Chapter 60: Begging for mercy. Compared to Pei Ji, these are nothing...

Knowing that Deguijun sent a gift at this time, it is self-evident why.

He Zhiliao was almost mad with rage. He had done something so evil that being confined to the house would have been fine, but even that was unacceptable to Concubine De. If that was the case, why didn't she educate the prince properly!

"Zhengjun, should those gifts be put into the warehouse?" Chunjian asked as he looked at the gifts all over the yard. There had been many people giving gifts recently, so he was just asking as a routine question.

He Zhiliao shook his head and asked.

[Is the person who gave the gift still here? ]

Harumi nodded, "Still in the front yard, hasn't left yet."

[Then let them take the gift back and don't accept it.]

He Zhiliao's expression was exceptionally cold, with a hint of disgust and aversion etched between his brows. Chun Jian glanced at him quickly; it was rare to see such outward emotion on his young master's face.

If it were someone else, hearing their master say this, they would definitely try to persuade him. After all, Deguijun is of noble status. He is a noble monarch because he can ascend the throne from His Majesty, so his mother's family naturally cannot be underestimated.

But who is Harumi?

The young master's mood was his mood, and the young master's orders were everything to him. He immediately returned to the front yard and asked the palace servants to take the gifts away.

No one should think that his young master will be unhappy!

Pei Ji nodded with great satisfaction. If the gift had been sent to the Pei Mansion, it would naturally not be worthy of his satisfaction. What satisfied him was that now anyone who needed him knew to please his beloved daughter first.

This is enough to show that everyone now knows how important He Zhiluo is to him, enough to change his will and ideas.

"If you don't want to accept it, then don't accept it. Why are you so angry?" Pei Ji held him in his arms and kissed and rubbed him. Seeing his angry face, he pinched it and kissed him hard.

He Zhiliao was not annoyed even though he rubbed her like this.

[They are clearly bullying others. Just being grounded is unacceptable. Why do they have to continue doing evil until they are doomed to failure?]

His face was puffed up, and because Pei Ji was kissing one side of it, he looked particularly plump.

Pei Ji pecked the corner of his lips, his brows full of tenderness and love, "Don't worry about them, just do your own thing, don't get angry, or you'll get sick."

【ah. 】

He Zhiliao nodded slightly and nestled in his arms. In the blink of an eye, her anger disappeared completely.

The Fourth Prince was indeed quite clever, even pretending to enjoy nature. However, the more he acted like this, the more anxious he became when things got tough. With this kind of mentality, it was unlikely he would accomplish anything.

The dinner was prepared by the imperial chef. Both the dishes and the presentation were extremely exquisite, with great color, aroma and taste.

"Test the poison." Pei Xiao said suddenly.

Testing poison is a common practice for the wealthy and powerful, but the previous chef was one that the Pei family used to have, and he was also extremely loyal. He would come up with new ways of cooking every day for them to try out his skills, and he was completely absorbed in studying recipes, so the Pei family had not conducted poison testing for a long time.

Now that we have a new chef, we have to test for poison.

What's more, he came from the palace.

Pei Ji raised his eyebrows slightly. He had not thought of this. It seemed that his father was more vigilant than he thought.

The servants immediately prepared things to test the poison. Yin Zhen tested all the food one by one and was relieved only when he found nothing unusual.

Now that it has begun, the poison testing will continue for a long time.

After dinner, everyone naturally returned to their own courtyard.

He Zhiliao was like a diligent bee. He directed Chun Jian and others to serve tea and water, and to wash and change clothes. After he was done, he went to serve Pei Ji first.

After dinner is the most relaxing time. Pei Ji was indeed a little tired, as if all the strength in his body had been drained. He just lay there and let him serve him.

After taking off the boots, it was time to take off the outer clothes. He Zhiliao took great pains to help him take off the outer clothes, and he was exhausted after doing it.

He looked up at the man lying there pretending to be asleep, tugged at his eyelids angrily, and blew air into his eyes in a particularly malicious way.

Pei Ji immediately turned his head and hugged him, laughing loudly. He blinked hard at his sore eyes and said angrily, "I just asked you to help my husband change clothes, but you are so angry? I was sleepy, but after your disturbance, I feel much more energetic. You are deliberately trying to provoke me."

He Zhiliao's face suddenly turned red. He was just angry that he deliberately made him undress. This was not what he meant at all!

Pei Ji didn't care about all this and immediately asked the kitchen to bring hot water for him to take a shower and change clothes. He Zhiliao was also washed and the bed curtains were dropped.

Fortunately, the bell on the bedside had been taken down in advance, otherwise it would have rang again in the middle of the night.

.

Although Emperor An was angry, the imperial examination still had to go on. The results of the palace examination had already been released, so naturally those involved had to be dealt with.

The fifth prince has been dealt with, and He Yao has been dismissed from his post. After all, he was just following orders and passing messages between the fifth prince and those officials, so his life was not in danger, but it was difficult for any other developments to happen.

As for the officials involved, some were dismissed from their posts and some were executed, just to make way for the candidates who had just passed the exam.

The replacement of officials in the previous dynasty was so rapid. There were always people trying to climb up, and there were always people who were involved and dealt with.

These matters had little to do with Pei Ji. He just had to do his job in the Censorate every day, and occasionally make a complaint to Emperor An. That was what he did every day.

In comparison, He Zhiliao's life is obviously much busier than his.

Although he had rejected the gift from Concubine De that day, he did not seem to give up, so He Zhiliao was invited more and more often.

Inside the Bishui Pavilion Teahouse.

Du Ziyue personally poured him a cup of tea. His gentle face showed no expression as he said softly, "This is the teahouse I often visit. The tea is particularly delicate. Try it."

He Zhiliao smiled at him gently, picked up the teacup and took a sip. Although the tea fragrance was light, the aftertaste was sweet, which made people happy both physically and mentally.

[It's delicious.]

He looked at Du Ziyue and spoke slowly.

Du Ziyue understood his consideration and frowned, and the morbid energy in his eyes dissipated a lot, but it also became more difficult.

The prince had no chance of becoming emperor in the first place, so being crowned a king now would be even more elegant. Moreover, they have no offspring yet, so no matter who ascends the throne in the future, they will certainly not be hunted down and killed.

However, Lord Degui clearly put all the blame on the Fourth Prince, so he forced him to come to Lord Pei Zheng to plead for mercy.

He didn't dare to speak. Ever since he married the King of Qi, he no longer had any close friends. He really didn't want to pay attention to those who came to meet him with more or less masks.

Finally came to He Zhi...

He really had no way to deal with his mother. The overt and covert suppression over the years had already made him exhausted.

Du Ziyue didn't say a word until he finished the pot of tea, as if he was called here today just to have some tea, chat and sit with him for a while.

【The princess won’t say anything? 】

He Zhiliao looked up at him. He knew that the other party would not invite him for no reason, and this was the time when Degui Jun was most anxious. How could his appearance be an accident?

But he didn't expect the other party to remain silent for such a long time, so he had to ask first.

"You and I both know the truth, and you both know why I'm reluctant to speak. I always want to live a good life, but things always go against my wishes." Du Ziyue said softly, "I don't want to get involved in this, but the prince and I are forced to do so."

Deguijun is the biological mother of King Qi and has never treated him unfairly. How could he refuse what his biological mother asked for? He could not refuse.

Therefore, he could only come here to talk with Pei Ji's beloved pet.

[The Fourth Prince assassinated an imperial official and was only confined to his house.]

He Zhiliao looked a little cold, but he was telling the truth. He was just under house arrest. Even the concubines in the harem were often under house arrest. Why was it that everyone was under house arrest, but these princes were not?

Du Ziyue chuckled, "Yes, it's just house arrest, that's all. I don't want to embarrass the prince, but I don't intend to embarrass you either."

He always hopes to satisfy others, but is there any perfection in the world?

He Zhiliao nodded slightly. He certainly knew that Du Ziyue was a rare good man, but how long could a good man live in this royal territory?

[The King of Qi should have a fiefdom. Why don't you leave?]

"The matter concerning my fourth brother has not been decided yet. Mother doesn't want us to leave so early, and His Majesty hasn't issued an order yet. If we leave in a hurry, we will inevitably be suspected." Du Ziyue sighed softly.

He Zhiliao nodded to show his understanding, but he didn't expect that Lord Degui would be so considerate and take the Fourth Prince into consideration in everything. It was obvious how much he secretly placed high hopes on him.

"I treat you as a friend, please don't hurt our relationship because of this." Du Ziyue cared more about this. He didn't want to get involved in the Fourth Prince's affairs.

He Zhiliao nodded. He could tell good from bad and knew Du Ziyue meant no harm. Besides, since he had rashly invited him today, he must be feeling guilty. How could he still be so cold and resentful?

Don't worry.

"That's good." Du Ziyue chuckled. "I was really rude today. I'll apologize to you properly someday when I have the chance. It's getting late now. I have to go back and wait for the prince."

【good. 】

He Zhiliao stood up to see her off. No matter what, she was the Princess of Qi, so how could she not be respectful?

After sending him away, He Zhiliao naturally didn't want to stay any longer. The more active Pei Ji became in the previous dynasty, the more troubles he encountered. Although he had no ill intentions, it was really difficult for him to deal with it.

But compared with Pei Ji, these are naturally nothing.

Just as Du Ziyue did not want to embarrass the King of Qi and came to him, he naturally did not want Pei Ji to make things difficult for him.

As soon as he stepped into Pei Mansion, the doorman came to greet him.

"Is there something wrong?" Harumi asked in a low voice.

"There's an invitation from the palace." The doorman looked at Zhengjun seriously.

Chun Jian frowned, "But Empress Rong?"

The doorman shook his head. If it was Concubine Rong, the mansion would definitely not be so serious. It was the rare Concubine Shu that made people worried.

He Zhiliao sighed slightly. It was not surprising that Concubine Shu would look for him, but usually, Lord Rude would ask others to inquire, but Concubine Shu actually sent a direct invitation to invite him to the palace.

If he really entered the palace, how could he escape easily?

He Zhiliao went to see Qin Yurong first. She was drinking tea, and the invitation was placed on the table next to her.

【Mother. 】

"Sit down." Qin Yurong waved her hand for him to sit down. She took another sip of tea before slowly saying, "Regarding Concubine Shu's invitation, it's okay to go or not, but Mother hopes you'll go."

He Zhiliao was a little surprised. Under normal circumstances, his mother would definitely not allow him to go, or would give him many warnings and instructions. But today, the way she acted really made him a little confused.

It can be seen that there is a hidden story.

What does my mother want me to do?

"It's okay, it's just that it's rare for me to come to the palace. Mother hopes that you can have a good chat with Concubine Rong today. Just think of it as sitting with her. It doesn't matter if you come back late." Qin Yurong said in a gentle voice.

He Zhiliao nodded slightly. This must be just a superficial meaning. He didn't need to understand the inner story. His mother would not harm him anyway.

It wasn't long after returning from the Bishui Pavilion that He Zhiliao took a short rest and then went straight into the palace.

After sending the invitation, Concubine Shu ordered people to prepare all kinds of things to entertain him. The Fifth Prince must not be in any danger, and His Majesty must be asked to revoke the order as soon as possible before he arrives at King Xiaoyao's fiefdom.

When he was in the Marquis of Jing'an's Mansion, it was rare for him to go out of the mansion, not to mention entering the palace. But now, even entering the palace is as smooth and natural as drinking water.

"Lord Pei Sizheng is here. Our queen has been waiting for you. Please follow me!"

He Zhiliao, Chun Jian and the other two followed the palace maids to Concubine Shu's palace. Fortunately, she had a private palace, otherwise they would have to hide a little.

Concubine Shu had been waiting in the palace for a long time. When she learned that he had arrived, she couldn't help but go forward to greet him in person.

"Greetings to Her Majesty the Concubine Shu." Chun Jian spoke for him.

Concubine Shu's heart and eyes were filled with He Zhiliao. Seeing him bow, she hurried forward to help him up and said anxiously, "Why bother being so polite to me? Sit down and have a good talk with me!"

He Zhiliao looked at her dully and shyly, like a country woman who had never seen the world. She looked at everything in the palace greedily, thinking she was being very cautious.

However, we can also learn from this that this Concubine Shu must have been very favored, but she has never been pregnant after being favored for many years. No wonder she can only play around with the position of concubine.

Concubine Shu didn't expect that he was so stingy. How could Pei Ji like such a person and treat him like the apple of his eye? He was really blind!

But since she needed to ask for help today, she naturally had to act in a begging manner. She coughed lightly, and the maid behind her immediately placed the things in front of He Zhiliao.

The maid opened the brocade box, revealing a box filled with gold, silver and jade. This box must be worth tens of thousands of taels.

The fact that Concubine Shu is willing to be so generous shows how much she cares about the Fifth Prince.

He Zhiliao showed a look of surprise at the right moment, and looked at the brocade box greedily, as if he couldn't wait to put all the items in the box into his pocket immediately.

He glanced at Concubine Shu with some anticipation, but suddenly thought of something and looked away. He rubbed his hands embarrassedly, looking extremely greedy.

Concubine Shu suppressed her displeasure and smiled, saying, "These are all given to you by me. Please don't be polite to me. I also hope you can talk to your husband and ask him for help."

He Zhiliao looked at her suspiciously, as if asking how she could help.

"You are probably aware that the Five Rings of this palace displeased His Majesty, and therefore I was reprimanded." Concubine Shu had seen through his character and didn't think he was a powerful figure, so she didn't bother to curry favor with him. "This matter was originally investigated by Pei Ji. I heard that your husband is particularly fond of you. If you accept these gifts and have your husband speak a few good words to His Majesty, you can save the Fifth Prince."

He Zhiliao laughed in his heart, thinking that he was taking it for granted.

The crimes committed by the Fifth Prince are too numerous to list. How can they be solved with just a few nice words from Pei Ji?

At this point, instead of thinking about how to calm His Majesty down and make amends, you're only thinking of these tricks to deceive...

Even if it's because of concern, it's funny to be so careless as to offer bribes.

He Zhiliao calmed down in the blink of an eye. He shook his head repeatedly, looking embarrassed and timid.

Chun Jian immediately said, "Your Highness, you may not know that our Fourth Master never discusses these matters with Zheng Jun, and he even forbids Zheng Jun from interfering in the affairs of the Jing'an Marquis's Mansion. I'm afraid your matter...will be even more difficult to handle."

"Mr. Pei Zheng, are you unwilling to help me now?" Concubine Shu's face turned slightly colder, and the look she gave him was no longer as flattering as before.

"Empress Shufei, our Zhengjun really can't do this!" Chunjian sighed and complained, "Although our Fourth Master loves Zhengjun on the surface, he never allows him to know these important matters. If I plead rashly, I'm afraid the Fourth Master will find out. It was you who mediated. If you tell His Majesty about this, I'm afraid it won't be good for you, the Empress..."

Concubine Shu narrowed her eyes and clapped her nail-painted hands, "How dare you threaten me?"

"I dare not, I am only thinking about the Empress Shufei!" Chun Jian immediately knelt down and begged for mercy, "Our Zhengjun came to the palace today at your invitation, but if the Fourth Master invites you now, wouldn't it be too obvious?"

Shu Fei naturally knew about it, but she had no better solution!

If she had any other options, she would not have married such an incompetent and vulgar husband!

"In that case, I am indeed being rude." Concubine Shu chuckled. "These gifts are my apology to you. Please take them back."

He Zhiliao shook his head timidly, his eyes still fixed on the jewels, as if he wanted them but didn't dare to take them.

Seeing him like this, Concubine Shu was disgusted and didn't even want to say a word to him. She waved her hand and asked the maid to put the brocade box into Chunjian's arms, then raised her hand to signal for the guest to leave.

He Zhiliao was asked to leave the palace like this. He turned his head to look at Chunjian who was holding the brocade box in her arms. He still couldn't return it, so he had to go to Concubine Rong first.

Pei Yueting knew that he was going to enter the palace today, and had been sending people to watch him secretly. When he learned that he had come out from Concubine Shu's place, he quickly sent someone to pick him up.

He Zhiliao leaned forward and saluted him.

Pei Yueting chuckled, "Why be so polite? Sit down quickly and serve tea!"

Pei Yueting's eyes fell on the brocade box in Chun Jian's arms. She raised an eyebrow and asked, "Did Concubine Shu give it to you?"

【ah. 】

yes.

"She was willing to give you these. I think she hoped you could convince Yun Zhou to speak up for the Fifth Prince." Pei Yueting said with a sneer, "Even if you refused to accept them, she still forced them on you. And you actually took them out. Are you stupid?"

He Zhiluo could guess what Concubine Shu meant to some extent, but with his status, he really couldn't confront Concubine Shu head-on, so he could only do this.

"You walked around the palace with this brocade box. Even if Yun Zhou didn't speak up for the Fifth Prince, I think the news would have reached His Majesty." Pei Yueting said, "Instead of His Majesty holding you accountable, why not inform Him first?"

He Zhiliao froze slightly. Did this mean that he should go find Emperor An right now?

Even though he had been deliberately made things difficult for by the Queen, he had never met Emperor An alone. Now he was asked to go, and he was really scared.

[Empress…]

"Don't panic. Since you've come to me, I will definitely take you there." Pei Yueting took a sip of tea. "It's better to resolve this matter as soon as possible. Come with me."

He Zhiliao immediately stood up and followed, but he was afraid that his small action would cause Pei Ji and even the Pei family to suffer.

Pei Yueting ordered someone to bring a sedan chair, and the two of them immediately went to the Shangshufang where Emperor An was.

"Your Majesty, Concubine Rong and Lord Pei Sizheng request to see you." Peng Tongmin reported softly.

Emperor An put down his red brush and looked up at him, "Come in!"

"yes!"

After receiving the order, Pei Yueting took He Zhile in.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."

He Zhiliao knelt on the ground and kowtowed to show his respect.

Emperor An stood up and walked around the table, then stepped forward to help Pei Yueting up. "Why are you here, my beloved concubine? Do you have something important to discuss with me?"

Pei Yueting smiled and said, "It's not me, it's him. Your Majesty is speechless, so let his servants speak for him."

"allow."

Chun Jian took a deep breath, held the brocade box, walked in slowly, knelt down and kowtowed immediately, but did not dare to look directly at the emperor.

He trembled and said, "Your Majesty, our Lord was invited to the palace by the Empress Shufei. As soon as he entered the palace, the Empress Shufei handed this item to our Lord, and she also tried to plead for the Fifth Prince. Our Lord was reluctant, but the Empress Shufei said she would not make it difficult for him. When she invited us out, she deliberately left this item with us."

As Harujian spoke, he opened the brocade box, and immediately the many treasures inside were revealed.

Emperor An lowered his eyes and stared at the gold and silver jewelry. A cold look flashed across his eyes. What else could he not understand?

He said in a deep voice, "I give this to you again. I understand your intentions. Don't worry."

He Zhiliao immediately bowed again to express his gratitude.

Emperor An was too lazy to say anything more to them and asked them to leave.

Pei Yueting brought He Zhiliao back to the palace, and only then did he dare to look at the items in the box. There were all jade bracelets of excellent quality in them. I guess they were all collected by Concubine Shu over the years.

"Now that everything is given to you, you can keep it to play with or give it to others." Pei Yueting chuckled, then thought of other things, "Does Yunzhou know that you have entered the palace? If you come here rashly, he will probably be worried."

This imperial palace with its red walls and green tiles may seem so rich and prosperous to outsiders, but only they themselves know the hardships and sufferings inside.

He Zhiliao nodded. Although Pei Ji was not at home when he entered the palace, he asked Yanhua and Xixin to tell him secretly after entering the palace. Although he didn't know how they were in contact, they said they had been in contact, which meant he knew.

"That's good. It's still early. Why don't you stay here with me for a while? When Yunzhou leaves the palace, you can leave together." Pei Yueting said with a smile.

During this period, her mother's family enjoyed favor in the previous dynasty, and she was also favored in the harem. Even the charcoal brazier was warmer than those in other palaces.

"I heard you weren't feeling well. I got some ginseng a few days ago. Take it home and make some soup with it before you leave. It will nourish your body and help you continue the Pei family's lineage." Pei Yueting said with a smile. Seeing him blush, her smile deepened. "Don't be shy about this. Having children is a normal thing in the world."

He Zhiliao nodded as if accepting instruction, but was still too embarrassed to say anything more.

However, he had never heard such urging words from Pei Ji before. The other party seemed to be completely unconcerned about it...

Normally, unless it was a major event, her family wouldn't be allowed into the palace easily. Even if her mother's family was prominent, they still had to abide by the rules. But today, when He Zhiliao arrived, she couldn't help but be happy. She drank tea and played chess with him, and even practiced calligraphy with him.

Time passed in the blink of an eye.

Pei Yueting glanced at the sky, her eyes filled with something. She turned to look at He Zhile and said, "It's getting late, you should leave the palace. Besides, I suddenly feel a little unwell..."

The maids immediately rushed over and helped her sit on the bed, some called for the imperial physician, and the entire Jingyue Palace became noisy in an instant.

He Zhiliao watched silently, then turned around and left with Chunjian and the others.

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Author's words: Little Zhiliao: How terrible, everyone in the palace eats people! [Please][Please][Please]

Pei Gou (smacking his lips): I don’t have much screen time in this chapter… [roll eyes][roll eyes][roll eyes]