The concubine's favorite? Break off the engagement and marry another prince, please respect you

Chapter 86

This was nothing actually, after all, from ancient times to the present, there has never been a principle that the title must be passed down to the eldest grandson, but Pei Shurui felt deeply guilty.

Over the years, he had taken good care of his brother's widowed sister-in-law and niece. After the old Duke passed away, only his three half-brothers were sent out, but the eldest son remained in the Duke's Mansion, being cared for by the mansion and living alone in a courtyard.

But perhaps people will always take things too far. The widowed and orphaned mother, who were a little uneasy at first after losing her husband, gradually became more ambitious after being treated kindly by Pei Shurui over the years.

Especially since Pei Yuqing was born weak and refused to marry in recent years, this further fueled their thoughts.

Ba hopes to return to the eldest house with the title.

The words that Xie Wan Ning heard when she entered the room just now came from the mouth of Mrs. Zhao, the eldest lady of the Pei family.

If we talk about who, apart from Lu Ziyan, could not accept their marriage, it would undoubtedly be the eldest branch of the Pei family.

Zheng had explained all these twists and turns to Xie Wan Ning in detail before she got married.

In Zheng's words, the eldest branch of the Pei family was not worth mentioning. Even if the Duke of Pei was taking care of his brother's widow, as long as Princess Duanyang was around, they would have no chance to make trouble.

At this moment, Xie Wan Ning didn't care at all about what she heard when she entered the door. She smiled and greeted her relatives one by one.

It was called a greeting, but in fact, given her status as the Crown Prince's consort, she only bowed slightly. This was because she was a new bride and it was the first time they met. If they had met in normal times, this slight bow would not even be necessary.

After all, among the Pei family, apart from Duke Pei and Princess Duanyang, there is really no one else who is worthy of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess to perform formal greetings.

The Pei family was not a large family, and Xie Wan Ning had known about them before. She quickly met all the elders and received a series of gifts.

It was the younger generations from each family who came to pay their respects to her.

There is a big age gap between her and Pei Yuqing. After looking around, she found that those who respectfully called her sister-in-law were much older than her.

Xie Wan Ning also remained calm and presented gifts one by one.

Amidst laughter and chatter, the bride-meeting ceremony ended.

Worried that her son and daughter-in-law came without having breakfast and might still be hungry, Princess Duanyang did not keep the sisters-in-law for long after chatting for a while.

The inner hall, which was bustling just now, suddenly became quiet.

The servants brought the meal.

Princess Duanyang looked at her new daughter-in-law, unable to suppress the smile on her lips, and said with longing: "Today we have a new member in our family. I hope that by this time next year, we will have another one."

Xie Wan Ning: “…”

She was sitting next to Pei Yuqing, and her hand holding the jade chopsticks trembled when she heard the words.

Princess Duanyang added: "I don't mean to rush you, I have just been looking forward to this day for too long..."

"Mom!" The little girl next to him blushed, Pei Yuqing couldn't bear to watch, he said helplessly, "I know what's going on."

Princess Duanyang was not angry at being interrupted. She looked at her son with a smile and said, "After dinner, come and tell me how you came up with this plan."

Xie Wan Ning: “…”

...So the princess didn't know?

The family of five finished their breakfast in silence, and Pei Shurui went to the study.

Pei Yuqing was called into the inner room by the princess, leaving only Pei Yuxuan and Xie Wan Ning outside.

Looking at her newly-appointed eldest sister-in-law, Pei Yuxuan smiled and said, "You called me Sister Xuan before, but I didn't expect that I should call you Sister-in-law now."

Xie Wan Ning had trained her thick skin a long time ago, and she didn't feel uncomfortable at all when she heard this. She even continued the conversation, "You should try hard too, and see if you can make me change my tone."

Pei Yuxuan was stunned for a moment, her face turned red, and she said shyly, "What are you talking about?"

"I'm not talking nonsense," Xie Wan Ning imitated her just now and joked, "Didn't you think about it?"

"..." Pei Yuxuan was silent for a moment, with a look of dejection on her face: "Your brother doesn't like me."

It was so rare for the proud and dignified little princess to show such an expression, Xie Wan Ning felt a little distressed when she saw it.

She thought about it carefully and said, "Not necessarily."

Pei Yuxuan's eyes suddenly lit up, and she looked over without blinking. She raised her hand to pour her a cup of tea, and said earnestly, "Sister-in-law, please talk to me."

"..." Xie Wan Ning took a sip of tea with amusement. When Pei Yuxuan couldn't help but urge her, she continued, "My brother has a calm temperament. His emotions are never shown on his face. He can't even say a few nice words when he opens his mouth."

"So, it doesn't matter what he says, you have to look at how he does it."

If we were to ask who knows Xie Yanyu best, it would definitely be Xie Wan Ning, who was traumatized by his nagging.

Her brother liked to control her in everything, like an old scholar, old-fashioned and pedantic, always lecturing her.

But when she proposed to break off the engagement with Lu Ziyan, he was the first to agree. He didn't care at all about his reputation, which he always talked about. He was only thinking about whether his sister had been wronged.

At this point, Xie Wan Ning asked, "Think about it, does my brother treat you differently from others?"

Pei Yuxuan frowned and thought for a long time, then finally sighed in distress and shook her head: "I can't think of it. Anyway, he was very polite to me, calling me princess all the time, and refused to say a few more words to me."

"Is that so... Are you going to give up?" Xie Wan Ning blinked and asked doubtfully, "There are many handsome men in Beijing, why do you fancy that blockhead of mine?"

Pei Yuxuan asked speechlessly, "My brother is not much better, so why did you marry him?"

"..." Xie Wan Ning was silent for a moment and said nothing.

Pei Yuxuan didn't expect her to say anything. Her mind was filled with thoughts about whether the man who always kept her at a distance had ever treated her differently.

give up?

She wouldn't do that!
The proud little princess had never encountered any setbacks in her life and had always had the courage to hit her head against the wall.

As if she had thought of something, Pei Yuxuan stood up and walked out in a hurry, "I have an appointment with someone, so I have to go out. I won't wait for my brother with you."

Xie Wan Ning looked at her back, as if she saw herself two years ago.

Just as bold and bright, just as courageous and forward-looking.

Although Pei Yuxuan is one year older than her.

After finishing a cup of tea, Pei Yuqing still hadn't come out. Xie Wan Ning was bored, so she began to walk around the hall slowly.

The hall is not big, but the furnishings are very exquisite, and most of them are porcelain produced by the palace.

The most eye-catching thing is the two vases as tall as a person placed at the door of the inner room, with several pink and white flower branches transplanted into them.

orchid?

Xie Wan Ning was in a mood to show off her knowledge, so she walked over and leaned over slightly to take a closer look at the species of these flowers, but she heard a sound coming from the inner room behind the door.

“You were in no hurry to get married before, and now that you’ve finally started a family, you say you’re in no hurry to have children. Could it be that you have a hidden illness?”

It was the voice of Princess Duanyang. I don't know what the mother and son said before, but Princess Duanyang's tone was filled with anger.

Xie Wan Ning froze for a moment. It was not a very decent behavior to eavesdrop on the conversation between a mother and her son, but her feet seemed to have taken root and she had her own ideas.

Inside the house, Princess Duanyang looked confused and uncertain.

When Nanny Zhou came to report in the morning that Yuanpa had no bleeding, she thought that the quarrel last night had caused the couple to have a quarrel, and they had no interest in consummating their marriage. But when the bride came to pay her respects just now, her son protected her very well, and he didn't look like they were having a quarrel at all.

It seems like the two of them have a good relationship...

Looking at her eldest son who remained silent, her face gradually turned pale.

"Tell me the truth, you and your mother, we didn't consummate your marriage last night... Is it because you are not good enough? But didn't the imperial doctors say that you are recovering well from your heart disease..."

"Mom!" Pei Yuqing was somewhat helpless, but he did not argue, and only said: "We are newly married, can you please stop putting pressure on me?"

"Okay, okay," Princess Duanyang nodded hastily, "I won't put pressure on you, but my son, remember not to be afraid of seeing a doctor."

Pei Yuqing lowered his eyes, sighed softly, and said lightly: "Don't put pressure on Wanwan, this is my fault."

Xie Wan Ning, who was called outside the room, blinked, moved her sore legs, and walked back to her seat like a wandering soul.

...What is this? Her ridiculous guess turned out to be true?

So, was it really a bad habit that Pei Yuqing allowed Lu Ziyan to make trouble in the bridal chamber last night?
But he had kissed her before...

Xie Wan Ning's mind was in a mess, and she couldn't tell what she felt for a while.

Anger at being cheated into marriage?
This can't be considered marriage fraud, as she was the one who took the initiative to propose, and he hesitated and struggled for a long time before finally agreeing. He also confessed that he had a heart disease and couldn't do any physical work or get emotional.

Perhaps it was a hint that he couldn't...

When the door of the inner room opened and the mother and son came out, Princess Duanyang's attitude became more enthusiastic than before.

He held Xie Wan Ning's hand, asked about her well-being, and showed concern for her. He then took off a pair of excellent jade bracelets from his wrist and gave them to her as a present. While they were chatting, it was time for lunch.

It was not until after lunch when it was time to go to the palace to express gratitude that Princess Duanyang reluctantly let them go.

Pei Yuqing was already waiting in the courtyard. After Xie Wan Ning said goodbye to her mother-in-law and walked out of the hall, she saw his tall and straight figure under the banyan tree.

The handsome profile of his face was facing this side, and at first glance he looked very elegant and handsome.

She stood under the eaves and watched quietly for a while. Her heart, which had originally felt a little aggrieved, gradually calmed down.

As she walked towards him step by step, Xie Wan Ning silently told herself that this was fine.

When she got closer, she raised her head and gave him a forced smile: "Brother Changqing, let's go."

Pei Yuqing lowered her eyes and looked at him, then she stroked her eyelids with her fingers, "Why are your eyes red?"

Xie Wan Ning blinked, held his wrist, and whispered, "It should be the wind. I feel a little cold."

Her fingers were indeed cold. Pei Yuqing folded a fold between his eyebrows and wrapped her in a cloak. "The weather is getting colder. Be careful not to catch a cold when you go out next time."

Xie Wanning nodded and said hello.

She was so well-behaved. Pei Yuqing was moved. He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the forehead. He held her hand and they walked side by side in the lonely autumn scenery.

The man is handsome and the woman is beautiful, a perfect match.

The two sat opposite each other in the carriage leading to the palace. As the wheels turned, Xie Wan Ning hesitated for a few breaths before asking, "Last night, when did Lu Ziyan come..."

"He was taken away by Ming Jian after he fell unconscious." Pei Yuqing said, "He had just quelled the unrest in Yunzhou, and the court was about to reward him. What he did last night can probably only offset his merits and demerits, and he can't be punished."

Xie Wan Ning: “…”

She didn't expect this answer.

But on second thought, Lu Ziyan has made many military achievements, and the current emperor values ​​him so much that even several princes cannot compare to him. It is indeed impossible to punish him severely.

She was extremely distressed: "Lu Ziyan is so arrogant, but His Majesty indulges him repeatedly. It's really puzzling."

Pei Yuqing's eyes showed a complicated expression, and he said calmly: "There must be a reason for abnormal things, just wait patiently."

Hearing this, Xie Wan Ning was shocked, "What do you mean?"

Pei Yuqing lowered his eyes to look at her, and seeing the solemn expression on her face, he narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "Wanwan, are you worried about him?"

"No," Xie Wan Ning denied subconsciously, "He is so arrogant and domineering, how could I worry about him?"

She shook her head as she spoke. Pei Yuqing looked at her for a while, then suddenly reached out and held her hand, saying gently, "Don't worry, he'll be fine."

Xie Wan Ning was stunned for a moment, staring at him blankly, unable to speak for a long time.

It wasn't until the carriage stopped that she said seriously, "I'm not worried about him."

Pei Yuqing nodded, said nothing more, and took her hand and got off the carriage.

Several eunuchs had been waiting for them. When they arrived, the leading eunuch bowed and said with a smile, "The prince is finally here. His Majesty is taking a lunch break in Changchun Palace. He told them that you two had arrived and they can just go over there."

Changchun Palace is the bedroom of the current queen. Pei Yuqing nodded slightly and said thank you, eunuch.

The eunuch bowed again and led the way.

The palace was long and secluded. The two walked up the long steps and were about to reach the gate of Changchun Palace. Pei Yuqing suddenly asked, "Have you been to the palace before?"

"..." Xie Wan Ning was still concerned about what happened in the carriage. She wanted to explain a few more words, but she was followed by eunuchs from the palace.

She paused, then followed his question and said, "I have attended several palace banquets with my mother, and the place I went to most often was Concubine Shu's Yanxiang Palace."

She was muttering "Empress Shufei" when she looked up and saw Li Yuan, the eunuch in charge of Yanxiang Palace, standing not far away. When he saw her looking at him, he smiled and saluted.

Xie Wan Ning was stunned, knowing that Concubine Shu was probably also in Changchun Palace at this moment.

The two of them walked into the palace side by side, and everyone inside looked over.

The newlyweds were both wearing red clothes, with the sleeves embroidered with beautiful patterns in gold thread, and the jade belts around their waists were inlaid with gems of the same color.

The man has gentle eyes and eyebrows, and a cold, clear and elegant look. The girl is pretty, and walks slowly and gracefully.

The hall suddenly became quiet.

Concubine Shu was the first to recover. She smiled and said, "Look, they are a perfect match, a talented man and a beautiful woman."

Hearing her aunt's voice, Xie Wan Ning's steps paused slightly, and then she bent her knees to kneel, and then she heard the bright yellow figure above her say, "No need to be polite, please take a seat."

The current emperor is nearly fifty years old, but his voice is loud and powerful. He looked at his nephew with a warm face. He did not look like a king, but rather like an ordinary elder, with a face full of kindness.

But when his gaze moved to Xie Wan Ning next to him, his expression gradually darkened.

　Two chapters in one~~~
　　(End of this chapter)