Wrapped In Golden Branch - Chapter 15

Chapter 15

I have my reasons

On a chilly early autumn morning, Qiao Kaiyuan walked straight into the main hall of the Huai’an Marquis Mansion under the servant’s guidance. In a short while, Huai’an Marquis and his son came to meet the guests one after another.

When Huai’an Marquis saw his wife’s brother, he couldn’t help but think of his deceased wife, feeling guilty and sad. “Why didn’t you send someone to say hello before coming here so I could host a banquet to welcome you.”

Pei Yujin also smiled and bowed, “Uncle came from the northwest. It should have been Yujin who came to visit first; it was Yujin who was rude.”

Qiao Kaiyuan stared at his nephew without blinking, stunned- Is this the child of his younger sister, Shuyun? Gentle and elegant, he did have some of Shuyun’s shadow. His younger sister, Qiao Shuyun, was gifted and talented and was once a famous female scholar. But he couldn’t help but think of another young man–

Three years ago, the leader of the Eleuth tribe in the western desert, Chuoluoqi, declared that he would separate from the Great Zhou and establish himself as the Khan. Then Chuoluoqi sent troops to invade the surrounding cities, burning, killing, looting, and committing all kinds of evil. As a frontier official in the northwest, Qiao Kaiyuan immediately volunteered to lead the troops in suppressing the rebellion. With heavy casualties, the two armies confronted each other for a long time. The one who cut off Chuoluoqi’s head on the battlefield was an unknown soldier who was transporting food and gra$s. His name was Pei Yizhi, and he was only twenty years old. With the death of the leader, the rebels were headless, and the rest were just a mob. Qiao Kaiyuan hastily met Pei Yizhi, who had made significant contributions, and then he chased the remaining rebels without stopping. It was not until he arrived in the capital yesterday that he knew that the brave and heroic young man was the illegitimate son of his brother-in-law.

After pondering for a while, Qiao Kaiyuan took a few sips of tea again. “What’s the matter with the replacement of the Prince Consort?”

The faces of Huai’an Marquis and his son suddenly changed slightly. “It’s all my trouble-making evil bastard’s fault. He dared to frame Yujin and instigated the Princess to change the Prince Consort to him!”

Huai’an Marquis gritted his teeth and told everything that happened in the Rehe Palace a few months ago.

“Brother, you are too much. How can you let him take credit just because he was born in Huai’an Marquis’s Mansion? If not, he wouldn’t be able to perform this drama…”

“Don’t talk nonsense!” Qiao Kaiyuan interrupted him coldly. “It’s true that Pei Yizhi has made great contributions. It has nothing to do with whether he was born in the Marquis’s Mansion.”

Huai’an Marquis felt he had misspoken before his brother-in-law, and his face instantly turned red. He wanted to say something, but the other man’s cold eyes stopped him.

A few people remained silent in their own thoughts, and the atmosphere seemed subtle. Qiao Kaiyuan had to go to the palace to meet the Emperor today; thus, after understanding the cause and effect of the matter, he stood up and said goodbye. Before leaving, he looked directly into his nephew’s eyes and asked in a deep voice: “Yujin, do you still rem*mber your grandfather?”

Pei Yujin was stunned for a moment. “Of course, I remember. My grandfather was the bravest of the three armies and was feared by the world. Yujin is proud of him and will never forget him.”

Qiao Kaiyuan patted his shoulder meaningfully, then turned around and left with his hands behind his back. Somehow, Pei Yujin suddenly felt a chill coming up, making him feel like he was falling into an ice cellar.

?

At the same time, in the Princess’s Mansion. It was already noon when Li Kangning opened her eyes in a daze. Seeing no one around her, she subconsciously touched the embroidered mattress on the other side of the bed. It was cold. Then, she was slightly startled. After only two days of marriage, she had already gotten used to the presence of another person on the bed. When she thought of the man’s lips, tongue, and the taste of ecstasy last night, she couldn’t help trembling and feeling w*t in between her legs.

Li Kangning was embarrassed and annoyed, and she immediately decided that she would never let Pei Yizhi, the stinky man who was becoming increasingly demanding, get on her bed in the next few days! While thinking about it, she was about to sit up and found her body sore and swollen.

“Is the Princess uncomfortable? Do you want to call Doctor Wei over?” Pei Lan came forward and asked with concern.

Doctor Wei was the doctor the Emperor and Empress specially transferred from the Imperial Hospital to the Princess’s Mansion.

Li Kangning shook her head. How could she let the imperial physician know about this?

She curled her lips and asked, “Where is he?”

“Are you asking about the Prince Consort?” Zhi Lan replied, “The guards sent someone to look for him, and he left early in the morning.”

Pei Lan and Zhi Lan helped her wash and change clothes. They were shocked to see the ambiguous marks on the Princess’s fair skin. It was fine on the wedding night, but why did it happen last night?

Looking at the clean bedding that had been changed last night, Li Kangning suddenly thought of something, and her face flushed. She asked softly, “Did you see blood on the sheets last night?”

Pei Lan hesitated when she heard this. Zhi Lan reacted quickly and exclaimed, “Yes, I saw it.”

Pei Lan was stunned again and looked at Zhi Lan in disbelief.

Li Kangning didn’t notice the two’s abnormality. When she recalled that there were other stains besides blood on the quilt, she was highly embarrassed, and the blush on her face spread directly to the base of her neck. “Okay, okay. You guys go out first. I’ll stay for a while.” She quickly dismissed Pei Lan and Zhi Lan.

“Yes, I’ll take my leave.”

After leaving the bedroom, Pei Lan frowned and looked at Zhi Lan with a look of disapproval. She leaned close to Zhi Lan’s ear and whispered: “Obviously, there was no blood; why did you just…”

Pei Lan had only been assigned to the Princess in the last one or two years, and there were some things she didn’t know. Zhi Lan stammered a few times, wanting to say something but stopping. In the end, thousands of words converged into one sentence: “I have my reasons, don’t ask.”

After Li Kangning had lunch leisurely, the palace sent someone to bring news—the Crown Princess gave birth to a son this morning, and both mother and child were safe. Li Kangning hurriedly ordered, “Prepare the carriage. I want to go to the East Palace to take a look.”

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Author notes:

Ps: Adult women may not bleed for the first time! The male supporting role is about to appear, and the big dog is going to be jealous (/w?)