AWB Chapter 157 Canglan Ferry (27)
Chapter 157 Canglan Ferry (27)
In the following days, Pei Ji began to let loose and enjoy himself.
Pei Wangzhou was not a good drinker. After finishing his shift, he went to a restaurant with his colleagues and drank two large jars of liquor without showing any signs of drunkenness.
Pei Wangzhou was not a strong swimmer. When he and Yan Jinqing went out to investigate a case, they encountered a child who had fallen into the water. Without hesitation, he jumped into the river and rescued the child...
On the fourth day, Pei Ji took a day off.
After having breakfast, Yan Jinqing came to visit.
When guests from the Yue family arrived, Pei Ji had no choice but to appear. Madam Xu went to the bamboo garden to urge Pei Ji to change his clothes before meeting the guests.
She instructed Pei Ji: "Jinhe went back to her parents' home a few days ago. I don't know if she went back to complain. The eldest son of the Yan family is coming here this time, and it probably isn't for anything good. It's not honorable for the wives and concubines in the inner quarters to make a scene. No matter what the eldest son of the Yan family says, just listen to him and never argue with him, understand?"
Pei Ji replied, "Understood."
After Pei Ji left, Madam Xu looked at Yan Zhen.
Xu had mixed feelings about this daughter-in-law.
On the one hand, she did not like Jiang's personality and temperament. She had no manners or etiquette of a lady from a prominent family and exuded a petty and uncouth air about her.
On the other hand, her son really liked her, and she had earned a lot of money and reputation for the Duke's mansion during this period. Because of these things, she, as the mother-in-law, couldn't do anything to her.
You can't even set rules for her.
“Jiang, Jinhe’s family has come today. To avoid any trouble, you should stay quietly in the Bamboo Garden and not go out.”
Yan Zhen understood; Madam Xu was afraid that she would cause trouble and disgrace the Duke's Mansion.
"it is good."
Yan Zhen readily agreed, but in his heart he thought, if he doesn't let her go out now, he'll have to send someone to invite her over later.
If she hadn't been there, this whole "switching prince" drama wouldn't have been so exciting.
After Xu left, Yan Zhen had a chessboard set up and began playing chess against himself to pass the time.
Before she had finished her game of chess, Xu Shi sent over her maid, Jianxue, to rush in. Because she was in such a hurry, she almost tripped over the threshold when she entered.
"Miss Jiang! Miss Jiang!"
Yan Zhen looked up: "What's the matter? Why are you in such a panic?"
"Something's happened in the front yard! The young master and Young Master Yan are fighting in the front yard!"
From Jianxue's narration, Yan Zhen roughly understood what had happened—Yan Jinqing came to visit, Pei Ji and Yan Jinhe greeted the guest, the three exchanged a few words, and then Yan Jinqing suddenly started a fight.
Pei Ji exchanged a few blows with him when Yan Jinhe suddenly launched an attack, ordering Yan Jinqing and the guards to subdue Pei Ji. She then summoned everyone in the mansion, including the matriarch who rarely showed her face, claiming that Pei Ji was a "fake prince."
"The lady said that although the young master practices martial arts, he is not good at fist and foot techniques. In the past, he could not last three moves against Yan Dalangjun. Now his martial arts have improved by leaps and bounds. He must be a fake young master."
Jianxue said, "Right now, the master and the first wife are questioning each other in the front yard. I listened for a while and the situation is not good. The master asked several questions, and the young master could not answer them."
Yan Zhen remained calm: "I see."
Having spent several days with her, Jianxue knew she was a good-natured person, and couldn't help but worry for her: "Miss, aren't you worried?"
"No hurries?"
"If the prince is not real, then what about the child in your womb..."
Carrying the illegitimate child of a fake prince, and having such a deep grudge against Yan Jinhe, the Duke's mansion will certainly not let her go.
Once it's confirmed that the crown prince is an imposter, she will face certain death.
“The truth will out, and the lie will out.” Yan Zhen said. “Just wait, if they need me to step in, they will come to ask me.”
Yan Zhen didn't have to wait long before Yan Jinhe's nanny arrived with two rough-looking women. The group pushed open the door of the Bamboo Garden aggressively and "invited" her to the front yard.
Yan Zhen put the unfinished chess pieces back into the chess box and said to Jian Xue, "Let's go watch the fun."
In the front courtyard, Yan Jinhe's commotion caused quite a stir, and the reception hall was packed with people; almost everyone in the Duke's mansion who was able-bodied had come.
Yan Zhen stepped into the hall and looked up.
The old matriarch, with her white hair and wrinkled face, sat at the head of the table, leaning on a dragon-headed cane. Pei Yuanhong and Madam Xu sat on either side of her, and none of them looked too happy.
Xu, in particular, looked hesitant, glancing frequently at Pei Ji, but dared not speak rashly due to the serious atmosphere.
Yan Jinhe and Yan Jinqing stood on the right, while Pei Ji knelt in the center of the hall, the atmosphere in the hall seemed to freeze.
Yan Zhen entered the inner hall and first greeted the elders. Pei Yuanhong then said sternly, "Jiang Shi, kneel down!"
Yan Zhen obeyed and knelt down beside Pei Ji.
Pei Yuanhong asked, "Do you know why I called you here?"
Yan Zhen nodded: "Jianxue just told me that you suspect Pei Lang is a fake prince posing as someone else."
She remained so calm, showing no surprise whatsoever.
Yan Jinhe couldn't help but say, "You don't seem surprised at all. Does that mean you already knew he was a fake and were prepared to have your identity exposed?"
Yan Zhen glanced at her: "I'm not surprised, not because I already knew, but because I guessed you resented me and wouldn't let it go. However, I didn't expect you to use Pei Lang's identity as a pretext. You're really capable of saying anything to kill me."
Yan Jinhe's face darkened, and she said coldly, "You still want to argue even when you're about to die! These are all Wang Zhou's closest people. Whether it's true or false, we can find out with just one question! As for you, Jiang Li, you'd better have some backbone. Don't come crying and begging for mercy when your schemes are exposed!"
"Alright, but only if your so-called evidence can truly prove that Pei Lang is a fake prince."
"you……"
"Alright." Pei Yuanhong stopped the two from arguing, and asked Yan Zhen, "Tell me about how you rescued Wangzhou in the valley below the cliff, and how you've known Wangzhou since then."
Before Yan Zhen could speak, he warned, "You must tell the truth. If you conceal or fabricate anything, I will not let you off easily!"
Yan Zhen calmly agreed and began to recount, half-truthfully, what happened after he met Pei Wangzhou.
From finding Pei Wangzhou unconscious after falling off a cliff, to taking him back to Biyue Residence to treat his injuries, and then caring for him until he recovered, the two developed feelings for each other, pledged their lives to each other, and left the valley to return home—
She recounted the events that occurred between Jiang Li and Pei Wangzhou in their previous life in a vivid and detailed manner.
"You all know what happened after we returned to the manor, so I won't go into details."
After she finished speaking, Yan Jinhe immediately said, "Nonsense! If what you say is true, when the young master fell off the cliff and was found by you with broken arms and legs and a head injury, how could he have recovered completely in just three months without a single scar on his body! Jiang Li, your lie is too outrageous!"
Upon hearing this, everyone turned their gaze to Pei Ji, scrutinizing him from head to toe.
Yes, such a serious injury would take an ordinary person a year or two to fully recover, but the prince not only recovered in three months, but is now acting as if nothing happened.
"Yan Jinhe, are you doubting my medical skills?" Yan Zhen sneered. "My ancestors were a family of doctors with a history of over a hundred years. There are countless precious medicinal herbs in the valley. Isn't the fact that my beauty cream is selling so well enough to prove my ability?"
Yan Jinhe seemed to have been waiting for her to say this, and immediately said, "Speaking of this, I heard Second Aunt bragging to the young ladies of noble families that you are skilled in beauty techniques. Could it be that you have hidden the injured real prince and used your so-called beauty techniques to transform this fake into someone like Wang Zhou, and then joined forces to return to the Duke's Mansion and usurp his place!"