Transmigrating to the Qi Family - Chapter 39

The scene becomes awkward for a moment. Jiang Miao can’t help but want to dig his ears with his fingers, trying to find evidence that he has just experienced tinnitus. Otherwise, how could he have heard Young Master Pei say he wants to marry him? 

How did he end up getting caught in the crossfire while simply going out to sell buns? Next time he goes out, he should check the almanac! And look at what Young Master Pei said, what does he mean he’d rather be with that man? Why not simply say he’d rather jump off a building or die outside to express his unwavering determination?

Wait a minute, isn’t the person in front of Young Master Pei also a man? Even if he’s a bit shorter. Could it be that Young Master Pei has always been gay? Is he pulling Jiang Miao into this because of a quarrel with someone else? 

Jiang Miao’s investigative and angry gaze makes Pei Che feel somewhat guilty, but he had blurted out those words in a fit of anger. He looks at Jiang Miao, pleading with his eyes for him to stay silent for now and help him out. Considering Pei Che is an old customer, Jiang Miao decides to watch the situation unfold without arguing.

However, the most furious person at the moment is clearly not Jiang Miao but Princess An Rou, who feels deeply insulted. 

She watches Pei Che and that man exchange looks and can immediately tell they know each other. She stares at the person standing behind the small cart and confirms it is indeed a man. Although not ugly, he clearly looks poor. Pei Che actually says he wants to be with him and not her!

She turns around abruptly and glares at Pei Che. “What do you mean? Is this man better than this princess?”

“No one in the world can surpass the princess, but there is one thing the princess cannot compare to him in, and that is his place in my heart,” Pei Che says, looking at Jiang Miao with a gentle smile, speaking affectionately. Since the words are already spoken, he has to go along with it. The immediate priority is to dispel the princess’s thoughts; everything else can be dealt with later.

“You’ve gone too far!” Princess An Rou bursts into tears. She hadn’t expected her chosen consort to actually like a man. “Do you really want to be with him?” She confirms once more, unwilling to give up.

Pei Che glances at Jiang Miao again, then turns to the princess and says resolutely. “Absolutely!”

“Fine, you said it yourself. If you don’t marry him, I’ll have my father punish you for deceiving the emperor!” Princess An Rou gets onto the carriage, and her maid, Hua Ying, glares at Pei Che before quickly following to comfort the princess.

Pei Yage witnesses what happens at this moment. She gives Pei Che a complex look and also gets on the carriage.

“Brother Jiang, I will definitely give you an explanation for this matter later. For now, I have other things to attend to, so I must leave. Sorry!” Pei Che walks over to Jiang Miao, bends down, and whispers softly in his ear.

This action is once again seen clearly by the princess, who has secretly lifted the curtain. She abruptly lets the curtain fall and feels like crying again. These two scoundrels dare to whisper sweet nothings in front of her!

Jiang Miao watches them leave in a daze, with the words “princess, father emperor, crime of deceiving the monarch” echoing in his mind. Who on earth are these people? He must have been set up, right? This scoundrel Pei actually tricked him! Jiang Miao says it viciously, wishing to drag out the man who was acting just now and bite him a few times.

On the other side, Zhang Daniu, who has been waiting for Jiang Miao to bring the cart over, comes looking for him. Seeing Jiang Miao standing at the alley entrance with a murderous look on his face, he anxiously asks, “Brother Jiang, what’s wrong? Did someone rob you?”

Jiang Miao sighs and shakes his head, “It’s nothing, just ran into a few lunatics.”

“What kind of illness is lunacy? It’s not contagious, is it?”

Jiang Miao can’t help but laugh, “It’s not contagious. It means there’s something wrong with their heads.”

Zhang Daniu suddenly understands, “Oh, so they’re crazy. But you should still stay away from them. There used to be one in my hometown village, and when he went crazy, it was really scary…”

As he pushes the cart, he describes the dangers of lunatics to Jiang Miao.

Jiang Miao listens absent-mindedly, still thinking about the identities of those people just now. Could she really be a princess? Why would she disguise herself as a man? He feels a bit annoyed for not realizing she was a woman. But if she is a princess, then that Pei must really be from the Duke’s mansion, right?

One is a young master from the Duke’s mansion, and the other is a princess. Aren’t they a perfect match? Who knows if that Pei has lost his mind, rejecting even a princess. Who could he possibly like in the future? He couldn’t marry a fairy from the heavens, could he?

Jiang Miao lets his thoughts wander until he starts frying the buns, then he casts aside those chaotic thoughts and focuses on his work. After all, other people’s love affairs are not as important as making money.

Meanwhile, Princess An Rou, accompanied by Hua Ying, rushes back to the palace without looking back. Pei Che finally breathes a sigh of relief, thinking she probably won’t come out again.

As for the princess’s threat, Pei Che doesn’t take it to heart. Anyone with a clear mind would understand the situation, and he believes the emperor won’t punish him for something like this. Besides, the princess sneaked out of the palace and likely wouldn’t dare to tell anyone about it.

He takes Pei Yage back to the Duke’s mansion and is just about to go back to his courtyard to change his dirty clothes when he hears Pei Yage call him.

“Big Brother!”

“Yage, what’s the matter? Aren’t you going to change your clothes?” Pei Che stops and looks at the dirty hem of her garment.

“Do you realize you just offended Princess An Rou?” Pei Yage certainly doesn’t believe Pei Che likes men.

“I had no choice,” Pei Che says, then his expression turns stern. “Yage, I also want to ask you, what are Second Uncle and Second Aunt thinking? I’ve never met the princess before, so why did she suddenly come to our mansion looking for me?”

Pei Che had found out that the princess had stated she was looking for him the first time she came to the mansion. The gatekeeper, seeing them dressed as palace eunuchs, thought they were there to deliver an imperial decree and informed his second uncle and aunt. It was nothing like his second uncle had said about her sneaking into the mansion to play with Pei Yage.

Pei Yage is startled by his sudden change in demeanor but quickly regains her composure. “Big Brother, what are you talking about? Father and Mother were just afraid the princess might encounter danger if she went out alone, so they asked you to accompany her. We didn’t expect the princess to take a fancy to you.”

“Is that really the case? Second Aunt and Noble Consort Xian come from the same family, so it shouldn’t be difficult for them to arrange a meeting in the palace. If they were truly concerned about the princess’s safety, why didn’t they inform the consort to keep an eye on her and prevent her from leaving the palace?”

Pei Yage is locked in by his dangerous gaze, and her whole body trembles a little. Her speech also becomes somewhat stammering: “Mother, mother was afraid that informing the empress of this matter would offend the princess. With big brother accompanying her, the princess naturally wouldn’t be in danger.”

“So, you can ignore our reputation? The princess is likely to harbor a grudge against our mansion after this setback. It would have been better if you hadn’t come up with this terrible idea in the first place!” Pei Che finishes speaking and leaves the stunned Pei Yage behind as he returns to his courtyard.

Just as he changes his clothes, Pei Che is told that the old lady has sent for him. When he arrives at his grandmother’s courtyard, he finds her usually calm expression now dark and stormy.

“Grandmother, what’s the matter?” Pei Che asks with concern.

“Your second uncle and second aunt are truly something! I wondered what they were up to, and it turns out their hands have even reached into the palace!” Grandmother Pei had been focused on her prayers for the past few days and hadn’t paid much attention to outside matters. It wasn’t until she asked today that she realized how bold that concubine-born son had been. “Che’er, you cannot become the princess’s consort!”

“Grandson knows. Today, I deliberately offended the princess. She probably won’t leave the palace again.

“Good, offending her is fine as long as you don’t become the consort. But in the future, don’t soften your heart. Before your title is confirmed, no matter what your second uncle says, do not believe him,” his grandmother advises earnestly.

“But… Second Uncle personally swore at the ancestral shrine that he would return the title to me.”

Pei Che has always respected his second uncle. When his second uncle first became the Duke, others mocked him, thinking that as the son of the former heir, he would surely face covert mistreatment. However, all these years, their allowances have always been the highest in the household, with the same treatment as when his parents were alive. Even his grandmother initially told him to respect his second uncle and aunt.

But since last year, after she developed a nervous condition, her attitude gradually changed.

A flash of anger crosses Pei Grandmother’s eyes: “If he still remembered the oath he swore before the spirit, he should have requested an imperial decree for the title long ago, instead of hypocritically saying these things to you! It has always been said that wealth moves people’s hearts, and the hereditary title of the Duke’s mansion is even more enticing than wealth!”

Pei Che is perplexed as to why his grandmother speaks of his second uncle in such a manner. What had happened? Or does his grandmother know something he doesn’t?

Facing Pei Che’s inquisitive gaze, his grandmother suddenly restrains her anger, half-closing her eyes. “Grandmother won’t harm you. Just remember, until the title of heir is confirmed, do not trust anything your second uncle and aunt say.”

“…Understood,” Pei Che replies.

“Grandmother is tired. You should go rest as well.”

“Yes, grandson will take his leave.”

Pei Che leaves her courtyard and heads towards Pei Mu’s courtyard. Although he is one year older, Pei Mu’s condition hasn’t improved. Pei Che has sought out renowned doctors in Liangjing, but none have been able to cure him. He thinks that once his title is confirmed, he should travel and see if there are any extraordinary individuals who could cure his brother’s soul separation ailment.

Meanwhile, back in the palace, Princess An Rou has a good cry after returning, and she feels much better. She had originally planned to choose Pei Che as her consort, but she didn’t expect him to be gay and so lacking in discernment. Forget it, she thinks, it’s as if all her affection over the past few days was wasted. She can’t believe there isn’t someone more handsome than Pei Che in Liangjing City?

“Hua Ying, bring me some pastries!” Princess An Rou is a bit hungry after crying. She calls a few times but no one responds. Just when she is about to go out to look for her, she suddenly finds that Virtuous Consort Xian is coming over here.

Thinking of her appearance, she quickly checks the mirror and wipes her face with a handkerchief before sitting properly at the table.

“An Rou, are you alright? Hua Ying has told me everything. Consort Mother will take you to your father to seek justice!” Virtuous Consort Xian speaks hastily before even entering the room. Upon entering and seeing Princess An Rou sitting at the table looking unbothered, she feels a little embarrassed for a while.

Princess An Rou glares at Hua Ying, then forces a smile and says, “Consort Mother, there’s no need. It’s my fault for being blind. What’s so great about Pei Che? He’s just a bit good-looking. There are plenty of men in Liangjing.”

Virtuous Consort Xian sits beside her, looking furious. “You, a dignified princess, taking a liking to him is his good fortune. He actually said he would rather be with a coarse man than marry you. This is clearly trampling on the royal family’s dignity. You cannot just endure this!”

Princess An Rou feels a bit uncomfortable with her words. “Consort Mother, what can I do? Matters of love can’t be forced.” Besides, she feels she isn’t deeply in love with Pei Che. It was just embarrassing to be so mercilessly rejected.

“I think this is just Pei Che’s excuse. What kind of background does he have? How can he be interested in a street vendor? As long as the emperor issues an imperial decree to grant you marriage, how dare Pei Che disobey? When he becomes your consort, won’t it be easy for you to vent your anger?” Virtuous Consort Xian is determined to see Pei Che and Princess An Rou together. The stubborn old man from the Feng family holds his grandson in high regard.

“But…”

“No buts. Just listen to Consort Mother. Your father dotes on you; he will surely agree!”

Virtuous Consort Xian pulls Princess An Rou as they head out. Princess An Rou feels chaotic inside, not knowing what to do.