Chapter Twenty-Four: A Tender Embrace in Blood and Light

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“You…”

Pei Zhouwu’s voice trembled, a blend of surprise and joy, yet that joy was laced with fear.

He opened his mouth, but the words dissolved before they could form.

“I know what you want to say.” Liu Fuying leaned in slightly, looking down at him, and said each word slowly and clearly, “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of myself. I’m not foolish enough to throw myself into danger. I still need to stay alive to repay you for saving me.”

“And besides…”

She paused, the corners of her lips lifting into a smile.

“We made a promise, remember? I said I’d come visit you on the first day of next month.”

At some point, a faint sheen of mist had gathered in Pei Zhouwu’s eyes. The panic within them softened, calmed by her words, as he quietly listened.

“I don’t go back on my word. I will come.”

Her smile, bright as sunshine and seemingly fragrant, made him forget all his pain.

This time, when she reached out to support him, he didn’t resist.

Even so, with him cooperating, helping him back into bed still took a lot of effort. As he lay down, Liu Fuying lost her balance and nearly fell onto the wound on his chest.

Though she had caught herself with her hands and didn’t fall completely…

In the very next moment, she deliberately released her grip and leaned down, wrapping one arm around his neck and the other around his shoulder. The embrace was silent, drenched in the scent of blood, yet it somehow felt heartbreakingly tender.

She said nothing more. After the hug, she stood and turned away.

As she bent down to pick up the washbasin, she took advantage of the moment to secretly retrieve the stick of incense that had fallen beside the table leg.

When she returned the basin to its place on the stand, she lowered her head and sniffed the tip of the incense.

Such a potent sleeping incense!

Just that one breath was enough to cloud her thoughts.

And judging by how little was left, Pei Zhouwu must’ve inhaled a great deal of it. How badly must he have been disoriented when he was forced to fight back? How did he manage to survive?

Returning to the bed, Liu Fuying discreetly slid the incense under it—not to take it away, but to hide it deeper, where no one would find it.

“You wait for me. I’ll come back for you.”

With those words, she moved toward the door. After listening for any sound outside and confirming it was safe, she cautiously opened it.

What she didn’t know was that the moment the door clicked shut behind her, a single tear slipped from the corner of Pei Zhouwu’s eye.

His mind echoed with her words from before:

“Even if the whole world abandons you and refuses to believe in you, I won’t.”

And—what brought that tear most of all—was that embrace.

Back when he was accused of treason, how desperately he had wished someone—anyone—would tell him they believed in him.

But no one did.

Not his father. Not his mother. They didn’t even visit him, too afraid of implication.

He understood the logic—sacrificing a pawn to protect the king. The empress and the crown prince were the family’s hope. If abandoning him could save them, he was willing. He didn’t blame them.

Still…

Just one word of trust, one small gesture of belief…

A bitter smile curved his lips. Countless faces flashed through his mind, only to fade—leaving behind a single radiant smile.

“Su Yueying.”

“Su Yueying…” he murmured, repeating her name again and again.

His body was numb with pain, his consciousness growing faint, but her face in his mind only grew clearer—brighter.

“Su… Yueying…”

At that same moment, Liu Fuying, just surfacing from the water, suddenly looked back over her shoulder, as if she had sensed something.

Her heart clenched with anxiety. She could only hope Pei Zhouwu would hang on.

If not, she’d have to find another man.

Shen Xiunian had already recovered and would be returning to the battlefield sooner or later. If she only got pregnant after his departure, people would accuse her of bearing another man’s child.

But if Pei Zhouwu survived this, perhaps he’d finally let down his guard and trust her.

And then… the matter of the child wouldn’t be far off.

“Be careful, madam. Let me help you up.”

Behind her on the riverbank, Jinli helped her out of the water carefully.

Liu Fuying was soaking wet—hardly in a state to return right away.

Luckily, the forest was deserted. She stripped and spread her clothes out over the sun-warmed stones. In no time, the heat would dry them.

After all, going to the temple to burn incense was supposed to take time.

Once she had dried off completely, they returned to the carriage. The driver, who had been napping, quickly lifted the curtain for her to get in. With both passengers being women and heavily veiled, he never dared look too closely. He likely hadn’t even seen their faces clearly.

Back in the capital, Jinli instructed the coachman to stop outside an inn.

Liu Fuying wasn’t going back to the Shen residence—nor the Liu family home.

As they arranged for a guest room, they overheard murmured gossip in the lobby.

“Honestly, that Liu family has no sense. Their daughter married into a general’s household—how can they treat her like that? No hot tea, no proper seat… I’d be heartbroken too.”

“Right? I heard the general’s wife left not long after arriving.”

“Poor woman—bullied at her in-laws’ and scorned at her parents’. I heard she fought with General Shen over having children.”

“What’s there to fight about? If my wife were trying to get me a child, burning incense and praying all day, I’d be grateful beyond words.”

“Exactly. The general’s wife is really suffering.”

“…”

The woman they were talking about—was Liu Fuying.

Rumors had already begun to spread. Yet no one in the lobby recognized the main character standing right before them.

She had instructed Jinli to spread those rumors before they left the city.

If she vanished after visiting her parents’ house, the Liu family would definitely search for her. If they went to the Shen household and she wasn’t there either, people would start talking. The longer it dragged on, the worse the speculation would become. Her trip outside the city might even be exposed.

So she chose to plant the story herself.

In a place like the capital, rumors were deadlier than facts.

And taverns and inns were always where rumors spread fastest.

At noon, Jinli returned to their room carrying a food box.

“Madam, I did everything as you instructed. The rumors should start spreading quickly.”

“Good.” Liu Fuying pulled her down to sit and catch her breath.

“Madam, do you really think this can save Lord Pei?”