Chapter 256: Tough
"Marquis Dingyuan? What is he going to do?" Pei Yi frowned.
"Wei Ciying burned Jiang Rufei to death and was detained in the Imperial Court. Marquis Dingyuan probably went there to plead for Wei Ciying."
Pei Yi's anger immediately flared up again, and he gritted his teeth and said, "He dared to plead for Wei Ciying? If Wei Ciying hadn't brought people to interfere, things wouldn't have gotten to this point! I only wanted to capture Jiang Rufei, but she chose to kill someone."
He kicked the stool beside him and said, "Marquis Dingyuan is also a waste. He raised a daughter who is more likely to cause trouble than to accomplish anything. How could the emperor possibly meet him?"
"The Emperor certainly hasn't seen it," Meng Yuande said. "The Emperor also said that Wei Ciying is just a girl, how could she have so many people to plan this?"
When Pei Yi heard this, it was as if someone poured a basin of cold water over his head, and the anger on his face instantly froze.
He stared at Meng Yuande for a long while, then slowly sat down in his chair and muttered, "A girl... Yes, how could Wei Ciying have such ability to set up such a murder plan so quietly? No... This is not right..."
He suddenly raised his eyes and said, "Eunuch Meng, do you think that Marquis Dingyuan has already defected to Pei Jing?"
Meng Yuande looked surprised: "Why do you say that, Your Highness?"
"Not many people knew about my intention to kidnap Jiang Rufei, and Dingyuan Hou was one of them. When we first discussed it, I only said to detain her, and never mentioned killing her. How could it be such a coincidence that just as I was about to take her away, Wei Ciying and his men showed up to disrupt the situation."
Pei Yi's breathing became heavier. "I'm afraid he has already defected to Pei Jing. He deliberately staged this drama to make me lose the emperor's favor and get rid of Jiang Rufei to make room for her daughter!"
The more Pei Yi thought about it, the more frightened he became. His fingers unconsciously clenched the armrests. "What a wicked Marquis Dingyuan! How dare you plot against me like this!"
Meng Yuande lowered his head slightly, "Your Highness, please be careful with your words. After all, Marquis Dingyuan is an important official in the court. Without solid evidence..."
"That's why he didn't do it himself and asked his daughter to do it," Pei Yi interrupted him. "Maybe he wanted to pin the blame for Jiang Rufei's death on me. He probably didn't expect Wei Ciying to be caught red-handed by Pei Jing."
Meng Yuande remained silent, but Pei Yi grew increasingly anxious. "No, I can't let him scheme against me like this. Eunuch Meng, you've been with the emperor the longest, and he trusts you. You have to tell him that Marquis Dingyuan is the one behind all this. He's tricked me!"
Meng Yuande responded vaguely, "Your Highness, I cannot stay here for long. I have to go back."
Pei Yi regarded him as a lifeline, grabbing his sleeve and refusing to let go, "As long as you are willing to help me, you will definitely benefit from it in the future."
Meng Yuande just smiled faintly and didn't respond.
Pei Yi reacted immediately and thought to himself that the damn eunuch only cared about the benefits, but he did not show it on his face.
He whispered, "Go to the Fushun Inn in the west of the city and find a cashier named Liu. Tell him, 'Autumn waters are chilling, and a gust of wind is blowing through the hall.' He will give you a jade seal. Take it to the Yufeng Bank in the south of the city, and he'll give you any silver you want."
Meng Yuande then nodded and smiled, "Your Highness is very generous. I will certainly do my best to serve you. I will take my leave now."
When Meng Yuandedao disappeared outside the hall, Pei Yi slammed his fist on the table and cursed, "You money-hungry bastard! When I get out of this, I'll definitely give you a good beating!"
…
It was late at night, but candles were still lit in the study of Prince Zhaoning's Mansion.
The secret report spread out on the table had not been touched for a long time, and the ink in the inkstone had solidified into a thin layer.
Duan Jiu pushed the door open and came in. He saw Pei Jing sitting there with his forehead propped up, his fingertips pressed tightly against his eyebrows, his knuckles turning white. He lowered his voice and said,
"Your Highness, someone from the palace is waiting outside. He said he has something important to report."
Pei Jing raised his eyes, and there was a faint red at the corners of his eyes. The red mixed with the dark blue under his eyes actually gave off a sense of brokenness.
"Let him in." Pei Jing said in a hoarse voice.
Duan Jiu retreated silently, thinking that the prince had finally recovered a little. He looked like he wanted to eat someone yesterday.
After a while, a eunuch came in and bowed, performed the formal etiquette, and then reported the main points of the palace affairs.
It was not until the young eunuch lowered his head and walked out, and the door closed, that Pei Jing suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, but it was as if all his strength had been drained away, and his back slumped slightly.
Duan Jiu looked at the night sky. The moonlight was half blocked by clouds, and the shadows of the trees in the yard made people dizzy when they swayed on the window.
"Your Highness, it's almost five o'clock in the morning. You should go back and rest. If the young lady saw you like this, I'm afraid she would be heartbroken."
When Pei Jing heard the word "Miss", he felt as if he was stabbed by something, and the corners of his eyes instantly turned red.
He turned his head to look at the shadows on the window, which were shattered by the wind. They looked very much like the smoke that lingered in the fire. Just thinking about it made him feel heartbroken.
"Scold me?" Pei Jing's voice was hoarse. "I actually hope she can come and scold me, but she... can she? Can she even speak?"
Duan Jiu hesitated to speak, "If Your Majesty wants to rest in the study, I will go and get the quilt."
Pei Jing was silent for a moment, shook his head, stood up and said, "Forget it."
He returned to the yard. There were a few lights hanging under the eaves, but the room was pitch black.
He pushed open the door, his steps were a little heavy, and the room was dark. Only the light coming through the window cracks could barely outline the outline of the room.
Pei Jing sat quietly on the chair for a while before he stood up and went into the inner room, groping his way to lie down on the bed.
After an unknown amount of time, there was a rustling sound beside him, and a hand came up gently, trying to hug his waist.
Then, a very light and hoarse sound came from my ears.
Pei Jing grabbed the hand and said coldly, "You'd better shut up!"
It was the first time he was so tough. The hand paused and then was withdrawn obediently.
In the darkness, he could feel the person beside him curl up slightly and then make no sound.
Pei Jing closed his eyes, the coolness of her skin still lingering on his fingertips. In the end, he couldn't bear it anymore. He held her in his arms, holding his breath, and scolded her, "What did we discuss beforehand?!"
His voice was still deep, but without the coldness from earlier. Instead, it was laced with suppressed anger and fear. "We agreed to evacuate as soon as the fire started, but you insisted on staying a little longer!"
He tightened his arms, pressing her into his embrace, resting his chin on the top of her head. "Why are you showing off? You had to say a few more words to Wei Ciying. What was it that had to be said at that time? Now that your throat is so sore, you can't even speak a complete sentence. Are you feeling better now?"
Jiang Fei moved in his arms, trying to explain, but could only utter a few more hoarse sounds.
Pei Jing's heart was blocked when he heard this, and his tone became more aggressive, "Don't complain to me! Do you feel uncomfortable now? I asked you to be obedient at that time, but you didn't listen. If he hadn't taken you away by force, what would you have planned..."
He didn't dare to say anything more. The mere thought of that possibility was enough to make him terrified.
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