Chapter 153 - 152: Tell Gu Qingjin, It’s Pei Xuan Who Told You to Get Lost
Chapter 153: Chapter 152: Tell Gu Qingjin, It’s Pei Xuan Who Told You to Get Lost
Of course, Pei Xuan knew about the power dynamics in Mingjing. He knew of the Gu family, but he’d never paid them any mind.
The Young Master Pei of Jianghuai was born arrogant. From ancient times to the present, there had only ever been one person who could make him lower his head.
He remembered clearly the time Gu Qingjin had ambushed him with a hidden weapon after court, taking advantage of a moment of his inattention.
Since the Empress didn’t care about her officials fighting amongst themselves, tacitly allowing it, he naturally had to return the favor with an ambush of his own.
However, Gu Qingjin’s skills were strange and unpredictable, as elusive as a phantom, so he eventually gave up.
’Was it because he couldn’t beat Gu Qingjin?’
What a joke.
Far from intimidating Pei Xuan, the surname "Gu" instead stirred a murderous intent within him.
Pei Xuan laughed coldly. "What, you’re a good-for-nothing, so you have to throw a family name around to crush people?"
The temperature in the room dropped abruptly, making Sister Xu shiver. She carefully scooted closer to Qingyuan, trying to use her artist’s body heat to warm herself.
For the past few days, Gu Lingyuan had been worried that his uncle would come down on him, while also being hopping mad at Lu Qingyuan’s fickleness and promiscuity.
He’d directed all his resentment at Lu Qingyuan and had only planned on blowing off some steam tonight, but he never expected to find her having a private rendezvous with another man in the lounge.
If it were Xie Lin, that would be one thing, but it wasn’t even him!
’Just how many men has Lu Qingyuan been fooling around with?’
At this thought, Gu Lingyuan could no longer control his rage. "Lu Qingyuan, I’m not sponsoring you so you can date a bunch of lowlifes! You’d better think carefully about the consequences!"
However, contrary to his expectations, Qingyuan showed no fear at his words, but rather... pity.
’Pity for him?’
’What did that mean?!’
That single glance from her filled Gu Lingyuan with a burning rage.
Those words made Pei Xuan slowly rise to his feet. He was tall, nearly one-point-nine meters, making him half a head taller than Gu Lingyuan.
Ever the pampered, noble scion of the Jianghuai Pei Family, he was accustomed to only the finest things. Now, no longer restraining his aura, an oppressive pressure crashed down like a tidal wave.
Pei Xuan looked down on Gu Lingyuan. "No one has ever dared to barge in and interrupt me while I’m speaking. A Gu like you... what do you think you are? Spouting nonsense in my presence. Are you tired of having a mouth?"
Gu Lingyuan’s breath hitched, and his heart seized.
He had only ever felt this way when facing his uncle, Gu Lan.
But it wasn’t quite the same. Gu Lan had a quiet disposition and was a man of few words; most of the time, a simple, sweeping glance from him was enough to instill fear.
But the man before him was all sharp edges, completely unrestrained and arrogant to the extreme.
’When did someone like this appear in Jianghuai?’
Qingyuan scoffed internally. ’Her Majesty has interrupted you more than once, and I never saw you say a thing about it.’
Of course, she wouldn’t say that out loud.
Pei Xuan couldn’t be bothered to wait for Gu Lingyuan’s reply. He said directly, "Throw him out. Far away. Make sure I don’t see him again."
Housekeeper Pei, who had been eavesdropping outside the door without hearing anything, immediately charged in and commanded two bodyguards, "Did you hear that? Throw him out."
Before Gu Lingyuan could react, the two bodyguards stepped forward and hauled him out by his arms.
"Let me go!" Gu Lingyuan couldn’t believe someone of his status was being treated this way. "How dare you do this to me! Aren’t you afraid of offending the Gu family and my uncle?!"
"Your uncle?" Pei Xuan raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips. "Then go back and tell him that it was I, Pei Xuan, who told you to get your ass back to Mingjing today. If he has a problem with that, he can come find me at the Pei Family estate."
Pei Xuan!
The moment he heard the name, alarm bells went off in Gu Lingyuan’s head.
Admittedly, the personal information of the children of these major families was kept strictly confidential. Outside of their circle, very few people knew their names unless they actively promoted themselves or appeared at public functions.
But since they were in the same circle and of the same generation, how could Gu Lingyuan have never heard the name Pei Xuan?
Gu Lingyuan remembered his grandfather remarking with a laugh that the old master of the Pei family must have high hopes for his only grandson, to have given him the name of their great ancestor.
He’d heard the Ye Family was interested in a marriage alliance with the Pei Family, but the Pei Family had yet to make a move.
’This man is Pei Xuan?’
Cold sweat drenched Gu Lingyuan’s back, and his expression changed completely. "Mr. Pei, that’s not what I meant."
"Oh? A ’lowlife’ one moment, ’Mr. Pei’ the next," Pei Xuan roared with laughter. "So arrogant before, so respectful now. The thought is truly laughable."
He, Pei Xuan, despised this sort of person—fawning on superiors while bullying subordinates—more than anything. They were worse than even the most spineless sycophants.
Gu Lingyuan’s heart tightened, and his face paled slightly. "Mr. Pei, I..."
Pei Xuan’s laughter died, and he said coldly, "Then remember this: from now on, whenever you see me in Jianghuai, you will get on the ground and act like the worm you are."
’If I’m in a good mood, I might just step on this worm a few times.’
’If I’m in a bad mood, I’ll just kill it.’
Sister Xu stared blankly, still unable to process that Gu Lingyuan had actually been thrown out.
CLAP, CLAP, CLAP—
The sound of applause rang out.
Pei Xuan turned his head.
Qingyuan was clapping her hands, her praise sincere. "I don’t think I’ve ever seen Young Master Pei look so dashing."
Pei Xuan scoffed. "And I’ve just learned how foolish you are, willing to work with just about anyone."
Qingyuan: "..."
’I knew it.’
’Gu Lingyuan has become an embarrassing Chapter in my history.’
’Every colleague I meet is going to mock me for this.’
’Especially Hua Shao. Her tongue is so venomous, every word is a dagger to the heart. I truly pity her students.’
Pei Xuan said, "I did you a huge favor today. If you get any news about my sister and her whereabouts, remember to contact me."
Qingyuan snapped back to reality and said with a beaming smile, "Of course. If I get any news about your sister, I’ll let you know immediately."
"I’m off." Pei Xuan dusted off his clothes and added, "Remember to drink the tea the old master gave you."
After he left, Sister Xu asked in a daze, "Mr. Pei has a sister?"
Qingyuan stretched languidly. "His sister is far more impressive than he is."
Pei Jiang’s talents extended far beyond poetry, music, and the classical arts. She had a meticulous mind, and though she knew nothing of military strategy or martial arts, she could often see through to the heart of a problem.
Four hundred years ago, before Empress Taichu ascended the throne, the Pei siblings had already made a name for themselves in Yunzhou, where they were known as the "Two Immortals of Jianghuai"—
Sword Immortal Pei Xuan.
Scholar Immortal Pei Jiang.
From these titles alone, it was clear that Pei Jiang’s literary accomplishments surpassed Pei Xuan’s.
"It’s so enviable. The Pei Family has such an outstanding pair of children," Sister Xu sighed, then asked, "Who is she?"
Qingyuan said lazily, "She’s the person who can make even Pei Xuan willingly prostrate himself."
Sister Xu’s jaw dropped. "There’s... there’s really someone like that? That’s impossible..."
Just a moment ago, she had seen how scornful and arrogant Pei Xuan was, completely dismissing Gu Lingyuan.
The Gu family was one of the four great families of Mingjing, yet Pei Xuan hadn’t backed down one bit.
’Who could possibly make him submit?’
For some reason, an odd thought occurred to Sister Xu, and she asked, "It couldn’t be Miss Shi, could it?"