Chapter 303: Imperial Envoy
Pei Yan clearly still wasn’t used to the fact that she suddenly had a husband, and she casually shook off Yang Huai: “You go back first. I want to stay with Cousin Sister Qinghe for a while.”
Everyone chuckled stifled laughs.
Yang Huai no longer cared about losing face and grabbed Pei Yan’s wrist again, looking toward Pei Qinghe with a pleading gaze.
Pei Qinghe held back her laughter and said to Pei Yan: “Newlywed bliss—you should get closer with your brother-in-law. Don’t always follow me.”
Pei Yan wasn’t too happy: “How long does newlywed count for?”
“One or two months!” Pei Qinghe said casually with a laugh: “Who knows, by then you might want to stay with your husband and not want to follow me.”
“How is that possible!” Pei Yan blurted out: “I’m going to follow you my whole life.”
Pei Qinghe’s heart softened, and she smiled coaxingly: “We’ll talk about the future later. You go back with Yang Huai first.”
Pei Yan had no choice but to nod in agreement, watching Pei Qinghe and Shi Yan leave with the pitiful look of an abandoned puppy.
“My back is practically getting qi deviation from her stare.” Shi Yan said with a low laugh.
Pei Qinghe chuckled lightly: “Pei Yan has loved following me since she was little. After the exile, she was with me day and night. She’ll have to adapt slowly.”
In truth, she was also used to turning her head and seeing Pei Yan’s figure.
Suddenly separating, it wasn’t just Pei Yan who needed to adapt.
Shi Yan smiled and sighed: “Only now do I realize my real love rival isn’t the Emperor, but Pei Yan.”
Pei Qinghe was amused into nonstop light laughter. They entered the new house and closed the door, their figures soon merging together.
Meanwhile, Pei Yan returned to the new house in a sulky mood.
Having always seen Pei Yan full of vigor and aggressively fierce, Yang Huai couldn’t help but feel heartbroken seeing her suddenly listless expression.
He stretched out his arms and pulled Pei Yan into his embrace.
When Pei Yan was drunk, she didn’t recognize anyone and had kicked and shoved him when he got slightly close last night. Now that she was sober, she was willing to let him get close and hold her.
Pei Yan had a tall and sturdy figure, without a miss’s soft fragrance—she was solid and strong like a fierce female leopard.
In the eyes of a lover, even Xi Shi appears. Yang Huai’s heart burned hot, his mind wandering, and his hand moved.
Pei Yan reflexively grabbed Yang Huai’s hand, her eyes full of vigilance: “What are you doing?”
Yang Huai felt extremely aggrieved: “Pei Yan, have you forgotten? We worshiped the hall and got married yesterday—we’re husband and wife now. What else can a husband and wife do together?”
Right!
It seemed like they had missed something important last night.
Pei Yan suddenly realized: “I was drunk last night and couldn’t consummate the marriage with you. Now we should make up for it.” With that, she reached out to tug Yang Huai’s belt and roughly pushed him onto the bed.
Yang Huai’s face turned red, his body burning hot.
……
When night fell, Yang Huai pushed open the door and brought in the dinner from outside the door.
“Don’t move—rest easy. I’ll feed you.”
Pei Yan wasn’t the least bit polite, with no shy coyness, and waited contentedly for her newlywed husband to feed her. Yang Huai’s heart full of tender affection finally couldn’t hold back after Pei Yan ate most of the dinner: “Aren’t you full yet? This is enough dinner for two people.”
Pei Yan grinned smugly: “How can there be strength without eating your fill.”
The strength was indeed great.
Yang Huai thought of something and chuckled foolishly for a moment.
Once both had eaten their fill, they rolled onto the bed again.
……
The sweet days of newlywed bliss lasted three days.
On the fourth day, Imperial Envoy Chancellor Pang finally arrived at Liaoxi City.
General Pei, with rosy complexion, led the leaders of the Pei Family Army to welcome them outside the city. Yang Hu, Li Chi, and others also went together to welcome the Imperial Envoy.
After traveling all the way, Chancellor Pang, advanced in age, had been jostled in a carriage for twenty days and was nearly shaken apart. He mustered his spirit to get out of the carriage and laughed heartily, cupping his hands toward Pei Qinghe: “After months apart, Great General, your bearing is even more impressive than before.”
Pei Qinghe smiled and returned the salute with cupped hands: “I didn’t expect Chancellor Pang to come to Liaoxi City in person. Unfortunately, you arrived a few days late—otherwise, you could have caught my wedding celebration and had a cup of wedding wine.”
Chancellor Pang’s whole body shook, his face showing a lifelike expression of astonishment and anxiety that didn’t seem acted: “What? Great General, you’ve already gotten married?”
Commander Gao at the side also had a shocked expression, as if he weren’t the one who had deliberately slowed the journey: “Great General, you’ve really gotten married?”
“Chancellor, what do we do now? Should we still read the Imperial Decree?”
Pei Qinghe’s acting was no less impressive as she raised her brows in surprise: “What Imperial Decree? The Emperor has already enfeoffed me as First-rank Great General—surely there isn’t more reward?”
Even with Chancellor Pang’s face thick as a city wall, he couldn’t say in public that the Emperor wanted to reward the Great General by making her Imperial Consort.
Chancellor Pang coughed a few times and lowered his voice: “Let’s enter Liaoxi City first and discuss this privately.”
Pei Qinghe complied readily and waved her hand, immediately making way for the group.
Chancellor Pang was a civil official and not well-versed in the details. Gao Yong’s heart jolted, and he gave Pei Qinghe a deep look. After this battle, Pei Qinghe’s prestige in the army had reached its peak. The unruly military generals were all sincerely convinced and obeyed her orders.
As long as Pei Qinghe was there, the Pei Family Army would endure.
The Pei Family Army had indeed suffered heavy casualties, but they could recruit new soldiers to quickly replenish troop strength. An army with the military spirit of a hundred battles undefeated and charging forward without fear was enough to dominate the battlefield.
In the entire Northern Lands, who could be Pei Qinghe’s opponent?
General Xie wasn’t worthy, the Meng Brothers were unwilling and wouldn’t fight Pei Qinghe, and General Zhang showing off in Bohai Commandery—when it came to a real fight, who knew how long he could last against Pei Qinghe.
Emperor Jian’an was indeed blinded by jealousy, unable to see the situation clearly and repeatedly making foolish moves.
They could only hope Pei Qinghe would remember some past affections and not flip the table and turn hostile. Otherwise, the shaky Imperial Court in the Northern Lands would soon fight a civil war, and disintegration would happen in an instant.
After entering Liaoxi City, the five hundred elite soldiers were settled in the barracks to rest.
Chancellor Pang and General Pei sat facing each other, with Commander Gao also at the side.
Aside from them, there was no one else in the military tent.
Chancellor Pang shakily stood up, cupped his fists, and bowed in compensation: “The Emperor has lately been like he’s lost his mind, doing things that are unbelievable. I beg the Great General to forgive the Emperor this once. On behalf of the Emperor, I apologize to the Great General.”
Pei Qinghe looked steadily at Chancellor Pang and slowly said: “I’ve already gotten married, so it’s absolutely impossible for me to accept the Imperial Decree to enter the Imperial Harem or become some Imperial Consort.”
“If Chancellor just goes back to report like this, aren’t you afraid the Emperor will fly into a rage and chop off your head?”
Chancellor Pang smiled, his smile full of bitterness and helplessness: “If the sovereign wants the minister to die, the minister has no choice but to die. If my head can quell the anger and make the Emperor fully sober, then I’d die a worthy death.”
And so the pitiful act began.
A flash of knowing mockery passed through Pei Qinghe’s eyes.
Chancellor Pang maintained his bowing posture for compensation and continued: “Great General, you care for the common people, have the heart of the world, and are loyal to the sovereign and love for the country. Surely you won’t do something that pains loved ones and delights enemies.”
