The Slender Waist-Chapter 707 - 510 Again and Again Jealous

Feng Yun had just taken a seat in the inner hall to drink tea and warm herself by the fire, enjoying the "Empress Dowager’s courtesy" bestowed by Li Sangruo, and smiled faintly upon hearing the voice, gracefully walking towards Pei Jue and giving a respectful bow with clasped hands.

"Your Majesty."

Pei Jue extended his hand towards her, motioning for her to sit closer, and said warmly:

"Why didn’t you come out earlier? What were you hiding inside for?"

Feng Yun glanced at him sideways, "If I had come out and spoken out of turn while the generals were discussing matters, you would have blamed me again."

Her smile was radiant, her eyes full of teasing.

Pei Jue looked at her perplexedly, pinched her face, and asked, "When have I ever blamed you?"

Far too indulgent.

Feng Yun was a bit unused to it and awkwardly produced a shallow smile.

"Let’s just say I had a sense of self-awareness."

Pei Jue subtly raised an eyebrow, "Then Minister Feng can speak now. Regarding the matters discussed in the hall, what are your thoughts?"

Feng Yun met his gaze and slowly broke into a smile, "Am I truly free to speak my mind?"

Pei Jue: "Speak the truth."

Feng Yun curved her lips into a smile and suddenly grabbed his arm, giving it a forceful pinch.

During the siege, she had seen Pei Jue get injured, but now he seemed to have been bandaged, without a trace of blood, and there was no sign of injury on his face.

This forceful action caused the man to frown.

"Such a fierce woman."

Feng Yun said, "See? Your true colors show, don’t they?"

Pei Jue frowned at her,

On Feng Yun’s fair face, her smile remained unchanged, yet upon closer examination, there was a faint hint of mockery in her beautiful eyes.

"How you wish to deal with the matter, Your Majesty surely knows, so why feign asking? You were distracted and got hurt because of her; do you really bear to send her to her death?"

Pei Jue’s eyes trembled slightly as he watched Feng Yun, remaining silent.

Feng Yun chuckled lightly, her eyes slightly provocative as she looked up, "So, does Your Majesty value my humble opinion?"

Pei Jue reached out silently and pulled her by the shoulders, drawing her over to sit in front of him, face to face, their eyes locking.

"Lady Yun, if someone were to say Li Sangruo is my legitimate sister, would you believe it?"

Feng Yun was shocked.

Her gaze turned incredibly astonished.

Li Sangruo is Pei Jue’s sister?

"If that were true, it would be a tale of gods and ghosts."

Pei Jue saw that she was neither angry nor upset, and he sighed deeply.

"Neither do I believe it."

Feng Yun’s heart tightened, fixing her gaze on Pei Jue’s eyes, which were visibly dark and light, then suddenly, she laughed, "But Your Majesty fears missing out on kinship. Daring not to believe, yet also can’t afford not to believe."

Pei Jue fell silent.

Feng Yun smiled lightly, "It was Mr. Tang who said it, wasn’t it?"

Pei Jue hummed an acknowledgment, "He was originally a military adviser in the Xie Family Army from long ago."

Beyond surprised, Feng Yun was half-convinced,

"If so, Tang Shaogong’s defection from Li Zongxun to your side wasn’t sudden or opportunistic betrayal but was premeditated... always secretly aiding you?"

She remembered Pei Jue mentioning that the Xie family had been kind to him, and he had deep connections with them, even harboring animosity towards the Feng family because of this...

If Tang Shaogong was from the Xie family and had helped Pei Jue, naturally, Pei Jue would hold him in high regard and trust his words.

But Feng Yun thought differently.

Tang Shaogong was her nightmare from a previous life...

Throughout, his image in her mind had never changed; consistently cold and ruthless, devoid of humanity.

Such a person, loyal to the Xie Family Army, would still exert themselves vigorously many years after the destruction of the Xie Family Army to help Pei Jue who had connections with the Xie family?

"Your Majesty," Feng Yun calmly stared at Pei Jue’s face, "Do you still remember how Tang Shaogong died?"

Now, this question obviously referred to their past lives.

Pei Jue looked back at her, his brows unwittingly furrowing.

"He was a Guest at Li Mansion, and the last time I saw him in the last life was during the peace negotiations at Andu. Whether he died afterwards or how he died, I am not certain."

Feng Yun’s dark pupils sank deeply, quite surprised.

"Your Majesty actually doesn’t know?"

Pei Jue’s eyes narrowed dangerously, "Do you know? You shouldn’t have been in Dajin at that time."

Feng Yun noticed the darkness in his eyes, her lips curling slightly, revealing a strained smile.

"Yes. I was in Qi Country at that time. It was Xiao Cheng who informed me that Tang Shaogong, the Li Mansion Guest who had once harmed me, was ordered by Prime Minister Li Zongxun to be executed along with his entire family, twenty-some lives, not one spared."

After saying this, without waiting for Pei Jue to deeply ponder her relationship with Xiao Cheng at the time, she quickly added another sentence.

"An execution of over twenty people, such a big stir, even Xiao Cheng in Nanqi knew about it, it’s unreasonable that Your Majesty didn’t know..."

Pei Jue was silent for a moment.

Slowly, he lowered his gaze.

"Perhaps at that time, I was recuperating from an injury. During my recuperation, I refrained from involving myself in court affairs for a long time."

Something clenched in Feng Yun’s heart.

She remembered.

At Shiguan Dock, the arrow that Wen Xingsu shot right at the chest...

It left Pei Jue severely injured and bedridden, recuperating for over a year.

Moreover, in their previous lives, there had been no direct confrontations or conflicts between Pei Jue and Li Zongxun, so why would he, a Great General, bother with a mere Guest of the Li Mansion?

Pei Jue looked at her, his gaze gentle and lost for words, gently stroking her face.

"Don’t be sad, the wound has healed."

Feng Yun’s heart suddenly ached, her hand pressing on his chest.

"Is this the place?"

Pei Jue hummed in agreement, holding her hand, "A minor injury."

"Even kings have their foolish moments..."

Feng Yun felt that this man was very deceitful, bearing everything himself and then casually brushing it off.

Pei Jue held her hand and placed it on his chest.

"In this life, I won’t get hurt again, Lady Yun, rest assured."

Feng Yun smiled slightly, her eyes full of gentleness.

"It seems that in the previous life, Tang Shaogong’s death was related to his betrayal of Li Zongxun. If not for a deep hatred, how could he kill over twenty members of a family?"

Pei Jue’s brow suddenly furrowed.

"The whole family..."

He muttered, as if he had thought of something, and suddenly looked up.

"Lady Yun, could Xiao Cheng be deceiving you?"

Feng Yun was slightly taken aback.

Pei Jue said, "As far as I know, Tang Shaogong never married and followed Li Zongxun alone... Being a loner, how could he have a whole family of over twenty people?"

Feng Yun was suddenly shocked.

"No family?"

Pei Jue pondered for a moment, "Let me verify this."

Feng Yun felt somewhat uneasy.

In her previous life, Xiao Cheng mentioned Tang Shaogong to her on a sunny afternoon.

The night before, Xiao Cheng had stayed in her palace.

She screamed in the middle of the night, waking from a nightmare, sweating profusely, and Xiao Cheng hung up the curtain hooks, bringing a light to check on her, his gaze deep and sharp like frost and blades.

"What did you dream about?"

At that time, Xiao Cheng did not trust her at all.

In fact, she had dreamed about Shiguan Dock, a battle that haunted her nightmares, and also dreamed about Pei Jue, looking back while covered in blood on horseback...

She dared not speak out.

So she told a lie instead, recounting how Tang Shaogong took her from the General Residence, frightening her by locking her in a jar, and told Xiao Cheng about it.

Xiao Cheng comforted her a few words at the time but did not say much else.

The next afternoon, while she was napping, Xiao Cheng, after leaving court, came to the palace and told her the news.

She had somewhat forgotten exactly how the original words went.

She only remembered that Xiao Cheng’s look that day was bright and cold, but he was especially gentle towards her.

And at that time, she genuinely believed that heaven was just, and evil got what it deserved.

If Tang Shaogong had no family, then Xiao Cheng had been lying.

At that time, being the Emperor himself, it didn’t make sense for him to tell such a lie...

Feng Yun was utterly puzzled.

"Stop thinking about it." Pei Jue gently supported her chin, making her look up to face him, his other hand slowly pressing on her waist, his tone lazy.

"If you think more, you’ll just be thinking of him."

A faint acidity spread from his deep black eyes.

"I won’t." Feng Yun raised her face, her lips curling into a slight smile, "Other than Mr. Pei, no one else is worth my thoughts."

Pei Jue smiled faintly, "Clever girl."

Feng Yun’s cheeks heated up slightly, and she tilted her head upward and closed her eyes.

In the serene hall, a cool breeze blew from somewhere, stirring her hair strands.

All was silent, only her rosy lips vivid.

Pei Jue’s arms tightened gently, and he slowly lowered his head.

His warm lips trembled upon contact, yet before fully savoring, someone from outside called for an audience.

"My king, Mr. Tang requests an audience."

This was in lieu of waiting for Pei Jue to summon him, he came on his own.

Pei Jue: "Let him in."

Feng Yun looked at Pei Jue, pointed to the curtains, and once again hid behind them.

Pei Jue had no intention of letting her leave, seeing this he helplessly pressed his temples and then sat upright.

Tang Shaogong’s footsteps were very light.

It seemed that every step was just the right amount of force, his footsteps rhythmically stable and calm.

"Servant Tang Shaogong greets the king."

He gave Pei Jue a deep bow, his hands extended up to his brow.

Pei Jue: "Dispense with the formalities."

Tang Shaogong said, "As a servant expecting punishment, coming unannounced to see the king is indeed very presumptuous..."

Pei Jue raised his hand and gestured for him to sit and talk.

"No need for formalities. Mr. Tang, what brings you to see me?"

Tang Shaogong’s eyes sparkled, "I come to ask the king for a favor."

Pei Jue pondered for a moment, "Mr. Tang’s assistance to the Northern Yong Army in capturing the city is highly commendable; I will not treat you unfairly, once we return to the Capital, His Majesty will surely grant you a reward..."

Tang Shaogong’s expression remained unchanged.

"I am not here for that matter."

Pei Jue watched him calmly.

Tang Shaogong silently tightened his grip on the purse at his waist, untying it and taking out a small seal from within, presenting it with both hands to Pei Jue.

"I have endured hardship and bitterness, waiting for many years to serve the Young Master."