Chapter 41
After a long silence, Nan Wang forced himself to remain calm and let out a mocking laugh: "Go ahead and make things up. This girl stays home studying and painting, and she's good at her studies. Why should she accompany you to suppress bandits in this sweltering heat? You probably kidnapped her. The girl may not say it, but who knows what she's thinking. You're still dreaming!"
It's all blood and tears. He knows all too well how many bad things he did when he was young. He can't believe that with his son's bad temper, how could any girl be willing to be with him? What did he do wrong back then? No, impossible. He was perfect in every way, in the prime of his life!
Pei Du didn't bother arguing with his father, who was heartbroken in love, and delivered a decisive blow: "She kissed me."
Nan Wang: "?!" Impossible, absolutely impossible, it must be made up. If he were the youngest daughter of the Xie family, he would rather kiss a rock than kiss that brat Pei Du!
He remained calm: "Nonsense! How can you slander the Xie family's daughter's innocence out of thin air? You are not yet married, and you should act with propriety and restraint."
Pei Du raised an eyebrow and scoffed at his self-deceiving father, "Of course I won't overstep the bounds, but we are mutually in love, and I understand that you don't understand my feelings, Father." After saying this, he sat down in the chair opposite the desk, waiting to discuss serious matters.
The Prince of Nan wanted to smash the inkstone in his hand into his face, but he held back with his rare fatherly love. However, it was understandable that he couldn't put on a warm face when facing his son who was always poking fun at him.
With a dark expression, he snorted and got to the point: "The scouts from the north have reported that Zhou Qin is no longer here, and his entire army has been transferred to General Xing Ye. Xing Ye's military achievements are not outstanding, so the Hu people are not particularly afraid of him, and there have been incidents of harassing the border."
"It's only a matter of time. The Hu people's envoys are taking many treasures this time, and their appetites have been whetted. I'm afraid there will be a fierce battle this winter." Pei Du was backlit, so his expression was indistinct, but his tone was full of mockery.
The King of the South sighed, “The small southern barbarian kingdoms are also stirring up trouble. Recently, some refugees from small islands at sea have gathered into bandits and are robbing fishing boats. I have ordered people to suppress them, but these refugees are difficult to control.”
Beset by external threats and internal troubles, the once prosperous nation, which had been in ruins for over a century, experienced a period of great prosperity and revival in its early years. Now, it was in a precarious state.
Pei Du said, "We still need to make plans as soon as possible. If the Hu people invade, the north probably won't be able to hold out for long. If we negotiate peace again, the dowry for the princess will probably have to include cities."
Seeing his expression, the Southern King tentatively said, "If the north falls, it would be better for the Pei family to establish themselves as emperors in the south. The long river can act as a natural barrier to block the Hu army, and the south can live in peace without being disturbed by war."
Pei Du sneered: "Why does Father ask me? Does he really think I've been bewitched by the Yue King's sword and am delusional about raising an army to establish myself as emperor?"
There have always been many disputes between fathers and sons, but few have been so openly displayed. The King of the South was speechless for a moment, then turned around and pressed a mechanism on the wall behind him. The stone wall that was joined together slowly moved to the side, revealing the gleaming Yue King's sword on the shelf in the middle.
Pei Du's gaze passed over the Southern King's shoulders and landed on the sword. That sword was once the Pei family's most treasured possession, but due to rumors, it had to be presented to the royal family. Every generation of the Pei family head dreamed of one day regaining this sword, but they could only dream about it. Even the fearless Southern King in his youth never imagined that one day it would actually come true.
Pei Du was more ruthless and daring than him. He took advantage of the opportunity to go to the capital to celebrate the birthday to bring the sword back. The Prince of Nan sighed, so the sword should rightfully belong to him.
He took the Yue King's sword down from the shelf, took one last deep look at it, turned around and gently placed it on the desk. His movements were gentle, but his tone was firm: "Since you brought this sword back, it should belong to you. Don't leave it with me. Don't blame me if it gets stolen one day."
Pei Du was quite surprised. He brought back the Yue King Sword because when he was young, the Southern King would often sigh and lament that he would never be able to return to Wangjing in his life and never see the Yue King Sword again. Sometimes he would even cry secretly in his study at night. At that time, he thought that since his father was so obsessed with it, he would definitely get it for him so that he could see it with his own eyes and have no regrets.
In fact, he himself had no obsession with the Yue King's sword, but it seems that no one believed him.
“I have a sword, and this sword is a gift for my father.” Pei Du refused without hesitation.
The Prince of Nan felt a pang in his heart. A filial son, truly a filial son. Sigh, after all, he was the filial child he had raised himself. How could father and son hold grudges overnight? They could argue behind closed doors and that was fine. But once the door opened and they were outside, the father should teach him how to conduct himself properly, lest Xie Wen break his legs one day.
Furthermore, my dutiful son's bad temper probably makes him cold and aloof towards girls. I should teach him how to win over a wife. Ah, never mind the past. I've already successfully married and had children; it's time to pass on some life experience. As a father, I can't let my son go down the wrong path.
Then he said with a kind face, "I am very pleased to hear your words. Let me tell you a few words from the bottom of my heart. You can like this girl, but you can't force her, and you can't be a mute. Just say what you want to say, so that there will be no misunderstandings. So many friendships have been destroyed by misunderstandings. This is all from my experience."
Pei Du gave him a strange look, showing no appreciation: "Father's experience... is that all? Isn't this what a young master should do? No wonder Mother said that Father was disliked when he was young, so that's why. I'll remember this and I will never repeat the same mistake."
The tender bond between father and son shattered in an instant.
The Prince of Nan was so angry he wanted to draw the Yue King's sword and fight him head-on. What a rebellious son! What a truly rebellious son! How could someone who utters such cold words in this sweltering heat possibly find a wife?! Is the youngest daughter of the Xie family blind? Out of so many noble families in Wangjing, why does she favor this brat, Xin Yue?!
Play with him, abandon him, and let him suffer the beatings of love!
Seeing his ever-changing expression, Pei Du felt even better and continued to boast about what he hadn't had a chance to show off earlier: "A-Yao's skirt was long and it was hard for her to walk down the mountain, so I carried her on my back. Oh, and she even praised me for being amazing, her eyes sparkling like stars."
He paused for a moment before saying, "Father, when I have children in the future, you can pass on your life experience to your grandchildren." The implication was that he didn't need to, since he was already standing on the shoulders of everyone in the Pei family.
The Prince of Nan almost choked on his breath. How dare this brat? He's not even married yet and he's already thinking about having children? Two, no less! Dream on!
He shouted angrily, his face darkening, "Get out! Get out of here! I hate the sight of you!"
Pei Du took his leave with a flourish, and before leaving, he told him, "Since Father is troubled, then I will go to sea for a few days. Father, please stay at home and keep Mother company. There is no need to worry about the pirates at sea."
The Prince of Nan was full of doubt. Was it not enough that he had just dealt with the mountain bandits? Now he wanted to deal with the pirates. Did young people have so much energy? He quickly summoned his guards and instructed them to keep a close eye on the young master and not let him go to Huaizhou to kidnap Miss Xie and take her to fight the pirates!
After everyone left, the Prince of Nan grew angrier and angrier. He wondered who Pei Du had gotten his mouth from; it was so venomous that he wished he were mute. He pulled out a letter and read the letter Xie Wen had written to him. The letter was written in a gentle tone, but little did he know that it concealed a knife behind a smile. If Xie Wen were here, he would have skinned him alive.
He hissed and gasped, furious. It was clearly Pei Du who had done this, so why was he writing a letter to scold him? He was peacefully accompanying the princess in worship at the Buddhist temple, his mind focused and sincere, when he received this letter. He opened it and couldn't help but curse as soon as he glanced at it. Amitabha! This has disturbed my Buddhist mind!
However... this brat should know the wickedness of human nature. Today, I'll teach you a lesson.
The Prince of the South personally ground the ink, dipped his brush in it, and his thoughts flowed freely. His writing was like flowing water, without any hesitation. In just a moment, he had written three pages, stamped them with his seal, summoned his guards, and ordered them to be sent to Xie Wen immediately.
——
Xie Qinghong remained as usual in Huaizhou. The mountain was now officially registered under her name. Yuan Qingqing visited it once and decided to cultivate experimental land there. After discussing it, the two decided to have people clear the land first, cultivating the southern side of the mountain to plant tea trees in the winter.
The two sat in the shade, surrounded by dozens of guards. Ah Xing and Ah Yue stayed by her side every step of the way. Xie Qinghong ate her ice cream in small bites, feeling bored. Ever since she went out with Pei Du that day, she had always been guarded by people, and no one dared to let her go out alone again.
It even alarmed Wang Jing's father and brothers, who wrote a whole stack of letters, all cursing the young Pei for being so naive and for being deceived by him.
Xie Qinghong sighed softly: "I've been scolded awake. That brat Pei is so shameless and knows no bounds. He can even use witchcraft. Even if I were King You of Zhou, I would be confused by his smile."
Yuan Qingqing is now completely content. She has land and fields, and Xie Qinghong is her powerful backer. She has money and power. If things continue like this, even if she can't become a high-ranking official, she will at least be a wealthy woman. Her perfect life is already within her grasp.
She sighed contentedly, but seeing so many people around her, she subconsciously stopped herself from sighing and secretly asked Xie Qinghong, "Ayao, why have you been bringing so many people with you when you go out lately?"
Xie Qinghong didn't say much, only saying, "My family is worried, so it's more reassuring to have someone accompany me when I go out."
After a few days, she completely gave up the idea of going out and stayed home every day reading and reviewing her lessons. Every time her cousin came to visit her, she found her studying and was immediately shocked: "Sister, why are you studying every day? Can you really become an official by passing the exam?"
Otherwise, she wouldn't understand: isn't going out to play fun?
Xie Qinghong said with a serious expression, "Learning is for enriching oneself, how can you have a utilitarian mindset? Have you finished your homework? Finished your arithmetic exercises? Memorized all the classics?"
My cousin was so shocked she was speechless for a moment, then her heart sank: "No, the academy is about to start classes, and I haven't finished my homework yet." She followed her older cousin back to her room to do her homework.
Xie Qinghong lowered her head and continued reading. She was studying a book in the Hu language. She had previously found someone who understood the Hu language and had been learning from them for a few days, so she could understand most of it. However, she was still completely clueless about the Hu people's written language. She had someone search diligently for several days and actually found a bilingual book.
She treasured it like a precious gem, pondering it every night before bed. Last night, she finally understood a long poem from the Hu region without needing a translation. She then had a dream in which she saw words appear on the pages of the blank book she had picked up from the dark library, and those words were in the Hu language.
She studied it for a long time, but woke up before she could fully understand it. When she woke up, she quickly flipped through the blank book and found that there was actually some foreign language on the first page!
Xie Qinghong recalled that every time he went to Xiangguo Temple to pray for peace, he was very sincere, but in reality, he didn't really believe in the power of gods and Buddhas; his piety was rather shallow.
Now, she wondered which true god had appeared to her, and filled with awe, she made a devout wish: "I wish that Pei Du would be even half as ugly, in exchange for... in exchange for..." She hesitated for a moment, and instead of saying what she had originally said, she changed her words to: "In exchange for his safety."
As for the book, she had figured it out. It seemed that the more proficient she became in learning the Hu language, the more words would appear on the pages of the book, all of which were in Hu language. She already had about ten pages to read.
Xie Qinghong took a break and read it word by word. He could understand a lot of the nonsensical language, but the first few pages were biographies of Qin Heng. Sure enough, the title of the book was clearly related to him.
The more she read, the more shocked she became. No wonder the biography was written in the Hu language. It turned out that in Qin Heng's biography, ten years later, the entire northern part of Sheng Kingdom fell. The Hu people captured eight cities and attacked Wangjing. People in the capital were in a panic. The emperor led his officials to move south and the noble families left Wangjing.
At that time, Qin Heng was serving as a vice minister in the court, but he was often overlooked and treated coldly because his cousin Qin Zheng deliberately suppressed him. When the Hu people captured Wangjing, he did not leave Wangjing. Instead, he entered the Hu king's tent to recommend himself. He spoke eloquently and the Hu king treated him with respect. He was appointed as a civil minister and later all the noble families had to rely on him.
The biography ends here, without any romantic tales of rebirth and redemption, without the dilemma of moonlight and cinnabar, only a light touch on the bloodshed, the national hatred and family feuds after a prosperous era.
Ten years. The rebirth story I dreamed of earlier also described how they died ten years later and were reborn ten years in the past. If the biography is a foreseeable reality, then rebirth is the fantasy of someone whose family and country have been destroyed ten years later.
Whether it was the bizarre dream or this strange and mysterious book, both were related to Qin Heng. Considering the fact that the Hu people still wanted to abduct her, Xie Qinghong calmly closed the book and put it away among a pile of other books. Her expression was serene, only her lowered eyelashes concealing a hint of mockery.
So what if she was reborn? She was still skeptical before, so she wouldn't let him get the slightest advantage. Now that her situation is also bizarre, why should she be afraid of him?
Xie Qinghong continued to study and practice calligraphy every day, which forced her cousin to study hard as well. When the academy opened, the two sisters outperformed all the students of Baihe Academy, making Mr. Yu of Bailu Academy proud and he was praised as a teaching model. They even beat Mr. Zhu to win the position of vice headmaster.
Xie Qinghong wrote a letter to his father and brother, boasting about himself. Upon counting, he realized that he seemed to have forgotten to write someone's name. He was suddenly surprised to find that he had not heard any news about Pei Du for more than half a month, nor had he received any letters from him. This man was a man of few words, but he would send letters every three or four days.
Could it be that her mother stopped her? She went to ask her mother, only to find out that no letters had indeed been sent. Even her mother found it strange, secretly wondering if the passion had faded and the young man had found someone new. But seeing that her daughter hadn't mentioned it, she didn't bring it up either, afraid of bothering her.
When asked about it now, Liang Yu comforted him indirectly: "Perhaps the young master is busy with something. It is currently the height of summer when there are many bandits at sea. If he is at sea, he probably won't have time to write to you."
Xie Qinghong didn't feel disappointed, but rather strange, and then there was a faint worry—could her wish last time have backfired? She so sincerely hoped that Pei Du would become ugly and that he would be safe, could it really be the other way around?
Xie Wen, who lived in Wangjing, had already received a letter from the Prince of the South. Few people in the capital knew that he and the Prince of the South were childhood friends. Later, the Prince of the South was sent to the south and did not return to the capital for decades, but the two never lost contact.
However, in the past, letters were written with phrases like "Are you alright?" or "I'm fine, how about you?" Now, they are filled with sarcastic remarks like, "Pei Liangsong, your son is incredibly audacious, abducting my youngest daughter. Your teachings and example are truly commendable." or "Your Pei family has maintained this style for generations, which can be described as a testament to the family's good tradition."
I wrote two letters before, and the Prince of the South silently endured the scolding without retaliating. Now, this is the first time he has replied.
Xie Wen opened the letter with a cold expression. If an outsider saw it, they would not believe it. The refined, gentle, and even somewhat frail Grand Secretary dared to scold the Prince of Nan in the letter, leaving him speechless. He glanced at it first. Pei Liangsong's attitude was quite good. He apologized at the beginning, saying that he did not know his son was reckless. That brat was unruly. From now on, he was Xie's son-in-law. Brother Xie could scold him as he pleased. If anything was not to his liking, he could write directly to Pei Du and scold him.
Xie Wen calmed down a bit and turned the page again. Pei Liangsong was crying to him, saying that his unfilial son only knew how to learn martial arts and swordsmanship and did not like to study. He, as the father, was not very knowledgeable in the field of learning either. He asked Brother Xie for advice on how to raise such an intelligent and unparalleled youngest daughter who always ranked first in the exams. He felt that his unfilial son was truly unworthy of her.
Xie Wen frowned. Pei Du looked like a refined young gentleman, learned and erudite. Could he really be a spoiled brat who didn't read books? He was a scholar, and although he wouldn't look down on military officers, he still preferred young men who looked like scholars. Back then, he thought Pei Du was exceptionally handsome and eloquent, and he was quite fond of his talent.
Now, after Pei Liangsong's words, he recalled carefully and realized, "Yes, Pei Du always carries a sword at his waist and has even fought with Xie Qingzhou; he certainly doesn't like studying." Realizing he might have misjudged him, Xie Wen's expression turned serious. "No way," he thought, "how could the Xie family's son-in-law not study?"
Read, you must read until you drop!
He immediately ordered someone to retrieve all the books he had read in his youth, including the *Spring and Autumn Annals* and the *Zuo Zhuan*. He also asked Xie Qingya for the books he had recently read, and gathered them all together in his book box. There was no time to prepare the exam questions, and thinking that Xie Qingzhou had been neglecting his studies recently, he had just given him a test, which Xie Wen probably hadn't even finished. So Xie Wen immediately took the test questions back and put them in the book box as well.
Xie Qingzhou noticed that the test questions had been collected and asked happily, "Which family's juniors are these going to receive?"
Xie Wen said solemnly, "Give it to Prince Pei. Prince Nan Dao's studies are not good, and he asked me for guidance. I must not let him do this."
Xie Qingzhou was even happier.
Xie Wen wrote another letter, earnestly urging the prince to study and asking him to complete the exam questions as soon as possible and send them back to Wangjing for his review.
Xie Qingzhou just couldn't understand how people could be so happy.
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