“Country bandits, how dare you act so insolently!”
Jie Yun spoke out in anger, saying to Lizhu: “Princess, last night it was precisely this person who injured…”
“Step down.”
Tan Xun cut off his words.
“Young master!”
Jie Yun did not understand why the young master would not let him speak. Pei Zhaoye, however, unhurried and unruffled, said with a laugh: “It was I who kicked your young master, so what?”
Lizhu looked at him in astonishment.
How could it have been him who kicked?
Tan Xun had broken three ribs; how severe must the force have been?
Tan Xun quietly examined the young bandit leader before him.
Inky black hair cut as if by a knife, a silver ring inlaid in his tongue, his posture relaxed, yet his gaze was as cold and sharp as a blade’s edge, his entire demeanor radiating an air of the rough, untamed wilds.
Just like Lizhu’s first impression upon meeting Pei Zhaoye.
This man, from head to toe, existed outside worldly conventions, lacking the restraints and scruples of ordinary people, his actions guided solely by the whims of his own likes and dislikes.
Dangerous, savage, his aggression unpredictable.
With such a person, one must not contend for momentary superiority; one must wait quietly for the right moment to strike a single, fatal blow.
“Last night the situation was chaotic, difficult to distinguish friend from foe. So long as Her Highness the Princess could be rescued, these minor details are ultimately unimportant. Reckoning it up, this brother saved my betrothed; I should thank you with generous gifts.”
Hearing the final words, Pei Zhaoye lifted his gaze.
That gaze was very still, sweeping over Tan Xun’s face with a chill like the cold edge of a blade pressed against the throat.
He smiled slightly: “It wasn’t so hard to distinguish either. I did it on purpose.”
Tan Xun’s eyes narrowed.
Jie Yun flared into a rage; the young master had even given him a way out, yet he still insisted on tearing aside all pretense of cordiality in public!
“That kick of yours was so vicious, were you not aiming to kill!”
“So what?”
Pei Zhaoye picked up another piece of white cake.
“Killers pay with their lives!”
“Easy enough,” he took a drink from the ear cup Lizhu had used, “Since killers pay with their lives, then first kill the Empress, then kill Tan Rong. I’ll be third; I’ll wait for you to come and kill me.”
The anger on Jie Yun’s face abruptly froze.
“What? Could it be that your young master’s life is more precious than the Princess’s? The murderer who tried to kill the Princess can be lightly let off, but the one who tried to kill your young master must be utterly annihilated? That can’t be right, can it?”
Pei Zhaoye’s smile was frivolous and arrogant; he raised an eyebrow at Tan Xun, who was staring at him.
“What do you say, Young Master.”
Xuan Ying and Chang Jun looked at that figure, their spirits lifting as one.
Heaven has eyes, finally someone has spoken the words they usually could not say aloud!
Lizhu was also taken aback.
Though she was angry, she was not actually surprised by Tan Xun’s choice.
It wasn’t just him; even Emperor Mingzhao, who doted on her so much, after Shen Fu used a slingshot to strike her into the lotus pond, nearly costing her life, had only given Shen Fu a few strokes of the cane and instructed Lizhu to avoid her younger brother in the future.
She was long accustomed to it.
The small courtyard was quiet for a moment, leaves rustling down. Tan Xun lowered his gaze and took a sip of wine.
“Esteemed brother, is there some old grievance between you and me, or the Tan family?”
Pei Zhaoye’s eyelashes moved slightly.
“Tan Xun, he is only speaking the truth.”
Lizhu interrupted him.
Hearing how Lizhu addressed him, Tan Xun’s fingers tightened slightly.
He said: “The Princess does not know, during my time in Wan County, I occasionally heard clansmen mention that the Tan family’s cargo ships passing through Yan River were often robbed…”
“It’s not like they only rob you; wasn’t I robbed too?”
Tan Xun, hearing her tone which held no ill will and even seemed somewhat matter-of-fact, was momentarily stunned.
Just what kind of bewitchment had this mountain bandit cast upon Lizhu?
Pei Zhaoye’s eyes held laughter.
Lizhu said: “Do not change the subject, Tan Xun. The Empress and Tan Rong are your relatives; being unable to uphold justice at the expense of your own is human nature, I can understand that.”
A faint light appeared in Tan Xun’s eyes.
“But they are your family, not mine. I have no obligation to tolerate them unconditionally.”
Lizhu turned her head and said to Chang Jun: “Go bring the Pei brothers here.”
Chang Jun accepted the order. Before long, he and Lu Yu together escorted the Pei brothers into the courtyard.
Lu Yu presented a bamboo slip.
“Tan Rong ordered a Colonel named Qi Yu to go to Yiling County, secretly meet the Pei brothers, under the false pretense of searching for a noble lady from a prominent Luoyang family who had fled an arranged marriage. He also ordered the Yiling Commandant Xu Bi to conduct a search for the Princess throughout the entire county, planning to hand the Princess over to Tan family death soldiers for execution after success.”
“The facts are detailed, both witnesses and confessions are present. We request Your Highness to examine them.”
Jie Yun’s eyes were dark and gloomy, fixed on the two bloody figures on the ground, the tips of his fingers gripping the sword scabbard turning white.
If only they could eliminate these two—
Pei Zhaoye glanced at Jie Yun’s subtle movements, then said with a laugh to the two on the ground: “Uncle, Foster Father, not even a night apart, how did you end up in such a miserable state?”
The spineless Pei Conglu was already lying on the ground, emitting only moans of agony.
Pei Congxun still had some backbone left; those confessions hadn’t been extracted from him. He just stared darkly at Pei Zhaoye, his gaze gloomy.
Pei Zhaoye said: “Rest assured, I am, after all, someone who came from the Pei family. I remember your kindness. If anyone wants your lives, they’ll have to get through me first.”
Tan Xun glanced at him.
After a long moment, he asked Lizhu: “What does the Princess wish to do?”
Lizhu shook her head:
“I do not wish to do anything. You are right, the imperial family and the Tan clan are currently at a time for full cooperation. What is recorded entry by entry in the Pei family’s confidential register shows the Tan clan is actively winning over southern aristocratic families, working hard to establish the court’s footing.”
“Since that is the case…”
Lizhu looked directly into his eyes:
“The matter of the Empress and Tan Rong joining forces to assassinate me, I can act as if it never happened. Before Father Emperor, I will not mention a single word. But in return, I do not care what method you use, persuade your family to abandon the marriage agreement between you and me. Otherwise, these witnesses and material evidence, I will immediately make public.”
Pei Zhaoye frowned almost imperceptibly.
Never happened?
He could just call off an engagement and erase the crime of massacring a family? What was he?
Tan Xun said in a deep voice:
“Lizhu, you are not at court, you do not know the current state of the world. The Tan family is gathering renowned scholars to serve the court on behalf of the imperial family, and it is just beginning to show results. If a rift develops between the two families now, those who covet the imperial throne will surely take advantage of the situation, shaking the foundation of the state…”
“You are right. But the one who endangered the Princess and created this rift between the two families is not me.”
Rubbing her finger over the bamboo slip, Lizhu looked at him calmly.
“The imperial family needs the Tan family, but your Tan family also needs the imperial family, and would certainly not wish to bear the stigma of plotting against the Princess. If this matter were known to all, under heavy pressure, your father would surely abandon Tan Rong to protect the Empress. But this kind of situation where both sides suffer losses is something neither of us wishes to see.”
“Choose, Tan Xun. You have always been good at making choices, haven’t you?”
As if seeing her for the first time.
Tan Xun gazed at Lizhu with an incredulous look, speechless for a long time.
Lizhu rose and left the courtyard, leaving him time to think.
“You actually gave him a choice.”
“Pei Zhaoye—”
He was tall and walked fast; Lizhu had to jog to keep up.
“Pei Zhaoye! Wait for me!”
He pushed aside the willow branches, not turning his head.
“Pei… Ouch.”
Pei Zhaoye stopped abruptly and turned back. He saw the young girl suddenly squatting on the ground, holding her ankle, as if she had sprained her foot.
He immediately turned back.
As he squatted down in front of her, a thought suddenly occurred to him: “On such flat, level brick pavement, how did you sprain your foot?”
Lizhu lifted her head, a shallow dimple appearing by her lips, and tugged at his sleeve.
“I just sprained it.”
“……”
His heart, which a moment ago had been heavy as lead, suddenly and uncontrollably thumped twice.
Lizhu opened her hands, her voice soft: “I haven’t eaten the midday meal, I’m hungry. Carry me on your back over there.”
Pei Zhaoye’s throat tightened.
Xuan Ying watched as the bandit leader, with his cold, unapproachable face, slowly lifted the princess onto his back.
Chang Jun was frantic with anxiety, wanting to step forward, but Xuan Ying shook her head and stopped him.
Golden willow branches swayed in the pond breeze.
Lizhu rested her head on his broad back. His steps were very steady, his slightly elevated body temperature carrying the clean scent of soapberries into her nostrils.
“I hadn’t finished what I was saying earlier.”
A voice tinged with annoyance came from ahead.
“Do you really think I won’t throw you into the pond?”
“You absolutely won’t.”
Lizhu spoke with the confidence of one who knows they are safe: “What I meant to say earlier was just this: he does like me, but his liking is merely a liking of convenience.”
“…Convenience?”
“It’s like, he was already going to walk this road anyway, and on the road there happened to be flowers and plants he liked. He saw them, so he picked them casually and took them home. But if he had to take another road, he wouldn’t go through great hardship to detour just to pick the flowers. Do you understand what I mean?”
Her breath fell behind his ear, teasing him stroke by stroke, her lips almost touching his ear.
Pei Zhaoye’s Adam’s apple bobbed; he grunted a low acknowledgment.
Lizhu said: “So he won’t choose this marriage. Because this time it’s not convenient. He is the Tan family’s legitimate eldest son, bearing the heavy responsibility of his clan. How could he abandon a broad, open highway for a narrow, winding path?”
“So you like someone who would take a detour for you?”
Lizhu was taken aback.
“Not exactly.”
From Lizhu’s perspective, she couldn’t see his full face, only his reddened earlobe and his high, straight nose bridge.
She tightened her arms, drawing his neck a little closer.
“I wouldn’t abandon the path I must walk for someone else either. But heaven and earth are so vast; as long as people are willing to walk, even diverging small paths can one day meet.”
Lizhu tilted her head to rest on his shoulder, gazing at him with a smiling, bright expression.
“See, didn’t we meet?”
