On the journey back, Jiafu continued to share a carriage with Second Lady Meng.

Jiafu had already observed that Second Lady Meng must be quite excited inwardly—and, apart from her, many of the other ladies present tonight probably shared the same feeling: they had originally just wanted to attend and add some celebration to the birthday of the Crown Princess’s mother, but who could have imagined that a perfectly fine birthday feast would end so abruptly in such a manner? Not only were the inner details of the Eastern Palace’s Side Consort’s sudden death a few days ago revealed, but it also confirmed a rumor that had been circulating: that both the Crown Prince and Pei You’an had once been interested in the Zhen family from Quanzhou, and in the end, the Emperor had made the decision, allowing Pei You’an to win the beauty.

After all, the Zhen family had been ordered to come to the capital with the Fujian Provincial Governor, and then the eunuch had gone to the Zhen family to convey the imperial decree—it wasn’t a small matter, and it was impossible for no one to know about it. Moreover, the two men involved were the Crown Prince and the new Emperor’s most trusted capable minister, and since it involved matters of romance, this kind of news was naturally the most eagerly received and quickly spread. Previously, it had only been passed around as rumors, but who would have thought that tonight it would be so nakedly exposed? Most crucially, the one who said these words was the Crown Princess, known for her virtue!

Second Lady Meng kept watching Jiafu’s expression, waiting for her to speak up and cry about being wronged. Seeing that she remained silent since boarding the carriage, she held back for a moment, but finally couldn’t resist anymore. She leaned closer and said: “Tonight was something. Even if the Crown Princess was drunk, the way she threw her drunken tantrum was quite a sight. To speak such nonsense to that extent, not only biting the Crown Prince but also dragging you and You’an into it! I don’t mean to be disrespectful behind her back, but I think she’s lost her mind! I previously thought she was so dignified and virtuous, but in just a few days, she revealed such an ugly side!” She shook her head disapprovingly.

Jiafu still didn’t speak.

She had no mood or energy to deal with her aunt beside her.

Just now, when Zhang Fengtong’s father had stopped Pei You’an to talk, Jiafu could guess what they were discussing. There were simply too many people in the birthday hall at that time, and with so many eyes watching, the huge scene that Zhang Fengtong had created was impossible to suppress.

When Pei You’an returned, Jiafu had lifted a corner of the carriage curtain to steal a glance at him and saw his grave expression.

She became increasingly certain that he was truly angry.

He had known about Xiao Yintang’s intentions toward her from the beginning; their relationship had also started because of this. But before tonight, for outsiders, this was a secret, at most a suspicion—no one would have brought it up openly.

After tonight, things would be different.

There was no need to wait until tomorrow; probably everyone in the court would know about this matter.

For a court minister’s wife to be coveted by the Crown Prince—naturally, it was immoral on the part of the Crown Prince, but for Pei You’an, to be the subject of such gossip about romantic entanglements behind his back was certainly not a glorious thing.

He would be shamed because of her.

Jiafu truly regretted her actions, regretted that she had only sought momentary satisfaction by switching that drugged wine to Zhang Fengtong. If she had known that after drinking it, Zhang Fengtong would say such things, she would rather have endured the humiliation and never have done it.

Second Lady Meng glanced at Jiafu, saw that she was still lost in thought, and took her hand, changing to a comforting tone: “Jiafu, your aunt knows you’re upset, but who you are—others may not know, but how could I not know? Don’t take it to heart. Anyone reasonable wouldn’t believe the Crown Princess’s nonsense. You were just an innocent victim. You’an must think the same. When you get back, just explain it to him properly.”

Ever since the last time she called herself “aunt” and Jiafu called her “aunt,” Second Lady Meng no longer referred to herself as “aunt” when speaking with Jiafu.

Jiafu found Second Lady Meng beside her extremely noisy and felt disturbed. She turned her head, slightly lifted the carriage curtain, and looked outside again.

He was riding his horse, proceeding at a steady pace along the road beside the carriage.

The group arrived at the Pei residence, and the carriages stopped one by one at the entrance. The maids and servants from the carriage behind alighted and brought a footstool to the side of the carriage. Second Lady Meng was helped down by a servant, and Jiafu followed. As Tanxiang came up to assist Jiafu, Pei You’an extended his hand and lightly supported her arm. Once Jiafu was steady on her feet, he released his hand.

They were about to escort Lady Xin back to her courtyard, but Lady Xin said there was no need, adding, “You’an, if you have a moment, I have a few words to say to you.”

Pei You’an assented and turned to Jiafu: “You go back to the room first and rest early. I’ll return shortly.”

His tone was gentle, and he instructed Tanxiang and Madam Liu to escort the young mistress back.

Jiafu glanced at Lady Xin, suppressing her unease, and had no choice but to turn and go first.

Pei You’an escorted Lady Xin to her quarters and asked, “What does Mother wish to tell me?”

Lady Xin looked at him with a smile on her face: “You’an, I know you’ve never been close to me, and perhaps you blame me for favoring your second brother. It’s not that I have a prejudice against you. You are also my son and the eldest one at that. Now not only does the family rely entirely on you for support, but when I grow old, I will also depend on you. It’s just that you’ve been sensible since childhood and never needed much of my concern, while your second brother is not as capable as you, so I paid a bit more attention to him. I hope you can understand the difficulties of being a mother.”

Pei You’an replied: “I know all this even without Mother saying it. What instructions do you have?”

Lady Xin sighed: “The incident at the Zhang family tonight—I assume you know about it. The Crown Princess, in front of everyone, actually said that the Crown Prince desires our new daughter-in-law, mentioning her explicitly and dragging you into it as well. You might have lost some face in front of His Majesty and your colleagues, as it’s not a pleasant thing to discuss. The new daughter-in-law has been married into our family for some time, and I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with her. I’m telling you this without any other intention, just thinking that as my son, I can’t stand by and watch your reputation be tarnished like this. When you go back to her, it would be best to talk to her, to prevent her from embarrassing you again in the future.”

Pei You’an asked: “What does Mother think I should say to her?”

Lady Xin was startled, hesitating: “How could the Crown Princess slander the Crown Prince without reason? She must have been truly angry to say such things. As they say, an upright person fears no crooked shadow. There must have been some interaction between her and the Crown Prince…”

“It’s late! If Mother has nothing else, please rest. I’ll take my leave now.”

Pei You’an gave a slight bow to Lady Xin and turned to leave.

“You’an! I’m only concerned about your reputation—”

Pei You’an suddenly stopped and turned his head, his eyes flashing toward Lady Xin with a cold, harsh look.

For so many years, though Lady Xin’s relationship with her “eldest son” had been distant, he had always been respectful to her as his “mother,” maintaining his duty as a son.

Lady Xin had never seen such an expression from him before, and she was startled, unconsciously taking a step back.

“I know her better than you do, Mother. ‘The crime of possessing a precious jade’—don’t you understand this principle? Is the nonsense of a deranged woman worth your interrogation of me like this?”

His use of the word “interrogation” made his meaning clear.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Lady Xin was greatly shocked. She looked at Pei You’an, her face gradually turning unpleasant.

“How… how can you speak to me this way…”

Her voice trembled slightly with annoyance, but facing this son who seemed suddenly provoked to anger, she dared not say more.

Pei You’an slowly exhaled, and when he spoke again, though his voice no longer carried anger, his tone was as cold as ice.

“Mother!” he said, “The reputation you speak of—what I lost at sixteen was far worse than today. I never once spoke up for myself then. Do you think I would care about it now?”

“You were my mother before, and you still are now. As you just said, if you truly need me to support you in your old age when that time comes if I am still around, I will not shirk my responsibility. But that is all. My affairs, as well as Jiafu’s affairs, I hope you will not interfere with me in the future. I know what should be done.”

“It’s late. You should rest.”

Lady Xin stood frozen, watching Pei You’an’s disappearing figure, her entire body motionless, only her lips trembling slightly.

…

Jiafu entered the room listlessly, took a bath, and had just changed her clothes when Pei You’an returned.

Jiafu could somewhat guess what Lady Xin might have said to him. She secretly observed his expression and saw that his face was normal, showing no unusual signs. He bathed, changed his clothes, and then went to his study as usual.

He had a habit of going to his study every night.

Recently, sometimes she would follow him there, and sometimes he would go first, and she would join him later.

In the study, Pei You’an would sometimes be distracted by her, setting aside his work to be intimate with her, and then they would return to the bedroom together.

But at other times, despite her beauty, he remained unmoved, focusing solely on his affairs. In such cases, Jiafu could only sit to the side reading books to pass the time until she eventually fell asleep on her book and was carried back to the bedroom by him, or she would leave him and return to the bedroom to sleep first.

In any case, as their relationship grew increasingly intimate, Jiafu now entered and exited his study as freely as their bedroom, without needing to ask his permission.

She could have followed him directly, like yesterday and the night before, but because of tonight’s incident, she had become somewhat timid again. She stayed in the bedroom until the middle of the hai hour—on previous nights, by this time, they would have already returned to the bedroom, as this was the latest bedtime Jiafu had set for him.

She had her reasons and was quite firm about it. Grandmother had instructed her to ensure he didn’t stay up too late. At the time, he had seemed somewhat reluctant, looking as if he had no choice, but eventually nodded and agreed.

Tonight was stifling hot. At this moment, though all the gauze windows in the room were open, there wasn’t the slightest breeze, making it difficult to breathe.

Jiafu went to the study and gently pushed open the half-closed door, surprised to find that he wasn’t sitting behind the desk. Instead, he was standing by the north window, hands behind his back, facing the dark, hazy night sky, his silhouette somber, as if he had been standing there for some time.

Jiafu’s footsteps halted right at the door.

Pei You’an heard the sound she made and turned his face, glancing at her, his eyes slightly somber.

Jiafu hesitated, then said softly: “It’s late. Aren’t you going to sleep yet?”

Pei You’an smiled slightly, turned to extinguish the lamp, and said: “Let’s go.”

The two returned to the bedroom. The lights were extinguished. Pei You’an seemed somewhat tired and closed his eyes as soon as he lay down as if falling into a deep sleep.

Jiafu, however, found the bed chamber stuffy and hot. Although she had bathed, her body was still sweaty, and with a hundred thoughts swirling in her mind, how could she sleep? After a moment, she opened her eyes and looked at his face, as serene as the night in the dim shadows of the bed curtains. Gathering her courage, she said: “Cousin, are you angry with me? Do you blame me for disgracing you…”

“I’m fine, and I’m not angry with you. Don’t overthink it.”

His reply came to her ears.

She slept for a little while longer but felt her clothes sticking to her back, which was extremely uncomfortable. She said softly: “I’m a bit hot. Let me go wipe myself again…”

She slowly sat up, and in the darkness, groped to lift the bed curtain. As she climbed down and sat on the edge of the bed, bending down to find her shoes, her waist was suddenly encircled by a pair of hands from behind. She let out a light cry as she was dragged back behind the bed curtains and pressed against the pillow.

Jiafu’s blood surged, and her heart suddenly raced. Before she could react, a weight pressed down on her as his body pinned her firmly beneath him. Then he lowered his head and immediately found her mouth.

Jiafu was pressed beneath him as he kissed her, feeling his body’s desire rapidly rising. She was still somewhat dazed, not knowing why he had suddenly become like this.

He had kissed her more than once before, and each time had been gentle. The meeting of their lips and tongues had given her pleasure and sweetness.

This time was different. His breath seared her face, and his kiss was like possession, heavily grinding against her lips and tongue, making her quite uncomfortable.

“Cousin… you’re hurting me…”

Jiafu could barely breathe and kept shaking her head. When she finally managed to break free, she swallowed and complained indistinctly.

“Call me husband!”

His tone carried a commanding authority that brooked no refusal.

“Husband…”

Jiafu trembled all over, gasping with desire, obediently following his words.

In this stifling and endless summer night, Pei You’an possessed the sweet, soul-stirring female body beneath him, which belonged to him alone.

Outside, at some point, a night rain had begun to fall. The rainwater washed over the trees in the courtyard, gathered at the edges of the corridor tiles, and fell with a rushing sound. The night breeze, carrying the moisture of rain, soaked through the gauze windows, gradually dispelling the oppressive heat within the bed chamber.