Chapter 72 The Affair Exposed
He said that he had remained celibate for Empress Xue.
But that's so strange.
Before marrying Pei Zhen, Xue Run never interacted with anyone.
Xiao Xun couldn't even get close to her, so how did he fall in love with her? But observing his words and actions, it seems they knew each other a long time ago, so how did he get in touch with Xue Run?
Pei Qianguang returned to the Duke of Yan's mansion with doubts.
Xiao Chongheng's study was always off-limits to outsiders, so there must be something illicit hidden there—possibly evidence of treason, or perhaps...
Now, Pei Qianguang is in charge of the Duke of Yan's mansion. She immediately went into Xiao Chongheng's study and, after searching around, found a portrait in a drawer of the bookcase.
Without the slightest hesitation, Pei Qianguang opened the portrait.
She thought it was a defense map or something, but when she opened it, it was a portrait of a woman. The woman's face in the painting gave her the creeps.
It was Empress Xue Run.
Pei Qianguang's eyes widened, and his heart began to pound wildly.
Why does Xiao Chongheng have the Empress's portrait? So when exactly did their relationship begin?
Pei Qianguang searched again and found another letter. It looked like it had been handled many times, and the edges were torn.
She opened it and took a look. It contained only a few lines of love poems, but Pei Qianguang noticed the handwriting. There was a plaque in her house that was written by the Empress herself, and she recognized it as Xue Yingyue's handwriting.
The poet's name written below caught her attention.
Lingzhen pear.
Lingzhen pear?
Who is Ling Zhenli? This is probably just a name Xue Yingyue made up to avoid being recognized.
It's no use making things up; the portrait and handwriting are so similar, even a fool could tell the difference.
Pei Qianguang carefully put away the portrait, preparing to take this evidence out of the capital to show Pei Xuanlin, but at the last moment, she suddenly realized something.
Before Xiao Chongheng married Pei Chanlian, didn't he have a woman? Could it be her name?
Could it be...? Could it be...?
*
The sun is about to set.
After their affair ended, Xiao Chongheng gently wiped Ling Zhenli's body as if he were cherishing a rare treasure, but this tenderness filled Ling Zhenli with endless fear and despair.
She closed her eyes tightly, tears silently streaming down her face, tears filled with regret and pain.
She murmured softly, her voice weak but filled with hatred: "I shouldn't have been soft-hearted and spared your life. I should have sent people to chase you out of the capital, find you, and kill you too."
As she spoke, Xiao Chongheng's hand slowly moved to her neck and gently pinched it.
A raging fire burned in his deep eyes, as if he wanted to devour her completely.
However, Xiao Chongheng's tone was surprisingly calm, with a hint of cruel laughter.
"That's a pity you didn't kill me, but since you've said that, I'll make you slowly enjoy the pain and torture you endlessly in the days to come."
Ling Zhenli felt her breathing becoming increasingly difficult. She stubbornly closed her eyes, her lips parted slightly, and her words were full of determination.
"Just let me die."
Now, whenever Xiao Chongheng hears Ling Zhenli say the word "death," he automatically thinks of Pei Xuanlin. Does she love him so much that she's even willing to die for him?
Well, what a pair of star-crossed lovers.
Xiao Chongheng's lips suddenly covered hers, with endless madness. He kissed her forcefully, as if he wanted to embed her into his own bones and blood.
After a long while, he gently released her, his deep voice ringing in her ear: "Don't die, I'll let you continue being the empress."
A hint of mockery flashed in Ling Zhenli's eyes, and a cold smile curled at the corner of her lips.
"Are you going to remarry again? If you like marriage so much, go marry someone else. I have a husband, have you forgotten? He died at your hands."
Xiao Chongheng's face grew increasingly gloomy, his hands tightened slightly, and his gaze was as sharp as a knife.
"Don't provoke me, Ling Zhenli."
"You used to despise me for being a prostitute and discard me like trash, but now you dare to make me, a prostitute, your queen? I'm not worthy of you."
"Lingzhen Pear!"
After being yelled at by Xiao Chongheng, Ling Zhenli stopped talking and just stared at him quietly, her eyes filled with endless sorrow and despair.
She knew that no matter how much she struggled, she could not escape this man's control.
Her fate was already inextricably linked to his, as if cursed and inescapable.
Xiao Chongheng stood up and took out the same medicine that had made her wish she were dead. Ling Zhenli stared in horror, her body trembling uncontrollably as she shrank back.
"Now you're scared? Too late. You still have the energy to argue with me, so don't blame me..."
*
The night was as dark as ink, and the flickering candlelight cast a long and lonely shadow of Pei Xuanlin.
His heart was filled with longing for Xue Yingyue, and he wished he could sprout wings and fly back to the palace. But it would be soon; in another day or two, he would arrive in the capital and see her then.
Just as Pei Xuanlin was lost in thought about his wife, a knock came at the door.
"Your Majesty, the Princess of Xiangcheng has arrived and is requesting an audience outside the gate, saying she has important business to discuss."
It's the middle of the night.
What urgent matter could be so pressing? Princess Xiangcheng... Pei Xuanlin has barely met this cousin a few times, let alone exchanged more than a few words with her. Besides, Princess Xiangcheng should be in the capital right now. What is she doing here in the middle of the night?
Oh well, we're already here.
"Let the Princess of Xiangcheng in."
"yes."
There was a rustling sound outside the door.
“Please come in, Your Highness. His Majesty said you may see me… There’s no one inside. Let me carry your cloak for you.”
"Thank you for your trouble, sir."
The door was pushed open, and Pei Qianguang entered the hall.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects. May Your Majesty be well."
Pei Xuanlin scrutinized her: "Rise. It's so late. What urgent matter has happened that you're in such a hurry to see me? Don't you know I'll be returning to the capital in a couple of days?"
"Please forgive me, Your Majesty. I came here late at night only for Your Majesty's safety. Please listen to my words. You must not return to the palace so abruptly. My mother-in-law, Princess Wuyang, has taken control of the palace and has laid a trap for Your Majesty."
Pei Xuanlin sat upright behind the desk, lightly tapping the table with his fingertips, his eyes suddenly turning cold: "Wuyang? I had long suspected she was plotting a rebellion, but I didn't expect you to come and tip me off."
Pei Qianguang smiled and said, "Yes, I didn't expect it either, but this world belongs to the Pei family after all, and I will not let it fall into the hands of others."
"How interesting. If Wuyang becomes emperor, she will surely pass the throne to your husband, the Duke of Yan. What, does becoming empress mean the country is no longer in the hands of the Pei family?"
Pei Xuanlin raised an eyebrow, guessing that there was more to the story.
Pei Qianguang must have sent the message because of the collapse of interests.
As expected, Pei Qianguang's expression changed, and he adopted a cold and indifferent look.
"The Fang family, the commander of the Imperial Guards, has secretly pledged allegiance to Princess Wuyang, and the Xue family, the prime minister, has also been firmly controlled by Princess Wuyang's troops. Even my father supports Princess Wuyang's ascension to the throne. I know that under these circumstances, Your Majesty will not trust me if I do not tell the truth. The truth is that my husband, Duke Xiao Chongheng of Yan, has had an affair with your wife, Empress Xue Yingyue. He is plotting to replace you. He told me personally that after he ascends the throne, he will make your Empress Chen his empress."
Pei Xuanlin remained silent for a moment, then his gaze swept across Pei Qianguang's face like a knife: "Do you have any evidence for what you're saying?"
Pei Qianguang gritted his teeth, lowered his voice, and tried to suppress his anger: "The evidence is that Empress Chen is no longer in the palace. Xiao Chongheng has imprisoned her in the Huaiming Temple Tower. He is just waiting for the right time to use the Empress's name to command the officials and soldiers in the capital and shake the foundation of the country!"
"absurd!"
Pei Xuanlin stood up, his dragon robe fluttering, his eyes blazing with anger. "The Empress has always been dignified and proper. How could she conspire with Xiao Chongheng to overthrow the foundations of the nation? Do you know that you are spouting nonsense? Do you know that words spoken in anger are a capital offense?"
Pei Qianguang stepped forward, her voice firm, "Your Majesty! I am your sister! How can you not believe me? The Empress is currently imprisoned in a high tower, lying on my husband's bed. How could I lie about such a thing? Your Majesty, please see the truth!"
Pei Xuanlin was startled and staggered, only managing to avoid falling over by grabbing the table.
He closed his eyes, and Xue Yingyue's gentle, watery eyes appeared in his mind. She whispered, "I am willing to spend this life with Your Majesty, and never be separated from you, even in death."
“Impossible…” Pei Xuanlin murmured with a furrowed brow, “The Empress would not collude with Xiao Chongheng. You said she was imprisoned by the Duke of Yan.”
"Your Majesty!" Pei Qianguang said urgently, "You have been wise and discerning throughout your life, weighing the affairs of the world. You must not stumble over matters of the heart! If the Empress is truly innocent, the palace is heavily guarded. How could the traitor Duke of Yan have gotten close to the Empress, let alone imprisoned her in the tower? It was the Empress who let her guard down, which led to this incident!"
After saying that, Pei Qianguang took out a scroll from his sleeve, walked up to Pei Xuanlin, and unrolled the scroll.
The room was deathly silent, with only the crackling of the candlelight.
"The woman in this portrait is the woman Xiao Chongheng kept before his marriage to Princess Roujia. Your Majesty, take a closer look. Isn't this your Empress Chen?"
Pei Xuanlin slowly opened his eyes, his gaze devoid of grief, only filled with a frosty coldness.
The person in the painting is Xue Yingyue, that's right.
"Where did you get this painting?" Pei Xuanlin asked coldly.
"Besides this, there's also this in the Duke of Yan's study." Pei Qianguang took the letter out of his sleeve and presented it to Pei Xuanlin.
Pei Xuanlin took the letter but did not open it immediately. He slowly clenched his fist, his knuckles turning white, as if he wanted to crush all the pain and anger in his palm.
Xiao Chongheng was his closest cousin, yet he could do such a shameless and despicable thing as infatuating with and seducing his sister-in-law. He really misjudged him, still clinging to old feelings and treating Xiao Chongheng like a brother.
Xue Yingyue.
She was probably just temporarily misled by him.
"You just said that the Empress was captured by the Duke of Yan. Perhaps the Empress has some unspeakable difficulties."
Even now, Pei Xuanlin is still making excuses for Xue Yingyue's betrayal.
Pei Qianguang was shocked. Even she could see this clearly. It was obvious that Xiao Chongheng and Xue Yingyue knew each other before their marriage. It was possible that Xue Yingyue was the woman Xiao Chongheng was keeping. The two of them would make up any lie to have an affair.
"Your Majesty! Please read the letter before making a decision!"
"Alright, that's enough. I'm tired. You may leave now. Have the guards take you to rest. I need to rest too."
Judging from Pei Xuanlin's appearance, he clearly didn't want anyone to see him in such a disheveled and miserable state. Seeing this, Pei Qianguang stopped trying to dissuade him, bowed, and took his leave.
Once everyone was alone, Pei Xuanlin slumped into a chair, unable to calm down for a long time.
He opened the envelope and saw the handwriting he knew all too well.
Just one glance.
Xue Yingyue's courtesy name.
Xue Yingyue wrote love poems to Xiao Chongheng.
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