Chapter 46 Acting Skills
"?"
Zhuang Wan was confused. What was she thinking?
Pei Xingju continued, "The Emperor will not grant me a marriage at random, and I will not marry Princess Wu Jing."
Oh! It turns out he was just overthinking it!
Upon learning that Pei Xingju had misunderstood her, Zhuang Wan simply went along with it.
Her eyes were filled with resentment. "But I clearly saw you buying a hairpin for Princess Wu Jing. Doesn't that mean you like her?"
“…I didn’t buy it.”
"I saw you give money."
"The money was given by Chen Yi," Pei Xingju explained honestly, "Princess Wu Jing said she liked the hairpin but didn't have any money with her, so Chen Yi took out his purse."
Zhuang Wan blinked, not expecting things to develop in this way.
Inexplicably, she felt that Pei Xingju, who was trying hard to explain but pretending to be indifferent, was actually a little cute.
But the story is not over yet. She still has to play the role of "the man she deeply loves goes shopping with another woman, and she is extremely sad and then acts unreasonably."
"But I heard that you accompanied Princess Wu Jing for several days. You were so busy, yet you still went to accompany her. Could this also be considered a misunderstanding?"
"...This is the emperor's order. I cannot disobey."
"I don't believe it!" Zhuang Wan glared at him angrily. "You're the Imperial Preceptor, and you even dare to criticize the Emperor. How could such an order be so difficult to disobey?"
This wasn't Zhuang Wan's nonsense; the book mentions a time when the emperor did something foolish and Pei Xingju rushed into the palace overnight to remonstrate with him. Since ancient times, remonstration from court officials was rarely a good thing, and some fearless remonstrators would even scold the emperor every time they met him, leaving him blushing with shame.
It was obvious that this was Pei Xingju's excuse. Given his status, no one could do anything if he didn't want to accompany them, and the emperor would not punish him for such a trivial matter.
As for why he wasted time accompanying Princess Wu Jing, it is unknown what conspiracy he had.
But now, no matter what his plan was, Zhuang Wan seized upon this incident that had left Pei Xingju speechless and was justifiably angry.
She squeezed and squeezed out some tears, and said fiercely: "Speak, why don't you say anything?"
Pei Xingju remained silent because he did have his own plans which were difficult to explain.
"Look! You're clearly lying to me!" Zhuang Wan's lips trembled as she delivered the prepared lines: "If you want to marry Princess Wu Jing, why hide it? I admit that Princess Wu Jing is of noble status, beautiful and generous. She's prettier, cuter, and more talented than me. It's only natural that you like her."
"no......"
"Not what?" Zhuang Wan interrupted him hastily, not allowing him to explain even a single word. "You don't have to lie to me. You also said you wouldn't marry me, so why should I stand here and get in your way?"
She said with a determined look: "Don't worry, I won't stay here and won't leave. I will help you when the time comes."
Perfect!
Zhuang Wan secretly awarded herself an Oscar. The acting, the atmosphere, were perfect, and breaking up would be a natural progression.
Finally, she glanced at Pei Xingju with resentment and pushed him: "Go away! I don't want to see you again!"
Pei Xingju was tall, and her strength was like scratching an itch; she couldn't move him at all. So she pushed him twice, then let out a soft cry, covered her face, and ran away.
The noise outside could not be hidden from the maids and servants in the ear room. Several of them pushed and shoved each other and hid by the window to peek.
Pei Xingju was seen standing quietly in the courtyard with his eyes downcast, not knowing what he was thinking about. After a long time, he sighed and left.
That afternoon, everyone in the Pei Mansion knew that their master had had a quarrel with his beloved woman.
.
"Miss, what happened between you and Lord Pei?" Qiu Tan asked.
Qiu Tan hadn't gone to tea with Zhuang Wan, so she wasn't aware of the rumors, much less witnessed the scene on Ningyang Street. Curious and concerned, she said, "Everyone in the mansion is talking about how Master Pei has angered the young lady."
Zhuang Wan was stunned: "The news spread so quickly?"
"Yeah!" Qiu Tan nodded.
Zhuang Wan was helpless. Since the news had spread, she had to bite the bullet and continue performing the trick.
She plays a woman who "has a quarrel with her beloved lover" and takes the lead in expressing her dissatisfaction through a series of actions.
First of all, she gave up the responsibility of preparing Pei Xingju's three meals a day and let him eat whatever he liked.
Secondly, after Pei Xing was dismissed, the customary loving desserts were no longer available, and Zhuang Wan refused to make them.
Again, and this was the most rebellious act - Zhuang Wan made delicious cupcakes, and almost every servant in the Pei Mansion got one, even the dog taken in by the gatekeeper in the backyard got one, but Pei Xingju's was not included.
It's obvious!
Pei Xingju locked himself in his study for this reason. According to the servant, the candle burned until midnight that night.
Two days later, officials from the Ministry of Rites came to invite the person in person.
"Master Pei, you should go. Princess Wu Jing is being irritable at the guild hall. She's ignoring everyone else and insists on your company."
Pei Xingju didn't even raise his head: "I'm busy."
Mr. Zheng, the Minister of Rites, tried to persuade Pei Xingju until he was dry-mouthed, and appealed to his reason and emotion, but Pei Xingju remained indifferent.
Lord Zheng had no choice but to turn around and make eyes at Chen Yi, silently asking for help.
Chen Yi spread his hands: There’s nothing I can do.
“…”
Not long after, the Minister of Rites wiped his sweat and left.
Chen Yi had already heard about the recent quarrel between Pei Xingju and Zhuang Wan, and he secretly gloated over their misfortune. After entering, he asked, "Why aren't you going?"
"If you want to go, just go." Pei Xingju said.
Chen Yi curled his lips: "Where would I want to go? If it weren't for the Emperor's intention to win me over..."
He lowered his voice and said, "That's just my guess. Does the Emperor want to pretend to support the Second Prince in his bid for the throne, and then find an opportunity to annex Lu later?"
Pei Xingju raised his eyes but said nothing.
Shen Yi nodded: "It seems that I guessed right."
"The Second Prince and Princess Wu Jing are siblings. Their mother was the favorite concubine of the Emperor of Lu. They've been arrogant and domineering since childhood. Now he's plotting to use his sister's hand in marriage to Da Zhao as leverage. How could he not know that others have their own plans? Supporting such a foolish person as the ruler will benefit Da Zhao more than anyone else."
"Although Lu has a small territory, it is rich in mineral resources. The surrounding countries have long regarded them as fat meat, and Da Zhao naturally does not want to let them go." Shen Yi analyzed.
"This is one reason," Pei Xingju said. "The State of Lu borders Danmu to the west. Taking over Lu would open the way to destroying Danmu and unifying the Central Plains. And Danmu has been plagued by internal strife for over a decade, greatly reducing its national strength. This is a good time to attack."
After hearing this, Chen Yi suddenly understood: "No wonder, I was wondering why you ignored the trivial matters and patiently went to accompany Princess Wu Jing. So you had this plan."
"But are you really going to marry her?" he asked.
Pei Xingju: "Anyone can marry her, but I, Pei Xingju, will not marry her."
"But Princess Wujing only wants to marry you."
Pei Xingju said nothing.
Chen Yi was amused and said deliberately, "Actually, there's nothing wrong with marrying Princess Wu Jing. After all, she'll just be your wife temporarily. When you conquer Lu, you can ask His Majesty for a letter of divorce. Not only will His Majesty not make things difficult for you, but he'll even reward you handsomely. Isn't that good?"
What a ghost!
Pei Xingju didn't bother to pay attention to him: "What are you doing here at this time? Are you done with the case in the Ministry of Justice?"
What can I do? Come and watch the fun, of course.
He said leisurely: "Oh, the case is not finished yet."
"What are you doing here if you haven't finished your work yet?"
"I heard that Miss Zhuang's cupcakes are delicious, so I came to try some."
“…”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
