At the fifth watch, between the crowing of the rooster and the break of dawn, the world outside the window was dim and dusky.
Pei You'an hovered between sleep and wakefulness.
Since reaching adulthood, he had never slept so soundly. Though the sleep had begun with fragments of unpleasant dreams, once those fragments were dispelled, the slumber had been long, deep, and—warm… soft…
He tightened his arms slightly, and in his half-awake state, the softness filling his palm suddenly struck him as unusual. His brows furrowed slightly as his clouded consciousness, as if drifting through mist, gradually sharpened into clarity.
His eyelids twitched, and he abruptly opened his eyes, fully awake. In the faint light of dawn, he saw his cousin, Jiafu, lying in the same bed, under the same quilt, curled up in his embrace. One of her arms was wrapped around his waist, making her seem small and delicate. Only a head of dark hair spilling over his shoulder and half of her face peeked out from beneath the quilt. She was still asleep, her cheeks flushed, motionless. And he—he was holding her too, one arm draped around her slender waist, his palm pressed against bare skin. It seemed as though they had slept like this for a long time.
Pei You'an was stunned. At first, he thought he was still trapped in a dream. But when reality finally dawned on him, he recoiled as if pricked by a needle, yanking his hand back and sitting up abruptly. Instinctively, he glanced down at himself.
Though he was still wearing his underwear, it was crumpled and disheveled. Worse still, his lower abdomen bore an unmistakable sign of arousal, throbbing faintly with lingering discomfort…
Pei You'an’s mind exploded. He swiftly threw off the quilt, leaped from the bed, and snatched up the outer robe she had removed and hung up the night before. As he hastily pulled it on, a voice came from behind him:
"Eldest Cousin…"
Pei You'an’s hands stilled. Slowly, he turned his head and saw that she had been awakened by his movements. She sat up, clutching the quilt to her chest with one hand while rubbing her eyes with the other. Her gaze was half-lidded, her face radiant like morning blossoms, her voice soft and drowsy with sleep.
She seemed to be completely unclothed beneath the quilt. Though she had pressed the covers to her chest, her smooth, fragrant shoulders and fair arms were still exposed. Even in the dim morning light, her snow-white skin glowed irresistibly, a vision of languid beauty that dazzled the eyes and stirred the heart. Pei You'an’s chest tightened, his eyes reddening. He shut them briefly, then turned sharply away—only to hear her speak again:
"Eldest Cousin, I am yours now. Though we did not… consummate last night, this body of mine can no longer belong to another."
She must have been fully awake by now. Though her voice was gentle, her words were deliberate and unmistakably clear.
The air seemed to freeze.
After a long silence, Pei You'an’s shoulders moved slightly as he slowly fastened his robe.
"Put on your clothes," he said, his voice hoarse.
Behind him came the faint rustling of fabric as she dressed. Moments later, she said, "I’m done."
Pei You'an did not turn around immediately. He remained standing where he was. After a long pause, he suddenly asked, "You had returned to your room last night. How did you end up in my bed?"
Silence answered him.
Pei You'an slowly turned around, his gaze settling on Jiafu.
The dawn light grew brighter. She had wrapped herself in her robe, her dark hair cascading over her shoulders. At first, she remained motionless, but then she lifted her face to meet Pei You'an’s piercing stare.
"I came back on my own," she said softly.
"Who taught a young girl like you to resort to such underhanded methods?" His voice was tense, his gaze dark and heavy."It was my own idea..." Jiafu's lashes trembled slightly as she lowered her head.
The air grew tense once more.
Jiafu's heart pounded faster and faster, tiny beads of sweat slowly forming at the tip of her nose.
She hated her own weakness. She had already prepared her story—that she'd heard him call out for water in his drunken state last night, came to attend to him, and he'd pulled her into bed while half-conscious, leaving her unable to resist.
If she stuck firmly to this account, even if he didn't believe her, he wouldn't be able to clear himself completely.
She'd had the audacity to climb into his bed, yet now that he was questioning her, she found herself unwilling to use this despicable excuse. Even if telling the truth meant his disdain or disgust, because the lie itself made her sick to her stomach.
How could he possibly be that kind of man?
All she wanted was to stay by his side. Her intuition told her that if he let her stay, he would protect her. As for anything else, she didn't care.
She steeled herself, suppressing the fear and sorrow welling up inside, mustering all her courage to meet his gaze again.
"Cousin, we've already shared a bed for one night. If you still refuse me, and if I somehow manage to escape the Heir Apparent and survive, I'll shave my head and become a nun for the rest of my life!"
After speaking, she held her breath, staring at him unblinkingly.
Pei You'an returned her gaze expressionlessly for a long moment before suddenly saying, "Go back to your room. Don't take a single step outside without my permission."
"Cousin..." Jiafu pleaded.
"Go back to your room."
He repeated the command, turning his back to her.
Jiafu felt the blood in her veins turn cold. She sat frozen for a moment before silently slipping out of bed and walking past him with her head bowed.
The threshold wasn't high—less than half a foot—yet her legs felt like they were filled with lead as she crossed it, dragging herself step by step back to her room. Once inside, she collapsed onto her pillow, tears slowly spilling out.
She had a feeling her final gamble had failed.
Last night, she'd summoned all her courage to return to his room, undress, and slip into his arms. But in her hesitation, she hadn't managed to do anything before somehow falling asleep until his movements upon waking startled her awake.
Was there anyone in the world as foolish as her?
Jiafu's tears flowed harder, but afraid of being heard, she muffled her sobs into her pillow. After crying for a while, she remembered they were supposed to depart today and forced herself to stop, not wanting swollen eyes to draw attention. At noon, a guard knocked on her door, saying Lord Pei had sent for her—she could come out now to prepare for departure.
Not daring to delay, Jiafu gathered her things and followed the guard out of the chieftain's residence with her head down. At the entrance, she spotted Pei You'an in the distance bidding farewell to the chieftain, surrounded by many people.
Her head drooped even lower as she hurried toward the carriage waiting for her at the rear. Just as she reached it, a voice suddenly called from behind: "Cousin Zhen!"Jiafu recognized An Cangzhu's voice but pretended not to hear it, quickening her steps. However, An Cangzhu swiftly caught up and stood firmly in front of her, blocking her path. "Cousin Zhen, when are you returning to Quanzhou? Once I have some free time, I’d like to visit Quanzhou myself..."
He suddenly leaned closer with a puzzled expression. "Cousin Zhen, what’s wrong? Your eyes are swollen—have you been crying?"
Jiafu felt both ashamed and frustrated. She shook her head. "I’m fine. I need to go now..." She sidestepped An Cangzhu and hurried toward the carriage.
"Was it my sister causing trouble again? Tell me—"
An Cangzhu pursued her, but suddenly, Yang Yun appeared, taking the bundle from Jiafu’s hands and positioning himself between her and An Cangzhu. With a smile, he said, "Miss Zhen is perfectly well. Young Master An, there’s no need to see her off further."
Jiafu climbed into the carriage and shut the door. Moments later, the carriage swayed into motion and finally set off.
That evening, Jiafu realized something.
They weren’t heading back to Wuding Prefecture, where they had started, but eastward—straight to Quanzhou.
Her escorts were Yang Yun and his men. Pei You’an never appeared again.
She had exhausted every possible method she could think of, yet she still failed to stay by his side, let alone make him marry her.
Though she had mentally prepared herself when she stepped over that threshold that morning, the reality of it now plunged her into overwhelming sorrow, regret, and shame.
Strangely, at this moment, what she should have been most concerned about was losing Pei You’an’s protection—the very thing she had desperately tried to secure. If Xiao Yintang came for her again, what would she do? Yet, as they traveled east, she found herself scarcely dwelling on it.
If the worst came to pass and she fell back into Xiao Yintang’s hands, death would be the ultimate outcome. Strangely, the thought no longer terrified her as much. Instead, her mind kept circling back to what she had done that day, sinking her into melancholy she couldn’t shake off. Thus, she returned to her home in Quanzhou.
Madam Meng, overjoyed to have her daughter back, embraced Jiafu, laughing and crying. Her brother, Zhen Yaoting, was ecstatic, and even Old Mrs. Hu wore a rare smile. After the reunion, the family held a feast to celebrate Jiafu’s return, their joy immeasurable.
Only a few months had passed since Jiafu was abducted, yet to her, it felt like a lifetime—everything familiar now tinged with strangeness, as if she had awakened from a long, bewildering dream.
Half a month later, Old Mrs. Hu summoned her granddaughter privately, dismissing the servants. "The man named Yang who escorted you home told me you were kidnapped by traffickers and taken to Yunnan. Fortunately, his master rescued you on the road, and now he’s returned you to us under his master’s orders. This is indeed a blessing, and if I ever meet this benefactor, I shall repay him generously. But A’fu, tell me truthfully—are you still pure?"On the day of the Mazu Festival, after Jiafu disappeared, Old Mrs. Hu sent people to search everywhere while keeping tight-lipped about the matter, telling outsiders only that her granddaughter had gone to visit distant relatives. The reason for this secrecy was that at the time, the Old Madam was once again arranging a marriage for her granddaughter. A local official’s family had a son born of a concubine who was interested in forming an alliance with the Zhen family. Fearing that news of Jiafu’s disappearance might tarnish her reputation, the Old Madam didn’t breathe a word about it. Later, when there was still no news of Jiafu and anxiety had reached its peak, joy suddenly descended from the heavens—someone brought word of Jiafu’s whereabouts, and only then did the Old Madam breathe a sigh of relief. Now that her granddaughter had finally returned, the Old Madam once again turned her thoughts to marriage. After questioning Jiafu, she fixed her with a tense gaze.
Jiafu remained silent, and Old Mrs. Hu understood. Her expression darkened, disappointment flashing in her eyes. After a long pause, she let out a deep sigh. “Never mind. You’ve had a hard time. It’s enough that you’re back. You may go.”
Jiafu kowtowed to the Old Madam and said, “Grandmother, I know you’ve always wanted to use my marriage to secure advantages for our family. It was the same with the previous engagement to the Duke’s household, and it’s the same now. Since I’ve lost my purity, what respectable family would be willing to marry me? Even if we conceal it before the wedding, the truth will eventually come out. If it’s discovered, not only will it fail to help our Zhen family, but it will bring shame and possibly even enmity. I beg you, Grandmother, not to arrange any more marriages for me. I have no intention of marrying, so please don’t force me.”
This was the first time in her life she had spoken to Old Mrs. Hu in such a manner. The Old Madam was both shocked and displeased. She stared at Jiafu, frowning. “Is this any way to speak to your grandmother? While it’s true that the marriages I’ve considered for you would benefit our Zhen family, they are all with good families. You are my granddaughter—do you think I would marry you off carelessly? Even if you’ve lost your purity, there are ways to conceal it after marriage. Why must you be so disheartened? If a girl doesn’t marry, will she stay at home until she grows old and dies? What kind of reasoning is that?”
Tears welled in Jiafu’s eyes. “Forgive this unfilial granddaughter. If you arrange another marriage for me, I will cut off my hair and become a nun!”
Old Mrs. Hu was furious and was about to reprimand her when hurried footsteps sounded outside the door. A servant called out, “Old Madam, the mistress sent me to inform you—an esteemed guest has arrived at our house!”
Suppressing her anger, the Old Madam turned and asked, “Which family’s esteemed guest?”
The servant replied, “They say it’s the eldest son of the Pei family, the Duke’s household from the capital!”
The Old Madam froze, hesitating for a moment before rising from her seat. “What is he doing here? Quickly, show him in.” With that, she left Jiafu behind and hurried out.
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