Chapter 91

 

Pei Xiaoyuan looked at her for a moment, then sat down on a narrow seat opposite her.

“Indeed, as Ashina said, this grand archery ceremony was held for you.”

After he sat down, Xuyu spoke.

“It was their marriage proposal that inspired me. Ashina was the first person to know my idea. I told him that you are the most suitable person to be my prince consort. He is a straightforward person and it’s a pleasure to discuss matters with him. He agreed to help me without any hesitation.

“Lantai can’t beat Chengping, so there’s no need to worry about him.

“In the case of Shizi Yuwen, it may affect my plan. In order to avoid unnecessary accidents and reduce the variables of the day, after repeated consideration, I decided to ask him to withdraw.

“In my plan, Prince Hedu is the most crucial person. So I think about him the most.

“Everyone knows that the Grand Archery Ceremony is actually to select a prince consort for me. If I lose the bet and you don’t come, and Xifan insists that my father fulfil his promise, I can certainly make excuses to shirk my responsibility, but I will be in the wrong in the end. Hedu is the future king of Xifan, and he has a reckless temperament. It would be bad if he harbor resentment because of this.

“But maybe Heaven is helping me. Just when I was hesitating about this, Yuan Zhi sent me a message that one of Hedu’s cousins in his home country took advantage of Hedu’s stay in Chang’an to attempt an assassination on Hedu’s father and instigate a rebellion to seize the throne.

“After Xifan was defeated and surrendered several years ago, several forces in the country fought for power, and Hedu’s father became the winner. But Father did not fully trust the situation, and sent envoys to stay in the capital of Xifan, who, in addition to fulfilling official duties, served as an informant to monitor internal developments. This plot was uncovered by the envoy, who alerted the Xifan king and assisted in quelling the rebellion. The Xifan king is old, and although he escaped the disaster, he became ill because of it, so he summoned Hedu back to the country to stabilize the situation. This news should be delivered to Hedu soon. So even if I lose the bet and you had refused to step forward, it would not have mattered. Once Hedu learns of this, his feelings toward the court will be nothing but gratitude.

“I considered it carefully and asked for Father’s permission. This is the origin of this Grand Archery Ceremony.”

Pei Xiaoyuan looked at her for a long time, somewhat confused.

“What’s on your mind?”

Just when he was in a trance, her voice suddenly came to his ears.

He came back to his senses, raised his eyes, and met a pair of dark eyes staring at him.

“I am listening to you, Princess.” He responded respectfully.

Xuyu was silent for a moment.

“To be honest, I have been thinking about making you my prince consort for a long time,” she continued.

“I chose you because I know what kind of person you are and I can trust you completely. And your uncle’s arrival is the opportunity that prompted me to make up my mind.

“But these are secondary. From the first day I decided to be a princess again, I knew what I wanted to do and what I had to do.”

She looked at Pei Xiaoyuan.

“In fact, even if you didn’t say it just now, I could roughly guess what you were thinking from the way you looked at me.

“Master Pei, just now you’re thinking that I am no longer the Miss Ye you knew before.”

Pei Xiaoyuan suddenly felt uncomfortable as if his secret had been discovered.

He had been sitting upright, but at this moment he couldn’t help but move his shoulders and said with forced calmness: “Princess, you think too much.” After saying that, he saw her smile.

“It doesn’t matter what you think of me. In fact, even I sometimes feel that everything now seems like a dream.”

She looked around the chamber.

“After recalling all the events of the past, unless I had decided from the start never to return to Chang’an and continued being the Ye Xuyu of before, the moment I came back, it was inevitable that I could no longer remain who I once was.

“My feelings towards my father are very complicated. Even now, I still cannot fully accept his selfishness and ruthlessness. In his heart, the first priority is always the world and the great cause of the Holy Dynasty, and everything else is secondary. Therefore, he can cherish the memory of my mother while tolerating the person who murdered her. How hypocritical and contradictory! However, I have to admit that at least, in the matter of being a monarch, he is beyond reproach. After the chaos during the Jingsheng era nearly toppled the court, he rallied against all odds. After ascending the throne, he governed with great diligence, bringing about today’s seemingly peaceful and prosperous times. However, you, Master Pei, must know better than me what the reality is. The vassal states have entrenched themselves like sprawling roots, their influence beyond control. Both within the court and beyond, there are no shortage of ambitious schemers. The rebellion of Chen Sida’s brothers not long ago is just the tip of the iceberg.

“No matter how powerful my father is, he is not a true god. The hidden dangers that developed during the reigns of previous emperors over successive dynasties finally erupted at the end of Jingsheng. Now it’s only suppressed by my father’s powerful wrist, deterring the ambitious from acting rashly for the time being. But in many unseen corners, these dangers remain unresolved. No one knows when, or due to what catalyst, chaos might engulf the world once again. And my father is already old. Even if he still has great ambitions, he cannot escape the natural cycle of life—of aging, illness, and death. He seems to be sitting on top of the world, but in fact he is alone. He regards you as a man of great talent and hopes in his heart that you will become a pillar of our dynasty. In the future, should the world face another upheaval, he wishes for you to stand firm, as your uncle and father did before you, and serve as the steadfast anchor in the raging currents.

“Master Pei!”

She called out to him and stared at him.

“Don’t misunderstand me. I don’t mean that the world must belong to the Li family, and you should protect my Li family’s dynasty. No matter how ignorant I am, I understand the rise and fall of dynasties. Even the illustrious Zhou dynasty, to which all under heaven paid homage, only lasted for 800 years.

“I lost my mother in that war when I was young, and my fate was forever altered. A hundred years from now, I have no idea what this world will look like, nor is that my concern. I only hope that in my lifetime, there will be no more upheaval in this land. In the decade I spent wandering outside with my grandfather, except for some ambitious people with ulterior motives, I have never seen any ordinary people looking forward to war.

“May the Wei River flow past Chang’an day after day, and white-haired elders never see the blade of war again.

“This is the wish of millions of ordinary people in the world. It’s even more a blessing to be able to live in a generation where there has never been war.

“If the court that my father has worked so hard to maintain is overthrown and order collapses, I can’t imagine what kind of chaos it will lead to. So, even if my father is selfish and ruthless, I still recognize his side as an emperor. As his daughter, I am willing to do my best to help him.

“And I, of course, also need a helper. In other words, a comrade whom I completely trust. The identity of a prince consort not only provides the greatest convenience for my comrade, but also cut off the thoughts of some people who want to win him over.

“Master Pei, this is why I want you to be my prince consort.”

As she spoke calmly and frankly, Pei Xiaoyuan’s gaze on her kept changing, from anger and discomfort at first, to slight surprise, and then to concentration. After hearing her last words, he looked at her with a complicated gaze and remained silent for a long time.

Xuyu rose from the couch and approached the desk. She took a tea cup, picked up the silver kettle on the small stove, and poured out a cup of warm honey water. Holding the cup delicately, she walked over to him and offered it with both hands.

“Master Pei, please drink.” She said with a smile.

Pei Xiaoyuan came to his senses, hastily took the cup with both hands and placed it beside him. He was about to rise to return the courtesy but was stopped as she gently pressed down on his shoulder, signaling him not to stand.

Pei Xiaoyuan paused, then slowly and obediently sat back.

Xuyu retracted her hand and continued, “You are well aware the current situation of the court. My father is in poor health. If he falls, there will be chaos in the court. I will not hide it from you. He has never mentioned to me what his plans for his future successor. Neither Crown Prince nor Prince Kang is what I want. However, he has made a promise to me. So I believe that when that day comes, he will make the most appropriate choice.

“Master Pei, I was the one who let you down first.”

She stopped in front of him and stared at him.

“I took advantage of our past friendship and your kindness to me to force you to take a stand in front of thousands of people today and make you my prince consort. So, no matter how angry you are or how much you blame me, it’s all justified.”

“Princess—”

Pei Xiaoyuan looked at the pair of eyes that were staring so close to him. He simply gave a wry smile in response.

“How dare I be so rude to Princess? Princess misunderstood. Just now I just…”

He couldn’t speak for a while, and seeing that she kept looking at him, he had to lower his eyes to avoid her gaze. Suddenly, at this moment, another sentence of hers entered his ears.

“Master Pei, if you think I’m forcing you to marry me, don’t worry.”

Pei Xiaoyuan was startled, then he suddenly raised his eyes and looked at her.

Xuyu asked, “Why did you become distant from me recently, do you think I don’t know?”

Pei Xiaoyuan paused, his gaze wandered again, as if he wanted to speak, but once again, he said nothing.

“Master Pei, you are an upright gentleman. You are forced to marry the daughter of someone who might be your enemy. Even if she is a princess and can bring you supreme glory and wealth, how can you be willing to accept it?

“Don’t worry, I won’t force you to that point.”

“Marriage is just a ceremony. I won’t force you to be a real couple with me. I don’t need a husband. That’s not why I want you to be my prince consort.

“One day in the future, when we have each avenged our hatred and fulfilled our wishes, and the matter in Chang’an is settled, and if at that time it’s proven that my father truly was the mastermind behind the Beiyuan incident that you cannot forgive, I will not need you to do anything. I myself will have no face to meet you. At that time, it’s up to you to decide whether to stay or leave, and we will have nothing to do with each other. I will never let you bear such humiliation for the rest of your life.

“You can just treat this status of a prince consort as an official position.”

Pei Xiaoyuan was completely stunned by her words.

A look of surprise appeared on his face, and he stared at her intently until she called him “Master Pei” again, only then he finally came to his senses.

“Of course, I am very grateful for your actions at the grand archery ceremony today. Master Pei, you are truly a wonderful person. In return for your protection of me today, I also want to let you know that you still have a choice.

“If you really don’t want to be the prince consort, I will give you a chance. You can tell me now. It’s not impossible for me to ask my father to find a reason to cancel it.”

Finally, Xuyu said solemnly.

Pei Xiaoyuan raised his head slightly and looked at the woman standing in front of him with a smile on her face. Suddenly, scenes from the past emerged in his mind.

When he first met her in the county governor mansion, there was a subtle stirring in his heart, it was the first time in his twenty-something years that he felt such a sensation. Across the threshold, when he acknowledged the young woman standing quietly in the glow of the setting sun, dressed as a boy, as his sworn sister, a faint melancholy swept over him. After arriving in Chang’an, he searched for her tirelessly, and when he finally found her in that rundown inn, there was an overwhelming surge of joy. When doubts about her identity led him to bring her to the dungeon for interrogation, and she fainted in his arms, panic and regret consumed him. At Empress Zhaode’s mausoleum, when she uncovered the truth from Zhao Zhongfang and was overcome with sorrow, he held her under the cover of thick trees, hidden away, his heart swelling with boundless tenderness and a sense of fulfilment as he comforted her….

All the joy, anger, resentment, and stupidity that he had never experienced before were caused by her.

And that one night he would probably never forget in his life.

He led her horse, passing through a fir forest quietly illuminated by the moonlight. The whip in her hand gently hit him, and he was so excited that he could hardly control himself…

At this moment, facing the woman’s request, how could he possibly say “no”?

Vaguely, an idea flashed through his mind.

When she said the last sentence, he knew that he could not escape her control no matter what. Even if she used a deliberate tactic, meticulously plotting to ensnare him, he found himself utterly incapable of refusing her.

The knot in his heart still remained.

However, at this moment, let alone becoming her prince consort, if required, even if he was asked to sacrifice his life for her, he would agree without hesitation.

She didn’t rush him.

The incense ball kept emitting smoke, and the smoke curled up in the air, exuding a fragrant aroma.

It was unknown how long it had been, but suddenly the sound of the palace clock could be heard, indicating the hour of Hai (9-11 pm).

Pei Xiaoyuan slowly stood up from his seat, stood in front of her, and said in a hoarse voice:

“It is my honor to serve the princess.”

Xuyu’s heart finally felt relieved, let out a breath and laughed.

“Thank you, Master Pei!

“Now that this matter has been settled, I will go tell my father to arrange the wedding as soon as possible.”

“And…” She hesitated for a moment.

“After we get married, I will live with you in Yongning Mansion.”

“Everything is up to the princess.”

He responded in a low voice.

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