Chapter 173 Planning All of This
He alone lost himself in her tenderness and gentleness, how could this not make him angry, how could it not make him feel utterly heartbroken.
However, at this moment, nothing is more important than finding her. Once he finds her, he will ask her properly.
Why did she keep toying with him, making him think he could reach her heart, only to discard him like trash in the blink of an eye?
He knew perfectly well that she had only followed him at first because of circumstances, and even her uncle was just a means for him to force her to comply. In fact, when she first arrived in Yanzhou, she was still resistant.
But were all those six months of intimate moments and deep affection just a fake performance?
He almost seemed to want to lay his heart bare before her.
But what did we get in return?
His clenched fists cracked and popped, his hatred surging like a tide, wishing he could devour their flesh and blood.
I want to confront her face to face: How can you just throw away the child you carried for ten months? What is your heart made of?
In the evening, the Wenxin Pavilion study was brightly lit.
Pei Yanzhi kept his eyes closed, and Wu Yang below him reported in a low voice: "After the old lady escorted the mistress's army out of Yanzhou, they headed south until they reached the moat. After the mistress boarded the boat, she disappeared without a trace."
"That's all?"
A restrained, authoritative voice rang out, and Wu Yang felt a cold sweat break out on his back. He quickly continued, "We have already found the records of Madam boarding the ship and are checking them one by one."
"Where is the young master?" Only then did Pei Yanzhi remember his son, whom he had not seen since returning to the manor.
Wu Yang said, "The young master led troops to suppress bandits a few days ago, and he should be back tomorrow."
Pei Yanzhi waved his hand, telling him to step back.
As Wu Yang left, he secretly glanced at his lord's expression. Since returning, he hadn't seen anyone except the young master.
Even the strategist, who kept clamoring to see the lord, was turned away by him.
He knew that his lord must be in extreme pain at this moment, after being confined to the manor for the past six months.
He witnessed firsthand how his lord doted on his wife, wishing he could keep her by his side at all times.
Now the lady is gone, abandoning her lord and young master!
He closed the door and sighed softly.
What are we going to do now?
He could almost foresee how agonizing life would be for his subordinates without his wife.
How will my lord spend these long days?
The next morning, the wet nurse brought the young man over. Perhaps because she had been dreaming about him all night, when she saw the child again, her thin lips were pursed into a line, and she stared straight at him.
My little boy is almost three months old. He can already roll over and keeps making babbling noises. He looks so cute.
The wet nurse taught him how to hold the baby and how to support the baby's head. The young man opened his big, grape-like eyes.
Suddenly, she reached out her small, rough hand and slapped Pei Yanzhi's face. The force was light, but it startled the wet nurse and the nanny.
Pei Yanzhi was not angry. Instead, he held his small hand and his expression softened.
He said in a low voice, "Just like your heartless mother, you love to hit people."
After saying that, she took his little hand and gently squeezed it. The young man seemed to find it amusing and giggled.
The room instantly filled with warmth. Seeing that the Marquis was not angry, the wet nurse cautiously said, "My lord, the young master has not yet been named. What do you think..."
He had already decided on the name in Hanzhong: "Let's call him Pei Qinghe. Your father spent his whole life on military campaigns, hoping only for peace and happiness for the world and well-being for all people."
The wet nurse was overjoyed and said, "The young master now has a name. We must quickly tell the old lady this news."
Pei Yanzhi's expression turned indifferent, and in the end he did not say anything, but only said: "From now on, the young master will be raised in Wenxin Pavilion, and I will raise him personally. No one is allowed to interfere."
The wet nurse was stunned for a moment, then quickly responded.
The servants all thought that the Marquis would give the young master to the old lady to raise, but they never expected that the Marquis would take him in by his side himself.
Thinking of the rumors that the servants in the mansion had been gossiping about yesterday, he fell silent and dared not say another word.
After breakfast, the wet nurse took the young master away, and Wu Yang came to report that the young master had returned.
...
While Pei Xingjian was still on his way, he heard that his father had returned. Thinking of this, he rushed back home.
Without even changing out of his armor, he went straight to Wenxin Pavilion.
When he saw his father, his handsome face was still dignified and imposing, exuding authority without anger, but the atmosphere around him was frighteningly low.
They weren't surprised to see him come in.
He simply asked, "I heard you went to suppress bandits?"
Pei Xingjian bowed and then said, "Yes, your son has not yet congratulated Father on his triumphant return." He already knew that his father would soon ascend the throne in Luoyang.
Seeing the lack of joy on his father's face, he had a vague idea of what was going on, so he asked, "Father, when shall we set off for Luoyang?"
Pei Yanzhi stood with his hands behind his back, closed his eyes briefly, and said, "I haven't found her yet, how can I go to Luoyang in peace?"
Pei Xingjian blurted out, "Didn't you say that Madam had a contract with you beforehand, and that she would only leave after the contract expired?"
Pei Yanzhi suddenly opened his eyes, turned to look at him and said, "How did you get this information?"
Pei Xingjian panicked when he saw that his father seemed unaware of the matter. Could it be that things were not as they seemed?
He explained, “In the days after Madam left, I asked my grandmother, and she showed me the seal you made. It said a year’s term.”
"I see... I understand now..."
Pei Yanzhi sat there and finally understood that she had been preparing for this all along because she insisted on having the seal of the Marquis stamped on her own.
That was truly a well-planned scheme.
First, they pretended that he was in trouble with his food supplies, then they used the child to help him, and then they used that rubbing. Every step they took was extremely meticulous.
Looking at his father's sorrowful expression, Pei Xingjian instantly understood that pain.
He had also tasted the bitterness of gaining and then losing.
What an irony and pain it is that a father and son both fall in love with the same woman, but she never reciprocates their feelings.
Especially when he saw his usually aloof father showing such vulnerability in front of him, what welled up in his heart was not the pleasure of revenge, but an indescribable shock.
Even when he first learned of Ji Shu's departure, he was puzzled: Why? His father clearly cherished her so much that he was willing to turn against his own son to keep her by his side.
But she abandoned everything and left.
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