Chapter 20: Flights of Fancy

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She was determined to see who wouldn’t let go of whom.
Night had fallen, the wind howled wildly, and a torrential downpour had begun outside.
Inside the ancestral hall, Nan Sheng had not even knelt for three full hours before she was clamoring to rise. However, upon opening the door, she found Sheng Xiayan’s maid standing outside.
“Aunt Nan, where do you intend to go?”
“The wind outside is strong; please come inside.”
She was furious. In the entire Pei residence, even the servants dared to bully her. If it weren’t for Sheng Xiayan’s deliberate schemes to frame her, her life would have been much better now.
“It’s raining, and my health is poor. If I catch a chill, my husband will not spare you,” the maid sneered with biting sarcasm. “I don’t know if your health will be affected, but I do know that if you go to cause trouble in my lady’s courtyard, bullying my young mistress and young master, it won’t be as simple as kneeling in the ancestral hall and copying the family rules as punishment.”
“You’d better come inside and save your strength.”
Nan Sheng was utterly enraged, trembling from head to toe in the cold. She raised her hand high, but before she could strike, the maid suddenly grabbed her fiercely.
“Since Aunt Nan refuses to listen or obey and wants to run away, she will be dragged out into the rain to kneel. Madam said, if she is unwilling to admit her fault and repent, she must kneel for an additional three hours.”
A flash of panic crossed Nan Sheng’s face, but before she could say anything, the maid dragged her into the rain and pressed her down onto her knees.
And the place she knelt before was none other than Sheng Xiayan’s residence.
That one kneeling made Nan Sheng fall ill.
Pei Xia stormed over, pointing at her nose and accusing, “It’s one thing to withhold my monthly allowance, but how can you be so cruel? No matter what, Nan Sheng is your sister. Even if you harbor resentment, you shouldn’t make her kneel after the ancestral hall punishment and then kneel again in the rain.”
“What crime has she committed that’s worthy of death? Why must you risk her life like this?”
Sheng Xiayan found the accusation utterly laughable.
“Cousin?”
“She knows I am her cousin. On my wedding night, she seduced my husband and her own brother-in-law in bed, causing such scandal! Isn’t this a grave offense?”
“If this spreads, she’ll be thrown into the cangue and drowned. I only made her kneel in the ancestral hall as punishment; how is that malicious?”
“If it comes to that, let’s spread the matter outside and let the public judge. Then we’ll see who truly loses face!”
You shameless, yet the Pei family still cares about their reputation.
Having seen the true colors of these two last life, after her rebirth, she no longer had an ounce of affection for Pei Xia.
Pei Xia was always self-interested; if this matter were to spread, he naturally wouldn’t want it.
Last life, he sold her to others as a plaything for his own future; this life, he would take Nan Sheng’s life for the sake of his reputation.
Pei Xia was silenced by her retort, his deep eyes frighteningly cold. “I remember you used to be gentle and refined, but now you’ve become so cruel.”

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“Or maybe you were always like this, just good at pretending in front of your parents and grandmother!”
“Sheng Sheng is right. You’re just good at scheming. If you were a bit smarter, a bit kinder, I wouldn’t be like this...”
“Pei Xia, this is Water Pavilion Residence! Watch your words.”
Sheng Xiayan’s tone was stern, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes sharp and biting.
Her fierce demeanor startled Pei Xia, and he immediately shut his mouth.
Before other elders of the Pei family, she could still put on an act.
But before Pei Xia, there was absolutely no need.
He didn’t deserve it!
Perhaps having seen Sheng Xiayan’s usual gentle and practiced demeanor, her current domineering posture unsettled him, making his words catch in his throat until she left, when he clenched his fists and breathed heavily.
He had always despised the delicate, pretentious women who hid behind their families.
That was why he disliked Sheng Xiayan.
He thought she was weak and fake, only surviving by leaning on her parents’ power.
But Nan Sheng was different. Though her family was not as prestigious as the Peis, she was at least brave and clever.
Every inch of her exuded shrewdness.
Yet she was still bullied by Sheng Xiayan, the daughter of a powerful household.
Nan Sheng could have lived freely and happily outside, but she married him against all odds.
He felt guilty and truly cared for Nan Sheng.
So he had been fighting for her to gain the status of principal wife.
“Brother Xia, you really don’t have to confront the matriarch for me. I don’t mind. As long as I’m with you, I’m happy.”
“It’s alright.”
“Sheng Xiayan lives indoors, and I’m free-spirited. I can never compete with her. It’s better to stay away.”
She feigned grievance and coughed a couple of times, making Pei Xia full of pity.
“Marrying me truly wronged you. Sheng Sheng, rest assured, I will never let you down.”
“I will make Sheng Xiayan regret it. She can waste her life guarding her living dead, but she dares to oppose me.”
“I cannot tolerate her behavior. This is my Pei family, and I won’t allow an outsider to boss us around.”
Nan Sheng lifted her lips slightly. “Brother Xia, I trust you. Meeting you is the greatest fortune of my life.”

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Ever since Pei Yan stopped taking the herbal medicine, his complexion had improved significantly, even his pulse had become much steadier.
He would likely awaken within half a year.
Just as Sheng Xiayan was holding his hand and wiping it gently, Pei Yan stirred.
When Sheng Xiayan looked up, her eyes met Pei Yan’s double-folded, haze-filled eyes.
Beneath his dark eyebrows were a pair of extraordinarily beautiful eyes, with a tear mole beneath the corner. Unlike others, Pei Yan’s tear mole was located near the center beneath the pupil—distinct and vivid.
On Pei Yan’s entire face, only this mole looked somewhat endearing.
He was a general, his sharp features radiating authority.
In Sheng Xiayan’s eyes, he was all the more solemn.
“Mother, father has opened his eyes!”
“Father, father, do you still remember Hui’er?”
“Father, Shu’er misses you so much. While you’ve been away, someone bullied me and brother. If not for the young concubine’s harshness, she would have beaten us to death.”
Two children leaned over the bed, blinking their large eyes at Pei Yan.
Sheng Xiayan gently placed her hand on his pulse.
Last life, Pei Yan never showed any sign of awakening early, not even opening his eyes.
But now, just a few days after Sheng Xiayan married in and stopped the medicine, Pei Yan had awakened.
Though he could not move yet, his mind was clear.
Life was looking increasingly hopeful.
Sheng Xiayan smiled brightly, “Brother Hui, Sister Shu, we’re having a feast today!”
“Mother, are you really a miracle worker?” The girl happily rejoiced for a long time.
“Yes, Mother is a miracle worker. She cured our dear father.”