Chapter 009: It was you who drugged my son?
The Danggan court had three platforms and six offices. The most mysterious of the three, the Ziwei Platform, was located in the palace and was the most mysterious.
In the Yuxu Palace, smoke curled up from the copper incense burner. As the empress's black shoes rolled over the stone steps, Chu Xinglan, the official of the Ziwei Terrace, was copying the "Huangting".
Her long hair was untied, cascading to her waist like a silver waterfall formed by moonlight, and her skin was as pale as cold jade.
His brow bones were extremely high, which made his grey eyes look even deeper. The corners of his lips were naturally slightly drooping, forming a sharp arc.
The wrist holding the pen was suspended three inches above the Chengxintang rice paper, and pine soot ink fell from the tip of the pen, forming an ink butterfly on the word "ling" in "心神丹元字守靈".
This calligraphy was actually wasted. Putting down the purple jade brush, Chu Xinglan bowed and said, "Your Majesty."
Qin Minghuang's eyes fell on the ink stains that stained the Huang Ting. "Does your Excellency understand his telepathy?"
"A Buddhist monk who reaches the second rank will gain supernatural powers, one of which is telepathy."
"Besides this, are there any other methods?"
"Practicing physiognomy and alchemy to a high level leads to the same goal."
"What if he is not a person with profound martial arts skills?"
Chu Xinglan pondered for a while, "Your Majesty, have you ever heard of a mountain ghost crying at the moon?
The night rain knocking on the window is the whisper of heaven and earth, and the piled snow weighing down the branches is the murmur of the mountains.
There may be people with extraordinary talents in the world, just like the clouds in the mountains, who can understand the thoughts of every drop of rain."
"If it weren't for his extraordinary talent?"
This time, Chu Xinglan was silent for a longer time. "People's hearts are like the wind and snow, and there is no telling when enlightenment will come one day."
Talent, epiphany?
Qin Minghuang clenched his hands behind his back, as if thinking about something.
After the empress left, Chu Xinglan no longer had the interest to copy.
Pine needle and snow water were poured into the Ding kiln white porcelain cup. The Junshan silver needles floating on the water surface stood upright like swords, but suddenly scattered. Her brows were tightly furrowed.
At the Pei Mansion, Prime Minister Pei Xuanyun was sitting in the main hall in casual clothes, his fingertips running across the rim of the teacup. He never expected that his mansion would welcome such a guest.
After leaving the yamen, I heard an interesting story. At the birthday banquet of the granddaughter of Duke Zheng, his son attended the banquet but left his servant behind and returned alone.
When questioned, the son hesitated for a long time before telling the truth. He was actually drugged and the target was him, the prime minister.
Unexpectedly, not long after, one of the parties involved came to the door.
Qin Zhaoyue was so embarrassed that she almost dug her toes out of the three-bedroom apartment.
Who understands? He just drugged someone's son at noon, and then he came to confront him in the evening.
"This... Lord Pei, this is a pastry from the imperial kitchen, given to you by the Queen Mother."
"Thank you, Your Highness. I wonder what brings you to my house?"
When Qin Zhaoyue made that suggestion, he naturally knew where the key point was, and in a few words he explained the strategy of killing the chicken to scare the monkey.
Pei Xuanyun rubbed his knuckles with his fingertips and pondered in silence. This was not like His Majesty's style.
Qin Zhaoyue rolled his eyes, becoming increasingly impatient.
She just doesn't like facing this kind of cunning Old Deng, who can't do anything about it. He just wants to give her a clear answer on whether he can succeed or not!
At this moment, a gurgling sound was heard, which seemed extremely abrupt in the silent hall.
Pei Xuanyun came back to his senses, "If Your Highness doesn't mind, why not have some simple meals at your house?"
Qin Zhaoyue was a little hesitant. These days, it was considered rude to visit someone without sending a visiting card, let alone have dinner at their home.
However, since Lao Deng had not given a direct answer yet, he could not consider his mission completed. Thinking of the Qingluan Guards who came with her, she nodded and agreed.
Pei Xuanyun instructed the housekeeper to have the servants prepare the meal.
In the bedroom in the backyard, Pei Xueqi was facing the bronze mirror, sometimes exposing his arms, sometimes lifting up his underwear.
The servant boy beside him was dumbfounded, pursing his lips tightly and not daring to speak.
The young master suddenly disappeared in the middle of the banquet and returned home on his own.
After returning, he kept silent about the reason and just stared back and forth at the bronze mirror. This...
After staring for a while, Pei Xueqiao couldn't help but ask, "Ayan, I'm not completely powerless, am I?"
"Sir, what are you talking about? You can ride a horse and shoot arrows, how can you say that?"
"Is that so?" Pei Xueqi's frown finally relaxed a little.
"Who is slandering you, sir? That person must be jealous of your talent. You don't have to take it to heart."
This... probably not. Pei Xueqiao looked at his small belly in the bronze mirror, remembered what that person said, and asked again:
"Have you ever seen anyone with eight-pack abs? Do you think I should practice martial arts?"
Ah Yan looked strange, "Sir, I heard that martial arts training requires sharpening muscles and bones from a young age, and... you are a scholar."
This is the truth, but Pei Xueqiao has never suffered such humiliation since he was a child, and it is really difficult for him to accept it for a while.
Just then, a servant came to announce that the master had guests visiting and asked the young master to eat by himself.
"Who is it?"
"Sixth Princess."
Pei Xueqiao stumbled and almost fell. Why was she here? !
Qin Zhaoyue looked at the dishes on the table, a little dazed.
Steamed sea bass, a square box filled with seasonal side dishes, and a can of lotus root soup, that’s it?
"You really do think that simple food is enough. Lord Pei is the Prime Minister, so he shouldn't do that, right?"
Qin Zhaoyue's first reaction was that this old man was seeking fame and reputation, but there was no need for that in front of her, a powerless princess.
"The flood was so severe that we had to eat simpler meals."
"I heard that Lord Pei is a great calligrapher. Just write a few words casually. I'm sure scholars all over the world will flock to him."
"That's a good idea. We need to raise funds to supplement our family income."
"So, Master Pei is willing to help?"
"In times of emergency, I must do my part."
Qin Zhaoyue raised his eyebrows. Before coming here, he thought he would have to deal with an old-fashioned person, but he didn't expect it to be so smooth.
The prime minister seemed quite open-minded and did not show any abnormality when facing this "infamous" princess.
Okay, as long as it's done.
Although the words were not explained clearly, anyone who could become the prime minister of Fenggetai must understand what needs to be done.
The simple meal didn't stop her from eating. Since she was already here, she might as well fill her stomach first.
Pei Xuanyun looked at her calm appearance, which was completely different from the rumors circulating in the capital.
Thinking about my son's plight, and His Majesty sending this person to deliver the message...
"I heard that His Highness drugged my son?"
"Puff! Cough cough cough..."
Oh my god, Qin Zhaoyue almost died of coughing. It took him a long time to stop, and he looked at the opposite side with resentment in his eyes.
"Didn't your son explain this to you clearly? Someone set this up, and I'm using the same tactics to investigate the person behind it."
Pei Xuanyun nodded, "So Your Highness did drug my son."
Qin Zhaoyue: ...
How come you don't understand the point?
"How does Your Highness intend to resolve this?"
Solve? Solve what?
"No, nothing really happened. Didn't your son come home safe and sound? What's the matter? Do you still want me to take responsibility?"
“Not impossible.”
Qin Zhaoyue looked at the old man on the subway with empty eyes, as if he was looking at a fool, "Old man, when did you go blind?"
"My son is quite talented, so I don't think he has brought disgrace upon Your Highness."
"Don't!" Qin Zhaoyue quickly waved her hand. "I like strong men. I'm not interested in weak scholars."
Just kidding, her rich and luxurious life has just begun. There are so many handsome men in the world, and she doesn't want to get involved in court politics.
The son of a prime minister, the number one scholar, what a prestigious title! Whoever wants to take the position can do so, but she doesn't want to.
Weak? Pei Xuanyun could see that the Sixth Princess's disgust didn't seem fake, so was he overthinking it?
It seems that the Sixth Princess does not like his son, and His Majesty has no intention of granting a marriage.
"Whose advice is it to use grain instead of silver and to use bran instead of chaff?"
"Fourth Sister."
Qin Zhaoyue didn't hesitate at all and answered very straightforwardly.
Pei Xuanyun was stunned. It was actually the Fourth Princess, but he was still a little suspicious. "Then why did the Sixth Prince come to deliver the message?"
"My sisters are all busy, and I'm the only one who has nothing to do."
That's... quite reasonable.
Qin Zhaoyue was frightened by Lao Deng and immediately changed the subject.
"Since Master Pei already knows, do you have any guesses about who is behind this?"
"Your Highness, what do you have to say about that person coming for me?"
"There's no basis for this. Even if they were targeting me, there's no need to take such a huge risk and involve the Prime Minister's Mansion."
The meaning is very clear. If you just want to tarnish the princess's reputation, just find any man.
Why does he have to involve the Pei family? Isn't the person behind the scenes afraid of being exposed and facing revenge from the Prime Minister?
Pei Xuanyun's expression was indifferent. "There are too many people who want me to fall. I think it would be faster to start with His Highness."
Qin Zhaoyue curled her lips in disdain, "Then your popularity is really bad."
"It's OK, enough."
He went through the Duke's Mansion, the Imperial Study, and the Prime Minister's Mansion in one day and finally settled the matter of the medicine man.
Qin Zhaoyue felt relieved and finished his meal in no time. He didn't care about any rules and said goodbye immediately.
Before leaving, he did not forget to push the box of pastries in front of the people, saying that it was the emperor's great grace.
After sending the people away, Pei Xuanyun asked the servant to bring a pot of wine and ate alone.
The other party is really brave to use a snow wood as a raft.
He deduced that if the Sixth Princess had not been alert and seen through the trap, there would have been only two possible outcomes.
Either he would have the Prime Minister's Office recognize the marriage and ask His Majesty to grant it; or all the officials, led by him, would attack the Sixth Princess.
In the former case, the Sixth Princess became infamous, which was equivalent to destroying his most outstanding legitimate son;
As for the latter... The Sixth Princess represents more than just herself, this is forcing the Prime Minister's Office to stand against the Empress!
There are not many people who can set up this game. Who could it be?
As soon as the butler sent the people to the front yard, he saw the eldest son standing under the porch, looking at this side with burning eyes.
"this……"
The Sixth Princess suddenly came to visit, the Master invited her to dinner, and the Young Master blocked the door. At this moment, the old housekeeper imagined a big drama.
"You're here." Pei Xueqiao's gaze passed the old butler and looked behind him.
Qin Zhaoyue almost rolled his eyes, "What the hell is your business."
“You are here”, “Yes, I am here”, “You shouldn’t have come”, “But I am here”…
This kind of routine will never happen to this kid.
After finally getting away, Qin Zhaoyue didn't want to go back, so he didn't need the old butler to lead the way, and just walked out.
Pei Xueqiao was stunned by the retort. It was just a simple greeting, so why did he say such harsh words? Before he could react, the other party had already passed by him.
"Wait a moment!" He subconsciously asked to keep the person.
It would have been fine if he didn't say anything, but as soon as he said anything, Qin Zhaoyue ran away.
Pei Xueqiao felt like his brain wasn't enough, so he started chasing after him, "Why are you running?"
Qin Zhaoyue didn't even turn around, "What are you chasing?"
"I'll chase you if you run."
"If you chase me, I'll run away."
Qin Zhaoyue still suffered from his short legs and was stopped by Pei Xueqiao after just a few steps.
"What are you doing in Pei Mansion?"
"Looking for your father."
"Has the matter come to fruition?"
"No, your father said there are too many people who hate him and he has no clue at the moment."
Pei Xueqiao: ...Why does he think the conversation is so weird?
"I've already asked, so get out of the way."
It seemed that there was really no point in discussing the issue of retaining him. It was impossible to verify on the spot that he was not completely powerless.
For some reason, he felt reluctant, but Pei Xueqiao still stepped aside to make way.
Qin Zhaoyue had no regrets at all. She didn't want to have any contact with anyone in this mansion, young or old.
But when he reached the end, he suddenly turned around and said, "By the way, please give your father a message for me..."
"Master, Master?"
Pei Xueqiao came back to his senses when the housekeeper called him, but the graceful smile he had just had was still lingering in his mind.
What on earth did she talk about with her father when she came to the mansion? Thinking of this, Pei Xueqiao lifted his robe and left.
In the hall, Pei Xuanyun had just finished his dinner.
However, the dishes prepared for dinner were indeed a little less, so he opened the food box given by the emperor.
The next moment, his eyes widened and his face turned pale.
There are no pastries in there, it's clearly empty!
What does that mean? Has he… lost his livelihood?
At this moment, the eldest son stepped in and said, "Father, the Sixth Princess asked me to pass on a message before she left the house."
"Wha…what?"
"She said she was hungry on the way here and ate all the cakes in the box."
The lid of the box fell to the ground with a dull thud.
Pei Xuanyun:!!!
Qin Zhaoyue, who had already boarded the carriage home, had a wanton smile on his face:
You old bastard, I told you not to scare me!
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