Chapter 71, 71. Shouting out.
The afterglow of the setting sun shone through the leaves, casting a gentle halo on my slender yet taut back.
Pei Heng looked down at the person in front of him, his eyes filled with deep affection that seemed almost unbearable. His warm, dry palms rubbed against her soft hands, and he thought of how those hands had coaxed him to such a high position last night. He sighed repeatedly.
He initially thought it was just a momentary impulse, a way to console himself, and he didn't dare take credit for it. He tried his best to maintain the unspoken harmony between them. Unexpectedly, she took the initiative to come over and said that she was his wife.
Has she let go of her inner conflict by speaking up?
If he tries a little harder, will Yuezhi forgive him and he be able to return to her and the children?
He was so preoccupied with these thoughts that he completely forgot he was the one being harassed.
“Young lady.” Yue Zhi blocked his way, her voice unusually angry, and her expression was no longer as gentle and compliant as before. She looked at the woman with a disappointed face.
"You were pitiful yesterday while you were sick, being harassed by someone. I took pity on you and helped you out, bringing you food. I'm your benefactor. If you want to repay a debt of gratitude, shouldn't you be doing it to me? What? You see my husband has some skills, so you're bothering him? Is this how you repay a debt of gratitude? It's clearly just being a scoundrel!"
The woman hadn't expected Yuezhi to be so direct. Her pitiful expression froze for a moment, and then she cried even harder.
"My wife, you've misunderstood... I just can't go on living, I really have no other choice..."
"Can't survive?" Yuezhi interrupted her, her tone rude. "Can't survive? Why didn't you say so earlier? If you were truly sick and starving, come and beg me, and I might give you a meal. But you're asking to be my husband's concubine? What are you thinking? You're repaying kindness with ingratitude! You have no conscience!"
It's not that she's inconsiderate, but the fact that she treats people with kindness is disgusting—you treat them with kindness, but they don't even notice you and are still eyeing your man.
Yuezhi refused to swallow her anger. "Yesterday you were bullied by those guys, but I didn't see you being so good at talking. Are you a bully who picks on the weak and fears the strong, deliberately choosing to bully the kind-hearted?"
When Yuezhi, who was usually gentle and good-natured, started scolding people, she did so in a very serious and methodical way, and the commotion attracted the attention of the neighbors.
Life on the island was boring; even the slightest disturbance could attract a crowd. Several familiar women gathered around, listened to the gist of the story, and began pointing and whispering in support of the woman.
"Yuezhi is kind-hearted and helped you, how could you do this to me?"
"They look sickly, but they're quick-witted, always picking on the weak. Do they think Instructor Zhang and his wife are easily fooled?"
"Go away! If you want to sell yourself to survive, there are plenty of people willing to take you in that shack. Don't bother other people's men here; it's shameful..."
Amidst the clamor of voices, the woman, losing face and realizing that her attempts to plead and beg had failed and only provoked the crowd's anger, had no choice but to sullenly wipe away her tears, glare fiercely at Yuezhi, and slink away.
The women spat at the woman's back as she walked away, then turned around to comfort Yuezhi and her husband.
"You've only been here a few days, how would you know how shrewd the people on the island are? If you treat them nicely, they'll think you're easy to bully, and they'll pester you and won't stop until they've taken advantage of you."
"Yes, you two are just too naive. If my husband dared to walk with a vixen like that, I'd pick up a brick and beat her to a pulp."
"Yuezhi, your man is capable and has a bright future. You must hold on tight and not let others take advantage of him."
The women comforted Yuezhi with their words, gradually calming her anger. Listening to their repeated use of "husband and wife" and "man," she felt as if she had become a mother hen protecting her chicks, afraid that someone would steal Pei Heng away.
Yuezhi blushed, wanting to explain that she was angry at the woman's ungrateful behavior, as for Pei Heng... he wasn't made of wood or stone, he had legs of his own, and as long as he didn't want to, how could he be taken away by someone else?
Pei Heng naturally wouldn't agree, and he was still holding her hand, refusing to let her let go. Under the watchful eyes of the women, he secretly tickled her palm.
His mischievous little actions only made Yuezhi more itchy and restless. She turned to the side, raised her eyes, and glared at him.
The young man pursed his lips, his palms sweating. His heart pounded as he looked at that coquettish glance. In a voice only the two of them could hear, he asked, "Am I your man?"
Yuezhi subconsciously tensed her shoulders, wanting to punch him and tell him not to get carried away by a few words of support from others, but she couldn't even say a word in rebuttal because of the stares of the neighbors.
The sea breeze rustled through the dense forest, and the young couple walked hand in hand, their love evident. The experienced women watching smiled, but feeling embarrassed to disturb them, they all made excuses to return to their courtyards.
Once those gazes had dispersed, Yuezhi led Pei Heng home, saying, "Let's go back."
Pei Heng's hands were large, with rough calluses, but they were warm. He didn't say a word, quietly letting her hold his hand and following her steps.
Only after they were inside, the door closed, shutting out the sea breeze and prying eyes, did Yuezhi release her grip, letting out a dejected sigh: "What kind of mess is this..."
Pei Heng looked down at his hand, which she had just held tightly, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
He looked up at her puffed-up profile and gently comforted her, "Don't get angry over someone like that, it's not worth it."
"I'm not angry at her, I'm angry at this place!" Yuezhi said in a muffled voice. "A perfectly normal person would throw away all her dignity for a mere morsel of food."
"It'll be soon." Pei Heng mischievously tugged at her sleeve, pulling her close and lowering his voice in front of her, "The ship transporting the weapons will leave the island tonight. I've already used the excuse of checking the cargo to sneak my men onto the ship."
Yuezhi suddenly looked up, "Are there any of your people here?"
Pei Heng smiled: "Have you forgotten my identity? How could I possibly risk my life alone? I must have been confident before I came."
Yuezhi's tense heart relaxed a little: So that's how it is. He even kept it from her. He really went to great lengths to hide his identity.
Pei Heng was confident, his eyes resolute. "As soon as the ship arrives at the port and we find out who is behind all this, my men can immediately mobilize troops from the nearest prefecture. It won't be long before we can take control of this island, and we will leave here safely to go back to see our children."
His promises always made her feel at ease.
Yuezhi looked at him, and the lingering resentment and grudges in her heart gradually dissipated like dust in the wind. She couldn't remember them at all, so she gave a soft "hmm" and nodded.
As the sun sets and dinner is served, the warm, dim light shines again in the small thatched cottage.
*
Across the vast sea, Qingzhou City was in complete chaos.
Yuezhi had been missing for quite some time, which greatly worried her family. Huachun took care of the two shops by herself, while Cui Xianglan went to the prefectural government office every day to ask if the prefect had found her whereabouts.
Liang Zhang was already overwhelmed by the recent unsolved disappearances in his jurisdiction, and now that Yue Zhi had also disappeared, he was even more anxious. He sent people everywhere to search, sifting through docks, inns, brokerage markets... but it was like throwing stones into the sea, without finding a single useful piece of information.
Meanwhile, in a dilapidated temple on a lonely mountain outside Qingzhou City, the atmosphere was somewhat subtle.
Inside the dilapidated temple, which had been neglected for years and could barely provide shelter from the wind and rain, cobwebs were everywhere, the prayer cushions were tattered, and the air was filled with dust and a musty smell. When the mountain wind blew at night, it was chilly, and various unknown insects rustled.
Pei Xuan'er's face grew increasingly grim as she looked at the dry rations and wild fruits Pei Yao handed her. She took a bite of the sour wild fruit, her face scrunching up in pain.
What kind of long-lost cousin is she? She's clearly a nuisance. She dragged her to this remote mountain forest, where she ate simple meals, slept on a broken door, and spent countless days in the mountains. Her expensive Suzhou embroidery is now so dirty it's unrecognizable.
Pei Xuan'er had never suffered like this before. She complained incessantly the whole way, clamoring to return to Qingzhou City.
Pei Yao seemed oblivious. Her bodyguards had already pinned down Pei Xuan'er's personal servants, and she smiled broadly as she pulled Pei Xuan'er to taste the bland wild tea and admire the mountain scenery outside the window.
In casual conversation, he said, "Qingzhou is near Lilizhou. It's a rare treat that you've come to visit me; otherwise, my life would be too boring."
"But my sister is so young and unmarried, how can she live in the prefect's house? Aren't you worried about ruining her reputation?"
“You are young and alone away from home. I will take good care of you for your sixth uncle. After we get down this mountain, I will take you to the port to take a boat. The boats from Qingzhou can go to Jizhou and down to Huzhou and Nanyue. We can go anywhere. Don’t be afraid of being bored, little sister. I will take you to travel all over the Great Zhou.”
Over the past few days, Pei Xuan'er went from being hypocritical and polite at the beginning to throwing tantrums and crying. But after discovering that Pei Yao was a stubborn person who wouldn't listen to reason, she became too lazy to even cry anymore.
Hearing that she was going to take him all over the Great Zhou, he was terrified and hurriedly said, "Sister, you go by yourself. I don't have the strength to run around here and there. I don't like sightseeing at all. Sister, you should find someone else."
"Didn't you come to Qingzhou just to sightsee?" Pei Yao smiled as she looked at her, secretly pleased with her disheveled hair and clothes.
Having been on the battlefield, what's a little girl to me? If I didn't temper her, I wouldn't even hear these words.
“I really don’t like it. It’s my dad who insisted that I come and pester Prefect Liang. If you want to blame someone, blame my dad. Anyway, Liang Zhang is just good-looking, but he has no charm at all. Let him spend his life with that pile of files. I don’t care about him.”
Pei Yao's eyes darted around. "How can you say that? Sixth Uncle worked so hard to support the Prince's Mansion so that you could enjoy your wealth and honor. Just do whatever he asks you to do. It's all for your own good."
Pei Xuan'er was driven almost crazy by her own sweaty, greasy hair. Leaving this dilapidated temple, she still had to climb up and down, which nearly drove her to the brink of collapse.
"He wasn't doing this for me at all; he was clearly doing it for himself. He said Qingzhou Port was in need of his services and asked me to help my cousin."
Pei Xuan'er was furious. She thought she had come to Qingzhou to have a happy time and maybe even find a good husband, but Liang Zhang was a tough nut to crack. Not only did she get a cold shoulder, but Yue Zhi disappeared, and Liang Zhang didn't even acknowledge her.
She felt wronged after being given the cold shoulder and was now stuck in this godforsaken place. The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she became, and she almost cried.
“My cousin doesn’t care about me at all. She likes men and keeps them around to work for Dad. She’s so capable, but she thinks I can also tie men down to serve her. She’s dreaming.”
Pei Yao listened quietly, as if she were listening to someone else's trivial gossip, and casually chimed in, "The daughters of our Pei family are naturally no less than men."
Pei Xuan'er glanced at her and said, "My cousin isn't a daughter of the Pei family. She's the wife of the Yu family now, with men to serve her and endless money. She's living a much more comfortable life than you, sister."
The Sixth Prince's in-laws, his cousin, the Yu family...
Pei Yao remained calm and continued to enjoy her tea and the scenery with a smile.
After nightfall, she made an excuse to go find Su Jingyun, who was gathering herbs in the deep forest. The two met and used a carrier pigeon hidden in his medicine basket to send out the clues they had learned recently.
Seeing that she had been active in the mountains for a long time without showing any signs of fatigue, Su Jingyun couldn't help but exclaim, "You have a really good physique."
Under the hazy moonlight, the man's hands and face were covered in mud. Pei Yao glanced at him, took out a handkerchief and handed it to him, saying casually, "Others will only say that I, a widow, have a tough life. Doctor Su is just too sweet-talking."
To prevent Pei Xuan'er from escaping, Pei Yao deliberately chose a remote and uninhabited area where it was difficult to leave and where people and news from the outside could not get in.
The two were unaware of Yuezhi's disappearance, and only chatted for a few moments under the quiet moonlight.
The night was lonely, and Su Jingyun didn't want to bring up the topic of "widows," so he changed the subject and asked, "What are your plans after this is over?"
"I don't know." Pei Yao casually sat down on a rock, looking up at the starry sky above the dense forest. "I have no family, and no attachments that I must stay with. I can go anywhere. If the Emperor tells me to do something, I will do it. If he doesn't need me, I'll find my own fun."
After saying that, he turned to look at Su Jingyun, who was leaning against a tree trunk some distance away, and asked him, "What about you? At your age, you're not worried about marriage, and you want to run that pharmacy for the rest of your life?"
The chirping of insects in the air didn't feel chaotic or noisy; instead, it brought a strange sense of peace.
Yuezhi had asked him the same question. At that time, he thought that he had no relatives and had never lived an ordinary life, so he would live a peaceful life with Yuezhi.
But she has a shop, children, and perhaps someone else will live in her heart... She has the life she wants to live, and she won't be like him, a rootless duckweed, drifting with the current.
He murmured, "Neither in the palace nor outside is perfect. If I had to say what I want to do, besides improving my medical skills and spending time with herbs, I really don't know what else I can do."
As she spoke, she lowered her head and gave a self-deprecating laugh, "After all, I have no family. Even if I wanted to return to my roots, there is no place for me to go."
In a moment of sadness, a pebble came from the side, shaking the tree trunk and rustling the leaves.
The woman's hearty laughter interrupted his self-pity.
"Why be so pessimistic? We only have two feet. Wherever we go, that's our home. Wherever we want to stay, that's our final destination."
Su Jingyun turned to look at her. Her face was clear, her eyes were bright, and she looked carefree and unrestrained. He gradually felt a little envious.
Inside Qingzhou City.
When news of Cui Xianglan's efforts reached Zhao Meier's ears, she had already vented her anger. Now, nestled in the arms of a fair-skinned man, a wicked smile curled at the corner of her lips.
"If I had known this would happen, why didn't I give him any face in the first place? He deserves to be like this today." She cursed under her breath, feeling that she had him in her grasp and that just doing hard labor wasn't enough. She had to torture him properly, otherwise all her efforts would have been in vain.
She then chased the man off the bed, immediately ground ink and laid out paper, wrote a secret letter, and had her trusted confidant send it out.
Just then, a ship arrived at the island and delivered the letter, along with half a month's worth of supplies and provisions. It was then loaded with weapons and sailed away from the nameless island.
On the other side, Liang Zhang received a message from Pei Yao via carrier pigeon, and an invisible net began to converge on the Yu family.
*
As night deepened, Hu Yong held the secret letter sent from Qingzhou, his brows furrowing as he looked at the name "Yuezhi" mentioned in the letter.
While his men were busy loading weapons onto the ship, he sent someone to ask the person who had sailed the ship. They quickly found out that Yuezhi was a merchant girl who had recently appeared in Qingzhou City. Although she had two children, she had never seen her husband.
Hu Yong narrowed his eyes. He had wanted to see Yue Zhi before, but the two of them were a married couple. Now that he had given Zhang Heng a high position, how could he take away someone else's love?
Upon learning the new information, doubts resurfaced in his mind. The letter emphasized that the matter of severely torturing and humiliating Yuezhi was merely a woman's selfish desire, and it should be put aside for the time being.
He needs to figure out whether the couple is truly married or has another identity.
Hu Yong summoned his trusted leader and instructed him, "Go and keep an eye on Zhang Heng and the woman in his room again. This time, get closer and listen carefully to what they're saying."
That night, in the thatched hut.
Unable to sleep due to the noise from their neighbors, Yuezhi and Peiheng blew out the oil lamp and chatted by the window where moonlight shone in, talking quite late into the night.
Once the commotion outside subsided, Yuezhi went to make the bed.
The simple wooden bed was covered with dry grass and a thin mattress. She bent down to tidy it up, but her thoughts were wandering.
Before midnight, she heard the rustling sound of Pei Heng taking off his outer garment behind her. Her ears involuntarily picked up on every subtle movement, and her cheeks flushed slightly.
Last night I had some relief, my chest isn't sore anymore, and my body isn't so aroused, but... I still have some anticipation, wanting to see him lose his mind, his face flushed, his well-defined muscles covered in sweat, his back still stubbornly straight...
She even started to have wild thoughts. He said he wanted to be her little cat and dog, and compared to other men, he really still had feelings for her and was deeply in love with her.
How could he be heartless when he was so eager for her?
So, what kind of feelings did she have for him, that she didn't reject him but instead embraced him, loved his body, loved the pleasure he gave her?
If she continued to think about it, the bottom line she had drawn in her heart would crumble. She mustered her courage and tried to break the unsettling silence, her voice a little hoarse.
"You woke up early, why don't you sleep outside?"
Before he could finish speaking, an irresistible force suddenly attacked from behind!
"Ugh!" she gasped softly as her upper body was thrown onto the newly made bed. The sun-dried bedding exuded the fragrance of sunshine. Pei Heng's heavy, warm body pressed tightly against her back, his hot breath spraying behind her ear, bringing a violent shiver.
Yuezhi's heart suddenly went out of control, pounding against her chest so fast it felt like it was about to burst out of her chest.
How could he suddenly...? Could it be...?
She could clearly feel the rise and fall of his chest. Through the thin inner garment, the contours of his muscles and his heat were transmitted without reservation. His strong arms wrapped around her waist, locking her firmly in his embrace.
After a brief moment of tension, Yuezhi felt no fear as she had expected; instead, a surge of excitement and anticipation, almost bursting from her heart, overwhelmed her.
His hand landed on her waist, his rough fingertips probing inside her clothes, clumsily yet forcefully untying her sash.
Yuezhi wanted to turn over to face him, but he pressed her down while still kneeling by the bed. He pinched her chin with one hand, making her turn her face to look at him.
His warm, wet lips descended, not capturing her lips, but instead, with their scalding heat, eagerly kissing the corners of her lips, cheeks, and earlobes, lingering on her slender neck, leaving wet and burning marks.
His movements were hurried, unlike the gentle coaxing and gradual approach he had taken the night before.
Trapped in his tight, almost suffocating embrace, Yuezhi could only endure his urgent and meticulous kisses. Her body went limp, like a melting snowflake, with no strength left.
In the darkness, his breath, his body temperature, the tingling sensation from his lips and tongue... everything about him pleased her. Her body's instinctive desire overwhelmed everything else. She reached over, her fingertips tracing his chest and abdominal muscles, then pulled on his belt and gave it a gentle tug.
She closed her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling violently, almost drowning in this fiery intimacy.
Just as she was preparing to accept everything about him, she heard his burning lips close to her ear, whispering rapidly in a hoarse voice.
"Someone's watching outside..."
“Say it out loud…”
Yuezhi listened vaguely, feeling embarrassed and annoyed, and nudged his chest with her elbow.
—Don't you see how naked they are? Why pretend? Even if that person is looking through the window, what the two of them are doing is what a married couple should do, it couldn't be more real.
Pei Heng wrapped his bare arms around her body, preventing any accidental exposure, and his lips brushed against the back of her neck, while his ears listened to the approaching footsteps outside the window.
The voice stopped outside the wall, showing no intention of going any further; it seemed more like surveillance than a premeditated attack.
He drew his sword hilt and placed it under his hand, startling Yuezhi into letting out a broken yet charming moan, as if she couldn't control herself and easily stirred his heart.
His body stiffened for a moment at her panting, then he held her tighter, his kisses becoming more urgent, his hands moving more boldly, his warm palms caressing her smooth shoulders…
Yuezhi kept her eyes tightly shut, feeling that this wasn't an act for others, but rather a form of torture.
She let out intermittent sobs that even she herself blushed, her heart itching more and more, unable to find relief.
She began to wonder if there really was someone outside, and if Pei Heng was deliberately tormenting her. Restless and uneasy, she brought her knees together, causing the person behind her to gasp.
She reached back and brushed his long hair, which was hanging over her shoulder, and grumbled, "Why are you so slow today? If you're useless, then get out of the way. Don't try to fool me with these empty gestures."
It was said on purpose for him to hear, and also for outsiders to hear.
Pei Heng felt a surge of blood rush to his head. Because of the eavesdropping outside, he couldn't ask her why. But from the side of her face that she turned around, he saw the seductive look in her reddened eyes and realized that she was no longer a delicate bud, but a ripe fruit.
"My dear wife, you smell so good!"
"Mmm..." Yue Zhi's voice was broken and incoherent.
"What are you saying? I can't hear you."
"Ah Heng, you... um..."
"Don't you think I'm useless? Your husband needs to let you know that your man is considerate of you, not trying to fool you. No matter how anxious you are next time, you are not allowed to complain about your man."
After listening to the neighbors' commotion at night for two nights, and seeing that he remained expressionless, I never expected him to have picked up so much nonsense.
Yuezhi wanted to cover his mouth to stop these shameful words, but he was behind her, and no matter how she stretched her arms, she couldn't reach him. Instead, he hugged her even tighter. In her panic, she could only find a sense of security by tightly gripping his forearm with both hands.
"You, you...you're so mean!" Her voice trembled violently, and tears were welling up in her eyes.
"Be a little naughty, do you like it?" Pei Heng kissed her earlobe, his voice suppressed yet pleasurable. He could finally pour out the longing and love he had accumulated over the past two years to her.
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