GBP Chapter 116 Why Did I Dream About Her
Chapter 116 Why Did I Dream About Her
After being humiliated by Pei Jin twice in a row, Kang claimed to be ill and pushed the matter of housekeeper out.
The Pei Mansion had a large staff and the old lady was old and did not want to be the head of the household any longer. After discussing with Pei Jinzhi, she temporarily gave the position of manager to Sang Wan.
Sang Wan had no choice but to accept it.
Ever since Pei Jinzhi showed his power in Haitang Courtyard, everyone in Pei's residence has shown respect to Sang Wan. Wherever she goes, she is constantly called "Grandma".
At first she tried to stop them, but later she became numb to them and just let them do what they wanted.
Most of the servants in the Pei Mansion were brought from the capital by Kang. They were afraid of Pei Jinzhi, but they still secretly made fun of Sang Wan and called her "Madam Five Hundred Taels".
Yunque was so angry that she rolled up her sleeves and wanted to settle the score with these gossipers, but Sang Wan stopped her.
"Next time you hear it, tell them to add the word 'gold', so it's 'Five Hundred Taels of Gold Lady'."
There is a huge difference between five hundred taels and five hundred taels of gold!
"Grandma, are you so angry that you've lost your mind?" Yuque spoke up for her master.
"Instead of getting angry, it's better to practice writing more characters." Sang Wan wrote more diligently.
Now that she has taken charge of all the affairs in the mansion, she finally understands what Grandma Sun once said: how important it is to know how to write.
She had to add a few words every time she did some accounting or recorded something. Over the past few days, she could write a lot.
She was naturally intelligent, and with a photographic memory, Pei Jinzhi would occasionally come to her for guidance when he had some free time, and her calligraphy skills improved by leaps and bounds. Pei Jinzhi couldn't help but marvel at her talent; she was a prodigy who learned everything quickly.
After receiving the praise, Sang Wan practiced calligraphy more diligently; sometimes, in order to improve his calligraphy, he even practiced late into the night by lamplight.
Pei Jinzhi was surprised by her spirit. But the other day, when Sang Wan was complaining about the hard work, he had just told her the story of "if there is a will, there is a way." Now that he saw her being so diligent, he was at a loss for words.
"Is grandma going to be a calligrapher?" Li Jiu muttered.
Pei Jinzhi stood outside the door of the west wing, quietly looking through the diamond-shaped window at the person in the room who was immersed in writing.
The cicadas chirped incessantly on summer nights. Although there was ice in the house to cool off, she still sweated profusely while practicing.
"Let's go, don't disturb her." Pei Jinzhi frowned, feeling something was wrong.
But I can’t tell what’s wrong.
Li Jiu had no choice but to shake his head.
The enthusiasm with which she wrote did not seem to be to please the prince, but rather to become the modern Lady Wei.
It’s really hard to guess what this grandma is thinking.
*
Pei Jinzhi returned to the study, and another uninvited guest fell from the roof.
His brows furrowed even deeper: "You won't even enter the main door, but you insist on climbing over the eaves and walls."
Baili Xi smiled carelessly, picked a peach from the fruit bowl, and took a sip of the juicy peach. "It's late at night, I don't want to disturb your rest."
"Oh, you know it's late, why are you here?"
Pei Jinzhi said he was disgusted, but his hands were not idle. He poured him a cup of tea.
"I'm telling you, the crazy county lady has sent an urgent letter eight hundred miles away to file a complaint with the emperor."
"Oh? You opened the letter?" Pei Jinzhi raised his eyebrows.
Baili Xi leaned against the coffee table and rolled his eyes. "Isn't that necessary? How can we know what she's complaining about if we don't tear it apart?"
"Let me guess." Pei Jinzhi closed his eyelids and smiled faintly:
"They must be saying that I'm colluding with the rebel Tianxuan Sect, holding an imperial edict, and plotting rebellion."
Baili Xi dropped his peach in shock, "How did you know?"
"She has been so slow to return to the capital that she must have been carrying out another imperial decree. The emperor is suspicious, and since he has sent you to oversee the imperial edict, and knowing that we have a close relationship, he will naturally have a backup plan."
Baili Xi was full of admiration: "Wen Ruo, when it comes to brains, you are this one!"
"Stop joking. She'll definitely use some excuse to return to Beijing in the next two days, so be careful on the road."
A cloud of dark clouds gathered between Pei Jinzhi's brows: "What is coming will eventually come. It's time."
"Don't worry, I know what's going on." Baili Xi patted his chest and smiled mischievously, "But I'm afraid we'll have to put on a show."
Li Jiu walked in from the study and was startled when he saw Baili Xi.
"You bypassed my defense again?!"
Baili Xi sneered: "You are not qualified enough to stop me."
Li Jiu stamped his feet in anger and said, "I'll give these losers a good beating later! Xiao Shun! Xiao Shun!"
Xiao Shun came out from outside the door and responded: "Master Jiu!"
"Go, send more men to the east and west corners. Anyone sneaking around will be killed without mercy!"
He glared at Baili Xi fiercely.
Baili Xi laughed even louder.
Pei Jinzhi frowned and raised his hand towards Li Jiu: "But has there been any news from Shu?"
Li Jiu handed over a scroll of notes: "Prince Duan has been imprisoned, and Prince Duan has been summoned to the capital to plead guilty."
"How many people did you bring?" Pei Jinzhi was most concerned about this question.
"He only brought seven or eight followers." Li Jiu smiled, "I guess he listened to the advice in my letter."
Pei Jinzhi finally put down the heavy stone in his heart: "Good, at least he still knows how to cherish his life."
The government set up this trap to force him to rebel, and now that he has come to apologize, at least they can't do anything to him openly.
"Sir, the government wants to kill someone with a borrowed knife. It's really a bit risky for us to do this."
Baili Xi thought of Prince Duan's son Xiao Qi and was so angry that his teeth itched: "Why are you helping him?"
"Prince Duan is a clever man. When clever men clash with clever men, there's no need for further explanation. I can see through the emperor's scheme, so how could he not? Shu's military might not necessarily indicate rebellion; it could also be for self-preservation. Helping him survive is helping us survive."
"How can we break this deadlock?" Baili Xi was also sweating.
"Put yourself in a desperate situation and then you can survive." Pei Jinzhi had a plan in mind.
He looked at Baili Xi intently and asked, "Do you still remember the King of Nan'an?"
"Prince of Nan'an? Xiao Ji's father? Isn't he dead? And your two families are enemies because of this."
When Baili Xi heard this name, he felt extremely uncomfortable.
That was a past that was too painful to recall.
Pei Jinzhi took a deep breath, his thoughts drifting away:
"Fifteen years ago, the Prince of Nan'an and his princess came to Jiangnan Road to inspect salt, following imperial orders. The Pei Mansion hosted a banquet on a pleasure boat. Halfway through the feast, a group of remnants of the previous dynasty ambushed them, killing Prince Nan'an and my grandfather instantly. Skewered multiple times, the princess managed to hold on to her last breath and gave birth to a daughter, Xiao Yue. The late emperor, feeling sorry for her orphanage, adopted her and bestowed upon her the title of Princess Jinghe. The young Prince of Nan'an, Xiao Ji, broke with the Pei family over this incident."
Baili Xi put away his usual cynicism, and a deep sadness filled his eyes:
"Alas! You, me, and Xiao Ji are all of similar age, and we grew up together, so we were like brothers. But because of this incident, he resented the Pei Mansion's inadequate protection and took his anger out on you. From then on, you two became strangers. And I'm caught in the middle, and it's really hard."
He glanced at Pei Jinzhi, whose usually pale face seemed even more bloodless.
"Why are you mentioning Prince Nan'an today?"
"Suddenly an old friend crossed my mind, looking back at the mountains and rivers, autumn has already arrived." Pei Jinzhi's throat felt a pang of pain: "The weather is getting colder, I've been dreaming about Xiao Ji lately."
Baili Xi lowered his head and sighed heavily. Suddenly, he looked up and smiled wickedly:
"Wen Ruo, you're lying. You dreamed about Xiao Yue."
He raised the teacup and turned it around:
"If I were you, I'd be heartbroken too. Your mother and Princess Nan'an were close friends, and they'd agreed to be married when they were born. But that year, Princess Nan'an gave birth to Xiao Ji, and Madam Pei gave birth to you, so they had no choice but to become sworn brothers. But Princess Nan'an refused to accept this, and agreed that if the next child was a girl, the two families would arrange another marriage. But not long after, your mother fell ill and passed away. Princess Nan'an gave birth to Xiao Yue under those circumstances, and the two families fell out, and no one mentioned the marriage anymore. She's already married, so why are you still thinking about her?"
"Nonsense, how could I dream about her?" Pei Jinzhi glared at him.
Baili Xi raised his lips and sneered, looking as if he understood everything:
"You chose Sang Wan as your bride because she looks a bit like Xiao Yue, right?"