Young widow in her boudoir

Shen Xiaoxiao was about to step forward for a closer look.

As a result, Pei Zhiheng's hand slipped inside the woman's clothes, and Xie Rutang, blushing, inadvertently let out another seductive sound.

This scene deeply affected Shen Xiaoxiao, and she stood there, motionless.

She was certain that the woman in the Second Master's arms was a courtesan!

Otherwise, how could they shout so lewdly and shamelessly!

Shen Xiaoxiao wished she could take Xie Rutang's place.

Xie Rutang glared at the man in front of her, feeling both embarrassed and angry. In her panic, Xie Rutang was so frightened that her whole body stiffened, and she was so ashamed that she didn't know what to do. Her mind went completely blank.

Even she didn't know how things had developed to this point...

As the widowed first wife of the Shen family, if this scandal were to spread, she would surely be disgraced and infamous for eternity.

Shen Xiaoxiao stared intently at her back, as if trying to bore a hole through her, but still feigned innocence and blinked, "Brother Pei, who is she?"

Xie Rutang was somewhat impressed by Shen Xiaoxiao's patience.

Her eyes were filled with tears, but Pei Zhiheng leisurely picked up a strand of her hair from her chest and played with it between his fingers. Because they had just kissed for a long time, his originally deep voice became low and hoarse. "She is my maidservant."

Pei Zhiheng slapped her buttocks with his large hand, his rough, calloused fingertips rubbing her swollen lips. His dark eyes were cold and ruthless, as if he were above everything else. "Isn't that right?"

He was afraid that Shen Xiaoxiao would suspect him.

Panting, Xie Rutang leaned against his chest and deliberately whispered, "Yes, I am the Second Master's newly acquired concubine..."

Even she was momentarily stunned.

Her voice was so charming that even she herself felt unfamiliar with it and couldn't recognize it, let alone Shen Xiaoxiao.

Shen Xiaoxiao could no longer hold back, and tears immediately fell to the ground in a series of pattering sounds.

Pei Zhiheng seemed oblivious to all of this.

Shen Xiaoxiao stomped her foot, covered her face with her sleeve in anger, and ran away.

As soon as Shen Xiaoxiao left, Xie Rutang, who was still in shock, was pushed away by the man in her arms.

At this moment, Yuejian said from outside, "My lord, people from the Dali Temple have arrived."

Pei Zhiheng lowered his head to straighten his slightly disheveled clothes and went downstairs to attend to official business. He left her alone there without telling her what to do next. Was it better for her to leave and wait for him?

They're both adults; a fleeting, impulsive affair shouldn't be taken seriously. Besides, he's the second master of the household, and she's a widow.

Xie Rutang had just heard that Crown Prince Li Guan had acted recklessly a few days ago, causing a great disaster and angering the Emperor. He was about to be severely punished, but Pei Zhiheng used his connections to plead with the Emperor on his behalf.

Xie Rutang snapped out of her daze, straightened her clothes, and then returned to Cuiwu Courtyard.

That night, Qin Yao was caught by the guards patrolling the Shen residence attempting to rape a maid in the mansion, just as Pei Zhiheng happened to pass by.

Qin Yao had one eye and one hand gouged out by his men. Blood soaked through his clothes, and he was writhing on the ground in pain, barely clinging to life.

Soon after, Qin Yao was kicked out of the Shen family home.

Because it was Pei Zhiheng who made the move, the Qin family didn't dare utter a single word.

When Ye Wanyu of Yunyue Courtyard heard this news, she was so frightened that she broke out in a cold sweat and almost fainted.

Fortunately, she only secretly used Qin Yao to try to eliminate Xie Rutang and did not actually contact Qin Yao privately. If Pei Zhiheng were to follow the clues and find her, she would be in deep trouble.

……

Xie Rutang was so frightened during the day, and then heard that Qin Yao had his eyes gouged out and his hands chopped off, that she developed a high fever again that night.

In this way, she could find an excuse to delay consummating her marriage with Shen Shuming for two more days.

The old lady was also unhappy to see her.

Seeing Xie Rutang reminds one of her dead son. The old lady sighs all day long in her room, and faint curses can be heard, saying that she is a jinx to her husband.

The old lady was either living in the shadow of her husband's death or trying to torment her daughter-in-law.

The peace and quiet of the past few days finally allowed Xie Rutang to free up some time to see Zhang Qingci and go with him to the prison to try to redeem his brother.

Xie Rutang even went to a pawnshop in the capital.

She carried a pair of gold filigree eight-treasure bracelets in her sleeve, which were quite valuable. In the past, she cherished them very much and was reluctant to take them out to wear. Now that she was desperate, she had no choice but to pawn them with great pain.

He had just come out of Tongxing Pawnshop.

Unexpectedly, he bumped into Pei Zhiheng at the entrance of the jewelry shop next door, and opposite him was an exquisite carriage with low-hanging curtains and a royal flag embroidered with gold thread hanging from the corner.

Then, a noble woman with a high bun and adorned with jewels was helped down from the carriage by her maid. She was beautiful and elegant.

Upon seeing her, Pei Zhiheng's eyes instantly turned cold, indifferent and devoid of warmth.

Upon seeing them, Xie Rutang instinctively hid.

She didn't want anyone to see her in such dire straits that she had to sell her jewelry...

If she wasn't mistaken, that person should be the Crown Princess, Yin Qinrong.

Pei Zhiheng stood under the willow tree at the alley entrance, his brow bone prominent, dressed in a moon-white silk robe with dark cloud patterns, his eyes cold, and he seemed to be surrounded by a cold and lonely aura, yet he was also very handsome.

He and Yin Qinrong stood together, a handsome couple. Yin Qinrong was bright and elegant, well-educated and courteous.

Pei Zhiheng's former white moonlight reappears, and Xie Rutang awkwardly hides behind the pawnshop door.

Yin Qinrong's eyes were hooked at the corners, as if they held a pool of spring water, her appearance was charming and touching, with a hint of melancholy, "Yuanzhi, I heard you are getting married."

Pei Zhiheng lowered her thin white eyelids, her knuckles gently pressing on the jade buckle at her waist, her voice calm, "This is a matter of the Pei family, so Your Highness need not trouble yourself with it."

Upon hearing this, Yin Qinrong smiled faintly, her smile exuding elegance. Throughout this past entanglement, she had always held the upper hand.

"You're still blaming me, still resenting me, about what happened back then..."

Yin Qinrong's words were merely a test to see if he still had feelings for her. Seeing his unreadable expression, and realizing that they had been apart for so long, she couldn't discern his true attitude. She nervously clenched her palms.

Suddenly, the man caught a glimpse of something flickering in his peripheral vision.

Pei Zhiheng turned his head slightly, his cold and sharp gaze passing through the pedestrians on the street. Not far away, a plain-colored hem of a garment was visible by the door of a pawnshop.

It was clearly the simplest of women's clothing.

Yet, inexplicably, she seemed strangely familiar, alluring and seductive.

Pei Zhiheng's eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly, like a pebble thrown into a deep pool, before returning to calm.

Xie Rutang realized that the corner of her clothes was exposed and was so frightened that she quickly hid it.

"Yuanzhi?"

After waiting for a long time, I still didn't hear him reply.

Yin Qinrong followed his gaze, but saw nothing.

"Yuanzhi, what are you looking at?"

Pei Zhiheng withdrew his gaze, his expression unchanged. "It's nothing. The wind is getting strong. Please go back, Your Highness."

The two figures in the distance disappeared.

Xie Rutang breathed a sigh of relief and emerged from the shadows. He then boarded a carriage, prepared enough silver, and headed to Changchun Street to find Zhang Qingci.

As the carriage turned out of the alley, she was about to close her eyes and rest when the carriage suddenly jolted, and the coachman let out a hurried "Whoa!"

She swayed forward and barely managed to steady herself by grabbing the side of the car.

"What happened?"

The streets here are crowded with people. If someone bumps into the people, the matter could be serious or minor. If the soldiers patrolling the streets are alerted, it will only cause more trouble.

Xie Rutang, supported by her maid, got out of the carriage to check on things.

An elderly woman with a full head of white hair appeared by the roadside. She wore a worn-out plain cloth dress, her figure was hunched, and she looked all alone.

When Xie Rutang saw that the man was an elderly person, her wariness lessened considerably, and she felt a pang of pity.

She asked gently, "Is the elderly person lost?"

The old woman raised her head.

Upon seeing the deeply lined face, Xie Rutang felt a sense of familiarity and a bold guess suddenly occurred to him, "May I ask, sir, is your son Zhang Qingci, the scholar?"

The old woman's face was covered in wrinkles, but her eyes, though cloudy, were bright and she looked gentle and kind. "Do you know my son?"

There can't be any mistake.

Xie Rutang remembered that Zhang Qingci had mentioned before that his family lived on Lechang Street, which was nearby.

Recently, Zhang Qingci has been running around trying to rescue her brother's family. Xie Rutang knows that Zhang's mother lives alone and has no one to take care of her. Seeing the old woman standing alone in the bustling city, Xie Rutang feels even more sorry for her.

Xie Rutang: "Grandpa, you're getting on in years. It's too dangerous for you to be out on the street alone. Let me escort you back to your alley so you can feel at ease."

After saying that, he and Jin Yue helped Zhang's mother back home.

The moment they stepped into the deep alley.

Xie Rutang was suddenly covered in the mouth and nose; the handkerchief had been soaked in sleeping potion!

She was about to call for help when everything went black and she fainted.