Chapter 55 Showing Compassion for Women Fang Shiyun's eyes flickered slightly, even he, seeing...
"What are you embroidering, Miss? Shall I put another candle on for you?"
Chun Tao carefully trimmed the candle wick, and only when it was slightly brighter could she see that Lin Zhi was holding a delicate little red bib, clearly made for a child, and it looked extremely cute.
Lin Zhi unfolded the bodice in her hand, gently touched it, but tore off the unfinished silk thread, her expression indifferent: "Take it and throw it away."
Looking at the incredibly meticulous stitches, Chun Tao pursed her lips and took the needle. After hesitating for a moment, she sat down and asked, "Miss, are you really not going to reconsider?"
"I know you are saddened because of the lady, but ultimately the dead cannot be brought back to life."
“The madam has passed away. Now, the young master is your only flesh and blood relative. Even if you do not wish to see the adults, the young master is still your child.”
Chun Tao's words were touching, but Lin Zhi bit her lip and shook her head: "We haven't even sorted out our own affairs yet, we can't let the child be born to suffer."
“I don’t want to be tied down by my child, nor do I want to use my child to tie down Pei Lang.”
"It would be better if we had fewer and fewer entanglements..."
That's what she said, but Chun Tao clearly saw that her mistress's eyes were moist and she turned her head away to wipe her tears.
Silently retreating and closing the door, Chun Tao looked at the delicate little bib in her hand, thought for a moment, and then carefully folded it and put it away.
"Does His Majesty's granting Xie Zheng command of the Imperial Guards indicate a lack of trust in me?"
Pei Lang sat upright in his seat, but his tone was extremely arrogant and blunt.
Xiao Ting paused in his playing with the bracelet, then chuckled softly, "You are my mentor, and to me, you are more like an elder brother. Why do you say that?"
"Xie Zheng is loyal and capable; he just wanted to give Pei Qing more help."
"Moreover, I heard that Madam Pei is pregnant, so she needs Pei Qing to stay by her side more often."
"The affairs of the court must be handled and resolved by someone."
Xiao Ting adopted a humble attitude, but Pei Lang did not feel respected at all. Instead, he was reprimanded in a different way.
"Your Majesty's decision is beyond my objection. However, Xie Zheng is a man of emotion and I fear he is not up to the task."
Xiao Ting chuckled twice, but didn't say anything more.
Seeing the change in Pei Lang's eyes, she changed the subject and said, "Consort Hui saved the Emperor and specially asked me for a favor."
"However, we still need to discuss this matter thoroughly with Pei Qing."
Upon hearing this, Pei Lang stood up abruptly and bowed slightly: "Your Majesty is too kind. Please give your orders."
Xiao Ting leaned back on the dragon throne and gently tapped the armrest: "Consort Hui still has a younger sister who is not yet engaged. Miss He is exceptionally talented and is a good match for Minister Pei."
Pei Lang stood rooted to the spot, his expression unchanged, though his aura seemed to grow even colder: "He Xiang's daughter, may I ask what benefits Your Majesty expects me to gain?"
Xiao Ting had anticipated that Pei Lang would try to bargain with him; he never made a deal that would put him at a disadvantage. But he hadn't expected that Pei Lang's only reason for refuting him was this, without even mentioning Lin Zhi.
"There are benefits, of course. The biggest benefit is that he helped me with this task. Also, not everyone can have a father-in-law like Prime Minister He."
"There are still old ministers in the court who are dissatisfied with you. Once you have Prime Minister He, who else would dare to say anything?"
Seeing Xiao Ting's ambiguous smile, Pei Lang also wanted to laugh, but only slightly curled the corners of his lips: "I'm afraid I will fail Your Majesty's trust. My concubine is pregnant with my eldest son, and there must be no mishap."
"Moreover, Xie Zheng is now more favored by the Emperor. Why not give this good fortune to Xie Shaoqing?"
Xiao Ting's expression gradually turned cold. Pei Lang was truly arrogant and conceited, daring to even challenge him.
"So, Pei Qing, you're saying you won't agree?"
Pei Lang bowed gracefully, then turned and left the main hall.
"Extremely outrageous."
Xiao Ting's voice slowly emerged from between his teeth, startling the eunuch beside him who immediately knelt down, too afraid to utter a sound.
"Pei Lang actually dared to defy the imperial decree for that woman?"
He Luoyun leaned against the bed, her face, lightly made up, still pale and sickly, looking very haggard.
However, unlike her weak and delicate demeanor when she met the Emperor, she spoke with great vigor when questioning the servants.
"I heard that the concubine is pregnant. With the child, she will be of high status, so it's no wonder that Lord Pei values her so much."
He Luoyun's expression changed slightly. She entered the Eastern Palace three years ago and is now Consort Hui, but she is still not pregnant. Meanwhile, this little concubine of the Pei family is pregnant in less than half a year.
He Luoyun thought of how her sister had described that person as seductive, and her eyebrows furrowed slightly, revealing her displeasure.
"I remember keeping the waist tag we took from that assassin last time?"
The trusted confidant immediately understood: "Your Highness is right. If others saw this, they would only think that she is the princess's person."
Consort Hui leaned back on the cushion with an air of composure and casually waved her hand: "Since that's the case, then let's do it."
If we lose this child, we won't be afraid that Pei Lang will refuse us again.
After the New Year, the weather gradually warmed up. Although there was occasional light snow, it melted away before it could accumulate on the ground.
Seeing that it was still early, Lin Zhi decided to go out for a walk. Now that she was more than three months pregnant, she no longer felt unwell easily, and her mood had improved considerably.
Lin Zhi was already frail, and now with the added layers of thick clothing, she didn't look pregnant at all, but Chun Tao still couldn't rest easy.
"Miss, the roads are slippery in this snowy weather. Why don't you wait until it's warmer before going out?"
But there were less than ten days left until the deadline she had agreed upon with Pei Lang. She feared that if it got warmer, she would no longer be able to be with her child.
Lin Zhi lowered her eyes and stroked her slightly heaving belly, but insisted: "We won't go far, just to Jiyoutang."
"I haven't seen how those children are eating and living."
Chun Tao frowned, but then she thought that Ji You Tang was indeed not far away, so she quietly agreed and went to arrange the carriage herself.
Just before leaving the mansion, the master and servant bumped into Xingyun, who was hurrying back to the mansion. He quickly bowed to Lin Zhi as if he wanted to say something.
Lin Zhi knew that he was Pei Lang's confidant, and that whenever he opened his mouth, it would definitely be about Pei Lang. She didn't want to listen, so she raised her hand to stop him with a cold expression: "I don't want to hear about Pei Lang's affairs. I have other matters to attend to and need to leave the manor."
With that, he led Chun Tao into the carriage.
Seeing Xingyun lingering at the door, unwilling to leave, Chuntao hesitated before lowering the carriage curtain: "Miss, Xingyun seems to have something important to tell you. Why don't you listen to him?"
But Lin Zhi closed her eyes as if to escape, not wanting to pay attention.
The sound of the carriage rumbled around her. Although she was mindful that her pregnancy was relatively stable, Lin Zhi still felt a sore throat after a while.
Noticing Lin Zhi's unusual condition at a glance, Chun Tao quickly took out the sachet she always carried with her: "Miss, quickly smell this mint sachet, it'll refresh you and stop your nausea!"
The refreshing scent filled her nostrils, which eased the churning feeling in her stomach. She reached out and took the sachet, holding it in her hand. She couldn't help but praise Chun Tao: "You're so thoughtful."
Chun Tao smiled shyly: "Thank you for your kind words, Miss. But this method was not my own idea; it was instructed by Lord Pei."
"Not only do I have one, but each of the maids who are close to Miss has one, just in case Miss feels unwell at any time or place."
Hearing Chun Tao's words, Lin Zhi's heart tightened, and the smile on her face faded. She turned her head and leaned against the soft cushion in the carriage, feeling that the soreness in her lower back had been relieved a lot.
Whether it was because the carriage was too stable or Lin Zhi was too tired, she unconsciously fell asleep leaning against the comfortable cushions, clutching the mint sachet tightly in her hand before falling asleep.
Lin Zhi was dazed and confused for some time when a refreshing minty scent wafted into her nostrils. She was jolted awake by the bumpy carriage, but then realized something was wrong.
Jiyoutang is not far from the Pei residence. It should take the carriage two incense sticks to travel there, but how long has it been and they still haven't arrived?
She squinted, trying to lift the carriage curtain to take a look, but found that the scenery outside the carriage was no longer that of the capital! Feeling her arms weak and sore, Lin Zhi bit her lower lip, using the pain to gain a brief moment of clarity, and quickly woke up the unconscious Chun Tao.
"Chuntao... Chuntao! Wake up!"
Hearing her young mistress speak in a low voice, Chun Tao slowly opened her eyes, but her body swayed uncontrollably: "Why is this carriage going so fast?"
Chun Tao struggled to lift the front curtain of the carriage, but turned pale and hurriedly retreated: "Miss! The coachman is gone! It's a masked man in black driving!"
The two women were pressed tightly together, their hearts pounding. They hadn't fallen asleep; they had been drugged and rendered unconscious!
Lin Zhi forced herself to calm down. "Just now, when I looked outside the carriage, it looked like a mountain road in the outskirts of the capital. I'm afraid this person wanted the carriage to go up the mountain, and the speed was so fast. I'm afraid they wanted the carriage to crash into the small slope and roll down to kill and silence the witnesses!"
Chun Tao turned pale with fright, but before she could react, Lin Zhi pulled her away and quickly moved the things aside to open the back door of the carriage.
Lin Zhi tore off his thick cloak and wrapped it around Chun Tao, then pushed her tightly to the edge of the carriage.
"If I jump down, I'm afraid the child will be lost. My dear Chuntao, I can only ask you to go down from here. Protect your head and neck, and go back to the Pei residence to seek help!"
Chun Tao's eyes filled with tears, and she shook her head violently: "Miss, what should you and the young master do!"
In this urgent situation, Lin Zhi didn't have time to think too much. They weren't too far from the capital yet, and if they delayed any longer, even a god might not be able to save her in time.
Fearing she might alert the thief driving the car, she silently and firmly grasped Chun Tao's hand before gently pushing her down.
Lin Zhi watched with bated breath as Chun Tao, wrapped in a thick cloak, rolled around on the ground a few times before limping to her feet. Only then did she feel a little relieved.
Lin Zhi carefully closed the back door of the carriage, but her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of her throat.
She sat up shakily, her hands trembling as she gently touched her lower abdomen, her mind a jumbled mess.
The small hills near the outskirts of Beijing weren't particularly dangerous; a carriage hitting them might only result in serious injuries, not death, but the child would certainly not survive.
But who sent this person to make things difficult for her?
As the carriage continued to move, Lin Zhi closed her eyes in despair. She was powerless against the strong and healthy thieves and could only pray that Chun Tao could find Pei Lang for help as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. The moment the thought crossed her mind, she was shocked to find that the carriage was going faster and faster. When she lifted the curtain, she saw that the man was driving the carriage straight toward the hillside!
Lin Zhi gritted her teeth, her heart filled with resentment as she thought of the child in her womb with whom she had little connection. She had already gone through so much, so why would anyone want to take her and her child's lives?
"Get out of my way!"
The man in black tried to abandon the car and escape, but the sharp pain in the back of his neck made his hands go weak, and he even let go of the reins.
Lin Zhi was violently thrown aside, her head slamming against the carriage wall, her vision blurring. Before she fainted, she only caught a fleeting glimpse of the thief's waist tag.
Seeing that the carriage was about to crash into the hillside, and he didn't have time to jump out, the man in black looked extremely ugly. He never expected that he would fall into the trap of just two weak women!
The horse galloped madly toward the stone wall. The man in black raised his arms to block it, knowing it was futile, but he still tried to resist.
The galloping horses knelt on the ground, and although the carriage shook violently, it finally stopped before crashing into the mountainside.
"Hey! The carriage is going so fast on the mountain road, are they crazy?!"
Fang Shiyun deftly put away his bow, frowned as he looked at the carriage, and felt that it looked familiar.
"Isn't this the Pei family's carriage?"
He could vaguely make out who it was, so he quickly stopped the caravan behind him and rode forward alone.
"The Pei family's coachman wouldn't be so reckless. Who are you?"
Although Fang Shiyun was usually unreliable, he was quite decisive when it came to serious matters. He drew his bow and aimed at the suspicious man in black in front of him, who seemed to be injured and unable to move.
He had just dismounted and stepped forward when, unexpectedly, the man suddenly sprang up and threw a handful of powder in his face!
Fang Shiyun turned his head and raised his arm to dodge, but the man took advantage of the opportunity to run away.
"Chase after him and capture him alive!"
That person was incredibly agile; in the blink of an eye, he had run a long distance.
Fang Shiyun, however, calmly nocked an arrow and shot it into the man's thigh, coldly ordering his men to go and capture him.
He looked at the dust-covered carriage in front of him, frowned, put away his bow, stepped forward, and lifted the curtain, wondering what inside was worth this person risking their life for.
But as soon as he lifted the car curtain, he was surprised to see a beautiful young woman lying unconscious inside the car, her delicate features making her look like a fairy.
Fang Shiyun's eyes widened slightly. Even the most famous courtesan he had ever seen seemed ordinary and unremarkable in front of this woman.
However, she seemed to be seriously injured. Seeing that she was dressed so thinly without even a thick cloak, I couldn't help but feel sorry for her and carefully carried her out.
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