Final Chapter
The next morning, Qingya, who had tossed and turned all night without sleeping well, rushed to the Qianqing Palace, fearing that Ping An and Cui Shenzhi would quarrel because of her. However, what she saw was the young couple being affectionate with each other and teasing Pei Youyi.
Qingya was a little confused, unsure whether she should go up and disturb her, but Ping An noticed her and waved to her.
"Mom, come quick! Youyi is blowing bubbles! And she really looks a bit like me now that she's grown up, especially her big, bright eyes. Aren't they exactly the same as mine?"
Qingya looked at Ping An, then at Cui Shenzhi, then at Pei Youyi, and nodded blankly.
Ping An sighed softly, then placed Pei Youyi in Cui Shenzhi's arms before pulling Qingya aside.
"Mother, I told you, with me here, you don't need to worry about anything. Just live your life well."
"But…"
“No buts. Yesterday, my biological father and Shinji’s adoptive father, Choi Suk-gong, died from a serious illness caused by excessive worry. Shinji and I are both heartbroken and can’t bear to hear anything related to him. Do you understand?”
Qingya looked into Ping An's eyes and nodded.
The matter passed peacefully, as if Choi Suk-gong's death was, as Choi Shin-ji had said, due to excessive worry and illness, without causing the slightest ripple.
*****
Although Choi Shin-ji was determined to make Pei Youyi the heir to the throne, he did not choose to confront him head-on, but instead took a gradual approach.
First, he used the excuse of Cui Sugong's death to observe three years of mourning. Then, during an autumn hunt, he deliberately fell off his horse and had Lu Fengping examine him, concluding that he was injured and needed several years of recuperation. He also invited Huang Yuandao to teach Pei Youyi, and he even took Pei Youyi with him when handling government affairs.
Once Pei Youyi had gained some ability, he pretended to be poisoned, claiming it was done by a member of the Cui clan who had rendered him impotent. Enraged, he proposed in court that Pei Youyi participate in government affairs. The ministers thought he was delirious with anger and naturally dared not object.
Then Pei Youyi shone brightly in the court, stunning everyone. Only then did the ministers realize that Cui Shenzhi's decision to let Pei Youyi participate in politics was definitely not out of spite.
However, Choi Shin-ji had been emperor for more than ten years, and the people had long been convinced of his worth. In addition, Ping An had attended court every day for ten years—although he did not participate much in politics, the ministers had become accustomed to the presence of women in politics, so this matter did not cause much of a stir.
That's not entirely true.
There were two main reasons why the ministers did not cause a disturbance.
Firstly, Pei Youyi's performance was indeed outstanding, comparable to Cui Shenzhi, yet he possessed a greater degree of decisiveness. In terms of ability, they had no reason to oppose Pei Youyi.
Secondly, they had no other choice.
Thinking of this, the ministers all sighed. The phrase "no choice" had haunted them for decades and was almost a nightmare.
When Choi Shin-ji decided to become the emperor's son-in-law, they had no choice. When Choi Shin-ji, as the founding emperor, wanted to share power with An Ping, they still had no choice. And when Choi Shin-ji wanted to make Bae Yoo-yi the heir to the throne, they still had no choice.
There's no need to say more about Cui Shenzhi's relatives; they've all been ruined by Cui Sugong. As for the Cui clan members in Ping'an, there's no need to consider them either. That leaves only one person: the well-known Princess Chen, Cui Lingxian. The question is, if a child is adopted from her, will Anguo still be Anguo?
The ministers could only grit their teeth and accept it, figuring they could only hope for the next generation. They couldn't expect each generation to have only one child, and all of them to be princesses.
*****
In the seventeenth year of Jianzhao, Pei Youyi was officially appointed as the Crown Princess.
The morning after the investiture ceremony, Ping An rushed to the East Palace.
Pei Youyi greeted Ping An with a smile upon seeing her arrival.
"Mother, why did you come to see me so early in the morning? You don't have to go to court today, why didn't you sleep in a little longer?"
"I have something important to tell you." Ping An gave a wink, and the palace servants withdrew one after another, closing the door behind them with great tact.
Pei Youyi couldn't help but chuckle. There were only the three of them in the palace; they wouldn't have any more enemies, so why bother?
After everyone had left, Ping An spoke seriously: "You can like that boy from the Zhu family, but I have to remind you, he's General Zhu's son. If you want him to enter the palace and marry you, then the Zhu family will have to..."
“Mother!” Pei Youyi interrupted, “The General’s family has guarded the border for generations, sacrificing for the people and the country for several generations. They are loyal and devoted people. There are some things you should never say.”
Ping An was stunned for a moment, then said with some embarrassment and anger, "I'm doing this for your own good. You're going to be the emperor. If your empress comes from a powerful family like the General's Mansion, your power will definitely be affected, and you might even lose the throne."
Pei Youyi lowered her eyes and said softly, "That's why I never thought about being with him."
But I heard…
"Mother, you're just listening to other people's nonsense. I only spoke to him a few more times because I've never seen a young master in the capital who exudes such a chilling aura."
"real?"
Pei Youyi looked up into Ping An's eyes and nodded heavily.
Ping An turned and left with some doubt, but less than half an hour after Ping An left, Cui Shenzhi arrived at the East Palace.
Pei Youyi couldn't help but sigh.
"Father, did Mother send you to see me?"
Choi Shin-ji shook his head.
“Your mother didn’t ask me to come find you. She just sighed for a long time. I had to coax her for a while before she told me that her daughter had grown up and was starting to dislike her.”
Pei Youyi was both amused and exasperated: "Father, do you think I have the guts to do this? From childhood to adulthood, whenever I had a conflict with Mother, you, Grandmother Qingya, and Aunt Shen would all come and lecture me one by one. Only Uncle Lu would never say anything."
"So what's your relationship with that kid from the Zhu family?"
Pei Youyi took a deep breath, straightened her posture, and solemnly said, "Father, I dare not hide it from you. I do have feelings for him, but as Mother said, the General's Mansion is very powerful. If I make him my empress, it will inevitably shake my imperial power and cause turmoil in the world. But I am your heir to the throne and the future ruler of the world. If I sacrifice the peace of the world for personal love, then I am not worthy of this position and will fail your teachings."
“Besides,” Pei Youyi lowered her head, her face full of desolation, “what would I be if I really trapped him in the palace? He is a general, he should be protecting his country and fighting against foreign enemies on the battlefield, not being trapped in the palace and suffering because of my selfish desires.”
Cui Shenzhi sighed and patted Pei Youyi on the shoulder.
"I'm so sorry..."
Pei Youyi shook her head.
“Father, you have not wronged me. If I were not your only daughter, the ministers would not have accepted me so easily as the crown prince. How could I have truly held the power in my own hands and decided my own life?”
"As for men..." Pei Youyi blinked, her playful demeanor remarkably similar to Ping An's: "If he's not suitable to stay in the palace, then I can just find someone else, right? Other emperors have three palaces, six courtyards, and seventy-two concubines, why should I hang myself on one tree?"
Cui Shenzhi choked up, wanting to lecture Pei Youyi, but looking at her similar features to Ping An, he didn't know how to start. After thinking for a while, he left with the words, "Remember to get your medicine from your Uncle Lu," and fled in a panic.
*****
After finishing the political affairs assigned to her by Cui Shenzhi in the East Palace, Pei Youyi originally intended to go to Ganqing Palace to find Ping An. However, as soon as she arrived at Ganqing Palace, she saw that all the palace servants were outside. She knew that either the couple were being affectionate inside, or Ping An was scolding Cui Shenzhi. In short, it was not a scene suitable for her to be there, so she quickly turned around and left the palace.
After leaving the palace, she first went to Princess Cui Lingxian's residence, but found it empty. The gatekeeper said that Cui Lingxian and her husband Lu Fengping had taken their only daughter on a trip to find a legendary medicinal herb.
Then she went to Qiu Yan's residence outside the palace.
When Qiu Yan left the palace, Ping An and Cui Shenzhi rewarded her with a large amount of gold and silver, as well as several shops, and also issued an imperial decree to grant her marriage. Therefore, after Qiu Yan left the palace and got married, she did not return to her hometown, but stayed in the capital.
Upon seeing Pei Youyi's arrival, Qiu Yan abandoned her husband and child to greet him.
What brings you here?
"It's nothing, I just came out of the palace for a stroll and happened to come and see how you are doing, Aunt."
“Good, how could it not be good?” Qiu Yan smiled broadly. “His Highness and His Majesty have bestowed so many shops upon me. Even if I do nothing, just renting out the shops is enough to cover my expenses, not to mention all the gold and silver.”
Pei Youyi chatted with Qiu Yan for a while before turning to leave.
Next, she went to Qiao Siyu's princess residence. As soon as she arrived at the gate, she heard Qiao Siyu's angry roar.
"You little brat, how dare you lie to me?!"
Then came the voice of Qiao Siyu's son.
"I learned it from you, Mother~"
Then came a commotion of chickens flying and dogs barking. Upon hearing this, Pei Youyi turned and left without saying a word. She didn't want to get involved in the 'war' between the mother and son.
After leaving, Pei Youyi didn't want to return to the palace so soon. After thinking it over, she went to wander around the slums. Cui Shenzhi often brought her there, so many of the children there knew her.
She was playing and laughing with the children when she suddenly saw a familiar figure.
—General Zhu Xiao
Pei Youyi lowered her eyes and sighed imperceptibly before calmly looking up to greet him.
"Didn't you return to the capital this time to report on your duties? Logically, you should have gone back to the border with General Zhu. Why are you still in the capital? And why are you here?"
General Zhu scratched his head, his wheat-colored skin showing a hint of rosy hue: "I asked my father what other way there was besides fighting wars that could help the people without tarnishing the Zhu family's reputation, so he dumped me here."
Pei Youyi was stunned.
"No war? But didn't you say your dream was to protect the people of a city and safeguard the peace of a region? So you're planning to abandon military service and pursue a career in literature?"
General Zhu shook his head, his face flushed.
“What I’m thinking about now is protecting the people of this country and ensuring the peace of one person. And…” he added in a low voice, “My father said that continuing the royal bloodline is also a way of serving the country. At worst, I can fake my death and have nothing to do with the Zhu family anymore. He can just treat me like a son who has been married off and is no longer part of the family.”
Pei Youyi's face slowly turned red as she looked into General Zhu's fixed gaze.
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