Chapter 71 Excusable

The rain had stopped, night fell, and the house was pitch black.

Zhuang Wan stood cautiously by the door. After a moment's thought, she asked, "Yuzhi, do you want to light a lamp?"

Pei Xingju said nothing.

She waited a moment, then walked to the table, took a box from the shelf, opened it, took out a candle, placed it on the candlestick, and took the lighter to blow it out.

The firelight gradually spread out and the room gradually became brighter.

The dim light mist seemed to cover the room with a thin veil, peaceful and gentle.

She turned around and saw Pei Xingju leaning back in a chair with his eyes closed, as if he was asleep.

He looked a little tired, and his figure seemed a little lonely in the candlelight.

Zhuang Wan recalled what he had said earlier: "I have different aspirations and beliefs from them. They want to be good ministers and leave their names in history. Little do they know that since ancient times, loyal and good people have never been able to defeat evil. The only ones who can defeat evil are those who are more evil than the evil ones."

In the book, Pei Xingju is such a person, both righteous and evil, more righteous than a gentleman and more evil than a traitor. He has been full of sorrow, hatred and resentment throughout his life. Unlike those who only want to be loyal and good ministers, his only goal is revenge.

Twenty years ago, General Pei Zhang led his troops to attack the State of Chang, but was framed and killed on the battlefield. After his death, he was accused of treason and collaborating with the enemy, and dozens of members of the Pei family were beheaded, including the elderly, children, women, and even children.

Zhuang Wan didn't know how Pei Xingju escaped, but she knew that the hatred buried in Pei Xingju's heart could not be eliminated by the loyal and good, but only the evil could be removed.

Looking at Pei Xingju's lonely figure now, Zhuang Wan felt a surge of sympathy. Compared to her, who had been inexplicably transported here and faced life-threatening situations, Pei Xingju must be suffering more, living a life filled with hatred.

After thinking for a moment, she called softly, "Yuzhi, are you hungry? I'll get you some food."

Pei Xingju still didn't respond, not even blinking. Zhuang Wan walked over and quietly waved her hand before his eyes.

However, after just one swing, he suddenly grabbed her wrist.

Pei Xingju slowly opened his eyes: "What?"

Zhuang Wan was embarrassed: "I thought you were asleep."

Pei Xingju stared at her, as if he was examining something, or as if he was missing something.

After a moment, he suddenly said: "The question you asked me last time..."

"Um?"

“What would I do if someone cheated on me?”

Zhuang Wan's hand trembled and she wanted to retreat, but he held her tightly and she could not move.

He stared at her: "...I've thought about it, and it seems excusable."

Zhuang Wan smiled gently on the surface, but in her heart she was panicking as crows and egrets flew everywhere.

What does Pei Xingju mean by this?

She looked at him carefully, but saw that his face was calm and he asked casually, "Which of your friends was cheated?"

Zhuang Wan secretly breathed a sigh of relief: "I'm just a friend... I just met."

Pei Xingju asked, "Then how did she do it?"

Zhuang Wan shook her head: "I don't know."

"Are you hungry?" She didn't want to continue the topic and asked hurriedly, "I'll get some more food."

Pei Xingju didn't answer. He held her hand and slowly moved it upwards, then placed it on his forehead.

He closed his eyes and said, "Press it for me for a while. I have a headache."

"Oh." Zhuang Wan responded, stood behind him and started to massage him.

.

Imperial Palace, Yongning Hall.

The empty hall was filled with suppressed quarrels.

"Did you do the Japanese pirate thing?" asked the Queen Mother.

Duke Xin was her brother, and they had grown up together, so she knew his character very well. Although she valued her brother, she also loved her own son, the Emperor.

The country belonged to her son, so whatever chaos was going on inside was a family matter in her eyes, no matter how big the commotion was. But attracting the Japanese pirates would be like inviting thieves into the house.

She was furious: "I have advised you many times that you can no longer use that method. I kept the Changguo incident a secret for you back then, and now you still..."

"Sister!" Duke Xin explained, "I was forced into no choice."

The Queen Mother sneered, "Were you forced to do this? If you had just asked those people to be more restrained, they wouldn't have caused such a big mess."

"Do you think I don't know what's going on in your mind?" she said, "You've been so influential in the court these past few years that your heart has grown wild and untamed."

"What do you mean, sister?"

"You know exactly what I mean, but I advise you that the Liang family is only surnamed Liang, while the Great Zhao Dynasty is surnamed Xie."

Duke Xin laughed and said, "So that's what my sister is worried about."

He sat down slowly and said, "I know better than anyone that Dazhao Jiangshan's surname is Xie, but it seems that my sister doesn't understand me at all."

The Queen Mother suppressed her anger and tried to sit up.

Duke Xin hurried forward to support him and continued, "I've never had any other thoughts. My thoughts are the same as my elder sister's: to preserve the Liang family's prosperity and wealth forever. The country must be named Xie, and the Xie family's queens must be named Liang. Didn't we agree on this from the beginning?"

"But what are you doing now?" asked the Queen Mother.

"Sister, listen to me," Duke Xin sighed. "You've seen everything that's been going on in the court lately. I have no desire to fight for anything else, but the Emperor, instigated by these villains, wants to take action against my Liang family. If I don't resist, am I really going to have to watch the Liang family fall?"

The Queen Mother's anger gradually dissipated: "The Emperor is still young, and it is inevitable that he will be bullied by treacherous officials. If you want to deal with them, just deal with them. Why gamble with such a big thing?"

"Sister, are you still unsure of my work after all these years? I know my limits when it comes to the Japanese pirates. The Xie family's rule will remain intact, and the Liang family's wealth will be preserved. Furthermore, the treacherous villain can be eliminated without anyone noticing. It's like killing three birds with one stone."

"you mean......"

"Sister, don't you want Yixin to enter the palace? After this, it's almost certain. If we use Hezhou's money to fight the Japanese pirates, who would dare to say a word? The world will only say that protecting the borders and the people depends on our Liang family. If such a great achievement is exchanged for the position of empress, no one in the world will agree unless the Xie family agrees."

Hearing this, the Queen Mother sighed, "The Emperor appears docile, but he's actually stubborn. I've mentioned the idea of ​​making Yixin his empress several times, but he's always brushed it off. I know he doesn't like Yixin, and she's a loner. We were childhood sweethearts, but when we meet, we act like strangers."

Hearing this, Duke Xin laughed and said, "It doesn't matter if we're strangers. Everything will be fine once we become husband and wife."

"You're right, I think so too. Right now, the emperor should appoint a queen, and Yixin is not young anymore, so we really need to hurry up and make this happen."

After a moment's silence, the Queen Mother pondered and asked, "Are you really sure about the Japanese pirates?"