Chapter 20 - Code

 Pei Xiuyan's face suddenly changed. Wu Mu stood up and stood facing him.

He said provocatively, "Have you hit a sore spot? Since you have a sweetheart and the Ye family has fallen, why don't you let A Yan go?"

Pei Xiuyan looked at Wu Mu and suddenly raised his lips and smiled.

He said slowly, "Let her go? Ye Chuyan was desperate to marry me back then, and she didn't want to leave easily."

Wu Mu's breathing tightened. Back then, Ye Chuyan clearly rejected him and finally married Pei Xiuyan. Now the affairs of the Ye family are inseparable from Pei Xiuyan, and he doesn't believe that Ye Chuyan is willing to stay in the Qing Palace.

Pei Xiuyan saw Wu Mu's ugly face and felt relieved instantly.

"I have to go back to accompany the princess for the New Year. I'm sorry I can't accompany you." After saying that, he left with a wave of his sleeves.

Wu Mu knew that there were many eyes and ears here, and it was not the time to talk to Pei Xiuyan. He clenched his fists and asked the eunuch to send him out of the palace. After leaving the palace, he sent the eunuch away and walked to Doctor Wei's clinic. He hadn't had the chance to ask Doctor Wei how Ye Chuyan's injury was recovering today. When he reached the corner of the clinic, he suddenly thought that it was New Year's Eve today, and he didn't know if the clinic was closed.

Doctor Wei, who was locking the door, looked up and saw a person standing in the dark and was startled. He picked up the lantern and took a closer look. It turned out to be the boy who delivered the medicine, and he suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.

"It turned out to be you."

Wu Mu saw that it was Doctor Wei, and his eyes suddenly lit up. "Doctor Wei, you haven't gone back yet?"

Doctor Wei stroked his beard and said, "I have been waiting for you to come. I thought you wouldn't come today, and I was about to lock the door and go home for the New Year."

Wu Mu's heart warmed when he heard this. Nan Gongli was right; Doctor Wei was really a trustworthy person. Doctor Wei took out a small wooden box from his arms and handed it to Wu Mu.

"This is for you. She said, you will know it once you see it."

Wu Mu took the thing, touched his sleeve, found a golden jade token from it, and handed it to Doctor Wei.

"I have no way to thank you, so I'll give you this."

Doctor Wei glanced at the word "Wu" on the jade token and instantly guessed the identity of the young man in front of him.

He laughed and waved his hand, saying, "Doctors are like parents, and this is my responsibility."

After that, he left with the lantern. Wu Mu held the wooden box as if holding a rare treasure. He looked around and saw that there was no one around. He carefully kicked the thing into his arms and left.

Zuiqiulou, the largest restaurant in Kyoto, is the property of the Wu family. After Wu Mu came to Beijing, he did not want to live in the Wu family's mansion in Kyoto, and he stayed on the top floor of Zuiqiulou.

After he returned to the room and closed the door, he opened the wooden box nervously. Inside was a letter and a bottle of medicine. He opened the letter and saw the whole paper full of clear and powerful thin gold font. This is Ye Chuyan's handwriting.

[This medicine is precious;, don't waste it, and don't do anything for me. When I get better, I will come to find you again. Let's talk in detail. Don't be impulsive.]

There is no signature, and there is a small vertical line under the paper, which looks like a branch.

Wu Mu felt full in his heart, and he couldn't explain the feeling. When he was in the military camp, Ye Chuyan nicknamed him "Little Wood." At that time, he deliberately drew a small branch and said it was his symbol. This was a secret code that only Ye Chuyan and he knew. She knew him too well, knew that the medicine was sent by him, and knew that he would act impulsively.

Nan Gongli told him the whole story of the Ye family and the grievances Ye Chuyan suffered in the Qing Palace.

Wu Mu wanted to find Ye Chuyan now and ask Ye Chuyan why she still stayed in the Qing Palace. If it was for survival, he could let Ye Chuyan live a better life. The young lady of the Wu family was much more comfortable than the Qing Princess.

 

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Pei Xiuyan returned to the mansion, full of alcohol.

Li Fu was shocked when he went out to greet him. He had never seen Pei Xiuyan drunk and out of control. Today, Pei Xiuyan seemed to be upset and a little drunk. Li Fu hurriedly arranged for the servants to prepare hot water.

When Pei Xiuyan saw Li Fu, he couldn't help but think of the scene that day when Li Fu and Zhao Yujiao punished Ye Chuyan. He couldn't help but feel upset and sent Li Fu away directly. He sat in the bathtub with Wu Mu's dark eyes, and the words "Why not let her go?" kept echoing in his mind. He shook his head, packed up casually, got up, and went to the study. He found a letter on the desk, put it in his sleeves, and walked out.

Ye Chuyan did not rest. She was kneeling in the yard, burning gold ingots in front of the brazier. Bai Zhi kneeled beside her and kept muttering, "Master, please bless the young lady in heaven."

Ye Chuyan pursed her lips and said nothing; her face was slightly red in the reflection of the brazier. Since becoming a princess, she has spent every New Year's Eve waiting, hoping that Pei Xiuyan can accompany her for the New Year. Unfortunately, Pei Xiuyan always goes to accompany Zhao Yujiao. She now hates herself, especially. Why didn't she spend time with her family? Now she is separated from her father and brother, and she doesn't know what's going on with her mother, sister-in-law, and niece. She just hopes that Pei Xiuyan can keep his promise and let her mother write to her.

Pei Xiuyan entered the yard and saw such a scene. All the red spring couplets in the yard were torn down, and the white spring couplets were hung. Ye Chuyan and Bai Zhi both kneeled by the brazier to burn gold ingots.

This doesn't feel like the New Year; it feels like mourning.

When she looked up and saw Pei Xiuyan, Ye Chuyan's eyes were calm.

"I tore down the Spring Festival couplets, and I wrote the white Spring Festival couplets and hung them up. I folded the gold ingots myself. If the prince feels that I have ruined the New Year atmosphere of the palace, you can beat me or scold me as you please."

Bai Zhi wanted to speak, but she didn't know what to say at this time. After a long time, she said, "Prince, the princess is also thinking about Master Ye. I hope you don't blame me."

She never expected that Pei Xiuyan would come today. She was worried that Pei Xiuyan would punish Ye Chuyan.

Pei Xiuyan understood that Ye Chuyan was mourning for Ye Jin. He walked to Ye Chuyan silently, squatted down, picked up a few gold ingots, and threw them into the brazier.

"Prince, are you feeling guilty and worried that father will come to you to kill you?" Ye Chuyan glanced at Pei Xiuyan.

Pei Xiuyan thought for a moment and whispered, "I was wrong about the Ye family, and I have my own difficulties."

He seemed to want to explain everything to Ye Chuyan uncontrollably.

"Your Highness wants to say that it was the emperor who forced you to do it. You had to do it to save the Qing Palace, right?"

Ye Chuyan had a sneer on her face.

Pei Xiuyan turned his head and looked at Ye Chuyan, and their eyes met. The flames in the brazier were reflected in Ye Chuyan's eyes, so bright that the sneer on her lips had not yet subsided.

He should have expected that Ye Chuyan was so smart that she would see through everything sooner or later.

Ye Chuyan did not wait for Pei Xiuyan to speak and continued: "Dad told me before the execution not to blame you. I come from a family of bells and dings; how could I not understand the affairs of the court?"

Her tone was frighteningly calm. 

She slowly stood up, and Pei Xiuyan also stood up. The two of them were standing opposite each other, but they seemed to be separated by a world of distance.