Chapter 42 If Xue Yingyue's heart has truly wandered off to...
Seeing her mother arrive, Pei Chang'er instantly gained confidence, her gaze sharpened, and she pointed her sword at Pei Shen'ai with a backhand.
"Shang'er, how dare you! What are you doing? Put down your sword!"
With a hint of displeasure on her face, Chen Liniang stepped forward and pulled down Pei Shang'er's hand that was holding the sword.
Pei Chang'er glanced at Chen Liniang, her anger still burning: "I'm saving my husband, what's wrong with that?"
Seeing Pei Chang'er's relentless attitude, Chen Liniang had no choice but to harden her heart and teach her a lesson in order to protect Pei Chang'er.
"Enough, Chang'er, stop fooling around. It's a fact that the Yang family has raised an army in rebellion and intended to assassinate you. You can't be so stubborn. Someone, help the princess down to rest."
"No! No one can separate us! No one! Not even the Jade Emperor himself!"
Seeing that her mother hadn't come to help her, Pei Shang'er was blinded by rage and wildly swung her sword, injuring two palace maids who had been about to come and help her.
Seeing her break down and lose control, Yang Chengxiu quickly went over and hugged her to prevent her from hurting herself with her sword.
Fearing she might hurt Yang Chengxiu, Pei Shang'er stopped moving and glared angrily at Chen Liniang.
"Wu Yang can arrest him today, and kill him tomorrow! You are the Empress, the mother of the nation, and Yang Chengxiu is your daughter's husband, your son-in-law! How can you condone her killing your son-in-law?"
"Shang'er, calm down."
Chen Liniang didn't want to see her daughter sad, but there was no way to have the best of both worlds.
“The entire Yang family is dead, leaving only him. Pei Jing, he is the only descendant of your mother’s family. If you kill him, how can you face your mother who raised you!”
As soon as Pei Shang'er said this, everyone looked at Pei Shen'ai, waiting for her answer.
Pei Shen'ai spoke calmly and slowly: "Yes, the only descendant of the Yang family. It's a pity that even princes are subject to the same laws as commoners. Jin'an, our Pei family has just taken back the throne from the Yang family. You cannot protect Yang Chengxiu at this time. Even if he is your consort, it is still not allowed. Guards, take the consort away!"
"slow!"
Pei Shang'er hurriedly stood in front of Yang Chengxiu to prevent the imperial guards from getting closer. She frantically raised the sword in her hand, gritted her teeth, and her eyes were filled with a chilling coldness.
"Please, Your Majesty, spare the Imperial Son-in-Law Yang Chengxiu and spare Emperor Shizong's only remaining nephew."
Pei Shen'ai ignored her and narrowed her eyes: "What are you still standing there for? Take control of Princess Jin'an and take the consort Yang Chengxiu away."
Seeing that Pei Shen'ai wouldn't listen to reason, Pei Chang'er simply stopped pretending, chuckled softly, and her lips curved into a bewitching smile.
The next second, her eyes suddenly turned fierce, issuing a warning.
“If anyone dares to say they want to take away the Prince Consort Yang Chengxiu, I will turn this place into the Divine Martial Gate and kill you all.”
Seeing that Pei Shang'er was determined to oppose her to the end, Pei Shen'ai was determined to turn the tables.
“Jin’an, you can’t make such a decision because of a momentary feeling of affection. Once you calm down, you will regret what you said.”
It would have been better if Pei Shen'ai hadn't said anything, because Pei Shang'er immediately attacked: "Pei Jing, you're unhappy in your own marriage, no one loves you, so you're jealous that I have someone who loves me and want to take away my happiness. Let me tell you, you're dreaming. If you let Chengxiu die, I'll kill you too. And your husband, your two sons and your daughter, oh dear, I almost forgot, Yang Chongzheng hasn't died with the Yang family yet. Don't worry, I'll definitely make him go down to join your mother."
Faced with Pei Shang'er's blatant provocation and smug expression, Pei Shen'ai's anger surged to its peak.
"Jin'an, I think you've gone mad! Are you all dead? Why aren't you stopping the princess and taking the prince consort away!"
Faced with such a tense atmosphere, Chen Liniang was at a loss. She was afraid that her daughter had offended Princess Wuyang too much and would suffer retaliation from her. She was also afraid that her daughter would really lose her husband, which would break her heart.
"Shang'er, let the prince consort go to the Ministry of Justice first. He won't be interrogated for the time being."
At this moment, Yang Chengxiu spoke up.
"Shang'er".
Pei Shang'er turned around and met Yang Chengxiu's eyes.
He remained as clear and gentle as ever. He seemed to have anticipated the separation, but he was reluctant to part.
"Listen to me, it's okay if I go in, you can still come to the Ministry of Justice to see me, okay?"
“If you’re going, I’ll go with you,” Pei Shang’er said earnestly.
"Don't go, listen to me. The Ministry of Justice isn't a good place. Get a good night's sleep tonight, and come see me tomorrow morning."
"No, I would have sleepless nights without you."
"Listen to me, remember, I love you."
Pei Shang'er was extremely reluctant to leave. She knew that it was easy to get into the Ministry of Justice but difficult to get out, especially since Pei Shen'ai would definitely target Yang Chengxiu.
Provoked by what Pei Shang'er had just said to her, Pei Shen'ai angrily retorted, "Stop talking nonsense and take her away right now!"
The imperial guards pulled the two apart, and Pei Shang'er tried to stop them again, but Chen Liniang quickly stepped forward to stop the grief-stricken Pei Shang'er: "Shang'er, quickly send the prince consort to the Ministry of Justice. He will be fine, your mother promises you."
"No...no...don't take my Seung-soo away...no..."
Yang Chengxiu did not want to make things more complicated, so he obediently followed the Imperial Guards.
As Pei Shang'er watched his retreating figure being led away, her heart ached terribly, and she could barely breathe.
Pei Shen'ai remained aloof and indifferent, which Pei Shang'er immediately vented her anger on.
"Pei Jing, you shameless woman! You had an affair with the monk Zu Hui back then and gave birth to this bastard, Yang Chongzheng. You were afraid your husband would find out you cheated on him, so you even said the child belonged to the Yang family. Bah! You shameless slut! I overheard you telling the monk Zu Hui in the palace that the child was his. You tried to kill me to silence me. If Chengxiu hadn't come to my rescue in time, I would have been killed by you long ago. You two-faced slut, give me back Chengxiu!"
Enraged and losing her temper, Pei Shang'er grabbed her sword and charged to kill Pei Shen'ai after finishing her tirade. Pei Shen'ai, seeing her most private secret exposed in public by Pei Shang'er, was also furious and enraged.
"Jin'an! You've gone mad! Do you still look like a princess? I am your imperial aunt, and you dare to spew such foul language at me, showing no respect for your elders! It must be the prince consort who instigated and taught you this. Guards, quickly help the princess to rest! Can't you see she's exhausted?"
Pei Shang'er was not afraid at all. She completely broke off relations with Pei Shen'ai and turned around to shout at the crowd.
"You should all be grateful to my father, the Emperor, for giving you a prosperous and wealthy Tang Dynasty, allowing you to live in peace and enjoy a golden age! Not this woman. When Yang Mingkong was in power, she aided and abetted the wicked. In order to curry favor with the Yang family, she would marry any man with the surname Yang, and she would endure being beaten by her husband without complaint. After her first husband died, this fickle woman set her sights on the young master of the Xiao family, who already had a wife. For this, she did not hesitate to kill the Xiao consort's first wife so that she could take his place!"
Seeing Pei Shen'ai's face contorted with rage, looking like she was about to kill someone, Chen Liniang quickly stopped Pei Chang'er: "Alright, Chang'er! Stop talking!"
Unexpectedly, Pei Shang'er broke free of him, still acting erratically, tears streaming down her face, relentlessly questioning and accusing him.
"And you, you are the Empress, what are you afraid of Wuyang for? Chengxiu is your family, are you just going to stand here and watch your grandson have no father? Watch your daughter have no husband? You don't even side with your daughter, what kind of mother are you in the world!"
Despite being scolded by her daughter, Chen Liniang couldn't bear to blame Pei Shang'er. She knew her poor daughter must be heartbroken and upset.
"Shang'er, don't cry. Come back to the palace with your mother. We'll go find your father and ask him to release Chengxiu, okay? Don't be angry with your father and mother, my good child."
Chen Liniang couldn't bear to see her daughter so sad and upset. Pei Shang'er had been bullied by Pei Shen'ai since she was a child. She hadn't seen it herself, but she had heard about it. Now that her husband had been taken away by Pei Shen'ai, she must be full of resentment. She wasn't a good mother. She hadn't been able to protect her child in the past, and now she absolutely couldn't let her child suffer any injustice.
"Listen to your mother, take Cong'er, and go back to the palace tonight."
When Pei Shang'er heard that there was a solution, she stopped her madness. After glaring at Pei Shen'ai, she turned and left, immediately going to the backyard to hug Pei Cong.
The only way forward is to plead with the Emperor to give Yang Chengxiu a chance at survival.
***
Pei Xuanlin was busy all night, and when he returned to the East Palace, it was already almost dawn. But he dared not sleep for a moment, as he had to bring the Crown Princess back from the Holy Light Temple as soon as possible.
but……
Pei Xuanlin didn't want to admit his mistake. He hadn't done anything wrong. Xue Yingyue called Xiao Chongheng's name in the middle of the night. When he questioned her, she could have at least given him a casual answer. But she couldn't even be bothered to make up a story, and instead, she turned the tables on him.
Yes, he admitted that Xue Yingyue came from a good family and was tough, not afraid to offend him, the crown prince. But had she ever thought that he was not only the crown prince, but also her husband, the person she was to spend her life with? They had only been married for less than half a year, and she was already treating him like this. It was easy to imagine that things would be even worse in the future.
Just then, a cat's meow came from inside the house.
It's Xue Yingyue's cat.
How annoying, it's a cat that Xiao Chongheng used to own.
"Go away, go away, you're so annoying."
Pei Xuanlin frowned, not wanting to pay attention to the meowing cat. Although he didn't like it, he didn't kick it away.
Perhaps knowing that the man wouldn't hurt her, Baiyun followed Pei Xuanlin with bouncy, jumping and skipping, going wherever he went, and every now and then she would lie down, roll over, and get up again, acting cute and charming.
"The little kitten is quite cute."
Pei Xuanlin found it amusing, and seeing that no one was around, he secretly picked up the cat and petted it.
The cat's soft fur felt wonderful to the touch, and Baiyun was adorable; Pei Xuanlin was quickly won over by it.
"No wonder Ahri likes you..."
Holding the cat, Pei Xuanlin gradually became saddened, thinking not only of Xue Yingyue, but also of Xiao Chongheng.
“You know what? Your first master was my good brother. Back then, everyone looked down on my birth mother because of her low status, mocked me, and cursed me. But he was different. He took the initiative to play with me... And he was handsome. If Xue Yingyue liked him, I don’t think I had any chance.”
Although Pei Xuanlin knew he was good-looking, Xiao Chongheng was simply too handsome. What if Xue Yingyue's heart really fell for Xiao Chongheng...?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
