Chapter 62: The Angel of the Capital City Left Again, the Saintess Is on a Hunger Strike
Chapter 62: Chapter 62: The Angel of the Capital City Left Again, the Saintess Is on a Hunger Strike
"I wouldn’t dare deceive the Emperor! I wouldn’t dare! Even if you gave me a hundred times the courage, I still wouldn’t dare!" Pei Shaoqing waved his hands frantically, grabbing Eunuch Liu’s arm. "Eunuch, you must investigate this with utmost clarity!"
"As long as you haven’t deceived the Emperor, Young Master, no one can touch you given your status," Eunuch Liu said in a low voice.
The Emperor wanted to deal with Pei Shaoqing, and he certainly didn’t mind helping his sovereign with this burden. But there was a prerequisite.
Pei Shaoqing’s crime had to be real.
It couldn’t be a baseless fabrication.
After all, Pei Shaoqing was no ordinary person.
Besides, although he didn’t understand why the Emperor suddenly wanted to find fault with Pei Shaoqing, he was certain that even if it was proven that Pei Shaoqing had deceived the Emperor, His Majesty would ultimately let him off easy. He wouldn’t make a huge fuss over it.
Because Marquis Weiyuan was still leading a large army on the frontier.
Therefore, he couldn’t—and wouldn’t dare—act on his own initiative to frame Pei Shaoqing, either to curry favor with the Emperor or to settle old scores. At most, he could add a few unfavorable remarks based on the facts.
And since Pei Shaoqing had apologized with a hefty sum of gold and shown sincere remorse as the son of a marquis, their past grievances had vanished into thin air. So, he wouldn’t do such a thing.
Moreover, during this meeting, Pei Shaoqing was like a completely different person from his past self. This made him think that the young man probably hadn’t deceived the Emperor after all, which was why he dared to accept the money and speak frankly.
’Of course, if I’ve misjudged and it turns out Pei Shaoqing really did deceive the Emperor, well, I’ll just report the facts. I can just give all the money I received to my godfather as a gift.’
Pei Shaoqing’s expression was calm, his tone decisive. "I swear on my life, I have not deceived the Emperor."
"With your word on it, Young Master, all is well." Eunuch Liu patted his hand, then pulled his own arm free. "Young Master, why don’t you tell me the whole story."
Pei Shaoqing slowly recounted the events, emphasizing that the Kaiyang Saint Heir had first been wounded and incapacitated by Liu Yuheng and the others before he, Pei Shaoqing, finished him off with an arrow.
"So that’s how it was." A look of understanding dawned on Eunuch Liu’s face. He said softly, "Although you were not the main force that defeated the Kaiyang Saint Heir, Young Master, you single-handedly planned the encirclement and personally delivered the killing blow. The primary credit belongs to you, without a doubt. After we have completed our investigation, I will write a detailed report to corroborate your achievements."
"Then I will have to trouble Eunuch Liu. I will order a subordinate to accompany you and facilitate your investigation in Tongzhou," Pei Shaoqing said with a sincere expression.
Eunuch Liu couldn’t help but chuckle. He knew Pei Shaoqing wanted to arrange someone to keep an eye on him, but he wasn’t opposed to it. He readily agreed, "I appreciate the Young Master’s cooperation."
"A toast, a toast." Pei Shaoqing smiled and raised his cup again. After draining it, he wiped his mouth and asked casually, "I wonder, does the Eldest Princess still hold a grudge against me?"
Eunuch Liu gave him a pointed, sideways glance.
’Young Master, do you have no self-awareness at all?’
"Second Young Master, you were holding the Eldest Princess, spewing obscenities. You were one step away from ripping her clothes off," Eunuch Liu reminded him helplessly.
Pei Shaoqing gave an awkward smile and quickly changed the subject. "Eunuch, why do you think His Majesty doesn’t believe me?"
Eunuch Liu, of course, knew what he was really asking. Pinching his fingers together in a delicate gesture, he said in a low voice, "The Emperor’s heart is an abyss; how could we possibly fathom it? However, in my humble opinion, in His Majesty’s eyes, you are merely a mischievous junior. He won’t take things too seriously with you."
Hearing this, Pei Shaoqing immediately understood.
’The Emperor isn’t targeting me.’
’He’s most likely targeting my father.’
’Is he wary of Marquis Wei Yuan’s Mansion holding too much military power?’
’That shouldn’t be it. My sister-in-law and my father’s only grandson are both in the Capital City as hostages. Besides, the Great Zhou Kingdom is at the height of its power; it shouldn’t fear a rebellion from the Marquis Wei Yuan’s Mansion.’
After sending Eunuch Liu off and arranging for Song Youcai to accompany him and cooperate with the investigation, Pei Shaoqing returned to his room and asked Xie Qingwu about the matter he hadn’t been able to figure out.
Xie Qingwu had more information and was exceptionally sharp. She understood instantly. "His Majesty is over sixty. Years of managing state affairs have taken a toll on his health. He’s afraid he will pass away before he sees the day the Northern Barbarians are conquered by Great Zhou."
"Furthermore, only by quickly annihilating the Northern Barbarians and resolving the threat on the northern border can he strip Marquis Wei Yuan’s Mansion of its military power and pave the way for his successor. That’s why he’s getting impatient. He wants to use the charge of you deceiving the Emperor to pressure your father into marching his army north as soon as possible."
Realization dawned on Pei Shaoqing. ’So that’s how it is.’
He had thought of the perfect trump card to hold over Marquis Weiyuan.
"Then my father had better be nice to me. Otherwise, I’ll stage a rebellion in a minute and get his entire clan exterminated."
Xie Qingwu: "..."
’My dear husband, you truly are a model of filial piety!’
.........
It was a fact that Pei Shaoqing had killed the Kaiyang Saint Heir.
Therefore, it only took Eunuch Liu three days to complete his investigation. He spent two of those days enjoying a rotation of banquets hosted by the County Government Office, the Hundred Households, and the wealthy merchants of the city.
On the day he returned to the Capital City to report back,
Pei Shaoqing and County Magistrate Wang personally saw him off outside the city gates.
Pei Shaoqing cupped his fists. "Eunuch, I wish you a safe journey."
"When you return to the Capital City, Second Young Master, we shall drink to our hearts’ content again. Just wait patiently. The imperial edict with your reward will arrive by the end of the month at the latest," said Eunuch Liu.
Pei Shaoqing nodded. "I’ll have to trouble you to put in a good word for me with His Majesty. I would be endlessly grateful."
"Of course, of course. Even if you see a friend off for a thousand miles, there must come a time for parting. Young Master, County Magistrate Wang, please go back." As soon as Eunuch Liu finished speaking, he swung himself onto his horse, pulled the reins to turn its head, and shouted, "We’re off to the Capital City! Giddy-up!"
To the sound of CLOPPING hooves, a dozen or so swift horses kicked up clouds of dust and disappeared from sight.
County Magistrate Wang stepped forward and said, "That Eunuch came empty-handed, but he’s certainly returning fully loaded."
It wasn’t just Pei Shaoqing who had given Eunuch Liu money.
He had, too.
"You could become a eunuch too. It’s even more lucrative if you have an official scholarly title," Pei Shaoqing suggested.
County Magistrate Wang’s face darkened, and he stormed off with a flick of his sleeve. ’There are some things a man can do without, but he absolutely cannot be without.’
Pei Shaoqing quickly caught up to him. "The Angel from the Capital City has already come and gone. Is that female sword master from your Holy Sect ever going to show up? You’ve got me so on edge lately I have to sleep with one eye open."
"I haven’t heard anything either. Perhaps the Saintess is busy with other matters and has no time to come for your wretched life. You should count your lucky stars," County Magistrate Wang retorted sarcastically.
The corner of Pei Shaoqing’s mouth quirked up. ’Your precious Saintess is locked up in my house, being kept as a pet.’
’Although, this pet isn’t very obedient at the moment.’
’But it’s normal for a newly adopted pet to be unfriendly and bare its teeth, especially one that’s already an adult. It just needs to be trained slowly.’
He eagerly awaited the day the Saintess would lie at his feet like a dog, wagging her tail and submitting to him.
Just as Pei Shaoqing returned to his mansion, Liu Yuheng rushed to find him. "Young Master, the Shaking Light Saintess hasn’t eaten or drunk anything for three days. If this continues, I’m afraid she’ll starve or thirst to death."
"Oh? I’ll go have a look," Pei Shaoqing said.
He couldn’t let the Shaking Light Saintess starve herself to death.
Liu Yuheng followed behind him.