Chapter 2: Punishment. He Was Not in the Wrong Either

“Pei Yunzhou!”

“All the things you did before, I could turn a blind eye and let them be. But look at what you have done now! Do you think the one humiliated today is your principal wife? The one humiliated today is the entire Pei family!”

“How dare you! How dare you leave him alone in the palace, to be bullied and tormented! Kneel here, kneel for a full three hours! No one is to give the fourth young master water or food. If anyone disobeys, they will be sold out of the household immediately!”

Before he could recover from the sharp pain and He Zhiliao’s grief-stricken gaze, Pei Ji’s ears were suddenly struck by a voice he knew exceedingly well, catching him off guard, his mind dazed and unsettled as he looked at everything before his eyes.

Beneath the eaves, a dignified and elegant madam was looking at him with a mix of hatred and disappointment. As she spoke, her slender jade-like hand kept slapping the huanghuali chair, as if wishing she could treat that armrest as his head.

This brocade-robed madam was his mother.

Pei Ji’s mind was in a daze. Every member of the Pei family had long since been imprisoned and beheaded. How could he be seeing his mother again?

Could it be that even in this hell, they must reenact their former lives once more before they could enter the cycle of reincarnation?

This scene, he actually still remembered. Not long after he and the little mute had married, He Zhiliao, as the principal wife of a court official, had been summoned into the palace by the Empress. And he, constrained by his status, naturally had to accompany him. It was just that at the time he had despised the little mute in every way, so naturally he would not care whether he lived or died in the palace.

He had not expected that He Zhiliao would offend the Empress and come back covered in injuries. And because he had failed to look after him properly, he himself had been fiercely reprimanded by his mother.

Reprimanded… it should have been a reprimand. Why had it escalated to punishment? This was somewhat different from when he had been alive.

“Pei Yunzhou!” Qin Yurong continued to roar angrily. “You are so arrogant and defiant with me. Are you dissatisfied with my discipline?”

Pei Ji did not dare to speak for a moment. He feared that if he spoke rashly and stirred up other troubles, even the King of Hell would not let him off.

But the more he pressed his lips together and said nothing, the more the seated Qin Yurong believed he was defying discipline. She immediately walked up to him and forcefully grabbed his ear, twisting it.

“Pei Yunzhou! Do you think that just because you have favor in court now, you can talk back to your own mother?!”

“It hurts! It hurts! Mother, why are you suddenly getting physical!”

As soon as Pei Ji’s ear hurt, he instantly cried out in alarm as he always did. What surprised him even more was that it actually hurt!

He had long since died on the execution ground. Yet now there was truly a sensation of pain. How could this be?

Qin Yurong did not let go. “You still know it hurts? Your principal wife was confined within the palace walls and whipped, while you ignored him and sparred with others on the platform. I only regret I cannot whip you myself, otherwise your principal wife would again beg me in tears! Pei Yunzhou, show some sense of responsibility. Do not make me look down on you!”

No, no!

Pei Ji was somewhat stunned. The pain was so vivid that he naturally would not think he was merely reliving his past life. It seemed that the bizarre matter of rebirth had actually happened to him.

But in his previous life, although his mother had also been angry over this matter, she had never been this furious, let alone given him such a harsh punishment.

Could it be that because of his rebirth, many things had changed differently? If that were truly the case, then if he could make even slight changes earlier, he might be able to reverse the situation from his previous life!

Wait! None of this was important for now!

“How… how is he?”

This was what Pei Ji was most worried about at present.

In his previous life, that little mute had been abandoned by him, not only whipped and interrogated, but afterward he was even afraid at the sight of bamboo. Yet bamboo had countless uses and could not be avoided. He had even deliberately used bamboo to frighten the other, only stopping when he saw the little mute scared to tears.

His heart was vile and bad. The one who was childish had never been the mute who cried when frightened. It was him.

Seeing that he finally knew to ask about He Zhiliao’s condition, Qin Yurong released his ear and sighed softly. “His back has been whipped into swollen welts. Fortunately, the Empress ultimately did not dare to truly strike to kill. She did not harm his vitals. The flesh wounds will heal quickly, but the heart’s affliction will be hard to cure.”

Pei Ji only found it laughable. That Empress seated in the central palace actually had to use this method to slap his eldest sister in the face?

And this was still considered not striking to kill. It could be seen that if she truly became vicious, one could not imagine how insidious and impossible to guard against she would be!

“I want to go see him,” Pei Ji said softly.

“Even if you say that, I will not exempt you from your punishment. Kneel here for a full three hours. If your legs are not ruined, then crawl to his courtyard and beg forgiveness!”

Qin Yurong had always been a woman of her word. Since she dared to issue orders like this, not a single person below dared to defy her command.

Even so, she still left her personal maid to watch him, absolutely not allowing anyone to lend him a hand.

Pei Ji knelt willingly.

He sorted through the events of these days in his previous life. The reason the Empress had made her move was that her external explanation was that the little mute had broken an object in the palace and, moreover, could not give a reasonable explanation. Confining him in the Empress’s hall and subjecting him to private punishment seemed plausible on the surface, but in truth there was no reason or principle to speak of.

It was only because the Empress’s maternal family was immensely powerful and the Crown Prince was now at the height of his power in court that naturally no one dared to question it.

Poor little mute, suffering all this for nothing…

However, matters of the court often affect the whole situation with a single move. Moreover, although the Crown Prince now had considerable prestige and status, His Majesty still had many other heirs. The struggle for the throne had always been cruel. A single misstep could pull one down at any time.

No one could say for certain what the future held.

From when the sun was high overhead to when it sank in the west, Pei Ji’s back did not bend even half an inch. He had to keep his back straight to see the person he wanted to see.

His father and elder brothers passed by his side, only giving him a faint glance, clearly very dissatisfied with what he had done today. They did not even wish to put on a scene of paternal affection and filial piety.

“The time has come. Someone come and help the fourth young master to his courtyard to rest.” Qin Yurong’s maid Feihong called for people right on time and also summoned the household physician who had been standing nearby.

Punishment was punishment, but if he was truly punished into illness, then no one would have an easy time.

Pei Ji struggled to stand, refusing everyone’s offers of support, and was about to drag himself to find He Zhiliao.

Feihong stepped forward to block him, looking at him with some vigilance, and tactfully reminded him, “The young master’s body is unwell. It would be best to seek treatment as soon as possible. The principal wife has also not recovered his health. I fear he cannot take another fright.”

“You are suspecting me?” Pei Ji’s face was pale, but his gaze was exceedingly sharp as it fell on Feihong, making her feel cold all over.

Feihong naturally suspected his intentions. After all, the entire Pei household would not believe that the fourth young master was rushing to see the principal wife out of worry. On ordinary days, he would speak coldly to the principal wife even when there was no cause, let alone now when the fourth young master had just been punished and was naturally full of anger waiting to be vented.

But she was the madam’s personal maid, ordered to watch him here. No matter how angry the fourth young master was, he would not truly deal with her.

Pei Ji clearly understood this point as well. His lips pressed tightly together, his gaze sweeping over the servants around him. Every one of them shared Feihong’s thoughts, believing he was going to cause trouble for the little mute again.

Such a bad impression… the little mute probably did not want to see him at this moment either.

“This servant would not dare suspect the young master. It is only that your body is unwell right now and should be treated as soon as possible. Otherwise, the principal wife will worry when he learns of it.” Feihong remembered the madam’s earlier instructions and brought out the newly arrived principal wife to restrain him.

She did not know whether it would work, but the fourth young master actually silently left.

It seemed the fourth young master truly knew he was in the wrong. Presumably he would not give the principal wife any more looks for several days.

Pei Ji was indeed in the wrong, but more than that, he was afraid. Afraid that if he went over rashly, he would make the little mute even more frightened. Also afraid that he would not be able to control his feelings and would offend him.

In the end, he was most afraid that when the little mute looked at him, there would no longer be that former warmth in his eyes.

“Apply the medicine,” Pei Ji said faintly, lowering his eyes.

On the other side.

He Zhiliao, who had inexplicably suffered a bout of whipping, was lying quietly on the bed. Occasionally tears would slide across the bridge of his nose, and he would turn his head to hide in the pillow, not letting anyone see his wretched state.

Chun Jian fanned gently with reddened eyes, trying to reduce the burning pain at his waist and buttocks. Since the madam’s passing, his young master had never had a peaceful day. Troubles and pain always came knocking.

“Young Master, how about I go beg them again and ask them to give some ice? If ice cannot be used, with only medicinal powder alone, who knows how long it will take for the swelling to subside.” Chun Jian’s heart ached terribly for him.

If one went out and asked around, which proper principal wife could not even get ice from the household?

Yet his young master followed the rules everywhere in the Pei household, wishing he could hide himself away in this small courtyard and never come out to trouble others. And even so, trouble still always came knocking.

He Zhiliao gently shook his head. His hand pressed against the bed awkwardly formed a few gestures.

Chun Jian understood the hand signals and could not help feeling somewhat discouraged. “The Pei household is so grand. It should not be so stingy as to refuse even a bit of ice for the principal wife. The physician did not say it could be used, but they do not even have this little bit of consideration. I am just heartbroken for you…”

He had followed his young master since childhood. How could his heart not ache at his situation?

“Moreover, you did not even want to marry in back then…”

“Ah.” He Zhiliao quickly made a sound to stop him from continuing, not even caring about his tears anymore.

Chun Jian sighed softly. “This servant knows he was wrong.”

His young master was foolish, silently liking that unruly young general, never even having entertained the thought of marrying him.

Hearing him say this, He Zhiliao made a gesture at him, and Chun Jian immediately smiled.

“Then you sleep a while longer. The madam said we can use the small kitchen for meals these days. This servant will go to the small kitchen and make something you like.” Chun Jian spoke softly.

The Pei household was so large one could not see its edges at a glance. He had followed his young master to the Pei family for nearly half a month now. Usually they always went to the front hall for meals, feeling out of place everywhere. Now they had finally gotten to eat separately, but only because his young master was ill.

Ai.

Although their situation in the Pei household was awkward, in the end it was still much better than before in the He household. At least their young master was not going hungry.

Zhiya—

Before Chun Jian could even get up to leave, the door outside was pushed open. Although only the two of them and a few maids who cleaned and served were here, those maids would not dare push the door open and enter directly.

“Greetings, Fourth Master.” Before Chun Jian could even react, he had already bowed low first.

Hearing this form of address, He Zhiliao instantly propped up his upper body and turned to look. His frightened and uneasy appearance directly crashed into Pei Ji’s eyes.

The slender young master was like a fish flipping upright, propping up his delicate upper body, his face flushed red.

It was just that the tear stains on his face had not yet dried. His exquisite brows and eyes and straight nose were all tinged red. His moist, bright eyes held too many emotions, making Pei Ji’s heart ache with pain and fear.

When He Zhiliao came to his senses, he wanted Chun Jian to help him get up. But just as his hand was raised, Pei Ji grabbed it.

“Do not get up. I only came to see you.” Pei Ji did not dare look into his eyes. Fortunately, the other also lowered his eyes and no longer looked at him. He continued, “Today was all my fault. I should not have left you there, causing you to suffer this. Would you be willing to give me a chance to make up for my fault?”

He still did not dare say more direct words. He only dared to advance cautiously, inch by inch, intending to invade the other’s heart like boiling a frog in warm water.

He Zhiliao’s eyes were wet.

Truly speaking, what fault did Pei Ji have?

He had never liked him to begin with, yet under pressure from all sides he had been forced to marry him into the household, causing him to be mocked by many noble young masters. It was not surprising that he would leave him behind in the palace.

But, but he was not in the wrong either!

Sitting there perfectly fine, he had been accused of damaging an object in the palace. For no reason at all, he had been whipped. He had longed with all his heart for his husband to save him from fire and water, only to be told that the other had long since abandoned him and left.

Was he some terribly bad person? Why was he always bullied like this…

And now he had come to bully him again. What make up for faults, what compensation… he did not care for it at all…

Author’s note:

[Begging you