Chapter 65 About Marriage
Song Lingyi was surprised and delighted. She didn't expect Pei Zhao to be so loyal and actually help her out.
"My cousin said that there was nothing wrong with Pei Erlang, but he defended you in front of others. It doesn't look like nothing happened." Lu Yu smiled evilly.
"That's because Pei Erlang is a good person. He won't laugh at me because I'm not good at painting."
Lu Yu and Huo Wenxuan smiled at each other, their faces full of expressions that said "it's up to us whether we believe it or not".
As the banquet was coming to an end, Song Lingyi was afraid of running into His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, so she returned to the carriage early on the grounds of feeling unwell.
At that time, dusk fell and carriages began to leave the Pei Mansion one after another.
The girl who was dozing against the wall suddenly heard a commotion at the gate. She lifted a corner of the carriage curtain and looked out - His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Princess Changyang were walking out surrounded by a crowd of people.
Lights were lit under the eaves, and the entrance was full of people, laughing and talking non-stop.
The Duke and his wife came forward with their two sons to pay their respects. Xiao Mingyi glanced at Lu Yu and Lu Qian, but seemed not to see the people he wanted to see, and his smile faded a little.
Seeing this scene, the girl hiding in the carriage pulled down the curtain and took two deep breaths nervously.
It was not until he left Pei Mansion and returned to the backyard of the Duke's Mansion that his anxious heart finally relaxed for a moment.
Late at night, in the stillness of the room, the young woman brought two jugs of fruit wine to Cuiwu Courtyard to look for Lu Yu. The two women sat opposite each other on the soft couch. After just two glasses of wine, Lu Yu's face flushed and she felt slightly tipsy.
Taking advantage of her drunkenness, Song Lingyi asked about His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and then she realized that the name 'Chen Wuhui' was not entirely a lie to her.
The prince's surname was Xiao, his given name was Mingyi, and his courtesy name was Wuhui.
Three years ago, His Majesty dispatched him to Danyang County to fight against pirates. Last winter, Danyang County was besieged by pirates, and due to the Second Prince's interference, reinforcements were delayed. Song's father, a lieutenant in Huaizhou City, upon learning of Danyang County's plight, bravely led his troops to its aid, ultimately dying in battle.
This was probably the origin of their fateful entanglement.
It was probably no coincidence that I later met Xiao Mingyi in the Guanyin Temple outside Xuancheng.
Given Xiao Mingyi's personality, he would no longer care about brotherly feelings towards the Second Prince. When the Second Prince sought the position of crown prince, he secretly entered the capital and uncovered the Second Prince's conspiracy.
The killers encountered in Guanyin Temple, Qingshi Town, and on the way to Beijing were all assassins sent by the second prince to prevent Xiao Mingyi from entering Beijing.
She is just stupid and doesn't doubt anything.
Thinking of this, Song Lingyi sighed.
She had escaped twice before in Hutouzhai. It is said that three times the limit is not enough. Xiao Mingyi is looking for her in such a high profile way. It is impossible that he has a change of heart and wants to marry her. He must feel betrayed and wants to kill her with his own hands.
Alas, my life is in danger.
"Cousin, why are you suddenly asking about His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?" Lu Yu asked lazily with her misty almond eyes.
"Nothing, I just happened to meet you at Pei's house today and just asked casually." Song Lingyi laughed it off.
"How is it?" Lu Yu suddenly came over and raised her eyebrows and asked, "Is His Royal Highness as handsome as I said?"
“…”Song Lingyi.
He is quite handsome, if he is not a bandit leader.
"But I can only admire her beauty." Lu Yu raised her head and took a sip of fruit wine, smacking her lips. "Now that His Majesty has moved to the temporary palace to recuperate, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is acting as regent. Although the Eastern Palace has no concubines, if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wants to marry a Crown Princess, he will definitely choose a woman with a good family background who can be helpful to him."
Upon hearing this, Song Lingyi's eyes trembled slightly.
"You dote on that little girl so much, have you ever thought about giving her a status?"
"She's too unstable. If she doesn't change her temper, I won't be able to keep her around."
The words he overheard that day in Hexian Tower suddenly echoed in his ears. Xiao Mingyi was very alert, how could he not know that she was outside the window, and that the words were meant for her to hear.
What a change of personality, it's just a trick he uses to fool the little girl, she doesn't want to be PUA.
…
Pei Mansion's study.
The moon is bright tonight, the stars are sparse, lights are on everywhere in the mansion, and the study is quiet.
Knock knock knock——
There was a knock on the door. Pei Tingyou, who was sitting behind the desk, raised his head and said, "Come in."
The moon-white figure walked in slowly and bowed respectfully.
"Second uncle is looking for me?"
"Today, Sima Daru mentioned to me the matter of recommending you to the court. What do you think?"
The sound of a sandalwood chair rubbing against the ground could be heard behind the desk. Pei Tingyou stood up and sat on the armchair by the window, raising his hand to signal Pei Zhao to sit across from him.
Dayuan relied heavily on recommendations for official appointments, prioritizing the moral character of officials. Sima Daru was Pei Zhao's mentor, the dean of the Wenlushan Academy, and a man of many students. He was deeply respected by the royal family and the aristocracy. To be recommended by him for official appointment was an honor that others could only dream of.
Pei Zhao wasn't a man of profound scholarship, but he was also someone without ambition. He longed to become an official. His uncle had always known about this, which was why he summoned him to the study alone to inquire.
Pei Tingyou smiled and said, "Besides that, my second uncle asked you to come here for another matter."
"Uncle, please speak." Pei Zhao said.
"You're not young anymore. Other noble families would have children around at your age. Today is your grandmother's birthday, and she's invited all the dignitaries of Kyoto to look for suitable girls for you. You've seen their paintings today, and you've met them at the reception. Is there a girl you're interested in?"
His eldest brother died young, and as his second uncle, he was not allowed to interfere too much in his marriage. However, he could not resist the urging of his old mother and eldest sister-in-law. As the head of the family, he had no choice but to take a stand and ask.
"You are about to enter the court as an official. You must have someone who understands your needs and takes care of you. You can't refuse anymore."
Pei Zhao was silent for a moment before he said, "I haven't considered this before. Now that Second Uncle has mentioned it, I'll pay attention to it."
Pei Tingyou's eyes lit up: "That's right."
After a pause, he continued, "Second Uncle has heard about today's poetry and painting appreciation. Are you familiar with this Miss Song?"
"I wouldn't say we're familiar with each other, we've met a few times." Pei Zhao said.
Pei Tingyou knew his nephew quite well. If they were just casual acquaintances, he would not have protected him so much.
"My second uncle has also seen this young lady from the Song family. She is beautiful, dignified and graceful, and looks very much like her mother." His tone was quite emotional.
Pei Zhao's mind moved.
My second uncle had been engaged to the third daughter of the old lady of the Lu family, but later broke off the engagement, which caused a lot of uproar. I thought my second uncle would be very reluctant to mention the Lu family, but tonight he actually brought it up.
"Of course, Second Uncle said this not to deliberately match you two. I just want to tell you that if you are interested in the girl from the Song family, you don't have to worry too much. Second Uncle is not a petty person." Pei Tingyou took a sip of hot tea.
The study was quiet for a moment as the incense from the Boshan incense burner, held by a gilded crane, curled up.
In fact, Pei Zhao knew very well that his uncle's words contained a hint of temptation.
If he really had no such thoughts, according to his personality, he should have cut off his relationship with Miss Song to prove that he had no intention of marrying her, but he did not do that.
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