Pei Linyan's love confession angers the public, and Gu Yanzhou is tortured to show his true feelings.
At the Pei residence, since it was a day off, the whole family was there and had planned to have lunch together, but Pei Linyan had an appointment with someone, so the four of them, including Old Lady Pei, Pei's father and mother, and Pei Linyu, were eating together when the doorman came to report that the young master had returned on horseback with a man.
Before dismounting, Gu Yanzhou looked up and saw four large characters: "Anguogong Mansion." The characters were sharp and freehand, heavy and imposing. The eaves stretched to the sky, stretching as far as the eye could see. The glazed tiles were engraved with gold characters, and the couplet on the door read, "Two heroes from one family ensure peace under heaven; three dukes from four generations protect the people of the world." He dismounted and saw stone lions level with his horse. After being led by Pei Linyan up countless steps and through the screen wall, a noblewoman stood up and said, "Yan'er, you're back. Go wash your hands and eat. Don't keep your family waiting. Hey, who is this young man you brought back?"
"He is Gu Yanzhou, a clerk in Chang'an County, from Jing County, and a man I admire." Pei Linyan said
After he finished speaking, the hall suddenly fell silent. Pei's father was in disbelief, Pei's mother frowned in thought, Old Lady Pei looked calm, and Pei Linyu was curious and happy.
"Yan'er, what do you mean by this?" Pei's father asked probingly.
"Gu Yanzhou is the person I love. We are in tune with each other and love each other. I am willing to share life and death with him and will never abandon him in this life." Pei Linyan said seriously.
"You are all men. This is against human ethics and the Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues. It is unacceptable to the world." Pei's father said
"Even if we can't stay in this world, this love can reach the sky. I only wish to be with Yan Zhou until we grow old together. I hope my parents will agree." Pei Linyan said firmly
"Yan'er, people's words are scary. If that's the case, how will you inherit the Anguo Mansion, how will you enter the government, and how will you two face your colleagues?" Mother Pei said worriedly.
"We two are only meant to stay together for life, to accompany each other till old age. Fame, wealth and honor can all be discarded like the wind, and status and power can all be washed away like water." Pei Linyan said
"You rebellious son, you've infuriated me to death. How can I hold my head high? How can I protect the reputation of the Duke of Anguo's Mansion? How can I be worthy of my ancestors? You... you must go to the ancestral hall and kneel down immediately. Face the wall and reflect on your mistakes. You are not allowed to stand up without my order until you realize your mistakes." Father Pei scolded him bitterly.
Pei Linyan and Gu Yanzhou knelt together, holding hands, "Father, Mother, Grandma, I am an unfilial child, but Yanzhou and I are truly in love. We have long promised to spend our lives together, and you are the only one. Along the way, we have experienced life and death, overcome crises, and gone through hardships and obstacles. I only hope that I will not let you down in this life. I hope you can help me." After saying this, the two kowtowed.
"You are too young, thinking that love can transcend family background and worldly affairs, that everything in the world can give way and that everything can be discarded. No, your passion has only hit a wall and burst out onto the snow. It may seem fresh and bright, but once it snows, everything will be white. The prejudices of the world remain, and the shackles of the world are heavy. You cannot change anything. If this goes on, you will inevitably develop resentment and resentment towards each other. The two sides will quarrel endlessly, and finally they will go their separate ways, willing to meet each other in life or death. Even if the outcome is like this, you still move forward without changing your original intention?" said Old Lady Pei.
"Even if we are torn to pieces and doomed, we two will give it a try and see what the outcome will be." Gu Yanzhou and Pei Linyan looked at each other.
"Okay, in that case, then I have no objection. Let's wait and see in the future." After saying this, Old Mrs. Pei pulled Pei Linyu back to the room.
"Why are you doing this? Why are you humiliating yourselves? The ground is cold, get up." Pei's mother said
The two men were unmoved and continued to kneel, "What do you mean by this? Are you trying to force me to agree? Well, since you won't respond to soft tactics, then I'll use force. If you don't want to get up, then don't get up. I want to see how long you can hold out. Come on, use the family rules and beat me severely." After Pei's father finished speaking, he saw two servants coming up with whips. The two men were stunned and no one took action.
"What are you waiting for? Fight me. Whoever fights better will be rewarded with ten gold coins. Whoever fights worse will be expelled from the house immediately." Pei's father said.
After hearing this, the two men whipped him with all their might, like a competition, the crack of the whips like thunder. Soon, Gu Yanzhou's face turned pale, sweat poured down, his lips reddened, and the blood on his back soaked his body like water. Pei Linyan knelt and hugged Gu Yanzhou, protecting him completely beneath him, enduring twice as many lashes. The crack of the whip was as dense as raindrops, and his skin was instantly torn and bloodstained. Blood, mixed with sweat, dripped onto Gu Yanzhou's face, slid to his lips, and he swallowed it with the blood. The bitter taste, the rich fishy smell rising in his mouth. His heart pounded as he swallowed it, as if he had become one with Pei Linyan. A wave of bitterness washed over him, and tears welled up in his eyes.
"Stop, stop hitting, stop hitting." Gu Yanzhou said in a crying voice, holding Pei Linyan's pale face with both hands.
Pei Linyan squinted his eyes and smiled, "Yanzhou, I'm fine, don't worry."
"Are you going to beat your son to death before you stop?" Pei's mother asked, going over to help Pei Linyan up. "Why are you two so stubborn? You insist on both of you being hurt? Now that things have come to this, we will help them. It will also be a happy occasion."
Seeing Pei Linyan like this, Father Pei's anger had mostly subsided, and finally his heartache took over and he said, "I won't interfere in your affairs. Just let it go."
Pei Linyan and Gu Yanzhou smiled happily and said, "Thank you, father and mother, for your support. We should respect each other like guests, live together in old age, and never abandon each other." After that, they knelt down and kowtowed three times.
At this moment, someone walked in from outside. It turned out to be Madam Meng, the Queen Mother's confidant. "Duke Anguo's Mansion, what happened? Why are Weiwei Pei and Tingwei Gu acting like this?"
"This is a trivial matter in the mansion, not worth mentioning. Why does Madam Meng call them the Weiwei and Tingwei?" Father Pei asked
"The Queen Mother's decree: Pei Linyan, a young hero who defended his country, is appointed Weiwei; Gu Yanzhou, who has repeatedly solved strange cases and made outstanding contributions, is appointed Tingwei. Congratulations to the Duke of Anguo." Nanny Meng said
"This is entirely due to the Queen Mother's appreciation, not the merits of these two people. I would like to thank the Queen Mother for the reward." Pei's father said
"Since the decree has been delivered, I will return to the palace to report. Madam Meng said
"Then, take care." Pei's mother said
"Do you know why your aunt appointed you as the Nine Ministers?" Pei's father asked
"Since the positions of the Nine Ministers are mostly vacant, we should promote people we trust and have the ability to control the situation." Pei Linyan said
"Of course, but not entirely. On the surface, your aunt is in power, but the emperor is getting older, and the prince is also now in power, and it is almost time for him to rule the country. However, there will be undercurrents in the court, and various forces are ready to make moves. I also hope that you two can assist the emperor and overcome this crisis." Father Pei said
"The two of us should do our utmost to protect the Pei Mansion and assist the Emperor." Pei Linyan said
"Gu Da... Yanzhou, please help Lin Yan back to his room to apply medicine. You have suffered a lot this time." Pei's mother said
"Thank you, mother. Yan Zhou and I will go back to our room first. Father, please calm down." Pei Linyan said
Father Pei nodded and said "OK"
Pei Linyan and Gu Yanzhou returned to their rooms. Father Pei looked at their backs, supported each other, sat down heavily, patted his head, and sighed, "What should we do about this?"
"You don't need to worry too much. Men falling in love has been a common occurrence throughout the ages. You also know that Yan'er is very stubborn. Once he sets his mind to something, he won't give up until he achieves his goal. The more we try to stop him, the more stubborn he becomes. You and I should just go with the flow." Mother Pei said
"Alas, this is the only way. I hope Yan'er will wake up soon, get on the right track, get married and have children. Then I will have no regrets in this life." Pei's father sighed.
Inside the room, Pei Linyan lay, his back covered in fresh wounds, a crisscross pattern of scars. His entire back was like a fishing net, crisscrossed with blood. Blood oozed from his flesh like a small spring in the mountains, a chill. Gu Yanzhou stroked the scars, the sensation on his flesh sending an electric shock through his heart. The numbness made it hard to breathe. Tears welled up in his eyes, dripping into the wounds like broken strings. Pei Linyan hissed and laughed, "Yanzhou, why are you crying?"
"You ask even though you already know the answer." Gu Yanzhou said
"Is it for me? That's not right. Gu Tingwei, who is used to bloody scenes, cried when he saw blood. When did you become so cowardly?" Pei Linyan said
"You are like a pearl to me. I wish you will live forever without illness or disaster. If anything unexpected happens, I will bear it for you." Gu Yanzhou said
"Don't talk nonsense. We will be together forever and grow old together." Pei Linyan said
"Okay, everything is up to you. It's all I want." Gu Yanzhou said, putting his lips close to the wound and blowing gently.
"Yan'er, it's a little itchy. Hahahaha, stop blowing, it's really itchy." Turning over and sitting up, he grabbed Gu Yanzhou's hands, and the two looked into each other's eyes, with the love hidden in each other's eyes. Looking at each other, it seemed as if thousands of years had passed in just a moment, his gaze moved down to his lips, his Adam's apple moving thirstily, the two of them were like beasts in the desert, licking the pool of water, pouring clear water into his mouth, sucking it in big gulps, thinking in his heart that it was not enough, he wanted more, and he swallowed, his breathing became heavy, he couldn't breathe, the two of them were embedded and merged into one.
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