Chapter 2: Kindness
Pei Qinghe gazed at her youthful self in the mirror almost greedily.
She raised her eyebrows, and the young girl in the mirror raised her eyebrows.
She grinned, and the girl in the mirror lifted the corners of her lips.
So young, so vibrant.
Madam Feng tightly held her daughter, sobbing: “Qinghe, it’s good that you’ve woken up.”
“The Pei Clan was exterminated and their home confiscated. Crown Prince knelt outside the Golden Palace for half a day, only then preserving the lives of us Pei Clan women and children. Today when leaving the Capital City, the Crown Prince also ordered Prince Zhangwu to see us off.”
“This kindness, we must firmly remember…”
Kindness?
A chill flashed in Pei Qinghe’s eyes.
The Crown Prince who pleaded for the Pei Clan was righteous and dutiful. The young and benevolent Prince Zhangwu saw off the family of a convicted official twenty li outside the Capital City. The Eastern Palace father and son lost Pei Zhongde this fierce general, yet won the hearts of officials throughout the court.
If the Crown Prince was willing to strongly protect the Pei Clan, how could he sit by and watch the Pei Clan be framed by Prince Wei?
The Pei Clan female dependents were exiled to Youzhou, enduring endless humiliation and struggling to survive—why was there no aid from the Eastern Palace?
Prince Wei was tyrannical, savage, and ruthless; all the Pei Clan men died by his hand—this deep blood feud must be repaid.
The Eastern Palace father and son were hypocritical and insincere, no good things either!
The door was suddenly pushed open, and a white-haired old woman tremblingly walked in: “Prince Zhangwu is leaving; let’s go kowtow and see off His Highness the Prince.”
This old woman was Pei Qinghe’s grandmother, Madam Lu.
The Pei Clan suffered a catastrophic disaster; over two hundred heads of Pei Clan men were chopped off, and Madam Lu’s four sons and eleven grandsons all died on the execution ground. For an old woman nearly seventy who regarded her sons and grandsons as her heaven, it was a fatal blow.
Madam Lu’s hair turned white in just a few days; her once straight back bent down, her eyes lost their vitality and luster, and her whole person was like a leaf detached from a tree, rapidly withering and decaying.
If this continued, just like in her previous life, she wouldn’t last two months before her oil was exhausted, her lamp extinguished, and she died of illness in a foreign land.
Pei Qinghe deeply exhaled a breath of stale air and quickly got off the bed: “Grandmother, I’ll go with you.”
Madam Lu was dazed and slow to react, only letting out an “oh” after a long while. She didn’t even ask if her granddaughter, who had just awakened from a high fever, could go out to see people.
Madam Feng wiped her tears with her sleeve, worriedly whispering: “Qinghe, your body is weak; you’d better lie down and rest!”
Pei Qinghe calmly said: “The Prince has come to see us off; the kindness is as heavy as a mountain. I must personally go to give thanks.”
She had led troops for over a decade, accustomed to issuing orders; as soon as she spoke, she naturally exuded the authoritative demeanor of a leader whose word was law.
Madam Feng seemed to see the shadow of her husband Pei Zhongde, and her nose suddenly soured.
Madam Lu was utterly despondent, her heart like a dry well; she woodenly nodded.
Madam Feng quickly stepped forward and supported Madam Lu’s left arm. Pei Qinghe supported her grandmother’s right arm, and the grandmother and grandchildren slowly walked out like this.
……
The Pei Clan women, children, old, and young who were exiled totaled three hundred twenty-two people. The oldest was Pei Madam Li of the fifth house of the Pei Clan, eighty-one this year. The youngest was the two-month-old infant of the eleventh house of the Pei Clan. There were two hundred ninety-eight women, plus twenty-four young boys.
According to Jing Dynasty law, the crime of rebellion required exterminating nine clans. With one kneel from the Crown Prince, the Pei Clan women and children were saved, and boys under eight were preserved.
This righteous act won the Crown Prince fame and the hearts of the people, with his reputation for benevolence spreading throughout the court and the realm.
Prince Zhangwu, as the eldest son of the Eastern Palace, personally seeing off the Pei Clan family ten li outside the Capital City today was naturally another beautiful tale.
The fourteen-year-old Prince Zhangwu had a tall and slender figure, long eyebrows and phoenix eyes, a straight nose and thin lips; handsome and refined, with the bearing of an imperial grandson of the heavenly family.
Behind Prince Zhangwu were several Eastern Palace subordinate officials, along with dozens of tall, sharp-eyed Eastern Palace guards.
Over three hundred Pei Clan members knelt to give thanks, mingled with waves of sorrowful, despairing cries.
Pity showed in Prince Zhangwu’s eyes as he warmly said: “All rise; don’t kneel. This journey to Youzhou is long and arduous; everyone take good care.”
At these words, the crying grew louder.
Amid the desolate cries, a clear, bright young girl’s voice suddenly rang out: “Your Highness the Prince, this young woman has words to say.”
Prince Zhangwu was stunned.
Everyone’s gazes turned toward her.
The girl appeared about thirteen or fourteen, with a slender figure, fair skin, bright black eyes, and vigorous heroism between her brows.
She resembled the unjustly killed Pei Zhongde extremely closely.
The Imperial Guard protected the Capital City Imperial Palace, comprising twelve guards. Pei Zhongde solely commanded one guard, all elite cavalry under him, ranking first among the twelve Imperial Guard Generals. Pei Zhongde’s five sons were all young heroes, playfully called the Pei Family Five Tigers.
Once the imperial decree was issued, Pei Zhongde and his five sons’ six heads fell; only this young girl Pei Liuniang remained. It was unknown if she could safely make it to Youzhou.
“I am the youngest daughter of Pei Zhongde, Pei Qinghe.”
“The Pei Clan was loyal and patriotic, yet slandered by villains and framed for the grave crime of rebellion. Two hundred ninety-seven lives of Pei Clan men died unjustly on the execution ground.”
As soon as Pei Qinghe spoke, it made the Eastern Palace officials’ hearts jump in shock.
Crown Prince Grand Tutor Pang Long heavily coughed once, interrupting Pei Qinghe: “Thunder and rain are all the sovereign’s grace; please be cautious with your words, Sixth Sister Pei.” While signaling Prince Zhangwu with his eyes.
The Eastern Palace lost the Pei Clan brothers, like losing an arm; fortunately, the Crown Prince acted in time to salvage the Eastern Palace’s reputation and fame. The Pei Clan’s tragedy instead achieved the Eastern Palace’s reputation for benevolence.
At this moment, hurriedly seeing off the Pei Clan women and children and returning to the palace to report was the top priority; they absolutely must not stir up extraneous matters.
Prince Zhangwu came back to his senses and said: “Sixth Sister Pei, please restrain your grief.”
Pei Qinghe’s gaze swept over the crowd’s variously colored faces, landing on Prince Zhangwu’s face.
This Prince Zhangwu was the Crown Prince’s legitimate eldest son, with a reputation for talent and virtue. Unfortunately, Emperor Xiaowen favored Prince Wei, treating the Eastern Palace father and son indifferently. Prince Zhangwu was already fourteen, yet not yet enfeoffed as Heir Apparent.
In fact, Prince Wei was indeed the victor in the struggle for imperial power. In her previous life, Emperor Xiaowen deposed the Crown Prince a year later, and Prince Wei ascended the Dragon Throne.
Prince Wei was savage, tyrannical, and ruthless; after ascending the throne, he massively levied corvee labor to build traveling palaces. The common people were driven to have no way to survive, uprisings erupted everywhere, and with invasions by Xianbei, Xiongnu, and other foreign tribes, in just a few short years, the Jing Dynasty reached its end. The Capital City was breached by a rebel army, the palace burned clean, and Prince Wei was burned alive.
The imprisoned deposed Crown Prince similarly died under the blades of the rebel army.
The Prince Zhangwu before her eyes was rescued from the sea of fire by loyal guards, disguised, and escaped the Capital City.
At that time, the realm was in chaos, rebel armies endless, and powerful clans everywhere carved out territories.
Prince Zhangwu went to seek refuge with his maternal Zhang Clan of Bohai. The Zhang Clan married their legitimate daughter to Prince Zhangwu and supported him as the new Son of Heaven, raising the banner of rectifying chaos, restoring the Great Jing Dynasty, attracting many armies still loyal to the Imperial Court to come and serve.
After the new court was established, the Zhang Clan of Bohai’s influence rapidly grew, soon revealing burgeoning ambition. Prince Zhangwu, this puppet, suddenly fell gravely ill and passed away a few years later, without even leaving any heirs.
The Zhang Clan mourned on one side while swiftly changing the dynasty and proclaiming themselves emperor.
New book period, updates promptly at seven every day~ Readers, don’t forget to favorite, recommend, and comment after reading (*￣3)(ε￣*)
