Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 249 Virtuous and Kind (Part 1)

Pei Qinghe remained calm and asked in return, "Has Prime Minister Pang asked General Zhang and the Meng brothers what their plans are?"

Prime Minister Pang was momentarily speechless, then gave a dry laugh: "It was my presumption, General Pei, please forgive me."

Pei Qinghe smiled faintly: "As a military general, it is my duty to garrison troops and guard the borders, or lead troops to protect the capital and its people. In short, it is absolutely impossible for me to abandon the Pei family army, which I have painstakingly built up over many years, to get married and have children. Is Prime Minister Pang satisfied with this answer?"

Prime Minister Pang, with his thick skin, chuckled and said, "If that's what you think, General, I'm relieved. Those sons of military officers are hardly worthy of you."

Pei Qinghe sneered inwardly.

Prime Minister Pang is a veteran minister of the Eastern Palace, wholeheartedly devoted to planning for Emperor Jian'an. As a female general who commands over ten thousand elite troops in three prefectures, it would be best for her to devote herself to fighting for Emperor Jian'an, and then relinquish her military power and enter the inner palace after the war is over.

If both the emperor and his minister have such lofty ambitions, why don't they just fly to the heavens?
It's not advisable to break off relations now; let's just let it go for now.

After Pei Qinghe took his leave, Prime Minister Pang stroked his beard for a while, pondered for a moment, and then went to the palace to pay his respects to the emperor.

Emperor Jian'an asked impatiently, "Has the Prime Minister sounded out my intentions? Does General Pei know my thoughts?"

Prime Minister Pang thought to himself, "My face is almost swollen from being bumped. General Pei's heart is as firm as a rock. Your Majesty, please stop dreaming of gaining both men and soldiers."

Prime Minister Pang inwardly grumbled, but showed no sign of it on his face. He smiled and whispered, "General Pei is exceptionally intelligent. How could he not understand His Majesty's good intentions? However, for now, he still needs to lead troops into battle. It will be time for General Pei to lay down his arms when the world is at peace."

Given the current chaos, who knows how many years the war will last, with peace seemingly a distant dream. Let's appease the emperor for now!

Emperor Jian'an's brows relaxed, and his eyes shone brightly.

Prime Minister Pang hurriedly whispered a reminder: "His Majesty still needs to give Zhang a high position. Under no circumstances should General Pei be mentioned in front of the Empress."

Emperor Jian'an smiled and said, "I understand the importance of this matter."

He admired Pei Qinghe and also respected his empress.

As the emperor, he could have had three palaces and six courtyards. He was not greedy for beauty; he already had an empress and two concubines, and having Consort Pei in the future would be enough.

……

On the third day of the first lunar month, the eldest prince celebrated his one-month birthday.

Civil and military officials all went to the palace for a banquet, presenting generous gifts to celebrate that Jingchao had a worthy successor.

Among the assembled officials, most of whom were over forty, General Pei, a handsome and spirited nineteen-year-old, stood out. Some tried to ingratiate themselves with him by offering him a toast, while others made sarcastic remarks: "Her Majesty the Empress is a model for women throughout the land. Content to stay in the inner palace, she is a true virtuous woman, devoted to her husband and children."

The one who made those sarcastic remarks was a lackey of General Zhang, a military officer in the Bohai Navy.

Pei Qinghe replied slowly and deliberately: "Battlefield combat is fought with swords and spears, not words. If you're not convinced by this general, go and practice in the training ground."

General Xie is still lying in bed recovering from his injuries! Who would dare to lay a hand on Pei Qinghe?
The military officer immediately shut his mouth.

Overwhelming strength will silence all those who are resentful and dissatisfied.

Pei Qinghe, as usual, only drank three cups of wine before putting down his cup. No one dared to be so tactless as to try and force him to drink more.

"Her Majesty the Empress herself carried His Highness the Prince out."

The civil and military officials all rose and bowed to the Empress.

The young empress, who had just finished her postpartum confinement, was beautiful, with a smooth face and a gentle expression, exuding the air of a mother of the nation: "Gentlemen, please rise." The ministers bowed and expressed their gratitude.

Zhang Jingwan smiled and looked at the most dazzling female general among the ministers: "Is this the general Pei who has won many battles on the battlefield? I have long heard of the general's reputation. Seeing him today, I can see that he is indeed outstanding, even more so than I have heard."

Pei Qinghe smiled and replied, "Your Majesty's praise is too kind. It would be disrespectful for this humble general to refuse. I will accept it."

Emperor Jian'an felt inexplicably guilty and nervous.

Fortunately, Empress Zhang and General Pei only exchanged those two sentences before they had no further interaction, and all was well until the end of the full moon banquet.

Emperor Jian'an was in a very good mood today and drank several cups, becoming quite drunk.

Zhang Jingwan handed her son to the wet nurse and helped the Emperor lie down on the dragon bed. As Emperor Jian'an's consciousness waned, he suddenly asked softly, "Does Your Majesty like Pei Qinghe?"

Emperor Jian'an instantly sobered up, cold sweat breaking out on his back, but his expression remained relatively calm: "General Pei is a highly respected general. He led troops to repel the Xiongnu barbarians and made outstanding contributions. Naturally, I value General Pei highly."

Zhang Jingwan glanced at Emperor Jian'an with a lingering gaze, then suddenly chuckled softly: "At the banquet today, my cousin kept looking at General Pei. I am your first wife, the Empress of the Great Jing Dynasty. How could I not even have this much tolerance?"

“My cousin has feelings for her. After a few years, when the war is over, he will bring her into the palace and make her a concubine.”

Emperor Jian'an was somewhat embarrassed that his thoughts had been exposed, but he was reluctant to deny it. He coughed and said, "The world is not yet settled, it is too early to talk about these things."

Zhang Jingwan sat beside Emperor Jian'an, nestled into her husband's arms, and said softly, "My cousin sits on the dragon throne, busy with state affairs every day, worrying about the important matters of the country. It is my duty to manage the harem and share my cousin's burdens."

"I'm saying all this today to put your mind at ease, cousin. There's no need to hide anything from me. We're husband and wife, what can't we say to each other?"

Emperor Jian'an was both ashamed and moved. He reached out and embraced Zhang Jingwan, saying, "Marrying my cousin is the greatest blessing of my life."

When Zhang Jingwan pressed him for details about their past relationship, Emperor Jian'an no longer concealed anything and recounted in a low voice the story of how he had bid farewell to Lady Pei years ago. He even mentioned that he had written a letter expressing his affection for her back then.

Zhang Jingwan felt a pang of sadness, but she jokingly said with a smile, "So, it turns out my cousin knew General Pei first. I was the one who came later."

Emperor Jian'an felt a huge weight lifted from his heart and was in a great mood. He affectionately kissed Zhang Jingwan's cheek and said, "You are my Empress, and no one can shake your position as the Empress."

This is a lofty vow made by an emperor to his beloved wife.

Zhang Jingwan suppressed the bitterness in her heart and tenderly returned the kiss.

The next day, there was no need for an early morning court session; Emperor Jian'an only rose when it was fully light.

Seeing Emperor Jian'an looking radiant and in a good mood, Eunuch Shen smiled and chimed in, "Ever since General Pei arrived, Your Majesty has been all smiles."

Emperor Jian'an glared at him with a smile: "Don't talk nonsense."

Shen Gonggong pretended to slap himself lightly, saying, "This servant was too talkative."

Soon, Eunuch Shen learned the reason for Emperor Jian'an's good mood. The Empress had sent someone to deliver a generous reward to General Pei.

As expected of Zhang Shi's careful upbringing, Her Majesty the Empress is truly virtuous and generous.

Pei Qinghe, who was visiting a military general, learned that the Empress had sent a generous reward. He twitched the corner of his mouth but remained silent.

Back at the mansion that evening, Pei Xuan and Pei Feng rushed over: "Cousin Qinghe, Her Majesty the Empress has bestowed twenty bolts of brocade upon us, as well as several sets of gold and gemstone headdresses."

(End of this chapter)