Chapter 1016: From Now On, You Have Me
When he saw Pei Mianman look at him with her head slightly tilted, Zhao Zi interpreted it as her developing interest in him. He laughed confidently and said, “Right, there is something I wish to remind Miss Pei about. There is someone in the imperial envoy named Zu An. That person is a pervert and absolutely shameless. Miss Pei needs to be careful and not let this man take advantage of you.”
Pei Mianman’s expression turned cold. That guy Ah Zu is indeed a pervert, and also a bit shameless, but only I can say that. That’s not for someone like you to say.
Pei Shao said, “Young heir, do not worry. Manman has always been a trustworthy person. She is reliable in taking care of matters.”
At the same time, he was curious, as he had met Zu An last time at the banquet. Zu An’s cultivation was high, and he had high achievements in the arts; he didn’t seem to be anything like how King Qi’s heir was describing him at all. Why was the young heir saying those things?
Zhao Zhi laughed and said, “Right, right, I am the one who has had too many misgivings. Miss Pei will definitely be able to take care of this task well.”
Pei Mianman said coldly, “I’ll leave to complete the mission. Please remember your promise.” She turned around to leave afterward. She didn’t want to see that face anymore; she worried she might not be able to hold herself back anymore if she stayed for even another moment.
When he saw her swaying figure, Zhao Zhi felt as if his heart would jump out of his chest. He asked, “Should this young heir walk Miss Pei out?”
“There’s no need!” Pei Mianman didn’t even turn around.
Zhao Zhi didn’t think too much about it and said with a smile, “Then I wish Miss Pei success.”
Pei Mianman didn’t even react to him. Her figure quickly disappeared into the distance.
Zhao Zhi narrowed his eyes. This woman has just the right amount of spice! This young heir likes you! Only this kind of woman is worth subduing!
Han Fengqiu instead frowned slightly. This woman doesn’t seem to like the young heir that much. But the young heir doesn’t seem to have realized that yet. Should I find a chance to remind him?
But when he saw how excited Zhao Zhi was, he still abandoned that thought. The young master might become unhappy if he poured cold water all over him. Instead, he thought, It might just be the temper tantrum of a young lady. Her attitude will change later.
…
Since Pei Mianman had already left, Zhao Zhi felt that staying any longer was senseless. After chatting with Pei Shao for a while longer, he got up and bid the couple farewell.
“Young heir, take care!” the couple replied.
After they escorted Zhao Zhi out, Madam Pei couldn't help but say resentfully, “Master, what’s wrong with you? Not only did you not stop him, you even helped that damn brat. Now, our wonderful plan of marriage is all spoiled!” Even if you don’t want to become a father-in-law of King Qi Manor, I want to become his mother-in-law!
“Who said it would be completely spoiled?” Pei Shao stroked his beard and said with a mysterious smile. “The key part of this marriage depends on whether the young heir likes her or not. If the young heir doesn’t like her, no amount of planning will do anything. If the young heir likes her, even if the marriage has been canceled on the surface, it won’t really matter.”
Madam Pei’s eyes lit up. “If you put it like that, the young heir indeed seems pretty fond of that girl. Hmph, she’s just like her mom, a vixen who naturally seduces men.”
Pei Shao’s face darkened. He harrumphed and stormed off in a huff. Madam Pei sneered as she stared at his back. There was a hint of pride in her smile.
…
Meanwhile, Zu An was leading a horse as he strolled through Cloudcenter City’s streets.
The northwest had experienced a lot of wind and snowfall. At that point, all of Cloudcenter City was covered in a layer of silver. But even though it was cold, the streets were still extremely lively. Shouts echoed through the place, many words sounding as if they were in an unfamiliar dialect. Zu An couldn't understand anything.
Cloudcenter Commandery was located on a major road in the northwest. Merchants from all around the country passed through it, and there were many fiend race merchants there as well. Even though the fiend races and humans had previously experienced a great war, business was still business, unstoppable like a wildfire.
The fiend races had many factions. Those who had good relations with the human race naturally had their ways of obtaining trade permits that allowed them to cross over the borders. That was why there was a much more generous variety of goods available in Cloudcenter City’s streets than there was in other places.
Zu An was, of course, not there just for a stroll. He was investigating the whereabouts of the missing duke’s personal guard.
There were thirty-six members of Cloudcenter Duke’s personal guard in total. A small group of them had followed Gong Pan to Yu Yanluo. Those individuals had already been carefully investigated and cleared of suspicion.
Another small portion of those guards had been assigned to different locations. They had been ‘promoted’ in name, but everyone knew they would never recover their former glory. However, those people’s circumstances didn’t seem to be that terrible; they definitely didn’t have it the worst.
The worst off were the remaining fifteen guards. Among them, nine of them had been crippled for various reasons and had no choice but to be discharged from military service. The remaining six hadn’t even been able to retain their lives.
Zu An had just visited those nine who were still alive. He had personally checked in on every one of these individuals. Even though some of their wounds were a little fishy, he didn’t think too much of it. After all, even though they were crippled and wounded, they were still themselves at least. None of them were the one Zu An was searching for.
Looks like the one I’m looking for is among the six deceased. While Zu An was thinking to himself, he suddenly heard a charming voice next to him.
“This young master seems to have gotten a bit lost. How about you request a local to show you around?”
Zu An turned around, and his eyes immediately lit up. Pei Mianman was standing nearby, smiling at him. Her beautiful eyes really were intoxicating and enchanting. She was completely covered in a fiery red overcoat. She looked just like a blossoming flower amid all the snow.
“How did you find me?” Zu An asked, surprised and happy. When he saw her nose was a bit red from the cold, he quickly reached over to touch her cold face, using his hand’s warmth to ease the cold.
“Hmph, a certain someone got a taste of what they wanted and never came back, so I had no choice but to come to you. How can a woman not find her man? I’m not like some people,” Pei Mianman replied. It was so cold that white mist appeared whenever she spoke. Even so, it still wasn’t enough to cover up the grudge she carried.
Zu An apologized quickly, “I’m really sorry. I’ve been investigating the case of Cloudcenter Duke all this time. I’ve been so busy that I didn’t even have the time to be distracted about other things.”
“Hmph, the proverbs were right after all. Once a man obtains the girl, he won’t think about her at all anymore.” Pei Mianman had just been feigning a small tantrum at first, but she really did start to feel stronger emotions the more she talked about it. She began to pout.
“Who said I didn’t think about you?” Zu An took out a brilliant red tanghulu[1] skewer from behind him. “I was wondering what to give you as a gift while walking through the streets. When I saw this tanghulu, I bought it for you.”
“How did you know I really like tanghulu?” Pei Mianman’s eyes lit up. She completely forgot about her annoyance. She grabbed the tanghulu and carefully gave it a lick.
“Because I heard about how you were really happy when your mother bought you some tanghulu when you were little.” Zu An stroked her head in a doting manner. Who would think such a stunning woman would have such a childish side to her?
“You actually remembered.” Pei Mianman’s eyes conveyed her smile. There wasn’t even half a trace of her previous unhappiness left.
If Zhao Zhi were there to see them, he might just vomit blood from anger. Every single day, he had come to Pei Manor with Cloudcenter City’s most expensive pastries and food, but Pei Mianman hadn’t even given any of it a single look before feeding it to her maid. She hadn’t even smiled for him a single time. Yet now, another man had bought her a random tanghulu for just a few coins and she was this happy?
“Is it good?” Zu An looked at her curiously.
“It tastes good! But it’s a bit too big, mm…” Pei Mianman had only given it a few licks at first, but she could no longer hold back on the sweetness and put the tanghulu straight into her mouth, leaving her cheeks swelling a bit.
“Go slowly, or else you might choke on it.” Zu An helped her wipe the corner of her lips considerately.
When she finally finished the tanghulu, Pei Mianman had a satisfied look on her face. She said, “I haven’t eaten any tanghulu ever since my mom passed away, because they always taste bitter whenever I try to eat one. Thank you for bringing this happy feeling back to me.”
Zu An held her hand, feeling heartbroken. He said, “All that is in the past. From now on, you have me.” Even though Pei Mianman had never talked about her past, he could imagine just how difficult it was for someone like her, who had lost her mother at a young age.
Pei Mianman voiced her acknowledgement as she gently leaned against him. The two of them walked through the snow-covered world just like that. She really wished that the road would never end.
Unfortunately, their moment of peace was quickly interrupted by a burst of hooves. A strong, tough-looking man approached on horseback. When he saw Zu An, he immediately greeted him respectfully and said, “Sir Zu, I have already investigated the things you asked me to look into.”
Only then did he see Pei Mianman at Zu An’s side. He froze up completely, thinking, How can there be someone this beautiful in this world?
There was even such a lovely fragrance coming from her. It really was enough to make anyone go weak from a single look. The man thought, No wonder Sir Gao and Sir Pei always say they want Zu An to become their master… Sir Zu really is a model for all men!
Zu An received the paper from his hands and said with a smile, “I’ve troubled you. Please continue investigating the remaining people.”
The robust man cupped his hands. He couldn't help but sneak another look at Pei Mianman before leaving, however. His gaze just happened to meet her beautiful eyes. Guiltily, he looked away to avoid eye contact, his face red.
Pei Mianman had already been used to such things ever since she was little, so she didn’t feel any resentment over it and didn’t take it to heart. She turned to Zu An and asked, “Ah Zu, what happened?”
When she saw the contents of the paper in his hands, however, her brow gradually furrowed.
1. Tanghulu are skewered candied fruits. ☜