Help! The Frosty Noble's Son Is in Love With Me!-Chapter 374: Is the Pei Mansion So Poor? Why Are You So Thin?

Chapter 374: Chapter 374: Is the Pei Mansion So Poor? Why Are You So Thin?

It’s often said that a mother-in-law’s fondness for her son-in-law grows the more she looks at him.

Then, conversely, a father-in-law looking at his son-in-law becomes increasingly displeased.

The Emperor used to be completely satisfied with Pei Ji’an, but now he finds him increasingly objectionable in every way.

No one is worthy of being my son-in-law!

Even Pei Ji’an is not good enough!

The Emperor was dissatisfied in his heart, but now the matter was settled firmly; what else could he say?

Regretful not to have planned better!

The Emperor lamented silently in his heart.

It’s all Pei Ji’an’s damn fault for acting so quickly!

So what if they’re married? In these times, even married couples can separate.

Of course, the Emperor only thought about it; he wouldn’t actually do something so outrageous, though he was tempted...

"My dear daughter hasn’t returned to her maiden home since the marriage, has she? From now on, this palace is your home. It’s only natural for you to stay here; let’s leave it for a few days first." The Emperor found himself a quite reasonable excuse.

Even the eunuchs had nothing to say to this.

Indeed, who says married people can’t return to their parents’ home?

The Emperor was delighted, the eunuchs were speechless, and Pei Ji’an wore a black expression.

Nothing had even begun yet, and already the lovebirds were being separated.

Qu Fulan didn’t actually want to stay in the palace either; the matter hadn’t been thoroughly investigated, and the palace was unfamiliar to her, so she naturally wanted to leave. So, she spoke up.

"Emperor, perhaps it would be better to wait until the matter is cleared up. In the meantime, I really can’t stay; it wouldn’t be proper in any sense."

The smile on the Emperor’s lips froze, and the Chief Eunuch, seeing this, quickly added, "Your Majesty, it might be wise to heed the Princess’s words. After all, this matter arose suddenly, and the Princess is unfamiliar with the palace environment and might not be comfortable here. It might be better to let the Princely Heir comfort her and make other arrangements after the truth is clear tomorrow."

Indeed, becoming the Chief Eunuch by the Emperor’s side, he had a knack for handling things without fault and speaking words that touched the heart. The Emperor, upon hearing this, also agreed it made sense. Suddenly keeping his daughter here might make her uncomfortable, and the resultant estrangement would be unfortunate.

In the end, the two stayed for a meal with the Emperor, who kept serving Qu Fulan dishes throughout, making the side-standing serving eunuchs both frightened and reflective of where they might have erred, since the Emperor was serving personally.

"This is tasty, have some more; you’ve gotten so thin. Is the Pei Mansion so poor they’ve let you become so thin?"

Qu Fulan hastily explained that she wasn’t thin, that she was healthy and everything was fine.

Pei Ji’an, on the other hand, went from feeling hurt at the beginning to remaining calm now, and even as the Emperor’s words cut deep, he could tolerate them.

Saying a few words won’t kill me; just bear with it.

After the meal, the Emperor still didn’t want to let them go; he had a stomach full of words he wanted to say, but was ultimately dissuaded by the thoughtful Chief Eunuch.

The Emperor finally let them go but sent a large group of guards with them, declaring, "If anything happens to the Princess, you all will face me with your heads."

Qu Fulan and Pei Ji’an finally left the palace.

By now it was already late at night. With everything that had happened in one night, both Qu Fulan and Pei Ji’an had a lot of unanswered questions, but no one to answer them.

Throughout the journey, the two of them faced each other in silence.

Upon returning to the Pei Mansion, they silently washed and went to bed early, thinking that tomorrow might hold even more complicated matters that would need rest to be faced.

While they easily fell asleep, over in the palace, the Emperor was the first to be sleepless, though he neither visited any concubine’s chambers nor summoned any concubines that night.

Noble Princess Consort Xu, intending to probe under the pretext of delivering a midnight snack, was stopped at the door.

The Empress, hearing the news, merely laughed lightly at Noble Princess Consort Xu’s lack of self-awareness, remarking how she still hadn’t learned even after so many years in the palace; every time it concerned that certain territory, the Emperor would see no one.

The Empress, after her first unknowing blunder and receiving a cold shoulder, never again crossed the Emperor’s bottom line.

Because of her tactfulness, even though her family wasn’t as powerful as before, she could maintain her stability as Empress.

"But if things turn out to be true, we ought to take some action too," the nanny suggested to the Empress.

The Empress shook her head, "No rush, there will be time for us to shine; a brief wait won’t hurt."

The nanny immediately fell silent.

The Empress was calm, but after returning to the palace, Noble Princess Consort Xu was restless, incredulous that the Emperor wouldn’t even see her.

Princess Qiuxi, seeing her mother returned, bit her lip.

"Mother, is she really Father’s biological daughter?" Princess Qiuxi asked.

Noble Princess Consort Xu was at a loss for words. She hoped not, but the Emperor’s refusal to see her left her unsure of the truth.

"Don’t worry. Whether she is or isn’t won’t affect your status," Noble Princess Consort Xu comforted her daughter.

Princess Qiuxi was not comforted; would it really not affect her? She wasn’t convinced.

As for whether Young Lady Pei, Qu Fulan, was the true princess, it wasn’t delayed for too long; the Emperor had people investigate the matter that very night, and results came the next day.

Many details about Qu Fulan were laid out before the Emperor.

Not knowing her identity before, the Emperor hadn’t paid much attention to Young Lady Pei, or had perhaps heard something but didn’t take it to heart.

Now knowing the other party was his daughter, many things he previously heard became heart-wrenching.

Among other things, the fact that she served as a maid was enough to break the Emperor’s heart.

How could his daughter have fallen to the level of a maid?

According to the findings, his daughter grew up in the Li Family and was only sold into slavery after the Li Family got into trouble. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

As for how she ended up with the Li Family, that piece of the puzzle remained unsolved.

However, the incident involving the Li Family had been orchestrated by King Jie. The Emperor could now understand King Jie’s motive, which had once been a mystery to him.

King Jie deliberately did this, taking someone’s real daughter away, planning to use her years later for revenge.

He left his daughter behind, ultimately bringing down the Li Family, intending to use the Emperor’s own hands to destroy his daughter.

What a vicious mind!

Yet something had changed unexpectedly, preventing the matter from proceeding as King Jie intended.

For one to become an Emperor, their mind must be exceptional. While few clues were available, he figured out the general situation, but many details remained unclear.

For example, the whereabouts of Biyue.

And how his daughter came to be with the Li Family.

Yet what the Emperor couldn’t uncover, Qu Fulan learning from a meeting with Mrs. Li, she knew more than the Emperor.

After having breakfast that morning, she heard that her aunt was asking for an audience, a very rare occurrence. In the past, when she invited her aunt to celebrate holidays together, she would refuse, saying she’d be uncomfortable and preferred her own little space. For her now to visit voluntarily indicated an important matter, and so she quickly had her invited in.

At the same time, Nanny Lai was carrying out an errand for the Empress Dowager outside the palace.

She had also heard about the Emperor’s actions the previous night, and it was not surprising to her that he noticed, given her own observations.

Yet what happened afterward, Nanny Lai saw fit not to inquire. She believed the Emperor to be more anxious than herself and waited patiently; perhaps she might see the young lady once more.

With these thoughts, as her carriage passed a shop, Nanny Lai noticed a woman catching her attention.

Even after many years, Nanny Lai remembered vividly.

It was the girl named Li Niang!