Scolding the father-in-law

Pei Songsheng and Cheng Yayin's expressions changed as soon as these words came out. Pei Songsheng held him tightly and said, "I know you are sad, but you must not be so impulsive!"

"I have to do this!" Xue Zhi said, "Don't worry, I will resign first. This is something I did alone, and no one else will be implicated."

"Is this a question of whether you want to implicate someone?" Pei Songsheng said sternly, "A Zheng is still here. Don't you know that when she returned home, Mr. Cheng was first happy that his daughter had returned safely, but then worried that you, his student, had been detained for unknown reasons. He asked me to rescue you. Hu Siqing must have said a lot to you during your imprisonment. You are so impulsive, throwing your future and your life behind you. How can you be worthy of the cultivation of your good teacher and the painstaking efforts of your superiors?!"

"My sister died at the hands of a traitor. If I can't avenge her, what good is my future and my life?"

"Then are you worthy of your sister?" Cheng Yayin asked loudly.

This sentence made Xue Zhi stop what he was doing. He stood there stiffly, tears streaming down his face, his face full of pain and regret.

Cheng Yayin's voice was also choked with sobs: "Before Xue Wan died, her greatest wish was for you to live well. You wanted to assassinate Prince Jin'an, but he was heavily guarded, and you couldn't get close to him at all. Going would only be a waste of your life. Even if you were lucky enough to succeed, you would be considered a traitor who assassinated the prince, and you would still not be able to escape death. Even if Prince Jin'an died, his crimes were not made public, and he would still be buried with the dignity of a prince, mourned by the world, and enjoy all the honors after his death. Is this what you want to see? Is this what Xue Wan wants to see?"

"King Jin'an certainly deserves death, but before his death he should also be stripped of his throne and title, and die as a criminal, despised by the world! Lord Xue, you are such an intelligent person, you should know that only this will make him deserve the punishment he deserves. That's all I have to say, please think carefully."

Cheng Yayin pulled Pei Songsheng out of Xue's house. Before leaving, she glanced back worriedly. Xue Zhi had indeed not come out again, and there was no movement in the house. Worried, she said to Pei Songsheng, "Did I say too harshly just now? We should find someone to watch him, so he doesn't do anything stupid again."

Pei Songsheng touched her shoulder comfortingly: "You're right. He's just unable to suppress his grief for the time being, and he will figure it out."

On the carriage back to Pei Mansion, Cheng Yayin looked at Pei Songsheng's still pale face and asked worriedly, "Are you tired?"

Pei Songsheng curled his lips slightly and pinched her earlobe. "You've been asking me this since I left home today. Don't worry, didn't Doctor Wang tell me that the poison has been resolved and I'm fine now?"

Cheng Yayin glanced at his right shoulder, her brow still furrowed. "But you're still injured."

"It's just a superficial wound, nothing serious." Pei Songsheng rubbed her wrinkled face, "Relax, I'll tell you if I can't hold on any longer. In order to deal with King Jin'an, I will definitely take good care of myself."

At the mention of this, Cheng Yayin was filled with worry again. Saving the girls was only the simplest step. If they really wanted to bring down King Jin'an, they would definitely face more difficulties in the future.

Arriving at the gate of Pei Mansion, Cheng Yayin got out of the car and saw the familiar carriage parked at the door. She couldn't help but sigh. This first hurdle had finally arrived.

Pei Songsheng glanced at the carriage and said to Cheng Yayin, "You must be tired after a day of traveling. Go back to your room and rest first."

Cheng Yayin shook her head and looked at him seriously: "This is not just your problem. This time, I want to face it with you."

Pei Songsheng looked at her and read the sincerity and persistence in her eyes, so he said nothing more. The two of them held hands and went to the main hall together.

Imperial Tutor Pei sat in the main hall. Seeing the couple approaching, he glanced coldly at Cheng Yayin and said to his son, "I have something important to discuss with you. It's not convenient for a woman from the inner chamber to listen in."

Pei Songsheng remained unmoved: "She is the mistress of this family. She can be wherever she wants. No one has the right to say anything."

Imperial Tutor Pei's forehead twitched, and he suppressed his anger and said, "I've carefully nurtured you for over twenty years, and all you've learned is to protect your shortcomings. If it weren't for her, how could you have nearly lost your life!"

Pei Songsheng: "It is an unfilial son to make my father worry and concern. But it was not she who put me in danger. It was thanks to her that I was able to escape and survive the evil plot of King Jin'an."

Imperial Tutor Pei was furious, but remembering the reason for their last unpleasant parting here with his son, and knowing that he always defended his wife and had come for other important matters, he didn't want to argue with him on this topic. He simply ignored Cheng Yayin beside him and said, "That's why I came here today. Let me ask you, you just went to the Dali Temple. Are you going to work with that young Sizhi to expose the crimes of Prince Jin'an?"

Pei Songsheng looked directly at his father and said, "Yes."

Imperial Tutor Pei: "You've already suffered a great loss at his hands, yet you haven't learned your lesson. Aren't you afraid of his revenge?"

"Father, my current position is not whether he will retaliate against me, but I will definitely not let him go."

Imperial Tutor Pei slammed the table so hard the room seemed to shake. "How naive! You've been in the officialdom for years, don't you understand the ways of the world? What is the status of Prince Jin'an? Don't you know the cause of his mother's death, and how much His Majesty loves this son because of it? Even if you bring this matter to His Majesty, will you get away with it?"

Imperial Tutor Pei spoke earnestly, his anger tinged with hope, his eyes filled with the earnest hope that his son wouldn't make a fool of himself. Pei Songsheng's expression remained unmoved, and he spoke without hesitation, "I remember when I first joined the Censorate, my father taught me that a Censor's duty was to monitor all officials for Your Majesty and investigate malpractices for the people. Before the law, officials and citizens were treated equally, and a prince who broke the law was subject to the same punishment as a commoner. For so many years, I followed my father's teachings. Now that Prince Jin'an has committed such heinous crimes, has my father forgotten his earnest teachings? He allowed me to sit back and watch him go unpunished, knowing full well that he was guilty?"

Imperial Tutor Pei was caught off guard by his son's questioning. His expression changed for a moment, and he finally said helplessly, "No matter how heinous Prince Jin'an's crimes are, he is still a member of the royal family. His dignity is the dignity of the imperial family. No matter how prestigious the Pei family is, they are only ministers serving the emperor. Which side do you think His Majesty will choose between his own son and the Pei family?"

Pei Songsheng: "No matter what, he imprisoned innocent women, committed repeated murders, treated human life as worthless, and disregarded the law. No matter what your majesty chooses, justice will not be on his side."

He was unable to refute it. Seeing that his son was determined to risk the entire Pei family, Master Pei beat his chest and stamped his feet: "Don't you know that even those above the Jade Steps are ruthless? Even if the current emperor is a rare wise ruler, he will never allow such a scandal to be exposed and bring shame to the entire royal family!

"They are just a few insignificant women. Imprison them if you will, kill them if you will. Do you expect His Majesty to offend his own son for these people? You are just trying to save face by imposing some mild punishment. But have you ever considered what will happen to the Pei family afterwards? You are a loyal and law-abiding minister who speaks for the people, but you are first and foremost a descendant of the Pei family! Generations of ancestors have worked hard to build the Pei family's current glory. Do you want to let the entire Pei family offend the royal family and lose their honor and grace for your own momentary heroic spirit?!"

"Our ancestors fought hard for the country and the people, and shed their blood and sweat. Father only cares about the family's honor and disgrace, and ignores the suffering of the people. He is unworthy of being a descendant of the Pei family!"

Master Pei was scolded in front of everyone, his face turned red in an instant, and anger rushed to his head. He grabbed the green jade vase on the table and threw it at Pei Songsheng in anger.

He was furious and uncontrolled, and the vase flew directly at Cheng Yayin and Pei Songsheng. In a flash, Pei Songsheng stepped forward and directly absorbed the impact with his injured shoulder. The vase hit his back and fell to the ground, shattering. At the same time, Cheng Yayin heard a slight groan of pain from Pei Songsheng's throat. Seeing his face pale and his eyes closed to endure the pain, she felt anxious.

"Mo Xing!" Cheng Yayin supported Pei Songsheng and stood on tiptoe to check the injury on his back.

On the surface, she appeared fine, but the sight of Pei Songsheng's bloodless lips ignited a rage. Imperial Tutor Pei hadn't expected such a loss of composure and was momentarily stunned. Cheng Yayin glared at him, finally letting out the pent-up anger she'd been holding back.

"Father-in-law, I know you've always been dissatisfied with me, and as your daughter-in-law, I've certainly never fulfilled my filial duties. I've always been able to ignore the many difficulties you've caused me, because I've always respected you as the backbone of the country. But what happened today has left me deeply disappointed."

She stared directly at Grand Tutor Pei, her gaze clear and sharp. "I'll be frank with you. As a senior official of the state, you speak of the dignity of the imperial family, but never the honor of your lineage. You're only concerned with alleviating the emperor's worries, yet you have no regard for the law or the people. You've dismissed a dozen imprisoned and tortured women with a casual remark of 'just a few insignificant women.' These insignificant women you speak of are also human beings! They are also citizens of Daxi! Are you living up to the original aspirations of your official career? Are you living up to the Pei family's ancestral precepts of clearing the court and working for the well-being of the people? Are you living up to the earnest expectations of the people of the world?"

Three questions came one after another, resounding like sparks bursting out, like waves crashing against the shore. Master Pei had been in a state of confrontation, but after hearing these words, he felt as if he had been struck by a slap in the face. He stumbled a step, supported himself on the table, and looked at Cheng Yayin with trembling eyes.

Cheng Yayin didn't shy away and continued in a resolute voice, "Now, your son is willing to shoulder the responsibility of rectifying the situation and eradicating the traitors. It would be fine if you didn't want to help, but you're actually obstructing him. Today, I finally see you clearly. You're nothing more than an incompetent father who throws cups and glasses at his son at every turn, a selfish and foolish minister who only cares about the honor of the clan!"

After saying this, Cheng Yayin stopped looking at Master Pei and, supporting Pei Songsheng, turned and left. When they reached the door, she turned back and said, "Since we're not on the same page, please leave on your own. My wife and I won't see you off. Also, I have one more thing to say: since you're so good at whitewashing things, please continue to be blind and ignorant. From now on, no matter what we do, just pretend you didn't see or know anything."

Cheng Yayin walked out of the hall, leaving Master Pei far behind. She felt like she had finally gotten rid of the frustration she'd been holding back for years, and it was incredibly refreshing. After a moment's thought, she said to Pei Songsheng, "I'm sorry. He's your father after all, and I shouldn't have been so rude to him in front of you. But I'm still angry, and I just can't let it out."

Pei Songsheng shook his head, a faint smile on his lips, and relaxedly leaned against her, placing his hand on her arm and sighing, "What more could I ask for?"