Chapter 76: Alliance. He never thought of marrying someone else into the mansion to bully He Zhi...
He Ruxi entered the prince's mansion as a concubine. Although her status was not high, it just showed that the prince did not choose her because of her family background, but valued her personally. This was enough to make Meng Wanxin jealous, because even she was able to marry the prince because of her family background.
Ever since entering the palace, He Ruxi has always been favored. Meng Wanxin wanted to set rules for her as the Crown Princess, but was blocked by the Crown Prince. She was even not allowed to enter the concubine's courtyard!
This is such a great humiliation for her!
Meng Wanxin had been sending people to keep an eye on her. She also noticed that He Ruxi had never been to the streets she used to go since she entered the Prince's Mansion. Her intuition told her that there was something fishy, but she never found the problem.
Today, Meng Wanxin found out that He Ruxi had actually attacked He Zhiliao. For her, this was like someone giving her a pillow when she was sleepy!
"Hurry! See where he goes immediately." Meng Wanxin said. She wanted to go to the street to meet He Zhiliao by chance.
It was indeed her way of dealing with the unpleasantness that caused the previous incident. Now that He Ruxi was about to threaten her position, she naturally had to lower her posture.
Right now, He Ruxi is just a concubine but she is so proud of herself. If she gives birth to another child in the future, won’t she be promoted to a concubine?
She absolutely cannot allow this to happen!
She just hoped that He Zhiliao would help her a little, and she didn't want to put the blame on the other party like she did last time. She thought He Zhiliao would not refuse this time.
Meng Wanxin quickly got the accurate information, so she quickly changed her clothes and went out to meet him by chance.
The other side.
Qi Guan took He Zhiliao downstairs for a stroll. He seldom went to the market here. Even the items sold there seemed a little different, but they were basically the same.
He Zhiliao glanced at the stalls lightly, and occasionally he would see some nice things, but he was not prepared to buy them. He had plenty of these things at home, so he just looked at them.
"Go, go ahead!" He Zhiliao looked at Qi Guan beside him. He knew that the other party only wanted to accompany him because he was in a bad mood, but the other party also had his own important things to do, so it would not be good for him to accompany him all the time.
What's more, the depression in his heart is difficult to resolve and it can't be dissipated by just having him walk with him for a few steps.
Qi Guan glanced at him. It was indeed necessary to look at those accounts, but he couldn't help but take into account He Zhilao's feelings. After all, they were family.
"You can watch it later." Qi Guan said.
He Zhiliao shook his head and refused directly.
[No need to accompany me, I want to take a walk on my own. Your business is more important. I will go straight home after my walk, so don't worry about me.]
Qi Guan stared at his expression again and again, and seeing that he really didn't show any obvious fluctuations, he believed what he said, "Then I'll go back to the restaurant to work first. If you're unhappy, I'll bring you two jars of wine tonight."
"Thank you!" He Zhiliao smiled.
But the smile did not last long. It completely disappeared after Qi Guan left. He was in a very low mood and did not have much energy to raise his mood.
He just hated He Hongan a little, hated him for causing all these things, and hated him for making everyone in the He family so disgusting.
He took a deep breath and didn't say much, continuing to walk around the stalls, listening to the stall owners tell him how good the things they sell are and how cheap the prices are, and also listening to them praise themselves... It seemed that the anger in his heart would be released a lot.
He Zhiliao stopped holding back and walked up to the stalls to listen to them soliciting customers and hawking their wares. Then he directly signaled Chun Jianhua to pay for the goods. He had to find a way to calm down.
They kept walking around like this and their legs and feet soon became tired. He Zhiliao looked at the things Chun Jian and the other two were carrying in their arms, which were all full, so he decided not to continue strolling around.
"Teahouse." He said softly.
Harumi immediately responded, "Then let's go to the teahouse to rest. I'll put these things on the carriage first to save the inconvenience of going back and forth."
"Yeah." He Zhi nodded.
Yanhua tactfully stayed with Chunjian, while Xixin took him to the teahouse first.
This teahouse is quite ordinary, just a small two-story building, not very spacious, and mostly ordinary people come here to rest.
It was the first time the waiter saw him coming here in such a distinguished manner for tea, so he quickly welcomed them in and even prepared a private room for them.
"Please come in, distinguished guest. What would you like to order?" The waiter was very enthusiastic and tried his best to keep the distinguished guest, but he was also afraid that the guest would dislike the simple living conditions here.
Xixin said, "Just serve the best tea and snacks."
They had just eaten a lot of cakes at the Qi Family Restaurant, and thought Zhengjun was not hungry at the moment, so they did not ask for too much. As servants, they naturally had to be able to read people's expressions.
The waiter didn't mind that they were wearing expensive clothes but ordered so little, and left respectfully. Perhaps because they had just arrived, the waiter brought them tea and snacks quickly, and even gave them an extra portion of fruit.
He Zhiliao raised his eyes, and Xixin immediately took out silver from his sleeves to reward him, saying that Zhengjun was satisfied and deserved the reward.
The guy said a few festive words happily and left.
He Zhiliao propped up his chin, gently fiddling with the snacks with his fingertips, "Do you want to eat?"
"Thank you for the reward, Mr. Zheng." Xixin didn't bother to be polite with him. She pinched a piece on her fingertips, served him beside him, and began to eat silently.
He Zhiliao held his chin in his hand, lost in thought, thinking carefully about how to deal with He Ruxi. In his opinion, He Ruxi had already been dead, but when he became a real dead person also had its own rules.
After what happened today, the other party might not appear in front of him again in the short term. If he keeps hiding in the Prince's Mansion, his chances of taking action will become fewer... Could it be that he really has to form an alliance with Meng Wanxin?
He had refused like that last time, and he thought the other party would not come to him again. He still had to think about this matter carefully.
Boom boom boom——
"Zhengjun, the Crown Princess is here."
Chunjian and Yanhua, who had put down their things and rushed over, happened to bump into the Crown Princess. If they said it was a coincidence, they would definitely not believe it.
After all, they didn't believe that the Crown Princess would leave a nice restaurant and instead come to this remote teahouse, and it happened to be the teahouse where their king was.
It is clear that the real purpose is not to drink.
Whatever he thought of came true. Even He Zhiliao was a little shocked. Could it be that he had mastered some magic to make his wishes come true?
What's this? It's obvious that they just brought him a pillow because he was sleepy! I was just worried about how to deal with He Ruxi!
He Zhiliao pursed his lips, restrained the expression on his face, and nodded to Xixin, who immediately stepped forward to open the door and welcome everyone outside in.
Meng Wanxin knew that he was wandering around here, but she didn't expect that he would just find a teahouse to rest. She had never been to such a dirty place since she was born.
Under normal circumstances, she would definitely curse, but at this moment, she was fully focused on cooperating with He Zhiliao, so naturally she could temporarily ignore these trivial matters.
The maid behind her hurried forward to wipe the table and chairs, then helped her sit down. Seeing the snacks on the table, Meng Wanxin's face became even worse, but this time it was not directed at He Zhile.
"I wonder what the Crown Princess wants to say?" Xixin asked first.
Meng Wanxin didn't want to stay in such a place any longer, so she didn't hesitate any longer and said directly, "I won't beat around the bush with you. I came here this time because I really need your help."
He Zhiliao raised his eyebrows slightly. This was a little beyond his expectations. Usually, Meng Wanxin was always pretentious and looked like she wanted to hurt someone, but today she was completely different.
He raised his hand, motioning for the other party to continue.
Meng Wanxin took a deep breath. It was obvious that her power and status were much higher than He Zhiliao's, but now she could only swallow her anger in front of him.
She smiled and said, "Then I will speak frankly. I believe that Pei Sizhengjun also doesn't like the prince's concubine, right? I still hope that Sizhengjun can join forces with me to get rid of her completely."
He Zhiliao moved his lips, and Meng Wanxin subconsciously frowned, trying hard to understand what he was saying, but because of her irritability, she couldn't see clearly.
Xixin said, "Our Lord is saying that now that He Ruxi has married into the Crown Prince's Mansion, if we rashly get rid of her, wouldn't that be dangerous?"
"As a concubine, she is allowed not to greet me. This is already a provocation to me. How can I tolerate it? Even if it is risky, I must get rid of her!" Meng Wanxin's beautiful eyes were full of anger and hatred.
Although the prince still dotes on her as before, he also gives He Ruxi many privileges. As the prince's consort, how can she tolerate this?
The best plan is to get rid of her immediately. If the prince really wants to take another concubine, she can find someone at that time. While winning over the prince, she can also consolidate her own position and prevent the concubine from surpassing her.
What do you want me to do this time?
He Zhiliao did not easily reveal the idea that she could speak in front of her. In this way, even if He Ruxi really said something to her, Meng Wanxin would not believe it.
"As long as you accept the invitation to the Prince's Mansion," Meng Wanxin said, "I admit that I did intend to use you last time, but this time I only need you to be there. Only if you are also in the Prince's Mansion will she attend the banquet. Even if something goes wrong, you are just an invited guest, and the dirty water will not be thrown on you."
He Zhiliao nodded slightly. This proposal made him somewhat tempted.
What can I get?
"Perhaps you don't know yet, but His Majesty intends to marry Pei Si a concubine. But do you know that concubines are never equal?" Meng Wanxin said, "If the other person's family background surpasses yours, or even if they gave birth to the Pei family's legitimate son before you, then there would be no such thing as a 'concubine'."
The closer the wives are to each other, the more equal their status may appear on the surface, but once one of them leans towards the other, there will be an insurmountable gap and irreparable harm.
She didn't believe that He Zhiliao didn't know this.
Seeing that he seemed to be tempted, Meng Wanxin continued, "If you are willing to help me accomplish this, I will also do everything I can to get the Crown Prince to stop His Majesty. After all, the Pei family is now extremely powerful. If they marry Xu Xinran, wouldn't that be telling His Majesty that they want to win over Master Jin?"
He Zhiliao didn't know much about the affairs of the court, but there was one thing he knew very well: when the benefits outweighed the costs, there was probably a problem.
However, even if there is a problem, he needs Meng Wanxin's help to get rid of He Ruxi, otherwise the resentment in his heart will be difficult to dispel.
[I don't need you to do anything, how about giving me some more money? ]
He Zhiliao looked as if he didn't care about Xu Xinran coming in. After all, if His Majesty really granted the marriage, no one could change it. Besides, he really had no children in the past year, so he had no right to object to whether he had a concubine, a side wife or a concubine.
What he showed was that he obeyed the decisions of his family.
Hearing him say this, Meng Wanxin couldn't help but despise him in her heart. She thought the other party wanted something, but it turned out that he wanted some gold and silver jewelry. This was naturally not a difficult task for her, but she didn't expect that He Zhiliao was so useless.
The other party's inability to do anything saved her a lot of trouble, as monetary transactions are the cleanest.
"Deal. As long as you come to the Prince's Mansion, I will give you the gold, silver and jewelry you want." Meng Wanxin was too lazy to say more to him at this time. After all, the purpose of his going out today had been achieved.
He Zhiliao thought about it, then leaned over to Xixin's ear and said a few words.
Xixin immediately said, "Our Lord's intention is to hope that the Crown Princess can leave a token. Otherwise, if our Lord arrives at the Crown Prince's residence and doesn't get what he deserves, wouldn't that be a loss?"
Meng Wanxin chuckled and took out a bracelet from her wrist. "This is for you. It's also the gift I promised you."
He Zhiliao was satisfied, and nodded to her with a smile, looking like he was greedy for money.
"Why do you only want these material possessions?" Meng Wanxin was a little confused. As long as she could capture her husband's heart, would she still lack these things?
【Just for my own use.】
He Zhiliao immediately showed a bitter expression. If Pei Ji really wanted to take a concubine, he would definitely not care about him as much in the future as he did now. He would of course have to find more money to support himself. Otherwise, Xu Xinran would have the final say in the mansion in the future. Would he still have a place to stand?
Meng Wanxin felt that she had discovered some inside information and couldn't help feeling proud. Even though He Zhiluo seemed to be in a prosperous situation, the trouble of not having children was also his!
"I will keep my promise, and I hope you will too." Meng Wanxin said, then stood up and left.
From beginning to end, her eyes never fell on the snacks for a moment, obviously she looked down on them.
She looked down on these dim sum, and also looked down on He Zhi who was sitting opposite them, so she was easily deceived by him.
But they all spoke with such certainty, as if the matter was a done deal, that He Zhiliao couldn't help but feel inexplicably nervous.
He naturally believed that Pei Ji and he were deeply in love, but Emperor An was His Majesty. If he really approved the marriage, it would be an imperial decree. Disobeying the decree would be a capital crime, which they could not bear.
"Master, don't worry. Wait until your son-in-law returns home and ask him. There's no need to get upset over a few words from outsiders." Chun Jian quickly comforted him. "Besides, your son-in-law loves you deeply and will definitely not hide this from you."
He Zhiliao nodded slightly. He naturally knew that Pei Ji would not hide anything from him, but if three people said so, he would inevitably have some suspicions in his heart.
Now I had no desire to hang around any longer, so I just went home.
The matter of the arranged marriage had not been finalized yet, and it had not yet reached the ears of the common people, so no one was talking about it on the streets. He felt a little relieved, because if it was really true, it would have spread far and wide long ago.
He Zhiliao bought a lot of things, so he asked Chun Jian and the others to choose among them. He would give the remaining ones to the people in the outer courtyard so that they would know that he was thinking of them.
He was feeling depressed and couldn't concentrate on reading, so he could only continue practicing calligraphy.
On the other side. The Imperial Palace.
The arranged marriage was not groundless.
Emperor An had previously secretly asked Pei Ji whether he wanted to take a concubine. After all, the status of a concubine was not important, she was just a servant. If she could give birth to a son or daughter, then the son would be kept and the mother would be raised by the wife. That would be a good idea.
However, Pei Ji rejected them all. He had no intention of taking a concubine. After all, every time He Zhiliao mentioned this matter, he would become very nervous and could not see anyone else, let alone a concubine.
But he didn't expect that Emperor An would ask him about his concubine again.
Pei Ji was not a fool and could sense something was wrong. If she was an ordinary woman, he could certainly talk about her being a concubine, but he actually mentioned "equal wife". It seemed that the woman that Emperor An was interested in was not an ordinary woman.
really.
"I heard from the Queen that the girl from the Xu family has been fond of you for a long time. If you are interested, I can grant her marriage and let her be your co-wife, so that she can be on equal footing with your principal husband!" Emperor An said with a smile, leaning against the bed.
Pei Ji didn't believe that Emperor An didn't understand his feelings, but he still brought up this matter, clearly testing him.
The Pei family is not very prominent now. If he were to marry the queen's relative at this time, wouldn't it be telling others that their Pei family is going to overthrow the court and take charge?
Even if they didn't mean it this way, in Emperor An's eyes, that's probably what they meant!
Pei Ji immediately knelt down and kowtowed, "Your Majesty, please forgive me for my death. I have sworn that I will only be loyal to you, my Lord. If I have any second thoughts, I will die a miserable death! Please forgive me for not being able to marry a concubine."
"How dare you!" Emperor An shouted angrily, "You are a minister I value, yet you don't even have an heir. Aren't you a laughingstock to others? Just listen to me and marry Miss Xu!"
"I'm sorry, I can't! If Your Majesty insists on doing so, I can only disobey your order. If Miss Xu is interested in my status, I am willing to retire and never set foot in the court again!" Pei Ji's words were very decisive, leaving no room for maneuver.
Even if he dies, he will never marry again.
Although he and He Zhiliao were not on good terms in his previous life, he never thought of inviting others into the mansion to bully him.
Emperor An seemed to be furious with him. He immediately slapped the mattress and pointed at him, angrily saying, "Are you still threatening me?"
"I dare not. I only want to go hand in hand with him in this life. If Miss Xu is willing to go to the countryside with me to open fields and farm, then I am willing to do my best to give her a meal." Pei Ji said it with great righteousness, but in fact he knew that Xu Xinran would never do that.
I have to work hard to make a living, so how could the daughter of a powerful family be willing to marry me!
Hearing him say this, Emperor An lowered his eyes and looked at him, as if he was pondering whether his words were true or false.
But to Pei Ji, this silence was more like a silent test, testing whether he was intentional or not.
Pei Ji continued, "Your Majesty, you don't know that I am incompetent and henpecked. Moreover, the fact that Zheng Jun is disabled after his death is very pitiful. I pity and love him and don't want him to suffer any injustice. I hope Your Majesty will help me."
"Since you've said so, how can I force you?" Emperor An said, "Get up. Since you don't want to, I'll go back and tell the Empress. She's so focused on her niece that she's forgotten your wishes."
The Queen again.
Pei Ji secretly took note and thought about how to respond. This crazy old woman has been keeping an eye on the Pei family all day long, always trying to do something bad. This time, she even wanted to send people directly to his house!
Then don't blame him for messing up her son's backyard.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your understanding." Pei Ji immediately thanked him and stood up.
Emperor An looked at him with great satisfaction and said, "I heard that your Zhengjun is much better now. If you have time, you can bring him to the palace to pay your respects."
"Yes." Pei Ji should obey. Doesn't he have the final say on whether he has free time or is busy?
"Forget it, just leave the palace and go home early." Emperor An saw that his mind was wandering far away, so he naturally knew what he was thinking and did not restrain him anymore.
Pei Ji immediately thanked him happily, turned around and left, so quickly.
As soon as he left, Peng Tongmin came in and said to Emperor An with a smile, "Your Majesty has rewarded Lord Pei again? He left happily. Your Majesty is really kind and compassionate."
"It's just to let him go home earlier." Emperor An smiled when he was complimented by him.
Besides, he had let go of a big thing in his heart.
Peng Tongmin laughed again and said, "Oh, that's a rare good thing for Master Pei. I guess he should go home early to accompany Master Zheng."
Emperor An chuckled, "He actually cares deeply about this righteous prince. At first, he was even trying to commit suicide and refused to marry her."
"Perhaps it's because I've been with Zhengjun for a while, and time has revealed his true character." Peng Tongmin smiled and complimented again, "After all, this is a good marriage granted by His Majesty! You are the matchmaker between them!"
Emperor An laughed when he heard this, but didn't say anything more.
But the more confident he was in Pei Ji, the more displeased he became with the Queen.
How could he not know what the Queen was thinking? Everything that happened today was just a test for Pei Ji. If he really wanted to take a concubine, he would definitely not agree.
Emperor An thought for a moment and said, "Please invite the queen."
.
Pei Ji left the palace quickly. He was thinking about He Zhile and didn't know whether what happened today would be spread out. He had to go back home first to reassure the other party.
If he continued to talk about taking a concubine, he would be so anxious that he would bang his head against the wall. He couldn't let the other party misunderstand him.
The little mute is very well-behaved. He doesn't say a word even when he's throwing a tantrum. I'm afraid I'll make myself sick without asking him any more questions. That won't do!
Pei Ji asked the driver to speed up, and he really didn't stop for a moment and arrived at the street very quickly. He remembered the snacks that He Zhiliao liked to eat, so he went there himself, which delayed him for a while.
Without waiting for the carriage to stop, he jumped out impatiently, holding the freshly made and still hot snacks in his hand, and he had to give them to He Zhile quickly.
"Master Pei, please stay!"
A shout stopped him. Pei Ji looked sideways and saw a red carriage parked behind him. A maid took two steps forward and shouted loudly.
Pei Ji knew who it was at a glance, and without even looking at them, he turned around and continued to go inside.
Xu Xinran lifted the curtain and said softly, "Master Pei, you don't want to attract others here, do you? Your husband might even hear us."
"Get out of here quickly, and he won't hear me scolding you." Pei Ji was a rough man. If he didn't like something, he would scold it if he could. How could he threaten him?
Xu Xinran didn't expect him to be so disrespectful, but she still got off the carriage, took two steps forward, and said softly, "I know Fourth Master Pei doesn't like me, but if our two families become married, it will benefit both of us."
"Has your mind gone mad yet?" Pei Ji stood on the steps, looking down at her with disdain. "Whether it's beneficial or not, I won't marry a vicious woman like you. If you really can't get married, why not throw a ball to find a husband? Get out of here while I'm being easy to talk to."
"Brother Yunzhou, I'm really doing this for your own good, you—"
"He told you to get out!"
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The author has something to say: Pei Gou: “It’s bad, it’s bad!!!” [Melted][Melted][Melted]
Little Zhiliao: "I have a terrible temper!" [Angry][Angry][Angry]
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