Chapter 39: Let Me Stay, Please
Such a heavy scent of blood certainly couldn’t come from an ordinary small wound.
Pei Zhouwu shifted his gaze upward, settling on her face as he looked at her earnestly and said, “Last time, I didn’t ask how you got the wound on your palm. And now, what happened to your arm?”
After speaking, he took her other hand.
The wound left on her palm from gripping the reins last time had almost completely healed.
Pei Zhouwu examined it carefully for a long while, but Liu Fuying remained silent.
“Can’t you tell me?” He looked into Liu Fuying’s eyes, waiting for her to explain.
He also noticed the bulging bundle she was carrying on her back—he had seen it the moment she emerged from the water.
Now, with her evasive gaze and hesitant demeanor, his suspicions only grew.
“Miss Su!”
Last time, he had clearly switched to calling her Yueying, but now it was back to “Miss Su.”
From the deliberately emphasized tone in his voice, it was clear he had intentionally called her “Miss Su” this time, implying that if she didn’t tell the truth, she would remain nothing more than a distant “Miss Su” to him from then on.
“I’ll tell you, but please don’t be angry.”
Liu Fuying showed a fear of being distanced from him, her flustered expression filled with pleading, begging him not to treat her as a stranger.
“Consort Qi is ill, you know.”
She lowered her head, hesitating for a moment before speaking again.
“I heard there’s an ancient method from Xiqing, where using human blood in medicine can have miraculous effects, so… so…”
“So you also used your blood in medicine to treat the Old Consort Dowager?”
Liu Fuying bowed her head and nodded in response.
“Leaving aside whether this is truly effective, Consort Qi…”
“I know.” Liu Fuying took a step back, timidly looking up at him as if afraid she might see disdain on his face. “What I did wasn’t just for the Old Consort Dowager—it was also for myself.”
Nowadays, lies came to her effortlessly, delivered with such convincing acting that they seemed more real than the truth.
Sometimes, she even believed them herself.
What’s more, she wished what she said were true!
“The Imperial Uncle isn’t a fool. There must be puzzling questions in all of this, such as why the Old Consort Dowager would repeatedly offend her own son for the sake of a mere maid—for her, it’s simply not worth it. The Consort Dowager is a kind-hearted person, but she also loves her son. If her son merely wants to take a concubine, why wouldn’t she help her son instead of aiding an insignificant maid?”
Upon careful thought, there were indeed many inconsistencies in this.
If Pei Zhouwu were to scrutinize it closely, it would undoubtedly be full of flaws.
Perhaps he had already been suspicious, but being a man of good character, he preferred to believe she had her reasons and, fearing she might be embarrassed, had never pressed her for answers.
Today was the final step for Liu Fuying to dispel his doubts.
“Actually, many years ago, there was an old incident. For the sake of her reputation, the Consort Dowager never mentioned it to outsiders.”
Pei Zhouwu furrowed his brows, waiting for her to continue.
“Back then, on the halfway road from Xiangshan to Changmingguan, continuous heavy rains caused a section of the mountain to collapse, making the road impassable for carriages. The only way up the mountain was to take a detour. The Consort Dowager is a devout person, so she insisted on going to offer incense even if it meant taking a longer route. Unfortunately, the muddy ground was slippery, and she fell from the mountain, injuring her leg. My father found her and brought her home to treat her injuries—just… just like the day you saved me.”
Listening, Pei Zhouwu’s thoughts drifted away.
He vaguely remembered that many years ago, there had indeed been such an incident. It seemed the road collapse at Xiangshan had even crushed someone to death.
“My father was a hunter in the mountains. My mother passed away early, so it was just my father and I depending on each other. As a single man, my father and the Dowager Consort in the mountains… just like how you secretly sent me out through the water that day to protect my reputation, the Dowager Consort was also afraid of the idle gossip in Shangjing, so she never made this matter public.”
A hunter.
Pei Zhouwu listened quietly, nodding slowly.
That made sense.
Her father was a hunter, so it was no surprise she knew how to use traps to catch wild rabbits.
“Later, my father died in an accident in the mountains. Then, as I told you before, when my uncle and aunt were about to sell me to a brothel for money, they happened to run into the Dowager Consort. She recognized me and brought me back to the Prince’s Mansion. After that, she protected me everywhere because of my father’s life-saving kindness to her.”
Hearing this, Pei Zhouwu indeed felt a sense of relief as some of his doubts dissipated.
The only thing that remained unchanged was the heartache he felt for her, which had been in his eyes from the very beginning.
Seeing that look in his eyes, Liu Fuying suddenly felt envious of the Su Yueying in her story.
If it were Su Yueying, perhaps she really could stay and keep Pei Zhouwu company.
Overwhelmed by emotion, she couldn’t help but feel her nose sting.
“Speaking of which, this Xiangshan truly is my lucky place,” she suddenly smiled, shifting away from her unnecessary sentimental thoughts. “Once, I met the Dowager Consort; another time, I met you. Both of you are the ones who appeared in my life to save me.”
What was she even sighing about?
Her goal from the beginning had only been to have a child with Pei Zhouwu.
Along the way, she wanted to experience the pleasures men enjoyed, to feel the thrill of keeping a lover outside.
And now, that pleasure was about to reach its most interesting point.
No matter how hard she tried to hide it, the momentary tears that had welled up in her eyes were still caught by Pei Zhouwu.
He thought she was distressed by her past experiences.
Thus, with even more heartache, he reached out and gently stroked her cheek to comfort her.
“A Ying.”
His call of “A Ying” made Liu Fuying’s heart race uncontrollably.
In the past, her mother used to call her that.
“You’ve really suffered,” Pei Zhouwu said softly.
But Liu Fuying shook her head, smiling as she spoke sweet words. “If the outcome is meeting you, then no matter how bitter the past was, it was all worth it.”
Pei Zhouwu withdrew his hand and returned a gentle smile, his gaze falling once again on the injured spot on her left hand.
“I used my blood as medicine to save the Dowager Consort, praying that after she recovered, she would let me leave. The Dowager Consort was deeply moved and, to repay my father’s life-saving kindness from years ago, agreed to let me go. So…”
She set down the bundle on her back, clutching it tightly in her hands.
“So, today I came to beg you to take me in.”
After hearing her out, Pei Zhouwu finally understood what she had left unsaid when she departed last time. She had said that perhaps the next time she came, there would be a result. So this was the result.
“Let me stay, okay?”
Liu Fuying took two steps forward, grabbed his sleeve, and gently shook it.
“That way, I can stay by your side forever.”
But Pei Zhouwu’s expression showed no joy; instead, worry reached the depths of his eyes.
“A Ying, take a good look around. This is a place of imprisonment, not some paradise on earth.”
How could he not want her by his side? Yet, at the same time, he felt deeply conflicted. This place was no haven of comfort. Staying here would bring endless hardship and frustration. He was also afraid—afraid that one day she would regret it.
“No, this is clearly the best place in the world, because you are here. As long as you are here, even if it were hell, I would still love it.”
Where the beloved is, even if one were in hell, the heart would still be sweet.
Pei Zhouwu showed no trace of emotion on the surface, but beneath his clothes, his fiercely pounding heart seemed ready to burst out of his chest.
“Please, promise me, okay?”