Chapter 133 Searching for a Wife at Yuqing Temple
She had to quickly sever this ill-fated relationship, so she deliberately hardened her heart and said: "Your Highness, you will be the future heir of Yanzhou, and you can choose any woman in the world, but not me. With your status, you can't give me what I want."
He stared intently at Ji Shu, staggered half a step, and asked, word by word, "Are you really this heartless?"
"So back in Chongzhou, you really had absolutely no feelings for me?"
Ji Shu shook her head decisively.
Pei Xingjian looked at Ji Shu with a deep gaze, a dark light flashing in his eyes. He took out the sachet that had been worn day and night from his sleeve, held it up in front of her and asked, "What is embroidered on this?"
"You dare say you don't know?"
“If Father instructed you to treat me this way on purpose,” his voice was hoarse, “then I can only say that it’s a perfect example of killing someone by destroying their spirit.”
After saying that, he dared not look at her again, fearing that if he looked any longer he would do something irreversible. He opened the door and staggered out.
Ji Shu sat on the stool, watching him rush out the door. Remembering the sachet he had just taken out, she inwardly cursed: She had only intended to thank this father and son...
Unexpectedly, it has now become evidence that is difficult to explain. It's just a sachet; could there be something wrong with it?
Chunzhi returned from outside carrying some snacks. Seeing the door wide open, she asked in confusion, "Madam, did you just go out?"
Ji Shu suddenly came to her senses and asked, "Zhi'er, do you know what kind of flower this is?"
He then dipped his fingertip in the tea and drew a pattern on the table.
Chunzhi looked closely and replied, "Isn't this a mimosa flower?"
"Is there any custom or rule if a woman embroiders flowers into a sachet and gives it to a man?"
Without a second thought, Chunzhi replied, "Of course, it's because the woman is fond of that young man that she would send him this!"
The word "admired" resounded like a thunderclap in my ears. So that's how it is. No wonder he had always mistakenly thought he liked him. It all started with this sachet.
She embroidered this pattern simply because she thought it looked nice, without bothering to find out what the mimosa flower actually represented.
He just handed it over casually.
"Madam, why do you ask this? Are you going to embroider this pattern for the Marquis?"
Ji Shu blurted out, "How is that possible!"
After saying that, he felt a bit embarrassed and angry, so he added, "He doesn't deserve it!"
After finishing her vegetarian meal, Ji Shu kept the matter on her mind. If she didn't get the sachet back, she was afraid that complications would arise in the future. She decided it was better to avoid trouble.
Once we get back to the manor, we can ask him for it back and then burn it.
...
At this moment, in the main tent of the military camp.
After General Mei Xun returned from Langya, Pei Yanzhi held a private meeting with a group of strategists and generals in his tent.
"My lord, that Ding Wei is truly ignorant. I believe that traitor has already defected to the court."
Lu Changming asked in confusion, "But didn't they attack several counties of the imperial court a few days ago? Did the imperial court just sit idly by and let them run rampant like this?"
Gongsun Li stroked his beard and laughed, "I'm afraid it's a feint; he and the court are plotting something!"
Pei Yanzhi handed a secret letter on the table to Lu Changming and told him to bring it to them. “Look, this is what General Mei found out. The court is now recruiting soldiers on a large scale, which is nothing more than trying to deal with us. Ding Wei has 50,000 troops under his command. Although it is not a lot, once it is incorporated into the court…”
"Empress Dowager Song will then be like a tiger with wings!"
Lu Changming quickly glanced at it, then handed it to the strategist Gongsun Li, and everyone else read it in turn.
There was a flurry of discussion. Pei Yanzhi continued, "After the new year, it will be the 50th birthday of Empress Dowager Song. At that time, people from all sides will come to pay tribute, and Ding Wei can take this opportunity to make his official debut."
"Doesn't this give him a legitimate opportunity? I suspect that Empress Dowager Song will force me to submit to Hanzhong next, and if I don't comply..."
"Then Ding Wei will have a legitimate reason to send troops, because the court is currently lacking precisely this kind of elite troops and capable generals."
Gongsun Li nodded and said, "What you are worried about, my lord, is exactly what I was thinking."
"So no matter what, we must prepare early."
The advisors and generals all agreed. After the meeting, Pei Yanzhi, as if thinking of something, asked, "Where is the Crown Prince?"
Lu Changming: "The Crown Prince has not arrived at the camp today."
"I understand." Pei Yanzhi nodded, seemingly unconcerned.
After finishing my official duties, it was nearly noon.
Thinking about how he hadn't spent time with her yesterday, and wondering what she thought of him, he still felt he had to go and comfort her.
As soon as they returned to the West Garden courtyard, the place was quiet. Usually, it would be filled with laughter and chatter at this time. Granny Zhou stepped forward to greet them.
"Where is Madam?"
Zhou Mama noticed the Marquis's displeasure and hurriedly said, "Madam went to offer incense today. She said that today was the third day after her wedding, and she went to offer incense to her family."
Pei Yanzhi narrowed his eyes slightly, only then remembering that today was the third day, and according to custom, he was supposed to accompany Ji Shu back to her parents' home.
Without saying a word, he turned around and shouted at Wu Yang, "Go and fetch the horse to fetch the lady!"
"Yes." Wu Yang hurriedly ran out.
They rode swiftly for a short time and arrived at Yuqing Temple. The old abbot hurriedly came out to greet them: "Greetings, Lord Yan!"
Pei Yanzhi nodded slightly and asked as he walked inside, "Master, did Madam come today?"
The old abbot clasped his hands in a gesture of respect and said yes.
"Five days ago, the lady set up longevity tablets for her parents in the temple, saying that she would come to worship them today."
Pei Yanzhi stopped in his tracks. He had thought she was just coming to offer incense, but he hadn't expected her to have set up a memorial tablet there.
"I trouble the abbot to lead the way, and allow me to offer incense to my father-in-law and mother-in-law."
The old abbot, holding a Bodhi seed, nodded slightly and led the way.
Pei Yanzhi entered the hall, lit incense, and respectfully kowtowed.
After leaving the palace, he asked, "Where is the lady now?"
The abbot's disciple replied in bewilderment, "Don't you know, benefactor? Your wife just went down the mountain a quarter of an hour ago."
Pei Yanzhi felt a void in his heart. He rushed over without stopping, only to find that she had already left.
Just then, dark clouds suddenly gathered overhead, and it looked like a heavy rain was about to fall. He didn't dare to delay for a moment and just wanted to find her as soon as possible, so he said, "Please, Abbot, lend me two umbrellas."
"Alright." The old abbot immediately ordered someone to fetch an umbrella.
Pei Yanzhi took it, mounted his horse, and galloped away.
The old abbot's disciple asked softly, "Master, why is Marquis Yan in such a hurry?"
The old abbot, holding a Bodhi seed, smiled silently as he watched Yan Hou's retreating figure before finally saying, "The word 'love'..."
Pei Yanzhi originally thought that he could catch up with them on horseback, but to his surprise, he still couldn't see anyone halfway there. At this time, a heavy rain started to fall, and it was getting heavier and heavier.
Raindrops pelted his face, and Lu Changming shouted, "My lord, the rain is getting heavier!"
Having said that, seeing that the rain was getting louder and louder, making it impossible to hear each other, he spurred his horse closer to his lord and said loudly, "My lord, the lady has secret guards with her, so she must have already returned to the manor. Let's go back too!"
As the autumn rains grow colder, it's not a big deal to get wet for a short while, but if you stay in the water for too long, you might catch a cold. And right now, there's nowhere to take shelter from the rain.
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