Chapter 32: Marriage Decree

“Having returned to his youth, a beautiful woman appeared in his dreams again.”

This was an even more difficult and embarrassing situation than keeping him from marrying a wife.

Pei Wenxuan didn’t say anything else anymore. In his mind, he was thinking about how to gracefully declare that he would be defaulting on his debts while saving face.

The woman still looked at him with a smile pasted on her face, but there was a bit of mockery in her eyes.

After a few moments, Pei Wenxuan finally managed to get a grasp on the situation. He was about to speak when he heard someone anxiously shouting from outside: “Eldest Young Master! Eldest Young Master!”

Everyone turned their heads. Pei Wenxuan saw that the person who came running was the servant who stood watch at the gates of the residence. After thinking about it for a moment, he realized that it might be the imperial marriage decree.

The servant was gasping for breath as he stopped in front of Pei Wenxuan and stammered: “The imperial decree…Eldest Young Master…at the doors…”

Without waiting for him to finish, Pei Wenxuan smiled and turned around to walk out the doors.

Only then did the servant woman who came to demand money react. She hastily came forward to ask the servant who had been on watch, “What imperial decree?”

“People from the Imperial Palace have arrived outside,” The servant caught his breath and proceeded to explain, “Everyone must be present in order for the imperial decree to be read. All the Old Masters, Madams, and Young Masters have already gone over there. It seems that something big is about to happen.”

Everyone looked at one another upon hearing this and hurried to the front courtyard to see what was happening with their own eyes.

When Pei Wenxuan arrived at the doors, he found that the rest of the Pei family were already there. Pei Lixian’s eldest son Pei Wende sneered when he saw Pei Wenxuan coming over and mocked him: “I know my Eldest Brother is full of airs and graces, but the officials from the palace have come, and Eldest Brother is still full of it as ever.”

“Wende,” Pei Lixian stood in front of him with his hands tucked away in his sleeves. He slowly opened his eyes and admonished him: “Silence.”

Pei Wenxuan walked over to Pei Lixian and Pei Liwen. He respectfully saluted: “Second Uncle, Third Uncle.”

Then, he turned to look at his mother, Lady Wen, whom he had not seen in a long time: “Mother.”

Lady Wen nodded at him. Her expressions seemed a bit tired. Once everyone in the Pei family had arrived, Pei Lixian came forward and told the eunuch holding the imperial decree: “Gonggong, the members of the Pei family have all gathered here. Please go ahead.”

The eunuch smiled and nodded. Pei Lixian retreated and heard the eunuch’s sonorous announcement: “Kneel—”

Everyone knelt down in unison. The eunuch began to read the decree aloud with the first half praising Pei Wenxuan. Hearing all of these extravagant words of praise like divine flowers arbitrarily falling from the sky, everyone wordlessly looked over at Pei Wenxuan.

Pei Wenxuan’s expressions were calm. By the time the passage, “The Empress Dowager was very pleased to hear the news and went ahead to bestow a marriage decree to Princess Ping Le” was read aloud, everyone came to a sudden realization. As for the servants hiding the background, their eyes widened one after the other, and they felt a bit foolish.

Pei Wenxuan accepted the imperial decree in an unhurried manner. The eunuch looked at him from head to toe before saying: “Princess Ping Le has always been the one His Majesty favors most. Pei gongzi is truly blessed.”

“Thank gonggong for the auspicious words.”

Pei Wenxuan saluted, responding in an upright and modest manner.

The people from the palace withdrew after the imperial decree was read. After sending the palace officials off, Pei Wenxuan turned around, still holding the imperial decree as he looked up at Pei Lixian.

Pei Lixian had both of his hands stowed away in his sleeves with an expression of indifference: “It is your blessing to have received a marriage decree from His Majesty. In the future, remember to serve the Princess well and do not make the Pei family lose face.”

Pei Wenxuan: “…”

He originally wanted to salute and pay his respects, but after hearing this, he always had a feeling that something wasn’t right. It was as if he was a bride soon to be wed…

With that said, Pei Lixian turned his head and said to the people behind him: “Let’s head back now.”

In the family, Pei Lixian’s word was law. No one dared to linger around any longer after hearing this, dispersing one by one. Only Pei Wende couldn’t help but go over to say a few disdainful words to Pei Wenxuan before leaving: “Eldest Brother is truly blessed and can just rely on the Princess for a living someday.”

“Indeed,” Pei Wenxuan dusted off his sleeve and flatly said, “Is Second Brother jealous? What a pity,” Before Pei Wende had a chance to respond, Pei Wenxuan let out a chuckle and said, “With Second Brother’s looks, Second Brother won’t even have a chance to honor a princess as a wife. Apart from relying on your father, there is nothing else you can rely on in this life.”

“You!”

“Wenxuan.” Before Pei Wende’s temper could boil over, Lady Wen quickly rushed over, anxious as she glanced over at Pei Wende. Seeing Lady Wen come over, Pei Wende could not keep arguing with Pei Wenxuan anymore. After all, she was still an elder, so he could only bow and pay his respects then leave.

After Pei Wende left, Lady Wen took Pei Wenxuan’s hand and anxiously said: “You come with me.”

With that said, Lady Wen dragged him over to her own courtyard.

Pei Wenxuan knew what Lady Wen was going to say and felt rather helpless, but he still followed Lady Wen to her courtyard. As soon as he entered the room, Lady Wen had all the servants withdraw and worriedly asked him: “Did you know about this marriage decree ahead of time?”

Pei Wenxuan calmly found a place to sit down. He was well aware that the fact that he and Li Rong had soon come in contact with one another would not remain a secret ever since he attended the spring banquet and investigated alongside Li Rong.

So he openly admitted it: “I knew.”

“You knew, and yet you didn’t even think of saying a single word to me about something this big?”

After hearing Pei Wenxuan’s response, Lady Wen raised her voice and sternly shouted: “Do you still have this mother of yours in your heart?!”

“Had I told you, Mother,” Pei Wenxuan poured tea for himself and plainly stated, “Could you have defied the imperial decree or be able to discuss it with His Majesty?”

Lady Wen was taken aback. After a moment, she sank down into a chair as if she had lost her strength, tears streaming down her face: “It’s all because Mother wasn’t good enough and made you suffer such grievances. If your father was still here, you certainly would not have encountered such things… It’s not easy to honor a princess as a wife. Which princess out there has a good temper?”

Hearing Lady Wen weeping, Pei Wenxuan hesitated for a moment before finally saying: “Regarding this matter… I was willing.”

Lady Wen looked up in disbelief. Pei Wenxuan thought for a moment, then he brought his eyes up to look at Lady Wen and gently said: “Mother, I was the one who asked to marry this young lady.”

“You were the one who asked?”

There was utter shock across Lady Wen’s face: “You were fine just as you were. Why did you ask to marry a princess?”

“Isn’t it very good that it’s the Princess?” Pei Wenxuan laughed, “The Princess is also an ordinary young lady. She’s a very good person. You will understand when you meet her.”

“What kind of potion did you drink to lose your soul?” Lady Wen asked as she continued to weep, “I know you are only saying this to comfort me. You’ve liked Zhenzhen since you were little, and you and your father are very much alike. How could you just like someone else so easily?”

“Mother,” Wenxuan could neither laugh nor cry, “You must not say such absurd things in the future.”

“You are my son, my own flesh and blood,” Lady Wen cried so hard that she was slightly out of breath. Pei Wenxuan quickly patted her back and only listened as she said, “How could I not understand what you are thinking? I couldn’t stop your Second Uncle from going to the Qin residence to utter such nonsense, nor did I expect that Qin Lin from the Qin family to declare that his little sister could not enter the Pei family’s lair just after hearing what your Second Uncle said, and come to break off the engagement. It was I who harmed you, and you are the one who still has to comfort me now…”

“Mother,” Pei Wenxuan couldn’t bear Lady Wen crying on end like this. She was already so old, but he knew that his mother had always been this way, so he could only good-naturedly persuade her with gentle, soft-spoken words, “She’s very good, and I like her very much. It took me a lot of effort just to marry her. In the future, don’t say such things in front of her, and if you are truly thinking of me and genuinely want me to have a happy marriage, please don’t mention Qin Zhenzhen anymore and try to get along with the Princess, alright?”

Lady Wen heard Pei Wenxuan comforting her and looked up at him with some doubt: “Are you trying to fool me?”

“How can I fool you?” Pei Wenxuan sighed, “I genuinely like her.”

“Then, what about Qin Zhenzhen?”

Lady Wen had a blank expression on her face.

Pei Wenxuan lifted his hand and held his forehead: “I didn’t really know what I was thinking back then. Now that I’m a little older, wouldn’t I know who I like or don’t like?”

“This…” Lady Wen hesitated for a moment, but she seemed convinced as she slowly said, “That is true.”

Pei Wenxuan lifted his head and looked at her a bit strangely: “You think I don’t actually like Qin Zhenzhen?”

“You are just like a child,” Lady Wen said with a gentle expression. “There is that same kind of feeling between your father and I. To miss each other when you don’t see one another, and to be moved when you meet again. When you are with each other, you will feel that time passes quickly, and even if your father and I had only exchanged a few words on a whim, I would also find it all very interesting.”

Having said that, a bit of nostalgia appeared on Lady Wen’s face. Pei Wenxuan knew that Lady Wen was reminiscing about his father again and remained silent. Lady Wen also knew that she shouldn’t wallow in the memories of the past so nostalgically in the presence of others, so she paused for a moment and said: “You never sent Zhenzhen a letter during those years in Luzhou because you missed her, and when you saw her, you were courteous and upright, no different from the way you saw everyone else. How could that be considered liking someone?”

“Then, according to Mother,” Pei Wenxuan laughed, “I have to find someone I like to tease because that’s considered liking someone?”

“I don’t know if you can tease her or not,” Lady Wen also laughed, “But you must be a different person in front of her. In front of that person—the one you love, you will always be a child for the rest of your life.”

Pei Wenxuan was stunned. After a moment, he couldn’t help but ask, “Was it the same for Father?”

“Yes,” Lady Wen liked to talk about Pei Lizhi. The look in her eyes softened when Pei Wenxuan took the initiative to mention him, “Don’t think that your father was stern and serious because he was like that in front of you. He has always been a little kid at heart. Do you remember how he would always buy toys for you? He bought them, so he could actually play with them himself. I said to him, how could this be called buying toys for you? Obviously, it was an excuse to scratch an itch.”

“Ah, yes,” Pei Wenxuan went along with what Lady Wen said, “I do remember this.”

Pei Wenxuan kept Lady Wen company as she spoke about Pei Lizhi. Lady Wen wasn’t in good health, so she became a bit tired after talking to him for some time. Seeing that she was tired, Pei Wenxuan attended to her needs and helped her to rest before heading out.

After heading outside, he stopped in front of the doors. Tong Ye followed behind him and ventured to ask with some hesitation: “Young Master, what are you thinking about?”

“I think,” Pei Wenxuan let out a sigh, “It is fortunate that Her Highness doesn’t like to cry.”

Tong Ye was at somewhat of a loss: “Huh?”

Pei Wenxuan bowed his head and chuckled before walking away.

He had been thinking about Li Rong just now while he was talking to Lady Wen.

In the previous life, he had always said that Li Rong was too fierce and unyielding. Every time they quarreled over differing political views, he always wondered how a young lady could be so strong-willed.

However, seeing Lady Wen just now, he suddenly felt that Li Rong was quite good in that manner.

No one can hide behind others for a lifetime. There will be a day when they must stand up, face the turbulent storm and face this cruel world.

His mother was not a bad person. She was gentle and kind. His father sought to protect his mother for the rest of her life, letting her spend most of her life in blissful ignorance like a canary.

But all gifts come at a price. His father probably never thought that he would depart from this world so soon.

In turn, the more he protects this person, the weaker this person will be once he is gone.

Before his father died, he had arranged for many people to protect both mother and son, but at the time, he was only seventeen years old when he was sent away to Luzhou in the name of filial piety, leaving his mother alone in the residence.

His mother was soft-hearted and easily gave in. She was always afraid of confrontations and always gave in to demands, so no matter how much his father had left behind, when he returned three years later, everything had been lost at the hands of his mother.

When he was young, he admired his mother and father because they were different from the husbands and wives in ordinary families. The two of them genuinely loved one another and were happily in love. They taught Pei Wenxuan about hope and perseverance in love.

Countless times, he had imagined that he would also live a life like this when he had a wife. He would follow the example that his father had set and devote everything he had to protect and love that person.

But the moment he looked at his mother, he suddenly felt that loving a woman too dearly by giving her everything, yet not teaching her how to fly… Was there much of a difference between that and breaking her wings?

But fortunately—

Pei Wenxuan thought of Li Rong, and he felt a little relieved at heart.

This woman… No matter how you spoil her, she can swiftly soar ninety thousand miles high. The only thing to worry about was that if you aren’t careful, she may remain in places as far and high as the eye can see, leaving you to crane your neck and look up at her for a lifetime, never to hold dear again.

The moment Pei Wenxuan became aware of this thought, he immediately felt that it was a bit ridiculous.

In this life, they were merely living with one another for a period of time. In a few years, they will reconcile and go their separate ways, and yet here he was, indulging his own imagination about what it means to be husband and wife.

However, it was also strange because he couldn’t help but feel a bit happy just thinking about it.

He briskly walked back to his courtyard and saw the servant woman that came to demand money earlier anxiously standing at his doors. His expressions faded away as he stared intently at the servant woman. After a moment of hesitation, he slowly began to say: “About that carriage…”

“Take your time!” The servant woman immediately said, “Prince Consort…ah, no, Eldest Young Master,” The servant woman was miserably wailing as she cried out, “This servant is here to apologize. This servant’s wretched dog’s eyes failed to recognize Mount Tai. May the Eldest Young Master be the righteous lord that does not hold this lowly one’s past wrongdoings against them. As for the carriage, the Eldest Young Master can slowly repay over time and repay whenever you wish!”

Pei Wenxuan was amused by this servant woman’s antics. He suddenly understood what people called a fox borrowing a tiger’s might.[1]

[1] Fox borrowing a tiger’s might (idiom) — using connections to powerful people to intimidate others.

Not wanting to be entangled with these little fiends, he waved his hands and said, “If that will be all, then you can leave.”

The servant woman hurried away. Pei Wenxuan returned to his courtyard. He spent the night thinking about the key people in the previous underground network, and the next day, he went to the Princess’s mansion to take out some money, look for some people, and everything began to be rebuilt in a neat and orderly manner.

When he returned to the residence that evening, he noticed the head of household affairs from the Princess’s mansion standing at the doors. Pei Wenxuan was stunned and quickly got out of the carriage to greet him: “Lu daren, what are you doing here?”

“The Princess has a letter for you,” Lu Minzhi handed the letter to Pei Wenxuan, “This humble official happened to be passing by and stopped to deliver this letter.”

“You are truly thoughtful.”

Pei Wenxuan accepted the letter and exchanged pleasantries with Lu Minzhi for a while. After Lu Minzhi left, Pei Wenxuan took the letter out and hesitated for a while before deciding not to open it. He returned to his room and placed the letter by the bedside.

Late into the evening, when he finished all of his official duties, he opened the letter as he laid in bed and was greeted with the sight of Li Rong’s handwriting.

Li Rong discussed three things in a rather brief and concise manner. The first was to give him two drawings of wedding robe designs and consult him for his opinion.

The second was to ask him about the progress made in constructing the secret intelligence network.

The third was to give him a silver banknote, telling him to throw it in that servant woman’s face.

As Pei Wenxuan was lying in bed and looking at Li Rong’s letter, he suddenly remembered the way Li Rong raised her eyebrows as she spoke and couldn’t hold back his laughter.

He carefully examined the two wedding robe designs, marked one of them, and then put the letter aside somewhere and laid back down to go to sleep.

He had a dream that night. He dreamt that Li Rong was wearing the wedding robes he had chosen and turned around to ask him: “Pei Wenxuan, do you think it looks good on me?”

He didn’t know why, but he couldn’t help but want to smile.

When he woke up smiling from his dream, he quietly laid there for a while.

It was only then that he realized that this was the first time in as long as he could remember that he had woken up smiling from a dream.

In the years following his youth, there were no more beautiful dreams.

Having returned to his youth, a beautiful woman appeared in his dreams again.

The author has something to say:

I suddenly discovered that Pei Wenxuan was holding the heroine’s family intrigue script…

A legitimate daughter of the first wife who has been humiliated and bullied schemes to seize back her family property. She also has a younger cousin who always argues with her without thinking. One day, the tall, rich and handsome Prince Charming took a fancy to her, and her entire family was shocked by the imperial decree…

Oh, what a golden finger![2]

Oh, the tall, rich and handsome heroine really makes one envious!

【Mini Theater】

(Before Marriage)

Li Rong: “What kind of daydreams do you have every day that make you wake up smiling?”

Pei Wenxuan: “I dreamt that you were married to me.”

Li Rong: “Oh, this really isn’t just a daydream.”

(After Marriage)

Li Rong: “What kind of nightmares do you have every day that make you wake up in tears?”

Pei Wenxuan: “I dreamt that you were married to me.”

Li Rong: “Heh, men. But there is one thing—”

Pei Wenxuan: “What?”

Li Rong: “Seeing that you are unhappy, I know that I must be very happy.”