Chapter 66: "If I dare to change my mind, you can kill me..."
The Duke of Yan's Mansion
Pei Qianguang sat amidst a cluster of blooming peonies, elegantly sipping tea and smiling occasionally, appearing exceptionally approachable.
"I know that all of you sisters were originally destined to become imperial concubines, but the Emperor has always refused to take any concubines, so you sisters have been forced to enter the Duke of Yan's mansion."
As she spoke, Pei Qianguang put down her teacup and looked at the three women in front of her, who were about the same age as her, with gentle eyes.
“I had heard before I entered the manor that the Duke of Yan’s manor was no less impressive than the Crown Prince’s manor. Now it seems,” Pei Qianguang picked up a handkerchief to cover his lips and lowered his eyes, “that it is even more magnificent than the Crown Prince’s manor.”
Fang Yuxian, Du Bingying, and Wang Weiyu are all concubines from prominent families, so they have nothing to fear from Pei Qianguang.
"The Duke hasn't returned to the manor for many days. Does the County Princess know where he has gone?" Wang Weiyu asked.
"Yes, I haven't seen the Duke for several days in a row."
"..." Pei Qianguang's expression changed instantly, but in order to maintain her dignity, she smiled and forced a smile, "The Duke has official business to attend to and will be busy these days. He won't be back for a while. You should take good care of yourselves in the manor. When the Duke returns, I will have him visit you more often."
"Thank you, County Princess."
After expressing their gratitude, the three of them got up and took their leave.
Pei Qianguang could finally loosen his clenched teeth.
Her eyes turned cold instantly. These three women were respectful to her on the surface, but in reality, they were all laughing at her. On their wedding night, Xiao Chongheng didn't even come to drink the wedding wine. It was said that after the guests in the front hall left, he went directly to his private residence in the suburbs of the capital, without even entering the backyard of the Duke's mansion.
Isn't this a blatant slap in the face to her, the legal wife?
Her grandfather was Emperor Gaozong's brother. During Emperor Wen's reign, in order to please Yang Mingkong and avoid his persecution, her grandfather promised to marry her into the Yang family to consolidate the imperial family's kinship with the Yang clan. The man she was to marry was the cousin of the crown prince Yang Chengxiu, Yang Mingkong's first grand-nephew. However, before the marriage was even completed, that man had already taken several concubines to make things difficult for Pei Qianguang.
"My birthday is in seven days. Send someone to tell Xiao Chongheng that he must return to the manor to be with me! Hurry up and go!"
"Yes, Your Highness."
Pei Qianguang's face turned fierce as she recalled that her first fiancé had taken a concubine from the Cui family. Before she even entered the family, the two scoundrels had started to make things difficult for her at the banquet. So, as soon as Yang Mingkong died, she sent someone to set fire to the Yang family's house, burning the two scoundrels to death.
Even though she fought against fate, she was once again used as a tool for exchanging benefits and was married off to Xiao Chongheng by her grandfather and father.
If it weren't for the high probability that Xiao Chongheng would ascend the throne, she wouldn't have bothered coming to the Duke's mansion to suffer.
"Your Highness, there's been progress on the matter you sent me to inquire about."
"Speak." Pei Qianguang calmly took a sip of tea, trying to suppress his dissatisfaction.
"I heard from the servants in the manor that before the Duke married Princess Roujia, he had a woman who was a prostitute."
"A prostitute?" Pei Qianguang found it unbelievable and sneered, "Such a lowly woman, does the Duke even look at her and eat her? He really has no taste."
"The two also had a child. The Duke cared a lot about the child and even built a pagoda at Huaiming Temple in the suburbs of Beijing to enshrine him."
Pei Qianguang immediately sensed something was wrong: "...So, that woman is still alive?"
"I heard she died a long time ago. After losing her child, she was abandoned by the Duke, went insane, and committed suicide."
"I don't believe it. What is the Duke doing living in the outskirts of the capital? Did the people following him see any women around?"
Pei Qianguang was still unwilling to give up, and was determined to believe that Xiao Chongheng must have another woman by his side. Otherwise, with so many new women entering the family, how could a man of vigor and passion like him possibly resist going home?
However, the people sent out did not see any woman appear, and the maid truthfully answered Pei Qianguang's question.
"The messenger reported that he had not seen any women. Apart from the Empress giving the Duke some advice before the wedding out of courtesy, the Duke had never even met a woman alone."
"Empress? Empress... These three women in the manor all married Xiao Chongheng hoping to become imperial concubines. Keep an eye on them and don't let them do anything behind my back."
I have heard that Empress Xue Yingyue never met His Majesty before her marriage, yet she was still able to keep His Majesty's heart after marriage, and even made His Majesty give up his three thousand concubines and his suppression of the clans for her sake. This shows that she is very capable.
"Also, go and find out again. I don't believe the Duke doesn't have women outside."
***
Royal Palace
In the palace gardens during late spring, the peonies were in full bloom.
Ling Zhenli leaned against the vermilion railing listlessly. Having just finished admiring the peonies in the garden, she was now watching the koi carp fighting for food in the pond.
I don't know what happened today, but Pei Xuanlin has been buried in the Xuanzheng Hall dealing with government affairs since the court session ended, and he hasn't come to play with her.
"Is Your Highness feeling down?" a palace maid asked softly.
Ling Zhenli lazily fiddled with the fish bait in her hand: "Is His Majesty still in the Xuanzheng Hall?"
"Yes, I heard that an urgent report came from Anxi. His Majesty has been reviewing memorials since the morning court session."
Ling Zhenli's eyes flickered slightly, and she began to have an idea.
She dismissed the palace servants and went to Xuanzheng Hall alone.
Sunlight filtered through the dense foliage, casting dappled shadows on her pinkish-purple palace dress.
When the guards on duty outside Xuanzheng Hall saw that it was her, they were about to bow when Ling Zhenli waved her hand, signaling them to be quiet.
"No need to announce my arrival, I will go in and find His Majesty myself."
"We will obey Your Majesty's will." The guards bowed their heads and obeyed.
Ling Zhenli pushed open the door and quietly entered the Xuanzheng Hall.
Inside the hall, incense burned in a censer, its fragrance wafting. Pei Xuanlin sat upright behind his golden nanmu desk, reviewing memorials.
Sunlight streamed through the window, gilding his entire body with a golden hue.
Pei Xuanlin was focused, with a serious expression on his face. He would occasionally furrow his brows, and his vermilion brush would make a soft, scratching sound as it moved across the memorial.
Ling Zhenli did not choose to disturb him, but leaned against the door and quietly watched him.
At this moment, Pei Xuanlin shed his usual gentleness and revealed the majesty unique to an emperor.
Ling Zhenli saw this and had to admit that a serious and focused man does indeed have a unique charm.
Pei Xuanlin seemed to notice the gaze at the door, looked up, and saw Ling Zhenli. His originally serious expression softened instantly.
"Ah Li, what brings you here?" He put down his vermilion brush, reached out his hand to her, and beckoned her over.
Ling Zhenli walked over and skipped into his arms, saying, "I'm tired of staying in the palace."
As she spoke, she sat down on Pei Xuanlin's lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You've been busy in Xuanzheng Hall the whole time and haven't had time to spend with me."
Pei Xuanlin chuckled softly, pulled her into his arms, gently nuzzled her shoulder and neck with his chin, and reached over her to pick up a memorial from the table.
"Then you can stay here with me and read the memorials."
His warm breath brushed past her ear, sending a tingling sensation through her.
Ling Zhenli felt an itch on her neck and was about to dodge it when her gaze was drawn to the memorials spread out on the table.
She hadn't read the contents of the memorial yet; it was covered in dense writing, and she began to wonder what it said.
But Ling Zhenli's gaze first fell on the signature on the memorial. Those big characters, Anxi Jiedushi Xue Huan... such a familiar name, the same surname as her, could he be a relative of the Xue family?
And what's in this memorial? Are the Turks going to invade? Or are we going to launch a preemptive strike against the Turks? Is war about to break out?
Just as Ling Zhenli was about to ask, Pei Xuanlin nuzzled her neck, his tone slightly coquettish: "What a coincidence, I just happened to see your uncle's letter."
Uncle? Ah, so Xue Wenjie's name is Xue Huan... I'll have to go back and ask them what their names are next time, so that no one finds out she doesn't even know the names of her own relatives and gives herself away.
"Look, his handwriting is much better than yours, isn't it?"
The day before yesterday, when he got up to go to court, he saw a book on Ling Zhenli's reclining chair. Upon closer inspection, he saw that it was a copy of "Zuo Zhuan". He rarely saw Ling Zhenli reading. He had heard that her father-in-law had made her read it. Out of curiosity, Pei Xuanlin picked it up and flipped through it. The handwriting in the annotations was really...
"Pei Xuanlin!" Ling Zhenli forgot what she was about to ask, and punched him lightly in embarrassment and annoyance. "That's because I didn't write properly! I got sleepy while reading, so my handwriting became messy, and you even peeked at my book!"
Pei Xuanlin smiled and held her hand: "Alright, alright, if you write seriously, you'll definitely have beautiful handwriting, even better than mine."
"That's more like it." Ling Zhenli pouted.
However, it must be admitted that Pei Xuanlin's calligraphy is extremely beautiful; the plaque for the Zichen Palace was written by him personally.
Pei Xuanlin lowered his head and kissed the corner of her lips, then asked, "I'm quite curious, didn't you used to dislike reading those books? Why are you suddenly starting to read them? Did your father-in-law make you read them?"
Ling Zhenli shook her head and smiled, "Although I don't particularly like it, I don't dislike it either. My father hopes that I can share His Majesty's burdens rather than add to them, so he naturally urges me to read more books."
Pei Xuanlin keenly noticed her change in mood: "You seem to be in a bad mood, what's wrong?"
Xiao Chongheng had recently gotten married, and during that time Xue Yingyue was often absent-minded. She didn't take his words to heart, and if he suddenly asked her something, she would take a while to process it.
Pei Xuanlin knew that Xue Yingyue had taken a liking to Xiao Chongheng to some extent. He could only console himself that lust is common to both men and women, and what could he do when Xiao Chongheng had such a face? After all, Xue Yingyue was still by his side, and life had to go on. He could just turn a blind eye and the matter would eventually pass.
Ling Zhenli was taken aback when she heard Pei Xuanlin's question.
She did have something on her mind, but not because Xiao Chongheng was newly married; it was because she wanted to have a child.
These days, as she sees various fertility supplements being sent to her from different prefectures and counties, hears the court officials secretly discussing the Empress's lack of offspring, and hears the court clamoring for Pei Xuanlin to quickly take a concubine for the sake of the country's long-term prosperity, her pressure is increasing day by day.
Thinking of this, Ling Zhenli turned her head, looked at Pei Xuanlin seriously, and then said, "Pei Xuanlin, let's have a child."
Pei Xuanlin was taken aback upon hearing this, and then a mysterious light immediately appeared in his eyes.
The next second, he pressed his lips to hers and asked in a low voice in her ear, "What do you want?"
Ling Zhenli realized she had been teased, and felt both embarrassed and angry. She glared at him coquettishly, "How else can you have a child? It's just like this, if you don't want it, then forget it..."
Ling Zhenli was talking excitedly, her pink lips opening and closing with soft, sweet words, but Pei Xuanlin didn't hear a word she said. He was only staring at her delicate, strawberry-like lips, his heart fluttering, and he couldn't help but lean down and kiss her.
Before she could finish speaking, Ling Zhenli's lips were sealed with a gentle kiss.
The kiss was long and passionate, with a hint of impatience, as if it were yearning for more.
Only when both of them were out of breath did Pei Xuanlin step back slightly, pressing his forehead against hers and chuckling softly.
Want to try it here?
Ling Zhenli buried her face in his chest, blushing, and said, "I don't want to."
Pei Xuanlin glanced at the mountain of memorials piled on the table, smiled, and gently lifted her chin, asking, "Why don't you want to? Isn't it exciting here?"
"These are all memorials to the emperor, what should we do?"
Ling Zhenli's hair was a little messy, and her voice was hoarse. When she turned her head to look at the mountain of memorials piled up on the table behind her, her innocent and confused yet lustful look was inexplicably cute in Pei Xuanlin's eyes.
"It's simple, just throw the memorials aside."
Seeing Xue Yingyue's innocent yet alluring appearance, Pei Xuanlin was seized by a playful impulse and was determined to tease her properly, otherwise she wouldn't know how seductive she was.
"Huh?" Ling Zhenli was taken aback by him and stared at him with innocent eyes. "No, it's so hard here, it will hurt me. I don't want to."
"Hahaha, I was just kidding you. You're so funny; you believe everything I say."
Pei Xuanlin laughed heartily, and Ling Zhenli realized she had been tricked. Her face flushed instantly, and she punched Pei Xuanlin hard in the chest.
"You dare to play me? I thought... Fine, I'm not playing with you anymore."
After saying that, Ling Zhenli really tried to get up and leave, but Pei Xuanlin held her firmly in his arms, making her unable to move.
“Sigh, these trivial memorials can be sent to my father-in-law to handle as well.” Pei Xuanlin picked up Ling Zhenli and said with a smile, “I’d better focus on spending time with his daughter.”
Ling Zhenli was suddenly picked up and cried out in fright, quickly hugging his neck tightly.
Pei Xuanlin carried her to the bed in Xuanzheng Hall where she would take a nap. Occasionally, when Ling Zhenli went back to her parents' home and didn't return to the palace at noon, Pei Xuanlin would stay in Xuanzheng Hall to handle government affairs and take a nap there. So, a bedroom had been prepared, and now it came in handy.
"Tell me, should I ask the imperial physician to take another look and get my body in better condition so we can have a child soon?"
Pei Xuanlin was amused by her and leaned on her, saying, "Didn't you say before that you felt you were too young and didn't want to have children so early?"
Ling Zhenli was slightly downcast. To avoid being seen by Pei Xuanlin, she quickly snuggled into his arms, rubbing against him like a spoiled kitten. She had come up with a rather unpleasant excuse.
"But you're not young anymore."
These words struck Pei Xuanlin's heart like an arrow.
Pei Xuanlin frowned, feigning injury: "I'm only three years older than you, how am I not young?"
Ling Zhenli winked mischievously, then lowered her head, her fingers restlessly exploring his body, starting to play pranks. When she found her hand, she looked up, staring at Pei Xuanlin with her pure and innocent big eyes.
"This place is quite large."
Pei Xuanlin was amused by her. Before he could speak, Ling Zhenli quickly added, "You're already twenty years old, and I want to have a child with you, our child."
Pei Xuanlin looked down at her, his eyes gentle and tender: "Hmm... I heard from the palace servants that you haven't been in a good mood lately. Is it because of the child?"
Ling Zhenli's smile gradually faded, and she nodded slightly.
Pei Xuanlin gently patted her back, his tone tender, and sighed softly, "You think it's best for the throne to be inherited by our child, don't you?"
Ling Zhenli softly hummed in agreement and buried her face in his chest.
"We are still young and have plenty of time. The purpose of love between men and women is to bring physical and mental pleasure and incidentally enhance the relationship. If we feel uncomfortable doing this because of pressure, wouldn't that be a loss?"
That makes sense.
but.
Ling Zhenli stroked his shoulder, lowered her eyes, and dared not look into his eyes: "What I care about is not actually the matter of having offspring."
"Um?"
Pei Xuanlin looked at her tenderly, hoping she would continue.
"I don't want you to be with other women, I don't want you to have children with other women... I don't want to share you with other women, don't make me share you with other women, you belong only to me, okay?"
Ling Zhenli looked at Pei Xuanlin with a gaze that was both tender and obsessive. Pei Xuanlin's gaze remained gentle as he held her hand and gently pressed it against his chest.
"Hmm." Pei Xuanlin's voice was low and husky. "They are all yours. I belong only to you. And one more thing, I want you to remember: you are you first and foremost, and only lastly are you the Empress. Don't get your priorities mixed up."
Ling Zhenli smiled upon hearing this, hooked her fingertips around Pei Xuanlin's collar, pulled him closer, and then looked directly into his deep eyes.
"If you dare to betray me, I'll drag you down with me."
Pei Xuanlin's heart trembled, followed by a surge of intense emotion.
He subconsciously took this fatal vow as the most affectionate confession and couldn't help but pull her into his arms.
He failed to see the fleeting obsession and madness in Ling Zhenli's eyes as she lay in his arms.
"So you love me this much. I've always been afraid that one day you'll stop loving me. Well then, it's a deal: if I ever change my mind, you can kill me."
Pei Xuanlin's words didn't sound like he was joking with Ling Zhenli, and Ling Zhenli certainly wasn't joking with him.
"Okay, it's settled then."
Ling Zhenli hugged him even tighter, not noticing that Pei Xuanlin only said that if he changed his mind, she could kill him, but he didn't say that he would kill Ling Zhenli if she changed her mind.
Ling Zhenli was unaware that Pei Xuanlin had been subtly hinting to her that he was constantly relinquishing power to the Xue family.
*
Prime Minister's Residence
Xue Wenmian thought he could finally relax a bit after Pei Xuanlin returned from Jiangnan, but then another memorial was sent from the palace.
"I don't know when it started, but I'm receiving the Prime Minister's salary while doing the Emperor's work."
Xue Wenmian frowned as he looked at the greetings from various prefectures and counties, separating the useless nonsense into one pile and the ones that needed to be decided into another.
"What can we do if our daughter is willing? She's already in a bad mood because she hasn't been able to conceive for so long. If you don't let the emperor spend more time with her, won't she be even more upset?"
Cui Yuerong was sitting to the side when she heard Xue Wenmian complaining, so she casually threw a plum at him.
Xue Wenmian reached out and caught it, thinking that Cui Yuerong had thrown it to him, but when he took a bite, it was so sour it tasted terrible.
"It's sour."
"You old hag, still wanting sweets? Just wait and see what your son-in-law's filial piety is about."
"No, I think it's not that simple. Pei Xuanlin is the kind of person who hates power falling into other hands, but he has repeatedly given power to the Xue family. I'm afraid he's trying to kill him with flattery."
"Not necessarily. Emperor Gaozong didn't like power slipping away, so he still helped Empress Yang Wan become emperor." Cui Yuerong pondered for a moment.
"Then I think your daughter will be here soon too, hmm, but with her level of talent, she'll be given the posthumous title of Lingdu, which is a great honor. She can go and be good sisters with Emperor You in the imperial mausoleum."
"..." Cui Yuerong wanted to refute but remained silent.
"What I'm worried about now is that she's too arrogant and decadent. What if His Majesty gets tired of her one day and deposes her?"
"Your Majesty, really? Your Majesty has stopped taking concubines for the sake of your daughter, and even honored two emperors as equals. There haven't been many emperors in history who have gone to such lengths for their empress."
"When a man loves a woman, he can do a thousand things, ten thousand things..."
Cui Yuerong raised her eyes, looking at Xue Wenmian with interest, and then laughed, "So you're planning a rebellion?"
“Why would I rebel? My daughter can’t have children, my son likes daughters, my nephew is a homosexual in the army and even asked my son-in-law to grant him a marriage with another man, and I have a daughter who is always out and about. Just two months ago, I even had someone look after my old grave. Who would I rebel for? No wonder His Majesty trusts the Xue family so much. It’s not just because Xue Run is favored in the palace, but also because the whole Xue family is working hard behind the scenes.”
The more Xue Wenmian read the memorials, the more dizzy he became. He had spent his whole life fighting for power, all for the sake of a glorious lineage for his descendants, but he never expected that he would have no descendants.
"Princess Wuyang's daughter, Yongtai, still has feelings for Dalang. However, Ah Li often plays with Dalang, so it's best to let it go."
"Being related to Pei Shen'ai by marriage will bring you a lifetime of misfortune. Forget it. Don't bother finding a husband for Dalang. As long as His Majesty doesn't find out, let the two siblings do whatever they want. I don't care anymore."
*
Just across the street from the Prime Minister's residence is Xue Haoting's residence, the Duke of Bao's Mansion.
Since establishing his own residence and living alone, Xue Haoting's life has become much more comfortable. He enjoys a high position and a leisurely life, which is unique in the court.
"Brother Xue, you're living a very comfortable life. You used to enjoy getting together with a few friends, but now that you've opened your own residence, you're living even more freely and leisurely."
It is exceptionally moisturizing.
Others might not understand Xiao Chongheng's sarcastic remarks, but surely Xue Haoting himself could understand them?
Xue Haoting shrugged and smiled, saying, "Brother Xiao's new wife, the Princess of Xiangcheng, is truly beautiful. It's been a long time since I've seen Brother Xiao go out with his wife."
"..." Xiao Chongheng just smiled and didn't say anything.
The banquet hosted by the Duke of Bao's mansion was for eligible young men from prominent families or unmarried high-ranking officials. In other words, it was a banquet exclusively for the men and women of the capital's elite to meet.
The banquet was originally a gathering of unmarried young men and women, but Xue Haoting invited Xiao Chongheng, a man who was already married, which was a silent slap in the face to the Princess of Xiangcheng.
After all, everyone in Chang'an knew that Pei Qianguang had never shared a room with her husband Xiao Chongheng after marrying into the family, and was not favored by him. She was often the subject of gossip at banquets for women.
Now Xue Haoting is so openly slapping her in the face by inviting her husband to a banquet for unmarried men and women. What's worse, Xiao Chongheng accepted the invitation, as if he were deliberately going against Pei Qianguang.
In particular, today is Pei Qianguang's birthday.
"You actually didn't accompany Pei Qianguang and came to my banquet instead."
"Isn't this exactly what you wanted to achieve? Stop pretending."
Xue Haoting looked at Xiao Chongheng with a half-smile and said, "You came because you were afraid my sister would be unhappy, right?"
"So this banquet is just an excuse for your sister to be jealous?" Xiao Chongheng retorted, not backing down.
Xue Haoting sneered: "My sister is the Empress, why should I be jealous of you?"
“But she loved me first, so why can’t she be jealous of me?” Xiao Chongheng raised an eyebrow.
"Ha, why don't you say this in front of His Majesty?"
Xiao Chongheng's face was cold: "You, as her older brother, take care of your sister to the point of bed, and you still have the nerve to say this to me? Back then, she was as afraid of you as a mouse seeing a cat, but now you dare to dance in front of me. Don't you remember that she once loved you?"
"That's still better than not being able to love anymore."
These words successfully enraged Xiao Chongheng. He, who always maintained an elegant demeanor in front of outsiders, became furious for the first time and grabbed the wine glass next to him, splashing it on Xiao Chongheng.
Xue Haoting was caught off guard and was splashed with wine. His silk robes were instantly stained with dark wine.
Xiao Chongheng actually... splashed him...?
Xue Haoting stood frozen in disbelief. A drop of wine slowly slid down his hair to his cheek, then rolled down his neck, and finally soaked his clothes. Throughout the entire process, Xue Haoting remained stiff.
Was Xiao Chongheng driven mad with anger?
The guests were all silent, no one could believe that Xiao Chongheng would dare to publicly humiliate his only elder brother, who was close to the Empress.
After spilling the wine, Xiao Chongheng calmly placed the empty wine glass on the table and slowly took out a silk handkerchief to wipe the wine off his hands.
A mocking smile played on his lips: "Duke Bao, we are both dukes. Who is more noble than whom? Don't be so disrespectful to others just because you are the Empress's brother."
After wiping his hands, Xiao Chongheng threw the silk handkerchief on the ground, which was like a silent slap to Xue Haoting's face.
Xue Haoting's gaze gradually turned sinister.
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