Chapter 820 You actually gave up the military tally?

As Pei Yingzhu spoke, she slowly pushed the military tally in front of Gu Qianhan: "Over the years, my father has secretly raised 30,000 elite soldiers. This is a considerable force, enough to provide strong support for your great cause. You give me a fiefdom and a title, and I'll give you the military tally. Second Young Master, you won't lose out."

Gu Qianhan gave her a cold look: "This is my uncle's military tally, not yours. It's only natural for my uncle to give his military tally to his nephew. What are you, an outsider, doing making a fuss about?"

Pei Yingzhu didn't seem angry at all despite being ridiculed by him.

She seemed so calm that she could remain unmoved even when someone pointed a finger at her and cursed at her: "To the Second Young Master, I am naturally an outsider. After all, I am not actually surnamed Pei. However, to my father, I am a closer relative than the Second Young Master. That is why the military tally was given to me instead of the Second Young Master."

Gu Qianhan's face was somewhat cold: "Uncle has lost his mind."

She neglected her own son but poured her heart and soul into giving military tokens to her stepdaughter. No wonder the mother disliked Pei Yingzhu and her daughter.

Pei Yingzhu suddenly smiled, concealing her sharp edge and revealing a gentle and tender demeanor: "Second Young Master, the Prince is also a man. As a man, he cannot resist the charms of a beautiful woman. My mother is a first-rate beauty."

"You are far away in the capital, so naturally you don't know how meticulously and considerately my mother and I serve the Prince. Even if the Prince has a biological daughter, she can't compare to me, let alone you, his nephew."

"So, the Prince hasn't lost his mind. He has seen all the efforts my mother and I have made, he knows that we are sincere to him, and he knows who will accompany him for the rest of his life. Therefore, he is also sincere to us!"

"Second Young Master, blood ties don't really mean much. After all, you, as his own nephew, haven't shown much filial piety, have you? Without filial piety, you won't get the military seal based solely on cold blood relations!"

Gu Qianhan knew, of course, how much Pei Yingzhu and her mother cared for their uncle, especially Pei Yingzhu's mother, who was very good at creating the illusion of being devoted to him.

Even when her uncle caught a cold and coughed a couple of times, she would stay up all night to take care of him, then kneel before Buddha for three days without eating or drinking, until she herself fainted from hunger and fell ill from the cold.

Then her uncle took over taking care of her, and she even claimed that she had begged Buddha every day to transfer her uncle's illness to her. Buddha saw her sincerity and granted her request.

So her uncle recovered from his cold, but she caught it.

Similar tricks came one after another, moving the uncle to tears and making him completely infatuated with the mother and daughter, to the point that he wished he could give his life for them.

Gu Qianhan didn't know how her older brother had fallen for Pei Yingzhu, but she figured it must have been through similar tricks. That's why her brother, even though he knew their mother didn't like Pei Yingzhu, still went to ask her to agree to his marriage proposal.

However, Gu Qianhan didn't really care whether his uncle and elder brother were deceived by women; he was only concerned about the military tally.

Treason is no small matter. Although he had made ample preparations and was 90% confident of success, in his heart, even 90% confidence was not enough. Otherwise, he would not have asked his uncle for help.

But if he had these 30,000 elite troops, and General Huo and his army had not yet returned to the capital, then he would be almost 100% confident!

Therefore, he must obtain this military tally no matter what, but he cannot show that he really wants it.

He said indifferently, "It's not that I can't give you a fief and a title."

Pei Yingzhu was overjoyed: "You really can give it to me?"

"I can give you one, but the specific title and the size of your fiefdom will depend on how much effort you can put into my important affairs. A military tally alone is not enough."

Pei Yingzhu immediately said, "Please rest assured, Second Young Master, I will definitely do my best. The palace has no suspicion of me at all. I will go into the palace to take the lead for you, and no one will doubt me!"

"You make it sound nice, but do you really think the emperor and the crown prince are fools? Besides, they have guards, advisors, and so on around them. Your frequent appearances around them will easily arouse suspicion."

Others can do it, but I can't.

What makes you different from others?

“The difference is that the emperor himself has become interested in me, and he will take the initiative to contact me.”

Gu Qianhan frowned slightly: "Are you sure? It's good to be confident, but blind confidence is just too foolish!"

He knew far more information than Pei Yingzhu did.

Over the years, the emperor has outwardly appeared to be a diligent and benevolent ruler who loves his people. He rarely visits the harem, at most staying overnight in the empress's palace on the first and fifteenth of each month. On the other nights, he spends his time in his Yangxin Hall and rarely selects concubines.

In reality, he enjoyed playing exciting games. Every time he finished court, he would run to Consort Rou's Yuxiu Palace and deliberately bring Feng Shuo with him.

Even worse, he would sometimes leave the palace to seek thrills from respectable married women, and afterwards he would have Feng Shuo silence them and erase all traces.

What kind of stimulation could Pei Yingzhu bring to the emperor?

It would be more appropriate for Pei Yingzhu's mother to come.

"Second Young Master, you seem to know little about matters of love and romance!"

Pei Yingzhu had a faint smile on her face: "I have been pursued and admired by countless men. I can distinguish between love and desire in a man's eyes, and I can easily detect a man's interest and possessiveness."

"Believe me, I'm not mistaken. The emperor is indeed interested in me, but I'm not quite sure why. Perhaps if I go to the palace a few more times, I'll find out the reason."

Gu Qianhan nodded: "Okay, tomorrow you will continue to go to the palace with A Ning and observe for two more days. I will decide what to do after I am sure you really have the ability. Take the military tally back first."

For the first time, Pei Yingzhu's usually confident face showed surprise: "Second Young Master, you... you're actually willing to give up the military tally?"

"These 30,000 troops are more of a bonus than a lifeline. Whether we take them or not will not have a significant impact on the overall situation."

Gu Qianhan stopped calling him "uncle": "Besides, Pei Xiping is mentally unstable and extremely muddle-headed. Who knows if his private soldiers are even usable? What if they're all useless like him, only causing trouble? Wouldn't that ruin my important plans?"

Pei Yingzhu hurriedly said, "Of course Father's troops are capable, and very strong! How can you say they are all useless? You don't know how much effort and money Father has put into raising them! Those 30,000 elite soldiers will only provide you with assistance, not cause you any trouble!"

"Then let's wait until I've met those soldiers before we talk."

Pei Yingzhu opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything more.

She reluctantly took the military tally back, sighing inwardly.

It seems my mother was wrong; not all men in this world fall for their ways.

There are also men who are completely unmoved by her.