This night is destined to be a sleepless night.

Deciding to go to Xichuan was a difficult and painful decision for me. Li'er and the red shadow on the painting were all entangled in my mind, as if they were thousands of times.

A voice kept calling me, and even if I closed my eyes and fell into darkness, I could not find peace.

However, there was a voice that sounded particularly firm in my ears, as if it was driving away the ghosts that made me uneasy.

It’s Pei Yuanxiu’s heartbeat.

He has been holding me since I fell asleep, keeping me in his arms, close to his solid chest, listening to his powerful heartbeat, which somewhat allowed me to regain some real power, and when I

I opened my eyes, and in the darkness, I still found his bright eyes, looking down at me.

After looking at each other for a moment, he kissed me gently on the forehead.

Then he said softly: "I'm here. You can sleep peacefully."

He now, and the one who pressed me hard and demanded on the boat last night, seem to be two people. I can't distinguish them clearly, and I don't have the strength to distinguish them. I can only slowly close my eyes in his warm breath.

.

A night without words.

The next morning, I opened my eyes listening to the chirping of birds outside, and saw bamboo leaves swaying on the window.

But everything around me is already empty.

There was still a little warmth on the bed, so I slowly sat up. As soon as I put on my clothes, Susu came in with a few maids to serve me.

After a simple wash, I sat in front of the bronze mirror and asked them to comb my hair, and asked, "Where is the young master?"

The maid next to her hurriedly said: "As for Madam, the young master went out early in the morning. He asked us not to wake Madam and let her rest for a while."

I nodded and said nothing, then saw my appearance reflected in the bronze mirror. It was still a little pale and haggard, but after making up my mind to go to Xichuan, I managed to gain some energy. But Su Su, who was standing behind me,

Seems a little lost.

I said softly: "Susu?"

She was stunned for a moment, then came back to her senses immediately, and looked at me in the bronze mirror: "Miss."

"What's wrong with you? Are you so listless?"

"Miss, I -" She lowered her head and said softly: "I'm sorry, Miss. I didn't do anything well this time when Miss Li disappeared."

"It's not your fault. There are so many people in the mansion and the guards are so tight. I can't blame you."

"But - I am not someone else."

Seeing her sad look, I turned around and patted her hand, but comforted her and said: "Don't blame yourself. Who can make mistakes without being a sage?"

After hearing my comforting her, Susu felt a little more at ease and asked again: "Miss, do you really want to go back to Xichuan?"

I nodded: "Yeah."

This time, she didn't speak and only gently combed my long hair. I saw her twinkling eyes and said, "If you don't want to go back, you don't have to follow me."

She was stunned for a moment, but immediately shook her head: "No, I want to go! I want to take care of the eldest lady."

"Then you're not afraid?"

"Not afraid."

I didn't say anything, but Susu was combing my long hair while thinking about something. After a while, she murmured: "Miss, when grandpa brought me here,

I asked grandpa if he could invite you back, and grandpa said he wouldn’t. But he also said that the eldest lady would eventually go back to Xichuan, and there was no need for him to invite you. It turns out that what grandpa said was true."

I looked at her young face and clean eyes in the mirror, was silent for a moment, and then nodded.

|

After washing up, Su Su and the maids retired, and I walked out of the inner courtyard alone. After asking a servant, I found out that Pei Yuanxiu had called everyone to the front hall early in the morning to explain the next steps.

Something.

"What about others now?"

"After the explanation, everyone dispersed. I don't know what the young master is going to do now."

I nodded, waved him off, stood there and thought for a while, then turned and walked towards the other end of the house.

I walked forward leisurely along the flowery garden path, and soon I arrived at the waterside pavilion. This is where Li'er, Pei Yuanxiu, and I fed the koi. The fish in the water were still there.

They were fighting for fish food, causing splashes of water on the lake; walking further, crossing the stone bridge, there was the huge horse farm, where the grooms drove a large group of horses and ran over, raising waves of smoke and dust.

Through the dust and fog, you can see a pink peach forest in front of you.

Li'er and I came here to play before, and the scene of her chasing those pigeons flying all over the sky is still vivid in my mind.

Today, the scenery remains the same, but my daughter is not by my side...

There was a stabbing pain in my chest, which made my steps stagnate.

At this moment, I saw Pei Yuanxiu walking from the front.

Although there are lush trees here, he still saw me at a glance, was stunned for a moment, and immediately walked to me: "Qingying? Why are you here?"

"I'm coming to find you."

"Looking for me?" He glanced back subconsciously and said immediately: "I just came here to explain some things to Ruoshi and Zitong. We are going to Xichuan, and the things here-"

"I know." I interrupted him and said calmly: "I just wanted to ask you, when can we set off?"

He looked at me, paused, and said: "Now."

"..."

This time, I was a little surprised.

Although I also hoped that the sooner the better, I did not expect that he would have arranged everything in one morning. However, this was exactly what I hoped for, so I nodded hurriedly and said: "Great, let's go then."<

/p>

He nodded gently: "Yeah."

As he spoke, he put his arm around my shoulders and turned around with me and walked back. The moment we turned to leave, I turned back and took a gentle look at the peach forest, which belonged to the Han sisters.

, a quiet and exquisite garden.

|

When I walked to the gate, I saw two carriages waiting. Pei Yuanxiu helped me get into the first carriage. I also saw Susu and a few maids getting into the carriage behind with some simple luggage.<

/p>

Without any further explanation, I heard the crack of a whip outside and the carriage drove forward.

Of course I hope to travel as quickly as possible, and traveling light and simple is naturally convenient for traveling. But thinking back, this kind of light and simple travel really does not look like the lineup we should have when going to Xichuan.

I thought about it, but couldn't help but turn around and ask: "We——"

"Do you blame me?"

Almost at the same time, Pei Yuanxiu also spoke. I was stunned for a moment: "Huh?"

"Don't you blame me?"

He was sitting opposite. No matter how spacious the carriage was, it was actually only a small space. Sitting opposite each other like this, everything about him and me—breathing, eyes, expressions, and even the smallest throbs—were invisible. He looked at

I said seriously: "Don't you blame me for Li'er being taken away by them?"

I was silent for a moment and shook my head: "I don't blame you."

"Why?"

"It's not your fault."

There are some words that I can't say, but I know very well in my heart that he has no responsibility for Li'er. What he has is just the kindness of raising him for many years. I am very sad that Li'er was taken away, but I won't be sad no matter how sad he is.

It made me lose my mind and use my own mistakes as an excuse to blame others. Now, for Li'er, only I, as a mother, am responsible and will make mistakes.

If I have to blame, I can only blame myself.

When you say this, your grudges are clear, but - it will indeed hurt him.

He and I are already husband and wife.

Thinking of this, I raised my head and said softly: "I really don't blame you. It has already happened, so don't think about it anymore. I just want to think about one thing now, which is how to get Li'er back.

Enough."

He looked at me, with a smile that was almost joyful in his eyes, and reached out to grab my hand.

For the next time, he and I were silent and didn't speak, but his palms kept warming my cold fingers. The carriage drove for a while, then stopped, and he immediately said: "We're here."
p>

Arrived?

I was stunned, and before I could ask any questions, I saw the curtains were blown up by a gust of biting wind, and outside, there was the dock for sailing ships.

Pei Yuanxiu had already jumped out of the carriage vigorously and helped me down. Only then did I see a large ship parked on the pier. There were many attendants on it, running back and forth to prepare. Someone came down immediately and took them with them.

Susu and the others got on the boat.

It turns out that we are going to take the water route.

No wonder he travels so lightly.

I am not a person who likes to be extravagant, but to put things into perspective, traveling light and simple this time to Xichuan will not bring us any advantage, especially the biggest purpose of this trip is to find Li'er.

Moreover, the biggest advantage of taking the water route is that it is not open to outsiders and it can avoid encounters with Shen Xiaokun's men. It is indeed a win-win situation.

Just as I was thinking about it, a wind cloak was draped on my shoulders. When I turned my head, I met Pei Yuanxiu's gentle eyes. He was about to say something, but before he opened his mouth, he saw the attendant who was following him to explain matters.

Yao Lao came over.

I turned around quickly and whispered: "Old man."

He glanced at me, nodded gently with a smile in his eyes, and then said to Pei Yuanxiu: "Be careful along the way."

"Know."

"And you, girl," he turned to me and said: "With your status, no one may dare to touch you, but you still have to be more careful. No matter what, you must come back safely."<

/p>

"Yes."

"And...if I see her -" I thought he was going to explain something, and hesitated for a long time, but I only heard his somewhat depressed voice: "It's good to see her, that's all."

I raised my head and glanced at Pei Yuanxiu. He was calm and said nothing, but Yao Lao was obviously not so calm. His gray hair, which looked a little messy in the river wind, also showed some helplessness and vicissitudes. I hurriedly said: "I know.

, I will help the old man take care of it."

Yao Lao nodded.

Next, I didn’t know what to say, because Yao Lao seemed to be a little depressed. Pei Yuanxiu stretched out his hand to touch my shoulder and said softly: "It’s windy here, please get on the boat first."

I nodded, turned around and walked onto the boat.

When I stepped onto the plywood, the wind here was actually stronger, blowing my hair around my face. I stretched out my hand to gently brush it away, and saw Pei Yuanxiu finished talking with Yao Lao, turned around and got on the boat.

When he came to me, there were already attendants waiting for him to say: "Young Master."

"Sail the boat."

"Yes!"
Chapter completed!