Chapter 50 How to Find Him on Fire
That night, Chen Lianxiu arrived at the east side of Pei Ruoyan's room as promised, only to see that the window had been opened from the inside and was now ajar.
Chen Lianxiu did not hesitate and climbed in directly from the windowsill. The inner room was right inside. After she took a few steps, she saw a maid sleeping dead on the ground. Pei Ruoyan was not lying on the bed like before, but sitting next to her, neatly dressed.
This was the first time Shen Lianxiu saw her sitting outside.
"You're here," Pei Ruoyan pointed to the chair that had been prepared beside her, "Sit down."
Shen Lianxiu sat down and asked, "Madam Pei, what do you want to tell me?"
Pei Ruoyan covered her sleeves and coughed twice. She was afraid of disturbing the people on night duty in the corridor, so she didn't dare to cough too hard. She held it in for a while, and it took a long time for her to recover.
"It's my own business," she said. "Just listen to me."
"I'm the daughter of the Pei family, a wealthy family in Chenzhou. I grew up in luxury, and my elders loved me. But three years ago, everything changed. You must be wondering why my parents and elders never come to Feixiang Garden to visit me, and why I only have one brother to take care of me."
Shen Lianxiu nodded and didn't interrupt her.
Pei Ruoyan continued, "Three years ago, King Hui came to Chenzhou for a visit, and they presented me to him. During his stay in Chenzhou, he brought me with him and doted on me, far more than any of his other concubines. However, when he left Chenzhou, he didn't take me with him. Instead, he left me at the Pei family. Occasionally, when he came to Chenzhou, he would still visit the Pei family to see me."
"I hate this kind of life, but I'm powerless to resist. I should have been an innocent person, but King Hui and his family have harmed me like this. I could have endured it silently, thinking that King Hui would eventually forget me. He's a playboy by nature, and he has so many women around him. When that day comes, I'll be able to see the light of day again. But after he came to the Pei family last year, I found out I was pregnant."
"I was terrified at the time, but my family was overjoyed and immediately reported the news to King Hui. King Hui came to Chenzhou and told me that I must give birth to this child. Although he doted on me, he had never been so gentle with me before. He also told me that he once had a woman he loved very much, but she left. I look very much like her, so he felt even more pity for me. He also wanted to see what our child, or their child, would look like."
Chen Lianxiu's heart suddenly trembled, as if something was passing by, but she didn't know how to catch it.
"Look, I obviously don't like him, and I hate and fear him, but I still have to endure his humiliation. He even arrogantly thinks that this is because he treats me differently, and I should be grateful." Pei Ruoyan smiled bitterly, her eyes full of hatred. "So I decided that no matter what, I must not have this child. At first, my family kept a close eye on me, but as my belly grew bigger, they began to relax. When I was six or seven months pregnant, I finally found an opportunity and aborted the baby with my own hands."
"No wonder your body is so seriously injured." Chen Lianxiu murmured softly. She herself had been pregnant before, and the baby could already move when it was six or seven months old. Even if the mother had hesitated before, it would be difficult to give up at this time, let alone do it herself. It was hard to imagine the pain Pei Ruoyan had endured.
Pei Ruoyan actually smiled when she heard this, and then continued, "My family scolded me for not living up to my expectations, and reported the matter to King Hui. He didn't come, but only sent someone close to him to scold me. Everyone in the Pei family was terrified because of this, but I was very happy. But I don't know if King Hui will come to the Pei family to look for me again if I can get better. The woman he mentioned seems to have left. Will he still want me to have another child?"
"Is that why you keep going back and forth, not wanting to get better?"
"No one in this world likes to be sick, but I can't help it. Whenever I think of those things, I resist getting better. But I know my body well. Aborting a six- or seven-month-old fetus was extremely harmful to me. So you don't have to blame yourself for this. It's not that you didn't cure me, it's that I'm really not well. I can't get better, and I don't want to get better."
Chen Lianxiu's nose felt sore, but she couldn't say any words of comfort. After thinking for a while, she just asked, "You didn't come to me just to say this, right?"
Pei Ruoyan nodded. "You must listen carefully to what is coming next. I know that telling you this might harm you, but I have no other choice. Like the Pei family, King Hui has also privately made friends with many wealthy and powerful families. Some of these families have offered money and property to King Hui, either voluntarily or under duress. The Pei family did so voluntarily, even offering their wives and relatives. Their connection with King Hui is even deeper, and they often pay tribute to him."
"I've spent considerable time with King Hui over the past few years, and since I'm in the Pei family, I know full well that what King Hui is doing is a capital offense. He's secretly sending these ill-gotten gains to the enemy country, secretly plotting and planning for the future. Madam Yu, blame me if you want. I shouldn't have said this, but I don't have much longer to live, and I don't want to turn a blind eye any longer. I hate King Hui, and I don't want the Pei family to betray their country and their king, ultimately sinking deeper and deeper into trouble."
Chen Lianxiu knew that she had been completely dragged into this, but she really couldn't blame Pei Ruoyan. After encountering so many things, she did not succumb to King Hui and the Pei family, which was already admirable enough.
"So your brother," since it has come to this, Shen Lianxiu also wants to know more, "has he also been working for King Hui?"
"Yes, he and I are both helpless, but I never gave in, and he can only continue on the path chosen by his family. My mother passed away a long time ago, and he is the only one in this family who is willing to take care of me. Ever since the child died and I was scolded by King Hui, they just treat me as if I were dead. I don't hate him, but I don't know how deep he has fallen. If possible, I really want to save him before he falls deeper..."
Chen Lianxiu didn't say anything after hearing this, but her mind suddenly became clear. Her previous suspicion was correct. There was indeed something wrong with Pei Qian, so Hu Jun's death was very likely related to King Hui.
At this time, Pei Ruoyan held her hand, tears welling up in her eyes: "Sister Yu, I call you like this because I really regard you as my sister. I have nothing else to ask for now, but I only hope that you can pass these things on to the outside world."
In fact, what Pei Ruoyan said was enough to cost the lives of ordinary people, but she thought of Zhou Linjin. Zhou Linjin came here for Hu Jun, so telling him was the most appropriate way, and he might have found out about King Hui and the Pei family.
I just don’t know how to find Zhou Linjin.
Shen Lianxiu was willing to help Pei Ruoyan, so she comforted her: "Don't worry and rest well. When I find a chance to go out, I will find a way."
"Have you promised me?" Pei Ruoyan's eyes lit up. She had been bedridden for a long time, and Shen Lianxiu had never seen her look so bright. "There is a chance, there must be a chance."
Chen Lianxiu nodded heavily. In fact, it was quite difficult to find an opportunity. She seldom went out after she came to the Pei family, but whenever she went out, Nanny Zhang would ask a maid to follow her. Especially after she found out that Pei Ruoyan wanted to say something to her that day, she stared at her even more closely, and even she noticed it. She could resign immediately the next day or the day after, but doing so would most likely arouse the suspicion of the Pei family and expose herself.
But if she waited any longer, Chen Lianxiu was afraid that Zhou Linjin might leave Chenzhou without finding out anything, and it would be difficult for her to find someone she could trust.
However, Chen Lianxiu did not share these concerns with Pei Ruoyan. She helped Pei Ruoyan to sit on the bed and said softly, "It's late at night. My lady, no matter how anxious you are, you must take care of yourself first. You must stay alive to see those who have hurt you go to hell."
Pei Ruoyan opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but finally stopped herself and just said, "Okay."
Chen Lianxiu tiptoed back to her room, fortunately without disturbing anyone else.
An An was sleeping soundly in the tent. Chen Lianxiu lay down beside her, reached out and gently wiped the sweat from her head, but her heart could not calm down.
What Pei Ruoyan told her was really tricky.
Chen Lianxiu tossed and turned for a long time, not knowing how much time had passed. He was still drowsy and couldn't fall asleep soundly. Suddenly, he heard a voice in his ear: "Fire!"
Shen Lianxiu was so startled that she sat up from the bed. At first she thought she was dreaming, but after she pulled aside the bed curtains, she saw the firelight coming in from the window, and the light was very close to her.
It’s in Pei Ruoyan’s room!
Chen Lianxiu then realized what she meant by "there must be a chance". It turned out that Pei Ruoyan had already made up her mind to die. She had said everything to her today, in fact, to make arrangements for her funeral arrangements. The fire set by Pei Ruoyan would also allow her to sneak away in the chaos.
Seeing that the fire was likely to move towards the back with the wind, Chen Lianxiu hurriedly picked up An An. There was no time to pack other things. Fortunately, her medicine box was kept by her side. She took it and put it on her back. An An was awakened and started whimpering. She changed to a position that made An An comfortable, hugged her tightly, opened the door and ran out.
Sure enough, everyone in Feixiangyuan went to put out the fire, and no one cared about her.
Chen Lianxiu went out from the corner gate of Feixiang Garden. The servants on the road were in a hurry because Feixiang Garden was on fire and ignored her at all.
Naturally, she would not go through the main gate of Pei Mansion, but instead went through the side door on the north side. It was said that this was always the door used by servants, and further back was where the servants lived.
Such a big thing happened, and the servants of the Pei family were alarmed. The side door was not guarded, and people were coming in and out. Chen Lianxiu ran away from here.
Until he ran far away from Pei's house, Shen Lianxiu didn't know where he had run to. Only then did he finally stop because he was too tired, leaning against the corner of the wall, gasping for breath.
At the same time, the gate of Pei Mansion was surrounded by people.
In the flickering firelight, Zhou Linjin's face was cold and stern, like a Shura.
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The author has something to say: I will update it tomorrow, so we can meet faster [dog head holding a rose] or the old rules, I will update one chapter at 9 o'clock in the morning and evening [dog head holding a rose]
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