TTTQF Chapter 40

The Imperial Edict and the Crimson Letter

“Your Majesty, it’s like this. Look at An Rou; her eyes are swollen from crying. Pei Che is simply ignorant of what’s good for him. I implore Your Majesty to help An Rou vent her grievances.”

Emperor Liang Ping is sitting leisurely in the hall, reading a book. However, he hears from a young eunuch’s report that the Virtuous Consort and Princess An Rou wish to see him. He instructs the young eunuch to bring them in, but he doesn’t expect that as soon as they enter, the Virtuous Consort pulls An Rou along and immediately lodges a complaint with him.

“Wait, are you saying An Rou has been sneaking out of the palace these days to meet Pei Che outside, only to return crying because he refuses to marry her? This is ridiculous! Consort Xian, I made you the head of this palace. If you can’t handle it, I might as well give this palace to someone else.” Emperor Liang Ping is furious. Could it be that royal daughters can’t find husbands anymore? She actually rushes to someone else’s home.

Although he understands that since the decree from the late Emperor, the Princesses do have fewer choices, especially those heirs of prominent families avoid them like the plague. After all, compared to marrying a Princess, inheriting a title is clearly weightier and more prestigious.

But there are still many good men. How can a dignified Princess sneak out of the palace to find a husband on her own? What kind of propriety is this?

Virtuous Consort Xian is only thinking about quickly bringing about the marriage between the two, but for a moment forgets the role she plays. When Emperor Liang Ping says this, she suddenly turns pale, nervously lowering her head, fearing that Emperor Liang Ping will discover something.

“Father, please don’t blame the Consort Mother; I snuck out on my own without her knowing,” Princess An Rou says, her eyes red with guilt, confessing to Emperor Liang Ping. If she hadn’t snuck out, none of this would have happened.

Emperor Liang Ping sighs with disappointment, but in the end, he can’t bear her pitiful appearance. He calls her over, pats her head, and says, “My child, rest assured, Father will definitely find a suitable husband for you, much better than Pei Che!” Seeing Princess An Rou still hanging her head, he adds, “Don’t worry, Father will also stand up for you. When his family submits their petition for a title, I’ll delay it for a few months to teach him a lesson! By the way, which Pei family does he belong to?” In the mind of Emperor Liang Ping, there is no reason for anyone to reject a Princess unless they are about to inherit a title.

“Your Majesty,” seizing the opportunity, the Virtuous Consort speaks up in a pitiful voice, “Pei Che is from the Duke of Zhongguo’s Mansion, but he’s not the heir; the current Duke of Zhongguo is clearly his second uncle.”

“The Duke Zhongguo’s Residence?” Emperor Liang Ping pauses, his expression becoming subtle. “He is from the Duke Zhongguo’s Residence, Pei Shijie’s son?”

There are several families surnamed Pei in Liangjing, so when he first hears this name, Emperor Liang Ping doesn’t immediately connect him with the Duke Zhongguo’s Residence.

“Yes, he is the son of the late heir apparent. Currently, the Pei family’s title is held by Pei Shiyuan. His wife is my shu-born sister, and they have two sons and a daughter. How could Pei Che inherit the title?

“I see.” Emperor Liang Ping smiles faintly, though the smile does not reach his eyes. “An Rou, rest assured. Since he is not the heir, Father will certainly grant him to you as your husband.”

Princess An Rou doesn’t understand why he has changed his mind. Hearing him say this, she feels uneasy. Pei Che’s attitude towards her is quite clear. Does she really want to marry him just for revenge?

Emperor Liang Ping doesn’t notice her expression. At this moment, his thoughts are entirely on the name Pei Shijie. As the heir apparent of the Duke of Zhongguo, Pei Shijie has a distinguished reputation and a handsome appearance, comparable to the Emperor himself. Even those of similar age are compared to him by their elders. The late Emperor cherished Pei Shijie’s talents greatly, often mentioning him in front of others and even once considering marrying a Princess to him.

Unfortunately, Pei Shijie fell in love at first sight with Feng Anxue and declared he would marry no one else. A match of a talented man and a beauty, their marriage is a topic of gossip in Liangjing to this day.

No one knows that the third prince at the time, now Emperor Liang Ping, also harbored lingering feelings for this renowned talented woman. At that time, he already had a Princess consort and the daughter of the Feng family would not be allowed to become someone’s concubine, even if it was a prince.

In addition, Pei Shijie later became friends with the Fourth Prince at the time. The Fourth Prince was his competitor. If Pei Shijie, representing the Duke Zhongguo’s Residence, and his in-laws from the Feng family both supported the Fourth Prince, it’s really hard to say who would ultimately ascend to the highest position.

Fortunately, heaven opened its eyes. Eight years ago, Pei Shijie suddenly died outside. With this major threat removed, the Fourth Prince’s influence immediately collapsed, and he naturally ascended to the throne.

Now, Pei Che has provoked An Rou. He is determined to keep Pei Che under the control of the royal family for life, ensuring that Pei Shijie cannot rest in peace even in the afterlife.

…

“Announce, Pei Che from the Duke Zhongguo’s Residence is summoned to the palace!”

Early in the morning, the eunuch who announces the decree comes to the Duke Zhongguo’s Mansion. As they kneel down to receive the decree, all they hear is this single sentence.

Pei Shiyuan and Li Yijia don’t rest well yesterday. The old lady summons them into her room and scolds them severely. Both dare not speak up. Although they are already the masters of the Pei family, they still stand obediently and let her scold them. Now, upon receiving the imperial decree, they exchange a glance, unable to hide their joy. They know that once the Virtuous Consort has set her mind on something, it won’t be easy to let it go.

Pei Che stands up to receive the decree. Although he doesn’t know why the Emperor suddenly summons him to the palace, he can guess a few things. He had been planning to apologize to Jiang Miao today, but it seems he won’t be able to go now.

The carriage is waiting outside.

Pei Che follows the eunuch who announces the edict into the palace, only to be left waiting outside the Imperial Study for a long time without being summoned in. Pei Che knows the Emperor is asserting his authority over him, so he stands straight and waits patiently, showing no signs of impatience.

After about half an hour of waiting, a young eunuch finally comes out to lead him in.

“I, Pei Che, pay respects to Your Majesty, long live, long live!” Pei Che performs his obeisance meticulously, with impeccable posture, not a fault to be found.

“So you are Pei Che. Indeed, you have a good appearance. No wonder the Princess favors you so much. Please rise,” Emperor Liang Ping appraises Pei Che, his words tinged with a strange tone. It must be said that the men of the royal family do indeed have mediocre looks.

“The humble one thanks Your Majesty for the grace.” Pei Che stands up calmly, neither humble nor arrogant, showing no reaction to Emperor Liang Ping’s comments on his appearance.

“Do you know why I have summoned you to the palace today?” the Emperor asks.

“I am ignorant, Your Majesty, and do not know what command you have for me,” Pei Che replies humbly.

“Then I will say it clearly,” Emperor Liang Ping pauses intentionally. “I want you to marry Princess An Rou. Are you willing?”

“Thank you for Your Majesty’s and the Princess’s kindness, but I am of lowly status and fear I cannot bear this responsibility,” Pei Che politely declines.

“Why do you belittle yourself? If the Princess has chosen you, it shows you must have merit. Or perhaps, you do not fancy Princess An Rou?” Emperor Liang Ping’s tone turns dangerous, and he stares at Pei Che with an unfriendly look.

“I dare not, Your Majesty. It’s just that I already have someone in my heart. It wouldn’t be fair to Princess An Rou. I trust Your Majesty will find a husband who will wholeheartedly cherish the Princess,” Pei Che doesn’t understand why the Emperor insists on forcing him. Doesn’t he consider Princess An Rou’s future happiness?

“I heard from the Princess that your beloved is a bun seller?” Emperor Liang Ping smirks, finding this excuse extremely clumsy.

“Yes, he is kind and honest, hardworking and capable. I think highly of him,” Pei Che says. The words are spoken, leaving him no room to retreat. Pei Che can only bite the bullet and persevere with his fabricated explanation.

Seeing that he is stubborn, Emperor Liang Ping is not angry. He simply raises his hand, signaling for two prepared edicts to be presented: “In that case, I have two edicts here. One is for your marriage with Princess An Rong, and the other is for your marriage with that vendor. Which one do you plan to choose?” He had expected that this guy would not give in easily.

Pei Che is caught in a dilemma and falls silent.

Seeing that he doesn’t say anything, Emperor Liang Ping is extremely happy. Thinking to torment him a bit longer, he doesn’t press further. Instead, he kindly says, “I imagine you may need some time to decide. Here’s what we’ll do: I’ll give you a day to think it over. Come back tomorrow at this time and tell me your decision.”

Pei Che bows his head and says with difficulty: “Thank you for Your Majesty’s grace. I take my leave.”

 …

“Che’er, did His Majesty summon you to the palace this time to punish you for the matter with the Princess?” Grandmother Pei looks at her grandson returning disheartened, her heart skipping a beat as various tortures flash through her mind.

“Grandmother, the Emperor did not punish me,” Pei Che shakes his head. Before his grandmother can breathe a sigh of relief, he continues, “The Emperor simply gives me two choices. One, to marry the Princess.”

“No, this won’t do!” Grandmother Pei immediately objects. “Unless there is no decree from the late Emperor, you are destined to inherit the title of Duke. How can you marry a Princess? What was the other option he gave you?”

Pei Che pauses. “Forgive me, grandmother. Yesterday, in a moment of desperation, I told the Princess that I would rather be with a man than marry her. When the Emperor learned of this, he issued a decree for me to marry that man. That’s the second option.”

“What? This is outrageous! He’s clearly forcing you to marry the Princess! It’s all because of those two brutes! Call Second and his wife here. I’ll have them personally go to the palace and clarify this with the Emperor, beg him to revoke the decree!” Grandmother Pei is furious, immediately sending for Pei Shiyuan and Li Yijia.

When they arrive, still puzzled, they listen carefully. Li Yijia suddenly exclaims, “Mother, no, you can’t! The Emperor has already issued the decree. How could he easily revoke it? In my opinion, it’s better to let Che’er marry the Princess. She’s of noble status, a perfect match for Che’er. Isn’t this a win-win situation?”

“Shut up, you wicked woman!” Grandmother Pei glares at her fiercely. “What win-win situation? Why don’t you let Pei Min marry the Princess instead?”

Li Yijia awkwardly says, “Isn’t it because the Princess hasn’t taken a liking to Min’er?”

“Then how did the Princess come to favor Che’er? You wicked woman, to plot against Che’er, you even used your own daughter. If not for your schemes that stirred the Princess’s heart, why would she suddenly seek out Che’er?” After questioning Pei Yage, Grandmother Pei confirms this matter.

It was only that time when Che went to the Princess’s rear yard that she had the opportunity to see him. In previous palace banquets, men and women had always been separated.

Li Yijia hadn’t expected their plot to be figured out by the old lady, and she is speechless for a while.

Pei Shiyuan says, “Mother, now that things have come to this, the best way is to allow Che’er to marry the Princess. If we resist the decree, it will surely anger the Emperor. Disaster will strike, and our whole family will suffer. As for the position of heir, I promise that once Che’er has children with the Princess, we will return the position of heir to that child.”

Such shameless words make Grandmother Pei tremble with anger. Pei Che takes a deep breath, his gaze complicated as he glances at his uncle, whom he had once trusted. He steps forward to support his grandmother and calm her down.

Once Grandmother Pei catches her breath, she looks down at the two smug figures below and sneers coldly, “We can resist this decree. Have you forgotten? In our household, there’s still the Crimson Letter of Pardon.”

Pei Shiyuan’s face turns pale. “Mother, we can’t use that! The Crimson Letter of Pardon was earned by our ancestors fighting alongside the founding Emperor. It pardons all crimes except treason. How can we use it for this?”

This artifact is a life-saving talisman that has to be passed down to bless future generations.

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