Chapter Six: Mist Rising in His Eyes

Liu Fuying still kept her head lowered, murmuring in a soft tone that somehow struck straight at the heart.

“These days, I often picture you sitting alone in this courtyard. The thought unsettles me.”

She conveyed her unease through genuine emotion—her expression earnest and sincere.

“Unsettled by what?” Pei Zhouwu’s tone remained flat.

But his eyes had already changed. In fact, they softened far quicker than his expression.

Liu Fuying suddenly looked up, and he quickly turned away, feigning indifference.

“If it weren’t for Your Grace saving me that day, I might already be dead. But you—my savior—are left to endure endless suffering in this walled-off prison. How could I not be uneasy?”

Pei Zhouwu stared straight ahead, eyes fixed on the overturned teacup atop the stone table in the courtyard.

Its contents had long spilled out, soaking into the ground in a damp patch.

But what of him? His heart, his whole being, had been drenched in cold, heavy gloom for so long that even direct sunlight on his skin no longer warmed him.

“And what if you are uneasy?”

The words were directed at her, but the tone suggested he was speaking more to himself.

What difference did unease make? Or unwillingness?

“Yes… it changes nothing. I don’t have a way to openly and honorably get you out of here. That’s why I said—even if I’m only here to keep you company and ease your loneliness, that’s something.”

Sometimes, even Liu Fuying was amazed by her own ability to lie.

She was no worse than those men who used sweet words to seduce women—perhaps even better.

“I don’t need it.”

That’s what he said—but Liu Fuying could see the slight shift in his expression, the softening of his tone. He wasn’t as cold as he had been at the start.

Which meant her lies were working.

He turned and walked back inside, but didn’t stop her from following.

Once inside, she started pulling out items from her chest—bottle after bottle. She fumbled and dropped one, and it rolled to a stop at Pei Zhouwu’s feet.

Before he could examine it, she darted over, crouching down to snatch it up.

When she stood again, she wore a bright smile.

“These are all medicines I brought for you. For headaches and fevers, wind-cold and wind-heat illnesses, bruises and bleeding, even insect repellents. There must be tons of mosquitoes in the mountains during summer, right?”

She set them on the table—six or seven bottles in total.

“I labeled each one so you won’t mix them up.”

She picked up another bottle, opened the lid, and poured a small pill into her palm.

“See? I figured it must be hard for you to boil decoctions here, so I had them made into pills. Much more convenient, right?”

Had them made into pills, she said.

In truth, she simply had Jinli buy ready-made ones from the pharmacy. Not a single one was handmade by her.

But Pei Zhouwu seemed to believe it.

“You…”

“It’s no trouble. Not at all. If these things can help you, I’m glad. And…”

She suddenly hesitated, drawing a frown from Pei Zhouwu.

“And what?”

Liu Fuying spoke slowly and deliberately, choosing each word with care.

“And I thought… you might want to know how things are outside. Especially about your family.”

The moment she mentioned family, Pei Zhouwu’s brow furrowed deeper.

Just as she expected—this was what he cared about most.

“Her Majesty the Empress and His Highness the Crown Prince were indeed affected… but don’t worry. I heard the Crown Prince returned to study at the Jiwendian a month ago. That proves His Majesty still values him.”

The Crown Prince was born of Pei Zhouwu’s elder sister, the Empress.

Pei Zhouwu’s crime of treason had indeed implicated the Empress and Crown Prince. Rumor had it the Empress’s phoenix seal had been stripped, and a favored consort was temporarily overseeing the inner palace. As for the Crown Prince, he hadn’t been seen at the Jiwendian for several months, and many believed the Emperor was preparing to depose him.

But what Liu Fuying said—that the Crown Prince had resumed his studies—was true.

As long as the Crown Prince still held his title, the Empress would be safe. And if the Empress was safe, then the Pei family would survive.

That ought to set Pei Zhouwu’s mind at ease.

When she looked at him again, she found his eyes misted over, rims reddening.

Liu Fuying had struck true. If she wanted to reach the softest part of his heart, it had to be through his most cherished, most feared-to-be-burdened family.

He turned away, standing in silence as he stared out the window.

The bamboo trees rustled in the wind, sounding like a silent cry echoing from deep within Pei Zhouwu’s chest.

Liu Fuying didn’t speak again. She simply stayed beside him, quietly.

A long time passed before he finally spoke.

“What’s your name?”

“Yueying.” Liu Fuying had already prepared for this question. “My name is Su Yueying. My mother said she saw fireflies fluttering under the moonlight the night I was born, so she named me Yueying.”

The surname was made up, but the name “Yueying” was not.

Only her mother, she, and Jinli knew it—her childhood name.

“It’s the season for them now,” she added with a smile. “Your Grace, do you ever see them at night?”

Pei Zhouwu didn’t respond to that. Instead, he murmured thoughtfully, “The Su family of the capital…”

“I’m not a noble lady,” Liu Fuying interrupted quickly. “Today is the first day of the lunar month. I came up the mountain with my family’s matron to offer incense… and slipped away on my own.”

He turned back toward her, clearly full of suspicion. She rushed to add,

“I’m just a servant in a wealthy household—someone insignificant.”

“Is that so?” Pei Zhouwu’s voice cooled.

She claimed to be a maid, yet her clothing and fabric were nothing like what a maid could afford.

He’d chalked it up to shyness last time—but today, her words sounded like an outright lie. Not that it was impossible for a maid to be this pretty, but her appearance… didn’t fit the part.

Of course Liu Fuying knew her cover wasn’t perfect.

Which meant she let it slip on purpose—to plant doubt in Pei Zhouwu’s mind, to make him think she was lying.

“It’s true,” Liu Fuying insisted with a nod.

Her refusal to speak honestly only deepened Pei Zhouwu’s misgivings.

“If that’s the case, then Miss Su should head back soon. If your madam needs something and can’t find you, she might get angry.”

“Yes… I should go.” Liu Fuying forced her tone to change, pretending to be flustered and embarrassed.

“I know someone like me isn’t fit to say I want to keep you company, Your Grace. I just… just missed you and wanted to see how you’re doing.”

“I…” Pei Zhouwu was at a loss for words.

His sudden coldness had nothing to do with disdaining a maid’s status.

“I understand. I really do. I’ll go now. I should. It’ll be time to descend the mountain soon.”

She lowered her head deeply, as if hurt.

“I’ll leave now.”

With that, she turned and left.

Once outside, she circled around the house and headed back toward the pond.

The overlapping bamboo shadows obscured her from Pei Zhouwu’s view. He could only vaguely make out a blurry figure, seemingly entering the water again.

“…What do you know?”

Pei Zhouwu murmured the words aloud.