Chapter 326
After taking over Third Young Master He’s case, West Prison soon investigated the case thoroughly. It turned out that Third Young Master He did have something to do with his ex-wife’s death. As for the few young and beautiful maids in He Mansion, they were thrown into the mass grave after their deaths.
After the truth was found out, the case was transferred to the Ministry of Justice.
With the evidence that West Prison had gathered, the Ministry of Justice quickly decided to exile Third Young Master He to the border.
The few maids had sold themselves as slaves to He Mansion. Third Young Master He’s ex-wife’s family agreed to give in and would not make a further appeal. This matter stirred a storm in the beginning, but it ended in a low-key way.
However, this was already the best result. After all, Lord Jing and Noble Consort He were still around. If Third Young Master He was really sentenced to death, Lord Jing and Noble Consort He would be placed in an awkward situation. The current result was attributed to West Prison’s interference. Everyone knew that West Prison was under Lord Yun’s control.
He was a tough nut.
However, West Prison was just a place for interrogation, and the Ministry of Justice was responsible for making the verdict.
After the verdict, Lord Jing specially went to the Ministry of Justice to get Third Young Master He out and took him back to He Mansion for half a day. Third Young Master He would leave the capital and be exiled to the border the next day.
It was for Lord Jing’s sake that the Ministry of Justice agreed to let Third Young Master He out for half a day, and Lord Jing had also made a promise before bringing Third Young Master He out.
It had only been two days since Mrs. He last saw Third Young Master He, but the latter had become extremely thin and was bloodstained. Seeing him like this, Mrs. He was so sad that she kept crying.
The maids and the old maids around supported Mrs. He and comforted her.
Third Young Master He had servants who helped him wash up. After he changed his clothes, he sat in a large chair with lad servants’ help. Even though he had returned to the mansion, he still had a glazed look in his eyes. He looked blankly into others without his previous cleverness.
Mrs. He sobbed again.
Even Lord Jing felt inexplicably sad. He grew up with Third Young Master He, and they had a close relationship. Moreover, he had long decided that he would have Third Young Master He as his associate after Third Young Master He became an official, and they would work together as brothers.
But the current situation was caused by West Prison. Lord Jing freaked out once when he went to West Prison. He knew that it was good enough that Third Young Master He didn’t die in West Prison.
He wasn’t strong enough to complain about Pei Yuanjun. In fact, all the princes dared not complain about Pei Yuanjun. Otherwise, the Emperor would not be happy with them.
After a long while, Third Young Master He finally spoke in a hoarse voice, “Mother, don’t cry. I’m still alive!”
“Son, when will you come back? How am I supposed to live?” Mrs. He continued crying.
Third Young Master He seemed to have come back to his senses at this time and slowly said with difficulty, “Mother, I will be fine. Don’t worry!”
Lord Jing also comforted Mrs. He, “Aunt, don’t worry. I have already written a letter to the Guardian General at the border and asked him to look after cousin.”
After hearing what they said, Mrs. He cried less loudly, but she could not stop shedding tears. She wiped her tears with a handkerchief and muttered, “I wonder who you offended. How did you get into this kind of thing? You have suffered a great loss because of women. Don’t do this again in the future!”
“Mother, don’t worry. I will be careful.” Third Young Master He said. A trace of malice flashed through his eyes. He looked around and found no outsiders around. His two elder brothers were not around. His case happened in the mansion. Someone must have volunteered to report on his doing. Otherwise, the investigation would not have been finished so quickly and clearly.
Needless to say, it was related to his two elder brothers.
“Let’s drop the marriage issue for now. I don’t want you to marry any lady in Qu Mansion. At first, it was Fourth Lady Qu. Later, it became First Lady Qu. Third Lady Qu is not a good lady. She knew that Fourth Lady Qu is going to marry someone of the royal family, yet she still provoked me to pick a quarrel with Fourth Lady Qu.”
Mrs. He muttered as she stole a glance at Lord Jing. She said so to make things difficult for Qu Qiuyan.
Pei Yusheng frowned. “Third Lady Qu?”
“That day, Third Lady Qu invited me over and said that it was Fourth Lady Qu who caused my son to be like this. I was so angry that I rushed to Fourth Lady Qu’s place. Only then did I know that Fourth Lady Qu has been engaged with someone in the palace. However, Third Lady Qu did not tell me about this and even deliberately egged on me to go to Fourth Lady Qu. My poor son! I am framed by Third Lady Qu for your sake!”
Mrs. He continued to complain.
Third Young Master He rolled his eyes blankly. “Fourth Lady Qu’s marriage has been arranged?”
“I don’t know. I heard that it’s not something anyone can ask. There is a palace maid in her yard. It should be real.”
Mrs. He wiped away her tears.
Third Young Master He turned to Pei Yusheng. “Cousin…”
Pei Yusheng thought about it and said vaguely, “This matter is indeed related to the palace. The Empress is in charge of this matter. I do not know the exact progress.”
It meant that others should not propose marriage to Qu Moying anymore.
Third Young Master He understood, and so did Mrs. He.
“Third Lady Qu told me that she didn’t know anything and cheated me into making trouble for Fourth Lady Qu.” Mrs. He cried again, feeling wronged.
Pei Yusheng was upset from the cry. He Mansion’s people all knew the matter between him and Qu Qiuyan.
He reached out and pressed his forehead. “Aunt, don’t worry. I will make her apologize to you in the future.”
“There’s no need for apology. I’m nobody, but she will be the future Side Princess. How could I let her apologize to me? It’s just that when I was in a state of panic and confusion, she didn’t help, and she… even made things worse… She interfered in Fourth Lady Qu’s things. If the Empress knew about it, she might think that it was Her Grace’s idea.”
Mrs. He smartly diverted the topic to Noble Consort He and Lord Jing.
Sure enough, Pei Yusheng’s face darkened, and he snorted, “Aunt, please rest assured. You can ask her to kneel to apologize in the future.”
It meant that he would not let Qu Qiuyan be his Side Princess. Otherwise, even if Mrs. He was an elder, she could not ask a prince’s Side Princess to kneel to her.
Mrs. He was overjoyed to hear that. She nodded repeatedly and wiped her tears with joy.
Third Young Master He suddenly said, “Mother, tell others that I proposed to First Lady Qu in the first place.”
“Wh… what?” Mrs. He stopped wiping her tears and asked blankly, not understanding the meaning of her son’s words.
A strange smile appeared on Third Young Master He’s face as he slowly spoke, “With my current situation, I couldn’t marry any good woman. I will marry First Lady Qu. Anyway, she wanted to marry me before. Let her wait for a few years. When I return from the border, I will marry her.”
He was going to tie Qu Xuexin to him.
Pei Yusheng looked at the vicious look on Third Young Master He’s face and did not say anything. He flicked the table in front of him twice as he weighed the consequences in his mind. Then, he found that it was not a big deal.
There were East Mansion and West Mansion in Qu Mansion, and East Mansion could not stir up any trouble.
He thought it was not bad for First Lady Qu to marry his cousin. Moreover, he heard that First Lady Qu looked ordinary, and her marriage had been delayed for a long time. She wanted to marry into a good family. Now that his cousin wanted to marry her, it was not a big deal to make it happen.
Mrs. He was still in a daze. “Should I go to Qu Mansion now?”
“Yes, mother. Go to Qu Mansion now and send betrothal gifts to First Lady Qu. Just say that First Lady Qu and I bumped into each other in the backyard of Qu Mansion, and we took fancy to each other. Now that I’m leaving the capital, I’m afraid she will marry someone else, so I will engage with her and get married with her later. I will appreciate it if she is willing to go to the border with me.”
Third Young Master He said slowly.
He said he was afraid that Qu Xuexin would marry someone else, which meant that “something” had already happened between him and Qu Xuexin.
Even if Qu Xuexin did not want to marry him, her reputation would be completely ruined. None of the good aristocratic families in the capital would marry their sons with Qu Xuexin.
Mrs. He only wanted to quash the thing now. She somewhat quailed. She looked at Lord Jing and asked hesitantly, “Will Qu Mansion cause a ruckus?”
“Mother, just do it. If they want to break the contract, they can do it. It’s nothing. There are many women better than First Lady Qu in the capital, but she just happened to bump into me.”
Third Young Master He sneered. He had no place to vent his anger, so he could only vent it on First Lady Qu.
Pei Yusheng looked at him and knew that he was filled with hatred and was using this matter to vent his anger. After thinking for a while, he nodded. It was not a big deal. Third Young Master He would marry Qu Xuexin as his legitimate wife but not as a concubine. It was a good marriage on the surface.
Pei Yusheng said, “Go ahead!”
Hearing Lord Jing say so, Mrs. He immediately became excited. She didn’t wait any longer. She brought a few maids and old maids to prepare betrothal presents. His son said that they only needed to prepare a few presents because the other party might refuse to accept them. There was no need to take it too seriously, and she only needed to send a matchmaker and a few servants over.
After Mrs. He left to make the arrangement, the room quieted down. Pei Yusheng looked at Third Young Master He and asked, “Cousin, what’s your plan for the future?”
Third Young Master He gritted his teeth and said, “Cousin, it was my mistake this time. Someone plotted against me. Don’t worry, cousin. Even if I go to the border, I will plan for you. I will have a chance to come back as long as I am alive!”
Pei Yusheng said, “It’s best that you think this way. I have already arranged for people to take care of you at the border. When you go there, meet the Guardian General as frequently as you can. I want to marry the Guardian General’s daughter. I heard that she also has an eye disease.”
Third Young Master He nodded as he listened.
After Pei Yusheng finished speaking, a weird smile appeared on Third Young Master He’s face. “This world has really changed. A woman with eye disease is actually more eligible than a woman with fine eyes.”
His words carried a bit of ridicule. He mocked not only Qu Moying but also Miss Liu at the border, to whom Pei Yusheng had taken a fancy.
However, Pei Yusheng did not take it to heart. He nodded thoughtfully, but the face of Qu Moying wearing an eye veil flashed through his mind…