Chapter 20

Pei Muheng assisted the Ministry of War by obtaining the signed travel documents for the Censorate and sending them to the cabinet for approval. He was contemplating whether to go to Fengtian Hall to pay his respects when a message came from his residence saying that Prince Xi had requested his return. Thus, Pei Muheng hurried back to Qinghui Garden at the beginning of the afternoon.

When he entered, Prince Xi was sitting on the throne beneath the ivory-inlaid red lacquer screen in the northern part of the room, tapping his wrist on the nearby table, clearly impatient.

Pei Muheng strode in, circled around the curio shelf, and approached him, bowing as he asked, “Father, what is the matter?”

Prince Xi looked at him with a troubled expression, “You know I once worked with Yang Kang. This case involving the Crown Prince implicates the Yang family. Just now, a former officer from the governor’s office came to me secretly, saying that Prince Qin had found evidence of the Yang family’s involvement in the Crown Prince’s rebellion. They claim that when Yang Kang was fighting in the northern frontier, he befriended many prominent figures from Great Wu, and those so-called merchants smuggling gunpowder from Jinzhou were covertly connected by Yang Kang’s people. This allowed the Crown Prince to meddle in Jinzhou and transport some gunpowder to the capital.”

Prince Xi’s tone grew more urgent, and he stood up, walking to the window with his hands behind his back, looking at Pei Muheng with a cold gaze.

“Everyone knows Yang Kang is a man of integrity, a warrior who would rather break than bend, who despises the invasions and plundering by the Great Wu people. How could he possibly do business with them? This is simply preposterous!”

“Over the years, the Crown Prince has become increasingly wayward, and Yang Kang only reluctantly defended him because his daughter married the Crown Prince. Heng’er, your father can overlook many things, but I cannot stand by and watch the soldiers who fought bravely on the battlefield be schemed to death by these court vermin!”

“The Yang family is full of loyal and heroic people; they must not become stepping stones for Prince Qin’s power grab!” Prince Xi clenched his fists, his eyes filled with hatred.

Pei Muheng slowly removed his official robe, quietly watching his indignant father, who resembled a trapped beast, and suddenly smiled.

“Father, are you anxious?”

Prince Xi saw his son still had the mood to tease him and glared at him, “Are you mocking your father?”

Pei Muheng calmly placed his official robe on the clothes rack and said, “Not at all, Father. Now that you are motivated, I won’t be alone in this.”

Although the Emperor did not favor Prince Xi, he had once been a valiant leader in the military and held great prestige among the troops. With a call to arms, many would follow him, which was one of Pei Muheng’s confidences in the struggle for succession.

Prince Xi was about to say something when he noticed that Pei Muheng, after taking off his official robe, was wearing a narrow-sleeved long shirt underneath. He asked curiously, “Why are you wearing so much in this hot weather?”

Pei Muheng paused slightly and discreetly moved his right hand behind his back, then started discussing the important matter at hand, “The Yang family is the pillar of the nation. I never intended to kick them while they are down. I have a plan to save the Yang family. Initially, I wanted to meet Commander Yang, but it seems unnecessary for me to show up. It would be better for you to go, Father.”

With that, Pei Muheng approached Prince Xi and whispered a few words in his ear.

Prince Xi frowned and looked at him, “Will this work? Isn’t it too risky?”

Pei Muheng’s lips curled slightly, his voice clear, “Father, just follow my plan. I guarantee the Yang family will be fine.”

Trusting Pei Muheng’s unfailing strategies, Prince Xi asked, “How is the investigation into the Crown Prince’s case going?”

In the heat, Pei Muheng’s forehead was covered in sweat, and his arm, cut by Xu Yunqi, burned painfully. He turned and picked up a teapot, poured himself a cup of cold tea, sipped it slowly, and then replied, “His Majesty does not wish to pursue the investigation further.”

Prince Xi was not surprised and sat down again by the window, “Xun Yunhe’s tactic of ‘officials accompanying the emperor’ cut off Prince Qin’s route to force the Crown Prince into rebellion. He wants to pressure His Majesty into deposing the Crown Prince using these seemingly plausible strategies. His Majesty, being wise, likely saw through this and is wary of wronging the Crown Prince.”

“But with the explosion at Ci’en Temple, the entire world knows there’s no doubt about deposing the Crown Prince. Now, Prince Qin only needs to link the Crown Prince to treason and selling out the country, and the Eastern Palace faction will be utterly destroyed.”

“If you want to save the Yang family, besides that method, you need to remove the Yang family from the gunpowder incident.”

Saving the Yang family would stabilize the entire military, benefiting Prince Xi’s mansion immensely.

“I understand,” Pei Muheng said. At that moment, Huang Wei peeked through the window lattice, “Third Master, Third Young Madam is at the study door. She said she wants to give you something.”

The father and son exchanged glances.

Prince Xi quickly stood up and walked inside, “I’ll handle the Yang family matter, Heng’er. You cannot let Prince Qin off…”

Pei Muheng watched as his father prepared to climb over the wall and said helplessly, “Where are you going?”

Standing at the inner room’s door, Prince Xi turned back and replied, “Isn’t your wife here? I’ll climb over the wall and go back.”

Pei Muheng’s face darkened. “Did you do something sneaky?” He pointed to the front. “Use the main door.”

Seeing his son’s look of disdain, Prince Xi rubbed his forehead and turned to leave through the main door, explaining quietly as he walked, “I’m afraid of scaring your wife away.”

Xu Yunqi appeared very shy, and Prince Xi worried that meeting face-to-face might frighten her away.

Seeing his son’s cold and indifferent demeanor, Prince Xi thought he didn’t know how to treat women with affection. Since his daughter-in-law rarely visited, he didn’t want to break up the couple.

Pei Muheng followed behind his father, leading him out. Hearing his father’s explanation left him at a loss for words.

If he told Prince Xi that Xu Yunqi could catch snakes with her bare hands, would his father be the one scared away?

The father and son, each with their own thoughts, arrived at the study door, where they indeed saw Xu Yunqi standing gracefully outside the moon gate in a light blue dress.

With his hands behind his back, Prince Xi regained his stern demeanor, completely different from his earlier chatty self.

Xu Yunqi was momentarily stunned at seeing Prince Xi and then felt a headache. She had come from the pavilion to bring a bottle of ointment for Pei Muheng, worried about his injuries in the heat. She had been cooling off in the pavilion when a maid told her Pei Muheng had returned. She intended to give the bottle to Huang Wei when passing by the study, but Huang Wei insisted on announcing her presence. Xu Yunqi found herself caught between staying and leaving, and soon saw Prince Xi coming out, realizing she had disturbed their discussion.

“Greetings, Father,” Xu Yunqi said calmly, bowing.

Prince Xi was pleased to see Xu Yunqi. “Haha, no need for formalities. Well, you two carry on. I’ll be going.” He stroked his beard and left with large strides.

The couple exchanged glances, recalling Prince Xi’s teasing remark, “You two carry on,” which made things a bit awkward.

Standing at the steps, Xu Yunqi explained, “I just came from the pavilion to bring you some ointment. I didn’t know Father was here.”

This was to let Pei Muheng know she didn’t mean to interrupt.

Pei Muheng, having understood her character by now, didn’t misunderstand her intentions. “I know. Come in.”

Before Xu Yunqi could react, he had already walked inside.

Xu Yunqi glanced at the bottle in her hand and had no choice but to follow him inside.

Yin Xing waited outside for her.

Huang Wei personally prepared tea for the two of them and quietly left.

Xu Yunqi, without looking sideways, followed Pei Muheng into the study.

Pei Muheng had already taken a seat behind the desk and casually organized the documents on it. “Sit wherever you like.”

Xu Yunqi had no intention of sitting. She took out a small bottle of ointment from her sleeve and handed it to him. “In this hot weather, wounds don’t heal easily. I’ve prepared a cool ointment for you. Apply it, and it will help you heal faster.”

Her voice was soft and clear, like a mountain spring in summer, carrying a hint of refreshing clarity.

Pei Muheng paused his document organization, his gaze slowly shifting to the bottle. The first thing he noticed was her delicate hand. The wide sleeve slipped down from her wrist, revealing a small portion of her slender arm, with skin as fair as snow. Her fingers were long and slender, almost dazzling in their whiteness, though there were faint cuts on her fingertips.

Pei Muheng knew exactly why. Scenes from the previous night flashed uncontrollably through his mind.

Pei Muheng lowered his gaze and softly murmured a response.

Xu Yunqi, seeing his reaction, was somewhat confused. Did he not want it? Was he indifferent, or did he think she was being presumptuous?

Xu Yunqi slowly withdrew the bottle, looking at him quietly. “I didn’t mean to disturb you. I just didn’t want others to see it.”

Pei Muheng’s court robe had wide sleeves, and any slight movement could reveal his arm. She preferred to lose some face by seeking him out rather than letting others mock their marital affairs.

Pei Muheng finished organizing the documents and placed them in the center. He then raised his eyes to look at her, with a hint of amusement that Xu Yunqi didn’t understand in his gaze.

“I understand,” he said, extending his right arm. “Help me.” He then lowered his head and began to seriously review the documents with his left hand.

The words “help me” were said so lightly, without any fluctuation.

Xu Yunqi was stunned.

This guy…

Seeing him engrossed in his reading and speaking so calmly, Xu Yunqi had no reason to refuse. She moved to the side, placed the bottle of ointment on the desk, brought over a stool, and began to treat his wound.

Pei Muheng was wearing a narrow-sleeved long shirt. Xu Yunqi first helped him unbutton the cuff and slowly rolled up the sleeve, revealing a shocking wound. Xu Yunqi was genuinely taken aback, and her fair face showed a mix of embarrassment and awkwardness.

The wound extended from his elbow, red and slightly festering. Xu Yunqi glanced at the official robe on the screen rack, guessing that Pei Muheng had worn a narrow-sleeved long shirt underneath to conceal the wound. In this hot weather, sweat had seeped into the wound, causing it to fester.

The wound extended from top to bottom, shallow to deep, and any married man would know what it was from.

Xu Yunqi, feeling a mix of emotions, rubbed her forehead and slowly rolled up his sleeve, fully exposing the wound. It was serpentine and bright red, with a somewhat sinister hue, harshly reflecting on Xu Yunqi’s cheeks.

This kind of pain was nothing to Pei Muheng. He didn’t pay much attention to it, but as he read a few lines of the document, he glanced at his wife, usually calm and composed, whose cheeks had rare hints of light pink. This blush was different from the flush of passion between the sheets; it carried a shy and demure quality. His gaze moved to her clear and earnest eyes, and the previous thought vanished.

Pei Muheng suddenly felt a strong curiosity about what Xu Yunqi would look like when embarrassed.

Xu Yunqi carefully examined the wound, seeing that applying ointment directly wouldn’t work. She turned to leave and instructed Yin Xing to fetch some cotton swabs and medicinal liquid.

While waiting, Xu Yunqi stood in the corridor, not entering the room.

Pei Muheng looked at his wife standing with her back to the window and glanced at his arm left hanging to dry, feeling rather speechless.

Fortunately, Yin Xing soon returned. Xu Yunqi brought in a small lacquer tray, sat in her previous position, and began to treat Pei Muheng’s wound. She first cleaned the wound with a nearly transparent medicinal liquid, waiting for it to dry.

Pei Muheng knew his wife was skilled in pharmacology and could catch snakes with silver needles. He was aware she had learned various skills in the countryside, so he didn’t think much of it, especially since he had guards who could also treat wounds.

In the meantime, Pei Muheng had read a few pages of his documents while Xu Yunqi sat silently beside him.

The two of them remained quiet, and there was an undercurrent of tenderness circulating in the study.

After a while, Pei Muheng finished a booklet and noticed the irritation in his wound had subsided. He asked Xu Yunqi, “Madam, is it time to apply the ointment?”

Xu Yunqi, lost in thought, immediately snapped back to reality. She then uncorked the bottle and applied the ointment to Pei Muheng’s wound. This minor injury was nothing to him, so Xu Yunqi didn’t treat it too gently, applying the ointment efficiently and skillfully. She then gently instructed her husband, “Don’t lower your sleeve for the next half an hour.”

Pei Muheng nodded and moved his arm away.

Going bare-armed was quite undignified for Pei Muheng, and he wasn’t used to it, so he was about to urge Xu Yunqi to leave. Just as he was about to speak, Xu Yunqi asked with a smile, “Will you return to the rear courtyard for dinner later, Third Master?”

What she meant to ask was whether Pei Muheng would stay in the study to recuperate for the next few nights. A young couple sleeping in the same room might lead to unavoidable intimacy, which wouldn’t be good for his recovery. Since he had just moved back to the rear courtyard, Xu Yunqi didn’t want to ask too bluntly.

Pei Muheng, experienced in navigating court politics, easily understood the implication in his wife’s words. He looked at her calmly and said firmly, “There’s no need.”

Xu Yunqi didn’t mind and began to pack her things to leave.

However, Pei Muheng was slightly annoyed by her earlier thought. As she stood up, he spoke a bit more sternly, “Madam, I’m not the kind of person who separates from my wife and gets sulky when things go wrong. In the future, let’s discuss matters together.”

Xu Yunqi was purely concerned about his wound and had no other intentions. Hearing his words, she felt a bit puzzled.

Could she and Pei Muheng have a falling out? Highly unlikely.

Xu Yunqi thought her husband was overthinking it, but she still went along with him, “Alright, I’m not the type to be petty and jealous. I won’t get upset with you.”

Each word sounded pleasant, but the meaning wasn’t quite the same when put together.