Chapter 121: Retreat in the Face of Difficulty
As the year draws to a close, the city of Kyoto gradually becomes busy. Sons and daughters from various households and businessmen doing business away from home return home one after another, and the palace is also preparing for the New Year's Eve banquet.
Guests flocked to Jinzun Tower. A low-key carriage with a green canopy stopped in the alley across the street. A young girl, clad in a snow-white fox fur coat and a moon-white veiled hat, lifted the curtain and stepped out of the carriage, slowly entering Jinzun Tower.
Compared to the bustle of the lobby, the second-floor corridor was quiet. The girl walked straight to the door of the elegant room on the far right and knocked gently.
After waiting for about ten breaths, someone came to open the door.
The aroma of tea curled up in the air. Chu Yizhou looked up and down at the girl wearing a veil outside the door. Through the thin white gauze, his features were unclear. He asked lazily, "Who are you?"
Lifting the white veil with her bare hands, the girl smiled sweetly, "Brother Chu, are you all right? Is the young master in there?"
Chu Yizhou raised his eyebrows, looking slightly surprised.
The Pei family's younger sister seldom interacts with them. Why is she in such a good mood today and comes to Jinzun Tower to look for A Qian?
"Yes, come in."
Pei Ling walked into the room. The elegant room was spacious and elegantly furnished. She saw a chessboard on the soft couch about five feet away from her. A young man in a brocade robe sat upright beside the table with his shoulders straight, fiddling with the warm jade chess pieces in his hands nonchalantly.
Hearing the movement at the door, he slowly turned his head, and the warm candlelight shone on his sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, adding a bit of tenderness to his dark phoenix eyes, but the smile at the corner of his lips was as cold as ever.
"What a rare guest! Sister Pei, what brings you here to see me?"
He and Pei Zhao disliked each other, but he had no grudge against Pei Ling and was quite polite to her.
Pei Ling didn't say anything, but glanced at Chu Yizhou out of the corner of her eye, indicating that she wanted to talk alone.
The room was silent for two breaths.
The person concerned realized it later and exclaimed, "Are you going to kick me out?" He looked at Lu Qian who was still sitting at the table calmly, with no intention of keeping anyone, and his heart was broken.
"Brother Chu, please come in later." Pei Ling smiled faintly.
“…”
Not only did he drive him away, but A Qian also refused to keep him. In the end, all his sincerity was wasted!
Chu Yizhou left angrily.
The doors and windows inside the room are closed.
clatter--
The sound of the pieces falling is crisp.
A voice without any emotion rang out in the quiet and elegant room, "Sister Pei rarely comes to see me alone, so just say it."
"Today I do have something to discuss with the young master."
Pei Ling walked gracefully to the other end of the chess table and sat down. She glanced at the chessboard, picked up a black piece from the chess box, and calmly took over the remaining game. "I know that the young master doesn't want Second Brother and Sister Song to get married."
The white jade chess piece spun flexibly between Lu Qian's fingers. He casually placed a piece down and said with a curled lip, "Why wouldn't I want to have a cheap brother-in-law?"
"If the young master really wanted them to get married, why did he drug my second brother and let the actress go?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the air in the room seemed to stagnate.
Pei Ling placed the black piece down without changing her expression, then raised her eyes and looked directly at Lu Qian.
The curve of the boy's mouth deepened a little. Although he was smiling, there was murderous intent in his eyes.
"Sister Pei is so brave, are you here to seek justice for your brother?"
"No."
Pei Ling's eyes were clear, with a faint smile on the corner of her lips: "I'm here to help the young master."
Lu Qian frowned slightly and looked at her in confusion.
It was strange. It was fine if he didn't want the dead girl to marry Pei Zhao, but why didn't he want Pei Ling either? As if thinking of something, an indescribable complexity flashed across those auspicious phoenix eyes.
"Young Master, please don't overthink it." Pei Ling interrupted Lu Qian's wild thoughts and said, "I can't tell you the reason for this."
"Then tell me, how do you want to help me?" Lu Qian raised his chin slightly and placed the white piece.
"Second brother has great ambitions. The young master drugged him to destroy his reputation. If not handled properly, it will definitely affect Second brother's career in the officialdom. No wonder Second brother framed you and made you spend a few days in jail." Pei Ling's voice was cold, and she made a move under Lu Qian's gloomy gaze.
In order to break the monopoly of the officialdom by the aristocracy, Dayuan relied on the system of recommendation to select officials. One type was virtuous and talented with special talents, and the other was filial and honest with good conduct.
The reason why my second brother was recommended was not only because of his noble family background, but also because he was the most talented scholar in Wenlushan Academy, with a bright and noble character. If he got involved in a romantic affair and was exploited by someone with ulterior motives, his career would definitely be affected.
"What exactly do you want to say?" Lu Qian looked impatient.
Pei Ling lowered her eyes and smiled, "Young Master, don't you understand yet?"
"Second brother used the Xianxiang to slander you. At best, he'll face imprisonment, and at worst, it will impact the entire Duke's Mansion. This is a lesson for you that will affect his career, and it also shows that in Second brother's heart, his career is far more important than love."
Lu Qian narrowed his eyes slightly, stroking Baizi absentmindedly, and listened to her continue:
"My second brother is currently working in the Hanlin Academy. He has the support of Sima Daru and the Pei family. Maybe in a couple of years he can go out and polish his skills and come back for a promotion."
Pei Ling's voice was gentle: "But the world belongs to the Xiao family, and all power lies in the hands of the Crown Prince. Whether you can be promoted depends on the Crown Prince's will."
As soon as the words fell.
The white piece in Lu Qian's hand fell out of his hand and hit the chessboard, making a continuous and dull collision sound. He raised his eyes to look at Pei Ling again, his eyes were sharp and alert.
"What do you know?"
"Not much." Pei Ling's tone was calm, revealing a sense of strategic planning. "A lot of it is just speculation, but the young master's reaction just proves my guess."
When they encountered robbers in Jueshui County, Sister Song's reaction to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was very strange, as if she was very afraid of being discovered by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince; at the engagement banquet, when she heard that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was coming to the banquet, her face turned pale.
All signs indicate that Sister Song knows His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has sent the Embroidered Uniform Guard to search for a woman in Kyoto.
With two clues in one, it is easy to guess the connection behind them.
I had only wanted to give the young master a few words of advice, but his reaction showed that he clearly knew more.
"Aunt Lu has already called off an engagement once. If Sister Song is asked to do the same, she will be subjected to a lot of gossip. The best way is to let Second Brother give up." Pei Ling said cryptically.
Lu Qian's eyes darkened and he picked up the white pieces scattered on the chessboard again.
"The best way is bullshit. If Pei Zhao breaks off the engagement, Song Lingyi will be the one to bear the brunt of the gossip."
"But do you have a better idea? Sister Song and Second Brother are both obsessed with this marriage. Do you have a better way to get them to cancel the engagement without hurting them?"
Pei Ling asked two questions in a row, which really silenced Lu Qian.
There is really no better or faster way at the moment. His mother and grandmother are already planning to find him a woman of suitable age, so he must quickly get them to cancel the engagement.
"The Lu and Pei families are already engaged. The Crown Prince is in a high position and has great power. He would certainly not do anything to steal my wife. But you can create a misunderstanding. The New Year's Eve palace banquet is coming soon. All ministers above the third rank in the capital and their families can attend."
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