Chapter 93 Kowtow

The Earl of Changning did not sit behind the tiger-skin-covered armchair as usual. Instead, he wrapped himself in several thick layers of fur, like a cold-fearing bear, and curled up on a warm couch covered with a thick cotton mattress by the window.

His whole body was buried in the soft bedding, wrapped tightly with only his face exposed.

His face was a little yellow, with an abnormal blush on his cheekbones, and his lips were dry and chapped.

Hearing the sound of the door opening, Chang Ningbo opened his half-closed eyes with some effort. Seeing that it was Pei Ji, a glimmer of light shone in his cloudy eyes, and his voice was hoarse: "Are you back?"

The voice seemed to come out muffled from the thick quilt, with a nasal tone, "Sit."

Pei Ji bowed and sat down on a yellow pear wood stool across from the warm couch. He looked at his father across the dancing charcoal fire in the middle, his eyes filled with genuine concern. "How is your health, father? You were very busy last night. I am an unfilial son."

His eyes quickly scanned his father's tired face, "What about Mother?"

"Cough... cough..." Chang Ningbo coughed a few times and waved his hands with difficulty. "It's nothing, just a little wind, and the cold air entered my body. I'll be fine after drinking two doses of dispersing medicine. Your mother..."

He mentioned his wife, his tone complicated, "She was too frightened, and her spirit and energy were greatly damaged. She drank some tranquilizing soup and is now asleep. Someone is watching over her, and no one is allowed to disturb her."

When last night was mentioned, the warm room fell silent for a short time.

There was only the slight sound of charcoal burning in the pot and the faint sound of wind outside the window.

There was a warm fire between the father and son, but the atmosphere was subtle.

Earl Changning snuggled in his warm fur coat, his gaze drifting towards the blazing charcoal fire, as if he was trying to draw some strength from the warmth.

Last night, my wife's desperate attempts to commit suicide, those hanging talismans, the panicked faces of the servants, and myself braving the wind and snow to chase after this son...

A series of chaotic images flashed through his mind. Finally, the image froze on his son's pitiful appearance, his face pale and unconscious, lying on the bed after being rescued after falling into the water as a child. And then there were the countless New Year's Eves that followed, and the always empty seat at the huge family banquet in the uncle's mansion.

His Adam's apple rolled up and down silently several times.

After he turned ten, the child never had a New Year's Eve dinner with them again.

Every time they reunite during the Spring Festival, they tacitly avoid each other and spend the time alone in their own courtyards.

now……

The guilt that had been hidden in his heart for many years, so heavy that it almost crushed him, surged up again, along with the fear of last night's danger and the uncertainty about his son's current situation.

He wanted to ask what happened last night, wanted to talk about his worries last night, and even more wanted to take advantage of the warm fire to break down the ice wall between father and son.

"That... Ji'er..." Chang Ningbo's voice was squeezed out of his throat with difficulty, with hesitation and temptation.

Just when he finally mustered up the courage and was about to say the word "year".

Pei Ji raised his eyes.

No greetings, no preparation.

His voice rang out amid the crackling of the warm charcoal fire, interrupting his father's hesitation:

"Father. I want to get married."

Those two words are like a stone thrown into a calm lake.

The air in the warm room suddenly became stagnant.

The charcoal fire seemed to hold its breath as well.

The Earl of Changning was stunned by the sudden interruption. He didn't react for a moment and nodded blankly. From under his tightly wrapped fur blanket, he mumbled, "Oh...getting married? Good, that's a good thing. It's something to consider."

Chang Ningbo nodded subconsciously, "It's time to get married and settle down..."

Before he could finish his words, he suddenly stopped.

"What did you say? Get...get married?!"

His eyeballs suddenly widened, almost bulging out.

“Crash!”

His entire upper body suddenly straightened up from the fur quilt.

The face that had turned yellow and red from the cold was now flushed with red, and his eyes were staring at Pei Ji.

"Who? Which girl?!" Every word seemed to be squeezed out from between teeth, with disbelief.

Pei Ji looked at his father's disastrous reaction, his expression remained calm. He met his father's horrified gaze and answered word by word:

"Fuyuan General's Mansion, eldest daughter, Luo Zhaohan."

"Who?" Chang Ningbo seemed not to hear clearly, but also seemed to have heard clearly, but he couldn't believe it.

He repeated it blankly and stupidly, his eyes fixed on his son, with only one thought running through his mind.

It’s actually... that girl from the Luo family?

There was deathly silence in the warm room.

The only sound was Chang Ningbo's own heavy breathing.

Suddenly——

"good!"

A roar that was almost out of tune suddenly exploded from Lord Changning's throat.

Chang Ningbo's excited hand could no longer control its strength, and he slammed his fist hard on the edge of the kang.

The thick yellow pear wood made a dull, loud noise, and the edge of the kang vibrated.

A stream of heat instantly rushed from the soles of my feet to the top of my head.

Chang Ningbo's eyes were red and tears flowed uncontrollably.

He seemed to have been drained of all his strength suddenly, and he leaned back and fell heavily onto the pillow.

He said nothing more.

There was only the heavy breathing and sobbing sounds.

"Okay..." He was still repeating the same word unconsciously.

Pei Ji sat silently opposite the charcoal brazier, looking at his father crying with his hands covering his face.

for a long time.

Pei Ji slowly stood up. He didn't say anything to comfort his father, but quietly poured half a cup of hot tea that was warm by the stove and handed it to his father's trembling hands.

Lord Changning raised his tear-stained face and took the teacup with trembling hands.

He finally raised his head, looked at his son in front of him with red eyes, and said in a hoarse voice:

"Good! Hello, Miss Luo! Daddy will propose marriage for you!"

Chang Ningbo was halfway through his words when he suddenly got up from the bed, put his hands behind his back, and paced back and forth on the boundary between light and dark.

The soles of the boots rolled over the ground, making a monotonous and suppressed friction sound, as if to crush the anxiety in my heart.

He had been extremely cautious throughout his life, fearing even the slightest mistake, but at such a critical moment, he and his wife acted like street clowns.

What’s even worse is that General Luo and his wife were most likely there, seeing their ugly behavior.

As soon as he thought of this, a cold chill suddenly gripped Chang Ningbo's heart, almost suffocating him.

It's over.

These two words were the only ones left in his mind, falling heavily like a cold iron ball.

The future that Ji'er had worked so hard to win, his excellent marriage with Miss Luo, was likely to be completely dragged down and ruined by this useless pair of parents!

"Idiot! Idiot!" Chang Ningbo suddenly stopped and raised his hand to slap his forehead with such force that his body shook.

He was filled with regret. Why had he listened to his wife last night? Why had he been so bewildered as to act like that?

Face? When it comes to his son's lifelong event, that little bit of face means nothing!

What kind of person is General Luo? He can't tolerate any injustice and values ​​propriety and rules above all else.

In General Luo's eyes, the Pei couple's behavior last night was a stark declaration: The Pei family is not worthy of public respect! How could they marry into such a family? How could they marry their precious daughter into their family?

"No... we can't let Ji'er be destroyed like this!" Chang Ningbo suddenly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot.

Just then, there was a gentle knock on the study door.

"Father." Pei Ji's voice sounded outside the door, calm and peaceful.

Chang Ningbo was shocked. He took a deep breath, and tried to suppress the expression on his face. He said in a hoarse voice, "Come in."

The door was pushed open and Pei Ji walked in.

He was still wearing the casual clothes he wore when he entered the palace last night. The ink-black robe made his figure look even more upright. There was no sign of fatigue on his face, only a calm and restrained demeanor.

This demeanor instantly magnified the panic in Changning Bo's heart to the extreme.

Pei Ji's gaze swept across his father's face, and he understood in his heart that his father was finally scared after what happened last night.

He calmly walked to the desk and stood there, without speaking immediately.

However, Lord Changning seemed to be scalded by his silence. He turned around abruptly, rushed to Pei Ji, and eagerly grabbed his son's arm with both hands with astonishing strength.

"Ji'er! Listen to me! Last night in the palace, your mother and I were truly foolish! We were completely disgraced! General Luo and his wife must have seen it!"

He was breathing rapidly, as if he was about to lose his next breath.

"This excellent marriage with the Luo family cannot be ruined, and it absolutely cannot be ruined by my parents! Dad has thought again and again, and there is only one way!"

Pei Ji looked at the desperate madness in his father's eyes, and his heart sank. He asked in a deep voice, "What method?"

As if he had finally made up his mind, the Earl of Changning suddenly loosened his grip, took a step back, and gritted his teeth, forcing every word out: "You... immediately sever your father-son relationship with my Changning Earl's Mansion and draw a clear line between us! From now on, you, Pei Ji, are no longer my son, and no longer a member of my Changning Earl's Mansion!"

There was deathly silence in the study.

The few rays of light filtering through the window lattice seemed to be frozen, with dust silently suspended in it.

The calmness on Pei Ji's face was finally completely broken, his pupils suddenly contracted, and shock and a trace of pain instantly swept over him.

He looked at the gray-haired father in front of him, the timid father who was willing to sever his bloodline with his own hands and put himself in a desperate situation in order to protect him.

"Father!" Pei Ji's voice suddenly rose, with an unprecedented harshness, "What nonsense are you talking about!"

"This is not nonsense!" Chang Ningbo interrupted him abruptly, tears welling up uncontrollably and rolling in his eyes, but he held them back.

"Only in this way will the Luo family believe that those two disgraceful fools last night had nothing to do with you, Pei Ji! You, Pei Ji, are a man of integrity, a pillar of the nation praised by His Majesty himself. You relied on your own abilities, not on us, a pair of unremarkable parents!"

"Your mother will definitely agree! We all hope for the best for you, hoping you can marry the girl of your dreams and bring honor to our family." He smiled sadly, full of self-mockery, "From now on, this has nothing to do with you. Dad will give you money and buy you a decent new house so you can marry Miss Luo in grand style! With your character and your achievements, General Luo will definitely agree, as long as we're not holding you back!"

Chang Ningbo spoke eagerly, as if the plan was perfect.

There were tears in his eyes, but his gaze was filled with an almost paranoid persistence. He stared at Pei Ji, waiting for his response.

Pei Ji looked at his father, and his heart felt like it was being tightly gripped by an invisible hand.

He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the emotions surging in his eyes had been replaced by a firmness.

He shook his head slowly, "Father, I will never agree to this."

Chang Ningbo said anxiously: "Ji'er! You..."

"I will personally explain what happened that day to General Luo." Pei Ji interrupted him, his tone calm, "I will tell you everything, word for word. General Luo is a reasonable man, I believe he will understand the difficulties and difficulties involved."

He paused, his eyes meeting his father's puzzled gaze calmly. "As for the house, father, don't worry. I have served in the army for many years and have received many rewards from His Majesty. I also have some savings, enough to buy a place to live in the capital. I will not let Zhaohan down."

"Zhao Han..." Earl Changning muttered the name, his eyes filled with anxiety. "But if you move out and Miss Luo marries us, then our house..."

"Father," Pei Ji's voice deepened, "My son chose to move out not just for marriage. I'm afraid the road ahead will be full of difficulties and dangers."

He paused for a moment, "There are some whirlpools, and my son is already in them. If I stay in the mansion, I'm afraid I won't be able to protect you two."

A chill ran up from the soles of his feet. Chang Ningbo opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

Pei Ji's eyes softened for a moment. "Zhao Han has a free-spirited nature and doesn't like being restricted. If she moves out, she won't have to be bound by the tedious morning and evening visits and household chores back home. Whether she wants to sleep until noon or practice martial arts in the backyard, it's all up to her."

After saying this, the expression on Pei Ji's face became extremely solemn.

He no longer looked at his father, but straightened his robe, and then, facing Chang Ningbo in his astonished gaze, he bent his knees and knelt down straight.

"Bang!"

His forehead hit the cold ground heavily, and the sound was like a heavy hammer, hitting Chang Ningbo's heart hard.

"Bang!"

The second time.

Chang Ningbo was shocked and subconsciously reached out to help: "Ji'er! What are you doing? Get up!"

Pei Ji ignored it. Every time he raised and lowered it, there was a heavy knock.

“Bang!” “Bang!” “Bang!”

One sound after another echoed in the silent study.

Chang Ningbo's outstretched hand froze in mid-air as he watched his son bend over and kowtow again and again. Each kowtow felt like a blow to his heart, causing him to tremble with pain all over.

He wanted to stop it, but his throat seemed to be blocked by something and he could only watch.

"Three... four..." Chang Ningbo counted unconsciously in his heart, his body shaking like a fallen leaf in the autumn wind, and finally he could no longer hold back his tears, which burst out.

"Bang!" The tenth bang fell.

Pei Ji stood up straight, his forehead was red and swollen, and even had traces of blood seeping out.

He straightened his back, knelt in front of his father, and raised his face.

"Father," Pei Ji's voice was slightly hoarse from the kowtows he had just made, but it was remarkably clear. "These ten kowtows are to thank you, father, for your years of loving care and kindness, and mother, for your loving upbringing."

He took a deep breath and looked directly into his father's tear-filled eyes.

"And... my deepest apologies." Pei Ji's voice deepened, "For holding this position for me for so many years."

The grief on Lord Changning's face froze instantly, replaced by confusion and horror.

He didn't understand, but he seemed to see some truth in his son's eyes that made him tremble.