Yan Liangwen: "!!!" It's money!
"Lord Pei didn't come here tonight for debauchery. I can't tell you more than that."
Cui Jintang nodded and handed over the silver note.
She stroked A Xun's head and said, "A Xun, remember. If you're in trouble, come to Lord Pei's mansion to find me."
A Xun nodded obediently, his eyes full of reluctance for Cui Jintang.
Leaning against the door, Yan Liangwen saw them off more enthusiastically than anyone else: "Come to me if you need more information!"
---
It had started to rain at some point.
Cui Jintang bought an umbrella for ten taels of silver at the Jinyu Workshop. Looking at the rain, she suddenly wanted to walk back to Lord Pei's mansion.
The rain was not heavy, just a fine drizzle, but if you got caught in it for a long time, you would still get soaked.
After walking for a while, Cui Jintang regretted her decision.
The hem of her skirt was already soaked, looking dark and dirty.
The pent - up anger in Cui Jintang suddenly burst out. She threw down the umbrella in her hand. What kept flashing through her mind was the look Pei Zhaolin gave her before leaving the Jinyu Workshop.
That cold and disgusted look.
But she clearly hadn't done anything wrong!
Suddenly, a familiar voice came from beside her: "Miss, would you like a bowl of lotus flower curd?"
The old woman's voice was gentle. With a wrinkled face full of smiles, in this rainy night, even the white hair on her temples seemed to glow softly.
Behind the old woman, the lotus flower syrup boiling in the copper pot emitted a sweet fragrance.
The old woman tremblingly picked up Cui Jintang's umbrella, then took Cui Jintang's hand and let her hold it herself.
Without saying anything else, she just asked again: "Miss, would you like a bowl of lotus flower curd?"
Cui Jintang was stunned. Looking down at the hand holding the umbrella, she replied in a low voice, "Okay."
The old woman opened the ice box. There were several small white jade bowls stacked inside.
She scooped the tender curd that could reflect one's figure into the small bowl, and then sprinkled a layer of sweet syrup on the surface.
The flower petals floating on the curd were like broken stars buried in the snow.
Cui Jintang scooped up a spoonful and put it into her mouth. First, she felt the coldness, then the sweetness, and then the fragrance of the lotus flower exploded.
She suddenly wanted to cry.
The night before Pei Zhaolin left for the south of the Yangtze River before losing his memory, he had wiped the corner of her mouth here.
A bit of sugar stuck to his fingertips, and he casually smeared it on her lips, smiling softly: "A Tang, is it sweet?"
She stood on tiptoe and kissed him then, answering happily and vaguely: "Taste it yourself."
Pei Zhaolin held her in his arms and seriously made a promise: "A Tang, when I come back, we'll get married, okay?"
She gave a soft "um", sounding like an agreement and also like a coquetry.
"If you come back late, I'll let Fa Cai out to bite you."
Pei Zhaolin laughed softly and lovingly kissed her forehead: "Okay."
...
Now, Pei Zhaolin not only came back late but also forgot about her. Even the cat named Fa Cai had disappeared.
Cui Jintang lowered her head and took a bite. The sugar juice spread over her tongue, and the sweetness made her feel bitter.
She sniffed and whispered to the empty seat, "Pei Zhaolin, I'll deceive myself one more time."
At the Pei Mansion in Liuyi Alley.
The night rain was cold, making people shiver.
All the servants in the mansion timidly hid aside and didn't dare to get close to Luo Xiang at all.
Since Luo Xiang was publicly ridiculed and scolded, the news had spread overnight in the circle of noble ladies in the capital -
"Not only did Luo Xiang, the daughter of the former Prime Minister Luo, fall into servitude, but now she also dares to try to become a concubine of Lord Pei from the Censorate!"
After hearing this, Luo Xiang fell ill after returning to the mansion.
With her hair in disarray and her ornaments removed, she sat in the corridor wearing only a plain white under - robe.
The rain dripped from the eaves onto the back of her hand. She curled up into a ball, looking like a precious porcelain doll without bones.
Pei Zhaolin had just sent Pei Ying to the Pei Mansion. When he returned to the mansion, he saw that thin figure from afar.
When the servants beside him saw him, they seemed to see their backbone.
"Sir, please persuade Miss Luo quickly! Since Miss Luo came back, she's been sitting here alone."
"She won't drink water or move. Miss Luo is in poor health. If she stays here for too long, she'll probably have to take medicine again."
Luo Xiang looked up. Her eyes were empty, but they suddenly lit up for a moment when she saw Pei Zhao.
Then, as if being timid, she immediately lowered her head and said with a trembling cry, "Zhaolin, you're back?"
Pei Zhaolin nodded and said calmly, "Your body is your own. It's cold at night. Go back early."
After saying that, he was about to leave.
Suddenly, Luo Xiang deliberately leaned her head against a pillar on one side and showed Pei Zhaolin the old scar on her neck -
That was the scar she got when she blocked an arrow for Pei Zhaolin in the south of the Yangtze River. The wound was on her neck. She was just a little bit away from being beheaded.
Every time Pei Zhaolin saw this scar, he would feel a bit of guilt towards her.
Sure enough.
Pei Zhaolin took the cloak from the maid and tied it on Luo Xiang.
He lowered his eyes and said coldly, "Go back. After the matter of the stage is investigated clearly, I'll petition the emperor to marry you. All these rumors in the capital will disappear."
A flash of pride quickly crossed Luo Xiang's eyes, but she still felt it was not enough.
Then she lowered her head and spoke in a very low voice, as if talking to herself.
"On the day of suppressing the bandits, the arrowhead shot at you was poisoned. If I hadn't rushed over, you might..."
"What's this bit of rumor now?"
After saying that, she gave a sad smile and swayed as if she was about to faint.
Pei Zhaolin instinctively reached out to support her. When his fingertips touched her cold wrist, his eyebrows frowned slightly.
Luo Xiang leaned against his chest, and her tears silently soaked his clothes.
"I only regret... that I caused trouble because of my jealousy that day, making things difficult for you now."
She looked up with tears hanging on her eyelashes, looking so pitiful: "I know that because of my past relationship with Concubine Rong, this matter will definitely make things difficult for you."
"Rather... rather, Zhaolin, you hand me over."
Finally, there was a glimmer of emotion in Pei Zhaolin's usually cold eyes -
It was guilt and also a sense of responsibility.
He said in a low voice, "Don't think blindly. Take care of your illness first."
Although his voice was cold, for the first time, he didn't push her away.
At an angle where Pei Zhaolin couldn't see, Luo Xiang gently rubbed the old scar on her neck with her fingertips, and the corner of her mouth curled up very slightly.
The poison on the arrow was dosed by her own hand.
It was never meant to be fatal.
But a bit of "old kindness" was enough to make a cold - as - frost person like Pei Zhaolin have a crack named "guilt" in his heart.
---
Cui Jintang didn't have the mood to look for Pei Zhaolin yet, but unexpectedly, Mrs. Huang suddenly came to visit.
As soon as they met, Mrs. Huang, with a crying voice, was about to kneel down: "Please help me, Miss Cui!"
"Mrs. Huang, just say what you want. There's no need to do this."
Together with Ying Lan, they helped Mrs. Huang up and let her sit down. It took a long time for Mrs. Huang to calm down.
"My husband had a day off four days ago, but unexpectedly, he was suddenly called back by someone from the Censorate. This has happened before, so I didn't think much of it."
Mrs. Huang sobbed, "I didn't see my husband for a day or two, so I sent someone to the Censorate. The servant replied that my husband was busy with work."
"I became more vigilant and asked the servant to disguise as a coachman and sneak in to take a look. There was no sign of my husband at all!"
After saying that, she was about to kneel down to Cui Jintang again.
"I really can't find Lord Pei, so I have no choice but to come and beg you, miss. Please help me this time -"