He had been schemed against. The moment Xie Yanchuan saw Xie Changyan appear, he had already realized it.
The one who schemed against him was none other than his good disciple. As an emperor, he should have been most wary of such things, yet it was precisely Pei Yunshu who had plotted against him.
This little disciple of his schemed so blatantly, with such clumsy methods that anyone could see through them at a glance.
Yet, despite this clumsiness—which in Xie Yanchuan’s eyes resembled child’s play—when he saw Xie Changyan and Pei Yunshu involved together, he could not suppress the urge to willingly step into this trap.
That he could remain seated here was already a testament to his rationality. The matter of Pei Yunshu entering the palace still held great temptation for him. Yet Xie Yanchuan knew he was not a good man. He was an emperor, with many beauties in his harem, and he had never remained chaste.
To Xie Yanchuan, Pei Yunshu was an exceptionally special person—a private indulgence he had reserved for himself.
From now on, he would be the emperor of Dachen. Everything he did would be for the sake of Dachen. Only when he was with Pei Yunshu did he remain the Xie Yanchuan of the past.
“Niannian.” Xie Yanchuan wanted to say something, but Pei Yunshu suddenly reached out and touched his knuckles. Xie Yanchuan’s hands were large; he had been accomplished in both literary and martial arts since childhood, his knuckles slightly prominent. When he exerted force, his entire hand tensed.
In contrast, Pei Yunshu was a pampered young lady whose delicate hands had never known hardship. Her fingers were soft and gentle, resting on Xie Yanchuan’s hand like the touch of the world’s most precious brocade.
“Has Teacher seen it?”
“Seen what?” Xie Yanchuan retorted, yet he did not stop Pei Yunshu from drawing closer or her affectionate gesture. He gazed at the noticeably smaller hand resting on the back of his own.
“Seen what the Crown Prince now thinks of me. Does Teacher still believe I can marry someone else?”
Pei Yunshu leaned against the table, utterly lacking in propriety, yet Xie Yanchuan could not bring himself to scold her. Perhaps Niannian merely felt that the Crown Prince was pestering her and that she did not wish to marry him. But Xie Yanchuan saw clearly what Xie Changyan was scheming.
The Duke of Pei might appear to be a rough and straightforward military man, but he was shrewd and intelligent. Pei Yuanzheng was a loyal minister, devoted only to the one seated on the Dragon Throne.
To any emperor, this was the ideal subject.
The Crown Prince could not force a marriage. If Pei Yunshu was unwilling, Pei Yuanzheng would directly raise the issue in court. There was no need to state it explicitly; simply rejecting the marriage proposal would suffice. Then, the old foxes in the court would understand perfectly well what the Crown Prince was plotting.
But the person before him was different. Pei Yunshu’s willful and indulgent nature had been fostered by the indulgence of those in the Guogong Mansion.
If Pei Yunshu truly favored the Crown Prince, as long as she agreed to the marriage, he—Xie Yanchuan—watching Pei Yunshu, who even in his presence behaved so improperly, nearly sitting on the table, felt a faint, unnoticed bitterness rise in his heart.
He would agree. He knew the Crown Prince’s unease, and he knew the wavering loyalties of the court officials. After all, Xie Changyan was only his nephew. Although Xie Yanchuan’s harem had never produced an heir, he was still young and firmly held power.
Thus, everyone believed Xie Changyan’s position as Crown Prince was unstable. But in truth, it was Xie Yanchuan himself who had cut off his own line of succession. He understood better than anyone that Xie Changyan would succeed him.
Since Xie Changyan would ascend the throne, and his little disciple also liked Xie Changyan, how could he refuse?
Therefore, Xie Changyan only needed to do one thing: make his emotionally inexperienced little disciple believe she had fallen in love with him.
Unfortunately, despite Xie Changyan’s exhaustive efforts, Pei Yunshu still misunderstood the nature of her feelings.
“If you don’t wish to marry the Crown Prince, with the Guogong Mansion behind you, you certainly won’t be wronged.”
Hearing this, Pei Yunshu withdrew her outstretched hand. “Hmph, I knew I couldn’t deceive Teacher.”
“Niannian, my harem is not as pleasant as you imagine. Entering there would truly mean suffering.”
Xie Yanchuan looked at Pei Yunshu—this was the last time he would use his identity as Pei Yunshu’s Tutor.
“Niannian, think it over carefully, alright?”
Pei Yunshu looked at Xie Yanchuan, tilting her head slightly in confusion. “Your Majesty, have you perhaps grown addicted to being my Tutor?”
Before Xie Yanchuan could answer, Pei Yunshu continued on her own. “But Teacher, I’ve grown up. I no longer need a Tutor.”
Xie Yanchuan’s heart sank. This was a fact he had long known but consistently ignored—his Niannian had long outgrown the need for a Tutor. Only Xie Yanchuan himself clung stubbornly to that identity.
Pei Yunshu gazed at him, her innocence tinged with a hint of cruelty.
“Your Majesty, what I need now is only a husband.”
Xie Yanchuan held his teacup with immense force. He had already wavered long ago, and just now had been his final struggle.
“Niannian, you…”
Xie Yanchuan wanted to ask his little disciple: Did she understand love? Did she truly love him, or was she merely chasing a fleeting novelty?
Discussing love with an emperor was a foolish endeavor, and an emperor speaking of love himself would be met with disbelief.
Who would dare claim not to love in front of an emperor?
Yet in Xie Yanchuan’s eyes, Pei Yunshu remained naive and pure. Did his little disciple truly comprehend the affairs between men and women?
He should not agree. But now, the one unable to resist temptation was him.
“Teacher, I have no choice. And Teacher should reflect as well—the person I saw in my youth was someone like you. Now you want me to marry, yet expect me to wed an ordinary man?”
Anyone eligible to discuss marriage with the Guogong Mansion could hardly be considered ordinary.
“Do you truly wish to enter the palace?”
Xie Yanchuan stood up, hands clasped behind his back. Now, he was the emperor, the sovereign of Dachen. Yet Pei Yunshu seemed entirely unaffected by the imperial authority he projected.
“That depends on whether Your Majesty permits it. After all, not only is this young lady burdened with a notorious reputation, but she also carries a significant trouble.”
To Xie Yanchuan, those people were simply blind.
“I know. You need only say the word, and I will resolve all of this for you.”
Xie Yanchuan was the emperor. In Dachen, he still held the final say.
“I only want Teacher to marry me.”
Xie Yanchuan slowly exhaled.
“Alright.”
“Then, Teacher, help me with one thing now.”
“Now? What do you wish to do?” For Xie Yanchuan, making the next decision was the most difficult part. Now that the hardest hurdle was past…
“I want to eat Sushan. Yuehua watches me strictly and never lets me sneak any. Teacher, treat me to a portion.”
Xie Yanchuan had braced himself, only to be met with this request. For a moment, he felt both amused and exasperated, yet his heart also warmed.
Even if she were to marry him, the person before him showed no sign of regarding him as an emperor she must serve.
“Such a grown person, yet still so greedy for sweets.”
Even so, Xie Yanchuan lightly tapped the table and had someone prepare a serving of Sushan.
“You already have a cold constitution, so you’re only allowed a taste.”
Hearing this, Pei Yunshu showed an indescribable expression.
“You sound just like my mother.”