Chapter 125

The Khan did not care about the separation between men and women, and did not stipulate that women had to abide by the rules and stay in the rear quarters after marriage.

From the royal family to the common people, there is no saying that women cannot show their faces in public.

At every palace banquet, the emperor and empress entertained all the ministers together, and high-ranking concubines accompanied them.

In the countryside, married women can still go out, make friends, and chat and laugh.

It is not uncommon for couples to divorce, widows to remarry, or women to marry a husband and start their own business.

The royal princesses and princesses openly kept male favorites.

She and Ji Chengfeng just met by chance and chatted for a few minutes.

It's still in an open space outdoors, not alone in a room.

Is such a small matter worth making him so upset?
She could treat being jealous occasionally as a hobby, but wasn't that a bit too much?

"I can't believe you're even more conservative than my brother." Xie Wan Ning was a little annoyed. She looked at the person opposite her for a while and frowned, "Are you someone who advocates the rules of the previous dynasty?"

In the previous dynasty, women were so famous that they even wanted to cover their faces so that they could not be seen by men outside.

After more than 200 years of dynasties changing, there are still many scholars and officials who admire the rituals of the previous dynasty and keep saying that they want to restore the old system. If this person also has this idea...

Xie Wan Ning frowned even deeper.

If so...

Her eyes suddenly changed, and Pei Yuqing held her hand helplessly, "Don't accuse me of anything."

"...I'm not like that." If the topic continued, the two would get angry again, so he said in a good-tempered manner, "Forget it, let's not talk about that."

What could he say, that he couldn't help feeling upset when he saw her paying attention to other men?
But his attitude of swallowing his anger in silence made Xie Wan Ning feel even more uncomfortable.

It was as if she had done something very wrong and he just didn't want to argue with her.

It's so awkward.

She didn't think she had done anything wrong that was worth him being upset for a whole day.

The carriage became inexplicably quiet.

Seeing her displeasure, Pei Yuqing thought for a few breaths, intending to say something to comfort her, but Xie Wan Ning had already turned her head away from him and even pulled her hand away, refusing to let him touch her.

At this moment, the carriage suddenly stopped, and the noisy voices of people on the street were heard outside the carriage.

It was chaotic, but one could clearly hear the sounds of joy.

I don't know what good thing happened.

Xie Wan Ning was a little curious and wanted to lift the curtain to take a look, when she heard Pei Er's voice coming from outside.

"Prince, Lu Ziyan has led his troops back to the capital."

At the same time, on the long and narrow Zhuque Street in Beijing, Lu Ziyan took the lead and tightened the reins, looking at the Pei family emblem on the opposite carriage with a cold look in his eyes.

Ming Jian rode forward and rode side by side with him, whispering, "There is a banquet at the Qucheng Marquis's Mansion today. Miss Xie went with that man and is now in the carriage."

Lu Ziyan lowered his eyes and uttered a very soft "huh".

"Go and tell them to give way." Ming Jian said.

His master was fighting outside, competing with those old foxes in wits and courage, cracking a corruption case that shocked the court and the public, and single-handedly removed the hats of more than a dozen officials and returned to Beijing. With such achievements, it is impossible for them to give way to these aristocratic families who sit in the capital and enjoy their wealth.

But before he could move, the carriage on the opposite side had already retreated to the side of the road.

"They're smart." Ming Jian smiled coldly.

Lu Ziyan glanced at him with a very indifferent look, but it made Ming Jian, who was about to say a few more words, stop talking immediately.

When passing by the carriage, Lu Ziyan suddenly looked over. His cold gaze seemed to be able to see through the curtain and see the situation inside clearly.

What are those two people doing in there now?

The girl's tender lips flashed through his mind, and his throat tightened slightly. "Go send a visiting card to Pei Yuqing and invite him to meet at Cuiyun Pavilion at noon three days later."

Lu Ziyan had already regretted not seeing him for several months.

He regretted that he had not held the person tightly in his arms and declared his sovereignty in the villa that day.

Whoever comes, he should arrest him.

Being hesitant and timid is not his style.

He could never be a self-disciplined and polite gentleman. If he didn't rob her, she would not come back.

That girl was cruel as hell. The more he expressed his feelings to her and made her understand how important he was, the more she would feel confident in destroying his feelings and would never look back at him again.

Ming Jian whispered in agreement.

At this moment, as if possessed by some magic, he began to understand the master's intention of bringing that woman back from afar.

…………

The already quiet atmosphere in the carriage became even quieter when the name Lu Ziyan was heard.

Pei Yuqing ordered the driver to move aside and let Lu Ziyan and his group pass first.

After the rhythmic sound of horse hooves gradually faded away, the wheels started turning again.

Neither of them spoke a word until they returned home.

Xie Wan Ning returned to Xuanhua Courtyard, while Pei Yuqing went to the study in the outer courtyard.

That evening, a servant from the outer courtyard came to deliver a message, saying that the prince was busy with official duties and would be staying in the study tonight.

This kind of situation had happened before, but today they had a quarrel and he stayed in the study. Xie Wan Ning felt a little suffocated.

Besides, it is almost the end of the year, and His Majesty will put down his pen in a few days. What official business can the ministers be busy with?

It's just that I'm still worried about what happened this morning.

Maybe there is also the matter of Lu Ziyan returning to Beijing.

He looks gentle and good-tempered, but in fact he is very stingy.

Xie Wan Ning was annoyed all night. The next morning, when the culprit came to call her to get up, she turned over, faced inside, and ignored him.

Such an angry look made Pei Yuqing's outstretched hand freeze in mid-air. After a while, he withdrew his hand and touched his nose awkwardly.

"It's time to get up and eat," he sat beside the couch and pulled the little girl's quilt, "after eating, go to your mother and play cards with her for a while."

Princess Duanyang has been obsessed with playing mahjong recently and loves to find people to join her. This morning, Nanny Zhou came over to call for people.

She could be at odds with her husband, but Xie Wan Ning couldn’t ignore the invitation from the princess mother-in-law.

She pulled her quilt over and said without turning her head, "You go out first."

"...Okay." Pei Yuqing sighed, turned around and left the house.

Only then did Xie Wan Ning get up from the couch and get dressed with the help of Er Qing.

While dining in the side hall, the girl, who was holding back her anger, ate her food in silence. From time to time, she would push aside the dishes that the people next to her helped to serve, and was unwilling to eat a single bite.

After this series of operations, Pei Yuqing was completely at a loss.

When the other person stood up and was about to leave, he couldn't help but grab her wrist.

"Good girl, can you please stop being angry with me?"

Seeing this, the servants in the side hall all lowered their heads and walked out quickly. The moment the door closed, Pei Yuqing directly hugged the person into his arms.

The girl is so delicate and soft that he would be afraid of hurting her if he used the slightest force. But she is more irritable than anyone else and can torment him to death without saying a word.

"I'm not a pedantic person," he thought for a moment and explained himself, "I don't mind you talking to a stranger for a few more words, I just..."

Xie Wan Ning: "Just what?"

"...I," Pei Yuqing hesitated for a while and said with difficulty: "Wanwan,...I just like you too much."

Ji Chengfeng was handsome, talented, and promising at a young age. He was worried that the girl might be greedy for novelty and treat others differently.

If you reveal any more of these unspeakable thoughts, people will laugh at you.

How could he say that.

If Xie Wan Ning knew his true thoughts, she would probably ask him to look in the mirror.

But she didn't know, so she frowned even more tightly, "After all, you are still pedantic. You use the name of liking me to not allow me to do this or that."

She married him as his wife, not sold him as a maid, so how could this be possible?

"Ji Chengfeng is my aunt's son. We happened to meet on the road, and I talked to him for a while. I didn't even touch his clothes. It was a normal interaction. It's worth it..."

Xie Wan Ning couldn't continue. She pulled her hands away from her waist and whispered, "Think about it carefully."

After that, she left quickly.

Pei Yuqing pursed her lips and watched her walk away quietly.

He knew that what she said was right.

I also believe that she has no other thoughts about Ji Chengfeng, whom she has only met twice.

But Ji Chengfeng is a true gentleman and would never covet other people's wives.

This matter was purely his overthinking.

But he couldn't control such excessive worry.

Even if you have spent so much effort to pursue someone and can hold him or her in your arms at any time, you will never be able to feel at ease.

On the contrary, as time goes by, I become more and more worried about gains and losses.

If he can take away what belongs to others, others can certainly take away what belongs to him.

After standing quietly for a long time, Pei Yuqing slowly let out a breath and walked out of the side hall.

Pei Er, who had been waiting outside for a while, saw him come out, took two steps at a time, took out a gold-stamped invitation from his sleeve, and whispered, "It's personally sent by Mingfeng from Wuyuan Marquis's Mansion."

Mingfeng is a retainer of the Wuyuan Marquis Mansion, Lu Ziyan's right-hand man, and a well-known figure in the capital. It is impossible for him to be assigned a task like delivering a letter.

Asking Mingfeng to come in person was not to show seriousness, but to let those who are interested see whether he dares to attend the banquet.

Pei Yuqing understood everything clearly. He took the invitation with one hand and opened it. He lowered his eyes and glanced at it. His gaze fell on the three words "Cuiyun Pavilion" and his eyebrows raised slightly.

There are many brothels in the capital, and he owns two of the three most famous ones. Cuiyun Pavilion happens to be another one, but Lu Ziyan chose this one.

If he had not been confident that others could not know how much private property he had, Pei Yuqing would have suspected that the fact that he was the owner of the two brothels had leaked out.

Pei Er also saw the words "Cuiyun Pavilion" and asked in surprise, "Why choose this place?"

What a coincidence, or did Lu Ziyan already know that the other two companies were the Pei family's assets?

Pei Yuqing closed the invitation and asked, "Is the person still there?"

"Yes, he said he was waiting for your reply." Pei Er hesitated and said, "Are you going to the banquet?"

"Of course I will go," Pei Yuqing smiled slightly, "Tell Mingfeng that I will be there on time."

Pei Er stood still, looking extremely ugly.

Lu Ziyan is not someone you can easily mess with. He is not even an adult yet, but he has a stronger murderous intent than the generals at the border. He also has a grudge against their master for stealing his wife, so this banquet is bound to not end well.

He might even kill someone to vent his anger.

Pei Yuqing saw that his subordinate hadn't made any move for a long time, so he tapped his shoulder with the invitation in his hand and said with a smile: "Don't worry, your master won't die. Lu Ziyan is not a reckless man. He is a smart man and won't want to kill me."

At least, not at this moment.

Just like him, he never had the intention to kill the other person.

In fact, Lu Ziyan had been away from Beijing for many years to fight. For Pei Yuqing, who held the latest military secrets, if he really wanted to take his life, he would have plenty of opportunities.

Just a few delays would make his life difficult.

But Pei Yuqing had never done that. A missed military opportunity might cost thousands of lives, and he would not let innocent lives be sacrificed for his personal feelings.

The Khan, who was already vulnerable to wind and rain, could not withstand the slightest storm.

He can clearly distinguish between love between young men and women and family, country and the world, and he hopes that Lu Ziyan can do the same.

…………

Three days later, Pei Yuqing stepped into the gate of Cuiyun Pavilion alone.

The brothel is closed during the day. The huge hall on the first floor is empty and silent. Ming Feng Ming Jian has been waiting for a long time. When he saw him arriving, he stretched out his long arm and led him to the stairs.

"Master Pei, please go upstairs."

Pei Yuqing nodded slightly and stepped onto the stairs.

On the second floor, Lu Ziyan stood with his hands behind his back in front of the coffin by the window. Everywhere he looked was white.

It snowed heavily in the capital for several days, and it finally stopped today.

Hearing the door open behind him, he didn't even turn his head, tapped the window sill with his fingers, and asked calmly: "How did you coax her that year?"

It was the same snowy day, the same cold weather, how did he coax the little girl, who had only him in her heart, to start caring about him?

She didn't care about his thoughts at all. Even though she was angry, the girl didn't care at all and was determined to find the man even if it meant turning the world upside down.

What do you want to do after finding it out?

Pei Yuqing untied his cloak casually. Hearing this, his eyes softened, as if he saw the little girl squatting in the snow with her eyes covered with white silk that year.

After thinking for a while, he said, "That year, she developed an eye disease and suddenly lost her sight. She was terrified, but she didn't want to worry her parents, brothers, and maids. She even cried quietly when she was alone. I caught her crying several times."

The little girl is pitiful and cute, and her voice is so sweet and sweet with a crying tone, which makes people love her so much.

Such an indifferent person as him could turn a blind eye once or twice and pretend he didn't see it.

But later, he couldn't help but take her pulse. After learning that it was just snow blindness, he tried to persuade her in a kind way.

What if an eye disease that could have been cured becomes actually blind because of too many gold beans falling out?

"She was fourteen that year, and you were twenty-five. Don't you feel shameless to have thoughts about a girl who could almost be your daughter?" Lu Ziyan turned slowly, his eyes fell on his face, as cold as a knife.

The man in front of him relied on this hypocritical face to coax his Wanwan away.

In just three months, she got married in a hurry.

Whenever he thought of it, Lu Ziyan wished he could cut the person into pieces.

Pei Yuqing didn't feel embarrassed about such questioning.

Two in one~~~