After Chu Ruoyan left, Pei Heng sat in a daze for a long ti.
She only snapped back to reality when Murong Rui ca in to announce that his eldest uncle had arrived.
"How did it go? Did Her Majesty the Empress agree?" Pei Ji looked at her, his face full of anticipation.
Pei Heng shook her head and repeated the Empress's words. Then, looking sowhat absentminded, she asked, "Brother, tell , is there truly such a thing as unwavering, steadfast love in this world?"
Hearing that the Empress had refused, Pei Ji furrowed his brows deeply, entirely losing the mood to comfort her.
After a mont of silence, he clenched his fist. "It seems sending Bingqing into the palace won't work. We'll have to take another approach..."
Murong Rui whispered, "Eldest Uncle, why don't we just let it go? The Emperor treats us all very well, and he even appointed you as the Minister of War..."
"Childish talk!" Pei Ji scolded. "Our Pei clan has stood strong for hundreds of years not by relying on a single emperor, but through generations of endurance! No matter who sits on the throne, he must have marriage ties with our noble family. This is the very foundation of the Pei clan!"
He gritted his teeth as he spoke. "It's a pity the Emperor is so stubborn. No matter how we try to persuade him, he refuses to take any concubines... Since this path is blocked, we'll just have to take another. Has Seventh Brother arrived in the capital?"
Pei Heng felt a sense of foreboding and tried to stop him, but Murong Rui, being straightforward, blurted out, "Yes, Seventh Uncle has returned to the capital to report on his duties. I just saw him yesterday."
A cold glint flashed in Pei Ji's eyes. "In that case, we can only focus our efforts on him and Lady Li..."
Hall of ntal Cultivation.
A hidden guard returned and reported everything that had transpired at Zhongcui Palace. "...Your Majesty, that is the gist of it. After Pei Ji went inside, highly skilled martial artists guarded the doors. To be safe, our people retreated."
Yan Zheng's expression was exceedingly grim. "I have warned him so many tis, yet he still won't give up! Since that is the case, send Empress Pei to a secondary palace. She is not to return without an imperial decree. As for Pei Bingqing... ng Yang, go to the Ministry of Revenue and see which noble families currently have young n of marriageable age. I shall issue an edict to arrange a marriage for her!"
ng Yang's eyelid twitched. "Yes, Your Majesty!"
Just as he responded, Chu Ruoyan walked in from outside the hall. "Yes to what? Have you assigned Commander ng another errand?"
She smiled radiantly, seemingly unaware that Yan Zheng had sent people to follow her.
The Emperor replied without batting an eye, "Yes. ng Yang is not young anymore; it is ti to arrange a marriage for him."
At these words, ng Yang felt as if his pants had caught fire. He hurriedly said, "Your Majesty! I will go handle it imdiately and bring you the list today!" With that, he swept away like a gust of wind, causing Chu Ruoyan to laugh and shake her head.
She walked over to the desk, sat down, and took a sip from a teacup. "Do you know who I saw today?"
Yan Zheng asked, "Who?"
"Empress Pei. She also told ..." The young woman recounted the events at Zhongcui Palace. Yan Zheng remained silent for a mont before saying, "I am not Emperor Jingwen, and you will not be Empress Duanshu."
Husband and wife had each spoken the exact sa words.
Chu Ruoyan smiled and said, "It wouldn't matter even if it were true. It's just that, if that day truly cos, I still hope you can under—"
Before she could finish the word, the grip around her waist suddenly tightened, and she was pulled directly into the Emperor's embrace.
Yan Zheng lowered his head and kissed her lips almost fiercely. "What nonsense are you talking about? That day will never co!"
The young woman winced slightly but still smiled as she looked up at him. "Is that so? Then why did you send people to follow ?"
Yan Zheng's eye twitched. "You noticed?"
Chu Ruoyan reached out and tapped his chest. "Yan Zheng, if you had heard what I just said for the first ti, you would have definitely flown into a rage, and perhaps even punished Empress Pei on the spot. But you did nothing. Clearly, you have already vented your anger."
The Emperor sighed. "It is my fault, Ayan. I was just too worried about you."
The young woman was baffled. "What is there to worry about?"
Thinking of the matter regarding the child, Yan Zheng did not say it explicitly, only stating, "There won't be a next ti."
Chu Ruoyan shook her head. "It doesn't matter even if there is. I know in my heart that you sending people is simply to protect ." Speaking of this, she recalled the events at Zhongcui Palace, her delicate brows furrowing slightly. "However, Empress Pei had lost her mind for so long, yet right after regaining her senses, she sought out to say these things. I believe this must be the Pei family's doing."
"It is Pei Ji." Yan Zheng did not hide it from her. "After you left, he went to visit Empress Pei."
Chu Ruoyan nodded. "Then it makes sense... Pei Ji has been repeatedly thwarted in this matter; it wouldn't be surprising if he sought another way."
The husband and wife exchanged a glance, and Yan Zheng raised his voice. "Shadow, make a trip and bring Second Sister-in-law into the palace. Just say that Wenjing misses her and ask her to stay in the palace temporarily."
Shadow bowed, and Chu Ruoyan added, "I heard that Seventh Master Pei has also arrived in the capital. When you pick up Second Sister-in-law, avoid him. Do not let them et."
Shadow received the order and departed.
The Hall of ntal Cultivation was quiet for a mont before the Emperor suddenly embraced her. "Ayan, thank you."
The young woman blinked. "Thank for what?"
"Thank you for not being so magnanimous and virtuous as to help bring other won into the palace, and for not listening to idle gossip and telling to have children with other won."
The man's voice was deep, laced with a hint of unease, yet also a sense of profound relief.
Chu Ruoyan looked at him with a smile and asked only one question: "Would you?"
Yan Zheng was startled, then watched as the young woman gently leaned against him. "I will not arbitrarily force you to do things you do not want to do. Similarly, if one day you wish to leave behind a bloodline, I will not use our past affection to pressure you. Yan Zheng, I hope that between us, we can simply follow our hearts. I won't listen to the words of others, and you shouldn't take them to heart either, alright?"
Since he ascended the throne, countless people had tried to fan the flas of discord between them.
Bringing up the imperial harem, bringing up heirs, bringing up maternal relatives...
As the saying goes, a lie repeated often enough becos the truth. Hearing such idle gossip constantly, who could guarantee they would always remain clear-headed?
Yan Zheng let out a hum of agreent from his chest, holding her tightly. "Ayan, when we first rose to power in Yuzhou, the Pei family contributed greatly. Without finding concrete evidence of their wrongdoing, acting rashly would only invite suspicion from the court and chill the hearts of our ritorious officials. But do not worry; if he dares to overstep again, I will sever his arm."
Chu Ruoyan was about to say sothing when Shadow suddenly returned, his small face pulled taut.
He made a hand signal indicating that an incident had occurred. The Emperor and Empress were both alard. Right on his heels, Yin Shun trotted in, his voice trembling as he spoke, "Your Majesty, Your Ladyship, sothing has happened to the Second Young Madam! Today, she went on a spring outing at the invitation of the noblewon in the capital. Who could have expected that halfway there, her carriage would lose control, and she would accidentally fall into a mire. And the person who fell in with her... was the Prefect of Taizhou, Pei Yu!"
The two exchanged a glance, both seeing the heavy solemnity in each other's eyes.
Second Sister-in-law, a widow, tumbling into a mire with an unmarried official...
And it happened in broad daylight, with so many noblewon present as witnesses.
One could only imagine what kind of wild rumors would spread throughout the capital by tomorrow.
That damn Pei Ji, did he really make his move this quickly?
"How is she? Has she been rescued?" Chu Ruoyan hurriedly asked. Yin Shun wiped his cold sweat and replied, "They were rescued, but because the mud was so thick and sticky, the two of them... the two of them were clinging to each other when they were pulled out..."
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