Chapter 60: Letter
The mature and steady Wu Xiuniang led the exhausted Eastern Palace Guards to settle and rest.
Pei Qinghe continued to open the letters.
Prince Zhangwu’s letter was much thicker, fully five pages, with elegant and flowing handwriting that was pleasing to the eye at a glance.
This letter detailed the drastic changes in the Palace. Emperor Xiaowen took a poisoned pill and fainted, causing chaos in the Palace. The Crown Prince took charge, steadying people’s hearts. Upon thorough investigation, Daoist Master Tianji’s and His Highness Prince Wei’s secret collusion became apparent to everyone.
Unfortunately, Emperor Xiaowen woke up in time. There was an unexpected Qi Deviation in the Heavenly Prison, and a group of Daoists were burned to death, leaving no eyewitnesses and missing the best chance to completely eliminate Prince Wei.
Seeing this, Pei Qinghe tugged at the corner of her mouth.
General Meng timely intervened to stop the “bandits” and sent someone to Pei Family Village; it was all indeed instructed by the Crown Prince.
Before the Eastern Palace completely collapsed, the Pei Clan could borrow the Eastern Palace’s power and prestige for protection and remain safe. With her, the foreseer, secretly planning behind the scenes, perhaps the Eastern Palace could defeat Prince Wei and reverse the previous life.
If the Crown Prince ascended to power, it would bring real benefits to the Pei Clan. At that time, the Pei Clan might overturn the case and no longer bear the notoriety of the daughter of a traitor…
A series of thoughts flashed through Pei Qinghe’s mind, and her gaze continued downward to the last line.
If you encounter danger in the future, Sixth Sister Pei can write to me.
With no soldiers or power in hand, only the title of Eastern Palace eldest grandson. Even with good intentions, what could he do? Such a promise was empty and powerless.
Pei Qinghe casually put Prince Zhangwu’s letter into the wooden box, haphazardly piling it together with Meng Liulang’s letter. Then she ground ink, picked up her brush, and wrote a thick reply letter.
The Eastern Palace Guards, who had rested for a night, took the thick envelope from Sixth Sister Pei’s hand: “Please take this letter back to the Eastern Palace and present it to the Crown Prince.”
The Eastern Palace Guard habitually assented, then reacted, his eyes suddenly widening: “Crown Prince?”
Shouldn’t it be for His Highness Prince Zhangwu?
Why was it for the Crown Prince?
Sixth Sister Pei was calm and composed, smiling as she said: “The Crown Prince ordered the Beiping Army to provide protection to the Pei Clan. Our Pei Clan old and young are deeply grateful to the Crown Prince.”
The Eastern Palace Guard looked at Sixth Sister Pei with a complicated expression, his mood subtle and hard to describe.
His Highness the Prince’s sincere intention was just ignored like this?
The Eastern Palace was indeed under the Crown Prince’s command. His Highness the Prince was young, still studying, not much involved in politics, with few personnel, and limited what he could do. However, His Highness the Prince sent someone thousands of miles to deliver the letter, full of anticipation for Sixth Sister Pei’s reply.
Sixth Sister Pei was too calm and too realistic.
Such matters were not for a mere guard like him to meddle in.
The Eastern Palace Guard swallowed his dissatisfaction, cupped his hands, and assented.
Pei Qinghe pretended not to see the dissatisfaction in the Eastern Palace Guard’s eyes and personally saw the Eastern Palace Guard out of Pei Family Village, observing full courtesy.
As soon as the Eastern Palace Guard left, Madam Lu, who had been holding it in all the way, couldn’t help it: “Prince Zhangwu wrote a letter, why didn’t you reply to His Highness the Prince?”
Pei Yun’s ears twitched, Mao Hongling’s sidelong glance drifted over, and Pei Yan simply turned her head.
Pei Qinghe said indifferently: “If you were the Crown Prince, would you want your eldest son to have letter exchanges with the daughter of a traitor in exile?”
Madam Lu was choked, and after a long while squeezed out: “Even so, you should write a reply letter; that’s etiquette. Subtly indicate distancing in the letter.”
Pei Qinghe glanced over: “What’s the difference from playing hard to get.”
“What we need is Eastern Palace protection. So we must know our place and not anger the Crown Prince. It’s the Prince’s business if he wants to write; if I reply, that’s me being indiscreet. By writing to the Crown Prince, I set the right attitude. The Crown Prince won’t take it out on the Pei Clan because of this. Doesn’t Grandmother understand this principle?”
“Actually, Grandmother knows it full well. She’s just harboring extravagant hopes, hoping I can use this to attach myself to the Prince. Perhaps in a few years, when the Crown Prince ascends and the Pei Clan is exonerated, I could enter the Palace as a Prince’s side consort, support my family, and revive the Pei Clan.”
Madam Lu, having her thoughts exposed, flew into a rage out of humiliation: “Yes, yes, yes, I’m just such a muddle-headed old fool greedy for power and blind to right and wrong! Unlike Sixth Sister Pei, who is self-reliant, upright, and pure!”
Pei Yun and Mao Hongling also turned their heads.
Pei Yan watched the excitement with great relish.
Pei Qinghe did not indulge her own grandmother: “Grandmother certainly knows herself well.”
“Since you have self-awareness, don’t say things you shouldn’t in the future.”
Madam Lu’s face darkened, and she stormed off angrily.
Pei Yan grinned, full of admiration: “Cousin Sister Qinghe, when can I train my tongue to be as sharp as yours!”
Pei Yun pursed her lips and smiled: “Better not! Qinghe alone already made Great-aunt fume with anger. If you imitate her, do you want to anger our own grandmother to death?”
Mao Hongling whispered with a laugh: “Grandmother will be sewing shoe soles and cursing Qinghe again today.”
At these words, all the young ladies burst into laughter.
Madam Lu had a rigid temperament, put on elders’ airs, and loved to meddle. Yet every time she came aggressively but left with her tail between her legs. Then she would sew shoe soles while full of resentment cursing her granddaughter. It had long become the spectacle everyone most looked forward to.
“Qinghe, do you really have no feelings at all for His Highness the Prince?” Pei Yun asked outright, and everyone looked over together.
Pei Qinghe said indifferently: “I need to lead the clan to survive and grow the Pei Clan, kill Prince Wei, and avenge the Pei Clan’s deep blood feud.”
“Every one is far more important than romantic love.”
……
Half a month later.
Eastern Palace.
Eunuch Shen quietly stepped into the study room.
Prince Zhangwu, who was reading, caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye, absent-minded.
The Grand Tutor coughed lightly. Prince Zhangwu hurriedly focused and finished the morning’s lesson with renewed spirit.
“Your Highness, the messenger guard has returned.” Eunuch Shen smiled obsequiously and whispered: “He brought back a thick reply letter. However…”
Prince Zhangwu had no time to listen closely, his feet moving like the wind, swift as a shooting star.
Then, Prince Zhangwu, full of eager joy, was drenched with a basin of cold water, chilled to the heart.
“Are you sure Sixth Sister Pei read this prince’s letter?”
The guard, travel-worn and dust-covered, knelt on the ground, not daring to look up: “This lowly one delivered the letter into Sixth Sister Pei’s hands. Whether Sixth Sister Pei read the letter, this lowly one does not know.”
After a long silence, Prince Zhangwu’s voice rang out again: “Why did she write a reply to Father?”
Such a complicated question, how would a mere guard know.
The guard complained internally but dared not not answer: “This lowly one dares not speculate wildly on Sixth Sister Pei’s intentions.”
Another long silence.
Eunuch Shen also lowered his head, unwilling to see his master’s expression.
“You may withdraw.”
The guard felt relieved and quickly stood and retreated.
Eunuch Shen envied the guard who slipped away like greased lightning, then miserably awaited his master’s question.
“Tell me, why didn’t Sixth Sister Pei write a reply to me, but instead wrote to Father?”
