The envoy was detained
Upon hearing the words "Yang family," both Zhao Wan and Li Yinzhu's expressions changed.
Pei Qingwu also felt uneasy.
After all, there should only be one member of the Yang family in history who was this arrogant...
Out of a sense of rigor, she still whispered to Zhao Wan and Li Yinzhu to ask for confirmation: "Which Yang family is this?"
“Which Yang family could it be?” Li Yinzhu sighed. “No joy at the birth of a son, no anger at the birth of a daughter. Have you ever seen how Wei Zifu dominated the world? The Yang family has a concubine, so of course they are arrogant and don’t even respect the princess.”
At that moment, an emoji flashed through Pei Qingwu's mind.
The foreigner in the top hat slapped his face.
Yang Guifei...
If they were Yang Guifei's family, such arrogance wouldn't be surprising.
But more importantly, this era, which is very similar to the real Tang Dynasty, already had Yang Guifei, so the An Lushan Rebellion was probably inevitable.
While he was pondering this, the princess's expression changed.
She grew up in the palace from a young age; in such an environment, it was impossible for her not to be able to read people's expressions and moods.
While the princess represented the royal family, her father had many daughters, but only one beloved concubine whom he doted on to the extreme.
After calming her anger, the princess slowly walked outside.
The group followed the princess to the gate of the mansion, where they found the scene in complete chaos.
The imperial son-in-law, Wu Cheng, was being helped along. His official robes were covered in dust, and he had a noticeable bruise on his forehead. His face was ashen, clearly indicating that he had suffered a loss.
On the opposite side, a group of richly dressed servants surrounded a young woman wearing a pomegranate-red dress embroidered with gold on the ground.
The woman was beautifully made up, with her hair piled high and adorned with pearls and jade. Her eyes and brows were filled with arrogance and domineering. She was none other than Yang Qiusi, the imperial concubine's niece.
She didn't even get off the carriage; she just leaned lazily against the window, glancing at the outside world out of the corner of her eye.
Upon seeing the princess emerge, Yang Qiusi merely raised her chin slightly, disregarding even basic etiquette, and spoke with an arrogant tone that sounded like a handout: "Oh, the princess has come out too? It was just a misunderstanding. The servants were ignorant and offended the prince consort. Since the princess has come forward, let's just let this matter go."
She spoke casually, as if she hadn't been the one who had just unleashed the servant's violence and uttered those wild words.
Upon hearing this, Princess Shouchun's chest heaved violently, and her fingernails dug deeply into her palms, barely managing to maintain a calm expression.
She knew that a direct confrontation with the Yang family at this moment would not only fail to bring her justice, but might also cause her trouble, allowing the Imperial Concubine to whisper in the Emperor's ear.
She could only take a deep breath and try to make her voice sound calm and normal: "So it turns out it was all a misunderstanding. Now that it's cleared up, the prince consort is fine. Madam Yang... please make yourself at home."
Upon hearing this, Yang Qiusi's lips curled into a smug smile, as if she had already anticipated this outcome.
She casually raised her hand, pulled a gold hairpin inlaid with a large pearl from her hair, and tossed it to the maid beside her.
The maid understood, stepped forward a few paces, and handed the gold hairpin to the princess, her attitude hardly respectful.
"This bead was a gift from my aunt. It's quite round, so I gave it to the princess as a way to calm the spirits of her husband."
Yang Qiusi's voice carried an undisguised disdain.
This is not an apology; it is clearly a further humiliation.
With just a gold hairpin, she thought she could cover up the incident of beating the prince consort and showing contempt for the royal family.
The princess looked at the gold hairpin that was handed to her, her face turning white then red, then red then white again.
Finally, she slowly reached out and took the heavy, yet incredibly hot, gold hairpin, squeezing out two words through gritted teeth: "Thank you..."
Yang Qiusi smiled with satisfaction, as if she had won a battle, and lazily ordered, "Alright, there's nothing more to see. Let's go back to the manor."
The curtain was lowered, the carriage slowly started moving, and the Yang family's servants escorted it away, leaving an awkward silence in front of the princess's mansion.
Princess Shouchun's composure crumbled the moment the Yang family's carriage disappeared completely around the street corner.
She turned around abruptly, her back to everyone, her shoulders trembling slightly. The gold hairpin slipped from her weak hand and fell onto the bluestone slab with a "clink".
Hot tears welled up in her eyes and slid down her cheeks.
She was a princess of noble birth, and had never suffered such a humiliation!
Zhao Wan and Li Yinzhu rushed forward, supporting her on either side, and whispered words of comfort: "Princess, don't be sad, taking care of yourself is the most important thing..."
"Yes, Princess, why bother arguing with such an arrogant person..."
Pei Qingwu also silently stepped forward, bent down and picked up the gold hairpin, which felt cold and heavy in his hand.
She looked at the princess's slightly trembling shoulders and sighed inwardly.
Several people gently comforted and carefully helped the grief-stricken Princess Shouchun back to the mansion.
The joyous banquet that had just been filled with laughter and celebration now seemed to be shrouded in a lingering gloom.
After returning from the banquet at the Princess's residence, Yang Qiusi's arrogance and Princess Shouchun's suppressed tears lingered in Pei Qingwu's mind like heavy dark clouds, refusing to dissipate.
Her uneasy premonition about the impending chaos grew stronger, and she began to inquire about matters of the court and the palace through various channels, intentionally or unintentionally.
Taking advantage of his interactions with noble ladies such as Zhao Wan and Li Yinzhu, he subtly inquired about their conversations and also paid attention to the casual chatter of merchants and scholars. Gradually, he pieced together fragmented information.
Indeed, Yang Guifei, who lived here, also came from the prestigious Hongnong Yang clan.
Legend has it that she was frail and sickly from childhood, and her parents cherished her dearly. In order to pray for her safety and longevity, they sent her to a secluded Taoist temple to be raised as a nun, where she practiced Taoism with her hair still intact.
The turning point in their lives occurred on a spring day.
When the emperor, traveling incognito, passed by the Taoist temple, he caught a glimpse of a female Taoist priestess in a quiet place. She was dressed in a Taoist robe, yet her beauty was undeniable. The emperor was immediately awestruck and ordered her to be brought back to the palace.
From then on, the beauties of the six palaces paled in comparison, and the emperor no longer held morning court.
The imperial concubine's favor extended to the highest ranks of the harem, and the Yang family rose to prominence as a result. Already a prominent and influential family, they were now filled with nobles and held immense power in the court.
Yang Qiusi's father was the younger brother of the Imperial Concubine. He was originally just an uneducated playboy, but thanks to his sister, he was able to transform himself into a fourth-rank Yellow Gate Attendant.
Yang Qiusi became extremely popular and arrogant because she frequently entered the palace to accompany the imperial concubine. After her first husband died, she took a fancy to Xie Yunyu, the military commander of Longyou. Despite his existing wife, she used her power to force him to divorce his wife and married into the Xie family.
What terrified Pei Qingwu even more was that it corresponded to her limited historical knowledge from later generations—in recent years, the emperor had shown great favor to a Hu (non-Han) military governor named Murong Chengen.
This man was brave and skilled in battle, and was deeply trusted by the emperor, who continuously entrusted him with important tasks and bestowed upon him elite troops and generals. As a result, the strength of his army grew day by day, and it became too powerful to control.
The more Pei Qingwu understood, the deeper the chill ran in his heart.
This is almost a replay of the great tragedy that led to the decline of the Tang Dynasty from its zenith.
This sense of dread was confirmed even more clearly a few days later.
That day, a regular customer came to the shop.
Shi Dayong had a sworn brother in the Longyou army, surnamed Wang, who was still serving in the army as a squad leader.
He came here specifically to buy his pregnant wife her favorite sour plum cake.
While Shi Dayong was catching up with him, Pei Qingwu personally packed some snacks and casually approached him for a chat, asking a few questions about the situation in the Longyou army.
Seeing that Shi Dayong trusted his employer, and already harboring resentment, Captain Wang lowered his voice, his tone filled with indignation and worry, and said, "Master Pei, you may not know this, but things are about to change in Longyou!"
Pei Qingwu's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained calm: "What makes Captain Wang say that?"
"Alas!" Captain Wang sighed heavily. "Our former military governor Cui Ze somehow offended the emperor and was suddenly dismissed and investigated! Now, the one who has taken over is none other than Murong Chengen, who is currently enjoying the emperor's favor."
"This Hu... this new military governor has been incredibly ruthless since taking office. Not only has he been installing his cronies and ostracizing his old generals, but just a few days ago, he actually... he even detained the imperial envoys who came to deliver the imperial decree and inquire about the situation! They said they wanted to investigate thoroughly. This... this is simply..."
Wang didn't dare to continue speaking, but Pei Qingwu understood the implication perfectly.
Detaining an angel is tantamount to treason.
Murong Chengen's wolfish ambitions are now crystal clear.
"Is there no one else in the army who dares to stop this? Even General Zhao didn't say anything?"
Pei Qingwu seemed to be asking a question he already knew the answer to.
"How could that be? Everyone knows that on the Imperial Concubine's birthday, Murong Chengen shamelessly recognized her as his godmother. Humph, he's several years older than the Imperial Concubine, really..."
Captain Wang said indignantly, "With the Imperial Concubine behind him and the Emperor favoring him, who would dare to offend him?"
After seeing off the worried Captain Wang, Pei Qingwu stood behind the counter and felt a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.
Longyou is a strategically important military town. Murong Chengen controls this place and has detained the imperial envoy. His disloyal intentions are common knowledge.
The world... is probably really going to be in chaos.
Just as she was feeling worried, Gu Heng passed by and immediately noticed her troubles.
He quietly stepped forward and hugged Pei Qingwu from behind, startling her.
"Aheng, you scared me to death."
Pei Qingwu turned her head and saw it was him. She breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't help but scold him playfully.
"It's my fault, I frightened you, sister." Gu Heng apologized with a smile. "But what's on your mind, sister? Ever since that day, after returning from the princess's residence, you've always looked preoccupied..."
Pei Qingwu sighed, turned around, and hugged him.
"Ah Heng, are you afraid of chaos in the world?"
"Chaos?" Gu Heng asked, glancing at the door.
Qinzhou City was still bustling with activity and calm. The sun was shining brightly today, and Nianci even took Tuanzi and Maomao out for a walk.
"I……"
Pei Qingwu didn't know how to explain, so he could only say, "Just think of it as me being curious, I just wanted to ask you..."
Gu Heng smiled, grasped Pei Qingwu's hand, and said firmly, "No matter what, whether it's a prosperous era or a chaotic one, as long as my sister is here, I'm not afraid of anything."
"I just want to stay by my sister's side."
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