Xiao Chengci held Pei Zhi in his arms and fell asleep contentedly.
Pei Zhi also fell asleep comfortably. After so many days, she had finally gotten a bit close to a man.
Shang Huai, however, tossed and turned in his room, unable to sleep.
Shang Huai kept replaying Pei Zhi's words in his mind.
Shang Huai naturally could not accept Pei Zhi's ideas.
Shang Huai believes that if two people are together, they should cherish each other from beginning to end.
But Pei Zhi refused.
Shang Huai was also afraid that if things continued like this, he would really lose Pei Zhi.
Shang Huai was reluctant to accept Pei Zhi's ideas, but he couldn't do it in a short time.
So all night, Shang Huai tossed and turned, thinking about Pei Zhi's words.
It wasn't until dawn that Shang Huai finally understood.
What's the point of him thinking so much?
What could be more important than having Pei Zhi by his side?
Nothing compares to having Pei Zhi by his side!
Moreover, why should he be disliked by Pei Zhi?
What if he were lucky enough to have Pei Zhi remain devoted to him forever?
Once Shang Huai understood, the sky turned gray, and he couldn't sit still or stand up.
Shang Huai then simply went to Pei Zhi's courtyard.
Shang Huai wanted to wait in the courtyard until Pei Zhi got up so he could tell her his heartfelt feelings as soon as possible.
At this time, Shang Huai naturally wouldn't go in and disturb Pei Zhi's rest.
Shang Huai pondered in the courtyard, waiting for Pei Zhi to get up so he could express his opinion.
Hurried footsteps could be heard outside the courtyard.
As Pei Minxue walked, he tugged at his somewhat disheveled clothes.
Pei Minxue didn't even notice that there was another person in the yard.
Pei Minxue didn't see Shang Huai, but Shang Huai saw Pei Minxue.
Shang Huai didn't care about anything else and directly blocked Pei Minxue's way.
Startled, Pei Minxue blurted out a curse, "What are you doing?"
Pei Minxue took two steps back, patted his chest, and looked somewhat pale.
As darkness fell and Pei Minxue was preoccupied with something on his mind, he was suddenly stopped by a dark figure, which naturally startled him.
Shang Huai withdrew his hand from Pei Minxue's grasp. "What are you doing?"
"What are you doing in Pei Zhi's courtyard at this hour?"
Pei Minxue was about to answer when he suddenly realized something was wrong.
Why are you in her yard at this hour?
"I'm her brother, what are you doing here?"
Shang Huai avoided answering, saying, "Even if you were Pei Zhi's own brother..."
"But you're already this age, you should know to be more discreet."
Pei Minxue was too lazy to waste time with Shang Huai. "Move aside, I have important business with His Majesty."
Pei Minxue was sleeping soundly when he was woken up by his subordinates.
A secret letter was sent from the capital, but they said they couldn't find His Majesty.
Pei Minxue sensed something was wrong. His Majesty was in the Shang residence, so how could he not be found?
After thinking for a moment, Pei Minxue understood.
These people aren't unable to find His Majesty; they know where His Majesty is, but dare not disturb him.
Therefore, this task naturally fell into Pei Minxue's hands.
"You're looking for His Majesty? Come here..."
Shang Huai realized something was wrong halfway through his sentence.
Shang Huai turned his head and looked at the tightly closed door.
"Alright, alright, this is a secret letter from the capital, delivered in the middle of the night. It says it's urgent, and I don't have time to waste here with you."
Pei Minxue pushed Shang Huai aside and knocked on the door urgently.
Inside the room, Xiao Chengci was the first to wake up.
The knocking grew louder, and Xiao Chengci, afraid of waking Pei Zhi, opened the door without even putting on his shoes properly.
Xiao Chengci's tone was tinged with anger at being woken up: "What are you doing?"
Pei Minxue cupped his hands and handed the letter to Xiao Chengci, saying, "Your Majesty, the superstitions in the capital..."
Seeing this, Xiao Chengci stopped being angry, closed the door behind him, and tore open the letter in front of Pei Minxue.
It was still dark, and Xiao Chengci could only squint as he read through all the letters.
After reading it, Xiao Chengci's expression also became somewhat solemn.
Pei Minxue cupped his hands and asked, "Your Majesty, has something major happened in the capital?"
"The Empress Dowager suddenly fainted a few days ago."
"The imperial physicians have diagnosed that the Empress Dowager's health is not good, and they do not know how many days she has left to live. They urge me to return to the capital as soon as possible."
Pei Minxue's eyes widened; he clearly hadn't expected that it was the Empress Dowager who had gotten into trouble.
Since the late emperor's death, the Empress Dowager had been staying in the capital for some time, but she could no longer bear the harassment from the wives of the ministers.
He requested permission to go to the royal villa to recuperate.
Xiao Chengci never married and had no children, leaving his harem empty.
Those court officials couldn't reason with His Majesty.
Naturally, the ladies in the inner courtyard could only grumble about it to the Empress Dowager.
There are three unfilial acts, the greatest of which is having no offspring.
Moreover, Your Majesty is still the Son of Heaven; how can you not have a single prince?
The Empress Dowager had argued with Xiao Chengci several times about this matter.
Each time, it ended on a sour note.
The Empress Dowager did not want to be bothered by the wives of court officials, nor did she want to argue with Xiao Chengci. So she simply left the palace, wanting to enjoy a few years of peace and quiet.
Shang Huai looked on incredulously: "What?"
"When I left, wasn't the Empress Dowager perfectly fine?"
Pei Minxue advised, "Please don't misunderstand. The Empress Dowager is His Majesty's own mother. No matter what, His Majesty would never allow anyone to be harsh on the Empress Dowager."
Pei Min was frightened, and Shang Huai thought it was because His Majesty had not taken good care of the Empress Dowager that he was acting this way.
No matter how much Shang Huai disliked Xiao Chengci, he would never believe that the Empress Dowager's health problems were Xiao Chengci's fault.
Xiao Chengci held the letter in his hand. "Give the order that we head to the capital at daybreak."
Xiao Chengci naturally had no interest in overseeing a food festival or anything like that.
Furthermore, Pei Minxue and Shang Huai had already made arrangements in advance.
As long as the officials follow their instructions, there shouldn't be any major problems with the implementation.
Without hesitation, Shang Huai said, "I'll go with you."
Xiao Chengci did not object. He thought that his mother would be happy to see Shang Huai.
After all, the person the Empress Dowager worries about most in this world is not him, but Shang Huai.
If something really happens to the Empress Dowager, it would be good if she could see Shang Huai and chat with him before she passes away.
The servants in the mansion immediately got to work, and as soon as it was light, Pei Minxue woke up Pei Zhi.
Xiao Chengci and Shang Huai didn't want to call Pei Zhi, but Pei Minxue didn't care about that either.
"Hurry up, we're setting off back to Beijing today."
Pei Zhi asked, puzzled, "Why?"
"The Empress Dowager is critically ill, and His Majesty must return."
Pei Minxue said solemnly, "Shang Huai must also go back."
Pei Zhi was about to say something, but Pei Minxue didn't give her the chance.
"Zhizhi, this is not a trivial matter. You have no choice but to come back with us."
Pei Zhi said innocently, "I didn't say I wasn't going back."
Pei Zhi could still tell which was more important and which was less important.
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