Transmigrating to the Qi Family - Chapter 208

When Master Feng hears from a servant that Pei Che and Jiang Miao have come to visit, he is overjoyed. However, when Pei Che hands him a few pieces of paper to review, his mood plummets to rock bottom. He slams the papers on the table heavily, his eyebrows and beard bristling with anger.

“So there is more to what happened back then! Poor Anxue and Shijie, they’ve been unjustly wronged for so many years!” As he mentions their names and recalls the tragedy from years ago, Master Feng cannot help but shed tears.

When the incident occurs, his entire family is stationed elsewhere on an assignment. Upon receiving the devastating news, he faints on the spot. After regaining consciousness, he immediately submits a memorial to the emperor, requesting permission to return to the capital, while instructing his family to prepare for departure. As soon as his request is approved, he sets off without delay.

But the distance is too great. By the time he reaches Liangjing, Feng Anxue and Pei Shijie have already been laid to rest. One is his beloved daughter, and the other, his most prized disciple. Both meet their end in a desolate wilderness, leaving behind two orphaned children. How can he ever find peace? Suspecting foul play, he secretly assigns people to monitor Ci Ji Temple, hoping to uncover clues. However, after half a year, nothing suspicious surfaced, forcing him to withdraw his men.

Unexpectedly, not long after he withdraws his troops, the monks there are robbed. To his shock, shortly after he pulls back his forces, a monk at the temple is attacked and killed. It becomes clear that while he has people watching Ci Ji Temple, someone else has been monitoring his every move.

If only he persisted longer or acted more discreetly, perhaps the events of that year wouldn’t end with the truth buried as mere coincidence.

“Grandfather, please don’t grieve too much,” Pei Che consoles him. “The most important thing now is to uncover the truth. We’ve already found that one of the people involved back then served under the Sixth Prince, and that Cheng Kaihua, who is related to him by marriage, was inexplicably demoted and sent back to his hometown. I believe that once we understand Cheng Kaihua’s background, we’ll be able to piece everything together.”

Old Master Feng takes a deep breath. Though he has weathered countless storms in his long career, when it comes to matters involving his children, he is still just an ordinary father.

“Cheng Kaihua and I don’t have much interaction,” Master Feng says after composing himself. “When I left the capital back then, he had just entered the court. By the time I return, he has already risen to the rank of third-grade official. For ordinary people, climbing the ranks in the bureaucracy is as hard as scaling the heavens. Some spend half their lives struggling and only manage to rise by one or two grades. But in just a few short years, he goes from the sixth rank to the third, which shows that his means of scheming are not bad.”

Old Master Feng strokes his beard thoughtfully. He has been curious about Cheng Kaihua’s unusually rapid rise in rank even back then.

“Most importantly, he must have someone powerful backing him. A court is like a boat navigating on water—one log alone cannot support it. Since he lacks a prestigious background, he must have later sought refuge with someone influential to achieve such success. The fact that the current emperor exiles him back to his hometown suggests the emperor becomes aware of his disloyalty. However, for many years prior, he appears to be a solitary official, seemingly unaligned with anyone.”

After hearing Master Feng’s explanation, Pei Che and Jiang Miao exchange looks, bewildered. Is this another dead end? What should they do now? Should they go find Cheng Kaihua? After his demotion, he returns to his hometown in Huzhou, which is over 1,500 li (approximately 750 kilometers) from Liangjing. A round trip would take considerable time, and what if they come back empty-handed? Could the truth still be uncovered?

Just when the two are caught in a dilemma, Old Master Feng suddenly slams the table and exclaims, “I just remember! Although Cheng Kaihua himself comes from an unremarkable background, his wife’s family is of high status.”

“Grandfather, that doesn’t make sense,” Jiang Miao objects. “Zuo Shun relies on him to get into the palace as a servant. If his wife’s family is so powerful, would they need to rely on Cheng Kaihua for anything?”

Master Feng chuckles and shakes his head. “Ah Miao, you don’t understand. The Zuo family is a second wife’s family. Cheng Kaihua’s first marriage is arranged for him right after he passes the imperial examination. It is a marriage orchestrated by a prominent family eager to secure him as a son-in-law. Early in his career, he relies heavily on his wife’s family to climb the ranks. However, as his position rises, he begins to distance himself from them to avoid accusations of nepotism. After his first wife passes away, he has even less contact with them, which is why I don’t immediately recall this connection.”

Jiang Miao suddenly understands. Someone did mention yesterday that Zuo is a second wife.

“Grandfather, which family is his wife’s family?” Pei Che asks. Since Cheng Kaihua’s household registration isn’t in Liangjing, he has no way to investigate this himself.

Old Master Feng says, “It is the Wu family of the past. Che’er, do you remember the noble Consort Duan from the late emperor’s reign?”

Pei Che nods. “Yes, I remember. Consort Duan is unparalleled in grace and elegance, unrivaled in the palace. She is always kind to the younger generation. Whenever my mother takes me to the palace, she always gives me presents.” Pei Che, though young at the time, is already aware of such matters.

“That Consort Duan’s maiden family is the Wu family. Cheng Kaihua’s wife is likely a concubine-born daughter of the Wu family.”

Jiang Miao immediately adds, “If that’s the case, Cheng Kaihua must have been connected to Consort Duan. But which prince is she the mother of? Surely it isn’t the Third Prince’s mother, is it?”

Old Master Feng shakes his head. “She is not the mother of the Third Prince. The Third Prince’s mother is Consort Rong, who is now the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager’s family is even more powerful than the Wu family. After the late Empress Xiaogong passes away, she is the one who controls the harem.”

“Then whose mother is Consort Duan?”

“She is the Fourth Prince’s mother.” Pei Che, not waiting for Old Master Feng to speak, reveals the answer first. From the moment Consort Duan is mentioned, his expression becomes strange—hesitant yet incredulous—clearly conflicted.

Jiang Miao turns to look at him, frowning as he thinks for a moment. “The Fourth Prince… isn’t he the one who is close to your father? If that’s the case, then the Wu family must be working for the Fourth Prince. Cheng Kaihua is one of the Fourth Prince’s people?!”

Jiang Miao is utterly shocked by this conclusion. After following all the clues, they end up with a closed loop. But both of them are on the Fourth Prince’s side—does Cheng Kaihua really have any reason to harm Pei Che’s father?

Pei Che remains silent, his head lowered as if lost in thought. Master Feng’s expression gradually turns grim. Jiang Miao doesn’t know what they are thinking but can clearly sense the tension in the air. Carefully, he decides not to ask any questions.

Could it be that they suspect the Fourth Prince secretly ordered someone to kill Pei Che’s parents? But that makes no sense! There must be a motive for murder, right?

Pei Shijie and his wife were praised for their contributions to flood control, and their accomplishments were credited to the Fourth Prince. The late emperor trusted the Duke of Zhongguo family and greatly admired Pei Shijie’s abilities. With the Pei family’s support, the Fourth Prince’s efforts to compete for the throne were greatly strengthened. Could it be that the Fourth Prince found his own power too overwhelming and decided to weaken himself by severing a strong ally, thereby handing over the kingdom to someone else? That would be absurd.

Jiang Miao dismisses his own speculation with disdain. He believes no rational person would act that way. Who would willingly abandon someone beneficial to their cause? Unless… that person isn’t working for them after all.

Wait!

Jiang Miao suddenly realizes something. Pei Che’s father might not truly have been on the Fourth Prince’s side.

But that isn’t entirely accurate either. After all, while Pei Shijie didn’t explicitly align with the Fourth Prince, he also didn’t side with anyone else. If anything, he maintained a neutral stance regarding the struggle for the throne.

But could mere neutrality lead to murder? Wouldn’t the Fourth Prince worry about driving Pei Shijie to someone else’s camp instead?

Jiang Miao’s mind races with countless thoughts. He feels as though the truth is just within reach. If he can untangle one specific thread, everything will become clear. But for now, that breakthrough remains frustratingly elusive.