Chapter 37: Smart. Your husband is missed by so many people, but you...
He Zhiliao really didn't understand much about the court affairs, but he was not a fool. Pei Ji and the others had expressed their emotions so openly, so he naturally wouldn't be so foolish as to think that the Third Prince would be a reliable monarch in the future.
The Third Prince was so crazy that the Pei family naturally didn't dare to get involved with him. If Emperor An really caught him making a mistake, he would certainly not attack his own princes to save the royal family's reputation, but he might not necessarily attack the Pei family.
After leaving Dongyuan, Pei Ji's eyes fell on the little mute who followed him obediently.
The He family obviously has dealings with Zhao Chenghui's family, that is, they have contact with the third prince and the fifth prince. Although it is not known who they form a specific faction with, He Yao will obviously be implicated because of Zhao Chenghui's affairs.
By then, I'm afraid the He family will come to our door quietly again.
【ah? 】
What are you looking at me doing?
He Zhiliao noticed his gaze, which was as real as a substance, and looked at him with her head tilted to the side. The earrings hanging on her shoulders swayed slightly, emitting a tiny sparkle.
"If it's the He family...that's all. It's nothing at this moment." Pei Ji didn't know how to start for a moment. It was not good to search for the enemy in the void like this.
After all, the He family is He Zhiliao's maternal family. What if he says too much and makes him always worry about the He family?
He Zhiliao frowned slightly. Is it true that he won’t get beaten for talking like this?
But he also knew what Pei Ji meant.
You want me to ignore the He family and He Yao.
"Ah...that's it." Pei Ji felt a little uncomfortable. "Do you know what I want to say?"
He Zhiliao nodded, he was not stupid.
Although Pei Ji did not explicitly mention that Emperor An summoned him to the palace, it was possible that the emperor summoned him while he was ill, which must have meant that he had to tell him something important, and this matter happened to involve the third prince and Zhao Chenghui.
Recently, the only thing that can connect the two people is the disaster relief issue, which shows that the disaster relief is to be investigated. In addition, the third prince has clearly stated that there is not enough disaster relief money, so the details must be investigated clearly.
The Third Prince broke down his defense and found Pei Ji at this time, which showed that he was guilty. Zhao Chenghui naturally could not escape the blame, not to mention He Yao who had contact with the Zhao family.
He used gestures and even his mouth to tell Pei Ji his guess, and also specifically stated that he would never agree to anything from the He family.
Pei Ji was both surprised and happy. The affairs of the court were always sinister and vicious. He didn't want the other party to know about this, and he didn't want him to know that he would do the same thing. So he rarely talked to him about the affairs of the previous dynasty.
But unexpectedly, there is more to the little cicada's mind than just romance. How can it be stupid? It is clearly extremely intelligent.
"Are you interested in these?" Pei Ji asked.
He Zhiliao shook his head slightly. As a married woman, he was naturally not interested in the affairs of the court. He just thought about it when he heard it.
Pei Ji put his arm around his waist and laughed, "Are you not interested in what I say?"
[That is a different matter.]
"Have you eaten honey?" Pei Ji smiled and faced him, his hands restrained at his waist. Just as he was about to lower his head to kiss him, he was stopped by two arms blocking his chest.
He Zhiliao blushed and shook his head slightly. It was broad daylight, and the servants were all staring at him.
How come you don’t feel ashamed?
Pei Ji let out a light click and pinched the soft flesh on his waist that he had worked so hard to grow. He Zhiliao was so itchy that he shrank into his arms with a smile on his face. He was always addicted to such little actions.
"I'm afraid I can't accompany you properly because I'm busy with court affairs these days. If you feel bored during the day, go have some tea and listen to music. I'll accompany you properly when I'm free." Pei Ji made it clear to him in advance, so don't think he is deliberately ignoring him.
If he were to say again that he wanted to take a concubine, he would really want to overthrow the court.
He Zhiliao nodded very sensibly.
A man naturally has to focus on his business, and he has been brooding over the fact that Pei Ji was unable to receive a title because of him. Now that he has finally got a proper job and has become a favorite of the emperor, if he does not support him, he would be truly ignorant.
"Good boy." Pei Ji scratched his chin like he was teasing a cat.
From then on, Pei Ji began to investigate matters according to Emperor An's wishes, and Liu Linfeng and several of his fellow townsmen, minor officials, gradually helped him overtly or covertly.
Liu Linfeng and others are very smart. If they follow those powerful old ministers, they will never have a way out easily. Given their situation, it is even more unlikely that they will be seen by those princes. It is better for them to follow Pei Ji, the upstart.
As long as they follow him closely, they will be fine as long as the Pei family does not fall.
The confidant who went to the East was Jin Ling's younger brother Jin Yang. Pei Ji accepted this person because of his speed and sharpness. He rushed to the East and conducted investigations in less than ten days, and brought back a lot of news.
"The 500,000 taels of silver that the Third Prince brought with him initially were quickly used up. However, I have asked the common people, and they only eat brown rice porridge every day, and then brown rice porridge, without even a single vegetable leaf. I asked the accountant to calculate, and they found that if they only ate these, they would have more than enough to last them for two months."
"The second time was the tens of thousands of taels of silver raised by the master, plus the 100,000 taels secretly given by the national treasury. This time, the rain came within a month, so logically, there was no way to spend all the silver."
After Jin Yang finished speaking, he waited for Pei Ji's response and questions, with a look of pride and expectation on his face.
Pei Ji raised his eyebrows and nodded. "I can kind of guess what you're thinking. But looking at your expression, does it seem like there's something else?"
"Yes, I have discovered traces of a large number of troops stationed in a certain forest in the East City." Jinyang said in a low voice, with a rather mysterious tone.
"That means we haven't found out who's stationed here." Pei Ji looked at him with a half-smile. "What are you so proud of? You're so proud of yourself!"
Jin Yang was a little unconvinced, "But no matter what, the troops who were stationed here must have been the Third Prince's men!"
Pei Ji was not surprised by his expression. He was usually a bit capricious, but as long as he had the ability, he would indulge him so that he would not cause any trouble.
"Without any concrete evidence, how can you be sure that they are the Third Prince's men? Or do you want me to accuse him of harboring private soldiers without any evidence?" Pei Ji raised his eyes, a hint of suspicion in his eyes, "Do you think your master is living too comfortably?"
Jin Yang's expression changed slightly, and he immediately knelt down to apologize, "It is my incompetence. I will investigate this matter as soon as possible for you! Please forgive me, Master!"
Pei Ji's expression relaxed slightly, and he lightly tapped the rosewood wooden table with his fingertips. The wood felt smooth, cool, and had a faint fragrance, which soothed the slight dissatisfaction in his heart.
He said in a deep voice, "Then do it. After this, you don't need to come to the manor. Stay by my side and work."
"Yes! I'll continue investigating right away!" Jinyang's face lit up with joy. After thanking him, he left in a hurry.
The fact that Pei Ji sent people to the East could naturally not be concealed. The Third Prince was afraid that the matter would be exposed, so he sent people to keep an eye on him. On the one hand, he wanted to win him over, but on the other hand, he was wary of his current power.
The one who was more afraid than him was Zhao Chenghui. He had been ignored by His Majesty for a few days because of the incident with his son Zhao Tong. If any bad rumors were spread about him again, His Majesty would be angry with him even if he was innocent.
Thinking of this, he specifically instructed the housekeeper in the mansion to deliver the gifts to one of the families.
He Zhiliao now understood why Pei Ji had said those words to him in advance. He was really very busy.
He would get up before dawn to attend court in the palace and work in the department. He also had to save time to continue investigating the corruption case, and he would also drink and chat with those officials who wanted to win him over. Every day when he got home, He Zhiliao would wait until he fell asleep.
The busier Pei Ji was, the more idle he seemed.
He thought again of the things his mother had left him. At that time, he had only read the suicide note. He had a rough idea of what was in the box from the note, but he had never actually opened it to read.
My mother said that there were many shops and banknotes in it, which were the things she secretly left for him to use for himself in addition to his dowry.
Since Pei Ji can't accompany him, it's better to let his mother accompany him.
"Master, the things are here." Chunjian brought the quaint box, and Yanhua and Xixin also went out very tactfully.
He Zhiliao reread the thick letter and could still feel his mother's care and concern for him between the lines. Every word was full of worry for his future and she had left many safeguards for him.
The letter said to be wary of the He family. Perhaps a few years before her mother's death, she already knew that He Hongan was unreliable, so she left so many things for him.
Seeing that he was lost in thought, Chun Jian hurriedly looked through the items inside and feigned surprise, "Master, Madam has reserved a number of shops in good locations for you!"
He Zhiliao also cast his eyes on the receipt. It was indeed a shop in a good location. He had actually bought something there before, and there were many customers in the shop when he went there.
My mother's family was quite powerful in the past. He Hongan was just a small official at the beginning. Things only got better after he married my mother. It is not entirely wrong to say that he made his fortune with the help of my mother's family.
The bank and amount written on the banknote were also considerable. In comparison, the dowry that my mother left in the open seemed nothing.
There are many shops. After all these years since my mother passed away, I wonder if the shopkeepers still remember her. Let's go take a look.
Harumi nodded immediately, "Exactly. They must know who is in charge now! I will help you change your clothes right away."
He Zhiliao changed into a light set of clothes, the light blue color was particularly beautiful. He said a few words to Qin Yurong and went out.
He Liushi left him a lot of shops, including teahouses, clothing shops, and even lantern shops. They were all things that were needed and necessary for the people's lives, so the profits were probably good.
He had seen too many cases of people usurping someone else's position. There were always some people who didn't recognize their own identities. He had thought that the shop owners would be the same.
But he didn't expect that just by revealing his identity, those people believed it so readily, and didn't even want to see the document. It was He Zhiliao who insisted on showing it to them.
Chun saw the instructions and asked, "The shopkeeper is too lax. It's not good to just say it's all true. You have to check the receipts and documents first!"
"Who would know that the owner of a shop in this location hasn't been seen in ten years? Since you've come here to ask, you must know something." The shopkeeper smiled, "And we all know who you are."
He Zhiliao felt a sudden warmth in his chest, and he lowered his eyes and listened quietly.
"Madam has been kind to us, but we can't extend our hands into the He family's yard after all. However, we all care about you."
He didn't expect to hear such warm and simple words from the shop owners whom he had only met a few times. It made him feel particularly comforted and warm in his heart.
Mother’s good deeds were not in vain.
Chun Jian continued, "Now that our young master is here, all future accounts must be submitted to him for review."
"It's my duty." The shopkeeper agreed repeatedly.
All the important matters were completed so smoothly, and there was nothing else to do. He Zhiliao felt a little empty and didn't know what to do next.
Should I have tea and listen to music, or go home and practice calligraphy?
Neither.
Because he saw several girls coming towards him from afar, led by Xu Xinran and the Seventh Prince.
He was still somewhat afraid of arguments and quarrels, but now facing these people, that fear had dissipated a lot. If the arguments and quarrels were instigated by him, it would naturally be a different matter.
He slowed down his pace and carefully and quietly selected things near the door of the shop. The shopkeeper saw him coming back and acting so seriously, so he understood what he meant and introduced things to him with extra enthusiasm.
"This is the best powder we have this year. I guarantee it will nourish your skin!"
"The best perfumed powder naturally comes from the palace. How come it's Pei Zhengjun?"
Here it comes.
He Zhiliao turned his head in surprise, and met the Seventh Prince's disdainful look and Xu Xinran's hidden deep meaning.
"Mr. Pei Zheng, if you want rouge and powder, you might as well tell this prince. Instead of buying them in a shop like this, people will laugh at the Pei family for mistreating you." The Seventh Prince really looked down on things from outside. What good could there be?
He Zhiliao glanced at Chun Jian, who immediately bowed and said with a smile, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness the Seventh Prince. Our Lord Zheng was just out for a stroll and didn't want to burden you with any expenses. Hello again, Miss Xu."
The Seventh Prince snorted softly, keenly aware of the deeper meaning behind Chun Jian's words. He narrowed his eyes and asked suspiciously, "Has Miss Xu met Pei Zhengjun recently?"
Without waiting for Xu Xinran to speak, Chun Jian smiled and said, "That's right. Miss Xu came to visit our wife with some valuable tea and supplements. Our Fourth Young Master was also there at the time and we talked for quite a while."
The Seventh Prince raised his eyebrows and looked at Xu Xinran. Seeing her slightly nervous expression, he almost instantly understood the key.
He was actually deceived by this woman!
She usually pretends to be gentle and kind in front of him, and seems to have no desires or demands, but she never thought that she was also thinking about Pei Ji!
Knowing that he had feelings for Pei Ji, he still deliberately got close to him and said a lot of bad things about He Zhiliao. He thought that this mute He Zhiliao was so tough that he could bully Xu Xinran, but it turned out that she was just pretending to be weak in front of him and wanted to borrow his hand!
He went to visit the sick Mrs. Pei and even brought tea with him. This was not really a visit to Mrs. Pei, it was obvious that he had other intentions!
"So that's how it is. Miss Xu is truly kind and always cares about others." The Seventh Prince sneered, "It's just that I simply can't imitate your two-faced ways. What a pity."
As a prince, he is naturally not afraid of Xu Xinran. What's more, Xu Xinran is most afraid of others telling others about such things. Isn't she looking at him with a guilty conscience and a blushing face at this moment?
Even though Xu Xinran appeared to be good-tempered, she had to blush and retort a few words at this moment, "Your Highness is indeed too kind. The proper etiquette for visiting someone is of course indispensable. Your Highness must have misunderstood me by saying this. I——"
"Look at how nice you sound. Then just tell me whether you are interested in Pei Yunzhou!" The Seventh Prince was too lazy to argue with her. This was the only thing he wanted to know.
"I--" Xu Xinran's face flushed, everything was self-evident.
The Seventh Prince just couldn't stand her attitude. She was obviously very bad, but she had to pretend to be so hypocritical. She was not as likable as the stinky mute standing next to her!
He looked at He Zhiliao in surprise, "Your husband is being missed by so many people, don't you know how to say something?"
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The author has something to say: Little Cicada: It’s nice to look at, it’s fun to listen to, and it’s so noisy~ [laughing][laughing][laughing]
It's the end of the month, is there any nutrient solution that is about to expire? Please give it to me [poor][poor][poor]
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