Chapter 141: Figuring Out the Emperor’s Mind, Eldest Sister-in-law’s First Suspicions
Chapter 141: Chapter 141: Figuring Out the Emperor’s Mind, Eldest Sister-in-law’s First Suspicions
Pei Shaoqing returned home from the Imperial Palace.
"Husband, what did Your Majesty say?"
Xie Qingwu hurried forward to ask.
Pei Shaoqing replied, "Your Majesty has agreed to award us a residence. Also, I’ve noticed a problem."
He sat down at the table as he spoke.
"What problem?" Xie Qingwu asked as she poured him some tea.
Pei Shaoqing picked up his cup, took a sip, and set it down before frowning and saying slowly, "He seems quite pleased to see the discord between me and the Marquis Wei Yuan’s Mansion. I suspect that’s the reason for his repeated, generous rewards."
"Oh?" Xie Qingwu began to ponder this carefully.
For a moment, neither husband nor wife spoke.
It was so quiet they could hear the rustling of the wind outside the window.
A moment later, Xie Qingwu broke the silence. "If Your Majesty truly wants to see you at odds with your father, and is rewarding you handsomely for it, then the premise is that he already knows you and your father are on bad terms. That’s the only reason he would do this.
"And for him to be so certain means he knows the old Pei Shaoqing well enough—and knows just how terrible the relationship between you and your father was."
"I’ll have to be careful with my words and actions from now on." Pei Shaoqing understood what Xie Qingwu meant. The Emperor had long-standing spies in the Marquis Wei Yuan’s Mansion, and it was possible someone was watching him now, too.
Xie Qingwu said softly, "His Majesty is likely doing this because of your father. By repeatedly rewarding you when he knows you two don’t get along, he’s giving you the confidence to stand up to your father, or even turn against him completely. First, it worsens the relationship between you and your father. Second, it deepens your loyalty to him."
"I understand now." At this, comprehension dawned on Pei Shaoqing. He let out a breath and said, "His Majesty is old and frail, so he’s wary of Marquis Weiyuan. He needs to use him, but at the same time, he needs a way to keep him in check.
"To outsiders, repeatedly rewarding me looks like he’s showing great favor to the Marquis Wei Yuan’s Mansion. But in reality, it puts pressure on Marquis Weiyuan, making him wary of public opinion and preventing him from leveraging his military power to defy an imperial edict. It strengthens the Emperor’s control over him.
"At the same time, just as you said, my wife, it can intensify the conflict between me and Marquis Weiyuan, earn my gratitude and loyalty, and in the future, even allow him to use me to deal with the Marquis—using the son to control the father and strip him of his military authority."
Killing three birds with one stone, controlling both Marquis Weiyuan and his son. ’The Emperor is one crafty old bastard!’
Now that he understood the reason for the Emperor’s special favor, Pei Shaoqing suddenly felt much less anxious.
After all, it’s the unknown that’s truly frightening.
’I’m an imposter.’
’As long as the Emperor’s price is high enough, what’s wrong with playing the loyal subject for a while and helping him deal with Marquis Weiyuan?’
’Besides, I can use the Marquis’s continued existence to my own advantage.’
’As long as Marquis Weiyuan’s military power isn’t stripped away, the Emperor will have to keep showing me special favor to achieve his goals.’
"So, your distancing yourself from Marquis Weiyuan is exactly what His Majesty wants to see. It’s a happy accident that plays right into his hands," Xie Qingwu said with a smile.
Distancing himself from the Marquis Wei Yuan’s Mansion would help prevent his identity from being exposed and also please the Emperor. It killed two birds with one stone.
Pei Shaoqing laughed. "From now on, I’ll have to double down on being a treacherous, disloyal, and unfilial son. I’ll use the Marquis Wei Yuan’s Mansion to farm favorability points with the Emperor."
"Husband, don’t forget one more thing: that servant from Prince Qi’s Mansion and his lover." Fearing he would get carried away by his success, Xie Qingwu gently reminded him.
The smile on Pei Shaoqing’s face slowly faded. He stood up and said, "I’ll go find Aunt Liu. I’ll leave this matter to her."
Although having Liu Yuheng, a dignified Martial Artist of the Wandering Dragon Realm, deal with two ordinary people was a bit like using a cannon to shoot a mosquito, it was necessary to ensure there were absolutely no mistakes.
"Alright." Xie Qingwu stood to see him out.
Pei Shaoqing had just left when General Li came trotting back in, a wind-chilled chicken butt dangling from his mouth. "My Lady, where is My Lord? Your servant has brought him the famous Braised Phoenix Tail from the Drunken Immortal Pavilion."
"That’s a chicken butt you had leftover, isn’t it?" Xie Qingwu saw right through him and rolled her eyes in annoyance.
She had only ever heard of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion’s braised chicken.
General Li blinked, drool trickling down from the chicken butt. "My Lady, you see through everything! It wasn’t easy for your servant to bring this chicken butt back! Since My Lord isn’t here, please, My Lady, enjoy this Phoenix Tail."
"I’ve fully appreciated your loyalty and filial piety. You can eat this chicken butt yourself." Xie Qingwu gave him a disgusted look and waved her hand dismissively.
"Thank you for the reward, My Lady!" His face beaming, General Li, who had just "washed" the chicken butt with his drool, unceremoniously swallowed it in one gulp. He let out a satisfied breath. "Perfect."
Xie Qingwu added a warning, "Don’t you dare get on the bed until you’ve cleaned all the grease from your fur."
It seemed like every cat loved to lounge on the bed.
"Yes, your servant obeys! I shall go find a place to bathe immediately!" General Li turned and bolted, only to make an emergency U-turn. "Oh, right, My Lady, remember to tell My Lord that your servant has completed the task he was given."
As soon as the words left his mouth, he spun around, rose up on his hind legs, ran to a shelf, grabbed his personal handkerchief, and hurried off. He arrived at the neighbor’s kitchen, tested the pot of water simmering on the stove—not too hot—and with a SPLASH, he jumped in, sat down, and began to scrub himself.
Wealthy households always kept hot water ready, so they heated it in large pots. The temperature rose very slowly, giving General Li plenty of time to wash himself leisurely inside.
Of course, whether he could actually get clean depended on when someone would discover him and chase him away.
Back when he was skinnier, he could even splash around and swim a lap in the pot. He didn’t have that luxury anymore.
...
Meanwhile, Pei Shaoqing arrived at Liu Yuheng’s room and knocked on the door. "Aunt Liu, may I come in?"
"Please come in, Young Master." Liu Yuheng, dressed in a goose-yellow long dress, opened the door and invited him inside. After he was seated, she took the initiative to pour him tea. "Is there something you need, Young Master?"
"I need Aunt Liu to kill two people," Pei Shaoqing said, not touching his tea. He got straight to the point.
Liu Yuheng’s questions were brief and to the point: "What do they look like? What are their names? Where can I find them?"
"The man is named Wang Er, he looks like... The woman is Liu Qiaoniang, her appearance is... They are often in Yangliu Lane..." Pei Shaoqing relayed all the information he had gotten from Zhou Rui, adding a warning, "You must be careful. The capital isn’t like other places. A murder at the foot of the Imperial City will definitely be thoroughly investigated by the Jing’an Guard."
"Rest assured, Young Master. They are just two ordinary people, too weak to even truss a chicken. I can handle them with ease and leave no trace," Liu Yuheng replied with complete confidence.
Pei Shaoqing nodded slowly. After concluding their business, he added, "I’ve just returned to the capital and I’m very busy. If you and Lan’Er get bored, feel free to go out for a walk. I’ll take you out to have some fun after I’m done with things in a couple of days."
"Please focus on your own business, Young Master. You don’t need to worry about us," Liu Yuheng replied understandingly.
Pei Shaoqing picked up the teacup, drained it in one go, wiped his mouth, and stood to leave. "I’ll be counting on you for this, Aunt Liu."
"I understand," Liu Yuheng said, rising to see him off.
After leaving Liu Yuheng’s place, Pei Shaoqing went to find Ye Hanshuang.
Ye Hanshuang was practicing her swordplay in the courtyard. The light from her blade flashed like a dragon, and the hem of her robes fluttered. Her heavy conscience swayed back and forth. Compared to the sword in her hand, Pei Shaoqing felt that pair of ripe fruits had far greater killing power.
"Big Brother." Seeing Pei Shaoqing arrive, Ye Hanshuang broke into a smile, immediately sheathed her sword, and went to greet him.
Pei Shaoqing made a gesture as if to wipe the sweat from her brow.
Ye Hanshuang immediately and obediently half-knelt.
Having just finished strenuous exercise, her forehead and neck were drenched in fragrant sweat, her cheeks flushed like a sunset. The lustful fire that Noble Consort Wan had ignited in him at the Imperial Palace had already been suppressed, but now it was gradually flaring up again.
As he wiped her sweat, his hand traveled down her sticky neck and slipped into her collar. Through the thin silk of her dudou, he could easily feel her soft, springy flesh.
"Big Brother, let’s do it in the room," Ye Hanshuang said, remaining in her crouched position for Pei Shaoqing’s convenience.
But Pei Shaoqing’s gaze fell on the rockery in the courtyard. "Let’s go behind the rockery," he said.
Ye Hanshuang bit her red lip and hummed in agreement. Holding her sword, she walked behind the rockery, then obediently placed both hands on it, bent over at the waist, and raised her rear high.
Her two buttocks, round like a full moon, were a stunning visual impact, making one want to plunge right in.
Ye Hanshuang urged softly, "Hurry, Big Brother."
"Hold on, I need to go get a stool from the house to stand on," Pei Shaoqing said, letting out a breath.
’When you’re a head shorter, you have to use leverage to your advantage.’
’Otherwise, the granularity won’t align.’
At first, Ye Hanshuang tried to hold back, but in the heat of passion, she couldn’t control herself. A passing maid blushed beet-red.
However, she was already used to her Second Young Master’s outrageous behavior. She just felt a little disappointed, since it used to be them he called for, but now some outsider was getting all the benefits.
Nalan Yujin had been observing all day. She thought Ye Hanshuang seemed honest and dull, and therefore easy to fool, so she wanted to try and get some information out of her. But as soon as she reached the courtyard gate, she heard all sorts of indecent, decadent sounds coming from within.
"My Lady, it seems the Second Young Master is... busy in there. We should go," the maid said, her face bright red.
Nalan Yujin ignored her. The sounds didn’t seem to be coming from the room, so she followed them, circling around to the back of the courtyard wall. She peered into the yard through a decorative ventilation hole and saw the two people behind the rockery. She immediately flushed red and spat in disgust.
Flicking her handkerchief, she turned and left.
But the scene she had just witnessed lingered in her mind, sending ripples through the heart of a woman who had essentially been living like a widow for years. The next second, she suddenly stopped walking, frowning and standing motionless.
"My Lady?" her personal maid asked, confused.
Nalan Yujin turned to her maid. "Is the Second Young Master’s... thing... much bigger than usual?"
Although she had never seen Pei Shaoqing’s with her own eyes, when Pei Shaoqing had tried to assault her before, she had been forced to feel its outline through her clothes. Based on her rich experience as a married woman, she was certain that the one she had just seen was much larger than the one she had felt a few years ago.
The reason she asked her personal maid was because that bastard Pei Shaoqing had violated the girl in her early years.
"Ah!" Hearing her lady utter such bold and shameless words, the maid was overcome with embarrassment. Her face flushed red as she stammered, "This servant... didn’t get a clear look just now."
’But she thought that woman was faking it.’
’With a body as exaggerated as hers, how could the Second Young Master possibly make her feel like she was dying of pleasure?’
Nalan Yujin said, "Go look again."
"Ah!" The maid’s mind was a complete mess.
Nalan Yujin repeated, "Go, now!"
"O-oh." The maid had no choice but to brace herself and go back to peek again. A moment later, she returned in a panic. "My Lady, the Second Young Master is finished! I didn’t see anything, but I think he spotted me!"
Nalan Yujin stood frozen in place, her expression shifting indeterminately. She remained silent for a long time before finally turning to leave.