouse her interest.
A maidservant came in with clothes, intending to help her with her hair and makeup: "Miss, it's time to get up. The boat is waiting at the ferry. The master is going to take you to Xuzhou."
Mingying moved her fingers, turned her head, and said, "I'm not going."
The maid was speechless after being choked by the words. She tried to persuade her several times, but when she couldn't convince her, she had no choice but to give up.
She was a maid that Pei Xiaoyun had recently hired, and she had no idea about Mingying's former identity. She still thought that Mingying was a woman that the master had taken a liking to in Guanzhou.
The man is powerful, influential, and exceptionally beautiful, yet this young woman is still unwilling. She truly doesn't know how to enjoy her good fortune and is ungrateful.
Pei Xiaoyun was not very surprised to hear that the person refused to go.
He knew she wouldn't agree; he had long since lost all patience.
He strode into the room and saw her sitting inside the tent with disheveled hair, looking completely lifeless.
This sight reignited his anger. He grabbed her ankle and dragged her out, letting her knees slam against the cold wooden footstool without flinching.
He looked down at her and asked, "Are you going or not?"
“No—I won’t go—” Mingying tightened her jaw, refusing to give in, and her knees immediately turned bruised.
If you don't go, do you want to stay and leave Lin Xian to "be a widow"?
Pei Xiaoyun laughed angrily, "Who do you think you are? If I wanted, there would be plenty of women more beautiful and more obedient than you. It's your good fortune to have you accompany and serve me when I go to Xuzhou. Don't be so ungrateful."
Mingying gripped the hem of her clothes tightly, as if trying to tear a hole in the cloth. She never wanted to have anything to do with him; it was clearly this madman who was forcing her at every turn.
"Then I beg you to have mercy and let me go so I can find a woman of higher birth and more obedient and beautiful than me."
Pei Xiaoyun's head was buzzing, and her whole body felt like it was on fire, with a burning heat shooting straight into her chest.
He called someone to bring in a rope, and without saying a word, tied her up tightly like a rice dumpling. He then picked her up horizontally, saying the most outrageous things: "You're easier to use than others, so why should I change you? Even a spittoon is hard to throw away after being used for a long time, let alone a person?"
Mingying felt as if a thousand needles were piercing her skin, and her whole body was trembling violently.
At this moment, what I feel more than hatred is endless humiliation.
He finally told the truth: all that talk about not treating her badly and standing up for her was just a pretense.
To him, she was always the most despicable object.
He has never changed. He wears the skin of a gentleman, but in reality he is hypocritical, selfish, ruthless, and an absolute despicable person.
She leaned on his shoulder and bit down hard through his clothes, as if she wanted to tear off a piece of flesh so that she could feel immense pleasure from seeing him wail in pain!
"hiss--"
Pei Xiaoyun was like a venomous snake that had been provoked, her eyes bloodshot and her face contorted with terrifying anger.
He tightened his wrist, genuinely intending to dislocate her jaw. "I'll find a chance to smash all your teeth, one by one."
-----------------------
Author's Note: I'm used to writing outlines. There will be a story about pursuing my wife, I will pursue her, and I will follow the outline. [doge emoji with rose in hand]
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