Chapter 416 Exploded
Pei Tinglan was very self-aware and felt that even if she asked her son what had happened, she wouldn't be able to help, so she simply didn't ask anything.
Instead, he asked, "When are we going?"
Upon hearing this, the Prince of Lingnan lowered his eyes again. Although he tried his best to hide it, his disappointment was still quite evident. However, Pei Tinglan was immersed in the joy of being able to return to the capital and did not notice at all.
With a hopeful look on her face, she sighed deeply and said, "It's been almost fifty years! When I left the capital, your uncle was still full of vigor and vitality, but now he must have a full head of white hair."
The Prince of Lingnan said nothing. His relationship with Pei Chengkun was not that of uncle and nephew; it was more about interests. He flicked his robe and said in a deep voice, "Mother, you faked your death to leave the capital, so you can't see your uncle openly then."
Pei Tinglan's face showed a hint of sadness. "I know, you can arrange for us to meet then."
The King of Lingnan nodded and said, "There may still be some people in the capital who know you, and the emperor has always been suspicious of Lingnan, so you should try not to go out."
These words displeased Pei Tinglan, and her aged face fell. However, she didn't complain about it, but instead asked, "How is the Duke of Chu's mansion now?"
The Prince of Lingnan frowned. "Does Mother intend to go and pay respects to the late Duke of Chu?"
Pei Tinglan clenched her aged hands into fists and remained silent. The Prince of Lingnan glanced at her and said again, "Does Mother think that the old Duke of Chu and the current Duke of Chu were unaware of what you did all those years ago?"
Pei Tinglan looked at the Prince of Lingnan with shock in her somewhat cloudy eyes, only to see him smile mockingly and say, "Mother has been ignoring outside affairs these past few years, but she should know that the Xie family has suddenly fallen. And now, the current Duke of Chu is opposing my uncle at every turn. What do you think is the reason for all this?"
Pei Tinglan clenched her fists, her nails digging into her flesh. "You mean Jiang Jinglan knew about me before she died... knew about me..."
The King of Lingnan looked somewhat impatient; he couldn't understand Pei Tinglan's actions. She had already done it, and done it with the utmost ruthlessness, yet now she acted as if she cared deeply about the old Duke of Chu.
“In my opinion, my son must know this.” The Prince of Lingnan looked at her and said, “The current Duke of Chu is the kind of person who cannot suffer any loss. When we arrive in the capital, we must be wary of her. Therefore, you should not have the idea of going to pay respects to the old Duke of Chu after you arrive in the capital.”
Pei Tinglan's wrinkled lips tightened into a straight line, her face turning terrifyingly gloomy. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but seeing the intimidating look in the King of Lingnan's eyes, she swallowed the words that had risen to her throat.
She forced a stiff smile and said, "I'm not an ignorant child; I certainly won't ruin your important plans."
The Prince of Lingnan was reassured by her assurance and stood up, saying, "I will inform you of the date for my journey to the capital."
Seeing that he was about to leave, Pei Tinglan immediately said, "Jun Ning is getting on in years; it's time for her to get married."
The Prince of Lingnan's face showed impatience again. "I know what's going on with Jun Ning's marriage, so you don't need to worry about it. Your son takes his leave."
He turned and strode out. Pei Tinglan's face darkened further, but what could she do? After the Prince of Lingnan's figure disappeared through the doorway, she slumped onto the couch, muttering, "If I were in the capital, with my family backing me, how could he treat me like this?"
The old woman standing next to her lowered her head and dared not speak upon hearing this.
The Prince of Lingnan was also displeased. The Duke of Chu's mansion had been constantly suppressed, and even though the old Duke of Chu had some influence with the emperor, everything was still under his control. At that time, he didn't think there was anything wrong with what his mother had done to the Duke of Chu's mansion. In fact, he had been involved in it quite a bit.
However, the current Duke of Chu is clearly gaining momentum and wielding more and more power. He felt that Pei Tinglan's actions, which nearly ruined the Duke of Chu's family's livelihood, were far too much, simply because the old Duke of Chu had broken off their engagement years ago.
It wasn't a matter of life and death to begin with, yet he got himself into such big trouble because of his resentment. It really wasn't worth it. He even felt that if Pei Tinglan hadn't done so many evil things to the Duke of Chu's mansion, he wouldn't be in such a passive situation now.
So how could he not resent his mother, Pei Tinglan?
Back in his study, he sat behind his desk, deep in thought for an entire afternoon, considering how to deal with the Duke of Chu after arriving in the capital. He believed that his main adversary was still the Emperor. Ideally, he could maintain a peaceful coexistence with the Duke of Chu.
Of course, given the current situation, that's impossible. But at least on the surface, he could avoid a tense standoff. He had even planned out his attitude for his first meeting with the Duke of Chu.
There was no other reason than the current political situation at court. Although the Duke of Chu was only a fourth-rank official, he held considerable influence. Of course, he also analyzed the other important officials in the court. It wasn't until the night was deep that he got up and went to visit his favorite concubine.
After being served a bath, he took his concubine to bed, and soon the large canopy bed began to creak and shake. But at the height of the shaking, with a loud "boom!" the canopy bed stopped rocking.
"boom!"
"boom!"
Two more loud bangs, the bed curtains were thrown open, and the Prince of Lingnan got out of bed, pulling up his trousers, and shouted loudly to the outside: "Someone come here!"
The bedroom door was pushed open, and his attendant walked in, bowing his head and calling out, "Your Highness."
"What's going on outside?" the King of Lingnan asked in a deep and urgent voice.
"I've already sent people to investigate, but judging from the sound, the explosion came from the southwest," the attendant said nervously, bowing his head.
I just heard that Prince Rui of the capital had developed firearms, and now an explosion has occurred here. Anyone with a brain would make the connection.
The King of Lingnan frowned deeply. His attendant, ever perceptive, helped him put on his clothes, and then the two of them strode back to the study in the front courtyard.
The servant who had just sat down to go out and investigate returned, kneeling on the ground with a trembling body and saying, "Reporting to Your Highness, it's...it's the workshop that prints silver notes that exploded."
"What?" King Lingnan stood up abruptly. The servant kneeling on the ground trembled even more violently, but still reported, "The workshop that prints silver notes has exploded. General Zhao of the imperial army has surrounded the workshop with his troops."
The King of Lingnan had a dark cloud on his face, as if he could explode at any moment.
"Father!"
"Father!"
Zhu Huai'an and Zhu Junning both walked in looking anxious. The King of Lingnan glanced at them, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "You two come with me to take a look."
"Yes," Zhu Junning replied immediately.
Zhu Huai'an paused for a moment, turned to look at Zhu Junning, and then said "Yes." His mind was racing, wondering what his father meant. He knew his father looked down on him and had considered that his father might mentor other children. But he never imagined that this person would be his own sister.
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