Fu Zhen arrived at the East Gate in a soft sedan chair. The soldiers at the palace gate opened the door, and Pei Zhan, who was still in armor sitting on his horse, looked up upon hearing the voice, then dismounted and walked briskly towards Fu Zhen.
The moonlight poured down from above, illuminating him like a god descending from heaven.
"You finally came out." Pei Zhan seemed to let out a sigh of relief.
Fu Zhen nodded slightly, tiptoed, and raised her sleeve to wipe the thin sweat from his forehead: "Have you been waiting here all this time?"
"I came directly when Yang Tong said you were here."
Fu Zhen lowered her hand: "Then let’s go back."
Pei Zhan nodded, then bent down to pick her up and walked with large strides to the horse, placing her on the horseback.
Fu Zhen laughed on the horseback: "You startled me."
Pei Zhan also laughed as he looked up, then mounted the horse, holding her with one hand and the reins with the other, galloping towards the street.
After returning to the mansion, Pei Zhan habitually headed towards the side room, but Fu Zhen stopped him: "Don’t go."
Pei Zhan paused.
Fu Zhen said, "Don’t you want to know why the Empress summoned me to the palace?"
Pei Zhan hesitated a bit: "I do want to know, but it’s already quite late."
"It’s okay." Fu Zhen pulled him towards the room, "This matter is very important and I must tell you immediately."
...
After the Empress took Fu Zhen away, Pei Yu and his wife immediately went into the court to meet Yang Yi again.
Back when Yang Yi was still in the Zhou Army’s camp, Pei Yu followed his father in the camp. At that time, he was just a spirited young man and naturally had much contact with Yang Yi. Later he disappeared suddenly, and the generals who followed the Emperor all felt heartbroken for him.
Over these twenty years, it was unexpected that he was quite alright and even returned. At this crucial moment when the throne’s succession was in crisis, his appearance with such a tall and strong image undoubtedly gave the Pei family, the backbone of the court, a great excitement.
Mrs. Pei personally prepared tea and refreshments, leaving Yang Yi to reminisce. Yang Yi still had vivid memories of things from his youth, but he responded indifferently to their expectations. Pei Yu was a sensible person and stopped the topic, then began to talk about the situation in the northwest over these years.
Yang Yi talked at length about the conditions of the Dayue and Dongzi countries from past to present, mostly stating facts, and occasionally expressing his views gently.
Pei Yu listened all the way through and noticed that whether Yang Yi mentioned the five years of imprisonment in Dayue or the pursuits and attacks he suffered over these years, he remained calm throughout, without any cynicism. If he hadn’t heard Fu Zhen recount his unfortunate past earlier, who could believe he had so much heartache? It seemed that his mindset and depth of character far surpassed the deposed Crown Prince and King Yan, and Pei Yu couldn’t help but feel sincere admiration.
After experiencing many turmoils, Great Zhou required a strong boost for both the court and the common people, and when the Emperor was increasingly incapable, the appearance of a knowledgeable royal family member with a sense of right and wrong was undoubtedly good news, even if he didn’t want to be Crown Prince and despised the throne, it was beneficial for him to oversee the Imperial Family.
This stay extended until the moon hung high in the sky. Pei Yu sincerely invited Yang Yi to stay with the Pei family, but Yang Yi declined, so Pei Yu personally escorted him back to Wanbin Building.
Upon returning, it just so happened that the servants informed him that Fu Zhen and Pei Zhan had also returned. Overcome with curiosity, he wanted to ask Fu Zhen about what happened in the palace, but he was stopped by Mrs. Pei.
Mrs. Pei said, "The elder prince was reluctant to stay overnight at the Pei family, obviously not wanting to associate too closely with us important ministers, indicating a desire to maintain a distance from the court. This knot cannot be untied with a few words, why rush at this moment?"
Pei Yu sighed at her words and gave up.
In the east courtyard, Fu Zhen recounted to Pei Zhan everything that happened tonight, leaving Pei Zhan stunned for a long time.
All these years, King Yan has been kept in the deep palace, with the impression of a gentle and sickly young Prince both in the court and among the people, destined to be a Prince under the protection of the Imperial Family. Even though the Empress’s protection of King Yan was indeed overly meticulous, with the Crown Prince still present at the time, it wasn’t seen as something significant. Who could have thought that behind this lay the secret of King Yan’s true identity?
"So the Empress’s decision is to go with the tide and let King Yan become the Crown Prince first, and then settle matters with Dayue and Dongzi?"
"That’s right." Fu Zhen nodded, "She warned King Yan beforehand, forbidding him from revealing any information. I think at this time, if the news of the elder prince being alive and still in the capital city reaches the Emperor’s ears, no matter what he thought of using the elder prince as bait in the past, it would impact him greatly. This would not be a good thing for stabilizing the court."