"Speaking of which, my father promised me that the positions of Crown Princess and Empress would be reserved for Zhizhi. I also planned to move Zhizhi into the imperial mausoleum so that I could be buried with her after my death."
Pei Minxue never expected that Xiao Chengci, who had been silent all along, would deliver such a bombshell when he opened his mouth.
Wasn't it agreed that their purpose in coming here was to appease Shang Huai?
Why did Xiao Chengci get so agitated?
"Is that so?" Shang Huai said with a fake smile, "Let's forget about the future empress. After all, my cousin might not even be able to ascend the throne smoothly, right?"
Pei Minxue's eyes widened. How did the topic suddenly turn like this?
Is the throne something they can discuss openly and honestly?
"Who knows? But I'm confident that I won't be the one to lose."
"As expected of His Highness the Crown Prince, my cousin has a noble status, so no one can criticize him."
Shang Huai spoke eloquently, "Clearly, everyone in the capital knows that she and I are truly in love."
“My cousin can shamelessly use his status to obtain the power he wants. What a wonderful thing.”
Pei Minxue broke out in a cold sweat, praying that Shang Huai would shut up, lest Xiao Chengci retaliate.
"Speaking of which, I have also told my cousin about the little things that happened between Zhizhi and me."
Shang Huai pressed on, "Your cousin clearly knew all this, yet you still want to claim Zhizhi's posthumous title. You're really something."
Xiao Chengci couldn't hold back any longer: "Shang Huai, do you really think that you're the only one who has a story with her?"
Pei Minxue couldn't stand it anymore. He suddenly coughed twice and said, "Shang Huai, I'm a little hungry. When are we going to eat?"
Shang Huai's tone softened: "Brother Min, are you hungry? I'll order the servants to prepare lunch right away."
Pei Minxue nodded hurriedly, "This is my first time in the North, I wonder if there are any local specialties here?"
“Speaking of food,” Shang Huai continued, “In winter, we go out to drill holes in the ice to catch fish. The fish tastes incredibly delicious at this time. The chef in my kitchen is an absolute master at grilling fish.”
Pei Minxue quickly chimed in, "Then I must try it!"
Pei Minxue breathed a sigh of relief; finally, the topic had been brought up.
"Speaking of grilled fish, every time I go horseback riding and hunting with Zhizhi, I will make her grilled fish, grilled rabbit, pheasant and the like. She loves to eat these."
Pei Minxue pursed his lips. Why did he have to bring up food?
“If you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten. Every time I held her to sleep, I could smell a hint of smoke on her. So that’s where it came from.”
Xiao Chengci's first words were a fatal blow.
Seeing that Shang Huai was in a daze, Xiao Chengci continued, "I forgot that my cousin is not interested in women, so he probably doesn't understand what I'm saying."
Xiao Chengci apologized slightly, feigning surprise: "It was my fault for telling my cousin about matters that happened in my boudoir."
Although Shang Huai had never done it, he wasn't stupid.
He simply hadn't realized that Pei Zhi and Xiao Chengci had such a connection in private.
Xiao Chengci had previously written to Shang Huai, only admitting that he was in love with Pei Zhi.
In the letter, Xiao Chengci did not mention that so much had happened between him and Pei Zhi.
After regaining his senses, Shang Huai asked, "Cousin, how can you still laugh?"
Shang Huai sneered, "She gave you everything, but in the end she chose to marry me. As a man, do you feel like a failure, cousin?"
Pei Minxue sighed. How could Shang Huai be so powerful on the battlefield, and even off the battlefield, he was still so formidable?
"If I were his cousin, I would be ashamed to mention him in public."
Shang Huai scoffed, "Besides, how does your cousin know whether she submitted to him out of fear of his status, and was forced to do so?"
Seeing that Xiao Chengci remained silent, Shang Huai pressed his advantage.
“Cousin, you know perfectly well that the world is harsh on women, but without any official status, you treated her like this. Did you ever think about what would happen to her if you found out?”
Xiao Chengci retorted: "I said before that I would give her a status, but she didn't want it."
Xiao Chengci never intended to manipulate Pei Zhi.
He said he wanted to give Pei Zhi a proper status, but every time he brought it up, Pei Zhi refused him.
"So, she looked down on her cousin, but because of his status, she didn't dare refuse his request."
Shang Huai pretended to suddenly realize something: "No wonder she chose me. She wanted to use me to leave her cousin."
“What do you know?” Xiao Chengci retorted. “At the beginning, we were mutually attracted to each other.”
Xiao Chengci recalled the beautiful past: "At the beginning of our relationship, she didn't know my identity, and she was willing!"
Pei Minxue scratched his head, wanting to interrupt the two of them, but afraid that if he opened his mouth, it would bring up something else.
Pei Minxue truly didn't understand; Pei Zhi was already "dead."
Why are these two so desperate to fight over the title of a "dead" person?
"In that case, I feel even more sorry for my cousin."
Shang Huai stared at Xiao Chengci with icy eyes, "If what my cousin said is true, then it was a mutual consent process from the beginning."
"In the end, Pei Zhi took the initiative to want to marry me, which must have been because her cousin had broken her heart."
Shang Huai said with a regretful tone, "So, my cousin has gained something, but also lost it."
"This is truly more heartbreaking than never having had it at all."
Xiao Chengci angrily said, "Shut up."
“What do you know? When I played chess with her, when I slept in the same bed with her, when I met her in the other courtyard, you had not yet returned to the capital at that time.”
Shang Huai bowed to Xiao Chengci and said, "But in the end, she still chose me. I have to thank you for your kindness."
"As for what my cousin said, playing chess, meeting up, there will only be more between Pei Zhi and me."
Shang Huai said confidently, "Moreover, I'm certain that every time she's with me, she's doing it willingly."
Xiao Chengci stood up, picked up a teacup, and smashed it on the ground. "You don't understand, and you have no right to mention me and her."
"I'm not qualified?" Shang Huai chuckled. "Cousin, between the two of us, who isn't qualified to mention her?"
Shang Huai asked, "Who in the capital doesn't know that she and I are mutually in love?"
Shang Huai said confidently, "If she hadn't caught a cold, I would definitely be engaged to her by now."
Xiao Chengci's face turned pale, and he was so angry that his blood was boiling.
Shang Huai continued, "The only person Pei Zhi has ever admitted to wanting to marry in front of everyone is me, not you, her cousin."
"She once kissed me first, but I don't want to mention these things to my cousin because I am different from him."
Shang Huai launched a comprehensive attack: "In my opinion, this is a secret between her and me, and I don't want to use it to provoke others."
Xiao Chengci stubbornly replied, "There was a misunderstanding between us, which is why you were able to take advantage of the situation."
Xiao Chengci was unwilling to admit that he was the loser between him and Shang Huai.
Clearly, he and Pei Zhi had also shared many happy times.
Shang Huai clapped his hands. "My cousin is quite adept at deceiving himself."
Pei Minxue put down his teacup and stood up, afraid that Xiao Chengci would punch Shang Huai in the face at any moment.
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