Chapter 359 Are you not going to leave a single one?
Pei Chengkun rose from humble beginnings to his current position as prime minister, demonstrating exceptional character and ability.
Now the eldest grandson is about to be beheaded, and the son has been dismissed from office and will never be employed again. Pei Chengkun remains calm, politely instructs the steward to give Zhao Fuquan a large purse, and then sends him away.
Zhao Fuquan sighed inwardly again. The Prime Minister was indeed a remarkable figure. However, the Duke of Chu was no less formidable. The court was bound to be quite lively in the future.
Pei Hanming, however, was not as calm and composed as Pei Chengkun. His eldest son was about to be executed, and he himself was dismissed from office and would never be employed again. Who would inherit the Prime Minister's mansion in the future?
He slumped into a chair, looking blankly at Pei Chengkun, "Father, is there really no way to turn things around?"
Seeing his dejected and lost state, Pei Chengkun couldn't help but frown deeply. He wasn't afraid of trouble; life isn't always smooth sailing, and problems could be solved if they arose. What he feared was the lack of a successor, of his descendants being unable to safeguard the foundation he had built. What use would all his current efforts be then?
"Sit up straight and get rid of that dejected look!" Pei Chengkun shouted. Pei Hanming immediately sat up straight and wiped the slump off his face. Even Pei Qitang, who had been slumped on the ground, sat up.
"So what if you've been dismissed from your post and will never be employed again? It's not like you don't have a son to raise." Pei Chengkun walked to the chair and sat down, and Pei Hanming quickly stood up to apologize.
He was suddenly struck by such a huge blow and couldn't accept it for a while. Now that he thinks about it, what's the big deal? He just lost his official position and his son. As long as his father is still the prime minister, and as long as the prime minister's mansion doesn't fall, who would dare to look down on him?
As for the eldest son being executed, he still has several sons born out of wedlock. If Jiang Yu, a woman, could enter the court and inherit a title, he doesn't believe that he can't raise one of his sons to be a good one.
Thinking this, he felt more confident and straightened his back even more. Seeing this, Pei Chengkun's expression softened. He looked at Pei Qitang, who was sitting on the ground, completely bewildered, and said:
“I have had famous teachers teach you since you were a child, and I have always kept you by my side to teach you. I have long taught you that those who want to achieve great things must have the capacity to tolerate others and the wisdom to conceal their talents. They must never act willfully and recklessly based on their own temper.”
The doctor revealed your hidden illness, and you were furious, wanting to kill him. But do you know that secrets never stay hidden forever? Given your status, if this murder were discovered, you wouldn't be the only one bearing the consequences. Is a mere hidden illness more important than your future? More important than the rise and fall of your entire family?
Furthermore, if you intend to kill, why not make thorough preparations beforehand? Without a strategy and consideration of the consequences, not only you, but even a prince would not escape death.
Pei Chengkun was extremely disappointed in Jiang Yu. He wondered what she would do if the same thing happened to her.
In fact, Jiang Yu had already given the answer. She revealed her divorce before anyone in the capital knew about it. Her purpose was to tell everyone that attacking her with this was useless.
That was the difference. Compared to him, he looked down on this grandson even more. At this moment, Pei Qitang knelt down in front of him, tightly gripping his robes with both hands, and pleaded tearfully, "Grandfather, please save your grandson, grandson doesn't want to die. From now on, grandson will listen to you and never cause trouble again."
Pei Chengkun closed his eyes briefly. After all, this was his grandson, whom he had carefully nurtured; he couldn't remain indifferent. He stroked Pei Qitang's head and sighed, saying:
“Grandfather also wanted to save you. When Lou Qingyao first accused you, wasn’t it suppressed? Grandfather really did his best. You… go in peace. Your son Zelin, Grandfather will focus on raising him.”
"Grandfather, I don't want to die, I don't want to die, I'm scared..."
Pei Qitang burst into tears, and Pei Hanming, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but shed tears as well. He went over and helped Pei Qitang up, saying firmly, "You... go in peace, your father will definitely avenge you."
As for who the enemy is, it is of course Jiang Yu.
Pei Qitang shook his head vigorously. He didn't want his family to avenge him after his death; he wanted to live. He didn't want to die. If he had known that killing that doctor would have such serious consequences, even if the whole capital knew that he was infertile, he wouldn't have killed that person.
At this moment, the steward led the group into the hall, and the leader of the group bowed to the Prime Minister, saying, "Greetings, Your Excellency the Prime Minister."
Pei Chengkun recognized him from his attire as someone from the Ministry of Justice. Without saying anything, he waved for them to take Pei Qitang away. The man knew it wasn't the right time to say anything, so he waved his hand again, and the men behind him swarmed forward, restrained Pei Qitang, and dragged him out.
"I won't go, Grandfather, Grandfather, save me, I don't want to die..."
Pei Qitang struggled and shouted. When the men from the Ministry of Justice saw this, they glanced at Pei Chengkun cautiously. Seeing that he had no intention of intervening, they took out a piece of cloth and stuffed it into Pei Qitang's mouth before quickly dragging him away.
The hall fell silent. Pei Chengkun sat there upright, while Pei Hanming stood to one side, glancing at him cautiously several times, wanting to speak but unsure whether he should.
"Speak your mind." Pei Chengkun's voice was tense. Even though he appeared calm and composed on the surface, he was actually feeling uneasy.
Losing a grandson is a minor matter; the important thing is that the emperor no longer trusts him, and that he is now directly confronting Jiang Yu.
It's highly likely that the Emperor already knows about his relationship with the Prince of Lingnan, and Jiang Yu knows what the Prince of Lingnan did to the Duke of Chu's mansion. Therefore, he must proceed with extreme caution from now on, avoiding any missteps, or he will face utter ruin.
How could he not be tense?
"What... should we do next?" Pei Hanming asked anxiously and cautiously.
Pei Chengkun looked at him, his gaze filled with disappointment and coldness, making Pei Hanming's spine tingle. After a while, Pei Chengkun withdrew his gaze and said in a weary voice, "Hanming, even your father gets tired."
He was truly exhausted, but he had no choice but to persevere because there was no one to share his burden. At this moment, he felt a pang of envy for the deceased Duke of Chu, who, in his final moments, had a capable successor who gave him peace of mind.
"It's my son's fault." Pei Hanming quickly bowed and admitted his mistake. He knew that Pei Chengkun disliked him, and this dislike only intensified after Jiang Yu's sudden appearance.
“You’ve been dismissed from your post, and Qitang is to be executed, but the matter isn’t over yet.” Pei Chengkun leaned back in his chair and said in a low voice, “The Court of Judicial Review wants to investigate the cause of Lu Peichen’s death. Although we’ve been discreet about it before, just in case, we need to clean up the mess quickly.”
"Is it... that we won't leave a single one?" Pei Hanming asked.
If none of the participants were spared, he would lose several of his confidants and close relatives, which he found difficult to bear.
"You want to follow Qi Tang's path?" Pei Chengkun's voice was ruthless and sinister. "If you want to save your own life, don't give anyone other than you and me a chance to speak."
"Yes, son, I'll take care of it right away." Pei Hanming left quickly, his back covered in cold sweat.
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