Wei Jia isn't very bright, and who knows what he'll face once he enters the palace. But Pei Jing wants to use Wei Jia to keep him in check, so there's no way he'll let him go.
Before leaving, Jiang Chuting pulled Wei Jia aside and gave him several instructions. Wei Jia just nodded, and it was unclear whether he had listened or not.
Jiang Chuting added sternly at the end, "From now on, you must never call him 'Junior Brother' again. You must call him 'Your Majesty.' And you must never be disrespectful to him. Do you understand?"
Pei Jing disliked Wei Jia but also indulged him. He didn't blame Wei Jia for talking back, but once they arrived at the palace, with so many people watching, he would never be so ignorant of the consequences.
"Oh, I've got it."
Are you sure?
“Of course.” Wei Jia smiled and his eyes crinkled. “Junior brother, oh no, His Majesty said he would take me to the palace to eat lots of delicious food, so Master, you don’t have to worry about me.”
And so, Wei Jia was brought into the palace.
For several days, Jiang Chuting felt uneasy, fearing that the child might cause trouble. Fortunately, after another ten days or so, Wei Jia was released by Pei Jing to see him.
Seeing that his complexion was rosy and he looked energetic, showing no signs of being frightened, Jiang Chuting felt a little relieved.
Although Wei Jia was always a bit silly and carefree, she cared most about Jiang Chuting. The moment she saw him, she eagerly pulled out a paper package from her pocket, opened it, and inside were several pieces of pastry. They should have been quite delicate, but now they were all a little crushed.
"It's really delicious! It's better than anything I've ever had before! Master, you should try it!"
This was something Wei Jia had specially brought from the palace. His eyes sparkled as he picked up a piece and fed it to Jiang Chuting. Jiang Chuting gently patted his little head, appreciating his precious gesture, and ate a piece herself.
"Master, come with me to the palace." Wei Jia pulled away from Jiang Chuting's sleeve.
Wei Jia was given a nominal position at the Imperial Observatory by Pei Jing. He was taken care of daily by servants, and Pei Jing would summon him whenever he had free time. Aside from occasionally scolding him, Pei Jing didn't make things difficult for him, and Wei Jia found his days quite enjoyable. Naturally, Wei Jia wanted his master to go to such a fun place as well.
Jiang Chuting shook her head and said, "I...I'm not able to go out lately."
Wei Jia was a little disappointed upon hearing this, but he didn't press for details.
When Wei Jia left that day, he lingered, looking back every few steps. Just when Jiang Chuting thought he was going to whine and act spoiled, he left with a sullen expression.
Pei Jing had only recently ascended the throne and was very busy with state affairs, so he didn't come out often, and even when he did, he wouldn't stay for long.
But that doesn’t diminish his presence every time he comes.
"I've already inquired about it for you. Your young master is about to become a father, and he's surrounded by beautiful women every day. How would he know that there's someone here who's pregnant with his child? Don't you think you're pathetic?"
Jiang Chuting was almost six months pregnant, and his clothes could no longer cover it. After Pei Jing arrived, he would always stare at his belly with a sinister look, as if he wanted to crush the contents inside.
He seemed to find it extremely offensive, extremely resentful, and unable to bear it any longer, so he spoke recklessly, using sarcasm and ridicule to vent his anger.
When Jiang Chuting left the Lin residence, she was already completely disillusioned with Lin Zhi. Whether she heard that he was getting married or that he was about to become a father, her heart was as still as water and could no longer be stirred. So she said calmly, "Whether he knows or not is none of my business."
The more he acted this way, the angrier Pei Jing became, feeling that he was pretending not to care, and he became even more relentless in making him uncomfortable: "I admire you, for more than ten years, you have been completely fooled by a father and son, and ended up like this. You are really stupid and blind!"
Pei Jing had always had a bad temper, and due to his training, his temperament became even more gloomy, unpredictable, and difficult to fathom. No matter what he said, Jiang Chuting didn't take it to heart or argue.
But not responding wouldn't work, so he could only say, "Hmm."
"What are you humming about? Who told you to hum?" Pei Jing's anger surged, and a black aura seemed to linger between his brows. With a single palm strike, he shattered the table that was blocking their way.
Such an overreaction made Jiang Chuting frown. She looked up and advised him, "Xiao Jiu, you should stop practicing martial arts in the future. Listen to me and stop immediately."
Pei Jing ignored him completely, glaring at him and saying, "Trying to change the subject again?"
Jiang Chuting shook her head and sighed softly. Pei Jing said coldly, "I'm asking you, are you afraid I'll become a tyrant and harm the people? Or are you simply concerned about my health?"
Jiang Chuting said, "Practicing evil arts is ultimately not good."
Pei Jing's breathing was disordered, his lips were pursed, and there seemed to be a hint of grievance in his angry glare, and his eyes were also slightly red.
Jiang Chuting looked at his young, refined yet cold face, paused, and then said, "You are getting angry more and more easily now, which means you have been greatly affected."
Pei Jing sneered, "I'm angry because you've angered me. If you don't want me to get angry, you'd better obey me obediently. I promise I'm more merciful than anyone else."
He continued to argue illogically, and Jiang Chuting shook her head, not wanting to say anything more.
Pei Jing gritted his teeth, leaned slightly forward, grabbed his wrist with one hand, and used the other hand to hold his cheek, forcing him to look at him.
"Back then, you put on such an upright act, righteously telling me that my feelings for you were illicit. But what about him? You know better than I whose son he is, so how could you accept him?"
When Jiang Chuting was questioned, she thought for a moment before asking in return, "...As for why, Xiao Jiu, do you want me to tell you the truth?"
The truth was definitely not what he wanted to hear. Pei Jing's face was extremely ugly, and he wished he could devour the person in front of him.
"Do you think it's too kind of me to just listen to you and let him go like this?"
Compared to his soaring flames, Jiang Chuting was like a calm lake, speaking slowly and deliberately: "Do you prefer to hear my lies? Would you believe them if I told you?"
Pei Jing clenched his fists, his face turning ashen: "I'm not convinced! You can even fancy that Lin guy, how am I any less handsome or from a better family than him? Why won't you even give me a second glance?"
"I'll look at you a few more times, and then what?" Jiang Chuting met his gaze and said gently, "Lock me up here, so I'll never see the light of day again?"
“I’ll lock you up if you don’t listen to me. If you had me in your heart, would I be worried about you running away?” Pei Jing stared at him intently with his dark eyes, each word spoken with utmost seriousness: “If you are willing, I will break the precedent and marry you as my empress.”
Although there will certainly be obstacles, he will definitely succeed in the end if he wants to. Moreover, since this person is fertile, there is no need to worry about the issue of offspring. As for how the child was conceived, he can find a way to cover it up at that time.
His words were truly astonishing. Jiang Chuting was stunned for a moment, then, somewhat amused and exasperated, said in a low voice, "You're being ridiculous."
Pei Jing felt that his tone was like that of someone judging a willful and unruly child, so his tone became colder and more serious: "What nonsense are you talking about? You're just too old-fashioned. Isn't it good that I'm setting a precedent?"
"No, that's not good either."
Pei Jing knew that he was unwilling to be bound by his status, so he took another step back and offered another possibility, saying, "Or, I can give you an insignificant official position. I won't restrain you, as long as you can stay in the palace with me often."
Jiang Chuting slowly withdrew her hand, looked at him, and said softly but firmly, "Xiao Jiu, thank you for considering things so thoroughly for me, but please give up these thoughts. I will not enter the palace, nor will I accept your feelings."
Although Pei Jing was a few years older than Lin Zhi, Jiang Chuting had always treated him like a child and couldn't imagine being with him. Even knowing that Pei Jing would definitely be angry if he said it, he wanted to make it clear all the time.
Pei Jing's expectant gaze gradually lost its warmth, his lips fell, he withdrew his hand, sat up straighter, scrutinized him, and said slowly, "You said before that if I forced you, you would definitely resist. But how would you resist? You're heavily pregnant now, and your inner strength is almost gone. Where do you think you can escape to?"
The doctor who took Jiang Chuting's pulse every day was skilled in martial arts. He discovered that Jiang Chuting's internal strength was unusual and immediately reported it to Pei Jing.
He stared intently at Jiang Chuting's face, his eyes burning with a murderous intensity: "As long as I can keep you by my side, one day you'll change your mind."
Pei Jing's earlier statement was correct. In the past, Jiang Chuting would never have been trapped here, but now, due to his special physical condition, he couldn't escape. Moreover, Pei Jing had also detained Wei Jia in the palace, so he would naturally be wary.
Jiang Chuting's eyebrows twitched slightly, and she smiled, ignoring his last sentence, and calmly said to him, "Yes, I can't escape now, so could Your Majesty withdraw some of the guards? It's a waste to keep them here."
Upon hearing this, Pei Jing's eyes flickered, and he smiled wryly at him: "How can you say it's a waste? The person they're keeping an eye on is the most precious person in my heart."
Strictly speaking, Pei Jing didn't restrict Jiang Chuting's movements too much. Occasionally going out for a walk in the neighborhood to relax was allowed. After all, Jiang Chuting was a living, breathing person, and he was used to a carefree life. Pushing him too hard would only backfire.
However, when they go out, a bunch of little tails will silently follow behind them.
The leader among them was Zhou Bei, Mo Lin's subordinate. He had probably received some instructions from Mo Lin, as his eyes were always on high alert, and he followed Mo Lin closely. At the slightest disturbance in the surroundings, he would draw his sword in preparation.
Jiang Chuting felt it was a real injustice to have the emperor's personal guards do such work, so he didn't make things difficult for them. Whenever Zhou Bei suggested it was time to go back, he didn't linger and complied with his wishes to return to Changning Pavilion.
Even with his cooperation, Zhou Bei never let his guard down.
That night, Jiang Chuting stood by a bridge, lost in thought. The lights on both sides of the river were dim, and the ripples on the water reflected the yellow light. Several boats drifted slowly on the river, creating a tranquil scene.
Suddenly, footsteps approached from behind. Jiang Chuting turned around and saw who it was. There was no surprise in her eyes, only helplessness.
Jiang Xian strode over and gave him a wry look. Zhou Bei and the others were all standing guard around, not stopping him; it was obvious who had allowed him to come.
Although Jiang Chuting was in Jincheng, he did not take the initiative to contact Jiang Xian because he did not want to involve Jiang Xian and Lord Jiang.
However, it now seems that it was impossible to hide it at all.
The fact that he and Jiang Xian were good friends was never publicized, but it wasn't a secret that was hard to uncover, so it wasn't surprising that Pei Jing knew.
Now that they had met, Jiang Chuting actually had something she wanted to ask him for a favor.
The two stood side by side on the bridge, admiring the night view. Jiang Xian crossed his arms, his brow furrowed with worry.
"...What do you plan to do in the future?"
Jiang Chuting smiled and said in a calm tone, "Jincheng is not bad either. Let's stay here for a while. We'll talk about the future later."
After a brief moment of surprise, Jiang Xian glanced at Pei Jing's stomach and realized that settling down was indeed the best course of action given his current situation. Judging from the current circumstances, Pei Jing seemed quite tolerant of him and probably wouldn't do anything to him.
Moreover, Pei Jing was busy with official duties and worried that Jiang Chuting might be lonely, so he asked him to come and keep him company whenever he had time.
Jiang Xian's expression softened a bit: "That's true, we have to wait until you... give birth before we talk about it."
Jiang Xian had actually heard some things about Lin Zhi; he was said to be famously doting on his wife and living a very comfortable life. After hesitating for a moment, he decided not to tell Jiang Chuting. That kid was a real jerk; telling him would only make him angry.
Moreover, he also understood Jiang Chuting; if he was going to cut ties, he would cut them off cleanly and wouldn't care about these things anymore.
Jiang Xian accompanied Jiang Chuting back to Changning Pavilion. The two sat down in the room, while Zhou Bei and the others stood guard outside in the courtyard. They couldn't hear them if they spoke in hushed tones.
Jiang Chuting told Jiang Xian what she wanted to ask him for help with.
He had made an appointment with Ling Guang's friends to go back and visit him within six months at the latest. That place was Ling Guang's secret location, involving too many things, and it was best not to let Pei Jing know about it. Therefore, it was inconvenient for him to write a letter himself, so he could only ask Jiang Xian, who knew the details, to help deliver a message.
Jiang Xian agreed without hesitation.
"Leave it to me, there won't be any problems, don't worry." Jiang Xian took a sip of water, his eyes deliberately glancing left and right, but in the end, he couldn't help but look at his stomach.
To be honest, apart from his slightly larger belly, his behavior and speech were no different from before. But after so long, he still felt a little awkward about his best friend's pregnancy. He just couldn't imagine that in a few months, a child would be coming out of that belly.
Jiang Xian stared at him for a while, and Jiang Chuting noticed and looked at him. He smiled nonchalantly and asked, "Chuting, have you thought about a name for the child?"
Jiang Chuting shook his head and said, "I haven't thought about it yet." But time flies, and after his reminder, it was indeed time to consider it.
Jiang Xian thought for a moment, then looked at him and asked in a low voice, "Do you think His Majesty will allow you to keep the child by your side when the time comes?"
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