The Slender Waist-Chapter 349 - 245: Investigate to the End

Li Sangruo’s words were filled with a rage that seemed to say she would rather see fish die and nets destroyed.

It was as if she had suddenly punctured that seemingly non-existent layer of paper covering a window.

Feng Yun felt a surge of excitement, noticing that Pei Jue’s body was tense, and thought herself utterly mad.

To force him to take a stand in front of his old lover, wouldn’t that be even more painful than killing him?

"Your servant harbors no such thoughts."

Pei Jue’s expression was icy, his tall frame standing unwaveringly.

"Your servant is wholeheartedly loyal to the Imperial Court, harbors no duplicity, and has never failed the late emperor’s entrusted hope. Why would Your Highness say such things?"

"You..."

Is he pretending not to understand?

Li Sangruo said, "If you are loyal, why do you defy me?"

Pei Jue said, "Your servant is not Wei Zheng, nor is he Song Shou’an. The late emperor entrusted his child to your servant, your servant was ordered to assist the empire, to be loyal to state affairs, not the affairs of the bedroom."

Li Sangruo’s face changed.

"What are you saying?"

Pei Jue looked at her coldly, enunciating each word.

"Your servant is already married, and lives harmoniously with his wife. If Your Highness wishes to give her blessings, your servant will also remember the late emperor’s bequest, guard the borders for Dajin, support Your Majesty and work tirelessly for the Imperial Court. But if Your Highness is unwilling..."

Li Sangruo’s tears suddenly fell like rain, "If I am unwilling, what would you do?"

Pei Jue: "If I cannot be a good official, then I shall be a criminal one."

Li Sangruo’s body swayed, disbelieving.

She stared intently into Pei Jue’s pitch-black eyes, but could not see through them.

"Have you decided, General? Would you forsake the blessings for your descendants, a shining place in history, and rather for one woman become a rebel committing heinous crimes?"

Pei Jue fixed his gaze on her, pausing between each sentence.

"It’s not a rebellion, it’s defending the king."

The almost emotionless words were crude and impertinent.

It was as if he had ripped away Li Sangruo’s last shred of modesty, laying bare before him.

Her lips trembled, "Mr. Pei, you have such a ruthless heart."

Pei Jue: "Your servant has said all there is to say, Your Highness should decide what to do next."

Li Sangruo felt a bitter taste in her throat, dry to the point of pain as if it was going to spread through her limbs, she wanted to vomit, but she couldn’t.

At this moment, she truly understood her father was right.

A Great General, with a commanding military talent, fiercely brave in battle, is like a man-eating lion.

One can’t place hope on their loyalty.

Loyalty can change.

Once he could no longer be her subordinate, if he could not be used by the Li Family, one must find a way to get rid of him.

Otherwise, he would become a major threat.

"Go."

Li Sangruo casually tossed the ebony bracelet into the basket, her tone was petulant and cold, but a trace of a smile surfaced on her face.

"Seeing the General and his lady so affectionate, I am happy for you. Regardless, the General is now settled down, sparing you from those rumors in the capital, saying that I had ruined your life..."

The words were uncomfortable, yet no clear fault could be found.

At the same time, it also showed her stance, making a choice—

To bless Pei Jue, to let him be a good official, not a criminal one.

Feng Yun thought that the calm Li Sangruo was indeed like an opponent.

The way she was almost crying, kneeling in front of Pei Jue, begging for favor, what did that resemble?

"Your servant thanks Your Highness."

Pei Jue has always been succinct in speaking.

Wishing not to further entangle with Li Sangruo, and not wanting Feng Yun to secretly enjoy the drama, he directly carried Feng Yun and walked past Li Sangruo, stepping out of the threshold.

Not far away were envoys and attendants, in twos and threes.

Generally, people love to watch the excitement; no matter how serious these people seemed or how nicely they spoke, they actually wanted to see the jokes on others, to see if the General’s wife really had an improper relationship with Wei Zheng...

Who could have expected to see this scene?

The Empress Dowager lost control and raved inside the room, and those outside couldn’t hear clearly.

But such a mournful voice had already piqued everyone’s curiosity.

They waited with propriety, and when Pei Jue came out carrying Feng Yun, they approached them with concern and comfort:

"Is the lady unharmed?"

"You have my thanks for your concern, everything is fine."

Pei Jue concealed Feng Yun’s face under his cloak and walked through the middle of them.

Unexpectedly, Feng Yun had no intention of keeping quiet, she peeked out her slightly inebriated face and suddenly pointed towards that chamber.

"My lord... that dressing room... has a door within a door, a door within a door... just like a labyrinth secret passage..."

She spoke whimsically.

Others assumed she was drunk and couldn’t recognize her path, speaking drunken words.

Some laughed quietly.

Feng Yun added, "Your concubine did not wander off, it was the garden’s servant girl who led your concubine in. The room connected to another room, and your concubine wanted to return the same way, but the door was locked from the outside, leaving no way out... Your concubine could only move forward, the room was scented with incense, the fumes made one’s head heavy and gradually I couldn’t remember anything, until my lord found me..."

She rambled on, her words seeming like drunken gibberish, yet the information provided was plentiful.

The garden’s servant girl took her to the dressing room.

She wanted to leave, but the door was locked from outside.

What had happened in the meantime?

People were curious.

How exactly did this strange "disappearance case" happen?

Where did the Envoy Wei go?

"Lady Yun," Pei Jue didn’t want Feng Yun to be spectated and pointed at in public. No matter the reason, he did not want her to lose face.

"Let’s talk about this after we return."

"My lord..." Feng Yun, already causing trouble with a little alcohol, would not shrink back at this moment.

Moreover, she didn’t care about losing face.

Without a face to lose, she could ruin Li Sangruo’s.

"Do you not believe me?" she bit her lower lip, amidst the noise around and the cold night wind, she clung onto the man’s neck with pitifulness.

"My lord, someone wants to harm your concubine... it’s true..."

"Your concubine feels so terrible... If my lord hadn’t found me in time, who knows what might have happened..."

Pei Jue’s Adam’s apple bobbed.

He was unwilling to tarnish her reputation.

But there was a flickering light in Feng Yun’s eyes.

She wanted it.

Pei Jue’s arms tightened as he gave the crowd a cool, indifferent glance.

"Wait for me, my wife. I will decide for you."

Pei Jue asked Xiaoman to open the adjacent room, carried Feng Yun into the inner room to lie down, and left her in the care of Daman before he went out, facing the crowd in the cold wind, then gave a salute to Li Sangruo.

"Under my very nose, someone attempted to harm my wife. This is intolerable, absolutely intolerable. If I, Pei Jue, cannot stand up for justice for my beloved wife, then I have lived in vain. Your Highness, I humbly request permission to investigate Cuiyu thoroughly!"

Before his voice had even faded, he did not wait for Li Sangruo’s response but gave a bow to the other officials.

"Until the matters are clearly resolved, I ask all the gentlemen to stay seated and not to leave."

The officials looked at each other, faces instantly changing.

Was Pei Jue going to investigate each of them without distinction? 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Outrageous!

Wasn’t this too arrogant?

The atmosphere suddenly became as tense as drawn swords and ready bows.

Shangshu Puyushi Ruan Pu could not stand this slight.

He gave a salute, his expression severe, and asked, "What does the Great General mean by this? If the lady is unwell, do you suspect that we all harbor malicious intents?"

Pei Jue did not speak to him.

He just looked at the silent Li Sangruo.

"Such filthy occurrences in Your Highness’s summer palace cannot be tolerated lightly. I earnestly request Your Highness to permit me to thoroughly investigate Cuiyu and restore my wife’s innocence."

Li Sangruo looked at him, his fingernails pressing into his palm, almost piercing the flesh.

He was pressuring her.

For a woman’s few words, he wanted to step over the face of her, the Empress Dowager presiding over the court, to let the envoys witness her ridicule...

"Why must the General make such a fuss?" Li Sangruo forced a smile, "Making a scene will harm the lady’s reputation. Others may not care for the truth; rumors spread, and the one who will be embarrassed is still you, the General..."

Pei Jue said, "I am not afraid."

The standoff continued.

It was at this moment that Pang Gui ran over from not too far away.

He ran gasping for breath, panting as if he was operating a bellows.

"Report... Report..."

"Master Wei fell into the pond, and we have just fished him out, unconscious. I implore Your Highness to summon an Imperial Physician to examine him and save Master Wei’s life..."

Fell into the pond?

The General’s wife "disappeared" in the garden.

Master Wei fell into the pond and nearly drowned.

A buzz ran through the garden as people whispered and murmured to each other.

Li Sangruo tasted the bitterness in his mouth, a sweet, fishy taste surging up to his head.

"Summon the Imperial Physician."

Puyang Jiu had come together with his father, Puyang Li.

The tense atmosphere in the garden was once again driven to a climax with the arrival of the Imperial Physician.

After examining Wei Zheng, Puyang Li informed everyone.

"Master Wei was affected by an aphrodisiac. The old physician has revived him with acupuncture..."

Li Sangruo’s heart skipped a beat, "Nonsense! How could such filth exist in my garden?"

Puyang Li bowed his head, silent.

The Puyang Family had been physicians for generations, famous for their medical expertise.

This Imperial Physician was highly esteemed precisely because of his integrity.

No explanation was the best explanation.

Seeing Puyang Li’s expression, the officials believed that Wei Zheng truly was affected by an aphrodisiac.

What made Li Sangruo even more embarrassed was that Puyang Jiu came out of the changing room holding half a packet of a remaining fragrance, and handed it to his father.

Puyang Li waved it under his nose, took a slight sniff, and his expression drastically changed.

"Your Highness, this fragrance also has been tampered with. I fear that the General’s wife was not drunk but poisoned..."

Puyang Jiu then said, "I ask the General to send someone to bring the wine pots used by the lady and Master Wei for my father to inspect; perhaps the wine also contained poison."

Pei Jue’s face was expressionless, "Zuo Zhong."

Soon, the wine and cups were brought over.

Puyang Li’s method of testing the wine was simple and crude.

He directly poured out half a cup of the remaining wine, observing its color and scent before tasting it with the tip of his tongue.

"You taste it?"

He said to Puyang Jiu.

Puyang Jiu did as instructed and then his expression shifted subtly, looking at his father and nodding.

Puyang Li sighed and knelt before Li Sangruo.

"Your Highness, the wine consumed by the General’s wife and Master Wei contains aphrodisiacs."

A stir went through the garden.

The officials, who had been merely watching the excitement, felt a chill run down their spines.

What kind of powerful aphrodisiac could force the General’s wife to humiliate herself with whimpers and whines and compel Wei Zheng to jump into the pond to preserve his purity?

And if someone was plotting against them?

They might not possess Wei Zheng’s resolve.

No one was unafraid of the malevolent hand hiding in the shadows.

Shangshu Puyushi Ruan Pu was again the first to stand out, bowing deeply as he spoke:

"Your Highness, the Great General has battled for the country, risking life and limb. If indeed there are such treacherous scoundrels harming the General’s wife without facing the law, I fear the hearts of all soldiers will grow cold."

The officials nodded in agreement.

"We implore the Empress Dowager to decree a thorough investigation of Cuiyu!"

Now, Li Sangruo had no choice but to agree to the investigation even if she had wished otherwise.

She glanced at Pei Jue and sneered.

"Investigate, investigate thoroughly for me."