Officer Bao already hated these things, and hearing him say this made him even more displeased: "If you have something to say, say it in the yamen. Men, take him back."
The others initially wanted to stop them, but seeing the fierce-looking constables, they all backed down, since clashing with the authorities would have a very bad impact.
If Pei Xingyan hadn't been injured, they could have banded together to fight back, but now that Pei Xingyan himself is powerless to resist, no one else would be willing to get involved. In the end, they're just fair-weather friends.
Turning around, Gao Ying and Pei You were stunned to see Pei Xingyan being dragged away while cursing outside. "Brother Zu, how did you do that?"
Zu An smiled and said, "Officer Bao is a reasonable person. I've explained things to him, and that's enough."
Gao Ying and Pei You thought to themselves, "What kind of logic is that guy spouting? We've talked until our saliva is dry, but he hasn't listened to us at all."
Seeing that the other person wouldn't say anything, the two of them wisely refrained from asking further, as everyone has their own secrets.
"By the way, since you're relatives, why is your relationship so bad?" Zu'an asked curiously.
Pei You replied, "When a family gets big, you'll find all sorts of birds. Not to mention our two families have different political views, even people in our lineage often don't get along."
Gao Ying said, "The second son of Pei Zheng, the Duke of Linhai, married my uncle's daughter. Although the two sides are related by marriage, the Duke of Linhai has always looked down on my uncle. Pei Xingyan may have felt the Duke of Linhai's attitude, which is why he is so unscrupulous. It is common for these big families in the capital to intermarry. They can always find a connection through twists and turns. Those who are destined to be enemies will still be enemies."
Zuan nodded in understanding: "That's true."
Sometimes, some relatives are not as good as some like-minded friends.
"By the way, did something urgent happen to the fifth branch of the Linhai family not long ago?" Zu An took the opportunity to inquire. Since Pei Mianman left, there had been no news of her, and he was very worried.
"The fifth branch?" Pei You looked puzzled. "I haven't heard anything about it. Why are you asking this all of a sudden?"
Zuan hesitated for a moment and then said directly, "You know Pei Mianman, whom I mentioned in the secret realm before, right?"
Pei You laughed and said, "Of course I know. She is the most beautiful woman in our Pei family. Why have you mentioned her so many times, Brother? Do you want to be my brother-in-law?"
Zuan neither admitted nor denied it: "Back in Mingyue City, we were classmates for a while, and she helped me a lot. We can be considered friends. However, a few months ago, she received a secret letter from her family. It seemed that something had happened to her mother, so she hurriedly returned to her hometown. Since then, I haven't heard from her. As her friend, I can't help but worry."
Pei You hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice and said, "Nothing should have happened to the fifth branch, but I can roughly guess what happened."
"Their family has always wanted Pei Mianman to marry the Prince of Qi. They may be using her mother as a cover to trick him into returning. Only a few people in our family know about this, so you must not spread it."
"What!" Zu An was immediately shocked. This was outrageous!
“Pei Mianman was probably unwilling. Some time ago, she specially took a family mission and went to Mingyue City. But a few days ago, her family seemed to have reached their limit of patience, so they found her and brought her back. However, knowing that she would definitely refuse, they tricked her into going back in her mother's name,” Pei You continued.
Zuan's expression shifted between light and dark. "It would be a miracle if Da Manman agreed. She and I are already husband and wife."
At this moment, Gao Ying asked doubtfully, "But Pei Mianman's status probably isn't high enough to make her the Crown Prince's consort, is it?"
Zu An immediately objected: "What's wrong with her? With her looks and qualifications, she's more than a match for that guy Zhao Zhi..."
Ugh, who wants her to be paired with Zhao Zhi? Does Zhao Zhi even deserve her?
Gao Ying smiled wryly and said, "Brother Zu, you misunderstand. Miss Pei's beauty is known to everyone in the capital, and she is also a famous cultivation genius. However, marriage to the royal family is not so simple. There are often requirements on the woman's family background."
“Miss Pei comes from the Pei family. She wasn’t originally a direct descendant of the eldest branch, but she was still quite close to the fifth branch. However, her mother…”
"What happened to her mother?" Zu An frowned.
Gao Ying explained, "Her mother was not the principal wife of the fifth branch of the family; in other words, she was a concubine's daughter."
Pei You added from the side, "Actually, her mother was once the legal wife, but something happened back then. I don't know the specifics, but I do know that her father later married a lady from a prestigious family as his legal wife, and her mother disappeared from the family genealogy."
Zuan felt a pang of pity. Da Manman always seemed so cheerful and smiling, but he never expected her to have such a tragic past.
This world is different from the previous one. The distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children is vast. He can imagine the hardships that Da Manman has endured over the years without even needing to be told.
At this moment, Pei You said again, "It is precisely because her family background is not good enough that the Pei family only wants her to become the concubine of the Prince of Qi."
Some things weren't explicitly stated, but everyone understood that Pei Zheng and his group were optimistic about Prince Qi becoming emperor. This was a political investment; in the future, Prince Qi's heir would be the crown prince, and after ascending the throne, he would become emperor. Pei Mianman would rise in status and become an imperial concubine, and the Pei family would also rise to a higher level as a result.
Unfortunately, Zu'an didn't care about all that. When he heard that Da Manman was being forced by her family to become someone else's concubine, he was furious and even had the urge to rush over and cripple Zhao Zhi.
"Brother Zu, what's wrong?" Pei You and Gao Ying noticed that he was acting strangely.
“It’s nothing,” Zuan forced a smile, took a deep breath to calm himself down, and then asked, “Do you know what stage this matter has reached, or when the wedding will be held?”
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