Wish You All the Best - Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Jiafu kept her head bowed, remaining silent.

Zhang Fengtong continued to hold her hand, "Cousin Zhen, I know a thing or two about the situation between you and the Heir Apparent. The Heir Apparent is a dragon among men, a rarity in this world. He has been deeply infatuated with you; I have never seen him show such concern for any other woman."

She paused for a moment, "When the Heir Apparent brought you here from your home in such a manner earlier, you must have been startled on the journey, which led to this misunderstanding. The Heir Apparent could not bear to treat you this way, but he truly had his own hidden difficulties. You will understand the reasons behind it in the future. You must know that everything he has done stems from his love for you. I am fortunate to be betrothed to him, yet because of me, he has been unable to start a family until now, and he lacks someone by his side to provide warmth and care. Whenever I think of this, I feel immense guilt. When I accidentally learned that he had intentions toward you, I was extremely relieved. I am a person of little virtue and merit, but I do possess a measure of tolerance. As long as you nod your head now, I will ensure you are never mistreated in the future. When the time is right, who else would be given the position of a secondary consort if not you? In the future, we will be as close as sisters, serving the Heir Apparent and sharing in his glory; wouldn't that be a wonderful thing? If you have any other concerns or need assistance in any way, just let me know, and I will certainly do my utmost to help you."

After she finished speaking, she looked at Jiafu with a smile.

Jiafu remained silent. The room fell into a dull hush, and the atmosphere gradually became somewhat awkward.

Zhang Fengtong gave a light cough, and just as she was about to speak again, Jiafu suddenly pulled her hand away from Zhang Fengtong’s grip and looked up.

"Sister Zhang, you have honored me greatly by coming to see me, but I am dull-witted and do not quite understand your words, save for the term ‘secondary consort.’ Could it be that you wish for me to be a concubine to the Heir Apparent? Although my family are merchants of low status, my mother has taught me since childhood that I would rather be the poor wife of a commoner than a noble concubine. My mother often blamed herself for having a deficit in wifely virtue because she would not allow my father to take a concubine. Fortunately, my father did not blame her; instead, he cherished her all the more. Ever since he married my mother, he has been devoted only to her for his entire life, treating her with the utmost respect and following her lead. I remember occasionally hearing my father and mother speaking in private when I was small; he said that even if my mother had the inclination, he would not accept one. He said that although there are many women in the world, he only respects and loves her in his heart, so how could he bear to bring another woman into the house and wrong her?"

Zhang Fengtong’s smile remained, but her formerly dignified expression stiffened slightly.

Jiafu, however, smiled—a smile so innocent and beautiful: "Sister Zhang, although I have only been here for a few days, I have heard of your virtuous reputation. Your words just now gave me even more insight; you are truly a paragon among women, and I look up to you. That night, I truly did not know that the nobleman who had me brought here was the Heir Apparent. I was afraid that the old woman and her gang were trying to trick me into a fiery pit, which is why I tried to run away. If that woman had clearly told me it was the Heir Apparent, I wouldn't have tried to escape. Given my background, it is my great fortune to be favored by the Heir Apparent and to meet a broad-minded person like you, Sister Zhang. But when I think of my mother’s earnest teachings, I do not know what to do. Moreover, this matter concerns my entire life; without my family’s permission, if I were to agree to this on my own, I fear that when it is discovered later, people will laugh at me for a shameful affair."

Zhang Fengtong’s earlobes faintly began to turn red. She raised a hand and touched the earring hanging at her temple.

Jiafu frowned, showing a troubled look, "However, I truly admire your character, Sister Zhang. As soon as I saw you, I felt a sense of intimacy and only wanted to grow closer to you..."

She suddenly let out a soft "Ah," and smiled, "Although my family is far away in Quanzhou and news is difficult to pass, fortunately, I still have my Big Cousin here! Why don't you head back first, Sister Zhang? Once I have asked my Big Cousin for his opinion, if he nods, I will agree!"

Since childhood, Zhang Fengtong knew her appearance was ordinary, so she worked hard to cultivate her virtue to compensate for her shortcomings. Coupled with the intentional promotion by the Zhang family, she became famous far and wide by her teenage years. Finally, she lived up to her family’s expectations and was betrothed to the Heir Apparent of Yunzhong, Xiao Yintang. Over the past few years, she had met Xiao Yintang several times. She fell in love with him at first sight, yet his attitude toward her was very cold. She knew the maids around him were more beautiful than she was. After being treated coldly, she did not lose heart, secretly buying off informants in the manor to gradually learn some hidden details. Last year, taking advantage of Xiao Yintang’s visit to Chuxiong to pay respects to his elders, she met him privately once more, revealing her heart to him and promising that she would definitely do her best to help him achieve great things in the future. After that time, Xiao Yintang’s attitude toward her finally changed, and they only gradually became familiar with each other thereafter.

A few days ago, Zhang Fengtong suddenly received a letter from Xiao Yintang. He told her about himself and a Zhen-surnamed girl from Quanzhou, asking her to go on his behalf to meet the girl and persuade her to agree. In order to please him, Zhang Fengtong did not dare to refuse, which led to today’s visit. Just now, when she first saw this Zhen girl, her heart felt as if it had been clawed by a cat. Hearing Jiafu mention her parents, it felt like being pricked by a needle; she suspected the girl was mockingly alluding to her. Continuing to listen, she felt that the girl’s words were spoken with every appearance of innocence, and perhaps the remark was just an unintentional slip of the tongue that happened to step on her sore spot. Just as she was suspicious, embarrassed, and annoyed, she suddenly heard Jiafu say she would let Pei You’an decide. She snapped out of her daze and hurriedly stopped her, "Cousin Zhen, those words just now were only because I liked you and took you as a good sister, speaking from the heart in private. How can private talk between sisters be spread outside? Even more so, it must not be told to your cousin."

Jiafu blinked and asked, troubled, "But Sister, didn't you say you wanted me to nod and follow the Heir Apparent? I don't dare to agree on my own."

Zhang Fengtong maintained a forced smile, "It was merely my own hope. If you cannot make up your own mind, then forget it. Would I, your sister, force you to nod?"

Jiafu wore an expression of relief, "That is good! I was actually worrying about how to bring this up with my Big Cousin; it would have been so embarrassing to say!"

Only then did Zhang Fengtong’s suspenseful heart slowly settle back into place. From then on, she no longer mentioned the purpose of her visit, chatting about other trivial matters with Jiafu as if nothing had happened, and then found an excuse to rise and leave.

Jiafu was warm and affectionate, personally sending her all the way to the door. She promised to visit her in Chuxiong next time, watching as Zhang Fengtong was helped into her carriage by her accompanying servants with elegant poise. The carriage door closed, and the entourage, surrounded by attendants, gradually disappeared from sight.

Once the carriage was gone, the smile on Jiafu’s face immediately vanished. She walked back slowly, head bowed, returning to her room on the third floor of the circular building. She had only climbed half the stairs when her feet felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead. She could not climb any further and stopped.

The twilight gradually thickened. A ray of sunset shot diagonally through the square window at the corner of the stairs, casting a glow at Jiafu’s feet.

Jiafu sat on the stairs, leaning against the wall, lost in a daze.

Xiao Yintang had not given up after all; he had actually sent Zhang Fengtong to be his lobbyist. Although she had dismissed her just now, based on Jiafu’s deduction, being rejected repeatedly was likely to anger him even more. He would never just give up like this.

Although Pei You’an was protecting her now and had promised to help her, she could not stay under Pei You’an’s nose forever. Moreover, Pei You’an had his own affairs and could not protect her indefinitely. Sooner or later, she would be sent back to Quanzhou. Once she was out of Pei You’an’s sight, even if Xiao Yintang did not abduct her by force, he could easily use other methods, and her family would likely be placed in danger—not to mention that he would later become the Crown Prince and even the Emperor.

When that time came, would she submit or not?

In her previous life, even though she and Xiao Yintang had been intimate, she had never felt a shred of true warmth in her heart from his touch.

He demanded obedience, was adept at plundering, and enjoyed to the fullest the offerings of her beauty and body. At the same time, every time he returned to her side from another woman, he would always tell her in a gentle tone that he only loved her, and that the other women in his eyes were nothing more than tools.

Because she could not resist and had no courage to take the safety of her family—who she believed had died in the wars years ago—to oppose him, and because he expressed his love over and over again, she had been his most favored woman. Gradually, even though she lived like a walking corpse, and even though she knew she had never been moved by his love, she began to believe it: perhaps he really did love her, and he was just helpless because of his position.

It was only at the very last moment that she finally understood: he only truly loved his own feelings.

She had already carelessly ruined her previous life. Having finally been granted a fresh start, she did not want to waste this life on the same man again, even if she were still just as useless.

But how could she completely escape the threat from this man?

Jiafu’s mind was a mess. As she thought back and forth, a plan suddenly popped into her head.

Rely on Pei You’an. Marry Pei You’an and let him take her as his wife. Only by having such an unbreakable bond with him could she gain Pei You’an’s long-term protection!

Jiafu did not know exactly what the relationship was between Pei You’an and Xiao Yintang. If they were close friends, then in this situation, marrying Pei You’an would undoubtedly invite Xiao Yintang’s dissatisfaction, and it was highly likely that their relationship would be affected. Furthermore, in Jiafu’s memory, the Pei You’an of her previous life only lived to about thirty, which was only seven or eight years from now.

But she could not afford to consider that for Pei You’an, nor could she think so far ahead. Right now, Xiao Yintang was closing in on her step by step. She had better find a way to cling to Pei You’an; she could think about the rest later, little by little.

Jiafu’s heart began to race from this bold and crazy idea. It was as if she had malaria—she was struck by a series of chills and fevers, and her hands were tightly clenched together.

"Young Mistress? What is the matter? Are you not feeling well?"

A voice came suddenly, startling Jiafu into a shudder. She raised her eyes to see a maid coming up the stairs; seeing her sitting there, the maid wore a look of concern.

Jiafu shook her head, steadied her mind, stood up, and climbed the stairs quickly. She entered her room, closed the door, leaned against it, closed her eyes, and let out a long breath.

Think of a way, think of a way quickly. While there is still a chance, think of how to make Pei You’an marry her.