Su Xi-er smiled and nodded. “Many thanks for the reminder, Prince Hao.”
The sight of Su Xi-er acting in such a manner reminded Pei Qianhao about the scent of the medicinal herbs, so he bent down and looked into her eyes as he questioned, “For you to be so obedient… did you do something wrong?”
Hong Li was shocked to see Pei Qianhao being so close to Su Xi-er in front of her, causing her hands to slip. The wooden basin tilted to one side and some of the water was splashed onto Pei Qianhao’s robe.
When Hong Li saw the dark drops on the hem of Prince Hao’s robe, she immediately set the basin down and knelt in fear. In a trembling voice, she beseeched, “This servant deserves to die; Prince Hao, please have mercy.”
She was frightened out of her wits. A palace maid who doesn’t wash clothes well at the Laundry Service Bureau would lose their head. A similar punishment currently awaits me if Prince Hao plans to hold me liable!
Hong Li suddenly thought of Su Xi-er in her panic, and immediately looked up at her, using her eyes to ask Su Xi-er to help her.
Before she could even say anything though, the latter had already stretched out her hand and smiled as she held the hem of Pei Qianhao’s clothes. “It’s just a bit of water. Nothing that can’t be solved just by covering it up with your hand.”
Cover it with my hand and use my body temperature to make the drops of water evaporate. She has some crazy ideas. Pei Qianhao looked at Hong Li and waved his hand. “Go and carry the wooden basin out.”
Hong Li let out a sigh of relief and immediately picked up the wooden basin before swiftly leaving the room.
Creak. When the door finally closed, Pei Qianhao stretched out his hand to hold Su Xi-er’s. “Go and lie in bed; you should rest early.”
Su Xi-er nodded. “Prince Hao, this servant will rest once you have left.”
“What, are you afraid that this Prince will take advantage of you?”
Su Xi-er replied, “You are clever, Prince Hao.”
A chuckle escaped from Pei Qianhao’s lips. “This Prince won’t do anything to you while the wound on your arm is still open. The Imperial Army Guard Commander Yuchi Mo is this Prince’s subordinate. If you find something difficult to deal with, tell Old Maidservant Liu to report to him.”
Su Xi-er suddenly understood Pei Qianhao’s timely arrival at the Compassionate Peace Palace. It was Yuchi Mo who reported to the Prince Hao Residence.
“Rest well. After a period of time, you will no longer be a maidservant.” Pei Qianhao looked at Su Xi-er again before turning on his heel to leave the room.
By the time Su Xi-er had fully processed his last sentence, Pei Qianhao had already left the room. What does he mean by that? I won’t be a maidservant after some time? What will I be then? Is he already too impatient to give me any more time?
Pei Qianhao didn’t know that his last sentence would keep Su Xi-er up for another two hours. She was thinking about what she should do if he insisted on her entering the Prince Hao Residence, and how she would contact Feng Changqing and the others under his watch.
All these thoughts filled her mind until she finally fell asleep.
The next day, a piece of news spread through the entirety of Beimin’s capital, including the imperial palace.
A member of the Pei Family’s side branch, Pei Yong, had been charged with taking bribes, as well as abusing his power to sexually assault women for many years. The punishment would be a beheading to be conducted on the street this afternoon to set an example.
The main entrance of the Pei Residence was tightly shut today, with only two pages respectfully standing in front of the entrance as the civilians walked by and whispered in hushed voices. Pei Zheng chose to ignore all of this, as well as the Empress Dowager’s verbal edict to visit the Compassionate Peace Palace.
No matter what, Pei Anru must stay in the imperial palace.
The prisoner’s wagon[1] carrying Pei Yong headed towards the street. Although he was a prisoner, his clothes and hair were still tidy because the guards hadn’t dared to neglect someone with his position.
1. In case you don’t watch historical Chinese dramas, here’s an image as an example.
