After the favored concubine remarried, the aloof and powerful minister forcibly took her away.

Chapter 174 Unless I Die
Upon hearing this, Pei Feng's face turned pale and then red. He opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but found his throat dry and unable to utter a single word.

Pei Yanzhi looked at him like this, shook his head slightly, and gave a cold sneer with a mocking expression.

Do you think everyone is like you, blinded by love and disregarding the bigger picture?

Pei Feng slumped into a chair, seemingly lost in endless regret and confusion.

After a long while, he slowly raised his head, his voice hoarse: "Yes, you are not me. You are more capable than me."

Although Pei Feng was reluctant to admit it, he still had to say it.

In the past hundred years, the Pei family has rarely produced someone like Pei Yan.

This is why he sometimes felt inferior when standing in front of Pei Yanzhi.

It is utterly ridiculous for a father to feel so ashamed in front of his son.

Pei Yanzhi stood up, said no more, and prepared to leave.

"and many more!"

Pei Feng suddenly called out to him, a strange emotion flashing in his eyes.

"I want to see Rongniang one last time, please..."

Pei Yanzhi paused, turned around and gave him a cold look: "Do you think there's still a chance?"

Madam Pei told Pei Yanzhi not to let Rongniang die, but also not to let Pei Feng know that she was still alive.

Sometimes, living is more painful than dying.

Pei Feng's shoulders slumped, and he seemed to have aged ten years in an instant.

After leaving Qionghua Courtyard, Pei Yanzhi went straight back to his courtyard in the suburbs.

The carriage headed towards the outskirts of the city, and Pei Yanzhi leaned against it, closing his eyes to rest.

But Pei Feng's words kept echoing in his mind: he was not Pei Feng, and he would never do the same thing as Pei Feng.

In the Pei residence, no one could influence his thoughts.

But Pei Yanzhi also understood what Old Madam Pei meant; she would not allow him to marry Xiang Ning.

Pei Yanzhi felt a severe headache, a pain so intense it pierced his heart.

"Never mind, let's go back to the city."

Just after the carriage left the city gate, Chenghua, who was in front, heard this.

"Sir, aren't we going back?"

"Okay, let's go tomorrow."

He was now at a loss as to how to face Xiang Ning.

Xiang Ning stayed in the courtyard in the suburbs for two days, and Pei Yanzhi did not appear on New Year's Eve.

No one knew what had happened at the Pei residence, but Xiang Ning was very relieved that Pei Yanzhi hadn't shown up.

She's quite content being here all alone; it's very peaceful and quiet.

Except sometimes, she always felt that her memory seemed somewhat fragmented.

Apart from that, there was nothing else that bothered me.

With Pei Yanzhi not coming, Xiang Ning spent most of her time reading the storybooks that Cheng Hua had brought.

While others celebrated the New Year in a lively and festive manner, Xiang Ning's place was rather deserted.

Until the first day of the Lunar New Year, an uninvited guest arrived outside the courtyard.

"Young Master Lu?"

Xiang Ning looked at Lu Jiang with some surprise, after all, Lu Jiang's current appearance was completely different from before.

His face was haggard, his eyes were red, and when he looked at her, it was as if he had a thousand words to say.

"You, are you called Xiang'er?"

"Your mother's name is Zhao Lan, and she lives in Xinkang County, right?"

Lu Jiang stood outside the door, trembling all over.

It's his fault for only thinking about Chaoguang and forgetting the alias Xiang Ning used when she came to Lin'an.

The name Zhao Lan sounded so familiar, yet he couldn't recall it at all. "Young Master Lu, what's wrong?"

“Look at this sachet, you recognize it, Xiang Ning, you are…”

Lu Jiang pushed aside the servant who was blocking his way and walked towards Xiang Ning. Her eyes were full of confusion, but her heart was also tense as Lu Jiang spoke.

But the next moment, everything went black before her eyes, and she lost consciousness.

……

"A-Ning?"

After an unknown amount of time, Pei Yanzhi's voice came, and Xiang Ning slowly opened her eyes, meeting Pei Yanzhi's gaze as he looked down at her.

"Why did you fall asleep outside?"

Pei Yanzhi reached out and pulled her clothes up a little. Xiang Ning frowned. Had she fallen asleep outside?
"When I came back, you were lying on a chair outside the house, sleeping soundly, and I couldn't wake you up."

Hearing Pei Yanzhi's words, Xiang Ning was slightly taken aback. Had she fallen asleep?
No, that's not right. She clearly saw Lu Jiang, and he had something to say to her.

Lu Jiang also asked her many other questions.

"I'm still a little sleepy..."

Xiang Ning looked away and said this. Pei Yanzhi looked at her with her head down, his eyes darkening for a moment.

"Then you should rest a little longer."

After saying that, Pei Yanzhi tucked the blanket around Xiang Ning and watched her close her eyes before leaving.

In the woodshed in the backyard, Lu Jiang was tied up and could only look at Pei Yanzhi with resentment.

"Lord Pei, you truly have a clever way of doing things. You knew all along that Xiang Ning was Chao Guang, my sister, yet you deliberately concealed it!"

Lu Jiang was trembling with rage, wishing he could tear Pei Yanzhi to pieces.

Upon hearing this, Pei Yanzhi walked over and sat down opposite him.

"I'll give the morning light back to you!"

Lu Jiang spoke again, his heart clenching at the thought of what Xiang Ning had gone through.

If he could find her sooner, she wouldn't have to suffer these injustices.

Pei Yanzhi's expression was cold and stern, his gaze fixed intently on Lu Jiang: "I will not let her leave me."

"What do you mean? She's my sister, a daughter of the Lu family, not a concubine you can bully at will!"

Hearing Pei Yanzhi say this, Lu Jiang continued to struggle.

"If you want to take her away, you'll have to die first. Otherwise, forget it."

Pei Yanzhi looked at Lu Jiang and said in a low voice that he was even thinking about how to deal with Lu Jiang in order to completely hide Xiang Ning's background.

Kill Lu Jiang?
That would indeed be the best way to eliminate future troubles, but the Lu family would not give up easily, and might even make the matter more complicated.

Pei Yanzhi narrowed his eyes slightly, a cold glint flashing in them before disappearing in an instant.

"She stayed with me and is doing very well."

“She is my sister. I must bring her back to the Hui family home, restore her identity, and let her live the life she deserves.”

Lu Jiang gritted his teeth, his eyes resolute. He had been searching for her for so long, how could he bear to let her continue to suffer here?

Pei Yanzhi stood up, walked around with his hands behind his back, and the atmosphere in the woodshed was so heavy that it seemed as if water could drip from it.

"I'm afraid the Lu family isn't in an easy situation right now. Are you trying to put A-Ning in new danger by taking her back so rashly?"

Pei Yanzhi casually uttered this sentence, but in fact it hit the nail on the head.

Lu Jiang's expression changed slightly. He knew that the Lu family's life had indeed been unstable in recent years. Various forces were fighting openly and covertly, and the Lu family had been suppressed repeatedly. There were also internal disagreements and hidden dangers.

Bringing Xiang Ning back at this moment would undoubtedly put her in the eye of the storm.

But this is not the reason why Pei Yanzhi hid the truth from her.

"I can promise you that once you've resolved the Lu family's matter, I'll tell her the truth."

“You gave her the herb of forgetfulness, so she won’t remember anything, right? As long as you guide her carefully, she won’t believe me at all.”

Lu Jiang looked up at Pei Yanzhi and sneered, "Lord Pei, Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, you really are quite the schemer."

(End of this chapter)