Jia Fu never knew she could run so fast. Fearing that Pei You’an might change his mind if she was late, she not only raced back to the round tower but also ran up three flights of stairs without stopping. She hurriedly changed into the servant boy’s outfit that she had asked Yin Huan to prepare yesterday—a short-style garment with her long hair coiled atop her head in a masculine style, topped with a square cloth cap and feet wrapped in leather bindings. After dressing, she quickly glanced in the mirror, seeing that she had indeed transformed into a handsome young servant. She grabbed her bundle and rushed back to the entrance, arriving out of breath with her chest heaving.

Her chest was far from full, but not entirely flat either. Without time to bind it and being so anxious to save time, she had simply come down to make do. Now standing before Pei You’an, she noticed him looking her up and down, his gaze seemingly pausing briefly at her chest. Self-consciously lowering her head, she realized that under this attire, her chest appeared particularly prominent. She hastily hugged her bundle to conceal it, but Pei You’an had already turned his face away indifferently, pointing to a small horse carriage that had been brought to the door, saying: “Get in.”

Jia Fu’s face grew hot as she softly uttered thanks and hurried over. She placed her bundle on the carriage shaft board first, and without waiting for assistance, used both hands and feet to climb up successfully. Under the gaze of dozens of eyes behind her, she clutched her bundle and dove into the carriage, sat down, and finally let out a long sigh of relief.

Pei You’an glanced around at the carriage, then at his attendants and guards, and said expressionlessly: “Let’s go.”

…

Having stayed up all night, which had been quite difficult, now that her worries were finally settled, Jia Fu climbed into the carriage and lay down, and even the jolting of the carriage couldn’t prevent her from falling asleep.

Throughout the day, she drifted in and out of sleep, occasionally getting up to peek through the carriage window at Pei You’an’s figure on horseback, never tiring of the sight, even feeling a kind of long-absent heartfelt joy. That night, she stayed at the post house with Pei You’an, her room adjacent to his. Knowing he was right next door, close enough that she could even hear his footsteps when he moved about, she slept peacefully through the night.

On the evening of the third day, the group arrived at Mengmu.

The Tusi of Mengmu was surnamed An, given name Jigui, and was the thirty-fifth generation Tusi of Mengmu Prefecture. Because Pei You’an had once saved his only son, he particularly respected him. Knowing he would arrive today, An Jigui personally traveled dozens of li to welcome him, leading the group into the Tusi mansion.

Jia Fu stayed in the same courtyard as him, their rooms connected. For several consecutive days, small Tusi from nearby areas kept arriving. Pei You’an was very busy, coming and going with An Jigui, and attending banquets every night. Jia Fu had nothing to do during the day, but sometimes in the evening, she could wait for his return, serve him tea and water, and exchange a few words—the moment she looked forward to most each day.

A few days later, she noticed something unusual.

The Tusi had a daughter named An Longna, about the same age as Jia Fu, around fifteen or sixteen. Yesterday evening, Jia Fu was waiting eagerly at the courtyard entrance and finally saw Pei You’an returning. Her heart leaped with joy as she was about to run out to greet him, but she saw that An Longna had beaten her to it, running up to him first and blocking his path.

The distance was too great for Jia Fu to hear what An Longna said to him, but she could easily recognize what it was—a young girl’s infatuation.

The way she looked at him was all too familiar to Jia Fu—wasn’t it just a copy of her expression?

Jia Fu’s heart skipped a beat at that moment. She hid behind the door, peeking through the crack, feeling somewhat anxious. Fortunately, Pei You’an appeared just as he had when they first met—polite but distant. In no time, he had sent An Longna away and then entered the courtyard.

Jia Fu sighed slightly with relief, naturally not mentioning this to him. That evening passed, and the next day at dusk, as Jia Fu was waiting for him as before, she suddenly heard footsteps accompanied by the tinkling of ornaments behind her, followed by a crisp female voice: “Hey! What relation are you to Master Pei?” The tone was very impolite.

It was An Longna. Only now did Jia Fu get a close look at this Tusi daughter’s appearance: hair braided with many ornaments, dressed in a water-blue robe with an embroidered belt at her waist, wearing small cowhide boots—elaborately adorned and quite beautiful, but the gaze she directed at Jia Fu carried a hint of hostility.

Being in the Tusi mansion, and especially since she appeared to others as Pei You’an’s attendant, Jia Fu naturally didn’t want to cause trouble. She addressed her as “Wuzhe,” the local term of respect for a Tusi daughter, and then tried to leave, but An Longna quickly caught up and blocked her path. Looking Jia Fu up and down, she sneered: “Look at you, neither male nor female! I’ve heard that among Han people, there’s a type of male called a ‘catamite,’ most base and vulgar, used solely for their master’s carnal pleasure. Could you be a catamite?”

Jia Fu understood.

She must have been rejected by Pei You’an earlier and, seeing Jia Fu sharing his courtyard, had come to cause trouble and vent her anger. Suppressing her irritation, Jia Fu said: “Wuzhe is well-informed to even know of such things, but you’ve mistaken me. Master Pei will return soon, and I have matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave.”

As she turned to leave, An Longna grabbed the back of her collar from behind. With a “rip,” a tear appeared on her collar, followed by a stinging pain on her nape—her skin must have been scratched by the girl’s fingernails. Before Jia Fu could react, An Longna lunged at her again, this time with all ten sharp fingernails aimed directly at her face.

In her previous life, Jia Fu had been lively by nature as a child, and in front of her doting father, she had been a spoiled little crybaby. But after her father passed away when she was thirteen, all innocence and joy left her. Later, arranged by her grandmother, she first married Pei Xiuzhi, and shortly after found herself with Xiao Yintang. Until the day she died, she had been a gentle and quiet woman—but that wasn’t her true nature; it was merely suppression followed by submission and gradual numbing habituation. At this moment, because of this unreasonable troublemaking girl, all the grievances and anger accumulated over Jia Fu’s two lifetimes seemingly found an outlet. Seeing that An Longna wouldn’t stop until she had scratched her face to shreds, anger rose in her heart. At this moment, she forgot she had lived two lifetimes, forgot she was in the Tusi mansion, and completely lost control of her emotions. She raised her hand, grabbed An Longna’s hair, and yanked hard. An Longna screamed, and the two fell into a scramble.

At first, they were evenly matched, but later, as An Longna was stronger, she pinned Jia Fu down forcefully and pounded her with her fists. Unable to break free, Jia Fu used her trump card—grabbing An Longna’s hair and not letting go. Both were in a sorry state. Just as An Longna’s fist was about to come down on Jia Fu again, accompanied by a low shout, Jia Fu was directly pulled out by a pair of hands. Only then did she see it was Pei You’an who had arrived. On the other side, An Longna was seized by a young man dressed in brocade robes. An Longna howled in tears, pointing at Jia Fu and saying repeatedly: “Brother! He bullied me, grabbed my hair, and wouldn’t let go. I’m going to be bald! It hurts so much!”

Indeed, Jia Fu’s fingers still clutched a strand of hair pulled from An Longna’s head. Seeing Pei You’an looking at her, she quickly hid her hands behind her back, quietly releasing her fingers. Just as she was about to speak, An Longna’s crying turned into a shriek: “He’s a woman? He’s a woman?”

She stared wide-eyed at Jia Fu whose hair had come loose, then looked at Pei You’an who was still holding Jia Fu in his arms. With a “wah,” she burst into tears again, stamped her foot, and ran away.

“Does it hurt?”

Pei You’an’s gaze swept over Jia Fu’s nape as he gently set her down and asked with furrowed brows.

Jia Fu’s breathing gradually steadied as she gathered her long hair that had come loose during the fight with the young girl. Only then did she feel utterly ashamed. Enduring the pain, she shook her head and said: “I’m fine. Cousin, I’m truly sorry, I…”

Pei You’an had already turned to the young man in fine clothes who was staring at Jia Fu, saying: “Cangzhu, she is my cousin. For convenience, while traveling, she dressed as a man. If she has offended your sister in any way, I apologize on her behalf.”

An Cangzhu finally came to his senses and quickly shook his head: “No matter. I know my sister; she must have started the trouble first. Please forgive her, Cousin.”

Pei You’an smiled slightly: “Think nothing of it. I’ve returned now, and Cangzhu need not accompany me further. Please stop here.”

He nodded to An Cangzhu, then led Jia Fu inside. As soon as they entered, he asked: “How did you end up fighting with her?”

His tone revealed neither pleasure nor anger. Jia Fu was still ashamed and afraid he would think poorly of her. Not daring to meet his eyes, she stammered: “She thought I was male and blocked my path as soon as she approached. She insulted me with offensive words, saying I was your… and she struck first, tearing my clothes…”

Those two words she simply couldn’t utter, so she skipped them, her face turning bright red.

Pei You’an seemed to understand and frowned slightly. After washing his hands, he took out a box of ointment and instructed Jia Fu to turn around.

Jia Fu knew he wanted to apply medicine for her, so she obediently turned, silently coiling up her loosened hair and lowering her head to expose her nape.

The delicate snow-white skin bore several scratches of varying depth from fingernails. The deepest one in the middle had already seeped a few drops of blood, looking quite alarming.

Pei You’an dabbed the blood with a clean cloth, his movements incredibly gentle, then put medicine on his finger and softly applied it to her wounds.

Jia Fu felt a stinging pain and couldn’t help but draw in a sharp breath.

“Bear with it, it won’t hurt soon.”

He consoled her gently.

“Your strength is no match for hers; fighting foolishly will only bring you harm. Next time something like this happens, if I’m not present and there’s no one nearby, call out loudly or run to a crowded place, understand?”

His tone seemed to carry a sense of earnestness and disappointment, as if wishing iron could become steel.

Jia Fu finally relaxed, her heart feeling sweetly content. She said softly: “Thank you, Cousin.”

Pei You’an: “Do you have any other injuries?”

Jia Fu shook her head, turning her face to glance at him, suddenly feeling braver.

“Cousin, does the Tusi’s daughter like you? I saw her… stop you before…”

Pei You’an seemed taken aback for a moment. He glanced at her, put away the medicine, and walked away.

Jia Fu followed him step by step, persisting shamelessly: “Is that so, Cousin?”

Pei You’an appeared somewhat helpless and said: “She’s just a young girl who doesn’t know better. Don’t speak nonsense.”

“Cousin, why haven’t you taken a wife yet?”

As if possessed, this question that had long troubled her suddenly came out.

Jia Fu knew that even in her previous life when he finally died in Suye City on the frontier, he was still alone.

Before that, during the years when Xiao Lie was emperor, Pei You’an had reached the pinnacle of wealth and nobility, holding the highest positions. His not taking a wife could only be attributed to his own choice.

His gaze darkened slightly.

The moment Jia Fu asked, she regretted it somewhat, but she held firm, not avoiding his gaze but instead looking at him with wide eyes.

After they gazed at each other for a moment, Pei You’an seemed to finally succumb to her bright, soft, yet unyielding gaze. He raised his hand to rub his brow, smiled, and said: “I’ve been weak since birth. Although I’ve sought treatment, my vigor has always been deficient. Moreover, I suffered severe injuries in the past. I’m not destined for longevity, so why take a wife and waste a woman’s youth?”

After speaking, he left her and went straight to wash his hands.

Jia Fu stared at his back. For an instant, her chest felt as if something was blocking it, making her extremely sad. Slowly, her blood began to boil, and she blurted out: “Cousin if you don’t mind me, I’m willing to serve you and care for you. You’ll surely recover and live to a hundred!”

Pei You’an was slightly bent over, washing his hands at a water vat outside the door. He paused, then continued washing his hands unhurriedly. When finished, he straightened up and turned around with a slight smile, saying in a consoling tone: “I know you have many fears. Having promised to protect you, I won’t go back on my word. As things stand now, when you marry in the future, if your husband’s family cannot shelter you adequately, I will still look after you. Should I meet with misfortune, I will make proper arrangements for you beforehand. Does that reassure you?”

Jia Fu was stunned, then understood.

He thought she was using tricks again to cling to him.

Something surged in her chest, making her face burn hot: “Cousin, I…”

“Let’s leave it at that. Don’t think about these pointless matters anymore. I cannot grant your wish.”

His expression turned serious as he ignored her and walked past.

Jia Fu felt like a burst balloon, staring at his back, instantly deflated.