Chapter 25: The Young Master Has Returned

Just as Pei Shuchen reached the rockery, he heard a clamor coming from the garden. Servants were scurrying about in a flurry, some clutching gauze, others carrying medicine kits. Amidst the chaos, no one even noticed him standing there; it was truly a scene of utter bedlam.

He signaled with his eyes, and Yonggui immediately stopped a passing maid. "What has happened in the garden? Why is everyone in such a rush?"

The maid halted, and upon recognizing the Second Young Master, she burst into tears. "It’s the Cousin... the Cousin has been wounded by an arrow..."

Pei Shuchen’s heart skipped a beat, his fingers clenching involuntarily. The Cousin was hurt!

Without waiting for the rest of the maid’s words, he strode toward the pavilion. He could not bear to imagine how much pain such a delicate, fragile girl must be in, with her skin as tender as petals now marred by an injury.

However, upon reaching the pavilion, he found the Cousin in her pink dress standing perfectly fine. Instead, it was his own sister who threw herself at him the moment she saw him.

"Brother, you must seek justice for me!" Pei Nian’an accused, her voice thick with tears. "I invited Cousin Li’er to play pitch-pot with Cousin Shen, but when Cousin Shen realized she couldn't win, she actually used an arrow to graze Cousin Li’er’s face. And now, she won't even offer a single apology."

She then turned to look at Fang Li with a feigned expression of heartache. "At the end of the day, Li’er shares the blood of the Pei family. Cousin Shen is merely an outsider whom our eldest brother took in out of pity because she was alone in the capital. How could she be so malicious!"

Cuiyan chimed in, adding fuel to the fire. "Indeed, Second Young Master. A woman’s beauty is her most precious asset. The Imperial Concubine’s 'Hundred Flowers Banquet' is only days away. What is the Cousin supposed to do now?"

Shen Zhining watched the mistress and her maid put on their little performance with cold, amused eyes. *They deserve it,* she thought. *Who told Pei Nian’an to swap in a real arrow for her?* If they dared to provide it, was she supposed to be at fault for using it? They had brought this upon themselves!

Pei Shuchen rubbed his temples; the chattering of the women around him was giving him a headache. He had spent days in his study and had only come out for a moment of peace, only to run into this mess. Still, he felt a wave of relief knowing it wasn't the Cousin who was hurt.

He raised his voice to the group, "Enough! Stop this chatter. The most important thing right now is to tend to Cousin Li’er’s injury."

Fang Li was surrounded by several maids. On her fair cheek was a shallow arrow wound, still oozing a faint trace of blood. She sat on a stone bench, looking fragile and pitiful, sobbing into her hands. When she saw Pei Shuchen, her weeping became even more delicate and wretched. "Second Cousin... my face..."

Pei Shuchen stepped forward to inspect the wound. "It is merely a graze," he comforted her. "I will have Yonggui send some scar-fading ointment to your quarters later. Apply it carefully for a few days, and it will be fine."

Sensing that the man intended to smooth things over, Fang Li looked innocently at Shen Zhining, who stood to the side. "Cousin, I do not know what I did to displease you, but surely you shouldn't have taken your anger out on my face? I am but a woman; if this leaves a scar, what am I to do?" She dissolved into tears again, like blossoms in the rain.

Shen Zhining remained unmoved. She walked over slowly and tilted Fang Li’s chin up. "Oh my, I truly am sorry. But tell me... who would have expected that the arrows used for pitch-pot would have sharp metal tips?"

She looked at Fang Li with a faint, enigmatic smile and added, "As for Cousin Li’er’s injury, it is neither deep nor shallow... I fear that if you wait much longer, it will heal on its own."

Her remark stirred a seed of suspicion in Pei Shuchen. Usually, when Nian’an and Li’er played pitch-pot, they used arrows made of rattan wood. He had played with them himself; they were perfectly safe, and even if they hit someone, it wouldn't hurt. Why did the arrows used by the Cousin today have steel tips?

"Yonggui, bring me that arrow from the ground."

Pei Shuchen took the arrow from Yonggui and realized, to his shock, that it was a genuine black-iron arrow! Seeing his sister’s shifty expression, he asked, "Nian’an, explain this. Why is it that the arrow the Cousin used happened to be a real weapon?"

The moment she met her brother’s gaze, the once overbearing Pei Nian’an looked visibly guilty. She hurriedly signaled to Cuiyan. Having served her mistress for years, Cuiyan immediately understood. She dropped to her knees.

"Second Young Master, this has nothing to do with my Mistress! It was my oversight. I must have grabbed the wrong one from the storeroom and accidentally gave the Cousin a real arrow..."

Pei Shuchen looked at his sister, who had already lowered her head in shame, and sighed. He and Nian’an were born of the same mother; how could he not see through her ruse?

However, with the aggrieved Cousin on one side and his own sister on the other, he was at a loss for what to do. After a moment of silence, he said, "Cousin Shen, perhaps you could just offer Li’er an apology... It is not entirely your fault, but Li’er is a woman, and since her face is injured, it is only natural for her to be upset."

Shen Zhining curled her lips slightly but remained silent. She knew her Second Cousin was in a difficult position, but apologize? Not a chance.

"Do not worry, Cousin Shen. When I return, I will certainly lecture Nian’an so she causes less trouble in the future."

Pei Shuchen finished speaking, but seeing the young girl standing lazily by the table, still refusing to say a word, he felt truly helpless.

Just as the silence stretched, a maid suddenly cried out: "The Eldest Young Master is here!"

In a blink, the servants bowed in unison, and the four people in the pavilion looked toward the entrance. The garden, previously as chaotic as porridge, fell into an instant, deathly silence.

Pei Nian’an, already feeling guilty, was now so terrified she dared not even lift her head. Was it not said that her eldest brother had gone to the Hanlin Academy for his studies? It had only been a few days; why was he back already?

She bowed slightly toward Pei Zhi, who was walking toward them in his white robes, his demeanor calm and detached. "Eldest Brother..."

Her previous arrogance had vanished completely; even the hands she held at her sides trembled violently at the sight of his face. In this vast Pei manor, there was no one who did not fear the Eldest Young Master. He was cold, unyielding, and strictly adhered to family rules and moral law. If he discovered that she had orchestrated this entire affair, no one could save her.

The other three in the pavilion were equally shocked by his sudden appearance. Everyone offered formal greetings, and even Shen Zhining, who had been leaning lazily against the table, straightened up and obediently called out, "Cousin."

The man stood against the light, his brow bone cast in sharp relief by the shadows. Having not seen him for only a few days, his presence seemed to have grown even more composed and imposing.