Chapter 54: Pei Zhouwu Can Leave Xiangshan

Seeing her action, Jin Li reacted with equal swiftness.

“Madam, could you be… pregnant?”

Liu Fuying did not speak, only gazing at her abdomen with a gentle smile.

“Wonderful! Now Madam can…”

“Return to the city!”

Jin Li’s excitement had just begun to rise when it was abruptly interrupted by Shen Xiunian’s loud shout from outside.

“Madam, the General seems very angry.”

“Pay him no mind.” Liu Fuying lifted the carriage curtain, her gaze naturally drifting toward the direction of Xiangshan. “He cannot be with the one he loves, so he is jealous of me. Let him be angry. Who knows who he’s putting on this act for—who would even want to watch?”

She had no energy now to concern herself with Shen Xiunian’s state.

Nor did she know what Pei Zhouwu was doing at this moment.

With no one to keep him company now, he probably sat alone in a daze as he used to.

But he still had decades of life ahead of him…

“Why is Madam sighing? Are you not happy about the child?”

Only after Jin Li’s reminder did Liu Fuying realize she had been sighing repeatedly.

“I…”

She opened her mouth but could not find an answer, all her thoughts dissolving into a self-mocking smile on her face.

“It’s nothing. Let’s go back.”

…

The carriage moved slowly along the earthen mountain path. The wheel tracks from their arrival had long been covered and erased by dust, and the tracks left on their departure would also fade with time.

All traces would be erased by time, gradually forgotten and vanishing completely.

Just like the traces she had left in Pei Zhouwu’s heart.

They would all disappear.

Upon returning to the city, the carriage gradually came to a stop outside the General’s Mansion.

Shen Xiunian dismounted and strode straight inside without a single extra word, and Liu Fuying naturally needed none either.

However, she noticed that the pair of podocarpus trees that had once flanked the main gate were gone.

The further she went inside, the more something felt amiss.

Everywhere felt empty, as if the house had been cleared out.

The servants coming and going were not as bustling as before. All the way back to Shuxing Courtyard, she saw only a few people, and everywhere was quiet.

“Madam, I feel something is strange.”

“Yes, it certainly is strange.”

Before even stepping into the courtyard gate, Old Madam Shen’s voice could already be heard from within.

“I won’t rest, I won’t rest. A Yin will be back soon, I must see her the moment she returns. It’s been over a month already, I’ve missed her terribly.”

“Old Madam, the General is also returning today. Won’t you go see him? Don’t you miss the General?”

“That boy, I’ve been looking at him for over twenty years. Who cares to see him? I’m long tired of it.”

“Old Madam, you speak like a child. Ah, Old Madam, look—isn’t that the young madam?”

“Huh? A Yin, let me see.”

Old Madam Shen hurried around the window and out the door, and indeed saw Liu Fuying in the courtyard. In her excitement, she nearly tripped over the threshold.

“A Yin, you’re back!”

Tears streamed down the old madam’s face as she stumbled forward and embraced Liu Fuying.

“Heaven be praised, you’ve finally returned, just in time.”

Just in time?

Liu Fuying smiled warmly, patting the old madam’s back as if soothing a child, and said, “Mother-in-law, why are you crying again? It’s only been a month—did you miss me so much? You said ‘just in time’—what have I returned just in time for?”

Old Madam Shen wiped her tears and stepped back, blinking innocently with teary eyes as she replied, “It happened just as we were leaving the capital. Didn’t Xiunian tell you?”

“Leaving the capital?”

Leaving what capital?

Thinking of the empty courtyard just now, Liu Fuying suddenly caught her breath.

“Are we… leaving Shangjing City?”

“Yes, A Yin, you really didn’t know?”

“I…”

She didn’t know. What did she know?

Liu Fuying was stunned, her mind as if stuck in glue, unable to turn.

“Where to?” she asked, her heart trembling.

“To… some frontier, the Southern Frontier or something. Yes, that’s it—the Southern Frontier. Xiunian said he had already submitted a request to move the entire family away from Shangjing City. From now on, he’ll be stationed at the Southern Frontier to guard the border, never returning to Shangjing City again.”

“…”

Such a major matter—why hadn’t Shen Xiunian told her?

“When did this happen? When are we leaving?” she asked again.

Old Madam Shen, unaware of her unusual mood, smiled and replied, “We leave in three days.”

Leave in three days!

To Liu Fuying’s ears, these words sounded like a bolt from the blue.

Three days later—wasn’t that the day she had promised Pei Zhouwu she would return?

How ridiculous!

What kind of absurd twist of fate was this? Anyone unaware might think this was a storybook plot.

“Leaving in three days—isn’t that too rushed?”

“Not at all. We’ve been preparing for a month already. After you left, the household has been busy with this matter. Everything is ready now, just waiting to depart. You’ve traveled a long way back; rest well for a few days, and in three days we’ll set off.”

“…”

“A Yin, Xiunian said the frontier has vast skies and beautiful scenery, and it’s not as strict with rules as Shangjing City. Over there…”

“A Yin, where are you going?”

“I’m going to find Shen Xiunian.”

Liu Fuying strode out of the courtyard again. She walked so quickly that Jin Li had to run to catch up with her.

“Madam, actually, going to the Southern Frontier might be good. Leaving this place of trouble behind means we can bury the secret of Xiangshan here forever.”

“No, it’s not like that…”

Liu Fuying walked even faster.

Truthfully, she hadn’t fully decided whether to return to Pei Zhouwu or not.

With a bit more effort and a perfectly crafted excuse, it might not be impossible.

But now, this had happened…

Because of the impending move from Shangjing City, almost all valuable items in the household had been packed away, and even most of the servants had been dismissed. In front of Shen Xiunian’s study, there was no one on duty as usual. As soon as Liu Fuying arrived, she overheard the conversation inside.

“This letter concerns Marquis Pei. We must be cautious.”

Liu Fuying’s hand, poised to knock, suddenly froze mid-air.

Why on earth were they mentioning Pei Zhouwu?

“Yes, this contains evidence of Pei Zhouwu being framed and falsely accused. We held onto it before for self-protection, but now that we’re about to leave the capital and station ourselves at the Southern Frontier, never to return to Shangjing City, we’re no longer a threat to those people. Naturally, we’re safe now.”

“Then, General, will you deliver this letter to the Pei family? With this evidence, Marquis Pei might be able to return from Xiangshan.”

“…Let’s keep it for now, just in case.”

…

Liu Fuying withdrew her hand and stepped back slowly.

After standing dazed for a while, she turned and walked back the way she had come.

But this time, she walked without the earlier urgency, each step slow and measured, which only made Jin Li, walking beside her, grow anxious, worried about Liu Fuying’s pale expression.

“Madam, are you all right?”

“You’re still carrying a child, Madam. Please don’t distress yourself too much, be careful not to harm the fetus.”

Beneath Liu Fuying’s lowered eyelids, her eyes gradually reddened.

She hadn’t cried earlier—even when parting from Pei Zhouwu, she had held back.

But now, her nose stung unbearably, and she couldn’t suppress the urge to weep.

He could come out.

Pei Zhouwu could finally emerge from that Xiangshan prison!