Chapter 132 Pei Youzhi
As if she had solved a serious matter, Song Lingyi was in a very good mood for the next few days and often went to the East Courtyard to have tea and chat with her second aunt.
It snowed heavily in the capital for several days in a row, and the imperial city became increasingly cold and deserted. The palace servants who were busy running around lighting lamps were as small as ants.
The wind was cold, but the charcoal brazier was burning in the Mingde Hall, making it warm like spring.
Xiao Mingyi sat behind a large ebony desk, flipping through the memorials recently presented by the ministers. He scanned the memorials quickly, his expression growing increasingly gloomy.
Snap——
The memorial was thrown forcefully onto the table. The sound, neither light nor heavy, was particularly abrupt in the silent hall, as if it struck the hearts of the ministers in the hall, sending a chill down their spines.
"Your Highness, please calm down." The ministers bowed their heads and knelt on the ground.
"Calm down? I think Qizhou is planning a rebellion." Xiao Mingyi's calm expression concealed a storm, and he shouted sternly, "Go, summon the General Zhengxi!"
"Your Highness, no!"
Zhang Shoufu's face turned pale, and he immediately stepped forward to persuade him: "The matter has not yet been concluded. If you send the General Zhengxi to Qizhou, innocent people will suffer!"
"Master Zhang, this is wrong!"
The Minister of Justice, standing nearby, disagreed. "Lord Pei has been diligently fulfilling his duties since his transfer to Qizhou. This incident must have touched upon the interests of corrupt officials in Qizhou! Qizhou is remote and recently surrendered to Dayuan, so the local forces are deeply entrenched. In my opinion, we should take advantage of this opportunity to wipe out these local forces!"
Prime Minister Zhang glanced at him and said in a resounding voice, "The memorial states that Lord Pei was on an inspection tour of the county when a sudden strong wind blew and his carriage accidentally fell off a cliff. There are even witnesses."
"The power dynamics in Qizhou are complex. If His Royal Highness were to exploit this situation, the local forces would undoubtedly incite public opinion! If the cause is unfounded, how can the people retain their faith in the imperial court? Foreign forces would also seize the opportunity to invade."
"Then, Lord Prime Minister, please tell me, what should we do now?!"
"You know there's something fishy going on, but you still want to endure it?!" The Minister of Justice gritted his teeth, his face flushed with anger.
Xiao Mingyi stared at the large characters on the memorial: 'The body is being transported back to Kyoto', took a deep breath, gripped the armrests of the chair with his palms, and clenched his fingers gradually.
"Since you're worried about having no legitimate reason to do so, then I'll first send a supervisory censor to Qizhou. Under the guise of an inspection, he'll secretly gather evidence and thoroughly investigate the case. Anyone who dares to murder an official of the imperial court will not be forgiven!"
"Your Highness is wise!"
"Does the Pei family know about this news?"
The whole hall was silent.
All those present were important officials in the court, and the news had just been learned. The Pei family must not have received the news yet.
Xiao Mingyi raised his hand and rubbed his brow, then said in a deep voice, "In two days, Pei Duyou's body should be transported back to the capital. This matter can't be concealed for much longer."
The hall fell silent for a while before an official stepped forward and bowed, "Your Highness, Grand Secretary Pei is currently handling official business in the Jinshen Hall. You may summon him to the Imperial Court to inform him of the situation."
"No."
The Minister of Justice retorted at the right moment, "Grand Secretary Pei has always valued Inspector Pei. The uncle and nephew have a deep bond. If he heard the news, he would surely be overwhelmed, which would be disrespectful in front of the palace. It would be better for me to go to Pei's residence in person to inform him of the news."
Xiao Mingyi pondered for a moment and said, "Let Minister Li handle this matter. Pei Duyou will be posthumously promoted to Minister of the Right, and the pension and funeral expenses will be paid according to the rate for a fourth-rank official."
"Your Highness is kind and benevolent!" The Minister of Justice bowed solemnly.
…
The winter wind is bleak.
The hall of the Pei Mansion was filled with the aroma of tea. Except for Guan who was burning incense and praying, and old lady Pei who had returned to Ruyang to visit her relatives, all the Pei family members sitting around the table sat upright, unable to hide their heavy mood.
After Li Shangshu recounted the whole story, Xiang was the first to lose her temper. With red eyes, she said, "Youzhi was transferred to Qizhou only half a year ago and something happened. If there is no trickery involved, I don't believe it at all!"
Pei Ling, who was usually gentle and quiet, clutched her handkerchief tightly, looked at her second brother who was sitting opposite her and was unusually silent with tears in her eyes, and her throat was choked.
"My aunt is worried about my brother every day, and now she is still praying in Changsheng Temple. How can I explain this..." Two lines of tears fell along with the last syllable.
Pei Tingyou, who was sitting in the first seat, looked pale, his cloudy eyes filled with tears, and his voice trembled: "Excuse me, Lord Li, when will Youzhi's body arrive in Beijing?"
"If we go by land, it will probably take two days."
Minister Li's expression was solemn as he informed him of the Crown Prince's decree promoting Pei Shu. "The document will be issued soon. The Crown Prince is deeply saddened by Pei Shu's death. He was furious when he received the news today."
The Pei family remained silent.
Everyone could see that Pei Shu's death was suspicious. If they were truly sorry, they should have sent troops directly to Qizhou. But despite their grief, they would not say such words.
After seeing off Minister Li, Pei Tingyou called Pei Zhao into his study alone, on the one hand to comfort him, and on the other hand to discuss with him how to inform Guan of the news.
"I can't keep this secret from Mother for too long." Pei Zhao remained calm, but his dark eyes were bloodshot and tinged with a faint crimson. "I'll tell Mother in person when she returns home."
Having said that, he had seen how worried his mother had been about his brother's safety during this period. If he told her the truth, she would be heartbroken. But if he didn't tell her the truth, it would be an even greater blow to her when the body returned to Beijing.
Pei Tingyou burst into tears and beat his chest, sighing, "Youzhi has been intelligent and insightful since he was young. I've always been proud of him, but when he was an official in the court, he was too upright, unable to adapt or hide his shortcomings. The power structure in Qizhou is complex, and as an inspector, he has a low position but great power. If he acts carelessly, he will offend others..."
By the end of the story, Pei Tingyou was choked with sobs.
He had watched both children grow up, and he knew too well how much of an impact Pei Shu's death would have on Pei Zhao. Especially since Pei Shu's cause of death was so bizarre, he was afraid Pei Zhao would be overcome with worry later...
The study suddenly became silent.
Pei Zhao stared at his second uncle, who was so grief-stricken that he was on the verge of collapse. He seemed to be detached from reality. After a long time, his dark and uncertain eyes slowly moved to the window.
Looking at the gloomy sky, a cold sense of absurdity spread in my heart.
It seemed like it was just yesterday that my brother left Beijing, and in the blink of an eye he turned into a cold corpse. My mother prayed for him day and night, but in the end she was never able to wait for him to return to Beijing for a reunion.
…
It was getting close to evening.
When the Duke of Jin learned of Pei Shu's death, they were also deeply saddened.
The old lady couldn't eat and stayed alone in the ancestral hall for a long time. Song Lingyi was afraid that the old lady couldn't bear it, so she sent her some ginseng chicken soup later and coaxed her into drinking half a bowl.
The old lady sat in a pearwood armchair, stroking the hair of her granddaughter who lay on her lap. She said slowly, "Lingyi, the Pei brothers had a deep bond. With Youzhi's passing, Jianzhi must be feeling very down. Please go to the Pei Mansion tomorrow to visit him on behalf of your grandmother."
Song Lingyi responded softly. She had never met the eldest brother of the Pei family, but she had heard that he was serving as an official in another province. Her aunt had gone to the Hall of Eternal Life to pray for the eldest brother of the Pei family. Now, she couldn't imagine how sad it must be to see him die young.
"There's one more thing," the old lady sighed. "According to Dayuan customs, Jianzhi needs to observe a year of mourning. Your wedding will have to be postponed."
The mourning system under Dayuan was not as strict as that of the previous dynasty, which required three years of mourning during which officials had to resign from their official positions. However, Dayuan only required one year of mourning for the death of parents or siblings.
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