Chapter 046 Pei Qinghe

Chapter 046 Pei Qinghe

The capital city is dotted with temples of various sizes, and Baifeng Temple is one favored by scholars and poets.

Baifeng Temple boasts a pagoda whose tip is painted white, hence its name.

On that crisp autumn day, Wen Hui went to Baifeng Temple to repay her vows with Mama Ou.

Mama Ou, being elderly, could barely walk after performing the rituals.

Wen Hui donated some merit money and secured a small room in the temple for Mama Ou to rest.

As for Wen Hui herself, feeling a surge of freedom in the air, she ventured alone to the back mountain.

It was then that Wen Hui encountered Pei Qinghe.

A girl around ten years old, exceedingly thin, had already hung a white silk on a tree. Beneath it were piled stones. Wen Hui, who had been sitting on a tree stump, saw this scene, her heart racing as she rushed over.

By the time Wen Hui arrived, the girl had already looped the white silk around her neck and kicked away the stones. If not for Wen Hui carrying a dagger due to Lin Yi's situation, saving her would have been difficult.

Wen Hui cut the silk, causing the girl to fall heavily to the ground.

Wen Hui could hardly speak; she had never run so fast before, her breaths ragged, her chest about to burst.

The girl first clutched her throat, coughing, then began crying softly, her voice weak like a newborn kitten.

Wen Hui pinched her own acupoint to regain her composure from the dizziness.

Her breathing still painful, she managed to say, "What happened to you? Why did you choose this path?"

Hearing Wen Hui's words, the girl trembled, not daring to look up, hugging her knees tightly, sobbing even more.

Observing the girl's attire—simple but adorned with exquisite jewelry set with translucent gems, clearly valuable—Wen Hui wondered why a young lady from a wealthy family was here alone.

She asked, "Where are your attendants?"

"My father is nearby. Mama Qiu went to find him," the girl mumbled.

Wen Hui frowned, wondering why she chose suicide when her father was close by.

At that moment, an elderly woman ran over, kneeling beside the girl and embracing her. "My dear! I just went to find your father, how could you do such a thing?"

"Mama Qiu," the girl sobbed into her arms, "I'm so scared, it hurts so much. I... I don't want..."

Mama Qiu held the girl tightly, comforting her, "Don't cry, don't cry. Be good."

The girl's trembling body softened Wen Hui's heart, reminding her of her own daughter. Mama Qiu reminded her of Mama Ou, though Mama Qiu had sharp eyes, making her seem less approachable.

Wen Hui remained silent, slowly regaining her breath.

When the girl's breathing calmed, Mama Qiu released her and said, "Let me check if there are any marks."

The girl let Mama Qiu examine her, and Mama Qiu sighed in relief, "No marks, no marks. Your father won't notice, so you won't be punished."

Wen Hui could see the red marks on the girl's neck, which were not severe due to her timely intervention and would likely fade soon.

After the examination, the girl turned to Wen Hui, "Madam, thank you. If not for you, my lady might have..."

The old woman wiped her eyes, making it hard for Wen Hui to criticize.

Wen Hui could only say, "I'm glad she's safe, but..."

"There won't be a next time, Madam. Please..." Mama Qiu took out a purse, and in the process, dropped a wooden token inscribed with the character "Pei" in seal script.

She quickly put the token away, opened the purse, and took out a silver ingot. "This is a token of gratitude. I know it's not enough, but please pretend you never saw this. If my lord finds out, I'll be fine, but my lady..."

Hearing "my lord," the girl visibly shrank, clearly terrified of her father.

"Our lady is not favored by my lord. If he knew, she would..."

The girl started crying again, looking at Wen Hui with tearful eyes, "Madam, please don't tell my father. Pretend you never saw this."

Wen Hui pursed her lips, "What about your mother?"

Thinking that while her father might mistreat her, her mother should be kinder.

"My mother died giving birth to me," the girl said, tears welling up, "Madam... if you tell my family, I won't survive."

Mama Qiu nodded, "Yes, she'll be beaten."

The girl flinched at the word "beaten," tears in her eyes, "Madam."

Wen Hui gently asked, "Will you do something like this again?"

"No, I won't attempt suicide again." She touched her neck, clearly not wanting to experience the suffocation again.

Wen Hui looked at Mama Qiu, who briefly showed a strange expression before saying, "Madam, rest assured. I've watched her grow up and will take care of her. This won't happen again."

Wen Hui looked at the girl, who whispered, "Please, I don't want to be beaten."

Sighing, Wen Hui said, "Keep the silver. I came here to pray, consider this a good deed. Take care of yourself; there's nothing you can't overcome."

The girl nodded, and she and Mama Qiu left. Wen Hui, no longer in the mood to sightsee, returned to Baifeng Temple.

Mama Ou was still resting, so Wen Hui found a young novice monk.

"Which incense-bearers have come to Baifeng Temple today? Was there a guest surnamed Pei?"

The young monk nodded: "It was Master Pei from the Imperial Academy who arrived at Baifeng Temple. He and several others were fishing by the bamboo grove."

"What does Master Pei look like?"

"If a few people were walking together, he would be the one you notice first in the crowd. Master Pei has a clear and refined appearance, almost godlike in his demeanor."

Wen Hui remembered Pei Jin. After Oma Oma rested, when the two of them descended the mountain and got into the carriage, Wen Hui had seen Pei Jin from a distance.

Pei Jin was holding a scroll with great care, and just as he met Wen Hui's gaze, she thought that the young monk's description was indeed accurate. She then mercilessly lowered the curtain.

Wen Hui recounted the entire incident to the newlywed couple. Finally, she said, "If I hadn't seen the character 'Pei,' I wouldn't have been able to gather this information."

Lin Yingxue asked, "What is the situation in Master Pei's household?"

Fu Jiaze replied, "My teacher's wife was pregnant with twins, a boy and a girl. Because it was difficult to give birth to two at once, she passed away during childbirth. The boy had a weak breath and died shortly after birth, leaving only the baby girl. Her name is Pei Qinghe."

"Yes," Wen Hui said, "I also gathered this information."

Lin Yingxue thought about it. Many people favored boys over girls. When Pei Jin's wife was pregnant with twins, the boy died but the girl survived. Could it be that the Pei family disliked this girl?

Fu Jiaze closed his eyes for a moment, "Mother-in-law, we should inform my teacher directly about this matter."

Wen Hui whispered, "I don't mind being accused of meddling, but I'm afraid that if the little girl is already disliked by her family, my words might lead to her being scolded or worse. What if she can't bear it?"

Wen Hui thought, even if Pei Qinghe's life was hard, at least there was an end to it. If she were to marry, things might improve. But if the scandal reached the outside world, would Master Pei become enraged? Would the little girl's situation worsen?

Fu Jiaze said, "Mother-in-law, if my teacher truly wanted another boy to carry on the lineage, he wouldn't have remained unmarried for so long. I find the nanny rather strange. She abandoned her own lady and suddenly went to seek out the master. Just as the lady was about to commit suicide, the nanny appeared."

Lin Yingxue and Wen Hui both widened their eyes; they hadn't considered this possibility.

Wen Hui looked uneasy. She had only thought about Pei Qinghe and never considered the nanny. The nanny had fierce-looking eyes, which made her memorable. If the nanny had instigated the suicide attempt, she would have shown some signs that day.

Wen Hui felt regretful, "I... I didn't think of that. I should have paid more attention to the nanny."

Fu Jiaze said, "Regardless, we shouldn't delay any longer. I'll go find my teacher now."

/

Fu Jiaze had taken leave today, so his reappearance at the Imperial Academy surprised many.

Mo Xingyi stood up, intending to approach him, but seeing Fu Jiaze hurry towards Master Pei's room, he sat back down.

Fu Jiaze knocked directly on Pei Jin's door.

Pei Jin was writing a memorandum and put down his brush upon hearing Fu Jiaze's arrival. "Jinyuan, why are you here?"

"There's something important I need to discuss with you. Please join me at the teahouse."

Seeing Fu Jiaze's serious expression, Pei Jin frowned. Today, Fu Jiaze had taken leave for his mother's case. Was there a problem?

As Pei Jin and Fu Jiaze left the Imperial Academy looking grave, the other officials began to speculate about what could cause such concern in the usually calm Master Pei.

When Pei Jin entered the private room of the teahouse and saw the two women, he was slightly taken aback. Initially thinking the older woman might be Fu Heng, he realized upon closer inspection that the younger woman resembled her. Given her beauty, he guessed her identity.

"Madam Wen, Lady Lin," he greeted them with a bow.

Wen Hui and Lin Yingxue had also met Master Pei before.

Pei Jin turned to Fu Jiaze, who asked, "At the end of September, did you attend a poetry gathering on the back mountain of Baifeng Temple?"

Pei Jin nodded. He had found Wen Hui familiar, and Fu Jiaze's reminder brought back the memory of a beautiful woman staring at him intently before angrily lowering her curtain.

Pei Jin said, "That day, I was indeed at Baifeng Temple."

He recalled another incident. His friend had joked, "Could this be a debt of love owed by Wenbai (Pei Jin's courtesy name)?"

Pei Jin had a reputation for integrity and was handsome. Since his wife's death, many tried to arrange marriages for him.

Feeling annoyed, he held the scroll tighter and said coolly, "Do not speak nonsense. I do not know that lady."

Recalling the past, Pei Jin furrowed his brow, wondering if it was indeed a debt of love.

His tone was polite yet distant: "We met at the foot of the mountain. Is there something you wish to discuss?"

Wen Hui spoke, "That day on the back mountain, I saw your daughter—Pei Qinghe."

Pei Jin was stunned, thinking for a moment, "Qinghe was staying at our villa outside the city. She did return home early that day, but I didn't know she went to Baifeng Temple."

Wen Hui continued, "When I saw her, she was standing on tiptoe, trying to hang herself with a white silk cord."