After Being Betrothed to a Powerful Minister, I Found Him Mourning Me - Chapter 11
Chapter 11
When I came out of the Imperial Study, Pei Yanzhi was standing outside the palace gates.
Half an hour. Not a minute more.
The moment he saw me, his gaze swept over me first, checking for blood.
I said, “Relax. All my parts are still attached.”
His expression did not ease.
“What did His Majesty say?”
“He told me to stay behind closed doors and recuperate.”
Pei Yanzhi frowned.
I added, “The Crown Prince has also been ordered to confine himself and reflect on his mistakes.”
Only then did his brow loosen a little.
I asked quietly, “Does this count as a win?”
“No.”
Pei Yanzhi helped me into the carriage.
“It only means he won’t dare touch you for the time being.”
Sure enough, three days later, the Pei Mansion caught fire.
The flames started in the study, as if someone had gone straight for that memorial tablet and the account books.
By the time I arrived, Pei Yanzhi had already rushed inside.
The thick smoke stung so badly I could barely keep my eyes open.
Bitao clutched my arm with all her strength. “Miss, you can’t go in!”
I stared at the study burning in the firelight, and all at once, the rain on North Mountain flashed through my mind.
Someone had carried me on his back, stumbling with every step, yet never letting go.
Back then, I had been delirious with fever. My cheek rested against the young man’s shoulder as I heard him say over and over, “Don’t sleep, Shen Zhaoning. Don’t sleep.”
I remembered.
He had not simply passed by.
He had gone back specifically to find me.
Because at the bottom of the slope, I had grabbed his sleeve and cursed him, “How can you be so cold-blooded? Sister Liu is still up there!”
After he hid me away, he really did go back.
But Liu Fuchun was already dead.
So he carried me through the night, and for three years, he had also carried the guilt of failing to save her.
I shook off Bitao’s hand and rushed to the entrance of the study.
“Pei Yanzhi!”
A cough came from within the smoke.
The next moment, he emerged carrying that memorial tablet and a small box.
Half of his official robe had been burned through, and the back of his hand was scorched red.
I was so angry that tears nearly spilled out.
“Are you insane? Is one memorial tablet more important than your life?”
Pei Yanzhi’s voice was hoarse from the smoke.
“It’s not just a memorial tablet.”
I snatched it over and looked.
The wooden backing of the tablet had been pried open. Hidden inside was an extremely thin confession.
It had been written by the Eastern Palace Guard who disposed of the body for the Crown Prince back then.
Pei Yanzhi said, “This is the last piece of evidence.”
I clutched the memorial tablet, my hands trembling uncontrollably.
“So you knew all along that someone would set fire to the study?”
“I guessed.”
“Then why didn’t you take it out earlier?”
He looked at me, his face pale beneath the soot.
“Because I wanted to know who in the Pei Mansion would light this fire for the Crown Prince.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than the sound of blades rang out beyond the courtyard.
The secret guards escorted someone in.
That person was forced to kneel on the ground. When she lifted her head, I froze.
It was Nanny Lin.
She had served my mother for half her life, then served me for ten years.
Looking at her, I suddenly felt very tired.
“Why?”
Nanny Lin was sobbing, her face covered in tears.
“Miss, this old servant’s son is in the Empress’s hands.”
She kept kowtowing.
“This old servant never meant to hurt you. Truly, I never meant to hurt you. They said they would only burn the study. As long as the evidence was destroyed, they would let my son return to his hometown.”
I closed my eyes.
Pei Yanzhi did not make the decision for me.
He simply stood beside me, a section of his sleeve burned to a crisp, the back of his hand still bleeding.
I asked Nanny Lin, “You knew about my mother’s letter all along, didn’t you?”
Nanny Lin’s sobs halted.
I understood.
She knew.
She knew my mother had wanted to take me away.
And she knew why I had been trapped in the Shen Family Ancestral Hall all these years.
But for the sake of her own son, she had said nothing.
I handed the memorial tablet to Bitao.
“Turn her over to the authorities.”
Nanny Lin’s head snapped up.
“Miss!”
I did not look at her.
“I won’t kill you, and I won’t forgive you. Let the Court of Judicial Review decide your sentence.”
Pei Yanzhi said softly, “All right.”
Just those two words made my nose sting.
It was not really a gentle response.
But my nose stung all the same.
This time, no one told me to be sensible.
