Chapter 41 Threats. Lord Pei, how is your Lordship doing lately? ...
Pei Ji had undressed him many times, but He Zhiliao was unfamiliar with it. His originally cold fingertips now felt warm, as if even the fingertips were flushed, which made him particularly upset.
He didn't even dare to let go, for fear of facing the behemoth.
Pei Ji was particularly considerate as he untied the waist rope from his hand, wrapped his hand with his other hand, bent down to kiss his ear which was as red as the sunset, and chuckled.
"You are so shy that I feel embarrassed to continue bullying you. I'm going to get in the water. If I delay any longer, I'm afraid you will get cold." Pei Ji let go of him and deliberately walked around behind him to get into the bathtub.
The water in the bathtub overflowed instantly. Hearing the sound of water, He Zhiliao turned around and picked up a towel to help him wipe.
Pei Ji shuddered, his whole body numb. An inexplicable itch spread from his heart through his limbs and bones to every part of his body. He suddenly grabbed He Zhiliao's hand, wanting him to continue, but not wanting him to move.
Caught in a dilemma.
When this happened for the first time, there was a misunderstanding between the two, but after it happened more times, He Zhiliao understood.
My husband is acting like a hooligan.
"Little mute..."
【ah? 】
What's the matter?
Pei Ji closed his eyes, quickly suppressing the heat. He smiled and said, "The water is a little cold. Ask the kitchen to send another bucket."
Ah.
He Zhiliao didn't suspect anything and immediately walked out.
When he came back with Yuan Rong, Pei Ji had already gotten out of the bathtub, and there seemed to be more water stains on the ground.
【Aren’t you going to wash it anymore? 】
"The water is a little cold, and it's a bit cold waiting." Pei Ji held his hand, "You go back and wait for me, I'll take another shower and then go back to the house."
【ah. 】
OK
The mattress in the room has been made. As it is getting colder, thicker quilts have been installed. They have just been washed and still have the scent of soapberries, making them particularly refreshing.
He took a deep sniff and got into bed to wait for Pei Ji.
"Hey, whose little husband is already warming the bed for his husband?" Pei Ji came in and saw him wrapped in a quilt with only his pretty head exposed, so he started to tease him.
He Zhiliao immediately stretched out one hand from under the quilt, raised it high, and looked at him with smiling eyes.
It’s me, it’s me!
Pei Ji stepped forward quickly, and the little guy who was originally outside instantly gurgled inside, leaving the warm place in the distant mountains empty.
He lay down and pulled the person into his arms. His strong and powerful arms forced him against his chest. The warmth spread from him to He Zhiliao. When he realized that he had also become warm, he patted him to sleep.
Pei Ji finally reached a consensus with Zhao Chenghui, but he also made it clear that he would not clear Zhao Chenghui. If he really did that, His Majesty would probably not only not believe it but also deal with Pei Ji as well.
However, how Zhao Chenghui can minimize his guilt depends on what he does himself.
After all, he is an old fox who has been immersed in the court for many years. Although his mind is often not working right, he has capable people around him. They can easily think of a way for him to keep his official position without involving Pei Ji.
Spend money to ensure safety.
And this wealth is to be distributed to Your Majesty.
Zhao Chenghui simply said that he did not judge his people well, which led to his subordinates embezzling money. He then paid out of his own pocket to make up for the embezzled money and sent some of the extra money to the national treasury.
This behavior naturally suited Emperor An's wishes.
Because of the previous drought, the national treasury was already under pressure. Although peace had been temporarily reached with neighboring countries, there was no guarantee that they would invade again one day. Naturally, the more silver in the national treasury, the better.
This action was also carried out in private. Emperor An's acceptance of his apology and compensation was equivalent to exempting Zhao Chenghui from execution.
After all the trouble, in the end only the Seventh Prince and He Zhiliao had a falling out.
After learning about this, he smashed a set of his favorite teacups, but could only swallow the matter and dared not mention it again.
Seeing that Zhao Chenghui was safe and sound, the Third Prince became a little anxious. Although he was not in cahoots with Zhao Chenghui, both of them had embezzled the disaster relief funds from the East and the West. As long as Zhao Chenghui was safe, he must do the same!
When the water is too clear, there are no fish.
In fact, it was not just the third prince. Some officials in the court had accepted bribes to varying degrees, but only those with extremely serious circumstances were caught by Pei Ji.
Emperor An must have known about such people, he just needed a dog to sniff them out.
Pei Ji also knew that Emperor An had no intention of overthrowing the court, so even if he investigated all these corrupt officials as Emperor An had said, what would happen?
I will still let them go for now and wait until tomorrow to clean them up together.
Therefore, Pei Ji would never really cover up for Zhao Chenghui, and Zhao Chenghui, who had not been severely criticized and dismissed by His Majesty, would think that it was Pei Ji's credit.
Another day off duty.
Pei Ji walked forward without looking around. Today, he already had followers beside him.
"Tomorrow is a day off. Master Pei, do you want to go have some wine? The weather is getting colder, so you should have some wine to warm yourself up."
"Hahaha, if you want to ease the situation, you should go back home. Why would you go out for a drink with me?"
Pei Ji also laughed as he listened to their conversation. "Today we do have something important to do. Why don't we let Master Liu accompany you? They have a good alcohol tolerance and I think they can get everyone drunk."
In Tianqi, people loved wine, and both men and women could drink a lot. And if they were good at drinking, they would be looked up to by others.
Liu Linfeng and his companions had exercised regularly in the past, so they must be able to drink happily with these old foxes.
As time went by, everyone naturally realized that Liu Linfeng and others were following Pei Ji. Although Pei Ji refused the invitation to drink at this time, he did not refuse it completely after all, so he naturally had to give them some face.
Besides, Liu Linfeng works in the Censorate, and no one can predict what will happen in the future.
The most taboo thing in the court is to be careless and arrogant.
Liu Linfeng immediately bowed and smiled, "Thank you all for not despising me. I will accompany you all today until we are drunk."
After he said that, he glanced at Pei Ji implicitly. The latter looked back at him, and he knew what to do.
Pei Ji did have something important to do. He and the third prince had an appointment to meet at Songhexuan. Fortunately, Songhexuan was the best restaurant in the capital, and dignitaries often went there, so it didn't seem out of place.
"Greetings, Your Highness. I'm late. Please forgive me." Pei Ji apologized skillfully as soon as he stepped into the private room. His attitude, words and actions were impeccable.
The Third Prince sat quietly and looked up at him. "That's alright. Master Pei is a popular figure now, so it's normal for him to be busy."
When it comes to talking, the Third Prince always has something to say, but his wisdom is clearly not enough.
Pei Ji stood in front of him quietly. Since His Highness did not speak, he did not dare to sit down easily.
The Third Prince looked up at him. He had not yet changed out of his blue official uniform. His stern and tough face was calm, and he truly had the aura of a superior.
"Sit down."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Pei Ji sat down opposite him and quietly added tea for him. No matter what he thought in his heart, he had to be a little respectful to the prince.
After refilling the tea, he asked, "Your Highness, did you summon me here to discuss something important?"
The Third Prince sipped his tea, then put it down and lowered his voice again, "I heard that you helped to settle the matter of Zhao Chenghui?"
"Your Highness, thank you for your praise. I don't have such a great ability. Moreover, I don't understand what you are talking about. Please explain it to me clearly." Pei Ji said with a smile.
Of course he had to pretend well.
Who knows if His Majesty has any spies here, or if someone is watching in secret, ready to attack him and the Pei family at any time in the future? Naturally, he would not take such a risk.
The Third Prince suddenly felt a surge of anger in his heart. This fire burned every part of his body and even his breathing became difficult.
He had never seen a person like Pei Ji, who was at ease in dealing with anyone, and spoke bluntly and sarcastically. He appeared to be extremely respectful on the surface, but was like a mad dog inside, and would never let go of anyone he bit!
Pei Ji's words clearly showed that he did not trust him, but instead proved that he had indeed secretly accepted benefits from Zhao Chenghui, which was why he was particularly willing to help cover it up for him.
The more he thought about it, the more the Third Prince's anger was suppressed. At this moment, he really needed Pei Ji.
"You have done a lot of work for me, and I will give you many benefits." After the third prince finished speaking, the servant guarding behind him immediately handed a brocade box to him.
Then the box was opened, revealing the neatly stacked gold ingots inside.
One hundred taels of gold were right in front of him.
Before this, Pei Ji had racked his brains to search the pockets of court officials because the third prince said that there was not enough money for disaster relief.
He said he didn't have hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, but he could easily take out a hundred taels of gold.
Seeing Pei Ji's eyes glued to the gold ingot, the Third Prince smiled triumphantly, "How about it? As long as you help me get through this, all this gold will be yours."
brute.
Pei Ji really wanted to curse out loud, but after thinking about it, he realized that this matter had nothing to do with him after all. All he had to do was report to the emperor. As for how to make the decision, it all depended on Emperor An's opinion.
"Your Highness is so generous. I'm afraid I'm not worthy of it." Pei Ji refused very readily. "To be frank, with your current status, it would not be difficult for me to earn these hundred taels of gold. Why take the risk?"
The Third Prince laughed. "Didn't I see you were so greedy? Even a hundred ounces of gold couldn't stop your mouth. That means you want more and better things..."
Pei Ji said calmly, "Your Highness has misunderstood. I will not conceal this matter from you. Even though Your Highness has never bribed or accepted bribes before, I think Your Highness has not yet found a suitable excuse for what happened today."
"Master Pei, are you being ungrateful?" The Third Prince's face darkened.
I've said all the nice things and given him all the benefits, but he still has this attitude. It really makes me angry. What can I promise him to control him?
Oh, I figured it out.
The Third Prince smiled and said, "Master Pei, how is your Lordship doing lately? I don't think I've ever spoken to him. It's a pity that we only met once."
Pei Ji's face suddenly turned gloomy. Did he know his soft spots and weaknesses and wanted to use them to threaten him?
"Pei Ji, don't be so rude as to refuse a reward. I just don't want to be criticized by His Majesty, so I asked for your help. But if you don't appreciate it and bring this matter to His Majesty, do you think he will really punish me?" The third prince said with a smile.
"My mother is the Empress, I'm married with a grandson, and I have the support of the Jin family. Even if the truth comes out, I'll only be reprimanded and confined. But can you guarantee that you will always protect your Prince?"
Provocation and threat.
Pei Ji has experienced this feeling many times in his past and present lives, but never has he felt so angry and disgusted.
He was so enraged that he wanted to burn his sanity to ashes. He wanted to take the dagger at his waist and stab it into his throat, watching him become like a dead fish, unable to make any movement or sound.
Then throw his body into the Third Prince's residence, so that his princess and legitimate son can have a good look at it...
"Your Highness, do you mean that if I don't obey, you will take action against my legitimate monarch?" Pei Ji asked in a low voice, showing signs of loosening up.
The Third Prince naturally saw through his attitude and laughed, "If you're willing to help, there's no need to embarrass each other. I heard you love your wife dearly, so I imagine you wouldn't want your Lordship to encounter any misfortune."
Only Pei Ji knew how obsessed and crazy he was with He Zhiliao. The fact that the Third Prince threatened him with the little mute showed that he believed what he said.
But these idiots never thought that if they really wanted to protect someone, the best way was to make him never show up, and he had his reasons for putting the little mute in the open.
Only He Zhiliao understood his thoughts, and even if he didn't say it, the other party understood.
Thinking of this, I missed his little Zhiliao even more.
Pei Ji frowned upon hearing this, and asked with a hint of anger and humiliation, "If I conceal this matter for Your Highness, will Your Highness not embarrass my Lord?"
"Of course." The Third Prince looked at him with considerable pride. "A gentleman's word is as good as his words."
Pei Ji held the brocade box in his hands hesitantly and conflictedly, and regarded the Third Prince's words as just a formality.
What kind of gentleman would embezzle the people's life-saving money?
He could kill a whole group of gentlemen like this with one blow.
Seeing his actions, the Third Prince smiled with satisfaction, "Master Pei, a man who knows the times is a hero. You are quite good."
"It's His Highness's appreciation." Pei Ji said with his eyes lowered.
"Looking at how anxious Master Pei is, I think he's anxious to return home to meet Master Zheng. If that's the case, he should go back home quickly and settle down."
"I will take my leave."
Pei Ji left in a hurry. He knew that the third prince would watch him leave at the restaurant, so he didn't do anything else and went straight to Pei Mansion.
When they arrived at the gate of the mansion, they immediately asked Jinyang to secretly deliver the brocade box to the palace. It was only a hundred taels of gold, which was not worth mentioning compared with the lives of everyone in their Pei Mansion.
Using a hundred taels of gold to bribe him, do you think his Pei family is in decline and can't even afford a mere hundred taels of gold?
Besides, if you really want him to turn against you, you should offer him 100,000 taels of gold, and he might consider it.
Jinyang delivered the brocade box into the palace before the palace gate was closed. Emperor An looked at the gold in the brocade box for a long time without saying a word.
He knew how much Pei Ji wanted to achieve great things, so he just acted like a biting dog beside him. The reason why this dog had to adopt a roundabout strategy was that his good son must have grasped his weakness.
Everyone in Tianqi knows Pei Ji's weakness.
Emperor An frowned. His good son could actually threaten the wife of a high-ranking official in the court, threatening her life and forcing the official to work for him.
And this time, is it the first time, or the nth time?
"What does he mean?" Emperor An asked in a deep voice.
Jin Yang replied as Pei Ji had agreed with him in advance: "Master Pei means that this matter is subject to the deference of Your Majesty."
"I understand his thoughts, so you can let him rest assured." Emperor An naturally believed in Pei Ji, and also believed that Pei Ji had his own little thoughts.
But at this moment, I trust him a little more.
After receiving an accurate reply, Jinyang left the palace.
Although Emperor An told Pei Ji not to worry, he didn't dare to be truly at ease, as serving the emperor was like serving a tiger. Otherwise, if the emperor really disliked him one day, he would get rid of him in the same way.
Just like in the previous life, adding fuel to the fire.
Emperor An must have played a role in the events of the previous life. Since it was a false accusation, there must be loopholes in those seemingly conclusive evidences.
Emperor An not only did not investigate, but instead made the matter a done deal, which shows that he has been dissatisfied with the Pei family for a long time.
If he were to ask himself honestly, Pei Ji felt that in his previous life, except for himself who was particularly domineering, the entire Pei family was loyal to Emperor An and had never even thought of letting the Ninth Prince take the throne. No matter who ascended the throne in the future, the Pei family would help him with all their might.
But no one expected that the Pei family, who had been loyal for generations, would end up like this.
Now when Pei Ji thinks about his past life again, he can't help but recall more details. When he was detained in his previous life, he learned that a guard in the mansion accidentally found a stack of letters, but in this life, that guard has never come to the mansion.
It can be seen that his rebirth has indeed changed many things, but there is one thing he still needs to investigate personally.
That was my father's study, and it was also where the traitor in the previous life found the letter.
【ah! 】
"Huh? What's the matter?" Pei Ji suddenly came back to his senses and immediately smiled.
He Zhiliao frowned slightly and raised his hand to touch his forehead. It didn't feel hot, so why did he look absent-minded?
Pei Ji held his hand and discussed with him: "I have to go to my father's study to look for something tomorrow. Can you help me?"
He Zhiliao nodded.
"Why don't you ask me what I'm looking for?" Pei Ji looked at him with some dissatisfaction. He was relieved that he trusted him, but he also felt that he didn't care about him at all.
[In my father's study, I naturally look for books.]
Even if it's a bad thing, I'll help.
He Zhiliao looked at him with special affection. Could it be that his brain was not working well?
Pei Ji also realized that he was asking nonsense, so he pretended to be angry and hugged him in his arms and rubbed him, but he was particularly happy that he cared about him.
"What bad things could your husband do? Would he plot against me?" Pei Ji pinched his face and smiled. Suddenly, he remembered something and held his face, carefully admonishing him, "You had a quarrel with the Third Prince today. You should be careful with them. No matter where you go, you must bring Daphne and Asarum with you."
He Zhiliao was very smart and figured out the whole thing in no time.
The royal family cannot be trusted. Although the third prince said that he would not make things difficult for him, it was just talk after all. As a man, he would naturally not show up in person, so there is no guarantee that his princess would make trouble.
【Don't worry, I understand. 】
He had suffered many losses at the Hongmen Banquet, so he naturally became more cunning. In addition, his mother taught him this way. If he was easily bullied again, it would be really unfair to the Pei family.
Rest the next day.
After breakfast in the front yard, Pei Ji winked at He Zhiliao and said, "Father's study is free now. I want to go find some military books. Zhizhi also said that he has run out of calligraphy and wants to find some good ones."
Pei Xiao looked at him suspiciously, and his gaze also swept over He Zhile, who immediately nodded quickly, fearing that he would be rejected if he was a step slower.
"Go ahead." Pei Xiao said with a smile, "I haven't seen you being so diligent in a while. I thought you were just busy killing people in the court!"
Pei Ji was a little embarrassed, "Don't tease me."
Pei Su also laughed, "Yun Zhou seemed like a different person in the court. He bites everyone he sees."
"Comparing your own brother to a dog...you are such a good father and brother." Qin Yurong accused him with a smile on her face. She also felt that the description was particularly appropriate.
Pei Ji was about to say something else when he saw He Zhiliao also smiling happily with his eyes curved.
Whatever.
"Then we'll go over first." Pei Ji said and winked at He Zhiliao, and the little Zhiliao immediately raised his foot and followed.
Pei Xiao is the head of the family after all. His study is spacious and beautiful. Although he looks like a rough military man, he keeps his study very clean and tidy.
After all, if his servants moved his belongings randomly and couldn't find them, they would have to be sold.
"Look around here to see if there's any book you want to read. Remember the location and use the wooden sign next to it to place it on top." Pei Ji instructed, "Father is very sensitive about this and will be very angry if you put it in the wrong place. Mother is also very lenient with him on this matter."
He Zhiliao nodded heavily, his eyes swept across the bookshelves in the room, and he carefully searched for the book he wanted to read.
He originally thought that a military general's study would only contain military books, but he didn't expect that there would also be historical books and documents on national policies. It can be seen that he has worked tirelessly to reach his current position.
He picked up a few interesting books, put the wooden signs where the books originally were, and sat down with the books in his hands to savor them carefully. He didn't notice that Pei Ji had disappeared silently in the study.
In his previous life, Pei Ji also accidentally stumbled into the secret passage of the study. Standing in the secret passage, he became inexplicably nervous and thought about everything that might happen.
Perhaps there were already slanderous letters at this time.
Maybe not at this time, but there are other objects.
Maybe there is nothing, absolutely nothing.
Walking down the long stairs, Pei Ji found that there was nothing in the secret room just as he had imagined, except for things that had always been there.
Pei Ji breathed a sigh of relief. It was obvious that the guard was the one who was specially released to frame the Pei family. At this time, he had not entered the mansion yet, so there was no letter.
He was completely at peace, as long as his rebirth was meaningful.
Pei Ji returned to the study quietly again, took out the book he had chosen a long time ago from the bookshelf, and looked up at Xiao Zhi who was already immersed in the book.
He coughed lightly, but the other party did not respond.
Pei Ji's face instantly darkened. He wanted to see what kind of book it was that dared to snatch the favor of his little cicada!
Oh, it’s the Tianqi National Policy Theory.
What's so interesting about this kind of flowery stuff?
He vomited for several days after reciting it.
"cough!!!"
【ah! 】
He Zhiliao was startled by his voice and subconsciously hugged the book even tighter. When she looked up and saw that it was Pei Ji, her frightened heart eased a little.
[It scared me.]
He pursed his lips and continued.
You apologize.
"I don't want it. I didn't say anything to you. I coughed and called your name just now, but you didn't even pay attention to me. It shows that in your heart, I am not even as important as a book. My love for you is deep and will never change even if the sea dries up and the rocks crumble. And you—"
"He's actually reading a book!"
Pei Ji looked sad, as if he knew how much this action hurt him.
With a "pop" sound.
The little cicada's slap landed on Pei Ji's forehead. He seemed to realize something was wrong and frowned, letting go of his hand, then moved closer to him.
Pei Ji watched him getting closer and closer, and the corners of his mouth raised proudly, "Even if you kiss me, I won't easily-"
Before he could finish his words, the little cicada's forehead was pressed against his forehead.
Pei Ji: “…”
Where is my dear?
-----------------------
The author has something to say: Pei Gouzi: "I haven't kissed you yet!" [Angry]
Author: Hello, here I am! [Sunglasses]
If you have any nutrient solution that's about to expire, give it to me. I'm not afraid of expiration because I can tear off the label and change the expiration date to keep the nutrient solution fresh. [Haha]
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