Past
Pei Jue knocked on the door knocker three times, and soon a little girl came out to greet him.
"Who are you looking for?" The little girl held a steaming hot sweet potato and stared at them curiously with her big, bright eyes.
Xu Ruoyan bent down to meet her gaze: "Who are you?"
Pei Jue stepped forward and bowed his head: "We have come to see Brother Li Siming. We already sent our visiting cards yesterday."
"Oh, you're looking for my dad?" the little girl's childish voice rang out again. "Come in."
With the young master's permission, Xu Ruoyan helped Pei Jue cross the threshold and enter the courtyard.
"Wait a moment, I'll go get my father!"
The little girl skipped and hopped away.
"So cute." Xu Ruoyan smiled as she looked at the small voice, her eyes overflowing with tenderness.
Pei Jue hesitated for a moment, as if he had made up his mind, and solemnly took Xu Ruoyan's hand: "If Madam likes children, we can have one too."
Then Xu Ruoyan froze.
"No, no," she laughed awkwardly, silently pulling her hand away from Pei Jue's. "I just like looking at them, I don't like keeping them."
Pei Jue assumed she was worried that raising a child would interfere with his pharmacy business, so after thinking about it, he made up his mind again:
“If Madam is unwilling to raise him, I can do so.”
What does this have to do with anything?!
Xu Ruoyan's face twitched twice, and she mumbled, "Let's talk about it later, this can't be rushed."
Pei Jue seemed to have seriously considered her words and nodded: "Madam is right, we still need to discuss this matter."
At that moment, a person came out of the house, followed by a hopping figure.
He stopped in front of the two men and bowed deeply in respect:
"This humble one, Li Siming, greets Brother Pei and Madam Pei."
"Hey, hey, get up quickly, there's no need for such a grand gesture." Xu Ruoyan hurriedly helped him up.
“Let’s go inside and talk,” Li Siming gestured towards the house, “please.”
Xu Ruoyan sensed something was wrong as soon as she entered the room.
Although the house wasn't luxurious, it looked like a normal family home, and there was no sign of them being destitute or struggling to make ends meet. So why did Pei Jue choose him?
Filled with doubt, she turned to look at Pei Jue.
Pei Jue sensed her gaze and gently squeezed her palm, signaling her not to rush.
"Please sit down, I'll go pour you some tea."
“No need for that,” Pei Jue said. “Please have a seat.”
Li Siming sat down across the square table, looked at them, and sighed: "I have read your letter, but I still don't understand why you came to see me."
Xu Ruoyan didn't understand either, so she also looked at Pei Jue.
Pei Jue said in a deep voice, "Three years ago, you participated in the provincial examination as the top scholar, but you did not pass."
Li Siming nodded, puzzled. "I see. And then?"
"I have read your examination essays. With your writing skills, whether it is the eight-legged essay or the policy essay, you are second to none. But let alone becoming the top scholar, your name did not even appear on the list of successful candidates. Do you know why?"
Li Siming's expression gradually turned serious. He stared intently at Pei Jue and asked, "Why?"
Pei Jue sneered: "Your exam paper did indeed win the favor of the examiners during the grading process, but before the results were announced, your name was removed by the chief eunuch."
The air fell silent. Li Siming gripped his sleeves tightly, a hint of bloodlust creeping into his eyes.
How did you know?
Pei Jue's voice remained flat: "Because I was one of the examiners that year, I could see everyone's exam papers."
In fact, he was ordered by his father, the Emperor, to not only preside over the imperial examination but also participate in the final review, so he knew Li Siming's results. However, it's often unnecessary to be too explicit; simply stating a convincing detail is sufficient.
Meanwhile, Li Siming was staring back and forth between Pei Jue and Xu Ruoyan with his bloodshot eyes. Pei Jue knew that he was weighing the credibility of his words.
But he wasn't in a hurry. People in positions of power are the most patient when making deals.
Sure enough, some people couldn't wait any longer.
"Did you two come to me specifically to tell me this truth that has been buried for three years?"
He was completely exhausted, slumped into a chair, and gave a self-deprecating smile, a bitter feeling rising in his heart.
A scholar's youth is extremely precious; no one can remain indifferent to three glorious years of youth that have been deliberately killed.
He will always remember how long it took him to accept that he was not as good as others, and how long it took him to get out of the glory of being the top scholar in the imperial examination and start over.
But merchants have no pity for their prey; they only care about their own interests. The chief eunuch Qi Feng was like this, as was Pei Jue.
In reality, what so-called pursuers of profit are actually pursuing is becoming the controllers of profit.
"You don't need to know why we've come to you. I'm giving you time to consider. If you want revenge, come to this address at noon tomorrow."
Li Siming coldly stared at the note that was handed to him without making a move.
"I've troubled you all today, farewell." Pei Jue bowed to him, stood up, and pulled Xu Ruoyan outside.
As she reached the door, a series of thumping sounds approached from afar. Xu Ruoyan turned around and saw it was the little girl.
"Sister, are you leaving?"
For some reason, Xu Ruoyan's mood would inexplicably improve whenever she saw the little girl's chubby face. She squatted down and affectionately patted the little girl's head: "Yes, we're leaving now."
The little girl grabbed one of Xu Ruoyan's fingers and shook it, saying, "Sister, you are so pretty. I want to play with you again."
Xu Ruoyan chuckled: "We'll meet again, and I'll give you candy then."
"Really?" The little girl blinked, and the tiny starlight floating in the mirror twinkled.
“Of course,” Xu Ruoyan said, hooking her little finger around hers. “Let’s pinky swear.”
Pei Jue simply stood aside and listened quietly, without urging him on.
On the way back to the clinic, Pei Jue asked, "How did you know we would see that Mr. Li again, Madam?"
"Actually, I know almost nothing about that Mr. Li, since you didn't mention him to me beforehand."
Pei Jue thought, "My wife is resenting me."
"I apologize, it was my oversight. From now on, I will definitely inform Madam in advance about everything."
Xu Ruoyan looked at him as if he were an idiot.
This person is so inexplicable.
"From my observation, there are many signs of habitation in Li Sheng's home, which doesn't seem like a temporary residence for someone going to the capital for the imperial examinations. Moreover, no one would bring their child to take the exams. There are no signs of a third person living in the house, which means that Li Sheng's wife is not here. Where could an ordinary wife go? Most likely, she abandoned the father and son after seeing that Li Sheng had failed the exams and had no future."
She was talking and thinking so much that she didn't notice the hole under her feet and almost tripped.
"As for Li Sheng's source of income, I really haven't come up with a reasonable explanation yet."
“Madam is very clever,” Pei Jue said with a smile, “You’ve guessed pretty accurately. This Li Sheng is originally from Anqing. After passing the provincial examination with top honors, he married and had children. He came to the capital three years ago after selling his family’s land. So when his wife saw that he had no way to go back after failing the exam, she divorced him in a fit of anger. Now he and his daughter are still living off their savings.”
Xu Ruoyan nodded knowingly: "So he can't afford to fail the exam again this time."
“That’s exactly right,” Pei Jue said.
"And what about you?" Xu Ruoyan turned her head to look at him. "What can you give him?"
Pei Jue didn't answer, but instead asked, "Do you know why it was him back then?"
"Because he has no background and is easy to manipulate?" Xu Ruoyan guessed casually.
"Also because his grades were so outstanding that they overshadowed others."
Xu Ruoyan silently recalled the little historical knowledge she had left. All she knew was that those who passed the provincial examination qualified for the palace examination, and after the palace examination, candidates were awarded different official positions based on their rankings. Since Song Siming had the ability to win first place in the provincial examination, winning first place in the palace examination was naturally a given. In that case, he would indeed block some people's path to promotion and wealth.
"At that time, Qi Feng was still constantly gathering strength to make final preparations for supporting my brother's ascension to the throne, so the more people he had in the court, the better. Those who ranked first in the palace examination were directly granted official positions in the Hanlin Academy, so no matter what means were used, it had to be his people who nominated them."
Just as I expected.
Pei Jue added, "Not only that, but many people like Song Siming were also framed during the imperial examinations back then."
Xu Ruoyan couldn't help but ask, "Since Qi Feng is so blatant, isn't anyone going to do anything about it?"
"Manage? Who dares to manage?" Pei Jue said coldly. "Putting aside the fact that everyone in the court was already Qi Feng's man, just based on Qi Feng's power, plus the influence of my brother's mother's family in the court, this matter cannot be managed."
"And what about you? Can't you even control that?"
Pei Jue slowly stopped. He stood there, seemingly lost in thought.
Xu Ruoyan belatedly realized she had misspoke and hurriedly said, "I misspoke, you..."
“I can’t control that either,” Pei Jue interrupted her, letting out a deep sigh.
“At that time, my father believed that my elder brother was incapable of ruling and insisted on passing the throne to me. I knew the dangers involved, so I secretly established the Shadow Pavilion, attempting to cultivate my own power for self-protection. But the time left for me was too short, and there was too little I could do on my own. My mother was murdered when I was young, and the power of my maternal clan gradually declined... I had no choice.”
There's no way around it.
Three simple words summed up his struggles and tears along the way. Xu Ruoyan knew he didn't want to say more, but those three words alone made her feel suffocated.
Xu Ruoyan looked at him quietly, and through him she was looking at the young boy from back then.
At the tender age of fifteen or sixteen, he faced the threat of death. There was no one he could trust, no one he could rely on. In that perilous palace, in that chaotic battle that no one wanted to recall, he fought his way out alone, covered in blood, and risked everything to save his own life.
She stepped forward and gently took Pei Jue's trembling hand, which was hanging by his side.
Pei Jue may have gotten used to suppressing his emotions, and he may not even have noticed that he was trembling.
But Xu Ruoyan noticed it.
She slowly moved closer, pulled Pei Jue into her arms, and patted his back reassuringly.
"From now on, you have me, and I'll be there for you."
From now on, no matter how high the mountains or how far the rivers, there will always be someone to walk with you.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com