Chapter 65 Chapter 65 is his sister and his wife, his only...
Late spring has passed and the weather is getting hotter.
Qiao Tang is already pregnant, with a slightly bulging belly. Pei Chengjue is concerned that she is afraid of the heat, so he wants to take her to the palace to escape the summer heat.
The night before departure, Qiao Tang heard Nanny Wang whisper a few words. He frowned in confusion, but suddenly it seemed reasonable.
Since she returned to the palace, she had never seen the Queen Mother except on her wedding day.
It wasn't that she didn't know etiquette and didn't want to go to the Cining Palace to pay her respects. It was because Pei Chengjue had repeatedly said, "Sister, please don't disturb our mother while she's worshipping Buddha."
She had no choice but to give up every time.
When she didn't go, there was no movement in the Cining Palace, and the two sides stopped interacting with each other. As time went on, the palace servants began to spread rumors, "The Taiji Palace and the Cining Palace are not on good terms."
She felt wronged after hearing this. She had no dissatisfaction with the Queen Mother. Perhaps it was because the Queen Mother disliked her so much that she allowed such words to be spread in the palace.
But since the Queen Mother didn't care, she didn't need to worry about it. She smiled and said to Nanny Wang, "That's fine. Let's just leave it at that."
Nanny Wang agreed with a smile, but her heart sank slightly. Her daughter was pregnant and shouldn't have to work hard, but since she was the queen and held the phoenix seal, she always had the power to control the harem.
Unfortunately, her girl doesn't care at the moment. All palace affairs are decided by the Cining Palace. Now that such rumors have come out, I don't know what the situation will be in the future.
She was still worried. Qiao Tangduo glanced at her and smiled, telling her not to worry. She forced a smile.
The next day, a palace maid suddenly came to report that the Empress Dowager was coming to Taiji Palace and was about to reach the palace gate.
Qiao Tang was surprised when he heard this. After thinking for a moment, he stood up and took Nanny Wang to the palace gate.
When Qiao Tang reached the palace gate, he climbed the steps. Before he could leave, he heard Pei Chengjue ask in a deep voice, "Why are you here, mother?"
Then the Queen Mother's slightly annoyed voice came, "Your Majesty, there is no need to ask me this question. I would like to ask Your Majesty, did Your Majesty and the Queen say that I was worshiping Buddha and preventing the Queen from seeing me?"
Qiao Tang couldn't help but nod behind the palace door. Pei Chengjue did say so. Could there be some hidden secret?
She listened attentively, and Pei Chengjue was very frank, "The Queen Mother was indeed worshipping Buddha, and I did not deceive the Queen."
The Queen Mother seemed to laugh out loud in anger. "Your Majesty is not deceiving, but you are used to misleading the Queen, making her think that I don't like her interrupting me, so that the Queen doesn't have to see me."
Qiao Tang was surprised that Pei Chengjue was preventing her from seeing the Queen Mother. Suddenly, her brows furrowed, revealing confusion. Why was Pei Chengjue like this?
The Queen Mother's voice sounded weak, "Your Majesty, rest assured. Since the Queen is pregnant with the heir, I will treat her well for the sake of the heir and will not let her suffer any more grievances."
"I will never discuss anything with the Queen behind His Majesty's back again."
When Qiao Tang heard this, he suddenly understood. His heart felt as if it was being pinched, and he felt a tingling pain.
It turned out that Pei Chengjue was afraid that she would meet with the Queen Mother and then discuss leaving the palace behind his back, so he was on guard against both sides, making both sides think that they disliked each other.
If the Queen Mother had not heard the rumors in the palace and asked Aunt Sulan to investigate privately and ponder it all night, she really would not have thought that Pei Chengjue would do such an extremely childish thing.
Qiao Tang felt a pang of pain in his heart, yet also found it amusing. Suddenly, Pei Chengjue said, "Queen Mother has said so much simply because she wants to see the Empress and the Crown Prince."
There was a moment of silence outside the door, and then the Queen Mother smiled and said, "Since Your Majesty knows, I will not say much. I will only say one thing."
"Once the Empress has given birth and is no longer suffering from the pain of pregnancy and can manage the harem, I can then worship Buddha with peace of mind."
"Is Your Majesty satisfied with what I have done?"
Pei Chengjue's laughter was soon heard, "Your Majesty, what you said is absolutely right. Please come in, Your Majesty."
Before Qiao Tang could react, Nanny Wang beside him was surprised and delighted.
The Queen Mother clearly intended to hand over the power of ruling the harem to her daughter. No wonder her daughter told her not to worry. It turned out that His Majesty had planned everything for her.
Seeing Pei Chengjue and the Queen Mother about to enter, Qiao Tang took a few steps back and pretended to come in to meet Pei Chengjue face to face.
Pei Chengjue's eyes lit up, and he helped Qiao Tang, who was about to bow to the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother smiled benevolently, "The Queen is pregnant, so there are many inconveniences. You don't need to bow when you see me in the future."
The three of them went to the main hall. The empress dowager's smile became even more pronounced, and her words showed her concern for Qiao Tang and the royal heir. Qiao Tang responded with a smile.
At first glance, the two seemed to be getting along quite well. However, Pei Chengjue curled his lips and gave the Queen Mother a sarcastic smile, "It seems that your worship of Buddha has been very effective, and your benevolence has only grown stronger."
The empress dowager's smile froze, but considering Qiao Tang was there, she refused to refute him.
Qiao Tang also stopped smiling and said in a low voice, "How can Your Majesty speak to the Queen Mother like this?" Upon hearing this, Pei Chengjue pursed his thin lips, turned his face to the side, and calmed down.
The Queen Mother's eyes suddenly lit up. Yes, that's it. Control him, tell him to curb his lawlessness and be a wise ruler!
The Queen Mother smiled even more happily, and her tone became softer and softer. Qiao Tang could no longer bear it and hurriedly ended the meeting.
After the Queen Mother left, Pei Chengjue still sat there motionless, sipping his tea with his eyes downcast. Qiao Tang sat over and hooked his sleeve with her finger, "Your Majesty, please don't be angry."
"I know that His Majesty is venting his anger on me in order to make Mother pay more attention to me." She quickly figured out the reason for Pei Chengjue's displeasure, and whispered, entwining her fingers with the sleeve, "My Mother never made things difficult for me before, and I have no complaints against her."
Pei Chengjue glanced over and said with a half-smile, "That's true. After all, the Queen was determined to leave the palace at that time. How could it be said to be difficult?"
"This is called helping the Queen. The Queen might even be grateful."
He shook his sleeves, shook off Qiao Tang's fingers, put down his teacup, stood up and left the hall.
He quickly walked to the corridor and looked back. There was no one behind him. Qiao Tang had not followed him at all. The corners of his lips tightened with regret.
Why get so angry about this!
He cursed himself inwardly and turned back without hesitation. As soon as he turned the corner of the corridor, a familiar fragrance floated into his nose.
He had an idea and just as joy surged in his heart, a delicate body bumped into his arms. He immediately smiled and hugged her tightly.
"Your Majesty, please stop being angry."
Qiao Tang raised her neck in his arms, and Haitang's charming smile made him breathless and he could only shake his head.
Qiao Tang didn't notice it yet, so she stepped out of his arms, took his hand and walked together. Suddenly, she remembered that the Queen Mother wanted her to take charge of the harem, and she was in a dilemma, so she discussed it with Pei Chengjue.
"I'm not very good at this."
She pursed her lips. During the three years she and Wei Qingyan were married, Wei Qingyan was the one who managed most of the affairs. Their home was quiet and there were not many servants. How could it compare to the affairs of the entire palace?
"Why not leave it to Mother?"
She was not greedy for power, and her eyes were clear when she looked at Pei Chengjue. Pei Chengjue stared at her and shook his head firmly.
This was the only reason Pei Chengjue couldn't agree with her.
From the very beginning, Pei Chengjue wanted her to be more than a hollow queen who was only favored. He wanted Qiao Tang to have relatives and close ministers in the court, as well as real power in the harem.
Only in this way, several years later, in addition to Pei Chengjue's love, Qiao Tang will still have the power to protect himself.
Pei Chengjue said softly, "Sister is my wife."
His plea was filled with determination. "I'll manage government affairs in the court, and my sister will manage the harem. We can be one as husband and wife, okay?"
Qiao Tang immediately understood the key point. He felt as if an electric current had passed through his body and his heart went soft. He was about to nod, but suddenly he came to his senses and reached out to cover Pei Chengjue's mouth.
Pei Chengjue raised his eyebrows, grabbed the snow-white wrist with his hand, forced her to retreat step by step into the bedroom, and pressed her against the door.
"Besides, Mother will grow old, and Sister will have to manage the harem one day. When our children grow up, Sister, as the Queen Mother, will have to teach them how to handle these palace affairs..."
The remaining words were muffled by Qiao Tang's palm. Qiao Tang turned his head to avoid his burning gaze and reluctantly refuted him, "My Queen Mother never said she would teach me!"
Pei Chengjue's eyes curved slightly, signaling Qiao Tang to let go. Qiao Tang refused, so he had no choice but to stick out his tongue, grind the water marks on his palm, and then lick them one by one.
Qiao Tang's cheeks flushed red. After all, she couldn't beat him, so she let go and went into the palace. Pei Chengjue smiled and said, "If the Queen Mother won't teach you, I will!"
Qiao Tang felt a burning sensation all over her body, causing a thin layer of sweat to appear on her forehead. She could only blame the hot weather and moved to the temporary palace with Pei Chengjue that day.
The palace was cool and had many benefits for her.
Pei Chengjue summoned Cheng Ying and many doctors to attend him, and also summoned Princess Jingyi, Wei Ruomei and her cousins to stay with him, and talk with Qiao Tang to relieve his boredom.
But in the end, Qiao Tang still spent the most time with him.
During the day, in addition to handling government affairs, he taught Qiao Tang how to handle harem affairs, explaining every detail one by one.
"Do you understand, sister?"
The extremely handsome face suddenly approached, making Qiao Tang's mind dazzled and her heartbeat accelerated. She opened her lips, her voice trembling, "No, don't call me sister!"
Pei Chengjue is not a younger brother at all.
He was so tall and strong that he could easily lift her up with one arm and hold her in his arms.
When discussing state affairs with court officials, even though he exerted immense pressure on them, making them tremble with fear, they no longer acted recklessly and became more mature and decisive than before.
When he was teaching her about palace affairs, he seemed like a different person. He hugged her tightly, spoke softly and patiently, just like an ordinary husband teaching his wife.
Compared to him, Qiao Tang was in a panic, and she no longer looked like the calm and elegant sister she had been in front of Princess Jingyi and other sisters.
She then realized that she was no longer Pei Chengjue's sister.
Pei Chengjue lowered his eyebrows, his eyes swept across her rosy cheeks, a thin layer of sweat on his forehead. He pursed his lips and said nothing, exerting slight force under his palm.
She has always been his sister, but she is also his wife, his only woman.
At night, thunder rumbled and raindrops hit the windows, and the sound of the rain covered up the noise in the bedroom.
The palace lanterns hanging in the hall were as bright as daylight. Qiao Tang stretched out a hand and opened the gauze curtain.
The scene on the bed was clearly visible. Pei Chengjue took out the box that Cheng Ying had prepared last year, which he had brought with him. He opened it and took a look, then curled his lips and smiled.
"Doctor Cheng said that Tangtang's pregnancy is stable and the pregnancy is going well. She just needs to move around more."
After a while.
There was a loud bang of thunder, and Qiao Tang shrank back. Pei Chengjue frowned and picked her up and got out of bed.
Walking to the mirror, the smooth mirror reflected the two of them. Pei Chengjue's eyes darkened and he grabbed Qiao Tang's hand and touched his abdomen.
Qiao Tang stroked her slightly bulging belly, her closed eyelids trembling slightly as she heard Pei Chengjue chuckle, "Sister, look at our child."
Qiao Tang was forced to open his eyes, his gaze quickly swept across, and then he closed them tightly again in the sound of wind and rain.
The summer rain did not stop the next day. The rain became lighter, but it got heavier again in the evening.
Qiao Tang glanced at the raindrops outside the palace when he suddenly saw Nanny Wang hurried in. He was surprised, "What's wrong?"
"Miss, the prince of Xiangwang Mansion accidentally killed someone last night!"
Qiao Tang was startled. Nanny Wang continued, "This prince is quite a jerk. He insisted on getting into a fight and even beat someone to death. The incident became such a big deal that someone reported it to the authorities. But Lord Xue from the Ministry of Justice showed no mercy and had the prince thrown into jail."
"Prince Xiang is kneeling before the palace gate, begging Your Majesty for mercy. This puts Your Majesty in a difficult position. If Your Majesty, considering the blood relationship, does not show mercy openly, but secretly tries to spare the prince's life..."
"No, Your Majesty cannot do this!"
Qiao Tang knew very well that since Pei Chengjue came to the throne, the laws had been revised to be quite strict and there was no room for leniency. Pei Ze, who had fought with others and caused death, should be strangled.
What's more, if the matter gets out of hand, it will probably spread throughout the capital. Pei Chengjue is the emperor and he will definitely not disregard the law for personal reasons.
"Let's go see His Majesty."
Qiao Tang hurried out of the hall. The palace maid caught up with her and held an umbrella for her. The group hurried along in the bleak wind and rain.
When they arrived in front of the Qinzheng Hall, Qiao Tang looked up and saw a stream of blood flowing down the steps, which was shocking.
Prince Xiang knelt in front of the palace gate, banging his head, his forehead bleeding profusely. Beside him knelt Princess Jingyi, her frail body trembling, the hem of her skirt stained red with blood.
Qiao Tang glanced at them quickly, stepped through the blood, and came to the front of the hall. He suddenly pushed open the tightly closed door from the inside.
Xue Zhang emerged from the palace with an expressionless face. He walked up to Prince Xiang and said in a cold voice, "Accept the imperial decree from His Majesty. Strangle Pei Ze to death."
"impossible!"
Prince Xiang jumped up frantically, shaking his body and trying to grab the imperial edict, but he retreated to avoid it. "Your Majesty has said that the Ministry of Justice must return as soon as it receives the imperial edict. Please make way, Prince Xiang!"
Prince Xiang's eyes were bloodshot, he grabbed the sleeve of the Minister of Justice tightly and shook his head in disbelief.
"He is not such a heartless person. He promised the late emperor to take good care of me!"
When Qiao Tang suddenly heard the words "heartless and ungrateful", a sharp pain arose in his heart.
I still remember last year, when she resented Pei Chengjue for implicating Wei Qingyan and said he was heartless and ungrateful, and his eyes suddenly became filled with sorrow.
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