Pei Jingchuan also cast a subtle glance at Xu Qingyan, and the shock he felt inwardly was no less than his parents’.
If he wasn’t ill but poisoned, then the implications behind this were truly terrifying to contemplate. Who could it be? Who could have silently poisoned him without his ever knowing?
He had been in excellent health before, even following his father onto the battlefield. It was mainly because, during last year’s great battle against the bandits in the southwest, he had been betrayed by his own subordinate, struck by a sword, and swept into the torrent. After being rescued, his body had grown frail. Even the imperial physicians at the palace had said that was the root cause of his illness, leaving him in this state.
Now, was what Xu Qingyan said true or false? It was still unclear.
“Elder Brother, that dowry is Qingyue’s personal property.” Pei Jingyuan couldn’t help but grow anxious, looking at Pei Jingchuan with resentment.
The dowry of the Xu family’s legitimate daughter was extraordinarily generous. If it could be exchanged back, it would provide considerable support to him, a concubine-born son. Though he was a shu-son of the Duke’s Estate, his monthly allowance was limited, and he had many places where he needed silver right now.
Xu Qingyue was equally anxious and unwilling at this moment. Why should her dowry benefit a shu-daughter?
“Elder Brother, this dowry was prepared for me by my parents. I am the legitimate daughter of the Xu family. If you do this, I’m afraid it would violate proper protocol.” Xu Qingyue said bluntly without the slightest courtesy.
[Ha! Bullying me again, are you? I’m no shu-daughter. If anyone truly investigated, I would be the legitimate daughter, and you, Xu Qingyue, would be the shu-daughter. It was your maternal grandfather who forced Father to demote his wife to concubine and remarry. Later, to arrange a marriage swap so you could marry Pei Jingyuan, you sent people to bring me back and called me a shu-daughter. Father treated me unfairly for so many years—this dowry is rightfully mine!]
What? Lord Xu was actually forced to demote his wife and remarry? So Xu Qingyan was actually the legitimate daughter! If that was the case, then her status wasn’t unworthy of Jingchuan after all. In fact, this girl’s background sounded rather pitiful—to have encountered such things.
Suddenly, the Duke of Guo and his wife began to feel sympathy for Xu Qingyan, and their gazes toward Xu Qingyue turned hostile.
Especially when they recalled what Xu Qingyan had said earlier—that Xu Qingyue was pregnant. Now they merely thought Xu Qingyue and Pei Jingyuan harbored ill intentions, not yet knowing what scheme they were plotting behind the scenes.
Thus, the Duchess of Guo said with a stern face, “You two had no qualms about the mistaken marriage and mistaken consummation. There’s no need to exchange the dowries. Consider it compensation and an apology to the heir.”
Xu Qingyue, having been scolded by the Duchess, pressed her lips together in discontent and said, “Yes, Mother.”
Afterward, the matrons presented the consummation cloths of Xu Qingyan and Xu Qingyue respectively. When the Duchess of Guo saw Xu Qingyan’s cloth, she nodded in satisfaction.
The Duchess exchanged a glance with the Duke and said, “My lord, I’d like to have the estate physician examine both of our daughters-in-law and regulate their health. After marriage, the greatest concern is the matter of heirs.”
When the Duke heard this, he realized it was the perfect opportunity to see whether Xu Qingyue was indeed pregnant. He also thought the approach was feasible, so he said to the Duchess, “Make the arrangements as you see fit, my lady.”
Hearing this, Xu Qingyue immediately grew tense and looked anxiously toward Pei Jingyuan.
Pei Jingyuan gave her a reassuring look before speaking, “Mother, Qingyue’s health is fine. Before the wedding, the Xu estate had someone examine her, and they even said she has an easy-conception constitution. You’ll likely be holding a grandson before you know it.”
[Oh dear… they’re feeling guilty! They don’t dare let the physician examine her, hahaha!] Xu Qingyan saw the barely concealed nervousness in Pei Jingyuan and Xu Qingyue and couldn’t help but laugh inwardly.
The Duchess’s expression changed at his words, and she said with displeasure, “It’s just another examination—there’s no harm in it. The Xu estate is the Xu estate; this is now the Duke’s Estate. Is there something you’re afraid of?”
“Mother, you misunderstand.” Pei Jingyuan grew nervous.
[It’s over… it’s over… There’s no escaping this time. Xu Qingyue will definitely fake fainting. Oh no—faking a stomachache. She definitely won’t let the physician examine her.] Xu Qingyan laughed inwardly.
The Duchess’s brow furrowed slightly. Before she could speak, she indeed saw Xu Qingyue clutching her stomach and saying in pain, “Mother, I think I ate too much this morning. I need to excuse myself to the privy.”
Hearing this, the Duchess thought to herself: Guilty! She must be feeling guilty!
The Duke and Pei Jingchuan also furrowed their brows, inwardly believing Xu Qingyan’s silent commentary.
It seemed that Xu Qingyue had already been intimate with Pei Jingyuan before the wedding. This marriage swap was likely their scheme all along!
They had known Pei Jingyuan for so many years, and in all that time, he had always appeared before them as a filial and well-mannered person. They never imagined he could be like this! What exactly was he doing this for? What was he scheming?
Especially Pei Jingchuan—his suspicion of Pei Jingyuan ran even deeper than the Duke of Guo’s. His naturally distrustful nature even led him to wonder whether his own poisoning was connected to Pei Jingyuan. After all, if he were to die, Pei Jingyuan would be the sole heir to the Duke’s Estate.
Since matters had already been laid out so plainly, the Duchess of Guo naturally did not insist on keeping Xu Qingyue. In any case, she was already firmly convinced that Xu Qingyue had been pregnant before marriage.
After Pei Jingyuan and Xu Qingyue withdrew, the Duchess of Guo called Pei Jingchuan aside alone.
“Chuan’er, that second brother of yours is not simple-minded. You must be more vigilant from now on. And don’t worry too much about your health—your mother will surely find a divine physician for you. You will live a long life.”
“Mother, you… have you learned something?” Pei Jingchuan looked at the Duchess of Guo in confusion. Could she also hear Xu Qingyan’s thoughts?
The Duchess of Guo met Pei Jingchuan’s gaze, and the two quickly understood each other without words.
“You can hear it too?” the Duchess of Guo asked, her eyes widening.
“Yes, but we should not speak of it.” Pei Jingchuan nodded.
“Since you can hear it, then I believe the Duke of Guo must be able to hear it as well. His expression just now was somewhat off.” The Duchess of Guo recalled the Duke’s demeanor earlier.
“Father is not only my father alone. He will likely find himself in a difficult position. I certainly will not trouble him with these matters.”
“Hmph! If it weren’t for him producing that concubine-born son, today’s situation would never have come to pass.” The Duchess of Guo let out an angry snort.
Originally, she and the Duke of Guo had enjoyed a harmonious relationship—one of the rare couples in this Great Xia to be devoted to each other alone. But later, on the journey back, the Duke had drunk some celebratory wine, and in his drunken state, he had taken a woman to bed, which resulted in the concubine-born son.
Over the years, that woman had stayed quietly in the rear courtyard, never vying for favor, so she had let the matter go. Pei Jingyuan, that concubine-born son, had been well-behaved since childhood, and she had done her duty by him without any partiality. Yet she never expected him to scheme against her own son like this!
“Mother, rest assured, I will handle this properly.” Pei Jingchuan offered the Duchess of Guo a word of comfort.
Meanwhile, after Xu Qingyue and Pei Jingyuan returned to their room, their expressions immediately darkened.
“I truly never expected this! My dowry actually can’t be retrieved. Father and Mother are clearly favoring Pei Jingchuan! No—that dowry was prepared for me by my mother. I won’t let it go cheaply to that country bumpkin Xu Qingyan!”
“Since Mother has already spoken thus, we naturally cannot ask them for it again. The most important thing now is not the dowry, but ensuring that Eldest Brother does not produce a legitimate heir. I heard from the servants that they did indeed consummate their marriage yesterday—they even called for water three times that night!”