Chapter 38 – Born from Nightmares

“Gentleman.”

The servant quickly approached and whispered in her ear.

Pei Xuan nodded calmly. “Alright, I understand. You may leave now.”

After the servant retreated, Song Zizhen asked curiously, “What’s the matter? What happened?”

Finishing the last drop of wine from his flask, Zheng Wuji raised an eyebrow. “Xingguang, if you have something to attend to, go ahead. Don’t worry about us.”

“Yes, go ahead and take care of your matters. We’re fine here,” Song Zizhen added.

Their considerate words brought a slight smile to Pei Xuan’s face. She explained truthfully, “The servant just informed me that there’s a small issue at home that requires my attention. I won’t be formal with you.”

She downed the contents of her cup and turned to leave.

Watching her hurried departure, Song Zizhen stroked his chin and muttered to himself, “Family matters? A small issue?”

His eyes flickered. “Could it be that his little sweetheart is feeling wronged?”

Zheng Wuji, bored, spun his small wine cup on the table and said nonchalantly, “Hard to say.”

The carriage sped back to the Pei Residence, where the gatekeeper bowed and welcomed her inside.

Pei Xuan walked briskly. “Is the Young Madam alright?”

Haozhong replied, “The Young Madam is fine, just a bit frightened. She is asleep now, with Bai Tang and Raoliang by her side.”

Upon hearing that Cui Ti was unharmed, Pei Xuan’s furrowed brows slowly relaxed, though a fire still burned within her. “Where is she?”

“The traitorous Xiaohong is currently locked in the woodshed in the rear courtyard. The Madam has said she won’t interfere in this matter. Whether the disloyal servant is sold or handed over to the authorities is up to the Young Madam.”

Pei Xuan intended to use this incident to help Cui Ti establish her authority in the Chancellor’s Residence.

Pei Xuan’s lips pressed into a thin line. The gentle warmth she had felt on the way back vanished completely.

A storm was brewing.

In the rear courtyard, the door to the woodshed opened, letting in bright light that illuminated Xiaohong’s frightened, pale face.

Seeing Pei Xuan, Xiaohong’s lips trembled, and she dropped to her knees with a thud. “Gentleman, please have mercy!”

“Mercy?”

Pei Xuan looked down at her from above.

To be fair, with hundreds of servants in the inner and outer courtyards of the Chancellor’s Residence, it was impossible for her to remember every single one. But this one, she did know.

Xiaohong’s full name was Yunhong. She was an orphan Pei Xuan had found pitiful and bought into the household three years ago. Since then, she had been assigned to watering flowers and weeding tasks in the outer courtyard, never getting the chance to serve in the inner courtyard.

Pei Xuan had seen her two or three times in the residence and never suspected that someone with such a naive face could harbor such a terrifying heart.

If it weren’t for the little wolf secretly protecting Cui Ti, who knew what this wicked servant might have done?!

A wave of fear surged through her, and Pei Xuan’s expression turned icy. “Bring her out.”

“Yes, sir!”

A strong servant grabbed Xiaohong by the arm and dragged her out. She hung her head, abandoning all resistance, but her eyes stayed fixed on Pei Xuan, as if trying to etch her image into memory forever.

The sunlight was blinding. Xiaohong raised her hand to shield her eyes, then knelt slowly, holding up her skirt.

Pei Xuan sat on a pearwood chair, her long legs crossed, the embroidered hem of her robe falling elegantly. “Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

Xiaohong stared at Pei Xuan’s black boots with red trim and gave a bitter smile. “Gentleman, you are a noble and talented youth. The Young Madam is truly unworthy of you. How can rubble stay with jade? I couldn’t stand it, so I wanted her dead.”

Before Pei Xuan could react, Haozhong, who was standing beside her, burst out, “The Young Madam and the Gentleman are deeply in love and married by choice. Who do you think you are to disapprove?”

“I’m indeed nothing. Without the Gentleman’s help, I would have turned into a worthless piece of trash years ago,” Xiaohong said, looking up. “But at least I have eyes that can see. What does she have? A blind girl dares to touch the Pei Family’s gentleman? Does she deserve it?”

“You ungrateful wretch! So, you’ve had these improper thoughts all along!”

“…”

The two of them started arguing.

Pei Xuan sat quietly, finding it all incredibly absurd.

Raised on poetry and the teachings of sages, she knew shame and propriety. Many loved her, some for the shining shell of the “Pei Family’s legitimate son.”

She couldn’t help but wonder, if Xiaohong had known from the beginning that she was a woman, would she still think Cui Ti had overreached?

A deceiver hiding her true self, and a blind girl who knew nothing from birth.

Was Cui Ti reaching too high for Pei Xuan?

Quite the opposite. Pei Xuan had failed to guard her own heart from the start.

“You are wrong.”

Pei Xuan spoke suddenly, causing the maid named Yunhong to clutch her clothes nervously.

“The marriage to the Xining Count’s residence was something I sought. I chose Cui Ti. As a young person, I couldn’t contain my affection and desire for her. I pursued her passionately until I won her heart. You should never have tried to harm her. If I had known this would happen, I would have regretted bringing you into the household.”

“Gentleman!”

No punishment could be more brutal than this.

Yunhong’s body trembled in disbelief.

But Pei Xuan gave her no chance to plead, standing up and leaving.

As unfeeling as a gust of wind.

“Gentleman!!”

“Stop shouting.”

Haozhong, irritated, dusted off her sleeves. “Wait for the Young Madam to come deal with you.”

She waved her hand, and the surrounding servants dragged Yunhong back to the woodshed.

The door slammed shut with a bang, and Haozhong glanced up at the bright blue sky, muttering to herself about the bad luck.

“Little wolf?”

“Here!”

A rustling sound among the plants, and a girl dressed in black, carrying a sword, emerged. “Yunhong was instigated by someone to harm the Young Madam. Gentleman, don’t be deceived.”

Pei Xuan’s expression remained unchanged, as if she had anticipated this. “Who instigated her?”

“The Third Miss of the Xining Count’s residence, Cui Dai. Cui Dai is unhappy that her eldest sister married into a high-ranking family. She wanted to give the Young Madam a hard time but didn’t expect Yunhong to be so bold as to attempt murder.”

So, it involved the Xining Count’s Cui Family?

After a long silence, Pei Xuan spoke softly, “Understood.”

The girl in black bowed respectfully and disappeared into the wind like a phantom.

Pei Xuan took a deep breath, straightening her collar, her mind filled with Cui Ti’s earlier mention of the “death in the dream.”

Could the person who pushed Titi into the lotus pond be Cui Dai?

If so, this was undoubtedly a useful clue. However, with a reckless and brainless sister-in-law like Cui Dai, Pei Xuan suppressed her intense annoyance and stepped into the courtyard.

In the afternoon, Bai Tang and Raoliang stood on either side, guarding the Young Madam.

On the large bed, Cui Ti was trapped in a long, chaotic dream, cold sweat breaking out on her forehead. “No—”

“Young Madam?”

“Titi!”

Pei Xuan, hearing the commotion, rushed in urgently.

Bai Tang and Raoliang exchanged glances and tactfully stepped aside, leaving the couple to speak comforting words to each other.

“What’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?” Pei Xuan used a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from Cui Ti’s forehead.

Cui Ti, panting slightly, saw her and the sudden fear slowly sank like a stone to the bottom of a lake. Her voice was tinged with weakness. “Xingguang.”

“I’m here.”

Pei Xuan gazed at her for a moment, then lowered her head to kiss the corner of her lips. “Don’t be afraid; the bad person has been caught.”

“Why did she want to harm me?”

Recalling the close call she had today, nearly being pushed into the pond again, she felt an inexplicable sense of grievance. In both her previous lifetime and this one, she had never harmed anyone. Why did people always find her an eyesore and want to get rid of her?

“This isn’t your fault.” Pei Xuan blamed herself silently and, after a moment’s hesitation, told Cui Ti about Cui Dai instigating Yunhong.

“Is it my third younger sister?”

“She might not have intended to take your life, but she has a bad heart and a wicked mind. We should avoid her from now on.”

Cui Ti, lost in thought, remembered the hopeless pain before her death in her previous lifetime, feeling a chill down her spine.

“Alright, don’t think about it anymore. I will write a letter to Count Xining, asking him to discipline his daughter strictly. As for Yunhong, you can decide how to deal with her.”

Following the customs of noble families in Xi Jing, anyone who dared to plot against their master would likely be beaten to death.

“I can decide?”

“Yes, Mom thinks so too. It’s up to you.”

Cui Ti, her face pale, pondered for a moment. “Then let’s send her to the authorities. Whatever the truth is, let it be. If she truly had no intention of harming anyone, how could she be so easily manipulated?”

She looked uncertainly at Pei Xuan, whispering, “Is this appropriate?”

Pei Xuan hugged her with a smile. “It’s appropriate, though a bit merciful.”

“Is being merciful bad for Young Madam Pei?”

“No.”

“Then let’s avoid unnecessary killing, alright?”

Pei Xuan, having no way to refuse her, spent the entire afternoon keeping her company, talking to ease her sudden fright.

Little did they know, the shock Cui Ti experienced was more severe than they had imagined.

Yunhong was sent to the authorities, and exile awaited her.

That night, Pei Xuan sat in the study, pen in hand, unable to finish the letter of reprimand when Bai Tang ran in, looking anxious. “Gentleman, something’s wrong!”

Cui Ti had suddenly developed a high fever, and throughout the latter half of the night, she was delirious, calling out “Xingguang” and “Fujun,” or furrowing her brows and crying silently as if in a nightmare.

The medicine they brewed and fed her had no effect, making Pei Xuan frantic. “Mom, what should we do? Why hasn’t Titi woken up yet?”

Madam Pei comforted her softly.

Just then, the sound of a copper bell echoed through the quiet night, ringing at the gate of the Pei Family residence.