Chapter 83: Confession. The emperor is ruthless, so he overthrows the court and replaces himself...

The atmosphere was inexplicably depressing.

Pei Su kept his eyes lowered and staring at the inkstone. Pei Xiao and Pei Ding also looked at him nervously, even a little cautiously, as if they were afraid that he would explode.

But He Zhiliao, who was unaware of the situation, had no idea why they were like this. Miss Gongsun only came to give her an inkstone, and whether she liked it or not was just a token of her thoughtfulness. His father and brother's attitude was also very strange, and they were too enthusiastic.

Moreover, they seemed to have known that the second brother would be so silent. Their words and actions were cautious, as if they were afraid of disturbing him.

These men are all weird...

He was obviously not in a position to speak in this situation. Looking at the expressions of his father and third brother, they seemed to know why he had lost his composure. Naturally, there was no need for him to say anything more. He simply bowed briefly and left.

"Miss Gongsun?"

Pei Ji was a little embarrassed when he heard the name. He had been very busy recently, and in recent days he had been shuttling between the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince. He had forgotten about this matter. He even didn't remember what the old man mentioned about the inkstone yesterday!

At first he thought that his second brother and Gongsun Yan's relationship started with this inkstone, but later he learned that the two had met before.

Putting aside his family background, Pei Su was handsome, well-educated, and his naturally gentle scholarly air was enough to win the hearts of the girls from aristocratic families. Gongsun Yan was even more beautiful, with a sincere disposition, and his every move was characterized by an extraordinary aura. It was not unreasonable for the two of them to be secretly happy with each other.

But after giving her the inkstone, the second brother gradually became closer to Gongsun Yan, and during the royal autumn hunt, he even gave her a set of deerskin and two wild geese as a token of love.

Because it was a private gift, only the two families knew about it.

But before they could achieve their goal, something happened to the Pei family. The second brother often felt lucky in prison that he had not really married Gongsun Yan home.

He Zhiliao saw his annoyed expression and couldn't help but get nervous. "What's going on? Is the Gongsun family bad? Is she a bad person?"

Although he hadn't felt it, he was afraid of making a mistake.

Pei Ji quickly explained, "That's not the case. The Censor of the Metropolitan Censorate is Lord Gongsun, and Gongsun Yan is his granddaughter. She came specially to give my second brother something he has been longing for."

He Zhiliao quickly patted his chest, smiled, and said, "That's good. They were very strange, so I came back. Do you want to go and see them?"

"What does this mean?" Pei Ji was a little surprised. According to his previous life, his second brother would be very happy after receiving the inkstone and would go to try it out immediately.

"They are all in the front hall, very quiet, no one speaks." He Zhiliao lowered his voice, as if afraid someone would hear.

Pei Ji pinched his cheek. Although this matter had little to do with him, changes had been made now. The crime of confiscation of property and execution in the previous life would definitely not fall on the Pei family. If his second brother could marry Miss Gongsun, it would definitely be a good thing.

Thinking of this, Pei Ji decided to help them secretly.

"It's okay, second brother will take care of it." Pei Ji said.

"Second brother, do you like Miss Gongsun?" He Zhiliao finally realized that something was wrong. Normally, when someone came to give something, the family would thank them and send them away. But his father and brothers were acting strangely.

"I don't know either," Pei Ji said. "Who can say for sure?"

Take the third brother for example, he always has a cold face. Who would have thought that he would be entangled with Qi Guan in private?

Even though he had never noticed it in his previous life, he didn't know whether his second brother still had feelings for Miss Gongsun after all these changes, but that girl always had feelings for him.

The word "love" is the most difficult to explain. Even he himself has learned through experience that unspoken love is more hurtful than rejection.

He regretted that he had realized his feelings too late in his previous life, but he never regretted that he had never told He Zhi about his feelings in the end.

At that time, the other party could already beat the drum to report his feelings. If he told He Zhiliao about his feelings, wouldn't that be encouraging him to do everything he could to offend Your Majesty?

After all, this is Pei Su's business. He has the ability to solve it, so it is naturally not their turn to worry about it.

This matter is like a drop of water falling into a river, which only creates a few ripples, and then no longer causes any waves after it merges into the river.

The weather was getting hotter, and Pei Ji no longer had the heart to flatter his high and mighty master. If there was nothing to do, he would just report to the Censorate and then go back home to rest.

Of course, the actions in private never stopped.

He knew that the Fourth Prince was suspicious and would certainly doubt what he had said before, and would try every means to find out the Prince's privacy, so he secretly pushed him forward and passed on everything he had found out before to him.

Rather than doing it yourself, it’s naturally more interesting to watch them tear each other apart.

The Fourth Prince soon found out that the Crown Prince often frequented brothels in private and even had some unique habits. All the prostitutes who had served him were killed or injured, and the matter could be settled by paying the brothel owner some money.

However, the prince was not satisfied with the obedience of the prostitutes, and would ask his subordinates to snatch some of them and insult and abuse them to get satisfaction.

The Fourth Prince did not think that those dead people deserved much sympathy, but he needed to use this incident to bring down the Crown Prince. The fewer people in front of him, the greater his chances of success.

"Master, now that the evidence is conclusive, should we hand it over directly to His Majesty?" the subordinate asked in a low voice.

"No," the Fourth Prince refused solemnly. "Of course, this matter must be brought before His Majesty, but it absolutely cannot be done through me. Otherwise, wouldn't His Majesty become suspicious?"

"Then what does the master think we should do?"

The Fourth Prince thought for a moment and asked, "Previous investigation revealed that a girl seems to have a fiancé whom she is very much in love with?"

.

Pei Ji was fully aware of their secret movements. When he learned that the Fourth Prince was going to attack the Crown Prince, he withdrew his hand to prevent the matter from getting out of hand and affecting himself.

During this period of time, he has been secretly watching Pei Su and Gongsun Yan.

"Miss Gongsun has sent someone to deliver something again." He Zhiliao said softly.

Since the last time they sent the inkstone, the Gongsun family has often sent books, pens and ink. They are all ordinary items, and even if Emperor An finds out, he can't do anything about it. It's impossible for officials to not even send each other pens, ink, paper and inkstones.

Pei Ji knew how persistent this Miss Gongsun was. She was like this in her previous life. However, his second brother always rejected her and never accepted her. If he had not heard his second brother say that he was grateful, he would not have known his feelings.

"Let her send it and tell the housekeeper to put it in my second brother's yard." Pei Ji said. He didn't believe that Pei Jingxing could resist it in his life.

Pei Su could see these rare books every day when he came back, and they were always one of the books in the whole volume, which made him want to read the next one, but he could only wait for the other party to deliver it to him every day.

He was unwilling to accept these things at first. He still didn't know about it the day before yesterday and didn't want the other party to be in danger with him. But they were delivered and left quietly every day, which made him unable to even say no.

To be honest, the other party might have come to see her off only because of Lord Gongsun. If he directly rejected Miss Gongsun, wouldn't it embarrass her?

Pei Ding carefully placed the items into the bookshelf to prevent them from getting damp or damaged. After all, they were gifts from others and he had no other intentions.

"Do you want to wrap it in oil paper?"

"You scared me!"

Someone suddenly spoke behind him. Pei Su turned his head to look at Pei Ding who was already sitting down. Did he really treat this place as a teahouse?

Before marriage, she would stick to him every day and sit in his house for the whole day, but after marriage, she came less often.

Pei Ding looked at him lazily, supporting his chin. "Don't you like Miss Gongsun very much?"

"Stop talking nonsense. Do you still want to protect your reputation as a girl?" Pei Su frowned and scolded him, but there was not much reprimand in his words.

He undoubtedly liked it.

Pei Ding raised his eyelids to look at him, and said softly, "You're not answering the question. If you like her, then let your parents propose marriage. Being so timid and dodging is not your style."

Pei Su raised an eyebrow at him, his words filled with helplessness, "You don't usually talk so much. Who gave you any benefit by coming here as a lobbyist today?"

"You said it so harshly, it's obvious that you really like her." Pei Ding narrowed his eyes, "How about we ask our parents to propose marriage after our eldest sister gives birth?"

"Don't talk nonsense." Pei Su frowned slightly, obviously really unhappy.

But Pei Ding knew that this displeasure was not directed at him, nor was it a genuine reluctance to propose marriage. After all, he had always known that his second brother liked Miss Gongsun.

I knew it a long time ago that if I really wanted to trace it back, I would probably have to go back to my previous life.

Seeing how resolute he was, Pei Ding stopped making things difficult for him. He finished the tea in front of him and got up to leave without even saying hello to him. It was obvious that he was sulking.

Not long after Pei Ding left, Pei Ji came forward.

Pei Su looked at Pei Ji, who had been sitting quietly since he entered the room, and felt helpless. He was so quiet, and he wondered what kind of evil ideas he was thinking.

"Second brother, do you really dislike Miss Gongsun?" Pei Ji frowned and asked in a deep voice, "I'm not trying to persuade you, but the matter of the Fourth Prince a few days ago made His Majesty unhappy, and he has asked Lord Degui to find him a concubine."

Since they were choosing a concubine for the prince, she had to be chosen from the royal family and the powerful families. As long as Gongsun Yan did not get engaged or married, there was always the possibility that she would be chosen.

By then, even if Pei Su really liked her, could he compete with the royal family for her wife?

Pei Su lowered his eyelids, his voice still gentle, "It's common for a prince to choose a concubine. If she can find a good home, it's fine."

Pei Ji said, "But you and I both know that the Fourth Prince must never have the possibility of ascending the throne. You are not unaware of the consequences of failed attempts to seize the throne since ancient times. Second brother, what are you afraid of?"

He didn't want to ask so directly, but he could guarantee that what happened in his previous life would never happen again, and he didn't want to see his second brother express regret again.

Perhaps, perhaps the Pei family will have other difficulties to face in the future, but that will be a long time in the future. The chance to start over again is really difficult to come by. Are they really going to regret it for the rest of their lives?

"The future is unknown, so we can't jump to conclusions too early." Pei Su said in a calm voice.

"It's unknown, not unknowable!" Pei Ji frowned. "The Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince have long since broken off relations with the Pei family. Naturally, we cannot allow them to ascend the throne. Only by making them the sacrificial lambs for those who fail to seize the throne can the Pei family remain safe! This is the future of the Pei family!"

Pei Su seemed to have not expected him to say this, and he became inexplicably nervous and suspicious. He had indeed noticed that something was wrong with the fourth brother a long time ago, but that kind of weird thing shouldn't happen to everyone, right?

He coughed lightly and asked, "Then why did you suddenly change your attitude towards Azhi?"

"Why is it so sudden? It's because I like him." Pei Ji said it in a resounding voice. When it comes to liking He Zhiliao, he believes that he is no less than anyone else.

"But in the first half month after your marriage, you gave him a hard time everywhere. You turned a blind eye to him when the Queen bullied him. It was only after your mother scolded you that you changed your ways. Where is your love?" Pei Su pressed on step by step.

Pei Ji frowned and looked at him. "He's good, and I'm happy with him. What's wrong with that? I made mistakes before, but I made amends later. I've never denied my mistakes. I said you were a coward, but you're bringing up the past?"

"Me! When did I become a coward?" Pei Su sighed softly, feeling embarrassed at being exposed.

"The future is truly unknown. If you could see the end of each day as soon as you open your eyes, what fun would there be in life?" Pei Ji shrugged. "If none of the things you envisioned happened, and you had to watch her fall into the arms of another, would you be willing to accept that?"

Pei Su was of course unwilling to accept this. He did not want to implicate the other party, but if those bad things had not happened, he would naturally want to marry the other party.

He had to admit that he was a coward.

As the eldest son of the Pei family, he needs to be vigilant and timid. It's not that he is cowardly, but he just wants to be more cautious.

Pei Su chuckled, "How do you know what I'm expecting?"

Pei Ji raised his eyes and looked at him, "Maybe you didn't know it before, but you can't pretend to be deaf and dumb anymore."

The smile on Pei Su's face gradually disappeared, and his expression became more serious than ever. This series of conversations were all tests.

He actually felt proud.

"Now the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince are competing against each other. Your Majesty seems to be watching from the sidelines, but in fact he is in full control. The enemies of the Pei family must not survive." Pei Ji said this with extraordinary boldness.

The implication of these words is clearly to confront the entire royal family.

Pei Su said helplessly: "Xiaojiu is still too young."

Pei Ji raised the corner of his lips, "There are no children in the royal family. He sees things more clearly than you and me."

"You started chatting behind my back."

Pei Ding appeared again silently, looking at them with a hint of accusation in his eyes, "Yun Zhou, this is different from what we agreed on."

Pei Ji coughed lightly upon hearing this, "We've just started chatting. You also...?"

Pei Ding snorted and sat down, then continued talking with them.

Pei Ji felt inexplicably much more relaxed, perhaps because he knew that on this road where the future was invisible, he finally had someone who could walk side by side with him. He actually felt that there was hope for the future, and even his timidity was swept away.

He had long known that the reason he was able to lead the court officials in the court was because of his father and brothers, but he had never thought that they had already greeted him secretly and were also walking the same path as him, with the same goal for all parties.

It was only at this moment that I truly understood why they were always sick at home, and even their visits to Emperor An became less frequent.

The Pei family is Emperor An's right-hand man. The men of the Pei family hold important positions in various departments and often have to report to Emperor An.

But in the past year, he rarely did so, instead he sent his trusted aides to the emperor. Only Pei Ji came before Emperor An.

Pei Ji said, "If they want to protect the Pei Mansion, they must all die. I have secretly sent people to stir up trouble. The Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince have been harboring grudges for a long time and will not let each other go."

"As for Your Majesty... I have already sent someone to do it." Pei Su said softly.

The three brothers gathered together, and their words were full of rebellion and treason. If someone suddenly broke in at this time, I am afraid they could be caught in one fell swoop.

After the chat, Pei Ji laughed out loud for no apparent reason.

The feeling that someone is doing the same thing as him really makes him happy. He walks forward tremblingly, thinking that he has to handle this alone, but he unexpectedly meets them at the end. How can he not be happy?

"I have destroyed the false evidence of their crimes in the previous life. They are now busy fighting among themselves and have no time to care about us. If you are really interested in Miss Gongsun, you must get married as soon as possible." Pei Ji reminded again.

Pei Su didn't politely refuse this time. Instead, he fell silent. He frowned and asked, "Where was the evidence found? And how did you destroy it?"

Good question!

Pei Ding also looked at him seriously.

Pei Ji coughed lightly and said, "I once went into the secret room of my father's study under the pretext of reading a book, but there was nothing inside. When I left, I found that the letter had been burned."

After that, he still did not dare to slack off. He even used the excuse of looting his brothers' belongings to search their respective courtyards, but he did not find any other false accusations.

I knew that the assassin was probably afraid of being discovered, so he just sneaked in and put the letter there, and didn't do anything else.

The letters were burned to ashes, so there was no need to worry.

"Who burned it?" Pei Ding asked.

Another good question.

The three of them looked at each other and thought of the same person at the same time. That was his study, and he was the only one who dared to burn things in there.

Moreover, my father used to care the most about the Majesty's intentions. If there was any disturbance outside, he would clamor to repel the enemy. But in the past year, I have never heard him say that. Even when he learned that the Seventh Prince might be going to marry a foreign prince, he was indifferent.

Pei Xiao had a very boring life recently. With his beloved wife not at home, he didn't even have the energy to read military books. He could only sit idly, humming a few tunes occasionally, and looking back on the first half of his military career!

"father!"

"Ah! You scared me!"

Pei Xiao watched them come in, but was still frightened by their sudden voice.

The three brothers stared at him seriously and solemnly, which made his hair stand on end. He frowned and said, "What are you doing? Don't think that just because your mother is not around, you can do whatever you want!"

"Did you burn the letters hidden in your secret room?" Pei Ji was too lazy to beat around the bush with him. "Old man, stop pretending to roll your eyes. We all know it!"

Pei Xiao: "You unfilial son!"

A similar conversation followed, and by the way, all the information known to everyone was put together and organized. Pei Ji knew that the truth he had found was correct.

In their previous life, it was the Fourth Prince who deliberately framed them, and the Third Prince and Emperor An, who were always keeping an eye on his movements, also knew about this. They knew that they were being wronged, but when the truth was revealed, they directly pinned the blame on them.

All three are enemies.

"Alas." Pei Xiao sighed, "In the final analysis, it's because my family's achievements surpass ours, that's why they have so many complaints."

Pei Ding said calmly: "It's obvious that they are narrow-minded and heartless."

"I never thought that there would be such wonderful and bizarre things in the world. This can be regarded as a reward for my Pei family's loyalty in the previous life. Since the emperor is ruthless, then we will overthrow the court and replace it with one of our own family members!" Pei Xiao said with emotion.

The Ninth Prince is still a child, but as long as he is properly taught by his master, there will be no problem.

No matter how you compare to other people’s sons, they are not as good as your own children.

The four of them took a sip of tea at the same time and sighed in tacit understanding.

These days are really hard, with tigers and leopards in front and jackals and wolves behind.

"grown ups!"

"News has come from the palace that Concubine Rong has given birth prematurely to a prince! It's the twelfth prince!"

Hearing this, the four of them were even more delighted.

Another problem that they were most worried about was also solved naturally.

Soon, Yuan Rong followed in. Pei Ji waved at him, "I already know the news from the palace. I'll get some supplements and gifts from the warehouse and send them over!"

Yuan Rong was shocked, "Who are you sending it to?"

Pei Ji tutted his words, "Of course it's Concubine Rong, haven't you asked for a beating yet?!"

"No, what I want to say is that the Fourth Prince has already sent people to cause trouble, and all the people have been taken to the patrol camp..." Yuan Rong spoke slower and slower, not forgetting to grin and reveal a terrifying smile.

"Tell Yuan Ming that this matter is of great importance and must be reported to His Majesty."

"yes!"

The room was quiet again for a moment.

Pei Ji stood up first and said, "Everyone should do their job."

Pei Ding followed closely behind, and Pei Su was the last to leave.

Pei Xiao laughed as he looked at their broad and tall figures. Those things that were only the size of a palm before had grown into such reliable figures now.

Thinking of what the second brother said to him before he left, the smile on his face became more and more unstoppable, and he immediately burst into laughter.

It's time for new happy events.

Pei Ji hurried back to the yard.

"You've been out for a long time." Seeing him come back, He Zhiliao frowned slightly, with some displeasure on his face.

Pei Ji quickly held his hands, pulled him into his arms and coaxed him gently. At this time, the cheerful mood had not completely passed, and even when he pretended to be aggrieved, there was a hint of joy.

It looks like he is not sincere.

"I'm angry, but you're smiling..." He Zhi pouted and tried to pull his hand out, but he could only pull Pei Ji closer to him.

"Okay, okay, I won't laugh." Pei Ji raised his hand and touched the back of his neck, and found that the little cicada had raised his chin very sensibly, so he kissed him very rudely.

We are becoming more and more familiar with each other.

Pei Ji wiped the water stains from his lips with his thumb and coaxed him with a smile, "Don't be angry with me again. I just went to persuade my second brother, and I think there is no problem now."

"Really?" He Zhiliao's cheeks flushed. That Miss Gongsun was a very nice girl. It would be nice if they could become a family.

"Really." Pei Ji said, "From now on, there will be someone to talk to you at home. If I'm not at home, you won't be bored."

He knew that He Zhiliao was unwilling to make close friends with others, but it didn't matter. As long as they were in high positions, there would be countless people willing to compete to make friends with him.

He Zhiliao nodded with great anticipation. He didn't like making friends, but he liked the family that gradually came around him. They were family members who were hundreds of times better than those of the He family.

Pei Ji smiled and pinched his cheek. A year had passed, and his originally immature face had gradually grown up. Every glance was enough to make him infatuated.

He was shocked to realize that perhaps his love for He Zhiliao in this life was accumulated from his previous life, but his love was piling up every day after his rebirth.

Today, I love him even more than yesterday.

"What's wrong?" He Zhiliao held his cheek and touched it. His bright eyes reflected Pei Ji's shadow. There was no need to be dazed or confused. There was no room for anyone else in his eyes.

"I might have to apologize to you again."

"What's the meaning?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Feng hurried into the house.

"Sir, His Majesty has sent someone to tell you to come to the palace."

Pei Ji raised his chin slightly, and He Zhiliao bit him angrily.

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The author has something to say: I’m getting pregnant soon. [Haha laugh][Haha laugh][Haha laugh]

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