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  The moonlight was like water, and after a noisy night, the mansion of the Duke of Zhenguo finally quieted down.

  In the Rong'an Hall on the west side, the lanterns were not extinguished all night. In the yellow pear wood lattice windows carved with mountains and rivers, a figure swayed vaguely until the first light of dawn appeared in the sky. A tawny figure flashed out from under the eaves, looked around, saw no one was watching, and slipped into the east wing.

  Shi advanced into the inner chamber of the study, and facing Tai Shi chair above the tired-looking Zhen Guo Gong Pei, he made a big courtesy, "The master let the subordinate investigate things, all have news, before the day of the illness, it was the second master who intercepted him at the gate of the government office, and then went to the Nanguo Hanfu villa in the south suburbs. Yang Wu Ye put Huan Xuan San in the wine water brought by him, according to the old monk of Qingliang Temple, it was this medicine that induced the poison that the master had taken when he was young."

  He secretly took a glance at Pei Xiang, whose face was as calm as water, and hesitated before saying, "I heard that even Yu Zhen Shifu of Baiyun An has examined your legs, Master. She said that if the remaining poison from back then cannot be completely eliminated, these two legs will never be able to walk again."

  The desk had a lamp on it, and in the swaying orange-yellow shadow, Pei Xiang's face was sometimes bright and sometimes dark, also unpredictable. After a while, he closed his eyes and sighed, "Have you asked Li Yuan of the Imperial Hospital about my pulse? What did he say? Is there still any hope for me to be saved?"

  Shi Zeng shook his head, "Li Yuan is not good at poison, he said that if even Master Lian Yu said there's no cure, he would be even more helpless. However, if we can invite the imperial physician from Western Xia, perhaps this matter still has a turning point. It's just that the timing is somewhat unfavorable, I'm afraid..."

  He suddenly thought of something. Hurriedly said, "I heard a rumor in the streets that has some relation to this antidote, but it involves the reputation of the young master's wife and the second lady of the mansion. I don't know if I should say it or not?"

  Pae Sang's eyelids fluttered slightly, and he weakly raised his hand, "Speak."

  Shi Zengcai dared to say, "The wine shops and tea houses in the two suburbs have been spreading rumors these past few days. The young master's wife is ruthless and cannot tolerate the eldest son born by the former county lord getting in the way of the second master, so over the years, she has used every trick in the book to poison and pursue him, wanting to get rid of the big master. But all her attempts have been unsuccessful. Now that the big master has married a wife, if he were to have another son, wouldn't the young master's wife's plans be like trying to hold water in a bamboo basket? That's why this time, the big master's legs were crippled."

  He continued, "And then there's the first lady of our manor, who has always been fond of copying Buddhist scriptures for illiterate poor families. She gained a good reputation by donating rice porridge at Qingliang Temple. This time, since Master is unable to move around easily, she made a vow in front of Buddha and took out her own savings to recast the golden statue of Medicine King Bodhisattva. She will donate rice porridge for three years at the foot of Qingliang Temple mountain, only asking the Bodhisattva to manifest his spirit and cure Master's leg disease."

  Giving out rice porridge is a good deed for forming auspicious relationships.

  But the cost of offering porridge for three years is not a small expense. Adding to that, the cost of reshaping the Buddha's golden body, all these expenses add up, and it's likely that Ming Xuan will have to spend all her dowry. In this era, a woman's dowry largely determines her status in her husband's family. Spending everything she has to make a vow and ask the Buddha for mercy is an act of utmost sincerity.

  "Those clay Buddhas, even if they were coated with several layers of gold, would still be useless," Pei Xiang sneered. "What's the point of praying to them? If all those gods and goddesses in heaven really had spiritual power, why do good people die young while evil people live long? Look at those poor commoners who have spent their whole lives praying to them - how many of them have actually become rich and prosperous? It's clear that they're just scams to swindle people out of their money. And yet that child believes in such things!"

  He shook his head, but suddenly felt a sense of emotion, "But I suppose she had good intentions..."

  Shi Zeng continued, "There is still more to come."

  He paused, "I heard that several young men from families who had received kindness from the old lady, heard that there was a rare herb in the depths of Western Xia that could cure the old man's leg disease, so they volunteered to go to the Ministry of Rites to apply for the documents and procedures to travel to Western Xia. The official in charge of the Ministry of Rites was moved by their dedication and stamped the documents, even allowing them to accompany the official envoy on their journey. People in the streets are sighing, what was originally a good deed of loyalty, filial piety, and righteousness, but with Western Xia starting a war, I'm afraid these young men will not be able to return."

  Pei Xiang heard this and suddenly opened his eyes, his deep pupils turned twice on Shi Zeng's face, and he burst out laughing loudly, with a sense of relief, "Yu Zhen Shitai indeed has the ability to recognize people, that little boy getting such a wife, I will be able to put down half of my worries even if I kick the bucket."

  His tone gradually lowered, with a hint of melancholy, "Even if he has always misunderstood me, that's nothing, it's still better than... a tiger not eating its own son, the eldest can be ruthless and heartless to do those things, but I don't have this kind of ruthlessness, in my private heart, I always hope that in the future, father and son can reunite, if it really can be so, then I'll be the sinner for eternity, what's the difference?"

  Shi Zeng's face showed sympathy and entanglement, "But Master Xiang, the old master doesn't know about those things. He has already contacted Wang Ye's former Beijiang old subordinates. If they turn their guns around and help the Emperor deal with you, it would be a case of flesh and blood turning against each other!"

  Pei Xiang shook his head, "Shi Zeng, don't understand. If the Emperor really wants to deal with me, there's no need for others to assist him. He can simply pin any crime on me and get rid of me in one go. If I were to die, wouldn't it be even easier to disband the Pei faction? The Emperor is the master of the world, if he were to ascend to a high position and shout out an order, regardless of whether they are imperial relatives or dukes, as long as it's for the benefit of dividing up the Pei faction's interests, they would all take action."

  A strange smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, "But he didn't do that. The way of the emperor is about balance, if I fell, then those people who rely on him would be the next so-called Pei Party, what benefit would they have for him? Since the Empress came from the Pei family, I no longer interfered in everything in the court, everyone thought I was unfathomable and had hidden tricks up my sleeve. In fact, this was just my attitude towards the Emperor."

  A minister of three dynasties, if he didn't have this kind of awareness, the Pei family wouldn't have been wealthy and noble for so long.

  Shi Zeng's face was shocked, and it took him a long time to come back to his senses. "The emperor's tactics are indeed not something that ordinary people like us can fathom."

  He secretly thought to himself, he was the leader of Pei Shuai's dark guards, and for decades, he had been handling affairs on behalf of Master Pei. He didn't know how many things he had experienced, both seen and unseen, and considered himself a worldly person, but he never expected the current situation, and indeed, it was a move that was one step ahead.

  He thought that the reason why Prime Minister was not acting was only because Empress Pei had not yet given birth to a son, and there was no suitable heir in the imperial family. If he were to move against Emperor now, there would be no one to inherit the throne in the future.

  There are probably not a few people who think this way apart from him.

  Who would have thought it would be like this...

  Bai Xiang saw Shi Zeng's facial expression change, and he guessed what was on his mind. He couldn't help but sigh, "War is a cunning way, the real is false, the false is true, sometimes it looks round but it's actually square. Even what the eyes see isn't necessarily true, so how can you just follow what others say? In all things, one must use their heart to think."

  Shi Zeng hesitated and asked, "So, it seems that our mansion won't encounter something like what happened at the Qin Guo Gong Fu in the past?"

  The eldest daughter of the Qin State Duke's manor was originally the rightful queen of the second prince who had the highest chance of inheriting the throne. After the Five Dragons' usurpation, the armies of the various princes' manors that participated in the struggle for the throne were annihilated, and naturally, the mother's family, the Qin State Duke's manor, could not be spared either. Except for women and children, all the direct male descendants died on the execution ground. The cruelty and ruthlessness of the change of imperial power, the slaughter and bloodshed, are left unspoken.

  Even as one of Pei Xiang's most trusted subordinates, Shi Zeng couldn't help but feel a little afraid whenever he thought about those past events. In history, so-called treacherous officials, unless they could bring down the emperor and establish a new one, would always meet with extremely tragic ends. These few years, the Emperor's wings were still not fully grown, and it was still possible to live in peace, but after a few more years, who knows what would happen? Yet, Master Pei had not made any moves at all, making it difficult for those under him to discern his thoughts, and sometimes he couldn't help but feel a little lost and uncertain.

  Now that Master Xiang has spoken his mind, he steeled himself and wanted to get an answer.

  Pei Xiangli stood up and walked to Shi Zeng's front, gently patted his shoulder, "Qin Guogong died because he took the wrong path, but Pei's family is a great benefactor of the emperor. If he really can't tolerate me, he won't treat Pei's family the same way as Qin Guogong's mansion. You can rest assured on this point."

  I have held power all my life, and when I was young, I did some unscrupulous things. Speaking of which, the current Ping Zhang Zheng Shi Han is somewhat like me when I was young. However, now that I'm old, my views on things have changed a lot over the past few years. A big tree attracts wind, and the Pei family can't continue to live as they did in the past. Otherwise, when disaster strikes, it will be too late for regrets!

  Shi Zeng was taken aback, the sharp-tongued Magistrate Xiang had never shown such a sentimental and vulnerable side before, leaving him at a loss for words.

  Pei Xiang chuckled twice and comforted, "Don't be alarmed, it's just a matter of time before we recover. Although the Pei family may not seem as glorious as before, our foundation is still intact, and our wealth and prosperity will not diminish. On the contrary, we'll have fewer worries than before, which is a good thing. Tell my brothers that the Pei family's centuries-old reputation will not be tarnished under my watch. Work hard and we'll all have good days ahead!"

  He glanced at the sky, "Let Xiaochen come in, I want to refresh my face, it's time for me to go to court!"

  Shi Zeng said goodbye and left.

  The door closed, and Pei Xiang's footsteps suddenly stumbled. He hurriedly held onto the desk to steady himself, his face pale as he propped up his body. On this cool autumn day at the end of October, beads of sweat actually appeared on his forehead.

  He closed his eyes painfully, then slowly opened them again, and said in a low voice with a heart full of sorrow, "Darling, how much do you hate me..."

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