Chapter 3 - Miss Zhao

  Pei Xiuyan looked at Zhao Yujiao lying on the bed, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, her cheeks pink due to the high fever, and her eyes full of tears, like a sick Xi Shi, soft and pitiful.

  He held the medicine bowl, helped Zhao Yujiao up, and snuggled in his arms.

 

He said softly, "Jiaojiao, be obedient; drink the medicine quickly; the fever can be reduced after drinking the medicine."

 

Zhao Yujiao nodded shyly, took Pei Xiuyan's hand, and drank the medicine in one gulp. Pei Xiuyan looked at the soft and delicate Zhao Yujiao and couldn't help but think of Ye Chuyan's stubborn eyes and blood all over his body. Just now, after he sent Ye Chuyan back to the yard, he heard that Zhao Yujiao woke up and came over immediately.

 

I wonder if Ye Chuyan woke up.

 

Zhao Yujiao saw Pei Xiuyan absent-minded, bit her lip, and said timidly:

 

"Your Majesty, I broke my leg by accident, you must not blame my sister. I was careless for a moment and forgot that my sister doesn't eat sweets. I just wanted to persuade her to eat a piece of cake; who knew?"

 

 

 

The rest of the words were drowned out by her sobbing. But Pei Xiuyan didn't see the coldness and complacency in her eyes as she lowered her eyes and cried. She was a distant relative of the Ye family, and her parents died early. She lived in the Ye family since she was a child and was one year older than Ye Chuyan. She was like a rootless duckweed. She finally climbed up to Pei Xiuyan, became his savior, and captured his heart. She should have been a legitimate princess of Qing, but Ye Chuyan took everything away from her. She gritted her teeth, left the Ye family for this, and became Miss Zhao, who lived in the Qing Palace.

 

Over the years, no matter how she hinted, Pei Xiuyan was always unwilling to divorce his wife. She had waited for three years and didn't want to wait any longer. So today she set up a trap, first pushing Ye Chuyan into the lotus pond, and then she gritted her teeth, jumped off the attic, and broke her leg. She dreamed of eating Ye Chuyan alive, and only regretted that Ye Chuyan didn't drown on the spot when he fell into the lotus pond. She had originally planned that if Ye Chuyan didn't drown, she would fall down the stairs, so that Pei Xiuyan would divorce her in anger. Who knew that Pei Xiuyan didn't mention the divorce but just threw Ye Chuyan down from the attic?

 

Pei Xiuyan saw Zhao Yujiao crying and hugged her tightly in his arms.

 

"You are just too kind. That vicious woman broke your leg, and you actually spoke for her? You have been wronged in the past few years."

 

Although he was not at the scene, he could think that Zhao Yujiao must have persuaded Ye Chuyan to eat cakes, which angered her. After Ye Chuyan pushed Zhao Yujiao down the attic, she accidentally fell into the lotus pond.

 

Hearing this, Zhao Yujiao looked up at Pei Xiuyan with tears in her eyes.

 

"Prince, I was born into a low family and cannot compare to my sister. As long as I can be with you, I will die without regrets. I can endure any grievances."

 

Pei Xiuyan sighed deeply. He mentioned to Ye Chuyan that he wanted to marry Zhao Yujiao as a concubine. The law of the Dafeng Dynasty stipulates that if the wife does not want to, the husband cannot force her to marry a concubine. However, Ye Chuyan was always unwilling and kept saying that as long as she was a concubine, she would never have a legal wife. So Zhao Yujiao lived in the palace for three years without a name or status, and suffered a lot of rumors in private.

 

After a long time, he himself didn't know why he didn't give Zhao Yujiao the status of a concubine first. Instead, he let her be pointed out for no reason. Now that things have come to this, he feels it is necessary to give Zhao Yujiao an explanation.

 

Pei Xiuyan gently wiped the tears from the corners of Zhao Yujiao's eyes, "Jiaojiao, when you recover from your illness, I will take you as a concubine first, and the matter of the concubine will be discussed slowly in the future. How about it?"

 

Zhao Yujiao's body suddenly stiffened. Pei Xiuyan actually wanted to take her as a concubine. The wife is the master, and the concubine is the slave. If Ye Chuyan doesn't let go, then she can only be a concubine for life.

She wanted to refuse...

 

But then she thought, Pei Xiuyan has always followed the virtues of a gentleman and has never touched her for so many years. It is better to be a concubine than to be nameless and without status. When she gives birth to a child, with Pei Xiuyan's love, she can still call the shots in the palace.

 

Thinking of this, she softened her body and nodded gently, "Prince, I will listen to you. I am willing to serve you even if I am a slave."

 

Before she finished speaking, a servant came hurriedly outside to report, "Prince, the princess has woken up. She is crying and laughing, and she keeps vomiting blood. The doctor said..."

 

Pei Xiuyan suddenly felt cold all over and said sternly, "What did the doctor say?"

 

The servant was suddenly startled by Pei Xiuyan's sharp eyes, "Prince, the doctor said..."

 

The servant didn't dare say it after all. Although the prince has always disliked the princess, if he said that the princess had a miscarriage and could no longer get pregnant, I am afraid that the prince would be angry with him. Seeing the servant lying on the ground, trembling and not daring to say more, Pei Xiuyan's face changed slightly.

 

Zhao Yujiao's eyes flashed with surprise. She really wanted to know if Ye Chuyan was dead, but this was not the time to ask in detail. She gently tugged at Pei Xiuyan's clothes and whispered softly: "Prince, don't worry about me, go see your sister. You must not blame your sister anymore; otherwise, I will be sad."

 

Pei Xiuyan saw Zhao Yujiao's anxious eyes slightly red and couldn't help but comfort her softly.

 

"Jiaojiao, be obedient, lie down for a while; I'll be back soon."

 

Zhao Yujiao nodded obediently. "Well..."

 

Pei Xiuyan carefully helped Zhao Yujiao lie down, tucked in the corners of the quilt for her, and repeatedly told the maid to take good care of Zhao Yujiao. He then hurriedly left with the servant.

 

After leaving Zhao Yujiao's courtyard, Pei Xiuyan asked with a stern face, "How is the princess?"

 

The servant knelt on the ground with a plop and said tremblingly, "Your Majesty, the doctor said that the princess was only two months pregnant. This time, she had a miscarriage and will never get pregnant again. He also said that the princess broke two ribs. If she doesn't take good care of herself, she may suffer from chronic diseases in the future."

After he finished speaking, he looked up and peeked at Pei Xiuyan, fearing that his master would kill him in anger. Pei Xiuyan stood there as if frozen, with no expression for a moment. After a long while, he realized that Ye Chuyan had a miscarriage. Was she really pregnant? She had not lied to him just now.

※

Bai Zhi saw Ye Chuyan laughing non-stop and was so panicked that she didn't know what to do. She cried and comforted Ye Chuyan, saying that everything would be fine. No matter what she said, Ye Chuyan kept laughing.

Bai Zhi was anxious, and while comforting Ye Chuyan, she turned her head frequently to look at the door. Just now, she asked the servants in the courtyard to find the prince, hoping that the prince would come to comfort the princess. Seeing that the princess was vomiting blood, why didn't the prince come?

Just when Bai Zhi was desperate, Pei Xiuyan finally came. Bai Zhi saw Pei Xiuyan as if she saw a savior. She fell to the ground, kowtowed, and begged, "Prince, please pity the princess and persuade her." Ye Chuyan turned her head, saw Pei Xiuyan, and suddenly stopped laughing. "Bai Zhi, get out!"

Bai Zhi wanted to say something but stopped and did not dare to disobey Ye Chuyan's order. She could only walk out of the room, looking back every few steps and gently closing the door. Pei Xiuyan saw that Ye Chuyan stopped laughing and snorted coldly, "You are the princess, and your words and deeds represent the palace. You laughed wildly in the palace to attract me. It's really inappropriate."

He paused and continued: "For your injury, I will not pursue the matter of you pushing Jiaojiao down the attic."

Ye Chuyan was silent, staring at Pei Xiuyan with wide eyes, as if looking at a stranger. The four words "no longer pursue" were the greatest charity Pei Xiuyan gave her after pushing her down the stairs. Pei Xiuyan had handsome eyebrows and narrow cheeks, which made him look cold and arrogant. He was a little taller than ordinary people, standing there like a strong pine tree with a heroic posture. This was the man who had made her crazy for twelve years.

She was the daughter of the Marquis of the Ye family. The late Queen Mother was her eldest aunt; the Marquis of Houguo was her father; her eldest brother was the current Minister of Rites; and her second brother was the Junior Secretary of the Dali Temple. Apart from the royal children, she was the most noble woman in Kyoto. She used to be bright and outspoken, with a wanton smile.

However, after marrying Pei Xiuyan, she became the most humble woman in Kyoto. Pei Xiuyan didn't like women to fight, so she put the long tassel spear away. Pei Xiuyan liked quietness, so she never laughed wildly again. Pei Xiuyan had a hidden stomach disease, so she washed her hands and made soup every day. Pei Xiuyan didn't like people saying behind his back that he was clinging to his wife's family's power, so she tried not to go back to the Ye family. She thought Pei Xiuyan liked Zhao Yujiao because she was gentle and lovely. In order to make Pei Xiuyan look at her more, she was willing to imitate Zhao Yujiao's words and deeds.

But no matter what she did, she couldn't get Pei Xiuyan's favor at all; even in sex, he never showed pity. Pei Xiuyan has always been noble and lonely, and his emotions are rarely revealed. Only when he is with himself does he not hide his joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. He seems to have left all the bad emotions to himself. How could she, who is so proud, become like this today?

The crumpled paper in her heart seemed to be soaked in water and was slowly melting. She smiled and said hoarsely, "Pei Xiuyan, I'm very sad."

She was sad that the person she loved was not a good person, and she was sad that she had been married for three years and had never received the love of her husband. Pei Xiuyan frowned slightly. He hated Ye Chuyan for imitating Zhao Yujiao and saying such hypocritical words. No matter how Ye Chuyan imitated her, her rebellious nature was completely different from Zhao Yujiao.

"Ye Chuyan, you are extremely difficult to conceive. When I married you, I did not plan to have children with you. You had a miscarriage and can't get pregnant again. I don't dislike you. What are you sad about? Although you broke your ribs and Jiaojiao broke her legs, what else do you want?"

Pei Xiuyan's tone was full of ridicule. These words sounded like needles to Ye Chuyan, and her heart was pierced to the point of numbness. The piece of paper in her heart finally melted completely in the water. Even though he was so embarrassed, Pei Xiuyan still believed that he had harmed Zhao Yujiao, and he was even unwilling to spend a little time to find out the truth. The feelings that were paid for unilaterally were as cheap as mud, and they were only worthy of being trampled on at will. In the end, the other party actually despised trampling on this feeling and dirtying his feet. Ye Chuyan's eyes drooped slightly.

"Pei Xiuyan, I'm sorry. I affected you and Zhao Yujiao. I'm guilty of a heinous crime. Now I know I was wrong."

"I am infertile and have broken ribs, which is compensation. I voluntarily divorced. We will part ways and owe nothing to each other. May you and Zhao Yujiao live together forever."

The voice sounded calm and emotionless at first, but when you listen carefully, every word trembles slightly. These words exhausted Ye Chuyan's whole body. Every time she couldn't hold on, she persuaded herself that it would pass and Pei Xiuyan would see the good in her. Pei Xiuyan was the backbone that supported her as she endured endless indifference, and now she wanted to remove this bone with her own hands. Pei Xiuyan's eyes suddenly rose with gloomy fire.

 "Ye Chuyan, why do you think I have tolerated you for so long? It's because the Queen Mother forced me to swear before we got married that I would not divorce my wife until she died! Otherwise, I would have divorced you a hundred times!" He looked down at Ye Chuyan lying on the bed, and every word seemed to jump out from between his teeth.