Chapter 159 – The Emperor Who Tried To Use Pei Yuanjun’S Sympathy
Chapter 159 The Emperor Who Tried to Use Pei Yuanjun’s Sympathy
The imperial study was in peace. Only the ambergris at the window was burning. The scent contained a faint fragrance that was very calming and refreshing.
“Your Majesty, Lord Yun is here.” A eunuch bowed his head and came in to report.
“Summon him!” The Emperor put down the report in his hand. A trace of a smile revealed on his pale face. He turned his head and coughed a few times before his gaze fell on Pei Yuanjun, who was pacing over.
“Greetings, Your Majesty!” Pei Yuanjun strode forward and bowed to the Emperor.
“Take a seat!” With a wave of his hand, the Emperor ordered him with a friendly expression.
“Yes, Your Majesty!” Pei Yuanjun obeyed his instructions and took a seat. He looked up at Emperor Jingde and inquired, “Your Majesty, is there a reason for me to be summoned?”
“I heard that you bumped into a noble lady in Eastern Palace and even injured her. How is she now? Is her injury serious? Do you want me to send a few Imperial Doctors to have a check on her? I hope that delicate lady is fine. If she is seriously injured, it will be difficult for me to explain it to the officials. I can only ask you to take the blame and marry her.”
Emperor Jingde said with a smile. There was a hint of exhaustion in his expression, but there was a serene look on his face.
Standing beside him, the head eunuch, Li Quan, also looked at Pei Yuanjun with a smile. Ever since the Emperor heard about the news, he immediately sent someone to summon Lord Yun over. Others might not understand the intention of such actions, but Li Quan knew it clearly. The Emperor was desperate for Fourth Lady Qu to be a delicate lady. This way, he would have a chance to push the “blame” onto Lord Yun.
Compared to the other princes, the Emperor was more concerned about Lord Yun’s marriage.
If he could make Lord Yun relent on the matter of marriage, the Emperor wouldn’t mind having another lady in the palace.
“It really was just an accident, Your Majesty!” Pei Yuanjun explained with a cold expression. His beautiful eyes revealed a hint of displeasure. “I don’t even know how she bumped into me.”
“Just an accident?” Emperor Jingde raised his eyebrows. He didn’t believe Pei Yuanjun’s words. Seeing that Pei Yuanjun’s face was getting colder, Emperor Jingde said helplessly, “Even if it was just an accident, we can’t let such a good lady bear such a bad reputation, right?”
“Your Majesty, the two of us didn’t actually knock into each other. What kind of bad reputation does she have to bear?” Pei Yuanjun frowned and retorted impatiently.
“You know you didn’t knock into each other, but if it is spread to the public, you should know how unpleasant it will sound. Ladies value their reputation. If this kind of unpleasant words spread out, how can the lady marry someone?” Emperor Jingde smiled as if he wanted to blame the matter on Pei Yuanjun.
“Your Majesty, it was really just an accident. Moreover, it happened in Eastern Palace, so the Crown Prince will definitely punish his subordinates,” Pei Yuanjun explained, not willing to give in.
“But today is different from the past. Many people went to the Crown Prince’s Mansion today. The Crown Prince was focused on the Crown Princess, so he was not as clear-headed as he used to be. Besides me, even the public know about this incident by now. Do you want her to be single all her life, unable to marry?”
The Emperor insisted stubbornly.
“Your Majesty…” Pei Yuanjun raised his eyebrows and grew impatient. “Are you forcing me to return to the borders now?”
“Even if you have to return to the border, you will have to bring that lady along.” It was rare for such a thing to happen, so the Emperor didn’t intend to let Pei Yuanjun go just like that.
No matter how he thought about it, the Emperor felt that there was something odd about it. If Pei Yuanjun had no feelings for that lady, it was impossible for him to order someone to help her up and send a message to the Crown Prince, asking for an Imperial Doctor to treat her. This was the first time that Emperor Jingde had heard that Pei Yuanjun treated a lady differently.
Since that was the case, Emperor Jingde would not let Pei Yuanjun go just like that.
It was rare to hear about a lady who was treated differently by Pei Yuanjun. Emperor Jingde searched for so many years but didn’t manage to find one. He had always wanted to arrange a marriage for Pei Yuanjun, but the latter was not willing to. Emperor Jingde grew anxious, but he was helpless as he couldn’t force Pei Yuanjun.
“Your Majesty, if you think that she should cultivate at a convent, it is also fine. She’s just the daughter of an insignificant Vice Minister,” Pei Yuanjun answered indifferently as he leaned back. His handsome face carried a look of disgruntlement, laziness, and coldness.
Now, Pei Yuanjun behaved like how he would do in the past. Could it be that he had no further intentions at all to the lady?
Emperor Jingde looked at Pei Yuanjun hesitantly, wanting to confirm what he meant, but the latter’s face had already recovered its former indifference.
“Lord Yun, you’re not young anymore. When Uncle Yun left the capital that day, he wanted me to look for a fair lady for you. Why haven’t you met anyone you like yet? I don’t believe that there’s no one you’re interested in among so many noble ladies in the capital!”
Emperor Jingde huffed helplessly and frowned.
“Your Majesty, what my father said was just a formality,” Pei Yuanjun replied indifferently.
“It can’t be. Look at you. There are no women in your mansion now. This is even worse than the Crown Prince’s situation. Although Crown Prince has a deep affection for the Crown Princess, he has still taken in a few palace maids with him, even though they are not given any status,” Emperor Jingde persuaded earnestly.
“This is a small matter, Your Majesty. I have something to report to you.” Pei Yuanjun was not interested in the Emperor’s words. He waved his hand and said indifferently. Fishing out a report from his robe, he stood up and presented it to the Emperor.
Hearing that it was a serious matter, Li Quan hurriedly took it, carefully presented it in front of Emperor Jingde, opened it for him and then retreated to the side.
After taking a look at it, Emperor Jingde turned serious. “Turmoil in the North?”
“Yes, someone in the North has rebelled. These few days, they have marched to the North’s Imperial City. Lord of the North asked us for help.” Pei Yuanjun nodded.
“Should we help him?” Emperor asked after reading all the information at one glance. He asked after a moment of silence. It was not a real letter from Lord of the North, but a message from the spy.
“The North has always been a big problem for us, and Lord of the North has never been very respectful to us. Even after many defeats, he continues to provoke us again and again. Sometimes, he even deliberately says that it is the work of bandits. I think that we should wait it out right now. What do you think, Your Majesty?”
Pei Yuanjun answered calmly.
Emperor Jingde thought for a moment, nodded, and handed the report in his hand forward. “You shall handle this matter. If there is any report from the North, take a look at it first before reporting to me.”
“Order accepted, Your Majesty, but if the report from the North isn’t sent through proper ways, I might not necessarily be able to receive it.” Pei Yuanjun nodded. He had fought with the North before, so he had a better grasp of the North.
He was actually more willing to see the North turn chaotic, so as to prevent the North from pairing up with various clans to attack them. The North’s people had always been unreasonable. Although they were small countries that were united, the people there were good at fighting. They had always been a hidden danger for Great Zhou.
Moreover, those people in the past had also escaped to the North, which created an even bigger problem for them…
“I… I know.” Emperor Jingde nodded heavily. He knew what Pei Yuanjun meant. If it was sent through proper ways, it would then be considered a national letter. However, if it was a private letter asking for help, he had to investigate it thoroughly. The issue about the North seemed to be just happening in the North, but who knew when it would become Great Zhou’s issue.
The officials of Great Zhou had never had a good impression of the North. No matter who it was that helped the North deliver the letter secretly, Emperor Jingde wouldn’t have a good impression of him.
“Your Majesty, it might not have been sent over directly. It might also have been an accident,” Pei Yuanjun reminded Emperor Jingde implicitly.
“I understand. I’ll leave this matter to you!” Emperor Jingde’s expression turned cold and a trace of anger appeared on his face. This so-called “accident” was certainly not an accident. This meant that there were people in his country who had a good relationship with the North. Or, it could be said that the North had someone in Great Zhou and had connections here.
This was the last possibility that Emperor Jingde wanted to see.
“Yes, I’ll take my leave!” Pei Yuanjun responded as he bowed to Emperor Jingde.
“Wait a minute. How are you going to solve your problem?” Emperor Jingde hurriedly stopped him and asked with a straight face, not letting him get away with it.
“Your Majesty…”
Pei Yuanjun frowned helplessly. A look of displeasure and reluctance painted across his handsome face.
“Yuanjun, I don’t want to scold you, but this lady is also very pitiful. She lost her mother when she was a child, and I heard that Vice Minister Qu doesn’t care about her either. She even hurt her eyes. She can’t live a good life in the mansion and even her engagement has been called off. She’s such a pitiful lady. Can you really bear to see such a nice lady being sent to the convent?”
Emperor Jingde started trying to use Pei Yuanjun’s sympathy. The sad look on his face was as if he was pitying Qu Moying. He also stole a glance at Pei Yuanjun. Seeing that Pei Yuanjun stopped in his tracks and there was a trace of hesitation in his eyes, Emperor Jingde continued earnestly, “How about you throw a hint at Qu Mansion that you would marry her? When you officially wed a Princess Consort later, she will be given the title of a Princess. How about this?”
Since she was a lady from Vice Minister’s Mansion and had an eye problem, she couldn’t be the Princess Consort of Lord Yun. However, she could still be given the title of a Princess. It wasn’t easy for Pei Yuanjun to give in, so how could Emperor Jingde let it go? If Pei Yuanjun agreed to take her as his Princess, it would be soon before he married a Princess Consort.
As long as Pei Yuanjun agreed, everything in the future could be further discussed. Emperor Jingde was afraid that Pei Yuanjun would insist that he didn’t have a woman of interest, which would delay the marriage again and again for God knew how long. It was a great opportunity now. Emperor Jingde could not let such an opportunity slip away! This was why when Emperor Jingde heard about the incident, he immediately sent someone to summon Pei Yuanjun over.
“Your Majesty, we can talk about this later. But in the future… I hope that there won’t be such incidents again!” Pei Yuanjun huffed with a cold expression on his handsome face.
He wouldn’t even come over if it weren’t for the Emperor’s order!
This matter was an accident, and it was not merely an accident!
“Alright. We’ll talk about it in the future. There’s no rush. I heard that Miss Qu is quite young herself.” The Emperor laughed heartily as he agreed without hesitation. Deep down, he was truly satisfied. Sure enough, Miss Qu from Qu Mansion was different from others. At the very least, Pei Yuanjun didn’t reject her instantly. His answer was equivalent to acknowledging that he agreed on this matter.
This was something that had never happened before, so the Emperor was extremely gratified.
With a dark expression, Pei Yuanjun turned around and strode away. Watching him scurrying off, Emperor Jingde smiled wider as he felt happy. He then coughed loudly, causing his pale face to turn red. Seeing that, Li Quan hurriedly served some tea before standing behind Emperor Jingde and patting his back.
“Don’t worry, Your Majesty. Lord Yun will live a better life!” Li Quan comforted Emperor Jingde in a low voice.
After stopping his cough with great difficulty, Emperor Jingde looked at the door of the imperial study and sighed. A trace of sadness flashed in his eyes. “I let him down!”
