Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 106

Chapter 106: I Trust You

An Zhi was very sure that the sachet in the Eighth Prince’s hand was not hers.

But when the Eighth Prince pressed the issue, he didn’t just want her to say yes or no.

If she nodded and said yes today, it would mean that she was willing to board the Eighth Prince’s ship, but if she said no, the smile in the Eighth Prince’s eyes was telling her that it would be better not to say no.

She was the daughter of a fourth-rank official, and today she was really honored. She won the favor of a prince, and now another prince came to ask about the sachet.

But she knew the reason clearly.

Although she was beautiful, there were thousands of beauties in this world, and the one in front of her was a prince used to seeing graceful beauties. Romance was of no use to him.

So, this was all for the Bai family’s Northwest Army.

The Northwest Army was truly formidable. It had guarded the frontier for over twenty years without ever ceding or retreating an inch of territory. It was undoubtedly the bravest army in the Jin Dynasty.

An Zhi glanced at the sachet in the Eighth Prince’s hand and said with a smile, “Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. However, this sachet…”

“Someone, catch the thief!”

Before An Zhi could refuse the Eighth Prince, a guard from the Princess’s Mansion shouted, attracting everyone’s attention.

The Eighth Prince was also stopped by the guards, and it was not appropriate to keep to asking An Zhi about the sachet.

Seeing this opportunity, An Zhi hurriedly left the Princess’s Mansion and got on the carriage without stopping.

But just as she shouted to go back home, she was frightened by Pei Que who suddenly appeared in the carriage.

Pei Que glanced at Binglu, and Binglu wisely sat outside the carriage.

“Pei… Fourth Master Pei.” An Zhi spoke haltingly. She was really surprised to see someone, who she shouldn’t have seen at that time after just surviving a disaster, inside the carriage.

“Don’t be so surprised.” Pei Que chuckled. “I solved your urgent problem. Shouldn’t you thank me first?”

“What?” An Zhi was puzzled.

“This is the prosperous and peaceful capital city, and the Princess’s Mansion is heavily guarded. Do you really think it was just an ordinary thief?” Pei Que was unhappy. An Zhi didn’t expect that he was the one who saved her.

After hearing Pei Que’s analysis, An Zhi realized that it was indeed the case and hurriedly thanked Pei Que.

“Here we go again.” Pei Que leaned against the carriage, a hint of fatigue in his eyes. He had been busy for many days and had little rest. He just received a message from Li Da saying that An Zhi was probably blocked by the Fourth Prince and the Eighth Prince in the Princess’s Mansion, so he ran here immediately.

When An Zhi heard Pei Que’s voice again, she lowered her head guiltily and felt a little depressed.

Wasn’t it normal for her to say thank you? Why did it become weird in front of Pei Que?

Pei Que saw An Zhi was silent, so he pinched his brows and said, “I checked the last kidnapping incident, and it’s probably either the Fourth Prince or the Eighth Prince, but we don’t know the exact one yet. It’s better for you to stay out less these days. They treat you like a delicacy on the chopping board, and everyone wants to take you for themselves.”

The Bai family had no daughters in this generation, only sons. If one wanted to marry into the Bai family, one could only start from the Bai family’s relatives. Among them, General Bai cared about most was the pair of children left by his sister.

An Zhi knew Pei Que was right, but she also had her concerns. “Sometimes, I can’t not go out just because I want to. For example, I couldn’t refuse today’s invitation. And those two are princes, powerful and influential. They don’t dare propose marriage right now to avoid suspicion, but what about later?”

As she spoke, she looked at Pei Que and thought of their one-year agreement.

“Are you blaming me for not protecting you closely enough?” Pei Que looked at An Zhi, the curve of his lips looking a bit like a smirk, but not quite.

An Zhi was stunned by his unreasonable question. After a while, she looked away in a daze.

She seemed to really have this idea just now.

“No… no, I’m just worried about my future.” An Zhi sighed. There were too many things that were beyond her control. She didn’t have a good and powerful father, and her brother and uncle were far away in the northwest.

In this huge capital city, she was used to always persevering alone.

Pei Que’s heart skipped a beat when he heard An Zhi sigh. “Like I told you, you don’t have to worry so much. Even if the Fourth and Eighth Princes have that intention, I won’t let them succeed. Right now, one move could affect the entire situation. Anyone who dares act rashly will be crushed by their opponents.”

He paused and looked at An Zhi seriously, “An Zhi, you have to believe me.”

“Ah?”

An Zhi was stunned just now. She heard Pei Que calling her name in a trance, but she didn’t hear clearly what Pei Que said.

Seeing her so stunned, Pei Que felt both angry and amused. “I’m telling you, you have to believe me. I, Pei Que, don’t care about others, but I will definitely keep my word to you.”

An Zhi’s face flushed.

Her heart beat rapidly when she heard Pei Que’s words. She opened her mouth to say “alright”, but felt too embarrassed. In the end, she could only lower her head and say “hmm”.

Pei Que saw that her ears were red, which was very cute. Thinking of the feeling when he hugged her in the carriage last time, he couldn’t help but feel itchy.

Meanwhile, Princess Huiping was already at her mother’s place when she heard that there was a thief.

“Who is so bold as to steal from our house?” Huiping asked in confusion.

The Grand Princess had always maintained a calm demeanor over the years, so she didn’t find it surprising. “What this thief stole wasn’t something special.”

As she spoke, she looked down at her daughter and saw that she was still confused, so she couldn’t help but sigh in her heart.

In her early years, the Grand Princess was still very proud. Others said that she had a bad fate and became a widow at a young age, but she did not care. She secretly vowed to become the richest woman in the capital and wanted to train her daughter to be the next empress.

But as her daughter grew up, she found that her personality was becoming more and more like her honest and naive father, and her enthusiasm gradually cooled.

But she was also puzzled. Her husband had died since before her daughter could remember, and she had raised her herself. But she didn’t take after her. It was very puzzling.

Seeing that her daughter still didn’t understand, she sighed helplessly, “Just now, when Old Eighth was forcing An Zhi by asking about the sachet, he was trying to put An Zhi in a difficult position. But then someone suddenly broke into our house, and that was to help An Zhi out.”

“Oh, I see.” Huiping suddenly realized, but soon she had another question, “But if that’s the case, aren’t the people who helped An Zhi afraid of offending us? Our house is heavily guarded, we can definitely find out who did it.”

The Grand Princess suddenly laughed, “Xuezhu, tell the princess if you have found out who it was.”

Xuezhu took two steps forward and poured tea for Princess Huiping. “Princess, although our mansion has first-rate guards, they only protect you and Her Royal Highness the Grand Princess. We can’t provide first-rate guards outside. That person came prepared and only caused a disturbance outside before running away. He had no intention of stealing anything or staying, so it’s not easy for him to leave any evidence.”

“So that’s how it is.” Huiping looked bitterly. She never understood these complicated things, so when she went out to attend a banquet, it was not because she was cold and arrogant by nature and difficult to approach, but because she was easily misled by those noble ladies. She had suffered a few losses when she was a child, and then gradually she didn’t like attending those banquets.

When the Grand Princess saw her daughter’s innocent look and thought about the families she had found for her daughter, she felt dissatisfied again.

“By the way, mother, who do you think is helping An Zhi?” As far as Huiping knew about An Zhi’s relationships, there was no one so powerful.

“One day we’ll know.” The Grand Princess was also quite curious about this. Besides, since people had come to her house for a tour, she wasn’t someone to be trifled with. “You should get to know An Zhi more. She’s quite insightful and very scheming. You could learn from her.”

“Her?” Hui Ping was unconvinced. “Every time she sees me, she’s always behaving well. How could she be plotting something?”

When the Grand Princess heard this, she couldn’t continue. She waved her hand and said, “Alright, you can go out.”

Huiping cried out, and seeing her mother frowning, she didn’t dare stay and hurriedly retreated.

When they were outside the palace, she quietly asked Xuezhu, who had escorted her out, “Xuezhu, what exactly did mother mean by what she said just now?”

As the Grand Princess’s most capable person, Xuezhu naturally knew what her master meant. However, she didn’t dare speak too directly at this point. “Her Highness means that she feels that Young Lady An’s ability to remain calm and composed after her engagement was broken off, and to help her father find a second marriage, is quite unique in the capital. She thinks she has some ability.”

“I think it’s just so-so.” Huiping was quite disdainful after hearing this.

Seeing that the princess didn’t understand what she said, Xuezhu had to give up in her heart.

Huiping was thinking that after some time, she would definitely ask An Zhi about it.

Xuezhu waited until the princess left before she returned to the palace.

“Did Huiping ask you the same question?” asked the Grand Princess.

“Yes, the princess is still young and doesn’t understand people’s hearts very well. She is a rare innocent person.” Xuezhu told the truth while praising Princess Huiping in order to please her master.

“You’re quite good at talking, Huiping… That’s all, she’s just like that.” The Grand Princess had given up on letting her daughter learn to scheme. “Fourth Prince was too arrogant today. He dared to stop someone in my house. Eighth Prince was the same. Did they really think I’d become incapable of temper after so much self-cultivation? Go and make preparations. Tomorrow I’ll go to the palace to see the Empress. She just lost her most important son, and I think she’ll need someone to talk to right now.”

~

An Zhi’s face flushed as the carriage arrived at the back door of the An Mansion.

Fusheng outside said we’re here, but she didn’t get out of the carriage.

“Fourth Master Pei, there is something I want to ask you about Pei Yu, is that okay?” An Zhi had been thinking about this question all the way. After hesitating for a long time, she decided to ask.

She didn’t like those misunderstandings, so when she had such questions in her mind, she asked.

Pei Que was stunned by her question. He didn’t expect her to ask so directly. But after coming back to his senses, he felt a little happy. “My father told me about this, but he only informed me and I didn’t have time to tell you. I was wrong.”

“You don’t have to apologize. It’s better for him to leave. I was too impulsive to keep him in the An Mansion.” After An Zhi calmed down, although she did not regret her actions, she also felt that it was inappropriate.

Pei Que pursed his lips and smiled, “You seem to be quite open-minded about this matter.”

He originally thought that An Zhi would hate Pei Yu, but when he heard An Zhi asking so calmly, his heart suddenly relaxed a little.

The fact that An Zhi could calmly ask about Pei Yu showed that this person was no longer in her heart. Pei Que had been waiting for such an opportunity.

“Yes, I’ve let it go.” An Zhi said, “But now that he’s gone, he can’t pursue a scholarly career anymore. Does he have to pursue a military career?”

Pei Que hummed.

“Haha, he’s quite bold.” In An Zhi’s impression, Pei Yu was just a handsome scholar. To have him pursue a military career, Prime Minister Pei was truly calculating. “The Pei family and Prince Yongding have always been close friends. If Pei Yu went to the southwest, where the country isn’t too poor, it would be a good choice.”

“No.” Pei Que took a deep breath, “He went to the northwest.”

“What?” An Zhi thought she had misheard. Seeing Pei Que nod, her eyes widened in disbelief. “You said he went to the northwest? My uncle and my brother are in the northwest. They all know that Pei Yu broke off my engagement. How dare he go to the northwest?”

An Zhi thought that if Pei Yu appeared in the northwest, he would probably be beaten paralyzed by his brother, but Pei Yu actually went to the northwest, which really opened her eyes.

“Your uncle owed our Pei family a favor in his early years, so my father sent him to seek refuge in the northwest.” When Pei Que heard his father’s arrangement, he couldn’t help but praise the wisdom of his father. “Prince Yongding is on good terms with our Pei family, but in recent years, Prince Yongding has repeatedly disobeyed orders, which has caused the Emperor’s dissatisfaction. If the Emperor knew that Pei Yu had gone to the northwest, Prince Yongding would be in danger.”

“Then will it be beneficial to let him go to the northwest?” An Zhi couldn’t understand this. The world was so big, even if he couldn’t go to find Prince Yongding, why did he have to go to the northwest.

But after asking this question, she probably understood. “You think my uncle won’t participate in the succession struggle, and he’s also an indispensable frontier general in the court. Pei Yu is going there to suffer, but in fact he’s seeking shelter. Is that right?”

It was indeed correct. Everyone was watching the Pei family now, so they were not in any danger at all.

Seeing Pei Que remain silent, An Zhi acquiesced. Thinking of what he had said earlier, “If that’s the case, the Pei family must be under a huge threat, right? And when you asked me to trust you just now, Pei Que, weren’t you a little too confident?”

“No.” Pei Que was very sure of this. “No matter what the Pei family does, I will only say what I say to you when I am sure of it. Even if I end up as bones in the loess earth, I will send you safely to the northwest, if that day ever comes.”

When he said this, his Adam’s apple rolled. “When I asked you to trust me, it was not an empty promise, nor was it a trap, nor was it asking you to repay me for anything.”

When he said this, he looked at An Zhi intently, and the palms in his sleeves were already damp.

The road ahead was full of hardships, each of which could cost one’s life at any time, but none of them was as important as An Zhi was to him.

An Zhi was moved by Pei Que’s gaze. It was the first time she met Pei Que’s gaze so directly.

Along the way, the swords and sabers that Pei Que blocked for her were enough to demonstrate his ability.

“Fourth Master Pei, I trust you.” An Zhi said solemnly, “But please protect yourself. Everything must be done well before we can have a chance to talk.”