Volume One, Chapter 10: Did Sister Zhi Send Him Away?

Did Sister Zhi just send him away?

Mu Yuanzhi kept her face cold, refusing to spare Pei Shangyan even a single glance.

Pei Shangyan turned away with a heavy heart. "Get some rest; I will come to see you later."

He did not know how he managed to walk out of the Weiyang Palace, his mind incessantly replaying the image of Mu Yuanzhi over the past two days. His Sister Zhi had truly changed.

In the past, he had always lectured her to be an independent woman and not to always revolve around her brothers. He had even frequently felt bothered, and occasionally annoyed, by how she clung to him like a child who refused to grow up. But now that she no longer pestered him, he felt a hollow emptiness, as if everything were wrong.

Sister Zhi was even afraid of thunder; having just survived a brush with death, would she suffer from nightmares? Would she be able to rest well?

Pei Shangyan looked back at the desolate Weiyang Palace. It was just like Sister Zhi was now—cold and indifferent.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince."

An elderly matron walking toward him offered a slight bow.

Pei Shangyan pulled himself together, his eyes filled with astonishment. "Are you... Matron Zhang?"

He had not seen the Grand Empress Dowager's personal matron in a long time; it took him a moment to process her presence.

"Indeed, it is this old servant. I was passing by the Imperial Household Department and feared they might not know the way to Weiyang Palace, so I offered to guide them," Matron Zhang said with a polite and graceful smile, though her words carried a deeper meaning.

The errand runners from the Imperial Household Department following behind her looked incredibly awkward, wearing forced, unsightly smiles. Matron Zhang’s words were both a way to let them off the hook and a stern warning to their department.

Who could have guessed that the Grand Empress Dowager would send Matron Zhang in person? While the younger princess was the darling of the palace, no one had expected the Grand Empress Dowager, who had long since ceased to involve herself in worldly affairs, to care for this fallen princess in the Weiyang Palace.

Upon hearing this, Pei Shangyan looked at the quilts, clothing, charcoal stoves, and other daily necessities in their hands, realizing only then that the Weiyang Palace was indeed lacking in these essentials. No wonder the soft armor Mu Yuanzhi had been wearing earlier looked so worn; it turned out the Imperial Household Department had been negligent!

Preposterous!

"This old servant must return to report to the Grand Empress Dowager, so I shall not disturb Your Highness further." The matron waved for the others to proceed and departed with a nod.

"Take care, Matron." Pei Shangyan was lost in thought, and it was only after she had left that he realized he had forgotten to ask her to convey his greetings to his great-grandmother.

The news that Matron Zhang had personally led the Imperial Household staff to Weiyang Palace spread throughout the palace and soon reached the ears of Pei Yunxi. Naturally, she could not sit still.

"When I went to see the Great-Grandmother last time, she refused to meet me. Why today..." Pei Yunxi was utterly baffled. Was it not said that the Grand Empress Dowager ignored worldly affairs and refused to see even the Emperor? When and how had Mu Yuanzhi managed to get close to her?

"Aside from going to the Imperial Household Department and Weiyang Palace, did Matron Zhang go anywhere else?" Pei Yunxi asked her maid, Xue'er.

Xue'er shook her head. "In reply to Your Highness, not to my knowledge."

The more Pei Yunxi thought about it, the more uneasy she felt. She rummaged through her own chambers, gathered up all her finest medicinal herbs, and personally prepared a bowl of medicinal porridge before heading to Weiyang Palace to visit Mu Yuanzhi.

"Princess, you are truly too kind to Princess Yuanzhi. You even took out the millennium-old ginseng you were saving for yourself to make this porridge," Xue'er said, feeling a sense of injustice. "Princess Yuanzhi hurt you, yet you treat her so well."

"Sister has already apologized to me. Xue'er, do not mention this matter again, do you hear?" Pei Yunxi’s expression darkened, showing signs of displeasure.

Xue'er nodded reluctantly. "This servant understands."

Pei Yunxi wore the bronze bell that Mu Yuanzhi had given her, tied to her small hair bun. With every step she took, it emitted a crisp, ethereal sound. When Pei Shangling heard the familiar jingle of the bronze bell, he assumed it was Mu Yuanzhi. However, when he turned around and saw it was Pei Yunxi, his expression froze. He had almost forgotten that Mu Yuanzhi had already given away the bell he had gifted her.

"Brother Ling, were you waiting for me?" Pei Yunxi smiled brightly and hooked her arm through Pei Shangling’s.

The more Pei Shangling looked at the bronze bell on Pei Yunxi’s head, the more of an eyesore it became. He felt an intense sense of irritation; the bell did not suit her at all.

"Where are you going? And why are you carrying so many things?"

"To visit Sister," Pei Yunxi said with a sweet smile, her face then clouding with worry. "I heard she fell into the water. I am worried that her cold has not yet healed and that this will only make matters worse."

"Fell into the water?" Pei Shangling’s eyes clouded with a faint mist upon hearing this. "How did she fall into the water?"

He didn't know? Pei Yunxi laughed inwardly. Her Fourth Brother truly no longer cared for Mu Yuanzhi; it was she who had been overthinking things.

"I don't know either; I just heard it from Xue'er."

Noticing that Pei Shangling kept glancing at the bell on her head, Pei Yunxi asked cautiously, "Brother Ling, do you not like me wearing this bell? If so, I should take it off and return it to Sister Yuanzhi."

"No, don't overthink it."

"Then, Brother Ling, will you come with me to visit Sister Yuanzhi? She will surely be very happy, and she will recover from her illness much faster!" Pei Yunxi looked at Pei Shangling with hopeful eyes.

Pei Shangling snorted coldly. "I am not going. She hasn't apologized to me yet." It had been two days, and she hadn't come to see him even once!

"It is all my fault. Brother Ling, please don't blame Sister Yuanzhi anymore," Pei Yunxi pleaded, shaking his arm.

"I told you it has nothing to do with you. Do not blame yourself. You go ahead and visit her." Pei Shangling’s heart softened. He patted Pei Yunxi’s head, his palm brushing against the cold bronze bell.

He suddenly felt that wearing such a thing on one's head was quite burdensome. Yet, Mu Yuanzhi had never tired of wearing it, showing it off to everyone she met, claiming it was a treasure given to her by her "Brother Ling," and would become anxious if anyone even touched it.

She was truly, genuinely angry with him.