Chapter 83 The Eunuch's Fox Pet
Lin Zhi told Pei Duo with great interest the content of the storybook she had read. It was about a village in a certain state in Dai Viet. There was a pretty young lady who married the village teacher at the behest of her parents and the matchmaker.
After they got married, they lived in harmony and sweetness. Unfortunately, the good times did not last long. The husband fell seriously ill and died.
The young lady became a widow and cried her heart out.
Originally this was something that people would pity, but everyone else said that the young widow was actually a vixen who had sucked away her husband's energy, which was why her husband died.
This was nonsense, but some people believed it because the young widow became more and more beautiful after she married the teacher. The young widow cried and explained that it was because her husband treated her very well. However, the rumors in the village became more and more intense, and the young widow was driven out. She wanted to jump into the river to end her life, but she found out that she was pregnant with her deceased husband's child.
"Why do humans always like to use the word 'fox spirit' to describe people? If they were really from my race, they wouldn't let people live that long."
As Lin Zhi was speaking, he also interrupted with his own thoughts. Pei Duo stroked his belly and nodded in agreement.
Pei Duo asked: "Then what happened? Did the young widow marry someone else because she couldn't make ends meet?"
"Yes, there was a bully in the village who coveted her beauty, and a strong hunter saved her. The young widow was moved and touched by the hunter, so she went to her husband's grave to tell him, hoping that he would agree to let her remarry."
"She threw three copper coins in front of her husband's grave. If all three coins were facing upwards, it meant consent."
"She flipped the coin and all three were facing up."
"My Lord, is there really such a saying?"
The story Lin Zhi told was not long, it was one of the short stories in the collection. He still gave a brief summary and omitted the parts where the young widow was molested by the bully and her sweet romance with the hunter. After all, Lin Zhi didn't just want to tell a story, but wanted to take the opportunity to bring up a topic.
Pei Duo still hadn't mentioned the matter of life and death to him. Since Pei Duo didn't say anything, Lin Zhi took the initiative to ask.
He just wanted to bring up this topic that Pei Duo cared about and even deliberately avoided, and express his own opinion to appease Pei Duo and make Pei Duo feel completely at ease.
"Some places do say this, and this incident is very likely to happen, but the probability of this happening in this story is not high. Neither was the husband's recent death, nor was it the seventh day of his return. The husband was not blessed with merit and was not worshipped by others, so the possibility of him responding was extremely small."
Pei Duo talked to Lin Zhi about rebirth and ghosts from the perspective of a demon-suppressing master.
"Unless he can't let go and has too much obsession, he can't be reborn. This kind of ghost is very likely to become a vengeful ghost. If he harms people, he will become an evil ghost. Moreover, he will gradually forget everything in his life. Many ghosts will forget why they have become like this in the end, and they will be confused and muddled."
This is also the reason why Pei Duo had never considered extending his existence in a ghost body before. It's not just because ghosts are prone to losing their minds, but also because he has nothing to worry about.
Pei Duo looked at Lin Zhi, smiling, and said, "If you want to marry someone else with my child, and you come to my grave and throw three copper coins to ask, how do you think I will respond?"
Lin Zhi answered without hesitation: "All facing downwards."
"Wrong."
Pei Duo hooked a strand of Lin Zhi's hair with his fingertips and rested it on Lin Zhi's shoulder, with the smile in his eyes becoming more intense.
Lin Zhi felt the temperature coming from behind. Although Pei Duo's body temperature was low, he was still a human being. His breath was hot and fell on the side of Lin Zhi's neck.
Lin Zhi was a little surprised to hear Pei Duo said it was wrong. He didn't think Pei Duo would agree. Being wrong only meant that his answer was not the reaction Pei Duo would make, not that Pei Duo's reaction would be three coins facing up.
"If it were me, those three copper coins would turn into dust."
Pei Duo said this while kissing Lin Zhi's neck.
There was still a smile in his voice, but the implication it revealed was not a kind one.
"Not only that, I'm not as weak as the teacher in the storybook. Why would I need that hunter to show up? If that bully teases you, he will be killed by evil spirits at night."
Pei Duo sniffed the fragrance of the beautiful woman's hair, his face still showing a gentle expression, but his eyes were filled with hostility.
"So don't worry about you remarrying after I die, little fox. I'll still protect you even after I die. How about that?"
Pei Duo's tone was playful, but it revealed his true intentions.
If he becomes a fierce ghost, the storyline will have to be changed to the Pretty Widow and the Ghost Husband.
He would certainly not let the young widow come to his grave to ask about remarrying. If that happened, he would not only crush the young widow's coins, but also lock her in the house to make her recognize who her husband was. It's no use begging for mercy even if you're pregnant.
Such words were so strong that they made people shudder, but the fox demon in Pei Duo's arms didn't seem to notice the chill. It chuckled and said, "Okay, sir, you must keep your word. I will use my demon power to protect you and will definitely not let you be taken away by the Taoist priests, monks, and demon-suppressing masters. But I hope you can live longer."
Pei Duo raised his eyebrows: "Okay, I'll live a hundred years, but you won't mind me even if my face is full of wrinkles and my teeth are falling out?"
Lin Zhi hesitated for a moment, as if thinking.
Pei Duo sensed his hesitation, pinched his cheek, and scolded him with a smile: "You have no conscience."
As they chatted and laughed, it seemed that they became less concerned about the matter of life and death. Pei Duo even thought seriously for a while that if he died early and became a ghost, he might still be able to maintain his appearance. As long as he was alive, he would have to pay attention to how to keep his youthful appearance.
Who made him fall in love with a heartless little fox demon, and she was so frank.
Lin Zhi said hurriedly: "I haven't said I dislike it yet, sir, please don't wrongly accuse me. My fox clan naturally has ways to make people beautiful. I will definitely find a way."
The fox demon's voice became lower and lower in Pei Duo's half-smiled gaze, and she couldn't help but say with some shame and anger: "Let's not talk about nonsense. I'm not the widow in the storybook who can be manipulated by others. Even if the master died, I would never commit suicide for love."
Pei Duo felt a pang in his heart when he heard these words, and his smile faded a little. He knew that the fox demon would not do that, and did not want him to do that, but he still felt uncomfortable when he heard Lin Zhi say it so bluntly.
The fox demon continued, "If I die, I won't be able to do anything. I still have a lot of things to do for you, so how can I die?"
"Oh? What do I need you to do for me?"
Or a lot of things?
This aroused Pei Duo's interest and he wanted to listen carefully. He usually didn't ask the little fox to do anything for him, and the little fox was not aware of many of his arrangements. He had not yet reached the stage of making arrangements for his funeral affairs as to how the little fox could help him.
Lin Zhi stretched out her fingers, counting as she read, "I have to look after your niece, to prevent her from having a bad life and being bullied. I also have to help you see if the new chief of the Demon Suppression Bureau you chose is good enough to meet your expectations. I also have to see what is engraved on the monument that those people erected for you, to see if the people of the Pei family will worship you well and put you in the ancestral temple."
"From now on, if I see anyone offering you sacrifices carelessly during festivals, I will teach him a lesson and see who dares to be careless again."
The little fox almost talked to himself at the end: "My lord, why don't you let them build a temple for you as soon as possible, so that you can enjoy more incense. It should be made of gold and engraved with talismans on the sides to keep out evil spirits. No, no, it's too powerful and it will keep me out. What should I do if the paint falls off? I can't fix it for you."
"You see, I have so much to do."
The little fox wanted to look up at Pei Duo, but his eyes were covered, and he was greeted by a kiss that almost swallowed him.
Pei Duo's light brown eyes were as moist as the mist in the distant mountains, and he lowered them.
He didn't know that Lin Zhi would think these things, and he didn't care what the world thought of him or whether anyone would worship him after his death.
From the moment he entered the palace as a eunuch, he never thought that after his death, someone would smash a pot or commemorate him.
He only wanted to have a clear conscience towards the Pei family and never thought about how they would repay him, but the little fox thought about it.
I think it is also a way to get to know the concerns of the world, with a pure and genuine mind.
After the deep kiss, Pei Duo murmured, "Then I have to live longer and supervise you more. I can't keep you too busy."
Pei Duo still had a lot of things to do, but at this moment he felt a sense of relief as if he had let go of everything.
It seemed as if he had completely let go of something and was no longer bound by shackles.
However, although Pei Duo said this, he was still the one who made Lin Zhi busy.
The thick and insoluble spiritual power accumulated in the body made the poor pregnant husband restless even in his sleep. But Pei Duo could still confuse right and wrong when he opened his mouth, saying that the child needed sufficient spiritual power to be born healthy and well-fed.
In the end, Lin Zhi could only complain with red eyes that there was nothing at all, but she was still being pinched by the fox tail that was exposed due to the unstable demonic power and was unable to break free.
In early February, the willows are green.
Lin Zhi lived a leisurely and comfortable life, but many people were in dire straits.
The case of selling official positions was just the beginning. Prime Minister Huo’s disciples were like a thread in a tangled web, and were even involved in a cheating case in the imperial examination two years ago.
The queen had no peace in the harem. The only thing she relied on to secure her position was her father, Prime Minister Huo. If anything happened to Prime Minister Huo, her life would certainly be difficult.
The emperor was also in a state of anxiety every day. On one side was his ally, Prime Minister Huo, whom he had to protect at all costs to prevent his power from being weakened again. However, Pei Duo kept pressing him, forcing him to have only two options.
On one hand, he could protect Prime Minister Huo at the cost of having Pei's party stationed in Fengzhou and becoming the enemy of the Sixth Prince; on the other hand, he could abandon Prime Minister Huo and continue to maintain stability with the Sixth Prince.
The emperor didn't want to take either path, but if he had to choose between the two, he still wanted to take the first one. However, he couldn't give up Fengzhou just because he wanted to. The Sixth Prince, whose legitimate son had died, was like a mad dog, staring at their movements fiercely. The Seventh Prince was watching the fire from the other side of the river. The emperor felt particularly powerless.
He was not a very capable person. When his father was ill, his brothers and sisters all joined the competition, including his second brother, third brother, fifth brother, sixth brother, seventh brother, and his tenth brother who was the same age as him.
In the end, the second brother went crazy, the third brother committed suicide by burning himself, the fifth brother was sentenced to death, the tenth brother guarded the imperial tomb, the sixth and seventh brothers became losers, and he became the emperor.
The emperor sat on the high dragon throne and looked at Pei Duo. Looking at the young man who still had a gentle expression, he gave the answer silently.
Pei Duo was not surprised, and was even distractedly thinking about the letter to be sent to Zechuan.
He sent it a few days ago. If you hurry up, it should arrive today.
Zechuan, Pei Mansion.
Pei Duo's uncle, Pei Yunzhi's grandfather and now the head of the Pei family, immediately summoned several sons and daughters-in-law to the ancestral hall after receiving the letter from home.
Pei Sheng's father Pei Wu asked, "Brother, is this a big deal?"
"Open the family tree and add new members. Pei Duo wrote to say that he has a wife."
Everyone was slightly surprised, but also somewhat happy, and started asking for details.
"The letter didn't mention who the person was from, only his name: Lin Zhi."
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