Chapter 75: Such a Lack of Decency
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**Chapter 75: Such a Lack of Decency (Seeking Double Monthly Tickets)**
Listening to the crazy screams coming from outside, the member of the Pei shi, dressed only in a thin coarse blue gown, sat on a cold bench, looking at the food brought by the servant woman, her face dark with anger. "Take it away!"
How could she possibly eat this!
"There is only this now; please bear with it, my lady..." The servant woman pleaded, "I heard that all the Pei family has already left the capital... For now, you must take care of yourself."
"Then go find the Yao family!" Pei Shi suddenly stood up, her expression fierce. "I don't want to stay in this hellish place anymore! I want to go back to the capital!"
The servant woman felt conflicted hearing this.
What was she saying...
Who in this entire Jingye Monastery wanted to stay here?
But why didn’t they return to the capital to enjoy their wealth? Was it because they didn’t like it?
"My lady..."
"Tell Yao Yi to find a way to help me!" Pei Shi's eyes were filled with intensity. "He can't ignore my life... He owes the Pei family so much; he cannot ignore me!"
"And Yao Ran... I gave birth to her; she cannot be so unfilial!"
As she spoke, she suddenly seemed to remember something, rushing towards the servant woman, gripping her shoulders tightly. "That little wretch, has she returned to the Yao family? Has Yao Yi already recognized her?!"
"I inquired about it yesterday; I already told you..." The servant woman, seeing the deranged look in Pei Shi's eyes, felt only helplessness. "That Miss Chang is not the biological child of the master; you misunderstood..."
"Impossible! I saw it with my own eyes... That painting! It’s hidden in his study! I have long investigated and found that woman is his distant cousin; they grew up together as childhood friends..." Pei Shi pushed the servant woman away. "Yao Yi is still deceiving me! He fears our Pei family... so he dares not admit it!"
"I will go ask him personally!"
Pei Shi hurriedly rushed out.
"Where is Miss Pei going?"
Pei Shi shouted at the maid blocking her path, "Get out of my way!"
"Slap!"
The maid ruthlessly slapped her, coldly laughing. "Do you still think you're the wife of the Minister of Justice?"
"How dare you, lowly servant, hit me...!" Pei Shi had never suffered such humiliation; she shrieked and lunged at the maid.
However, she was weak, having caused a ruckus since entering Jingye Monastery and refusing to eat or sleep. She was no match for the maid, who merely pushed her, sending her sprawling into the muddy rain.
The maid's eyes filled with derision. "Miss Pei, it's better not to seek your own suffering!"
After all, the palace had specifically instructed them to "take care" of Miss Pei.
"Just wait..." Pei Shi's eyes were bloodshot with resentment. "You all will face retribution!"
"There is retribution in this world." The maid laughed. "Isn't Miss Pei here to atone for her sins at this place specifically meant for redemption?"
What Pei Shi had done was already well-known.
She was quite capable; her maternal family had collapsed, her husband's family was also thoroughly offended by her, and even her own daughter had been forced to scar her face publicly—
Having walked such an absolute path, leaving herself no retreat, was truly rare.
The maid didn’t bother to listen to Pei Shi’s mad curses anymore, holding up an umbrella and turning to leave.
With someone like her, she could forget about ever leaving Jingye Monastery again in her lifetime.
If she still dared to be picky and speak arrogantly, in time, she would learn to behave for her own survival without needing anyone to teach her.
There was still a long time ahead, and they had plenty of time to let her slowly atone.
Pei Shi sat in the rain, cursing, alternating between laughter and tears.
The rain grew heavier, drenching the gray monastery and making it appear even darker.
...
In the Yao family in the capital, Yao Ran once again proposed her wish to become a nun.
The old Madam of the Yao family and Zeng shi had tried to persuade her repeatedly, and Yao Xia cried while hugging her cousin, yet none could change Yao Ran's mind.
In the end, it was Yao Yi who had a private talk with his daughter.
"Ran'er, your father knows you wish to atone, but there are far more ways to atone in this world than just self-punishment under a dim lamp."
"Ran'er, you should think this through..."
Ultimately, Yao Ran and her family each took a step back, and she temporarily stayed in the family’s small Buddhist hall to worship, no longer seeing outsiders.
The wind and rain gradually subsided.
That evening, after Yao Yi finished handling his official business in the study, he raised his eyes to the dripping clock; it was already late.
Yao Yi stood up from the literary chair, rotated his sore neck, and approached the bookshelf, taking out a painting from a hidden compartment.
As he half-unfurled the painting, a portrait of a woman came into view.
The woman in the painting was stunning, with delicate brows and a hint of sorrow in her eyes, as if she were about to speak but held back.
"I found her."
"She looks a lot like you, luckily taking after your appearance..."
"But she seems quite different from you; she's not as sentimental."
"Perhaps it's because she grew up in a military family; her temperament is straightforward, and she's very bold."
"If you knew what she has been doing recently, you'd probably be scared enough to lose your soul overnight..."
"If you have time, you should warn her in her dreams... It’s not appropriate for a girl to act too conspicuously; what if something happens..."
Yao Yi sighed softly, "Ah, it’s not easy for a girl."
He looked at the person in the painting, softly asking, "Jiu Niang, now that we've found her, what do you think we should do next?"
After asking, he couldn't help but chuckle. "You’ve always been so timid; asking you is pointless... You wish you could hide her in your arms and never let her see anyone, surely you don’t want her to take any risks."
"But in this world, everyone has their fate; who can say for sure..."
Yao Yi slowly put the painting away, speaking to himself, "Let's take another look... Let's take another look."
"But you should still find time to check on her in her dreams..." Yao Yi urged, "Fighting is never a good thing; if she wins, it’s fine, but what if she loses?"
...
That night, thanks to Yao Yi, Chang Suining had an extremely bloody dream.
In the dream, a young woman with disheveled hair, her face pale and bluish, with her white clothing soaked in blood, walked towards Chang Suining, barefoot in the thick blood.
This scene was truly eerie and terrifying.
Accustomed to bloody scenes, Chang Suining felt no ripple of emotion as she watched the woman approaching her.
Under her gaze, the ghostly woman seemed more uncomfortable, tugging at her clothing and softly mumbling, "I came in a hurry and didn't have time to groom myself or change clothes... I’ve been rude before the hall."
Perhaps it was the heavy aura of the battlefield that made even the ghost seem uncharacteristically particular in her presence.
Chang Suining replied with an "Mm," and said, "I’ll burn some clothes for you later."
She added, "And burn some writing materials for A Li as well."
After a moment's thought, she decided it was too much trouble: "It’s better to burn more paper money. You can use it to buy what you like."
The woman called her "Your Highness," clearly knowing that she was not A Li.
In her dream, the woman nodded with tears in her eyes.
"Is there something you want to say?"
The woman hesitated for a long time and finally said quietly, "I heard that Your Highness got into a fight..."
Chang Suining nodded: "Mm?"
"I..." The woman shrank back, "Well, if there’s a next time, I will do my best to bless Your Highness to win..."
Seeing her like this, Chang Suining felt she couldn't rely on it, but still nodded: "... Thank you."
Waking from this nonsensical dream, Chang Suining sat up and noticed that the sky outside was already dimly brightening, so she got out of bed.
Xi’er heard the movement and walked in: "The lady is awake."
Chang Suining had gotten up at this hour for some time now. She and Ah Zhi took turns keeping watch at night, so she was used to Xi’er waiting outside to serve her at this hour.
When Xi’er came in, she took the robe used for martial arts practice and helped her lady dress.
"Have someone buy some paper money," Chang Suining said.
Xi’er, who was tying the belt, looked up in surprise: "?"
Chang Suining replied, "Buy more."
Xi’er nodded, unable to help but ask softly, "Who is the lady going to burn this for?"
"For my mother," Chang Suining said. "I dreamed about her last night."
Xi’er suddenly felt a bit sad upon hearing this: "Don’t worry, my lady. I will personally arrange this matter and make sure it’s done properly."
The air was particularly fresh in the martial arts arena after the rain.
When Chu Xing arrived, he saw that Chang Suining was already waiting, so he stepped forward and smiled, "It’s been over ten days since I’ve seen you, my lady."
Chang Suining had returned from Dajing Temple five days ago, but Chu Xing had been away from the residence on business and only returned yesterday afternoon.
"Yes, Uncle Chu," Chang Suining nodded. "Shall we practice a little longer today?"
Chu Xing shook his head: "My lady has stayed at the temple for so long. I heard you sustained some injuries, so you should take it easy and not rush. Otherwise, your stamina won’t keep up, and it might be counterproductive."
"Don’t worry, Uncle Chu, I can keep up," Chang Suining replied. "I carried water and chopped wood every day at the temple."
Chu Xing: "?"
He looked uncertainly at Xi’er.
Xi’er quickly nodded: "I followed the lady every day to carry water and chop wood."
Chu Xing: "…"
This method of seeking blessings was indeed very characteristic of the Chang family.
"My lady, let’s add sandbags today," Chang Suining suggested.
Faced with those overly ambitious eyes, Chu Xing had no choice but to nod.
Soon, Chang Sui'an also arrived.
Today, Chang Sui'an was practicing mounted archery. The young man rode a chestnut horse, galloping as he pulled back his bow, looking quite gallant.
As Chang Suining took off the sandbags and paused to rest and wipe her sweat, she felt it was time to bring it up: "Uncle Chu, I want to learn to ride a horse. Is that okay?"
Although Chu Xing thought it was a bit rushed, he truly could not refuse such a motivated request.
However, after considering it, he brought over the only donkey from the stable: "… Most of the horses in the residence are warhorses. Since my lady is a beginner, for safety's sake, it’s better to first get accustomed to this donkey for a while."
Chang Suining nodded without objection.
Under Chu Xing's patient guidance, she slowly climbed onto the donkey's back like a child taking its first steps.
For the sake of caution and protection, Chu Xing first led the donkey around the arena for a lap.
Sitting on the donkey, feeling like a swaddled infant, Chang Suining thought to herself that it was better not to acknowledge each other too easily in the future; otherwise, recalling today’s situation would be an unspeakable hurt for both.
Chu Xing handed her the reins: "You can try to run a lap on your own now."
Finally hearing this, Chang Suining nodded: "Okay, Uncle Chu."
"Ning Ning, don’t be afraid. Just run! I will protect you at all times!" Chang Sui'an shouted from his horse.
Chang Suining agreed and shouted, "Giddy up!"
Just as Chu Xing was about to remind her of something, he was hit by a gust of wind, and his cheeks puffed out.
The donkey suddenly bolted forward, racing like an arrow shot from a bow!
Chu Xing was taken aback—was this serious?!
He shouted, "My lady, be careful!"
But he saw that the figure on the donkey remained calm, with her hair tied high and a dark green satin ribbon fluttering, showing no signs of panic.
Watching her and the donkey run a lap without mishap made Chu Xing feel bewildered.
The donkey didn’t act like a donkey.
The person didn’t act like a person.
This scene was so bizarre, yet both matched each other perfectly.
Seeing his sister overtake him, Chang Sui'an was also stunned.
Even the chestnut horse beneath him grew anxious.
Though it couldn't understand what was being said, it seemed to feel it was being insulted—not that, but insulted the donkey.
Watching that donkey surpass him, the chestnut horse neighed and cursed as it ran.
—Previously, it had heard the neighboring stable's horses say that a donkey that could travel a thousand miles had arrived at the residence. Facing such absurdity, it had firmly refused to believe the rumors!
Now, witnessing it with its own eyes, it finally realized there really was such a disobedient donkey in the world!
To be a donkey, one must look the part!
Clearly, the other was maliciously disturbing the order of the mounts!
Listening to the horse beneath him spewing insults, Chang Sui'an gradually slowed down, dismounted, and complexly reminded, "If you’ve already lost your dignity, don’t lose your grace too..."
Saying this, he tossed the reins to the swordsman boy, instructing him to feed the horse—if it could still eat.
Chang Sui'an stood at the edge of the arena, quietly watching the pair of a person and a donkey.
It wasn’t that he had learned to stay calm; rather, he was so shocked that he had become numb.
Chu Xing was just as dazed.
After Chang Suining had run ten laps and jumped off the donkey, the only thought in Chu Xing's mind was—this couldn’t go on like this...
He needed to go find the general and have a word with him!
Chang Kuo had his own training ground in his courtyard, so he rarely came to the main training ground of the residence.
Now being pulled over by Chu Xing, hearing him blurt out "the lady is really not an ordinary person," "I might not be able to teach her anymore," and "it’s a bit complicated, it can't be explained in one or two sentences, the general should come see for himself," made Chang Kuo’s head spin: "… What nonsense are you talking about?"
Until he reached the training ground and saw his daughter sitting on that donkey, running laps, shooting ten arrows with her bow and hitting eight—only the last two seemed to carry the sentiment of "forget it, no need to show off too much, lest I scare those mediocre folk"—
Chang Kuo’s eyes widened in disbelief.
And then he was overwhelmed with joy.
After the joy came deep self-reproach and regret, as he slapped his forehead hard.
Ah!
It was all his fault!
In the past, he thought that practicing martial arts was too grueling and didn’t want his daughter to suffer, and since his daughter only liked poetry and literature, he hadn’t dared to bring it up...
Now it seemed he had delayed his child!
Since it had come to this, he could only try to salvage it: "Suining, starting tomorrow, I will personally teach you!"
Chu Xing was stunned: "General, you don’t have to do that..."
He had invited the general over, not to have him steal his students!
Chang Kuo raised his hand and said solemnly, "No need to say more, I have made up my mind!"
Chu Xing: "…" One must say it was quite determined.
Nearby, Ah Che hesitantly asked, "General Chu... do I still need to continue learning?"
Not to mention whether he was suited for martial arts; right now, it seemed that he might... have some disabilities that he hadn’t noticed himself?
If both were healthy, how could there be such a huge difference?
The boy observed his limbs, sinking into deep self-doubt.
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