Chapter 18 Cousin, Don't Go! Pei Lang lowered his eyes, trying to ignore the fragrance emanating from the bathtub...
"Miss! Miss!"
Xia Ying rushed back, panting heavily as soon as she entered the door, and downed half a cup of tea. Chun Tao frowned and told her to drink more slowly.
"I have found out that this girl is indeed Xie Shaoqing's sister, named Xie Jin."
Xia Ying's eyes sparkled as she lowered her voice to share the information she had gathered from the teahouse with Lin Zhi: "I heard that this Miss Xie has been the apple of her family's eye since she was a child, pampered by her parents and brothers until she reached marriageable age, but unexpectedly she has taken a fancy to a poor scholar."
"That man was born in the countryside and went to the capital to take the imperial examination. Unexpectedly, he arrived in the capital just as the emperor fell seriously ill, and he was delayed in the capital. Somehow, he caught the eye of this Miss Xie."
"But Xie Shaoqing was the first to complain. He tried so many methods, but he could keep people in check, but he couldn't keep their hearts in check."
Hearing this, Lin Zhi nodded thoughtfully: "No wonder she was starving and still ran away. She must have had a fight with her family and was trying to go on a hunger strike."
Chuntao asked worriedly, "Miss, since this young lady is of such high status, should we still keep her here?"
"If Xie Shaoqing finds out, will we all suffer as a result?"
Lin Zhi pursed her lips, looking somewhat troubled.
"Water...water..."
The person on the soft couch spoke softly. Lin Zhi heard it and quickly took a teacup over, carefully feeding him half a cup before seeing Xie Jin slowly open his eyes.
"Who are you......"
Seeing that she looked pitiful and indeed had a beautiful appearance, Lin Zhi quickly said, "My name is Lin Zhi, and I am a cousin of the Pei family. This is the Pei residence, and this is my place. Please feel at ease, young lady."
Upon hearing that she was at the Pei family's residence, Xie Jin became anxious and struggled to get up. Seeing that she was weak and almost fell, Lin Zhi quickly asked someone to help her up.
"Girl, what are you doing? I'm not in any danger!"
Xie Jinfu crawled on, panting, his face turning pale again: "My brother and the young master of the Pei family are close friends. I hope you will let me leave!"
Upon hearing her words, Lin Zhi was completely certain of her identity.
"Miss Xie Jin, is your brother Xie Zheng, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review?"
Upon hearing her mention her brother's name, Xie Jin's eyes filled with wariness, like a cat arching its back. "What? You also want to tie me up and send me back to the Xie family!"
Seeing her agitated, Lin Zhi frowned slightly and asked Xia Ying and Chun Tao to leave first. She patiently sat down next to Xie Jin, laid out the congee and side dishes she had prepared, and said softly, "Miss Xie, no matter why you ran away, you need to fill your stomach to have the strength."
"If I faint again, I'm afraid I'll really have to be sent back."
Xie Jin frowned and stared at her for a while before struggling to get up and slowly began to eat.
Chun Tao and her companion stood guard outside the door. By the time the door opened again, it was already evening. Seeing their young mistress looking exhausted, the two hurriedly went to greet her: "Miss, thank you, Miss Xie..."
Lin Zhi quickly shushed her, "She's cried herself to sleep on the soft couch, don't come in yet."
Lin Zhi rubbed her sore shoulders, and Chun Tao quickly placed a soft cushion on the stone bench to massage her shoulders: "Miss, is this Miss Xie really escaping for the sake of a poor scholar?"
Lin Zhi closed her eyes, feeling only a headache: "Well, not only that, she also wants to elope with that person."
"If Xie Shaoqing hadn't discovered their correspondence, they would probably both be out of the capital by now."
Xia Ying looked on with surprise as if she were listening to a storybook, "Where are the candidates? Why is it only Miss Xie?"
Lin Zhi slowly opened her eyes, her gaze filled with confusion. Xie Jin only said that her brother had threatened her, scaring her into running away in a panic.
But something seemed off. Even if she had run away, why would she have abandoned Xie Jin and run away alone?
"Miss, this is a summer quilt that the housekeeper just sent over. It feels cool and silky to the touch and is extremely comfortable to cover yourself with."
Looking at the thin quilt Xia Ying was holding, Lin Zhi casually touched it but sensed something was wrong: "Isn't this ice silk? The summer quilts sent from the manor before were never this precious."
"Did the housekeeper send this over?"
Xia Ying nodded: "Yes, not only that, but there are also these tonics, which are said to be sent to help Miss recover."
"I was worried that those people would make things difficult for us after the lady left the manor, but I didn't expect them to be so sensible."
Unlike Xia Ying, who was overjoyed, Lin Zhi frowned as she looked at the expensive tonics in front of her. Even in the Pei family, the ingredients in these were rarely seen.
How dare a servant deliver it on their own? Unless...
Among a large pile of tonics, I saw a box of century-old ginseng that had been sent by the emperor's trusted eunuch. It was a gift from the emperor that was given to Pei Lang when he was recuperating and bedridden!
Given this, how could Lin Zhi not know that this was Pei Lang's doing?
She bit her lower lip, somewhat at a loss.
"Have all the items been delivered?" Pei Lang lazily and casually flipped through the several memorials on the table without even looking up.
Xingyunli replied from the side, "Young master, the items have all been handed over to the steward and sent away."
"Jifeng has also returned to the capital and wishes to meet with you, young master."
Upon hearing that Jifeng had returned, Pei Lang finally looked up: "Jifeng? Didn't the secret letter say that you were injured? Why didn't you heal your wounds and rush back?"
Xingyun's expression was solemn, and he spoke in a low voice, "Jifeng said that he was ambushed by people from the palace, but I'm afraid it was the Third Prince's men."
"So I wish to meet with you, young master, to explain in detail."
Pei Lang's handsome features were obscured by the candlelight. After a moment of contemplation, he nodded and said, "Let him come over."
After about half an incense stick's time, the tall, strong man, his face pale, was helped in by Xingyun and trembling as he tried to kneel down.
Seeing this, Pei Lang waved his hand and said, "No need to kneel. Get to the important part."
With great difficulty, Jifeng bowed and replied, "Young Master, I was ambushed on my way back to the capital. Fortunately, I held my breath and pretended to be dead, which saved my life."
"I also heard the leader say something about targeting the Pei family. I'm afraid that the recent spate of thieves targeting wealthy households in the capital is just a prelude to a surprise attack on the Pei family."
Pei Lang's long, slender fingers tapped the table unconsciously, each tap heavier than the last, but suddenly his eyes sharpened as he glared out the window: "Who's there!"
Before Xingyun Jifeng could react, Pei Lang had already rushed out of the study and chased after a dark figure.
"Oh no! You wait here, I'll go get help!"
Xingyun hurriedly set off, but Pei Lang had already disappeared from sight.
Upon reaching the front of Lanxue Pavilion, Pei Lang frowned and stopped, only to see the person he had injured heading in a disheveled manner towards Lin Zhi's boudoir.
"My lord! I'll go after that thief!"
When Xingyun and his subordinates caught up, they saw where the man had gone. Without thinking, they were about to chase after him, but Pei Lang grabbed their collar and pulled them back.
"Take your men and chase after them towards the front hall. As for Lin Zhi's residence, I'll go there myself."
If word gets out that a group of men broke into the Pei family's residence at night, what will become of the Pei family's reputation?
Xingyun paused for a moment, then nodded without hesitation and led his men to chase after them: "Young master is wise! That thief must have been using a feint!"
He leaped down from the courtyard wall and looked around warily, only to find that the courtyard was unusually quiet even though it was not yet time to rest.
Lin Zhi had just calmed Xie Jin down, who wanted to leave the Pei residence, when she was startled by several knocks on the door. "Who is it?"
Pei Lang stood with his hands behind his back, looking sideways: "Azhi, it's me."
Upon hearing Pei Lang's voice, Lin Zhi quickly turned around to look at Xie Jin, whose eyes were wide with panic, and put her index finger to her lips to signal her to be quiet.
With her heart pounding, Lin Zhi walked to the door, trying her best to remain calm: "Cousin, is there something important? I need to rest now, let's talk about it tomorrow."
If her cousin finds out that Xie Jin is with her, Xie Zheng probably won't be able to keep it from her either.
Pei Lang frowned as he listened to Lin Zhi's reply, sensing the tension in her soft voice.
"My cousin is resting so early today, is the tonic you had someone send over ready?"
"...Thank you very much, cousin. I will personally go and express my gratitude tomorrow."
The two were separated only by a door, but Pei Lang could still hear the sounds of another person inside. If he forced his way in, he might alert the thief, and who knows what he would do.
Pei Lang's eyes flickered, and he simply said, "Alright, then I won't bother you any longer."
Hearing the footsteps of the person leaving outside the door, Lin Zhi finally breathed a sigh of relief, patting her chest. "Don't be afraid, Miss Xie, it's alright now."
Xie Jin was somewhat surprised, looking at her timidly: "Is this how Pei Lang usually speaks to you?"
“...Is that so?” Lin Zhi didn’t know what else to say, after all, it was only the first time she and Xie Jin had met.
Thinking about what she knew about Pei Lang, Xie Jin felt sorry for the girl in front of her.
After a long silence, he slowly spoke: "Miss Lin, you are a good person. Thank you for saving me today."
"Xie Jin owes you a favor. If you ever need my help, please don't hesitate to ask."
Xie Jin's words lingered in her mind. Lin Zhi submerged herself in the bathtub, staring at the petals floating on the water, quite puzzled.
With a very slight creak, the sound made Lin Zhi stiffen.
She watched helplessly as someone pushed open the window not far away, her blood seemingly freezing in her veins, unable to move.
A lithe, lean figure leaped in, and Lin Zhi screamed, "Ah! Someone's here..."
Chun Tao, wearing an outer robe, came out of the room and walked towards the young lady's door. Somewhat hesitantly, she knocked on the door and asked, "Miss, did you call me? Do you want a hot bath?"
"Miss?"
Chun Tao knocked on the door twice more before she heard Lin Zhi's voice: "No, just now... I saw a flying insect and got scared, it's gone now."
"Go and rest."
Upon hearing this, Chun Tao answered and turned to leave, but couldn't help muttering to herself, "How could I have misheard? Miss clearly called for someone just now, didn't she?"
Meanwhile, in the bathhouse, Pei Lang turned his head and quickly released the hand covering Lin Zhi's mouth, staring at the floor tiles with a frown, not daring to look around: "...Cousin, I...did not mean to intrude."
"A thief broke into the manor tonight. When I was outside the door, I heard a second person making noise in your room. I didn't expect you to... I apologize for the intrusion."
"The thief might be hiding in a corner of your room. I'll go check it out for you..."
Pei Lang lowered his eyes, wanting to ignore the fragrant young girl in the bathtub, but just as he was about to leave quickly, a wet, delicate hand tugged at the hem of his clothes.
"Cousin, don't go, I'm scared..."
A note from the author:
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There will be no update on Tuesday, but there will be one on Wednesday, so don't go there empty-handed!
If you have any expired nutrient solutions to use for feeding, that would be even better!
Thanks for adding this to your favorites! [Upright-eared rabbit head]
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