Young widow in her boudoir

Xie Rutang thought he was crazy.

He disregarded everything and dragged her to a secluded corner!

If someone were to see her face clearly... what would the Shen and Pei families think?

Since the Second Master remained silent, Xie Rutang dared not utter a sound either.

Pei Zhiheng's brows were shrouded in heavy shadows, and the cool temperature of his palm could be felt on his wrist.

Xie Rutang was so frightened that she lowered her eyes and dared not look at him.

Just a few days ago, whenever he saw her in the mansion, he would deliberately avoid her and turn away.

Today, however, his reason crumbled in an instant, ignoring all rules and etiquette, leaving her unable to discern what thoughts were hidden in his heart.

She was inexplicably afraid that he would find out, so she went to ask Zhang Xiucai for help again.

In the blink of an eye, Xie Rutang found that the secluded corridor was deserted, with only her and Pei Zhiheng remaining. He had walked too fast, and even her maid had not yet caught up.

But the sudden turn of events had still made her heart pound wildly, the pounding so loudly it drowned out the sound of the rain in the courtyard.

Xie Rutang gently struggled against her wrist, her eyes filled with pleading tenderness, "Second Master, please let me go."

"That's against the rules."

She kept her head down, afraid that the servants in the manor would see Pei Zhiheng forcibly taking her hand and walking a distance.

Pei Zhiheng's gaze darkened as he looked at her. "What, is being with me something so shameful?"

Xie Rutang: ...

What do you think?

Who was it that had been avoiding her, this widow, before?

He would deliberately take a detour when he saw her, and she couldn't even catch a glimpse of the hem of his clothes.

Xie Rutang bit her lip, "This concubine dares not."

"But I'm afraid that if the servants see the Second Master and me alone together, it might damage the Second Master's reputation."

Isn't he afraid that Miss Su will find out?

Pei Zhiheng then came to his senses and felt the delicate skin on her wrist; he was afraid he had pinched her too hard.

His expression instantly turned cold, and he released his grip.

Xie Rutang had been soaked in the rain the whole way, and her clothes were already drenched, forming a rounded shape.

The heavy rain trapped the two in this secluded corridor.

Pei Zhiheng's dark eyes were cold and indifferent, and his throat bobbed involuntarily.

I haven't seen her for a few days, and I feel a little restless.

Today, he had arranged to meet with several colleagues from the Ministry of Justice in his study. He had to review the files of criminals to be transferred to the Court of Judicial Review for execution in the autumn, as well as special imperial cases. The files were piling up on his desk, leaving him no spare time.

But when he saw Xie Rutang's slender figure standing in the rain corridor, all his rational restraint vanished.

Xie Rutang accidentally wandered into the front yard, and for some reason he became angry.

Pei Zhiheng glanced at her clothes today; the fabric was the simplest brocade satin.

After a long silence, a deep voice, mingled with the rain and mist, said, "Madam is indeed dignified today, but whether her heart is dignified or not, I cannot say."

Xie Rutang's ears turned bright red, and she felt a burning sensation on her face.

What does he mean?

How could she not understand...

He's still not satisfied with her dressed like this?

Xie Rutang's chest heaved with anger, and she couldn't help but retort, "Does it mean that I must dress up as a nun in a temple before you, Second Master, will be satisfied?!"

If this continues, she'll have very few clothes left in her wardrobe that she can actually wear.

Her actions, however, attracted the man's attention.

However, things are a little different now.

She seems to have been binding her chest these past few days while staying at home.

Pei Zhiheng frowned slightly, wondering what would happen if the strap broke.

Will her child still be able to breastfeed in the future?

After a moment, he righteously withdrew his gaze.

Pei Zhiheng's face darkened, showing no mercy whatsoever. "Madam, you should go to the front courtyard less often in the future. There are often male officials there, and I can't always be by your side. It's fortunate that I happened to be there today. If I weren't there one day, the rumors would be enough to ruin you, a widow."

"Do you know that I and a group of officials from the Ministry of Justice are handling a major case of the court, and the case file must be sent to the Emperor for review within an hour? Today, however, we have been delayed because of your unwarranted interruption. All the officials are stuck in the study waiting in vain, and the important affairs of the court have been disrupted by you alone."

Their tone was cold and businesslike.

Xie Rutang crumpled her silk handkerchief into a ball, her face burning.

The tender, ambiguous feelings that had been building between the two of them while they were trapped in the rain corridor had been dispelled by his cold words, suppressing any inappropriate thoughts that might have been there.

She had never been reprimanded in such a harsh tone before.

Xie Rutang went from being shy to embarrassed, and then to feeling utterly ashamed.

She did indeed make a mistake today...

After Shen Yuan's death, she rarely saw such a large group of men in the mansion anymore. The servants and guards who did odd jobs in the mansion would not casually step into the backyard.

Even when they encountered this lady, the servants all lowered their eyes and dared not look directly at her face.

Xie Rutang secretly regretted that she shouldn't have rashly moved to the front yard today just to admire the crape myrtle flowers in Shaoyuan Garden, which led to her embarrassing situation.

She gripped the hem of her plain white dress tightly with her fingertips, her nose stinging with tears, but she forced them back. "I'm sorry... it was my oversight that kept you all waiting."

"From now on, I will remember my place and stay quietly in the inner courtyard. I will never again let myself interfere with state affairs."

When Pei Zhiheng saw her lower her head and admit her mistake, the pent-up anger in his heart dissipated, but he still refused to show any gentleness on his face. Instead, he became even more ruthless.

"If you ever misbehave again and implicate the affairs of the court, don't blame me for disregarding the Shen family's feelings and punishing you according to the family rules."

The man's words were like ice water poured over my head.

Xie Rutang's face instantly turned pale, her almond-shaped eyes moistened, "Yes... I've remembered."

After Pei Zhiheng finished speaking, he stopped looking at her lowered posture, turned around, and walked away on the wet and slippery bluestone.

She stood alone under the eaves in the empty side corridor.

A short while later, Jin Yue caught up.

It was only at this moment that Xie Rutang realized that her chest was wet with rain.

She didn't think much of it, assuming it was just rainwater that had just drifted into the corridor and dampened the surface.

Jin Yue quickly draped a robe over her to cover her tantalizingly white skin.

After pausing for a moment under the corridor and waiting for the rain to subside, the master and servant hurriedly walked back along the corridor.

……

A pale moon shines through the window at night, its gentle light falling softly on the eaves of the mansion, where a vast expanse of lotus flowers blooms serenely.

Pei Zhiheng returned from the palace and was alone in his study, where a sense of tranquility and peace returned.

For some reason, he suddenly remembered Xie's eyes, red and moist in the rain, after he had scolded her earlier that day.

She must have been terrified by the group of men in the front yard today, shivering in the rain.

Someone knocked on the door, and Yue Jian walked lightly into the study, respectfully placing a file on the desk.

"Master, the case file you requested regarding Xie Huai's case has been obtained. It contains detailed records of all the testimonies and witness statements from Xie Huai and Wu Xuming, the son of the prefect, who provoked a conflict on that day."

With nothing else to do, Pei Zhiheng picked up the dossier on the table.

Even he didn't know why he suddenly wanted to investigate Xie Rutang's brother's imprisonment.

The heavy rain was still falling outside the window, and Pei Zhiheng opened the file.

Yue Jian lowered his head and said, "Before marrying his wife, Lin, Xie Huai was engaged to the daughter of the salt merchant Kong family. The two families had already exchanged betrothal gifts, and only the wedding ceremony was pending. Later, for some unknown reason, the marriage fell through, and Miss Kong married Wu Xuming instead."

He paused slightly, "Half a month ago, Xie Huai and Wu Xuming got into a physical fight, but it wasn't actually because of any argument... it was because of jealousy."

Pei Zhiheng's expression was unreadable, his eyes like cold, dark jade.

He suddenly gave a mocking laugh, without showing the slightest reaction.

Xie Rutang had been humbly begging for help from all sides for the sake of her so-called brother, but who would have thought that she would be helping such scum?