Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 60 Letter (Part Two)

The older and more composed Wu Xiuniang led the weary palace guards to a resting place.

Pei Qinghe continued opening the letters.

The letter from the Prince of Zhangwu was much thicker, a full five pages long, with elegant and graceful handwriting that was pleasing to the eye at first glance.

This letter details the dramatic events that have unfolded in the palace. Emperor Xiaowen has taken a poisoned elixir and fallen into a coma, causing chaos in the palace. The Crown Prince takes charge and stabilizes the situation. A thorough investigation reveals the clandestine collusion between the Taoist priest Tianji and Prince Wei.

Unfortunately, Emperor Xiaowen awoke in time. An accidental fire broke out in the imperial prison, burning a group of Taoist priests to death. Without witnesses, the opportunity to completely eliminate the Prince of Wei was missed.

Upon seeing this, Pei Qinghe twitched the corners of her mouth.

General Meng intervened in time to stop the "bandits" and sent someone to Peijia Village with a message, which turned out to be at the behest of His Highness the Crown Prince.

Before the Crown Prince's complete downfall, the Pei family was able to remain safe and sound thanks to his power. With her, a prophet, secretly devising strategies, perhaps the Crown Prince could defeat the King of Wei and reverse the course of their past lives.

The crown prince's ascension to the throne would also bring tangible benefits to the Pei family. Perhaps then, the Pei family could be exonerated and no longer bear the stigma of being traitors…

A series of thoughts flashed through Pei Qinghe's mind as she continued to look down, scanning to the last line.

If you encounter any danger in the future, Miss Pei, you can write to me.

He has no troops or power, only the title of the eldest grandson of the Crown Prince. Even if he has the will, what can he do? Such a promise is empty and powerless.

Pei Qinghe casually placed the letter from Prince Zhangwu into the wooden box, piling it together with Meng Liulang's letter. Then, she ground ink, picked up her brush, and wrote a thick reply.

After a night's rest, the guards of the Eastern Palace took the thick envelope from Miss Pei: "Please take this letter back to the Eastern Palace and present it to His Highness the Crown Prince."

The palace guards instinctively responded, then immediately realized what they were doing and their eyes widened in surprise: "Your Highness the Crown Prince?"

Shouldn't it be given to His Highness Prince Zhangwu?

How could it be His Highness the Crown Prince?

The sixth young lady of the Pei family remained calm and smiled as she said, "His Highness the Crown Prince ordered the Beiping Army to protect the Pei family. We, the young and old, are extremely grateful to His Highness the Crown Prince."

The palace guard glanced at Miss Pei with a complicated expression, his feelings indescribable.

Is His Highness's good intention just being ignored like this?

The Crown Prince is indeed in charge of the Eastern Palace. The Prince of the County is young and still studying, so he doesn't participate much in politics, has few people, and can only do so much. However, the Prince of the County sent someone a long way to deliver a message, eagerly awaiting a reply from Miss Pei.

Miss Pei is too calm and realistic.

Such matters are none of his business as a bodyguard.

The palace guard swallowed his dissatisfaction and bowed in agreement.

Pei Qinghe ignored the dissatisfaction in the eyes of the Eastern Palace guards and personally escorted them out of Pei Family Village, showing them the utmost courtesy.

As soon as the palace guards left, Madam Lu, who had been holding back all the way, couldn't hold back any longer: "The Prince of Zhangwu sent a letter, why didn't you reply to His Highness?"

Pei Yun's ears twitched, Mao Hongling glanced over from the corner of her eye, and Pei Yan simply turned her head away.

Pei Qinghe said calmly, "If you were the Crown Prince, would you be willing for your eldest son to have correspondence with the daughter of an exiled criminal?"

Madam Lu was taken aback for a moment, then squeezed out, "Then you should still write a reply; it's only proper etiquette. You can subtly indicate your distancing in the letter, and that will suffice."

Pei Qinghe glanced over and said, "What's the difference between this and playing hard to get?"

“What we need is the protection of the Crown Prince. So we must be sensible and not offend His Highness the Crown Prince. It is the Prince's business to write a letter; if I reply, it would be my fault for being disrespectful. I should write to His Highness the Crown Prince to make my stance clear. Only then will His Highness not take his anger out on the Pei family. Doesn't Grandmother understand this simple principle?”

"In fact, my grandmother knew perfectly well what was going on. She just harbored a wishful thinking, hoping that I could use this opportunity to curry favor with the Prince. Perhaps in a few years, when the Crown Prince ascends the throne and the Pei family rises to power, I can enter the palace as a concubine of the Prince, support my maternal family, and revive the Pei clan."

When Madam Lu's thoughts were exposed, she became furious and embarrassed: "Yes, yes, yes, I am just a power-hungry, senile old woman who can't distinguish right from wrong! Unlike Miss Pei, who is self-reliant, independent, and virtuous!"

Pei Yun and Mao Hongling turned their heads as well. Pei Yan watched the spectacle with great interest.

Pei Qinghe didn't indulge her grandmother: "Grandmother knows herself well."

"Since you have self-awareness, you shouldn't say things you shouldn't say in the future."

Mrs. Lu left angrily with a dark face.

Pei Yan grinned, her face full of admiration: "Cousin Qinghe, when will I be able to speak as eloquently as you!"

Pei Yun smiled and said, "Let's forget it! Qinghe alone made my great-aunt furious. If you try to imitate her, do you want to anger your own grandmother to death?"

Mao Hongling chuckled quietly, "Grandmother will be sewing shoe soles and scolding Qinghe again today."

Upon hearing this, all the girls burst into laughter.

Madam Lu was old-fashioned, always putting on airs as an elder, and loved to boss people around. Yet, she always arrived in a huff and left with her tail between her legs, then, full of resentment, would sew shoe soles and berate her granddaughter. This had long been the most anticipated spectacle for everyone.

"Qinghe, do you really have no feelings for His Highness the Prince?" Pei Yun asked, and everyone looked over.

Pei Qinghe said calmly, "I want to lead my people to survive, strengthen the Pei clan, kill the King of Wei, and avenge the blood feud of the Pei family."

“Each one is far more important than romantic love.”

……

half a month later.

East Palace.

Shen Gonggong quietly stepped into the study.

Prince Zhangwu, who was reading, glanced over out of the corner of his eye, his mind elsewhere.

The Grand Tutor coughed lightly. Prince Zhangwu quickly regained his composure and finished half a day's lessons.

"Your Highness, the messenger has returned," Eunuch Shen said with a fawning smile, his voice low and obsequious. "He also brought a thick reply. However..."

Prince Zhangwu had no time to listen carefully; he moved with lightning speed, like a shooting star.

Then, Prince Zhangwu, who was full of anticipation and joy, was doused with a bucket of cold water.

"Are you sure that Miss Pei has read my letter?"

The weary, dust-covered guard knelt on the ground, not daring to raise his head: "I delivered the letter to Miss Pei. Whether she read it or not, I don't know."

After a long silence, the voice of Prince Zhangwu rang out again: "Why did she write a reply to Father?"

How could a mere guard know the answer to such a complex question?

The guard inwardly grumbled, but dared not refuse to answer: "This humble servant would not dare to presume to guess what Miss Pei is thinking."

There was another long silence.

Eunuch Shen also lowered his head, unable to bear to look at his master's expression.

"You step back."

The guard breathed a sigh of relief and quickly got up and left.

Shen Gonggong glanced enviously at the guard who was slipping away unnoticed, then waited wretchedly for his master to ask a question.

"Tell me, why didn't Miss Pei write back to me? Why did she write to my father instead?"

(End of this chapter)