Chapter 436 Then what about my father?

Dismemberment by five horses is considered the most extreme form of execution. In the more than two hundred years since the founding of the Great Gan Dynasty, very few people have been sentenced to this punishment; they can be counted on one hand. At first, the onlookers were excited to watch the spectacle, but when the bloody and horrific scene was truly before their eyes, many people turned pale with fright and thought they would have nightmares for a long time to come.

They arrived full of enthusiasm, but left in utter silence. The people dispersed silently, and the executioner swiftly gathered Pu Tonghe's dismembered limbs into a sack, then began cleaning up the bloodstains. Presumably, in half an hour, there would be no trace of the execution left.

Regardless of the turmoil within their hearts, the King of Lingnan and the Prime Minister maintained a calm demeanor. The Prime Minister gestured "please" again, and the King of Lingnan nodded before mounting his horse. The Prime Minister then entered his sedan chair, and the group headed together to the King of Lingnan's residence in the capital.

Upon arriving at the residence, the Prime Minister bowed to the Prince of Lingnan and said, "Your Highness must be tired from your journey. Please rest well. Tomorrow at noon, His Majesty will host a banquet in the palace to welcome Your Highness back."

The emperor from the Lingnan Dynasty bowed respectfully, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty, and thank you for welcoming me today, Prime Minister."

The Prime Minister returned the greeting and said, "This is my duty. I must return to the court immediately to report back. Your Highness, farewell."

He turned to leave, but saw the curtain of a carriage being gently lifted, revealing Pei Tinglan's aged, thin face streaked with tears. The Prime Minister paused, his wrinkled eyes instantly filling with tears. He forced a smile, nodded slightly in acknowledgment, and then turned and strode away.

These siblings, who hadn't seen each other for over forty years, were unable to express their longing upon meeting, and could only convey their concern through their eyes. Looking at her brother's slightly hunched back, Pei Tinglan could no longer suppress her emotions, and tears streamed down her face as she choked out a sob.

Upon seeing this, the Prince of Lingnan frowned. His expression darkened slightly as he walked to Pei Tinglan's carriage and said in a deep voice, "Mother, now that we have arrived in the capital, there will be opportunities to meet with my uncle in the future. Please come with me to the manor first."

Pei Tinglan was a person of intense emotions, and at this moment she was immersed in grief. Not only did her son not offer any comfort, but his tone was also so cold and impatient, which made her feel even more aggrieved, and her tears flowed even more profusely. But she also knew that this son had never been too accommodating to her, so she could only suppress her grievances, wipe away her tears with a handkerchief, and help herself down from the carriage with the help of the nanny.

At this moment, Zhu Junning also got out of the carriage. She walked to Pei Tinglan's side, helped her walk into the mansion, and gently advised, "Grandmother and Uncle have not been reunited for decades, and Father knows the bitterness in your heart. But now we are in the capital, and many eyes are watching us. In front of outsiders, we must be patient."

Pei Tinglan had never liked this granddaughter. Hearing this, she assumed that Zhu Junning was blaming her. She wiped away her tears with her handkerchief, glanced at her, and said coldly, "You certainly know how to say polite things."

Zhu Junning paused slightly. She had intended to ease the tension between her grandmother and father, but she hadn't expected it to be misinterpreted, and her expression softened. However, she didn't retort, but quietly released her grip on Pei Tinglan's arm.

The Prince of Lingnan observed all of this, his brow furrowing even more deeply. But she was his own mother; what could he do, even if he harbored resentment?

Although the Lingnan Prince's Mansion was uninhabited for most of the year, it was kept tidy by servants who cleaned it regularly. The family entered the hall, with Pei Tinglan and the Lingnan Prince sitting on either side of the main seats, while Zhu Junning sat to the left.

"Sigh!" Pei Tinglan sighed deeply, turned to look at the King of Lingnan, and asked, "When will I be able to have a proper reunion with your uncle?"

This time, the Prince of Lingnan did not frown. His tone was earnest and earnest: "Mother, even if I didn't tell you, you should know the situation of our Lingnan Prince's Mansion, as well as the difficulties my uncle faces as the Prime Minister. We are in the capital now, not in Lingnan. We cannot act arbitrarily."

Pei Tinglan pursed her lips, remained silent for a moment, and then asked, "Will you clash with the Duke of Chu's mansion this time you go to the capital?"

The Prince of Lingnan showed obvious impatience, his tone tinged with reproach: "Mother, more than forty years have passed since your affair with Jiang Jinglan, and Jiang Jinglan has long since passed away. You have done so much for the Duke of Chu's mansion over the years, your anger should have subsided by now, why do you still hold onto this?"

"Why are you still holding this grudge?" Pei Tinglan suddenly looked at the Prince of Lingnan, her eyes filled with anger and grievance, and she almost shouted, "If Jiang Jinglan hadn't broken off the engagement back then, would I have been forced to go to Lingnan? Would I have been separated from my family for more than forty years?"

The Prince of Lingnan was filled with helplessness. He wanted to say that it was clearly Jiang Jinglan who, after falling into the water, was rescued by a stranger and lost her reputation, which led to her request to break off the engagement. According to the rules of aristocratic families, how could an heir to a title marry a woman who was of no help to him and had also damaged his reputation?

From Pei Tinglan's perspective, Jiang Jinglan was indeed at fault. Therefore, the Prince of Lingnan ultimately didn't say these words aloud. Unexpectedly, Pei Tinglan continued, "Yes, over the years I've repeatedly targeted the Duke of Chu's mansion, just to see them fall, to make Jiang Jinglan know the price of abandoning me!"

Pei Tinglan gritted her teeth, forcefully wiping away tears from the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief. Her expression was sinister and terrifying. "If the Duke of Chu's mansion had truly fallen, I might have been able to swallow this insult. But what happened? Not only did they not fall, but they grew even stronger! I heard that Jiang Jinglan's granddaughter inherited the title of Duke and became a favorite of the Emperor. Tell me, how can I possibly let this go?"

The Prince of Lingnan frowned deeply, but Pei Tinglan didn't stop and continued, "I also heard that Jiang Jinglan later married the sister of Tang Daru. It was with the guidance of the Tang family that he passed the imperial examination. He also used the relationship between the Tang family and the Empress Dowager to get the Empress Dowager and the Emperor to take good care of the Duke of Chu's family."

At this point, her aged face flushed red, clearly she was quite angry. She snorted heavily and continued, "I'm sure everyone is saying that Jiang Jinglan's decision to break off the engagement with me was a wise one, right? Everyone thinks that Tang Jingrong is more worthy of being the Duchess of Chu than I am, right? I've also heard that the two of them have always been a loving couple!"

Pei Tinglan's hands trembled with anger. Her eyes were fixed on the Prince of Lingnan as she questioned, "Then what am I? Am I just a stumbling block for him, Jiang Jinglan? Did he ever think that after the engagement was broken off, I would be ridiculed by the world, forced to go to Lingnan to be someone's concubine, to fight to the death in the inner palace, and to be separated from my family for decades?"

"It's all Jiang Jinglan's fault!"

She was breathing heavily with anger, while the Prince of Lingnan remained silent with a cold face, and Zhu Junning kept his eyes downcast, as if he were invisible. The room was deathly silent, except for Pei Tinglan's heavy breathing, which seemed particularly abrupt.

After an unknown amount of time, the King of Lingnan finally spoke, his voice calm and undisturbed: "If that's what Mother says, then what about my father?"

His tone was calm, but his gaze was sharp as a knife, fixed intently on Pei Tinglan's face.