Each with their own ulterior motives
The scene was extremely awkward. Pei Wenjin glanced at Xiao Diting guiltily, licked his lips with embarrassment, and didn't know whether to get up to greet her or stay seated. He wished he could find a place to crawl into.
Xiao Diting stared at him intently, her tongue pressing against her left cheek as she pondered for a moment, her expression becoming increasingly intriguing. Just when Zhou Xian thought His Highness was about to begin torturing the two of them, she suddenly burst out laughing.
The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, making her sneer all the more jarring.
Pei Wenjin flinched slightly. Having worked with the princess for so long, he clearly knew that he was probably facing certain death.
Seeing that she had softened her stance, Zhou Xian wanted to offer a way out for both of them. He put down the wine cup he was still holding, knelt down, and bowed, saying, "Your Highness's presence is an honor. I have failed to greet you properly and hope Your Highness will forgive me."
In the past, Zhou Xian would not have been so cautious, but Xiao Diting had received a reward after returning from Huaizhou. Although her official position remained unchanged, her status had indeed risen.
Xiao Diting didn't even lift her eyelids, her gaze fixed on Pei Wenjin. She smiled and clung to Pei Wenjin like a maggot to its bone: "Lord Pei, you sent someone to tell me this morning that you still had a high fever. How come you're here at the Ministry of Justice drinking with people at noon?"
Sweat instantly beaded on Zhou Xian's forehead. He stammered, unable to speak, and secretly glanced at Pei Wenjin out of the corner of his eye, hoping that he would say something to ease the atmosphere.
Pei Wenjin simply lowered his eyes, his face even paler than his robes, clearly indicating that he had suffered a loss of vital energy. He remained as quiet as a cat with its paws restrained, under Xiao Diting's sarcastic and sarcastic words.
Zhou Xian subtly pushed the table, intending to provoke Lord Pei sitting opposite him, but he made a foolish mistake, and the table scraped against the ground with a sharp "creak".
Xiao Diting raised an eyebrow and looked at Lord Zhou Xianzhou directly for the first time since entering the room.
Zhou Xian: ...
Pei Wenjin: ...
Seeing that the atmosphere was about to take a more bizarre turn, Pei Wenjin took the initiative and offered an excuse: "...It's too stuffy inside the house."
Zhou Xian: ?
These remarks were truly shocking. Zhou Xian's gaze darted back and forth between the two people in the room, unable to fathom what gave Lord Pei the confidence to utter such treasonous words, showing utter disregard for the emperor.
Just when he thought Princess Mingzhao would immediately lash out, to his surprise, the princess dropped her cold expression and actually went along with him quite cooperatively, saying, "If I remember correctly, less than seven days have passed... It's nothing at all."
Pei Wenjin fell silent again, his brows furrowed and eyes lowered, so obedient that Zhou Xian thought he had been possessed.
Xiao Diting was completely speechless. This person's methods were truly remarkable; just sitting there without saying a word was enough to make people burn incense in gratitude. Considering that this person was still ill, Xiao Diting still couldn't bring himself to make things difficult for him further.
God knows what the princess was thinking, but she convinced herself. As her expression cleared up, Zhou Xian asked her tremblingly, "Your Highness has come to visit today. Is there something important to entrust to this humble subject?"
Xiao Diting waved his hand to indicate that he didn't need to be so reserved, and said in a casual tone as if he were taking a stroll, "One of my juniors was bullied today, so I came to talk to you about it... However."
Zhou Xian's expression changed, and he hurriedly cupped his hands in an attempt to explain, but Xiao Diting's gaze returned to Pei Wenjin: "However, there are still some important matters that need to be discussed with Lord Pei. Since you have the energy to feast with others here, you should also have time to talk to me."
Pei Wenjin dared not refuse. After the princess returned from Huaizhou, she made some small moves in the capital. The Imperial Guards immediately noticed the undercurrents and wanted to have a "good talk" with the princess about these matters.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Xian felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He hurriedly stood up, straightened his official robes, and said repeatedly, "Yes, yes, yes, Your Highness, I just remembered that I have some matters to attend to. I will take my leave first. Please make yourself at home."
He walked with a light step, as if he were walking on clouds, but in his heart he was thinking that the rumors were indeed true. He ran off with a look of having found a melon.
As he passed Pei Wenjin, he gave him a "good luck" look before disappearing into the end of the corridor.
With only the two of them left in the reception room, Pei Wenjin slowly stood up, his voice still hoarse from illness: "There are too many people here, Your Highness. If you don't mind, why don't you come with me to the Dali Temple for a detailed discussion?"
Xiao Diting raised an eyebrow, neither responding nor refusing, but instead crossed her arms and teased him, "With your physique, can you handle all that back and forth?"
Pei Wenjin lowered his eyes and chuckled softly, "It's alright."
When he looked up, there was a red mark at the corner of his eye, and his expression was slightly ingratiating. The scene was really an eyesore. The princess felt a sting in her eyes and quickly turned her face away to follow him. Without saying anything more, she turned around and took the lead in stepping out the door.
Pei Wenjin followed closely behind, and the two of them walked through the courtyard of the Ministry of Justice one after the other. A blue-curtained carriage was already parked at the entrance.
When the coachman saw Pei Wenjin come out, he hurriedly bowed and greeted him, but when he saw Xiao Diting, he was stunned, obviously not expecting that a princess would accompany him.
Pei Wenjin didn't explain, but simply held onto the carriage door, gesturing for Xiao Diting to get in first. The carriage interior was covered with thick brocade cushions, and silver charcoal burned in the heater, dispelling the chill outside.
As soon as Xiao Diting sat down, Pei Wenjin followed him in, making the carriage feel somewhat cramped.
"Your high fever has just subsided. Instead of resting at home, what are you doing running out to see Lord Zhou?" She spoke first, her gaze falling on his still pale face, her tone unfriendly. "You're quite bold. Aren't you afraid His Majesty will not forgive you if he finds out?"
Pei Wenjin didn't answer immediately. Instead, he turned his head and stared into her eyes, as if confirming something. The carriage was dimly lit, but his gaze was exceptionally bright. After a moment, he asked in a low voice, "You know everything?"
Xiao Diting paused in her hand, which was poking at the charcoal fire with tongs, then smiled slightly. "Not really... but you never come here unless you have a reason. You're out here now, despite being sick. It can't be just to ask Zhou Xian for a drink." She leaned forward slightly, her tone inquisitive. "I thought this case was something far more complicated than I expected?"
A hint of surprise flashed in Pei Wenjin's eyes, but he nodded frankly: "Your Highness is wise... I have some connection with that case from five years ago." He stopped halfway through his sentence, clearly not intending to go into details.
Xiao Diting didn't ask any further questions, but simply turned his head to look out the car window.
The snow on both sides of the street had not yet melted, and pedestrians hurried past, wrapped tightly in their clothes. She watched for a moment, then suddenly frowned: "This is not the way to Dali Temple, nor is it the way back to the palace."
Pei Wenjin glanced outside following her gaze and said calmly, "We're not going to the Dali Temple. We're going to the Pei residence."
Xiao Diting suddenly turned to look at him: "Why?"
She opened her mouth, wanting to ask, "Why did I go to your house?", but swallowed the words back and only gave a soft "Mmm".
Pei Wenjin seemed to see through her thoughts and explained in a low voice, "The mansion is quiet, more suitable for conversation than the Dali Temple. We're just offering Your Highness a cup of hot tea to warm you up."
His tone was sincere, yet firm and unyielding.
If Xiao Diting were to make a scene and get out of the carriage now, she would most likely be abandoned by Lord Pei on the roadside and forced to walk all the way back. Unless she were to file a complaint against Pei Wenjin before the Emperor, which she didn't want to do at the moment.
The carriage soon stopped in front of the Pei residence.
The vermilion gate was wide open. When the gatekeeper saw Pei Wenjin return, he hurriedly stepped forward to help him up, but when he saw Xiao Diting, he was so frightened that he almost knelt down.
Xiao Diting cast an inquiring glance at him.
Pei Wenjin cleared his throat: "You've been here before."
Xiao Diting let out another "Oh".
Wait, God himself came here! What the hell? You two are really good at this!
Xiao Diting's mind was racing. She had previously thought that the princess and Pei Wenjin should have some interaction, whether it was due to interests or something else, she couldn't say for sure. But now that Pei Wenjin could bring her to the Pei residence so naturally, their relationship must be quite unusual.
She decided to take the time to investigate thoroughly and figure out the network of relationships in the capital.
As she was pondering, Pei Wenjin waved his hand, indicating to the gatekeeper not to make a fuss, and led the way, taking Xiao Diting inside.
Passing through the covered walkway and around the courtyard planted with red plum blossoms, the two arrived at an elegant side hall. As soon as they pushed open the door, Xiao Diting stopped in his tracks—three familiar faces were sitting in the hall.
Pei Wenjin kept some animals in his mansion, but none of them were the ones he wanted to keep; someone else was keeping them.
As soon as you enter, you can see Ji Chuan, dressed in casual clothes, hopping around in the yard walking the cat and playing with the dog. She accidentally angered a purebred yellow dog, and the half-grown puppy huddled in a corner, whimpering pitifully.
Shangguan Lin and Song Pingzhang, whom he hadn't seen for a long time, were also not wearing their official robes and were playing chess together in the pavilion. Lord Song picked up a black piece, pondered for a moment, and hesitated for a long time before making a move. Shangguan Lin filled in the gap and defeated him without leaving a trace.
Hearing the noise at the gate, Ji Chuan scooped up the dog and rushed to Pei Wenjin, tossing the cleaned puppy in front of him as if to show off: "Sir, look at the top-quality yellow dog I found today! Isn't it exceptionally beautiful!"
Pei Wenjin, wincing in pain, dodged away: "...Take it away."
Himekawa was so engrossed in showing off the beautiful puppy she had found that she was completely unaware that a distinguished person was following behind her.
The two governors from the north and south who were playing chess were surprised to see who had come. After they came to their senses, they quickly stepped forward to greet him, but Xiao Diting raised his hand to stop them.
She grinned and stepped in front of Pei Wenjin, looked the puppy over, and thought it was indeed beautiful. She reached out and took it, looking it up and down with satisfaction. She cupped the puppy's soft fur in her palm and said, "Oh, it's really nice. It's mine."
Himekawa:?
The boy's face flushed red instantly. He stammered, glancing between the three adults. Seeing that no one spoke up for him, he mustered his courage and stopped the princess: "Um, Your Highness..."
Xiao Diting abandoned his playful intentions and comforted him, "I'll play with it for a while and then return it to you."
With this incident, the other three people didn't care much about her purpose for coming here. It was Xiao Diting who asked first, "What brings the other two here?"
Song Pingzhang cupped his hands and said, "Lord Pei is under house arrest, so some matters can only be discussed here... We subordinates also gather here privately."
Xiao Diting said, "No need for formalities. Just treat me as an ordinary relative or friend. You all go about your business first."
After a brief chat, inquiring about each other's recent situations, Pei Wenjin, citing some private matters to discuss, led Xiao Diting to his study.
The Pei family had few heirs, and he was the head of the family. He walked ahead of her, as if he were leading her into the palace to meet the emperor for the first time.
Upon entering, Pei Wenjin closed the wooden door of the study and, unusually serious, said, "I left in a hurry that day and didn't ask Your Highness about some details. After the grain bill was concluded, when the stolen goods were being collected, I noticed the whereabouts of a 'grain line'."
"Did you move that wire?"
Xiao Diting also revealed her sharp edge, stepping forward and showing her claws: "It was me who did it... Why is it that only Lord Pei is allowed to 'keep it' privately, but I am not allowed to 'embezzle' it?"
She licked her teeth: "Didn't Lord Pei say before that I was involved in this case? If I don't substantiate this charge, wouldn't I be suffering in prison for nothing?"
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