Chapter 55: I Would Rather You Hate Me
“You’re right.”
After a long while, Liu Fuying finally spoke, her voice low and faint, as if drained of all strength.
“Going to the Southern Frontier might truly be a good thing.”
After saying this, an extremely bitter smile appeared on her face.
Then, as if unable to walk any further, she sat down beneath the boxwood tree in the garden.
“Madam has agreed to go to the Southern Frontier?” Jin Li crouched beside her, placing both hands over Liu Fuying’s trembling ones resting on her knees.
Jin Li had not been involved in what transpired between Liu Fuying and Pei Zhouwu, so she did not understand Liu Fuying’s unusual behavior today.
Liu Fuying opened her mouth, but tears welled up before she could speak.
“Madam, Madam, please don’t cry. Didn’t we go through all that trouble just to conceive a child? Now we have the child, and the secret of Xiangshan hasn’t been exposed. This is a tremendous blessing. Madam should be happy. As for Marquis Pei, since we’re about to leave for the Southern Frontier, it won’t matter even if he gets out. We won’t cross paths with him again anyway.”
“But…”
Liu Fuying fought back her sobs, unwilling to let the tears truly fall.
“But if he gets out, he’ll know I deceived him. He’ll know there’s no such person as Su Yueying in Shangjing City. Once he goes to the Qi Prince’s Mansion to investigate, then I…”
At this point, she suddenly let out a self-mocking laugh, tears finally spilling over.
It was indeed laughable.
She, a scheming liar, yearned to leave a perfect image in the heart of the one she deceived.
How could it not be laughable?
But she knew that once Pei Zhouwu discovered the truth, everything from this period—his deep affection, his love, his sincerity—would all vanish like smoke. He would… never love her again.
No one would ever love her like Pei Zhouwu did!
How ironic. She truly was despicable. How could she want everything?
“Madam, please don’t be like this. Didn’t the General say earlier that he wouldn’t hand that letter over to the Pei family? Then Marquis Pei still won’t be released. Madam, you don’t need to worry.”
But Liu Fuying only shook her head repeatedly, at a loss for words.
Pei Zhouwu must be released!
She would rather Pei Zhouwu hate her forever, would rather be separated from him by vast distances, never to meet again.
As long as he could… regain his freedom.
“Madam, I just saw the General leave in his official robes. He must have gone to the palace.”
Jin Li rushed back to Shuxing Courtyard, panting heavily as she reported to Liu Fuying.
Earlier, after returning to Shuxing Courtyard from the garden, Liu Fuying had instructed Jin Li to keep an eye on Shen Xiunian’s movements, especially to inform her immediately if he left the mansion.
Liu Fuying set down the half-finished bowl of bird’s nest porridge, stood up, and walked out of the courtyard with Jin Li.
When they reached the door of Shen Xiunian’s study, they were stopped by the lock on the door.
“Madam, what should we do?”
Liu Fuying remained silent but showed no intention of retreating.
She turned around, descended the steps, and walked toward a tree in the courtyard. Bending down, she picked up a stone the size of a human head.
“Madam, that stone is too heavy. Let me do it.”
Before Jin Li could reach out to take it, Liu Fuying had already carried the stone back to the door and smashed it against the lock.
“Madam!”
Jin Li was both shocked and frightened—afraid that Liu Fuying would hurt herself and worried that the commotion would attract others.
The lock didn’t break on the first try, so Liu Fuying picked up the stone from the ground and slammed it down again. On the third strike, the lock finally gave way, taking a chunk of the door with it.
“Madam, with the door smashed like this, the General will know someone broke in. If he investigates…”
“Do I look like I care if Shen Xiunian finds out?”
She wanted to see exactly what Shen Xiunian could do to her once he knew.
Once inside, Liu Fuying began searching everywhere.
The desk, the drawers, the bookshelves—she looked through them all but couldn’t find the letter they had spoken of earlier. In her impatience, she no longer cared about being careful, leaving things scattered all over the floor as if the place had been ransacked by thieves.
As she fumbled around the bookshelf, she heard a click, and a small drawer popped out from the middle of it.
Inside were several valuable items, but Liu Fuying’s eyes were fixed only on the yellow envelope.
Opening it, she found two pages of letter paper, with an official seal stamped at the end.
After reading it carefully from start to finish, she finally understood the whole story.
The one who had framed Pei Zhouwu was none other than the current Prime Minister. He had colluded with a key member of the Pei family’s army to leak crucial wartime information to the enemy, allowing them to breach the border city and causing heavy casualties on their side.
Liu Fuying clutched the letter, her brow furrowed and her heart pounding.
She didn’t pay much attention to court or palace affairs, but she knew that the Imperial Consort Li in the palace was the Prime Minister’s daughter. Besides the Crown Prince, the Emperor’s favorite was Consort Li’s son.
Thinking of this, Liu Fuying understood.
The Empress and the Crown Prince relied not only on the Emperor’s favor but also on the strength of their maternal clan.
Pei Zhouwu had countless military achievements, and the Pei family enjoyed unparalleled honor and favor. As long as the Pei family remained strong, the positions of the Empress and the Crown Prince were unshakable.
If Pei Zhouwu fell, the Pei family fell, and the Empress lost favor, it would be difficult to ensure that the Crown Prince’s position wouldn’t be taken by someone else.
The Crown Prince—the future ruler of the nation. Who wouldn’t covet such an opportunity if given the chance?
“Madam.”
Jin Li called to her softly, reminding her not to stay lost in thought.
Snapping back to reality, she placed the letter back into the envelope and strode out of the study, leaving the mess on the floor untouched with no intention of cleaning it up.
Leaving the estate, she hired the most ordinary carriage and headed toward the Pei family’s residence.
Across the street from the Pei residence was a famous jewelry shop in the capital. Liu Fuying pretended she was there to look at jewelry.
After carefully selecting two pieces, she paid for them.
Just as she finished, she saw Jin Li enter the shop carrying a few packages. Jin Li approached and said, “Madam, I’ve bought the jujube cakes you love. I had to wait in line for a long time. Would you like to get in the carriage and eat them while they’re still warm?”
“Of course, I’ve been craving them.”
The shop assistant respectfully escorted the two of them out. Once they were in the carriage and on their way, Jin Li leaned close to Liu Fuying and whispered, “Madam, the letter has been delivered to the Pei residence.”
“Did anyone see you?”
“No, I found a child selling candied hawthorns on the street to deliver the letter. I told him to say that an old man with a white beard gave it to him and asked him to deliver it to the head of the Pei family. I watched from across the street, pretending to shop, and saw the Pei family’s people take the letter inside. Later, I found the child again and asked—there were no slip-ups. The child looked ordinary, with nothing particularly memorable about him. Even if someone tried to find him, they wouldn’t be able to.”
“Good.”
“Then, Madam, what do we do next?”
Liu Fuying leaned back, pondered for a moment, and replied, “What happens next has nothing to do with me. I’ve done all I can.”
The Pei family was renowned for its strict household rules and rigorous discipline. Even the gatekeepers were cautious and never dared to slack off. At this hour, both Father Pei and Mother Pei would be at home, and they would receive the letter immediately.
What followed was beyond her control.
“Madam, after they receive the letter and inform the emperor of the truth, will Marquis Pei be released right away?”