Denghuangtai

"The Grand Minister was unfortunately hit by a carriage this morning, breaking his leg."

Yun Zheng's deep voice rang out in the room, and the chief clerk and the old doctor inside were both stunned upon hearing it.

The chief secretary was somewhat better off, after all, he had followed Yun Zheng for many years and, while he couldn't say he fully understood Yun Zheng's personality, he was fairly familiar with it.

But the old physician was different. He was originally a guard from the Grand Minister's mansion, who was temporarily captured from the vicinity in a moment of crisis. Later, because he pleaded for Pei Qingyan, Yun Zheng "voluntarily" kept him with Pei Qingyan and made him Pei Qingyan's personal physician.

Therefore, the old doctor did not know much about Yun Zheng, this important person.

He looked at Yun Zheng, speechless for a long time. His lips twitched slightly, feeling that Yun Zheng's idea was useless.

Seeing that the old doctor remained silent for a long time, Yun Zheng said nothing and stepped out of the house.

The old doctor remained where he was, watching Yun Zheng's figure, struggling silently for a moment. Finally, he sighed deeply, turned around with heavy steps and walked to the bedside, deciding to try anything, even if it seemed hopeless.

The old doctor repeated Yun Zheng's words to Pei Qingyan.

After a long while, the Chief Clerk returned to the hermitage to report—General Pei, upon hearing that the Grand Minister of Works had broken his leg, was startled awake from his deathbed, laughed heartily, picked up the bowl, and downed his medicine in one gulp! At that moment, he fell asleep again.

Upon hearing this, Yun Zheng snorted coldly and said nothing.

Looking at Yun Zheng's gloomy face, the Chief Secretary felt helpless. To be honest, he really couldn't understand the relationship between Yun Zheng and Pei Qingyan anymore.

How could someone in this world, while unconscious, still be thinking about cursing others, even to the point of being unable to take their medicine because of cursing, and almost die?

Some people can even diagnose the problem and prescribe the right remedy with just one glance.

What kind of emotional bond is this?

The chief clerk sighed inwardly, but seeing Yun Zheng's increasingly gloomy face, he could only cautiously comfort his lord, "General Pei is a commander, so it's understandable that he's straightforward..."

The chief clerk stammered and racked his brains for a long time, but couldn't find a suitable reason. So he had to bite the bullet and make up a story: "Actually, there's an old saying that goes, 'Spare the rod and spoil the child.' General Pei's feelings for the lord are definitely different from those for others."

The first half of that sentence was a fabrication by the Chief Secretary, but the second half... was truly the truth. Regardless of whether Pei Qingyan loved or hated Yun Zheng, Yun Zheng was probably the only one Pei Qingyan would "think about" to this extent.

"Is that really true...?"

Yun Zheng's pupils suddenly brightened, and his voice rose slightly with excitement. Before he could finish speaking, he realized he had been too agitated. He coughed lightly, then pretended to be nonchalant, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and slowly said, "Do you really think she treats me differently? Where does the saying 'spare the rod and spoil the child' come from?"

"Ah, this..."

The chief clerk was momentarily speechless. He hadn't expected Yun Zheng to press him so relentlessly about his fabricated story. Although Yun Zheng had used his teacup to conceal his expression, his previous demeanor had already betrayed his current emotions. The chief clerk knew that if he told Yun Zheng now that what he had just said was pure nonsense, Yun Zheng would tear him apart.

If they can't tell the truth, then they're left with no choice but to go down this dark path...

The chief clerk's mind worked quickly, and in a moment of inspiration, he found a solution.

"I believe that throughout history, no one has ever been able to think about another person while in a coma. This shows that General Pei is exceptionally rare in ancient times. Furthermore, in the entire city of Chang'an, apart from the Princess, you are the only one who has an old acquaintance with General Pei."

Upon hearing this, a hint of joy flashed across Yun Zheng's lowered eyes.

"As for the saying 'spare the rod and spoil the child,' I don't remember where I heard it from. But since it's said, it must be true."

"Hmm." Yun Zheng maintained his composure, his expression arrogant, and gently placed the teacup beside him. "Alright, enough with the baseless rumors. You may leave."

"Yes." The chief clerk bowed and stepped back, inwardly grumbling, "My lord, it's no use pretending to be nonchalant anymore; your smile is practically reaching your ears!"

Meanwhile, Pei Qingyan took her medicine, and her injuries gradually stabilized. She slept soundly for another night. These past few days, she had been either bouncing around in the prison cart or spending her days in the cold, dark place of the imperial prison.

It had been far too long since she had been able to lie in bed under a quilt and enjoy a comfortable sleep. In particular, upon hearing that Yun Zheng had broken his leg, she felt a surge of relief, and her tense nerves relaxed somewhat.

I slept without any dreams.

Shh, keep your voice down.

Suddenly, the window was pushed open from the outside. Pei Qingyan shivered as the cold wind rushed in. She pulled the blanket tighter around herself and then turned her head to continue sleeping.

Suddenly, a thud came from inside the room, like the sound of something heavy falling, followed by an impatient voice.

"I told you to keep your voice down!"

"I didn't make a sound!" The voice was slightly rough, sounding very honest.

"You still dare to argue? We'll have you judge this matter later." The impatient voice continued.

"Give your opinion, Your Excellency is the most fair."

Pei Qingyan couldn't take it anymore. She sighed, opened her eyes, and said, "You two, shut up!"

Two men, one burly and one thin, who had just climbed in through the window, stood at the window. The burly one was named Wu Yong, and the thinner one, who looked like a pale-faced scholar, was named Yuan Man. Both of them were retainers that Pei Qingyan had taken in from Shuofang County.

Upon hearing Pei Qingyan's rebuke, the two froze on the spot. They stopped arguing and stared intently at Pei Qingyan.

"What brings you two here?"

Pei Qingyan struggled to sit up in bed. The charcoal fire in the temple was not burning brightly, and the chill outside made her shiver. She pulled the blanket over herself.

After struggling for a while, she finally managed to wrap herself up like a cocoon.

Why aren't you two saying anything?

After not hearing a reply from the two for a while, Pei Qingyan pressed for an answer.

"My lord, you were the one who told me to shut up," Wu Yong, the stronger one, said in a rough voice, sounding aggrieved.

Pei Qingyan sighed and rolled his eyes, then turned to look at Yuan Man, who treated him like family and went to the tea table to pour him tea.

"Yuan Fox, don't tell me you've become as stubborn as Wu the Big Guy now, have you?"

"Hey, don't compare me to Wu the Big Guy," Yuan Man said, lounging at the tea table. "I'm not saying anything because I don't want to."

"You'd better tell me!" Pei Qingyan warned through gritted teeth.

Seeing that Pei Qingyan was showing signs of anger, Wu Yong immediately surrendered and pointed at Yuan Man, honestly confessing, "He sent me."

"Wu Da Ge, how can you betray your loyal brother like this? Where is your conscience?" Yuan Man pointed at Wu Yong, looking heartbroken.

Wu Yong turned his head and snorted, "To me, no one is more important than you, Lord Jun, except for my mother."

"You rascal, Wu Da Ge..."

Seeing the two arguing incessantly, Pei Qingyan's temples throbbed with pain. "You two, get down to business. If you keep talking about these irrelevant things, get out of here."

After saying that, she thought for a moment, rubbed her temples, and pointed at Yuan Man, "Yuan Fox, you say it."

Yuan Man put down his teacup, dragged a round stool to the bedside, sat down, straightened his clothes, and then slowly said, "We heard that you, my lord, were released from prison and entered a temple to become a monk, so we thought we had to come and see you."

"Heh." Upon hearing this, Pei Qingyan sneered, "Is that what's being said outside?"

"There's also a rumor that you're so grateful for the Empress Dowager's kindness that you want to become a nun to pray for her well-being," Yuan Man said lazily.

"This nonsense could only have been spread by that person in Jianzhang Palace," Pei Qingyan said sarcastically.

Yuan Man shrugged. "Who says otherwise? Anyone with eyes can see it, but she still insists on doing it anyway. She's just unwilling to accept it and wants to save face for herself."

"Face..." Pei Qingyan's eyes flashed with disdain. "Forget about her, let's get down to business. You did a good job this time, the result was even better than we expected."

"It's all thanks to Your Excellency's strategic planning." Yuan Man, unusually devoid of narcissism, humbly replied, "If Your Excellency hadn't arranged in advance for me to secretly spread the news that Empress Dowager Yun was cunning and vengeful after I entered the capital, and used the Pei family's affair to alert those noble families and make them feel a sense of shared fate, they wouldn't have all rejected Empress Dowager Yun now."

"That's right," Wu Yong chimed in. "Yuan Fox said that if those powerful families hadn't cornered Empress Dowager Yun, the general might have escaped death, but he might not have been able to get out of the imperial prison. If that were the case, it would be troublesome for us to contact the general. The lame old Ding who used to deliver messages to us is dead."

"Dead?" Pei Qingyan sat bolt upright in shock. "No wonder you suddenly switched to a reckless jailer. Do you know why he died?"