Chapter 53 Contraceptive Drug, Did She Never Think of It...?
The Yingfeng Pavilion was brightly lit. Huiyin first went to see Madam Pei, who had been resting in bed for the past few days with He Jiaying by her side.
Madam Pei was in good spirits, leaning against the railing as He Jiaying fed her medicine. She was much more amiable when she saw Huiyin, and chatted with her for a few moments.
Huiyin gave a perfunctory reply and then took her leave. She had no intention of getting close to Madam Pei; maintaining a distance was fine.
It was already late July, and her trip to Ganquan Palace for the summer retreat was coming to an end. She should have left the Pei residence by the time the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet in August was held.
These past few days, Madam Pei has been bedridden, and she has been asked to make decisions about various trivial matters in the courtyard, which has taken up a lot of Huiyin's time and even delayed the progress of translating classical Chinese texts.
Huiyin sat at her desk, flipping through bamboo slips. The moon rose above the branches, a cool breeze began to rise, and Pei Yu returned home.
He wore a dark-colored deep-sleeved robe with a curved hem to the banquet today. Perhaps to facilitate his role as a thief, the cuffs and hem were tied up, making him appear slender and upright.
Huiyin carefully put away the ancient books and went to greet them. The wooden door to her room had been repaired by Pei Yu himself yesterday, and the newly applied vermilion lacquer was shiny and glossy.
Pei Yu's expression was quite different from when they parted. His brows were furrowed, his lips were pursed, and he looked preoccupied.
Huiyin frowned slightly and asked softly, "What happened?"
Pei Yu hesitated for a moment, but ultimately said nothing. He waved his hand, "It's nothing."
Upon hearing this, Huiyin silently walked behind him and untied the ribbon from his arm. Pei Yu didn't want to tell her, and she wouldn't ask any further questions.
Everyone has their own secrets; she has one, and so does Pei Yu.
After washing up, the two lay on the couch. Pei Yu, unusually, did not bother Huiyin. He lay upright on the bed, staring at the gauze curtains, seemingly lost in thought.
Huiyin turned her head to look at him. She didn't know what Pei Yu had learned from the Zheng family, but this was the first time he had shown such a heavy expression, which made her feel uneasy.
Could it be related to the struggle for the throne? His Majesty is in his prime and holds great power. Judging from the current situation, the struggle for the throne is at least ten years away.
If it's not a struggle for the throne, then what is it?
Pei Yu suddenly leaned in and hugged Huiyin, interrupting her thoughts. He buried his face in her shoulder and remained silent. Huiyin didn't speak; she simply raised her hand and hugged Pei Yu back, offering silent comfort.
After Huiyin fell asleep, Pei Yu raised his head. The bright moonlight shone into the room and into his dark eyes. He found the military report that his father had urgently presented to His Majesty years ago at the Zheng family home.
The military report stated that our army's tactical deployment had been leaked, and fearing a surprise attack by the Xiongnu, we requested to retreat to Dai County.
Pei Yu had a clear understanding of the details of the battle in Dai County five years ago. He had read it countless times over the years. Although his father won the battle against the Xiongnu, it was a Pyrrhic victory, and he himself did not return alive.
He was certain that the dossier had not recorded this matter, meaning that the letter had been secretly intercepted, and the person who leaked the tactic was Chen Jie, who had appeared at Ganquan Palace with the Xiongnu assassin.
Pei Yu held Huiyin tightly, his eyes deep and unfathomable. His father's death was undoubtedly the work of the Zheng family, and it seemed that His Majesty was also in the know, having protected the Zheng family.
We eat the king's food and serve the king, but no one has ever said what should be done if Your Majesty is unrighteous and unjust.
——
At the end of July, the summer retreat at Ganquan Palace came to an end. After three months, Huiyin returned to the small courtyard of Linshui Pavilion. With Tao Ao in charge of the Pei family, she was relieved of her duties as a housekeeper.
In August, there was a severe drought and a great famine.
The abdication platform, built under the supervision of the crown prince, was mysteriously destroyed by fire on the third day after its completion, and rumors and gossip immediately followed.
They said that Heaven was displeased with the Crown Prince, which was why there had been no rain for three months, leading to a severe drought, and the destruction of the Zen platform was the best proof of this.
Grain prices soared, but fortunately the imperial granaries were full. His Majesty distributed grain to relieve the disaster, and a group of disaster victims poured into the outskirts of Chang'an. In addition to being busy with the deployment and inspection of the outer perimeter of Chang'an, Pei Yu has also been busy dealing with the rumors about the Crown Prince and has not returned home for a long time.
When the ladies and noblewomen of Chang'an learned of the disaster, the Empress organized a fundraising event. Huiyin, who had little money, donated the bag of gold ingots that Pei Yu had given her earlier.
Taking advantage of the fundraising, she went out and arranged to meet Feng Cheng in the East Market. She had already translated all the silk scrolls left by Yuan Zhi, which were all ordinary ancient books, except for one scroll which contained a sentence.
Five miles west of Shili Pavilion in the west of the city, under the fifth blue brick of the dilapidated temple.
Huiyin was certain that this was what she had been searching for. A severe drought swept the land, yet it did not reach the capital, Chang'an. The city remained prosperous, with the East and West Markets bustling with people and carriages struggling to move.
Huiyin waited in the tavern. The silk scroll had turned into a slightly damp cloth in her palms. She clenched her trembling hands, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and comforted herself. She had waited so long, there was no need to rush.
The hawkers' cries reached Huiyin's ears. She turned to look and saw a luxurious carriage with a magnificent canopy approaching from around the corner. It didn't slow down in the crowded street and sped along, hitting many pedestrians.
The coachman cracked his whip and shouted, "Get out of the way! How dare you stop the Ping family's carriage!"
A gust of wind blew, and Huiyin could see clearly the person inside the carriage. It was Pingrong, and he was holding a plain-clothed girl whose face was not visible in his arms. She seemed to be crying.
The Pingfu carriage disappeared at the end of the street after making a ruckus all the way. A wail came from a street corner in the distance. A blind old woman covered in dirt stumbled and knelt down on the street, groping in the air with her hands raised.
He cried out, "Yunniang... my Yunniang!"
The crowd helped her up, asking what had happened. The family had originally been tenant farmers under the Ping family. One of their daughters was beautiful, and Ping Rong took a liking to her. When he couldn't coerce or entice her, he resorted to outright robbery.
Huiyin listened to the low jeers and attempts to dissuade her. They said the Ping family were nobles, and commoners couldn't fight against officials; she shouldn't risk her old life and the lives of her whole family.
Two tears streamed down the old woman's cloudy eyes, which she could not see. She seemed to know that she could not change anything, and helplessly clutched her chest and cried out.
"Huiyin, what are you looking at?" Feng Cheng had been inside for a while when he noticed Huiyin staring out the window with a cold expression.
“It’s nothing,” Huiyin closed the window and handed the silk scroll in her hand to Feng Cheng. “Brother, please help me find this.”
Feng Cheng took the silk scroll, opened it, and exclaimed with delight, "Great! I knew Yuan Zhi had something. I'll go find it right now!"
After saying goodbye to Feng Cheng, Huiyin went to the black market. The so-called black market is actually a place that sells things that cannot be sold openly, such as information.
That night, Huiyin, who was fast asleep, was suddenly awakened by a piercing pain, as if a large hand was churning inside her abdomen and pulling her lower abdomen down.
She was in so much pain that she was covered in sweat, her lips were white from biting them, and she felt a wet sensation below her body—her period had started.
Huiyin has always been healthy, and her menstrual cycle is always on time and doesn't cause her any trouble. Only on the first day did she feel a little tired and have back pain, but she had never felt this way before, and the pain made her cry out.
She clutched her stomach, curling up on the bed, the blankets falling to the floor as she tossed and turned. The lights were off, and it was pitch black.
Huiyin gasped for breath, trying to get out of bed to find someone, but as soon as she landed, she couldn't even stand up and fell to the ground.
She clutched her stomach and cried out in pain, tears streaming down her face. How could it hurt so much? It hurt so much she wanted to die.
The cold air from the floor intensified her pain. Huiyin was drenched in sweat, and deep bite marks appeared on her lips. She didn't know how long she had been lying on the floor.
Footsteps echoed in the stairwell. Huiyin weakly opened her eyes, gazing pleadingly at the doorway, hoping someone would come to save her.
It was too late tonight, and Pei Yu should have rested at the garrison, but he hadn't seen Huiyin for three days and was itching to see her.
Worried about disturbing Huiyin's sleep, he opened the door very quietly. The room was pitch black, and a faint groan came from behind the curtains.
Pei Yu's heart tightened, and he quickly walked behind the curtain. Huiyin was curled up on the ground, clutching her stomach and crying.
He quickly carried her to the bed, his hands covering her body with cold sweat. She was as thin as a kitten, floating lightly.
"What's wrong, Huiyin? Tell me quickly, where does it hurt?"
Huiyin clutched her stomach, her eyes blurry with tears, "My stomach hurts."
Pei Yu quickly lit the oil lamp by the bedside to check on Huiyin's face. It was ashen white, and her forehead and neck were covered in sweat, showing signs of extreme pain.
Pei Yu strode to the window and shouted, "Someone, quickly go and fetch the physician!"
The lights in the side rooms on the first floor came on one after another. Yan Niang put on her coat as she walked, instructing Asang to fetch the physician while she led Aheng upstairs quickly.
Pei Yu held Huiyin in his arms, his large, warm hands gently kneading her lower abdomen, and asked anxiously, "Are you feeling better?"
Huiyin collapsed weakly into his arms, drifting into a daze.
Yan Niang entered the inner room and hurriedly asked, "Young General, what happened?"
Pei Yu called her in, and when Yan Niang saw Huiyin looking seriously ill, she panicked instantly, her lips trembling, "What...what happened?"
Pei Yu, his face stern, reprimanded, "How did you all serve us? Didn't a single person notice anything amiss!"
Huiyin weakly grasped Pei Yu's hand and shook her head silently. She really didn't have the strength to speak, so she could only point to the bloodstain on the bed for Yan Niang to see.
Pei Yu's face darkened further when he saw the bloodstain. He picked up Huiyin and tried to get up to go downstairs.
Yan Niang quickly stopped him, "Young General, my wife is menstruating."
"Does your period hurt this much?" Pei Yu frowned, and Huiyin said softly in his arms, looking lifeless.
Yan Niang explained, "Young General, my wife's period has never been this painful before. Perhaps she used something cold."
Pei Yu gently placed Huiyin back on the bed, checking her temperature; she didn't have a high fever. He pursed his lips and stepped back, asking questioningly, "How can we stop the pain?"
Yan Niang sent A Heng away to boil water, then brought a clean handkerchief to wipe the sweat from Huiyin's cheeks, replying, "This is the first time my wife has been like this; perhaps she needs some medicine."
Pei Yu sat on the couch, watching Yan Niang change Huiyin into clean clothes. Huiyin was feeling better than before, and with her eyes misty with tears, she said to Yan Niang in a coquettish tone, "Mother Fu, I'm in so much pain."
Yan Niang felt extremely sorry for her and quickly hugged her, gently comforting her. Pei Yu was left standing to the side, watching the two of them being as close as mother and daughter, and his heart ached. When would Huiyin ever act so sweetly and affectionately towards him?
After a while, Asang arrived with the disheveled physician. Before the physician could even catch his breath, Pei Yu pulled him outside the curtain to take the pulse of the woman inside.
He stroked his beard and sighed inwardly. How could he be so careless with his health, ruining his body at such a young age? He couldn't make up for it later.
"This medicine for warming the uterus should be decocted in water and taken three times a day for three months."
Pei Yu took the prescription and asked, "She doesn't usually feel this much pain, why is she in so much pain today?"
The physician gave Pei Yu a strange look. "Young General, don't you know? Taking cold medicine for a long time will harm your health and hinder your future offspring."
Yan Niang froze, her mind reeling. Huiyin was taking the medicine in secret from Pei Yu; if he found out, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Pei Yu asked in confusion, "What kind of cooling medicine?"
“A contraceptive,” the physician continued, oblivious to Pei Yu’s grim expression. “Young General, the medicine your wife is currently taking is too harmful to her body. Should I prescribe a new one?”
Pei Yu's face was ashen, and the veins on his forehead bulged. After a long while, he calmly ordered, "I understand. You may leave now. Do not tell anyone about what happened today."
"Yes." The physician packed up his medicine kit and left.
Yan Niang held Huiyin, trembling slightly. Pei Yu knew about Huiyin's decision to avoid having a child. What would he do?
Hidden in the darkness, Pei Yu felt a surge of rage coursing through his body, burning his vision. He couldn't understand why Huiyin had to take contraceptives. Didn't she want to bear his children? Had she never considered their future together?
A sharp pain shot through his heart, making it almost impossible for him to breathe. Pei Yu had to bend over and brace himself against the wall to keep his balance.
After an unknown amount of time, the oil in the ceramic lamp burned out, the candle went out, and Yan Niang's body stiffened on one side. Only then did she hear Pei Yu's calm and indifferent voice, "Take good care of her. I have other things to do, so I'll be leaving now."
Yan Niang wanted to explain, but fearing that she would only make things worse, she could only kneel silently in front of the bed and watch Pei Yu leave.
——
When Huiyin woke up, it was just dawn. Her lips were dry and her throat was itchy. She struggled to get up and found Yanniang sleeping on the footstool, watching over her.
Startled awake by the noise, Yan Niang sat up and helped Huiyin lie back down. "Don't move. Do you want some water?"
Huiyin nodded. Yanniang touched the teapot with her fingertip to make sure the tea was still warm before pouring it for Huiyin.
Huiyin drank three cups in a row. Her memory of last night was a bit blurry. She only remembered that she seemed to have seen Pei Yu before she fainted from the pain.
"Mother Fu, did Pei Yu return last night?"
Yan Niang paused in her tea-pouring motion, concealing the worry in her eyes, and shook her head resolutely, "The young general has not returned."
She blinked somewhat guiltily and changed the subject, "You can't take that medicine anymore, it's too harmful to your health."
Huiyin didn't reply, and Yanniang was about to persuade her again when a tinkling sound of jade pendants suddenly rang out from the stairwell. He Jiaying, carrying a wooden basket, came upstairs, her voice preceding her arrival. "Huiyin, I heard you're sick?"
Huiyin was still weak and spoke in a feeble voice, "I'm not sick."
He Jiaying handed the wooden basket in her hand to Yan Niang, which contained several bright red, crisp fruits. She sat down, lifting her skirt, and asked with concern, "You look particularly unwell. Are you really alright?"
"I'm really fine." Huiyin smiled, took a sip of hot tea to ease the pain in her lower abdomen.
He Jiaying propped herself up on her hands and sighed softly, "It's so boring in the manor."
Huiyin laughed and said, "No one will accompany you to travel around every day, so of course it's boring."
He Jiaying wrinkled her nose and snorted, "You're just making fun of me. I even brought you fruit by special means. It was sent by Madam Guo."
Huiyin: "Thank you so much for always thinking of me."
He Jiaying squinted her eyes contentedly, "Let's go for a stroll in the streets in a couple of days, it's so stuffy inside the manor."
Huiyin recalled the information she had bought on the black market: Pingrong would be attending a banquet at Liangyuanfu the day after tomorrow. She lowered her eyes and said casually, "I heard that it's very difficult to book a table at Liangyuanfu."
“Liangyuan Fu?” He Jiaying clapped her hands and said, “That’s good. The owner of Liangyuan Fu has received a favor from my cousin and has always reserved a place for the Pei family.”
Huiyin slowly smiled and said, "That's good."
——
Liangyuan Fu is located in a quiet place in the west of the city. It consists of two three-courtyard houses with garden scenery in the style of Jiangnan, with rockeries, pavilions and lakes. It is quiet and elegant. In addition, it has a world-renowned chef in charge, making it the most popular place for the nobles of Chang'an.
Huiyin and He Jiaying followed the guide to the third private room in the left courtyard. The hall was spacious, with fine reed mats on the floor and four low lacquered tables and brocade cushions on both sides.
The food was delicious, truly living up to its reputation. After the meal, He Jiaying leaned against the couch listening to a folk song, while Huiyin, under the pretext of getting ready, came to the hanging flower gate, dismissed the maids, and waited at the crossroads.
Just as she entered, she saw Ping Rong and the others heading in the same direction, so they should be in the private room not far away. Not long after, less than a quarter of an hour later, Ping Rong was drunkenly helped out from around the corner by servants. Judging from the direction, he was probably heading to the restroom.
Huiyin removed the earring from her left ear and threw it into the grass, pretending to look for it. When Pingrong and the other person approached, she straightened up and greeted them with a smile, "Lord Wei."
Ping Rong looked up, his vision blurred, and saw a beautiful woman smiling shyly at him.
He sobered up instantly, pushed the servant aside, stood up straight, straightened his clothes, and asked with a smile, "So it's Miss Song. What brings you here, Miss Song?"
Huiyin lowered her head slightly, revealing her fair and slender neck, her eyes filled with sorrow, "I have unfortunately lost my earrings and have not been able to find them for a long time."
Upon hearing this, Pingrong immediately ordered his servants to search for Huiyin. He leaned closer to Huiyin, his heart fluttering with the faint fragrance emanating from the beauty. He was filled with longing and his heart was itching with desire. "Don't worry, Miss Song," he said, "if we can't find it, I will personally deliver a pair of South China Sea pearl earrings to you."
Huiyin looked up shyly, her eyes filled with tears, "Isn't this inappropriate?"
Seeing that the beauty was interested, Pingrong immediately said, "What's wrong with that? I'll find it and give it to you tomorrow!"
Huiyin covered her lips and smiled faintly, "Then I will wait for Lord Wei at the northwest entrance of the East Market tomorrow."
"No problem, no problem." Pingrong watched Huiyin's departing figure with reluctance.
Huiyin returned to the hall. The lacquer tray beside He Jiaying was piled with fruit peels. Today, she was wearing a figure-flattering double-curved skirt that accentuated her figure, and her waist and lower abdomen were bulging out.
When He Jiaying saw Huiyin return, she chewed on a Dingsheng cake and said, "Come quickly, this cake is delicious."
Huiyin sat down as instructed, picked up the teacup and drank the tea, the only remaining earring on her right earlobe swaying gently.
He Jiaying's gaze was drawn to it. "Why are you missing an earring?"
Huiyin calmly removed her other earring and put it away. "Perhaps it was lost."
He Jiaying nodded and then brought up another matter, "My aunt is going to distribute porridge outside the city tomorrow, are you going?"
"I have other things to do tomorrow." Huiyin put down her teacup and lowered her head to shield the dim light in her eyes.
Tomorrow, she is going to take someone's life.
——
That night, the moon was bright and the stars were few. Huiyin waited for a long time on the bed, hugging her knees. Pei Yu still hadn't returned that night. She didn't know what the situation was outside the city or what Pei Yu did every day.
Huiyin let her long hair down and fell heavily onto the bed. Her hand unconsciously groped for the empty space beside her. She didn't know when it had started, but she had gotten used to sleeping in Pei Yu's arms. Pei Yu wasn't here, and she missed him terribly.
Huiyin turned over, resting her head on the soft pillow as she pondered. Tomorrow, she would meet with Feng Cheng for two reasons: first, to obtain the evidence left by Yuan Zhi, thereby bringing down the Su family; and second, to kill Pingrong without anyone noticing.
She used her beauty to seduce him today. After what happened with Pingzhen and Xiao Pan'er, Pingrong will definitely be very cautious. So when he comes to keep the appointment tomorrow, not many people will know.
At this time, the country was suffering from a severe drought, and the refugees were entering the capital. All eyes were on the refugees outside the city, which was a golden opportunity to take action.
However, Pingrong is the future head of the Ping family and also holds the official position of Changleweiwei, so he needs to be dealt with carefully.
Huiyin felt sleepy and closed her eyes wearily. Before falling asleep, she vaguely wondered what Pei Yu was doing now and whether he had eaten on time.
The next morning, after Madam Pei and He Jiaying's carriage left the mansion, Huiyin went out. She took Yanniang and drove to the East Market, passing several clothing and jewelry shops, where she bought a lot of things.
Yes, she had money now. After returning to the Pei residence from Ganquan Palace, Pei Yu moved from Shuofeng Hall to Linshui Pavilion, and also moved his personal savings to Huiyin's place, so she could use it as she pleased.
The carriage took a roundabout route to the place agreed upon with Feng Cheng. Huiyin got off the carriage first, completely unaware of the small tail hanging behind the carriage.
Feng Cheng and the others paced anxiously in the private room, their expressions extremely grim.
Huiyin stood by the window, staring intently at the evidence she had been searching for for more than half a year, her brows furrowed.
Feng Cheng: "This evidence only proves that Yuan Zhi was instructed by Su Wenyi to have someone report the teacher, but there is no evidence to prove the teacher's innocence!"
Huiyin's heart sank to the bottom. She never expected that the evidence she had placed so much hope on would be so useless, failing to prove her father's innocence or bring down the Su family.
Looking at Huiyin's bloodless lips, Feng Cheng couldn't bear it and asked, "Huiyin, are you alright?"
Huiyin gripped the wooden slip tightly with her knuckles, her whole body exhausted, and she could only hold on to the wall to avoid falling.
She pinched her palms to force herself to calm down. There must be another way; there must be something she had overlooked.
Huiyin carefully considered every clue and anomaly since her father's accident. However, she knew far too little. She only knew that the Su family was the mastermind, but she didn't know the details of the case.
After a long while, Feng Cheng saw Huiyin's expression return to calm, and she said to him with a firm look in her eyes, "That secret letter must be fake. The connection with Yuan Zhi has been severed. Now we can only pin our hopes on the files collected in the Tianlu Library."
Feng Cheng frowned. "The Tianlu Library is located in the palace, and only His Majesty's trusted confidants are allowed to enter."
"A Mid-Autumn Festival banquet on the fifteenth of August."
Feng Cheng disagreed, saying, "No, that's too dangerous."
Huiyin carefully put away the evidence and smiled at Feng Cheng. "My mind is made up. Brother, thank you no matter what."
Feng Cheng was utterly helpless. "Never mind, thankfully we have Pei Yu. No matter what happens, he will definitely be able to protect you."
After they finished their discussion, the two walked outside. Feng Cheng leaned closer to Huiyin and whispered, "The person you asked us to arrest has been caught. What do you want to do now?"
Just as Huiyin was about to reply to him, she suddenly noticed someone staring at her from ahead. She looked up and saw a continuous stream of pedestrians, with a man standing in the center of the street, sword at his side, separated from the others.
Huiyin's restless heart finally found peace. She looked at the figure in the middle of the street, her lips unconsciously curving upwards. She disregarded everything else and ran over, lifting her skirt.
She walked through the crowd and went straight to Pei Yu's side, looking up at him and gazing down from his hair to his lips, not missing a single detail.
Huiyin reached out and grasped Pei Yu's warm hand, her eyes welling up with tears. "Pei Yu, you've lost weight, and you've even grown stubble."
Looking at Huiyin's beautiful face, Pei Yu felt as if his heart was split in two. One part said, "Quickly hug her and tell her you miss her too." The other part said, "Ask her why she took contraceptives."
Pei Yu concealed his expression and looked down at Huiyin, "What exactly are you and Feng Cheng plotting?"
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