TTTQF Chapter 97

Rumors in Reverse

Pei Che, the heir of the Duke of Zhongguo, pays respect to His Majesty. "Long live the Emperor."

Early in the morning, Pei Che is already waiting outside the palace for an audience. He and Jiang Miao are betrothed by imperial decree, making the Emperor their matchmaker. Before the wedding, it is proper for him to come and express his gratitude.

After the morning court session, Emperor Liangping, upon hearing from Xu Hai that Pei Che has come to pay his respects, has him brought in. After Pei Che bows, Emperor Liangping says, "Rise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I am deeply grateful for Your Majesty’s favor in bestowing such a good match upon me, allowing us to be united. As the wedding approaches and the banquet will be held soon, I have come to express my heartfelt thanks for Your Majesty's grace!" As he says this, Pei Che kneels down and bows again.

“Hahaha,” Emperor Liangping pauses for a moment and then laughs heartily. “No need for so many formalities.”

After Pei Che gets up, Emperor Liangping, feeling somewhat nostalgic, says, "Time flies so quickly. The scene of the imperial decree for your marriage is still fresh in my mind, and now, you're about to wed."

After that, he changes the subject and says: "Lately, there have been many rumors circulating outside. You’re at the Imperial Academy—have you heard of them? Have they affected your studies?"

At this, Pei Che's face briefly flashes with anger and embarrassment. He lowers his head and says in a deep voice, "I have indeed heard some, but the words are utterly absurd. I haven’t taken them to heart."

When Emperor Liangping sees his stubborn attitude, he recalls reports stating that Pei Che has gotten into several disputes with his fellow students over the matter, which has completely tarnished his previously good reputation. This thought brings the Emperor some satisfaction.

"Alas, those rumors are indeed unpleasant. If it weren't for the sheer number of people spreading them, making it impossible to punish them all, I truly want to seek justice for you two. How about this: on your wedding day, I will have them all attend the ceremony at the Duke of Zhongguo's residence. Once they see with their own eyes how loving you two are, perhaps the rumors will vanish. What do you think?" Emperor Liangping suddenly has the idea. If it isn’t inappropriate for him to leave the palace, he would like to witness the chaotic scene himself.

Pei Che looks embarrassed and seems to want to refuse. Seeing this, Emperor Liangping directly issues an order: "Xu Hai, spread the word. The Duke of Zhongguo’s wedding is a joyous event, and I am pleased. Have all officials of the third rank and above, along with their families, attend the ceremony."

"Understood." Xu Hai wastes no time at all. He goes out and orders the palace servants to convey the Emperor's edict to the various residences.

"This... Pei Che thanks Your Majesty for your grace."

Seeing the shame and helplessness on Pei Che's face, Emperor Liangping feels thoroughly satisfied. He is certain that Pei Che's wedding day will be quite the "lively" event.

As soon as he leaves the palace and steps into the carriage, Pei Che’s expression vanishes. Emperor Liangping has only brought up those matters to mock him, and Pei Che has played along, showing the exact reaction the Emperor hopes for to satisfy him.

However, Pei Che doesn’t expect that the Emperor will go so far as to issue such an edict just to amuse himself. Fortunately, it is still early enough to instruct everyone at the residence to make preparations. If that many guests arrive unannounced on the day of the banquet, it would be a real headache.

After returning to the Duke’s residence, Pei Che first goes to inform his grandmother about what has happened at the palace. After that, he goes to Pei Shiyuan to ensure that preparations are made to accommodate the influx of guests

Pei Shiyuan begrudgingly agrees. For some reason, he can’t shake the feeling that Pei Che entrusting the wedding banquet to them seems respectful on the surface, but in reality, he is treating him like a mere steward. If Pei Che hasn’t assigned him this responsibility, he could have secretly caused some mischief and made Pei Che appear incompetent. But since Pei Che hands the task to him, if anything goes wrong, people won’t blame Pei Che—they will think Pei Shiyuan has handled things poorly.

In fact, Pei Che does indeed consider this very point. Rather than constantly being on guard, he chooses to take the initiative, forcing his opponent to tread carefully.

After handling the wedding banquet arrangements, Pei Che goes to his study and writes a letter to Jiang Miao, advising him to prepare himself mentally. Whoever says it’s unlucky to see each other before marriage claims it leads to an unhappy future. Pei Che doesn’t believe in such things, but after thinking it over several times, he decides to follow the old custom. It would be a shame to jeopardize their future over a moment of frustration.

Receiving the letter, Jiang Miao can’t help but feel speechless. He glances toward the palace and inwardly scorns Emperor Liangping. Is the Emperor’s pettiness really so great? Pei Che’s parents have done nothing wrong and have been dead for so many years, yet the Emperor’s one-sided grudge lasts this long? Inviting those who badmouth Pei Che to the wedding banquet—who is he trying to disgust?

However, from another perspective, those people who dislike Pei Che have to bring gifts after receiving the imperial edict. Even if they are unhappy, they still have to pay up, so they aren’t exactly losing out.

After reading Jiang Miao’s reply, Pei Che can’t help but laugh. He doesn’t know why Ah Miao always has such an unconventional way of thinking when faced with a situation, but following his train of thought does make Pei Che feel a bit better.

He summons one of his subordinates and gives him an order. Although the subordinate is somewhat puzzled, he still carries out Pei Che’s instructions meticulously.

…

"Have you heard? For Young Master Pei's wedding, the Emperor has ordered all officials of the third rank and above to attend the ceremony at the Duke's residence. This is a rare honor! It seems the Emperor truly values Young Master Pei," someone says enviously.

Another person quickly agrees, "Exactly! When the young masters of other households marry, there's no imperial decree and certainly not this level of grandeur. I hear those officials, eager to curry favor with the Emperor, are preparing lavish gifts for the couple."

"That's right, I heard there's a pearl as big as a bowl, a coral sculpture as tall as a person, and a bracelet made from one tael of agarwood and one tael of gold—things we common folk might never see in our lifetimes."

"They're actually willing to give those away?"

"What's so surprising? You have to give something valuable to get something in return. If they manage to catch the Emperor’s favor, there’s nothing they can’t gain," someone whispers in a hushed tone.

"True enough..."

Rumors like this spread swiftly, overtaking the entire upper city. Soon, the gossip shifts from the fact that Young Master Pei is marrying a man to speculation about what gifts the officials will present to the Pei family.

People seem to have a surprising amount of knowledge about the treasures in each household, speaking with such confidence as if they had overheard the officials say it with their own ears.

Meanwhile, the younger members of various households, having caught wind of the situation, begin to question their elders.

"Father, are you really going to give Pei Che that Ferghana horse?"

"Grandfather, wasn’t that coral sculpture meant for me? Why is it being given to Pei Che now?"

"..."

Those being questioned are all confused, and after learning about the rumors, they can’t help but fall into deep thought.

Pei Che, having received word of these developments, smiles. Now, even if the gifts aren't actual treasures from their homes, they won’t be too shabby. He is certain that when Jiang Miao sees the gift list, he will be very pleased.

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