Wen Qijin finally managed to get Pei Yijian to listen to him, and his expression finally eased.
He patted Pei Yijian’s shoulder and reminded him, “Don’t forget, we still have a mission entrusted by His Majesty. Only when we help His Majesty obtain the treasure map will he completely remove the poison from our bodies.”
Like Zhou Yue, Wen Qijin also valued the brotherhood between them.
They worked for His Majesty primarily to obtain the antidote and ensure that they could all live well together.
Pei Yijian nodded and sat down. After taking a few sips of wine, he felt that something was not quite right.
So he looked at Wen Qijin, who had already finished a whole pot of wine.
“Brother Wen, are you saying that His Majesty already knows that the Twelfth Princess is outside the palace?” Pei Yijian lowered his head and took a sip of wine, his voice filled with concern. “Will His Majesty punish the Twelfth Princess?”
Wen Qijin, with a slightly intoxicated look on his face, opened another pot of wine and shook his head in response. “No, it seems that His Majesty appreciates the Twelfth Princess’s courage in leaving the palace without permission. As long as she can return alive, His Majesty will not hold her accountable, but he will arrange a marriage for her.”
A hint of understanding flashed in Pei Yijian’s eyes, and he calmly asked, “In fact, you had already informed His Majesty about the Twelfth Princess being outside the palace, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
After such a long time, Wen Qijin no longer concealed it.
He glanced at the other two who were looking at him and slowly spoke:
“Do you both remember what I said back then? If His Majesty found out, the Twelfth Princess would be in trouble.
“Ah, but what I haven’t said out loud is that it’s better to let the Twelfth Princess suffer alone than for the three of us to suffer together. The Emperor is so suspicious, and I don’t want us to be in danger.”
Wen Qijin’s tone was sincere and genuine, and he truly had their best interests at heart. No one could blame him for that.
Zhou Yue, listening nearby, suddenly felt guilty because he hadn’t thought about it that much at the time.
Pei Yijian also fell into silence, feeling heavy in his heart.
“I’m sorry, I almost caused trouble for everyone,” he apologized.
No wonder Wen Qijin burned the Emperor’s reply without showing it to the two of them. Based on trust, Pei Yijian didn’t suspect anything either.
Pei Yijian began to think that since the Emperor already knew about the Twelfth Princess’s situation, he could take her back to the palace at any time and let her marry someone else…
Not long after, the three of them left the courtyard and returned to their respective rooms.
Pei Yijian pushed open his room door with a somewhat gloomy mood. The room was pitch black, with no candles lit.
He didn’t mind, as he would soon be going to sleep anyway.
Of course, whether he could sleep tonight was another matter.
As he turned around to close the door, suddenly a pair of hands wrapped around him from behind, accompanied by the voice he had yearned for day and night—
“Brother Pei, where did you just go? I’ve been waiting for you here for a long time.”
Pei Yijian’s back tensed up as her sudden appearance disrupted his breathing.
He never expected Lu Lili to be in his room.
He moved his lips but ultimately ignored her question and instead asked her, “Why didn’t you light the candles?”
Lu Lili let go of his hand and truthfully replied, “I did light them, but they burned out just now. I couldn’t find new candles.”
Pei Yijian quickly found some candles and lit them. He saw her hair flowing like a waterfall, dressed only in pajamas. Her eyes were clear and without any defense against him as an adult man. Suddenly, his mouth went dry, and he especially wanted to send her back to her room!