Chapter 24 – A Sweltering Heat

As the golden sun set in the west, its golden rays illuminated half the sky. Chenxiang Courtyard was peaceful and serene. Haozhong and Raoliang sat properly on stools in the courtyard, gazing at the sky. Bai Tang, unable to stay idle, had finished all her tasks and, having nothing else to do, was counting flower petals.

Suddenly, there was the sound of footsteps and hushed voices outside the courtyard. Among the three maids, Bai Tang was the first to become alert, raising her eyes warily—this was her most instinctive reaction since living in the Count’s residence, always on guard against those who might bully them.

Cui Dai, covering her nose with a look of disdain, stepped into the best residence in the Count’s residence. Chenxiang Courtyard used to be her domain, and she was extremely unwilling to give it up to Cui Ti. Trailing behind her was a small entourage. Bai Tang’s heart leapt to her throat, and her entire demeanor changed, becoming more vigilant.

She looked like a combative rooster. Considering her gender, she was more like a fiercely protective hen, spreading her wings to shield her chicks. Nothing could describe her better.

Seeing her like this, Haozhong and Raoliang’s impression of the Third Miss Cui worsened even more.

Cui Dai and Cui Ti were sisters born of the same parents. The eldest sister was beautiful and gentle, evoking pity. How unattractive could the younger sister be?

Third Miss Cui also had a good appearance. When standing among others, she was a standout beauty. However, those from the Chancellor’s Residence, who were accustomed to seeing noble ladies, found Cui Dai less appealing over time due to her lack of grace.

If Cui Ti was like a pure and elegant white magnolia blooming in spring, Cui Dai was like a fiery little pepper growing in the water town—petulant and irritable, exuding discordance from every pore.

“Greetings, Third Miss,” Haozhong and Raoliang said, bowing.

Cui Dai let out a light snort and looked rudely at Bai Ge.

Bai Tang was no longer the same Bai Ge of the past. She was now an old acquaintance by Cui Ti’s side, and her every word and action represented her miss’s reputation. This time, as the young madam was returning to her maiden home after three days, even if she didn’t favor Third Miss Cui, she had to greet her properly and bow in respect.

Seeing her acting so dutifully, Cui Dai couldn’t help but recall their time in the shabby courtyard, with this servant fiercely protecting Cui Ti. The memory was vivid.

Knowing the special place she held in that blind girl’s heart, Cui Dai didn’t even look at her properly and didn’t call her to rise. “Where is your miss?”

Haozhong replied, “The gentleman and the young madam are still taking their afternoon nap.”

Afternoon nap?

Looking at the sky, Cui Dai noted that the sun was about to set. What kind of nap was this? Her face showed displeasure, but considering Pei Xuan’s esteemed status, she didn’t dare cause trouble.

Since she didn’t call them to rise, Haozhong and Raoliang straightened up under her gaze. Seeing them rise, Bai Tang felt a bit relieved and stood up as well.

Cui Dai’s eyelid twitched.

When guests arrive, it’s customary to invite them into the main hall, serve them fragrant tea, and offer them snacks as a gesture of hospitality. However, the maids from the Chancellor’s Residence were more prideful than those from any other household. Third Miss Cui looked down on their Young Madam, and they, in turn, had no desire to flatter or please her.

Raoliang instructed someone to bring a chair, “Third Miss, please have a seat.”

The Momo behind Cui Dai moved her lips and furrowed her brows but ultimately didn’t dare to speak.

Cui Dai reluctantly sat down. She was young and didn’t even realize there was anything wrong, just felt entirely impatient.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, a fragrant breeze blew through Chenxiang Courtyard.

In the inner chamber, the bed curtains slightly moved. The beauty lying on the high bed slowly woke up. Opening her eyes, she was still enveloped in an endless fog, causing a surge of panic in her heart. “Xingguang?”

“Niangzi,” Pei Xuan held her hand, teasing her for being clingy, “Niangzi, I’m right here.”

The familiar scent washed over her, and Cui Ti’s anxious heart found peace. She murmured, “It’s good that you’re here…”

She wasn’t fully awake yet, and her casual words made Pei Xuan’s heart melt. Her gaze lingered on her wife’s slightly swollen lips, and the memory of their earlier passionate kiss resurfaced. She dared not look too long and tilted her head to stare at the canopy above.

Cui Ti buried her face in Pei Xuan’s neck, rubbing gently, “Xingguang, what time is it?”

She was still groggy from the wine, her temples throbbing. Even after a nap, her mind was still foggy.

The warm, humid breath climbed up Pei Xuan’s fair neck, and the intoxicating scent of the beauty, tinged with alcohol, made her blush and feel uncharacteristically mischievous. She swallowed and said, “It should be… it should be almost dusk…”

“Dusk…” Cui Ti pondered with her still-slow mind, “It’s so late already.”

In the courtyard, Cui Dai was fuming with anger, her eyes nearly shooting daggers. But she couldn’t defy her father’s orders; otherwise, why would she come here to sit on this cold bench?

Finally, she cleared her throat and said, “I’m thirsty.”

Haozhong raised an eyebrow and, just then, emerged from the door holding a teapot, smiling, “What a coincidence? This servant maid will pour you some tea.”

In the Chancellor’s household, even a seventh-rank official was considered significant, let alone Haozhong and Raoliang, who were personally trained by Madam Pei to serve Cui Ti.

They had seen many noble guests and knew well how to handle people. While they might not understand the intricacies of romantic affairs as much as Bai Tang, they excelled at subtly countering others. Bai Tang still had much to learn in this area.

After waiting for quite a while, Cui Dai finally received a cup of tea. She was seething with anger and ready to make a scene, but Haozhong’s attentive and courteous service managed to calm her down.

It felt as if someone had lifted her up, leaving her with no outlet for her fury-a suffocating feeling.

Bai Tang’s eyes were wide open, and she was just short of bowing down and calling Haozhong and Raoliang her masters for handling Cui Dai so well.

While Haozhong was enough to handle Third Miss Cui, Pei Xuan was still lost in the tender embrace, her eyes fixed on her first wife’s partially open neckline.

The delicate curve of her chest was barely concealed by her inner garment, exuding an alluring charm.

As the saying goes, “Heaven’s cycles bring balance,” and Pei Xuan, despite her vast knowledge, struggled to deal with her coquettish wife. Feeling helpless, she hugged Cui Ti’s graceful body tightly, suddenly understanding the phrase “Spring nights are short when the day dawns high, and from then on, the emperor forsakes morning court.”

Not just spring nights but also the sight of her wife nestled against her like a delicate bird made Editor Pei feel as if her body and soul were sealed to this bed.

While she wasn’t a person of lecherous nature, she was still a healthy young woman.

Taking advantage of Cui Ti’s blindness, she felt her face flush as she sensed the softness pressed against her chest.

No wonder her friends always had a knowing look when they mentioned bedroom pleasures. Her current state was akin to a young person secretly tasting the wine brewed by adults, intoxicated and lingering in the moment.

She reveled in the sensation while simultaneously chastising herself for her impropriety. Soon, a bitter feeling welled up in her heart. A Cui’s affection was for Pei Xuan as a man; she wanted to be with Pei Xuan as a man.

Chancellor’s legitimate son, always confident and composed, Pei Xuan, holding the girl she adored, began to doubt herself.

What she was doing wasn’t just a deceitful marriage but also taking advantage of Cui Ti’s blindness to act inappropriately, which felt like a desecration of her beloved moon.

The thought “I am guilty” surged within Pei Xuan. Her back stiffened, and she slowly released her Niangzi, her face a mix of sorrow and confusion. Cui Ti raised her eyebrows and, at that moment, was fully awake.

“Fujun?”

Her chest was filled with warmth, and her soft voice melted into Pei Xuan’s heart.

Pei Xuan was too ashamed to look her in the eye but couldn’t bear to neglect her. She was the guilty one; her Niangzi was innocent.

With a pale face, Pei Xuan adjusted Cui Ti’s collar and helped her sit up. “Niangzi, it’s late. We should get up.”

Cui Ti’s heart trembled.

This Pei Xuan was so much like the upright and proper Fujun from her previous lifetime. The more poised Pei Xuan was, the further apart they felt. Though they slept in the same bed, their souls were separated by a chasm. Cui Ti felt as if the sweetness of the past few days had turned into a fleeting dream, a knife stabbing her heart.

Her expression changed, and tears welled up in her eyes. “What… what have I done to make you dislike me?”

In her previous lifetime, she had been cautious and meticulous in her role as Young Madam Pei, always aware that, in the eyes of others, her humble origins made her unworthy of the brilliant Gentleman Pei.

At first, she didn’t think much of it, just wanting to live well in a new place.

But Pei Xuan treated her so well-so well that she had nothing to repay her with, so well that, unknowingly, she had given her heart away.

Giving her heart away, with no return. Pei Xuan’s distant and reserved attitude hurt her sensitive nerves, leading to that final thought before her death.

Forget it.

She thought Pei Xuan didn’t love her, believed she was just pitied and cherished.

The fears and anxieties from both lifetimes converged, and Cui Ti feared she had misjudged, that her feelings were one-sided. She couldn’t read Pei Xuan’s heart and didn’t want to repeat the past, dying again in that cold, desolate lotus pond.

She couldn’t understand. Pei Xuan had been willing to feed her wine before bed, but upon waking, had reverted to the aloof and noble figure from her past, like a moon hung high in the sky.

The moon was beautiful, but the former Cui Ti couldn’t see it, couldn’t touch it. Even when she occasionally managed to touch it, it would disappear the next moment.

Now that she could see it, she was even more reluctant to let go.

She just wanted to hold Pei Xuan tightly in her arms.

Or be held tightly by her.

The emotions from two lifetimes tormented her. Pei Xuan was unaware of her fears and anxieties. Seeing the tear streak down Cui Ti’s cheek, her heart tightened. “I don’t dislike you.”

I like you too much, and I feel like I’m desecrating you.

“Niangzi…” She gently embraced the crying woman, her voice soft and comforting. “I am very fond of you.”

“I don’t believe you…”

Cui Ti was easy to soothe, but there were conditions. She needed to feel secure, not discarded at a whim. Though she was blind, she was still a proper young lady, not a plaything to be taken when desired and thrown away when not.

In her previous lifetime, she had loved Pei Xingguang deeply, but she had also endured enough.

When a person realizes they are in love, the feelings are often already profound. Such deep emotion makes one yearn for equally deep love in return.

She couldn’t bear the thought of Pei Xuan not loving her.

Pei Xuan, flustered and sweating, pleaded, “Niangzi, please don’t cry.”

She used her soft sleeve to wipe Cui Ti’s tears, but Cui Ti slapped her hand away.

Pei Xuan stood there, head bowed, speechless.

“You are heartless and fickle!”

Crying, Cui Ti accused the most honest and upright person in Xi Jing of being unfaithful. Pei Xuan felt too ashamed to face her and whispered, “I am not.”

“You are.”

In the Golden Palace, Zhuangyuan Pei, who could respond fluently to the emperor, was now at a loss for words. “I am confused, but I never thought of abandoning you.”

She had married her Niangzi with great effort and cherished her too much to ever think of leaving her.

In arguments, the person who knows you best can hurt you the most. Cui Ti, though inexperienced in quarreling, let her tears fall, her fragile beauty evident. “You married me, but you still want to keep your distance. You want to observe propriety and live your life in uprightness and dignity!”

She hiccuped through her tears, feeling that the momentum she had built was slipping away. In a moment of heated frustration, she felt deeply wronged. “You don’t want to consummate our marriage…”

The first part of her accusation pierced through Pei Xuan’s thoughts, but as for the latter part…

Pei Xuan, standing there with a peculiar expression, touched her nose-how could she not want to consummate their marriage?

She was just too afraid.

Seeing Cui Ti crying so sorrowfully, Pei Xuan felt at a loss, unable to explain how the conversation had shifted to “heartless and fickle” and “consummation.” Her beautiful brows furrowed. “You misunderstand me, Niangzi.”

Cui Ti sobbed and asked, “How have I misunderstood you?”

She was genuinely giving Pei Xuan a chance to explain.

Realizing this, Pei Xuan embraced her from the side, letting Cui Ti’s back rest against her chest. “I am not made of stone; how could I not know your worth, Niangzi?”

“Does Fujun really think I am good?” Cui Ti’s tone had a hint of petulance, dispelling the embarrassment from their previous argument.

Pei Xuan loved her unrestrained nature and couldn’t help but smile. “You are the one I cherish the most. Your Fujun has high standards; ordinary women do not catch my eye.”

“Then who can catch your eye?”

“You.”

Cui Ti’s heart was deeply moved by her words, and the resentment and worry dissipated significantly. She asked cautiously, “What else?”

She was asking about Pei Xuan’s distant behavior after waking up.

Pei Xuan found it difficult to explain. “I didn’t intend to keep my distance from you or live a life of propriety.”

Saying this was harder for her than writing ten lengthy essays. Cui Ti, holding back her sympathy, remained silent, prompting Pei Xuan to continue. “I… my actions are improper, my thoughts impure, unworthy of a gentleman’s name…”

The more Cui Ti listened, the more puzzled she became. “What do you mean?”

“I,” Pei Xuan’s neck flushed red. She took a deep breath and continued, “I want…”

She struggled with this for a while, unable to articulate her thoughts. Cui Ti, her eyelashes wet with tears, looked at her in confusion. “Hmm?”

As the saying goes, one should strike while the iron is hot. Initially hesitant, Pei Xuan, with the face of a righteous gentleman, leaned closer to her first wife and spoke in a subdued tone.

When Cui Ti heard the word “touch,” her delicate body trembled.

A trembling hand rested on the magnificent and pure holy mountain that should not be desecrated. Pei Xuan, her voice barely audible, closed her eyes and said, “I took advantage of the situation, thinking of your beauty, despite my study of the sage’s teachings. Reflecting on my heart, I find it tainted, utterly improper…”

Though she spoke of impropriety, her body had its own desires. In a moment of clarity, she was filled with reckless bravery.

Her fingertips gently pinched, her lips brushed against Cui Ti’s earlobe, her voice carrying a hint of huskiness. “Now you understand, don’t you? I am overwhelmed by my feelings, deeply sinful.”