Chapter 209: Chapter 209: Writing a Letter to Pei Yan
The court officials and the Harem had joined forces for the first time to push a woman on Pei Yan, but he had fended them off with the excuse of being in a mourning period.
This was their second attempt.
The woman who had offended Pei Yan was punished with twenty strokes of the heavy plank, which nearly killed her.
Her family was also punished for the transgression.
As for the Empress Dowager, she was like a clay bodhisattva crossing a river—unable to even save herself.
The matter of forcing women into his Harem had barely been brought into the open before Pei Yan suppressed it with ruthless efficiency.
The noble ladies of the Capital City had long heard that Pei Yan was capricious and ruthlessly decisive. And yet, he was also so devastatingly handsome that he was unforgettable at first sight.
He also held immense power as the ruler of the realm. How many men in the world could compare to him?
Countless young women from noble families dreamed of marrying Pei Yan.
His ruthless methods had terrified the noblewomen who had entered the palace, and it made their families afraid to act rashly again.
They feared not only losing their daughters but also seeing their family’s power slip away.
Pei Yan was reasonably satisfied with the effect of killing the chicken to scare the monkey. "If there is a next time, I will absolutely not be lenient!"
When these words spread from the Imperial Study Room, even those who hadn’t given up dared not make a move.
Pei Yan had plenty of ways to deal with them; this was no empty threat.
He couldn’t go without an empress forever. After some discussion, the court ministers decided to wait and see.
While some still wanted to send their daughters into the palace, others did not want their daughters to suffer in a place of such dark intrigue.
They were actually relieved that the Emperor had shown no interest in their daughters.
As for the matter of an heir... The Emperor had fathered a daughter with Miss Mei, proving he was a normal man. Producing a son was only a matter of time.
As long as the Emperor hadn’t sworn off worldly desires, this wasn’t an issue.
Pei Yan was a diligent ruler, unlike the previous emperor who had been lost to carnal pleasures. He could single-handedly control the court and balance the various factions.
He didn’t need to sacrifice his own marriage.
If he were to name an empress one day, it would undoubtedly be Mei Wanying.
There would be no other choice.
...
News from the Capital City hadn’t reached Jiangnan, but the imperial edict bestowing the title of Princess upon Ling and the accompanying rewards had arrived.
As chests upon chests of rewards were carried into the Mei Family’s old house, onlookers gasped in amazement. "The Little Princess is truly favored!"
"She’s the Emperor’s first child, and Miss Mei and the Emperor were childhood sweethearts. Of course, it’s a special situation."
"More than just childhood sweethearts! Miss Mei joined forces with the Emperor to eliminate the traitors. That time, she and the Emperor nearly fell off a cliff. They share a life-and-death bond."
"After Miss Mei returned to Jiangnan, she did so many good deeds. The daughter she gave birth to is worthy of such favor."
"And let’s not forget General Mei, who sacrificed his life to protect the country. His family deserves to be treated well."
"..."
The crowd buzzed with discussion, everyone envious of the Mei family’s extraordinary honor.
Someone asked, "Why doesn’t the Emperor make Miss Mei the empress?"
The person had barely finished speaking before someone else covered their mouth. "Don’t recklessly discuss the affairs of the Royal Family! Be careful you don’t bring disaster upon yourself."
Appointing an empress was a major event that affected both the imperial court and the Harem. No matter how much the Emperor doted on Miss Mei, he had to consider this matter with great care.
By bestowing a title and rewards upon Miss Mei’s daughter, the Emperor was indirectly making his attitude clear.
He held Miss Mei and the Little Princess in high regard, and no one was to speak ill of them!
Mei Wanying stood under the eaves of the front hall, holding Ling’s hand, and watched as the rewards flowed into the house like a river.
It was no longer a secret that her daughter was Pei Yan’s flesh and blood.
Mei Wanying was happy that he had bestowed a title upon Ling.
’This way, Ling will have a legitimate status and can avoid a lot of trouble.’
Having grown up in the Capital City, Mei Wanying knew that some people were just naturally cruel and loved to make an issue of others’ parentage.
She didn’t want her daughter to be attacked by others.
If Pei Yan had never come to Jiangnan, Ling would have just been an ordinary young lady from a good family.
But he just had to come, and he had to loudly proclaim that he was Ling’s biological father.
And now, everyone had taken notice of Ling. If Pei Yan didn’t grant her a title, she would inevitably become the subject of gossip in the future.
Fortunately, he had been thorough.
In her past life, Pei Yan had thrown her into the Prince Chen Mansion and left her to fend for herself.
It was precisely his attitude that gave outsiders the opportunity to attack her.
Even now, Mei Wanying could still recall how she had felt back then.
’Ling would not have to go through what she had experienced.’
’Pei Yan... it seems he’s really changing...’
"Mama..."
Ling tugged on Mei Wanying’s hand, her eyes glued to a box of pearls.
It was clear the little one really liked them.
Mei Wanying smiled faintly, picked up her daughter, and walked closer, letting her touch the translucent, shimmering pearls with her own hands.
She said gently, "These are from your papa. The next time you see him, you must thank him properly."
Ling nodded emphatically. "Papa~"
She mumbled a few indistinct words that Mei Wanying couldn’t understand, but she knew the child was chattering about Pei Yan.
’She wouldn’t see Pei Yan, but she wouldn’t stop her daughter from seeing him either.’
’Nor would she deliberately instill in her daughter the complex history of love and hate between herself and Pei Yan.’
’Ling just needed to grow up happy. She didn’t need to be caught between her and Pei Yan, feeling torn.’
’When the child grew up, she would make her own decisions. No one needed to teach her who to associate with and who to cut ties with.’
As long as Pei Yan did nothing to hurt the child, Mei Wanying would never stand in the way of father and daughter meeting.
Ling’s hands were small, making the pearl she held look exceptionally large.
The little one sat in the crook of Mei Wanying’s arm, struggling to lift her tiny arm to place the pearl on Mei Wanying’s head.
But her arm was simply too short, and she could only press the pearl against Mei Wanying’s face.
She mumbled, "Mama, pretty..."
Ding Xiang couldn’t help but chuckle. "Miss, the Little Princess wants to give you the pearl to wear as an ornament."
Ling nodded emphatically, agreeing with Ding Xiang. That’s exactly what she wanted—to give it to her mama!
Her daughter was so sweet. Mei Wanying didn’t have a heart of stone; how could she not be moved?
Even though this was something sent by Pei Yan, Mei Wanying didn’t refuse her daughter’s kind gesture.
"Mama thanks Ling."
The little one shook her head, then wiggled her body to grab another pearl to give to Mrs. Mei.
Mrs. Mei was grinning from ear to ear, calling Ling her little sweetheart, her precious darling.
Ling was very generous. Whenever she saw something pretty, she wanted to give it to her mother and grandmother. She even stuffed gold ingots into the hands of Ding Xiang and Nanny Liu.
’The little one is so open-handed,’ Mei Wanying thought. ’It’s a good thing the family has enough assets, or there wouldn’t be enough for Ling to give away...’
The day of the princess’s enfeoffment was a joyous one, and everyone in the Mei household received a reward.
After the gifts were put away in the storehouse, Ling began to insist on writing a letter to her papa.
She couldn’t write, so she wanted her mama to do it for her.
Mei Wanying still felt a knot of resentment in her heart. ’Writing a letter to Pei Yan felt like making a friendly gesture toward him.’
She couldn’t get over that mental hurdle and, for the first time, refused her daughter’s request.
"Whatever you want to say to him, you can tell Mama, and someone will pass the message along."
Ling fell silent. With a huff and a puff, she scrambled out of Mei Wanying’s arms, stood up on a chair, and picked up the writing brush from the table.
She held it clumsily in her small hand, getting some ink on herself in the process, but she paid it no mind. With a flick of her hand, she made a few strokes on the letter paper.
She muttered to herself as she scribbled.
The little one had such a serious expression, you wouldn’t think she was illiterate.
Once the paper was completely covered in her scribbles, Ling was satisfied.
She turned to look at Mei Wanying. "For... Papa..."
Mei Wanying laughed out loud. "Alright, for him."
’If he couldn’t understand it, that was Pei Yan’s problem, not hers!’
