“Pfft!”
Low Level Consort Yu burst out laughing: “Old cucumber painted green to pretend it’s fresh! Princess Lihua, you’re already twenty-three years old, and our Imperial Noble Consort Jiang is only eighteen. You calling her ‘sister’ is just going to make her sound old, don’t you think?”
“This is impossible!”
Jin Lihua frowned: “In my brother’s harem, those who have reached the rank of consort or above are all over thirty years old. My brother and the Emperor are about the same age.”
The response she received was the displeased gaze of the Xuanwu Emperor.
Realizing that what Low Level Consort Yu said was likely true, Jin Lihua’s hostility instantly rose.
She was not only prettier but also younger than her. No wonder the Emperor of Great Yan hadn’t mentioned arranging a marriage for her in over a decade.
The atmosphere froze for a moment, but… not everyone liked Jiang Xinyue’s exotic and glamorous beauty. Princess Lihua’s fresh and lovely charm had its own unique appeal.
“Princess Lihua, is your visit to Great Yan to find a suitable husband? Tonight, all of Great Yan’s finest young men are here. Do you have anyone you fancy?”
Seeing Princess Lihua in a difficult position, and it being because of Jiang Xinyue, Pei Zhishuo stepped in to help her out: “A woman as beautiful and lovely as the princess is sure to be the dream of every man in the world.”
Both Goguryeo and Fusang are vassal states of Great Yan, and both are neighboring countries. However, since the beginning of the year, Fusang has been acting up, stirring up trouble at the borders of Great Yan.
This time, all the vassal states came to Great Yan to pay tribute, but Fusang, citing that their prince was ill, couldn’t come in person and sent a pair of ivory tusks as an apology.
However, the quality of those tusks was so poor that even someone who didn’t know anything about the goods could tell the difference.
This was no tribute; it was a blatant provocation.
In contrast, Goguryeo was much more obedient, always the first to implement any new regulations from Great Yan.
Pei Zhishuo's intention was to force Princess Lihua to confess her love for the Emperor, allowing the diplomatic mission to tactfully propose a marriage alliance.
The Xuanwu Emperor values the interests of his people and the nation above all else. With Fusang showing signs of rebellion, he would know what to do to keep Goguryeo loyal.
If he refused the marriage for the sake of Jiang Xinyue, he wouldn’t be the Xuanwu Emperor.
A monarch blinded by love will one day be brought down by it.
Jin Lihua blushed and glanced at the Emperor. The more indifferent and cold he was toward her, the more she felt that such a man, unmoved by beauty, was worthy of her lifelong commitment.
“Does this Princess Lihua have some kind of issue?”
Low Level Consort Yu moved closer to Consort Wen: “Why do I feel like the more the Emperor ignores her, the more she wants to get closer?”
Consort Wen nodded in agreement, and the two of them, with four eyes, closely watched her, afraid she might pull some trick.
“I… I like…”
“Mr. Pei, I heard that your father has been acting crazy lately, bringing a woman from the Miao Borderlands into the family. It’s said that he even wants to divorce his current wife for this Miao woman, isn’t that right?”
“Pfft…”
This incident had clearly caused quite a stir in the capital, overshadowing even Princess Lihua’s beauty.
Tang Shiliang seized the opportunity to escort Jin Lihua to take a seat among the Goguryeo diplomatic mission.
After Jiang Yankun asked that question, he sat silently in his seat, but his subordinates weren’t idle.
Especially Ma Yiyang, who vividly described: “Speaking of Mr. Pei’s father, I truly admire him. His first wife passed away due to illness less than three months ago, and he threw a tantrum, insisting on marrying a young widow as his second wife. It’s a good thing Mr. Pei was open-minded and agreed. Now that young Master Pei is this old, his father has gotten himself into another scandal, going on a hunger strike at home, insisting on marrying a teenage girl from the Miao Borderlands, even promising her the position of primary wife.”
“That Miao girl is even younger than Pei Zhishuo, and she’s not particularly beautiful, not as good-looking as that young widow! I don’t know what kind of spell he’s under, but he’s bringing her into the family with the same ceremony as a primary wife.”
“So Pei Zhishuo now has a stepmother even younger than himself?”
“Mr. Pei’s father is truly a man of passion, wanting to give the title of primary wife to every woman he’s loved.”
“No wonder Mr. Pei has been sick for months, neither attending court nor going out. He must be sick with anger.”
“Hard to say… it’s hard to say…”
Pei Zhishuo was furious. Some crazy woman had suddenly appeared, claiming to be his fiancée. Although he was already a broken man, with the status of the Pei family, it wouldn’t be difficult to marry a noblewoman as a mere decoration.
With his handsome appearance and reputation for talent, why would he have trouble finding a suitable wife?
He had chased the woman away the same day, telling her she had the wrong person.
But before the Miao woman could leave, his father had fallen under some kind of spell, madly in love with the woman who wasn’t even particularly beautiful.
To make matters worse, his father wanted to divorce his mother for this woman.
It was utterly absurd!
What was even more absurd was that after the Miao woman entered the family and lifted her red veil, she screamed that it wasn’t him and that she had made a mistake.
But the Pei family had already suffered a huge humiliation; how could they allow such an outrageous story to spread?
What Pei Zhishuo found most unbearable was that his father, who had always loved his mother dearly, suddenly acted as if he didn’t recognize her, ordering her to leave the Pei family and make way for his beloved wife.
Now his mother spent her days weeping at home, while his father had confined the Miao woman, terrified she might escape, guarding her day and night, insisting that she must get pregnant and give birth so she wouldn’t think of running away anymore.
Jiang Yankun was stabbing him in the heart with a sharp knife.
“Husband, was it your intention to have Eunuch Tang release Pei Sinian’s hair that day, anticipating this outcome?”
Jiang Yankun chuckled: “Miao Linlin is a greedy woman, and she’s placed a love spell on Pei Sinian. This spell is unbreakable; Pei Sinian will love her until his death. Once she’s certain she can’t find me or Eunuch Tang and sees the wealth of the Pei family, she’ll go along with the mistake and accept the identity of Mrs. Pei.”
What would it matter if Miao Linlin recognized him and Eunuch Tang later?
The naive Miao Linlin from the Miao village before she entered the world might have made a fuss, but after marrying Pei Sinian for a while, learning about etiquette and the dangers of gossip, experiencing the intrigues of the inner mansion, she would understand that some things shouldn’t be said.
Otherwise, it would be a lose-lose situation, the worst kind of deal.
Moreover, Tang Shiliang’s true identity was that of a eunuch. Whether to marry a eunuch or the son of the Minister of the Secretariat, she would know which choice to make without Jiang Yankun needing to say anything.
The Pei family, starting with Pei Sinian, was already rotting from the roots.
No wonder Jiang Xinyue wrote back, telling him to restrain the clan and not pursue the Pei family too harshly.
They were very good at bringing their own downfall.
