Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 61 Beating
After careful consideration, Eunuch Shen spoke up to comfort Prince Zhangwu: "Sixth Miss Pei is exceptionally intelligent; she must have her reasons for doing this."

“Your Highness’s kindness is too much for me to bear, as the daughter of a disgraced official. I cannot and dare not accept it. By replying to His Highness the Crown Prince, I am making it clear that I have no intention of currying favor with the Eastern Palace. I am doing this for Your Highness’s sake!”

The Prince of Zhangwu, whose face was full of sorrow, slowly brightened his dark eyes: "What you say makes sense. It was my oversight that led someone to send a message so rashly. It is not easy for a young girl to lead her clan to survive and establish themselves in Youzhou. She is cautious in her actions, does not want to give others something to talk about, and dares not anger the Prince."

"So she wrote a reply directly to her father. Just like last time, the letter she had Gao Yong deliver was also addressed to her father."

The Prince of Zhangwu became more and more certain as he spoke, regaining his composed and unhurried demeanor: "This time, I acted inappropriately. If there is a similar situation in the future, you must remind me to stop me."

Eunuch Shen smiled and agreed repeatedly.

He'll just have to get through this immediate crisis first. As for the future, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess will decide on His Highness's marriage. What right does a mere eunuch like him have to interfere?

“Your Highness,” a palace attendant announced from outside the door, “Her Majesty the Crown Princess invites you to dine with her.”

The Crown Princess was born into the Zhang clan of Bohai and was the niece of the late Empress Zhang. She was brought into the palace by Empress Zhang at a young age and grew up with the Crown Prince. They were childhood sweethearts and had a deep affection for each other.

After the Crown Princess gave birth to the eldest son, the Crown Prince took concubines. The other sons in the Eastern Palace were all much younger than the Prince of Zhangwu.

The Crown Princess's position remained unchallenged, and Prince Zhangwu's position in the Eastern Palace was equally secure.

"Ah Li," the beautiful and elegant Crown Princess said with a smile, taking the hand of Prince Zhangwu. "I have had the Imperial Kitchen prepare your favorite dishes today. Your father is in the study and will be here shortly."

Then, he inquired carefully about the various trivial matters concerning Prince Zhangwu, including his clothing, food, daily life, and studies. He also specifically asked how Liu Yuemei was serving him.

Prince Zhangwu replied, "They are all palace maids carefully trained by my mother, and they are cautious and meticulous in their actions."

Liu Yue had been arrogant once before, but after being punished with a spanking, she became completely obedient and well-behaved.

The Crown Princess smiled and playfully scolded, "You and your father are the same in temperament, both of you are very particular about rules and regulations. It's fine with those two, but once your cousin enters the palace in a few days, don't always have such a stern face."

The cousin mentioned by the Crown Princess is also a woman from the Zhang family of Bohai. She is the eldest daughter of the Crown Princess's brother and is fourteen years old this year, two months younger than Prince Zhangwu.

At this juncture, sending Zhang's daughter to the palace for a "short stay" reveals the Zhang family's obvious intentions.

Prince Zhangwu was not very happy, but he could not say much. He respectfully replied, "Mother, rest assured, I will take care of my cousin."

The Crown Princess glanced at her son, her words carrying a double meaning: "The Zhang family guards Bohai County and has troops under their command. Your imperial grandmother and your own mother are both from the Zhang family. You are the eldest son of the Crown Prince and will become the Crown Prince in the future. A woman of lowly status is not worth your attention."

Prince Zhangwu's brow twitched, and he bowed his head in agreement.

Just then, His Highness the Crown Prince arrived.

The Crown Princess greeted them with a smile, leading Prince Zhangwu to welcome them. The usually solemn Crown Prince became gentle and casual before the Crown Princess, saying, "Please rise quickly."

He reached out and helped her, taking her hand as they entered the dining hall.

Prince Zhangwu silently followed him inside.

They ate and slept without speaking. Although they dined together, no one spoke. The Crown Prince occasionally glanced over, but Prince Zhangwu, feeling guilty, dared not meet his gaze.

After dinner, the Crown Prince summoned Prince Zhangwu and said casually, "Your maternal cousin is escorting people to the capital. They will arrive in a few days. I am busy with state affairs, so I will leave the task of welcoming and greeting them to you."

Prince Zhangwu respectfully accepted the order, his heart filled with unease as he awaited the scolding and reprimand from his father.

The crown prince said nothing more and waved for him to leave.

After Prince Zhangwu left, the Crown Prince said to the Crown Princess, "Ali is young and impulsive. He needs to be properly disciplined and restrained." The Crown Princess was also dissatisfied with her son's behavior, but she defended him, saying, "That Miss Pei is young, but she is cunning and resourceful. Ali couldn't forget her after only meeting her once. Even though they are thousands of miles apart, he still thinks about her."

The Crown Prince was much more objective: "Ah-Li's will is not firm, so how can you blame Sixth Miss Pei?"

Prince Zhangwu was completely captivated. Even the Crown Prince, when mentioning the Sixth Miss Pei, whom he had never met before, was full of praise.

The Crown Princess was somewhat surprised and looked up to meet the Crown Prince's gaze: "I heard that Miss Pei wrote a reply."

The crown prince hummed in agreement, and then said nothing more.

The Crown Princess then stopped asking.

What exactly did Miss Pei write in her letter to His Highness the Crown Prince? No one except His Highness the Crown Prince knew. Even Grand Tutor Pang pondered it for a moment.

However, His Highness the Crown Prince was extremely shrewd, and his expression revealed nothing. On the other hand, Commander He secretly took orders from the Crown Prince and led a team of guards out of the palace on an errand, and had not been seen since.

His Highness the King of Wei flew into a rage once again.

Wu Zhong knelt on the ground and took a kick to the heart. He grimaced in pain but dared not cry out or beg for mercy.

"Useless trash!" King Wei's face turned ashen as he cursed, "You can't even handle this simple task! I'd rather keep a dog than keep you!"

Last time, we lost a hundred guards.

This time, two hundred men were dispatched, and they were all lost. How could His Highness Prince Wei not be furious?
The Pei family, a mere household of women, children, and the elderly, turned out to be a tough nut to crack!
King Wei cursed for a full half hour, during which he kicked Wu Zhong three times and slapped him four times.

Wu Zhong, his face swollen, bowed his head and said, "Please calm your anger, Your Highness. I will personally go to Youzhou and, apart from the Pei family, bring back the Sixth Miss Pei..."

Snapped!
Wu Zhong didn't dare to move and took the fifth slap.

The Prince of Wei nearly strained his back from the exertion, his eyes blazing with fury: "The Beiping army has a full five thousand elite soldiers. How many do you intend to take?"

The memorials from the Beiping army regarding their suppression of the bandits have already been sent to the imperial court. Sending someone now is clearly handing heads to the Beiping army.

The King of Wei has not lost his mind.

Wu Zhong continued to bow his head and endure the scolding.

The King of Wei's voice was practically hoarse: "Without my order, you are not to move again. Get out!"

Wu Zhong slunk away.

The King of Wei had a gloomy face, and his eyes flashed with resentment.

The case of Master Tianji revealed that the Crown Prince's hypocrisy and deceit had earned him considerable fame and increased his influence in the court. Even if Emperor Xiaowen continued to favor his youngest son, he would still have to rely on the Crown Prince in matters of state.

With one side gaining and the other losing, his situation as the King of Wei was no longer so pleasant.

His advantage lay in the capital and the palace, but he lacked manpower in Youzhou. Trying to bypass the Beiping army and kill the Pei family would be extremely difficult. It wasn't impossible, but for the sake of venting his anger, it wasn't worth the fuss.

Fine, I'll swallow this for now. When the day comes that he seizes the throne and sits on the dragon throne, he'll crush the Pei family like ants.

(End of this chapter)