"That's great that you can understand, Young Master!"
Back in the main hall, Ying Lan was so embarrassed that she didn't know where to look.
Pei Zhaolin lowered his eyes. "It's normal that she doesn't want to see me."
Ying Lan opened her mouth, but couldn't come up with an explanation for a long time.
All she could say was, "That's great that you can understand, Young Master!"
Pei Zhaolin gave her a cold look.
Realizing she had said something wrong, Ying Lan buried her head even lower.
Well, it seemed the young master couldn't understand.
"I'll pay another visit when she recovers from her illness."
Ying Lan nodded eagerly and even stepped aside, practically using her body language to urge Pei Zhaolin to leave quickly.
Pei Zhaolin: "..."
Just as Pei Zhaolin was about to leave the Cui Mansion, sharp - eyed Ying Lan suddenly saw a furry head pop out of the carriage parked in front of the door.
Fa Cai was lazily licking its paw. And it seemed as if someone was pushing it from behind, causing the whole cat to move forward a bit.
Fa Cai turned its head and let out an annoyed meow at the hanging carriage curtain.
"Fa Cai."
Hearing its master's voice, Fa Cai magnanimously decided not to hold a grudge. It jumped down from the carriage and landed in Pei Zhaolin's arms, finding a comfortable position.
Its furry head nestled in Pei Zhaolin's arm.
"Th - th - th - that's..." Ying Lan stared in disbelief with wide - open eyes.
The long - lost Fa Cai had just appeared, looking healthy and lively!
Seeing a familiar face, Fa Cai flicked its tail as if acknowledging Ying Lan calling its name.
Pei Zhaolin took out a dried fish from his pouch and fed it to the cat. His words were calm, but somehow they seemed to carry a hidden meaning.
"Yesterday, when I saw the painting of Fa Cai, I thought Miss Cui must miss it very much. I happened to have a day off today, but I didn't expect Miss Cui to fall ill unexpectedly."
"What a pity. It seems Miss Cui will have to wait until next time to see Fa Cai."
After saying that, Pei Zhaolin glanced at Ying Lan. Seeing her standing there, scratching her head in embarrassment and not daring to go back and report again.
— It seemed she really didn't want to see him today.
Pei Zhaolin held the cat and got into the carriage.
Helpless, Ying Lan bowed and said, "I bid farewell to the young master."
After coaxing A Xun to sleep, Cui Jintang suddenly realized that Ying Lan seemed to have told her...
Pei Zhaolin had come?
Cui Jintang turned her head, not caring at all.
But when she heard Ying Lan mention Fa Cai, her hand holding the soup spoon paused.
Ying Lan thought Cui Jintang was regretting her decision and quickly comforted her, "If you want to see Fa Cai, just talk to the young master nicely. I'm sure he won't refuse you!"
However.
Cui Jintang gritted her teeth and said angrily, "Just like master, like pet. Both the man and the cat are here to annoy me!"
She even lost her appetite for her favorite sweets. She pushed the plate aside and roared, "You did a great job turning him away today! If anyone from Pei Zhaolin's side comes again, beat them out with sticks!"
Ying Lan let out a confused "Ah?"
Early the next morning, Cui Jintang dressed up and skillfully slipped into Xie Rou's Fengyi Palace through the side door.
After the first three months, Xie Rou's pregnancy was finally stable.
Cui Jintang was munching on a walnut. Looking at Xie Rou's belly from afar, she suddenly had an idea. "Sister Rou, do you prefer a boy or a girl?"
Xie Rou folded her hands in front of her abdomen. With a gentle smile on her face, she said, "I haven't even started to show yet, and you're already thinking about the gender?"
"There are too many princes in the palace. They're so rowdy. Girls are better. They're gentle and lovely."
Cui Jintang took a big bite of the walnut.
Xie Rou raised her delicate eyebrows slightly and exchanged a look with the maid.
The maid joked with a smile, "It seems Miss has been angry with Master Pei these days."
Xie Rou smiled faintly. Suddenly, the image of Pei Zhaolin taking care of Luo Xiang at the palace banquet flashed through her mind.
She held Cui Jintang's hand and asked kindly, "What kind of grievance have you suffered?"
Cui Jintang threw the walnut back into the porcelain plate and sighed. "Before he lost his memory, Pei Ying always said he favored me. I didn't take it seriously at that time. But now seeing him overly favor someone else, I just feel a bit uncomfortable."
Xie Rou knew exactly what was going on in Cui Jintang's mind. She tried to console her.
"Don't be sad. You're still young and at the prime of your beauty. If Master Pei doesn't work out, just find someone else."
Cui Jintang was amused by her words. "You're right, sister."
Seeing her finally smile, Xie Rou let out a sigh of relief. Then she asked, "The dean of Qingyun Academy wrote to me the other day. The student you recommended has disappeared recently?"
Facing Xie Rou, Cui Jintang didn't hide anything. "A Xun is my niece. She ran into my aunt a few days ago, so she took a two - day leave."
"By the way, I have to trouble you, sister. Could you tell the dean not to take special care of A Xun? I don't want too many people to notice her."
Xie Rou nodded. "The dean is my confidant. It's just a matter of saying a few words."
"There's another thing. Could you send some people to help me find a grave in Yingchou Ravine?"
Xie Rou frowned but still agreed first. "Who are you looking for—"
Before she could finish her sentence, a maid stumbled into the room from the door.
Frightened and terrified, she knelt down in front of Xie Rou with a thud.
Crying loudly, she said, "Your Highness, please save me!"
The maid quickly stepped forward and scolded, "Stop crying! What happened? Hurry up and tell us."
Xie Rou was helped up by Cui Jintang. In a gentle voice, she said, "Get up and answer."
The maid sobbed and got up.
Cui Jintang, with her sharp eyes, noticed that most of the maid's clothes were wet. Since there was no thunder outside, she asked, "Did you fall into the pond?"
The maid nodded while crying and explained, "Just now, I went to the imperial kitchen with Tao Yu to get Your Highness's meal for today. When we passed by the imperial garden, we accidentally bumped into Concubine Jia from Xianfu Palace."
"Tao Yu was holding a food box, so she was a bit late in saluting. Concubine Jia wanted to drown Tao Yu and me in the pond!"
At this point, the maid was trembling all over. "Tao Yu couldn't bear it and retorted. Then Concubine Jia had her beaten to death with a stick on the spot! I can swim, so I managed to survive. But Tao Yu, Tao Yu..."
Xie Rou slumped onto the embroidered stool, her face pale.
Tao Yu was a servant of the Xie family who had grown up with her.
Although she was a servant, Xie Rou had long regarded Tao Yu as her younger sister!
Cui Jintang quickly supported her and asked, "Where's Tao Yu's body?"
The maid lowered her head and sobbed. "When I climbed back up, I saw two eunuchs carrying Tao Yu's body in the direction of the mass grave."
Hearing this, Xie Rou was filled with rage. She stood up, grinding her teeth. "I want to see the emperor. Where is the emperor now?"
The maid quickly replied, "At this hour, the emperor should be in the imperial study."
"Prepare the carriage!"
Cui Jintang was worried about Xie Rou. She quickly put on a veil and rushed after her.
But Xie Rou, with her big belly, waited in front of the imperial study for an hour. All the chief eunuch brought was a scolding from the emperor.
"Noble Consort Xie Rou has failed to discipline her servants. From today on, she will be confined to Fengyi Palace for one month and have her salary deducted for half a year!"