Chapter 36 Chapter 36 I will leave the palace after Your Majesty chooses a concubine (Edited and added...
Qiao Tang didn't see Pei Chengjue in the bedroom. Seeing that it was not time for court yet, he couldn't help but feel puzzled and walked out to ask the palace guard on duty.
The night watchman said, "At about midnight, the inspector requested an audience with Your Majesty in the main hall, and Your Majesty then went to the main hall."
Qiao Tang had heard of the Censors, who were filled with ruthless and merciless spies. Along with Xue Zhang from the Ministry of Justice, they were always hated by court officials.
The inspector asked to see him late at night, so there must be something important. Qiao Tang thought about it, and somehow, the palpitations left over from the nightmare resurfaced.
Her heart felt heavy, and she pressed her fluttering eyelids with her fingertips. Unable to fall asleep anymore, she simply sat under the window waiting for Pei Chengjue.
He sat there until the morning, which was already time for court, but Pei Chengjue still hadn't returned. He felt even more uneasy, so he changed his clothes and left the bedroom.
As soon as she came out, it was still dark and the cold wind penetrated her bones, making her shiver slightly. She walked quickly towards the main hall.
The cold moon cast fragmented light, and the lantern was swayed by the wind, casting shadows and illuminating her running figure.
Suddenly she heard footsteps and thought it was Pei Chengjue coming back. She stopped for a moment, stood at the beam, and looked towards the end of the corridor.
In the residual light, Pei Chengjue was seen walking slowly towards him. His tall figure was covered in a black and gold robe. The cold wind blew into the corners of his robe, making a rustling sound.
He was completely unaware and continued walking forward. The collar of his usually neat shirt was now disheveled and his untied black hair was scattered freely around his neck. He looked more casual and uninhibited than ever before.
But his handsome face was emotionless and expressionless, his thin lips were tense under his straight nose, and his pair of cold, deep eyes were filled with sinister intent. His gaze drooped towards the road ahead, and when it touched Qiao Tang beside the beam, his steps suddenly stopped.
Qiao Tang was extremely shocked. What happened in the court that made Pei Chengjue lose the dignity and majesty of an emperor and behave like this?
Before she could think about it, she saw Pei Chengjue hesitate to move. She lifted her skirt and trotted over. When she reached Pei Chengjue, she raised her neck and asked, "I heard that the inspector has arrived. Is there something important happening in the court?"
The fragmented moonlight scattered in her eyes, revealing a clearness without any pretense. Her cheeks were blown by the cold wind, and the jade-white color mixed with a little pink was like the delicate petals of a lotus, so beautiful that Pei Chengjue was moved.
Pei Chengjue looked for a long while, then shifted his gaze to the dark sky. His Adam's apple rolled, and his voice, which had been silent for a long time, was hoarse and unpleasant. "Something serious has happened."
"Is it serious?"
Pei Chengjue's eyes trembled, and he couldn't help but look back, landing on the face that he fell in love with at first sight. "It's very serious."
Qiao Tang bit her lips, her eyes flickering as she looked at him in silence, as if she was worried. What should she do?
"But I will fix it."
Pei Chengjue suddenly opened his thin lips, slowly forced a smile with ambiguous meaning, raised his sleeve to stroke her hair, and the remaining paper ashes on his fingertips touched it.
Pei Chengjue's face darkened. He leaned over to blow away the paper ash for her, then changed his arm, put his arm around her waist, and lifted her up with one arm. "Noble Concubine Hui, go to bed."
Qiao Tang only felt that his embrace was very cold, so cold that she shivered. She did not notice the abnormality in his address and thought that he was just caught in the cold wind.
When they arrived at the bedroom, Pei Chengjue put her down and watched her enter the bedroom. He was helped by the palace maids to change into the emperor's court robes and went to Fengtian Hall.
The ministers in the Fengtian Hall finally waited for Pei Chengjue to arrive. Several faces showed confusion and worry. The emperor was late again.
This was the second time in a while. Pei Chengjue had never done this before. Sometimes he even came earlier than the court officials, and—
The court officials looked at Pei Chengjue, including the cabinet minister at the front and the Duke of Zhenguo who had just returned to Beijing, and waves of fear surged in their hearts.
But Pei Chengjue was seen sitting high on the dragon throne, still in the emperor's court dress, his expression no longer proper, but emotionless and without emotion. His eyes swept silently across the steps below without saying a word.
His silence was another form of extreme pressure, making it impossible for the court officials to guess what his emotions were. The court officials were unable to move, and suddenly a realization flashed through their minds: this young emperor had changed!
He was no longer the young man who had just ascended the throne. At that time, he sat on the dragon throne in an orderly manner, with bright eyes and a curious gaze as he scanned the ministers below the steps one by one, which made the ministers feel protective of him.
But three years later, even at his nineteen-year-old birthday party, he was still so ignorant of the immensity of the world, and with the purest of thoughts, he confessed his feelings for Concubine Hui so frankly to them.
They were so shocked that night, lamenting that His Majesty was still young, but they were also moved by His Majesty's sincerity.
But after a while, his temperament changed drastically. He became moody and increasingly silent, with a violent look in his eyes, which made the court officials worried.
But today the world is peaceful and the court affairs are stable, which is not enough to make Your Majesty worry so much. So why is it?
It was just a court meeting. Pei Chengjue walked down the stairs slowly. The cabinet ministers glanced at the Duke of Zhenguo secretly. The Duke of Zhenguo glanced and followed Pei Chengjue.
Pei Chengjue didn't turn around, "Uncle, is there something wrong?"
The Duke of Zhenguo glanced at his steps and said worriedly, "I heard that Your Majesty's foot injury has healed, but you still need to be careful. Why not summon the imperial physician to take a look?" Pei Chengjue did not comment.
The Duke of Zhenguo then ordered the palace maid to summon the imperial physician. When the two returned to the Qinzheng Palace, the imperial physician also arrived. He examined Pei Chengjue's foot injury and said with his head down, "Your Majesty's foot injury has healed."
The Duke of Zhenguo was puzzled. Pei Chengjue's foot injury had clearly affected his walking. He asked, "Can you see clearly?"
The imperial physician hesitated and asked, "Your Majesty, do you feel any pain in your ankle?"
Pei Chengjue sat in an armchair, his eyes looking at him gravely, "Step back."
The imperial physician hurriedly withdrew. The Duke of Zhenguo was about to speak, but Pei Chengjue glanced at him with a cold look in his eyes. "Uncle, if you are alright, please return home and rest."
The Duke of Zhenguo had always been respected and close to him, and had never seen such a look from him. He was shocked for a moment and immediately bowed and took his leave.
He left the palace gate and walked down the stairs. His bright eyes showed confusion, but in a moment, the confusion turned into fear. He turned around and headed straight for the Cining Palace.
Back at Taiji Palace, Qiao Tang felt something was wrong the moment he woke up. The palace servants were too quiet today, moving on tiptoe, holding their breath, as if they didn't need to breathe.
Nanny Wang was much quieter. After helping her wash up, she whispered, "Something big must have happened in the court last night that made His Majesty angry. There are still people kneeling in the hall now."
Upon hearing this, Qiao Tang went to the main hall, but saw that the palace maid who had been kneeling last night had not yet stood up. Her winter clothes were soaked with cold sweat, and the ground was wet. Cheng Su's men had disappeared, leaving only a pool of blood.
Qiao Tang was shocked when he saw the blood. Seeing that the palace maids were pale as paper, he ordered them to stand up and asked someone to clean up the bloodstains. He looked at the sky outside the palace with concern. What happened in the court that made Pei Chengjue so angry?
Qiao Tang had an uneasy breakfast when Princess Jingyi sent someone to invite her to Wenhua Palace. She remembered what she had agreed with Pei Chengjue yesterday, that she would ask Princess Jingyi, so she left Taiji Palace.
Before she could walk for a while, Princess Jingyi came from the opposite direction. She wanted to bow to her when she saw her, but she helped her up.
The two stood together and whispered. Qiao Tang didn't want to hide anything and told her frankly, "His Majesty knows that your princess is fond of Wei Bianxiu and wants to grant her a marriage with him. What do you think?"
Princess Jingyi was delighted at first, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, but then her eyes darkened and she pursed her lips nervously. After a moment's hesitation, she finally said, "Editor Wei seems to have never looked at me during the time he was discussing books with me."
Qiao Tang frowned. These two hadn't made any progress lately. Seeing that Princess Jingyi was so worried that she was almost biting her lip, she patted her head soothingly, "Why don't you ask him in person? It won't be a long time before this is delayed."
County Lord Jingyi opened her mouth. How could she ask this? But if she didn't ask, she would have to wait anxiously like this. She didn't want to do that either, so she gritted her teeth and agreed, "Sister Hui, come with me."
Qiao Tang agreed, and the two of them went to Wenhua Palace together. Princess Jingyi ordered the palace servants to stand far away, leaving the entire palace in silence, and then she took Qiao Tang's hand and went in.
Wei Qingyan had already arrived, wearing his usual green official robes, holding a scroll in his hands. He stood beside the long desk on the steps. He looked up at the voice, his face still cold, "Your Highness..."
The customary greeting paused when his eyes met Qiao Tang's, and he quickly returned to his indifference, "Greetings to the Imperial Concubine, and to the Princess."
"Editor Wei, there's no need to be so polite." Qiao Tang gestured for him to straighten up and pushed Princess Jingyi forward. "Princess, you've listened to Editor Wei's lecture for a while and are deeply impressed."
One hand gently patted Princess Jingyi's shoulder, indicating that Princess Jingyi could speak, but Princess Jingyi lowered her neck, her ears turned red, and she nervously clenched the handkerchief in her hand.
Wei Qingyan seemed to understand what was going to happen next, but he didn't care at all and glanced at Qiao Tang.
He hadn't seen Qiao Tang for a while, and his eyes were filled with emotion for a moment, but fortunately, considering the occasion, he looked away in time.
Qiao Tang was completely unaware and lowered his head, saying, "Princess Jingyi, there's no need to be afraid. Just ask."
Princess Jingyi suddenly raised her red cheeks and said, "Sister Hui, please ask for me." Then she lowered her head and ran out!
Qiao Tang was stunned and wanted to take a step forward to chase after her, but Princess Jingyi disappeared in the blink of an eye. She had no choice but to turn around and look at Wei Qingyan. "Princess Jingyi is gentle and shy, so I will ask on her behalf."
Wei Qingyan was finally able to look her in the eye and shook his head gently, "I know exactly what Princess Jingyi wants to ask. Please don't ask her that, Your Majesty."
Qiao Tang was stunned for a moment.
Outside the palace, the sunlight was warm and melted the winter snow, and snow water dripped from the palace eaves, falling down with a sound of dripping.
But seeing Wei Qingyan at the steps, he was like melting winter snow, all the coldness disappeared, and a faint smile bloomed on his lips, exactly the same as the smile he gave to Qiao Tang in Jizhou.
"I have no intention of hurting Princess Jingyi. Even if I did what Princess Jingyi wanted, it would hurt her. Please help me explain the reasons to Your Majesty and don't wrong Princess Jingyi."
Qiao Tang opened his mouth, his voice choking in his throat. He sighed softly, his indifference gone, his voice softening, "I only have my first wife in my heart, and I will never marry another in this lifetime."
The smile on his lips did not fade, and he was always looking at Qiao Tang. After a long while, the smile still did not disappear.
In previous years, this was the scene that Qiao Tang had always hoped for.
At that time, she went to the temple to burn incense and asked Wei Qingyan to smile at the Buddha.
Wei Qingyan always disappointed her. After three years of marriage, he had probably not smiled as long as he did now.
Ridiculous, this is nothing. Qiao Tang felt a sense of absurdity in his heart, and lost his composure for a moment. He raised his sleeve to pick up the book on the long table and threw it over!
She read one book after another, hoping that the books could make Wei Qingyan return to his cold attitude and make that smile disappear in front of her eyes!
Across from them was a long table, Wei Qingyan endured it and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, please vent your anger."
All the books on the long desk were thrown over, and without the books blocking their view, the two of them could see each other clearly.
They have been married for three years, but their familiar faces have not changed much even after more than a year.
Qiao Tang no longer wondered why he had been so cold to her during those three years in Jizhou, and why he had never been gentle to her.
But in the current situation, the two of them seemed to be separated by a huge chasm. He suddenly changed and was willing to give her what she longed for at that time.
Coming late and out of place.
But she was no longer moved by these things. She glared at Wei Qingyan fiercely, trying to make him know her identity and be more normal.
Wei Qingyan laughed, "The way your Majesty glares at people is still the same as before."
He thought of the slap from the Duke's wife. It was not because of that slap that he repented and realized that he was not good to Tangtang. It was that slap that made him realize that some things should be said in time.
Even though it's inappropriate, it's time to say it.
He then slowly said, "I have never had great ambitions. I have been forced to study since I was young. No matter how well I studied, I never thought of becoming the top scholar in the imperial examination."
"My wife knows my difficulties and has never asked me to be ambitious or to take the imperial examination. I want to live like this with my wife forever."
"Later, I thought my wife had abandoned me, so she divorced me. I didn't know how to keep her, and that led to a big mistake."
Wei Qingyan remembered the stubborn eyes of Qiao Tang when she insisted on divorcing him. He couldn't resist Qiao Tang and agreed.
Qiao Tang wiped away her tears and threw the divorce papers at him, "Go to the government office and get it done yourself!" Then she left the Wen Mansion and never came back.
He went to the yamen by himself, holding the divorce papers, and passed by a teahouse. He saw Qiao Tang chatting with others, smiling brightly and charmingly.
He thought to himself, Tangtang is so happy after leaving me.
"A few days later, the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion found me. My mother was angry at the Wen family's abuse of me. She felt sorry for me and wanted to make the Wen family extinct. I agreed and pretended to fall off a cliff to die."
From then on, Wen Jing disappeared from the world. Qiao Tang didn't know the reason and searched for him under the cliff for many days. After Wei Qingyan found out, he felt regret every time he thought of him.
"I have made many mistakes, which led me to this situation."
But--
The number one scholar who rides a horse and parades through the streets, the second son of the Duke of Zhenguo’s mansion, and the talented editor Wei, none of them is what Wei Qingyan wants.
The Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion was unaware of this. They always told Wei Qingyan not to lose his composure, not to be impatient, and to take things slowly.
Wei Qingyan wanted to say that he was just Wen Jing, who was raised harshly by a merchant in the remote Jizhou, and not a young master from a prominent family in the capital who was measured, calm and self-possessed.
His coldness and indifference made the court mistakenly believe that he was dignified and calm. In fact, this was just his bad temper. What he wanted to do was just -
Wei Qingyan looked at Qiao Tang. In the past, he could kiss her profile just by turning his head while lying in bed, but now there is an insurmountable chasm between them. How despairing.
But he slowly smiled and said, "Maybe one day, I can go back to Jizhou with my wife."
Go back to Jizhou...
Qiao Tang chewed over these words in his mind. It turned out that he was still expecting something that was no longer possible.
However, Princess Jingyi suppressed her shyness and walked out of Wenhua Palace. She walked all the way with the palace maids, stood by the roadside, nervously twisting her handkerchief and waiting.
Unexpectedly, she waited for Eunuch Li. She saw Eunuch Li coming over anxiously and was puzzled when she heard Eunuch Li say, "His Majesty wants to see the princess. Please accompany me."
Princess Jingyi had no choice but to go. She originally thought she was going to the Qinzheng Palace, but after walking for a while, she met Pei Chengjue halfway.
She took a glance and her heart shuddered. She felt that this cousin was different from usual. He was sinister and his voice was cold.
"Have you thought clearly about the matter between you and Wei Qingyan?"
Princess Jingyi bit her lip. She was hesitating and didn't know how to answer. Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of Pei Chengjue stroking a small portrait with his fingers under his sleeve. Judging from the appearance, it should be Sister Hui.
If she brought up Sister Hui, her cousin might not push her so hard. She then said, "The Imperial Concubine is asking Editor Wei for his opinion. I want to wait a little longer and hear his answer. I beg Your Majesty..."
"Noble Concubine Hui is in Wenhua Palace?"
Pei Chengjue cut her off in a deep voice, and she nodded involuntarily. Pei Chengjue's brows furrowed suddenly, and he left her and went to Wenhua Palace.
In Wenhua Hall, snow water drips from the eaves incessantly.
Qiao Tang lowered his brows and watched Wei Qingyan bend down to pick up the books that fell on the ground, without saying a word.
Wei Qingyan stood up, holding the books and approaching the long desk, and placed the books on the desk one by one.
The two of them got closer.
Wei Qingyan looked at her red eyes and trembling eyelashes, and quickly lowered his eyes. "I have just said so much. Your Majesty, do you still want to persuade me to accept the marriage with Princess Jingyi?"
Qiao Tang shook his head. If this marriage went through, the person who would be hurt the most would be Princess Jingyi.
She looked at the scrolls on the long table, thinking about the reasons why Princess Jingyi liked Wei Qingyan, and felt sad. If the girl knew that the reason she loved Wei Qingyan was the thing that Wei Qingyan hated, she wondered how she would feel.
"I will persuade Your Majesty to give up this arranged marriage."
Wei Qingyan straightened the scroll, curled the corners of his lips and smiled slightly.
The smile was too close, and Qiao Tang was stunned. She thought, it turns out that even Wei Qingyan could change, could smile so beautifully, and could talk so much.
If he was like this three years ago, and she got what she wanted since she got married, would she still divorce him?
I will never again have to endure the complaints and sadness that I endured alone every night, or the regret of finally learning that he had fallen off a cliff and died.
It's all a coincidence, fate plays tricks on us.
She shook her head and laughed. Forget it, why think about these things?
For a moment, their eyes met. Wei Qingyan stared deeply into her smile and blurted out, "Tangtang is laughing at me?"
Qiao Tang laughed and said, "If Editor Wei had been like this back then..."
When Wei Qingyan heard this, his eyes trembled and the corners of his lips quivered. What had he missed? He had already experienced all those sleepless nights.
Hearing Qiao Tang's words, he felt even more regretful, his eyes filled with pain, "I know Tang Tang still blames me..."
Seeing this, Qiao Tang shook her head to stop him from saying the next word. All her resentment and sadness towards Wei Qingyan had disappeared completely.
Qiao Tang, now relieved, probably wanted to ease Wei Qingyan's resentment and comfort him so that he could let go of the past. "Just now you said you wanted to take me back to Jizhou. If Your Majesty can choose a concubine, I will leave the palace—"
"Maybe I can go back to Jizhou with you."
She also planned that after leaving the palace, she would take Nanny Wang and the servants back to Jizhou.
It would be fine to go back with Wei Qingyan, but unfortunately, the two of them will no longer be husband and wife.
When the Duke's wife came to her, she agreed to her request. It was only because after three years of marriage, she no longer had any love for Wei Qingyan, and she couldn't bear to see Wei Qingyan get into trouble because of her.
If both of them could leave Beijing safely and return to Jizhou together, it would be a good outcome.
However, before she could explain it more clearly, Wei Qingyan misunderstood her and said happily, "Then I'll wait for Tangtang."
He would wait for this day for the rest of his life.
What made him even happier was, "It seems that Tangtang really doesn't like Your Majesty."
He suddenly mentioned Pei Chengjue, causing Qiao Tang's smile to disappear.
The first thing that flashed through Qiao Tang's mind was Pei Chengjue's repeated calls of "sister," the way he'd said "I love you, sister" when he kissed her hairpin on the bridge, and the sincerity of Pei Chengjue's confession of love at the birthday party...
Finally, there was the scene where the two of them met on the street. She opened her mouth, her voice hoarse, "If it weren't for His Majesty wanting me to enter the palace..."
She would not have had these experiences, nor would she have been caught in such a dilemma. She did have some complaints against Pei Chengjue.
However, for Wei Qingyan's situation, she agreed to the request of the Duke's wife, accepted the Queen Mother's request for her to leave the palace, and abandoned Pei Chengjue.
She also felt that she had been too mean to Pei Chengjue.
She was still lost in thought, and Wei Qingyan looked at her deeply across the long table.
Neither of them noticed that there was a figure standing outside the window, and the eyes looking over were red, cold and sinister.
Wei Qingyan couldn't control his emotions and raised his sleeves over the long table, which made Qiao Tang come to his senses suddenly and take a step back.
After regaining consciousness, she seemed to have sensed something and glanced out the window, but seeing that there was no one outside, she looked away.
Seeing Wei Qingyan's joyful expression, he realized that he had spoken out of turn. "Wei Qingyan, if you can let go of the past, we might still be able to meet again and have the chance to return to Jizhou together."
She didn't want Wei Qingyan to continue being stubborn. "If you can't do it, after your affairs with Princess Jingyi are over, you don't have to come to the palace anymore. There's no need for us to meet again!"
Wei Qingyan's joy vanished in an instant, and the emotions that had been stirred by the misunderstanding froze in his heart. He slowly took a step back, bowed with lowered eyebrows, and said, "Your Majesty understands. I will abide by my duty."
"The lecture is over now. Editor Wei, please return!"
Qiao Tang watched Wei Qingyan leave, then glanced at the window again, lost in thought. Not long after, Princess Jingyi came in and called softly, "Sister Hui."
Qiao Tang looked at her anxious expression and couldn't bear it, so he hesitated and didn't speak.
Princess Jingyi waited for a moment, as if she had anticipated the outcome. She stroked the books with her hand and said, "Don't worry, Sister Hui. I understand."
She was stunned for a long time, then suddenly smiled and buried this admiration deep in her heart.
"Editor Wei really hasn't even glanced at me. Perhaps... not marrying him isn't such a bad thing."
Even so, she still shed tears. Qiao Tang walked over and gently wiped away her tears. "It's good that you think this way, but life is long. Who knows what will happen in the future!"
Princess Jingyi stopped crying and hugged her.
Wei Qingyan left the Wenhua Palace and headed towards the palace gate. As he neared the gate, he suddenly heard a cold voice behind him, "Editor Wei, please stay."
He turned around and saw Xue Zhang from the Ministry of Justice approaching him. His brows were solemn, without a trace of warmth. "His Majesty wishes to see you."
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