Chapter 7

Whenever I mentioned the Pei family, I fell silent.

If I said nothing, my brother might always remember them with gratitude. They could easily deceive him.

But if I told him the truth, he… might fly into a rage.

Fortunately, he was much more composed now.

After hearing my account, he very calmly set down a teacup that had acquired only one crack.

Very calmly, he called the steward and told him to have the kitchen prepare some of my favorite dishes for dinner.

Then, equally calmly, he picked up a whip and prepared to go to the Pei residence.

Forcing entry into an official’s home. Assaulting a court minister.

Either was a serious offense that could destroy his future.

He had only just arrived in the capital and won His Majesty’s regard. To be impeached by the censors and lose imperial favor over this would not be worth it.

I blocked the door and explained each point.

Finding me long-winded, he covered his eyes and looked left and right, refusing to meet my gaze.

I planted my hands on my hips.

“Li Yue, are you listening to me?”

His hand dropped, revealing reddened eyes.

I froze.

He asked sadly, “All those years at the Pei house, did you keep talking yourself into enduring it like this?”

“Shenbi, I’m frightened.”

“If I hadn’t been so anxious that I asked the Empress to summon you on my very first day in the palace, who knows what else you might have suffered?”

In the end, he still took his men to the Pei residence and brought all my belongings home in a chest.

I returned Chunxin’s bond of servitude and gave her a generous sum of silver.

If we could not be as we had been, we could at least bring our years together to a good end.

From now on, both of us would be free, with no further obligations to each other.

When my brother visited, Pei Yan was still courteous and called him Cousin.

At court, he was equally friendly, frequently hinting that he wished to cultivate a closer relationship.

My brother could only rain down punches on him in his mind.

I received the Empress’s decree and took up a provisional post at the Ministry of Works, working in the Military Equipment Bureau.

Though the others were unconvinced, I had both the Empress’s decree and Minister Du’s recommendation. There were no major obstacles.

The six ministries frequently dealt with one another, and I sometimes encountered Pei Yan.

He was as modest and handsome as ever, his manner refined—as though the man who had abandoned all propriety that day had never been him.

I didn’t speak to him. I turned away.

Yet I always felt a gaze following me like a shadow, leaving me uneasy.

Then one day, I went to the ministry as usual to report for duty and greet everyone.

The officials acted as if they hadn’t seen me. No one replied.

Vice Minister Ning, who had always disliked me, approached, waving a fan. His eyes were mocking.

“Corrupt morals. Lies to climb higher.”

“Official Li, have you forgotten all the shameful things you’ve done?”

Rumors were everywhere.

Overnight, Pei Yan’s judgment of me at the spring banquet had spread throughout the capital.

Some even embellished it: I had used my brother’s status as a general to persuade the Empress to appoint me by special exception before the examination results were announced.

Worse still, instead of entering the inner palace, I’d entered the Ministry of Works. A woman working alongside men every day—how absurd!

My reputation plunged once more.

Under pressure, Minister Du allowed me a few days’ leave.

I could return once the rumors had subsided.

Furious, my brother took his men into the streets and caught many of the people spreading slander. It did no good.

Quite a few had connections with ministers’ households.

Some faint trails even led toward the Pei family.

Just then, Pei Yan came to our gate.

Chests draped in red silk stretched from one end of the street to the other. All were stopped outside the general’s residence.

In a bamboo-green brocade robe, Pei Yan looked cultured and courteous.

“Cousin, why keep me at such a distance? I’ve come to join our families, not make an enemy.”

“Your sister is caught in these rumors. If she marries me, we can say our affection is mutual, and the rumors will collapse of their own accord.”

“Our families will be closer still. The Pei household will certainly support your official career. Surely that benefits everyone?”

My brother regarded him with perfect composure and said only, “If you don’t want to be carried home today, get out.”

Pei Yan was momentarily speechless.

He had never imagined that my brother would love and protect me so fiercely.