After Marrying the Disabled, I Became the Prime Minister’s Wife

Chapter 434

"How dare you!" Pei Ji flew into a rage. First Madam Pei hurriedly said, "Seventh Brother, you mustn't! Your eldest brother did this for your own good! Besides, no matter what, this is a family matter. There is no need to take it to the Emperor!"

"A family matter?" Pei Yu looked at her coldly, as if he had heard a joke. "Sister-in-law, when you ruined my marriage back then, you said it was a family matter and told me to keep quiet. When you caused a scene at the engagement banquet of Wanxin and Second Master Yan, you also said it was a family matter and told me to endure it. Once, twice, three times, every single time you use the excuse of a family matter. Why is it that I, Pei Yu, am so unlucky to be family with you all?!"

Pei Ji was so angry that his fingers were trembling. He had just uttered the word "You" when he saw Pei Yu suddenly lift his robe and kneel facing the window. "The Heavens are my witness. I, Pei Seven, ask myself, since I entered officialdom, I have never let the family down. But the family has schemed against me time and time again, and now they even use such despicable means to ruin a person's reputation! Let the Heavens be my witness, from this day forward, Pei Yu is no longer a member of the Pei family!"

Every word was sonorous and powerful. Hearing this, Pei Ji's vision went dark. He never expected that the phrase "disregard our brotherhood" that Pei Yu had spoken two days ago actually meant this...

A flash of panic appeared in Madam Li's eyes, and she said in a low voice, "Prefect Pei, please think twice!"

The Pei family of Yuzhou was such a massive aristocratic clan. For him to publicly sever ties with them was no different from making an enemy of the entire aristocratic class!

When that time comes, let alone the royal court, it would be difficult for him to even find a place among the common people...

But Pei Ji only looked at her deeply. "Wan... Second Madam Yan, Pei Yu has already wronged you twice for the sake of the Pei family. This time, no matter what, I must return justice to you!"

Madam Li was stunned. Xie Zhizhou coughed dryly twice. "Since Prefect Pei has made up his mind, men, escort the Prefect to the palace!"

Pei Ji panicked and hurriedly stepped forward. "Commander Xie, my seventh brother is just speaking out of anger. There is no need to make a mountain out of a molehill, right?"

Xie Zhizhou feigned surprise. "Out of anger? Can severing ties with one's family be considered just speaking out of anger?"

Pei Ji was at a loss for words. He gave his wife a look, and the latter immediately said in a soft voice, "Seventh Brother, your eldest brother and sister-in-law know we were wrong. It was our foolishness that offended Second Madam Yan." As she spoke, she curtsied to Madam Li. "Second Madam Yan, I am sorry."

Madam Li was at a loss for what to do. First Madam Pei added, "Seventh Brother, if you are still angry, you can deal with us however you want after we go back. I only beg you, Seventh Brother, for the sake of your father and mother, and your brothers, do not disturb the Emperor."

This First Madam Pei was truly able to adapt to circumstances; she actually bent her knees and knelt down before her younger brother-in-law.

Pei Yu turned his head away and closed his eyes. "Sister-in-law, if you and Eldest Brother had considered our parents and brothers, you shouldn't have done such a thing! Since you did it, you were the ones who disregarded our family bond first. How can you come and coerce me now?"

First Madam Pei's face was filled with shame and anger. Seeing that the soft approach was not working, Pei Ji also turned his tone cold. "Think it through clearly. Without the Pei family, you are nothing!"

Seeing him reveal his true colors, Pei Yu's mouth curled into a mocking sneer. "Yes, but at the very least, I am still a human being!!"

The aristocratic families were ruthless, teaching their children from a young age to sacrifice everything for the family at any time.

For this reason, his second sister married an emperor who did not love her and nearly went mad.

His third brother and fourth sister were all married off for political alliances, either to capital dignitaries or powerful regional officials. To consolidate her position as the main wife, his fourth sister gave birth to seven children in a row just to get a son, and had been bedridden ever since...

Except for him and his tenth brother—one became a prefect, and the other was the old master's favorite—they were the only ones spared from political marriages.

But he and Wanxin, childhood sweethearts, were still cruelly torn apart!

"Eldest Brother, this is the last time I will call you Eldest Brother. From now on, we will go our separate ways. Farewell!"

Pei Yu walked away without looking back, leaving a dark glint flashing in Pei Ji's eyes.

"Husband, what should we do? Seventh Brother seems determined to go against us. As for the Emperor..."

"The Emperor? Even the Emperor fears the wagging tongues of the people!" Pei Ji sneered. He summoned a trusted aide, gave a few instructions, and narrowed his eyes. "Seventh Brother, oh Seventh Brother. If you want to defy the family for a woman, then you can't blame me for cleaning house!"

In the Kunning Palace.

After listening to the report brought back by the palace servants, Chu Ruoyan let out a soft sigh of relief. "Thank goodness, you calculated everything perfectly."

When Yan Zheng gave the information that Pei Yu was at the Jixiang Restaurant, he had already investigated everything.

But he didn't rescue anyone. Instead, he let Madam Li go over. Firstly, to teach her a lesson, and secondly, to sow discord between the Pei brothers.

But he didn't expect Pei Yu to have so much guts to actually break away from the Pei family!

"The Pei family's ambition is too great. On one hand, they want to start with the Yan family to become royal relatives, and on the other hand, they are winning over princes and ministers, acting as if they want to be the number one aristocratic family in the capital! A-Yan, the new dynasty has just been established and there are a thousand things waiting to be done. If we really let them cover the sky with one hand, it will be very difficult for government decrees to leave the Imperial Study in the future."

Yan Zheng stared at her unblinkingly, as if explaining something. Chu Ruoyan smiled. "Don't worry, I understand everything. The Pei family is like an iron wall, and you have never been able to find an opportunity to strike. It just so happens that Second Sister-in-law stumbled into this by mistake. We can't blame anyone else."

Yan Zheng breathed a sigh of relief, then saw her prop up her elbow, deep in thought. "But have you thought about it? Pei Ji is not someone easy to deal with. If Pei Yu wants to sue him, he will probably strike first..."

The couple looked at each other and said in unison, "The Li family!"

Pei Yu was a lone wolf and couldn't be easily manipulated, but Madam Li still had her maiden family!

If they let the Li family parents take the lead and sue Pei Yu, then even if he had eight hundred mouths, he wouldn't be able to explain himself clearly!

Yan Zheng waved his hand as if to summon someone, but then thought of something and held back.

Chu Ruoyan asked, "Do you want to beat them at their own game and let Pei Ji blow this up even more?"

Yan Zheng nodded. "No one knows me better than A-Yan. The more out of control this matter gets, the faster the Pei family will fall. It's just that Second Sister-in-law will inevitably suffer some grievances..."

Chu Ruoyan smiled and covered his hand with hers. "Leave Second Sister-in-law to me. Just go ahead and do what you need to do, but..."

"But what?"

"The young uncle of the Emperor from the Pei family... no, I mean Pei Zhuo, he doesn't understand these official matters. When the time comes for the reckoning, remember to leave him out of it." The young lady kindly reminded him, but it caused the Emperor's eyes to darken.

"Do you care about him a lot?"

Chu Ruoyan was slightly startled. "Why would I care about him?"

Yan Zheng's expression finally looked a bit better. Upon returning to the Imperial Study, his first sentence was, "Meng Yang, go and check which place within our dynasty's borders is the furthest from the capital!" When the time came to settle scores with the Pei family, he would be the first to send Pei Zhuo there!

Meng Yang's mouth twitched. "Your Majesty, is one place enough? Isn't there also Lord Su..."

Before the rest of the name could be spoken, Yan Zheng shot him a light, sidelong glance, scaring Meng Yang into quickly saying yes.

That afternoon, Pei Yu filed his imperial lawsuit in the Imperial Study.

Yan Zheng didn't say a word; he merely summoned the Minister of the Court of Judicature and Revision to handle it.

The poor Minister of the Court of Judicature and Revision was caught in a dilemma. On one side was the Prefect of Taizhou, and on the other was the Minister of War. Yet the Emperor didn't show any attitude at all, leaving him completely clueless.

As a result, he didn't have to struggle for long before the drum of grievance outside the Court of Judicature and Revision sounded again. It was actually the parents of the Li family suing Pei Yu for bullying and humiliating their beloved daughter. This attracted the common people from all around to come upon hearing the news, and in less than a day, it spread throughout the capital.

When the news reached the palace, Madam Li's hand trembled, and she dropped and shattered her cup. "How is that possible? Did Father and Mother make a mistake?"

Chu Ruoyan poured another cup of water and handed it over. "That's right, they are suing Pei Yu."

Today in the royal court, this matter also caused an uproar.

Pei Yu identified Pei Ji as the chief culprit, but surprisingly, the entire court, aside from her uncle and a few other ministers, were speaking up for Pei Ji.

Even those stubborn old men from the Censorate submitted over a dozen memorials demanding severe punishment for Pei Yu.

Originally, she did not think the Pei family was terrifying, but looking at it now, Yan Zheng's decision could not have been more correct!

"I will go find father and mother, they must have misunderstood!" Madam Li stood up and walked out. Just as she reached the door, her father and mother came in, and her father slapped her across the face right away. "You vile spawn! Are you trying to get our entire family killed?"

Madam Li was stunned by the slap. Covering her face, she said, "Father, what are you talking about?"

"You are still pretending! Minister Pei has already told us about the scandal of you and Pei Yu meeting secretly in a tavern and being caught! Wanxin, oh Wanxin, you married Second Young Master Yan, the older brother of the current Emperor! Carrying such a status and having an illicit affair, do you think our family has lived too long?"

As Father Li spoke, he raised his hand to strike her again. Chu Ruoyan frowned and said calmly, "If you have something to say, speak properly."

Only then did Father and Mother Li notice her. They knelt down in terror, "Greetings to Her Majesty the Empress! May Your Majesty live for a thousand, thousand years!"

Chu Ruoyan nodded. Mother Li crawled forward on her knees, her face full of urgency, "Your Majesty! Our daughter was coerced by that Pei Yu into doing something unworthy of the royal family! Please see clearly, Your Majesty, this was absolutely not her intention!"

Father Li kowtowed heavily, "Yes, Your Majesty! Once our daughter married into the Yan family, she became a member of the Yan family. Since Second Young Master Yan died in battle, she will be his widow for the rest of her life and would absolutely never dare to have divided loyalties!"

The underlying meaning of these words was that she must never remarry.

Chu Ruoyan looked at Madam Li, only to see her body sway. With tears welling in her eyes, she said, "Rest assured, Father, your daughter will never remarry in this life. But the one who humiliated me was not Pei Yu; he was also plotted against..."

Before she could finish, Father Li harshly interrupted her, "You are still talking nonsense!"

Mother Li pulled her and whispered, "Wanxin, whether it is true or not, it has to be true now. Just listen to your father and step forward to testify against him! Only by pushing all the blame onto him can our whole family survive!"

Right now, the rumors outside were spreading more and more fiercely. Some people had already spread the word that Pei Yu had rescued her in the suburbs of the capital not long ago, and others had dug up the fact that they were once childhood sweethearts who had almost gotten engaged...

Now people were saying all sorts of things. Aside from identifying Pei Yu and extracting herself from the mess, there was simply no other path to take.

Madam Li's face was covered in tears as she looked at her parents, shaking her head desperately. "Father, Mother, your daughter can obey you in anything, but this alone is impossible! If you force me, then I would rather die!"

"You!" Father Li opened his mouth and forcefully spat out a mouthful of blood.

Chaos immediately erupted inside the Kunning Palace.

It did not take long for the events here to spread outside.

The news that Madam Li had forced her old father to vomit blood in order to protect her adulterer caused the commoners to be filled with righteous indignation, and they demanded severe punishment for the adulterous couple one after another.

But no matter how loud the voices outside were, the Hall of Mental Cultivation remained completely peaceful and quiet.

Pei Ji could not figure it out, so he called a few of his brothers over to discuss it. "What exactly does the Emperor mean? I have intentionally and unintentionally directed the spearhead toward the royal family, yet he still holds his ground. Can he really be this patient?"

Fifth Master Pei said, "Brother, do not be anxious. Perhaps the Emperor is soft-hearted and has not yet thought of how to deal with this second sister-in-law..."

Pei Ji glared at him. "Soft-hearted? Our Emperor is someone who crawled out of piles of dead bodies and managed to fight his way into the imperial city relying on a single army. Are you telling me he is soft-hearted?"

The Pei brothers looked at each other in dismay, not knowing what kind of mind games this monarch was playing.

Suddenly, First Madam Pei pushed open the door and ran in.

Pei Ji said displeased, "I already said we are discussing matters. Who allowed you to come in?"

First Madam Pei panted, "Master, this is bad! That waiter from the Jixiang Tavern has turned against us!"

"What?" Pei Ji stood up in shock, only to hear First Madam Pei say, "It is true! That waiter just went to the Supreme Court to turn himself in, saying he was instructed by us to drug Seventh Brother! And Commander Xie also brought people to testify, and the commoners of Taizhou have even written a blood letter pleading for mercy for Pei Yu!"

Pei Ji's vision went black as he covered his forehead. A servant of the Pei residence rushed in hastily, "Master! There are commoners throwing feces at our door, saying you are worse than pigs and dogs, framing your own brother!"

One piece of news after another almost knocked Pei Ji unconscious!

He had used public opinion to pressure the Emperor, so he naturally knew that public opinion was the easiest thing to suffer a backlash from!

Once the commoners learned they had been fooled, their anger would be dozens of times greater than before, completely uncontrollable!

Sure enough, the commoners who had previously only moved their lips and fought with words began to take action.

Wave after wave of people ran to the palace gates, kneeling and begging the Emperor to investigate this case thoroughly. They were even more anxious to know the truth than Pei Yu and Madam Li.

"Then let the Chief Grand Secretary hold a public trial for this case and produce a convincing result within three days!"

By the time Pei Ji changed into his official uniform and hurried into the palace, the Emperor had already agreed.

His legs went soft, and he almost fell to his knees.

Cao Yang? How could Cao Yang be allowed to judge?

Who did not know he was a famous master of solving cases, and when he was in charge of the Supreme Court during the previous dynasty, there was never a single unjust case!

Unfortunately, the Emperor's word was golden. Pei Ji could only wait until court was dismissed to find Cao Yang and speak some good words, "Chief Grand Secretary, regarding Pei Yu's case..."

Before ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‍he could finish, Cao Yang interrupted him, "Does Lord Pei know how many hours this Chief Grand Secretary spends handling official business every day?"

He froze, only to hear Cao Yang sneer, "Sixteen hours!"

Spending sixteen hours a day handling official business and sleeping for less than six hours. Despite this, Pei Ji still wanted to waste his time for his own selfish desires!

Cao Yang walked straight past him without even looking up. Pei Ji only felt a cold sweat breaking out on his back, and only one thought remained in his mind: It is over!

Sure enough, without waiting for three days, Cao Yang submitted the memorial to close the case early the very next morning.

With both witnesses and physical evidence present, there was no room even to attempt sophistry.

"Pei Ji, what else do you have to say?" The Emperor looked down at him from above, his face expressionless.

Pei Ji's eyes were clouded. It took a long while before he kowtowed to the ground, "A thousand mistakes, ten thousand mistakes, they are all the fault of this guilty subject alone, and have nothing to do with the Pei family!"

Yan Zheng curled his lips and glanced at Cao Yang. The latter said, "Minister Pei is mistaken. According to the confession of the waiter from the Jixiang Tavern, it was you who ordered him to buy the medicine, but it was your wife who paid for it, and the one who inspected it was your fifth brother... Almost everyone in the Pei family knew about this matter. I wonder how Minister Pei will explain this?"

Pei Ji opened his mouth wide, wanting to speak several times but unable to get the words out.

Finally, his face turned ashen and he prostrated himself, "This guilty subject admits his fault! I beg the Emperor for mercy!"

Yan Zheng let out a long breath and said loudly, "Men, strip Minister of War Pei Ji of his official hat and punish him severely without pardon! The entire Pei family has acted in collusion, deal with them according to the law!"

The guards on the left and right responded and dragged the man away. Yan Zheng then took advantage of the situation to deal with several ministers who had close ties to the Pei family.

When he eagerly arrived at the Kunning Palace, wanting to share this good news with Ah Yan, he heard a resounding voice coming from inside: "Set off immediately. We are going to Mount Mei!"