Chapter 98 Helpless in the Face of Adversity Pei Lang's words were resounding and powerful. Listen…
Inside the golden hall, Pei Lang, dressed in the attire of a civil official, appeared somewhat stern, and his expression was indescribably unpleasant.
Xiao Ting sat upright on the dragon throne: "Pei Qing, we have been teacher and student for many years, and I treat you differently from others."
"The marriage alliance with Princess Chaoya was first considered with your mind in mind."
“If you hadn’t lost your wife so young, I wouldn’t miss you so much.”
Looking up at the emperor on the dragon throne, Pei Lang suddenly felt as if he could no longer recognize the person in front of him.
He had long known of Xiao Ting's ambition, but he never expected that after taking this position, Xiao Ting would also harbor thoughts of undermining him.
Lowering his eyelashes to conceal his surging emotions, Pei Lang knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in apology, and said, "I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness. Your humble servant has concealed something from Your Majesty."
"My wife, Lin Zhi, is still alive, and we have now brought her back to the manor."
"Your Majesty, please rescind your decree. I am unable to marry Princess Chaoya."
Xiao Ting's face, which had been carrying a faint smile, gradually turned cold, and his back straightened unconsciously.
"Lin Zhi? Pei Qing, this joke is not funny."
"The dead cannot be brought back to life. Even if you miss me too much, you don't need to say such things to deceive me."
But Pei Lang's attitude was unwavering: "Your Majesty knows that I never lie."
In just a few words, Xiao Ting's face turned extremely ugly, and even his eyes darkened.
"So what? Even if Lin Zhi were still alive, she would only be a concubine. Princess Chaoya is broad-minded and would not mind."
Pei Lang propped himself up on his knees and stood up, his dark eyes burning: "Your Majesty, I feel I have failed Lin Zhi."
"If it weren't for the sake of His Majesty's great cause back then, there would have been no need to feign compliance with the He family, and Lin Zhi wouldn't have been so heartbroken and nearly died in childbirth."
"Your humble servant feels that he has done his duty, and now he will clear Lin Zhi's name."
Pei Lang's words were resounding and forceful, causing Xiao Ting's expression to change.
"Only Lin Zhi is my one and only wife."
The hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The palace servants standing by had sweaty palms and dared not make the slightest sound.
Xiao Ting remained silent for a long time, then suddenly threw a thin porcelain teacup, which smashed to pieces on the ground!
"How dare you! The tea served to me is so hot!"
"Drag him out and beat him to death!"
The palace maid who had served tea a long time ago suddenly fell to her knees, kowtowing until her head bled and she wanted to beg for mercy, but she didn't even get a glance from Xiao Ting.
After the person was gagged and dragged away, Xiao Ting's expression softened, and he spoke gently to Pei Lang: "Senior Pei, this matter is of great importance and cannot be accomplished in a day."
"Besides, your status is no longer what it used to be; you are now my right-hand man."
"If I hadn't consulted you first on this matter, I'm afraid the entire court would have suspected that we, as ruler and subject, harbored ulterior motives."
"Or are you willing to hand over your current status and power to someone else because of Lin Zhi?"
"Isn't this a case of losing the big picture for the sake of small gains?"
Pei Lang remained silent. He knew Xiao Ting too well, from childhood to adulthood.
This person won't show what they don't want to do openly; they'll only do it in secret.
"It's getting late today, Minister Pei should return to his residence as soon as possible. As for the marriage alliance, I will consider other suitable candidates."
Pei Lang respectfully withdrew, but as soon as he stepped out of the palace gate, he heard a loud explosion behind him.
"Arrogant! Pei Lang is too arrogant!"
"Dare to contradict me?"
Xiao Ting paced back and forth, smashing everything within reach to pieces, staring at the painting of the beautiful woman before him without making a move.
"How could Lin Zhi still be alive? You bunch of useless trash!"
"You've been following Pei Lang for so long, how come it took you so long to return this thing!"
The dark mass of guards kneeling on the ground trembled and dared not utter a word.
"At first, I thought it was just that the village woman looked like Lin Zhi, and that someone else was trying to frame Pei Lang."
"Unexpectedly, this person managed to deceive Pei Lang and escape to Pingyi..."
Xiao Ting sat on the dragon throne with a sinister expression: "Useless."
"You bunch of useless trash, and even I was blind to believe that Pei Lang would actually be of service to me."
"Such a person probably still covets my throne."
Gently stroking the cold golden dragon throne in his palm, Xiao Ting felt a throbbing pain between his brows. He raised his hand to squeeze it, but it did not relieve the pain.
"Your Majesty, please do not be anxious. No matter how powerful Pei Lang is now, he is still just a subject. How can he be compared to Your Majesty?"
"Moreover, he now has a weakness. If he doesn't have Lin Zhi, won't he have to agree to the marriage bestowed by the Emperor?"
Turning his head to stare at the leader of the secret guards who was trying to figure out how to get along with him, Xiao Ting chuckled, but then kicked him hard.
"idiot!"
"If Lin Zhi dies like this, do you think Pei Lang will still live? Would I dare to use a desperate fugitive?"
The guard, who had been kicked in the chest, swallowed the metallic taste in his throat and hurriedly kowtowed to admit his mistake: "But Your Majesty, if he finds out that you took action, he will definitely not let this go."
“But Pei Lang has made enemies everywhere and has long been the target of everyone’s criticism.”
"Why not use someone else to do the dirty work... Then the Emperor can step in and save him. But Lin Zhi is just a weak woman; it would be quite normal for her to die in a hail of blades..."
Xiao Ting's eyes brightened slightly, a cold glint flashing within them.
"Where is Madam?"
After taking off his cloak and throwing it into the servant's arms, Pei Lang rubbed his cold hands, wanting to see Lin Zhi and her daughter, but only saw the servant's troubled expression.
"Madam said she wanted to rest early this morning and has already taken the young lady to bed."
"Originally, the nanny advised the lady to wait for the master to have dinner, but the lady also kicked her out."
Pei Lang held the teacup without speaking, but his expression was somewhat gloomy.
"Understood, you may leave."
Only after the servants closed the study door did a faint look of weariness appear on Pei Lang's face.
He had originally planned to spend some quality time with Lin Zhi at home today, but he never expected that Chao Ya and Xiao Ting would keep him from having a moment's peace.
He couldn't accept losing Lin Zhi again because of the He family's affairs, which had already alienated him from Lin Zhi.
One taste of such bitterness is enough.
With this in mind, Pei Lang went straight to Lin Zhi's room wearing only a single layer of clothing without hesitation.
However, they were turned away by the tightly closed door.
"My lord... I am truly sorry, Madam has already retired for the night, and she is still sleeping with the young lady. I hope you will not make things difficult for us servants."
Pei Lang frowned as he stared at the maid blocking his way. The faint sounds of a baby babbling could still be heard through the window. Mianmian was still awake, so there was no way Lin Zhi could be asleep.
Pei Lang didn't believe in this superstition. After hearing Xiao Ting's words today, he felt uneasy.
Xiao Ting wasn't someone who could be easily persuaded, and even he wasn't entirely confident he could convince Xiao Ting to give up the idea.
But now he cares more about Lin Zhi. If Lin Zhi hears any rumors, he doesn't want to live anymore.
"Azhi, it's me."
"I have something to say to you, please let me in."
Through the window, Lin Zhi heard the howling of the north wind outside, and also heard the indistinct sounds blown by the wind.
She held her soft, warm daughter in her arms, but her heart was filled with coldness.
It's like a flower swept away by the wind and falling onto the snow.
She originally thought that Pei Lang's insistence on keeping her was enough to chill her heart, but she didn't expect that today's encounter with Chao Ya would be the most devastating blow to her.
She clearly didn't want anything anymore, just a peaceful life, but now she has an added hope that Mianmian will grow up well.
Why won't even God show her this much mercy?
She wiped her eyes in confusion. She had already cried all her tears, so why were they falling again now?
After placing the sleeping Mianmian back on the bed, she sighed, "You should go back now, it's too late today."
Even if we're going to talk about a marriage alliance, let's wait until tomorrow.
But Pei Lang immediately sensed something was wrong with her, and hurriedly reached for the window frame: "Azhi, it's just a few words, I'll leave after I finish."
"I won't leave unless you come out to see me."
The urgent threat only fueled Lin Zhi's anger. Pei Lang was so tough; he really put on a good act all the time!
If you find her an eyesore, why bother with her so persistently, refusing to let her leave!
Lin Zhi refused to listen to him anymore, returned to her bed, and angrily closed her eyes, ignoring him.
After drifting off to sleep, I couldn't find peace of mind for a long time, and even had a dream, something I hadn't done in a long time.
The dream was bizarre and chaotic, even featuring Chao Ya's arrogant and ferocious face. In the dream, Pei Lang was also standing beside her, and the two seemed to be a perfect match.
She raised her hand to wipe away the sweat, feeling her heart pounding wildly.
Looking at the still-burning candlelight, I realized that I had only slept for an hour.
"lady......"
The maidservant who darted in quickly saw that Lin Zhi was still awake and poured tea with a complicated expression: "...Madam, it snowed outside tonight."
Lin Zhi drank half a cup of tea to calm her nerves, her voice becoming hoarse: "Really? Then prepare some thick winter clothes for Mianmian tomorrow, so she doesn't get cold."
After the maid took the teacup, she still hesitated to speak.
Lin Zhi frowned slightly upon seeing this: "What's wrong? Just say what you want to say."
The maid knelt down with a thud, and, mindful of the sleeping Mianmian, lowered her voice and said, "Please, Madam, don't be angry with the master anymore."
"The master waited in the courtyard the whole time, and refused to leave even when it started snowing."
"In this weather, if you don't even wear a cloak, you're likely to fall ill..."
Lin Zhi suddenly turned her head, "What did you say?"
When she hurriedly came out wearing a cloak, she immediately saw the tall figure leaning against the window. Pei Lang was so cold that his hands were stiff from rubbing them together.
"Pei Lang! Are you out of your mind?"
Pei Lang turned around, and Lin Zhi noticed that his lip color had become much lighter. Without thinking, she stepped forward to pull him away.
But someone grabbed his wrist tightly: "You...you hear me out, then I'll go with you."
Lin Zhi bit her lower lip, and as the north wind blew by, tears welled up in her eyes again.
Since she had wanted to leave for a long time, what difference did it make whether she left on her own or was driven away?
She took a deep breath of the icy air: "...You say."
"Today, when I entered the palace, His Majesty originally intended to bestow a marriage upon me, but then he learned of your return to the palace."
"I'm afraid something might happen to you. Would you be willing to... leave the capital temporarily to avoid the storm?"
Pei Lang stood in the cold wind for a long time, but his mind became clearer and clearer.
A man like Xiao Ting would never allow himself to suffer a loss. Today, he even mentioned status and power, presumably intending to force him to submit by demoting him.
He is not afraid of decentralizing power; he is only afraid that he will be overwhelmed and that others will take advantage of the situation.
Lin Zhi and her daughter left the capital to avoid being targeted.
But Lin Zhi's eyes grew increasingly red, and after a long silence, she finally nodded: "...Okay."
-----------------------
Author's Note: My girlfriends, come check out my new novel launching this month! It's the familiar sweet and sour historical romance about a wife-chasing protagonist~ My new novel in my column is titled "Restricted Wife-Slave Romance: The Wife-Chasing Crematorium."
I'll be starting a new series right after my cousin's story ends~ It's a sweet, sickly, spoiled girl x a gloomy, handsome scholar, a little story of marriage of convenience that blossoms into love~
If you like it, please save it, my girlfriends! [heart emoji]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
