Young widow in her boudoir

Her sister-in-law, Lin Yan, came to Beijing to stay with her and is still waiting for good news from her.

The Shen family initially relied on Pei Zhiheng's promotion to renovate a three-courtyard house on Zizhu Street.

That street was inhabited entirely by royalty and the wealthy, with vermilion gates and bronze nails, and carriages and horses as numerous as clouds.

After kneeling for two hours, Xie Rutang's knees were so swollen that she could barely stand. She still gritted her teeth and went to the main hall to find the old lady. She asked in a low voice if her sister-in-law could stay in the mansion for a few days.

To everyone's surprise, after burning incense and praying to Buddha, Old Madam Shen said in a tone that betrayed her disgust: "Isn't it enough to keep one jinx like you? You have to drag a whole bunch of them in too?"

"I advise you not to be ungrateful. We're letting you stay because of Yuan'er. The Shen family's door is not a place for your poor relatives."

Xie Rutang curled her fingers into her palm, her nails digging painfully, but she couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.

She lowered her head, answered "Yes," and turned to leave.

Leave Shou'an Hall.

Xie Rutang had originally considered asking the person at Su Xue Ju for help.

However, Pei Zhiheng had already mistakenly believed last night that she was the one who put the aphrodisiac in the bowl.

She had already thrown herself at him, yet he remained unmoved. How could he possibly help her family? She didn't think she had that much influence.

Xie Rutang sighed inwardly.

Upon returning to the Wutong Courtyard, she saw her brother and sister-in-law, Lin Yan, with their child, one big and one small, waiting for her at the gate.

Xie Rutang stood under the corridor for a moment, swallowing back the bitter taste rising in her throat, before stepping into the courtyard.

She led her sister-in-law back into the house, then had a maid bring over a plate of pastries, which she shared with her nephew and niece. "Sister-in-law."

Xie Rutang didn't want them to worry, so she just smiled and said, "It's not very convenient to stay at the manor these days. Why don't you take the children and stay outside for a while? I'll rent you a house."

Lin Yan remained silent for a long time. "Is it... that my mother-in-law doesn't agree?"

Finally, she turned her face away, suppressing her sobs, "Rutang, what kind of life did you live in the Shen family? It was because your brother and sister-in-law were incapable of protecting you."

Xie Rutang felt a pang in her heart.

But she didn't have time to be sad, and she dared not shed a tear, because her sister-in-law and two children still needed her to be the pillar of the family.

Sometimes she thought that if her husband hadn't died in battle, life would surely be bright and beautiful.

She was only eighteen years old.

She was as beautiful as a flower, and had a long life ahead of her, but she would have to live alone in her empty room from now on.

She dared not mention to Lin Yan the matter of her mother-in-law forcing her to seduce the Second Master, for fear that Lin Yan would worry about her.

No matter how bitter or tiring it is, you can only swallow it all alone.

Xie Rutang forced a smile and quickly rented a small house in a remote alley in the capital.

At dawn, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, she borrowed a carriage from the Pei family and quietly settled them there.

The house was hidden at the end of a narrow alley in the south of the city. The courtyard wall was low and the lintel was narrow, so narrow that even a horse-drawn carriage could not pass through.

Unexpectedly, she ran into Pei Zhiheng here.

He was accompanied by a woman.

It turned out that the Dali Temple of the Capital Region was right next to the house.

Pei Zhiheng walked out of the main gate, dressed in a bamboo-patterned blue robe, yet his noble bearing was still undeniable.

Xie Rutang recognized the young lady beside him as Su Yao, the daughter of his mentor, Grand Tutor Su.

Grand Tutor Su intended to recruit this prized student of his as his son-in-law.

The two were a perfect match in terms of appearance and background.

Xie Rutang felt ashamed for a moment.

No wonder he didn't want to inherit both families' lineages.

It turns out that beneath his aloof exterior, he also harbored a secret love in his heart.

Her mother-in-law was determined to get her to borrow a seed from Pei Zhiheng.

But how could that be...?

Xie Rutang clenched her handkerchief, just about to find a corner to hide in.

However, Pei Zhiheng noticed her presence immediately.

The man's gaze quickly locked onto her, his pupils dark and deep, like an aloof and cold Buddha.

Xie Rutang felt as if he had been burned.

She tried to forget the image of Pei Zhiheng shedding his aloof exterior last night, placing her on his lap, his hand unconsciously stroking her slender waist.

Looking at his upright and elegant figure, his face was gentle and deep.

When faced with Miss Su's question, he smiled politely with a slight curve to his lips, his handsome appearance making the women passing by swoon.

Xie Rutang was thin-skinned and her ears burned slightly. She cursed inwardly, "What a hypocrite!"

But she knew in her heart that Pei Zhiheng did not want to acknowledge her here.

Xie Rutang was sensible enough not to go up and greet them.

Su Yao noticed that Pei Zhiheng kept looking at the woman not far away, and became wary. When she looked at Xie Rutang, her gaze was also full of hostility.

But when he saw Xie Rutang with her hair styled in a woman's bun and dressed in the clothes of a widow, he was taken aback.

Su Yao secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Lord Pei has a broad vision, so she naturally wouldn't think that he would have feelings for a widow.

Xie Rutang pretended not to see them and helped her sister-in-law settle her luggage.

Because she couldn't win Pei Zhiheng back.

The old lady had promised her two hundred taels of silver for delivering soup to the man's room, but in the end she only gave her one hundred taels.

She had no other choice but to use the little silver she had that morning to bribe the prison guards, hoping to get her brother a better cell, an extra bed, better food, and less suffering in prison.

After the jailer accepted the money, his attitude indeed softened considerably.

She left the rest of the money to her sister-in-law.

Thinking of this, Xie Rutang was overcome with emotion, her eyes slightly reddening. "Sister-in-law, once I've saved enough money, I'll take you to a better place to live. Once my brother is out of prison, our family can be reunited."

She will definitely rescue her brother, she definitely will.

Before leaving, Lin Yan grasped her hand and said, "Ru Tang, why don't you wait until your brother comes out and then remarry?"

"Do you remember Scholar Zhang from our county? He and his family have moved to the capital. If you're interested, I can act as your matchmaker; he certainly won't mind your circumstances..."

Xie Rutang blushed instantly.

"Sister-in-law! I still have to remain a widow for Yuan'er..."

Just then, Xie Rutang suddenly met Pei Zhiheng's cold yet intense eyes in the distance, unable to discern the emotions within.

She was so frightened that her heart almost stopped, and she shut her mouth.

In just a moment, Pei Zhiheng looked away.

Feeling guilty and uneasy because of his gaze, Xie Rutang no longer had any intention of talking to her sister-in-law about remarrying.

He could only pray that he hadn't heard what his sister-in-law had said.

Su Yao had been holding back for a long time, but finally, clutching her handkerchief, she couldn't help but ask, "Does Lord Pei know that lady?"

Pei Zhiheng gazed at Xie Rutang, his slightly red lips curving into a faint smile: "She is Madam Shen, the widow of the household."

A disheveled widow barged into the Second Master's study to borrow a child.

Xie Rutang was so embarrassed that she wanted to run away.

Since Pei Zhiheng had revealed his identity, she had no choice but to step forward and greet them.

The pear-white blouse was embroidered with spring branches, and Yingying curtsied, making her waist appear even slimmer.

Su Yao's face lit up with surprise, and she completely let down her guard. "So you are Madam Shen."

Xie Rutang gave a perfunctory reply and was about to slip away.

Unexpectedly, Su Yao warmly took her arm and said with a smile, "Lord Pei and I are on our way to Jinxiu Pavilion. Why don't you come with us, sister-in-law? It's perfect timing, I have a lot of things I'd like to ask you."

Xie Rutang paused.

Su Yao was already calling her sister-in-law even before she was officially married into the Pei family.

Originally, Su Yao was supposed to go shopping for clothes with Pei Zhiheng today.

Xie Rutang couldn't refuse, and was pulled into the carriage by Su Yao, sharing a room with Pei Zhiheng.

Inside the carriage, Pei Zhiheng had his eyes closed, his long eyelashes covering his thin white eyelids, which made Su Yao blush slightly.

On the way, Su Yao asked her many questions about Pei Zhiheng.

We arrived at the Brocade Pavilion.

Su Yao picked up a pale yellow jacket and chatted casually with Pei Zhiheng, "Lord Pei, do you think this jacket would look good with my Moonflower Dress?"

The man hummed in response.

Xie Rutang stood to the side, seemingly oblivious to everything around him, as if he were invisible.

Having received a response, Su Yao shyly went to change her clothes.

After coming out, she reached out and took off a crimson ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), smiling as she held it up to Xie Rutang.

"Mrs. Shen, why don't you try this one on? This color suits you perfectly."

Xie Rutang hasn't worn a bright dress for a month.

My gaze fell on that crimson patch, and it felt like being burned; my heart ached.

She was about the same age as Su Yao. Since her husband left, her wardrobe was filled with only pure white, moon white, and lotus root gray.

"Mrs. Shen?" Su Yao tilted her head to look at her.

Xie Rutang snapped out of her daze, shook her head, and said in a voice so soft it was as if she was afraid of disturbing something, "I'm not suited to such bright colors, Su-meimei, you can choose for yourself."

Su Yao, however, became interested and insisted on trying them on, even turning to Pei Zhiheng to ask, "Lord Pei, which one do you think suits Madam Shen best?"

Upon hearing this, Pei Zhiheng's deep gaze fell upon her.

Xie Rutang's scalp tingled and her body stiffened instantly.

Pei Zhiheng ignored her, then suddenly stopped at a purple dress embroidered with white peonies. It was both pure and alluring, a contradiction that made one's heart itch and unable to resist wanting to find out more.

Then his thin lips moved slightly: "Purple."

Xie Rutang was stunned and puzzled.

She didn't have much interaction with the Second Master. During the month she was widowed, she almost always wore light colors and white. So where did Pei Zhiheng get the conclusion that it was purple?

Suddenly, her ears turned bright red.

Last night when I went to the study to deliver soup, she was wearing a purple undergarment under her gauze skirt!

She was sitting on his lap, and the strap of her bodice was hanging around her neck, about to slip off. He reached out and caught it.