Matriarch Rules, Scumbag Begs - Chapter 51

Chapter 51: A Troublesome Person

The room was eerily quiet.

Shen Qiuci could clearly feel a shadow falling over her.

At the same time, Pei Chengyun’s steady, measured breathing gradually drew closer.

It was obvious Pei Chengyun had already seen through her; right now, he was merely playing a perverse game of cat and mouse.

A wave of discomfort churned in Shen Qiuci’s chest.

She abruptly opened her eyes and forcefully pushed away Pei Chengyun, who was pinning her down. “Lord, have some self-respect.”

Pei Chengyun swallowed the sobering soup he had been holding in his mouth and flashed Shen Qiuci a roguish smile.

“Has Sister-in-law decided to wake up?”

He turned and sat to the side, leaning lazily against the back of his chair, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the table.

“Care to explain why you were pretending to be drunk?”

Shen Qiuci replied indifferently, “I didn’t want to remain at the banquet, so I used it as an excuse to leave.”

“Why?”

“Because Lu Yan was harassing me.” Shen Qiuci looked at him coldly. “Just like you were a moment ago. With despicable methods.”

“Is that so?” Pei Chengyun raised an eyebrow slightly. “But when I entered the Minister’s residence, Lu Yan was already dead. Why did Sister-in-law continue pretending to be drunk to avoid the clerk’s questions?”

Shen Qiuci said, “I didn’t know he had left the banquet, nor did I know he was dead. I pretended to be drunk because I wanted to leave that troublesome place quickly with the Heir. What did I do wrong?”

Her reply was frank, showing not a trace of guilt.

Pei Chengyun rested his chin on his folding fan, pondered for a moment, then feigned difficulty and shook his head.

“Sister-in-law has done nothing wrong, of course. It’s just that this means during the time Lu Yan was killed, you were the only one in the entire Minister’s residence without an alibi. This matter… is troublesome.”

“What does that prove?” Shen Qiuci remained composed and sneered mockingly.

“Lu Yan was tall and strong. Do you truly believe a weak woman like me could silently end his life?”

Pei Chengyun stared fixedly at Shen Qiuci, his dark eyes seeming to see right through her.

“Although he was tall, strong, and a man, he was ultimately not trained in martial arts, unlike you, Sister-in-law, who comes from a military family.”

Hearing this, Shen Qiuci wasn’t flustered. Instead, she laughed scornfully as if she had heard something extremely ridiculous.

“Lord Pei is the Chief Minister of the Dali Temple, appointed by His Majesty. Normally, when handling official matters, you should conduct thorough investigations before drawing conclusions.”

She lifted her gaze, scrutinizing Pei Chengyun with an equally assessing look.

“It’s true I come from a military family, but everyone in the capital knows that two years ago, I accidentally fell from the Misty Rain Pavilion and was bedridden for years.”

“During that time, the only part of my body I could move was my eyes. And back then, the capital was already troubled by that vicious criminal who struck fear into the hearts of nobles and officials.”

“Lord Pei suspects I know martial arts? Could it be you also think my injury, my paralysis, was feigned?”

Pei Chengyun looked at the determination in Shen Qiuci’s eyes, smiled inexplicably, and slowly nodded.

“True. It seems I have been overthinking this matter.”

Shen Qiuci stood up, her voice cold. “If Lord Pei has nothing else, I shall take my leave.” She walked straight towards the door, but as she passed Pei Chengyun, he stopped her.

“Sister-in-law, wait.”

She turned back impatiently, only to see Pei Chengyun holding and toying with a silver hairpin.

Shen Qiuci instinctively touched her hair bun and realized the silver hairpin she had been wearing was gone.

When did that happen?

Pei Chengyun reached out and offered her the hairpin, saying with a gentle smile, “Sister-in-law, you dropped your hairpin.”

Shen Qiuci steadied her nerves and nodded in acknowledgment. “Thank you, Lord.”

She reached out to take the hairpin back, but just as she was about to touch it, Pei Chengyun suddenly withdrew his hand.

He lifted the hairpin, examining it in the slanting sunlight entering the room.

“Sister-in-law, as the mistress of the Marquis manor, such a plain hairpin hardly suits your status.”

Shen Qiuci looked up.

The man’s well-defined fingers traced every inch of the hairpin, from end to tip. Suddenly, his fingertip paused on a slight indentation on the pin’s shaft. He then brought the hairpin closer to his eyes for a careful inspection.

He saw the character, engraved in beautiful, delicate calligraphy on the pin.

“Di…”

Pei Chengyun said, “Is this your childhood name?”

Shen Qiuci replied in a flat tone, “I have many pieces of jewelry at home. Today, as the host is celebrating his birthday, it wasn’t appropriate to dress too ostentatiously and overshadow the occasion. I chose this one simply because it looked plain. As for what character is engraved on it, I do not know. Perhaps it was already like that when it was purchased.”

“Oh? Is that so?”

A smile still played on Pei Chengyun’s lips, making his thoughts inscrutable.

His fingertip continued upwards, finally stopping at the tip of the hairpin. He pressed his fingertip gently against the sharp point.

The sharp tip instantly pierced his skin, and a drop of blood bloomed on the end, strikingly conspicuous.

“Tsk…”

He drew a sharp breath, frowned, and said, “Why is the tip of this hairpin polished so sharply?”

Pei Chengyun rubbed his fingers together, then held the hairpin against his own throat in a teasing manner, remarking,

“I wonder, Sister-in-law, do you think it could easily draw a line of blood on a person’s neck?”

Shen Qiuci’s heart sank. This man was indeed a troublesome one.

The tone of his every word was gentle and steady, accompanied by a smile that held no apparent malice.

Yet, for some reason, the more he was like this, the more she felt an inexplicable sense of danger from him.

“The degree of polish on a hairpin is not my concern. If you are interested in this matter, Lord Pei, you could go to a jewelry store and ask the shop assistants in detail, rather than posing this difficult question to me.”

Shen Qiuci steadied herself, looking at Pei Chengyun with composure.

“This is our first time meeting. You know perfectly well I lack both the means and the motive to commit the crime, yet you still deliberately make things difficult. It’s clear you hold some grievance against the Pei family. Detaining me in front of so many officials today was also aimed at damaging the Pei family’s reputation.”

She paused, her tone turning cold and hard, each word uttered with force.

“Whatever grievances exist between you and the Pei family are matters between you. I do not wish for you to drag me into these personal enmities.”

“Our Shen family has rendered meritorious service to the Qi Dynasty. If Lord Pei, motivated by personal grudges, insists on falsely accusing me of murdering a court official, and should this tarnish the impeccable reputation of my entire Shen family, I will personally petition the Emperor for an audience. In the name of the orphan of a loyal official and martyr, I will demand justice from His Majesty!”

Pei Chengyun seemed slightly taken aback. He offered Shen Qiuci a shallow bow and said,

“Sister-in-law’s reproach is justified. I, Pei, have been presumptuous.”

He toyed with the silver hairpin as he slowly walked to stand behind Shen Qiuci. “This hairpin is sharp. Allow me to pin it in your hair myself as an apology.”

Without waiting for Shen Qiuci’s reply, his hand already steadied her shoulder, and he slid the silver hairpin into her sleek, dark hair.

Pei Chengyun circled back to stand in front of Shen Qiuci, carefully appraising the hairpin in her hair. He nodded, seemingly quite satisfied with his handiwork.

“Not bad.”

Then his gaze returned to Shen Qiuci, and he asked with a light laugh:

“Speaking of which, there is one more thing that puzzles me slightly. I would be grateful if Sister-in-law could clear it up for me.”

Shen Qiuci’s tone remained unchanged. “What is it?”

The smile on Pei Chengyun’s face instantly froze. His eyes locked intently onto Shen Qiuci’s, and he said in a low voice,

“That phrase you used earlier, ‘first time meeting,’ has rather confused me.”

As he spoke, he leaned close to her, almost whispering the next words against her ear:

“Has Sister-in-law forgotten that we once met, three years ago?”

—
Sao- Sister-in-law, elder brother’s wife.