Chapter 7: A Sudden Turn of Events

After Xie Yun finished speaking, she noticed a peculiar expression flicker across Bao Zhu’s face.

“Out of nowhere, where did you hear about this man, Miss?” Bao Zhu asked.

Seeing her reaction, Xie Yun grew more certain of her suspicions. Her apricot eyes gleamed faintly as she said, “Just tell me plainly.”

She still remembered the final scene of her past life. Though she and Pei Shiqin had no dealings, at most crossing paths once or twice in the streets or at court banquets, how could Bao Zhu have invited him here?

Bao Zhu hesitated for a long moment before biting her lip and saying, “Then this servant will tell you, Miss! The master and madam had instructed us not to let you know, but now that you are about to leave the Prime Minister’s residence, there’s nothing left to hide.”

“Do you remember the Spring Viewing Banquet the Empress held at Fuji Mountain two years ago?”

Xie Yun searched her memory briefly and nodded.

The Spring Viewing Banquet was the capital’s annual grand event, where the city’s elite gathered to drink and revel amid the verdant mountains in spring—a lively and splendid occasion.

However… Xie Yun recalled another incident from that banquet two years prior.

“At that time, you and the youngest daughter of the Fu family, Fu Yao, were racing horses at the foot of the mountain. The prize was a phoenix and dragon gold hairpin awarded by the Empress herself. Fu Yao was determined to win and had always been at odds with you. She actually had someone tamper with your horse. Later, you and your horse both tumbled into the valley. The Prime Minister’s residence sent people everywhere to search for you.”

Xie Yun seemed to relive the scene from her description and instinctively touched the scar on the back of her neck.

That scar had been left at that very moment.

Though the Prime Minister’s residence was rich in remedies to heal scars and regenerate skin, Xie Yun had refused to use any at the time, saying she wanted it as a reminder never to fall into such danger again.

“The one who brought you back was Lord Pei himself.”

Xie Yun was momentarily stunned, then the puzzle pieces clicked into place.

They must have valued the household’s reputation, which was why they concealed the truth from her, only telling her that a guard had found her and brought her home.

Bao Zhu continued rambling, “Lord Pei was pitiful too. You were unconscious and unaware. At that time, he was just a commoner without power or influence. When the master saw him returning you late at night, his face turned green with worry, fearing Pei might use your reputation as leverage to climb into the Prime Minister’s household. So he just gave him some silver and sent him off.”

“Of course, Lord Pei didn’t even take the silver. But the master’s words were filled with belittlement and threats. I don’t know if Lord Pei still harbors resentment.”

Xie Yun lightly touched her forehead.

That Pei Shiqin, who now wielded actual power as a trusted minister of the emperor, had been, just over two years ago, a penniless commoner who had lost both parents. Yet, by a stroke of fortune, he had topped the imperial examination that very year of the Spring Viewing Banquet, launching a brilliant future. In just two years, he had risen from a minor judicial official to a prominent position in the Court of Justice, endorsed by many ministers—a man not to be underestimated.

If Xie Huai Shu were to see him now, he would surely turn pale with envy.

So when he had dealt with Xie Yuming at the Pingjing Marquis’s residence, disregarding the power of both the Prime Minister’s and Marquis’s households, it probably had nothing to do with Xie Yun herself—only with some words Xie Huai Shu had said back then.

“I see. Then the Prime Minister’s residence owes him an apology. I’ve always owed him my thanks.”

Xie Yun mused softly, glanced at the sky outside, and decided to set the matter aside for now. She took out some silver coins from her bosom and called Bao Zhu to summon a carriage.

Bao Zhu repeatedly refused, saying she still had some silver and darted away, clutching her skirts.

Xie Yun smiled gently, then after some thought, went to Bao Zhu’s quarters in the back house. She placed a silver ingot beside the pillow and tucked in the blanket, finally feeling somewhat at ease.

When the carriage arrived at the mansion’s gate, she took up her bundle and stepped out deliberately.

Along the way, some servants whispered quietly upon seeing her, uncertain whether to bow or not, and so stood stiffly in place. Xie Yun pretended not to notice, her heart feeling lighter than ever.

“Miss, the Xie family in Huaqing Lane isn’t like the Prime Minister’s mansion. This servant doesn’t know what sort of place it is over there. If you want to return, with the old madam’s backing, there should be no problem. You mustn’t make things hard for yourself,” Bao Zhu warned anxiously as she saw her onto the carriage.

Xie Yun lifted the curtain and spoke to her, then gathered a genuine smile and said, “I remember everything. Don’t worry.”

Bao Zhu nodded. The carriage rolled away with a rumble, gradually fading from sight until neither the Prime Minister’s mansion nor Bao Zhu could be seen anymore. Only then did Xie Yun lower the curtain.

Fifteen years ago, the scheming servant deliberately muddled the identity of the Prime Minister’s daughter—both families happened to share the surname Xie, a coincidence with a tinge of fate.

Yet one lived in the somewhat quiet, cold Huaqing Lane on the west side of the capital, while the other resided in the opulent Mingzhao District, where every inch of land was precious—a gulf as wide as clouds and mud.

Between the two, there seemed an insurmountable chasm, yet Xie Yun had experienced them both in one lifetime—a cruel twist of fate indeed.

She gathered her scattered thoughts, knowing the journey ahead would take time. Her body, wounded in heart, had barely slept the night before. She intended to close her eyes and rest, but just as she was about to doze off, a commotion ahead caught her attention.

She opened her eyes abruptly and lifted the curtain to look out.