Chapter 147: Nalan Yujin’s Probing, Meeting Wei Yue Again
Chapter 147: Chapter 147: Nalan Yujin’s Probing, Meeting Wei Yue Again
"Husband, where did you just run off to?"
Xie Qingwu and the others had been waiting at the entrance of Qi Yun Temple’s main hall. Seeing Pei Shaoqing return, she grumbled,
"I just went for a stroll. Are you all done with your prayers already?" Pei Shaoqing stepped forward to support her.
"I’m not so far along that I need help walking," Xie Qingwu said, exasperated. Suddenly, she caught an unfamiliar fragrance on Pei Shaoqing and remarked pointedly, "My, you smell so fragrant today, husband."
"I just ran into a Buddhist nun, and we discussed some Buddhist Teachings," Pei Shaoqing said without batting an eye.
Xie Qingwu snorted. ’A person of the cloth using such a strong perfume? I doubt she was any kind of proper nun.’
’She felt a little helpless. Xu Yuanqing was better than Pei Shaoqing in every way, but unfortunately, that included being just as lecherous.’
’He can’t even come to offer incense without hitting on a nun.’
Fearing she would let her imagination run wild, Pei Shaoqing quickly said, "Since we’re done here, let’s head back."
Just as they returned to the mansion, Nalan Yujin’s personal maid, Yu’Er, came to find him. "Second Young Master, the Madam requests your presence. She has something to discuss with you."
"Please, lead the way," Pei Shaoqing said, standing up. He exchanged a glance with Xie Qingwu, suppressing his confusion.
Yu’Er was genuinely unused to the Second Young Master being so polite. She froze for a moment before snapping out of it.
The Marquis Wei Yuan’s Mansion was huge. Pei Shaoqing followed Yu’Er through a labyrinth of corridors to Nalan Yujin’s room. Yu’Er stopped at the door. "After you, Second Young Master."
Pei Shaoqing nodded and stepped past her into the room.
But he saw no sign of Nalan Yujin.
"Where’s my sister-in-law?" he asked, looking back at Yu’Er.
To his surprise, Yu’Er closed the door and, with a bashful expression, began to undo her dress. Putting on a deliberately seductive air, she said in a trembling voice, "Second Young Master, why ask what you already know? Am I not your sister-in-law? You used to love forcing me to role-play as the Madam in her room for your pleasure."
’Damn,’ Pei Shaoqing thought. ’I didn’t realize the original owner of this body was into such wild stuff. Since he couldn’t have the real deal, he’d force her maid to role-play as her in her room while she was away.’
"I’ve missed you to death, Second Young Master. Please, favor your humble servant." Yu’Er had already pulled open her collar, revealing her snow-white bosom, her face flushed crimson.
Pei Shaoqing, however, remained expressionless and unmoved.
Gritting her teeth, Yu’Er threw herself at Pei Shaoqing and wrapped her arms around him. "Must you make this servant beg you, Second Young Master?"
As she spoke, her hand reached down toward his groin.
She seemed desperate to get a handful.
"SLAP!" Pei Shaoqing swung his hand and struck her hard across the face. "You hussy! Can we have a bit more wholesome content here? Are you trying to get this book banned?! This young master has already turned over a new leaf. Get away from me, you little wench."
Yu’Er was quite attractive—fair-skinned, buxom, and curvy.
But he didn’t dare grab her by the waist and get to it.
After all, his size was different from the original owner’s.
Besides, he suspected Yu’Er might have seen his size when she was spying on him last time. He couldn’t be sure, which was why she was offering herself up so freely now—she wanted to take a hands-on measurement.
Yu’Er was completely stunned by the slap. With her clothes half-undone, she clutched her face, looking at Pei Shaoqing with a mixture of grievance and indignation. "How could you be so cruel and turn on me like this, my lord?" she said resentfully. "You never used to treat this servant this way."
"The past is the past, and now is now. I hope that just because I’ve sullied you before doesn’t mean you should lose all sense of shame. A woman must have some self-respect. Don’t ever do this again," Pei Shaoqing said with a perfectly straight face. The moment he finished, he pushed her aside and headed for the door.
Watching Pei Shaoqing open the door and walk away, Yu’Er stomped her foot in humiliation and anger. Her exposed "conscience" heaved dramatically, a patch of creamy white swaying back and forth.
Just then, Nalan Yujin walked in.
"Madam." Yu’Er frantically straightened her collar and curtsied. "The Second Young Master... he didn’t take the bait."
"I heard everything. Go and bring him back here," Nalan Yujin said, her expression composed.
’A person’s personality can change, and so can their abilities.’
’Even their appearance might change.’
’But *that* place shouldn’t change.’
’Therefore, ever since she’d spied on him and seen his abnormal size, and considering his radically different personality and abilities, she couldn’t help but entertain a bold idea—Pei Shaoqing was not Pei Shaoqing.’
’But she had no concrete evidence, and the matter was too serious to voice without proof. That was why she’d had Yu’Er test him; after all, Yu’Er had been intimate with the old Pei Shaoqing on many occasions.’
’Unfortunately, her plan hadn’t succeeded.’
"Yes, Madam." Yu’Er accepted the order and departed.
Pei Shaoqing soon returned. "For what reason did my sister-in-law summon me?" he asked in a cold tone.
"Because of Zhou Rui’s rumors, the marriage alliance between the Tang Family and the Pingxi Marquis’s Mansion is ruined. Zhou Rui has now made a mortal enemy of the Tang Family. The man is reckless. It would be best for you, Shaoqing, to keep your distance from him to avoid being implicated," Nalan Yujin said in a level voice.
Although she suspected Pei Shaoqing’s identity, she wasn’t very confident in her own suspicions. After all, his face was still Pei Shaoqing’s, and the presence of his wife, Xie Qingwu, was the strongest proof of his identity. Therefore, unless she found irrefutable proof, she would bury this matter in her heart and never speak of it. As such, she had to continue treating Pei Shaoqing as a member of the Pei Family. She hoped to mend his relationship with them so that he could become an asset to her husband in the future.
Pei Shaoqing sneered, completely ungrateful. "You needn’t worry about that, Sister-in-law. I know perfectly well what I should and shouldn’t do. I’ll be moving out of the Marquis’s Mansion soon, so you won’t have to fear me dragging you all down with me."
With that, he turned and stormed off with a flick of his sleeves, not looking back once.
’Good thing the marriage between the Tang and Jiang families is off,’ he thought. ’Now I’ll have a chance to get Jiang Yuechan to blow me instead.’
He knew, however, that Zhou Rui wasn’t the one fanning the flames and spreading the rumor. He suspected it was the work of Prince Qi’s Mansion. After all, successfully preventing the alliance between the Jiang and Tang families would weaken the Ninth Prince, making the King of Qi the biggest beneficiary.
Watching his retreating back, Nalan Yujin’s face turned ashen with rage. She clenched her fists. ’Judging by the level of hostility Pei Shaoqing shows toward the Pei Family, it doesn’t seem like an act at all.’
’Perhaps I really am overthinking things.’
’He really is that same old scoundrel, not an imposter.’
But even as she thought this, her suspicions didn’t lessen by much.
...............
「In the afternoon」
Pei Shaoqing went to the Northern Military Governor’s Office.
The moment he stepped into Wei Yue’s office, he dropped to one knee. "Your subordinate, Pei Shaoqing, Hundred Households Commander of the Jing’an Guard’s Tongzhou Hundred Households, pays his respects to the Governor!" he announced loudly.
"Alright, get up. You’ve been back in the capital for days, and you’re only just now coming to see me. Have you no respect for me as your superior and your elder?" Wei Yue said, feigning displeasure.
Pei Shaoqing chuckled as he rose and casually found a chair to sit in. "I was afraid of disturbing your work, Uncle Wei. I only came to visit today because I specifically heard you weren’t as busy as usual."
Just then, tea was served. He accepted a cup, took a sip, and praised, "Uncle Wei, this is excellent tea!"
’Distancing himself from Marquis Weiyuan didn’t mean he had to alienate the Marquis’s friends—his own elders.’
’These were all valuable connections.’
"A gift from the Emperor. Take some with you when you leave," Wei Yue said casually. Then, his expression grew more serious. "Yunzhi, by rights, your achievements prove you’re a sensible young man. That being the case, you should be able to understand your father. But you were in the palace, clinging to His Majesty and spouting nonsense. If word of that gets out, how is your father supposed to maintain his dignity?"
Even if Pei Shiqing, as the elder, were willing to be the first to yield and mend their father-son relationship, he would surely be apoplectic once he heard that Pei Shaoqing had cried to the Emperor about his own father’s cruelty. There would be no chance of him yielding then. And judging by Pei Shaoqing’s attitude, he was even less likely to yield. The relationship between father and son was visibly deteriorating, becoming nearly impossible to reconcile.
’Actually,’ Pei Shaoqing thought, ’Wei Yue has a point.’
’He even thought Pei Shiqing was a good father to the original Pei Shaoqing.’
’But what could he do? He wasn’t Pei Shaoqing!’
"Uncle Wei, you shouldn’t preach goodness to a man when you haven’t suffered his pain. There are some things you, as an outsider, simply can’t understand," Pei Shaoqing said, setting down his teacup with the air of a man who had suffered a terrible injustice. "As you said, if I’m so sensible, why would I insist on antagonizing my own father and brother?
"It’s because I’ve been wronged! My life has been bitter! That’s why I can’t pretend nothing happened and play the part of a happy family. All I want now is to live my own life, completely separate from them."
Wei Yue sighed inwardly. He suddenly felt that Pei Shaoqing had a point. ’Perhaps there really is an inside story that we outsiders don’t know about.’
Still, he offered a piece of advice. "There’s no conflict between a father and son that can’t be reconciled. Your father did, after all, give you life and raise you. Don’t speak so carelessly. If word of this gets out, you’ll become a laughingstock, and it will damage your reputation."
’Father-son relationships are so troublesome.’ ’Wei Yue was suddenly grateful he had no children of his own.’
"Thank you for your guidance, Uncle Wei. I’m not an ungrateful person. He is my father, after all. I will naturally repay the debt of my birth and upbringing when the opportunity arises." ’Pei Shaoqing only wanted to distance himself from the Pei Family, not let himself be branded as a thankless cur. That would be a disaster.’
Wei Yue nodded slowly. Although he was close to the Pei Family, he knew better than to get too involved in their domestic affairs, so he changed the subject.
"That time in Tongzhou, you killed one of the Southern Garrison Command’s men, which let our Northern Garrison hold its head high. But you’ve earned the enmity of those petty bastards in the Southern Garrison Command. Be careful from now on, and whatever you do, don’t give them any leverage over you."
"Uncle Wei, even His Majesty sided with me during that conflict. Would the Southern Garrison Command dare to slap His Majesty in the face?" Pei Shaoqing asked with a frown.
Wei Yue replied, "Of course they wouldn’t dare. But if they catch you red-handed while ’impartially enforcing the law,’ then the one slapping His Majesty’s face won’t be them—it will be you. That’s why I’m telling you to be careful. Don’t let the Southern Garrison get any leverage."
He paused, then added, "The Governor of the Southern Garrison Command... is not to be trifled with."
The short sentence spoke volumes.
"Yes. This nephew will take it to heart," Pei Shaoqing replied, his expression instantly turning grave. ’If even Wei Yue says the Southern Governor is not to be trifled with, then he must be a truly ruthless figure.’
’I’ll have to take the year-end assessment very seriously.’
Just then, a Jing’an Guard strode in and reported, "Sir, Gao Xi, the Hundred Households Commander from the Yong’an County Hundred Households, requests an audience."
Although a Hundred Households Commander was not normally qualified to have a direct audience with the Governor, could a commander from a post right under the Emperor’s nose be the same as one from an ordinary county? Gao Xi was afforded this privilege.
"Send him in," Wei Yue said coolly, uttering three words.