Chapter 54
Wu Shiyan didn't waste much time and captured the bandits.
He walked towards Qi Yu, his originally indifferent face softening. Especially when he realized that even though Pei Jin was standing next to Qi Yu, she didn't even glance at him, he couldn't help but reveal a look of pleasure.
While asking Wu Shiyan, "Is Your Majesty injured?", Qi Yu looked Wu Shiyan up and down.
Only after hearing his "No" did I feel relieved.
Wu Shiyan grabbed Qi Yu, preventing her from moving.
Pei Jin said, "Your Majesty's arrow shot just now was decisive; this humble subject cannot match it."
Whether it was Qi Yu's imagination or not, she felt that Pei Jin's gaze lingered on her for a rather long time.
Was all the attention focused on her archery?
Wu Shiyan was displeased from the moment Pei Jin spoke.
Why would her beloved Ayu need his praise? He clearly has ulterior motives.
"Thanks to Ayu, otherwise I would not have been able to capture him so easily."
Following behind Wu Shiyan, Tian Wenshan showed no obsequiousness. His face was even more ashen than his master's, and his chest heaved with anger: "They are truly lawless. Not only do they rob people on the road, but they also dare to set up an ambush on the mountain."
If things go wrong and His Majesty suffers any mishap, the hard-won peace of the realm will be thrown into turmoil once again.
Qi Yu looked at the mountain path with a worried expression: "I just don't know if we'll encounter bandits again."
But there's still a day's journey ahead.
When Wu Shiyan arrived, he rode by on horseback with guards carrying swords, so no one dared to provoke him. But when he returned, he seemed to be taking his time, and his guards were dressed in ordinary clothes.
That's why they were taken advantage of.
Wu Shiyan's voice was calm and steady, and even without trying, it was very convincing: "I just ordered someone to ask the bandit leader. The only place nearby is Jinchan Village on this mountain. The people who robbed people on the road are the main force of the village. There are only some old, weak, women and children left on the mountain. I have already sent someone to notify the local officials. Soon, officials will come with soldiers to deal with and settle these people."
Immediately, he pondered and said, "Pei Jin, I will leave four guards for you. You stay here to handle this matter, and then catch up with them on horseback afterward."
Pei Jin was about to bow and agree when Qi Yu said, "Lord Pei is injured."
Pei Jin's injury is to his lower back and abdomen, so he should not ride a horse.
Wu Shiyan's forgetfulness couldn't be that bad, and he wasn't without people around him, so it must have been intentional. As for why, Qi Yu understood immediately.
She felt that Wu Shiyan was not generous enough.
Of course, she would only think these things to herself.
Pei Jin covered his lips with his fist and smiled, but unable to suppress his laughter, he coughed a few times.
Wu Shiyan was sullen. How could he still remember after all this time? He didn't even need to look at Pei Jin to know that Pei Jin was secretly pleased with himself.
Wu Shiyan reached out and touched the sachet on his waist, and said with a smile, "I felt groggy when I woke up this morning. Thanks to the calming incense that Ayu prepared for me, I felt much better after smelling this scent."
Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, and Pei Jin never pries into what Your Majesty has done.
At this moment, it's hard for him not to notice.
He naturally understood that while His Majesty seemed to be showing off the calming incense, he was actually flaunting the sachet embroidered by Qi Yu.
Qi Yu's needlework skills have become even more exquisite, but Pei Jin thought to himself, "His Majesty and Zhao Wanyi each only have one, but I have two."
He had one in his sleeve and one in his arms.
Once he arrived in the capital, he would wear it on his waist, as long as he wasn't in front of the Emperor.
Therefore, although he was envious, Pei Jin knew that he had received the most.
Qi Yu seemed to understand Wu Shiyan's childish thoughts and said gently and considerately, "Since Your Majesty's mind is muddled, how can you ride a horse? Why don't you ride in the carriage with me?"
Wu Shiyan was satisfied, but did not change his mind.
Seeing this, Qi Yu could only look at Tian Wenshan with a troubled expression, her brows furrowed slightly, and she smiled faintly.
Tian Wenshan's mind went on alert; the Imperial Concubine was asking him to take on this task.
His Majesty could not possibly retract the order, and the Imperial Concubine felt that it was inappropriate for Lord Pei to be injured. After considering all the options, she decided that he was the most suitable candidate.
However, after thinking about it, it seemed that taking on this matter wouldn't be too troublesome. It would allow him to avoid the rivalry between His Majesty and Lord Pei, and also to be on good terms with the Imperial Concubine.
Why not?
Moreover, the Imperial Concubine is unaware that Lord Pei actually remembers everything, but he does!
Living in constant fear that His Majesty and his ministers covet the same person is even more thrilling than when His Majesty first coveted his wife.
Tian Wenshan didn't delay any longer and quickly smiled, "Your Majesty, this servant is nimble on his feet. Why don't you send a guard to my side, and I'll wait for the people from the yamen?"
Wu Shiyan tossed the token to him: "Take care of the matter and return quickly."
Tian Wenshan quickly accepted and agreed.
The group regrouped and set off again, with Wu Shiyan and Qi Yu boarding the carriage.
Qi Yu went in first, and Wu Shiyan said to Pei Jin, "My dear minister, you are not in good health, so you should not wander around, especially not here."
Pei Jin respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, I only wish to protect you."
Unexpectedly, upon seeing Qi Yu in this state, he was instead treated as a frail scholar and protected.
However, the taste is quite unique.
Wu Shiyan's face turned cold. Seeing that the man hadn't come in for a long time, Qi Yu lifted the carriage curtain and called out, "Your Majesty."
Wu Shiyan then entered the carriage, and Pei Jin, even after returning to his own carriage, was still thinking about the scene just now where Qi Yu drew her bow and nocked an arrow without a trace of a smile.
like.
Inside the carriage, Qi Yu asked curiously, "What did His Majesty say to Pei Jin?"
She didn't know how to face Pei Jin, so she could only give him a cold shoulder. Fortunately, everything returned to normal.
However, she still had an intense and irritating curiosity about Pei Jin.
She only caught a whiff of Pei Jin's cool fragrance a few times, and she was unwilling to accept it.
Wu Shiyan felt a little resentful: "I didn't make things difficult for him, I just warned him not to wander around."
Pei Jin looked honest, but he talked back to everyone.
Qi Yu said helplessly, "Your Majesty, I know your character perfectly well."
She placed her hand on the back of Wu Shiyan's hand: "Your Majesty's martial arts were superb just now, surpassing even the most talented young guards. I was also watching Your Majesty intently."
Wu Shiyan flicked Qi Yu's nose: "You lied to me. If you were watching me the whole time, how could you have shot the bandits in the mountains?"
Qi Yu showed no remorse whatsoever: "It was precisely because I was so focused on Your Majesty that I noticed someone had set up an ambush for you on the mountain, and that's how I managed to hit you with an arrow."
Wu Shiyan's heart soared again: "Ayu is also very capable."
Qi Yu smiled upon hearing this.
In this respect, Wu Shiyan is quite good. If you coax him a little, you'll forget that she only called out to Wu Shiyan because she heard the two of them arguing.
Pei Jin was not innocent, but he had indeed forgotten some of his memories. As the emperor, Wu Shiyan's decision to keep Pei Jin alive was the greatest act of leniency he could show. Qi Yu was unable to resolve the dispute between the two, so she had no choice but to call one of them away.
Qi Yu was somewhat puzzled. Pei Jin clearly had no memory of spending time with her, yet his words were still full of hostility, causing Wu Shiyan to lose his composure as well.
If Pei Jin remembered everything... Qi Yu felt that she would definitely not have a kind expression after being tricked.
Because it's too embarrassing.
As the carriage continued its journey, she kept thinking about this possibility.
Her eyelashes barely covered her eyes, making it impossible to discern the thoughts in them.
They rested at the post station for the night, and continued their journey the next day.
In the afternoon, they arrived at the imperial palace.
Princess Yunping was also in the southern tour group, but since she had already left the palace and established her own residence, she was not among the women of the inner palace. Qi Yu had only met her once before.
Upon receiving the news, Wu Shiyun waited early. When he saw Qi Yu, he greeted her with a slight smile as "Sister-in-law."
Qi Yu laughed. After walking around the palace for a while, she saw several ministers following behind Wu Shiyan, so she quietly told him that she wanted to leave.
Wu Shiyan glanced at Wu Shiyun and nodded in agreement.
Qi Yu took her leave and successfully departed hand in hand with Wu Shiyun.
Only when they were quite far from their elder brother's place did Wu Shiyun sincerely remark, "My elder brother and sister-in-law have such a good relationship; he even made time to visit her."
Upon arriving at the imperial palace, she went to find Qi Yu, only to discover that Qi Yu was not there.
A few days later, His Majesty finished dealing with state affairs and left, but later they returned together.
It's not hard to guess that the two had made arrangements in advance, but because the emperor was unable to attend to everything, he let his sister-in-law go first.
Qi Yu truthfully replied, "I only stayed at the residence under His Majesty's name for a short time. It's not as bustling as the area near the imperial palace."
Wu Shiyun's smile deepened: "Sister-in-law, let me introduce you to a few ladies from the capital. They are all very kind and gentle people, so you won't be bored at the palace."
Qi Yu became curious and went to Wu Shiyun's residence.
The first to arrive was a young woman named Wen Yuchan, about seventeen or eighteen years old. She was beautiful and refined, and was the only daughter of the highly respected Lord Wen in the court.
The next two were named Zuo Huixin, the young lady of General Zuo's mansion, with a heroic air about her, and Qin Jun, whose mother was a county princess and related to Wu Shiyun. Qin Jun married the heir of Marquis Wenxin.
In order to find a playmate for her sister-in-law and reassure her brother that she could entrust her to her, Wu Shiyun went to great lengths. The person in question could not be of low status, their personalities could not be similar, and they could not even both be unmarried young ladies, otherwise, as the sister-in-law, she would feel constrained.
Qi Yu nodded to them: "No need for formalities."
The three of them readily agreed.
Wen Yuchan prefers quiet, Zuo Huixin is calm but loves to play, and Qin Jun is flawless in every way.
The five of them became acquainted after playing pitch-pot.
Qi Yu learned that Zuo Huixin was skilled in martial arts and archery, so she arranged to go horseback riding together the next day.
As for Qin Yun, during the conversation, Qi Yu heard that her husband had a good relationship with Pei Jin, and thought to herself that people of distinguished backgrounds in the capital really do know each other.
Wen Yuchan, on the other hand, is a considerate and kind girl. They didn't even finish their tea, which shows that she was also a little shy.
When Qi Yu returned, Wu Shiyan asked her what she had been doing.
Qi Yu explained the situation to the three of them one by one, and Wu Shiyan nodded and said, "Wu Shiyun did a good job."
After Qi Yu sat down, Wu Shiyan took the initiative to explain the political landscape of the capital to her. The Wen family represented the civil officials, the Zuo family represented the military officials, and some of them came from aristocratic families while others came from humble backgrounds. The Wenxin Marquis's mansion represented the old-fashioned royal family.
Qi Yu took notes, but wasn't interested; she was getting drowsy listening to it.
Wu Shiyan knew what Qi Yu wanted to hear, so he said, "That Miss Wen is in love with my brother-in-law, and Minister Wen is pleased to see it."
Qi Yu looked at Wu Shiyan with bright eyes.
Wu Shiyan chuckled and then explained to Qi Yu in detail how he had figured it out.
The main reason was that his uncle, Bo Xingzhou, couldn't keep things to himself; if he showed up in front of him once or twice, Bo Xingzhou would notice the signs.
Qi Yu was surprised: "His Majesty actually sent secret guards to keep an eye on the two of them, and finally confirmed that the two of them were seeing each other too often?"
A hint of embarrassment flashed across Wu Shiyan's eyes, but he quickly smiled seriously and said, "What's wrong with the emperor caring about the emperor's brother-in-law?"
Qi Yu: "..."
If I remember correctly, Wu Shiyan is a junior, and he calls Bo Xingzhou "uncle".
"But Minister Wen wanted to keep his daughter for a few more years, so he did not immediately agree to the emperor's request, but allowed the two to have some private interactions."
His uncle had come to him asking for the imperial decree of marriage, but Wen Aiqing was too useful, and he didn't want to go against Wen Aiqing's wishes, so he didn't agree.
Wu Shiyan recalled that when they were in the capital, Wen Aiqing, as Pei Jin's superior, was the one who kept Pei Jin in check within the government office.
Qi Yu asked, "What else have His Majesty's secret guards found out?"
Wu Shiyan really wanted to tell the secret guards about the affection between Pei Jin and his wife, but Qi Yu seemed to only want to hear about complicated matters. Bringing up the former at this time would only spoil her good mood.
He paused for a moment, skipped over what was about Pei Jin, and only talked about other people.
Wu Shiyan doesn't use pronouns when telling stories; he calls people by their names directly, his words get straight to the point, and he even offers his own commentary at the end.
For example, if a person has a flawed moral character and I do not wish to see him, I will send him far away.
Qi Yu listened with satisfaction. She had thought the capital was peaceful, but she never expected that strange stories from wealthy and powerful families were so common.
This makes Wu Shiyan's moral failing of trying to steal a minister's wife seem insignificant.
Qi Yu's eyes sparkled, and Wu Shiyan smiled, his eyes filled with tender affection.
He found Ayu in front of him exceptionally cute.
Qi Yu stared at him blankly; it seemed as if the distance between her and Wu Shiyan had suddenly shrunk tonight.
It doesn't require constant, burning passion; it only requires unreserved sharing.
Qi Yu felt incredibly happy, having an intelligence chief by her side.
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