Chapter 210 If You Don’t Like Me Killing People, I Won’t Kill Them
Emperor Zhaowen's face darkened. "Without three matchmakers and six betrothals, and without my approval, what kind of wife is she?"
Pei Jing had anticipated what he would say, and immediately bowed and said, "So, please, Your Majesty, grant me the marriage."
It was rare for him to be so kind, and Emperor Zhaowen was somewhat moved, but he still said, "This marriage cannot be granted. This morning, Marquis Dingyuan personally came to the palace and begged me to revoke my order and cancel your marriage with the Wei family."
Pei Jing snorted coldly, "They're smart."
In fact, he knew in his heart that the reason why Marquis Dingyuan did this was just to save face. Pei Jing beat Wei Mingzhen first, and Marquis Dingyuan broke off the engagement later. In the eyes of others, breaking off the engagement was Marquis Dingyuan's counterattack.
If Pei Jing were to cancel the engagement, the Marquis' Mansion would not even have the last bit of dignity left.
Emperor Zhaowen: “…”
He paused for a moment before continuing, "The Marquisate just broke off the engagement, and now I'm granting you a marriage. Isn't this a slap in the face of the Dingyuan Marquisate? How will the world view me? They'll accuse me of partiality, of oppressing meritorious officials. This matter concerns the dignity of the court, and I won't tolerate your nonsense."
"But--"
"No buts, this matter is not negotiable." Emperor Zhaowen rubbed his aching forehead and waved his hand, "Go."
Pei Jing gritted his teeth and took his leave.
Emperor Zhaowen looked at the empty palace gate and suddenly sighed, "Among so many children, he is the one who looks most like me."
…
Pei Jing got into the carriage with a gloomy face. The moment the curtain fell, the violent energy that had just surged in the hall surged up again.
Emperor Zhaowen refused to grant the marriage. If he went to the Jiang family to propose marriage, the Jiang family would most likely not agree, after all, the Wei and Jiang families were already relatives.
Although Jiang Fei is not a biological daughter of the Jiang family, her name is written in the family tree. If he wants to marry her in a formal way and give her a legitimate status, he can only start from the Jiang family.
She has already been wronged, and I don't want her to suffer any more. I want to give her a legitimate identity, let her stand by my side in glory, and no one dares to say a word.
When he returned home, Pei Jing's face was still gloomy.
Seeing him come in, Jiang Fei quickly put down her book and went to greet him, "What's wrong? Are things not going well in the palace?"
Things in the palace are fine, but I still haven't figured out what to do about their marriage, which is really worrying.
Pei Jing wanted to reassure her, but out of the corner of his eye he saw Wen Zhu winking at him and secretly lip-syncing behind Jiang Fei's back.
Pei Jing's heart moved, and the expression on his face instantly disappeared, replaced by a listless look, "The emperor scolded me, saying that I acted rashly."
Jiang Fei was indeed anxious. "Was the scolding severe? Was it because of the beating of Wei Mingzhen?"
Pei Jing waved his hand and asked the others to leave.
When they were the only two left, he leaned against Jiang Fei, resting his head on her shoulder, and said in a muffled voice: "Of course it's heavy. The memorials impeaching me from the Censorate piled up a foot high. Otherwise, how could I be like this?"
"Don't be angry, don't be angry." Jiang Fei's fingertips gently combed the hair on the back of his neck, and her voice softened. "We don't need to care about what those irrelevant Taoists say."
Pei Jing nestled in the crook of her neck, feeling extremely comfortable.
It seems that letting Wen Zhu be a secret guard is a waste of her talent. She should be appointed as a military advisor.
Jiang Fei asked again: "Do you want to eat something now? There's lotus seed soup warming up in the kitchen."
"I don't want to eat. I want to sleep for a while. You didn't let me hold you last night, so I didn't sleep well."
"It was too hot last night." Jiang Fei explained, pulling him towards the inner room. "Come stay on the couch for a while. It's time for dinner later."
Pei Jing lay down on the couch with his clothes on, and Jiang Fei sat beside him, letting his head rest on her legs.
Jiang Fei touched his brow and said, "Close your eyes and rest for a while. I'm here with you."
Pei Jing held her hand and closed his eyes. After a long time, just when Jiang Fei thought he had fallen asleep, Pei Jing spoke.
"I've thanked him in my heart before."
Jiang Fei was startled. Pei Jing's eyelashes trembled, but he didn't open his eyes. "When I was a child in the palace, the nanny said I was a fatherless and motherless bastard. She was the only one who wanted me. I was afraid that no one would want me anymore, so I listened to her. She beat me, scolded me, and told me to eat dog food, but I endured it all. I didn't dare to say anything when the emperor came to see me."
He closed his eyes and smiled. "Then I cut her into pieces and fed them to the wild dogs. I started with her feet and let her watch herself being eaten bit by bit."
Pei Jing felt her fingers tightening, opened his eyes and looked at her, "Don't be afraid, I'm not that crazy now. As long as you are here, I will listen to you in everything. If you don't like me killing people, I won't kill them."
"Then what?" Jiang Fei asked.
"Then...then when I was six years old, he came to see me and accidentally discovered the injuries on my body. He then took me into the palace. I called him Fourth Uncle."
"The princes in the palace don't like me. Pushing, shoving, beating and scolding are common." He pulled the corners of his lips, with a hint of self-deprecation, "I endured it all because I was afraid that he would no longer want me."
Jiang Fei's heart ached. Although this was something she had heard before, hearing it from his mouth presented a completely different and heartbreaking perspective.
"He would leave the palace every once in a while, sometimes half a month, sometimes a month. When I was ten years old, I hid in the carriage leaving the palace and followed him to Jinglian Temple."
Jiang Fei held her breath, vaguely knowing that the root cause of Pei Jing's madness might be about to come to light.
"I heard his conversation with...Princess Ping, and then I realized he was my father. My mother was still alive, but she didn't want me. And then they..."
Pei Jing didn't elaborate on the shock and disgust he felt at that moment, only saying, "I felt that place was filthy. The capital, the palace, everything was filthy. I just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. I don't know how long I walked before I ran into some gangsters. They saw that I was dressed respectably, so they tied me up."
Pei Jing paused, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing hers. "They said I was good-looking and could fetch a good price, so they stuffed me into a freight carriage and headed south."
The rain in the south of the Yangtze River is always lingering, but he can't remember the rain scene clearly. He only remembers the musty smell of the wooden cage and the pain of the iron chain rubbing his ankles.
"Every time I tried to escape, I was caught and beaten to death. The last time I escaped, I lay in the mud and couldn't get up. I really thought I was going to rot there."
He looked up at her, his eyes misted with moisture, yet surprisingly bright. "That was when I met you, Caoya. Have you forgotten everything?"
Jiang Fei suppressed the heat in her eyes and said, "I'm gradually remembering some of it."
Pei Jing smiled. "I thought you were just looking for something new and would abandon me in a few days, but you took care of me for a long time. It's a pity that you left me in the end."
At that time, he didn't want to go back to Beijing. He wanted to depend on her and grow up together. When he got better, he would beg to support her.
He thought a lot, thinking that when he grew up, he might be able to learn a skill to make her life better, just as if Pei Jing in this world was dead and Songnian was the one who survived.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
