Chapter 81. In a sense, he and Xie...
The wind is picking up; it looks like the weather is about to change.
After taking a pill, Xiao Xu regained some breathing space, but he was still not quite conscious. Half of his body was numb and he couldn't move. He forced himself to give two orders, one of which was to order Song Jie and Pei Heng to escort him back to the palace.
Another order was that after returning to the palace, Song Jie was ordered to lead the imperial guards to place Pei Heng under house arrest in the Qinghe Palace. Without his order, Pei Heng was not allowed to step out of the Qinghe Palace, nor was anyone allowed to see Pei Heng.
This was a secret order; he didn't want anyone to know that Pei Heng was under house arrest in Qinghe Palace before he woke up.
After finishing the second course, he coughed up blood again, feeling as if his body was burning out like a candle, about to collapse.
The Imperial Preceptor, Daoist Qinghe, brought him a bowl of medicinal soup and made him drink it.
Xiao Xu smelled a strong stench of blood and could vaguely see Xiao Dao standing beside his bed, bandaging the wound on his left wrist.
"This medicine contains the blood of several princes as a medicinal ingredient. Your Majesty should take it first, and your health will surely be fine." Qinghe Daoist handed the medicine to the eunuch, who tasted it to test its efficacy. Only after confirming that it was safe did Xiao Xu open his mouth and swallow it.
After taking that bowl of extremely fishy-smelling medicine, he felt a surge of heat flowing through his body, and he actually regained some strength.
The night wind made the palace lanterns under the corridor crackle and pop.
Pei Heng remained kneeling in the corridor. Hearing the sound of the palace doors opening, he looked up and saw Song Jie striding out, a victor's smile on his frail face.
"General Pei, His Majesty requests that you wait in the Qinghe Hall." He used the word "request," but his tone was cold and mocking. As he spoke, the Imperial Guards parted on both sides and surrounded Pei Heng.
Pei Heng glanced at the Imperial Guards and understood perfectly well that they were going to place him under house arrest.
"Has His Majesty awakened?" he asked Song Jie as he stood up. "I wish to see His Majesty."
Two imperial guards blocked Pei Heng's path, one on the left and one on the right.
Song Jie stood behind the Imperial Guards, his eyes like those of a venomous snake as he looked at Pei Heng: "His Majesty will see you when he wants to. If General Pei defies the imperial decree again, I can only order the Imperial Guards to take you into the Qinghe Palace."
He didn't give Pei Heng a chance to speak at all, and directly raised his hand to order: "Take General Pei to Qinghe Palace."
The Imperial Guards drew their swords and rushed towards Pei Heng. Pei Heng clenched his fists and then relaxed them. In the end, he simply said, "No need to take action. Since it is His Majesty's order, I will naturally go."
He turned and strode toward the Qinghe Side Hall. Surrounded by imperial guards, he entered the hall, heard the door behind him close, and saw the imperial guards heavily guarding the other side.
He had expected this outcome.
Outside the side hall, separated by only one door, Song Jie coughed lightly twice, chilled by the cold wind. Pei Heng was truly a stubborn and unyielding rock.
The cold winds of approaching winter swept the last few withered leaves off the trees.
Xie Yushu heard the sound of withered leaves being crushed, and she immediately opened the window and saw a gray carrier pigeon perched on a withered branch outside.
She reached out and untied the pouch from the carrier pigeon's leg.
Jinye, who was behind her, came over with a lamp to illuminate the narrow letter for her. She didn't know many words and couldn't quite understand the meaning of the few fragmented words on the letter.
But Xie Yushu understood these meanings very well. Song Jie was telling her that the Emperor was not yet fully awake, Pei Heng was under house arrest in the palace, and Pei Heng and his mother were also placed under house arrest, but Pei Heng did not make any moves.
She was not surprised that Pei Heng had not made a move at this point, allowing the Emperor to place him under house arrest.
The Pei family has been loyal and virtuous for generations. Pei Heng grew up in such a family environment and was taken to the battlefield by his father when he was a teenager to protect his country. It was not easy to shake his loyalty to the emperor.
They also need a raging fire to roast Pei Heng over it.
She burned the letters, stood by the window watching the flickering lamplight burn the paper to ashes, her brow furrowed as if lost in thought.
Jin Ye didn't dare to disturb her and was about to put a coat on her to keep her from catching a cold.
Xie Yushu suddenly turned around and walked to the table, saying, "Bring me pen and ink."
#
Under the misty night sky, the carrier pigeon flew all the way to the palace wall, where a hand took the message bag and released it out of the palace.
The one who took the letter was Atractylodes lancea.
After reading the letter in the corner, Cangshu quickly returned to Song Jie's side.
Song Jie was still in the palace with the somewhat unconscious Xiao Xu when he saw Cang Shu coming over. He got up and went outside the palace.
Cangshu whispered the contents of the letter into his ear.
Song Jie was taken aback for a moment, then smiled. Xie Yushu wanted him to go to the Pei residence in the name of the Emperor, and his men should have arrived by now.
In some ways, he is very similar to Xie Yushu.
#
Under the pitch-black night, several fast horses galloped across the long street and stopped in front of the Pei residence.
When Wang Kangya, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards, led his troops into the main hall, Pei Shilin and his mother, Li Huixian, were sitting there, looking haggard.
Overnight, Pei Heng was imprisoned in the palace, and the emperor ordered that he and his mother were not allowed to leave the Pei residence. How could they possibly sleep peacefully?
"His Majesty has ordered me to deliver something to Lady Pei and Lord Pei." Deputy Commander Wang Kangya waved his hand, and his men tossed a package onto the table.
Pei Shilin and Li Huixian, who were sitting at the table, stood up in fright. They saw the blood-soaked package unfurl, and a blood-soaked head rolled out, staring at them with its eyes wide open.
Li Huixian's scream pierced the night, and she fainted as if struck by lightning.
Pei Shilin was also terrified. He stared at the head for a long time before finally falling to the ground and vomiting.
That's Shihama... that's Shihama's head...
Pei Shilin was trembling with rage. Shi Bin was only supposed to serve another six months in prison before being released, but now he was just a bloody head...
“Lord Pei, please don’t be so frightened that you faint.” Deputy General Wang Kangya walked up to him, squatted down, and handed him a letter, saying, “His Majesty still needs Lord Pei to persuade your wife to sign this divorce agreement.”
Pei Shilin stared at the divorce agreement with bloodshot eyes. It was all Xie Yushu's fault, Pei Heng's fault! If Pei Heng hadn't insisted on stopping this divorce, it would have been signed long ago! He wouldn't have been placed under house arrest by the Emperor, and his younger brother Shibin wouldn't have died! Whether Pei Heng acted out of personal feelings or loyalty, he was determined to kill the entire Pei family!
Wang Kangya said regretfully, "It didn't have to come to this point, but General Pei insisted on making it known to everyone. His Majesty was furious. Now, having Madam Pei sign this divorce agreement is not only for your and Madam Pei's own good, but also to save His Majesty's face. Therefore, Lord Pei should understand the importance of this divorce agreement."
Pei Shilin took the divorce papers with trembling hands, and said in a hoarse voice, "I know..."
He knew that now, to save face, he would stop at nothing to force him to divorce Xie Yushu.
He also knew that if he didn't sign the agreement, the one who died might be his mother, or even Pei Heng, who was under house arrest in the palace.
Pei Shilin stood up unsteadily, not daring to look at the head on the table; his legs were numb with fear.
"Prepare a horse for Lord Pei," Wang Kangya said considerately.
#
As the thunder rumbled, the outside world gradually turned bluish-white.
It's time for the Emperor to attend the morning court session.
Pei Heng glanced out the window. Had His Majesty woken up? Was His Majesty truly alright?
He felt a vague unease, as if something was about to happen.
The wind grew stronger, making the windows rattle and bang. The palace doors seemed to be blown open, suddenly yanking open and letting in a blast of cold wind and thunder. Pei Heng squinted, surprised to see Li Huixian walk in.
"Sister-in-law?" Pei Heng's heart skipped a beat, because he saw that Li Huixian's swollen eyes had no spirit at all, and she floated in like a ghost.
Something must have happened.
Pei Heng hurried to greet her, calling out to her and asking what had happened, how she ended up here, and whether the Emperor had allowed her to enter.
After a barrage of questions, Li Huixian seemed to snap out of her daze and looked up at Pei Heng in a daze. Her gaze was fixed on Pei Heng's face for a while before she suddenly broke down and slapped Pei Heng across the face.
The slap was extremely hard. Before Pei Heng could react, he heard Li Huixian's broken cries and suppressed screams.
She grabbed Pei Heng by the collar like a madwoman, slapping him repeatedly and pounding his chest and shoulders with a hammer, crying and shouting, "It's all your fault! You killed my son! If it weren't for you, Shi Bin wouldn't have died! Shi Lin wouldn't have been imprisoned! Why did you have to harm your own family..."
Pei Heng grabbed her hand as if struck by lightning, "Sister-in-law, you said Shi Bin is dead? Shi Lin is imprisoned? What happened? How could Shi Bin die?"
Unable to break free, Li Huixian bit his hand hard. Taking advantage of his loosening grip, she slapped him across the face, scratching a bloody mark. She screamed, "Don't you know how Shibin died?! If you hadn't stopped Xie Yushu from signing the divorce papers, why would His Majesty have killed Shibin to force Shilin? You're determined to kill the entire Pei family for a woman!"
Pei Heng's mind seemed to be jolted awake by the slap. He looked at Li Huixian in disbelief and asked, "Did His Majesty kill Pei Shibin and force Pei Shilin to go to Xie Yushu to sign the divorce papers?" He couldn't believe that His Majesty would actually do such a thing.
But Li Huixian's breakdown was no joke. Her hands were still stained with blood, and she screamed and cried uncontrollably. Finally, she knelt down and begged Pei Heng, "Please save Shilin! Shibin is already dead. I only have one son left. You can't kill my only son too! I beg you to save Shilin, save Shilin!" She cried until she started kowtowing to Pei Heng.
Pei Heng felt a chill run through him. He reached out to help her up and saw a woman on the verge of madness. His heart felt like it was being roasted on fire. This was his sister-in-law. Although he wasn't close to them, she, Pei Shilin, and Pei Shibin were his brother's remaining family members in this world. But now, because of him, she had become like this...
Did His Majesty really kill Shibin? Did he really kill Shibin and imprison Shilin for a divorce agreement?
"I will save him, I will save Shih-lin." He heard his own voice hoarse as he reassured Li Hui-xian, trying to calm her down, and asked her, "Sister-in-law, tell me first, where is Shih-lin now?"
Li Huixian looked at him with tears streaming down her face, trembling as she said, "Shilin went to the Yong'an Marquis's residence... and then took the divorce papers to the palace to see the Emperor, and hasn't returned yet..." She cried again, trembling as she asked Pei Heng, "Is he dead too? Was he killed by the Emperor?"
Pei Heng first said no, then asked her, "How long has Shi Lin been in the palace?"
When he asked that question, he realized that in his heart the emperor had become a cruel and inhuman ruler, and that if he could kill Shibin, he would kill Shilin.
His chest felt like it was frozen. The Pei family had been loyal to the emperor and the country for generations. His grandfather and father had died on the battlefield. What did they get in return?
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Author's Note: Rebel, Pei Heng!
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