Transmigrating to the Qi Family - Chapter 198

“Master Zhao, since you already know you are in the wrong about what happened back then, I hope you’ll tell me the truth. That way, I won’t have to speculate blindly, which benefits no one,” Pei Che says.

His words leave Zhao Wei silent for a long time. His gaze lingers somewhere in the void, and various emotions flicker across his face, as if he is recalling the events of those years.

Pei Che doesn’t press him further. The events of that time are shrouded in mystery; it isn’t something that can be explained casually. Zhao Wei needs to sort out his thoughts first.

Sure enough, after a while, Zhao Wei seems to come back to himself from his reverie. He sighs and says, “The story starts from that year…”

That year, the late emperor, tirelessly devoted to addressing the southern floods, had already been utterly exhausted. One spring night, he was caught off guard by an unseasonable cold snap and didn’t add extra layers in time, which led to a chill.

It was a minor illness at first, but the accumulated fatigue of many days made it worse. A small ailment turned into a grave one. The imperial physicians prescribed remedy after remedy, changing prescriptions repeatedly. In the end, they concluded that medicine alone was no longer enough to cure the late emperor. He needed to set aside state affairs and focus on recovery if there was any hope of restoring his health.

During peaceful times, this request wouldn’t have been impossible for the late emperor to fulfill. However, the southern floods remained uncontained, with raging waters wreaking havoc for thousands of miles. How could he rest easy? The heaviness in his heart only exacerbated his illness, and before long, the late emperor became so emaciated that he was barely recognizable.

In an ordinary family, when the father falls gravely ill, the sons naturally come together to overcome the crisis. But in the royal family, it seemed like a fortune of unimaginable wealth was laid before the princes. Whoever could please the late emperor the most would become the ruler of the vast empire.

In this competition of filial piety, the third prince, with the support of his mother, gained control of the harem. He won the privilege of serving the late emperor day and night, offering medicine and care, portraying himself as the most devoted and virtuous son. The late emperor, touched by this show of filial piety, grew increasingly close to and reliant on the third prince.

Just as the third prince believed he was on the cusp of securing the throne, news arrived: the southern floods had subsided. It was revealed that the one who had devised timely strategies to divert the floodwaters by opening up river channels was none other than Pei Shijie of the Duke of Zhongguo’s household. Not only that, but he and his wife had remained in the disaster-stricken areas to help relieve the people’s suffering.

Since Pei Shijie was on good terms with the fourth prince, some matters saw the fourth prince’s people involved as well. Thus, the credit for the success was attributed to the fourth prince. In no time, the court’s favor shifted from the third prince to the fourth.

When the late emperor heard this news, his spirits lifted immensely, as if the burden of his illness had been swept away. He seemed ready to rise from his bed and resume managing state affairs. His slight favor for the third prince shifted again, this time toward the fourth prince. The third prince was so enraged he gnashed his teeth in frustration, mentally tearing Pei Shijie—the one who had disrupted all his plans—into a hundred pieces.

It is no exaggeration to describe the Third Prince’s Mansion during that period as gloomy and miserable. Whether men or women, everyone wore expressions of utter defeat, as if the tide had completely turned against them.

Adding insult to injury, news soon spread that the wife of Pei Shijie, after many years, was once again expecting a child. This announcement only deepened the third prince’s household’s sense of despair.

When the late emperor heard this, he publicly praised Pei Shijie and his wife in court for their contributions to the empire. Not only did he lavish them with rewards, but he also declared that Feng Anxue’s unborn child was a divine gift of fortune who would undoubtedly achieve greatness in the future.

As soon as this was said, the status of the Duke of Zhongguo Mansion rose again. The emperor’s words not only secured their position and power for this generation but even extended that privilege to the next. After all, who would dare obstruct the path of someone whom the emperor himself predicted would have a brilliant future?

As the birth approached, Pei Shijie and his wife stayed home and rarely ventured out, treating the swirling rumors outside as fleeting gossip that would soon dissipate. However, after Feng Anxue gave birth to Pei Mu, they discovered that the congratulations pouring in were so numerous that the very threshold of the Duke of Zhongguo’s Mansion was nearly worn down. 

Sensing something was amiss, Pei Shijie and his wife, who had never intended to take sides in the power struggle, realized that helping to dredge the river and resolve the flood crisis had unintentionally drawn them into the fray. They had acted only out of compassion for the suffering of the common people.

To prevent the Duke’s household from being dragged into the messy battle for the throne, Pei Shijie discussed matters with his parents and decided that once the children were a little older, he would take Pei Che and Pei Mu and leave the capital to travel around. They planned to return only after the power struggle had settled, ensuring their household would remain uninvolved. Once they left, the elders in the household no longer attended court, and the younger illegitimate sons lacked the qualifications to step into political affairs. Over time, their presence would fade from attention.

In the days before their departure, Pei Shijie had already discussed the matter with his parents, intending to use their upcoming pilgrimage as an opportunity to take the whole family away. The old madam was reluctant to part with them, but she understood the gravity of the situation and did not stop them.

However, before they could leave, Pei Che suddenly caught a cold and was bedridden, too weak to travel. Naturally, the old madam was unwilling to let Pei Che go under such circumstances, insisting that the couple return after their pilgrimage and depart again with Pei Che once he recovered.

It didn’t matter if they went out early or late. The couple thought that after they went out, the old lady would not be able to see her grandson for a long time, so they decided to let Pei Che stay at home for a few more days.

Hearing this, Pei Che lowered his head and sighed. It seemed that his grandmother had not told him the full truth back then. He had only known that his parents left to fulfill a vow, unaware of the deeper reasons behind their departure.

“You seem to know quite a bit about my family’s affairs,” Pei Che remarks.

Zhao Wei lets out a bitter laugh and says, “You may not know, Young Master, but during the time of the flood, I was also there doing business. After the flood subsided, I helped your father with disaster relief efforts. Some of the grain distributed to the victims was exchanged for goods by me. Because of this, your parents considered me a merchant with a heart for the people, a righteous trader, and inevitably grew close to me in their conversations. Later, when they learned of my connection to your second aunt, they treated me as family and confided in me wholeheartedly.”

“It’s a pity that they trusted the wrong person,” Pei Che says, glaring at him. This Zhao Wei has betrayed his parents’ trust!

“Yes, they trusted the wrong person,” Zhao Wei replies, his expression pained. Because of one wrong decision all those years ago, he has lived with constant inner torment ever since.

Just like Pei Che says. He has remained unmarried and childless, not because he still remembers his relationship with his cousin, but because he knows that a treacherous person like himself does not deserve descendants.

Pei Che, seeing his anguish, remains silent for a moment before saying, “Go on.”

“After your parents left on their pilgrimage, one day, my uncle sent someone to invite me to his residence for a conversation…”

Zhao Wei’s relationship with his uncle had been strained ever since the broken engagement, but the connection between the families still remained. So when he received the invitation, he immediately prepared gifts and went to visit.

However, upon arriving at the Li residence, it wasn’t his uncle he met, but his cousin, Li Huanyan, the consort of the third prince.

Zhao Wei was thrilled to see his cousin—it was their first meeting since they had parted as youths. Even though she could no longer be his wife, she was still his cousin. Yet he was well aware that she wouldn’t have returned to her maiden home or invited him under her father’s name unless there was a serious matter at hand.

Sure enough, after a brief exchange of pleasantries, Li Huanyan revealed her true intentions. She said she was aware of Zhao Wei’s good relationship with Pei Shijie and his wife and hoped he could persuade Pei Shijie to work for the third prince.

Zhao Wei rejected her outright without even thinking it through. Affairs of the court were not something a merchant like him could influence, and it wasn’t his place to dictate whom Pei Shijie should serve.

Hearing this, Li Huanyan’s eyes immediately reddened. Tears welled up but didn’t fall, giving her an appearance of delicate sorrow. Gently placing her hand on her belly, she pleaded softly, “Cousin, I’m not asking you to convince Young Master Pei, only to try. Whether he agrees or not, I’ll accept it. For the sake of the child in my womb, please grant me this request.”

Seeing Zhao Wei waver, she quickly added, “The third prince has already learned of our relationship and knows about your involvement with Young Master Pei during the flood relief. He’s blamed me for being incompetent, questioning why I didn’t introduce you to him sooner… Cousin, I beg you to help me just this once.”

Zhao Wei, unable to bear seeing her blamed because of him, felt a pang of guilt and Li Huanyan’s sorrow turned to joy, her tear-streaked face blooming like a pear blossom in the rain—a beauty that left Zhao Wei with a lingering sadness.

“So, when you failed to recruit my father for the third prince, you resorted to killing them instead, didn’t you?” Pei Che’s gaze turns icy.

The struggle for the throne was always accompanied by bloodshed and sacrifice, but his parents had already intended to withdraw, yet they still became victims. It was a grave injustice!. It’s really unfair!