Chapter 133 - 132: Pei Xuan Is Livid and Continues to Fight for Favor
Chapter 133: Chapter 132: Pei Xuan Is Livid and Continues to Fight for Favor
Some things don’t require much thought. The conclusion is obvious at a glance.
Xie Qingshi appeared gentle and elegant, the very picture of a refined gentleman, but in reality, his heart was colder than anyone’s.
He disliked crowded places. His willingness to hold concerts and compete in international music competitions all boiled down to a single reason—
Jiuzhou.
Four hundred years ago, Jiuzhou fell.
Countless treasures were scattered, millions of books were burned, and various cultural legacies were severed. Inscriptions on steles everywhere were ground away.
Four hundred years later, Jiuzhou prospered.
They, too, were people of Jiuzhou. Now that they had arrived in a future that was once impossibly distant, they naturally had to contribute to Jiuzhou’s revival.
But today’s performance was merely an entertainment industry affair. It was impossible that Xie Qingshi would get involved, unless...
Pei Xuan stared coldly at Qingyuan and Xie Qingshi, who were seated on opposite sides of the lounge, a murderous intent rising in his eyes.
"Lord Pei, you’ve come all this way. Why are you so angry?" Qingyuan said with a beaming smile. "Look at you. Anyone who didn’t know better would think you came here to kill me."
With his hands behind his back, Pei Xuan replied faintly, "If I could kill you, I would have done it long ago."
"Oh, you can’t do that. I have a lot of fans now." Qingyuan adjusted her coat. "If Lord Pei were to kill me, they would hunt you to the ends of the earth."
Pei Xuan stared at Qingyuan for three seconds before sneering. "I was wondering why he suddenly asked me what happened on the first night of the first year of Taichu. So it was you who told him."
Zhuge Mingyue was on good terms with the Twelve Masters of Mingjing, so he wasn’t surprised that Qingyuan knew the truth about him spending the night in the Imperial Palace.
Qingyuan paused for a moment, then it dawned on her. "Oh, you mean the time you spent all night cleaning the stables?"
At these words, the atmosphere around Pei Xuan grew even colder.
"Lord Pei, we were all colleagues. A little chat isn’t a big deal, is it?" Qingyuan’s smile widened. "Besides, it wasn’t recorded in the history books. No one will ever know what really happened that night."
Pei Xuan scoffed, looking Qingyuan and Xie Qingshi up and down. "I really wish it hadn’t been you two I ran into."
Xie Qingshi finally spoke, a faint smile gracing his lips. "Unless it was Her Majesty, you would be unhappy no matter who you ran into."
Pei Xuan didn’t refute it. "In any case, not you."
"Could it be that Lord Pei was hoping to meet Lord Gu?" Qingyuan said thoughtfully. "Actually, there’s something I haven’t told Lord Xie yet. On the fourth day, after court was dismissed, Lord Pei was ambushed on his way home."
Xie Qingshi raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
Pei Xuan: "..."
For him, it was indeed not a memory worth reliving.
After receiving the imperial edict from Zhuge Mingyue, he hadn’t taken her words to heart: "Lord Gu lost 100 gold coins because of you. Be careful, he might ambush you on your way from court."
’How could something like that possibly happen?’
’If it really did, wouldn’t the imperial court be in chaos?’
But it did happen.
Caught completely off guard, he lost to Gu Qingjin—the Imperial Commander and head of the Imperial Guards.
Gu Qingjin was a stern man of few words, but his martial arts were superb. Otherwise, he never could have secured his position as head of the Imperial Guards.
Rank speaks louder than reason. He could only swallow his anger and look for an opportunity to ambush him in return.
Pei Xuan’s gaze was hostile. "How did you two end up getting together?"
"Lord Pei, ’getting together’ is a poor choice of words." Qingyuan held up a hand and wagged her finger. "Though we may all secretly wish to kill each other, publicly, we must present a united front."
Xie Qingshi said coolly, "I imagine Her Majesty wouldn’t want to see us turning a blind eye to a colleague’s plight, were she here."
Business is business, and personal is personal.
How they competed amongst themselves in front of Empress Taichu was their own business.
"Hmph. You only know how to use her to pressure me." Pei Xuan extended his hand toward Qingyuan, too lazy to say more. "Autograph."
Qingyuan was utterly astonished. "Lord Pei, you’re a fan of mine? Why didn’t you come see me sooner?"
The reason she had chosen to enter the entertainment industry was precisely to be in the public eye.
That way, if any old acquaintances were out there, they would be able to notice her.
Hua Shao had been one of them.
Pei Xuan said, "You’re overthinking it. The old man wants one, so I’m getting it for him."
’Him, a fan of Qingyuan?’
’In his dreams.’
Qingyuan was silent for a moment before taking out a few autographed photos.
"Thanks." Pei Xuan put the photos away. "If you two have no other business, you should leave Jianghuai as soon as possible. I don’t want to see you."
With that, he opened the door.
"Whoa!" Housekeeper Pei, who had been persistently eavesdropping outside without hearing a thing, nearly fell to the ground.
Pei Xuan grabbed him by the shoulder. "We’re leaving."
Before Housekeeper Pei could even react, Pei Xuan was already dragging him away.
Sister Xu was completely baffled.
’What in the world is going on?’
Back in the lounge, Qingyuan spoke quietly, "Now I finally understand why he was ambushed the most after court was dismissed. He’s just so detestable."
Xie Qingshi said coolly, "Unfortunately, even if he gets ambushed, he’ll never change."
"Sigh. Sometimes I hope Lord Zhuge doesn’t show up, but other times I wish she would." Qingyuan was melancholic. "Neither of us knows martial arts. Doesn’t that mean he’ll have us completely under his thumb?"
The two exchanged a look. Though nothing was said, they had already reached an agreement.
They would form an alliance.
Sister Xu walked in. "A Yuan, who exactly was that man...?"
Xie Qingshi nodded. "The Young Master of the Pei Family."
Sister Xu’s eyes widened. "The Jianghuai Pei Family?"
"What other Pei Family is there?" Qingyuan stretched lazily. "Sister Xu, stop overthinking things. You should just be thankful that your artist is still here talking to you in one piece."
Sister Xu’s jaw dropped. "You have a feud with the Young Master of the Pei Family, too?!"
Qingyuan said languidly, "Didn’t I tell you? He really does want to kill me."
Sister Xu: "..."
’First the Mingjing Gu Family, now the Jianghuai Pei Family... how am I supposed to survive this?!’
***
In the dead of night, a car sped down the road.
"Young Master! Young Master, please slow down!" Housekeeper Pei clung desperately to the handle inside the car. "I’m going to be sick! I’m going to be sick!"
"SCREECH—"
Pei Xuan pulled the car over to the side of the road.
Housekeeper Pei was dizzy and disoriented, but he didn’t forget his duty to help his young master. "Young Master, what on earth is wrong? If something’s bothering you, you have to talk about it so we can solve it."
Pei Xuan didn’t speak, his eyes dark and profound.
Housekeeper Pei once again felt that rising murderous intent. He shivered, wanting to open the car door and make a run for it.
He pressed the button. The door was locked.
’It’s over!’
’Am I going to be sacrificed tonight?’
Thinking fast, Housekeeper Pei changed the subject. "Young Master, look! So many high school students! That little girl’s hair is braided so beautifully. You can tell she’s very deft with her hands!"