Chapter 68

Pei Jian spurred his horse on without hesitation, except for a brief rest one night at a post station. His journey was otherwise uninterrupted. Urged on by his beating heart, he couldn’t even wait for dawn to break. He galloped forward beneath the still pitch-black night sky. The dim morning twilight around him could not hide the starlight in his eyes, which seemed to glimmer brightly.

She had rejected him so harshly and so mercilessly the last time, but lovesickness burned within him, and he could not control himself.

Just thinking about seeing her again soon, exchanging a few words with her, filled Pei Jian with renewed energy. The scenery along the way seemed to grow more delightful. He couldn’t help but wonder what she might be doing now.

Was she out hunting or racing horses? Or perhaps she was idly passing the autumn day, playing chess with two or three maids?

Pei Jian suddenly recalled the horse named “Ta Xue”—it was a gift he had once given her.

Some fates are destined by the heavens. No matter how many twists and turns there were, he and she were always entangled with countless threads of connection and longing.

By midday the next day, he had arrived at Qu Zuo hunting ground.

As he got closer to her, Pei Jian’s heart began to race suddenly, almost as if experiencing a sense of nervousness upon nearing home. He knew she was living with Princess Wen Shu at the Western Garden.

Pei Jian quickened his pace, his thoughts chaotic as he walked. What if she was upset with his presumptuousness? What if she showed an expression of annoyance? What if she refused to accept the candied fruits he brought for her? What if she forced herself to become angry with him?

Nianxi had always been someone with her own mind. No matter who she loved, she would devote herself wholeheartedly and passionately. For now, she was infatuated with Gu Ci, and that was okay. He could be patient.

He, too, had experienced the joy of being loved by Nianxi. By clinging to those sweet memories, he believed he could wait for Nianxi to change her mind.

As he was lost in his thoughts, a palace servant hurried past him in a rush.

“Is it true? A young lady from a noble family engaging in intimacy with a man in broad daylight?”

“Absolutely! Jia Kang saw the son of Princess Pingyang with his own eyes. That woman’s red mandarin duck undergarment still hung around the young master’s neck!”

The two palace servants burst into a fit of lewd and vulgar laughter.

“Quick, let’s go! I’ve never seen a noblewoman stripped bare in my life. Today might be the day!”

“I heard she was specially brought by the princess and lives with her in… the Western Garden? She always acts so noble and pure, but who knows how debauched she is in private?”

“Do you think the princess herself might also be…”

Pei Jian initially paid no attention until he heard the words “Western Garden.”

Though he didn’t know the whole story, his expression immediately stiffened. He took two steps forward and shouted, “Stop!”

The two palace servants were startled and froze in their tracks. They were struck with fear by Pei Jian’s imposing and fearsome demeanor. They exchanged glances and cautiously stammered, “M-my lord…”

Pei Jian closed his eyes briefly, suppressing the ever-growing panic in his heart, then opened them again. “Who were you talking about just now?”

The two palace servants exchanged glances and fell to their knees with a loud “thud.” In the detached palace, eunuchs rarely saw the emperor’s face, and their discipline was far looser than in the main palace. Still, slandering their masters was a serious offense, punishable by death.

“Mercy, my lord! It was all nonsense, just foolish babbling. I was talking about myself!”

Pei Jian’s hand slowly clenched into a fist, his knuckles cracking loudly. He paused, his teeth almost grinding, and said, “I asked, who was the woman you were talking about just now?”

“A-a young lady, my lord. We don’t know her name. We just heard she’s one of the female companions brought by Her Highness the Princess, residing with her. Someone said she drank too much wine and acted inappropriately with the son of Princess Pingyang…”

“Where?”

“In the woods before the Western Garden, under that centuries-old ginkgo tree.”

Pei Jian’s gaze darkened like ink. He knew well enough that he should hold these gossiping palace servants accountable. But it felt as though a hand had gripped his heart tightly. With his emotions surging so intensely, he could barely speak.

Of course, it couldn’t be Nianxi.

Nianxi was not someone without tolerance for alcohol, nor was she someone without vigilance. Nianxi would never…

But, but.

In their previous life, even at their mansion, Nianxi had fallen victim to schemes. He had already harmed her once.

Pei Jian felt a wrenching pain in his heart.

It was all because of him. If not for his schemes, Nianxi would never have come to the detached palace. Could he have harmed her a second time?

He knew her temperament well. They had been intimate, sharing the most intimate bonds between a man and a woman. Yet, at this moment, he could neither imagine nor dare to imagine—his heart consumed with only one thought:

Faster, he must be faster to protect his Nianxi. He could no longer allow her to face everything alone.

The two palace servants were still kneeling on the ground, but Pei Jian no longer had the mind to hold them accountable. He himself was guilty—what right did he have to pass judgment on others?

Without delay, he moved past them and rushed forward.

The young eunuchs exchanged uneasy glances. Having spent most of their lives in the detached palace, they were unfamiliar with the important officials of the capital. Yet, Pei Jian’s intimidating aura was more terrifying than any noble they had ever encountered. Filled with fear, the two young eunuchs waited until Pei Jian had gone far before sneaking back to the palace, never daring to stir up trouble again.

Along the way, Pei Jian’s thoughts were a tangled mess. He recalled that night at the corner gate when she had told him not to disrupt her life anymore, saying she was living happily every day. At this moment, the torment and regret in his heart threatened to engulf him entirely.

So what if she didn’t love him?

So what if she didn’t want him?

Even if she glared at him with anger, ignored him coldly, or loved someone else and sought intimacy with that person—it didn’t matter.

As long as she was fine, Pei Jian only wished for her to be fine.

In his desolate state, Pei Jian rushed to the ginkgo tree, only to find a crowd gathered around. In the center stood a man and a woman, their clothes and hair disheveled, loosely draped over them. Yet, it wasn’t as scandalous as the palace servants had described.

The man turned around—it was none other than the ugly and vulgar Han Gaojie. And the delicate woman struggling with him…

Pei Jian’s eyes burned with rage. He forcefully pushed through the crowd and delivered a powerful kick to Han Gaojie’s chest, sending him sprawling to the ground. Breathing heavily, he paid no mind to anything else and hurriedly turned to shield the woman behind him.

With just one glance, he froze in place.

This woman was not Nianxi.

After the intense swing between despair and joy, a wave of dizziness overwhelmed him. Pei Jian could no longer hold himself up; he spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground. Looking up, he saw Nianxi standing amidst the crowd, her head slightly tilted. Her skirt fluttered gently in the breeze, a ginkgo leaf resting on her shoulder, making her look like she had stepped out of a painting.

Pei Jian stared at her, his eyes unblinking, almost entranced.

“Thank you… thank you…”

Thank you for being safe.

He murmured softly, words only he could hear.