Chapter 59 The Prince is jealous and pleases his mother personally
"The palace? Who is the reward for? Has the person arrived?" Xie Yao asked.
Qi Liang: "Just now, I went to the side door to carry firewood for Yue Wanxiang Courtyard. I saw the Earl and the Second Master talking with two people dressed in imperial attire. There was a large group of people, saying that it was a favor bestowed upon the Earl's Mansion by His Majesty."
"I was in such a hurry to come back and tell the young lady that I didn't have time to see who it was."
Pei Jun spoke at the right time: "Prince Jingbei came to the palace yesterday. Perhaps it was a reward he asked His Majesty for. After all, even if Xie Chengyu was wrong, the Xie family is still his in-laws."
Only then did Xie Yao realize that Xiao Yizi had really entered the palace.
The corners of her lips rose slightly.
But Xie Yao didn't think that Xiao Yizi would ask for any reward on behalf of the Bo Mansion.
That person does everything based on his personal likes and dislikes, and doesn't care about whether they are relatives or not.
She then asked, "Why did Minister Pei help me cancel the arranged marriage?"
Pei Jun stared at Xie Yao and said, "I told you that both you and Madam Bo have done me a favor. If you don't want to marry the King of Jingbei, I will do my best to prevent you from marrying him. Second Miss Xie, you can think of this as... my repayment of your favor."
"What are you going to do? Go and ask the emperor for help? Oh, yes, Minister Pei is actually the emperor's cousin. He is indeed deeply trusted by the emperor and has some connections with him."
Pei Jun shook his head slightly: "Humanity is something that only exists when there are people around. Queen Shen has passed away for many years, and His Majesty has never regarded me as a cousin."
As he spoke, he revealed everything without hiding anything: "Your Majesty is wary of King Jingbei and doesn't want his in-laws to become too powerful. This time, I came to the Earl's Mansion to explore the way for Your Majesty."
Xie Yao: "I know this, but I still want to thank Minister Pei for telling me."
She didn't say that the emperor had even secretly sent spies from the Imperial Eagle Bureau to investigate the Earl's Mansion.
It was Xiao Yizi who reminded her, which allowed her to pretend to be a member of the Imperial Eagle Division and trick Manager Wang into giving her three confessions.
Pei Jun continued, "As long as I report to His Majesty that the Marquis's family is quite wealthy, and that the Marquis of Wenchang has ulterior motives and is ambitious, and is trying to bribe me and collude with the Queen Mother, His Majesty will hesitate about this marriage after knowing this."
"By then, you can find any excuse and the matter will be over."
Pei Jun looked at Xie Yao, his eyes sharp as he spoke each word clearly: "As long as you say that you don't want to marry the King of Jingbei."
Xie Yao fell into deep thought.
She was indeed tempted by Pei Jun's proposal.
In his previous life, Xiao Yizi entered the palace and said that he would not marry the daughter of the Xie family. He was the one who took the blame for disobeying the imperial order.
Pei Jun's method does not require Xiao Yizi, and he can also take advantage of the situation to trick the Bo family.
But soon, Xie Yao came to her senses.
Her eyes were clear: "Minister Pei, why do you think I don't want to marry the King of Jingbei?"
"The palace is in trouble, and King Jingbei's health is not very good."
Pei Jun's words did not mean to look down on King Jingbei, he was just stating a fact.
Suddenly, Xie Yao's ears twitched, and she sighed, "But I'm just a weak girl from the Wenchang Marquis's Mansion. To be able to marry the King of Jingbei is already marrying up. I really don't dare to ask for too much."
Pei Jun frowned slightly, not knowing why she was pretending to be weak, but he still said seriously: "Perhaps in the eyes of others, you are marrying above your station, but in my opinion, Xie Yao, you are still young. Marrying him is like a pearl in the dust."
"I am only twenty-four, not old at all."
A low and cold voice came from behind the two of them.
Xie Yao turned around and saw Bai Zhu pushing a wheelchair and appearing at the entrance of Wanxiangyuan.
Prince Jingbei sat upright in a wheelchair, his eyes cold and deep, his face as indifferent as ever.
He wore a thin cloak with crimson and purple cloud patterns, a purple gold crown, a nose like a hanging gall bladder, and a face like a Shura jade.
Behind him, there was still a group of tall and strong guards from the palace.
"Your humble servant greets King Jingbei." Pei Jun stood up and bowed.
Xiao Yizi narrowed his eyes and stared at him.
He did not allow Pei Jun to exempt himself from the formalities, so Pei Jun could only keep bowing and clasping his hands.
All the court officials who were familiar with Prince Jingbei knew that this was the prince's usual way of torturing people.
Bai Zhu: "Minister Pei, may I ask how old you are this year?"
"Your humble servant is twenty-two years old."
Bai Zhu said expressionlessly, "The achievements and cities that His Majesty had conquered when he was only twenty-two years old are something that Minister Pei will probably never be able to achieve in his lifetime."
"I dare not compare myself with Your Majesty." Pei Jun lowered his head.
Bai Zhu: "It's really incomparable."
Xiao Yizi still refused to let him stand up straight. He suppressed the sour feeling in his heart and said coldly, "Haha."
Pei Jun stood in the courtyard, his left hand covering his right hand, his fingertips level with his collar, his back bent but not stiff, his movements more standard than the etiquette drawings compiled by the Ministry of Rites.
A gust of cold wind blew past, and half an incense stick of time later, his clothes swayed slightly and cold sweat seeped out of the tip of his nose.
Even so, Pei Jun's handsome face remained calm, like the bright moon in the sky, elegant and cold.
In fact, before Xiao Yizi appeared, Xie Yao had already noticed something, which is why she suddenly said that she was just a weak woman.
In the final analysis, Pei Jun offended King Jingbei because he responded to her words.
"Your Majesty..."
She pondered for a moment and was about to help Pei Jun out when Xiao Yizi suddenly spoke up, "I'm here on behalf of the Emperor to give Miss Xie a gift."
Xie Yao blinked: "What gift?"
Bai Zhu immediately said, "These are eight Ferghana horses presented by the Western Rong, along with eight sets of matching saddles and bridles, made by the Imperial Crafts Bureau."
Xie Yao's eyes lit up instantly: "Thank you, Your Majesty, thank you, Your Highness. Where is the horse? Can I go and see it now?"
"The two young horses are having trouble acclimatizing, so they're being kept in the stables behind the palace until you arrive. The prince has already had Bai Mi send the remaining six to the stables at the Earl's Palace. Oh, and there are also two palace maids who are specifically responsible for raising the horses. They've also been given to you by the king and the emperor."
"Are the eight horses given to me alone? In other words, the two palace maids were the ones my father greeted at the door just now?" Xie Yao couldn't wait to see the horses.
Bai Zhu nodded. "This is a gift chosen by the prince for Second Miss Xie. It comes from the Imperial Stables. Of course, Earl Wenchang must receive it respectfully."
Hearing this, Xie Yao's beautiful face was filled with smiles, as bright as the autumn moon and spring flowers.
She liked horses. When she was in the army, the general gave her a chestnut horse named Liaoyuan. Unfortunately, because it was inconvenient to go to Beijing, Liaoyuan was left at the border.
What's more, Bai Zhu said that Xiao Yizi also gave her two palace maids to feed the horses, who were the two people Qiliang saw at the gate of Bo's Mansion just now.
This was indeed the reward that Xiao Yizi asked the emperor for, but it was only given to her and had nothing to do with the Bo Mansion.
Xie Ming'an welcomed the palace maids and horses so respectfully, but after learning that they were given to her, she must have felt depressed again.
"Minister Pei, why are you being so polite to me? You're too polite. No need to be polite."
The frost on Xiao Yizi's face finally melted, and he calmly told Pei Jun to end his greeting. A soft curve rose from his thin lips, and he looked at Xie Yao with a smile: "Yes, eight horses, all for you."
Seeing Xie Yao's dark, clear eyes sparkling like gems presented by the Western Rong people, the haze that had shrouded King Jingbei's heart for years suddenly dissipated a lot, as if lit up by her smile.
What a weak woman, that's fake.
But her happiness was real.
Then these eight horses are worth it.
"This humble servant has greeted His Majesty—"
When Xu Susu came out and saw King Jingbei, she was startled at first, then she immediately bowed.
Xiao Yizi asked Bai Zhu to push the wheelchair and come to her.
He took a deep breath, bent down, stretched out his arms, stretched out the pale blue veins on the back of his hands, and gently supported Xu Susu, his face calm and composed.
Bai Zhu looked at the prince worriedly.
It is easy for ordinary people to bend down while sitting in a wheelchair and help others up, but only personal guards like him know that this action is very strenuous for the prince who cannot walk, and it is not very elegant.
But the prince did it anyway.
"We are family, there is no need to be so polite, Madam." Xiao Yizi said.
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