That very night, Shen Yujiao learned that Pei Tong had been sent away to the manor.
It was Bai Ping who told her. Born into the household, she was well-informed, though she didn’t know the true story. Whispering to Shen Yujiao, she simply repeated the excuse spread by the second branch: “They say two days ago Third Niangzi went out, caught something unclean, and came back a little deranged, her mouth full of foulness. Second Master brought in a Daoist woman, who said her fate was inauspicious and clashed with the household elders. To avoid bringing disaster, she had to be sent far away.”
Shen Yujiao, hearing this, said nothing.
She knew: once Pei Tong was sent out this time, she would never return.
At the manor, her food would be laced with slow-acting poison. At first, there would be no obvious signs—only dizziness, fatigue, weakness in the limbs. Later, her whole being would turn dull and sluggish, witless and foolish. When the masters decided enough time had passed, they would increase the dose, and her life would quietly “end of illness” without a sound…
Thinking of that young woman always in a crimson pomegranate skirt, honey-tongued and ruthless at heart, Shen Yujiao felt a heaviness in her chest.
They say those who do too much evil will bring about their own ruin. Yet she truly did not understand—she and Pei Tong had no deep enmity, neither past nor present. How could that woman hate her so?
“But it’s just as well she’s gone. The maids in the residence are all secretly pleased.” Bai Ping whispered. “Of all the young ladies in the clan, she was the most overbearing.”
Shen Yujiao returned to herself and, catching the meaning in Bai Ping’s words, asked: “She…was really so disliked?”
“Madam, you don’t know. Third Niangzi has been domineering since childhood. Because she was sickly when young, Second Master and Second Madam spoiled her endlessly, never refusing her anything…”
As Bai Ping massaged Shen Yujiao’s legs, she rambled on about Pei Tong’s past cruelties—snatching things from her sisters, deliberately spilling hot tea on them, beating and berating servants, forcing them to kneel in the snow in midwinter…
She had never told Shen Yujiao such things before. First, as a servant, it was dangerous to speak ill of a mistress—if Third Niangzi found out, she’d suffer. Second, there’d been no reason to bring it up before, which would have made her seem like a gossipmonger.
But now it was different. This time the mistress herself had asked, and the detestable young lady had been sent away, unable to throw tantrums again. There was nothing to fear.
Listening to Bai Ping recount one incident after another, Shen Yujiao suddenly thought of the saying: Do not fail to do a small good; do not do a small evil.
Pei Tong had committed small evils since childhood. Her parents never corrected her—instead, they indulged her, as if letting a boil fester. Little evils grew into great ones. Once the pus burst, the poison spread through the body, harming others and herself alike…
Perhaps it was that, having once gone out and glimpsed a broader, freer world, hearing these petty inner-courtyard intrigues now only made her weary and restless.
Watching the sky outside grow darker, she cut off Bai Ping’s chatter and said softly: “Send someone to the front to ask if Langjun will come for supper tonight.”
Bai Ping froze, then her brows lit up with joy. “Yes, this servant will send someone right away.”
She didn’t know what had passed between master and mistress on their journey, but clearly the two were closer now than before. Cheerfully she went off, thinking the mistress had truly turned misfortune into blessing. Once the little master in her belly was born, the position of principal wife would be utterly secure.
Before the servant from Zhulan Courtyard had even gone far, Pei Xia was already stepping into the courtyard, treading through the heavy dusk.
Sitting by the window, Shen Yujiao saw that tall figure enter the spacious courtyard. He did not go straight into the house. With one hand behind his back, he paused now and then to glance back at the young servants hauling camphorwood chests.
The dusky purple glow of sunset wrapped around his pale-blue crane cloak, even lending his cool brows and eyes a trace of earthly warmth.
Perhaps it was because last night he had buried his face at her neck, the two of them exchanging intimate words—Shen Yujiao now felt her husband was somehow different.
This difference—she couldn’t yet say if it was good or bad. Only that, for the moment, it felt strange and unfamiliar.
Lost in thought, she suddenly saw him lift his gaze toward the window, casting her a faint glance.
Her brows stirred; then she met his eyes and smiled softly.
Pei Xia’s lips seemed to twitch in response, and he walked toward the room.
Shen Yujiao, almost without thinking, rose to greet him. As he came near, she had just bent her knees: “Langjun…”
She hadn’t even finished saying “many blessings” when the man firmly supported her arm. His movements were smooth and natural, carrying a faint, deep sandalwood fragrance. “I told you before, there’s no need for excessive courtesy. Especially since you’re with child—it makes moving about more troublesome.”
Shen Yujiao looked at the steady hand holding her up, paused for two breaths, then said, “Very well. From now on, I won’t be so formal with you.”
As she spoke, she slowly straightened. Pei Xia withdrew his hand.
By then, the servants had already carried in four heavy-looking camphorwood chests. They bowed with lowered heads, then respectfully withdrew.
“What is this?” Shen Yujiao asked in puzzlement.
“Account books and deeds.”
Pei Xia said lightly, and then from the wide sleeve of his robe he drew out a stack of letters. He placed them on the huanghuali dragon-tooth table, then removed his cloak and went to wash his hands in the silver basin nearby. “These boxes hold the ledgers from our main branch of the family for the past five years, along with house deeds, land deeds, and the servant contracts for those under our household.”
After wiping his hands dry with a clean towel, he turned back and saw Shen Yujiao sitting there dazed. He lifted his brows slightly. “Why that expression?”
She came back to herself and looked at him. “You brought all this over… don’t tell me you expect me to manage it?”
“Don’t you want to?” Pei Xia asked as he came closer.
She choked for a moment—not that she was unwilling, but she had never imagined he would ask her to.
She had studied accounting and household management as a maiden. Her mother had even once entrusted her with managing the family accounts for half a year as practice. But after disaster struck at home, and then marrying into the Pei family under such circumstances, Madam Wang had never passed the household keys to her. That she had understood.
“I sorted through the accounts today. These boxes are all our main branch’s private accounts. The public accounts of the estate are still in the study—I didn’t bring those.”
He sat across from her, with only the table between them. The maidservants brought in refreshments, then quietly withdrew. Holding up a white porcelain teacup, his tone was calm. “Mother’s health is poor. By rights, household management should fall to you. But since you’ll soon be going with me to Chang’an, you won’t have time to oversee things here. So, I plan to entrust the household keys to Fifth Sister from the third branch. Third Aunt and Mother’s attendant, Gao Momo, will assist her.”
Lightly skimming the tea froth from the rim, he took a sip, then looked at Shen Yujiao unhurriedly. “As for our main branch’s private accounts, take them with you to Chang’an. When the time comes, I’ll trouble you to handle them alongside the household affairs there.”
She froze a moment, then realized he was handing over all of the main branch’s wealth and financial authority to her. As for the ancestral estate—
Before his death, Old Master Pei had already divided it clearly among his three sons. As the eldest and the heir, the main branch had naturally received the lion’s share. The remaining two branches split the rest according to household size.
Now, little remained in the public accounts, but even scraps of meat were still meat. Whenever the other branches wanted something, they would first draw from the public accounts if they could; only when that wasn’t possible would they dip into their own private accounts.
Managing the household might sound grand, but in truth it was draining and troublesome.
Yesterday, when she heard Madam Wang was so quick to hand over the household keys, Shen Yujiao worried the burden might fall on her. But since Pei Xia had already promised to take her to Chang’an, she thought she wouldn’t have to shoulder it.
She hadn’t expected he would hand her the private accounts of the main branch, while giving the public accounts to Fifth Sister Pei Yi instead.
That Fifth Sister, Shen Yujiao recalled faintly: delicate and quiet, not much of a talker. At family gatherings she always sat in a corner; if their eyes met, she would offer a gentle, shy smile before lowering her head again.
At the mention of this unassuming sister, Shen Yujiao’s gaze shifted, and she guessed a little. “You plan to have Fifth Sister marry into the Wang family?”
“Mhm.” Pei Xia set down his cup, his expression mild as he looked back at her. “Before she marries next year, she should learn to manage household affairs. Otherwise, she’ll walk into her husband’s house completely blind.”
As far as he knew, Third Aunt had only matched Pei Yi with modest official families, who likely hadn’t prepared her for managing a large household. This was a good chance to practice. Since he had agreed to find Madam Wang a capable daughter-in-law, he had to make the effort.
Shen Yujiao thought for a moment. His arrangement did make sense. After all, Gao Momo from the main branch would be overseeing things, so no real mistakes were likely.
Still, she asked, “When spring comes next year, and Fifth Sister marries, who will the household keys pass to then?”
Pei Xia lowered his gaze, watching the tea leaves unfurl in his cup. His voice was quiet. “We’ll see then whether Third Aunt can shoulder that responsibility.”
The coming months would be a test for both Pei Yi and Third Madam.
Since he already had matters arranged in his mind, Shen Yujiao said no more. Looking again at the boxes of ledgers, she couldn’t help sighing inwardly. She had always known the main branch was wealthy, but hadn’t realized their foundation was this deep.
It seemed she would have to spend quite some time sorting it all out.
“You don’t need to rush,” Pei Xia said. “Your health comes first—don’t overwork yourself. If you find it too tiring, I’ll help when I have free time.”
She shook her head lightly. “No need. These inner-court affairs are naturally my duty. I’ll take my time—it shouldn’t be a problem.”
Hearing her call it her “duty,” Pei Xia’s brows relaxed a little. “Mm. I know Yuniang is clever—you’ll certainly manage well.”
His straightforward affirmation made Shen Yujiao pause. Meeting the deep look in his eyes, for some reason her ears grew faintly warm.
It was such an ordinary remark—
And yet after half a year of marriage, here she was, blushing like a fool.
Shen Yujiao cursed herself inwardly for being so spineless, but quickly averted her gaze. Her eyes landed on the stack of letters on the table, and she changed the subject: “These are?”
Pei Xia glanced at the pale tips of her ears, his eyes darkening slightly. He raised his cup, took a small sip of tea, then said slowly: “They’re the family letters from Lingnan sent during the months you were away from the manor—and… the letters I sent you from Huainan.”
All those letters had been intercepted by Madam Wang, and only yesterday were they delivered together with the household keys and the seal of the main wife.
Last night, he’d been slightly drunk, and since he thought she had already gone to bed, he hadn’t brought them back then.
When Shen Yujiao heard they were family letters, her eyes lit up as though she had found a priceless treasure. She hurriedly picked them up and was about to open one, then remembered herself and gave Pei Xia a grateful smile. “Thank you, Langjun, for not forgetting.”
He only gave a quiet “mm.” She could no longer hold back and eagerly tore one open.
Each envelope was marked. Sitting quietly with his tea, Pei Xia nonetheless watched her movements out of the corner of his eye.
When he saw her choose first the letter from Lingnan, an inexplicable trace of disappointment stirred in his chest.
Realizing it, he frowned slightly. He knew such a feeling was unreasonable.
Her parents and kin were far away in Lingnan. She had been parted from them for over half a year. Of course she would think of them first—that was only natural. Why begrudge it?
He drained the last of his tea, letting its faint sweetness spread through his mouth and wash away that strange mood.
In the past half-year, only three letters had arrived from Lingnan. Each line was packed with longing and homesickness.
Shen Yujiao read them all in one breath, and before she knew it, tears were streaming down her face.
A soft handkerchief appeared before her. She blinked, looked up, and met the man’s deep, tranquil gaze.
“Tears harm the body.”
“Thank you.” She took the handkerchief and wiped her cheeks.
Pei Xia looked at her. “Why the tears? Was there something troubling in the letters?”
She shook her head. “No. They said all is well. They also said Jin Ge’er is crawling very quickly now, and Yu Jie’er has begun to learn her characters.”
She smiled as she spoke, but tears brimmed again, blurring her eyes, her voice thick with emotion. “I just… I just miss them.”
It had been more than a year since she last saw her family. She no longer knew what they looked like now, or how they lived. Separated by thousands of mountains and rivers, she could only rely on letters to soothe her yearning, imagining their lives from afar…
In the most recent thick bundle of letters, her father, mother, elder brother, and sister-in-law had all asked at the end why she had not written back for so long. They missed her deeply and prayed for a reply. She had sent nothing for over half a year—surely they must be frantic with worry.
Watching her lashes weighted with crystal tears and her reddened eyes lowered, Pei Xia knew her sorrow was real.
His heart suddenly softened.
Before he realized it, his hand had lifted, long fingers brushing the corner of her eye, gently wiping away her tears with the callused pads. “Don’t cry.”
His voice carried an unbidden huskiness. After wiping away the two drops, he didn’t draw back his hand but instead cupped half of her pale face.
She froze, startled, meeting his gaze. His throat moved slightly before he spoke in a low voice: “When we return to Chang’an, I will begin investigating your father’s case. I will do my utmost to see your family restored, so you can be reunited with them.”
Shen Yujiao felt the warmth seeping into her cheek, saw the earnest depth in his eyes, and her lashes trembled twice.
After a pause, she lowered her gaze, her voice soft as a sigh. “Then… I thank you, Langjun.”
As she lowered her head, her long lashes brushed faintly against his fingers, tickling, sparking a sudden, restless thought.
Catching himself, Pei Xia’s eyes darkened briefly. “You and I are husband and wife—no need for courtesy.”
He withdrew his hand and rose to his feet. “Take your time with the letters. I’ll go urge them to serve supper.”
—
A thousand miles away, Ningzhou City.
The sun was setting, the orange-red light blanketing the vast, heaving sea and the coastal defense camp stationed outside the city.
It was dinnertime. Smoke curled up from the brick kitchens of the cookhouse, and the rich aroma of food spread everywhere, making every soldier’s stomach growl and mouth water.
“This time our rescue was timely—not only did we save those three merchant ships and two hundred lives, we cut down nearly a hundred bandits, beat them into a rout. Command even slaughtered two oxen for us as reward!”
“Two oxen split among a hundred men… I wonder how much meat I’ll get. Later, when we line up for food, I’ll sweet-talk the cook—maybe he’ll give me an extra piece or two.”
“Pah. You should be glad to eat at all, and you’re still picky.”
“Rare to get such a meat feast—why wouldn’t I want more? Besides, today I shot a bandit right in the eye!”
“Yes, yes, you’re amazing…” The soldier started to raise a thumb, but as he lifted his head, he saw a tall figure approaching in the distance. He quickly nudged his companion. “Look, look—that’s him! The death god who doesn’t fear for his life!”
“You mean the one who killed eighteen bandits in one breath, dulled the edge of his blade, and still chased Wang Huoding without letting go?”
“That’s the one! But did you hear he killed eighteen? I heard he cut down twenty-one!”
“I don’t know for sure, but he killed the most, that much is certain!”
The two whispered, and around them, other soldiers polishing armor and weapons also lifted their heads, gazing at the young man passing by, his whole body soaked in blood, limping as he walked.
Scarlet afterglow spread across his whole body, making the blood on his face and body—whether his own or someone else’s—shine all the redder and brighter. Hearing others talking about him, he didn’t spare them a glance. Just tucking that bloodstained helmet under his arm, he walked expressionlessly into the barracks.
The soldiers’ barracks was a big dormitory for sixteen men, eight beds on each side. Each bed had only one pillow, one mat, one quilt. Beside each was a small bamboo stand, on it a wooden basin, a towel, straw sandals, and a change of uniform—the life in camp was just this simple and dull.
The liveliest time each day was when the candles were put out. The stinking men would flop down on their own bedding, then start chatting and joking, bragging and cursing, telling dirty jokes to satisfy their tongues. When the night grew deep, eighteen men snored one after another, overlapping, until the snores shook the sky.
Dragging his body heavy with exhaustion after the fierce battle, Xie Wuling walked to his bunk, tossed the helmet aside, and collapsed onto the bed with a boom like a mountain toppling.
Tired—d*mn tired.
Today was his twenty-sixth day in the Ningzhou army.
And it was also, in these twenty-six days, the first time he had fought the pirates in a real battle.
From the day he first joined the Ningzhou army, he had been waiting eagerly for the chance to fight. But as the weather grew colder and the year’s end approached, the pirates seldom showed themselves. Day after day passed in calm seas, and if a few pirates did come out to cause trouble, they were caught by patrolling soldiers before he even had to lift a hand—
Xie Wuling knew that the thought of always hoping to “go fight and kill enemies” was not a good one. After all, who doesn’t prefer peace and stability?
But he had come to the Ningzhou army precisely to kill enemies and win merit. If he were to waste his days only drilling in camp and bantering with the other soldiers, then leaving his home and child to come here would be nothing but a waste of time.
Still, that craving for battle he kept buried honestly in his heart. If he ever said it aloud, he would definitely get beaten up.
What could be said and what could not—he knew that clearly enough.
Just as he was thinking that if after three months there were still no pirates he would simply go enlist in Yanzhou instead, the pirate king Chen Liang’s lieutenant Wang Huoding led over a hundred men to surround three merchant ships—
Xie Wuling immediately went to beg Shooting Guard Captain Fan Yuping to count him in, no matter what.
Fan Yuping saw how eager he was for merit, and for the sake of Sixth Master Chang as well, sent out the troops of the Fourth Battalion to fight those pirates.
This was not Xie Wuling’s first time killing.
But it was the first time he had personally killed so many people.
When the first arrow from his crossbow pierced through a pirate’s throat, Xie Wuling was dazed—he had killed a man.
At sixteen, when he killed before, it had been mostly self-defense. Seven enforcers from a gambling den had surrounded him, kicking, beating, cursing him as a b*stard born of a wh*re, even pulling down their pants to piss on him—
A dog pushed to the wall will leap, and with those b*stards humiliating him like that, he thought at the time: left or right, he was dead anyway, better to stake his life on it—drag one down with him, that wouldn’t be a loss, drag two and he’d even come out ahead.
He grabbed a bench and smashed it at them.
The bench broke, so fists followed. Fists bled, bones broke, still he kept smashing—
In the end, out of those seven, two died, and he was still alive, baring bloody teeth in a grin at the five that were left.
He had profited—two for one, and his life still intact.
Those five cowards fled as if seeing a ghost.
From then on, no one dared so easily to beat him, curse him, humiliate him.
But killing on the battlefield was a completely different feeling from killing in the streets.
Those pirates on the ships hadn’t provoked him, hadn’t insulted him. They seemed to have no grievance or enmity with him. So when he pulled the trigger and saw the pirate fall, eyes open in death, he was dazed for a long while.
A life—just like that, dead by his hand.
But the daze was quickly broken. He saw a comrade from his battalion called Erniu stabbed twice in the belly by a pirate, intestines spilling all over the ground.
He had only talked with Erniu once, while queuing for food. Erniu had asked: “You’re so good-looking, and so tall too? If you went to the docks to work, you’d never lack money. How come you ran off to join us?”
He answered: “I promised my wife I’d make something of myself, become a general and go back. What about you? Why did you enlist?”
Erniu had said: “I’m a fisherman from Ningzhou. Chen Liang’s men killed my parents, r*ped my wife and sister. I’m going to butcher those b*stards and avenge my family.”
He couldn’t remember what he said in reply, anyway the cook had urged them along: “Move it, move it, next!”
The next time he saw Erniu, Erniu lay before him, belly ripped open.
Xie Wuling suddenly remembered a poem Shen Yujiao had once taught him, a line that went something like, “Why do you say there are no clothes? I will share my long robes with you.”
Comrades-in-arms, comrades-in-arms—he and Erniu were comrades too.
So he aimed his crossbow at the second pirate’s throat and shot without hesitation.
He told himself he wasn’t killing people.
Xie Wuling told himself—they were beasts.
If they were beasts, then it was easy—like slaughtering chickens and pigs.
The second, the third, the fourth…
When the crossbow bolts were gone, he drew his blade and charged.
No technique, only relying on years of brawling, and blood that boiled hotter the more he killed.
Kill one, earn a little merit. Kill ten, and you could be promoted a rank.
He killed until his eyes went red, until exhaustion vanished, until even when a cut slashed his leg he still lunged to grab Wang Huoding—
To catch the thief, catch the king first. Kill Wang Huoding, and it would surely be a great merit!
But unfortunately the battalion commander stopped him, seizing him and cursing at the top of his lungs: “Don’t chase down a cornered foe! Do you want to die?!”
“You don’t want to live, do you?!”
Another loud scolding rang out in front of him, making the bedboards vibrate.
Xie Wuling froze, glanced toward the bedside, and saw Captain Fan Yuping standing with his hands on his hips, face dark as he glared: “What are you still standing there dazed for? Get up — Commander Huo wants to see you!”
