Quick Transmigration: Why did you provoke him? He's love-struck!

Chapter 174 Canglan Ferry (44)

The Pei and Yan families are related by marriage. Although the Duke's mansion is declining, Pei Wangzhou is a promising man. If Grand Tutor Yan wants to win over the court officials to support the Prince of Yan, he will inevitably need Pei Yuanhong.

Pei Ji said, "They should have tried to win him over, but Pei Yuanhong didn't have the guts."

Pei Yuanhong was not very capable. Over the years, he had inherited the title of Duke of Dingguo by virtue of his ancestors' influence. He held a sinecure in the court and probably knew that he only had so much ability. He never got involved in the undercurrents in the court.

Yan Zhen asked, puzzled, "Then why does he look so pale?"

Pei Ji said, "I guess they're worried about being implicated."

Yan Zhen looked Pei Ji up and down: "Why aren't you worried?"

As Yan Jinhe's nominal husband, he was bound to be implicated to some extent because of his wife's family's rebellion.

"His Majesty is a wise ruler and would not implicate innocent people without distinguishing right from wrong. Moreover, Lord Zhang will testify for me that I exposed this matter by putting righteousness before family."

Pei Ji glanced at Yan Zhen and said, "What, are you worried about being implicated? Should I write you a letter of divorce right now and send you back to Canglan Valley to take refuge?"

“It’s not impossible,” Yan Zhen said calmly, following his lead. “After all, as the old saying goes, ‘Husbands and wives are like birds in the same forest; when disaster strikes, they fly away separately.’”

"..." Pei Ji reached out and pinched her cheek, feigning anger, "You heartless wretch."

Despite their playful banter, Yan Zhen pondered for a long time before secretly writing a letter behind Pei Ji's back. He then had Jian Xue deliver it to the Grand Secretary's residence and give it to Zhang Shulan.

Soon, Yan Zhen knew why Pei Yuanhong looked so grim today—that night, hundreds of soldiers, with long swords at their waists and torches in their hands, surrounded the Duke of Dingguo's mansion.

The leading military officer brought an imperial edict, stating that due to the marriage ties with the Yan family, the Duke of Dingguo's mansion was placed under close surveillance and temporarily sealed off, with no one allowed to enter or leave.

The entrance and exit were sealed off, and soldiers guarded all four walls. This commotion alarmed everyone in the mansion, making them feel insecure.

Madam Xu rushed to the Bamboo Garden to find Pei Ji: "Zhou'er, weren't you helping to investigate the case? How come you've gotten involved with our own family? We knew nothing about the Yan family's affairs..."

Pei Ji, the son-in-law of the Yan family who "sacrificed his own family for the greater good," was also placed under close surveillance and temporarily relieved of his post, remaining in the mansion.

When questioned by Madam Xu, he said tactfully, "His Majesty would not wrong the innocent. He said that the conferment of the title to the Duke's Mansion was due to my marriage ties with the Yan family, which was a favor to the Duke's Mansion. As for the real reason for the conferment... you should ask Father."

Xu was taken aback, and then belatedly realized that the problem lay with Pei Yuanhong.

He probably went to that damn cloth dyeing shop too, and...

Enraged, Xu turned around and went to settle accounts with Pei Yuanhong.

Before long, sounds of smashing and cursing came from Pei Yuanhong's courtyard, mixed with Xu Shi's crying.

Xu made a scene, refusing to let it go. Pei Yuanhong was already annoyed, and the crying gave him a headache, so he had no choice but to confess.

“The Yan family did invite me to that estate for drinks, but when I saw that things weren’t going well, I didn’t dare to stay and left overnight,” Pei Yuanhong explained. “I admit that I knew what the Yan family was thinking, but I didn’t participate.”

This was a capital offense, and he didn't have the guts to get involved.

Pei Yuanhong was well aware of the underhanded tactics the Yan family had been making over the years, but he remained a bystander, pretending to know nothing about it.

Anyway, the plot to rebel failed, so it won't be blamed on him.

Even if the rebellion succeeds, he won't get a share of the spoils.

Xu was skeptical: "Is this really true?"

"The sealing of the Duke's mansion is His Majesty's punishment and warning for my failure to report the truth. If I had really been bribed by the Yan family and worked for the Prince of Yan, I would have been arrested and imprisoned in Dali Temple long ago. How could I still be at home waiting for my fate?"

Pei Yuanhong couldn't help but feel uneasy as he said this, "I can still stay at home now thanks to Zhou'er's righteous act of sacrificing his own family for the greater good, which is why His Majesty has shown leniency. If it weren't for that, the Duke's mansion would probably be... Alas, I was so foolish."

If he had known this would happen, he should have reported it when he discovered the Yan family's intentions.

But it's too late to say anything now.

Pei Yuanhong could only pray in his heart that the Duke's mansion could withstand this purge and not be implicated too severely.

-

The news of the Yan family's collusion with the Prince of Yan in an attempt to usurp the throne caused a great uproar in the capital, and countless officials were implicated and purged, including many high-ranking officials of the first rank.

He was imprisoned, his property confiscated, and he was exiled. For a time, the entire capital was filled with fear and unease.

While people outside were filled with anxiety, Yan Zhen stayed in the sealed-off Duke's mansion. Apart from the slightly inferior food he ate every day, his leisurely days were no different from usual.

If there's anything different, it's probably that Bamboo Garden now has Pei Ji, who doesn't have to be on duty and hangs around under her nose every day.

Pei Ji is a man who can't sit still. Even when he's not on duty, he still gets up early every day and practices his sword in the courtyard before dawn.

After practicing for two days, Yan Zhen complained that he was too noisy, so he could only practice outside the courtyard.

The days of confinement were boring, but Yan Zhen was good at finding ways to amuse herself. Besides playing chess and reading storybooks, she took out the leftover herbs from making the beauty cream and started making her own pills.

With nothing else to do, Pei Ji assisted her, helping her grind medicine and tend the furnace.

Outside, the sun was shining brightly, and inside the pharmacy, the sound of pounding medicine could be heard incessantly.

Soon, Yan Zhen produced the first batch of pills.

She sorted the pills into small porcelain bottles, labeled them with handwritten notes, and then gave them to Pei Ji.

Pei Ji was flattered: "For me?"

"Correct."

"why?"

“Once the Duke’s mansion is unsealed, I should probably return to Canglan Valley. As you know, Canglan Valley is isolated from the outside world. My long absence is already an exception. If nothing unexpected happens, I won’t be coming out again after this trip,” Yan Zhen said. “It will be difficult to see you again in the future. Consider this a parting gift from our time working together. Be careful in your travels in the future.”

Pei Ji stroked the small porcelain bottle with his fingertips, his expression turning somber. He whispered, "Do we really have to go back?"

Yan Zhen pretended not to hear: "What?"

"……nothing."

Because of Yan Zhen's words, Pei Ji didn't say another word all day.

The Duke's mansion was sealed off for half a month before it was finally reopened.

On the day the mansion was established, the military officer who had led the conferment of the mansion last time brought an imperial edict; Pei Yuanhong was dismissed from his post, stripped of his title of Duke of Dingguo, and demoted to a commoner.

The title of Duke of Dingguo will be inherited by his son, Pei Wangzhou. Effective immediately, Pei Wangzhou will be reinstated to his original post and assist the Court of Judicial Review in investigating the treason case.

When the imperial decree was issued, everyone in the Duke of Dingguo's mansion breathed a sigh of relief.

Pei Yuanhong, in particular, has been unable to eat or sleep these days, mentally preparing himself for the possibility that his title of Duke of Dingguo would be revoked and his entire family would be exiled.

Now that he learned that his title had been stripped but his son could still inherit it, his heart immediately settled back into his stomach.

Fortunately, the Duke's mansion did not decline in his generation.

Just as Pei Yuanhong's heart had settled down, on the afternoon of the day he established his residence, the Dali Temple sent officers and soldiers to his door again, this time targeting Pei Yuanhong and Madam Xu.

"The Dali Temple has received an anonymous tip that Pei Yuanhong harbored Zhao Danyan, the daughter of a disgraced official, and kept her in the capital as his mistress for fourteen years. Pei Xu's wife, Xu Bihua, hired someone to set fire to Zhao Danyan and burned her to death. The two are now being brought back to the Dali Temple for investigation."