Chapter 36 "From now on, I will never let you suffer like this again..."
Without conclusive evidence, it was impossible to convict Pei Chanlian for the time being. In addition, Pei Chanlian's elder brother, the Prince of Shunyi, intervened in various ways, and Pei Chanlian was soon released.
"Hurry up and get on the carriage! Stop dawdling! You've completely disgraced your father, you good-for-nothing!"
Prince Shunyi, Pei Jinliang, spoke with obvious annoyance and impatience, his cold eyes looking down at Pei Chanlian, who was being brought out of the prison by the guards.
Pei Chanlian was so embarrassed by what she was said that she didn't dare to breathe loudly and got into the carriage with a disheveled face.
Pei Jinliang was furious at Pei Chanlian's pathetic appearance: "You better tell me the truth, or you can go to the underworld and cry to your father and mother."
"It has nothing to do with me, it's all the Cui family trying to frame me..."
“If you dare to lie to me again, get out of the car and walk away by yourself, Pei Zhuo. You’d better think it over.”
Pei Jinliang showed no courtesy to Pei Chanlian. If it weren't for the fact that she was his only sister and that his mother had repeatedly instructed him to take good care of her before she died, he would have let Pei Chanlian fend for herself long ago.
“I…I cherish Xiao Chongheng so much, I love him so much, he is the person I have sought all my life! But he loves Xue Yingyue! He only thinks about Xue Yingyue all day long! Isn’t he forcing me to kill Xue Yingyue!”
Pei Chanlian broke down emotionally, yelling and screaming, which only made Pei Jinliang more annoyed and speechless.
"Since he loves Xue Yingyue, wouldn't killing Xue Yingyue only make him hate you even more?"
"What else can I do? Even if I have to torment him for the rest of my life, I will never let him go. I am his wife! His lawfully wedded wife!"
Pei Chanlian couldn't hold back her tears and started crying. She grabbed Pei Jinliang's hand and pleaded, "Brother, I'm begging you, please have pity on me! I've loved Xiao Chongheng since I was little, I can't live without him! I can't bear to watch him fall in love with another woman! This marriage I've worked so hard to build can't be ruined by Xue Yingyue, brother!"
Pei Jinliang closed his eyes, his brows furrowed.
Pei Jinliang recalled his and his sister's mother, who was beautiful and of outstanding birth. Emperor Gaozong personally arranged her marriage to his father. After their marriage, the father and mother were loving and harmonious, and his mother gave birth to him and his sister in succession. They thought that life would continue like this forever, but one day, his father brought back a woman from outside. Despite his mother's desperate pleas, he insisted on making that woman his concubine and wanted his mother to be divorced.
Empress Xue, Emperor Gaozong's former wife, was kind and virtuous. However, she was deposed without cause and died of excessive grief. Empress Xue was a knot in Emperor Gaozong's heart.
Emperor Gaozong refused his mother's impudent request to be divorced, but after that, he never set foot in his mother's palace again, instead indulging in pleasure with other women, which ultimately led to his mother's death from depression.
Now that his sister is about to repeat the same mistake, he, as her older brother, feels terrible seeing her suffer.
“The Prince of Gao’an likes you. The Duke of Yan is indeed more handsome than him, but they are brothers and look alike. Why don’t you make do? If you’re willing, I’ll plead with the Emperor. Anyway, no one has died in this matter. We can just cover it up by the death of a noble lady. The Prince of Gao’an doesn’t necessarily have to die.”
After hearing Pei Jinliang's words, Pei Chanlian's heart was not made of stone. She loved Xiao Chongheng, but she didn't dislike Yang Chongzheng either. She softened her tone and pleaded with Pei Jinliang: "Since you have a way, I would like to ask you to step forward and help Prince Gao'an. He is innocent and is taking the blame for me."
Pei Jinliang paused for a second, then nodded, which was considered an agreement.
“The Prince of Gao’an is the son of Princess Wuyang. His Majesty will not kill him for the sake of Wuyang. My intervention is only to help him get out of prison faster. However, you should think carefully. Both the Prince of Gao’an and the Duke of Yan are the sons of the Princess. You should be careful not to play with fire and get burned.”
Pei Jinliang emphasized the last four words, his eyes revealing a strong murderous aura. Pei Chanlian was frightened by his glare and had no choice but to lower her head.
She knew that ever since her father was executed, Pei Jinliang had pretended to be a failure in order to help her survive under Yang Mingkong. He kept a low profile, holding a sinecure and a nominal position, and spent almost all his time in brothels, rarely attending banquets. Therefore, few people knew Pei Jinliang's true nature.
The carriage stopped.
Pei Jinliang said coldly, "Alright, we've arrived at the Duke's Mansion. Go back by yourself."
Pei Chanlian nodded, lowered her eyes, and got off the carriage.
...
The guards at the entrance of the Duke of Yan's mansion still respectfully welcomed her into the mansion. It was dusk, and Xiao Chongheng was also in the mansion.
The maid told Pei Chanlian that Xiao Chongheng was sleeping in Jiyue Pavilion and that no one was allowed to disturb him. Pei Chanlian thought to herself that Xiao Chongheng rarely rested at this time, and she wanted to go and see him.
Pei Chanlian pushed open the door, and a whiff of incense wafted towards her, a scent that made one feel focused and at ease.
When Xiao Chongheng had just broken off his relationship with Ling Zhenli, he cried all day and couldn't sleep, so he sent someone to burn this incense. Pei Chanlian was unaware of this.
Pei Chanlian walked quietly into the inner room, trying not to make a sound, and saw Xiao Chongheng fast asleep.
He slept in a very good position, his breathing was steady, and gradually, Pei Chanlian's mind also relaxed as she smelled the calming aura of the incense.
Pei Chanlian walked to the bedside and looked at Xiao Chongheng's sleeping face. A thought popped into her mind: she wanted to secretly kiss Xiao Chongheng, even just once, she would have no regrets.
Just as she was about to bend down and kiss him, she suddenly caught a glimpse of golden light from the side of the bed.
Pei Chanlian's gaze was instantly drawn to it, curious about what was emitting the light, so she squatted down to examine it.
A gold hairpin.
It is a gold-framed hairpin inlaid with mandarin ducks and flowers, and is also inlaid with glass, tridacna shell, and turquoise, exuding luxury and nobility.
With just one glance, Pei Chanlian determined that this was the hairpin worn by the Crown Princess.
Pei Chanlian gripped the hairpin tightly in her hand, her heart pounding wildly. She glared angrily at Xiao Chongheng, a fire burning in her chest, but fearing he would wake up and see the hairpin in her hand, she had no choice but to leave Jiyue Pavilion as soon as possible.
As dusk settled, she trod through the fading sunlight, her skirt brushing against the new moss on the steps, not daring to waste a moment, and hurried back to her bedchamber.
Only after she was firmly seated in the chair did Pei Chanlian dare to breathe freely.
She took out the hairpin hidden in her sleeve again, picked it up and examined it carefully, her face showing neither sorrow nor joy.
It was impossible for Xiao Chongheng to fall deeply in love with Xue Yingyue all at once, especially since Xue Yingyue had always been a recluse who never showed her face in any situation. Xiao Chongheng didn't even have the chance to see her, so how could he be in love with her?
The only woman Xiao Chongheng ever loved was the one who died in the Drunken Immortal Pavilion. He hid her away very well, and no one ever saw her true face. There were even rumors that she was dead, but whether she was truly dead or not was still unknown.
Is Xue Yingyue the woman who had a romantic relationship with Xiao Chongheng...?
Why, why?
She's already the Crown Princess, so why is she still in contact with Xiao Chongheng, and even went to the Duke of Yan's mansion and slept with him...?
Why, why!
"Xue Yingyue, greed knows no bounds. I don't care who you were before, but now that you have Pei Xuanlin, why don't you just live a good life with Pei Xuanlin instead of coming to find my husband... Since you're like this, don't blame me for being ruthless."
Pei Chanlian got up, preparing to go to the Shunyi Prince's Mansion to tell Pei Jinliang about this matter. But then she thought that if the Crown Princess really was a prostitute in the past, then the Prime Minister's Mansion, which helped her become the Crown Princess, would not escape either. The Prime Minister's faction would definitely not admit this. In addition, the Crown Prince dotes on Xue Yingyue, so he might choose to protect her.
This matter is of great importance, so we must bear with it for now.
***
In the stillness of the night, the Eastern Palace was bathed in darkness.
The wind swept across the sycamore trees in front of Chongde Hall, their branches and leaves swaying and cutting the moonlight into scattered silver flakes.
After Ling Zhenli finished bathing and changed into her nightgown, she sat down at the dressing table and started combing her hair. Pei Xuanlin had been lying on the bed waiting for her for a while.
"My wife, it's time to go to bed. Don't comb your hair. Quickly go to bed with your husband."
Ling Zhenli turned her head and glanced at him, her eyes smiling: "Why are you in such a hurry, my husband? My hair is still a little wet."
"Let me wipe it for you."
Pei Xuanlin laughed heartily, jumped off the bed, took a towel from the dressing table, and began to diligently wipe Ling Zhenli's hair.
"What's wrong with you today? Why are you so happy?"
"I'm so happy to have brought you back to the palace."
Pei Xuanlin smiled and, while speaking, leaned down and kissed Ling Zhenli.
Ling Zhenli wiped her face and turned to look at Pei Xuanlin: "Absence makes the heart grow fonder, but we were only apart for half a night, so it doesn't even count as an absence. Sanlang, are you plotting something else for me?"
"As expected, nothing escapes my wife's discerning eye."
Pei Xuanlin was so fond of Ling Zhenli that he held her tightly in his arms, resting his head on her shoulder. Their ambiguous and tender faces were reflected in the bronze mirror, and for a moment, his breathing became disordered.
"Stop being evasive, what's the matter?"
Ling Zhenli pushed away the head that was making a ruckus with kisses on her neck, and looked at Pei Xuanlin with a slightly serious expression. Pei Xuanlin stopped moving and pulled her to the bed.
"What is it that we have to talk about in bed?" Ling Zhenli asked, puzzled.
"I'm just afraid you'll get angry. Here's the thing, Yang Xiande will be coming to the capital in a few days. The palace will be hosting a banquet to entertain him, but to frame him for treason, we need to make it real and send a team of soldiers disguised as Yang's people to assassinate him. So I'm worried that someone might take advantage of the chaos to harm you. Therefore... I need to make you feel bad and pretend that you're at odds with me. I'll demote you to a Buddhist temple to meditate and reflect on your actions, so that the Yang family won't notice anything amiss."
Ling Zhenli blinked, processing Pei Xuanlin's words that came out in one breath.
"So, are you going to divorce me?"
Although she knew it was all an act, a lie, Ling Zhenli still found it hard to believe, and felt a void in her heart.
Seeing her downcast mood, Pei Xuanlin realized she had misunderstood and quickly explained, "No, no, how could I divorce you? At most, I'll let you stay in the temple for a few days. I'll also give you half of the guards stationed at the East Palace to ensure your safety. It's just an excuse for you to go and cultivate, not a real one. If you get bored staying in the temple, I can secretly send you back to the Prime Minister's residence. Once this is over, I'll bring you back."
Ling Zhenli wasn't unreasonable or argumentative; she understood that Pei Xuanlin was fighting for their future.
"It's alright, Saburo."
Ling Zhenli spoke gently, placing her warm hands on Pei Xuanlin's, "I will definitely protect myself, so don't worry about me."
“It was my negligence that gave the villains an opportunity last night. I originally wanted to keep you by my side at all times, but I was afraid that the Yang family would resort to desperate measures. Knowing that this idea came from the Prime Minister, they sent assassins to kill you…”
Hearing Pei Xuanlin's words, Ling Zhenli gently rested her head against Pei Xuanlin's chest, feeling a pang of reluctance.
"Sanlang, you're worried about my safety, but have you thought about your own? Sanlang, you must protect yourself. I'm waiting for you to come and get me."
"Okay, I'll definitely come to pick you up in person after it's all done."
Pei Xuanlin gently rubbed Ling Zhenli's head, feeling tender, but then he remembered something and chuckled awkwardly.
“Princess Roujia has been taken out of prison by her brother, Prince Shunyi. Prince Shunyi rarely handles these kinds of trivial matters, so we have to give him face… My lady, please don’t take it to heart.”
"The Prince of Shunyi?"
Ling Zhenli had not heard of the name of the Prince of Shunyi many times. This Prince of Shunyi frequented brothels and his power was hidden. He was not on good terms with the prominent nobles.
How did he get the ability to get people out of prison?
“The Prince of Shunyi is the orphan of Crown Prince Duanhuai, and so is Princess Roujia. His Majesty has no choice but to spare Princess Roujia for now. Ali, don’t be angry. If she really did the thing that was done to harm you, we will have plenty of time to deal with it once we ascend the throne.”
Ling Zhenli knew that Pei Xuanlin was right. Times had changed. Before she became empress, she could only endure these things. Once she became empress, dealing with a mere figurehead princess would be a simple matter of a word.
“I can wait, Saburo. As long as those who harmed me pay the price, I can endure it for the time being.”
Pei Xuanlin felt a pang of sadness seeing Ling Zhenli's aggrieved expression, and could only gently comfort her: "It's my fault for making my Ah Li suffer. I promise I will never let you suffer any more grievances in the future, believe me."
"I trust you."
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