After the favored concubine remarried, the aloof and powerful minister forcibly took her away.

Chapter 188 Resistance
A smile flickered in Lu Jiang's eyes; he had always known that Xiang Ning was a person with her own opinions.

As her brother, all he needed to do was support her unconditionally.

Lu Jiang would not object to whatever she wanted to do.

The brother and sister smiled at each other and said nothing more.

They didn't care what Madam Shang was planning; they simply wouldn't go along with it.

For the next few days, Pei Yanzhi did not appear, as if he had completely disappeared from Xiang Ning's world.

The next time I heard from him, it was because someone said that Pei Yanzhi was getting married.

"girl."

"Meet the girl."

Two servants were sitting in the garden pavilion chatting idly, taking advantage of the fine weather.

Before Xiang Ning knew it, she had stayed in Ling An for quite some time, and before she knew it, a winter had passed.

The thick snow is slowly melting, and some tender green branches are sprouting.

Therefore, Xiangning did not go to the embroidery workshop today, but instead stayed at home, intending to rest for a day.

"What were you just talking about?"

Upon seeing that it was Xiang Ning, the two servants turned pale with fright and immediately knelt down to pay their respects: "Please forgive us, Miss. We shouldn't have gossiped about her behind her back."

One of the bolder maids replied tremblingly, "Replying to Miss, I heard it from people outside the mansion. They say that Minister Pei of the Court of Judicial Review is getting married."

"He is marrying the daughter of the Minister of Rites, a famous talented woman in the capital. This marriage is the talk of the town."

After the maid finished speaking, she lowered her head. They knew that Pei Yanzhi had chased after Ling An for Xiang Ning's sake and forced Xiang Ning to send out invitations at the Lu residence.

Therefore, it was natural to assume that their young lady had some kind of relationship with Minister Pei of the Court of Judicial Review.

Now that they had seen Xiang Ning, the two dared not speak recklessly and lowered their heads in silence after finishing their conversation.

Xiang Ning felt a buzzing in her head, as if she had been hit by a heavy hammer.

However, she didn't show any extra expression. It was good that she was married; that way, he wouldn't pressure her anymore.

Upon learning of this, Lu Jiang was afraid that Xiang Ning would be heartbroken, so he rushed over.

However, Xiang Ning's reaction was somewhat unexpected. She calmly went through the accounts, completely unaffected.

“A-Ning…”

Hearing Lu Jiang's voice, Xiang Ning looked up and asked, "Why is Big Brother here?"

"I'm fine, I just came to see you."

For a moment, Lu Jiang was at a loss for words, and could only awkwardly utter this sentence.

"Did you come here because of Pei Yanzhi's marriage?"

"If it's about this, don't worry about me. I have nothing to do with him anymore."

Xiang Ning calmly said something, and Lu Jiang breathed a sigh of relief and stepped forward.

He knew that this marriage was personally bestowed by the emperor. Although Pei Yanzhi was unwilling, he could not disobey the imperial decree.

However, Lu Jiang knew that Pei Yanzhi had not yet received the imperial decree.

But once the imperial edict was issued, how could he possibly disobey it?
Since A Ning no longer cares about Pei Yanzhi, he won't tell her these things anymore.

A few days later, news suddenly came from the capital that Pei Yanzhi had openly defied the imperial decree in court, incurring the emperor's wrath. He had been dismissed from his post and would soon be exiled.

Upon hearing this news, Madam Pei fainted immediately.

Although Dong Yan was anxious, she was now the only person in the household who could make decisions.

If she also faints, the entire Pei family will be without a leader.

Dong Yan struggled to manage all the affairs of the Pei family, both calming the servants' panic and trying to find a way to rescue Pei Yanzhi.

After news of Pei Yanzhi's dismissal spread, those who had previously had business dealings with the Pei family, fearing the family's loss of power, all rushed to take advantage of their misfortune. Even the businesses run by the second and fourth branches of the family were affected, resulting in substantial financial losses in the short term.

In just a few days, most of the valuables in the Pei family's storeroom were emptied. Dong Yan looked at the empty courtyard, anxious but helpless.

The most fatal thing was that Madam Pei never woke up after fainting.

The doctors who saw her all said that the old lady wouldn't live for more than a few days after this injury.

The Pei family was shrouded in gloom and despair, and Dong Yan almost fell ill as a result.

Seeing his mother working so hard, Pei Yuanrong had no choice but to take over the burden from Dong Yan.

“Yuanrong, you will set off tomorrow to find your maternal grandfather in Ling’an and ask him to give you some money, saying that I need it urgently.”

Dong Yan leaned against the headboard and coughed lightly as she said this: "With money, things will be much easier for them."

Pei Yuanrong nodded in agreement upon hearing her mother's instructions: "Don't worry, Mother, I'll go right away."

If she really didn't have enough money, she could always ask Brother Lu for help again.

She and Brother Lu were childhood sweethearts, so she'll definitely be able to borrow it.

Meanwhile, the Pei family's collateral relatives, who usually enjoyed the Pei family's protection, began to scheme for themselves when they saw the situation was not good.

Some secretly transferred assets from the Pei family's businesses, hoping to make a quick buck; others began to distance themselves from the Pei family, fearing they would be implicated in the turmoil.

The servants of the Pei family also began to panic. Many of them, seeing that the Pei family was doomed, secretly packed up their valuables and ran away.

Although Dong Yan tried her best to maintain order, she gradually felt powerless in the face of such a chaotic situation.

She traveled around visiting powerful figures in the capital who had once been on good terms with the Pei family, hoping someone would intercede for Pei Yanzhi, but she mostly received indifferent responses.

Those people either feared offending the emperor or believed that the Pei family was no longer of any use, so they all refused to see him.

During this time, Dong Yan accidentally learned that the emperor's anger towards Pei Yanzhi was seemingly fueled by a mysterious force.

For some reason, this force was determined to destroy the Pei family.

Dong Yan was extremely anxious. She knew that if she didn't find out the true nature of this force as soon as possible, the Pei family might really be completely destroyed.

In a short time, the Pei family, which was once unattainable for most, gradually declined.

Pei Yanzhi, however, was not harmed while in prison.

When Han Jun sent him money to visit him, he still had the leisure to read a book.

"I thought you were about to be tortured to death in this prison, and I was extremely worried. But you have such a leisurely mood."

Upon hearing Han Jun's words, Pei Yanzhi didn't even raise his head, but simply turned the pages of his book.

"what's up?"

"as you wish."

After leaving behind these four meaningful words, Han Jun walked over and sat down next to him.

"But if we do that, the Pei family will never be able to return to its former glory. Are you sure you want to do this?"

His words were full of concern. After he finished speaking, Pei Yanzhi's eyes flickered slightly, and he closed the book.

"Only by fundamentally changing the situation can we achieve this."

The calm and collected voice made Han Jun shake his head helplessly.

However, I do admire his strategic planning skills.

The Pei family has enjoyed such a glorious history for so long; they must know the saying, "A tall tree catches the wind."

This commotion has given the Pei family a chance to catch their breath.

Most importantly, Han Jun thought that if Xiang Ning knew that Pei Yanzhi had fallen on hard times, she might come.

It could be considered a self-inflicted injury scheme.

(End of this chapter)