Chapter 516: Pei Nanwei Is His Retreat

When Ning Zhongze saw Yu Xian drink the wine offered by the Princess Consort, her brows subtly twitched, and a familiar feeling arose.

She looked more closely at the Princess Consort. Hmm, she was the type her younger brother liked. And their family already had one Princess Consort; adding another wouldn’t be inappropriate.

She just wondered what this Princess Consort’s original fate was. Judging by her appearance, although she had a faint smile on her face, she didn’t seem very happy.

Ning Zhongze’s questioning gaze turned to Yu Xian.

Yu Xian met Ning Zhongze’s gaze, naturally knowing what she was thinking, so he nodded. He was indeed interested in Pei Nanwei.

Sure enough! Ning Zhongze almost rolled her eyes, but it would damage her image too much, so she decided against it.

Ning Zhongze gave Yu Xian another look, asking him what he planned to do.

Yu Xian received the message, then tilted his head, his gaze directed at King Jingan’s Divine Sense.

Ning Zhongze looked puzzled. King Jingan? Could King Jingan really give his Princess Consort to you?

Yu Xian seemed to see through her confusion, a faint, almost imperceptible smile playing on his lips.

Ning Zhongze stopped pondering and decided to just watch the show.

Yu Xian’s guess was correct. King Jingan was indeed calculating in his heart: if he could give Pei Nanwei to Yu Xian, it would not only quell today’s humiliation but also earn him a favor.

He saw clearly that ever since Pei Nanwei appeared, a hint of unusual brilliance had entered Yu Xian’s eyes. Yu Xian had so many women by his side; he was a lecher. He wouldn’t mind having more women.

So Pei Nanwei was his retreat.

Yu Xian’s strength was too terrifying; no wonder even Emperor Yonghui was so wary. He had wanted to take down Yu Xian to curry favor with Emperor Yonghui, so that Zhao Xun could inherit the King Jingan title, but now…

Now he could only curry favor with him and save his own life first.

As for Pei Nanwei, if she could appease Yu Xian and even make him drop his guard against him, then giving her away was not out of the question. Women were ultimately pawns. Compared to his son’s life and his own kingship, what did one Pei Nanwei matter?

He quietly raised his eyes and saw Yu Xian looking at him with a half-smile, his gaze seemingly able to penetrate all the calculations in his heart. This made him hastily lower his head, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the Buddhist beads he had just picked up, and a fine layer of cold sweat seeped into his palms again.

After exerting enough psychological pressure, Yu Xian no longer paid attention to King Jingan. Instead, he looked at The Women, finding that they had finished eating and were waiting for him.

It seemed everyone disliked this princely estate and didn’t enjoy their meal as much as they did in the imperial palace.

“My Lord, thank you for your hospitality today, and… for your gift,” Yu Xian suddenly said with a smile to King Jingan.

As his voice fell, The Women and children instantly vanished from the banquet hall. Immediately after, Yu Xian also disappeared.

The remaining people in the banquet hall were all dumbfounded, unsure of what had just happened.

“Fa… Father, this, this, this…” How did they suddenly disappear? Was it some kind of sorcery? Zhao Xun pointed at the spot where Yu Xian had vanished, his voice tinged with a sob, his face filled with lingering fear.

King Jingan Zhao Heng’s pupils also contracted sharply. He stared intently at the empty seats, the Buddhist beads in his hand once again creaking as they were clenched, a tempest raging in his heart.

Such elusive methods far exceeded the scope of Jianghu masters; they were practically like immortal Spells! He abruptly looked at Pei Nanwei’s seat, which was also empty, leaving only a solitary wine glass, its rim still bearing a faint trace of rouge.

Was the ‘gift’ Yu Xian mentioned at the end Pei Nanwei? Did Yu Xian know he intended to give Pei Nanwei away?

Did this mean that since Yu Xian took Pei Nanwei, he wouldn’t pursue the matter further?

He probably wouldn’t, since they had already left.

Zhao Heng immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he hadn’t completely offended Yu Xian today. Fortunately, there was a Pei Nanwei; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

“Father!” Zhao Xun also noticed Pei Nanwei’s absence and anxiously called out to Zhao Heng, “The Princess Consort is gone!”

“This King knows. The Princess Consort suddenly fell gravely ill and needs to leave the estate for immediate treatment. This King has ordered her to be sent out of the city for quiet recuperation. If there are no serious issues, she will not return to the estate for now,” Zhao Heng said in a very low voice, with a hint of undetectable exhaustion.

His gaze swept over his son’s pale face, then quickly shifted to the deep night outside the window, as if the boundless darkness could swallow all traces of Pei Nanwei.

Zhao Xun opened his mouth, wanting to ask something, but was stopped by the fleeting ruthlessness in his father’s eyes. The words he was about to say were swallowed back, leaving only a heart full of confusion and lingering fear.

He vaguely understood that Pei Nanwei had ultimately become a discarded pawn on his father’s chessboard.

After Yu Xian was far from Xiangfan City, he returned to the Small World.

Upon returning to the palace, he saw The Women gathered around Pei Nanwei, showing concern, clearly having already become like sisters.

That fast?

Pei Nanwei’s eyes were red, evidently from crying, but at this moment, she looked at The Women with gratitude.

“Husband, we shouldn’t have let that father and son off so easily. Not only did the father forcibly marry Sister Pei, but his stepson also coveted her in every way. If it weren’t for Sister’s resilient nature, she would have long been tormented beyond recognition by that father and son. Although we have rescued Sister from this predicament, how can we just let the King Jingan Estate’s debt go?” Li Qingluo’s delicate brows furrowed slightly, her tone carrying a hint of indignation.

She couldn’t stand to see women suffer such injustice.

“Qingluo is absolutely right. King Jingan stops at nothing to achieve his goals. If he can abandon his wife to save his life today, there’s no guarantee he won’t do something even more despicable for power in the future. We should teach him a lesson,” Wu Xingyun added.

Hearing The Women speak up for her, Pei Nanwei’s heart swelled with warmth, and she quickly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

“Thank you, elder sisters, for thinking of Nanwei. It’s just… King Jingan is, after all, a member of the imperial clan, with immense power. We have already escaped the cage, so why bother to get entangled with them again and add to our troubles?” Pei Nanwei advised against it.

She had endured for many years in the princely estate, long accustomed to submission. Now that she had regained her freedom, it was a great fortune, and she dared not ask for more.

“Sister, you are mistaken.” Ning Zhongze stepped forward and gently patted her shoulder, her gaze firm. “Since we sisters have accepted you, we will not let you suffer any grievance. Moreover, if such an unrighteous and unjust person is not slightly punished, wouldn’t everyone in the world think we are easy to bully?”

“Your sister is right. Even if we don’t kill them, we should at least go back and give them a severe beating! Letting them off like this is too easy for them,” Qin Hongmian also said.

Yu Xian listened quietly from the side, his mouth twitching involuntarily.

It seemed he didn’t need to say anything; The Women already knew Pei Nanwei’s story. And their indignation now clearly showed they wanted to act heroically and right wrongs again.

“Husband, say something! Should we uphold justice for Sister Pei? Should we take us back to teach that father and son a lesson?” Li Qingluo saw Yu Xian just standing by without speaking, so she pulled him into the conversation.