Shocked! The salty concubine was spoiled by the cold prince

Chapter 165 Confrontation

Pei Xu handed the matter over to Fu'an, freeing up his hands to deal with Pei Yunzhao and his brother.

Pei Yunzhao has not shown up these days. I guess he knows that he has offended him, so he dares not go out again.

Pei Xu did not comment too much on his behavior, but there is a saying that goes, "The monk can run away, but the temple cannot."

Now that Pei Xu has the leverage in his hand, he is not afraid that Pei Yunzhao will do anything wrong.

Taking advantage of others verbally is not a real skill.

Pei Xu has always disdained to show off his quick wit. If he were to make a move, he would definitely hit the vital point directly, so that he could protect himself.

He was about to leave when someone who stayed at home came and told him about Pei Yunqing giving a gift to Gu Jiaorong.

Pei Xu was a man of great character. He knew immediately that the gift was just an excuse.

Fortunately, Gu Jiaorong was smart and did not touch the thing. She only let the person who gave the gift open the box and observe it.

However, her behavior was really risky and reckless. If Pei Yunqing was determined to harm her, he would only sacrifice the life of a servant.

After all, he went to Pei Yunzhao's banquet today, and he could just find an excuse to shift the blame to the servant.

This move was not very clever. Without Pei Yunzhao, it would not have been possible. But Pei Yunzhao was a fool and insisted on helping him.

Pei Xu couldn't help but feel a little suspicious about what was going on with this strategist beside him. If he was brainless, he had been fighting with the prince for such a long time. If he had some ability, he made such a bad move.

It should be noted that no matter how clever the person who gives the advice is, it will be of no avail if the person who listens to it is unwilling to follow it.

Pei Yunzhao is just like a piece of useless mud. He is proud and arrogant. He refuses to listen to advice and dislikes He Guangquan's nagging.

But if he is less worried, why should others nag him?

Pei Xu didn't think any further about it. He took a step forward and went to Pei Yunzhao's house to join in the fun.

Pei Yunzhao never expected that this evil spirit would come to him on his own initiative. His hand holding the wine glass trembled, but he managed to keep it steady and did not embarrass himself in front of Pei Yunqing.

"Why is he here?"

Pei Yunzhao frowned and muttered, obviously not expecting such a result.

Suddenly, he seemed to have thought of something, and looked at Pei Yunqing with a half-smile.

"Fifth brother misses Prince Su so much, and he is still at my table, so I will invite him here first."

It’s no wonder that he thought of Pei Yunqing, because this person mentioned Pei Xu before he even sat down.

Now that Pei Xu is here, he naturally wonders if Pei Yunqing secretly called someone here.

"Third brother, what you said, even if I am not very sensible, I know that today's banquet was arranged by you. Since you didn't invite Brother Xu, it's not right for me, as a guest, to make my own decisions."

Pei Yunqing's meaning was very clear, Pei Xulai had nothing to do with him.

But Pei Yunzhao is not a reasonable person at all. Since he has seen the result, he doesn't care about the process.

"So my fifth brother is such a polite person. Now, I seem a little petty."

Pei Yunzhao put down the wine glass in his hand and sighed.

"Well, since everyone is here, I'd like to invite them in and have a seat."

He said this unwillingly, but there was nothing he could do.

He Guangquan breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this.

At least Pei Yunzhao's mind was not confused at the moment, otherwise they really wouldn't have to go through all this trouble and could just restart.

Pei Xuke had no idea about the affairs of this group of people. Even if he did, he pretended not to know and took his seat calmly.

"The Third Prince is hosting a welcome party for the Fifth Prince, but I'm here uninvited. I hope the Third Prince doesn't mind?"

Pei Xu asked knowingly, obviously wanting to make him unhappy.

Pei Yunzhao wanted to tear Pei Xu apart, but he could only smile and say, "How can you say that? You and I are brothers after all. If you weren't too busy and it's hard to disturb me, I would definitely treat you."

They knew very well that even if this was just an excuse, even if Pei Xu was not busy, he would not have invited Pei Xu over, otherwise he would not have stayed indoors all these days just to avoid Pei Xu.

"If you put it that way, it seems like I'm being petty and suspicious."

Pei Xu spoke with a smile, then turned to look at Pei Yunqing. He did not come here today for Pei Yunzhao. If he wanted to settle a dispute with Pei Yunzhao, he would not have waited until today.

"Your Highness the Fifth Prince and Eunuch Hu have come from afar, and I was unable to greet them due to my busy official duties. I'm sure they'll be magnanimous and won't mind, but I truly feel bad. Now that I've met you today, I'd like to take advantage of Your Highness the Third Prince's table to apologize. I also want to thank Your Highness the Fifth Prince for coming all the way from Kyoto and bringing gifts for my concubine. This thought is truly profound."

Pei Xu was not here to thank Pei Yunqing, he was here to cause trouble.

Pei Yunqing knew what he meant, but still accepted the thank you with a smile.

"Brother Xu, you don't have to be so polite. Like you said, you and I are brothers after all. I just brought some gifts for my sister-in-law. It's just a casual thing, not worth much. There's no need for Brother Xu to come and thank you in person."

Pei Yunqing spoke with crooked eyes, then turned around and said, "But I'm very happy that Brother Xu can come today. I haven't seen Brother Xu for a long time since I last came back from his house. I wonder how Brother Xu has been doing recently, and how is Sister-in-law?"

"As your younger brother, I should visit you, but since Third Brother is hosting a banquet today, I can't let him down. So I asked my servant to deliver the gift on my behalf. I'll visit Brother Xu someday when I'm free."

"It's okay. Since we're brothers, it doesn't matter. As long as you have this intention, it's fine. Besides, Jiaorong hasn't been feeling well these days and isn't fit to see anyone."

Pei Xu was lying with his eyes open. As long as Pei Yunqing went back to see Wu Er, he would know how Gu Jiaorong forced him to open the box.

But it doesn’t matter. Even if Pei Yunqing knew, he could only swallow this loss.

"Then I'll wait for a while until my sister-in-law is well again, and then I'll go visit her so as not to disturb her."

Pei Yunqing nodded. The two of them were talking back and forth, and if you didn't know anything, you would think they had a very good relationship.

Looking at Pei Yunqing who was so comfortable with the job, He Guangquan felt that his own son was not up to the mark.

If he had supported Pei Yunqing, the situation would probably not be like this.

But the word "fate" cannot be explained in just a few words. He Guangquan and Pei Yunzhao may have such a fate.

Eunuch Hu standing by was also confused. He didn't know that Pei Yunqing had given a gift to Gu Jiaorong. He only heard that Pei Yunqing had an ambiguous attitude towards Pei Xu. He didn't know whether he wanted to win him over or something else.

But now, he felt that the Fifth Prince was a smart person.

No wonder His Majesty has valued the Fifth Prince so much in such a short period of time. Who knows, the Fifth Prince may have even better opportunities in the future.

After all, compared with the other two, the fifth prince is younger, and the emperor has no intention of abdicating immediately.

"Eunuch Hu, I haven't seen you for a few days. You seem to be in better spirits now. I just don't know how your mission is going. If you return to the capital, please let me know so that I can fulfill my wish for you and make up for my guilt of not welcoming you."

Pei Xu's words sounded high-sounding, but Eunuch Hu knew that he didn't mean that at all. He was asking Eunuch Hu how the investigation was going and when he could go back and tell the emperor.

Although Eunuch Hu's presence here will not cause him any trouble, the progress is really too slow. If he waits any longer, by the New Year, won't Pei Yunzhao's matter be reduced to a small matter or nothing at all?

Since Pei Xu has caught Pei Yunzhao's handle, he will not let him go.

This matter can only get bigger, it can't be reduced.

"Your Highness, I am old and my mind is not as sharp as it used to be. Although I am willing to do my best, this task is more difficult than before. Therefore, although there is some progress, it is not great."

Hu Dequan forced a smile, but he didn't dare say that he wanted to make a big deal out of it.

This is also the reason why the emperor sent him here.

Although it was not stated explicitly, Pei Yunzhao was the emperor's biological son after all. The emperor would not take his life because of these things. At most, he would put him under house arrest.

Once people get old, they tend to be soft-hearted and confused.

"If Eunuch Hu is unable to do so, I don't mind helping him. However, if I do, I'm afraid His Majesty will be dissatisfied with him."

Pei Xu's threat was already obvious, but Hu Dequan had no way to fight back.

Hu Dequan knew very well that what Pei Xu said was right. If he were to take action, the matter would inevitably become even bigger. It would be impossible for the emperor to settle the matter amicably.

"Your Highness is willing to help me, and I am naturally grateful. However, this is an errand assigned to me by His Majesty, and I dare not hand it over to Your Highness. It's not that I don't trust Your Highness, but if Your Majesty knew, I'm afraid he would be dissatisfied with me."

Hu Dequan immediately refused, saying that his head was still useful and he didn't want to die so soon.

"I will do my best to carry out my duties these days. Please don't worry, Your Highness."

Pei Xu nodded and didn't force him any further. Some things are best said to the point.

What's more, the real person is right in front of them, although Pei Yunzhao is confused and has no idea what they are talking about.

He Guangquan, on the other hand, seemed to have figured something out of it.

"If it's difficult for Your Majesty to handle, why not leave it to me and let me assist Eunuch Hu. Although I'm not talented, I can still run errands."

He Guangquan knew that Pei Xu was here today, and they couldn't find out anything. If they could get in touch with Eunuch Hu, that would be good.

He got to know Hu Dequan. Was he afraid that he didn't know what Hu Dequan would do in the future?

How could Hu Dequan dare to use He Guangquan? Not to mention that he was the third prince's man, even if he was not, he did not dare to let outsiders interfere in such a big matter.

"Mr. He is kind-hearted, and I appreciate it. However, this matter was specifically instructed by His Majesty, so I dare not hand it over to outsiders. Moreover, His Majesty the Fifth Prince is also involved in this matter, and I believe that His Majesty would agree with me."

Hu Dequan felt that he could not face this matter alone, so he pulled Pei Yunqing up as well.

He knew from looking at Pei Yunqing just now that Pei Yunqing was very good at networking and it should not be difficult for him to deal with such a small matter.

Pei Yunqing probably didn't expect that Hu Dequan would sell him out so quickly.

But he still forced a smile and spoke hypocritically.

"Eunuch Hu is right. This is the first task that the Emperor has given me. I must do it well. If I don't do it well enough, won't I disappoint the Emperor?"

Although He Guangquan was unwilling, he also knew that there was nothing that could be done about it.

"In that case, I won't interfere. However, if the Fifth Prince and Eunuch Hu have any difficulties, please feel free to ask. We will do our utmost to assist you."

He Guangquan was lucky to sell himself out. After all, you must not make enemies at this time.

Pei Yunqing's current attitude is unclear, but he should also have the idea of competing for the throne. If the third prince is defeated and the fifth prince gains power in the future, the less he offends the fifth prince, the more likely he is to save his life.

He Guangquan is not cruel enough after all.

Pei Xu watched them socializing coldly without any hurry. He just slowly raised a glass of wine and sipped it carefully.

Pei Yunzhao is a man who knows how to enjoy life. This banquet must have cost a lot of money, and ordinary people probably can't spend it all in a year.

This is just Pei Yunzhao's daily life, and he doesn't think he is extravagant.

"Brother Xu, don't just drink in vain. Third Brother put a lot of thought into this table of food. Brother Xu, you should eat more. You've really suffered a lot coming here. I wonder if the remaining toxins in your body have been cleared. Are you still feeling unwell?"

Pei Yunqing's tone was filled with worry, and it seemed like he was sincere.

Pei Xu knew that he was secretly trying to figure out his true abilities, so he smiled and replied, "Don't worry, Fifth Prince. Although my poison is powerful, it's slowly getting better. Now, as long as I don't use my internal energy, there's nothing serious to worry about."

He said this on purpose, wanting to see if Pei Yunqing was also going to try the assassination trick?

He knew Pei Yunzhao's background very well, but he still didn't know Pei Yunqing's background very well.

He didn't know whether Pei Yunqing was deliberately hiding his strength or if he only had that much strength.

"If that's the case, then Brother Xu should drink less."

Pei Yunqing seemed to have no idea what he meant, and his tone became more concerned.

"Although this little bit of alcohol won't cause any harm, if you drink it today and tomorrow, it will accumulate into a lot and it will be bad for your health."

Pei Xu nodded indifferently and put down the wine glass.

"Since the Fifth Prince has said so, if I continue drinking, I'm afraid I'll be betraying his concern. So, I won't drink anymore. I think the Third Prince should also drink less, lest he say something inappropriate when drunk. It's okay if he offends me, but if he offends others, that would be troublesome."

Pei Xu was implying that Pei Yunzhao had been drunk and crazy when he was welcoming him. Pei Yunzhao naturally knew this, so his face turned dark when he heard this.

"Prince Su is right. Let's not drink today. This will give us some time to catch up on the past."

Pei Yunzhao could only accept the loss in silence, after all, it was he who said those crazy words at that time.

Pei Xu came here today for nothing big, just to give them some trouble. Now that his goal was achieved, he didn't stay any longer and found an excuse to leave.