The previous night, the Jinyiwei had searched the entire capital to arrest someone. There was a commotion across the whole city, and many people hadn’t slept well. In the morning, a civil servant opened the door of the government office and sucked in a deep breath. Just as his mouth opened wide, he stared, tongue-tied, and a scream resounded throughout the grounds.

Jiang Wang’s bloodied body could be seen lying at the entrance of the government office.

The news that Prime Minister Jiang Wang’s body had been returned caused an uproar. He Lan hurried over with his people, and found Qin Yu already there investigating with people from the Dongchang.

Qin Yu frowned slightly when he saw them coming and took a step back.

“What’s going on?” He Lan asked him habitually.

Qin Yu looked distracted, saying: “All of the bones in his body are broken, and he suffered ninety-eight stab wounds. He died with the last stab. It was a brutal killing.”

“Having been killed and sent back, there are only two directions of speculation to follow. One, it was for revenge, or two, it was to silence him. Since the killing was so brutal, it was likely revenge,” He Lan analyzed.

“But the timing isn’t right.”

“That’s right, the timing. To be able to sneak into the palace and kidnap him in front of Zhanyuan, Dongchang Director Zheng, and Commander He, it must have been a master. Such a master could have chosen any time to take revenge, but chose the most difficult opportunity. Therefore…..”

He Lan and Qin Yu exchange glances, tacit understanding lingering between them.

But in the blink of an eye, they were managing their own operations.

News quickly reached the palace. The corpse had been doubly confirmed by Zheng Wei and He Cong, so there was no need for Yuan Jue to identify it himself.

Looking at the two people below, Yuan Jue touched the jade thumb ring and said: “Then just bury him. He is the empress’s father after all, and must be given some dignity. As for palace security…..”

The two below couldn’t help but tense up.

“The Longevity Festival is soon approaching. The two of you must take more care.”

Just as he was speaking, someone from the palace came to report that the empress had requested an audience with the emperor.

Yuan Jue commanded the two of them to stand down, and stood up unhurriedly to go to the harem.

The noble empress was being held in her bedroom by palace officials. She was not allowed to go out, and no one was allowed to enter.

Not far away stood an anxious Yao Hua and Jian Shuang.

Yuan Jue first approached the Empress Dowager and the Taifei and greeted them: “Why are the Empress Dowager and the Taifei here? Has the empress disturbed you?”

Yao Hua wore a worried look: “Your Majesty, the empress…..she was not involved, and is suffering. She has been very upright and hardworking in the harem these years. Although Prime Minister Jiang’s crimes are unpardonable, she…..”

Jian Shuang suddenly coughed, interrupting Yao Hua, who quickly assisted her. Jian Shuang looked at Yuan Jue with a pale face and said: “Your Majesty, my jiejie and I have been in the harem at all times, and truly haven’t noticed the empress having any deceitful intentions. Asking the emperor to show mercy.”

“Empress Dowager, Taifei, rest at ease. As long as the empress obediently reflects on her mistakes, I will not embarrass her.” The emperor’s expression was still mild.

Yao Hua breathed a sigh of relief and said: “The emperor is merciful. After all, the Longevity Festival is approaching, and foreign envoys are on their way. It really wouldn’t be suitable to cause a scandal.”

Yuan Jue nodded: “It is as the Empress Dowager says. This emperor knows what to do. The two of you should hasten back while I have a few words with the empress.”

Yao Hua and Jian Shuang knew the emperor didn’t desire their presence here, and had no choice but to leave.

Upon Yuan Jue’s approach, the empress no longer made a racket, and just stared at him with bloodshot eyes.

The empress was a beauty, not the gentle type, but certainly majestic. She had pride in herself, and was strict with her subordinates. Although she had long been without children, she never treated the children of the concubines harshly. As Empress, she was very qualified.

At this time, the usually graceful and regal empress had lost all sense of nobility. Like a phoenix with broken wings that had fallen into the mud, she was in disarray.

Yuan Jue waved his hand and everyone left. Then he went directly to the empress and straightened her messy hair with his own hands, as he often did.

Yuan Jue was handsome, adept in both civil and military matters, and there was a kind of tenderness in his movements. The empress was always moved by such small tendernesses, but at this moment, her entire body felt cold. Suddenly, she reached out and pushed away Yuan Jue’s hands.

This was disrespectful to the emperor, but the empress no longer cared.

Yuan Jue’s expression instantly went cold. He stood up straight and looked down at the empress, and the pressure of his imperial aura made it difficult to look directly at him.

“Empress, your father was killed and his body returned. He was punished to a great extent. Do you know who did it?”

The empress hadn’t expected him to bring such news upon his arrival. Her beautiful phoenix eyes instantly welled up, as red as if she were about to cry tears of blood.

“My father is dead? This…..you!” The Empress said tremulously.

Yuan Jue said with a frown: “Empress, be rational. I was going to punish your father for the crime of rebellion, but he was kidnapped. Now that you know he’s been silenced, do you not want to avenge him?”

The empress stared blankly at Yuan Jue, then gave a short laugh.

“I understand. You suspect that my father had other accomplices? That is why you were willing to come see me? You’re using my father’s death just to upset me and trick me! Then you’re wrong. I have no idea what my father has been doing. All of my thoughts have been towards you. Have you no heart? Do you feel nothing?”

The empress shouted her questions, on the verge of crying blood.

Yuan Jue’s brow furrowed slightly. It seemed the empress truly knew nothing.

“Empress, pay attention to your deportment. Your father’s rebellion is not this emperor’s fault. I have been benevolent and tolerant toward your father, yet he’s done so many things behind my back. I turned a blind eye for many years, but he went too far. Disloyalty to the throne is a sin that cannot be absolved. I will not transfer his guilt to you, but simply penalize you to reflect on your mistakes in consideration of our relationship as husband and wife. Empress, do not let down this emperor’s lenience with you.”

“Lenience? Hahaha. Yuan Jue, if my father hadn’t sent someone to deliver me a letter last night, you would have still kept me in the dark. I would have let you blame me and lived in self-blame and guilt!

“What?” Yuan Jue frowned slightly.

“My father told me the truth about why I haven’t been able to get pregnant all these years!” The empress collapsed, shouting: “The incense you gave has been lit every time we’ve laid together. In truth, it makes me infertile!”

Yuan Jue’s eyes flashed. He didn’t deny it, just gazing silently at the empress.

“You don’t want me, the empress, to give birth at all. You are guarding against me, guarding against my father. I haven’t been allowed to give birth to any royal heirs since I married you, because you’ve been planning this for a long time. Sooner or later, you were going to take revenge on my father for the way he wavered between you and the Three Kings.”

Yuan Jue still didn’t deny it. The empress became increasingly desperate as she spoke.

“My father couldn’t help it back then. At least half the civil and military officials in the entire dynasty were the same way. If he hadn’t known from the bottom of his heart that you didn’t intend for me to have children, he wouldn’t have taken the risk. He originally wanted to help you! Why….why can’t you let go of things from the past! Why can’t you believe that we really just wanted to follow you!”

Yuan Jue said abruptly: “How did you father know?”

The empress was taken aback.

Yuan Jue narrowed his eyes slightly. He gleaned from the empress’s expression that she didn’t know, and dead men told no tales. He either discovered it himself, or somebody told him. It seemed that those behind the scenes were truly capable.

The empress stared dumbly at Yuan Jue. There was not a trace of regret on his face, nor a trace of hesitation. None at all.

The empress despaired. She rushed forward wildly to hit Yuan Jue, but was shoved away.

Sprawled on the floor, the empress shouted: “Yuan Jue, you repay kindness with enmity, you have no conscience, you…..”

“I have no conscience?” Yuan Jue scoffed. “I might as well tell you. Whether or not your father chose rebellion, I would have never let him off. And not because he wavered between the Three Kings and me.”

Stunned, the empress stared at Yuan Jue.

“It is because your father intended to be the second powerful and domineering minister at my side.”

The empress’s expression changed at once. “Father…..Father was just the prime minister. He only wanted to assist you. Even if he had more power, he wouldn’t have been like Liu Zhenqing, who had overwhelming command over the court and the common people, and spoke beyond imperial power.”

Yuan Jue’s eyes flashed sharply: “Did you and your father think me a fool? Your father thought that after driving away the tiger, he, a leopard, could control the forest. He wanted to suppress me, the true dragon, and make me into a puppet in his hands. He would be a domineering minister first, and in the future, your child would take the position. His eyes were full of ambition hidden under an amiable facade. He intended to be an uncrowned emperor and control our Yuan clan! How could this emperor allow such a person to live?”

The empress wanted to refute in a fluster, but then she recalled what Jiang Wang had said to her when he came to the palace on occasion, and found that she couldn’t guarantee that Yuan Jue’s words wouldn’t have become true.

If the empress was allowed to give birth to a prince, and Jiang Wang discovered that Yuan Jue wasn’t as easy to control as he had imagined, then all that awaited Yuan Jue was imprisonment or death.

How could he naively expect a duplicitous person such as Jiang Wang to become loyal? Absurd! In the face of potential dangers, only those who struck first could survive till the end.

The empress was in a state of horrified disbelief as Yuan Jue grasped her chin.

“When the empress marries into the royal family, she should take the royal family into consideration. Your father loved you, but also wanted to take advantage of you. Do you think I shouldn’t have let him die? In any case, he didn’t die by my hand in the end. If you want to cast blame, then blame his own greed!”

Yuan Jue released the empress’s face. Seeing her turn pale with despair, he said coldly: “Empress, reflect on your misdeeds. Pretending to be sick or crazy is fine. For the sake of our relationship, this emperor does not intend to kill you. You will keep the title of Empress, but everything else will be handed over.”

“You might as well just kill me. There’s no point in living for me anyway,” the empress said spiritlessly.

Yuan Jue turned his head slightly and said: “This emperor has spoken. I won’t kill you, so you can’t die. At least, not in the short term. Someone will be sent to watch you. If you don’t want to suffer, then cooperate well.”

The empress’s expression couldn’t be uglier, but her body trembled even more at these words.

“You don’t want me dead? It’s come to this, and you still want to use me for your good reputation? Yuan Jue, you’re truly ruthless. Ruthless!” The empress broke down again in tears.

“An emperor is supposed to be ruthless. Have you not heard of this principle?” Yuan Jue said, moving to leave.

Watching Yuan Jue leave, the empress knew that once he was gone, she would never see him again. But she was unreconciled. She could not die in peace until she asked.

“I have only one question. Please answer it. As long as you answer my question, I will cooperate obediently with all of your arrangements.”

Yuan Jue revealed a look of surprise: “Speak.”

The empress raised her pale face and suddenly said with a strange smile: “Your Majesty, you didn’t suppress my father from the beginning, letting him be content with his lot and allowing him to slowly grow in power as you waited for the opportunity to act. Was this really out of caution?”

Yuan Jue stared: “What do you mean?”

The corners of the empress’s mouth turned up in an ugly way. In fact, in addition to the truth about her infertility, the letter Jiang Wang left behind also contained his reflections on Yuan Jue. That Yuan Jue felt he was on the path that Liu Zhenqing would have taken, but wasn’t able to.

Looking at Yuan Jue now and remembering his taboo against that person in the past, she seemed to have figured something out.

The empress sneered: “Was it for Liu Zhenqing?”

Murderous intent flashed through Yuan Jue’s eyes. This was really the first time his expression had changed since he came in, and the empress felt a twinge of pain in her heart. Nothing she or her father had done could change the expression of the person before her, but the mention of Liu Zhenqing could easily make Yuan Jue betray his anger. It was truly ironic.

“What are you trying to prove by making my father go the same way as Liu Zhenqing? That if Liu Zhenqing hadn’t died, he would have eventually betrayed you as well? You want to prove that you weren’t wrong when you let others tack him onto the sinner’s column, isn’t that right? Has it been proven? Are you happy?”

“Shut up!” Yuan Jue said frigidly.

The empress raised her eyebrows and said: “Perhaps it isn’t just that. My father tried every means to fight against Liu Zhenqing before and after his death. Is it that you think my father harmed Liu Zhenqing, so you wanted to take revenge on my father for him and make yourself feel a little better? In fact, you care very much…..”

Before the empress could finish speaking, Yuan Jue grabbed her by the throat.

“I see that the empress really doesn’t want to live a good life anymore.” Yuan Jue looked down at the empress with sinister eyes.

The empress burst into tears once more. She wanted to laugh, but was unable to as the tears kept flowing.

Yuan Jue didn’t do anything to her, but after releasing the empress, he waved his hand and dark figures descended from all directions.

“The empress’s voice has become hoarse from crying. She is recuperating in the palace, and will see no one.”

As soon as Yuan Jue spoke, a figure stepped forward and grabbed the queen to force-feed her medicine. Soon after, the empress was unable to speak. She attempted to rush toward Yuan Jue, but was forcibly restrained.

Yuan Jue strolled out with a frosty expression, making calculations in his heart. 

Was it the same force or a different one? Who else could it be? Were they from the harem or the Imperial Court?

But Huo Fenglie had become increasingly abnormal. The apparent coincidence of the attack and their failure to catch the person was because his expectations of Huo Fenglie were too high. Was everything really a coincidence, or had Huo Fenglie actually changed?

. . . . . .

He Cong was in a rare state of ire when he returned, as if he couldn’t maintain his smiling mask. Once his anger had abated, He Lan walked in slowly.

He Cong finished reprimanding his subordinates and drove them away. “That person was taken away right under our noses, and now they sent him back. It’s simply a blatant provocation. Although the emperor hasn’t said anything, he’s angry. If it wasn’t for the Longevity Festival coming soon…..”

Seeing the state his uncle was in, He Lan said: “Isn’t there someone behind Jiang Wang? Just investigate slowly. In any case, now that Jiang Wang is dead, their power has suffered a heavy blow.”

He Lan touched his chin, saying: “Those people clipped their wings to preserve themselves. They must be very close to the emperor, so they didn’t allow Jiang Wang to leak a single word. Even though Jiang Wang claimed that he was responsible for everything, they couldn’t rest easy. Uncle, do you think King Jing is the most suspicious? If he secretly intends to rebel, it wouldn’t exactly be a change of dynasty, but…..”

“Do you think that what you come up with hasn’t already been considered by others? Evidence must be provided, ah. Apart from playing around in the capital, King Jing hasn’t even cultivated friendships with the ministers, and usually stays at home. At least on the surface, there are no clues to grasp. Forget it. Send someone to spy on him to rule out suspicion,” said He Cong.

He Lan nodded and went to execute the command.

“Wait. Yundu, you and General Huo are brothers, so you should be familiar with his martial arts skills, right? Everyone says he’s the top martial arts master, but I’ve only witnessed his skills a few times. What are your thoughts?” He Cong said.

He Lan said: “Naturally, he’s powerful. Nobody in the capital is capable of beating him.”

An odd smile appeared on He Cong’s face. He Lan’s expression changed slightly, and he said unhappily: “Uncle, what are you thinking, ah? You can suspect anyone in the world, but you can’t suspect Zhanyuan, ah! His friendship with the emperor is without match!”

The corners of He Cong’s mouth unconsciously rose with a hint of sarcasm: “Yundu, you must know that nobody in this world will side with someone forever. If General Huo is so powerful, why didn’t he catch the person last night?”

There was already anger on He Lan’s face: “The wider the world, the more talented people there are. We’ve been ambushed and encountered martial arts masters. It’s really inappropriate to suspect Zhanyuan just based on something like this.”

Seeing that He Lan was truly angry, He Cong dropped the subject and said with a smile: “You’re still young. Go on. I was just talking casually. After all, the emperor hasn’t said anything about him, has he?”

He Lan was still a little upset, but he said no more and turned to attend to his work.

. . . . . .

On the other side, in King Jing’s manor, King Jing suddenly kicked a stool away out of fury at Zheng Wei, who was kneeling before him.

“What are her intentions? She wants me to wait again. How long does she expect me to wait?” King Jing’s face was full of violence. His impatience had reached its peak. 

“Your Majesty, please calm down. Our forces have just suffered heavy losses, capital security is entirely in the hands of Huo Fenglie, and even Jiang Wang is dead. There is a real lack of manpower, and the death of Prime Minister Jiang has made her ladyship suspect that there are other forces at work. Now is truly not the time to take action.”

“Not the time, not the time. This is the excuse every time. We’ve cultivated our strength for so long, so must we be this cautious? Changing plans again and again, perhaps she doesn’t actually plan to go through with it!”

“My Lord, you should know that from the moment her ladyship stopped helping Prime Minister Jiang, she planned to let him take the blame for everything. Although there were some discrepancies in the plan, this does prove that her ladyship doesn’t plan to take action for the time being. My Lord, for the sake of safety, will you leave the capital?” Zheng Wei carefully persuaded, “You have waited for over ten years. Why not wait a little longer?”

King Jing grew even more furious when he heard this: “I think she doesn’t intend to rebel at all. She has succumbed to her peaceful life, and isn’t thinking about me! Now that it’s come to this point, how could Yuan Jue not suspect me? If we don’t take the first step…..”

Just as he was speaking, Qin Yu suddenly climbed over the wall and reported: “My Lord, from my observations, the Jinyiwei have placed merchants near the manor. I’m afraid they have already begun to monitor you.”

King Jing’s expression changed several times. In the end, he said darkly: “For so many years, Yuan Jue has taken the throne that belongs to me. I really can’t wait any longer!”

Zheng Wei’s eyes flashed. His tone was somewhat awkward: “My Lord…..”

“Zheng Wei, are you on my side or hers?”

Zheng Wei immediately knelt down and said: “My Lord, this servant is of the Dongchang, so he is naturally loyal to the true dragon emperor!”

A confident smile graced King Jing’s face at last.

Qin Yu soon left King Jing’s manor. Not long after, he sensed someone behind him and knew it was He Lan. The first time the Jinyiwei wanted to surveil someone, it would be He Lan who was sent to investigate. If he hadn’t gone to draw He Lan away just now, his foster father would have been in danger of being discovered.

Very soon, He Lan stopped Qin Yu, who looked at his gloomy expression without reacting. He said directly: “What is it?”’

“You came out of King Jing’s manor. What were you doing?” He Lan had already adopted an interrogative tone. After all, when he saw Qin Yu come out of there at such a sensitive time, many terrible conjectures flashed through his mind. Qin Yu had indeed been very strange recently.

Face with such a question, Qin Yu had already thought of an answer: “The same as you. Are you the only one capable of coming up with this idea?”

He Lan breathed an instant sigh of relief, feeling that the Dongchang also suspected King Jing and had sent someone to investigate.

“What did you find?” He Lan asked.

“There is nothing on the surface,” Qin Yu said. “But I see you’ve already begun surveillance, so our Dongchang won’t bother with it.”

Having said this, Qin Yu was about to leave when He Lan grabbed him unthinkingly. After all, it was rare for them to see each other in private. Looking at those familiar yet unfamiliar features, he had some thoughts.

“What else do you want to ask?” Seeing the way he was looking at him, Qin Yu felt uneasy and impatient.

“I plan to ask Zhanyuan about that martial arts master who was able to take someone away under his nose. Will you go?” In a flash of inspiration, He Lan found a suitable excuse.

Sure enough, Qin Yu was moved and accompanied him to the General’s Manor. However, they didn’t find anyone in the end. It was so late, and if he wasn’t here, he would definitely be at Liu Manor.

Thus, the two of them went to Liu Manor. They habitually didn’t take the normal route, but climbed over the wall to find him.

They had just determined Liu Zhenqing’s courtyard and were lying on the wall, about to go down, when they heard a low moan. Before he could react, Qin Yu was held down by He Lan, who covered his mouth before he could speak.

He Lan widened his eyes and signaled for Qin Yu to pay attention to the situation. Qin Yu’s gaze shifted toward the lounge chair and blanket in the courtyard below. Liu Zhenqing was seated on top of Huo Fenglie, the two of them embracing as they kissed.

Liu Zhenqing placed his hands weakly on Huo Fenglie’s shoulders, and Huo Fenglie held an arm around him so that he wouldn’t fall backward. There was no doubt about what a hand was doing between those arms.

“Er-gou, I…..I can’t. I won’t tease you anymore, I’m just happy today.”

The evidence that Jiang Wang had persecuted Bai Yu had been handed over to Bai Su. Liu Zhenqing didn’t let Bai Su know they were the ones who had done it, so he should just think it was a righteous person who upheld justice. At least he would know that his brother had been avenged, and that the blood in the cemetery was his atonement.

Huo Fenglie kissed Liu Zhenqing and held him tightly, then looked up at the far wall in displeasure.

Neither He Lan nor Qin Yu dared to look at him, and immediately jumped down in tacit understanding.

As soon as they landed, they received a warning attack. It seemed someone else had discovered them and was driving them away.

“Who is it!” Qin Yu said in alarm.

He Lan pulled Qin Yu to hide in a small, distant alley. When he no longer sensed danger, he stopped and explained to Qin Yu: “It was probably Liu Zhenqing’s bodyguard.”

“Bodyguard?” Qin Yu seemed to have seen him wearing a mask before, but his martial skills were so…..

Qin Yu was about to discuss it with He Lan, when he was suddenly pulled into the other’s arms…..and felt something. “He Yundu! What are you doing?”

He Lan was silent at first. Then he smiled and said: “I thought you didn’t feel anything when you saw that scene, but isn’t this a reaction?”

“I’m a eunuch.”

“I know exactly how a eunuch reacts,” He Lan said with an air of experience. “You can’t lie to me.”

“So what?”

He Lan’s body gradually heated up as he held Qin Yu. They had just witnessed such a scene and were now alone in a dark alley, unable to see each other’s expressions as they breathed. How could He Lan control himself? “You smell so good. I missed you.”

Although He Lan had acted like a scoundrel the last time they met, Qin Yu was stunned by such a straightforward statement.

As Qin Yu stared blankly, He Lan took the opportunity. Qin Yu tried to push He Lan away again, but He Lan had already pressed him against the wall and kissed him.

As for the question of who the martial arts master was, it was thrown out of Qin Yu’s mind by He Lan’s ministrations.

When Qin Yu returned to his senses, he was about to refuse when he heard He Lan say: “We’ll seek Zhanyuan out later. In fact, my cousin was a little suspicious of Zhanyuan today. He thinks the person who kidnapped Prime Minister Jiang is…..”

Qin Yu’s heart constricted. As his thoughts went wild, he forgot to stop He Lan. When he was able to react, He Lan had already tasted him again.

It was just that he was a little rough at first, like he was angry, or like it had been too long and he couldn’t control himself. Qin Yu couldn’t tell clearly, and was only somewhat annoyed that he himself was unable to resist to the end.

Two hours later, they appeared before Huo Fenglie.

Liu Zhenqing was already asleep in the back room.

---

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Chapter 132 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 134

Jiang Wang was somewhat numb for a moment. All the manpower he could call on had been used during the operation tonight, so it was impossible for him to have such a master on hand to save him.

So, had he come to kill him?

Jiang Wang was already ambivalent to life and death, so he said, unafraid: “Who are you? Are you an enemy seeking revenge on me?”

Holding a lamp in his hand, the person standing at the forefront didn’t look back. A clear, cold voice slowly sounded: “Today, didn’t you come to the Imperial Academy to beseech my master? Be at ease, my master can not only protect your daughter, but you as well.”

Jiang Wang was stunned. It was actually them? Why would they want to save him? How could this be possible?

In fact, Jiang Wang had understood from the beginning that the original plan of the people in the capital had been completely ruined because of the chaos Huo Fenglie stirred up. The current Longevity Festival plan had long failed and couldn’t be carried out at all, so they had completely given up on it. But he was still being watched very closely, so someone must have come out to erase suspicions at this time.

Unfortunately, Jiang Wang had been exposed. Regardless of whether the power of the people in the capital had been exposed, Jiang Wang was going to die. The difference lay in whether before he died, he dragged the people in the capital into the water with him.

But Jiang Wang refused to admit defeat, and wanted to take revenge on Yuan Jue, so he naturally chose not to.

Since he was willing to die, why did they come save him? Unless they feared he would change his mind and expose him, so they intended to silence him in advance. But he had already taken all responsibility onto himself, so the person who kidnapped him shouldn’t have such concerns.

Therefore, the only explanation was that the people before him were pretending to be mysterious and intended to reveal the real situation.

Jiang Wang’s mind raced. Suddenly, he sneered: “Stop playing games. Could it be that the emperor still suspects there is someone behind me, so he’s deliberately playing tricks and waiting for me to fall for it? I said I was the one who did all those things. Why wouldn’t I? As Prime Minister, doesn’t it make sense that I would have such ambitions?”

Jiang Wang’s heart was pounding once he finished speaking. Since these people knew he had gone to beseech someone in the capital today, how could they not know…..

“I indeed went to the Imperial Academy today, but only to ask the Empress Dowager to take more care of my poor daughter in the future,” Jiang Wang attempted to justify.

This should have picked everything clean.

However, the person who had asked him the question only sighed.

“As expected of the old fox Jiang Wang. It’s truly difficult to get any useful information out of you, ah. But it doesn’t matter. The purpose of taking you is not to identify the people behind the scenes. It’s enough that we know those people exist.”

Jiang Wang’s expression hardened. The other party was certain despite his words, which proved that the other party did hear something when he went to the Imperial Academy, but nothing specific. But he felt that this person’s voice was familiar, which was extremely strange.

“Bring him here!” The man’s voice suddenly went cold as he spoke the order.

The tall man standing behind him, who had kidnapped Jiang Wang, obeyed the command and turned around.

Jiang Wang’s pupils instantly contracted. He stared in disbelief at the person walking toward him.

“You…..you…..you…..Liu Qiao!”

Liu Qiao’s countenance was grim. Unmasked, he regarded Jiang Wang with cold eyes as he grabbed his neck and forced him directly to the tombstone.

Jiang Wang nearly slammed his head into the tombstone when he raised it while struggling. A name caught his eye.

Bai Yu.

Jiang Wang’s pupils shrank. He lurched back in fright and fell to the ground, his expression more unsightly than it had ever been during this debacle. It was as if the soul had been pulled out of his body, all of the blood in his face receding.

Bai Yu…..Liu Qiao…..

Jiang Wang couldn’t stop his entire body from trembling. He suddenly recalled the man’s words just now, as well as Liu Qiao’s obedience to his command.

In such a situation, only one person came to mind. His mind went momentarily blank. It was as if the shadow that had shrouded his head in the past had reappeared, and he abruptly turned his head to look at the person holding the lantern.

Under the interplay of light and shadow from the lantern, a young, unfamiliar face reflected in Jiang Wang’s eyes. He felt an inexplicable relief. But in the next second, the young man glanced over with familiar cold eyes, and all the blood in Jiang Wang’s body froze.

Jiang Wang’s vision went hazy, and he shook his head in disbelief: “Impossible! Impossible! Liu Zhenqing is dead. He’s dead. He died. I watched with my own eyes as he was shot in the heart with an arrow, smelled the stench of his corpse, watched him be buried. He’s dead, you aren’t…..you’re trying to look like him. Who are you?”

The corners of Liu Zhenqing’s lips rose mockingly: “Just think of me as a ghost who’s come for your life.”

Jiang Wang’s face was nearly ashen. He stared with eyes blown wide. “Why come for my life? I didn’t kill Liu Zhenqing!”

“Naturally, I’m taking your life on his behalf…..” Liu Zhenqing slowly raised the lamp to illuminate Bai Yu’s name. “You can’t have forgotten what you did.”

Jiang Wang turned to look at the name on the cold tombstone again, and his mind snagged on a memory.

Liu Zhenqing had been exposed and criticized after his death. Jiang Wang was very clear on how much dirty work this had taken, and because of this knowledge, as Liu Zhenqing’s cronies, Bai Yu and Liu Qiao could not be allowed to appear again to prove the injustices against Liu Zhenqing.

Dealing with Liu Qiao was very simple, since he had no identity and no backing. All he had to do was find enough masters to chase him down. He just hadn’t expected this simple matter to fail due to the opponent’s martial arts, allowing him to hide for many years. But Jiang Wang was also aware that Liu Qiao was purely a martial artist, and that even if he failed to silence him, it wouldn’t be a big worry. 

Bai Yu, however, was different. There had been many grand tutors in the Bai family, and even though Liu Zhenqing had been made a villain, it would not be easy to punish Bai Yu.

This was because when researching the charges, Jiang Wang found that almost all of the examples that could be cited were issued by Liu Zhenqing himself. Bai Yu could be regarded as innocent, just an ordinary court official who had obeyed orders from his superior. Therefore, even if Bai Yu were to be deprived of his official position, it wouldn’t be a death blow. He was obviously Liu Zhenqing’s right-hand man, but the end result was like this. Jiang Wang couldn’t believe it.

Jiang Wang felt that it was all a coincidence. It was impossible for someone to make so many preparations in advance to protect his subordinates in the event that these incidents came to light. And yet, this was the result. As long as Bai Yu returned, even though Liu Zhenqing was nailed to the sinner’s column, his capable subordinate Bai Yu would be able to escape all culpability.

But how could Jiang Wang allow Bai Yu to return? After all, everyone knew how loyal the man was to Liu Zhenqing. Later, an informant arranged by Jiang Wang reported that Bai Yu had collected evidence and intended to return to the capital to clear Liu Zhenqing’s name, which made Jiang Wang even more uneasy.

He had only just replaced Liu Zhenqing and firmly assumed the position of Prime Minister, and had also let the country and all of the civil and military officials know how hard he, as the deputy prime minister, had struggled to survive under the hands of the treacherous prime minister on everyone’s behalf. His name and reputation had risen to unprecedented heights due to Liu Zhenqing’s downfall. He must not lose it because of Bai Yu. 

He would fake Bai Yu’s death, take away all of the evidence in his hands, and destroy it. Then Bai Yu could die in truth.

He had received news a few years prior of Bai Yu’s death, but had only seen the body when it was transported back.

Bai Yu’s guilt was cleared before his death. As expected, there was no evidence whatsoever and he was buried peacefully in the Bai family cemetery.

Jiang Wang hadn’t visited the grave from beginning to end, but now he was unexpectedly pinned to it.

“Jiang Wang, you were aware of Bai Yu’s talent and what a good person he was. You really caused him misery. Do you know what he suffered before he died? A talented young man went insane due to abuse. Have you ever felt remorse? Have you ever come to pay your respects?” Liu Zhenqing spoke at an even pace.

When they returned to the capital, neither Liu Zhenqing nor Liu Qiao had come here, because they didn’t dare to.

But the moment they got back, the two of them had begun to investigate in secret. Without anyone noticing, based on the existing clues and Liu Qiao’s memories of that year, they finally followed the trail to Jiang Wang. In fact, it was nearly the same as Liu Qiao had guessed.

Liu Zhenqing didn’t directly tell Liu Qiao to kill him, because that would be too good for Jiang Wang. What the man cared most about was power and status, and watching him lose everything would have been the best method. Liu Zhenqing had his own plans for Jiang Wang after returning to the capital.

It was Jiang Wang’s fault that he harbored evil intentions and got involved with the rebels. Since Yuan Jue wanted to deal with Jiang Wang, Liu Zhenqing naturally didn’t mind waiting a few more days and following the trend

And now that Jiang Wang’s fate had been decided, it was Liu Zhenqing’s turn for revenge.

“The winner is king, and the loser is a bandit. If he is to be blamed, then he should be blamed for following the wrong master and stubbornly persisting in his obsession after Liu Zhenqing’s death. Everything I did was for the sake of the nation’s stability,” Jiang Wang retorted in a loud, rude voice. He no longer cared about the identity of the person in front of him. He was the dignified Prime Minister and father-in-law of the emperor, and he was not someone who could be criticized.

“The stability of the nation? You still refuse to tell the truth?” Liu Zhenqing said in surprise.

Jiang Wang looked at the expression of the person in front of him, and the more he looked, the more he appeared like the enemy who seemed to have been born to defeat him. He really did look almost like Liu Zhenqing.

“The truth? You want me to say that I did all of this for my own selfish desires? Ridiculous. Everyone has more or less mixed feelings about public and private matters. I am for myself, and also for Great Zhou. When Bai Yu tried to come back and clear Liu Zhenqing’s name, regardless of the fact that the situation in Great Zhou had finally settled down at that time, he was going to disrupt everything. The situation was chaotic before, and punishing Liu Zhenqing was what the people wanted. If this was disrupted, what would we have done if the remnants of the Three Kings took advantage of Liu Zhenqing’s reputation? What price has everyone paid to get to this point? Even if Liu Zhenqing did bear some stigma, it was for the sake of Great Zhou. Facts have proven that what we did was right. At that time, didn’t the people of Great Zhou settle down once they shared a common hatred?!”

Liu Zhenqing was expressionless in the face of these words. However, Liu Qiao lost control and punched Jiang Wang in the face. Jiang Wang vomited blood when the blow connected.

“You were protected by Master, but in the end, you repaid kindness with enmity, and even hurt Young Master Wangshu. Just like Master, he was a good official who served the country and the common people! Don’t talk about principles! You did everything just for yourself!” Liu Qiao couldn’t speak his thoughts too eloquently, but he instinctively felt that these words should be said. Master and Young Master Wangshu never did anything wrong, so it must be someone else’s fault!

Good people should be rewarded, and bad people should be punished!

Jiang Wang turned back in a state of disarray and gave Liu Qiao a fierce look: “You’re just a bodyguard, what do you know!”

“Not only is he a bodyguard, but he’s also one of the people you owe an apology to. Didn’t you send people to hunt him down?” Liu Zhenqing said unhurriedly. “The winner is king, and the loser is a bandit. You’re now the loser, so you must bear our vengeance.”

Jiang Wang instantly felt it like a blow to the heart. As he looked at Liu Zhenqing again, his eyes had already lost some of their rationality. The unyielding force in his heart was aroused again and he suddenly laughed, saying: “I’ve been defeated, but I lost to  imperial power. I’m not as foolish as you! Liu Zhenqing, Liu Xiting, everyone said you had god-like intellect and that I couldn’t compare to you, but I think otherwise.”

Liu Zhenqing’s eyes narrowed slightly. He was unsure if Jiang Wang regarded him as himself or as a substitute, but he didn’t really care.

Jiang Wang grew even more unhinged: “For the sake of Great Zhou and Yuan Jue, you became a villain through and through. You never enjoyed any achievements in your life, were reviled by the common people after your death, and were reduced to such an end. Now that I think about it, I still came out on top, hahaha!”

Liu Zhenqing said with amusement: “Do you think I care?”

Jiang Wang retorted at once: “Of course you care. I originally thought you were like me, sitting in that position and holding the golden seal, taking control of the emperor. You must have been attached to power. I truly thought that was the case up to your death. But then the investigation deepened, and I discovered that I was wrong. You were simply a fool. What did this sort of fool care about? Naturally, it was the gratitude and understanding of others.”

Liu Zhenqing’s eyes flickered. He wasn’t sure if Jiang Wang was right or not. He may have had such thoughts, hoping to be understood and appreciated by the common people. But he had already died once, so what was there to care about? Now that he had Huo Fenglie, he no longer took such things to heart, because his heart had been warmed by that young man.

Liu Zhenqing didn’t refute. He only gazed quietly at Jiang Wang, who stopped speaking. Staring blankly into Liu Zhenqing’s eyes, he seemed to come to some understanding.

His expression became agonized, and he shouted fiercely:

“Liu Zhenqing! So what if you really don’t care? You still failed. You did everything wrong from beginning to end, not thinking of yourself and not knowing when enough was enough. You shielded the young emperor from all dangers and gave him instruction, but you were the one who did everything. Did you think the young emperor would have faith in you? You deserved to die!”

Liu Zhenqing’s expression finally changed. There had been so many circumstances, so many dangers, and he was too busy to consider things too much. He could only numbly deal with government affairs and stabilize the court. He gradually became gloomy and no longer smiled. His methods were swift and ruthless, lacking in appeasement and with little explanation. Nobody was required to understand.

“The court officials and the nation’s common people would never have faith in a powerful minister who held great power and covered the sky with one hand. You were just self-absorbed and narcissistic! Whether you were a loyal or treacherous minister, your name would be left in the history books, destined for infamy for millenia! Hahaha, Liu Zhenqing, although I’m also leaving behind a reputation as a rebel, my achievements will remain. In the end, I bested you!”

As Jiang Wang grinned with wild arrogance, Liu Qiao stepped forward again and kicked him over, drawing out his dagger in preparation to strike.

But Liu Zhenqing stopped him, saying: “Alright, since you’re smarter than me, why did you dig your own grave?”

Jiang Wang choked. He’d thought Liu Zhenqing would refute him and argue furiously. If he didn’t argue, it would be like…..like he was performing a one-man show.

Jiang Wang’s face reddened. He was in a bit of a daze. Was the person before him really not that person?

“Hehe, if Liu Zhenqing hadn’t died and the court demanded me, Yuan Jue would have taken action against me. My presence was like a stick in his throat. After all, I wasn’t really his follower in the beginning. That was all designed by Liu Zhenqing. Sooner or later, I would have died. I’m not like Liu Zhenqing, who only labored under delusions.”

“Your daughter is the empress,” Liu Zhenqing said. “As long as you behaved yourself…..”

“Hahah, Liu Zhenqing! You taught Yuan Jue. Is he really as merciful as he appears?” Jiang Wang seemed to have been stimulated, and was once again unbalanced. His eyes widened. “Have you forgotten how you died? You died in the Dragon Court, and nobody cared about your fate. You were held under duress, and everyone killed you together! Did Yuan Jue ever shed a tear for you? Oh, you don’t know. Then let me tell you, he didn’t!”

Before Jiang Wang could go on, Liu Zhenqing grabbed him by the throat.

Jiang Wang looked up. At the sight of Liu Zhenqing’s frigid expression, Jiang Wang was gleeful.

“Do you feel as if your sincere efforts went to the dogs? Are you unreconciled?”

“No, I’m not unreconciled, because there were only two people I gave my all for. One was Crown Prince Jingyang, and the other was Huo Feihan! I did it for them!”

When Liu Zhenqing finished speaking, he took the dagger from Liu Qiao’s hand and plunged it into Jiang Wang’s shoulder, piercing his collarbone.

Jiang Wang was a person used to an easy, pampered life, and screamed in pain, unable to control his tears and dripping nose.

“Jiang Wang, tell me who the people behind the scenes are. Wouldn’t it be better to make me fight them?” Liu Zhenqing knew it was impossible to get an answer by asking the correct questions, so he could only resort to this. 

Jiang Wang’s face turned ashen in pain, but he still looked at Liu Zhenqing in amusement: “I won’t talk! Let’s see which of you wins in the end! I also want to know if you’ll still help Yuan Jue!”

Liu Zhenqing pulled the dagger out: “You’ll have no chance to see it.”

In fact, Jiang Wang had already been drugged while he was unconscious, which was why he was speaking so wildly. But even still, he was unwilling to disclose the key information. There was really nothing to be done.

“Liu Qiao, block his mouth and break all of his bones for Wangshu. Don’t let him die, and don’t let him pass out. Vent your anger, do whatever you want!” Liu Zhenqing sat next to the tombstone and took out the wine he’d brought from the Imperial Academy.

He’d first had it at the Peach Blossom Banquet that year.

He drank the wine and played with the Rubik’s cube he brought.

Occasionally, he glanced over at Jiang Wang’s twisted, agonized expression as his bones were shattered.

By the time Jiang Wang was insensate from the torture and on his last breath, Liu Qiao lifted him up and went to leave.

“What are you going to do?” Liu Zhenqing asked.

“Qiao Jin said that if he found the person who ordered people to pursue us, he would stab them ninety-eight times, which was the total number of injuries we received when we were hunted,” Liu Qiao said. “But there will be blood, and I don’t want to dirty Young Master Wangshu’s resting place.”

Liu Zhenqing said with a smile: “That kid Qiao Jin is like me. He holds a grudge. Go ahead.”

Liu Qiao took Jiang Wang a little farther away. Liu Zhenqing was about to solve the last twist of the Rubik’s Cube when he suddenly sensed a figure descend, blocking the dim nighttime illumination. 

He initially thought it was Liu Qiao, but when he looked up, he felt somewhat awkward.

“What are you…..”

The one before him was Huo Fenglie.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Huo Fenglie asked, looking at him intently.

Although his tone was calm, with no emotion to be heard, Liu Zhenqing still picked up on Huo Fenglie’s anger.

“I didn’t intend to hide it from you. You still had business to take care of when we came back. Besides, this is a matter between the three of us, and should be handled by the three of us.” Liu Zhenqing gestured toward Bai Yu’s grave beside them.

“What’s your business is my business!” 

Liu Zhenqing stood up and took Huo Fenglie’s hands, saying: “Of course you would help me if I asked, but once you took action, there would be traces left. Yuan Jue knows you too well for it to be safe. It was better to leave it to Liu Qiao, so that no one would suspect you. Naturally, nobody would suspect Liu Qiao. This was the safest way.”

Huo Fenglie didn’t argue further, and just lowered his eyes. He knew it was reasonable for Liu Zhenqing to do it this way, but he truly didn’t like the feeling of being excluded by him. He as like a breeze he could never reach, clearly by his side but doing things he didn’t know about.

Liu Zhenqing had been peacefully by his side these days as his fiance, joyful and carefree each day, as if teasing him each night was enough to make him happy. It had made him forget that the real Liu Zhenqing was one he could only look up to but never tie down. 

Huo Fenglie often felt uneasy when facing such a Liu Zhenqing.

Liu Zhenqing was naturally aware that Huo Fenglie had thoughts of such low self-esteem, and just thought that having things hidden from him had upset him. So he pulled him into his arms and coaxed him softly: “Don’t be angry with me. I was wrong. I won’t dare do it again. General Huo, please forgive me. For Liu Qiao to escape so smoothly, General Huo must have been merciful and helped to cover it up, right?”

Huo Fenglie didn’t deny it. He had indeed recognized Liu Qiao at a glance and immediately helped to hinder the pursuit.

Liu Zhenqing raised a hand to touch Huo Fenglie’s head, saying: “Since we’re here, should we tell Wangshu about our engagement together?”

Liu Zhenqing smiled and tugged Huo Fenglie over to view the tombstone. It was like telling an old friend of a happy event, which made Huo Fenglie feel much calmer.

Soon after, Liu Qiao came back carrying the body.

“He didn’t survive,” Liu Qiao said.

Huo Fenglie looked at Liu Zhenqing and said: “What are you planning to do…..”

“Return the body.” This was Liu Zhenqing’s original plan.

Huo Fenglie said: “When I left, Yuan Jue had already sent the Jinyiwei to search the entire city. He thinks someone came to rescue Jiang Wang.”

Liu Zhenqing explained: “I know, so in order to prevent the Jinyiwei from pursuing us and causing more trouble, the body must be returned. And if someone came to rescue Jiang Wang, it must have been one of his own men, but if he was rescued and then returned, what do you think others will make of it?”

Huo Fenglie was taken aback: “That someone killed him to silence him, and returned the body as a provocation?”

Regardless of whether Yuan Jue believed Prime Minister Jiang Wang’s words, at least Liu Zhenqing’s move would cause everyone in the court to believe that Jiang Wang was just a pawn, and that there was naturally a powerful person behind him. If Jiang Wang wanted to hide them, then Liu Zhenqing would expose them. Now, he would see if the forces in the capital could rest at ease.

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Chapter 130 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 133

The last dish arrived belatedly.

It was a sweet soup with tremella mushrooms as the main ingredient. The thick broth was crystal clear and embellished with the red hue of goji berries, pleasant to the eyes and overflowing with fragrance. One sip brought sweetness from the tip of the tongue to the stomach.

Aiyue was naturally excluded, as she didn’t have time for soup.

“The test paper was really too difficult!”

“Lots of people in class failed!”

“Some passed, some definitely passed, ah! How could the school stay open if there wasn’t even one who passed?”

“But what do others have to do with me? Dad said my learning IQ measures up to yours, you should be able to understand me!”

When she saw the corners of her mother’s mouth twitch, He Aiyue shrank her neck and quickly shifted to the side: “Beautiful woman, chill out. You can’t slap me on such a wonderful day!”

“If your hands are really itchy, you can…..you can slap my brother to cheer yourself up!”

In a flash of inspiration, she pointed at He Chuzhou in an attempt to divert trouble away from herself: “His bald-faced false accusation destroyed our familial harmony! Justice won’t be served unless you teach him a severe lesson!”

“I made a false accusation?”

He Chuzhou: “So you passed the math test, and you didn’t secretly ask Auntie for help?”

He Aiyue: “Failing this time was an accident. I’ll definitely make up for it and get a high score next time!”

He Chuzhou: “I’ll definitely get a high score next time~ Tsk, tsk, I stand in amazement.”

He Aiyue: “Don’t imitate me, I hate it to death!”

The brother and sister got into fights whenever they disagreed.

What Pei Xi sensed was not the smell of gunpowder, but a feeling he had never experienced before and was unable to describe it in words.

…..So this was now normal brothers and sisters got along?

They would be studying the menu in a friendly manner one second, then shamelessly throw dirt on each other and shirk responsibility the next.

Because the other person was someone they loved dearly, no matter what they said or did, they could cut loose. Even their quarrels revealed a sense of intimacy.

Was he envious?

He wasn’t sure.

He only knew that he couldn’t imagine a scene like this with Pei Zhen. Even imagining Pei Zhen’s face made him cringe away in a conditioned reflex.

He Aiyue was unable to outdo He Chuzhou and was so angry that she stomped her foot. She didn’t dare look toward Chu Yuelan, so she could only place her hopes on the only other person present who could help her: “Pei-ge, please handle your family’s troublemaker. He’s annoying as hell!”

Pei Xi came to his senses when he was unexpectedly called out, and couldn’t help but glance toward He Chuzhou.

The latter’s lips curved into a smile that made him look like he deserved a beating: “It’s no use. Your Pei-ge is mine, so he’s naturally on my side.”

He Aiyue: “Don’t be so proud, Pei-ge must have been harassed by you before he reluctantly agreed to date you!”

He Chuzhou played it cool: “The process isn’t as important as long as he agreed.”

He Aiyue: “You should be embarrassed.”

He Chuzhou: “Why should I be embarrassed over pursuing the person I like? If you have the ability, let me see you pursue someone.”

He Aiyue’s eyes widened in disbelief: “What the hell are you on about? I’m still a minor.”

He Chuzhou chuckled: “What’s wrong with being a minor? If I’d met your Pei-ge when I was a minor, I would have pursued him then too.”

He Aiyue: “Minors aren’t allowed to indulge in puppy love!”

He Chuzhou: “Confirming the relationship with your wife in advance can be considered puppy love?”

…..Why did he keep talking more and more outrageously?

Pei Xi couldn’t endure listening to this anymore, and poked He Chuzhou with his hand hidden under the table.

But He Chuzhou seemed to have misunderstood what he meant. He tilted his head with a “huh?” Then he looked at his bowl and stretched out his chopsticks, taking away half of the weird-tasting shrimp left there.

His movements flowed smoothly and naturally, as if they had been performed countless times.

Pei Xi: “…..”

He Chuzhou: “…..”

He Chuzhou: “…..?”

When He Aiyue was finally able to react, she exploded: “I give up, I give up, I really give up! I’m arguing with you here, and you’re making a public show of affection in front of me?”

She pressed hard against her chest and pinched the acupuncture point above her lips, as if she needed to be resuscitated: “Showing off in a public situation, do you still have a sense of civic-mindedness? Any Buddhist teachings? Any heavenly principles?”

“Damn it, I’m going to call the police and have you arrested!”

Pei Xi silently took a sip of the sweet soup in front of him amid He Aiyue’s fervid complaints. The base of his ears burned.

As for the long-silent Chu Yuelan, she wasn’t angry from the beginning.

After watching the sister and brother quarrel for a long enough time, her gaze happened to land on the familiar watch on Pei Xi’s wrist and her mood became even more pleasant. She rested her chin on her hand and asked with a smile: “Xinxin, do you want another bowl?”

. . . . . .

When they were leaving after dinner, children from one of the rooms were playing and chasing each other in the courtyard without adult supervision. They ran without looking at the path in front of them, and one almost collided with Pei Xi.

He Chuzhou put an arm around Pei Xi’s shoulders and moved him out of the way. Just then, Chu Yuelan turned around and asked if they wanted her to send them back, and the two came together in tacit understanding.

“No need.”

He Chuzhou declined: “The weather is nice tonight, I’ll just walk back with Xinxin. A walk to digest our food will be just right.”

Chu Yuelan naturally wouldn’t insist if this was something that would make the young couple happy. Before leaving, she asked Pei Xi in a gentle voice if he liked red bean and bacon rice dumplings and said she would send him some.

He Chuzhou agreed on his behalf and sent the mother and daughter off, then walked along the sidewalk toward home with Pei Xi.

In the quiet night, Pei Xi lowered his head and, with the aid of a street lamp, saw that they were still holding hands.

He Chuzhou’s hand was much bigger than his, with strong, slender joints, his palm broad and dry. It was obviously a mutual action, but it looked more like the other party was unilaterally enveloping his hand in his palm.

Moreover, He Chuzhou seemed to have forgotten that he could let go.

After a moment, he silently withdrew his gaze and pretended not to have noticed rather than reminding He Chuzhou. The two of them simply held hands all the way, moving forward at an unhurried pace.

“The rice dumplings Mom mentioned are a specialty in our hometown.”

He Chuzhou: “My grandma made them, and Dad should have gone over to pick them up. They’re tasty. You can give them a try.”

Gazing at their elongated, overlapping shadows, Pei Xi gave a hum.

He Chuzhou heard his absent-minded tone and turned his head to look at him.

As they walked out from under the shadows of the trees, his gaze paused briefly on the other’s drooping eyelashes: “Do you think my mom is too talkative?”

Pei Xi immediately raised his head: “I don’t!”

He Chuzhou looked at him with his eyebrows slightly raised, a bit surprised.

Pei Xi realized that he seemed to have overreacted, and looked away in discomfort: “I don’t think she’s too talkative. I just think Auntie is very similar to how I imagined my mother to be.”

This statement was actually a little strange.

But He Chuzhou didn’t seem to think so. He just asked: “So is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

Pei Xi wasn’t used to speaking of emotional matters so straightforwardly, whether he was happy or sad, whether he liked or disliked something.

Sometimes, being vague wasn’t appropriate. So, after hesitating for a moment, he chose to answer frankly: “It’s a good thing.”

People liked things that were out of their reach.

He Chuzhou’s lips rose in a smile. His relaxed voice carried to Pei Xi’s ears on the night breeze, sounding particularly pleasant: “That’s fine, it’s good that you like her.”

His reaction caused Pei Xi to look up again: “Do you…..know something?”

He Chuzhou: “What are you referring to?”

Pei Xi: “About my family. My father or mother, or Pei Zhen.”

He Chuzhou didn’t prevaricate: “I suppose I know a little bit. I heard some of it from your grandpa when I accompanied you to the hospital, but don’t worry, he didn’t tell me much. He just told me to ask you myself.”

Pei Xi: “Then, do you want to know?”

He Chuzhou thought about it for a few seconds, then asked: “Will you be angry if I say I want to?”

Pei Xi was puzzled: “Why would I be angry?”

He Chuzhou: “Don’t you get angry when someone asks you about something you’re unwilling to talk about?”

Pei Xi shook his head: “There’s nothing I’m unwilling to talk about.”

Perhaps he would have overthought and hidden things before, but so many years had passed now, and time had dulled many sharp edges. Looking back, he didn’t seem to feel it was of great importance.

And He Chuzhou was different. He had already transcended the boundary of being labeled as “other people.”

“Maybe Grandpa told you to ask me not because he didn’t want to tell you, but because even he doesn’t know a lot about it.”

Pei Xi tightened his collar and gazed at the seemingly endless path ahead: “My parents divorced a long time ago. You should already know that.”

“Before they divorced, I would often go to my grandpa’s house. And later, after they divorced, I went to live with him for a while. We didn’t see each other for a long time after I left.”

His mother, Shen Xi, was a very independent and opinionated woman. She was very talented, and had always had her own career and ambitions, never willing to be restricted by her family.

The marriage had been impulsive, so as soon as she was single again, she chose to go abroad. Even her biological son couldn’t hinder her freedom and dreams.

Perhaps after a long, complicated tug-of-war, the person who finally came to pick him up was Pei Yansong, who was already preparing to start a new family.

He never saw Shen Xi again, nor did he receive a single message or call from her.

The memory of material love was already weak. As time passed, he could no longer recall Shen Xi’s appearance, let alone hope for other things.

As for Pei Yansong, he became even stricter with Pei Xi after starting a new family. Under the guise of cultivating a future heir, he continued to pile more pressure on him than his age allowed.

How old was he at that time? A teenager? Or younger?

From the moment he opened his eyes in the morning to the time he closed his eyes at night, he was surrounded by different people and had no time to breathe freely.

Pei Yansong required perfection in everything he did, more like an extremist educator than a father. He only cared about the results, and turned a blind eye to the process.

Whenever he made a small mistake, the correction process was always a hundred times more painful than the learning process.

He thought all fathers were like this, so he onced hoped that Pei Zhen would grow up quickly and be his companion, sharing his father’s passion for education and letting him relax.

But very soon, he discovered that this idea was completely wrong.

It turned out that not all fathers were harsh and cruel to their children, and that even the same father could have completely different attitudes toward different children.

Pei Yansong never held Pei Zhen to the standards Pei Xi was held to. Not to mention perfection, as long as Pei Zhen achieved passing marks, he received great praise from him.

Thus, Pei Xi slowly found that he had become an outsider in this family.

Pei Yansong would take his young wife and son on outings to hike mountains, drive on the beach to enjoy the scenery, spend time at the aquarium from morning till night, or go to an amusement park and patiently play with Pei Zhen all day long.

Pei Xi was never included.

This was clearly the place he had lived since childhood. He didn’t know when it started, but it seemed like he could only peek through a crack in the door to see everything related to the happy and beautiful family.

While the others in the family were enjoying themselves, he was always the one left alone with endless lessons, endless books, and endless homework.

Once, he truly envied Pei Zhen and went to Pei Yansong for answers. How could the way he treated his children be so different?

Was it because he symbolized a failed marriage, while Pei Zhen was the fruit of happiness?

That was the first time Pei Yansong became furious with him. The first time he hit him. The first time he was made to kneel in the living room all night in front of Pei Zhen and Jiang Ting.

Pei Yansong scolded him for being ignorant and wasting his efforts. Scolded him because, as the heir to the Pei family, why couldn’t he look to the future instead of caring about trivial, worthless matters like this all day long?

Trivial, worthless matters…..

It turned out that these were all trivial, worthless matters.

That night, he thought for a long time alone in the living room. Since Pei Yansong had such high hopes for him, why couldn’t he love him as much as he loved Pei Zhen?

But if he didn’t love him, why had he so firmly decided to give him a lifetime of hard work when he was very young?

He couldn’t figure it out, even after thinking hard about it all night.

The sky finally began to brighten, and it took him a long time to drag his numb legs back to his bedroom.

After that day, he thought everything was back on track. Back to the boring life where he continued to linger outside the family, a boring life that was so restricting that he was about to lose his sense of autonomy.

What he never suspected was that some people and things had gone through quiet, earth-shaking changes.

Previously, his relationship with Pei Zhen had always been tepid. Although the two brothers lived under the same roof, they almost never interacted, and it was difficult to meet even at the dinner table. It was no exaggeration to call them strangers.

But Pei Xi gradually discovered that Pei Zhen disliked him, for no apparent reason.

And as time went by, this dislike grew increasingly obvious, evolving by degrees into loathing. Every time Pei Zhen looked at him, this emotion was clearly revealed in his eyes.

At first, Pei Xi didn’t understand. They clearly had nothing to do with each other and barely even exchanged a few words.

Then came the day he returned from school with a competition award. Pei Zhen went crazy when he saw him. He rushed up without warning and threw the trophy, punching and kicking him as he screamed that he should just go and die.

Pei Xi finally pieced together the truth of the matter from Pei Zhen’s incoherent, illogical curses.

It turned out that since the previous incident, the seemingly weak and gentle Jiang Ting had some ideas and began to privately put pressure on Pei Zhen.

She told Pei Zhen that if he didn’t study well and got bad grades, everything that originally belonged to Pei Zhen would be taken by Pei Xi. Therefore, Pei Zhen was ordered to stop playing around, and to study hard in order to measure up to Pei Xi.

But regardless of his innate skills, he was far behind the hardworking Pei Xi, and it was impossible to catch up with him at the last minute.

Pei Zhen was unable to do it, but Jiang Ting refused to give up.

Not only did she find various teachers for Pei Zhen according to the standards set for Pei Xi, but she forced him to learn company management early and paid attention to everything related to Pei Xi.

What Pei Xi learned, exams he did well on, when he got first place, and what awards he won in competitions, she would constantly compare these things to Pei Zhen.

She used Pei Xi as a benchmark and scolded Pei Zhen for being stupid, useless, and unable to measure up to Pei Xi.

Over time, his sensitive nerves, which had been carefully tended to by Pei Yansong as he grew up, collapsed under the pressure. There was also something wrong with his state of mind, and he directly believed that all of the pain he suffered was because of Pei Xi. That everything was his fault.

The one-sided farce eventually ended with Jiang Ting rushing out and pulling Pei Zhen off him.

Pei Yansong wasn’t home, so Jiang Ting used the guise of scolding Pei Zhen to test if Pei Xi had discovered anything. Pei Xi followed her wishes and played ignorant.

He didn’t tell Pei Yansong about this, because he knew very well that even if Pei Yansong did know, he wouldn’t blame Pei Zhen for this sort of petty quarrel.

Not only would he not blame him, but he would follow the clues to discover the cause and take Pei Zhen to a doctor for treatment, then promise him that what Jiang Ting had done to him would never happen again.

But why?

Clearly Pei Xi was the one who was wronged, but it was Pei Zhen who would be cared for and comforted.

For the first time, Pei Xi realized that he wasn’t a person of benevolent character.

He was not as broad-minded as Pei Yansong said, and could not repay evil with kindness. He was just a child who had not yet reached adulthood. There were times when his thoughts were dark, and times when grievances could not be endured.

He could bear the pressure, so why couldn’t Pei Zhen?

The pressure Pei Yansong put on him was even worse than what Jiang Ting had done. He hadn’t gone crazy, so why should Pei Zhen go crazy?

He was clearly unable to take charge of his own life, so why should Pei Zhen place the responsibility on him? 

Due to his inaction, the situation snowballed out of Pei Yansong’s sight, almost to the point where it was out of control.

In the end, the fire could not be contained. Pei Zhen suffered a mental breakdown and snuck into Pei Xi’s room in the middle of the night, where he pierced his arm with a pair of scissors.

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Chapter 44 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 46

Because Jiang Shuang felt unwell soon after arriving and lay down in a guest room, Yao Hua had left most of the guards there to watch over her and went to the Peach Blossom Forest.

It stood to reason that Prime Minister Jiang shouldn’t have been able to get in, but someone secretly led him inside. Liu Qiao wanted to continue following him, but when he was about to sneak in, he noticed the other man suddenly look around as if sensing something unusual. 

Liu Qiao realized that the other party was a martial arts master, so he could only hide and observe from the shadows.

Then Huo Fenglie came over with Liu Zhenqing.

Liu Qiao and Huo Fenglie had privately agreed that one of them must remain by Liu Zhenqing’s side to guard him, especially when outside. Huo Fenglie had official duties today and had delayed here too long, so when he was unable to find Liu Qiao, he had to go and seek him out.

Liu Zhenqing was helpless about their need to hand him over, but also went along with it.

Upon locating Liu Qiao, Huo Fenglie noticed that something was unusual and made a sound to draw his attention.

Liu Qiao immediately descended from the treetops.

“What are you doing?” Liu Zhenqing asked curiously.

Liu Qiao quickly told them what he had discovered.

The expressions of the two instantly changed. Liu Zhenqing glanced toward Huo Fenglie.

Huo Fenglie said: “Jiang Wang must have noticed the signs. He reported that he was ill and remained at the Prime Minister’s Manor today. For him to appear here…..”

Liu Zhenqing’s eyes shifted slightly.

Liu Qiao abruptly gave him a warning, and Huo Fenglie grabbed Liu Zhenqing, flying up into the trees together as Yao Hua’s procession passed below.

At this time, Yao Hua was being supported by a maid and appeared to be quite drunk.

Inside the small courtyard were Yao Hua, Jian Shuang, and Jiang Wang.

Liu Zhenqing’s expression changed several times as he gazed at the courtyard.

“Qing-ge?” Huo Fenglie was a little worried upon seeing his face.

Liu Zhenqing shook his head: “It shouldn’t be them. I can’t think of a motive.”

“I just thought it was odd, so I followed,” Liu Qiao said, also confused. “Why has he come to see the Empress Dowager and the Taifei?”

Huo Fenglie naturally understood their meaning.

Jiang Wang was a powerful force in the capital. This was something Liu Qiao had already confirmed. Coming here at this juncture, his purpose was likely to seek help from the schemers in the capital.

But since it was only the Empress Dowager and the Taifei here, it could be inferred that the person from the capital was either one of them, or they were not involved at all.

Liu Zhenqing frowned in thought. He couldn’t figure it out. Because back then, the three of them in the capital and the Huo brothers outside had been working their utmost for Yuan Jue’s country, and it wasn’t easy to get to this point. The two women had also gained status that was unsurpassed, as well as the respect and gratitude of the emperor. To get involved in something like rebellion, had they lost their minds? Did they think their lives were too comfortable? 

Although Yao Hua’s marriage to the crown prince was brief, she had a harmonious relationship with Prince Jingyang, and they treated one another with respect. She also got along with Yuan Jue, who never refused to see his stepmother. It could be said that there was no conflict at all. Later on, her good sister from the Imperial Academy also married the crown prince and became his foremost concubine. The sickly beauty with both talent and looks naturally won the pity of everyone in the East Palace. Although she had just begun her new life when misfortune befell the crown prince, the two sisters worked together to protect the prince’s orphans, such as Yuan Jue and Princess Jing.

In Liu Zhenqing’s eyes, they had sacrificed their entire youth and never relented or turned traitor under the persecution of the Three Kings. They were admirable heroes who protected the country.

To say that they were the force working in the capital, no matter how wise and far-sighted Liu Zhenqing was, he couldn’t find any convincing motive.

Liu Zhenqing muttered to himself: “Is it because of King Jing? Yuan Jue and King Jing aren’t related by blood to them, and it’s unreasonable that they would do this just for the slight friendship they had growing up, ah. Jiang Wang got involved in the rebellion because the mistakes he’s made won’t allow him to keep his life. He knew that Yuan Jue would certainly kill him once he investigated, so in order to preserve his life, it’s possible that he chose to cooperate with the rebels. But what wrongs could the women in the harem have perpetrated? According to their status as elders, even if they made mistakes, Yuan Jue would treat them with tolerance…..”

Liu Zhenqing analyzed the situation to himself for a long while, but still couldn’t make sense of it. He then said to Liu Qiao with a furrowed brow: “Try and see if you can eavesdrop. Listen if you can, and escape if you’re discovered. Just don’t let anyone recognize you, and try not to get in a fight.” He was truly baffled, and wanted to quickly make sure they had nothing to do with this matter. At this point, it didn’t matter whether or not they alerted the enemy.

Liu Qiao nodded in agreement.

Huo Fenglie wouldn’t leave for the time being. In order to avoid the two of them being discovered, he took Liu Zhenqing a little farther away to wait for Liu Qiao to act.

Liu Qiao flew cautiously into the courtyard and landed silently on the roof, exploring around. He seemed to find something, so he lay down in a certain place and waited quietly.

“How has their relationship been over the years?” Liu Zhenqing asked Huo Fenglie in a low voice.

Huo Fenglie knew who Liu Zhenqing was asking about, and unconsciously touched the ring on his finger. He understood that what Qing-ge didn’t want most was for the Empress Dowager to be involved with the rebels.

“Even though I’m not often in the capital, I heard that the relationship between the Empress Dowager and Yuan Jue is extremely harmonious. In recent years, affairs of the harem have been mostly left for the Empress Dowager to manage. Even if Yuan Jue is willing to give them power, they aren’t willing to get involved, which relieves Yuan Jue very much.”

Liu Zhenqing said: “The Empress is Jiang Wang’s eldest daughter, and was chosen by me and the Empress Dowager. Because Jiang Wang is a talent, he keeps balance between the new and old ministers, resourceful and full of stratagems, and is extremely capable. There are many officials in the Jiang family, but they’re complete wallflowers. In order to gain the support of the new officials headed by Jiang Wang, it was a necessity that he be given the position of father-in-law of the emperor. Yuan Jue was still young at the time, and was very resistant to being coerced into taking an empress in this way. He also hated giving power to a minister like Jiang Wang whose loyalty wasn’t completely secured. But for the sake of the stability of the throne and the peace of the Great Zhou Dynasty, there was no other way.”

This meant that sooner or later, Yuan Jue would deal with Jiang Wang.

Just as he was thinking, Huo Fenglie suddenly alerted him. Liu Zhenqing looked over and caught sight of Liu Qiao quickly departing. Right after, a man jumped onto the roof, seemingly suspicious of something. But he was uncertain, and didn’t glimpse Liu Qiao’s figure. After all, Liu Qiao had reached the pinnacle of qinggong.

Likely because he was uneasy, the man simply sat on the roof and didn’t leave.

“Zheng Wei?” Huo Fenglie frowned.

Liu Zhenqing wasn’t familiar with Zheng Wei, nor had he met him, but he had heard of him. “The director of the Dongchang, Qin Yu’s adoptive father?”

Huo Fenglie nodded.

Liu Zhenqing frowned slightly. All of the information they knew had become more complicated once they returned to the capital.

As far as Zheng Wei was concerned, it was reasonable for him to be here. After all, he was traveling with the Empress Dowager and the Taifei. He was responsible for escorting them, but if Jiang Wang had gone in, he must know something. 

So, was it Zheng Wei who wanted to meet with Jiang Wang, or was Zheng Wei helping Jiang Wang meet with someone else? 

According to Qin Yu, Zheng Wei would never betray Great Zhou. If this statement was to be believed, what role did Zheng Wei play in this? Since he wouldn’t betray Great Zhou, why not cooperate with Huo Fenglie and exchange information? 

“Get me a copy of Zheng Wei’s detailed profile later,” Liu Zhenqing said.

Even to reach the level of head of the eunuchs, everything he did would be based on power and desire. Studying his identity profile was no longer of much use, but Liu Zhenqing still wanted to see what was going on with this Zheng Wei.

Huo Fenglie naturally acquiesced. Very soon, Liu Qiao returned after circling around.

Liu Zhenqing immediately asked him what had happened.

Liu Qiao blamed himself. He hadn’t seen who Jiang Wang was talking to, and only heard his furious voice.

“We agreed to cooperate, but you don’t care whether I live or die? Just treat this as me begging you. Think about it again, now that things have come to this, why not give it a try? Are you afraid that Huo Fenglie will come back soon?”

The other party’s lack of response must have given Jiang Wang his answer.

“Hahaha, I understand. You’re trying to abandon me and preserve yourselves because the emperor has become suspicious. If I’m caught, aren’t you afraid that I’ll give you up and we’ll all die together?”

“Yes, I indeed won’t. I still want you to continue to be a thorn in the emperor’s side, so the entire troop can’t be wiped out! Hahaha! Therefore, I’ll still do what I’m going to do tonight. If I fail, you must protect my daughter…..if you protect my daughter, I will fulfill your wishes.”

Having heard this much, after Liu Qiao finished his retelling, Liu Zhenqing and Huo Fenglie simultaneously grasped the key point. Nothing else mattered except for “what he was going to do tonight.”

The two of them exchanged glances.

“Since the Empress Dowager knows you’ve come, you should pay respects before leaving,” Liu Zhenqing said.

Huo Fenglie nodded. “So it should be.”

The two quickly approached the courtyard entrance and told the palace attendants to spread the message. Some time later, they were called in.

But Yao Hua was nowhere to be seen, only the sickly-looking Jian Shuang lying on her side in bed.

The room Liu Qiao had seen before was right next to this one. Liu Zhenqing glanced at Huo Fenglie, who shook his head slightly to indicate that there was no one in the other room. They had just been outside, and Jiang Wang vanishing into thin air proved that there was a secret passage here.

They had missed their opportunity to follow him.

“General Huo, Young Master Liu. My sister is drunk and cannot receive you, so I am here in her stead.” Jian Shuang spoke softly, as if short of breath. With such a physique, Liu Zhenqing had always thought she wouldn’t be able to live for many years, and hadn’t expected that she would survive up to this point.

Huo Fenglie said directly: “I saw Director Zheng on the roof when I arrived just now. Has something happened?”

Jian Shuang was taken aback. There was nothing abnormal in her expression. “This one just woke up and doesn’t know much. If General Huo has any questions, he can ask him.”

“I’ve troubled the Taifei. I only came to offer my greetings and take my leave, as I have official duties to attend to.”

Since Jiang Wang couldn’t be found, Huo Fenglie was unwilling to waste any time here.

Jian Shuang smiled and nodded, letting the two take their leave.

Everything seemed extremely normal.

When they emerged outside, Huo Fenglie looked up. Zheng Wei regarded them with a smile and cupped his hands in greeting: “Greeting General Huo and Young Master Liu. This servant is standing guard, so it is inconvenient to come down.”

“Is there some kind of danger?”

“Not as such. But there are many people around today, so there must be many swordsmen going back and forth, which worries this servant somewhat,” Zheng Wei replied with humble politeness.

Huo Fenglie said no more, and left with Liu Zhenqing.

But both of them could feel Zheng Wei staring intently at them from behind.

After leaving the courtyard, Huo Fenglie immediately took off. Regarding the so-called “tonight,” Huo Fenglie had to be on guard. It was difficult to warn Yuan Jue directly, but as long as Huo Fenglie was by his side, safety wouldn’t be a problem.

If Jiang Wang was about to take action, it looked like he wouldn’t survive the night.

Liu Zhenqing’s expression gradually changed as he watched Huo Fenglie depart. Liu Qiao jumped down and said: “Master.”

“I didn’t expect it to happen so soon. I’ll trouble you, Liu Qiao. It’ll probably be tonight, but…..safety must be the top priority. I don’t want to lose another companion,” Liu Zhenqing said slowly.

Liu Qiao said firmly: “I know, Master. But…..don’t you need to tell General Huo?”

Liu Zhenqing’s lips rose in a smile: “His acting is terrible, and he’s surrounded by people. At this point, a little carelessness is unacceptable. But when the time comes, he’ll know what to do.”

Liu Zhenqing didn’t remain at the Imperial Academy. After returning, he went directly to the General’s Manor, since Liu Qiao wouldn’t feel at ease if he was anywhere else.

Li Xingruo was a little surprised when she saw him coming, and said: “Have you come to see me?”

“I need some medicine,” Liu Zhenqing said directly.

“Is the dowry you dug out of Master not enough?” she wondered.

“Only you can prepare this strange medicine.”

“What is it?”

“A truth serum.”

Li Xingruo raised an eyebrow, saying: “You should know that there is no such thing as an actual truth serum, only ones that put a person in a daze so that they’re unconsciously honest. If the secret is important to a person and they truly don’t want to reveal it, they won’t speak.”

“It doesn’t matter, I’ll just give it a try,” Liu Zhenqing said with a casual smile.

“What is it for? Will you use it on Fenglie?” Li Xingruo joked. “The boy is hard-spoken and can’t say anything sweet. Do you want to play with him?”

Liu Zhenqing thought of how Er-gou was today, and his lips slowly rose: “What a good idea.”

Li Xingruo gave him a look of disgust: “It harms the body. Don’t make him use it indiscriminately.”

Liu Zhenqing could only say: “Alright. Anway, just get some ready for me. I want it tonight.”

Liu Zhenqing spoke firmly, in complete contrast to his usual tone. At times like this in the past, even though Li Xingruo was tough as nails, she would choose to listen to her senior brother when he was in such a state.

But Li Xingruo still felt that today’s Liu Zhenqing was a bit strange. When Liu Zhenqing ate dinner and then went to the small Buddhist chamber, Li Xingruo watched his back and dazedly felt as if she was seeing the Liu Zhenqing from ten years ago. When he encountered something unhappy back then, he wouldn’t say a word, and would only hide in the small Buddhist chamber.

At that time, Liu Zhenqing concealed his true feelings. He was cold and gloomy, increasingly moody, and his emotions were unpredictable. Seeing this, Li Xingruo could only feel anxious and helpless.

The present Liu Zhenqing was casual and cheerful. Even though he had once wanted to stay away from all of this, he still returned to the capital to be with Huo Fenglie. He wouldn’t talk about his past, and never spoke of his grievances to Huo Fenglie or others, nor about clearing his name. It was as if he had truly been reborn, and all he needed was to happily fall in love with Huo Fenglie.

Li Xingruo was naturally glad to see Liu Zhenqing this way. She hoped that he could always be like this, as carefree and boisterous as he was in his youth.

But today, she glimpsed the mood of Prime Minister Liu, which was like a thick layer of smog covering his body.

This made her a little uneasy.

As night fell, the capital grew quiet by increments. There was a commotion in the capital for a while, but it was quickly suppressed. Even the continuous cries of slaughter didn’t spread very far. Dozens of corpses were carried out continuously, and the blood flowing down the steps was cleaned up by palace attendants.

Among them were guards, maids, and eunuchs.

At this time, three people stood in the main hall – Zheng Wei, He Cong, and Huo Fenglie.

Among them, Huo Fenglie and He Cong were splattered in blood. He Cong slowly wiped it away with a handkerchief. Looking at Huo Fenglie with a smile, he said: “Thanks to the general for happening to come over tonight. Otherwise, we would be guilty of the unforgivable crime of disturbing His Majesty.”

Huo Fenglie gave a brief nod: “It was a coincidence.”

He Cong turned to Zheng Wei and said: “Director Zheng, it was so lively tonight. Why didn’t I see you?”

Zheng Wei raised his eyebrows: “Commander He, can something like this be considered lively? Moreover, I was responsible for guarding the Empress Dowager and the Taifei today, and just sent the two of them back to the palace. It is the commander who is responsible for guarding His Majesty.”

He Cong’s smile brightened. He was just about to say something when a voice rang out to announce the emperor’s arrival, and everyone present restrained themselves.

Yuan Jue’s expression was solemn as he walked slowly up to the high platform from behind and sat on the dragon chair.

At the same time, the doors to the main hall were opened and guards walked in carrying a person. It was Jiang Wang, who was in a state of complete disarray, his topknot disheveled.

Jiang Wang was forced to kneel in the middle of the hall, a mocking smile on his face that held no fear of death.

Yuan Jue’s expression was dark. Twisting his jade thumb ring, he asked: “Prime Minister Jiang, Father-in-law, you used the gold medal this emperor gave to you and the empress to break into the palace at night to assassinate me. I really did think highly of you. I thought you were intelligent.”

Jiang Wang’s face and body were coated in blood, not only his own, but also the splattered blood of the dead soldiers he had spent many years meticulously training and sent to operate in the palace.

However, the group of them had just entered the main hall where Huo Fenglie was reporting to the emperor, when they encountered such an unexpected situation. With Huo Fenglie obstructing them and the timely arrival of the Jinyiwei, they weren’t even able to see a corner of the emperor’s robes.

Sure enough, ah, the success rate of this kind of assassination was too low. Ridiculously low.

Jiang Wang spoke slowly: “There is no need to deceive me. Based on what you all have collected, ten lives likely aren’t enough for the emperor to take from me. Since he wanted me dead from the beginning, I had to give it a go. As Prime Minister, would I have to die as aggrieved as Liu Zhenqing? If I must die, I must also dare to take every opportunity before death.”

Jiang Wang’s mention of Liu Zhenqing truly displeased Yuan Jue.

Yuan Jue said: “Prime Minister Jiang, have I not treated you and your daughter well? How has it come to this point when your daughter is still empress? For what reason are you so greedy? You mean to replace me as emperor, but the empress has birthed no heirs yet. Do you plan to choose a prince of mine as a puppet, or do you plan to support someone else? Let me think…..”

“Treat us well? You don’t have any heirs yet? Yuan Jue, Yuan Jue, ah. You’re too cruel! No need to guess, I simply wanted to replace you. It’s better to be emperor than the emperor’s father-in-law. Haven’t you investigated everything? I’m behind all those cases going on in the south, and I’m also in contact with the rebels that were arrested not long ago. I also colluded with the Western Shu Kingdom. I did it all. I planned for so long, but never expected that Huo Fenglie would ruin everything.”

Jiang Wang looked at Huo Fenglie and said: “Huo Fenglie, you are truly Yuan Jue’s most loyal dog.”

Yuan Jue wore a displeased look: “Have you lost your mind? If you tell me honestly who else is working behind the scenes, I may be lenient.”

“Leniency is just a change from culling nine generations of my family to three generations. This minister really doesn’t care about them. Those people relied on me for their glory and wealth, so it is reasonable for them to be buried with me,” Jiang Wang said with an unyielding look.

Yuan Jue’s eyes slowly narrowed: “You truly won’t tell me?”

Jiang Wang’s expression was decidedly cold. He suddenly pointed at Zheng Wei and said: “Okay, ah, if you want to know, it’s him!”

Then he pointed at He Cong and said: “It’s also him!” 

He Cong immediately took a step back.

He also pointed at Huo Fenglie: “This master of achievements, it must be him!”

“Madman,” Zheng Wei said mildly.

Huo Fenglie recalled what Liu Qiao had overheard and knew in his heart that Jiang Wang would never give up anyone else. Torture was meaningless when faced with such a person.

Yuan Jue likely thought the same. Ever since Jiang Wang began randomly pointing fingers, his expression had grown increasingly worse. He knew that there was no point in taking him alive.

“Are you not afraid that I will interrogate the empress?” he asked.

“The empress has made no mistakes since he established herself in the palace. When she married into the royal family, she separated from mine. The emperor won’t take his anger out on the empress for my crimes. How could he explain it to the dynasty’s people?” Jiang Wang said with a smile. He didn’t fear that Yuan Jue would act openly. He was unable to for the sake of reputation. But he did fear Yuan Jue acting in secret, so he made an exchange with the people in the capital to save the empress at the cost of him taking all of the blame.

Jiang Wang wanted to use this to manipulate Yuan Jue before he died, which the emperor loathed to the utmost. His eyes flashed with killing intent: “Prime Minister Jiang, you have truly…..let down this emperor’s grace.”

Jiang Wang was on the brink of laughter. He stood abruptly and thrust an angry finger at Yuan Jue: “Grace. The emperor has only given me grace in two things. One was when I made a mistake when I first entered officialdom, and was demoted and nearly locked up in Dali Temple by Liu Zhenqing. He destroyed my ambitions in front of the rest of the family and humiliated me. I hated him at first, but then I realized this was just a ploy between the emperor and his minister.”

“He wanted to tame me, to make me serve you, the little emperor, loyally. So I pretended to be the villain so that you could be the hero, giving me the kindness of recognizing my worth and raising me up. You later discovered that I was developing more and more, without much control, and gave me your so-called second grace.”

“You took my daughter as empress to get me completely on your side and make me an enemy of the Three Kings. All of this was just for the sake of making the best use of me, not to mention all of the dirty things I would do for you later on. So don’t talk to me about grace. Perhaps it should be said that the emperor is heartless, and can only bite the hand that feeds him.” Jiang Wang no longer had any scruples, mocking him at whim.

“As things stand, at least it’s not like I’m being cast aside after serving my purpose. I’m better than that fool Liu Zhenqing. At least I did it for myself from beginning to end.”

Yuan Jue’s eyes slowly narrowed: “Since the Prime Minister is unwilling to provide information on other matters, there is no need for him to open his mouth.”

He glanced toward He Cong, who understood that although Jiang Wang was the prime minister, if there was no need to interrogate him, then there was no use in him being alive, lest he speak nonsense and damage the emperor’s reputation.

When he saw that He Cong was about to take action, Huo Fenglie hesitated for a moment. After all, Jiang Wang knew so much. Although they couldn’t get anything out of him, it would be a shame to kill him like this. Perhaps Qing-ge would like to have a word with him…..

Just as he was thinking it over, there was suddenly a loud crash from the roof.

“Defend the emperor!”

The sound of astir instantly caused Huo Fenglie and the other three to surround Yuan Jue.

They saw a man in black fall down, pick the stunned Jiang Wang up from the floor, and knock him unconscious before flying up with him through the open skylight.

“Pursue them!” Yuan Jue shouted immediately in response.

Zheng Wei gave chase at once. He Cong wanted Huo Fenglie to stay and protect the emperor, but when he went to go after them, he watched helplessly as Huo Fenglie used his qinggong to fly out.

He Cong could only hastily command the Jinyiwei outside to assist.

But half a shichen later, everyone returned empty handed. He Cong was somewhat in disbelief. That person just now was impressive, but how could he have escaped the pursuit of Zheng Wei and Huo Fenglie while carrying an unconscious person?

This news was upsetting. Everyone could only kneel down and ask the emperor for punishment.

Soon after, Jiang Wang regained consciousness to find that he was in a cemetery. Before him were two people with their backs turned, lighting incense on a tombstone.

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Chapter 130 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 132

Two minutes before the doorbell rang, Pei Xi was still in serious discussion with He Chuzhou about how dinner would go, including what the appropriate eating process should be like.

“So we’ll pretend to be a couple, just like when Wu Qing came over last time?”

This was Pei Xi’s question.

“Theoretically, but in practice, it might be a little different. Wu Qing has a low IQ and is easy to fool, but that’s not the case for my mom. It’s easy for her to spot tricks when there are too many flaws.”

This was He Chuzhou’s answer.

It sounded very troublesome. Pei Xi was bewildered: “Then what should I do?”

He Chuzhou: “Just be natural, don’t be too deliberate. If you really don’t know what to do, you can imagine me as a former love interest of yours.”

Pei Xi: “I can’t imagine it.”

He Chuzhou: “Huh?”

Pei Xi: “I have never been in love.”

The corners of He Chuzhou’s eyes moved a bit when he heard this.

While nodding to express his awareness, his lips curved slightly.

They were very close to each other, and Pei Xi could clearly see his change of expression: “…..Is it funny?”

“No, ah, it’s not funny.”

He Chuzhou did his best to keep the corners of his mouth flat, but couldn’t hide the lilt in his voice: “I just thought it was a coincidence. I’ve also never been in love.”

He Chuzhou thought for a moment: “Then just keep it the same as usual. There’s no need to deliberately put on a show.”

The same as usual?

Pei Xi recalled the relationship the two of them had when he was in his right mind, and hesitated: “Are you sure this will work?”

“I’m sure, ah.” He Chuzhou said clearly and logically: “But it can’t be exactly the same. Um…..it needs to be changed a little bit.”

Pei Xi: “Changed how?”

He Chuzhou: “Don’t be too polite to me.”

Pei Xi: “ ? ”

He Chuzhou raised his eyebrows: “Think about it, who would say ‘thank you’ and ‘you’re welcome’ to his boyfriend? Aren’t they all supposed to be told to do things and ordered around like slaves?”

“So according to this way of thinking, the more natural you are, the less suspicious my mom will be.”

Treating her son like a slave in front of his mother……was this something a normal person would do?

Pei Xi’s expression was complicated: “Are you serious?”

He Chuzhou: “Yep.”

Pei Xi: “But I think—”

He was unable to finish his sentence due to the ringing of the doorbell.

It was accompanied by a series of chaotic knocks, which could be easily attributed to He Aiyue.

“They’re here. I’ll get the door.”

He Chuzhou gave Pei Xi an encouraging pat on the shoulder: “Don’t worry, you won’t go wrong as long as you do what I said. I’m optimistic about you.”

Pei Xi: “…..”

It was only a dozen steps from the living room to the door.

Pei Xi hadn’t decided whether or not to follow along and greet them, but He Chuzhou had already opened the door.

“Ge, ge! Ge?? Who are you, where is my brother? Is my Pei-ge here? Pei-ge, are you here? Your sister is coming—”

He Aiyue rushed inside, and Mrs. Chu immediately grabbed her by the collar and thrust her behind her back.

She wore a black coat with a light-hued woolen shawl, along with an expensive, long-treasured brooch. Her hair was also meticulously done and she stepped steadily in her high heels, lending her an air of elegance and refinement.

Upon entering, she paid little attention to her son and instead looked around the living room, quicking locking onto the young man standing beside the sofa.

Pei Xi was wearing a suit he hadn’t had time to change out of, with a white shirt that wrapped snugly around his tall, slim figure, highlighting his cold and noble temperament to the fullest. Coupled with his uniquely outstanding appearance, he was reserved and quiet. Even standing there and doing nothing, he made Chu Yuelan fall in love with him at first sight.

“Xiao Pei, you’re off work too?”

She softened her voice, and the smile that bloomed on her face was one that He Chuzhou, her biological son, had rarely seen: “Coming here so suddenly, Auntie hasn’t disturbed you, has she?”

Pei Xi had frozen in place the moment she appeared. His mind went blank. Upon hearing her question, he could only give a mechanically “No,” not knowing what to say next.

Chu Yuelan had applied ten layers of filters on him, and her eyes were filled with stars. He Aiyue, who stuck half her head through the door behind her, went stupid and was without words.

He Chuzhou was the only one to immediately notice his unnaturalness. He covered his lips and coughed deliberately, gesturing toward Chu Yuelan where she couldn’t see.

This was a hint that if he didn’t know what to say, he could call her Auntie first and throw the conversation back to her.

Pei Xi’s gaze fell on He Chuzhou. Recalling with difficult what he had just said, and facing the other’s encouraging eyes—

“Why are you winking at me? Why haven’t you gotten water for Auntie and Meimei?”

“……”

“……”

“……Huh?”

“Cough cough, um, Mom.”

He Chuzhou quickly took two steps forward and whispered: “Xinxin may be a little nervous meeting you for the first time. I’ll take him back to the bedroom to change his clothes, you guys sit down for a moment. Whatever you want to drink, it’s in the fridge.”

Without waiting for Chu Yuelan’s reply, he strode over at once to put an arm around Pei Xi’s shoulders, ushering him away from the scene with all due haste.

He Aiyue eagerly followed behind them until they vanished at the top of the stairs. Then she gave a ‘wow’ and cozied up to her mom, saying: “Such love, they still have to go back to their room and whisper~ Mom, how do you feel?”

“I feel splendid.”

Chu Yuelan clasped her hands together. She smiled with unparalleled brilliance, eyes shining with joy: “The energy he uses to order your brother around is very similar to your mom’s in the past. I’m very satisfied.”

As one scene went on in the living room, there was another one in the bedroom.

He Chuzhou closed the door and turned around to see Pei Xi standing there, still unresponsive. He bent down to look directly into the other’s eyes, then reached out to gently hook his chin and make his eyes focus on him.

“Didn’t you perform very well last time? What happened today, Classmate Pei? Is my mom that scary?”

As Pei Xi stared at him, his clogged brain gradually cleared. The blankness on his face receded and was replaced by great regret and frustration: “My apologies. I…..”

He didn’t know what to say.

This was completely different from what he had expected.

Meeting Chu Yuelan as He Chuzhou’s boyfriend and meeting Wu Qing felt completely different.

Only when Chu Yuelan appeared in the villa did he realize there was a matter that had been neglected.

This so-called dinner was actually meeting the parents.

He was meeting the parents as He Chuzhou’s boyfriend.

Meeting the parents.

Meeting the parents.

Meeting the parents.

Once it appeared, this realization lingered in his mind.

Although he clearly knew this was all fake, he still couldn’t control his embarrassment, and his brain short-circuited.

“Oh. I understand,” He Chuzhou suddenly said.

Pei Xi’s heart inexplicably tensed: “What do you understand?”

He Chuzhou evaluated: “Isn’t this called elder phobia? The way it manifests is that whenever you encounter an elder, you fear having your soul dominated.”

Pei Xi: “……”

Pei Xi: “Yeah, you’re right.”

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

He Chuzhou clicked his tongue, feeling quite sad: “If I had known you were afraid, I would have helped you escape…..”

“You can pretend to be sick and uncomfortable, or that you received a call and need to work overtime or something like that…..”

“No need,” Pei Xi cut in.

He Chuzhou: “It won’t be a short meal. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I was just unprepared. I’m much better now.”

After Pei Xi finished speaking, he thought of another thing and cast He Chuzhou an uneasy look: “Just now…..did I say the wrong thing? Did I make a bad impression on your mother?”

The corners of his mouth were clamped straight, the emotions in his eyes driven by anxiety. He seemed to really regard this as an important matter.

He Chuzhou saw this and sucked in a breath.

When he met him for the first time, he wished he could stay thousands of miles away from this person who was fighting him to death over a shopping mall project. 

Now, he saw him standing in front of him, surprisingly well-behaved and full of trust as he asked him anxiously if he hadn’t performed well enough in front of his mother.

Unfamiliar emotions surged through his chest. His heart felt like a puddle of sugar water, and every time it beat, it squeezed out tenderness to every part of his body.

It was killing him.

How the hell could he be so cute?

Why did he like him so much?

Why did it all stab his heart from the inside out!

The need to hold him reached its peak at this moment.

So he did just that.

His long arms wrapped around Pei Xi’s waist, and with a little force from his palms, he pulled him into a hug that required extreme restraint to remain in the range of comfort.

“That isn’t so, you performed very well. My mom’s eyes practically glowed when she looked at you.”

“You don’t need to worry about Aiyue. She saw you long ago and had already started to praise you in front of me when we weren’t familiar with one another.”

“It’s normal to be nervous when meeting an elder. I was also nervous during the New Year when my mom ordered me to stand at the door and greet all of the elders in the living room. Even more nervous than you are now.”

“If you really don’t know what to do, just leave it all to me. You don’t have to say or do anything, just nod and shake your head and I’ll take care of the rest.”

*

*

There was heavy traffic in the peak hours after the workday, and restaurants were full. Considering the issue with parking, He and Pei Xi didn’t take a vehicle alone, but instead rode in Mrs. Chu’s car.

“Don’t worry.” He Aiyue turned around and said from the passenger seat: “The restaurant Mom reserved is really close. Even if you guys don’t take a taxi on the way back, it’s only a half hour walk.”

He Chuzhou gave a perfunctory hum. From somewhere in the back seat, he took out a dolphin figurine and waved it in front of Pei Xi.

Pei Xi reached out and took it. He Chuzhou pushed something when he let go, and the dolphin issued the sound of waves as its body made stretching and swimming movements.

Pei Xi spread out his palm and let it swim.

He Chuzhou tilted his head and looked at him with a smile: “It’s funny. There was originally a shark, but it was unfortunately lost by someone who didn’t know how to take care of it.”

He Aiyue: “……”

She wanted to seek her mother as an impartial third party and saw that from time to time, Chu Yuelan glanced at the rearview mirror at the two big boys in matching couples clothing and smiled so hard that the crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes couldn’t be hidden.

He Aiyue: “……”

OK.

FINE.

She clicked into her circle of friends and posted angrily: 

[The person who gave me something to coax me doesn’t hesitate to step on me! Some people! You’ve acted the same way all your life! (Please note: this post is only for a certain person and not for others.)]

A minute later, a certain person replied to the post: 

[/Ruthless.jpg]

Chuyue Landing, a high-end restaurant with purely Chinese decorations.

There were dedicated personnel to guide them from the entrance through the lobby and patio garden, then along an arching path to a private room in the back courtyard.

Each private room had a name corresponding to each of the restaurant’s house-developed dishes, most of them using words taken from poetry. Their meanings were unclear, yet graceful.

When the menu was brought, He Chuzhou ignored He Aiyue’s eagerly-extended hand and handed it straight to Pei Xi.

“Xiao Pei, order whatever you want. It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand the names. There are pictures.”

Pei Xi declined: “No need. Auntie, you just pick something.”

Chu Yuelan elegantly clasped her hands when offered the menu, her eyes curving in a smile: “We’re family. There’s no need to be polite to Auntie.”

Pei Xi: “……”

He looked at the hot potato in front of him and silently turned to He Chuzhou for help.

The latter understood tacitly and took the menu from him in a natural movement: “Mom, don’t embarrass Xinxin. It’s his first time here and he hasn’t tasted anything yet. Why make him order?”

Chu Yuelan came to a sudden realization: “Oh, right. Apologies, ah, Xiao Pei. Auntie is so happy today that she didn’t consider this.”

Pei Xi was relieved that the problem was solved, and shook his head to indicate that it didn’t matter.

Chu Yuelan turned to He Chuzhou: “Don’t just focus on your own tastes. Order more of what Xiao Pei likes to eat.”

He Aiyue craned her neck: “Right, right, right. Don’t just prioritize your own tastes, order some of my favorites too.”

He Chuzhou tapped the menu: “Come take a look for yourself.”

“Aiya, okay!” He Aiyue grinned, raised her butt, and moved next to her brother to pick out food.

Chu Yuelan stared at Pei Xi. The more she looked at him, the more satisfied she became. The more she looked at him, the more she liked him. “I heard Chuzhou call you Xinxin. Is that your nickname?”

Pei Xi nodded in affirmation.

Chu Yuelan’s eyes were so straightforwardly enthusiastic as she gazed at him that Pei Xi didn’t know where to look.

Chu Yuelan: “Then is it okay for Auntie to call you Xinxin?”

Pei Xi  unconsciously raised his eyes.. His heart moved slightly.

It was strange. When this name came from Chu Yuelan’s mouth, it felt completely different from when He Chuzhou did it.

He couldn’t tell specifically why, which immediately put him at somewhat of a loss.

“It’s okay,” he replied stiffly.

He immediately heard Chu Yuelan use the newly-approved title as she addressed him in a friendly lilting tone: “Xinxin.”

It was like a box that had been sealed for a long time had opened, the dust blown away from its corners.

He was helpless against the way his breathing slowed, and curled his fingertips to test whether he still had control of his body.

Chu Yuelan asked him many questions while helping him pick out food.

She asked him if he was a local. Wancheng was humid and cold after autumn. Was he accustomed to covering himself with down or cotton quilts at home? Would he be bothered by the cold?

She asked him if work had been busy lately. He looked so thin. Did he forget to eat on time when he was busy?

She asked him what he liked to eat, sweet or salty, heavy or light, whether he liked soup, or coriander, onion, ginger, and garlic.

It was very everyday. Very trivial.

But Pei Xi wasn’t annoyed at all, and answered each of Chu Yuelan’s questions very earnestly.

Even the initial nervousness disappeared without him noticing, and his mood grew extremely relaxed.

Different from the calm, cool expression on his face, his eyes shone with a faint light that even he was unaware of.

He Chuzhou, who had been paying close attention to his condition and was ready to rescue him at any time: ?

Did this mean he wasn’t needed at all?

Facts proved that it was impossible for him to be completely unneeded.

After all, apart from one elder, there was still someone younger than him right at his side.

Before the meal was over, He Aiyue, who had been ordered to eat more and talk less while eating, finally couldn’t hold it in any longer.

“Pei-ge, Pei-ge. It’s okay for me to call you Pei-ge, right? It feels too weird to call you Sister-in-law.”

“I heard from my cousin that you didn’t like my brother very much before. How did you get together after that, ah?”

“Is it because my brother has an unrequited love for you and shamelessly stalked you, and you were so annoyed that you couldn’t bear it, so you reluctantly agreed?”

“Can you tell me specifically what it’s like to be stalked? In return, I can write down your love story and give it to you!”

“Although for the sake of popularity, there may be some literary and artistic handling. A story needs to have ups and downs to be interesting.”

“Pei-ge, Pei-ge, what do you think about a car accident and amnesia? It’s dramatic and really popular!”

“……”

Pei Xi clenched his chopsticks and took a silent breath.

He Chuzhou wore a smile that wasn’t a smile: “You must want me to bring up the fact that you got 79 points on your midterm math test and didn’t dare go home, so you secretly went to Yun Ji’s house and got Auntie to sign off on it for you.”

Chu Yuelan: “ ? ? ? ”

He Aiyue: “ ? ? ? ? ? ? ”

He Aiyue: “Ahhhhhhhhhhh Boss He, how dare you ! ! ! ”

---

Chapter 43 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 45

Liu Zhenqing was somewhat bewildered. After all, Huo Fenglie had said that morning that he’d be very busy today and might not be able to return in the evening, so he told him to rest early and not wait up for him.

Why was he here now? And with such an odd expression.

Of course, Liu Zhenqing was unaware that Huo Fenglie had suddenly heard the news that the Empress Dowager and the Taifei had arrived at the Imperial Academy. He had originally thought that the two of them wouldn’t meet until the Longevity Festival, not expecting that it would happen ahead of schedule. 

He knew clearly that there was no longer anything between those two people, and intended to endure it, but was unable to. He barely remembered how he got here, and only knew that he had to see Liu Zhenqing as soon as possible.

But in the end, he was a step too late. They had still…..met.

Huo Fenglie stood ten meters away from them. The moment he came in, he found the two of them looking at each other in silence, with the Empress Dowager even crossing over boundaries.

Had they recognized each other?

At the thought of this possibility, Huo Fenglie felt like his brain was exploding.

Yao Hua also sobered up a bit due to Huo Fenglie’s intrusion. She and Liu Zhenqing were actually separated by a tea table, so her reaching out could also be interpreted as grabbing the teapot. There was nothing wrong with this move in the eyes of others, but Yao Hua was still momentarily embarrassed. After all, she had nearly lost her head and thought the person in front of her was Liu Zhenqing.

Yao Hua regained her composure: “What is it, Zhanyuan? Is there an urgent matter? This one is entertaining your future wife.”

Yao Hua spoke with a friendly smile, but it sounded very unpleasant to Huo Fenglie. He could only salute first to calm himself down.

Huo Fenglie’s restless look naturally caught Liu Zhenqing’s eye. He looked at Huo Fenglie in confusion and asked: “Have you come to see me?”

Huo Fenglie nodded silently, but the moment he raised his head, he saw the scene of the two of them sitting together. And in the end, he still couldn’t withstand the panic and uneasiness raging in his heart. Disregarding everything else, he rushed forward and grabbed Liu Zhenqing’s arm. With a red tint to his eyes, he hauled Liu Zhenqing up and went to leave.

Liu Zhenqing was astounded by such rude and impatient behavior. He felt that it was extremely rare, so he didn’t resist.

Yao Hua was somewhat astonished. She stood up and was about to say something, but due to her slight drunkenness, she seemed to have forgotten that the place she was sitting was some distance from the actual ground. She stepped directly into the air and fell forward.

Huo Fenglie focused all of his attention on Liu Zhenqing, completely ignoring the noble Empress Dowager beside him.

But Liu Zhenqing’s eyes still caught it, and he quickly stretched out his arms to stabilize her. Yao Hua placed her hands on Liu Zhenqing’s arms and stopped her downward trajectory. But due to this sudden movement, the jade pendant hidden beneath her robes swung forward.

The familiar jade willow leaf pendant stunned everyone present.

Liu Zhenqing regarded the jade pendant with astonishment. He’d never actually expected that Yao Hua would keep it, and was instantly ashamed and embarrassed.

And Huo Fenglie followed Liu Zhenqing’s gaze toward Yao Hua. When he saw the jade pendant, his entire body froze. It was as if all of the bones in his body had begun to shake.

Before Liu Zhenqing could react, he was abruptly pulled into Huo Fenglie’s arms and picked up somewhat roughly. They flew into the sky in the next second, bounding over peach blossom trees in another direction. 

The guards look on in a fluster. It wasn’t until Yao Hua waved them down that they returned to their original positions and continued to stand guard.

Yao Hua sat down in bemusement and continued to drink. Huo Fenglie’s expression just now reminded her of the scene when Liu Xiting had given her the jade pendant. Looking back on it now, the child seemed to have been jealous, Yao Huo thought with some interest. She put the jade pendant back again.

And at this time, Huo Fenglie had already brought Liu Zhenqing back to solid ground. Liu Qiao would usually stay away in such situations.

Thus, they were the only two in this area.

Huo Fenglie put Liu Zhenqing down in front of a peach tree. This particular tree was a bit strange, as if two of them had merged together.

Liu Zhenqing didn’t recognize anything different about this place, and only sent Huo Fenglie a look of confusion. It was the first time he had seen such an irritable look on him.

“Er-gou, you…..”

Huo Fenglie interrupted in a low voice: “You saw that jade pendant.”

Liu Zhenqing stared blankly for a moment, then became a little amused. This wasn’t the first time Huo Fenglie had drunk vinegar over a willow leaf pendant. The dignified general was unexpectedly so petty and jealous.

But so cute, ah.

Liu Zhenqing leaned against the peach tree slightly. His posture was casual, but paired with the background of peach blossoms, it possessed a sense of style.

“I saw it. Weren’t you right next to me when I gave it to her?”

“She still has it with her!” Huo Fenglie immediately lost control of his tone.

Startled, Liu Zhenqing was caught up in his memories.

Among those in the Imperial Academy, aside from Li Xingruo, Liu Zhenqing was the most familiar with Yao Hua. Although they didn’t spend time together often, they could still be considered friends.

Speaking of this, the first time the three of them became partners was when they teamed up to deal with the bullying incident. The woman who was being bullied, but still refused to admit defeat, was Yao Hua. It was likely after this when Yao Hua became extremely aware of Liu Zhenqing, and often brought him snacks to eat. She was dignified and elegant, but deep down, she was a good, curious and adventurous girl who had to be bound by rules.

Face with such a girl, Liu Zhenqing had opened his mouth and teased her like a little sister.

When she was young, Yao Hua would call him Xiting-gege.

Later on, Li Xingruo had probably told Yao Hua that marriage was not something the two of them were concerned about, and that the engagement would be broken off sooner or later. So Yao Hua didn’t have too many worries, and secretly expressed her feelings at the Peach Blossom Banquet.

Liu Zhenqing had drunk a lot of wine at the time, and was a little numb and overwhelmed in the face of this confession. But when the girl asked him if he liked her, Liu Zhenqing naturally divulged the truth that he had always regarded her as a sister.

He watched the girl cry like raindrops on peach blossoms. She was also a friend, so Liu Zhenqing could only take a jade pendant from his waist and give it to her as a gift. He used some pleasant words to coax her, which immediately made Yao Hua’s tears turn into laughter. At that time, he also discovered that Li Xingruo was peeking at them along with the two Huo brothers.

Yao Hua was somewhat shy. Li Xingruo hurriedly went to comfort her, while Liu Zhenqing had already begun teasing the very tense Er-gou.

His expression at that time was almost the same as now.

Huo Fenglie looked at Liu Zhenqing before him and couldn’t help but think that the Imperial Academy was so big. Liu Zhenqing had clearly been accompanying the twins, but how he had sought out the Empress Dowager. No matter how he thought about it, Huo Fenglie felt ridiculed.

He was like a despicable thief who took away a treasure that had originally belonged to someone else, and discovered that no matter whether he lived or died, he was unwilling to return it. He also feared that the treasure would run away and cease to belong to him.

“Qing-ge…..” Huo Fenglie’s face was tense as he looked directly at Liu Zhenqing and said: “Don’t forget that you asked me to marry you. You said you like me, and that you want to be with me forever.”

He seemed to be deliberately stressing this and warning him.

Such a reaction surprised Liu Zhenqing. 

No way, he was drinking vinegar to this extent. 

“Er-gou, she’s the Empress Dowager, ah!” Liu Zhenqing said with amusement. “What are you thinking? We were never together before.”

“You almost got together, didn’t you?!” Huo Fenglie retorted at once, his gaze so open that Liu Zhenqing thought there was something wrong with his memory.

But what Huo Fenglie said made sense.

When he and Li Xingruo broke off their engagement, many people had come to their manors to propose marriage. The Liu family and Yao Hua’s family could be regarded as friends, and both parties intended for their children to marry. At that time, his grandfather had asked him what he intended to do, but for Liu Zhenqing, the freedom to choose one’s spouse was more important, and he didn’t like arranged marriages. At that time, he felt that if he was destined to be with Yao Hua, the wedding could wait.

At that time, those close to them felt that they were a likely match. After all, they were already familiar with each other, and also very similar. It was a case of the woman chasing the man. Only, Liu Zhenqing dispensed with worldly conventions and was often running around, so they didn’t have many opportunities to spend time together.

Then Crown Prince Jingyang’s first wife, Yuan Jue’s biological mother, died of illness. The former emperor wanted Jingyang to remarry and selected Yao Hua, who was the most qualified to be empress amongst the unengaged noble girls, and she was named princess.

Anyone in the world would have no choice but to obey when faced with an imperial edict. Crown Prince Jingyang didn’t know that Yao Hua had such feelings for Liu Zhenqing. He deeply respected his newly-taken wife, and Yao Hua was a well-behaved, well-bred young lady. Although she was upset and broken-hearted, she concealed her love and sincerely became a good wife to the prince. 

Liu Zhenqing hadn’t had many thoughts about this as he drank the wedding wine.

Now that he gave it some thought, if Yao Hua hadn’t married His Highness the Crown Prince, based on their circumstances, they might very well have…..

His eyes took on a strange look as he pondered this.

Huo Fenglie kept his eyes firmly locked on Liu Zhenqing’s face. Seeing his slight change of expression, he felt as if he’d been struck by lightning.

He had always known that if Liu Zhenqing had not passed away, according to Yuan Jue’s vow, the person standing before Liu Zhenqing right now would not be him, but Yao Hua.

In fact, Huo Fenglie had always been very contradictory. He was unwilling to let go of Liu Zhenqing once he got him, but because he wished so much for this person to be happy, he had subconsciously given Liu Zhenqing an out. 

He was constantly worried that Liu Zhenqing would have regrets after returning to the capital and meeting Yao Hua. Thus, he used the excuse of not being married yet to put off fully possessing Liu Zhenqing, as if using his last trace of sanity to make it easier for himself to let go.

He hadn’t wanted the two people to meet so soon. Although he was afraid of losing Liu Zhenqing, he didn’t intend to actually prevent them from meeting for fear that if Liu Zhenqing wanted to see Yao Hua and he stopped him, he would make Liu Zhenqing upset. He couldn’t do it.

Yet he still overestimated himself, and regretted it upon hearing the news that they were about to meet. It was him who stood before Liu Zhenqing now, ah! Were they not engaged? Liu Zhenqing had slept in his arms the previous night, accepting his kisses and touches.

He shouldn’t feel that he could let go for the sake of Liu Zhenqing’s happiness. After all, it was Liu Zhenqing who had provoked him first and made him a promise. A promise that would be fulfilled. He should have taken possession of Liu Zhenqing long ago so that he would never have the desire to go out and see Yao Hua again.

With this in mind, Huo Fenglie’s expression changed completely. As if he’d lost control, he lowered his head and kissed him.

Liu Zhenqing was caught off guard. His eyes widened. He frowned in discomfort at the heavy force, but the impulsive and jealous Huo Fenglie was quite a boon for Liu Zhenqing.

Not yet realizing the seriousness of the problem, Liu Zhenqing felt this was just a different way to mess around and was a little excited.

But then, Liu Zhenqing was suddenly turned around and pressed against a tree without any gentleness. He was dumbfounded, his eyes blowing wide.

Liu Zhenqing was usually bold and wanton, but was still somewhat fearful at critical moments. Especially now, with Huo Fenglie acting so fierce and strange.

“Er…..Er-gou, I didn’t bring any ointment. Wh….what’s going on with you? Isn’t it bad to do it this way?”

Although Liu Zhenqing said so, Huo Fenglie didn’t stop, and he could only go along with it even though it seemed different than what Liu Zhenqing had expected for his first time. There was obviously something wrong with Huo Fenglie’s’ state of mind. If it hurt, then it hurt, but since the person behind him was in such a state, he wouldn’t make a big deal of it.

In order to relieve his inner uneasiness, Liu Zhenqing reached out a hand and pressed it on top of Huo Fenglie’s. Both hands happened to be adorned with their rings, and the moment those metal rings touched seemed to penetrate Huo Fenglie’s clouded mind.

At the critical moment, Huo Fenglie forcibly suppressed himself and shifted his attention.

The two closely entwined peach blossom trees trembled, petals falling with the wind.

Abnormal sounds came from a remote corner of the peach blossom grove without end.

It wasn’t until a long while later that a limp Liu Zhenqing was held in Huo Fenglie’s arms as they rested under the trees.

Liu Zhenqing’s cheeks blushed red as he turned his head to give Huo Fenglie a strange look. Unexpectedly, thunder had roared, but little rain fell. It had taken him so long to mentally prepare himself, but in the end, it was only his legs that hurt. But it was still…..ahem, satisfying. It could be considered a simulation of what was to come.

But why do this? What was he waiting for? In not taking the final step, was Huo Fenglie afraid he would be hurt? Then do some preparation work, ah!

At the sight of Liu Zhenqing trembling slightly in his arms and giving him a look of dissatisfaction, Huo Fenglie, who had gradually sobered up as he vented his anger, was instantly overwhelmed by guilt.

He had nearly forced Qing-ge. How could he do such a thing? What came after also wasn’t good, and he felt he had bullied the other party.

“Qing-ge, I’m sorry, I…..”

Hearing Huo Fenglie’s tone, Liu Zhenqing knew he had recovered. The heat on his face hadn’t gone away, and there was still a wet mist in his eyes. Even though he was all kinds of dissatisfied, he still asked patiently: “What’s wrong? You’re so jealous of me meeting the Empress Dowager. What’s going through your head? I told you before that I’ve given jade pendants to many people, but the wedding ring is for you alone.”

Seeing that Liu Zhenqing wasn’t angry, Huo Fenglie was even more upset. It was as if he’d lost all his strength. He shook his head, not daring to look at Liu Zhenqing.

Liu Zhenqing grasped Huo Fenglie’s fingers and slowly touched the wedding ring, saying: “We’re engaged, the marriage certificate has been written, Sister-in-Law has gone to propose our union, and the emperor will soon grant us our marriage. Is there anything that hasn’t been guaranteed? I know there were a lot of rumors of my past romantic affairs, but have some confidence in me, alright? You’re the only one I’ve been intimate with.”

Liu Zhenqing only felt that Huo Fenglie had drunk a lot more vinegar this time, and didn’t think too deeply about it. 

When Huo Fenglie heard this, he understood Liu Zhenqing’s resolve. After meeting Yao Hua, Liu Zhenqing still chose him.

In an instant, Huo Fenglie was elated and amazed, but also…..remorseful and guilty. When he was angry with Liu Zhenqing just now, he had wanted to attack him on the spot…..

Huo Fenglie looked at Liu Zhenqing, the emotion in his eyes nearly overflowing: “Qing-ge, I like you, I really like you. I’m sorry for losing my temper just now. I swear I’ll never do it again.”

Liu Zhenqing found this all very peculiar, but his recently satiated body made him a bit lazy. He reclined comfortably in Huo Fenglie’s arms and said: “Just now….it was pretty good, Er-gou. I didn’t expect you to be so good at it. Be honest, are you secretly reading little books behind my back?”

Huo Fenglie was currently in a state of agitation. When he was teased so shamelessly out of the blue, he could only stumble over his words: “No…..Qing-ge, don’t say such things.”

Liu Zhenqing said promptly: “You dare to do it, but you’re afraid to say it? Don’t say no, ah. I thought you’d finally decided to do me, but this is the result? I can’t say this wasn’t good, but you’re going to seriously make me doubt my charm.”

Regarding the situation just now, Huo Fenglie truly couldn’t hold his head up: “I was wrong, Qing-ge. I’ll wait…..until we get married.”

This time, Huo Fenglie didn’t subconsciously leave himself a way out. It was just that he felt terrible about this situation, and he must still give his future wife the respect he deserved.

Liu Zhenqing pouted, a little speechless, but was coaxed by a kiss from Huo Fenglie.

Thinking deeply, Liu Zhenqing feared leaving potential doubts in Huo Fenglie’s mind and just gave a simple explanation of the day’s events. He finally understood. Huo Fenglie had just found out that he was meeting with the Empress Dowager, so he left his official duties and hurried over. It seemed he really regarded Yao Hua as his love rival, perhaps because among his friends back then, she was the one closest to him.

“So, I didn’t come here specifically to see the Empress Dowager. It was Bai Su who was showing me around. I was casually taking a stroll and recalling interesting stories about your brother and Sister-in-law when I accidentally came to where the Empress Dowager was. I didn’t plan to go in, but when she heard that your future wife was here, she invited me inside. I suppose she wanted to help vet me for you. We had just spoken briefly when you arrived.” Liu Zhenqing spoke with a smile, his teasing expression lacking the slightest burden.

Although Huo Fenglie listened to this sourly – after all, in his opinion, the Empress Dowager was still Liu Zhenqing’s former sweetheart – he’d made a firm choice just now. Now that Qing-ge had explained it in such a way, what more could Huo Fenglie say? He could only hug this person tightly like a large dog: “En, I understand.”

Liu Zhenqing had no intention of speaking any more about Yao Hua. After all, she was still wearing the jade pendant, which was a bit embarrassing. He simply began to tease Huo Fenglie about some of the rumors he’d heard from Bai Su and interrogated him about whether each one had actually happened. 

Huo Fenglie blushed at these questions. All of them were stupid, childish things he had done before, and he was embarrassed to have them revealed before his beloved.

In the end, he had no choice but to block Liu Zhenqing’s voice until his bullying mouth softened and became well-behaved.

Liu Zhenqing said resentfully: “I’m familiar with this trick.”

Huo Fenglie couldn’t stop the curve of his lips.

Liu Zhenqing shifted his posture and continued to lean against him. He looked at the trees opposite that had been involved in the matter between them, and could only laugh: “I don’t know who planted them, but they deserve an apology.”

The peach blossom grove was so enormous because students had continued to plant trees here for generations.

Huo Fenglie was taken aback: “Have you forgotten?”

“Ah? Should I remember?” Liu Zhenqing couldn’t think of anything at the moment.

“This is where the three of you planted trees back then,” Huo Fenglie said.

Liu Zhenqing retorted at once: “Impossible. We planted three trees in the same spot back then, how can there only be two…..”

Liu Zhenqing paused for a moment and saw two trees to the far left. Although they were a little closer, they weren’t so close that their branches became entangled, much like when Li Xingruo and Huo Feihan planted trees and she deliberately placed hers close.

The trunks of the two trees they’d faced just now were practically touching, not to mention the entangled tree branches. From above, they were basically the same tree, but there was a gap in age and maturity between the two.

Liu Zhenqing quickly stood. His legs were still trembling slightly, and he was supported by Huo Fenglie as he walked forward. Rounding the trees, he found his name engraved on the trunk, with Huo Fenglie’s name on the younger tree next to it.

He looked at Huo Fenglie in astonishment.

Huo Fenglie reached out and touched Liu Zhenqing’s name on the tree trunk, saying: “I secretly planted it when I was studying here. Bai Su didn’t know about it.”

Seeing Huo Fenglie like this, Liu Zhenqing’s heart palpitated and he couldn’t help but reach out to touch Huo Fenglie’s name. He teased with a smile: “Such a schemer, ah. Did you have to touch everything that pertained to me?”

Huo Fenglie was given a jolt, and looked at Liu Zhenqing with some embarrassment, afraid that Liu Zhenqing would think that he…..had gone too far.

However, this was indeed what he had done.

He had not yet grown up, and couldn’t express his feelings, so he could only do this to relieve the ache of his secret love.

Liu Zhenqing suddenly skewed his gaze, recalling that Bai Su had said that Huo Fenglie often….. “Er-gou, ah, you used to come to the peach blossom forest alone at night. Was it just to sit beneath this peach tree?”

Huo Fenglie fidgeted a bit awkwardly: “En, I did. I just…..missed you.”

Having learned from the previous interrogation, Huo Fenglie admitted this honestly in order to prevent Liu Zhenqing from saying more embarrassing things.

But he still underestimated the degree of Liu Zhenqing’s wit.

“Then under the moonlight and peach blossoms, did you take advantage of the silence of night to secretly look at it and think about me, helping the peach tree grow, ah?

Huo Fenglie’s breath momentarily stagnated. He quickly grabbed Liu Zhenqing’s hand: “Qing-ge?”

“Answer honestly, did it ever happen? How many times?”

Huo Fenglie blushed with embarrassment. He embraced Liu Zhenqing and went to kiss him again, but Liu Zhenqing pulled a branch in front of him, his smile more charming than the peach blossoms as he raised an eyebrow and said: “If you don’t explain it clearly, you can’t kiss me.”

Huo Fenglie froze. In the end, he could only lower his head obediently and say: “I did…..”

“How many times?”

“I really…..really don’t remember.”

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but smile, and said teasingly: “No wonder my peach tree looks so different.”

Seeing that Huo Fenglie couldn’t take it any longer, Liu Zhenqing took away the peach blossom branch and approached gently, comforting him: “What are you ashamed of? Qing-ge is happy to hear that, and a little regretful. I had obviously come to the Peach Blossom Banquet when you were studying here, and you carried me back to the house. Why didn’t you know to bring me here and do something while I was drunk?”

“At that time, I drank so much that I almost passed out. You could have done whatever you wanted. Why were you so unenlightened?” As Liu Zhenqing said this, he couldn’t help being suspicious. “That’s not right, ah. You dared to take my first kiss at your brother and sister-in-law’s wedding banquet, so…..tell me honestly, did you secretly do something at the Peach Blossom Banquet?”

This time, Huo Fenglie shook his head: “You were so drunk that you hugged me like I was a pillow and fell asleep.”

Sounding rather regretful, Liu Zhenqing said: “You silly dog. Not only did you not take advantage, but you suddenly decided to go to the battlefield. What was going through your head?”

Huo Fenglie just looked at him with affection and kissed him softly, his love and adoration undisguised.

He hadn’t told the truth.

When he’d carried Liu Zhenqing back to the room to sleep, he had genuinely just wanted to quietly be with his sweetheart.

But that night, Liu Zhenqing had hugged him and said that he was afraid. He talked a lot, never worried that it would leak to outsiders.

Huo Fenglie only felt a deep helplessness. He loved Qing-ge and just wanted to get rid of all of Qing-ge’s worries, so he could only leave temporarily to grow up, and then return to Qing-ge when he had become stronger.

But he was still a step too late. Fortunately, the heavens gave him a chance to make amends, and Qing-ge was still by his side.

. . . . . . .

And Liu Qiao, who wasn’t needed to guard Liu Zhenqing at this time, discovered an acquaintance. He felt like something was off when he laid eyes on Prime Minister Jiang, so he continued to follow him until the man snuck into the courtyard where the Empress Dowager and the Taifei were resting.

---

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Chapter 129 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 131

[Don’t be so clingy.]

[Stay away from He Chuzhou and stop causing trouble for him.]

Don’t be so clingy…..

Stay away from him…..

Stop causing trouble for him…..

He Chuzhou was stunned.

He Chuzhou was dumbfounded.

He Chuzhou directly cracked in two!

What was this?

What the hell was this?

He stared at the note, unable to calm down for a long while.

Had he just used the most direct, crude method to make clear to himself that he wasn’t being polite enough?

Did he distrust He Chuzhou to this extent?

What was with this warning tone from a third-party perspective?

But these were not the most important things.

The most important thing was: how would he coax this person well now? ? ? 

He Chuzhou’s mood was more than complicated as he faced Pei-calico’s broken gaze. It was as if a level 10 tornado had passed through, clearing his head.

“It’s really not like that. How could it be possible?”

He didn’t know how many times he repeated his feeble explanation: “I go to the study when I work every day, and when I’m done with work, I go to the kitchen. How could a man who’s so faithful to the role of a husband cheat? How could there be a mistress?”

“I’ll bet my head to guarantee that everything I’m saying is true. If I’m telling a lie, you can go ahead and stab me.”

“Besides, there’s only been a dog in the house recently. No one else has been here except for us.”

His words were frazzled, and Pei Xi finally deigned to open his mouth slightly: “If there hasn’t been a third person here, then where did this note come from and why is it under my pillow?”

He Chuzhou: “I also don’t—”

Pei Xi: “Could it be that you put it there?”

He Chuzhou: “……?”

Pei Xi was almost in tears: “Did you use the tone of a third party because you’re annoyed and want me to stay away from you?”

He Chuzhou: “? ? ? ”

No!

Why on earth was this frying pan being flung at him?

“Wait, Xinxin, listen to me first.”

He took a deep breath and lifted his hand, raising three fingers: “First of all, there is no mistress or cheating. I swear that I’m absolutely loyal to you.”

“Secondly, while remaining calm and rational, can we use our inquisitive spirits a bit? For example, if you take a closer look, doesn’t the handwriting on this note look familiar?”

Pei Xi followed his guiding words and focused his eyes on the crumpled note once more.

Just now, he had glanced at the content and gone right to the frying pan. Now that he looked closer, he realized that the handwriting really did seem familiar.

The upright and elegant script, neat and beautiful segments, coupled with practiced folds and hooks…..it could be conservatively estimated that it was 80, 90, 100 percent…..a match to his own handwriting.

He looked up blankly: “I wrote this?”

He Chuzhou breathed a sigh of relief and gave a firm nod.

The sadness in Pei Xi’s heart vanished like a popped bubble. The redness of his eyes hadn’t yet faded, and his gaze revealed only confusion.

“But why would I write this?” he wondered.

He Chuzhou attempted to deceive him by downplaying it: “I don’t know, maybe it was just a note you wrote down while watching a TV series?”

Pei Xi shook his head: “I don’t have the habit of writing notes while watching TV. It’s even less likely that I would write your name.”

He Chuzhou: “Maybe you practiced writing it for fun —”

“I didn’t.”

This time, Pei Xi simply interrupted He Chuzhou before he could finish speaking: “When I practice my writing, I copy economic principles.”

“……” He Chuzhou was speechless.

“I wouldn’t write something like this for no reason. If I wrote it, something must have happened.”

Pei Xi thought for a couple of seconds, then raised his head: “Chuzhou, did you do something wrong again?”

He Chuzhou: “ ? ”

Pei Xi analyzed seriously: “Did you say I’m too clingy? Or did you blame me for causing too much trouble for you?”

He Chuzhou: “ ? ? ? ”

He Chuzhou: “Honorable lord, I didn’t, ah.”

Why on earth had the pot spun twice in midair and landed on his head?

And why had Pei Xi said ‘again’?

Pei Xi: “Are you taking advantage of my poor memory to avoid admitting it?”

He Chuzhou: “……”

He Chuzhou: “……….”

Pei-calico truly had the potential to become an underworld judge. He Chuzhou would definitely be the first victim of injustice at his hands.

“I’m not coaxing you or lying to you.”

He Chuzhou was worn out: “I really never said those things. You don’t know, but I wish I could tie you up and carry you with me everywhere. How could I find you troublesome?”

Pei Xi was suspicious: “Really?”

He Chuzhou: “It couldn’t be more true.”

Pei Xi gave a thoughtful nod, his gaze remaining on He Chuzhou for a moment. Then, without saying anything else, he put the note away in his pocket and went out to have breakfast.

He Chuzhou let out a long breath. He stood up, tiredly wiping non-existent sweat from his forehead.

Was it over?

But soon, reality told him that not only was it not over, it was only the beginning.

He walked into the kitchen and sat down opposite Pei Xi.

Just as he was about to ask if the milk was cold, the latter picked up his breakfast and calmly moved two seats down, then continued to eat in a dignified manner.

He Chuzhou: “? ? ? ”

He Chuzhou: “Why?”

Pei Xi, prim and proper: “I’m keeping an appropriate distance so that you won’t be crowded.”

He Chuzhou: “……”

It wasn’t over.

After breakfast, He Chuzhou went to work in the study.

Pei-calico usually would have set up a tablet next to him and started to read. And if he wasn’t reading, he was guaranteed to take He Xingxing for a walk every hour.

But after three hours today, he hadn’t seen the dog, much less a human figure.

He clearly heard footsteps going from the living room to the bedroom several times outside the door.

He couldn’t stand it. He couldn’t sit still.

He poured over half a cup of coffee into the pothos plant on the windowsill. Pretending to go out with an empty cup, he found Pei Xi sitting on the couch and watching a movie.

Laying on the carpet in front of the couch was He Xinxing. His eyes opened when he heard movement and he stood up, then ran over enthusiastically to rub against his old father, who he hadn’t seen all morning.

In contrast, Pei Xi just raised his eyelids and gave him a mild look, then lowered his head and continued to watch the movie. He ignored him, and had no plans to move to another location.

He Chuzhou grinded his back teeth and slowly brewed a cup of coffee. He coughed lightly in the white steam and said, seemingly casual: “Xinxin, do you want to go read in the study?”

“No.”

Pei Xi watched a silly part and dragged the progress bar back a little: “You’re working hard. My movie is a bit noisy, so I won’t go in and disturb you.”

He Chuzhou: “……”

At lunch, Pei Xi still sat two seats away from him, back straight as he ate in graceful silence.

He Chuzhou’s fingertips made a pattering sound on the tabletop. He wanted to say something, but couldn’t find an excuse. The meal was tasteless.

In the afternoon, he simply didn’t go to the study. He switched to working on his laptop, and moved himself and the computer into the living room.

Pei Xi saw him out of the corner of his eye and looked up.

He Chuzhou sat on the armchair closest to him. He put the computer on his knees and said calmly: “The study was a bit stuffy.”

Pei Xi nodded in understanding, then took his tablet back to the bedroom.

He Chuzhou: “……”

He had never had such a frustrating day in his life!

Pei-calico had stopped hugging him and talking to him. He automatically avoided him when he tried to get closer, and even kept a distance of two meters from him when walking the dog in the evening.

The inexplicable stalemate lasted until nighttime, and He Chuzhou couldn’t endure it anymore. When Pei Xi finished bathing and was about to head back to the guest room, he simply picked him up and thrust him into bed: “Little ancestor, can you please stop making trouble?”

Pei Xi blinked, saying innocently: “Chuzhou, I’m not making trouble.”

He Chuzhou was expressionless: “You’ve been giving me the silent treatment all day!”

Pei Xi: “I’m just keeping a proper distance so as not to bother you.”

He Chuzhou laughed angrily at him: “And what is the proper distance? Are we strangers? Did we just meet yesterday?”

Pei Xi: “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”

He Chuzhou: “How can keeping such a distance increase fondness? It just makes things worse!”

Pei Xi lay on his back in bed. Seeing that the person before him was on the verge of exasperation, yet still lowered his voice and was unwilling to be cruel to him, he finally couldn’t hold out any longer. A smile flashed across his eyes.

“Chuzhou, look.” He lifted his arms and placed them around the other’s neck, saying in a slightly raised tone, “It’s you who can’t live without me.”

It all suddenly became clear to He Chuzhou. He said in disbelief: “You did this on purpose?”

Pei Xi’s gaze went sly. He smiled, saying nothing.

He Chuzhou’s face changed several times, from green to red and then to green again. In the end, he breathed a sigh of relief and buried his head heavily next to Pei Xi’s.

The ear pressed to his felt slightly cold. Pei Xi couldn’t see his face, so he raised a hand and poked his back: “Gege, are you angry?”

“How could I dare? I’m just grateful you’re not angry with me.”

He Chuzhou’s voice dragged out longer than usual. He was silent for a moment, then said in frustration: “I never thought you were troublesome. Not in the beginning, and certainly not now.”

Pei-calico was absolutely correct. It turned out that He Chuzhou was the clingy one, as well as the one who couldn’t live without the other.

He had been restless all day, and it was only now that he had this person in his arms that his whole body thawed and warmed from the inside out.

“I know, ah.” Pei Xi nuzzled against his head, and his tone was very similar to when he called He Xingxing a good boy: “I know everything.”

He Chuzhou hummed: “You know, yet you still tested me all day long.”

Pei Xi: “Who says I was testing you?”

He Chuzhou: “What was it if not a test?”

Pei Xi: “Just a small punishment.”

“……?” He Chuzhou immediately raised his head with a hiss: “Wait a minute, punishment?”

Pei Xi: “Chuzhou, I wouldn’t write a note like that for no reason. Even if I don’t know why, I do know myself.”

He Chuzhou’s teeth ached: “So you still don’t believe me?”

“I believe you, ah, of course I believe you.”

The corners of Pei Xi’s slightly downturned eyes curved beautifully: “So you must not have made it clear, or didn’t express yourself clearly and caused me to misunderstand. Not only did you make me misunderstand, but you didn’t find out in time after the misunderstanding and give me an explanation.”

He Chuzhou stared somewhat blankly. It was unknown if he had thought of something, but he surprisingly didn’t deny what Pei Xi said. 

“Of course, I was also wrong. I didn’t ask for an explanation right away, and just dwelled on it alone.”

Pei Xi said with some puzzlement: “Although I don’t understand why it’s so difficult to remember.”

He didn’t understand, but He Chuzhou did.

Because in Pei-calico’s eyes, they were the closest and most loved people to each other. They had no need for reservations. No need to guess about each other.

But it wasn’t so for Pei Xi.

In Pei Xi’s eyes, they didn’t have a close relationship. Pei Xi had felt he was troubling him from the moment he moved in, so he was extra sensitive and doubtful.

Pei Xi: “So you can punish me too and ignore me all day tomorrow. I’ll accept the punishment willingly.”

He Chuzhou’s mouth twitched: “……Seriously?”

Pei Xi’s face was grabbed halfway through his nod.

He Chuzhou scoffed: “Come on, is that punishing you or me? I’m not stupid.”

Pei Xi blinked. He couldn’t help but laugh as he pulled up the blanket to cover them both, finding his favorite position in the other’s arms: “Then forget it. Let’s go to sleep.”

He Chuzhou helped tuck the blanket behind his back.

Pei Xi hooked his collar with his fingertips: “Will you dream of me tonight?”

He Chuzhou thought for a moment: “Probably?”

Pei Xi: “Then you can confess your love for me a hundred times in your dreams.”

He Chuzhou: “Okay. I’ll confess one hundred and one times.”

*

*

The next morning, Pei Xi was the first one to open his eyes.

As soon as he moved an arm, he was unconsciously patted on the back by the person sleeping beside his pillow, who mumbled in a sleepy voice: “I like you the most. Be good, sleep a little longer.”

“……”

He froze at once, not daring to move.

After waiting like this for a long while, he made sure He Chuzhou wasn’t awake and slowly moved away from his arms. He didn’t dare step over him, so he could only get out by moving to the foot of the bed.

When he went to the bathroom and looked up, he saw that his face in the mirror was red almost to the root of his neck.

“……”

He had no choice but to turn the faucet on low and repeatedly splash cold water on his face to reduce the heat.

This was all because of his lack of consideration.

Not only had he failed to achieve his goal, he had also acted like that toward He Chuzhou…..

He’d never thought that “he” would implement the content of the note like that.

Placing his hands on the edge of the sink, he lowered his head and closed his eyes, letting the water on his face slowly drip to collect at his chin.

Scenes from the previous day flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern, and he covered his eyes. He really couldn’t tell what he was feeling at the moment. It was all complicated and chaotic.

He remained in the bathroom for a long time, and it wasn’t until the heat on his face completely subsided that he wiped away the water and opened the door.

Unexpectedly, he found He Chuzhou leaning against the door frame, scrolling through his phone as he waited.

The latter raised his eyes when he heard the door open. Their eyes met. Pei Xi automatically paused, and his eyes darted away in unease. “I’m done, go ahead.”

He Chuzhou put away his phone with a hum.

Pei Xi looked steadily forward, and was about to pass him when he was stopped after only two steps: “Pei Xi.”

He stopped. Looking back, he saw that He Chuzhou was still leaning against the door frame. Perhaps because he had just been asleep, his eyes looked particularly lazy and gentle.

“I told my mom I was being troubled only as an excuse to her. Otherwise, she would have called back and tortured me for three days and three nights.”

He Chuzhou saw that Pei Xi was stumped for words. He didn’t move from his place, but continued to explain: “I had probably two or three difficult matters to deal with yesterday. The first was that my aunt told me not to give Yun Ji a raise, the second was a poorly-written project proposal from an intern, and as for the third matter, I was worrying about how to get you to agree to come home with me to celebrate the New Year.”

Pei Xi tried his best to control his expression, but upon hearing He Chuzhou’s last sentence, he couldn’t help the slight widening of his eyes: “Go back with you…..for the New Year?”

“Yes, ah.” He Chuzhou said very matter-of-factly: “There are a lot of people in my family, including many little didis and meimeis. My hometown is really lively during the New Year, and I want to take you to see it.”

“My expression might have been too serious as I was thinking about these things and caused you to misunderstand something, so I wanted to explain it to you.” 

“I said before that I’ve never thought you were too clingy after losing your memory, nor that you’ve caused me any trouble. This isn’t just me being polite to you. On the contrary, you haven’t recovered yet, and I can only feel at ease when I can see you.”

“If I make you uncomfortable in any way, tell me directly. After all, apart from being roommates, it wouldn’t be a stretch to call us friends, would it?”

He smiled, his whole person appearing warmer than the sunlight shining through the windows: “Will you think about the New Year? My hometown is really fun. There’s a lantern festival and fireworks, and I can take you on a canopy boat ride.”

The room became quiet after these words.

Pei Xi stood there for a long time without speaking.

He Chuzhou didn’t expect him to agree right away, but his dazed expression made his hands itch.

Unable to resist, he raised his hand and gently rubbed the top of the other’s head, not too hard, just like he did every time to Pei-calico: “Don’t you have to go to the company today? Hurry and get dressed, I’ll take you there in a moment.”

Having said this, he turned and went into the bathroom, looking into the mirror with a sleepy yawn.

It was no joke. He had really dreamed of Pei-calico last night.

That person wearing a school uniform and sitting in a classroom had enchanted him to such an extent that he’d confessed to him one hundred and one times on the spot.

With the bathroom door shut, he didn’t see He Xingxing run in to join the fun.

Of course, he also didn’t see Pei Xi, who had just cooled down, turn red to the tips of his ears like a boiled shrimp.

*

*

“Rewrite everything I marked. There are also new project inspections to keep up with, regular quality inspections, and all substandard materials must be replaced.”

Pei Xi handed over a stack of documents, and Xiao Gu greeted him as he stepped forward to take them. He wore a wan expression, and didn’t look as energetic as before.

Pei Xi scanned his face: “Ask for leave if you don’t feel well. There’s no need to force yourself.”

Xiao Gu nodded: “Thank you for your concern, President Pei, but I’m in good health and don’t feel ill.”

The reception girl happened to hear this as she entered to hand over the visitor list. She covered her mouth and snickered, saying to Pei Xi: “President Pei, there’s something you don’t know. Xiao Gu just bravely confessed to by one of his good brothers, and he’s upset!”

Xiao Gu knew that Pei Xi didn’t like to chat at work, and was even less interested in this sort of thing. Fearing he would get angry, he quickly explained: “It’s a small matter, just a small matter. I’ll take care of it as soon as possible and it won’t affect my work.”

Pei Xi: “What’s troubling you? Do you not know whether to accept or reject him?”

Xiao Gu: “…..ah?”

Xiao Gu hadn’t expected Pei Xi to actually respond to the topic. He was stunned to the point of stuttering: “I-I didn’t consider accepting. I don’t like him, and being confessed to by someone I don’t like is quite troublesome.”

Pei Xi frowned: “You find it troublesome to be confessed to?”

“The point is definitely not the confession, ah.”

The girl said with a smile: “The point is that he was confessed to by someone he doesn’t like. If it was someone he actually liked, he would be happy beyond measure.”

Pei Xi seemed to think of something upon hearing this. His eyes flickered indistinctly, and he didn’t continue the conversation.

Xiao Gu was cautious: “Does President Pei have anything else for me?”

Pei Xi: “No. Go attend to your work.”

“Okay.”

Xiao Gu let out a breath as he exited the office. Thinking about it, it still felt unreal: “President Pei actually cares about my personal affairs?”

“You take President Pei too seriously.”

The reception girl followed him out: “President Pei has always had a good temperament, hasn’t he?”

Xiao Gu: “Really?”

The girl: “Of course.”

She was so confident that Xiao Gu doubted himself.

Why did he feel that President Pei was a little unpredictable?

*

Inside the office.

Pei Xi pressed the tip of his pen to paper, thinking absent-mindedly. Suddenly, several consecutive message notifications interrupted his thoughts.

He unlocked his phone and clicked in:

Chuzhou: [Bad news, my mom and sister are coming to have dinner with us later.]

Chuzhou: [Old rabbit lighting a cigarette.jpg]

Chuzhou: [I suggest you send me a message that you’re working overtime tonight. I’ll take a screenshot and show it to them, which will help you escape.]

Pei Xi: [Then what will you do?]

Chuzhou: [What else? I’ll handle them myself]

Chuzhou: [Don’t worry. At most, I’ll be blamed by my mom and mocked by my sister. It’s just one night of being pestered by the two of them, so it’s not a big problem.]

Chuzhou: [Send it, just say “I don’t have time, I’m working overtime tonight.” I’ll send them the screenshot now.]

Pei Xi: [……]

Pei Xi: [No need, I’ll be back early in the afternoon.]

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Chapter 42 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 44

Shen Congfeng drove these two people away before Pei Xi’s uncle arrived. The trip took four hours one way, and the old man feared that if they arrived in Wancheng too late, their work would be delayed the next day.

It was a pity that in the end, He Chuzhou wasn’t able to discover what Pei Zhen’s problem was.

Whether it was epilepsy or intermittent insanity, even if the symptoms were mild, he was still seriously ill, and Pei Xi had endured hardship due to his unreasonable behavior.

Once Shen Congfeng knew that he wasn’t aware of everything, he kept silent.

“I shouldn’t talk too much. You two are the closest people in the world to each other now. What you want to know is something that should be told to you by Xinxin personally. This old man can’t get involved.”

These were the old man’s exact words. He Chuzhou had expressed his understanding.

But he had no intention of taking the initiative to ask Pei Xi.

Every time a not-so-good memory was mentioned, it was tantamount to ripping open an already healed wound again.

It was better to leave them in a corner to gather dust until they were completely forgotten. Even if they were accidentally mentioned again one day, they would be rusted, smoothed-over needlepoints and blunted blades.

Perhaps Pei Xi would be willing to tell him one day in the future. He didn’t know if this day would come, nor how soon. The only thing he was certain of was that it would not be today.

From entering the expressway to exiting it, Pei Xi was silent. He just leaned back in his seat tiredly and turned his head to face the window.

His appearance was reflected in the passenger window, eyes lowered and desolate, watching as the gray sky was swallowed up by night and gradually turned black.

He Chuzhou didn’t bother him. He turned the music on very low. Relaxing, simple music spread through the air, better than nothing for soothing a person’s heart.

Late at night, as they entered the most prosperous area of Wancheng through the surrounding city, the long queues of vehicle tail lights and gorgeous neon lights on both sides made the scene feel lively for a brief time. 

Very soon, as the vehicle drove through the downtown area, the excitement gradually faded away and was left behind.

He Chuzhou didn’t choose a crowded restaurant, but parked the vehicle outside a private one.

The number of people coming and going were so few that they could be ignored. Ginkgo trees were planted on each side of the road, their ninety percent yellow leaves rustling in the night breeze.

He pulled the hand brake and turned off the engine and put the keys in his pocket, then looked up to find that the person in the passenger seat was still in a daze. After some thought, he gently tapped the center of the steering wheel with a force that shouldn’t startle anyone.

The two taps were very clear in the silent vehicle. The person in the passenger turned toward him in reaction.

The street light behind him couldn’t enter his eyes, leaving just a thin, fragile layer of light Pei Xi’s side profile, very similar to the look in his eyes at this moment.

“Are you still worried?”

He Chuzhou’s voice was very soft, as if he was afraid of scaring him, but it was also very relaxed as he tried to infect the other person with his mood: “Would you like to call and ask about him again?”

Pei Xi shook his head.

After a few seconds, he murmured in a raw, hoarse voice: “I know Grandpa is fine. I just, just have some lingering fear.”

There was no upper limit to the influence that a loved one could have on a person. When one’s mental strength was weak, they couldn’t bear even the slightest disturbance.

“I can’t help but think, what if something happens to Grandpa? What if something happens and he isn’t taken to the hospital in time?” 

“When we rushed over here, I actually thought about the worst possible outcome so many times. But I really can’t imagine what life would be like without Grandpa.”

The emotions implanted in his brain were accompanied by thorny trees that survived tenaciously in the desert. Perhaps it was a small, inconspicuous bush on the surface, but nobody knew what twisted, intricate things were buried beneath the sand.

“Maybe nothing will change. The sun will rise and set as usual, I’ll go on with life as usual, eat and sleep as usual, and continue my days as usual.”

“But it feels like something has been broken, run over and crushed to powder, blown away by the wind, and will never come back.”

A vehicle passed by on the road. The headlights penetrated the windshield and swept across Pei Xi’s face, illuminating his unconsciously teary eyes.

“Chuzhou, I have many blood relatives on my father’s side and my mother’s side. Those I know and those I don’t know add up to a lot.”

“But I know that other than Grandpa, none of them love me.”

He looked at He Chuzhou through the dark night, not actually expecting to receive any comfort. It was just that the impulse had crept into his throat, and it felt more comfortable to say it out loud.

But now that he had spoken, it didn’t seem to be much better. His heart was still empty, and he didn’t know what to fill it with.

He Chuzhou looked at his dim eyes, then opened the car door and got out quietly under that gaze.

Pei Xi was startled, and watched blankly as He Chuzhou walked around the front of the car to the passenger side and opened the door, thinking he wanted him to get out faster.

Just as he was about to move, his field of vision suddenly dimmed. While still seated inside the car, he was hugged forcefully as the other person leaned over.

It was a very brief hug.

Before he could even feel the warmth of the person enveloping him, He Chuzhou lifted him out of the vehicle like a child and placed him firmly on the ground.

“Pei Xinxin, are you trying to anger me to death?”

He Chuzhou ruffled his hair as if to vent his anger, and even more like there was nothing he could do about him: “I’m such a big person standing right here. Are you treating me like a human being?”

“…..Ah?”

Pei Xi was confused by this series of actions, and it took him a moment to remember to explain: “That’s not—”

He Chuzhou interrupted him: “That isn’t what you mean?”

Pei Xi paused, then nodded blankly.

He Chuzhou asked again: “I don’t count as your relative?”

Pei Xi started to subconsciously nod, but paused midway.

If they were married…..did he count as a relative?

He didn’t know how to define this.

But it didn’t matter.

He didn’t know how to define it, but He Chuzhou was happy to do so: “Relationships between people in this world are very complicated. Many times, relatives are more unfamiliar than strangers, and strangers are closer than relatives.”

“A blood relationship is a bond, not a constraint, and this certainly doesn’t mean that only those related by blood can be called relatives. How can you, with such an intelligent mind, be constrained by this point of view?”

“Emotional ties are much more important than blood ties. Relatives shouldn’t weaken your will. They should encourage you and be your spiritual support, understand?”

Pei Xi nodded slowly.

But gradually, as his breathing became slightly disordered, he felt blooming flowers sprouting from his chest: “So, you and me, we can…..be considered relatives?”

“Of course. If I’m not a relative, then who is?”

When He Chuzhou saw his eyes finally brighten again, his lips curved. He helped push back the hair sticking up on Pei Xi’s head, leaning down to look at him.

“I know you only have one grandpa. You love him very much and want him to be well forever.”

“But I only have you as my wife. I also want you to be well, to have no worries and always be happy.”

“So, Pei Xinxin, be happy.”

“This is my wish, and your grandpa’s wish too.”

*

*

He Xingxing, who had been satisfied with going out early in the morning, shook his head and ran into the house. As soon as his father untied the leash, he fell to the floor belly-up and happily begged for pets.

But his father didn’t have time to pet him. He was busy in the kitchen, making breakfast.

He had no choice but to roll back and lie on the floor, sticking out his tongue. After staring at the living room for a while, he stood up with a bored swish of his tail and ran toward the bedroom.

His furry head arched through the crack in the door. He first put his two front paws on the bed, and when he found nobody there, his eyes began to wander around. Finally, they stopped at the cabinet on the right side of the floor-to-ceiling window.

He Chuzhou had brought back so many gifts of different shapes and sizes. Pei-calico hadn’t had time to put them away the day before, so he temporarily put them all in the cabinet and planned to sort them into categories when he had time.

Pei Xi was standing in front of that cabinet, looking at the pile of gifts. His long, thick eyelashes could conceal the emotions in his eyes, but they couldn’t cover the upward curve of his mouth.

Something knocked lightly against his ankle, and he glanced to the side. He Xinxing was at his feet, staring at him and wagging his tail with enthusiasm.

Pei Xi’s eyes curved, and he knelt down to rub the dog’s ears. He Xinxin’s eyes narrowed in pleasure, and he scratched his chin with his fingertips.

“Puppy.”

“Having known each other this long, you and I have an emotional bond, right?”

The puppy didn’t understand.

The puppy could only wag his tail happily.

Pei Xi didn’t care. He only helped straighten the dog’s crooked collar.

The aroma from the kitchen came through the crack in the door, and he smelled the scent of bone broth noodles. He patted the dog’s head, stood up, and walked toward the door.

The closer he got to the kitchen, the stronger the aroma grew.

Likewise, the movement inside could be heard more clearly.

“Yes, yes, yes, we’ve talked about it.”

“I think so too, ah, but there’s nothing I can do about it. I really can’t leave. Work is too busy and he’s too clingy. It’s quite troublesome.”

Pei Xi’s footsteps immediately paused.

As he looked at the back of the person in the kitchen, the smile in his eyes gradually faded.

He Chuzhou was completely unaware of this.

He was very busy. Firstly, preparing breakfast, and secondly, dealing with Mrs. Chu’s interrogation of him early in the morning.

The difficulty lay in how hard Mrs. Chu was to deal with: “Why are you pretending not to know? You’re still a troublemaker, laughing so happily. Your behavior is as bad as your father’s.”

“I gave you time to buffer yesterday. You must explain everything today, or you will suffer the consequences.”

“I’m giving you a friendly warning.”

He Aiyue’s smiling voice suddenly sounded: “Actually, Mom was called to play cards with the sisters yesterday. But it seems there’s no card games today. She’s very free, so she can deal with you slowly.”

He Chuzhou: “……”

Chu Yuelan said, light as air: “Go to school. If you say another word, don’t expect any pocket money this week.”

He Aiyue put her small school bag on her back and rushed off.

There was so much to handle that He Chuzhou didn’t know what to do. In desperation, he promised repeatedly that he would explain everything later, and was finally successful in hanging up the call with Mrs. Chu.

The noodles were pretty much done, so he took them out of the pot. He turned around, bowl in hand, and saw Pei Xi standing nearby.

“What a coincidence, they just came out.”

He Chuzhou put the noodles on the dining table and took a tissue to wipe his hands: “Come see how they taste. If they’re missing anything, I’ll add it for you.”

Pei Xi walked over and sat down in silence.

He Chuzhou handed him some chopsticks. He had originally wanted his feedback, but unexpectedly received an apology: “Am I causing you trouble?”

He Chuzhou thought he was talking about breakfast, and raised his eyebrows: “What trouble? It’s just a matter of cooking one more serving.”

Pei Xi: “That’s not what I’m saying.”

He Chuzhou was at a momentary loss, but his mind was fortunately quick enough to react: “What are you saying?”

Pei Xi said nothing, but He Chuzhou already knew the answer.

“Well, I had planned to tell you later.” He Chuzhou said helplessly: “Some difficult things did happen yesterday. You should mentally prepare yourself.”

“My parents saw you on a video call and know that you’re in my house. The misunderstanding is quite…..fantastical. I was just explaining it to my mom.”

“And your grandpa was also admitted to the hospital with high blood pressure. Don’t worry, he got to the hospital in time and it wasn’t a big problem. We were there too. The good news is that your grandpa is in good spirits, but the bad news is that he also misunderstood.”

It was originally a matter between two people, and the more people who misunderstood now, the more troublesome it would be to solve subsequent problems.

He thought Pei Xi’s mood would inevitably be affected when he was apprised of these difficulties. What he didn’t expect was for Pei Xi to be very calm from beginning to end. After listening, he simply nodded with a complete lack of emotion.

“Aren’t you worried?” He was surprised.

Pei Xi shook his head: “There’s nothing to worry about. Us being together is just a misunderstanding. Starting now, we need to break up.”

He Chuzhou: “……”

He Chuzhou could only press the tip of his tongue against his cheek.

It made sense, and was very practical.

But why couldn’t he smile?

The letter of guarantee written by Pei Xi himself seemed to have only promised not to blacklist him.

So was there any way to make Pei-calico voluntarily promise not to dump him?

Waiting online. So damn urgent.

“Actually, my mom always likes to make trouble for me when she has free time, so I’m used to it. I’ll just make up an excuse and explain it to her later.”

He was still a little upset at being broken up with in advance, but he still needed to explain what should be explained: “Don’t worry, it’s not your problem.”

But this was not the trouble Pei Xi was referring to. 

It was just that those words…..

Never mind.

He said nothing more.

It was one thing for Mrs. Chu to enjoy causing trouble for her son. Whether he could give an explanation or prevaricate was nother matter. Naturally, He Chuzhou would avoid the important things and dwell on the trivial.

There was fortunately not too much work today, so he had time to deal with it, and could also make time to slowly seesaw back and forth with the indomitable Mrs. Chu.

Mrs. Chu’s rapid change of attitude also caught him by surprise.

At first, she couldn’t believe that he liked boys. Then she wondered if he had learned some vulgar tricks and was hiding a sugar baby from them on the outside.

He Chuzhou was dumbfounded: “Mom, let Dad give you some information about Pei Xi’s identity when he has time. I don’t need to be his sugar daddy, ah, how would that work?”

Mrs. Chu scored full marks for intellectual curiosity and immediately went to her husband to be educated. When she returned ten minutes later, she adjusted the hem of her skirt and changed her attitude again.

“Such an impressive man. How did you catch Pei Xi? What did you do?”

“Do his parents agree?”

“How is Pei Xi’s mental state? Is he okay? Otherwise, how would he agree to this?”

He Chuzhou: “…….”

What should he say?

He sometimes felt that Mrs. Chu was rather amazing.

Some time later, Pei Xi had become the absolute second son of the He family without his knowledge.

“There are so many cabbages all over the ground. If you can pick up an emerald or diamond, I won’t have raised you in vain.”

“But let’s discuss this. Don’t make Xiao Pei afraid that he isn’t good enough for you to show around. You’re still trying to keep him a secret. Do you know how to respect a person? If you don’t know, just ask your dad to teach you.”

“As an adult, you should take good care of others. Don’t think that he can be wronged just because he’s a boy.”

“When will you bring Pei Xi back for a meal? I have a gift prepared.”

“But is Pei Xi busy with work recently? If he’s busy, never mind, it can wait until the end of the year. If he’s willing, he can come over and celebrate the New Year with us.”

There was nothing He Chuzhou could do. The only reply he could make was: why can’t it wait until I actually catch him?

What if he doesn’t feel the same?

We’re in a barely half-way relationship without having confessed to each other. And unfortunately, my boyfriend has already sentenced our relationship to death, and we’re definitely going to break up in the future. It’s likely that nobody will understand it except him.

He gave a melancholy sigh, trying to think of a reason to refuse.

However, something occurred to him mid-sentence, and his fingertips paused.

Where did Pei Xi usually celebrate the New Year?

Did he stay in his own house alone without celebrating all day long? Or did he go back to that unhappy home?

If that was the case, then why shouldn’t he take Pei Xi back to celebrate the New Year?

Even if he wasn’t able to catch him before the New Year, who said he could only bring a boyfriend back to celebrate?

Thus, he deleted the half-sentence rejection and instead replied [OK], and began to brainstorm ways to kidnap Pei Xi and bring him back to celebrate the New Year.

Pei Xi had just finished a phone call with his Uncle and passed by the study. The door wasn’t closed tightly, and he accidentally caught a glimpse of He Chuzhou’s troubled face, as if he was dealing with a very difficult matter.

So he stopped his trek to the bedroom and stood where he was, suddenly at a loss for what to do.

When He Xingxing ran over curiously, he subconsciously took half a step back and hid in the shadows, fearing that the person in the study would notice him.

He Xingxing sat there and looked at him with his tongue hanging out, as if wondering why he wasn’t going in.

Pei Xi had no way of answering.

That person only told him that emotional ties were more important than blood ties, but forgot to tell him what to do if it was one-sided and there was no so-called bond.

He Xingxing was panting loudly, and sounded as if he’d been squatting at the door for a long time without coming in.

He Chuzhou put down his phone and stood up to go take a look.

As soon as the door opened, he happened to find Pei Xi, who was about to head back to the bedroom.

“Going to sleep?” he asked.

Pei Xi nodded, his expression very tranquil.

He Chuzhou sounded out his mood: “I explained things to my mom, and she likes you a lot. She wants to invite you over for a meal when you’re free.”

“No need.”

Pei Xi’s voice was very light as he refused simply: “Since it’s a misunderstanding, it would be hard to manage if we met. I won’t cause such trouble for you.”

Sure enough, the plan still had a long way to go.

He Chuzhou was inwardly regretful, but it didn’t show on his face. His smile remained the same: “Okay. If you don’t want to go, then don’t go.”

He Xingxing was very excited to see his father come out. He shook his fur, walking around the two people several times as his tail slapped loudly against the door.

He Chuzhou had just crouched down and pet him a couple of times when he heard a cool voice above his head: “He Chuzhou, I said before that if I make things difficult for you, you can ignore what I say instead of being polite.”

“I can’t control myself when I’m confused, so instead of causing trouble for you, I prefer for you to leave me alone.”

He Chuzhou couldn’t react for a moment after hearing this. Pei Xi didn’t seem to expect an answer from him, and went to the bedroom.

After the previous letter of guarantee incident, He Chuzhou had put a small notebook and a pen on the bedside table and told him it was in case of emergencies.

Pei Xi took the notebook, tore out a page, and carefully wrote a paragraph. Finally, he frowned in thought and then solemnly wrote a sentence at the end.

Then he put the notebook and pen back in their original positions, folded the paper, and stuffed it under his pillow.

He could only think of this method to communicate with “himself.”

*

*

He Chuzhou reflected for a long time, but couldn’t figure out where things had gone wrong to make Pei Xi think he was causing him trouble.

Had he not made it clear enough before?

Where was the issue?

He spent the whole night thinking about it, and was even wracking his brains while preparing breakfast. The sound of footsteps behind him interrupted his thoughts, and he turned around: “You’re awake?”

Pei Xi gave a drowsy hum and peered into the pot: “Xingxing opened the door and I smelled you frying eggs.”

He Chuzhou flipped over a golden-fried poached egg and showed it to him: “Does it smell good?”

Pei Xi nodded, and Chef He immediately pinched his cheek.

The latter raised his eyebrows and said slowly and deliberately: “Of course it smells good. But my stomach is tied into knots because of you breaking up with me.”

Pei Xi was puzzled: “What?”

“Nothing, I’m just kidding.”

He Chuzhou glanced at him: “Go wash your face, brush your teeth, and tidy up. It’ll be done soon.”

Pei Xi acquiesced, and gave him a small hug from the side before leaving.

He Chuzhou watched him return to the bedroom until he was no longer visible. Then he turned around with a sorrowful sigh to skillfully flip the eggs over again.

If Pei-calico would still cling to him when he was in his right mind, there was no telling how happy He Chuzhou would be.

He took the fried poached eggs out of the pan, heated up the milk and made some waffles. Breakfast for two was prepared, but the other person hadn’t come out yet.

After placing the plates and cups on the dining table, he walked into the bedroom and found the other person sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at the floor in a daze while holding a piece of paper in his hand.

“Are you still drowsy?”

He walked over after his teasing words and met a pair of watery eyes.

“ ? ? ? ”

His smile faded, and he immediately crouched down in front of him: “What’s going on? Weren’t you okay just now? Did you knock into something?”

Pei Xi didn’t nod or shake his head. He just looked straight at him and said in a dry, hoarse voice: “Chuzhou, do you have a mistress?”

He Chuzhou: “ ? ? ? ”

He Chuzhou: “ ? ? ? ? ? ”

---

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Chapter 41 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 43

It was almost the day of the Imperial Academy’s opening ceremony, and there was an air of uneasiness in the capital. The Jinyiwei and Dongchang could be seen running around every which way.

Dozens of carriages drove to the Imperial Academy one after another. From time to time, someone would open the carriage curtains and peek at the officers and soldiers passing by outside.

As for the students who were going to study, the older ones knew some things about these matters while the younger ones were just excited about the start of a new semester.

Just like the two people inside Liu Zhenqing’s carriage.

“I knew it would be no problem for Uncle Liu to act.” Huo Yunci was endlessly happy as she held the letter she had received from Huo Fenglie.

Liu Zhenqing propped up his chin and gazed outside: “Then the two of you must remember this kindness from me, ah. If your mother finds out, I’ll definitely say you forced me to do it, or else she’ll beat me.”

Huo Yunci hugged Huo Yunqian and said with a smile: “It’s okay, we’re loyal to our friends. If something happens, we’ll handle it ourselves!” 

Liu Zhenqing’s lips curved. He said to himself, your mother will definitely say I was the one who led you astray. She won’t even blame you.

He thought about how Li Xingruo had sent a matchmaker to his door the day before in order to go through the marriage proposal process in private first. This could be regarded as caring about their marriage and being a decent sister-in-law for a moment. If she found out later that he was pretending to be a substitute at a parent-teacher meeting, she would definitely scold him for having no conscience.

Liu Zhenqing put the curtain down and said: “When you see the instructors later, you must be good. Will you be able to pretend?”

The two brats immediately said it would be no problem.

Very soon, the carriage arrived at the foot of the mountain where the Imperial Academy was located. When Liu Zhenqing looked up and saw the familiar staircase, he couldn’t help but laugh.

Huo Yunci asked curiously: “Why are you laughing? Isn’t this your first time here?”

It was indeed Liu Xiaozhu’s first time here, but Liu Zhenqing was quite familiar with it.

“I just remembered…..an interesting thing your Second Uncle told me.”

The eyes of the two children instantly widened. They wondered what kind of thing their indifferent-natured Second Uncle could have said, and inquired even more curiously.

“Back then, your parents went to school here and often sneaked down the mountain to play in the middle of the night. One winter, someone poured water on the stairs so that they turned to ice. But they were unaware, and slid directly from the top of the mountain to the bottom as soon as they came out. If your father hadn’t been able to do martial arts, your mother would’ve become disabled.”

Liu Zhenqing thought about the tragic situation their group of three found themselves in back then. It was really…..incomparably embarrassing. Li Xingruo hurt her butt after falling and couldn’t get out of bed for ten days, and Liu Zhenqing dislocated his arm. The instructors were unaware of their mischievous nature at that time, and all felt it was strange. How could two people who were resting well inside the academy have gotten injured?

After hearing Liu Zhenqing’s depiction of events, the twins wanted to laugh but didn’t dare to, so they could only endure and pretend to cough.

At this time, other students the same age as them passed by continuously, saying hello and taking in Liu Zhenqing’s presence with surprise and curiosity.

After all, the news of Madam Huo’s marriage proposal had spread within a day, and Liu Zhenqing’s identity was naturally spread amongst the people.

Now, as they saw Liu Zhenqing bringing the two children to the opening ceremony, their jaws dropped.

Before he departed the capital, Liu Zhenqing had left behind several shocking rumors. Seeing him again now, they all marveled at how capable he was to have actually captured General Huo. And looking at the Huo family’s attitude toward Liu Zhenqing, there was a clear distinction between love and hate, so they wouldn’t offend an innocent person.

Some people were exaggeratedly broad-minded, while others gossiped behind their backs, but this had little impact on the children. Liu Zhenqing had asked once when he got worried: “I’m from the Liu family. Will you be unhappy about me being with your Second Uncle?”

The two children had shaken their heads.

“Mother said that person wasn’t an enemy. He was her and Father’s brother, and no matter what the outside world says, we should remember this.”

They were made to swear an oath to remember, and although they had yet to distinguish right from wrong, they had many questions. If they faced the real Liu Zhenqing, they didn’t know what kind of feelings they would have, but they would never change their views on the Uncle Liu before them because of that. They believed in the choices of their mother and Second Uncle, as well as their own feelings.

So at this moment, while others were giving Liu Zhenqing strange looks, the twins were just like Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo. Standing beside Liu Zhenqing to the left and to the right, they blocked the gazes of others in a protective manner.

Liu Zhenqing could already think of another reason they would fight with others in the future.

He smiled helplessly. Raising his hands, he touched the heads of the two children and continued to tell them interesting things about their parents.

After arriving at the Imperial Academy square, Liu Zhenqing found that no one was in a hurry to go inside and were instead patiently waiting for something at the door. Even the academicians and instructors had come out.

After a while, Liu Qiao stepped forward and said: “I just heard news that the Empress Dowager and the Taifei will be arriving soon.

Liu Zhenqing was a little taken aback. No wonder nobody was going in. It turned out that they were waiting to receive them.

The Empress Dowager and the Taifei…..Yao Hua and Jian Shuang.

Liu Zhenqing’s eyes revealed a trace of nostalgia. It wasn’t because they were classmates back then. After all, they hadn’t socialized much at that time. But in the most difficult years that followed, these two had helped a lot.

Yao Hua could be said to have stabilized things behind the front lines, helping the emperor select concubines and balance related interests. And when dealing with the Three Kings, Jian Shuang was indispensable for making suggestions behind the scenes and guiding the emperor in handling government affairs and helping Liu Zhenqing perfect his plans. Without Jian Shuang, Liu Zhenqing certainly wouldn’t have been able to control the court by himself. Liu Zhenqing had never seen a woman more talented and beautiful than her. She hid her talents while studying, but she wasn’t in very good health. She vomited blood several times that year due to fatigue, but still persisted.

It could be said that she possessed thunderous ability and skill, paired with a jade-like body and a gentle temperament.

Among these two people, Liu Zhenqing was relatively familiar with Yao Hua. After all, he’d given her a jade pendant.

Suddenly, he thought: Had Er-gou also been there when he gave away the jade pendant? He estimated that the vinegar jar had overturned at that time.

Liu Zhenqing continued to think about Er-gou, but Er-gou was very busy today and might not be able to return at night. Ai, he could only stay alone in the empty boudoir.

Very soon, a mighty royal procession could be vaguely seen. Everyone performed postures of welcome, kneeling down and shouting a deferential greeting.

Liu Zhenqing knelt down with the two children to salute. He wasn’t curious enough to go see his old friends, and just waited for the lengthy ceremony to end. Then he followed the two children in a well-behaved manner to their instructor for discipline.

When he saw the instructor, Liu Zhenqing almost lost his composure. They were actually old acquaintances. He used to be an ordinary teacher, but now he was a senior instructor?

Liu Zhenqing still recalled that in those days, this person had a habit of talking a lot. Liu Zhenqing could fall asleep on his feet every time he spoke.

“This is…..” The instructor was very surprised to see Liu Zhenqing.

Liu Zhenqing immediately handed over the letter signed by Huo Fenglie and said with a smile: “The childrens’ mother and second uncle are busy, and send their apologies. I’ve come on their behalf, and will convey your words to my husband in detail later, so please rest assured.”

Liu Zhenqing looked very good dressed up, and sounded like he knew what he was talking about. Although the instructor was displeased, when faced with a signed letter from General Huo, he could only treat Liu Zhenqing as an elder for the time being and carry on.

“Yes, yes, yes, it is as you say. They shouldn’t have taken action.”

“Right, right, right, they were impulsive and you punished them correctly.”

“The Huo family elders will educate them well.”

This fellow was old, and his babbling skills had also increased with age. It nearly exhausted Liu Zhenqing’s patience. When he was a student, he always had to talk back while being scolded. This time, for the sake of the two children, Liu Zhenqing could bear it to the limit. Thinking of his grandfather, who was called over here again and again to discipline him, Liu Zhenqing finally felt a little guilty.

“What should you do next time?” The instructor asked the two children, whose heads were bowed.

Liu Zhenqing almost replied: “If forced, don’t use your fists and instead try to win with your mouths.”

But if he said that, then it would be Li Xingruo who would come to collar the three of them later.

The two children were about to speak when a woman’s light laughter came from outside the door.

When he turned around, he saw two familiar figures standing at the door. One was as dignified and elegant as the sun and moon, and the other was like a goddess from a dream, beautiful enough to cause the downfall of a country. Time seemed to have left no trace on their faces, but had added a bit more charm and grace.

The instructor was shocked, and immediately led them all to kneel down and pay tribute. But Yao Hua stopped him, saying: “There is no need to be so polite. This one and company just came to see the instructor, but unexpectedly witnessed a scene of academic discipline once more.”

It was Yao Hua and Jian Shuang who had appeared at the door. They were followed by a very small group of guards and palace attendants, clearly in an attempt to seem approachable.

Yao Hua’s voice was full of laughter, soothing the nervous mood in the room. Jian Shuang, on the other hand, was just like in Liu Zhenqing’s memories, always following Yao Hua with a polite smile.

The instructor had taught them, after all, so he wasn’t worried as he led everyone to stand up again.

“Yunci, Yunqian, what’s wrong? Are you in trouble?” Yao Hua’s gaze fell upon the dragon and phoenix twins, still on intimate terms with them.

The two children greeted her cordially. After all, every time they entered the palace, the Empress Dowager gave them the most rewards and was the kindest to them. They sensed the care and affection of an elder, and were naturally willing to get close to her.

Jian Shuang also regarded the two of them with soft eyes. But soon, they swept over to Liu Zhenqing.

The moment the two of them inadvertently locked gazes, Jian Shuang was slightly startled, while Liu Zhenqing lowered his eyes respectfully.

Jian Shuang inexplicably felt a bit strange.

At this time, Yao Hua also noticed Liu Zhenqing and said in surprise: “Young Master Liu came with the two children to see the instructor?”

Liu Zhenqing respectfully gave an explanation, and Yao Hua was a little amazed. Unexpectedly, the facts were more exaggerated than the rumors. Li Xingruo and Huo Fenglie had so easily accepted another person into the family. It was truly unbelievable that they trusted him so much. It seemed Young Master Liu must be something special.

But as the Empress Dowager, she couldn’t communicate too much with men from outside. After greeting the instructor, she wanted to take a look over at the womens’ quarters and invite Huo Yunci to accompany her.

Huo Yunci immediately looked askance at Liu Zhenqing, who nodded with a smile.

Huo Yunci left happily, the Empress Dowager helping her block the rest of the instructor’s flying spittle.

Liu Zhenqing and Huo Yunqian were the only ones left, and the instructor couldn’t reprimand them alone, so he could only allow them to leave.

Huo Yunqian said with enthusiasm: “Uncle Liu, it’s your first time here! Let me show you around!”

Liu Zhenqing was likely more familiar with every corner than any student here. In order to make trouble, how could he not be familiar with the terrain? But the child was so earnest. Liu Zhenqing didn’t want to let him down, and was naturally happy to accompany him.

Unexpectedly, they heard an argument just after taking a detour.

“What were you thinking? I just asked you to teach a lesson, and you prepared this topic. You’re making things difficult for me.”

“Laoshi, what’s wrong with it?”

Liu Zhenqing heard this and recognized Bai Su’s voice. Bai Su was actually here?

Turning into the corridor, he saw Bai Su arguing with an old white-bearded man. He must also be an academic.

It seemed that Bai Su, the number one scholar, occasionally came over to teach.

“It’s wrong, of course it’s very wrong. I told you that no discussions on Liu Zhenqing’s policies are allowed. Are you trying to cause trouble for yourself?”

“But how can one tell right from wrong without discussing it? How can you tell right from wrong if you avoid talking about it? Teacher, you taught me that I must have my own point of view on everything and not just follow the crowd. If those policies were discussed separately without using Liu Zhenqing’s name, how would they look from the perspective of Imperial power, from the livelihoods of the common people, and from the perspective of the Great Zhou Dynasty? Does Laoshi still think they were all mistakes and crimes?”

“Right and wrong can be left for future generations to discuss, not us. You’ve read so many books and still don’t understand. Don’t I know you well? You want to vindicate someone through intense discussion among the students, but it’s useless. The students here are not ordinary students, they are elites. When you raise this issue, you won’t be able to remain in class any longer. You behave yourself!”

When the academician finished speaking, he left in a huff.

Bai Su stood quietly next to some rockery, not making a sound. After a moment, he heard footsteps and glanced back in surprise: “Brother Liu?”

Liu Zhenqing took in Bai Su’s slightly pallid face. He gave a silent sigh, then stepped forward with a smile to greet him.

“I just learned about Zhanyuan’s return yesterday and went to the General’s Manor, but I didn’t see you. I was going to visit Liu Manor today, but didn’t expect to meet you here. Are you here alone?” Bai Su said in bewilderment.

“Yunqian was with me just now. I saw you, and I didn’t need him to lead me around anymore, so I told him to go back to the living quarters,” Liu Zhenqing said with a smile.

Bai Su stared for a moment: “You heard everything?”

Liu Zhenqing nodded.

Bai Su said awkwardly: “Am I useless?”

Liu Zhenqing asked: “Why would you think that?”

“I intended to clear their names directly, but I had to give up in the end because there was no substantive proof. I tried to collect evidence afterward, but was repeatedly blocked. I also wanted to write a biography for them, but my knowledge of the truth from back then is limited. Just now, I wanted to guide the younger generation to discuss it from an outside perspective and let the children understand what those people did back then without involving emotion, but I ended up getting scolded by Laoshi. It really feels like failure. Why is it so difficult to clear their names?”

Bai Su was doing this not only for Liu Zhenqing, but for his brother, Bai Yu. He wanted to tell the world that the path his brother took and the person he followed weren’t wrong, but it was far, far too difficult.

Liu Zhenqing had tried to persuade Bai Su before, but it was a pity that this child was stubborn and dug a pit for himself. 

Liu Zhenqing patted Bai Su on the shoulder and said: “You must believe that since your brother decided to take that path, how could he have cared about his posthumous reputation? They would want you to live well.”

Bai Su smiled. Of course he understood what Liu Zhenqing meant, but the children of the Bai family were stubborn. His brother had followed a traitor without hesitation, and Bai Su also wanted to resolutely complete the path to clearing their names, even if it took a lifetime. Otherwise, how could a person with someone in their heart draw a picture of thousands of miles of mountains and rivers in a broad and level manner? 

Bai Su didn’t speak further on the subject. He looked at Liu Zhenqing and said with a smile: “I’m done talking, let’s go. I’ll show you the Imperial Academy and tell you more about Zhanyuan’s childhood.”

Liu Zhenqing’s interest was immediately piqued. Huo Fenglie had indeed spent some time here.

Bai Su had gone to the General’s Manor and naturally found out about their engagement. Along the way, he chatted happily with Liu Zhenqing, full of admiration.

“That’s the martial arts training ground over there. Look at those five iron figures. They’re usually used by people practicing their martial arts. One night, Zhanyuan went crazy for some reason and suddenly came here and destroyed those iron figures overnight. When I went to see him, his hands were bleeding.”

Liu Zhenqing was surprised: “Why did he do that, ah?”

Bai Su shook his head, saying: “Maybe he was in a bad mood. He usually keeps his emotions in check, and it’s difficult for others to notice them. But when I sent him back, I thought I heard him say that he couldn’t win. I thought it was because he lost a competition after returning home.

Liu Zhenqing was full of questions when he heard a cough from behind him.

Bai Su was startled and looked over, only to see a man wearing a mask.

Liu Zhenqing quickly said: “He’s my guard.”

Bai Su didn’t think too much about it, just feeling that this guard was like a ghost.

But Liu Zhenqing snapped back to his senses. Liu Qiao was giving him a hint.

He estimated that Huo Fenglie had struck the iron figures back then to vent over his defeat to Liu Qiao during a martial arts competition.

Aiya, what a heartbreaking little cutie.

The two of them then arrived at the dining hall. Bai Su smiled and said: “You know Zhanyuan likes to pick out fish bones, right?”

Liu Zhenqing wanted to laugh.

“Back then, a person who liked Zhanyuan saw him picking fish bones and placing them aside and asked if he would give her some fish to eat. The girl was giving him a hint to show her favor, but Zhanyuan ignored it. The angry girl went back and cried.”

Liu Zhenqing released a puff of laughter. 

Bai Su chuckled and shook his head.

Liu Zhenqing asked curiously: “Were there a lot of people who liked Zhanyuan?”

Bai Su nodded: “That’s for sure, ah. Regardless of status, appearance, or ability, he was definitely the most popular person at the time, but no matter how good the man or woman was, it was pointless, because he.….ahem…..”

Liu Zhenqing smiled and said: “It doesn’t matter. I love hearing this, because he was absolutely obsessed with Liu Zhenqing at the time.”

Bai Su thought Liu Zhenqing was being magnanimous, and could only say with a laugh: “Now he absolutely likes you.”

“It’s all the same, all the same. It proves that he’s a man who cherishes bonds of friendship and family.” Liu Zhenqing smothered a smile, and couldn’t help wanting to know more. “Don’t hide it, I want to hear more proof that he liked Liu Zhenqing.”

Bai Su looked at him speechlessly. Was he not jealous at all? If he said too much, would he really not cause trouble for Zhanyuan?

“Why?”

“Because they’re all interesting stories from my fiance’s youth. I want to know more about him,” Liu Zhenqing said with great sincerity and magnanimity.

Bai Su had no choice but to speak. For example, if someone from the academy replicated Liu Zhenqing’s paintings, Huo Fenglie would use various means to secretly collect them. For another example, Huo Fenglie could occasionally be heard saying Liu Zhenqing’s name in his sleep. And when Liu Zhenqing came to the academy to attend the Peach Blossom Banquet, Huo Fenglie grew nervous days in advance and freshened himself up anxiously, paying attention to his appearance.

But at that time, Bai Su wasn’t aware that Huo Fenglie liked Liu Zhenqing, who was so much older than him, so he didn’t think much about it. But thinking about it later, he had really proven it in every way.

As they walked, the two of them came upon the Peach Blossom Forest, where the Peach Blossom Banquet was held.

As they talked, someone quickly approached Bai Su and said that an academician needed him for something. Bai Su could only depart first, leaving Liu Zhenqing to wander alone until lunchtime.

Since Liu Zhenqing was by himself, Liu Qiao naturally stayed with him.

“It’s still the same here,” Liu Zhenqing said.

Liu Qiao listened silently.

Liu Zhenqing said slowly: “There was a tradition at the Peach Blossom Banquet in those days where one would express their love to the object of their affections that night, and if they were graduating, they would propose marriage.”

“Was Master confessed to by many people?” Liu Qiao asked. 

“No, this was an unprecedented event,” Liu Zhenqing said proudly.

“Then wasn’t the general very unhappy?”

“Hahaha, he was indeed there at the time. His little face was all twisted up. I thought he was so unhappy because I didn’t allow him to drink at such a young age. Although he still didn’t understand at the time, he must have had me in his heart.” The more Liu Zhenqing spoke, the prouder he became.

Just then, he saw some guards not very far away. They saw him coming and shouted to drive him away, but a familiar voice quickly sounded.

“Is it Young Master Liu? Invite him in.”

Liu Zhenqing was taken aback. It was Yao Hua.

Looking in that direction, he suddenly felt a little awkward.

That was a secluded place, and Liu Zhenqing used to be invited there by people who wanted to confess to him.

Yao Hua had been one of them.

But Liu Zhenqing was still engaged to Li Xingruo at that time, so everyone’s confessions were nothing more than making sure they didn’t have any regrets.

Now that Yao Hua was the Empress Dowager, ordinary people could only obey her command. Liu Zhenqing told Liu Qiao to stay back and then walked over.

Very soon, he saw a mat placed under a peach blossom tree. Yao Hua had taken wine made from the peach blossoms here and was drinking it alone.

Liu Zhenqing stepped forward and saluted respectfully. Yao Hua waved her hand and said: “Young Master Liu, have a seat.”

Liu Zhenqing was stunned for a moment. He saw that Yao Hua seemed a little drunk as he approached, and felt a bit uncomfortable.

“Your Majesty has called me in for…..”

“I heard you are marrying Zhanyuan, and I was a little curious. Young Master Liu appears to be…..rather affable.” Yao Hua had not originally meant to say this, but after taking a close look at Liu Zhenqing’s face, she felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity, especially when making eye contact. She couldn’t help feeling melancholy. Perhaps it was because of the blood relationship, or perhaps it was all in her head, but Yao Hua felt that the one before her bore a great similarity to that person.

Yao Hua was indeed drunk. Especially in this place, it was as if she was seeing an illusion. With a faint frown on her beautiful features, she reached toward Liu Zhenqing’s face uncontrollably.

At this moment, a surprised call came from a guard in the distance, as if attempting to stop someone who was in a hurry.

“General Huo! No trespassing!”

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhenqing quickly turned. Huo Fenglie rushed over out of nowhere, and the moment he saw them, he stopped and looked at them blankly. The look on his face was one of absolute emptiness.

Liu Zhenqing wasn’t sure if he’d seen it wrong, but a hint of red seemed to flash through Huo Fenglie’s eyes, exceedingly bright.

---

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Chapter 128 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 130

The moment Pei Xi hugged He Chuzhou, their closeness alerted him to how tense the other was.

“What’s wrong?”

He turned his head, following He Chuzhou’s gaze. Before his eyes had time to focus on the phone, He Chuzhou had already strode over and turned off the video call.

Pei Xi: “ ? ”

Pei Xi: “Chuzhou…..what were you watching?”

He Chuzhou feigned calmness: “Huh? It was nothing. I just clicked on a video randomly and closed it because it was too silly.”

Pei Xi nodded with a hum.

He Chuzhou thought he’d fooled him, and was about to breathe a sigh of relief when he heard Pei Xi speak again: “I understand that you had a hard time on your business trip and need to watch some videos to relax, but I don’t agree with you doing it in the study. Perhaps it’s more appropriate to do it in the bathroom, where it’s convenient to clean up after relaxing. Don’t you agree?”

He Chuzhou didn’t get it: “Why would I need to watch videos? What would I clean up —”

He Chuzhou: “……”

He Chuzhou: “? ? ? ”

He Chuzhou was flabbergasted: “That’s not it! I don’t have those. I was just watching something casually and turned it off because it was too noisy.”

Pei Xi nodded in understanding: “En, I get it.”

He Chuzhou met his sincere eyes: “……”

“Okay, I’ll be honest.”

He Chuzhou couldn’t hold it back. Between being misunderstood and laying his cards on the table, he had no choice but to choose the latter: “I just had a video chat with my parents.”

Pei Xi hadn’t expected this: “Ah?”

He Chuzhou: “Did you want to say hello to them?”

Pei Xi said blankly: “Should I not?”

He Chuzou: “After the scene of you warmly thanking me just now?”

Pei Xi: “What scene—”

Pei Xi: “……”

Calling it the rise and fall of fortune was the perfect interpretation of the study room at this moment.

He Chuzhou looked at Pei Xi’s silently lowered eyes, the tight corners of his mouth, and the red tips of his ears, and knew he’d made the right bet.

As expected, Pei Xi’s talent for hitting dizzying straight shots only applied to him. If the target was someone else, he had the habit of shrinking himself down like a shame plant.^[1]

“It’s okay,” he comforted intimately. “You moved really quickly. They might not have seen clearly.”

Pei Xi frowned: “But wasn’t it too rude?”

He Chuzhou waved an uncaring hand: “It wasn’t. Besides, I hung up the phone. If anyone was rude, it was me. You can’t be blamed.”

What’s more, given the current situation, they probably didn’t care about politeness.

Even in the face of these words, Pei Xi’s upbringing had engraved in his bones that one did not hang up the phone on one’s elders. Since they were husband and wife, Pei Xi should share half the responsibility for He Chuzhou’s actions.

Thus, he told He Chuzhou to call back, greet the two elders, and apologize to rectify the current situation.

“Just forget it.”

No matter how brave He Chuzhou was, he would never dare lay down his cards in front of his parents: “They’ve already gone to have afternoon tea in the garden.”

Pei Xi: “They can still answer the phone.”

He Chuzhou said decisively: “They can’t.”

Pei Xi: “Why not?”

He Chuzhou: “Because…..because it’s our family’s tradition to eat duck heads for afternoon tea, and they can’t answer the phone with both hands occupied.”

Eating duck heads for afternoon tea?

Why this particular thing?

Pei Xi was dubious. He was going to say something, but a burst of music sounded abruptly in the living room.

When he heard the ringtone of Pei Xi’s cell phone, he felt as if he’d been granted amnesty, and smoothly changed the subject: “Go answer your phone first.”

When Pei Xi turned around and went out, He Chuzhou could finally breathe a sigh of relief. He picked up his phone to take a look. The members of their family group chat numbered only four in total. In just five minutes, the messages had reached 99+.

He Aiyue: [ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod]

He Aiyue: [Boss He, have you silently accomplished something big?! You’re so awesome, ah!]

He Aiyue: [So cool! So awesome!]

He Aiyue: [I’ll never call you unenlightened again, you’re really a modern man! What should I call that person? Sister-in-law? Or Brother?]

……

He Jiangchuan: [That was President Pei, young President Pei, am I right? Chuzhou, what are the two of you…..?]

He Jiangchuan: [Are you in a relationship, or…..?]

He Jiangchuan: [But no wonder you don’t like to come home and have dinner with us anymore, hehehehe]

……

Chu Yuelan: [He Chuzhou, you little brat, ah. You said there was no rush when I asked you to come back for a blind date, but you’re actually doing something like this in private? Did you hide it out of shame?]

Chu Yuelan: [Don’t imitate others who fool around outside. You have the ability to hide someone at home, but can’t send your mom a video, huh? Coward.]

Chu Yuelan: [You’d better give me a reasonable explanation /smiley face]

……

He Aiyue: [Ge, please say something. I’m a little scared of the atmosphere here.]

He Aiyue: [/shaking and trembling.jpg]

He Jiangchuan: [Son, ah, just give an explanation. Don’t make your innocent old father and your sister suffer, ah.]

He Jiangchuan: [/very important, give it to us straight.jpg]

He Yuelan: [Are you trying to be clever here?]

He Aiyue: [/shaking and trembling.jpg]

He Jiangchuan: [/shaking and trembling.jpg]

He Aiyue: [/shaking and trembling with excitement.jpg]

He Jiangchuan: [But haven’t you and Pei Xi always had a bad relationship? Why are you…..hehehe.]

He Aiyue: [Dad, you don’t understand, this is called a love-hate relationship, where rivals become young lovers. It’s very popular nowadays. We young people all love to watch it!]

He Aiyue: [I love it so much!]

……

What was all of this?

He Chuzhou’s eyes hurt from looking at it. Just as he was thinking about how to handle this difficult and unexpected situation, Pei Xi hurried in with a helpless and flustered expression: “Chuzhou, my grandpa has been admitted to the hospital with high blood pressure!”

*

*

Pei Xi’s grandfather didn’t live in Wancheng, and it took four hours to drive there without traveling by highway.

Pei Xi didn’t speak the whole way there. He just kept checking the time and reading the information with anxiety and insecurity written on his face, which made He Chuzhou wring his hands for him.

“Don’t worry, no news is good news.”

The light dimmed as they entered a tunnel. He Chuzhou reassured him: “Don’t be too anxious. Since he sought medical treatment in time, there definitely won’t be any problems.”

Pei Xi nodded, but his expression didn’t improve much and his pallor hadn’t recovered. His pale and worried face was reflected in the car window.

If the mentality of those involved could be adjusted with one or two words, there wouldn’t be such stress and anxiety.

It wasn’t until they exited the tunnel that his eyes brightened as he received news that his grandfather’s condition had stabilized, and he was being moved to the general ward.

The nerves that had been tense this whole way finally relaxed completely, and he leaned back into the seat with cold hands and feet as his lingering fear slowly eased.

There was still an hour left. He Chuzhou told him to take a nap and rest, and that he would let him know when they arrived.

Pei Xi closed his eyes, but He Chuzhou knew he wasn’t asleep. The small movements of his hands continued, revealing his anxiety.

An hour later, the car drove into the hospital’s underground parking lot.

The two found the elevator to the inpatient department and took it directly to the 8th floor. The senior ward was the closest to the end of the corridor. There was still a long way to go.

Pei Xi wasn’t in his right mind at the moment, and He Chuzhou was unsure if he should go with him.

But when his grip started to loosen on the hand he was holding, Pei Xi noticed immediately and looked up at him.

His clear eyes revealed a fragile and helpless dependence. He Chuzhou felt as if he’d been shot right in the heart, and before his brain could catch up, his hand was already holding this person’s tighter.

The senior ward also had only one person in each room, so He Chuzhou caught sight of the old man resting in bed as soon as he stepped inside.

He appeared frail in stature and had a kind-hearted look to him. Although he seemed weak and spiritless due to physical discomfort, his expression was stunned when he saw Pei Xi, and he became visibly happy again.

“Our Xinxin has come?”

The grey-haired old man always treated his favorite grandson as a child who needed to be coaxed: “Did Sister Zheng call you? I already told her you’re usually busy, and to not bother you and make you worry.”

Sister Zheng was the Shen family’s housemaid, and was also the first to discover Shen Congfeng’s abnormal state and send him to the hospital.

Pei Xi sat in a chair next to the bed and held Shen Congfeng’s withered hand: “I told her not to hide the state of your health from me. Besides, how can you claim everything is fine when you’re in the hospital?”

Shen Congfeng chuckled cheerfully: “I’m fine, ah. I just passed out while eating. It’s nothing serious.”

Pei Xi knew all too well the old man’s tendency to make light of things, and didn’t take his words seriously at all: “Did the doctor say anything?”

Shen Congfeng: “Pretty much the same thing as my last checkup, that I should take my blood pressure medication on time, maintain a light diet, consume less chili pepper and salt, quit smoking and drinking, and control my weight.”

Memorizing this carefully, Pei Xi asked again: “Where’s Uncle? Why didn’t he send you to the hospital?”

Shen Congfeng: “Your uncle is working out of town.”

Pei Xi: “Didn’t you call him?”

Shen Congfeng: “I called him, he’s on his way back and will get here before dark. But you came all the way here, did it delay your work?”

Pei Xi shook his head: “It didn’t.”

Shen Congfeng patted his grandson’s hand helplessly. Only then did he notice that there was someone in an inconspicuous spot near the door: “Xinxin, is this a friend of yours?”

Pei Xi looked back at He Chuzhou and said to He Congfeng: “Have you forgotten? This is He Chuzou.”

“Chuzhou?” Shen Congfeng repeated, unable to recall this person. “This…..?”

He Chuzhou had initially hoped the old man wouldn’t notice him, and let him leave as unobtrusively as he’d come. What luck. He could only bite the bullet: “Grandpa, I came with Xinxin to see you.”

Shen Congfeng was stunned once more when he heard what He Chuzhou called Pei Xi. He couldn’t help that when his eyes fell on him, they were somewhat searching and appraising.

But before he could take his measure, Pei Xi spoke again: “I’m married. Chuzhou is my husband, don’t you remember?”

He Chuzhou: “……”

He just knew it.

“Ah?” Shen Congfeng was astonished. He never suspected that they had this kind of relationship, not to mention that he hadn’t heard any news of Pei Xi getting married, nor that he was even in a relationship: “You’re…..married?”

Pei Xi nodded. He was about to say more, when He Chuzhou hastily cut him off: “Xinxin, when we came in, didn’t the doctor tell us to go get the medicine later? 

Pei Xi thought about it and stood up at once: “Then I’ll go now. Chuzhou, you help by staying with Grandpa.”

It just so happened that he wanted to go find Sister Zheng and ask her carefully about his grandfather’s situation.

One of the three people left, and the ward grew quiet. There was also a subtle change to the atmosphere.

Shen Congfeng was still unable to digest the news that his good grandson had gotten married without saying a word. But the old man had been good-tempered all his life, and even though he was surprised, his tone was still mild: “It’s Chuzhou, right? You and Xinxin…..when did you get married?”

He Chuzhou had originally planned to explain the entire matter to him after sending Pei Xi away.

He could see that Pei Xi and his grandfather were very close, and he believed that if he hid it, Pei Xi would be very angry when he found out.

It was just that when he met the old man’s kind and inquiring eyes, everything he wanted to say got stuck in his throat.

The old man had high blood pressure. He could bear the news that his grandson had gotten married, but he might not be able to bear the news that his grandson had gotten in a car accident and had side effects after a head injury.

Pei Xi had kept it secret before, likely because he didn’t want the old man to worry. How could he expose it at this time?

After much thought, his words turned into a sigh of resignation when they reached his lips.

Forget it.

He walked over and sat in Pei Xi’s seat. He selected an apple and started to peel it, saying in a modest and natural tone: “Not long ago, we got the certificate abroad. We haven’t had the wedding yet. We originally wanted to tell you, but we’ve been busy during this period, so we put it on hold.”

“Ah, so that’s it. That Xinxin also said no business was delayed by coming over, but I knew he was bluffing me again.”

Shen Congfeng grinned, then sighed a moment later: “Very good. I feel relieved knowing there is someone by Xinxin’s side.

He Chuzhou was taken aback at the speed of his acceptance. He even slowed down his apple peeling and raised his eyes: “You can rest assured. Isn’t there anything else you want to ask me?”

Shen Congfeng: “Such as?”

He Chuzhou thought: “Such as…..my character, hobbies, temperament, family background, whether I can promise to treat Xinxin well. Things like that.”

In fact, he didn’t know what questions should be asked. He was just prepared to answer the old man honestly no matter what he asked. He remembered all his family’s ID numbers, and could call up a lawyer to sign a guarantee on the spot.

“Silly boy, can a person’s character be learned just by asking?”

Shen Congfeng laughed, looking at this young man who wore an open and upright expression. His sincerity, casualness, and straightforwardness matched his family’s Xinxin well.

“There’s no need to ask anything.” He said with a smile, “I watched Xinxin grow up. I know him, and I believe in his discernment.”

He Chuzhou was a little surprised: “He grew up with you?”

“That’s right.”

When Shen Congfeng spoke of the past, it was unknown if there was more tenderness or distress in his cloudy eyes.

“His parents divorced early on. Neither had time to take care of him when they first separated, so they sent him to me, and he lived with me for a long time.”

“But then his mother went abroad, and his father came to pick him up.”

“Not long after that, I heard the news that his father had remarried. The wedding was held late, when Pei Yansong’s second child was almost two years old.”

Second…..child…..?

He Chuzhou immediately recalled something, and his eyebrows moved slightly. “Xinxin’s half-brother? Is his name Pei Zhen?”

When he saw Shen Congfeng nod, He Chuzhou’s heart felt unspeakably strange.

It turned out not to be a memory fabricated out of confusion. What Pei-calico had confided in him was most likely true.

Shen Congfeng let out a sigh: “After Xinxin was taken away by his father, I didn’t see him again for a long time. I only knew from phone calls that his father was very strict with him and urged him to learn a great many things. I felt sorry for him, but at the time, I just thought his father was doing it all for his own good.”

“But a few years later, I accidentally heard that his father had sent Xinxin away when he was just entering high school. Just because his younger brother didn’t like him, his father decided to transfer him to another city, where he stayed alone for almost three years.”

He Chuzhou’s smile gradually faded as he held the handle of the knife. His face darkened, and for the first time in his life, he was repulsed by someone he had never met: “Was he not allowed to go back during the New Year and holidays?”

“It was said that Pei Zhen’s state was very unstable at the time and they dared not let Xinxin return, for fear of agitating him again.”

Shen Congfeng closed his eyes. His aging face was filled with self-blame and regret: “Maybe I shouldn’t have let Pei Yansong take Xinxin away from me in the first place, or took him back myself when he told me how exhausted he was.”

“Three years is such a long time. He had a home, but couldn’t go back to it, and there was no one to ask how he was doing. It makes me sick just thinking about it.”

“Even though I asked his uncle to send me there to accompany him until he finished his university entrance exam, until he got to university and no longer needed this old man, I couldn’t make up for those three years.”

“Just like his carefree childhood, the lively, outgoing Xinxin could never come back.”

---

[1] A really cool plant that retracts its leaves when touched. ⮐

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Chapter 40 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 42