Young widow in her boudoir

Xie Rutang couldn't believe what she had just heard.

She was so angry that her breathing became rapid, and her eyes were filled with fury that they seemed to be spitting fire.

Pei Zhiheng stood on the edge of the bed, a jade belt around his waist, and a black official robe with a ferocious xiezhi embroidered on the chest, only half a foot away from her.

An invisible pressure swept over her, and despite her inner resistance, she could only submit to his overwhelming power.

"This is the procedure for the Dali Temple, and we hope that you will cooperate, Madam."

He always kept public and private matters separate, and had no lust in his eyes.

Pei Zhiheng glared coldly at the woman before him, his words suffocating her: "If you had listened to advice back then and completely severed your ties with Scholar Zhang, how could this disaster have happened today? You brought this upon yourself."

"According to the law, if a woman commits adultery with another man, she shall be paraded through the streets as a warning and then drowned in a pig cage."

Xie Rutang stirred up all the anger in his heart.

The woman before him was stubborn and unyielding, her tears falling like broken pearls, and Pei Zhiheng felt a surge of anger rising within him.

If he didn't feel sorry for her, how could he, with his busy schedule, possibly get involved in such a foolish thing?

This was the first time Xie Rutang had seen him so cold and fierce, and she felt no lingering affection for him.

It was as if she were truly kneeling in the interrogation room of the Dali Temple. The crime of adultery was extremely serious, and she had no idea what awaited her next.

Xie Rutang closed her eyes, letting his cold, insubstantial gaze sweep over her skin in a businesslike manner.

What need is there for a widow to feel shame?

Her husband had died, and she was now a thing of the past.

She then pretended to be a female prisoner.

……

After a short while, Xie Rutang got dressed on the bed, her eyes flashing like cold knives as if she wanted to devour him.

She's really unhappy right now! Extremely unhappy.

Pei Zhiheng tossed her one of his clothes and draped it over her shoulders. "It seems that Madam has not been having an affair with anyone else. In that case, Madam has indeed been misled and deceived by others, which is why she has ended up in this situation. However, whether Madam has been having an affair with Scholar Zhang remains to be verified."

Xie Rutang: ...

She clenched her fists, dressed herself, and turned away from him.

Otherwise, she was afraid she would be so angry she would die.

But she soon discovered that it was a men's dark blue long gown, which made her look long-limbed, and the sleeves completely covered her hands.

There was also a familiar, desolate sandalwood scent emanating from it.

Xie Rutang quickly realized that the clothes were his, and felt uncomfortable all over, finding it very strange.

Apart from her deceased husband Shen Yuan's clothes, she never wore any other man's clothes again.

But given her current situation, there was nothing to complain about, so she had no choice but to shut her mouth and say no more.

Pei Zhiheng's expression was indifferent. "However, as a widow, Madam, it would be best if you stayed in the manor and avoided showing your face in public."

She had no idea how many men her beautiful face could attract.

Married women are the most fatal attraction for men.

Xie Rutang held back her tears, her rosy lower lip bearing teeth marks from being bitten.

She knew it was her fault...

She was too gullible. The Zhang family, mother and son, feigned closeness under the guise of being from the same hometown, and she was completely unsuspecting, falling headlong into their trap.

Xie Rutang knew that she had to be grateful to Pei Zhiheng.

If he hadn't happened to be passing by with his soldiers today, her life would have been ruined...

"Second Master, thank you."

Pei Zhiheng paused, his back turned.

His lips were cold and thin. He said nothing. There was no oil lamp in the room. He turned around and stepped into the darkness with his black boots.

But Xie Rutang couldn't bear the shock of the day and continued to weep inside, her handkerchief soaked with tears.

Because Madam Pei was involved in the trouble, the group could not set off immediately. The accompanying yamen runners simply used this courtyard as a temporary place to stay. They would have dinner there and spend the night before continuing their journey the next day.

Xie Rutang had never been in contact with so many men in her life, some of whom were from humble backgrounds. She was so frightened that she hid in that room all night and dared not come out.

She hid inside, covering her face and crying. She still couldn't understand why things had turned out this way.

She cried for about an hour and still wouldn't stop.

Pei Zhiheng carried a dinner to the door and walked slowly. Through the wooden door, he could clearly hear the woman's soft, weak sobs inside.

Just as he was about to knock on the door and enter.

Then came the sound of a woman weeping from inside the house, "Yuan Lang, I miss you so much..."

Yuan Cheng is Shen Yuan's courtesy name.

Xie Rutang wiped away her tears, her mind filled with memories of the simple, peaceful days she spent with her husband in the past.

If Yuanlang were alright, she might already be pregnant with his child and living a life of supporting her husband and raising her children. Why would she need to borrow a child from a strange man?

The more I think about it, the more my heart aches as if it's being torn apart.

Pei Zhiheng stood outside the door, his expression turning even colder and more serious, his fingers slightly clenched, the edge of the plate digging into his palm.

He had brought food specifically to comfort her, thinking she was still shaken and needed something to support her. But he heard her uttering nothing but remembrance of her deceased husband.

After a long while, Pei Zhiheng raised his hand and gently knocked twice on the wooden door, interrupting the sorrowful sobs inside.

He gently placed the food on the table, his expression unchanged. "Have some rice to fill your stomach first. The food in the army is a bit rough, not as good as in the manor. I had them slaughter the chickens in the yard and made you a bowl of chicken soup. Make do with that."

Seeing her come in, Xie Rutang hastily wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, not wanting him to see her.

Turning around, she saw Pei Zhiheng bringing her a bowl of chicken soup.

Covering the most ordinary porcelain bowl were several cold, white fingers with bony joints.

After a while, her voice was hoarse.

"I can't eat."

She was so consumed by grief over her husband's death that she couldn't possibly eat.

She felt nauseous at the smell of fish.

Pei Zhiheng looked down at her, the night light dim, and he seemed lost in thought.

Amidst her chaotic thoughts, Xie Rutang's peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of Zhang Qingci's cold body on the ground.

The face was dead and its eyes were wide open. She screamed in fright and was completely disoriented.

In contrast, Pei Zhiheng was already sitting on the edge of the bed. He had been in charge of criminal investigations for many years, and examining corpses and handling murder cases were routine for him. His large hands were placed on his knees.

He once slept in a coffin with a corpse to capture a death row inmate. What was that compared to that? He had smelled the most disgusting stench in the world and could still eat without batting an eye. Sometimes, when the environment was so bad, he could only drink human blood to fill his stomach.

He reached out his hand to her.

"come over."

No room for argument.