Something terrible has happened.
Guo Mansion.
After Xu Ruoyan left, Pei An stayed behind according to their plan, ostensibly to get to know Lord Guo better.
He helped the weak Guo Yuan sit down in a chair and comforted him, "Don't worry, Lord Guo. With Lianhua taking care of you, you'll be able to visit your wife in a few days."
Guo Yuan swallowed hard, his eyes still somewhat dazed. It was obvious that he hadn't recovered from the fright he had suffered these past few days, and was now overwhelmed by immense joy, making it difficult for him to calm down.
Pei An silently considered his options, deciding to start with some relatively peaceful topics.
So he leaned closer, and while gently patting Guo Yuanshun's back, he casually said, "Lord Guo, you and your wife have such a good relationship. I've noticed you've been so worried these past few days that you haven't slept much."
Guo Yuan listened, took Pei An's hand, held it tightly and shook it, tears welling up in his eyes: "Yes, my wife and I have known each other since we were young and have a deep affection for each other. I thought that she couldn't be saved this time... So I am really grateful to Lord Pei. If it weren't for you introducing me to such a highly skilled doctor, my wife would not have been able to save her life."
Pei An patted his hand reassuringly: "Lord Guo, there's no need to say more. We are very happy that you were able to save your lady."
Guo Yuan hesitated for a while, then suddenly stood up and said, "Oh dear, I forgot to pay Dr. Xu's consultation fee. I'll send someone to deliver it to him right now."
Pei An hurriedly followed, afraid that he might fall in his excitement.
"Don't worry, Master Guo. Doctor Xu takes healing the sick as her motto and doesn't care about this little bit of consultation fee."
Despite saying that, Pei An knew that Xu Ruoyan valued Guo Yuan's consultation fee more than anyone else. After all, Pei Jue must have emptied the family's savings during his trip to the Jiangnan region, and she had to earn it back.
Guo Yuan could tell that Pei An was just being polite, so he just gave a fake laugh and ordered the servants to move all the gold and silver jewelry from the storeroom to Xu Ruoyan.
Pei An listened silently from behind, his heart pounding with laughter.
Seeing that Guo Yuan had made the arrangements, Pei An went up to him and said, "Hey, Lord Guo, this matter is really not urgent. Please have a seat for a while."
You're only saying you're not in a hurry now that everything's been moved?
Guo Yuan gave Pei An an awkward laugh, realizing that the person in front of him was his wife's savior, and naturally he couldn't say what he had just been thinking.
After all this fuss, the time was almost up. Pei An's two dark eyes darted around, and he felt that time was about to bring out all the bad ideas he had been harboring.
"Lord Guo, isn't the imperial examination just a month away?"
Guo Yuan narrowed his eyes almost imperceptibly and said, "Yes, it's scheduled for the first day of the third month this year. Is Lord Pei interested?"
Pei An immediately burst into laughter: "That's right, I've always been too well protected by my elder brother, so I haven't accomplished anything. This time, I thought I'd go to the imperial examination to help you out and gain some experience."
Guo Yuan remained silent for a few seconds, his mind racing with various analyses.
Pei An's reasoning was quite valid. He had indeed been a carefree prince in the past, doing nothing, so those officials who loved to form cliques were powerless against him. Now that he had reached a certain age, even for the sake of the royal family's reputation, he should make some achievements.
But his intuition told him that Pei An's real purpose was not there.
What could it be? Could it be that he has someone among the candidates taking the imperial examination, and he's planning to secretly slip through his fingers? Or is it something else he can't even imagine...?
Even though Pei An had just done him a great favor, he didn't dare to agree to his request now. After all, how many people who came out of the palace were without a few schemes in their hearts?
“If Lord Pei wishes to participate in the imperial examination, he should seek the Emperor’s permission. This humble subject is truly powerless to do so.” He lowered his head seemingly respectfully, but his eyes secretly glanced upwards, trying to capture every subtle reaction of Pei An.
Pei An had anticipated that Guo Yuan wouldn't readily agree, but fortunately, he had prepared in advance. He quietly moved closer, winked at Guo Yuan, and appeared utterly harmless.
"I'm worried that my brother won't agree. After all, the personnel have already been decided, and it would be difficult for him to put me in as well. But I really don't want to miss this opportunity to gain experience, so I just hope that Lord Guo can put in a good word for me."
Guo Yuan's eyes darted around, and he quickly glanced at Pei An, who was leaning close to his face.
There's nothing wrong with what he said, and it's not a big deal. If I don't agree, I'll probably seem petty.
“Alright then,” he straightened up and chuckled at Pei An, “then I will put in a good word for you with His Majesty and try my best to help you realize your wish.”
Pei An immediately laughed happily and squeezed Guo Yuan's hand tightly: "Alright, then I'll thank you in advance, Lord Guo."
He deliberately glanced at the sky outside the window, feigning great disappointment, and exclaimed, "Oh dear, it's getting late. It's a real pity I can't continue chatting with Lord Guo. I'll take my leave now and find a good day to host a banquet for Lord Guo later!"
So the two of them exchanged pleasantries and left the house, still holding hands as they went outside. To onlookers, they looked like the closest of brothers.
Guo Yuan stood at the door of his house, watching Pei An's carriage leave before closing the door.
After going to great lengths to cure his wife, did they only make such a small request in the end?
He placed his right hand on his chest, a vague unease creeping over him.
Something really big is definitely going to happen.
...
The next morning at court, all the ministers had already heard the good news about Lady Guo Yuan's marriage, and before they even entered the hall, they all came to congratulate her, surrounding Guo Yuan completely.
Pei An watched from afar, sighing and shaking his head.
That's why he's the Minister of Personnel; no matter how neutral he tries to be, there will always be a lot of people trying to win him over.
While dealing with his colleagues, Guo Yuan seemed to sense something. He looked up and met Pei An's gaze in the distance. In that instant, his frozen smile twitched.
After entering the main hall, the master of the palace and his ministers went about their routine business, discussing recent state affairs. However, Pei Huai remained as indifferent as ever, and even found the ministers' chatter annoying.
He had absolutely no idea how to handle these matters. From a young age, his father had focused on grooming his younger brother, Pei Jue. Now, he had risen to this position entirely thanks to Qi Feng's advice. Listening to the ministers' endless chatter was less worthwhile than having a few actors sing for him.
Seeing that everyone had finished speaking, Pei An moved quickly and stepped forward to stand in the center, instantly attracting the attention of everyone in the hall.
"Your Majesty, I intend to participate in the provincial examination next month to improve myself. I hope Your Majesty will grant me permission."
Pei Huai never expected that his younger brother would stand up and make demands of him, since he had always stood quietly to the side before and never expressed his opinions.
Caught off guard, Pei Huai turned to look at Qi Feng beside him. Seeing Qi Feng nod calmly, he laughed and patted the armrest of the dragon throne.
"Very well, my younger brother has finally grown up and wants to go out and make his own way in the world. In that case, I will grant his request."
Upon hearing this, Pei An and Guo Yuan, who were standing below, were both stunned. They hadn't expected Pei Huai to agree so quickly.
Guo Yuan stood in the queue, pondering to himself. Qi Feng valued each provincial and palace examination so much, yet he immediately allowed Pei An, a former prince of an unclear faction, to join, which meant that he believed Pei An posed no threat to him.
Pei An, who was standing in front, didn't think so much. He simply thanked Pei Huai happily and then retreated.
Seeing that everything was alright, Qi Feng called out in a drawn-out tone, "Court adjourned." Pei An hurriedly turned around, wanting to rush back to tell Xu Ruoyan the good news, but was stopped by Pei Huai the next second.
"Pei An, wait a moment."
Pei An paused, his heart skipping a beat.
He turned on his toes and obediently walked to Pei Huai, bowing again: "What brings you here, Your Majesty?"
In the brief moment when he lowered his head, Pei Huai exchanged a glance with Qi Feng, then cleared his throat and slowly said, "I heard that the physician who cured Madam Guo Yuan was someone you found?"
Pei An was unsure of his meaning, so he obediently replied, "Your Majesty, it was I who recommended him."
Pei Huai propped his head up and said lazily, "I heard that the imperial physicians went to see him, and they all came back looking dejected. Where did you find such a miracle doctor, my brother?"
Pei An's body jolted suddenly, his mind raced, and he broke out in a cold sweat.
"Your Majesty, I met him by chance when I was out having fun. I never expected that this little physician would be so skilled."
Pei Huai let out a long "Oh": "In that case, I also have a minor ailment that has been lingering for years. I would like to trouble that physician to take a look at me, and I would also like to ask my younger brother to make the trip for me."
Before Pei Huai could finish speaking, Pei An's pupils trembled violently.
He tried his best to suppress the unease in his heart, but he couldn't control his trembling voice.
"Yes," he replied.
As soon as he stepped out of the palace gate, Zhang Zizhi came to greet him.
"Prepare the car, let's go to my sister-in-law's clinic."
Zhang Zizhi didn't ask any more questions and quickly ran to call for a carriage.
The two rode at full speed and soon arrived at Xu Ruoyan's clinic.
As soon as Pei An got off the carriage, he stumbled and ran towards Xu Ruoyan's clinic, forcefully pushing open the door and shouting, "Sister-in-law!"
Xu Ruoyan was treating a young man in the back room when Pei An's shout startled both of them.
"Sister-in-law!" Pei An called out as he walked towards the back room, not finding Xu Ruoyan in the front room. "Something terrible has happened!"
Xu Ruoyan took a deep breath to suppress her temper, got up and walked out. When she saw Pei An, she glared at him and scolded him, "What are you doing shouting like that? Don't you know you have to be quiet in a pharmacy? What if you scare the patients!"
Pei An saw Xu Ruoyan as if she were his savior, rushed over and grabbed her arm, shaking her violently: "Sister-in-law, something terrible has happened! The Emperor wants your life!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
