Chapter 104 Will You Still Care?
Jiang Zhaoyue pushed Pei Jingzhou's hand away and asked, "Now you know what I mean by 'sleep with you'?"
"I understand." Pei Jingzhou's ears turned red.
Jiang Zhaoyue pointed out directly: "Your Highness, the tips of your ears are red."
"Do I have to say it?" Pei Jingzhou felt the heat and the tips of his ears turned red.
Jiang Zhaoyue leaned over the small table in front of her, tilted her head, and asked with bright almond eyes, "Are you shy, Your Highness?"
Pei Jingzhou ignored her teasing and brought the subject back: "You asked me how I could react in this situation..."
"You are shy." Jiang Zhaoyue retorted.
Pei Jingzhou insisted: "I turned defeat into victory, I——"
Jiang Zhaoyue interrupted again: "Your Highness is too shy."
Pei Jingzhou continued: "I'm telling you now, I——"
Jiang Zhaoyue laughed and said, "Didn't I just say I'd take off all my clothes and sleep with you?"
Pei Jingzhou deliberately ignored her: "I didn't know how to break the deadlock at first, but..."
Jiang Zhaoyue continued, "Husband and wife should take off all their clothes when they sleep, otherwise how can——"
"Jiang Zhaoyue!" The two people said their own things, but Pei Jingzhou couldn't beat Jiang Zhaoyue at all, so he had to interrupt Jiang Zhaoyue forcibly.
"What are you doing?" Jiang Zhaoyue asked with a bright smile.
Pei Jingzhou said with a straight face: "Let's get back to the topic."
"Hmph!" Jiang Zhaoyue sat up suddenly.
Pei Jingzhou smiled helplessly and said, "I was wrong. I shouldn't have disliked you in the first place."
"What else?" Jiang Zhaoyue asked.
"Let's get back to the point and talk about this later, okay?"
"Okay." Jiang Zhaoyue smiled instantly and asked, "Am I understanding?"
Pei Jingzhou smiled and said, "Yeah, very understanding."
"That's right." Jiang Zhaoyue raised his chin proudly.
Pei Jingzhou bent his fingers slightly and tapped the small table lightly: "Then let's get back to business."
Jiang Zhaoyue agreed.
Pei Jingzhou then continued, "After I became the second son of the Zhenguogong Mansion, I didn't know how to return to the Eastern Palace. It was the old Zhenguogong who told me to study first.
“So I read for many years.
"I haven't seen my father in these years."
"Are you worried that the emperor will forget you?" Jiang Zhaoyue became serious.
Pei Jingzhou reminded: "You should also call him Father."
Jiang Zhaoyue readily said, "Oh, Father, please continue."
Pei Jingzhou corrected: "Don't call me father, call me——"
Jiang Zhaoyue immediately threatened: "Your Highness, if you are so dishonest, I will not be polite."
"..." When it comes to talking about meat and vegetables, Pei Jingzhou is temporarily not as good as Jiang Zhaoyue, so he can only continue: "Well, since ancient times, kings have been unfaithful, and the imperial family is the most ruthless. I am worried that my father will forget my mother and me.
"I can't attract his attention with military exploits and let the Zhenguogong Mansion be targeted, nor can I be willing to remain passive and disappoint my mother's expectations.
“So I chose the imperial examination.
“Fortunately, I passed the exam and became the top scorer.
"I met the Emperor, and he recognized me immediately.
"I finally spoke to him and learned that although he was an emperor, he had many frustrations and was powerless.
"It turns out he has been looking forward to my return to the East Palace."
"How did you get back?" Jiang Zhaoyue asked curiously.
Pei Jingzhou said, "I work in the Seal Verification Department of the Ministry of Personnel."
"What exactly does this position do?" Jiang Zhaoyue still doesn't understand.
"All officials who are granted titles are given imperial edicts; all officials who die in the line of duty are given official titles and their sons are given titles; all non-commissioned officers are hereditary and are given "number papers" recording their titles, and—"
"What do you mean by royal logistics?" Jiang Zhaoyue's knowledge of ancient Chinese was average, but she understood what Pei Jingzhou meant. Worried that Pei Jingzhou wouldn't understand her, she changed her words: "To clean up the mess for meritorious officials?"
Pei Jingzhou nodded.
Jiang Zhaoyue looked disappointed: "Ah, I thought you were a powerful official."
Pei Jingzhou smiled helplessly. "The position of the Seal Verification Office of the Ministry of Personnel is not high, but the power is not small. It involves the six ministries of Personnel, Revenue, Rites, Military Affairs, Justice, and Works, as well as the entire court. In addition, I had the support of the Duke of Zhenguo Mansion, the emperor's favor, and my 'prince cousin'. It's not an exaggeration to say that I was a small and powerful official."
I see.
Jiang Zhaoyue added, "So you do odd jobs while building good relationships with the old officials of the Great Jin."
Fight, beat, do odd jobs?
Jiang Zhaoyue described the Ministry of Personnel's Seal Verification Office as a good job as a gofer.
Pei Jingzhou's mouth twitched. After thinking carefully, he realized that the world was just a huge makeshift team, so it made sense that the Ministry of Personnel's Seal Verification Department was just doing miscellaneous work.
He no longer dwelled on Jiang Zhaoyue's choice of words and continued, "Not only did he establish good relationships, but he also found out about the connections of some court officials and collected evidence of their crimes."
It turns out that Pei Jingzhou has been doing so many things in secret, and has been doing it every day for several years.
But Jiang Zhaoyue was puzzled: "No one doubts you?"
Pei Jingzhou gave a positive answer: "Some people had doubts, but I resolved them all. Besides, the Zhenguogong Mansion is full of military commanders, and I am the only civil official. They, like Lord Li Boyan, all think that I am not good at martial arts, so I got in through connections and don't have any great abilities."
Jiang Zhaoyue continued, "You should also try to keep your abilities to yourself."
Pei Jingzhou nodded: "I always work with Hu Jianzhi and others, so outsiders think I am very capable, but insiders think I am just taking credit."
Jiang Zhaoyue followed up, "Then you accumulated a lot of connections."
Pei Jingzhou nodded again: "That's right, Xiao Peng attracted everyone's bad intentions in the East Palace. I learned and grew up in the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion until Xiao Peng couldn't bear it anymore, and the antidote was finally prepared.
“I ordered people to spread rumors again, saying that the Second Prince Xiao Congbei coveted the throne. Naturally, the Third Prince Xiao Zinan turned his attention to Xiao Congbei and competed with him.
“I often secretly help Xiao Congbei to keep the fight between the two of them going.
"During this time, I figured out Xiao Zinan's weakness, secretly planned to rescue Xiao Peng, and made my father pretend to be sick, which led to everything that happened yesterday."
Jiang Zhaoyue finally knew everything.
These things have always been the secret in Pei Jingzhou's heart, involving the death of Queen Yuan, the poisoning of Pei Jingpeng, his suspicion of his father's love, the quarrel between Xiao Zinan and his brothers, and so on.
He thought he would never be able to speak it out in his lifetime.
As a result, after Jiang Zhaoyue made a fuss, he said it calmly, and a mountain in his body suddenly melted away.
At this moment, he truly did what his mother had said, "Brother Yi, don't be sad," and what Xiao Peng had said, "Cousin Prince, this is not your fault, don't blame yourself."
He could finally, finally, finally look up and forward.
Then he saw Jiang Zhaoyue in front of him.
He smiled and said, "So, it's the same thing again. You are not the wife of the second son of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, but the wife of me, Pei Jingzhou, Xiao Yi, and the Crown Prince of Dajin. Do you understand?"
"I understand." Jiang Zhaoyue finally understood.
Pei Jingzhou breathed a sigh of relief.
"But you should marry a wife with a better reputation. I have a very good reputation for being selfish, greedy, stupid and vicious."
"Your selfishness, greed, stupidity, and viciousness are nothing compared to the court officials. They all enjoy wealth and glory. Why should the world completely deny you?"
Jiang Zhaoyue was stunned when he heard this.
"At that time, I wanted to treat you well and make you become dignified and elegant, but I didn't expect..." Unexpectedly, Jiang Zhaoyue's extraordinary behavior was beyond imagination. Pei Jingzhou once wanted to give up. Fortunately, he observed her for a few more days and saw more and more surprises.
"What didn't you expect?" Jiang Zhaoyue asked with his head tilted.
Pei Jingzhou looked at her and said, "I didn't expect you to be so different."
Jiang Zhaoyue asked: "Is it a derogatory or complimentary term?"
Pei Jingzhou answered readily: "Of course it's a compliment."
"Then why don't you praise me?" Jiang Zhaoyue glanced at Pei Jingzhou.
Pei Jingzhou smiled: "I didn't expect you to be so smart, charming, and able to express both anger and joy. Every move you make is charming."
Jiang Zhaoyue asked in surprise, "Your Highness, are you learning to praise others while reading?"
Pei Jingzhou nodded.
"Are you praising me specifically?"
"Yeah." Pei Jingzhou admitted.
Jiang Zhaoyue happily got off the bed, sat in front of Pei Jingzhou, hugged his arm, and said intimately: "So, I don't have to go back to the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion?"
Pei Jingzhou said affirmatively: "No need."
Jiang Zhaoyue smiled and said, "There's no need to sleep lightly with you and then sleep deeply with Pei Jingpeng."
"What are you talking about?" Pei Jingzhou frowned.
Jiang Zhaoyue explained: "I will sleep with you in a plain bed and do nothing; and then I will sleep with Pei Jingpeng in a wet bed—"
"Don't talk nonsense." Pei Jingzhou's face darkened.
Jiang Zhaoyue wasn't afraid at all, and rested her chin on his shoulder: "From now on, I'll only sleep with you, right?"
Pei Jingzhou turned to her: "Can't you speak more seriously?"
Jiang Zhaoyue said decisively: "No."
Pei Jingzhou had no way to deal with her.
Jiang Zhaoyue suddenly asked again: "Your Highness, are we having our wedding night today?"
Pei Jingzhou did not answer.
"No hole again?" Jiang Zhaoyue was disappointed.
Pei Jingzhou looked at her and said after a while: "It's too easy for you to succeed. Will you still care about me so much in the future?"
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