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

Chapter 42 Flirting with Him

After Xiang Ning returned from Ningfu Residence, Bi Tao saw that she was limping and felt extremely distressed, so she quickly found some medicine.

Granny Xu also joined in the chores.

"So, the old lady punished you?"

Hearing Granny Xu's question, Xiang Ning nodded: "The old lady blames me for acting on my own initiative, scheming against Qingzhu, and letting so many servants see it. It makes Master lose face."

She bent down and lifted her clothes, revealing bruises and welts on her knees.

"This isn't your fault, so how can the old lady punish you?"

Bitao said indignantly, while Xiangning smiled and said, "The old lady is the master."

In other words, if your master punishes you, can you refuse?

Your indenture is still in their hands.

Upon hearing this, Bitao lowered her head helplessly. They were just servants and there was nothing they could do.

Two days later, Pei Yanzhi returned from outside under the cover of night. This time, he went out and found nothing. He did not expect that Lu Weimin had changed his route at the last minute and was not in Jizhou.

It seems we can only wait until he arrives in the capital before we can figure out a solution.

Pei Yanzhi was somewhat irritated. After arriving at Qingyi Residence, he did not see Xiang Ning, but Bi Tao came to serve him instead.

Where is Xiang Ning?

He asked a question, and Bitao stammered for a long time before failing to answer. Then he noticed that Pei Yanzhi's expression was becoming increasingly unpleasant.

"explain."

Startled, Bitao immediately knelt down and told Pei Yanzhi what had happened two days ago: "Sister injured her leg and hasn't recovered yet."

After listening to Bitao's words, Pei Yanzhi nodded and walked towards Xiang Ning's room.

Before he left, didn't he say that if anyone bullied him, he shouldn't pay attention and should wait for him to come back?

Xiang Ning hadn't expected Pei Yanzhi to return so suddenly. She had already changed her clothes and was preparing to apply medicine and rest.

The girl was dressed in a plain white dress, her black hair cascading down her back. Her dress was lifted up to her thighs. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, bending over to apply ointment.

Hearing the door open, I thought it was Bitao.

"What's the matter so late?"

Xiang Ning's voice was naturally beautiful, like a lark. Pei Yanzhi loved to hear her melodious voice in bed, as if it were a bird.

After waiting for a while without hearing a reply from Bitao, Xiangning looked up in confusion and happened to meet Pei Yanzhi's gaze.

She was only stunned for a moment, but quickly got up, and her dress was put down.

"Master?"

Hearing Xiang Ning call him, Pei Yanzhi closed the door and walked towards Xiang Ning.

Then he saw her eyes redden as she stumbled and ran towards him.

Just as she was about to fall, Pei Yanzhi reached out and caught her.

Xiang Ning hugged him tightly, tiptoed and wrapped her arms around his neck: "Master."

She buried her head in Pei Yanzhi's neck, sobbing.

Pei Yanzhi wanted to say something more, but he was forced to stop and first used his hands to comfort her.

He rarely saw Xiang Ning cry in front of him, and of course, he rarely saw her take such initiative.

"I heard about what happened a couple of days ago."

Pei Yanzhi said in a deep voice, and Xiang Ning replied in a muffled "Yes, sir."

After saying that, she nuzzled Pei Yanzhi with her head again and explained in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz, "If I hadn't reacted quickly, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to find you when you came back, Master."

Upon hearing this, Pei Yanzhi put his arm around her waist and led her to sit down on the bedside.

"So you know fear now?"

She released Pei Yanzhi and their eyes met. The girl's eyes were red from crying, and tears still clung to them. She looked truly pitiful.

"With the master not in the manor, I have no one to rely on. If I don't fight back and the villains succeed, I might as well die."

After speaking, Xiang Ning presented her hand to Pei Yanzhi, revealing two bright red marks on her fair wrists.

That day, after returning from Ningfu Residence, Xiang Ning was thinking about how to avoid arousing Pei Yanzhi's suspicion.

After all, she still needed Pei Yanzhi's protection. After a moment's thought, Xiang Ning had Bi Tao bring a hemp rope and tightly wrap it around her wrists.

She struggled again, and in order to leave the red mark for a longer time, the rope was tied for almost half an hour before Bitao finally untied it.

The tactics of feigning injury and using a beautiful woman as a weapon have remained popular for centuries.

Pei Yanzhi raised his hand and grasped her wrist, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

“She really wanted my life, but I understand. No one would want to let go of someone as good as you, Master.”

Xiang Ning leaned against Pei Yanzhi's chest, speaking with a sob in her voice.

"Won't you think I'm scheming and would do something like this?"

Her tone was somewhat uneasy, tinged with a hint of caution, as if she were genuinely afraid that Pei Yanzhi would stop liking her.

Pei Yanzhi held her hand, and with his other hand, he placed it on her long, flowing hair, running his fingers through it as he gently touched it.

"No, you did a great job."

If she hadn't had the slightest ability to resist, she would probably have become a wandering ghost long ago.

For some reason, Pei Yanzhi suddenly wanted to see her baring her fangs to protect herself.

"I'm glad you don't blame me, sir."

Xiang Ning said softly, feeling relieved. She looked up at Pei Yanzhi and asked, "Did your trip go smoothly, Master? Have you eaten yet? I'll go cook you some noodles."

She asked three questions in a row, and before Pei Yanzhi could answer, she was about to get up.

Helpless, Pei Yanzhi reached out and pulled the person back into his arms.

Her long, flowing hair danced in the air, landing on Pei Yanzhi's shoulder and tickling him slightly.

"We've already eaten."

His hand was around her waist, and under the dim light, Xiang Ning's plain white dress revealed glimpses of her inner garments.

Her graceful figure was partially hidden.

Pei Yanzhi avoided looking at her.

But the next moment, Xiang Ning reached out and cupped his face, gently kissing his lips.

It was originally just a casual attempt, but little did we expect it to almost escalate into a full-blown conflict.

"Behave yourself and stop bothering me."

It was rare for him to feel sorry for her leg injury; otherwise, after being celibate for so long, how could he have let her go?
Xiang Ning smiled and whispered something in his ear, causing Pei Yanzhi's pupils to widen slightly.

Before she could say anything, she had already unhooked the curtains on both sides.

The cool moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating the person crouching inside. Pei Yanzhi held Xiang Ning's chin in his hand, watching her close her eyes as she looked up.

She was like a female demon from a strange tale, existing in a desolate mountain temple, bewitching people's hearts.

The next day, when Pei Yanzhi woke up, Xiang Ning was still asleep.

Last night, Xiang Ning's hands were almost worn out from trying to make Pei Yanzhi feel comfortable. She never imagined he had so much energy.

But this time, Pei Yanzhi seemed like a gentleman. Since her leg injury hadn't healed, he simply held her hand honestly.

Pei Yanzhi pulled the person closer to his chest and closed his eyes again.

He slept until the sun was high in the sky before waking up. Pei Yanzhi was the only master of Mosongyuan, and no one came to set rules for him.

"Master, something terrible has happened! The First Madam is fighting with you at Qionghua Courtyard."

Chenghua braced himself and went up to knock on the door. This matter had become too big of a fuss. If he didn't come and call for the master soon, it would probably be the old lady's people who came.

Upon hearing this, Pei Yanzhi opened his eyes, and Xiang Ning also woke up.

"You go to sleep, I'll go check on things."

Seeing that Xiang Ning was about to get up, Pei Yanzhi pressed her back down.

Xiang Ning nodded slightly. Looking at her sleepy eyes, he couldn't resist giving her a kiss on the cheek before getting up and leaving.

I had expected Pei Feng's return to the manor to cause some commotion, but I never imagined it would be this big.

Do you also want to join Xiang Ning's acting crash course?

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(End of this chapter)