Her Entire Court Reborn with Her in the Modern World

Chapter 124: Chapter 123: Pei Jiang and Ning Liuyu See the Light of Day Again

Zhuge Mingyue was on good terms with the Twelve Masters of Mingjing; perhaps she would use his late-night break-in at the Imperial Palace and his subsequent punishment of cleaning the stables as gossip to share with them.

But Xie Qingshi was definitely not one of them.

Xie Qingshi composed himself, his demeanor calm and unhurried. "Pei Xuan, you are too arrogant, and a lunatic to boot. Before Her Majesty ascended the throne, you killed a corrupt official who came to inspect Jianghuai, without a single thought for the consequences."

Pei Xuan frowned slightly and replied coldly, "If he was a corrupt official, then he deserved to die."

"So I’m guessing that back when you didn’t know what kind of person Her Majesty was, you naturally assumed she was entirely devoid of morals," Xie Qingshi said lightly. "It’s quite obvious what you would do in a fit of impulse."

Pei Xuan’s gaze turned sharp. Xie Qingshi chuckled again. "After all, if this wasn’t a modern society governed by law, you’d probably try to kill me, too."

After a long, heavy silence, Pei Xuan let out a breath. "Yes, I did go to assassinate her."

Hearing his admission, Xie Qingshi remarked evenly, "As expected. There was never any so-called overnight stay at the Imperial Palace."

"Why wouldn’t there be?" Pei Xuan was unhurried. "I went to assassinate her, yet she didn’t kill me. Instead, she let me stay. Isn’t receiving such treatment a first in all of history?"

Xie Qingshi remembered Qingyuan telling him how Pei Xuan had been made to clean the stables. His eyes curved into a smile. "Indeed, a first in all of history." With this leverage in hand, he could continue to mock Pei Xuan endlessly.

Pei Xuan was about to speak when the ring of his phone cut him off. He didn’t bother stepping away from Xie Qingshi as he answered the call. "Hello, Mom."

"Oh, son!" Mrs. Pei sounded delighted. "Did you eat well today? Are there any girls you fancy? Even if it’s not a girl, that’s fine—your mom is very open-minded. Honestly, even raising a dog would do."

With Xie Qingshi’s acute hearing, he naturally caught every word loud and clear.

Pei Xuan pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just focus on enjoying your trip with Dad."

"It’s a good thing we have you, otherwise your dad and I wouldn’t be this free," Mrs. Pei said. "Make sure to listen to your grandfather at home, and don’t slack off too much."

Pei Xuan gave a perfunctory agreement.

Mrs. Pei sighed. "Alas, it’s a pity your father is past his prime. I still really wanted a daughter, so you could have a younger sister."

Pei Xuan chuckled softly. "I do have one."

Mrs. Pei didn’t quite catch it. "What?"

"Nothing," Pei Xuan said evenly. "It’s getting late on my end. I’m hanging up."

He did have a sister. The history books had never smeared his sister’s name, but they had certainly diminished her significance. His sister, Pei Jiang, was the foremost female scholar of the Xuan Dynasty. She was a master of poetry, music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Sometimes, the poems she composed were so brilliant they left even him feeling inadequate.

Xie Qingshi suddenly spoke up. "I will keep an eye out for Lord Pei Jiang’s whereabouts for you."

This time, Pei Xuan didn’t argue with him. Instead, he said, "Thanks."

As the sea breeze brushed past, Xie Qingshi asked, "Four hundred years ago, where did Lord Pei Jiang go?"

The question plunged Pei Xuan into silence. After a long while, he replied hoarsely, "I don’t know." He clasped his hands behind his back. "When the invaders were at the gates, in that moment of imminent peril, I couldn’t afford to care about much else. I only ordered people to escort Jiang’er away. I told her, ’You are not a deserter. You must write everything down—every last detail.’ If our Jiuzhou... tragically falls in battle, our descendants will at least know exactly what happened."

"You did the right thing. To destroy a nation, one must first destroy its history; to eradicate a people, one must first obliterate its culture," Xie Qingshi said, closing his eyes as his heart trembled. "History and culture must absolutely never be severed."

"I don’t know how long she lived, and the history books hold no records of it. She must have hidden herself extremely well—truly worthy of being my sister," Pei Xuan said with a faint smile. "The only thing I can guess is that the book ’The Great Wilderness Immortal Journey’ was written by her alongside a few other female confidantes."

"’The Great Wilderness Immortal Journey’?" Xie Qingshi’s expression jolted in shock. "Lord Pei Jiang was actually the lead author of that book?"

He certainly knew of the book. It was a lengthy novel about gods and demons. Though it was written as mythology, it brilliantly reflected reality, making it a rare and extraordinary epic masterpiece. No one could help but marvel at the author’s profound skill in outlining such a vast and majestic world. Yet the true identity of the author—whether they were male or female, a single person or a collective—remained a complete mystery.

The historical community remained divided in their opinions to this day, even going so far as to establish the Desert Research Association specifically to study the mythological novel "The Great Wilderness Immortal Journey". Had Pei Xuan not brought it up, Xie Qingshi would never have imagined that the authors of "The Great Wilderness Immortal Journey" were none other than the Twelve Masters of Mingjing, who had been erased from history.

"The ridiculous thing is that, just as I cannot clear Her Majesty’s name, I have even less evidence to prove that ’The Great Wilderness Immortal Journey’ was written by Jiang’er." A mocking smile surfaced on Pei Xuan’s lips. "Over these past few years, I’ve constantly been wondering—what exactly is the purpose of my rebirth?"

Xie Qingshi remained silent. "Alright, there are just some things I can only discuss with you," Pei Xuan said, throwing him a glance. "I still need to go to the hospital to see my grandfather. You can stay here and keep enjoying the wind."

Xie Qingshi’s voice was nonchalant. "I have matters to attend to as well, so I’ll be skipping the breeze." He still had to wait for Shi Changying to come and collect the music scores. Of course, this was something he wouldn’t volunteer to tell Pei Xuan at the moment. But in the future, it would serve as yet another sharp weapon in his arsenal to mock him.

***

By the time they left Tanxiang Yin, it was already eight o’clock in the evening. A massive bookstore next to the restaurant caught Shi Changying’s attention. She first bought a few copies of "Five Years of College Entrance Exam, Three Years of Mock Papers," before making her way over to the fiction section.

She had already read the novels from eras preceding the Xuan Dynasty. Four hundred years ago, there was no television. Her only forms of entertainment were watching plays and reading storybooks. Shi Changying pulled a book off the shelf; both its cover and title piqued her interest.

Ning Liuyu paused in surprise. "’The Great Wilderness Immortal Journey’..."

Shaoyuan stood behind Shi Changying. Taking advantage of his height, he pulled the remaining volumes of the series from the very top shelf. "It’s a mandatory reading classic for middle schoolers," he noted.

Shi Changying nodded, highly satisfied. "Then I’ll get this one. Have you read it, Miss Ning?"

Ning Liuyu shook her head. "No, I haven’t." She hadn’t read it, but every plot point and piece of knowledge related to pharmacology in it had been written by her. Ultimately, Pei Jiang had polished it and compiled it into this million-word masterpiece.

Shi Changying suddenly noticed a discrepancy. "Why doesn’t this book have an author?"

"Because it’s been too difficult to verify who actually wrote it," Shaoyuan said evenly. "The most widely accepted theory points to someone named Bai Xiaosheng, but since that still couldn’t be definitively proven, it was simply left anonymous."

Ning Liuyu’s eyelashes fluttered. She steadied her emotions and smiled. "I wonder if I’ll live to see the day the author of this book is finally verified."

Shaoyuan handed the set of books to the cashier and smoothly paid the bill. "You will."

Shi Changying immediately sent Shaoyuan a red envelope transfer on her phone. Now that she had her own money, she couldn’t just mooch off his allowance. Perhaps catching sight of something shocking, Ning Liuyu’s hand trembled, and her phone dropped to the ground.

"Are you alright?" Shi Changying asked, picking up the device for her.

Displayed on the screen was a breaking news article, published just a minute ago:

[Meizhou Jin’an Xuan Dynasty Ruins illegally excavated. Rescue excavation unexpectedly uncovers several Meiqu Opera Scores and a large number of Mei Opera costumes. Confirmed owner is named Qingyuan, a Third Rank Female Official during the era of Empress Taichu...]

Ning Liuyu stared blankly at the screen, before suddenly bursting into loud sobs. Shi Changying’s hand paused. "What’s wrong?"

Ning Liuyu’s eyes blurred with tears. In a daze, she seemed to see another face and hear a phantom voice from the past.

"What is it? Who bullied you? Tell me, and I will seek justice for you."