Chapter 149: Persuading Jiang Yuechan, Sharpening the Knives for the Tang Family
Chapter 149: Chapter 149: Persuading Jiang Yuechan, Sharpening the Knives for the Tang Family
"Get rid of Tang Zhi?" Jiang Yuechan’s dazed eyes instantly cleared, and she spoke, stunned.
Pei Shaoqing reached out and, with a practiced hand, began to untie her sash. "That’s right," he said. "The Tang Family has been so thoroughly humiliated. They may not dare to say anything openly, fearing the Jiang Family’s power, but they’re bound to hold a grudge in secret.
"Given our positions, it’s fated that even though we love each other, I can never give you a proper title. The best I can do for you, my dear Yuechan, is to sweep away anyone who might threaten you."
’An affair is still a kind of love, after all.’
"Mr. Pei~" Jiang Yuechan’s heart melted. Her bright eyes glistened as if about to overflow, and she never imagined Pei Shaoqing would be willing to make a move against Tang Zhi for her sake.
A gust of wind made her shiver. She glanced down and belatedly realized her robes were completely open. Instantly, she felt both embarrassed and flustered.
’How is he so quick at undoing a woman’s clothes?’
"Ah! Mr. Pei, stop! Don’t do this."
"My dear Yuechan, let me see, let me see."
Like a parched land yearning for sweet rain, Jiang Yuechan’s body had already gone limp. She clung to Pei Shaoqing, her red lips parted, and whispered, "We can’t do it here, Mr. Pei."
The place she met Pei Shaoqing was a side hall in the Pingxi Marquis’s Mansion. Not only were the main doors wide open, but there wasn’t even a soft couch for them to get down to business. There were only a few tables and chairs.
"Don’t you think a place like this adds to the mood, Yuechan? Let’s go behind that pillar," Pei Shaoqing said, pointing to a thick, black support pillar.
Jiang Yuechan pursed her lips and shot him a look that was half-annoyed, half-reproachful. "Sister Xie was right. You’re always finding new ways to bully women, Mr. Pei. You’re completely rotten."
Pei Shaoqing had been sure she was about to agree.
But to his surprise, Jiang Yuechan shook her head. "I really can’t. I’m not that brave. If a servant saw us, how could I ever show my face again?"
Although she too was tempted by the thrill, in the end, her reason conquered her desire.
"Fine, then let me at least do some mining." Pei Shaoqing turned into a master prospector, tapping into the rich lode that was Jiang Yuechan—a lode that hadn’t been worked in three years. The output was enormous.
Having been thoroughly mined, Jiang Yuechan was on the verge of collapse.
After her sweet release, she lay limp in Pei Shaoqing’s arms.
It took her a good three to five minutes to recover. Once the post-coital clarity set in, her intelligence took command once more. As she pulled up her underclothes, she said, "You claim you’re getting rid of Tang Zhi for me, Mr. Pei, but I suspect it’s for your own sake, isn’t it? Is it that you need my help, so you decided to sweet-talk me like that?"
She was well aware that Pei Shaoqing had beaten Tang Zhi to a pulp, and she knew there was bad blood between the two of them.
"It’s for me, and for you," Pei Shaoqing said with a cheeky grin, not the least bit embarrassed at being found out.
Jiang Yuechan rolled her eyes and began to straighten her dress. "Go on, then," she huffed.
"A few days ago, there was a murder in the city," Pei Shaoqing said calmly. "A servant from Prince Qi’s Mansion was killed, most likely to silence him. Uncle Wei asked me to help the Yong’an County Hundred Households solve the case, and I’ve decided the murderer is Tang Zhi."
Jiang Yuechan draped her arms around his neck, her brow furrowed. "But what’s the motive? Why would Tang Zhi kill that servant? And what evidence is there to prove it was him?"
"As long as both the Pingxi Marquis’s Mansion and Prince Qi’s Mansion want the killer to be Tang Zhi, do things like motive and evidence still matter?" Pei Shaoqing asked with a faint smile.
The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites is the second-in-command of his ministry, a prestigious and honorable position. But compared to two behemoths like the Pingxi Marquis’s Mansion and Prince Qi’s Mansion, that means very little.
Jiang Yuechan asked doubtfully, "I can handle my family. I’ll persuade my second brother to cooperate with you; after all, striking first is the best way to prevent the Tang Family from seeking revenge later. But why would Prince Qi’s Mansion go along with you instead of searching for the real killer?"
"Because the King of Qi can’t tolerate the Tang Family either," Pei Shaoqing said with a smile, taking her soft hand and toying with it. "Yuechan, who do you think was spreading those storybooks about the sordid affair between Tang Zhi and Zhou Rui?"
"The King of Qi?" It clicked for Jiang Yuechan instantly.
’Whoever benefits the most is the biggest suspect.’
"Exactly. Tang Zhi might not have realized it in the heat of the moment and blamed Zhou Rui, but his father, Tang Fei, will surely figure out the truth. And frankly, it wouldn’t be difficult to trace the source if they really tried."
"As for the King of Qi, he might be feeling smug right now, but once the risks are explained to him, he’ll also worry about the Tang Family holding a grudge and seeking revenge. If he has an easy way to eliminate a future threat, he certainly won’t mind lending a hand."
The Tang Family was actually quite innocent. They hadn’t deliberately offended the Jiang Family, nor had they provoked Prince Qi’s Mansion.
On the contrary, it was these two families who had wronged them, one after the other.
One spread rumors, the other broke off an engagement.
But out of guilt, and to prevent the Tang Family from seeking revenge, both families would surely seize any opportunity to crush them completely.
It was just that unfair.
In the arena of power, weakness is the original sin.
"But what about His Majesty?" Jiang Yuechan said. "Tang Fei is a minister he was considering for the Cabinet. Would he really let you frame him and allow him to suffer such a great injustice?"
If the Emperor wants to protect someone, no one can touch them. The older he gets, the tighter his grip on power becomes, and the fewer people dare to defy him.
Because everyone understood one thing.
A tiger is most dangerous right before it dies.
Pei Shaoqing replied, his expression grim. "Did you really think Tang Fei would have smoothly entered the Cabinet if the rumors hadn’t escalated into a full-blown scandal? Yuechan, you’re too naive."
"His Majesty might have genuinely considered him for the Cabinet before—otherwise, the rumors wouldn’t have started. But from the moment Tang Fei agreed to the marriage alliance with the Jiang Family, those rumors were doomed to remain just rumors. The Emperor would never let an old fool who’s lost his head to power and can’t think clearly enter the Cabinet."
Tang Fei wasn’t even in the Cabinet, yet he was already rushing to back the Ninth Prince. Of course the Emperor would take issue with that.
Emperor Jingtai surely understands the mentality of his ministers; he knows he’s getting old, and they’re all rushing to place their bets on the next generation. But understanding something and accepting it are two different things.
This is especially true of the Cabinet, which is filled with capable ministers he personally appointed as his confidants. On the surface, at least, their loyalty should be his and his alone.
But Tang Fei got ahead of himself and committed a major taboo.
’An emperor’s heart changes faster than a woman’s.’
’And when he turns on you, he’s more ruthless than any woman, too.’
After giving Jiang Yuechan a moment to think, Pei Shaoqing continued, "In His Majesty’s eyes, his ministers are merely tools. With tools, there’s no distinction between close and distant, only between useful and useless. And Tang Fei is no longer useful."
"And I, apparently, am a handy new tool that he’s forging with high hopes. I’m in charge of this case, and His Majesty won’t mind sacrificing a worn-out tool to make way for a brand-new one with more potential."
"It would also allow him to drive that old fool Tang Fei, who has already disappointed and disgusted him, out of the Imperial Court, and at the same time, make an example of him to warn the other officials."
His confidence that he had correctly surmised the Emperor’s thoughts was the main reason Pei Shaoqing dared to make Tang Zhi his scapegoat. Otherwise, he never would have moved against the Tang Family so brazenly.
Moreover, because he had the Emperor’s backing and tacit approval for this case, not even the Southern Garrison Command would dare to criticize his handling of it during the year-end evaluation.
"This is so complicated." Jiang Yuechan felt a headache coming on. Her eyes shifted as she voiced a new concern. "But if Prince Qi’s Mansion and our Pingxi Marquis’s Mansion suddenly set aside our conflict to tacitly join forces against Tang Fei, won’t that arouse His Majesty’s suspicion?"
She didn’t understand politics, but she knew the Emperor was pleased to see Prince Qi’s Mansion and the Pingxi Marquis’s Mansion at odds.
"No, because His Majesty knows your two families could never coexist peacefully," Pei Shaoqing replied, shaking his head. Then he added lightly, "Besides, Yuechan, you’re underestimating His Majesty."
The Emperor uses the Jing’an Guard to monitor the provinces, has firm control over the army in the capital, and keeps the Imperial Court on a tight leash. Prince Qi’s Mansion and the Jiang Family can only play by his rules. As the host and referee of this game, why would he be wary of two of his players?
The beauty of it is, they are the only two players.
There is no third competitor.
Therefore, the two sides can never coexist peacefully.
"Then let’s do it your way. I’ll be responsible for persuading my second brother," Jiang Yuechan said, her expression serious.
Pei Shaoqing’s face instantly lit up with a smile. He hugged her and gave her a firm kiss. "Then I’m counting on you, Yuechan. Find a good time to mention it to your second brother, but don’t say it was my idea. Otherwise, he might get suspicious."
"What are you calling him ’second brother’ for? He’s *my* brother," Jiang Yuechan chided, rolling her eyes with a captivating charm.
Pei Shaoqing said with a suggestive smile, "I’ve already met your second brother, but you, my dear Yuechan, have yet to meet my *younger* brother. When should I bring him out to meet you?"
"You have a younger brother?" Jiang Yuechan paused, taken aback. Having been away from the Capital City for so long, she thought perhaps Marquis Weiyuan had had another child. She instinctively asked, "How old is your brother?"
"Twenty-two," Pei Shaoqing replied offhandedly.
Jiang Yuechan’s eyes widened in an instant. "He’s almost the same age as you! How have I never heard of him? Is he an illegitimate son Marquis Weiyuan recently acknowledged?"
"We were born of the same mother," Pei Shaoqing replied, deadpan.
"Twins?" Jiang Yuechan scratched her head, both surprised and confused. "Don’t tell me you’re actually Pei Shaoqing’s brother?" she asked suspiciously. "Your personality is nothing like his."
"No, my younger brother is shy. He doesn’t really see people," Pei Shaoqing said with a sigh, looking as if he were worried sick over him.
"Such a withdrawn and timid personality... No wonder I’ve never heard of him," Jiang Yuechan muttered to herself.
Yet Pei Shaoqing was willing to let her meet such a brother. To her, this was a sign of his affection. Touched, Jiang Yuechan said, "Bring him out for me to meet another day."
"I can show him to you right now," Pei Shaoqing responded with an ambiguous, suggestive smile.
’His "little brother" just loves his sister-in-law’s dumplings.’
’But he’s a picky eater. He only likes the wrappers and the soup.’
Jiang Yuechan tilted her head. "Hm?"
A moment later, her face flushed crimson.
"You—! Pei Shaoqing! How dare you make fun of me!"
In the end, he didn’t get a taste of his "sister-in-law’s dumpling wrapper."
Instead, his "sister-in-law" turned the tables and ate *him* (*꒦ິ⌓꒦ີ).
Despite his "grievous losses," Pei Shaoqing was enjoying every moment.
Next, he had to figure out a way to make the King of Qi realize the threat the Tang Family posed to him. After all, he couldn’t be sure the King or his advisors were smart enough to see it on their own. A little reminder was in order.
Only then could he ensure that once Prince Qi’s Mansion saw the Jiang Family make their move, they would tacitly lend their support.