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Chapter 40 — Drunken Chaos

The coming-of-age ceremony proceeded in an orderly fashion.

At the front sat Madam Shiluo, holding a brocade handkerchief, her face full of satisfaction. Among the crowd below, everyone displayed different expressions.

Aside from the old Madam Pei, Madam Li, and a few others who still kept their attention on Yu Mingyao, few among the younger generation looked at her — most were busy calculating their own thoughts.

Especially Pei Lianzhu — her expression was unusually obvious, her eyes practically glued to Xie Zhuoguang.

“Yuzhu, help me check — is there a wrinkle on the front of Shizi Xie’s robe?”

Pei Lianzhu furrowed her brows and turned slightly to speak to Pei Yuzhu.

Through Lüxing’s mouth, she’d learned that Xie Zhuoguang would attend today, and had taken great pains to dress up.
She wore a bright red magnolia jacket and skirt, which set off her lively spirit; her head glittered with pearls and jade, resplendent and eye-catching.

As she spoke, her gaze never left Xie Zhuoguang, so she completely missed the flash of icy coldness that passed through Pei Yuzhu’s eyes when she heard those words.
The usual smile on Pei Yuzhu’s face vanished entirely.

Like Pei Lianzhu, she too had been watching Xie Zhuoguang.
There was indeed a faint crease on his chest, though subtle.
Normally, there should not be wrinkles in such a spot.

Compared to Pei Lianzhu, Pei Yuzhu’s ability to conceal her thoughts was far deeper.
She followed Pei Lianzhu’s words and gave a casual glance, but her eyes seemed focused on Yu Mingyao’s ceremonial dress.

“Sister, what are you saying? Shizi Xie is such a gentleman; how could what you’re implying have happened? You must be mistaken.”

Her voice was gentle and coaxing.

Pei Lianzhu heard her but remained half-convinced.
“But what could wrinkle his chest like that?”

She muttered, not noticing how Pei Yuzhu — smiling on the surface — had tucked her hand into her sleeve and clenched her handkerchief tightly.
Who else could it be? It had to be that vixen Yu Mingyao!

Pei Yuzhu had thought she could follow her planned path smoothly.
But she loathed Yu Mingyao to the extreme.
Even after all her efforts to please her, Yu Mingyao still guarded against her!

And now things weren’t unfolding as she knew they should.

When she’d first sent people to kill Yu Mingyao, her mood had been calm.
It was merely following the will of Heaven — Yu Mingyao was destined to die anyway, whether sooner or later made no difference.

If they could not become confidants, how could she marry Xie Zhuoguang and become his noble consort after Yu Mingyao died?

From the day she awakened, she had always been waiting for her destiny.

“No, I still think there’s something wrong. Yuzhu, stay here — I’ll go take a closer look.”

Pei Lianzhu strode off with a flick of her handkerchief.

Pei Yuzhu’s eyes shifted, and a mysterious smile crept over her lips.

“Make way, make way…”

Pei Shang was watching attentively when his elbow was suddenly bumped hard. He frowned and looked toward the commotion — it was Pei Lianzhu.

“Why don’t you stay where you belong? In a rush to reincarnate?”

At the sight of her unrestrained behavior, Pei Shang remembered how even a mere maid by her side had dared to act arrogantly that morning.

Truly bullying others on borrowed power.

He shifted deliberately, blocking Pei Lianzhu’s path even more firmly.

“I—I won’t argue with you.”

Pei Lianzhu was just two steps away from getting close to Xie Zhuoguang but was now thoroughly blocked by Pei Shang.
Helpless, she could not outtalk Pei Shang’s sharp tongue, so she could only glare at him and give up.

Pei Shang, seeing her like this, was about to laugh at her.
But before the smile could rise to his lips, he felt something strange — stiffening, he slowly turned to look at Xie Zhuoguang.

He saw the wrinkle near the crane embroidery on Xie Zhuoguang’s chest.

When Xie Zhuoguang arrived, Pei Shang clearly remembered — the robe was immaculate, not a single crease.
That suited Xie Zhuoguang’s meticulous nature.
Such a man would never allow himself to appear so disheveled in public.

Now…

Pei Shang’s eyes narrowed, a sudden suffocation gripping him.

At that moment, Xie Zhuoguang turned and glanced faintly at him. His gaze was still as cool and distant as usual, devoid of any warmth.

But when Pei Shang met those eyes, an intense sense of wrongness leapt into his mind.

Far too strange!

When he first arrived, Xie Zhuoguang had already shown signs of resignation — but now, that dead ember had reignited, unless…

He stared at the crease on Xie Zhuoguang’s chest, feeling as though it had turned into a giant stone pressing down firmly on his own chest.

He didn’t dare think further.

Pei Shang quickly shifted his gaze away, but just before he did, he caught Xie Zhuoguang curling his lips into a faint smile.

He’s smiling!

Pei Shang’s throat clenched shut, and he froze on the spot.

The hairpin hidden in his sleeve suddenly felt as heavy as a thousand catties.

---

After completing the entire ceremony, Yu Mingyao was utterly exhausted.
After her ambiguous entanglement with Xie Zhuoguang, she had nearly been caught by Yanyue in an awkward scene.

She still had to compose herself to deal with Madam Zhen.
A woman who hadn’t even attended Pei Lianzhu’s coming-of-age had dragged her frail body to celebrate hers — Yu Mingyao felt deeply flattered.

Speaking of which… she blinked.

She hadn’t seen Pei Shang all day?

Could her brother have dragged him off again to prevent him from seeing her?

It wasn’t like she was definitely going to marry Pei Shang. She didn’t know why her brother was being so cautious.

Still, she smiled wryly.

It was good to let Pei Shang hit a few walls — it would save him from thinking winning a young lady’s heart was an easy task.

The courtyard echoed with crisp birdsong. The sheer drapes on the veranda and the potted magnolias were all beautiful.

Finally, the most grueling matter of late was over. Yu Mingyao felt completely relaxed.

Seeing she’d reached the west wing — her own quarters — Yu Mingyao no longer bothered with ladylike decorum. She stretched her arms wide and gave a big, satisfying stretch.

It was truly a beautiful day.

She bent down, her slender jade-like fingers plucking a magnolia bloom, and tried it on her hair.

“Looks like I’ll need Yanyue’s help with this after all.”

After fussing for a long time, she still hadn’t secured it properly, nor could she see what it looked like on her head.

Smiling, she was about to remove the flower when a pair of warm, strong hands clasped hers.

“Yao-meimei, let me.”

Looking up, she saw Pei Shang’s handsome, refined features before her.

At this age, boys seemed to change by the day.

Yu Mingyao still remembered when she first arrived at the Pei residence — they’d bickered over jewelry, and he’d clung to her like a pesky plaster.

Back then, sunlight outside the window had lit his face, and she could see the fine down on his cheeks.

He had been a boy brimming with youthful spirit.

Now, as Yu Mingyao studied Pei Shang’s straight nose, and saw him press his lips tightly together in silence, a somber air had settled over him.

There was already a shadow of the stern judicial official he would become in their past life — quite intimidating.

“All done.”

Pei Shang inserted the magnolia and straightened up, carefully studying her.

Yu Mingyao stood still and let him look.
Everything should have been normal — yet she felt a faint dissonance.
What was Pei Shang…

She frowned and gave him a once-over.

His clothes were his usual ornate style; same for his hairpin.
Then why was he unhappy?

She reached out and, on tiptoe, gently ruffled his hair like petting a puppy.

“Don’t be sad. All unhappy things will fly away.”

Her voice was soft and gentle.
A mist rose in Pei Shang’s eyes; his throat bobbed twice as he swallowed the sudden sting in his heart.

“Don’t be so good to me.”

The usually brash and unrestrained man now spoke so lightly it was almost a whisper — in a blink, the wind carried his words away.

When Yu Mingyao looked up, she didn’t miss the sorrow brimming in his eyes.

“Why are you saying this all of a sudden?”

She chuckled softly, her eyes crescent-shaped.

Pei Shang’s gaze shifted slightly downward and fell on her tender, crimson lips.

Sometimes, people can’t help but think too much.

Pei Shang didn’t know why — originally, it was enough for Yu Mingyao to simply know he liked her.

But when she was no longer indifferent to him, he found himself thinking — just a little more…

He wanted to grow old with her, unchanging for life.

But—

The memories he had buried deepest, the ones he least wanted to recall, suddenly resurfaced.

Back then, how many days had she and Xie Zhuoguang even known each other?
That scoundrel Xie Zhuoguang had just said he wasn’t interested in her, and the next moment, the two of them were kissing in the study.

If both hadn’t wanted it, such intimate gestures would have been impossible.

Pei Shang’s hands clenched unknowingly at his sides.

His vision narrowed to that small patch of red — and the longer he stared, the more it drew him in like a mysterious force.

Pei Shang slowly bent down.

When Yu Mingyao saw him staring at her lips, her heart leapt to her throat.

After her struggle with Xie Zhuoguang, she’d changed into her ceremonial dress and touched up her makeup.
At that time, Yanyue’s gaze had been just the same — fixed on her lips, looking conflicted.

Back then, she had blushed furiously and snatched the rouge from Yanyue’s hand to apply it herself.

By now, the swelling should have subsided.

Could Pei Shang have seen the tiny bite inside her lower lip?

Yu Mingyao frowned in thought.
As Pei Shang bent closer, she instinctively dodged her head aside.

Pei Shang missed.

“It’s fine, Yao-meimei, it’s fine.”

He froze, his smile uglier than a grimace.

Straightening up, he awkwardly pulled a brocade box containing a golden hairpin from his sleeve and handed it to Yu Mingyao.

“I just came to give you this. I’ll leave after.”

He shoved the item into her hands and left hastily without a backward glance.

Yu Mingyao didn’t have time to call after him.

Seeing this, she sighed deeply, shook her head, and turned back toward her room.

Once seated on the couch, the cloisonné peony hairpin inlaid with ruby and southern pearls slowly revealed itself before her.

This hairpin…

Her slender, pale fingers caressed it. Every part of the hairpin felt intimately familiar — the cool touch, the petal engravings — all etched into her bones once.

How had Pei Shang come to buy it?

If anyone should’ve bought it, it should’ve been Xie Zhuoguang!

After all, this was their token of affection — the one item she had clung to most deeply from her past life.

Though she had still harbored feelings for Xie Zhuoguang then, the moment she didn’t buy that hairpin, she had resolved not to have even the slightest entanglement with him in this life.

Why was it Pei Shang who gave it back to her now?

Yu Mingyao lay on the couch.
Her thick, long lashes slowly grew wet with tears trickling from her eyes.

Outside the window, the scenery was endlessly beautiful.
Inside, the graceful, elegant woman’s slender shoulders trembled — like a butterfly poised to take flight.

The banquet had begun.
The women’s table was set in Madam Shiluo’s main courtyard, and the juniors’ table in the flower hall.

By right, Pei Yuzhu should have sat with Madam Li, Madam Dong, Pei Yun, and the old Madam Pei at the main table.

As everyone took their seats, she did not move.
Her soft gaze fixed intently on Liu Ru.

Liu Ru was sitting next to Pei Yun, whispering quietly.

“You really want to sit at that table? Shizi Xie is there. Though he’s well-mannered and from a noble family, he’s still an outside man, and you’ve never even met him. Why not stay here with mother?”

Pei Yun furrowed her brows. Though she was a bold and domineering person, she was surprisingly patient when coaxing children.

Madam Li chuckled.

“Oh come now, madam — Ru’er is already a young lady. She has to meet people sometime, right? You can’t cling to her forever — she’ll marry into another family eventually.”

Her laughter was exaggerated.

Pei Yun gave her a cold glance, and Madam Li immediately fell silent.

“Tell mother, do you really want to go?”

She bent down, continuing to coax Liu Ru.

Liu Ru pressed her lips together and nodded.

Pei Yun was about to speak again when the old Madam Pei’s hearty, kindly laugh echoed over.

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“The second daughter-in-law is right, Yun’er, you really are being too strict. I’ve watched Xie Zhuoguang grow up — that boy is trustworthy. You don’t need to keep Ruer so tightly constrained.”

“Besides, isn’t Yuzhu still here?”

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present turned their gaze to Pei Yuzhu, who had yet to sit down.

At this moment, Madam Shiluo also chimed in.

“Exactly, there’s still Miss Yuzhu. A sensible person like Miss Yuzhu, and in her own home — nothing will go wrong.”

With everyone echoing their agreement, Pei Yun finally nodded reluctantly.

Liu Ru cast a grateful glance at Pei Yuzhu.

–

“Come on, Brother Yu, another drink! Today, we drink until we drop!”

Pei Yuzhu, leading Liu Ru, had just arrived at the banquet hall when they saw the large table. Though five people were seated — Xie Zhuoguang, Yu Jinnian, Pei Shang, Pei Bizhu, and Pei Lianzhu —
the table was eerily quiet. No one was speaking; they were simply watching Pei Shang pressing Yu Jinnian to drink cup after cup.

Pei Shang’s face was flushed red, and he kept pouring drink after drink into his mouth.
Although this wine wasn’t as strong as the fruit wine from Pei Shang’s birthday, it was still alcohol — drinking it like water would get anyone drunk, if not harm their health!

Seeing this, Liu Ru looked worried and slowed her steps.

“Come, come, Sister Ru, sit over here.”

Pei Lianzhu, spotting the two of them, lit up as if she had found her pillar of support.

She eagerly waved them over, then, with her hands on her hips, began to criticize Pei Bizhu.

“No matter by seniority or any other rule, it’s not your place to sit in such a central position. Pei Shang may have the nerve to sit at the head, but you actually dare sit next to him?”

She sneered and rolled her eyes. As Liu Ru came close, she grabbed her forcefully — so strongly that Liu Ru nearly stumbled.

“Get up. Sister Ru is our honored guest. She’s the one who deserves that seat.”

Pei Lianzhu stood up and glared down at Pei Bizhu, snorting in disdain.

Though Pei Bizhu usually stayed low-profile, she wasn’t about to indulge Pei Lianzhu.

Casting a cold glance at Liu Ru, she stayed rooted to her seat, unmoving.

“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re plotting. I’m telling you, don’t even dream of it! Even if my Sister Yao isn’t here today, that’s no reason for just any random stray cat or dog to think they can shake her position.”

Pei Shang, who had been downing drinks nonstop, paused slightly when he heard Yu Mingyao’s name.

Across the table, Xie Zhuoguang glanced at him coolly, past Yu Jinnian sitting between them.

“Brother Shang, why don’t we stop here?”

Seeing Pei Shang’s movements falter, Yu Jinnian’s face lit up with relief.

He had been trying to keep Pei Shang occupied precisely to prevent him from seeing his sister.
Now Pei Shang was acting like a madman, gulping wine like water. People from the capital could hold their liquor — but in Jiangnan, no men or women drank so wildly!

Yu Jinnian grimaced.

Pei Shang, ignoring Yu Jinnian, bypassed him directly and fixed his gaze on Xie Zhuoguang.

“You. Drink or not?”

With one hand swirling his wine cup, Pei Shang, at some point, had also drawn out the folding fan he hadn’t shown in ages from his sleeve.

With a flick, the fan snapped open — his expression wild and roguish, with a hint of unruly charm.

Liu Ru quietly slipped into a seat next to Pei Lianzhu, her eyes timid but never straying from Pei Shang.

“Move aside!”

Pei Shang shoved Yu Jinnian away and plopped down next to Xie Zhuoguang.

His pitch-black, deep eyes stared unblinking at Xie Zhuoguang, as though he wanted to bore a hole right through him.

Around the table, everyone instantly fell silent.

Pei Yuzhu waved her hand, motioning for all the servants in the hall to withdraw.

Despite all these watchful eyes on him, Xie Zhuoguang showed not the slightest fear — his gaze remained cool and indifferent, like autumn mist, as he regarded Pei Shang.

Pei Shang snorted coldly, tilted his head back, and downed a full cup of wine in one go.

“Cousin Shang… what’s wrong with him?”
Liu Ru whispered to Pei Lianzhu.

Pei Lianzhu snorted impatiently, still staring at Xie Zhuoguang.

“Who knows what kind of madness he’s on. And now he’s picking on His Lordship Xie! Acting like this to a guest in our own house — isn’t he afraid of becoming a laughingstock if word spreads?”

“But… if this were at Duke Xie’s manor, this wouldn’t be happening, right? I’ve heard the Duke is elegant and gentle, and the Duchess is gracious, famous for her virtue…”

At this point, Pei Lianzhu suddenly stopped, lost in thought, and a foolish smile appeared on her face, her cheeks tinged with a suspicious blush.

Pei Bizhu shot an annoyed glance at the two.

She tugged on Yu Jinnian’s sleeve, signaling him to ignore Pei Shang and let him be.

Everyone at the table seemed preoccupied with their own concerns.

No one noticed Pei Yuzhu, as quiet as a shadow.

Only when Pei Shang sat beside Xie Zhuoguang did a sharp change flash through her gaze, turning icy cold.

She cast an extremely loathing glance at Pei Shang.
Then, shifting her eyes to Xie Zhuoguang, her gaze turned obsessive and unsettling, like that of a deranged admirer.

Xie Zhuoguang had always been sensitive to the way people looked at him.

Especially these prickling stares.

Lifting his eyelids slightly, he glanced toward Pei Lianzhu.

Pei Lianzhu hurriedly lowered her head, luckily withdrawing her gaze just in time.

“If you’re my brother, drink up!”

The more Pei Shang looked, the angrier he became.

How arrogant this man was — so sure Yao would choose him?

So dismissive of himself?

Grinding his teeth in frustration, all the irritation that had built up since seeing the crease on Xie Zhuoguang’s chest surged to the surface.

He roughly grabbed Xie Zhuoguang’s collar.

“Drink. Or not?”

Faced with Pei Shang’s nearly tangible rage, Xie Zhuoguang remained calm.
He slowly pried Pei Shang’s gripping fingers away, one by one.

“No rush.”

No rush?

Pei Shang found the words deeply mocking. Especially as, after he let go, Xie Zhuoguang’s collar straightened out slightly, returning to its usual neatness.

Even if Pei Manor’s servants were careless, none would dare lay hands on the heir of Duke Xie’s household.

Who else could make this man willingly swallow such an incident and act as if nothing had happened?

Pei Shang felt as though a thousand needles were piercing his heart.

He picked up the wine jug, filled both his and Xie Zhuoguang’s cups.

“If you won’t drink, leave.”

“And don’t come back again.”

Pei Shang’s face was expressionless, but only Xie Zhuoguang, sitting across from him, knew how deadly serious he was.

As soon as those words fell, even the most oblivious person could see that something had gone wrong between these two inseparable friends — and it wasn’t a small matter.

Pei Bizhu let out an awkward laugh, the first to smooth things over.

“My fourth brother’s just had too much to drink. Everyone, eat and drink well — don’t take it to heart.”

Yu Jinnian chimed in, “Yes.”

With this unspoken agreement among the group, no one mentioned Pei Shang’s attempt to force Xie Zhuoguang to drink again.
They all focused on eating.

Naturally, no one noticed when Pei Yuzhu slipped out or returned.

No one knew how long they drank.
By the time only Yu Jinnian, Xie Zhuoguang, and Pei Shang remained at the table, Pei Shang was finally drunk.

At least he stopped insisting Xie Zhuoguang drink more.

Frankly, Yu Jinnian thought it would’ve been better if he’d kept drinking — now the man was slumped like a puddle of mud, mumbling his sister’s name over and over. Ridiculous!

He sighed heavily and prepared to help Pei Shang up — only then remembering someone else was still there.

He looked toward Xie Zhuoguang, who sat motionless.

“Your Lordship, are you alright?”

Xie Zhuoguang’s face remained impassive, no different from usual.

At Yu Jinnian’s question, he merely lifted his eyes slightly and replied unhurriedly,
“I’m fine.”

Hearing this, Yu Jinnian breathed a long sigh of relief.

“Good, then I’ll take him to rest first. Your Lordship, feel free to stay as you like — if you wish to rest, just ask any maid to lead you to a guest room.”

“Our Lihua Courtyard is small, but we do have two or three guest rooms.”

“Mm.” Xie Zhuoguang nodded lightly.

Yu Jinnian was reassured and left, supporting the drunken, rambling Pei Shang.

In truth, if Yu Mingyao had been here, she wouldn’t have let Yu Jinnian leave so easily.

Although Xie Zhuoguang didn’t usually drink, she had seen him completely drunk before — even then, he looked no different from usual.

His reactions merely slowed slightly.

But in reality, at this moment, he was already deeply intoxicated, running only on a thin thread of instinct.

Xie Zhuoguang didn’t know how long he sat there dazed.

His headache worsened until it felt like his skull would split, when he heard a young maid’s voice beside him.

“Your Lordship, Miss Yu asked me to invite you to rest.”

Hearing this, Xie Zhuoguang’s mind cleared briefly.

But in the next moment, all the fantasies he’d suppressed during the day flooded back into his head.

Her in bridal attire, bashfully calling him husband.

Her long black hair cascading over pale, slender shoulders, sobbing softly as she pleaded for mercy.

And her hands — one gripping his chest, the other untying his belt, sliding down toward his waist…

Too many… Xie Zhuoguang couldn’t tell what was real anymore.

He nodded, allowing the maid to lead him away.

Meanwhile, Yu Jinnian was drenched in sweat, settling the drunk Pei Shang.

Seeing Pei Shang seemed to be asleep and didn’t move again, he thought no more of it.
He simply pulled a blanket over him and left.

Half-unconscious, Pei Shang felt something heavy pressing on him, making it hard to breathe.

He flung the blanket aside.

“Where is this? I want to see my sister Yao.”

Bang —

The partition door of the guest room flung open.

Xie Zhuoguang had only just reached the guest room when he stopped.

For some reason, as soon as he passed through the ornamental archway, scenes of Yu Mingyao teasing him surfaced in his mind.

It had also been in the west wing of the rear courtyard.

“I know the way. You may go.”

Xie Zhuoguang’s face was impassive, his expression cold.

The maid leading him hadn’t expected him to be this clear-headed, and for a moment, couldn’t hide the panic on her face.

“Yes.”
She hesitated for a moment, then prepared to leave.

Just as she did, Xie Zhuoguang’s voice — cool and clear as jade — sounded again.

“It’s fine. Don’t come back. I like quiet.”

A rare additional remark.

After the maid finally left, the corners of Xie Zhuoguang’s mouth lifted — for once, a faint smile line appeared.

“I’m here, my lady.”

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