"Miss Pei, the Emperor has arrived."
Ah Hao's words made Pei Zhi, who was drinking her medicine, pause. Why would Emperor Yu come to her place? She was a member of the Pei family, and should be the person Emperor Yu hated the most right now.
"Ah Hao, you must be talking nonsense."
Pei Zhi twitched the corners of her mouth, but before Ahao could reply, Gu Qingyan's voice came from outside, "Miss Pei, how are you feeling?"
Upon hearing Gu Qingyan's voice, Pei Zhi realized that what Ahao had said was true, and slowly said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I'm fine."
"If it's convenient for Miss Pei, would you mind having a chat in the courtyard?"
Gu Qingyan showed no signs of restraint. He wanted to discuss the handling of the Pei family's affairs with Pei Zhi, but it would be too strange to do so through the door. It would also be inappropriate for him to enter a young woman's room. Therefore, he could only ask Pei Zhi to come out.
Half an incense stick later, Gu Qingyan and Pei Zhi sat at the stone table in the courtyard. Pei Zhi was wearing a thin cloak because she was weak.
"It seems His Majesty's visit wasn't just about inquiring about my health," Pei Zhi said with a slight smile. "It's about the Pei family, isn't it?"
"Miss Pei is indeed incredibly resourceful."
Upon hearing this, Pei Zhi's expression remained almost unchanged, and Gu Qingyan was unable to discern her attitude.
"Aside from the Pei family's affairs, I can't think of any other reason why the Emperor would come to see me."
Pei Zhi looked at Gu Qingyan deeply, her thoughts suddenly wandering. "I remember the first time I saw you, you were much thinner than Gu Qingfeng, but your eyes were shining brightly, staring intently at the Empress Dowager."
That December, outside the Dingyuan Marquis's mansion, she disguised herself as a refugee and received a bowl of rice porridge from Gu Qingyan, but at that time her intentions were not pure.
She wanted the Jiang family's blood to cure Pei Jian's illness.
“At that time, Miss Pei was unaware of my background, so she abducted Gu Qingfeng.”
Recalling these past events, Gu Qingyan felt as if half a lifetime had passed. "Speaking of these things, I should thank Miss Pei."
"Thank me?" Pei Zhi's eyes changed. "Looking back now, I still can't forgive myself for what I did back then."
She was actually deceived by her own biological father, who used the blood of the Jiang family to help Pei Jian raise Gu, almost causing a major disaster.
“If it weren’t for Miss Pei, my uncle wouldn’t have discovered so quickly that Gu Qingfeng wasn’t the Empress Dowager’s child, and my true parentage wouldn’t have been revealed so soon.” Gu Qingyan wore a formulaic smile. “So I should thank Miss Pei.”
"Is His Majesty about to deal with the Pei family?"
Yingzhi personally brought over the tea. Pei Zhi took a small sip and let out a soft sigh. "If Your Majesty wants to deal with the Pei family, you don't need to tell me."
"I am somewhat curious. After all, Miss Pei is still the young mistress of the Pei family, with Pei family blood flowing in her veins. Can she just calmly watch me annihilate the Pei family?"
Gu Qingyan wasn't talking about sending troops or dealing with them, but about annihilating them.
“The Pei family personally dispatched assassins to kill me, which has already placed me in the position of a traitor.” Pei Zhi glanced at Gu Qingyan. “I just want to plead for the people of Longyou. The people are innocent.”
"I will not harm the people of Longyou."
"In that case, thank you very much."
A cool breeze blew by, and Pei Zhi pulled her cloak tighter around herself.
"This time, the Empress Dowager's birth of Achen was all thanks to Miss Pei. Miss Pei, please feel free to make any requests, and I will try my best to fulfill them." Gu Qingyan breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Pei Zhi had no objection to the annihilation of the Pei family.
Before he came, he was somewhat worried that Pei Zhi still had some feelings for the Pei family and might plead for them. He really didn't know how to tell his mother about this, and he didn't want to put her in a difficult position.
Now that everyone is happy, he is pleased to give Pei Zhi some "thank you".
"My request?"
Pei Zhi murmured softly, "I haven't figured out what to do in the future. Let's wait until the Empress Dowager finishes her confinement period before we talk about it."
Even so, Pei Zhi's brows furrowed with a hint of determination. If Dayu had a girls' school for girls to study, could it also have a women's clinic?
"Very well, then I will first send some rare medicinal herbs to Miss Pei for her to refine."
Gu Qingyan got up and exchanged a few more pleasantries with Pei Zhi before leaving, satisfied.
On the way to the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Gu Qingyan's mood was visibly bright.
"Your Majesty, you can finally get a good night's sleep tonight."
Yingzhi, standing to the side, spoke with some concern. He was trembling with fear at the obvious bruises under the Emperor's eyes, worried that the Emperor's health might be compromised.
"I am very happy that the Empress Dowager and A-Chen are safe and sound, and that I can now beat Pei Jian without any scruples."
Gu Qingyan's steps were light and quick; he needed to go back and get a good night's sleep.
......
The next day, two secret edicts were issued from the Taihe Hall, and troops were constantly being mobilized in the military camp, heading rapidly towards the Pei and Sun families.
Gu Qingyan, on the other hand, ran straight to Zhaoning Palace as soon as court was over.
"Granny, has Mother not gotten up yet?"
Seeing that the door was still closed, Gu Qingyan frowned.
"The Empress and the Emperor Emeritus are still asleep. Why doesn't Your Majesty go and see the young prince first?" Granny Ling naturally knew about the commotion in the room last night. Feeling somewhat awkward in front of Gu Qingyan, she quickly changed the subject by mentioning Gu Qingchen.
Gu Qingyan nodded upon hearing this, "Then I will go and see Achen."
A few breaths later, Gu Qingyan stared intently at the baby in the swaddling clothes with its eyes closed.
Why won't Ah Chen open his eyes?
"Your Majesty, all newborns are like this; they eat until they're full, sleep until they're awake, and then eat again," said Chen, the wet nurse serving Gu Qingchen, trembling with fear.
Upon hearing this, Gu Qingyan glanced at Madam Chen, and seeing that she seemed honest, he looked away.
"He looks a bit like his uncle, and his face isn't as red as it was yesterday."
Gu Qingyan looked at Gu Qingchen with gentle eyes, completely unaware of how infuriating the seemingly obedient and harmless little guy would become in the future.
"Ah Chen, open your eyes and look, it's me, your elder brother."
Gu Qingyan spoke softly, and at that moment, the little guy who had been keeping his eyes closed suddenly opened them.
When the two brothers' eyes met, Gu Qingyan felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His younger brother had such clear and bright eyes, and he wanted those eyes to never be tainted by the world.
A few breaths later, the sound of crying rang out.
Madam Chen hurriedly stepped forward and skillfully changed Gu Qingchen's diaper. "Your Majesty, this servant will be feeding the little prince in a little while."
"Take good care of Achen."
Gu Qingyan nodded and walked out of the side hall. When he passed Jiang Yu's room, Gu Qingyan paused. "In a little while, I'll trouble you, Granny, to tell Father that I have something to discuss with him."
Ah Chen is in the side hall. The Empress Dowager is in confinement after childbirth. Why is that man still sleeping at this hour?
He's already finished attending the morning court session!
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