Chapter 41

Chapter 41: Letting You Strip Is Doing You a Favor! Princess Ping'an, however, didn't care at all about the outcome of this match. She simply watched Jia Qingcheng with a complicated expression, glad to see her brimming with vitality once more. "If she enjoys playing, why should winning or losing matter?" Ping'an and Jia Qingcheng had once been the closest of childhood friends. When she was little, she contracted smallpox and nearly died in the capital. It was Jia Qingcheng who brought her mother to treat her, risking infection to save her life. From the moment she recovered, they became sworn sisters. Unfortunately, as Qingcheng's birth mother passed away and her face grew increasingly unsightly, Qingcheng seemed to seal herself away and stopped coming to visit. This Cuju match had been prepared for her all along. She simply wanted to see her. They both lived in the capital, yet three years had passed without a single meeting. "Your Highness, you still cherish the bond you shared with Miss Jia in childhood, but she—" "In her heart, she still has this princess. She's simply too consumed by self-doubt. You—go fetch Pei Wuliang for this princess." When Pei Wuliang learned that Princess Ping'an had summoned him, he hurried forward at once. "Pei Wuliang pays his respects to Princess Ping'an." Pei Wuliang flicked his sleeves and knelt. Though he came from an aristocratic family, the Pei household had long been a hollow shell, leaving him with little airs to put on. Princess Ping'an, seeing him kneel, had no intention of letting him rise so soon. She slowly stood and fixed her gaze upon Pei Wuliang. "That day, what exactly did you promise this princess?" Pei Wuliang: "..." So this was about Jia Qingcheng? Pei Wuliang had no idea that Jia Qingcheng and the princess were close in private. He had assumed the princess was merely joking last time. When Princess Ping'an had told him to treat Jia Qingcheng well, he hadn't taken it to heart at all. After all, she was just an ugly woman—hardly worth his devoted attention. And given how Jia Qingcheng had clung to him and adored him in her previous life, in his view, this life's Jia Qingcheng would still love him deeply without him lifting a finger. "What Your Highness commanded, have I not done? I promised that once Jia Qingcheng finishes her mourning period as a widow, I would take care of her!" These words only made Princess Ping'an even more furious. "And how exactly did you promise to take care of her? By making her a concubine in your Pei household?" Pei Wuliang: "..." "Your Highness, this is something Qingcheng has already agreed to. Please, there's no need for you to concern yourself!" Pei Wuliang had his pride as well. He rose to his feet on his own, having never truly been deferential to Princess Ping'an—only to her father. Yet she dared to lecture him? Strange. She and Jia Qingcheng had no real dealings with each other, so why was she so invested in the affairs between him and Jia Qingcheng? Could it be that Princess Ping'an had feelings for him? No—in his previous life, Princess Ping'an had never meddled in the matters between him and Jia Qingcheng. "Pei Wuliang, you are audacious!" "Your Highness need not worry. I know well how to handle Jia Qingcheng." Princess Ping'an was about to lose her temper when, all of a sudden, an anxious voice came from not far away. "Your Highness, something terrible has happened—someone is injured!" Injured! It must be that ugly woman Jia Qingcheng. In his previous life, she had been injured at this very moment too. Truly embarrassing. He had already warned her not to participate in the match—she had brought this upon herself. Upon hearing that someone was injured, Princess Ping'an immediately ordered her maidservant, "Quickly, take this person off the field and send them to see a physician!" Someone was injured, but the match had to continue. When Pei Wuliang learned that Jia Qingcheng was hurt, he weighed the pros and cons and decided he should still go check on the injured Jia Qingcheng first. Sure enough, when he arrived at the rear chamber, he saw a maidservant hurrying out with blood-stained bandages. As a physician himself, he could tell at a glance that the injury was severe. With that much blood loss, this lesson should be sufficient! Pei Wuliang initially didn't want to go in, but after some deliberation, he decided to enter and assess the situation. He certainly didn't want a crippled concubine if she'd actually broken her leg. So he strode inside. When the physician came out, he quickly asked about her condition. "Doctor, how is she?" "A fracture. The bleeding from the external wound has been stopped, but she'll need to stay in bed and rest." Stay in bed and rest? Learning that Jia Qingcheng was injured even more severely this time, Pei Wuliang grew increasingly irritated. He walked to the other side of the folding screen and stared at the woman lying within, his anger flaring. "Qingcheng, what did I tell you? Look at yourself—why must you insist on making such a spectacle of yourself?" The woman on the bed seemed to have lost too much blood and had temporarily fallen unconscious, giving him no response at all. Seeing that she wouldn't acknowledge him, Pei Wuliang assumed Jia Qingcheng was still throwing a tantrum. "You dare throw a tantrum at me? If I weren't looking after you today, you'd lie here and die without anyone knowing. Qingcheng, why are you so disobedient? You truly infuriate me!" Pei Wuliang muttered to himself for a long while, yet Jia Qingcheng still ignored him. "If you won't apologize, then I won't bother with you. Stay here and reflect on your behavior. When you finally realize your mistake, then I'll come to fetch you!" Still, silence from within. This only made Pei Wuliang even more furious. "Fine. Jia Qingcheng, you've successfully angered this young master. I'd like to see just how long you can keep up this pride in your condition!" This is the residence of Princess Ping'an, and he knew that Jia Qingcheng had no personal connection with the princess. If she just lay there like that, she might well be thrown out of the mansion by the princess. "Fine, let her suffer a bit. Then she'll learn not to be so stubborn." With that, Pei Wuliang strode out directly, not even bothering to go inside to check on her. After he went out, Hu Ba hurried up to him. "Young master, how is Miss Jia? Is it serious?" "She brought it on herself. Let her reflect on her actions here. Come, let's go see if Jiaojiao won or not." So when Pei Wuliang arrived at the Cuju match, he saw that the crowd had already dispersed. Was it over? How could it be so fast? Who won? "Find a maid and ask—is this the end of it?" Hu Ba quickly found a maid to inquire, and the maid was equally surprised. "Young master, don't you know? It's already over. They won, they won! The princess is absolutely delighted." They won—Jiaojiao's team had won. Excellent. This time, Jiaojiao would surely gain the princess's favor. "Hu Ba, let's go catch up with Jiaojiao!" Pei Wuliang hurried to the entrance of the princess's residence, but there was no sign of Song Jiaojiao, not even her carriage. Strange—could Jiaojiao be angry that he went to see Jia Qingcheng and left in a huff? "Young master, Miss Biao isn't here." "She must have returned to the mansion. Come, let's go to the Jia residence!" ... Dusk deepened, the setting sun cast a faint golden glow. Inside the Jia residence, after the Cuju match ended, Jia Qingcheng had returned early. She washed up, changed her clothes, and was preparing to go out to the gold shop to pick up the peace lock. Outside the street, lanterns were just beginning to glow. She had just left the mansion with Chunyan when she happened to run into Pei Wuliang, who had just alighted from his carriage in search of Song Jiaojiao. Seeing Jia Qingcheng standing before him perfectly fine, Pei Wuliang was utterly astonished. He strode forward, wanting to confirm whether his eyes were playing tricks on him—but how could they be? He had looked upon that ugly face for an entire lifetime in his previous life. Even if Jia Qingcheng had died and been burned to ashes, he could still recognize her at a single glance! It was indeed Jia Qingcheng. How was she not injured and back already? "Qingcheng, why are you here?"