Chapter 59

"Today the Third Prince sent people to secretly take the waist token the Princess gave me, and also detained my maidservant, so I had no choice but to go see him. As for the gambling house matter, I know nothing about it, and I have not made any deal with the Third Prince. I have said all I can; believe it or not, it's up to you."

"But if the Heir finds my maidservant, please return her to me. In the Heir's eyes her life is as worthless as weeds, yet she is very important family to me."

Before Xiao Jingyuan could answer, Su Chen hurriedly spoke for him.

"Fourth Miss, rest assured, if we see her we will certainly send her back properly to the Guogong Mansion, along with the Princess's waist token."

Shen Shuangning rested her head on Pei Zhi's chest, and upon hearing this she slightly nodded: "Thank you for the trouble."

Sensing the distance in her words, Su Chen felt very guilty.

The fault in this matter mainly lies with him, for he did not give clear instructions to Wang Huanzhi, which caused her to suffer.

Afterwards Pei Zhi held Shen Shuangning and left.

As the footsteps behind gradually faded, Xiao Jingyuan lowered his hand, slowly clenching his fist, a sharp stabbing pain arising in his heart.

Seeing his grim expression, clearly holding back anger, Su Chen also dared not speak.

Clearly we came to rescue someone, yet the result? We ended up offending the Fourth Miss instead!

Originally I thought this could be an opportunity to ease the Fourth Miss's relationship with the Heir, but it seems to have made things worse.

Su Chen looked at the bewildered Wang Huanzhi with a resentful expression.

A Zhao had been waiting outside Zuiyun Tower, and upon seeing Pei Zhi bring Shen Shuangning out, she hurried over, tears welling up.

Pei Zhi said: "Your young lady is unharmed, merely tired."

A Zhao did not know what had happened inside Zuiyun Tower; she only knew Pei Zhi had rescued the young lady, and looked at him with grateful eyes.

In the past, when officials investigated cases, crowds of onlookers would already gather outside the streets, unafraid of making a big deal. But the dreaded reputation of the Jinwu Si meant that when they appeared, not only did the townspeople flee, even nearby shops closed their doors in advance.

Occasionally one could see drifting shadows from the windows, craning their necks to look out.

The carriage of the Zhenguo Duke Mansion waited outside; Pei Zhi carefully placed Shen Shuangning onto the carriage, drew the curtain, and thus shut out prying eyes.

The dusk was vast and hazy, rosy light filled the sky, horse hooves tread upon the morning glow as they gradually faded away.

Perhaps frightened and overly exhausted, Shen Shuangning fell into a deep sleep.

To let her rest more comfortably, Pei Zhi held her on his lap, letting her lean against his chest, his arms firmly encircling her, yet daring not to hold too tight, as if treating an extremely precious treasure.

A Zhao sat upright beside them, initially wanting to say this was improper, this was not good, but she was a mute!

Then seeing the Young Master Pei with the appearance of a virtuous gentleman, and the young lady indeed feeling unwell, A Zhao could only endure it, pretending not to notice.

A Zhao's eyes just stared straight ahead, daring not to glance even once more.

Pei Zhi lowered his gaze to look at the woman in his arms; beneath his calm and unruffled expression lay surging emotions.

He gently held her hand that had fallen to one side, his fingers slowly threading through hers, clasping tightly.

The corner of his mouth slowly curved into a satisfied smile.

The woman in his embrace was finally no longer cold......

After the time it took to drink half a cup of tea, the carriage finally arrived at the Rongguo Duke Mansion.

A Zhao wanted to get down first.

After getting off the carriage, A Zhao saw the Eldest Young Master standing not far away, startled, she bowed and then retreated to stand aside.

Shen Xiuci said: "Where is the young lady?"

A Zhao then looked toward the carriage. Why hasn't Young Master Pei yet brought down the young lady?

The carriage driver was Pei Zhi's trusted attendant, Fugui.

Fugui seeing Shen Dajongzi look over, thus considerately lifted the carriage curtain.

Who would have thought, but he saw Pei Zhi lowering his head to kiss Shen Shuangning.

The kiss was on the lips!

Shen Xiuci's eyelids twitched violently.

A Zhao was also shocked to the point of gaping; if she could speak at this moment, she would surely shout: Young Master Pei! How could I and the young lady trust you so much, yet you take advantage of her peril!

Fugui, upon seeing this scene, was startled at once, momentarily forgetting what he should do.

Outside light shone in; Pei Zhi, in his peripheral vision, saw several people's shocked expressions, yet he rose from his seat with composure, completely without the embarrassment of being caught.

Fugui came to his senses, violently pulled down the curtain, and slapped his own hand hard.

Clumsy hand, what are you fussing about!

Not long after, Pei Zhi emerged holding the still-sleeping Shen Shuangning, stepped steadily onto the ground, and facing Shen Xiuci's blazing gaze, spoke gently and composedly: "Ning Guniang was frightened at Zuiyun Tower, but it is nothing serious."

Shen Xiuci had only just learned of the incident at Zuiyun Tower; otherwise he would not have been waiting here for his sister's return.

Shen Xiuci glanced at Shen Shuangning, who seemed to be sleeping soundly, completely unaware of what had happened, and suddenly felt a headache.

Previously he had been busy with his studies, rarely having time to pay attention to this sister, but he remembered, Ningning was still a well-behaved girl.

How come recently so many things have happened to her?

Finally, Shen Xiuci said in a deep voice: "How long do you intend to hold Ningning?"

Pei Zhi smiled, then returned Shen Shuangning to him.

Shen Xiuci received his sister, recalling Pei Zhi's earlier offense, and added: "You just......"

Pei Zhi spoke first: "I am willing to take responsibility for Ning Guniang."

Shen Xiuci's eyes widened in shock: "What is going on with Ningning's peach blossoms? How can one be more shameless than the next?!!"

Pei Zhi appeared refined and elegant, possessing an extraordinary noble aura; just looking at him, one could never imagine he would take advantage of a woman.

"The Zhenguo Duke Mansion's status is no lower than that of the Yongning Marquis Mansion; my father and your lord are both martial generals, our family also has scholars, the Pei family holds no bias between literature and martial arts, I am healthy with no hidden ailments, and in the future I also plan to enter official service through literature, with no need to go to battle for military merits, thus there is no worry for my life, and I can often accompany my wife."

"The Pei family also does not observe those vulgar customs; if Ning Guniang marries me, she may often return to the Rongguo Duke Mansion." Pei Zhi gave a light laugh: "Of course, she may stay at her natal home as long as she wishes; her happiness is what matters."

Is this, this a self-recommendation?

Seeing Pei Zhi's solemn expression, Shen Xiuci realized the other was serious, and he too could not help but seriously consider it.

Speaking honestly, whether publicly or privately, Shen Xiuci feels that this Pei Sanlang before him is better than Xie Lin by more than a hundred times.

First of all, Pei Zhi looks handsome and refined, with an elegant and gentle demeanor, making him far more likable than Xie Lin from start to finish.

Secondly, Pei Zhi's background is not low either; although he is not the eldest legitimate son and cannot inherit the title, he is well-versed in statecraft and exceptionally talented, so his future achievements will surely be considerable—perhaps he could even enter the cabinet at a young age.

Moreover, Pei Zhi pursued the civil path, unlike military officers who need to risk their lives to advance in rank.

As an elder brother, Shen Xiuci hopes Shen Shuangning can have a stable and smooth marriage, rather than living in constant anxiety, and if she were to become a widow by accident, how pitiful that would be.

Of course, the most important point is that Shen Xiuci does not like Xie Lin at all, and he certainly does not wish to become related to him by marriage.

Thus, Shen Xiuci finds Pei Zhi much more pleasing to the eye and treats him with greater tolerance.

Regarding Pei Zhi's earlier offense against Shen Shuangning, he can even pretend not to have seen it.

But at present, Shen Xiuci does not show much emotion, only saying lightly: "This matter is not for me to decide; we still need to see whether Ningning likes you. Our family always respects the young lady's opinion."

"Naturally." Pei Zhi wore a smile, as if victory were already certain.

A Zhao stood nearby listening, and felt embarrassed on behalf of her young lady.

Within a day, the Sun family and Zuiyun Tower were both sealed off; those who should be arrested were arrested, and those who should be fined were fined.

After finishing all the troublesome matters, the sky had already grown dark.

The apparent owner of Zuiyun Tower bore the surname Sun, Sun Zhaoping, a Thousand-Household of the garrison, commanding over seven hundred soldiers.

The entire underground gambling den was raided and sealed by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, who carried out box after box of gold and silver, along with a large quantity of gunpowder.

Shockingly, if this gunpowder were detonated, it would be enough to blow up half of Ping'an Street!

If it were merely an illegal gambling house, surrendering all illicit gains to the state treasury would at most result in dismissal and demotion; but privately hoarding gunpowder makes the crime far from light.

Not to mention that Sun Zhaoping hid so much gunpowder—even if he had a hundred heads, they would not be enough to chop off!

How dare a Thousand-Household privately hoard gunpowder? Is he plotting rebellion, or does he intend to bake pancakes with gunpowder?

However, when the Embroidered Uniform Guard came to arrest Thousand-Household Sun, they found he had already died at home, having committed suicide out of fear of punishment.

Even so, Thousand-Household Sun's corpse was still carried to the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

When the Third Prince saw the gunpowder in the black box, he looked as if he were about to die of fright, lacking even the courage to take another look.

"I had no idea these gunpowders existed; I merely shared some profits with Sun Zhaoping—these gunpowders have nothing to do with me!"

Sun Zhaoping is guilty of treason; how could Zhai Ji dare to have anything to do with him?

Xiao Jingyuan stared at Zhai Ji's panicked face, judging whether he was lying.

However, it is unclear whether Zhai Ji acted too well, but from Xiao Jingyuan's judgment, Zhai Ji appears unaware of the gunpowder matter.

"Xiao Jingyuan, believe me—I truly know nothing about these gunpowders!"

Zhai Ji gripped Xiao Jingyuan's arm tightly, with box after box of gunpowder behind him; he was so frightened his face turned pale, nearly begging: "Earlier I was wrong—I apologize to you. Don't report me to the Emperor Father; just pretend today you never saw me, alright?"

Xiao Jingyuan's expression eased slightly as he turned his gaze to Zhai Ji: "The gambling house's account book has still not been found, and I am quite troubled by it. If the Third Prince is willing to help me with this, I will naturally help him in return."

Zhai Ji quickly replied: "Good, I will give you the account book—just pretend you never saw me!"

Su Chen's eyes flickered—the account book was indeed in the Third Prince's possession!

Xiao Jingyuan smiled and nodded, as if recalling something: "By the way, I remember that before Zuiyun Tower opened, Sun Qianhu had some officials share in the profits, presumably signing documents—there should be some proof. I wonder if the Third Prince could help me find it?"

Zhai Ji, fearing implication by Sun Zhaoping, repeatedly agreed.

Not long after, Zhai Ji handed over all the evidence to the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Xiao Jingyuan reviewed it, found no issue, sipped his tea leisurely, then said: "The Third Prince may leave now."

Zhai Ji's face lit up with joy, yet he dared not linger, hurrying to depart.

Only the sound of drawing a sword rang out——

Qingfeng placed his sword across Zhai Ji's path; seeing this, Zhai Ji suddenly turned back, glaring angrily at Xiao Jingyuan: "What do you mean by this?!"

Xiao Jingyuan said: "I merely asked you to take two steps—it's not as if I truly let you go."

"You are utterly despicable and shameless!" Zhai Ji shouted in outrage.

Xiao Jingyuan spoke without raising his head: "Please go to the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Your Highness."

Upon hearing this, Zhai Ji exclaimed in disbelief: "You dare to take me to such a place?!"

One must know that princes are of noble heavenly lineage; unless the Emperor orders it, no one can imprison a prince. Yet the Embroidered Uniform Guard's conduct follows one unyielding principle: "The Son of Heaven and commoners share the same guilt!"

Xiao Jingyuan lifted his eyes: "What do I have to fear?"

Zhai Ji's eyes nearly split with rage.

Seeing that the Embroidered Uniform Guard personnel were still hesitating, Xiao Jingyuan immediately said in a cold voice: "What are you staring at? Take him away!"

Just as the Embroidered Uniform Guard were about to act, Zhai Ji flung open his sleeve robe, shouting in helpless fury: "I can walk myself! Xiao Jingyuan, I will not let you off!"

The once bustling Zuiyun Tower now lay in utter ruin, not even a trace of the shopkeeper's shadow remained.

Su Chen paced to Xiao Jingyuan's side, glanced at him several times, then said: "Although His Majesty has entrusted the Embroidered Uniform Guard to you, showing great favor and trust, after all, this is the Third Prince—have you gone too far? If His Majesty finds out, he may well be displeased."

Xiao Jingyuan said nothing, only lowering his head to flip through the account book page by page.

Su Chen suddenly recalled that in two days, the Fourth Miss would enter the palace; since the Third Prince's plot failed, he will certainly not give up easily.

Could it be that the Heir is doing this for the Fourth Miss, which is why he wants to imprison the Third Prince?