Qi Xuan quickly tore open the secret letter.
His scrutinizing gaze first swept over the handwriting on the letter.
After confirming it was from Mo Yu, Qi Xuan began to read it again.
The letter was all about Pei Zhaolin's whereabouts in Qinghe these days and the reasons for his actions.
As usual, there was nothing out of the ordinary about Pei Zhaolin.
Qi Xuan's complexion improved a bit.
However, he lingered on the sentence "Lord Chen was cut off one arm for offending Prince Pei" for a while.
Qi Xuan thought nothing of it.
He knew Chen Mingyuan.
This young man had suffered a lot of bullying since childhood because of his status as an illegitimate son, and his revenge mentality was extremely strong.
Later, he was regarded by Luo Xiang as the hope to revitalize the Luo family and was forced to take the imperial examinations every day, which further bred resentment in his heart.
But perhaps it was really the blood kinship in his bones that played a role.
That year when Qi Xuan went to the Imperial College to check on the second prince's recent studies, Chen Mingyuan even knelt in front of him.
Word by word, he told Qi Xuan his hatred for Pei Zhaolin for killing his sister.
But whether it was really to avenge Luo Xiang or just a pretense, Qi Xuan quite admired Chen Mingyuan's style of seizing every opportunity to climb up.
Moreover, at that time, there was a tendency for Pei Zhaolin to dominate the court.
Qi Xuan had to support someone to balance the situation.
To annoy and provoke Pei Zhaolin, Qi Xuan even specially bestowed the position of the left censor-in-chief of the Censorate on Chen Mingyuan.
Qi Xuan shook his head, then set the secret letter on fire with a candle and burned it to ashes.
He couldn't help but sigh, "It's a pity."
The grand eunuch took a small step forward smartly. "Your servant is willing to share your Majesty's worries."
Qi Xuan let out a sneer, shifted his body slightly, and glanced at the grand eunuch contemptuously. "You dog slave, what worries can you share for me?"
Even though he was scolded, the grand eunuch still had a flattering smile on his face and bent his waist even lower.
"Your servant is dull, but running errands and passing on messages for your Majesty can also be considered a modest contribution!"
"Just now, your servant heard your Majesty sigh, and presumably it was also because of Prince Pei's matter. Although your servant doesn't dare to make irresponsible remarks about the court affairs, he also wants to relieve your Majesty's worries."
"Your Majesty, there is a common saying among the people that one grows timid as one nears home."
Qi Xuan glanced at him and didn't say anything. He just walked slowly to the window.
He silently watched the bamboo swaying in the wind outside, his eyes deep and unfathomable.
This eunuch had served him for many years. He was a shrewd person and always knew that Pei Zhaolin was a thorn in his heart.
But unfortunately, Pei Zhaolin always found excuses and led his iron cavalry outside, delaying his return to the capital.
This made Qi Xuan unable to eat or sleep well every day.
But what he said tonight really reminded Qi Xuan.
Qi Xuan glanced at the beauty from the Shu Kingdom still lying on the cold ground. His eyes narrowed slightly.
His gaze was gloomy, and his tone was even lower, with a hint of insidiousness. "I remember that Prince Pei's younger sister just had her coming - of - age ceremony a few days ago?"
The grand eunuch's flattering smile became even stronger. "Your servant reports to your Majesty that Miss Pei had her coming - of - age ceremony half a month ago."
"I heard that many nobles in the capital went to congratulate her that day, and the scene was said to be very lively."
The grand eunuch bowed and slightly raised his head, carefully observing Qi Xuan's expression.
Seeing that Qi Xuan neither agreed nor refuted, he knew that his words were in line with the emperor's wishes.
The grand eunuch rolled his eyes and then added.
"Your servant also heard that Miss Pei and Prince Pei are siblings of the same mother! Prince Pei loves this young lady the most and usually grants her every wish!"
Presumably, Pei Zhaolin would rush back in a hurry for Pei Ying's wedding banquet, right?
A cold arc curled up at the corner of Qi Xuan's mouth.
He paced slowly, as if he could already see Pei Zhaolin's anxious look of riding back to the capital regardless of anything after hearing the news.
"Pass on my decree," Qi Xuan suddenly stopped walking, his voice without a trace of warmth. "To show the imperial favor, I have decided to personally arrange a marriage for Pei Ying."
The grand eunuch quickly bowed and replied, "Your servant obeys the decree! May I ask if your Majesty has a candidate in mind?"
Qi Xuan let out a sneer and said faintly, "Of course, the candidate must be worthy of Miss Pei's status."
Qi Xuan's tone suddenly changed, and he suddenly said, "I remember that the second grandson of the Duke of Zhenguo is 25 years old, unmarried, and has excellent character and appearance. How about arranging Miss Pei to marry him?"
Hearing this, the grand eunuch was secretly shocked.
Although the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion was a famous and noble family.
Not to mention that the Duke of Zhenguo himself had an old grudge with Pei Zhaolin and had always been at odds with him.
That second grandson, although unmarried, had a large number of concubines in his family, and no one knew how many illegitimate children he had!
If Miss Pei really married such a man, it would be like stabbing a knife into Pei Zhaolin's heart!
But the grand eunuch didn't dare to have the slightest objection. He just respectfully said, "Your Majesty is wise. This is a match made in heaven."
Qi Xuan nodded in satisfaction, and the look of cruelty in his eyes became even stronger. "Set the wedding date on the sixth day of next month. Make sure it is a grand and magnificent event, so that everyone in the capital will know how much I value Prince Pei's younger sister."
Qi Xuan paused for a moment and then added, "In addition, send someone to rush to Qinghe on horseback and tell Prince Pei this 'good news' to make him happy too."
The grand eunuch quickly agreed, "Your servant will go and do it right away!"
-
"Tangerine... Save me!"
One moment, Xie Rou was still gentle and amiable, but the next moment, she suddenly rushed towards Cui Jintang with blood all over her face!
Cui Jintang was so startled that she suddenly opened her eyes, and also instantly woke up Pei Zhaolin who was sitting by the bed, guarding her all the time.
Pei Zhaolin immediately lit the candle and lifted the curtain.
The cold sweat on Cui Jintang's forehead had soaked her hair, and her chest was heaving violently because of the nightmare just now.
She gasped for breath, her eyes unfocused as she stared at the canopy of the bed.
It wasn't until she felt a soft touch on her face that Cui Jintang came to her senses. She turned her head and met Pei Zhaolin's worried gaze.
Pei Zhaolin reached out to wipe the cold sweat off her forehead and frowned involuntarily. "Did you have a nightmare?"
Cui Jintang closed her eyes and responded with a sound.
Her voice was hoarse from just waking up. "I dreamed of Sister Rou. She was covered in blood and shouting for me to save her."
Pei Zhaolin was silent for a moment. He gently pulled her into his arms, avoiding her injuries, and gently stroked her back.
He comforted her in a low voice, "Don't be afraid. It's just a dream. I already have a plan for this matter. I'll tell you in detail after you recover from your injuries."
Cui Jintang responded tiredly.
Suddenly, two faint bird calls came from outside the window.
Pei Zhaolin reached out his hand, and the pigeon perched on the window immediately fluttered over.
In front of Cui Jintang, Pei Zhaolin didn't try to hide anything. He directly opened the secret letter.
He scanned it quickly, reading it in one go.
After seeing everything clearly, Pei Zhaolin's face instantly darkened.
The tenderness he had shown when comforting Cui Jintang just now disappeared completely, and his whole body was filled with hostility.