After coming out of the house, Pei Zhi looked somewhat dazed.
"Young Master, Young Master."
Seeing this, Ah Hao anxiously called out Pei Zhi's name, "It's too cold outside, young master, please don't stand here."
"oh."
Pei Zhi returned to her courtyard almost like a walking corpse, then changed her clothes and lay down on the bed. "Ah Hao, I'm a little tired and want to rest for a while."
Lying in bed, Pei Zhi kept hearing Pei Jian's words.
Responsibility... Gu Qingfeng escaped from Qingcheng by committing suicide by poison. Does his father want Qin Ke'er and Sun Shu to do the same?
Was she an executioner who told Qin Ke'er and Sun Shu the news?
For a moment, Pei Zhi couldn't help but shiver. Why had her father become like this? If that day ever came, would she also become a victim?
That night, Pei Zhi tossed and turned, barely sleeping a wink.
The next morning, Pei Jian was taken aback when he saw Pei Zhiqing's dark circles under her eyes. "Zhi'er, did you not sleep well last night because of what your father said? Your father was very angry with Da Yu's attitude yesterday. Please don't take what he said to heart."
“Father, I was having trouble sleeping in my new bed last night.”
Pei Zhi ate breakfast rather tastelessly. Almost immediately after finishing her breakfast, Ahao came to report that the palace carriage was already outside the mansion gate.
"Azhi, you must remember to tell them the current situation, otherwise I'm afraid they won't know the true face of Dayu and will still want to make peace with Dayu through marriage." Pei Jian changed his words to persuade Pei Zhi, and Pei Zhi nodded upon hearing this, "I will."
"Alright, I'll be waiting for you here."
Pei Jian's expression darkened after Pei Zhi left.
"Master of the family."
"Have you noticed that Zhi'er has been acting strange lately?" Pei Jian frowned. "She always seems lost and absent-minded in front of me. Could it be that she's sensed something?"
"Young Master is naturally meticulous, but he is focused on developing medicine. Perhaps the Patriarch is overthinking it."
"I hope I'm overthinking it."
Pei Jian sighed heavily, "Back then, only Zhi'er was willing to beg for the Jiang family bloodline for me. The other unfilial sons only thought about vying for the position of family head, so I don't want anything to go wrong with Zhi'er."
"Young Master will understand your good intentions, Patriarch."
"I hope so, but we still need to be prepared for both possibilities and find a way to pass notes to Qin Ke'er and Sun Shu."
......
"Young Master Pei, this is it."
Pei Zhi looked at the palace in front of her and said, "There is such a place in the palace. It looks just as bad as the Cold Palace."
"Young Master Pei is joking. Nowadays, apart from the Hall of Supreme Harmony and the Zhaoning Palace, most of the palaces are idle, so they look rather desolate."
Yingzhi smiled and said, "Young Master, please come in. This servant will not go in."
Pei Zhi nodded upon hearing this, and slowly pushed open the palace gate. As soon as she entered, a musty smell hit her.
Who's here?
A weak voice rang out, and the next second Qin Ke'er ran out. When she saw Pei Zhi, she froze on the spot for a moment, and then rushed over. "Zhi'er, why are you here? Were you also captured?"
"Where is Shu'er? Let's go inside and talk first."
Qin Ke'er and Sun Shu cried and recounted their experiences for two whole hours. During those two hours, Pei Zhi listened in silence, her heart growing heavier and heavier.
“Look at us, we can’t even hold back our grievances after just one complaint. Ah Zhi, tell us what’s going on outside.”
Upon hearing Sun Shu's words, Pei Zhi was taken aback. "Things are all fine outside now, and the aristocratic families have calmed down and are preparing to regroup and fight against Dayu again."
"What about my brother, and my family? How are they?" Sun Shu couldn't stop crying as she mentioned these things. "I was so naive back then, dreaming of becoming the Empress of Dayu. Now all I want is to go home."
"At home..."
Pei Zhi felt her head was about to explode as Pei Jian's instructions and Sun Shu's eagerly anticipating expression intertwined.
Finally, Pei Zhi pursed her lips and said, "The Qin family and the Sun family are doing well. It's just that everyone misses you. Don't worry, the powerful families will unite as one and rescue you all from Dayu."
"Really?"
Qin Ke'er, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but speak up as well.
"Of course, so you all need to take good care of yourselves, especially Shuer, look how pale you are."
"We are relieved to hear that."
Qin Ke'er and Sun Shu both breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Sun Shu looked much better. Pei Zhi stayed with them for a long time before leaving.
As she left the palace, Pei Zhi suddenly felt a sense of lightness, but the thought of how she would explain things to her father upon returning home made her face fall again.
How should I tell my father?
......
When Pei Zhi returned, Pei Jian did not ask about the palace matters, and Pei Zhi breathed a sigh of relief and went straight back to her own courtyard.
Little did they know that Pei Jian's attention was entirely on Gu Qingfeng.
"Have you found out where Gu Qingfeng is now?" Pei Jian asked, toying with a piece of jade in his hand. "He's been in Dayu for five or six days now."
"Master, Gu Qingfeng's position is too difficult to figure out, and we are not very familiar with the capital. Please give me a few more days."
"waste!"
Pei Jian's face immediately darkened upon hearing this. "Now that all the New Year's gifts have been given, there's not much time left to stay in Dayu. At the very least, we need to know whether Gu Qingfeng is alive or dead. If he remains unconscious, then we're useless."
"I understand, but regarding manpower..."
"Aren't there just a few nails left? You can use them."
"yes."
Watching his subordinate's departing figure, Pei Jian's eyes were unreadable. Gu Qingfeng was now an excellent pawn, of great use to the Pei family.
At that moment, Gu Qingfeng was in Mei Chu's courtyard.
"I never expected you to be the busiest person in Lingxiao Pavilion now," Ling Ku said slyly, and Mei Chu immediately rolled her eyes at him.
"Could this person really not wake up?" Ling Ku glanced at Gu Qingfeng again. "If that's the case, it's too easy for him to die."
"He won't die."
Mei Chu said helplessly, "It will take some time to cure this poison."
Just then, Ling Hai suddenly appeared, and Mei Chu and Ling Ku's expressions immediately turned serious.
"The Empress Dowager said that Gu Qingfeng will be settled in another separate courtyard."
"You don't need me to detoxify him?" Mei Chu was clearly still a little confused.
"Her Majesty thinks you are overworked and told us to tell the outside world that the poison cannot be cured, and then someone who can cure the poison will appear."
After realizing what was happening, Mei Chu twitched the corner of her mouth. Absolutely amazing.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com