Chapter 66
Chapter 66 The So-called Respect!
“Are you sure Lady Liu is inside?” Lord Jing, Pei Yusheng, asked his servant, looking at the Buddha hall in front.
“Yes, Your Royal Highness. I saw Lady Liu enter this place, saying that she will stay here and pray for her father the whole night,” the young eunuch said hurriedly.
“Let’s go in,” Pei Yusheng nodded.
It was not his fault to see her at such a late time. He had been to the Level-One Guardian General’s Mansion several times before, trying to visit her but got rejected every time. She always said that she didn’t feel well and did not want to meet people because of her eye problem.
Hearing that she had come to the Dabei Temple, Pei Yusheng immediately headed here to meet her.
However, he didn’t know Lord Yun was in the temple too until he was called over by him. Fortunately, Lady Liu was going to stay in the Buddha hall and pray for her father the whole night, which would be a good chance for him to create an encounter. Otherwise, he would probably be rejected again if he went to her yard this late.
“Sir, please don’t go any further. A lady has booked the whole Buddha hall tonight,” a young monk stopped Lord Jing.
“This is Lord Jing. Watch your manner,” Lord Jing’s servant, the young eunuch, stepped forward and scolded the monk.
Hearing his words, the monk looked frightened and left immediately.
Pei Yusheng stepped into the hall. It was quiet inside, with two young monks sitting on both sides and chanting the sutras. A slender female figure was kneeling on a cattail hassock in the middle, with a maid kneeling one step behind her.
Pei Yusheng walked closer and bowed to the Buddha statue in the center. Then he took three incense sticks from the clever eunuch, made obeisance again, and inserted them in the burner.
Finally, he turned back and looked at the woman who raised her eyes in shock due to his arrival. Although her face was covered by the veiled hat, Pei Yusheng still recognized Lady Liu, the Guardian General’s daughter.
He stepped forward, cupped his hands in front of his chest, and gently bowed to her.
Qu Moying had to stand up with Chun Xiu’s help, walked aside to leave the center space to him, and dropped a curtsy.
“Lady Liu, are you praying for your father?” Pei Yusheng asked.
Qu Moying nodded at him and turned her head to gaze at the Buddha statue. “My father is risking his life every day on the battlefield. I’m praying for him, wishing the Buddha can bless him with… good luck and peace!”
Her voice became a bit hoarse as she thought about her own father, who was also a general fighting bravely for the country but ended his life miserably. She had to revenge for her father so that he could rest in peace.
“You are truly a thoughtful daughter, Lady Liu. Don’t worry. Nothing bad will happen to the Guardian General,” Pei Yusheng comforted her in a soft voice.
Qu Moying fell into silence for a while and then let out a deep sigh, “Thank you, Your Royal Highness.”
“There’s no need to thank me for the pretty words. The Guardian General deserves it. He has fought for our motherland and guarded the border well. His reputation is built through his own hard work. Lady Liu, you should be very proud of your father.”
Pei Yusheng changed his tone from reassuring to respectful, “A real man will not be afraid of death and should drop his pen and pick up a sword to fight for his people. If I weren’t a lord, I would fight at the frontline too. Compared to those great warriors, I’m still too weak.”
“That’s very modest of you, Your Royal Highness. You have been already doing your best,” Qu Moying said politely.
“Not even close to the Guardian General. I’ve always held much respect for the Guardian General but couldn’t have a chance to meet him in person. When I heard about your arrival, I was thrilled. I couldn’t wait to see you and listen to your stories about your brave father.”
Pei Yusheng’s words became more and more humble. He looked at Qu Moying smilingly, with a trace of excitement on his face.
As if he whole-heartedly felt this way!
Qu Moying curled her lips into a sarcastic smile behind the veil. She had heard similar things from the Crown Prince, Pei Luo’an, more than once, but misfortune was the only thing she got from those pretty words. Her father was murdered cruelly, so did her other family. Those royal members were truly heartless people! They pampered you when they needed you. However, when you lost your value, they would get rid of you within one blink.
Qu Moying thought those familiar words would arouse her anger, but surprisingly, her mind was as calm as a lake.
“On behalf of my father, I appreciate your compliment.” Qu Moying curtsied to him again.
Pei Yusheng seemed so thrilled that he forgot the etiquette and reached out his hand to help her up. “Don’t even mention it, Lady Liu. The Guardian General is one of the people I respect the most. It’s a pity that I can’t go to the border, and the Guardian General doesn’t come back to the capital. We have no choice but to miss the chance to meet each other.”
Qu Moying stepped back and avoided Pei Yusheng’s hand. “Thank you, Your Royal Highness. Father said he will come back here.”
“When?” Pei Yusheng asked hurriedly as his eyes lit up. His hand was still hanging in the air, but the news made him totally forget the embarrassment.
“I have no idea. Father only said he will come back but didn’t tell me when.” Qu Moying shook her head.
“That’s wonderful news to hear!” Pei Yusheng looked overjoyed. “Lady Liu, when you know the exact time of the Guardian General’s returning, could you inform me first? I want to welcome him in person at the resting station five kilometers away from the city.”
“No problem, Your Royal Highness.” Qu Moying took one step away from Pei Yusheng, who walked a bit closer again. If Pei Yusheng really admired brave generals, shouldn’t he respect Lord Yun or Ji Hanyue’s father the most? Thinking about this, she couldn’t hold back the feeling of sarcasm deep inside.
However, when Lord Jing visited her family in her past life, he never had any excitement he showed right now. How dare he claim that he admired those gallant generals?
The Guardian General was a level-one general, same as her father. Their rank was totally the same. The only difference was that Ji Hanyue, the Suppressor General’s daughter, had already engaged with the Crown Prince. Their family had no value to Pei Yusheng at all, so he didn’t even bother to go through the formality.
“Lady Liu…”
“My lady, it’s time to offer the incense!” Chun Xiu spoke in a low voice at the same time as Pei Yusheng.
The sound made Pei Yusheng notice this maid. At first sight, he was even amazed by her beauty. It was hard to believe that a beautiful girl like her was just a maid. Then his eyes fell on the girl wearing the veiled hat as he thought of the report he received from the border – Lady Liu had a peerless appearance. That might be why she dared to use such a pretty girl as her maid.
This maid was gorgeous enough to make many noble ladies in the capital feel shameful.
This detail made Pei Yusheng believe more in the report he received. Lady Liu must be a stunning woman, and what happened to her eyes was unfortunate. Luckily, she didn’t seem totally blind, which meant her eye problem was still curable. As Pei Yusheng saw her taking the incense from her maid’s hand with no hesitation, he secretly took a breath of relief.
He could accept a wife with an eye problem but definitely not a blind one.
Moreover, even if he could accept it, his father, the emperor, and his mother couldn’t, regardless of her identity as the Guardian General’s daughter.
Pei Yusheng contemplated his future secretly. The situation seemed very beneficial for him. If he married Lady Liu as his first wife, who was not perfectly qualified due to her eye problem, the Guardian General wouldn’t have any reason to require him not to take another wife within a period of time. Then after their wedding, he could soon marry another woman as his second wife.
Thinking about this, he took another glance at Chun Xiu, Lady Liu’s maid. He used to be pretty satisfied with Qu Qiuyan’s appearance, planning to marry her. So, he didn’t care if people saw him and Qu Qiuyan standing together that day in the Qu’s Mansion. However, his mind kind of changed now. If his first wife’s maid was as beautiful as his second wife, it didn’t make sense to him!
Qu Qiuyan was considered one of the prettiest noble ladies in the capital. Pei Yusheng couldn’t find a better choice than her before, who had a good appearance, decent family background, and showed him interest and loyalty. That was why he was willing to treat Qu Qiuyan kindly and please her with some little gifts from time to time.
But right now, another good choice showed up in front of him – Lady Liu’s maid. He didn’t mind marrying her as his second wife or concubine.
Within a few minutes, Pei Yusheng had already painted a great blueprint of his life inwardly. Showing a more amiable smile on his face, he opened his mouth and wanted to say something while Ji Hai rushed inside. Ji Hai saw him and hurriedly walked closer, “Your Royal Highness, I’ve been looking for you.”
“What’s the matter?” asked Pei Yusheng.
“The lord has something to discuss with you,” Ji Hai said anxiously while wiping off the sweat on his forehead.
“Right now?” Pei Yusheng glanced at the dim light in the hall and asked.
“Yes, Your Royal Highness, right now. I heard it’s about the border…” Ji Hai whispered to him.
“Let’s go!” Hearing Ji Hai’s words, Pei Yusheng hurriedly turned around. There was no time for him to spend on Lady Liu anymore. The border was a territory that all the emperor’s sons couldn’t reach, even including the Crown Prince. If he could get first-hand information about the borderlands from Pei Yuanjun, he could make a move ahead of Pei Luo’an to please his father.
As for women, he was not in a hurry.
After Pei Yusheng walked out, Qu Moying offered another three incense sticks to the Buddha statue and then left with Chun Xiu. Pei Yusheng couldn’t possibly come back again tonight.
She and Chun Xiu left from the side door of the Buddha hall. After a few turns, they stopped at a crossing and saw Yu Dong. He noticed the two and hurriedly walked up. Chun Xiu bowed to Qu Moying and left, and now it was Yu Dong’s turn to lead the way for Qu Moying.
In the darkness, they finally returned to their own yard.
Back in her room, Qu Moying put down her hair, got washed and changed, and then got on the bed. Maybe because too many things had happened today, she couldn’t fall asleep. While her two maids slept in the outer room, she left a candle on, leaned on her bed, and read a book of sutras.
She brought this book back from the Buddha hall just now.
The text was obscure, hard to understand. Fortunately, Qu Moying had read some in her past life and had grown some patience for it. Moreover, her rebirth made her believe in something she never believed before. The esoteric sutras surprisingly touched her heart this time.
After a while, she finally started to feel sleepy. When she was about to put down the book, she suddenly noticed a male figure in a dark purple robe at the corner of her room. She almost jumped from her bed and dropped the book on the ground. Then her eyes became wide open as she saw the iris pattern on his belt.
She clenched the book in her hand to calm herself down and asked in a low voice, “What brings you here so late, my lord? Is it an emergency?”
She slowly raised her eyes and gazed at Lord Yun’s face, who was exuding an aura of anger instead of elegance…
