Chapter 2 My scheming cousin is truly a pitiful dodder...
When Pei Mingli woke up groggily after taking the medicine, he saw a person sitting upright in the room under the dark sky!
He was so frightened that he couldn't fall asleep at all, and the jump he made aggravated the injury on his back.
But after he used the light to see the man's cold and distinct lower face clearly, he slowly spoke: "Brother?"
Seeing that he had woken up, Pei Lang slowly put down the teacup in his hand.
His voice was indifferent: "It seems that fighting on the frontier isn't dangerous enough for you to still have the mind to think about these personal matters."
"Pei Mingli, have you lost your mind to return to the capital without imperial decree for the sake of a mere orphan girl?"
Pei Lang's voice was calm, and there seemed to be no anger in it.
But it couldn't conceal the surging waves.
Pei Mingli rebelled against his father and mother from a young age, but never dared to disobey his elder brother's orders.
There was only one thing: Pei Lang was truly determined to kill.
Although Pei Lang now spends his days teaching, he stands out among the civil officials in the court.
He was once a proper scholar-general, having been on the battlefield at a young age and achieved remarkable results.
Thinking of his brother's ruthless methods, Pei Mingli unconsciously shrank his neck: "Not entirely. Brother, you don't know that Lu Jue just bumped into Azhi on the street and then went crazy and clung to her like that."
"He even boasted that he would marry no one but her. How could I, as his elder brother, not rush back to teach this scoundrel a lesson?"
Upon hearing his words, Pei Lang frowned slightly, but he was very skeptical.
"Does the young master of the Lu family have an eye ailment?"
"She's just a young girl. Has the Lu family mistreated Lu Jue in some way?"
Pei Mingli knew that his brother was not interested in women, and sometimes he even felt that his brother did not have the seven emotions and six desires of ordinary people.
How could I possibly know these things?
"Alright, brother, look at all these injuries I've sustained, please stop torturing me."
"Let me lie down properly."
However, as Pei Mingli rolled over and lay face down, Pei Lang noticed with keen eyes that the fine gauze on his back was tied into an intricate knot.
The servants in the house don't have that kind of skill.
"I just saw Lin Zhi leave from here. What did she say?"
Pei Mingli yawned, looking lazy.
"She didn't say anything, just that she dragged me into this, and I didn't blame her..."
Seeing his younger brother's nonchalant attitude, Pei Lang knew he wouldn't get anything out of him.
As he stepped out of the courtyard gate, the expression on his usually stern face softened somewhat.
"Send this bowl of pigeon soup to the second young master; it's good for replenishing his qi and blood."
Seeing his wife's reaction, Pei's father couldn't help but sneer, "Why bother with that unfilial son?"
"You're a grown man, it's good to learn from your mistakes."
Lin Shaowan sighed, realizing that her husband was just being stubborn but soft-hearted.
"You say that, but you love your two children the most."
"Back when Pei Lang was on the frontier, you wished you could grow wings and fly over to help him, but now you are still resented by those civil officials."
"You're saying all this now, but when Mingli went to war, weren't you so anxious that you couldn't sleep half the night?"
Lord Pei looked somewhat embarrassed. "It's all because of Pei Lang's matter that this happened."
"If the reinforcements had arrived even a moment later, I'm afraid..."
"I hope the eldest son is well."
Upon hearing the servants' greetings, the two tacitly fell silent and said no more.
"Father is well, Mother is well."
"Please sit down. I specially ordered the kitchen to prepare your favorite dishes today... Yu Shu, where is Miss Biao?"
The seat in front of Pei Lang was empty, with only a set of jade-colored bowl and chopsticks on it.
Lin Shaowan's personal maid, Yu Shu, quickly replied, "Chun Tao came earlier and said that Miss Biao had caught a cold and was suffering from a headache and fever, so she wouldn't be coming."
"I was so focused on the kitchen that I forgot about this."
Upon hearing this, Lin Shaowan frowned and said, "This child must have been frightened today. Quickly send a portion of the pigeon soup to Miss Biao's courtyard as well."
Although she was giving instructions to the servants, her eyes casually swept over Pei Lang.
He is only of age 18, yet he is already profound and unfathomable.
Upon hearing this, Pei Lang's dark eyes flickered slightly.
He was perfectly fine in the afternoon, walking briskly, but fell ill in the evening?
Perhaps you're feeling guilty and too ashamed to show your face?
Pei Lang put down his ivory chopsticks and said gently to his parents, "My cousin was probably frightened by that rascal Mingli."
"Why don't you send your son to see her? If she's seriously ill, you can call a doctor sooner."
Lin Shaowan hesitated for a moment, intending to refuse, but unexpectedly, her husband agreed for her.
"Alright, go see your sister. Your mother will be relieved after you've visited her."
After watching Pei Lang's tall and slender figure leave, Lin Shaowan bit her lower lip and tentatively brought up the matter of marriage.
"Mingli's return to the capital this time is supposedly for Azhi?"
"Could it be that these two children actually have feelings for each other?"
Pei's father led troops for decades, but outside of the battlefield he was just a rough man.
"We, the sons of the Pei family, are here to serve our country with utmost loyalty. Why should we rush into matters of the heart?"
Lin Shaowan didn't want to hear any of this. "Alang has been steady and composed since he was a child, so naturally he's not in a hurry."
“Mingli is impetuous. If he had a sensible wife at home, she could have tempered his temper.”
Thinking about how the two cousins loved to spend time together, Lin Shaowan's face lit up with a smile.
"The young boy and girl spend every day together. Azhi is pretty and sensible. That rascal Mingli only rushed back because of her..."
When Chun Tao came out carrying a tray, she stared at the untouched dinner in her hands with a worried expression and let out a long sigh.
"Miss is already thin, and now she can't eat. What should we do...?"
But before she could take a few steps, she was stopped by a dark figure.
When she looked up, she saw the eldest young master standing in front of her with a blank expression, which made Chun Tao's legs tremble slightly.
"Young Master, are you well?"
Pei Lang glanced around calmly, only able to see the flickering candlelight through the window.
"Where is my cousin? Is her cold serious?"
"My mother sent over some pigeon soup to help her recover."
Chun Tao thanked her somewhat nervously, "Thank you for your concern, young master. Miss has already retired for the night..."
But Pei Lang didn't stop. He walked straight to the door and knocked with his long, slender fingers.
"My mother insisted that I must see my cousin with my own eyes and know that she is safe and sound before I can feel at ease."
There were some slight rustling sounds inside the room, but they fell completely silent after Pei Lang knocked on the door.
Chun Tao and Xia Ying waited nervously behind Pei Lang, stammering, "Young Master, Miss seems to have rested. Her cold isn't serious, and she can go to pay her respects to Madam tomorrow. There's no need to rush..."
But before Xia Ying could speak, Chun Tao covered her mouth, her face turning pale.
Dressed in a moon-white brocade robe, Pei Lang looked like an immortal under the moonlight. He slowly turned around, his thin lips pursed with impatience, his eyes filled with indifference and coldness.
"Since when did a maidservant become the head of the Pei household?"
"Xingyun, drag the man away and give him twenty strokes of the cane."
Upon hearing the order, the burly servant guarding the courtyard gate strode forward, grabbed Xia Ying's arm, and was about to take her away.
"Cousin, wait! Cough cough..."
The commotion at the door left Lin Zhi no longer able to pretend to be asleep and not hear it.
With a creak, the door opened, and Pei Lang looked down at the girl behind it.
Although it was the height of summer, she still wore an outer robe draped over her slender shoulders, covering her delicate body.
His hands, which were pressed against the door, trembled uncontrollably, and his face was ashen, with a moment of bewilderment and fear in his expression.
"It's all my fault, cousin. I've angered you. Please don't hold it against me, cousin. Cough cough..."
She lowered her head slightly, her hair was loose, her delicate back bent, and her long, fine eyelashes cast a shadow on her face.
A hint of pain was visible between his brows.
Pei Lang stared at her, pondering to himself. The fine clothes and delicacies of the Pei family were like divine rain and sweet dew, nourishing the withered girl into her current fresh and tender appearance.
They really raised a child well.
It truly is a dodder plant that evokes pity.
But what she shouldn't have done was to have designs on the Pei family.
Pei Lang condescended to raise his hand and gently helped her up, his voice soft and gentle: "Cousin, you're too kind. It's nothing serious."
"Since you're sick, you should rest well. The pigeon soup is a token of your mother's love. Drink it and then rest."
As the girl's tense body relaxed, even her breathing became more even.
"Thank you, cousin..."
Before Lin Zhi could finish speaking, her slender, snow-white wrist was firmly grasped by a large hand.
The pulsating heartbeat was held firmly in someone's hand.
Lin Zhi was both surprised and embarrassed. She unconsciously tried to pull her hand away, but the grip only tightened.
Pei Lang frowned slightly at the look in her eyes, which were as panicked as a young deer's, but quickly relaxed.
"Since it's just a cold and not too serious, my cousin should rest more and not worry our mother."
When the young man released his hand, several red marks appeared on his wrist like vermilion ink.
Watching Pei Lang leave with steady steps, Lin Zhi let out a breath she had been holding in, and leaned against the door, her legs feeling a little weak.
But Pei Lang's gaze grew increasingly somber: "You caught a cold as soon as you saw me return to the manor."
"What a coincidence..."
Logically speaking, as someone serving the emperor, he should have questioned the two men upon returning to his residence, and should at least give the emperor and the crown prince an explanation.
One of them insisted on their own reasoning, while the other claimed to be ill and unable to get out of bed.
Thinking of Lin Zhi's outer robe, it was the Xueyun brocade that was highly sought after in the capital, and even princesses could not obtain more than a few bolts.
It's understandable that this was Lin Shaowan's doing.
But the soft carpet in her room had many clever touches, clearly indicating that it was from the border region.
Pei Mingli really put a lot of thought into her.
Thinking about how the mother and son had spoiled an orphan girl into this state, not only did she dare to get entangled with the young marquis of the Lu family, but she had also seduced a young general who abandoned his troops to return to the capital.
Pei Lang felt utterly disgusted.
Countless people wanted to climb up by stepping on the Pei family, but they never expected that even with all their precautions, it would be difficult to guard against a traitor within their own family.
However, this girl is very shrewd and has a deep mind despite her young age.
We must proceed gradually.
Xingyun glanced cautiously at the young master, who exuded a fierce aura, and unconsciously became on high alert.
This young lady is no simple character.
The last person who caused the young master so much trouble was a veteran of two dynasties with deep roots.
Lin Zhi drank the whole bowl of bitter medicine with a long face, her little face scrunched up in a frown.
Chuntao quickly seized the opportunity and stuffed a candied fruit into her mouth. Seeing her cheeks puff out twice, her expression finally relaxed.
"Why do you have to treat yourself so badly, Miss? Even though it's summer, taking a cold shower is still bad for your health."
Lin Zhi breathed a sigh of relief, "So what? If my older cousin blames me, I'm afraid I'll have to copy it a hundred times as punishment."
"I still want to keep these hands for embroidery; I can't bear to ruin them with writing."
"You all said I'm sick, so my cousin won't punish me anymore, right?"
Looking at the cunning girl in her eyes, a trace of worry flashed across Chun Tao's eyes.
The eldest son was never one to meddle in other people's business, but he valued his family above all else.
Now that the Second Young Master has offended the Emperor, he is probably taking his anger out on Miss Biao.
Seeing Lin Zhi's carefree and happy expression, Chun Tao bit her lip, unable to bear to reveal the truth.
Besides, there's also the wife and the second son.
She's a lovely cousin, and even they all dote on her. Surely the young master wouldn't be so reluctant to blame her... right?
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