Denghuangtai

As a result, Pei Qingyan made a pledge: if she did not uncover the truth within seven days, she would resign from her post.

With Pei Qingyan and Yun Zheng working together, they successfully identified the real culprit in less than five days. During this time, Pei Qingyan confirmed that Yun Zheng was not involved in the deaths of his father and brother.

Just as she was searching for clues again, the emperor unexpectedly offered her a marriage, ostensibly to ensure that Lady Pei would have an heir. The betrothed was a dissolute member of the imperial clan.

Pei Qingyan couldn't refuse an arranged marriage. She had originally planned to just make do, but unexpectedly, as the wedding date approached, the纨绔 (playboy) died in a brothel. Pei Qingyan seized the opportunity to weep before the emperor, expressing her deep love for her fiancé and her dismay at his suspicious death. She vowed to investigate the truth for him. The emperor outwardly comforted her, saying that since he was already gone, there was no need to stir up a scandal (in reality, he knew the true nature of his sons and feared that if Pei Qingyan found out the truth, it would be even more shameful).

The emperor forbade an investigation, and Pei Qingyan had a general idea of ​​what was going on. She knew that the emperor probably knew what kind of person that playboy was, so she felt a little resentment towards the emperor. However, because her father had always told them to be loyal to the emperor, even if she had resentment, she didn't have any other thoughts. In her heart, she felt that the emperor was really racking his brains to tie his ministers and his own family together in order to control the ministers who had military power.

Her father, Pei Xuan, was like that, and now she was almost being manipulated in the same way.

However, because of the playboy's death, Pei Qingyan suddenly had a reason to refuse the marriage. She smugly thought that this "fiancé" was quite decent, and that his death was perfectly timed. Little did she know that the playboy's death was related to Yun Zheng.

When Yun Zheng learned that she was to be betrothed, he was almost driven mad with jealousy. Originally, because Pei Qingyan was in the north, Yun Zheng could suppress his feelings, and even if he knew that Pei Qingyan was getting close to a "pretty boy" retainer, he could still tolerate it. But now that Pei Qingyan had returned to the capital, right under his nose, he simply could not bear the thought of another man by Pei Qingyan's side, especially her legitimate husband. Yun Zheng couldn't stand it, so he simply stopped trying to take advantage of the playboy and began to secretly plot against him, arranging for his death in a brothel while he was frequenting prostitutes.

Seeing Pei Qingyan heartbroken over that person only fueled Yun Zheng's anger. Driven mad with jealousy, he hid inside the Xuandu Temple while Pei Qingyan was performing a ritual for her father and brothers, and forcefully kissed her. Actually, after spending time together again, Pei Qingyan's feelings for Yun Zheng had rekindled.

Therefore, this kiss can be considered Pei Qingyan's self-indulgence.

Just as the two were kissing, Pei Qingyan's pretty boy henchman suddenly appeared. Yun Zheng assumed that Pei Qingyan had come to this place specifically to secretly meet with this pretty boy, and immediately became so jealous that he left in anger.

In reality, this pretty boy was a woman named Yuan Man. She fled north to escape an arranged marriage and by chance became one of Pei Qingyan's followers. Pei Qingyan learned of her true gender and took her to eat and live with him. This led to Yun Zheng getting the news and then finding out that Pei Qingyan had a new love interest.

Yun Zheng thought about it all night and made himself feel better. The next day, he used the excuse of investigating a case to sneak into the Court of Justice. He said that he was going to Shouchun County for inspection and asked Pei Qingyan to lend him people, specifically asking for the pretty boy Yuan Man. Pei Qingyan refused, and the two parted on bad terms.

Pei Qingyan continued his investigation in the capital, while Yun Zheng left the capital.

Pei Qingyan's fruitless investigation in the capital was followed by news of an earthquake in Shouchun. Worried about Yun Zheng's safety, she volunteered for assistance at the court assembly. However, other officials questioned her, believing that a woman like her couldn't compare to the men in the court and wouldn't be able to save lives in the disaster area. Pei Qingyan countered with a reference to warfare, and explained that she had experienced earthquakes in the north and had disaster relief experience. Ultimately, the emperor approved her request.

When she arrived in Shouchun, she heard that Yun Zheng had fallen ill. A great disaster was inevitably followed by a great epidemic; therefore, the governor of the city dared not take any chances and had all the sick, including herself, placed in a separate area. Although Pei Qingyan was worried about Yun Zheng, she was focused on disaster relief.

Born on the fifteenth day of the eleventh month of the first year of the Jianyuan era, she was the daughter of the Grand Marshal Changping. Due to her military achievements, she was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Yin'an and appointed General of Chariots and Cavalry. Once a resilient and indomitable daughter of a military family, she was a young general. Later, she became a "criminal general" captured after a defeat, a severely wounded prisoner on the verge of death. To avenge her father, brothers, and the unjustly killed soldiers, she infiltrated the court, becoming a politician who manipulated the political landscape.

Personality traits: Naturally proud and resilient, even when imprisoned, seriously injured and on the verge of death, his spirit remains unbroken. Courageous and resourceful, even after suffering multiple blows such as the destruction of his family, being seriously injured and captured, and being stigmatized, he grits his teeth and perseveres for his goal of revenge.

Appearance: Tall and slender, with a well-proportioned and firm physique honed through years of martial arts training and combat, his movements exude a decisive and ruthless aura. While not exceptionally beautiful, his features are sharp and distinct, making him highly recognizable. His eyebrows, like ink paintings, slant sharply towards his temples, carrying an innate heroic spirit and an undeniable arrogance. His eyes are bright as cold stars or deep as autumn pools, their unwavering gaze capable of piercing the heart. When clad in silver armor or battle robes, he is like a drawn blade, his sharpness fully revealed, a "Young General" who commands respect and awe in the army.