The moment Pei Yan left, Nanny Liu brought people to clean the study.
Now that he lived in his own residence, he had already taken all his important belongings. His courtyard in the General Mansion had effectively become guest quarters.
Pei Yan didn't care how they managed it.
The Mei family wasn't short on space, but aside from Pei Yan, no one else had ever been allowed to stay there.
Nanny Liu also brought some medicinal soup for Mei Wanying.
Upon hearing that she had already taken her medicine and was resting, Nanny Liu took the tonic back to Mrs. Mei's courtyard.
Inside, the candlelight was dim, and all the attending servants had been dismissed.
Nanny Liu whispered, "Madam, are you truly not going to let *him* know?"
Mrs. Mei fell silent, her expression grave and conflicted. She didn't speak for a long time.
A thought seemed to strike her, and she broke into a violent fit of coughing.
Nanny Liu quickly rubbed her back to soothe her. Once the coughing subsided, she immediately handed her a cup of warm water.
She said worriedly, "Madam, you must take care of yourself. Our young lady only has you left. You have to live to see her get married, have children, and live a happy life!"
'Even with the Madam still alive, the Mei relatives were already plotting to prey on a family with no male heir.'
'Some of the more audacious ones even wanted to send their sons to the General Mansion to be adopted under the Madam's name, to inherit the family fortune and uphold its prestige.'
'Thankfully, the Madam dotes on Ying and isn't obsessed with having a male heir to continue the family line, so she didn't let those people walk all over her daughter.'
'And then there's the powerful Crown Prince, eyeing their young lady like a tiger stalking its prey, determined to have her.'
'With threats from within and without, if no one protected her, the young lady would be eaten alive by them!'
Mrs. Mei's expression was sorrowful. "It's an old ailment from my youth. I don't know how much longer I have to live. If I can't see Ah Yin settled, I won't be able to rest in peace."
Mrs. Mei had never been in good health. After her husband's death, she was overcome with grief and burdened by endless worries, causing her health to deteriorate even further.
Fortunately, the General Mansion was wealthy enough to afford the best medicine.
Otherwise, her body would have given out long ago.
"Don't dwell on such morbid things. If you can just relax, I'm sure you'll live to be a hundred," Nanny Liu said, trying to comfort her.
After thinking it over, Nanny Liu also came to the conclusion that Pei Yan was the best possible match for their young lady.
Pei Yan might feel that the Mei family was holding a debt of gratitude over his head, but no matter how furious he became, he would still treat Ying well.
Despite his cold exterior, he actually held the Mei family in high regard.
Otherwise, why would he have remained entangled with Ying for all these years?
Ying was the only young woman in Pei Yan's life. In time, he would come to see how wonderful she was.
Mrs. Mei stared at the flickering candle flame. "Ah Yin would rather die than marry him. I can't just force her to her death."
Nanny Liu said, "The Empress is already in the process of choosing a wife for him! If we keep hesitating, once his betrothed is chosen, Ying will be the one who truly suffers!"
'A woman's virtue is paramount!'
'Even if Ying doesn't marry Pei Yan, she will have to marry someone else.'
'When the time comes, if someone finds out...'
'How could Ying possibly go on living?'
'We have to make him learn the truth before a wife is chosen for him, and have him petition the Emperor and Empress for an imperial edict of marriage!'
'Just like that, all our problems would be solved!'
But Mrs. Mei couldn't bring herself to do it.
The image of her daughter holding a hairpin to her throat was still vivid in her mind.
Her heart pounded. "You know how much Ah Yin adores Pei Yan. For her to be so abnormal today, willing to die rather than marry him... did something happen that we don't know about?"
Nanny Liu pondered for a moment. "Ying is kind-hearted. She's unwilling to force his hand."
"Is that really it?"
"It must be!"
Mrs. Mei let out a breath, her eyes filled with resolve. "You're right. Pei Yan must be told. We just have to keep it from Ah Yin, so she doesn't do anything rash."
'If she doesn't marry Pei Yan, what will become of Ah Yin for the rest of her life?'
'As long as I'm alive, I can still protect Ah Yin for a while.'
'But what about when I'm gone?'
'I have to find a strong backer for my daughter. Only then can I go see the General in peace.'
'Other than Pei Yan, there's no other suitable candidate.'
'I'm only doing this for my daughter's own good!'
...
After leaving the Mei Mansion, Pei Yan went directly to the military barracks.
He had been very busy lately. Soon, he would have to make a trip to the border, with no fixed date for his return.
It could be for a few months, or it could be for several years.
If it hadn't been the anniversary of General Mei's death, he wouldn't have come to the Mei Mansion today, and certainly wouldn't have seen Mei Wanying.
As night fell, the man strolled along a deserted street, his dark robes melting into the darkness.
A gust of wind cleared his head.
Thinking back on what had just happened, a flicker of self-mockery crossed Pei Yan's eyes.
'Why did I even bother going to see Mei Wanying?'
'Anyone who didn't know would have thought I actually cared that much about her!'
'The only reason I've put up with Mei Wanying's pestering all this time is out of respect for General Mei.'
'I am not Mei Wanying's child husband.'
'And I never had any intention of becoming the Mei family's son-in-law!'
'Even if my birth parents had never found me, that wouldn't have changed.'
'At most... at most, I would have doted on Mei Wanying as a little sister.'
'If she were to push her luck, I would wash my hands of her completely.'
'Whether she was forcibly married by the Crown Prince or targeted by someone else, I wouldn't get involved.'
'Fortunately, Mei Wanying has been obedient enough not to do anything she shouldn't.'
So Pei Yan thought.
The tension in his heart eased.
Mei Wanying came of age three years ago. She was still just a young woman who had lost her father and mourned for three years. She had already suffered enough.
He was five years her senior. He could indulge her just this once.
That way, he could avoid having Mei Wanying call him petty behind his back again.
'It's not like he didn't know. Mei Wanying and that maid of hers had bad-mouthed him plenty of times!'
Upon reaching the military barracks, Pei Yan pushed all thoughts of Mei Wanying from his mind.
He ordered his men to keep an eye on the Crown Prince. If the Crown Prince dared to make a move on Mei Wanying, Pei Yan would stop him at any cost.
The military barracks were heavily guarded, making it impossible for Mrs. Mei to see Pei Yan.
She didn't trust sending a messenger, fearing that the letter might be opened in private.
For now, all she could do was bury the matter deep in her heart.
She told Nanny Liu, "Send someone to keep watch at the city gates. The moment Pei Yan returns to the Capital City, have him brought to the mansion at once."
Nanny Liu suggested, "Why don't we just send a message to the barracks and ask His Highness to make a trip back?"
In the past, Mrs. Mei could have done just that.
But Pei Yan's status was different now.
He was a Prince!
If they were to summon and dismiss Pei Yan at will, the Empress in the palace would surely hear of it and be displeased.
The Empress treasured Pei Yan, the son she had found after so much difficulty, like the apple of her eye.
If the Empress took a disliking to them and goaded the Emperor into granting the Crown Prince's request to make Ah Yin his Concubine, how would Ah Yin possibly survive?
The Crown Prince was reckless and cruel. The Eastern Palace was filled with countless beauties, and who knew how many of them had already died within its walls.
For any woman who wasn't ruthless enough, death was the only escape!
Ah Yin was no match for them.
Mrs. Mei pressed her temples. "We must be patient. We'll discuss it when he returns to the city. We must avoid creating unnecessary complications."
Nanny Liu fell silent, not daring to offer any more suggestions.
But she was still deeply worried.
'What if they had miscalculated? What if Pei Yan refused to marry Ying no matter what, and was unwilling to take responsibility? Wouldn't all their efforts have been for nothing, like trying to draw water with a bamboo basket?'
The thought was so horrifying that Nanny Liu quickly pressed a hand to her heart.
'Ying is beautiful and charming, an ethereal, peerless beauty. Looking across the entire Capital City, who could possibly outshine her?'
'That Pei Yan has been blind for so many years; it's high time he finally opened his eyes!'
Nanny Liu prayed to all the gods and buddhas in her heart, hoping their young lady would have a happy ending.
'She loves Pei Yan so much. She deserves to be his one and only wife!'