Chapter 142 The Grand Finale...
Jizhou underwent a thorough purge within just a few days.
Now that the governor has fallen from power and Guan Shao has returned to the capital, with no leader in sight, Xie Pei personally took up the post, acting as both the general and the governor.
Xie Pei was shrewd and decisive. Before those sycophants clinging to Wang Youzhong could react, he arrested them all, killing those who deserved to die and sentencing those who deserved to be sentenced.
The task of detaining prisoners previously held by the government was a huge undertaking, so Xie Pei entrusted the matter to Sun Kan for a retrial.
It was only during the trial that it was discovered that, apart from a few vicious criminals, most of those imprisoned were ordinary people who were businessmen with no power or influence.
Not only were they wronged in jail, but they also wasted food, so Sun Kan released them in batches.
When those people came out, they found that Jizhou had changed. They rushed to the local government office to seek justice. Although they said they were seeking justice, they all knew in their hearts that the culprit, the governor, had been dismissed and the lackeys who did the work had also received their due punishment.
They saw that the person in power now seemed upright and incorruptible, so they began to plot to get back the money and food that had been plundered from them.
The drumming outside the yamen never stopped. The county magistrate couldn't handle it, so he went to the prefect. The prefect was also in a panic and transferred the matter to the governor's office. Sun Kan was extremely worried and helpless, so he had to bite the bullet and go to Xie Pei.
He would never dare to bother Xie Pei unless he was forced to.
Anyone working under constant high pressure, cleaning up the mess left by their predecessors, would be unhappy. Therefore, Xie Pei's expression grew increasingly sour; it's no exaggeration to say that his presence was felt within a hundred meters of him.
Although Xie Pei never cursed or swore, his face was frighteningly cold, and his brows were furrowed: "Take the drum away."
Sun Kan: ...
Is this a solution a normal person could come up with? Is Xie Pei just so busy he's lost his mind and starting to talk nonsense?
Sun Kan's lips trembled slightly as he cautiously asked, "Isn't that a bit inappropriate?"
This move is tantamount to cutting off the source of the problem.
Xie Peiguang could feel the dark clouds hanging over him as he sat there. He forced a smile and said in a low voice, "You know it's not a good thing?"
Sun Kan: ...
“Since someone has voiced their grievances, then let’s resolve the issue. What’s the point of holding an official hat?” Xie Pei glanced at the official document in his hand. “Besides embezzling some of the wealth that Wang Youzhong amassed, most of it was transported to the capital.”
Wang Youzhong confessed to everything. He was acting under orders from that person. If he hadn't been convinced that he had the Emperor's backing, he wouldn't have acted so arrogantly, not even putting Guan Shao in his eyes.
Sun Kan's eyes lit up: "Why don't we just post notices in each county government office explaining the reason?"
Xie Pei shook his head: "The county government will thoroughly investigate each case, record all the property that has been confiscated from the people, and return it all in the future."
Sun Kan thought about it and realized it was a good idea, so he quickly went to carry it out.
After everyone left, Xie Pei pinched his sore nose, threw the official documents on the table, and felt an indescribable sense of irritation.
All told, it had been more than ten days since he had been intimate with Zhu Mingyue. Not to mention intimacy, he had seen Zhu Mingyue very few times. Most of the time, he was dealing with official business until midnight, and in order not to disturb Zhu Mingyue's rest, he would just make do and sleep for no more than two hours.
He sighed, picked up the official documents again, and heard the voices of his guards outside.
"Come in."
The guard carried a heavy-looking food box and presented it to him: "General, this is the meal that Young Master Zhu brought you earlier. He specifically instructed that you eat it while it's hot."
This was the only interaction between the two of them each day, all thanks to Zhu Mingyue's persistent efforts to deliver meals at mealtimes. She was careful not to disturb his mind, and every time she would turn around and leave immediately after delivering the food, without any hesitation.
Xie Pei's brows relaxed a little. "They're gone?"
The guard replied, "They've already left."
Xie Pei was somewhat disappointed: "Go down."
Opening the food box, layer by layer, revealed Xie Pei's favorite dishes.
Braised pork belly, roasted lamb leg, spicy stir-fried chicken cubes—Xie Pei loves meat dishes, so in order to get him to eat as many vegetables as possible, we specially made cabbage and meatball soup, with radish mixed in with the meatballs.
Steam rose from the pot, clearly indicating that Zhu Mingyue had delivered it as soon as she finished cooking, without wasting a moment.
Xie Pei ate heartily, finishing every last bit of the green vegetable leaves. His frustration dissipated, and he realized that Zhu Mingyue was accompanying him in a different way. Suddenly, he felt a surge of energy and became full of enthusiasm.
Another half month has passed in the blink of an eye.
The sun was shining brightly that day, and Zhu Mingyue got up early to air out her bedding.
The weather was neither too hot nor too cold, and it was pleasantly warm to be in the sun. Zhu Mingyue picked up a wooden stool and sat outside the tent, holding hot tea and pastries, enjoying her breakfast while basking in the sun. She was very content.
Suddenly, a loud bugle call rang out.
Almost instantly, Zhu Mingyue felt as if the earth itself was trembling, and a dense mass of soldiers formed a square formation, running swiftly and orderly toward the training ground.
Zhu Mingyue froze for a moment, then quickly stood up, her heart pounding wildly.
He had been staying in the army for many days and had never seen such a shocking scene before. His intuition told him that something extraordinary must have happened.
Zhu Mingyue couldn't help but recall Xie Pei's promise to her not long ago: wait a little longer...
He waited until the governor of Jizhou fell from power, but there wasn't such a grand spectacle then, so could it be an even bigger event than the governor's downfall?
Zhu Mingyue knew nothing about this. He waited anxiously until after noon before finally meeting Xie Pei.
Xie Pei had become quite rough around the edges. After cleaning himself up and shaving off his stubble, he pulled Zhu Mingyue into a tight embrace and kissed her passionately.
Zhu Mingyue smelled the soap odor emanating from him; it was faintly bitter, but it smelled very pleasant.
He hadn't been intimate with Xie Pei for a long time, and the two cuddled together in silence for a long time. In the end, Zhu Mingyue couldn't take it anymore and pushed him away, panting.
Wiping the saliva from the corner of her lips, Zhu Mingyue coughed softly twice and got back to the point: "What happened?"
"Hmm." Xie Pei's expression remained unchanged, but the next second he uttered a shocking piece of news, "The late emperor has passed away, and the new emperor has ascended the throne."
Zhu Mingyue: !!!
He was stunned for a long time, his face blank for a long time. It took him a long time to process the news, and he stammered, "This is...this is too rushed."
Xie Pei did not answer.
Looking at Xie Pei's calm face, he belatedly realized that Xie Pei must have foreseen it long ago.
Or perhaps Xie Pei was also involved in this change of imperial power.
He swallowed hard, trying to appear as calm as Xie Pei.
But my heart still couldn't stop racing.
"So who is the new emperor?" Zhu Mingyue lowered her eyes. Was it the person he was thinking of?
“Li Yun, the heir apparent of the Prince of Ningjiang.” Xie Pei hooked his chin, his tone tinged with jealousy: “Don’t you know someone?”
Zhu Mingyue shook his head in denial. It turned out that Brother Cui's real name was Li Yun, which was the first time he had ever heard of it.
Zhu Mingyue felt reassured, and then joy welled up in his heart. He was genuinely happy for Brother Cui. Regardless of whether the throne was easy to sit on, at least he would no longer have to live a life of wandering and being hunted down everywhere. He could finally clear his family's name.
Perhaps his smile was too obvious, because the air seemed to be filled with the smell of jealousy.
When she came to her senses and looked at Xie Pei, she realized that something was wrong with his expression.
No, not just a little, something is very wrong.
"What's wrong with you?" Zhu Mingyue asked softly, her gaze sending chills down his spine.
Xie Pei asked jealously, "You're that happy?"
Zhu Mingyue was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said truthfully, "I am indeed very happy."
He stared into Xie Pei's eyes and said, "I am very happy that Brother Cui has achieved his wish. He is a virtuous man and I believe that he will be diligent in governing for the people after taking office. Perhaps he will become a wise ruler in the future."
The more he talked, the tighter Xie Pei's lips became, until finally they were pressed into a thin slit.
Zhu Mingyue suddenly laughed: "But it's not entirely because of that that I'm happy. Do you want to hear it?"
Xie Pei didn't want to listen, but still couldn't help but give a low "hmm" in response to the emotional response.
Zhu Mingyue climbed onto his neck, whispered in his ear, and said with a mischievous look in her eyes, "Don't we need to wait any longer? We can get married now."
Xie Pei froze, then suddenly picked him up and threw him onto the bed a few seconds later.
Zhu Mingyue couldn't bear the blatant lewdness during the day.
But knowing that Xie Pei hadn't touched him for many days, he suppressed his voice and let him make a fuss for half an hour.
Afterwards, Zhu Mingyue, her hair disheveled, lay on Xie Pei's chest, still angry, and bared her teeth, leaving a tooth mark on his chest.
Xie Pei didn't feel any pain at all, and shamelessly begged him to bite her a few more times.
Zhu Mingyue, not to his liking, stretched out her fair, jade-like arm and rubbed her waist, "Xie Pei, when are we going back to Ganzhou to get married?"
At first, he didn't care much. To him, whether they got married or not, he and Xie Pei could maintain the status quo and it made no difference.
But as time dragged on, it eventually became a small obsession.
He just thought that he would get married sooner or later, so he might as well do it sooner.
When I went back to the city, I met a fortune teller. On a whim, I had him tell my fortune and learned that one of the days next month would be auspicious for marriage. I secretly remembered it.
He wasn't superstitious; he just wanted the psychological effect.
Xie Pei took his arm and placed it on his chest, his warm and strong hands replacing Xie Pei's rubbing of his waist.
"The army cannot be without people now. Once the general returns, shall we set off for Ganzhou immediately?"
"Alright!" Zhu Mingyue laughed, but her laughter stopped abruptly: "Now that the late emperor has passed away, shouldn't we common people observe the full mourning period?"
"No, no!" He then remembered that Xie Pei's status was different from his own; Xie Pei was now a military officer in the imperial court. "You have to wait until the ancestral temple ceremony is completed!"
He opened his eyes wide in horror. How long would he have to wait now?
Xie Pei patted his bottom to reassure him: "It's alright, the new emperor has issued an edict that there is no need to observe mourning."
"No need for mourning?" Zhu Mingyue breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. "Master Cui... His Majesty is so kind these days!"
He would feel disgusted if he had to mourn for such a dog of an emperor and delay his pre-wedding plans.
Xie Pei gritted his teeth: "How exactly is it good?"
"You're so considerate of the people's needs!" Zhu Mingyue's smile returned. "Otherwise, we would have to wait much longer!"
Xie Pei brushed the strands of hair stuck to his lips and saw him laughing heartily. Suddenly, he felt relieved, and the knot in his heart disappeared as well.
He buried his face in Zhu Mingyue's neck and took a long, greedy breath.
"It itches," Zhu Mingyue complained softly, pushing him gently but not with much force.
Xie Pei is sometimes like a wild beast, especially in bed. He likes to sniff and nibble at him, and after a while, he gets used to it.
Xie Pei was satisfied. She gently took his hand, her eyes filled with deep affection. Her voice was hoarse but magnetic afterward, and her words made one's heart tremble: "Qingqing, shall we spend the rest of our lives together?"
Xie Pei knew he was shy, so she would only call him "Qingqing" when she was deeply moved and couldn't help herself.
He knew that Xie Pei was so insistent on calling him that because it was a term of endearment between husband and wife. So every time he heard it, it felt like a fire was burning inside him, reaching the very tip of his heart.
Zhu Mingyue's eyes were a little flustered. After circling around, she finally had nowhere to hide and her gaze met Xie Pei's.
Even though the two will get married soon, Xie Pei will still eagerly await Zhu Mingyue's answer.
Under the man's expectant gaze, Zhu Mingyue nodded solemnly, "Okay."
He has no regrets about spending the rest of his life hand in hand with Xie Pei.
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Author's Note: The bonus chapter will include their wedding, Cui Jian (Li Yun), and the long-lost Xu Lingguang. I'm itching to release it right now, but I have to wait another week!
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