Pei Weiwei was forced to take a concubine, while Gu Tingwei was infatuated with finding a lover.
The water lapped his cheeks, and his wet lips were covered with panting. He felt dizzy and groggy. A voice rang in his ears, "Young Master, are you okay? Young Master..." He was dragged to the shore. After an unknown amount of time, he opened his eyes in a daze and saw a woman's face. "Young Master, you are finally awake." The woman said
"Where am I now and who are you?" Pei Linyan asked
"You are now in Wuli Village outside Jinan City. My name is Dujuan. A few days ago, I went fishing in the river and happened to find you unconscious in the river. I took you home. Thank God, you finally woke up." Dujuan said
"Jinan City? Why did I come to Jinan City?" Pei Linyan pondered.
"Sir, do you know your name, where you are from, and where you live?" Du Juan asked.
Pei Linyan thought to himself, "I still don't know what happened and why I came here from Chang'an. There are too many questions." He said perfunctorily, "I am a businessman from Jinan City. I met bandits while on an outing. Unfortunately, they knocked me into the lake and I drifted here. I was rescued by the girl. I am very grateful for your kindness. You can call me Pei Dalang." Pei Linyan said
Seeing that he was hiding something, Du Juan said, "Brother Pei, our meeting is fate. I don't need to mention your life-saving grace. I will go to the city in seven days. Brother Pei, would you like to go with me?"
"Okay, then I'll go with you in seven days. I wonder what your name is, young lady?" Pei Linyan said.
"Just call me Dujuan." Dujuan said
"Okay, Miss Dujuan, thank you for taking care of me." Pei Linyan said
Seven days later, under Du Juan's careful care, Pei Linyan was able to get out of bed and his martial arts skills were almost restored.
"Brother Pei, since you have nothing to do today, let's go into the city together." Du Juan said
"Okay, I'll pack up and go with you." Pei Linyan left the remaining silver on him and caught the carriage into the city.
After spending a few days together, I learned that Dujuan's parents had both passed away, and she grew up eating at hundreds of homes. She made a living by fishing, hunting and embroidery. Her family was penniless, and she had spent all her family wealth on Pei Linyan's medical treatment and medicine. This time she came to the city to sell her embroidery and game.
"Master Pei, our Du Juan treats you well. You know that for your health, she has been either collecting herbs in the mountains or fishing in the rivers these days. She even stays up all night to watch over you. Anyway, you two are unmarried, so why not get married?" said the driver.
"Uncle Li, please stop teasing me." Du Juan said shyly.
"Good fate... I always feel like there is a vague figure in my mind, but I can't remember it. Every time I think about it, I get a splitting headache." Pei Linyan thought to himself
Du Juan saw Pei Linyan's pain and asked, "Brother Pei, are you okay?"
"It's nothing, just a temporary headache." Pei Linyan said
As they approached the city, they heard a commotion and looked up to see a group of assassins, arrows flying towards them. Pei Linyan kicked the carriage over and hid behind it. "Where are you from, heroes? What advice do you have for me?" Pei Linyan asked.
No one answered, and before Pei Linyan could react, the assassins were already in front of him. One wielded a knife and slashed at the driver. Pei Linyan blocked, poked, and stabbed, and the assassin collapsed, bleeding profusely. Before he could recover, six assassins surrounded Du Juan. Pei Linyan leaped forward, fighting one against six. During the fight, one of them hacked the driver to death. Pei Linyan's old wounds had not yet healed, and the need to protect Du Juan gradually became strained.
"Dujuan, hold me and I will lead you to break through." Pei Linyan said, then he jumped in front of the carriage, cut the reins, and the two of them rode away.
"Master, do you still need to chase me?" an assassin asked
"Now that our goal has been achieved, there's no need to pursue it any further," the man said.
A dozen days later, Pei Linyan and Du Juan returned to the Anguo Mansion. "Grandma, father, mother, I'm back." Pei Linyan said happily.
"Yan'er, didn't you go to Jinan to provide disaster relief? Why did you come back so early? Did Yan Zhou come back with you?" Mother Pei asked.
"Disaster relief? I have neither an official position nor a salary. When will it be my turn to do such a task? And who is Yan Zhou? No, I have a splitting headache. Father and mother, please save me." Pei Linyan fainted after he said this.
The three members of the Pei family looked at each other and realized that something was wrong, so they called the imperial physician to come and treat Pei Linyan.
"Mr. Pei, you probably suffered a severe brain injury, which has disrupted your memory and caused you to lose some of your memories. The rest of your memory is fine for now," said the imperial physician.
"You mean my son has lost his memory? How do you explain that part of his memory? How likely is it to recover as before?" Pei Luohuan asked.
"Partial memory refers to the memory about a specific person over a period of time. As for recovery, it requires the right time, place and people. It is definitely not a one-day job. It may be hopeless in this lifetime, or you may remember it tomorrow." After the imperial physician said this, he took his leave.
"If Yan'er really forgets about Gu Yanzhou, then I want him to get married as soon as possible." Pei Luohuan said
"Your action is really dangerous. If Yan'er regains his memory, how will he cope with it? Will he still recognize you as his father?" Mother Pei said.
"For the sake of the Pei family's inheritance, this move is risky, but as long as the matter is settled, Yan'er will not abandon his wife and children." Pei Luohuan said
"Then how can we be worthy of Yan'er and Yan Zhou?" Mother Pei said
"Do you want my Pei family to be extinct and have no successors? My Pei family has two outstanding people, and three officials in four generations. The glory and power of the whole family must not be destroyed by me. Mother, what do you think?" Pei Luohuan said
"This plan is still feasible. Even if Yan'er recovers and wants to stay with Gu Yanzhou forever, Gu Yanzhou will definitely not accept it. In the end, Yan'er will still have to go home. If he doesn't recover, then everything can be as you and I wish, without too many worries and concerns." Old Lady Pei said
"But where can we find someone who is devoted to Yan'er and whom Yan'er is familiar with and does not dislike?" Mother Pei said.
"I see that the girl Yan'er brought back is quite good-looking. Although her family background is not high, her words and deeds are quite decent. When Yan'er was unconscious, she looked panicked and worried. I think she must have a good impression of Yan'er. You can call her over and take her as a concubine. She is also willing." Old Lady Pei said
After a while, Du Juan came into the house and said, "I pay my respects to the old lady, master, and madam."
"No need to be so polite. I just want to ask if you are interested in Yan'er?" asked Mrs. Pei.
"This..." Du Juan said shyly
"You don't need to be shy, just speak your mind." Mother Pei said
"Brother Pei is a martial arts expert who has saved me from danger many times. I have long been secretly in love with him, but I am just an ordinary person without a prominent family background, so how could I dare to marry him?" Du Juan explained.
"I see many new wounds on Yan'er's body. I think you took care of him along the way. Since you both saved each other's lives, why don't you pledge your love to him and make his wish come true? It would also be a beautiful story." Mother Pei said
Du Juan nodded shyly and said, "In that case, it's entirely up to the old lady to decide."
"Although you two are destined to be together, there is a difference in social status after all. I have to make you a concubine, but don't worry, Yan'er is definitely not a playboy. You are the only one in the Pei family. After you give birth to a child, Yan'er and you will have a love as strong as gold and support each other through thick and thin. Even in the future, Yan'er will have a wife and you will have children. Our family will never treat you unfairly. The auspicious day will be in three days. Don't worry, although you are a concubine, the wedding will be as grand as that of a famous family. Someone, take the girl to the side room to rest first." Old Lady Pei said
"Then Dujuan will take his leave." Dujuan said
"Mother, how should Yan'er deal with this?" Mother Pei said
"It's okay, I'll talk to him." Mrs. Pei said
Soon, Pei Linyan woke up. "Yan'er, are you still feeling bad? Do you remember what happened before Miss Du rescued you?" Pei's mother asked.
"Mother, I'm fine. I just remember racing with Shaobai. When I woke up, I didn't know why I ended up in Jinan City. I have no recollection of what happened during that time." Pei Linyan said
"Since you don't remember what happened, I still want to thank Miss Du for taking care of you along the way. Otherwise, you would have suffered." Mrs. Pei said
"We should thank her for saving our lives, reward her with more gold, silver and jewelry, and escort her back to Jinan." Pei Linyan said
"You call her an orphan, and bring so much wealth back to Jinan. In this world, she is like a fat sheep. I am afraid she will be eaten dry before she even leaves Chang'an City." Pei's father said
"Then how do you say we should settle down?" Pei Linyan asked
"People of your age already have many children. You are not young anymore and it is time for you to get married. It just so happens that you two are destined to be together. You are a talented man and a beautiful woman, so you should get married." Mother Pei said
"I only have gratitude towards her, not any feelings of love between men and women. The person I want to grow old with must be the one I love, so why should I delay her?" Pei Linyan said
"Look at her, she's just an orphan. Even if she gets married, she'll just find a country bumpkin and live a simple life. Even if you don't love her, marrying her as a concubine will give her a chance to live a life of luxury and wealth, in return for saving her life. Later, you can find the one you love for the rest of your life and marry her. There won't be any conflict between the two of you." Old Lady Pei said
"I still think it's inappropriate. At worst, I can recognize her as my sister and find a good husband for her later." Pei Linyan said
"She has been living alone with you in a room for many days. Gossips about her can even kill her. Look at all the noble families in Chang'an who dare to marry a woman of impure purity. You are forcing them into a dead end." Pei's father said
Seeing that he refused to give in, Old Mrs. Pei started to act and said, "My Pei family's century-old foundation is going to be destroyed in my hands? How can I face my ancestors in the netherworld? How can I face the criticisms of the nobles and powerful people in Chang'an? I might as well die now to atone for my sins and tell the spirits of my ancestors in heaven." After saying this, she was about to bang her head against the wall, but Pei's father and mother held her back.
"Yan'er, just agree to it. Just treat it as taking her as a concubine or a personal maid. Give her a way to survive and give an explanation to your grandmother." Mother Pei advised.
Pei Linyan was upset by the quarrel between the three people, "Okay, I agree."
"Okay, then three days from now will be the auspicious time to take a concubine. You should have a good rest, and grandma and I will arrange everything for you today." After Pei's mother said this, the three of them left.
Pei Linyan felt a hollowness in his heart. The pain spread throughout his body as the blood flowed through his body. He couldn't breathe, his eyes became blurry, and his mind was groggy as he thought, "Where on earth did Pei San go?"
Meanwhile, for a month, Gu Yanzhou had been providing disaster relief in the mornings and searching for people at night. Half a month later, he was emaciated, pale, and listless. He had searched Jinan eight or nine times, inside and out, but still had no news of Pei Linyan. Now that the flood had subsided and the people were living and working in peace, the time to return to Beijing was drawing near. His deep worry deepened, and he kept reminding himself that he was still alive, that he must be alive. A few days ago, Pei San had already galloped back to the capital, and it was unknown when he would arrive with his troops.
At this time, the imperial edict arrived, specifically requesting Gu Yanzhou to return to Beijing to thoroughly investigate the corruption case. Gu Yanzhou had no choice but to pack up everything and prepare to set off.
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