Defeat Meng Yu
Everything in the courtyard remained the same for years, the bricks, tiles, and plants exactly as they had been in Cheng Yayin's childhood. The flower-draped archway that had once stopped Pei Songsheng in his tracks was now, with his wife holding his hand, leading him through it. It was as if he had stepped back into time, filling all the loneliness and emptiness.
The servants sweeping the courtyard tactfully retreated when they saw the two approaching. With no one around, Cheng Yayin simply hugged one of Pei Songsheng's arms, hanging on him like a boneless creature. Pei Songsheng chuckled softly and lowered his shoulders, allowing her to lean more comfortably.
The two hadn't been close for a few days, and both were craving this peaceful warmth. After a while, Pei Songsheng said, "Prince Jin'an entered the palace today."
Cheng Yayin hummed, not surprised, and said, "A few days ago, I ordered people to return all the calligraphy and paintings he gave me to the palace. Lan Yue came back and said that the palace's old housekeeper looked very sour when he saw them. I guess the things we sent were not carefully examined and must have been thrown directly into the warehouse to await the decision of Prince Jin'an. However, Prince Jin'an will be busy with his own affairs and I'm afraid he won't have time to deal with such trivial matters."
Cheng Yayin raised the corner of her mouth, a glint of satisfaction in her eyes: "This Jin'an Palace is full of arrogance from top to bottom. Little do they know that it may be this arrogance that ultimately destroys them."
Pei Songsheng had been listening to her intently, but now that he was close to her, he noticed something was wrong with her. He brushed his fingers across the corners of her slightly red eyes, frowned, and asked, "Have you been crying?"
Cheng Yayin fell silent, stood up straight, raised her hand to wipe her eyes, and said embarrassedly: "You found out all this."
"What's going on?"
"Don't worry, it's not a big deal." Cheng Yayin rubbed his frown and said with a smile, "You know, my father was very angry because of me writing a storybook. I went home to stay with him for a while this time, and I originally thought that he would not mention that incident again and would pretend that it never happened. But this morning, my father told me that after the day in the ancestral hall, he read all my storybooks and felt that it was wrong to punish me like that. He wanted to find an opportunity to apologize to me, but he didn't expect that I would get into trouble first..."
Cheng Yayin's laughter faded as she spoke. "My father told me that after this experience, he's finally figured it out. Worldly fame and reputation don't matter. As long as I'm safe and happy, he won't stop me from doing or writing anything I want to do in the future."
Thinking of her father's expression and tone when he said this, Cheng Yayin's eyes turned red again. Pei Songsheng felt distressed and happy for her. He held her in his arms, patted her back gently, and said, "Let's come back often and spend more time with father."
Cheng Yayin nodded and muttered in his arms, "Although I've been between life and death, I feel that everything is getting better. So, God still favors us."
She raised her head and looked at Pei Songsheng seriously: "We will definitely be able to overthrow King Jin'an."
Pei Songsheng nodded and replied firmly: "Of course."
*
Prince Jin'an came to the capital this time because he was summoned by the Queen to attend to her illness.
Your Majesty has been feeling slightly ill since the beginning of summer. Initially, it was just a headache and a slight fever. Thinking it was just a common discomfort during the changing seasons, he dismissed it and simply asked the imperial physician to prescribe a few conditioning prescriptions. However, unexpectedly, after several prescriptions, his condition showed no improvement and instead worsened. Within a month, he was unable to even attend the morning court.
The harem and the court were in a state of unrest. Memorials from the ministers poured into the palace like snowflakes, yet not a single response came. The Crown Prince was temporarily handling state affairs, as rumors circulated that His Majesty had become seriously ill and unconscious.
Although the emperor was over fifty years old, he had always been in good health. How could he suddenly fall so ill? The ministers were extremely anxious, but unfortunately, apart from the imperial physician and the concubines and princes who were attending to him, no one could enter the palace to investigate.
When something is out of the ordinary, there must be something fishy going on. In the court, various conspiracy speculations gradually emerged in the private conversations of the ministers.
As the messages spread, an event shocked the court and the public, providing the strongest evidence yet for the theory that His Majesty's acute illness was the result of a hidden attack. One day after His Majesty's critical illness, the Crown Prince personally ordered the imperial guards to surround Prince Jin'an's mansion late at night. All the servants were imprisoned. The imperial guards searched the mansion, rummaging through boxes and cabinets until dawn. Some courageous citizens, hiding nearby, peeked in and saw the armored soldiers carrying out several large boxes, their faces grim. The court officials were more informed; they heard that Prince Jin'an, who had been tending to the patient in the palace that night, had also been imprisoned.
At this point, the reason for the emperor's acute illness is self-evident.
The most powerful evidence is that after this chaotic night, the emperor's health gradually improved.
The first thing he did after he recovered from his illness was to abolish the noble title of Prince Jin'an, demote him to a commoner, and imprison him in the palace where his biological mother, Concubine Shu, once lived.
Because of Concubine Shu's devotion to His Majesty, His Majesty had always been extremely fond of this son. Everyone knew what crime he had committed to be so merciless to him. They all lamented that Prince Jin'an was truly a man of few words. His so-called love for nature was all a facade. In reality, he had ulterior motives, coveted the throne, and even dared to harm His Majesty.
Although people felt emotional, it was a secret of the heavenly family after all, and no one dared to discuss it openly. Even if they were curious about how Prince Jin'an's deeds were exposed, they only dared to talk about it behind closed doors, for fear of alarming the people in heaven.
While undercurrents were surging outside, the Pei Mansion Garden was brightly lit late at night. The pavilion in the garden was deserted, and exquisite dishes were placed on the stone table. The mellow aroma of fine wine wafted in the air.
Cheng Yayin raised her glass and nodded to Doctor Wang across from her, along with Pei Songsheng. "This success is all thanks to Doctor Wang's generosity. Unfortunately, my wife and I can't host a banquet openly, so we can only prepare a small amount of wine. I hope you don't mind."
"Of course not." Doctor Wang seemed quite cheerful. He gladly accepted the couple's thanks and drank from his cup. As he put it down, he said loudly, "Such evil men deserve to be killed by all. It's an honor for me to be able to use my medical skills. But your idea is truly ingenious. How did you come up with the idea of hiding the poison behind the screen?"
"It was Madam's idea." Pei Songsheng looked at Cheng Yayin with a smile. "That screen was originally made by Meng Yu in order to curry favor with His Majesty, forcing an innocent woman with skills to make it. Now that he has suffered the consequences of his actions, it can be considered as revenge for the woman. I believe her soul can rest in peace in the afterlife."
Cheng Yayin nodded. "Meng Yu loves to poison people, so let him suffer a loss this time. The method of poisoning is not difficult to think of, but how to do it secretly, so that His Majesty's life is in danger without being discovered by the other doctors. I thought there was no such poison in the world, but I didn't expect that Doctor Wang even has such a medicine?"
Doctor Wang wasn't usually talkative, but tonight, in a good mood and with a few glasses of wine under his belt, she opened the conversation with a single sentence, and he gushed on nonstop, "Madam, you don't know, but this poison is a secret recipe of my master's, called 'God's Sorrow.' It's so named because the symptoms of a person poisoned by it are no different from those of a common illness, but no matter how they diagnose the cause, they can't find the cause. Without the antidote, the person gradually falls into a coma, exhausting themselves to death. Even a god wouldn't be able to help."
Cheng Yayin's eyes widened as she listened. She had assumed that someone as skilled as Imperial Doctor Wang must have learned from a renowned physician. The tradition of the medical profession naturally focused on curing illness and saving lives. How could Imperial Doctor Wang's unique master's secret medicine be such a sinister poison?
Pei Songsheng, standing beside him, coughed, covering his lips. But Imperial Physician Wang was in high spirits, and once he started talking, he couldn't hold back. Gazing at the flower shadows under the moonlight outside the pavilion, he said with emotion, "I haven't used this poison to harm anyone in years. I never thought I'd pick it up again, and the person I'd target would be the current emperor. Even if my master knew, he'd scold me for being so audacious. Life's circumstances are so mysterious."
He seemed to want to say something else, but Pei Songsheng took the initiative to push a dish in front of him and said calmly, "Empty drinking hurts your stomach. Doctor Wang, eat something to calm it down."
His reminder brought Doctor Wang back to his senses abruptly, realizing that he had said something he shouldn't have said while drunk. He was a little flustered, and quickly glanced at Cheng Yayin, a trace of regret flashing across his face.
Cheng Yayin pretended she hadn't heard anything and ate her food as if nothing had happened. According to what Imperial Physician Wang had just said, he probably had an unusual past before becoming an imperial physician. But perhaps everyone has a past they can't bear to look back on, and Cheng Yayin had no desire to pry. She only needed to know that Imperial Physician Wang was now a man of integrity, a benefactor who had once saved Pei Songsheng from a difficult situation and even risked his life to help them bring down Meng Yu.
To cover up his drunken gaffe, Imperial Physician Wang changed the subject and asked what the couple planned to do next. Prince Jin'an had been demoted to a commoner and imprisoned in the inner palace, fearing he would never be free again. For such a gifted child, such punishment was no less agonizing than death.
"It's not enough." Cheng Yayin stared at the flickering candlelight in the corner of the pavilion, her eyes burning. "Compared to the girls who died at his hands, his end was still too merciful. I must expose his mask, make him lose his reputation, and let him die despised by the world."
Doctor Wang looked at her silently for a long moment, then said thoughtfully, "Although Madam Pei was born into a family of great scholars, she behaves in a rather chivalrous manner."
These words seemed to have a deep meaning. Before Cheng Yayin had time to think about it carefully, Pei Songsheng talked about other things and passed it over.
After seeing off Doctor Wang, the couple packed up a bit and prepared to rest.
Cheng Yayin lay in bed, the words of Doctor Wang echoing in her mind. She said, "What do you mean by what Doctor Wang said?"
Pei Songsheng paused as he untied the bed curtains and asked, "Which sentence?"
"That's what he said about the God of Sorrow. Where did he learn all those medical skills? And how come he's so skilled in poison?"
"It's just drunken nonsense, don't take it to heart." Pei Songsheng lowered the bed curtain, lay down next to Cheng Yayin, and hugged her, "Go to sleep quickly, you haven't had a good rest these days."
Cheng Yayin was exhausted, but she was very excited to have solved Meng Yu's biggest problem. She couldn't sleep for a while, blinking and chattering to Pei Songsheng: "Actually, when I first saw Doctor Wang, I felt that this person was very unusual. Aren't doctors supposed to have kind eyes and benevolent hearts, with a compassionate heart to save the world? I'm not saying that he doesn't look like a good person, but I think he has a desolate temperament. He doesn't look like a doctor, but more like a knight in a novel..."
Before she finished speaking, Pei Songsheng sealed her lips, and the tail end of the sound was swallowed into the kiss.
Cheng Yayin was caught off guard by the kiss and stared blankly at Pei Songsheng. He nuzzled her nose and whispered, "Are you sure you want to keep mentioning other men in front of me?"
Cheng Yayin laughed: "How can you even be jealous of this?"
Cheng Yayin's wild thoughts were interrupted, and she lay down obediently. Pei Songsheng kissed her forehead, tucked in the quilt for her, and then lay down properly, ready to rest.
Cheng Yayin still couldn't sleep. When he kissed her just now, the pleasant aroma of soap nuts still lingered in her nose, like a small hook that made her feel a little itchy. Not to mention that he was lying next to her. In the dim light, his outline undulated like a beautiful mountain range, making her stare at him unconsciously.
This is her husband, the fragrant and handsome husband.
Unfortunately, Pei Songsheng had already closed his eyes. Cheng Yayin understood that he had been working day and night recently and could not bear to disturb his sleep, so she could only watch him eagerly. Unexpectedly, he was still awake. With his eyes closed, he asked, "Can't you sleep?"
"Hmm...yes, maybe it's because I drank some wine..."
Before she could finish her words, Pei Songsheng suddenly turned over and covered her, lowering his head to kiss her lips again. Cheng Yayin was stunned for only a moment, then hugged him tightly, slightly parting her lips and entangled with his tongue.
After the kiss, Cheng Yayin felt dizzy and dazed, lying beneath Pei Songsheng, her lips glistening. Although they had both drunk some wine that night, they weren't drunk. Now, panting and staring at each other, they both felt a sense of intoxication. They separated for a few breaths before they were entangled again, fingers intertwined, hair tangled, celebrating their wedding night, three years late.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
