This was an even more difficult and awkward question than being prevented from marrying a wife.

Pei Wenxuan said nothing. He pondered in his mind how to gracefully and elegantly express the matter of defaulting on his debt.

The woman looked at him, a smile hanging on her face, but her eyes carried a hint of mockery as if watching a good show.

After a moment, Pei Wenxuan finally found his composure. Just as he was about to speak, he heard an anxious shout from outside: “First Young Master! First Young Master!”

Everyone turned their heads. Pei Wenxuan saw it was the gatekeeper running over. With a moment’s thought, he knew it was likely the imperial marriage decree had arrived.

The servant, gasping for breath, stopped in front of Pei Wenxuan and stammered: “Imperial decree… First Young Master… at the gate…”

Before he could finish, Pei Wenxuan smiled, turned around, and walked out toward the gate.

Only then did the female servant demanding payment react. She quickly stepped forward to ask the gatekeeper: “What imperial decree?”

“People from the palace have arrived,” the gatekeeper caught his breath and explained aloud, “they want to announce an imperial decree. All the masters, madams, and young masters of the household must go. It seems something major is about to happen.”

Hearing this, everyone exchanged glances and quickly ran to the front courtyard, wanting to see with their own eyes what was happening.

When Pei Wenxuan reached the gate, the Pei family members had already all arrived. Pei Lixian’s eldest son, Pei Wende, seeing Pei Wenxuan approach, scoffed and mocked: “Usually we know Big Brother has a big ego, but I never expected that even when palace officials arrive, his ego would still be this big.”

“Wende,” Pei Lixian stood at the front with his hands tucked in his sleeves, slowly opened his eyes, and reprimanded: “Silence.”

Pei Wenxuan walked before Pei Lixian and Pei Liwen, bowing respectfully: “Second Uncle, Third Uncle.”

Then he turned to look at his mother Yun Shi, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time: “Mother.”

Yun Shi nodded at him, her expression carrying some fatigue. After all the Pei household members had arrived, Pei Lixian stepped forward and said to the eunuch holding the imperial decree: “Eunuch, everyone in the Pei household is present here. Please proceed.”

The eunuch smiled and nodded. Pei Lixian stepped back, and they heard the eunuch shout powerfully: “Kneel—”

Everyone knelt together. The eunuch began reading the decree. The content first praised Pei Wenxuan extensively. Hearing these lavish words of praise, everyone secretly glanced at Pei Wenxuan.

Pei Wenxuan’s expression remained calm. When it reached the part reading “the Empress Dowager was greatly pleased to hear of this and hereby specially arranges the marriage to Princess Pingle,” everyone suddenly understood. The servants hiding in the distance all widened their eyes, feeling somewhat dazed.

Pei Wenxuan calmly accepted the decree. The eunuch looked him up and down, then said: “Princess Pingle has always been most beloved by His Majesty. Lord Pei has great fortune.”

“I borrow your auspicious words, Eunuch.”

Pei Wenxuan bowed, his manner proper and modest.

After the imperial decree was read, the palace officials withdrew. After seeing off the palace people, Pei Wenxuan, holding the decree, turned around and looked up at Pei Lixian.

Pei Lixian kept his hands tucked in his sleeves, his expression bland: “Receiving His Majesty’s marriage decree is your good fortune. In the future, serve the Princess well and do not lose the Pei family’s propriety.”

Pei Wenxuan: “…”

He had originally wanted to bow, but hearing these words, he felt something was quite off, as if he himself were the new bride…

After Pei Lixian finished speaking, he turned to everyone and said: “Dismissed.”

Pei Lixian had always been authoritative in the household. Getting these words, no one dared linger and dispersed one after another. Only Pei Wende, before leaving, couldn’t help but come to needle Pei Wenxuan with a few words: “Big Brother has such good fortune. In the future, you can rely on the Princess for your livelihood.”

“Indeed,” Pei Wenxuan dusted off his sleeves, his expression bland. “Is Second Brother jealous? What a pity,” before Pei Wende could speak, Pei Wenxuan smiled faintly, “with Second Brother’s character and appearance, I’m afraid there’s no chance of marrying a princess. In this lifetime, besides relying on your father, there’s nothing else you can rely on.”

“You!”

“Wenxuan.” Before Pei Wende’s anger could flare up, Yun Shi hurriedly walked over. Her face full of anxiety, she glanced at Pei Wende. Seeing Yun Shi arrive, Pei Wende couldn’t continue arguing with Pei Wenxuan. After all, she was an elder. He could only bow and withdraw.

After Pei Wende left, Yun Shi pulled Pei Wenxuan’s hand and said urgently: “Come with me.”

With that, Yun Shi dragged him to her own courtyard.

Pei Wenxuan knew what Yun Shi wanted to say. He felt quite helpless in his heart, but still followed Yun Shi into her courtyard. Upon entering the room, Yun Shi dismissed the servants, then said to him urgently: “Did you know about this marriage decree in advance?”

Pei Wenxuan calmly found a place to sit down. He was clear in his mind that with him attending the spring banquet earlier and investigating cases together with Li Rong, his early contact with Li Rong could no longer be hidden.

So he frankly admitted: “I knew.”

“You knew, and for such an important matter, you didn’t even inform me?”

Hearing Pei Wenxuan speak, Yun Shi immediately shouted sternly: “Do you still have me, your mother, in your heart?!”

“If I had informed Mother,” Pei Wenxuan poured himself tea, saying flatly, “could you have defied the decree, or could you have reasoned with His Majesty?”

Yun Shi was stunned. After a while, she sat down powerlessly, tears immediately rolling down: “It’s Mother who failed you, making you suffer such grievance. If your father were still here, you certainly wouldn’t encounter such matters… Marrying a princess is difficult. Which princess has a good temper?”

Hearing Yun Shi’s tearful complaints, Pei Wenxuan hesitated for a moment, then finally said: “About this matter, I was willing.”

Yun Shi raised her head somewhat incredulously. Pei Wenxuan thought for a moment, looked up at Yun Shi, and said peacefully: “Mother, I pursued this young lady myself.”

“You pursued her?”

Yun Shi’s face showed complete shock: “Why would you, perfectly fine, pursue a princess to bring home?”

“Isn’t a princess quite good?” Pei Wenxuan smiled. “A princess is also an ordinary young lady. She’s a very good person. You’ll know once you meet her.”

“What enchanting potion did you drink?” Yun Shi said, then cried again, “I know you’re comforting me. Since childhood you’ve liked Zhenzhen. Your temperament is just like your father’s—how could you easily like someone else?”

“Mother,” Pei Wenxuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, “you mustn’t speak nonsense in the future.”

“You are my son, my precious child,” Yun Shi cried until she was gasping for breath. Pei Wenxuan hurriedly went to pat her back, listening to her say, “How could I not know your thoughts? I couldn’t stop your second uncle from talking nonsense to the Qin family, and I never expected that Qin Lin from the Qin family, after hearing your second uncle’s words, would directly say his sister couldn’t enter a nest like the Pei family and immediately came to break off the engagement. It’s all my fault for harming you, and now you still have to comfort me…”

“Mother,” Pei Wenxuan couldn’t withstand this bout of crying from Yun Shi. His entire head grew large, but he knew his mother had always had this temperament. He could only patiently coax her: “She’s really good. I really like her very much. I went to great lengths to marry her. In the future, you must never speak nonsense in front of her. If you truly care about me and truly want me to have a good marriage, I beg you—in the future, don’t mention Qin Zhenzhen and get along well with the Princess. Can you do that?”

Hearing Pei Wenxuan’s lengthy reassurance, Yun Shi looked up with half-belief and half-doubt: “You’re not deceiving me?”

“How could I deceive you?” Pei Wenxuan sighed. “I truly like her.”

“Then what about Qin Zhenzhen?”

Yun Shi looked completely bewildered.

Pei Wenxuan raised his hand to his forehead: “I wasn’t clear-headed back then. I was so young—what did I know about liking or not liking?”

“This…” Yun Shi hesitated for a moment, actually being persuaded, and said slowly: “That’s also true.”

Pei Wenxuan raised his head somewhat strangely: “You think I didn’t like Qin Zhenzhen?”

“That was just childishness,” Yun Shi’s expression was gentle. “True feelings should be like between your father and me—not seeing each other brings longing, seeing each other brings heart palpitations. When two people are together, they feel time passes very quickly. Even if your father just casually bantered with me a few times, I found it extremely interesting.”

As she spoke, Yun Shi’s face carried some reminiscence. Pei Wenxuan knew Yun Shi was thinking of his father again. He remained silent. Yun Shi also knew she shouldn’t indulge so much in reminiscing about the past in front of others. She recovered after a moment and sighed: “During those years in Luzhou, you never once sent Zhenzhen a letter because you missed her. When you saw her, you were always proper and correct—the same in public as when seeing her. How could that be called liking?”

“According to what you’re saying,” Pei Wenxuan smiled, “I need to find someone I enjoy bantering with to call it liking?”

“Whether you’ll banter with her or not, I don’t know,” Yun Shi also smiled, “but in front of that person, you will definitely be different from how you are in public. In front of that person, for your entire life, you’ll be a child.”

Pei Wenxuan was stunned. After a moment, he couldn’t help but say: “Father was like this too?”

“Yes,” Yun Shi loved talking about Pei Lizhi. Hearing Pei Wenxuan bring it up voluntarily, her eyes became tender. “Don’t look at how strict he was in front of you—he was actually always a child who never grew up. Remember how he always bought you toys? After buying them, he’d play with them himself. I’d tell him, ‘Where are you buying toys for him? You’re clearly itching to play yourself.'”

“Yes,” Pei Wenxuan kept Yun Shi company in conversation. “I remember.”

Pei Wenxuan accompanied Yun Shi talking about Pei Lizhi. Yun Shi’s health wasn’t good. After talking with him for a while, she became somewhat fatigued. Seeing she was tired, Pei Wenxuan attended to her as she rested, then left the room.

After leaving, he stood at the doorway. Tong Ye followed behind him, somewhat puzzled: “Young Master, what are you thinking about?”

“I was thinking,” Pei Wenxuan sighed, “it’s fortunate Her Highness doesn’t love to cry.”

Tong Ye was somewhat bewildered: “Huh?”

Pei Wenxuan lowered his head with a soft laugh and walked away.

When speaking with Yun Shi earlier, he had been thinking of Li Rong.

In his previous life, he always said Li Rong was too rigid. Every time they quarreled over differing political views, he would wonder how a young lady could be strong-willed to such a degree.

However, just now watching Yun Shi, he suddenly felt that Li Rong being this way was very good.

No one can hide behind others for an entire lifetime. One day they must step forward to face the storm, to face this cruel world.

His mother wasn’t a bad person. She was gentle and kind. His father had protected his mother for her entire life, keeping her like a caged canary, allowing her to happily spend the first greater half of her life.

But all gifts come with a price. His father probably never thought he would depart so early.

The better he protected this person, correspondingly, after he was gone, the more vulnerable this person became.

Before his father died, he had arranged for many people to protect them, mother and son. But at that time, he was only seventeen. Using mourning as an excuse, they forcibly sent him to Luzhou, leaving his mother in the Pei mansion.

His mother was a person with soft ears who yielded easily. She always feared conflict, always made concessions. Thus, no matter how much his father had left behind, by the time he returned three years later, his mother had squandered it all completely.

In his youth, he had envied his parents. They were different from ordinary aristocratic couples. They truly loved each other. They were devoted and fulfilled. They taught Pei Wenxuan about devotion to and expectations for a relationship.

He had fantasized countless times that if he had a wife, he would also live such a life. He would also learn from his father, devoting everything to protect that person, to love that person.

But when he looked at his mother, he suddenly felt that loving a woman too much, giving her everything, yet not teaching her to fly—how was that different from breaking her wings?

But fortunately—

Pei Wenxuan thought of Li Rong. He felt somewhat comforted in his heart.

This woman—no matter how much you doted on her, she could soar straight up ninety thousand miles. The only worry was that if you weren’t careful, she might reach a place where you couldn’t see her, making you look up at her for a lifetime, never able to reach her again.

As soon as Pei Wenxuan became aware of this thought, he immediately felt somewhat ridiculous.

They were merely making do together in this life. In a few years, they would separate through divorce. What was he doing thinking about the way of husband and wife here?

But strangely, when he thought about these things, he felt somewhat happy.

He returned to his courtyard with light steps and saw the female servant who had demanded payment earlier standing somewhat anxiously at his door. He darkened his face, stared at the female servant, and after hesitating for a moment, slowly opened his mouth: “That carriage…”

“Take your time!” The female servant immediately said, “Prince Consort… oh no, First Young Master,” the female servant said with a mournful face, “this servant came to apologize. This servant is blind and failed to recognize greatness. In the future, I hope First Young Master, as a great person, won’t hold it against this small person. Take your time repaying that carriage. Whenever you repay it is fine!”

Pei Wenxuan was amused by this female servant. He suddenly experienced what it meant to use the tiger’s might to intimidate.

He had no intention of entangling with these minor characters. He waved his hand: “It’s nothing. Go on.”

The female servant hurriedly ran off. Pei Wenxuan returned to his courtyard. That night he thought about the key figures from his previous shadow network. The next day he went to the Princess’s mansion, obtained money, found people, and everything began to be established in an orderly manner.

When he returned to the mansion that evening, just reaching the gate, he saw the Chief Administrator of the Princess’s mansion standing at the entrance. Pei Wenxuan was stunned, quickly got off the carriage, and greeted him: “Lord Lu, why are you here?”

“The Princess has a letter for you,” Lu Minzhi handed a letter to Pei Wenxuan. “This humble official was passing by, so I came to deliver the letter.”

“You’re very thoughtful.”

Pei Wenxuan accepted the letter and exchanged pleasantries with Lu Minzhi for a moment. After Lu Minzhi took his leave and departed, Pei Wenxuan held the letter, hesitated for a moment without opening it, returned to his room, and placed the letter at his bedside.

It wasn’t until evening, after he had handled all official business and was lying in bed, that he opened the letter to see Li Rong’s handwriting.

Li Rong spoke concisely and comprehensively about three matters. First, she gave him diagrams of two wedding robes and asked him to help her choose.

Second, she asked about the progress of his shadow network construction.

Third, she gave him a bank note, saying to throw it in that female servant’s face.

Lying in bed looking at Li Rong’s letter, Pei Wenxuan recalled Li Rong’s appearance when she raised her eyebrows while speaking. He couldn’t help but laugh aloud.

He carefully examined the two wedding robe diagrams, selected one of them, then set the letter aside and lay down properly to sleep.

That night he had a dream. He dreamed Li Rong was wearing the wedding robe he had chosen, spinning before him and asking: “Pei Wenxuan, do you think it looks good?”

He didn’t know why, but he couldn’t help wanting to laugh.

When he woke from the dream laughing, he lay quietly for a while.

Only then did he realize this was the first time in his memory—in that long stretch of time that could no longer be counted—that he had woken from a dream laughing.

After youth passed, there were no more beautiful dreams.

Returning to youth again, only then did a beautiful woman enter his dreams.

Author’s Note:

I suddenly realized that what Pei Wenxuan holds in his hands is actually a female protagonist’s household struggle script…

A legitimate daughter whose family property was schemed away and who suffered bullying, having a brainless cousin who always bickers with her, one day catches the eye of a tall, rich, and handsome man, and with one imperial marriage decree shocks his entire family…

Oh, what a huge golden finger!

Oh, the female protagonist with a tall, rich, and handsome man is truly enviable.

[Mini Theater]

(Before marriage)

Li Rong: “What kind of daydreams do you have every day that you wake up from dreams laughing?”

Pei Wenxuan: “I dreamed you married me.”

Li Rong: “Oh, that really isn’t a daydream.”

(After marriage)

Li Rong: “What kind of nightmares do you have every day that you wake up from dreams crying?”

Pei Wenxuan: “I dreamed you married me.”

Li Rong: “Heh, men. But there’s one thing—”

Pei Wenxuan: “What?”

Li Rong: “Seeing you unhappy, I know for certain that I must be very happy.”