Chapter 17-1
Chapter Seventeen (Part 1)
Pei Jin and Yan Shi Ning left Huang Guo’s manor in the horse carriage .
Yan Shi Ning noticed Pei Jin looked a little deflated . ‘Big brother, what did you talk to him about?’
Pei Jin stretched his back . ‘About imperial court duties . ’
Yan Shi Ning didn’t force Pei Jin to tell her the truth . Besides, she could guess there was nothing else for them to talk about apart from Su Yue and stealing the throne .
The night sky was dark like ink when they returned to Pei Jin’s manor .
Yan Shi Ning was tired from a tensed day . A maid prepared a warm bath for her and she immediately walked to the chamber .
Pei Jin walked in the direction of Bei Dou’s chamber .
Bei Dou was about to take off his clothes to sleep but he heard someone barged into his chamber . He turned around and his outer robe was grabbed by Pei Jin’s hand .
‘You delivered the note!’ Pei Jin said coldly .
Bei Dou heard Huang Guo’s messenger requested Pei Jin and Yan Shi Ning to attend a banquet and he knew he couldn’t deny the truth and anticipated Pei Jin’s temper .
Bei Dou pushed Pei Jin’s hand away from his outer robe and straightened his outer robe . ‘What’s the point of asking if you know?’
Pei Jin saw Bei Dou’s calm state even after behaving reckless, it made him angry enough to laugh . He sat on a chair and silently looked at Bei Dou .
‘It’s your fault for being slow,’ Bei Dou said . ‘I could only borrow someone else’s hand . ’
Out of Huang Guo’s children, Huang Guo loved Consort Chen most . If Huang Guo knew the empress killed Consort Chen, it was certain Huang Guo would avenge Consort Chen’s death . ’
‘You’re a good schemer,’ Pei Jin praised . ‘It’s a pity you need to walk a wide circle . When you want to borrow a dagger to kill a person, someone else would also want to borrow a dagger to kill a person . Bei Dou, you gave Huang Guo an opportunity to force me to cooperate with him to deal with the empress . ’
Bei Dou suppressed a little guilt . ‘That’s good . You should cooperate with Huang Guo to deal with the empress . ’
Pei Jin rubbed his temples . ‘In the past when you wanted me to cooperate with Huang Guo you didn’t know about Huang Guo’s scheme . But now you know about the Diao Jing Ji, you still want me to cooperate with them… also, you should know my personality . I hate other people forcing me to do something . I’ll avenge Consort Chen’s death, but I’ll not allow anyone cause trouble for me!’
Bei Dou took a deep breath . ‘It doesn’t matter if Huang Guo uses you . Can’t you use him? Don’t you care that he sees you as a puppet? With your brilliant strategic mind even if Huang Guo is intelligent, he wouldn’t know who’ll scare him to death . ’
‘You want me to risk being exposed by association?’ Pei Jin asked .
‘Why not?’ Bei Dou asked .
‘I hate taking any risks,’ Pei Jin said .
‘Honestly?’ Bei Dou asked . ‘If you hate taking any risks then in the past why did you save me?’
The atmosphere in the chamber became tensed .
That year Bei Dou’s family property were taken and his family members were killed . Pei Jin saved him from a fire and hid his identity . He wanted to oppose the imperial court to avenge his family .
‘You say you don’t care about being emperor,’ Bei Dou said . ‘But why did you save a convicted criminal like me? Pei Jin, you’re too cautious, you wouldn’t save me because I saved your life . You saved me because of the gold and silver taels that my Sheng household hid . If you have them in your hands then you can steal the throne . ’
Bei Dou kept those thoughts in his heart for a long time . He truly wanted Pei Jin to answer his questions directly .
‘Even if you saved me because of Sheng’s riches I’m willing to give them to you with my own hands,’ Bei Dou said . ‘As long as you help me deal with the empress’ people . ’
The chamber was eerily silent . Bei Dou couldn’t see through Pei Jin’s thoughts .
Suddenly the sounds of raindrops pitter-pattered on the roof .
A gust of wind blew rain into the chamber and onto Pei Jin’s face . He gently wiped it off his face, stood and closed the window .
‘What if I say that I truly saved you because you saved me?’ Pei Jin asked .
Bei Dou wasted his energy to decipher if Pei Jin was sincere . Pei Jin was one of the rare people he knew who was an expert at concealing their true thoughts .
‘Also, everyone in the Sheng household died,’ Pei Jin said . ‘Don’t forget, you’re Bei Dou . ’
Bei Dou stood still in the same spot for a long time . Pei Jin’s tone and expression were gentle, but he didn’t know why it made him feel pressured to concede .
‘I have something else I want to tell you,’ Bei Dou said and coughed .
‘What is it?’ Pei Jin asked .
‘I examined the Fu Gui in the incense sticks more carefully,’ Bei Dou said . ‘I discovered the Fu Gui in your wife’s body doesn’t need half a month to be released . Seven days is enough . ’
Pei Jin slitted his eyes, grabbed Bei Dou’s collar and punched Bei Dou’s chest . ‘You purposely lied to me!’
Bei Dou rubbed his sore chest . ‘Indeed your wife is someone special to you . ’
Pei Jin smiled sincerely . ‘Of course . ’
‘It explains why you schemed against Lady Yewu that year,’ Bei Dou said . ‘Honestly, I want to know how she died . ’
‘Wait until you die,’ Pei Jin said . ‘You can meet her in hell and ask her how she died . ’
Pei Jin pushed the door and left the chamber .
***
End of Chapter Seventeen (Part 1)
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