But this person clearly only injured their shoulder. Why on earth would it lead to amnesia?
"Miss Cui," Pei Zhaolin lifted his eyes and stared at her coldly. "Is that so?"
Cui Jintang beamed like a flower in full bloom, not even blushing. "I had a most delightful conversation with this old woman last night."
Pei Zhaolin sensed her affectation. "A delightful conversation?"
"Yes," Cui Jintang drawled. "She tried to persuade me with good words, and I responded accordingly. Isn't that delightful?"
Pei Zhaolin fell silent.
He wasn't stupid. He'd already figured out what Cui Jintang was up to today.
"Tell me every single word of your conversation last night."
Cui Jintang poured him a cup of tea. Pei Zhaolin nodded slightly but didn't take it.
At this sight, Nurse Zhang panicked. In her desperation, she blurted out words that carried a hint of threat.
"Eldest Young Master! This old servant is Miss Luo's wet nurse! If Miss Luo finds out about all this..."
Pei Zhaolin remained as cold - faced as ever. "No one with dirty hands and feet will stay by her side."
Nurse Zhang slumped down dejectedly. Her face turned deathly pale, and her lips trembled as she told the truth.
When she said, "How shameless can you be to stay in the Pei Mansion for three years and still not be satisfied? A country girl like you has no sense of shame!" Third Miss exploded.
"Who do you think you are, daring to talk about Sister Jintang like that?"
With that, she was about to grab something as a weapon.
Pei Zhaolin frowned and stopped her.
Nurse Zhang trembled and kowtowed repeatedly. "This old servant was just concerned about Miss Luo and spoke without thinking. It was completely unintentional! This old servant definitely didn't break into Autumn Water Courtyard to steal Miss Cui's things!"
The stopped Third Miss was extremely unhappy. "Brother!"
Then she was silenced by a single look from Pei Zhaolin.
Pei Zhaolin calmly looked at Cui Jintang. "Although Nurse Zhang is not involved in the theft, it's true that she showed disrespect and overstepped her boundaries with her words. How about punishing her with ten strokes of the rod as a warning? What do you think?"
Hearing this, Nurse Zhang fainted immediately from fright.
Ten strokes?! Good heavens, those rods had barbs. One stroke would tear the skin and flesh!
Cui Jintang said unenthusiastically, "Fine. But my people will carry out the punishment."
"Alright."
Cui Jintang called for Yinglan. "Go and fetch Zhu Er for me."
Yinglan ran faster than anyone at this moment. The glee on her face was almost palpable.
Zhu Er, who had been waiting outside, strode in with a barbed rod as thick as a man's calf.
Before long, shrill cries for mercy echoed through the courtyard like those of a slaughtered pig.
Third Miss stood on the threshold and hummed triumphantly several times.
This old witch. Let's see if she dares to say another bad word about Sister Jintang!
Pei Zhaolin prided himself on his photographic memory.
But he always felt as if he had seen this servant named Zhu Er before.
Just from his build and martial prowess, one could tell he was a skilled fighter.
But why would a skilled fighter serve as a groom for Cui Jintang?
He was so deep in thought that he didn't even hear Cui Jintang's words: "It seems we won't be able to find the person who stole the hairpin today. Since you're free, Lord Pei, how about accompanying me to the Pei family's shop?"
When Pei Zhaolin realized what he had agreed to, he paused in the middle of sipping his tea.
But it was too late to take back his words.
Feeling a bit annoyed, he didn't notice when he put down his teacup and it hit the plate of pastries with a harsh sound.
The accidentally overturned plate sent the delicate pastries tumbling out and shattering all over Cui Jintang.
Cui Jintang was covered in powder. She frowned and instinctively clicked her tongue.
Seeing this, Yinglan was about to step forward with a handkerchief.
But in a flash, Pei Zhaolin moved faster than anyone else.
Out of habit, he carefully and gently bent down to brush the pastry crumbs off her skirt with his fingertips.
Accidentally, their fingers touched.
Her hand was soft, and the brief contact with his palm made his heart flutter.
Pei Zhaolin swallowed hard. His usually calm eyes showed clear signs of unease as he looked up at her blankly.
Cui Jintang blinked. She didn't quite understand why he was suddenly staring at her in a daze.
But why did he suddenly feel a strange tickling sensation in his chest?
"Ah—"
After a shrill scream, Nurse Zhang finally fainted from the pain.
This brought Pei Zhaolin back to his senses. He stood up awkwardly and patted the table a few times.
He was trying to tell Cui Jintang that his gentle actions were not out of concern.
But at this moment, no one paid attention to his little gestures.
Silence filled the room.
Zhu Er, who was happily coming in with the barbed rod to claim credit, was pushed out by Third Miss covering his face before he even entered the door.
Cui Jintang lowered her eyes. When she looked up again, her eyes were misty.
"Since Lord Pei is unwilling, I won't force you. I'll go by myself."
As she said this, she slowly stood up and bowed slightly to Pei Zhaolin. Her misty eyes looked at him, and her voice was incredibly soft.
"Thank you, Lord Pei, for standing up for me today."
With that, she quickly wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes and was about to leave in a hurry.
Pei Zhaolin watched her hasty figure. For some reason, there was a feeling of stuffiness in his heart, and he was very unhappy.
Even though his reason told him that she had staged most of today's events, he still...
"Miss Cui!"
When those misty eyes looked at him again, the words that had seemed so hard to say before became much easier.
"I'm willing."
Seeing her stunned expression.
Pei Zhaolin repeated it, unconsciously raising his voice. "Miss Cui, I'm willing."
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw the woman in front of him lower her head and smile softly. The hairpin in her hair swayed slightly like a resting butterfly.
Cui Jintang turned around and stepped over the threshold, smiling more and more playfully.
Whether it was before or after his amnesia, Pei Zhaolin always fell for the trick of feigning pity.
Third Miss, who was squatting in the corner, giggled. Only Zhu Er, holding the barbed rod, was unhappy.
Zhu Er: ... Humph!
——
Liu Yi Alley.
Luo Xiang walked lightly, her skirt hem barely moving. With each step, there seemed to be an air of grace and dignity about her.
She was a beautiful woman, raised as a noble lady by the Luo family since childhood. There was a faint scholarly air between her brows.
The waiting maid carefully comforted her. "Perhaps Nurse Zhang was delayed on the way. You don't need to worry, Miss."
Luo Xiang remained silent.
She knew very well that Nurse Zhang had gone to Autumn Water Courtyard last night to cause trouble for Cui Jintang on her behalf.
She was taken away by the Pei Mansion servants early this morning. The excuse of going out to buy plum cakes was so clumsy.
Luo Xiang didn't really care about Nurse Zhang's life or death. What she cared about was who Pei Zhaolin would side with between her and Cui Jintang.
A commotion came from the door.
Before Luo Xiang got closer, she smelled a strong smell of blood.
And there was Nurse Zhang, looking like a lump of mud and on the verge of death.
Luo Xiang's face turned pale, but she still tried to maintain her composure and scolded, "Who are you? How dare you break into the Pei Mansion without permission?"
Zhu Er wiped the blood on his hand with his sleeve and said with a grin, "You don't need to know who I am. Just know that our young lady's surname is Cui."
"She said that she's very grateful to Miss Luo for saving Lord Pei in a crisis. But this person clearly only injured their shoulder. Why on earth would it lead to amnesia?"
Luo Xiang's heart skipped a beat. She forced herself to stay calm. "I don't know. If Miss Cui doubts me, she can go and ask the military doctor."
Zhu Er kicked Nurse Zhang disgustedly and clicked his tongue twice. "Our young lady said that this old thing got one thing right."
"She's extremely ruthless."