lcionline Chapter 203 That’s it
Chapter 203 That’s it
The whole thing seemed strange, so Zheng Luoqi immediately wrote a letter to Consort Jiang, asking her to check on Chen Xianlin's recent movements or whether Chen Xianlin had summoned anyone recently.
Meanwhile, inside the palace, Chen Xianlin was leisurely reclining on a chaise lounge, enjoying the service of her servants.
A servant rushed in, reporting, "Your Highness, Miss Pei and Young Master He have been caught in adultery. Their marriage has been arranged, and they will be married soon." Hearing this, Chen Xianlin smiled smugly. She knew her plan had succeeded.
Chen Xianlin slowly opened her eyes. She gently waved her hand, signaling the maid beside her to fetch a hairpin. The maid quickly brought a beautiful hairpin and handed it to the servant who had reported the news.
Chen Xianlin nodded in satisfaction and said to the servant who had delivered the message, "This is a reward for you. You did a good job."
The servant took the hairpin and quickly kowtowed in gratitude, saying, "Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you, Your Highness!" Chen Xianlin smiled and nodded, then waved her hand, dismissing the servant.
Watching the servant's departing figure, Chen Xianlin's lips curled up slightly, secretly pleased with herself.
"Where is the Emperor?" Chen Xianlin asked in a calm voice, her eyes fixed on something in front of her, as if she were looking at something, or perhaps not at all.
Upon hearing Chen Xianlin's question, the palace maid beside her trembled and lowered her head cautiously, saying, "Your Majesty, His Majesty went to Consort Wan's place today!"
Chen Xianlin remained silent, but the relaxed expression on her face gradually turned serious.
Seeing Chen Xianlin's expression, the palace maid knew that Chen Xianlin was on the verge of anger. She quickly knelt down and said in a fearful tone, "Your Majesty, His Majesty's interest is only temporary! His heart is still with you!"
Hearing this, Chen Xianlin didn't feel much better, but she didn't want to make things difficult for the palace maid, since it wasn't her fault. So she waved her hand and said softly, "Alright, get up!"
Chen Xianlin was well aware that Xue Huaiyu's heart was no longer with her. However, when she recalled the promise they made on the Qixi Festival, a chill ran through her, making her feel extremely disappointed and sad.
She once thought that as long as she worked hard, she could win Xue Huaiyu's favor, but now it seems that everything was in vain. She wanted two things: to be the mistress of the six palaces and Xue Huaiyu's exclusive favor. However, Xue Huaiyu failed to give her either.
............
Pei Mansion
Since the incident, Pei Wenxuan has locked herself in her room and refused to see anyone.
Meanwhile, Pei Wenzhao had finished his business and returned home from the Prime Minister's residence. Upon learning that Pei Wenxuan had locked herself in her room, he immediately rushed to her door, but instead of going in to disturb her, he stood quietly in front of the door.
He knew Pei Wenxuan must be in a bad mood right now, so he said to her softly, "Sister, what's done is done. He Jinyu has made a promise that he will take responsibility for you, and your marriage has been arranged!"
Pei Wenzhao paused, then continued, "Once I find the person behind this, I will absolutely not let him go!" His voice was filled with anger, as if he wanted to tear the person who hurt Pei Wenxuan to pieces.
Only Pei Wenxuan knew what had happened. It was all her own fault; she had harbored inappropriate thoughts. That day, when she passed by a garden near the tea party, she overheard two servants whispering. She could roughly make out that they were plotting to harm Young Master Zhang.
Pei Wenxuan initially thought Zhang Zhiyan, the young master of the Zhang family, was being framed, so she went to help. However, upon closer listening, she learned that a wealthy young lady was trying to use underhanded methods to force Zhang Zhiyan to marry her. Pei Wenxuan knew that a relationship with Zhang Zhiyan was impossible, but she still held onto a sliver of hope—maybe... just what if...
When Pei Wenxuan overheard the two servants plotting, she did not choose to confront them directly. Instead, she inquired about Zhang Zhiyan's whereabouts and was directed to a courtyard. Pei Wenxuan followed the directions to the courtyard.
When she finally realized it was He Jinyu, Pei Wenxuan realized she had fallen into a trap. As she tried to run away, she smelled a strange fragrance and then fainted. When she woke up, she was lying next to He Jinyu, her clothes disheveled.
Then those scenes of catching someone in the act of adultery happened.
Who doesn't know this is a setup? But what good does knowing do? What's done is done, and no amount of regret can change the facts.
A single wrong thought led to a lifelong mistake, and Pei Wenxuan certainly regretted it. But what's the point of thinking about these things now?
"Brother, I'm fine. What's done is done, isn't it! Wenxuan will follow your arrangements!" Pei Wenxuan said, forcing herself to be strong despite her inner pain. She didn't want her brother to worry, and she didn't want him to bear too much pressure.
"I'm going to write a letter to Grandpa and my eldest brother about this." Pei Wenzhao hesitated for a moment before finally expressing his thoughts. He felt that the elders in the family had to know about this; they couldn't be kept in the dark.
“Brother, don’t tell them yet. The border is at war with the Northern Rong right now, and it’s a critical moment. How can we let them worry about my affairs?” Pei Wenxuan quickly stopped her.
Pei Wenxuan knew how hard her grandfather and elder brother worked fighting on the frontier, and she would feel extremely guilty if they were distracted by her affairs.
“But getting married is a major event in your life, your family should at least let you know! I’ll write a letter to the clan!” Pei Wenzhao thought for a moment and decided that his family should know about it.
After all, Pei Wenxuan was a young lady of the Pei family, and the family naturally had to handle such a matter. Therefore, he decided to write a letter to the elders of the clan to inform them of the situation. Having said this, he got up and went to his study to write the letter.
As Pei Wenxuan listened to Pei Wenzhao's receding footsteps outside the door, her heart was filled with gratitude and guilt.
............
Prime Minister's Mansion
Zheng Luoqi was practicing martial arts in the courtyard. Zisang had almost recovered and was called over by Zheng Luoqi to spar.
Just as they were practicing intensely, Boyu rushed over. He stood quietly to the side, waiting for Zheng Luoqi and Zisang to finish their practice. When the two stopped, Boyu went up to Zheng Luoqi and reported.
"My lord, I have found some information. On the day of the tea party, someone deliberately spread the news that they wanted to frame Young Master Zhang, luring Miss Pei there, and that's how that incident happened!" Boyu said with a serious expression.
"I followed the clues and found that the person who leaked the information to Miss Pei that day was a maid from the Ji family," Boyu reported respectfully.
“Miss Pei is probably unaware of this. As for the strange fragrances smelled in those courtyards, they are spices mixed with a lot of sleeping potions,” Boyu continued.