Chapter 102.

Chapter 102.

"Let go of me!" Xiao Yu demanded.

Pei Yanli stubbornly refused, "I won't let go!"

Xiao Yu struggled forcefully.

"Ouch." Pei Yanli winced and clutched his chest, where his wound was, in pain.

Xiao Yu immediately checked on Pei Yanli's injury, "How is it? Let me see."

Pei Yanli seized the opportunity to grasp Xiao Yu's hand, looking at him earnestly, "What exactly happened? If you don't explain clearly, I can't be at ease."

Xiao Yu sat up straight, gathered his thoughts for a moment, and said, "The day you returned, the first person you looked at was Fang Ru'an."

"Is that all?" Pei Yanli asked.

Hearing Pei Yanli's indifferent tone, Xiao Yu instantly thought about the infidelity common among men in this era and suspected Pei Yanli might be the same, which made him even more upset. He said sternly, "That's just one thing. Answer me first."

"Alright, I'll answer," Pei Yanli said amiably. "He was standing there, and I thought it was you, so I looked over."

"So, you think I look like him?" Xiao Yu inquired.

Pei Yanli shook his head, "No, it's he who resembles you."

Xiao Yu, puzzled, asked, "What do you mean?"

Pei Yanli reflected on the past, "He used to be a bit different than now."

Xiao Yu asked in surprise, "How so?"

Pei Yanli shook his head, "I don't quite understand either, hard to say."

"How can it be hard to say, you two—" Xiao Yu suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

Pei Yanli raised an eyebrow, "What about us?"

Xiao Yu said, "Weren't you and he classmates before?"

"Yes, we were, but I haven't seen him for many years," Pei Yanli added, "That day when I returned to the palace, it was also the first time I had seen him in years."

Xiao Yu then said, "But you two were in love, weren't you?"

Pei Yanli looked puzzledly at Xiao Yu, then realizing something, said unhappily, "Why are such rumors still circulating nowadays?"

"Rumors?" Xiao Yu was surprised. "Were you not on good terms with each other?"

"Our relationship is not bad even now," Pei Yanli said, seeing Xiao Yu getting anxious, and quickly held his hand, "Don’t worry, let me explain."

"Okay, go ahead," Xiao Yu said.

Since Xiao Yu had also heard that rumor, Pei Yanli felt he needed to clarify it to prevent future misunderstandings, even though he found Xiao Yu’s scolding rather cute. He said seriously, "You know Fang Ru'an is the illegitimate son of the Marquis of Huainan, right?"

Xiao Yu asked unhappily, "And then?"

Pei Yanli explained, "His mother was of low birth. After entering the Marquis' household and giving birth to him and his sister Fang Rulan, she passed away. With his smart and sensible nature, he won the favor of the old Marquise. However, not long after her death, he and his sister faced hardships."

Xiao Yu guessed, "The heir of the Marquis bullied them?"

"Yes, they were regularly beaten and mistreated, with no one to speak up for them," Pei Yanli reflected on how pitiful Fang Ru'an had looked in his worn-out clothes. "Back then, although my father was not yet the Minister of War, he was the Deputy Minister. My mother was the Grand Princess, and my cousin was the current Emperor. Wherever I went, I was flattered, and I became arrogant, thinking only of justice and fairness. When I saw Fang Ru'an being bullied at the academy, I naturally stepped in to help."

"So you naturally became good friends with Fang Ru'an?" Xiao Yu followed up.

Pei Yanli nodded, "Yes, as long as I was in the academy, I would study and play with Fang Ru’an. One of our teachers loved carving, and I thought it looked fun, so I learned it too, to train my mind." He touched the ghostwork ball at Xiao Yu's waist.

Xiao Yu looked down and asked, "Did Fang Ru’an also learn with you?"

"Yes, but I gave up after a while. I always felt I should be doing something but didn’t know what. Fang Ru’an, however, really liked carving and got engrossed in it. Despite that, Fang Shizi wasn't afraid of me and continued to bully Fang Ru’an in secret. The worst was at a banquet hosted by the marquis, attended by many noble ladies and gentlemen. I was there too. Fang Shizi despised Fang Ru’an and Fang Rulan, and when no one was looking, he pushed Fang Rulan into the water, making the young Master of Jingzhou dive in to save her," explained Pei Yanli.

"Isn’t that ruining the girl’s reputation?" Xiao Yu suddenly paused, "But there’s no young master in Jingzhou's family, only a young lady."

Pei Yanli clarified, "This was the Jingzhou of ten years ago."

"Wasn’t their entire family exiled?" Xiao Yu had only learned about the exile of a Jingzhou family after entering the palace, hearing it from the palace staff.

"Yes, but at that time, Jingzhou was very powerful. The young Master of Jingzhou acted outrageously, abducting many girls and keeping them in his harem. I always found it distasteful. On that day, I was furious. After having the maids secretly rescue Fang Rulan, I cut off one of Fang Shizi's fingers with a sword. When I tried to stab the young Master of Jingzhou, Fang Ru’an intervened, worried I would get into serious trouble."

Xiao Yu continued the conversation, "So, you didn’t end up stabbing Fang Ru’an?"

Pei Yanli counter-asked, "Why would I stab him?"

Xiao Yu said, "There's a rumor that you loved Fang Ru'an but couldn't have her."

Pei Yanli replied, "It's all slander. Fang Shizi and the young Master of Jingzhou didn't want to bear the reputation of ruining someone’s innocence, so they threw dirt on me."

Xiao Yu was skeptical, "They dared to slander you?"

Pei Yanli sighed, "That's why I went to the military camp."

"Huh?" Xiao Yu looked puzzled.

Pei Yanli sighed again, "After my mother exerted herself to elevate His Majesty to the throne, there were internal and external troubles. Both the Marquis of Huainan and the Jingzhou family had deep roots in the capital. His Majesty didn’t dare to confront them, even refraining from harshly punishing Fang Shizi and the young Master of Jingzhou. They spread rumors that I had an affair with Fang Ru'an, claiming unrequited love. That's when I realized how difficult it was for His Majesty. I didn’t want to stay among those good-for-nothings and went alone to the border."

Xiao Yu reminded, "The Emperor, Minister Pei, and the Grand Princess seemed to believe the rumors too."

Pei Yanli smiled bitterly, "I explained to them, but at that time I was already fifteen. All the young nobles in the capital had concubines or were betrothed, except me, who strongly refused. I did spend a lot of time with Fang Ru'an, so they firmly believed I saved Fang Rulan because of him, and when I saw Fang Ru'an couldn't leave, I went to the border to fight, thinking I was heartbroken."

So that's how it was!

"Fang Shizi and the young Master of Jingzhou spreading these rumors had one advantage – nobody knew about Fang Rulan’s existence, so she wasn’t subject to slander. But that’s not important. Accompanying me on the border with numerous military achievements and His Majesty’s successes, our positions gradually stabilized, and the rumors about me slowly faded away," Pei Yanli squeezed Xiao Yu's hand, "When I was with you, it seemed to disappear. I thought it was gone, but you still heard about it."

"Were you afraid I would know?" Xiao Yu asked.

"I was afraid you would be angry," Pei Yanli had never really cared about those rumors.

Xiao Yu was indeed angry, but now that things were clear, he felt relieved, "So you never liked Fang Ru'an?"

"Never," Pei Yanli affirmed. "I only like you."

"..." Standing at the door, Fang Ru'an heard everything clearly. The more he listened, the colder his heart felt. His tightly clenched fist slowly relaxed, and he turned to leave.

"Fang Ru'an, did you get the token?" Lu Ming asked.

"I got it," Fang Ru'an’s voice was low.

While aware of Pei Yanli's special regard for Xiao Yu, Lu Ming had previously asked about Pei Yanli's relationship with Fang Ru'an and finally understood it was merely platonic. However, today, seeing Fang Ru'an's demeanor towards Pei Yanli, especially after witnessing an intimate moment between them, Fang Ru'an seemed lost and disheartened. Lu Ming thought this might help Fang Ru'an finally move on, commenting, "Pei Yanli and Xiao Yu have had a challenging journey together, which is why they both cherish it so much."

"Is that so?" Fang Ru'an had also lived and faced hardships with Pei Yanli.

Lu Ming continued to speak highly of Pei Yanli and Xiao Yu.

But Fang Ru'an wasn't really listening. He bowed and said, "General Lu, I have matters to attend to in the palace. I must leave now."

Lu Ming paused, suddenly sensing that the Fang Ru'an before him was no longer the same person he used to be.

Fang Ru'an turned and left the General's residence, heading to the Ministry of Works in the palace.

"Lord Fang," Zheng Weilu called out.

Fang Ru'an greeted Zheng Weilu with a bow, "Greetings, Lord Zheng."

"No need for formalities. You went to visit the General early this morning. How is his condition?" Zheng Weilu asked.

"The General is not in serious danger, just needs good rest," Fang Ru'an replied.

Seeing his colleagues busy around them, Zheng Weilu stepped closer to Fang Ru'an and whispered, "I heard Xiao Yu also visited the General's residence?"

Fang Ru'an nodded.

Zheng Weilu asked, "What about now?"

Fang Ru'an answered, "He is still at the General's residence."

Zheng Weilu said discontentedly, "Then why did you come back?"

Fang Ru'an looked at Zheng Weilu hesitantly and said, "Lord Zheng, Xiao Ziqing and General Pei are truly in love. My... my connection with General Pei has ended."

Zheng Weilu's expression changed instantly, but he quickly regained composure and said, "Lord Fang, I brought you back from the harsh land, and even got your brother-in-law a promotion. Your current status matches well with General Pei, doesn't it?" This was a clear threat.

Fang Ru'an looked up incredulously at Zheng Weilu.

Zheng Weilu smiled and then said, "You're a smart man. You know what I want you to do. It would benefit both you and me if things work out, wouldn't it? Think carefully about your next move. I have to report to His Majesty and must leave now."

Fang Ru'an sat down on a chair, feeling powerless.

Zheng Weilu arrived at the Qianxin Hall.

Emperor Yongxi was reviewing memorials.

Xiao Yuanping sat on a small stool next to him, pouting and looking unhappy.

After bowing, Zheng Weilu asked, "What's the matter with the Second Prince?"

Xiao Yuanping ignored him.

Zheng Weilu continued, "Don't be unhappy."

Xiao Yuanping turned his face away.

Wanting to show Emperor Yongxi his respect for the elderly and love for children, Zheng Weilu said, "Did something happen? You see, even when your uncle faces painful things, he deals with them happily."

Already unhappy, Xiao Yuanping grew even more irritated by Zheng Weilu's incessant talking, "You always give pain to others and keep happiness for yourself, of course, you're happy! Humph!"

Although it was an innocent remark of a child, it struck a chord with Zheng Weilu, who often did exactly that. Feeling a pang of guilt and sensing the gaze from above, he quickly said, "The Second Prince is joking, just joking."

"Who's joking?" Xiao Yuanping asked.