Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 328

Chapter 328: Pampered

Pei Que’s brow furrowed. He hadn’t expected someone so bold as to take action in the palace.

“Go back to your seat first. I’ll go and tell them.”

An Zhi nodded, and after Pei Que left, she returned to her seat.

Not long after she sat down, someone approached, smiling and holding a glass of wine. An Zhi recognized it as the wife of the Yuan family. Thinking of Yuan Jingsheng and Pei Lan’s marriage, she smiled and took a sip. Afterward, several more people came to greet her, all familiar faces. Each time, she took a sip, and by the time Pei Que returned, An Zhi was quite tipsy.

On her way back, An Zhi forced herself to get into the carriage and collapsed limply.

Pei Que quickly took An Zhi’s head and let her sleep on his lap. “You can’t drink much, so why were you drinking with everyone?”

“It’s all because you’ve offended so many people!” An Zhi was a little dizzy now, and she spoke whatever came to her mind, her words drawn out with an unusually long, lingering tone that seeped into Pei Que’s heart. “Everyone comes to me to drink, huh?”

It was the first time Pei Que had seen An Zhi drunk. He looked down at the person in his arms. Her cheeks were flushed, and her rosy lips occasionally blew two bubbles, making her look adorable.

Why hadn’t he thought of taking An Zhi out for a drink before?

He really shouldn’t have.

“Yeah, it’s my fault. I won’t drink next time we go out,” Pei Que chuckled to comfort An Zhi. He pinched her cheek, which felt smooth and tender, like a peeled egg, and he couldn’t help but poke it again.

An Zhi tilted her head uncomfortably. “Don’t…don’t poke me!”

Pei Que didn’t stop. “Your face is so poke-worthy.”

“Well, don’t poke it; it’ll hurt.” An Zhi lay on her side, one hand covering her cheek, humming like a livid kitten, but she didn’t want to get up because lying on Pei Que’s lap was truly comfortable.

Pei Que finally restrained himself from poking An Zhi’s cheek again, hugging her with his backhand, and letting her sleep for a while.

After arriving at the Pei Mansion, An Zhi was carried into the house by Pei Que.

This scene happened to be seen by Madam Xu, who had just disembarked from the carriage. She curled her lips and said, “What a vixen.”

Pei Jing glanced at Madam Xu, frowning in annoyance, but said nothing. He only muttered in his heart that if Madam Xu could be as charming as An Zhi, he would be willing to carry her into the house.

Pei Lan, standing nearby, was startled by her mother’s words. She gently tugged on her mother’s hand and said, “Mother, there are others here.”

“So what?” Madam Xu rolled her eyes at her daughter coldly. “I wasn’t wrong.”

Madam Li, who had just disembarked from the carriage, heard this and walked past her expressionlessly, unwilling to even acknowledge her.

After Madam Li led her people inside, Pei Xue began to complain, “Second Aunt will eventually fall because of her mouth.”

Madam Li glanced at her daughter. “What about you?”

“What about me?” Pei Xue felt that she was different from Second Aunt. “I’m not saying this in front of others; I’m only saying it to Mother.”

“Then why don’t you take a look at where we are?” Madam Li glanced around. They were still in the long corridor, not even entering the main courtyard yet. Talking here was like talking to everyone through a loudspeaker.

Pei Xue turned her head and saw that people from other courtyards were also in the garden. She immediately pursed her lips and fell silent.

“If you know others are failing, you should also strive for improvement yourself.” Madam Li had been much stricter with her daughter recently. Ever since her daughter hid a needle in An Zhixi’s wedding quilt, she realized she had spoiled her all these years and couldn’t continue like this.

Pei Xue uttered a sigh of relief, lowered her head, and followed Madam Li back.

~

After Pei Que placed An Zhi on the bed, she let him wash her face. She lay comfortably, hugging her blankets, and quickly fell asleep.

An Zhi was unaware of Pei Que’s subsequent conversation with Shuo Feng and the others.

The next day, when An Zhi woke up, Pei Que had already gone to court. She supported her head and got out of bed. Binglu first handed her a bowl of sobering soup.

“This is what Master ordered me to prepare after he woke up. He told me to make you drink it as soon as you wake up, otherwise you’ll get a headache.” Binglu handed the hangover soup to her young madam, saying, “Next time there are so many people toasting, Madam, you’ll have to drink less, otherwise you’ll get drunk again.”

An Zhi couldn’t remember what happened after she got drunk last night and asked, “Did I do anything strange when I was drunk?”

“Not really. You just hugged Master and acted coquettishly,” Binglu said with a smile.

An Zhi finished the hangover soup and patted her cheek. She couldn’t imagine acting coquettishly with Pei Que.

Never mind. After all, it was acting coquettishly with Pei Que, nothing shameful.

As long as she didn’t cause trouble with others outside, An Zhi could accept her drunkenness. Otherwise, she would really want to crawl into a hole in the ground.

After getting up, An Zhi washed her face once more, listening to Binglu talk about how Pei Que had wiped her face and how attentive and caring he had been.

“Madam, you’re truly lucky to have met the son-in-law,” Binglu said with a smile. “But the son-in-law is also lucky to have met you. You’re the best lady in the world.”

“You’re the only one who knows how to say that,” An Zhi chuckled softly.

After breakfast, An Zhi thought about going out for a walk and stretching her muscles.

But just as she left, Cuisi hurried in, her face panicking. “Madam, the County Princess Mu has arrived and insists on seeing you. The servants in the front courtyard couldn’t stop her, so she’s already heading to our courtyard.”

“Lin Shuyao?” An Zhi thought she’d misheard, but after Cuisi repeated the name, she was sure it was Lin Shuyao.

Lin Shuyao was a princess consort, and given her rank, the Pei family certainly didn’t dare stop her.

An Zhi rolled her eyes, still pondering why Lin Shuyao had come when she heard her voice from outside the courtyard wall.

In a flash, Lin Shuyao arrived with a group of servants. Nanny Wang stood beside her, a look of unease on her face.

“I saw Sister An was drunk yesterday, so I came to visit today. Sister An won’t mind my uninvited presence, will she?” Lin Shuyao smiled as she approached.

Sister An? Tsk tsk, this person’s attitude changed so quickly.

The fact that An Zhi and Lin Shuyao weren’t on good terms was common knowledge in the capital, and she didn’t feel like trying to negotiate. “So, you’re here, aren’t you?”

“I…” Lin Shuyao hadn’t expected An Zhi to be so direct. Her face paled for a moment, but she quickly regained her smile. After all, she wasn’t here to argue. “Yes, I’m here to check on you. We were so close in the past; we can’t lose touch just because of a misunderstanding.”

Hearing this, An Zhi was certain that Lin Shuyao had something to ask of her.

She tilted her head and said a few words to Binglu, asking her to send the other servants away from the courtyard. She took a step into the house first and said, “If you have anything to say, come inside and talk.”

Lin Shuyao uttered a sigh and followed An Zhi to the door. Her maids were stopped, and only one personal attendant entered.

An Zhi sat down first, glancing indifferently at Lin Shuyao. “What’s your relationship with me? Stop pretending. Just tell me what’s going on.”