Wish You All the Best - Chapter 28

Chapter 28

During their meal, the two of them sat in their usual seats. Pei You’an said not a word, his expression grave.

At first, Jiafu assumed he was still angry about the farce that had just occurred. Feeling a bit sheepish, she did not dare to act cute or curry favor as she usually did. Instead, she honestly kept her head down and shoveled rice into her mouth, not even daring to pick up much of the side dishes. The servants standing to the side to attend to them did not understand the situation; they simply stared back and forth, and the atmosphere grew somewhat bizarre.

But soon, Jiafu realized that Pei You’an clearly had other things on his mind. He set down his bowl and chopsticks quickly, said nothing, and turned to head to his study.

Jiafu finished her meal listlessly and returned to her room to bathe. Once in bed, her mind was stuffed with everything that had happened that day—the smile of Zhang Fengtong, the way Xiao Yintang had stared at her, and the anger of Pei You’an. Her heart was in such a chaotic mess that she simply could not fall asleep.

Pei You’an’s study was positioned diagonally across from the circular building where Jiafu lived. Looking down from her window, she could see it perfectly.

Jiafu peeked down from her window in secret. The light in the study remained on until late into the night.

That night, she didn’t know how many times she had crawled out of bed to hide behind the curtains and peek. Finally, she grew sleepy. After one last look, she collapsed and closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep. When she woke up the next morning, Pei You’an had already left. Yinhuan said that before he departed, the Master had left word that she need not wait up for him for dinner that evening.

He did indeed return very late that night, and for several days in a row, it was the same; he seemed busy and hurried.

The events of that night seemed to have just passed by. Finally, one day, he returned a bit earlier and told Jiafu that in two days, he would be going to Mengmu Prefecture for about half a month. He would leave people behind to protect her and instructed her to stay at home, telling her not to go anywhere until he returned.

The Tusi of Mengmu and the Tusi of Mengding were the two most powerful tribal leaders in the Southwest. Years ago, they had grown hostile over territorial divisions, leading to constant conflict. Two years prior, during a skirmish, the only son of the Mengmu Tusi was injured. While he was in critical condition, Pei You’an saved him with his medical skills. The Tusi was deeply grateful and accepted Pei You’an’s advice to negotiate with the Mengding Tusi. Under Pei You’an’s mediation, the two sides finally ended years of conflict and shook hands in peace. Unexpectedly, when the previous Envoy Ma arrived, he used his imperial authority to deliberately play favorites and sow discord. As soon as Envoy Ma left, the two prefectures clashed again. Both sides gathered their forces, and war seemed imminent. The news had reached Xiao Lie.

Once these two great Tusi started fighting again, all the other prefectures in the Southwest would surely be affected. In such times, if Yunnan were to fall into chaos, it would be extremely disadvantageous for Xiao Lie. Pei You’an naturally had to step in to mediate once more. He had sent letters a few days ago, and both sides, giving him face, were willing to temporarily cease hostilities. Over these next two days, he had to go there in person once more.

The moment Jiafu heard he was going elsewhere, her heart panicked. Her first thought was that she wanted to follow him, but hearing that he had already arranged everything for her while he was away, she knew he would not easily take her along.

If not for her "death-seeking" stunt earlier, she might have found an opportunity to be bratty or coquettish in front of him, or perhaps burst into tears to make his heart soften, which might have led him to nod in agreement. But now, she dared not overstep. Listlessly, she lowered her head and remained silent.

Pei You’an cast a glance at her, then turned and left.

The next day, Pei You’an went out. As Yinhuan was packing his luggage, Jiafu felt empty inside. While she was dazed, a servant led in a respectable-looking matron who said that the Princess of Yunzhong invited her, and that a carriage was already waiting at the gate.

Jiafu recognized this woman; her surname was Lin, and she was a trusted aide to the Princess of Yunzhong. She was startled, and her first instinct was not to go.

First Zhang Fengtong, and now the Princess of Yunzhong—Jiafu knew this must be related to Xiao Yintang.

If she had been inside her room and not seen by this Matron Lin, she could have feigned illness to decline and just waited for Pei You’an to return. But now that they were face-to-face, she really had no way to refuse. She could only agree, using the excuse of going back to her room to comb her hair and change her clothes to have Yinhuan send someone to notify Pei You’an. Only then did she emerge, biting the bullet to follow the woman out, board the carriage, and head toward the Yunzhong Prince’s estate.

The Princess of Yunzhong’s surname was Zhou. She was nearly forty, but because she maintained herself well and dressed with extreme refinement, she looked to be only in her early thirties. Dressed in magnificent robes, she exuded a sense of immense wealth and status.

Xiao Yintang’s looks, in fact, were mostly inherited from his father, Xiao Lie.

Despite Xiao Lie’s status and position, for many years, the Prince’s estate had only one legitimate wife, Lady Zhou; there were no secondary consorts or concubines. This was not because Lady Zhou would not tolerate them, but because Xiao Lie himself would not take them. Therefore, in the early years when they were still in the capital, people all said the Third Prince was devoted. Among the various imperial noblewomen, Lady Zhou held quite a high standing.

Jiafu naturally recognized Lady Zhou and knew a thing or two about her temperament.

Logically speaking, since Xiao Lie was not a lustful man and had been with her alone for decades, the affection between the couple should have been very deep. However, in Jiafu’s impression, the Prince and Princess of Yunzhong did not seem as intimate as outsiders claimed. Lady Zhou focused more of her attention on her son, Xiao Yintang. She spoiled Xiao Yintang excessively, granting almost everything he asked for. When Xiao Yintang abducted her to Yunnan early last year, the Matron Zhu responsible for watching her on the road was a woman from her own staff. It was evident that she must have known what her son had done. In her eyes, a girl from a merchant family in Quanzhou—if her son took a fancy to her and brought her here, it was not a significant matter.

What made Jiafu uneasy was: why had she summoned her now? What exactly did she want to do?

Could it be that, like Zhang Fengtong, she wanted her to submit to her son?

With a heart full of trepidation, Jiafu was brought before the Princess of Yunzhong. After she kowtowed and offered her greetings, the Princess smiled broadly, gesturing for Jiafu to come closer. She began by heaping praise upon her, then continued, "I know about that little matter my son did to you. I am extremely angry. I not only punished that old woman, but I also lectured him severely, and he is now full of regret. As for your cousin, I have already had a word with him, telling him not to worry, that such a thing will absolutely never happen again."

The moment the Princess spoke, she was actually blaming her own son. Jiafu was somewhat bewildered, but this was better than being forced to submit, so she lowered her head and stayed silent.

The Princess was gentle and pleasant, making small talk with Jiafu about what books she read, how her needlework was, how many people were in her family, and her relationship with the Duke’s estate, among other things. Jiafu answered cautiously. While she stood on the polished mirror-like floor, she felt as though she were standing on pins and needles, wishing only to leave as soon as possible. Finally, toward the end, the Princess called out, and that Matron Lin appeared, holding a painted tray with gold-traced detailing. She lifted the red velvet covering it, revealing a ruyi scepter, a pair of jade bracelets, and a box of palace flowers for hair accessories. Each of the flowers was inlaid with pearls and gemstones, shimmering brilliantly.

The Princess smiled and said, "I called you here for no other reason than I was afraid you might have been frightened. Seeing that you are well, I can finally rest at ease. You are Righteous Cousin You’an’s cousin. My son offended you first, and since this is your first time before me, how could I let you pay your respects to me in vain? Take these few items back to play with."

Finally hearing that she could take her leave, Jiafu breathed a sigh of relief. She had no desire for these things and politely declined, but the Princess would not take them back. When Jiafu thanked her again, she had no choice but to accept them, kowtowing once more to express her gratitude.

The Princess wore a faint smile and told Matron Lin to see Jiafu out. Just as she stepped over the threshold, Jiafu’s footsteps faltered slightly.

The one person she least wanted to see was, as expected, unavoidable.

Xiao Yintang was standing on the side of another path in the distance. Although the distance was not particularly close, Jiafu could still feel his dark, gloomy gaze fixed upon her. He narrowed his eyes but did not walk over.

The sunlight shone on the gold hair crown atop his head, and the crown emitted a dazzling glare.

Jiafu felt her hair stand on end, but she tried her best to steady her mind. Staring straight ahead, she continued walking past him with an expressionless face.

Even after walking a long way, she could still clearly feel Xiao Yintang’s gaze remaining fixed on her back.

After exiting the Prince’s estate and boarding the carriage again, once she was seated, her palms were already slick with cold sweat.

The more he was thwarted, the less Xiao Yintang would let her go. She knew he was currently hiding his intentions and waiting for the right opportunity.

...

Xiao Yintang stared at the figure ahead as she turned a corner and was completely obscured by the trees and flowers. The corner of his lip twitched ever so slightly. He turned his head, entered his mother’s room, and said, "What status does Mother hold? Why bother being afraid of Pei You’an? He is just an abandoned member of the Pei family. No matter how capable he is, he is still driven by Father."

The Princess said, "Do you think I fear Pei You’an? You have done such a thing; I am afraid of your father finding out! I always feel that your father holds him in extraordinary regard—he values him even more than he does you, his own biological son. Have you not noticed? If one day he decides to act against you and says something bad about you in front of your father, you won't have an easy time! I am doing this to sweep away your troubles!"

Xiao Yintang retracted his smile. "Mother, I truly miscalculated this time, but as you know, have I ever done such a thing for a woman before? This woman helped me escape the city. I fell in love with her at first sight, and for a moment, I couldn't help myself, so I brought her over. If not for Pei You’an meddling, it would have been done long ago; how could there be so much trouble? This business about a cousin being like a blood sister—she is just a relative of the Pei family’s second branch. How is she even considered his cousin? She is clearly going against me!"

The Princess sighed. "I know that you have taken a fancy to this Zhen family girl, but the timing is not right. No matter how much you like her, you must endure. You cannot afford to offend Pei You’an now. Your father trusts him, and he has many uses for him. Since he is driven by your father, he is effectively driven for you. Even for that reason alone, you must endure for now."

Xiao Yintang smiled, his expression inscrutable. "Does Mother need to remind me of this? If not for the sake of enduring him, would I tolerate him interfering in my affairs?"

The Princess said, "It is good that you know. In any case, you must not move against that woman now. If you truly like her, wait until there is an opportunity, and Mother will think of another way for you."

Xiao Yintang revealed a smile and leaned over to massage his mother’s shoulders. "Mother is still the one who loves me most."

The Princess laughed. "I have only one son in you. If I don't treat you well, whom should I treat well?"

...

Not long after Jiafu returned, Pei You’an also hurried back. While Jiafu was in her own room, he called her out to ask about what had happened just now.

Jiafu briefly recounted the experience. Pei You’an nodded. "It is not much different from what I expected. The Princess sought me out yesterday and told me about it. Rest assured; now that she has her misgivings, the Heir Apparent will surely restrain himself."

Jiafu remained silent. Pei You’an took a look at her and saw that her little face was pale, her under-eyes were slightly blue, and her expression was quite haggard. He paused and asked, "What is the matter with you? Are you feeling unwell?"

Jiafu said in a low voice, "Cousin, recently I have been having nightmares every night. I always dream that there is a fierce tiger chasing me from behind, wanting to eat me, and I can never sleep... You are leaving again, and I am very afraid. Won't you take me with you? I can dress up as your servant boy; I guarantee others won't be able to tell."

Pei You’an refused immediately. "I am going on official business. It is not appropriate to take you. Just go back to your room; I will go and take your pulse later and prescribe a medicine to calm your spirit. Take it as directed, and you will get better."

Jiafu shook her head like a rattle-drum. "Your medicine is too bitter; I will vomit if I take it. Cousin, I beg you, take me with you. I promise I won't cause you any trouble."

Pei You’an hesitated for a moment and said softly, "Listen to me, wait for me to return at home. It will be at most half a month..."

Jiafu bit her lip and cast him an aggrieved glare. Before he could finish speaking, she turned away from him and walked off.