Chapter 266: Mother and Son Seek Reconciliation
Ning'an Garden, the courtyard where Mrs. Pei lives.

At this moment, all the servants had left, leaving only the mother and son in the room, both looking solemn and calm.

After a long while, Mrs. Pei sighed and asked slowly.

"You're not going to buy such a big stall, are you sure?"

"The Pei family is big, but how many people are trapped? Father, mother and we are all victims. I don't want to be a person like father who wants it all, so I ask mother to relax and plan more for her future life."

"It's easy to say that you can give up these, but what about Ayao and Amiao? What will happen to them in the future? They still have to stay in Hanzhou for a long time. How can you let them face their tribesmen?"

Hearing this, Pei Zisu was not in a hurry and continued to explain to Mrs. Pei.

"Compared to the titles of the eldest daughter and the third son of the Pei family, my son thinks General Pei is more suitable for them. They grew up in the army like me, and now they have established a firm foothold in the army thanks to the victory of the Southern Tang. Even without the protection of the Pei family, it won't affect anything. Besides, before I came here, I told the prince about this. With him around, no one will touch them. After all, Hanzhou has restrained Xijing City, and doesn't Xijing City also restrain Hanzhou?"

This is absolutely true. They are Pei Zisu's biological brothers and sisters. Since he has thought of everything, how could he not prepare a retreat for them?

After hearing this answer, Mrs. Pei's back, which had been straight for many years, bent unconsciously, and she looked at Pei Zisu with eyes full of guilt and heartache.

He hesitated to speak, but finally opened his mouth.

"You three siblings have suffered so much over the years. I am an incompetent mother, so I made your life so difficult. I'm sorry."

"Mother, what you said is both right and wrong. When we were children and needed your care and love, your indifference was indeed hurtful. But now that I'm older, I think about it again. It's not without reason that the saying 'hard work can make one's bones fragrant' is true. At least the three of us have not let you down, haven't we?"

Mrs. Pei nodded and tears began to fall.

She covered her face with her hands and began to sob. For so many years, she never cried in front of children and always looked cold and arrogant. But now, Pei Zisu's words made her lose her pride.

She always owed her children a "sorry", so she wanted to spend the rest of her life trying to make up for the maternal love they lacked in their childhood.

Pei Zisu didn't say much and just stayed with her quietly.

Outside the door, Su Sheng's eyes also turned slightly red, but his heart was at peace at this moment. No matter whether his cousin was willing to leave with him or not, at least now, she finally relaxed a little bit of the tension she had been feeling for all these years.

This is a good thing.

So, he quietly left the yard, leaving the mother and son room to have a heart-to-heart talk.

The next day, Pei Zisu, who had never been to the palace, suddenly brought his mother to the palace to ask for an audience with His Majesty in his imperial robes. Others thought something big had happened to the Pei family, but outside the imperial study, even the old man Dezhong, who had served the emperor for decades, was a little surprised. "Do you know what you are saying now, mother and son?"

"Your Majesty, my mother and I have been thinking about this matter for many years. I didn't report it to Your Majesty before because we didn't know about the external enemies in Dasui and I had a responsibility. But now that there is no danger on the border, I should be at home to repay my mother for her years of raising me. So I beg Your Majesty to allow me to resume my civilian status so that my mother can have a chance to escape from the sea of ​​suffering."

Pei Zisu's words and deeds as a good son made the old emperor somewhat confused.

He had been suppressing the memorial from the King of Han requesting a reward on the grounds of being seriously ill. When he heard the news that Pei Zisu had arrived, he thought that he was going to ask for a reward of some kind, but it turned out to be such a request. For a moment, he really couldn't understand his purpose.

Then he looked at Mrs. Pei and asked in a serious tone.

"Madam Pei, you are from the famous Wu family of Xuanzhou. You should know your identity, mission and responsibilities. We have lived in peace for so many years. Why do you suddenly want to divorce and even want me to announce it to the world? Don't you care about your kindness to the Pei family?"

There was some pressure from the emperor in her words, but Mrs. Pei had entered the palace with the determination to die. Even if she couldn't get her wish today, she would die here in order to stay away from the Pei family in the next life, so she answered calmly.

"Your Majesty, please understand. I have been married to the Pei family since I was eighteen years old. I have never done anything to let the Pei family down. However, General Pei has ignored the in-law relationship between the Pei and Wu families and insisted on favoring his concubine over his wife. A few years ago, I moved out of the Pei family's old house. After that, I will not marry into the Pei family again unless something serious happens. What's the point of our relationship? In the past twenty years, I have lived in the Pei family longer than in the Wu family. I have done everything I should do. I am here to ask for your grace. I just want to stop suffering from the Pei family for the rest of my life. Please grant me your majesty's blessing."

"Nonsense! This marriage of yours was granted by the late emperor. If you want to divorce now, wouldn't that be a slap in the face of the late emperor?"

"How dare I? The late emperor granted us this marriage for the good of the Pei and Wu families. Although marriage is predestined, friendship cannot be cultivated. Marshal Pei and I have been at odds for so many years, and I do not want to cause any scandal that would bring shame to my family, so I beg Your Majesty to grant my wish."

After saying this, Mrs. Pei kowtowed heavily several times.

Soon there was a blood mark on her head. When Pei Zisu saw his mother like this, he became even more determined to settle the matter today, so he followed his mother's request to the old emperor.

"Your Majesty, do you remember that before I went to the Southern Tang, you sent someone to deliver the imperial edict, stating that if I could conquer the Southern Tang in one fell swoop, I would be given a high position and a bright future. I have now fulfilled my promise as a general, but I do not ask for these material things. I only wish that my mother could be freed from suffering. Please grant me this, Your Majesty!"

The old emperor felt very complicated at the moment. He certainly knew that Pei Zisu gave up these things in exchange for a so-called divorce request, which was the best thing for him, but the matter came so suddenly that he couldn't help but feel a little suspicious.

Just when he was thinking about how to "politely decline", he suddenly heard Princess Qinghuan asking for a meeting.

He put away the suspicion on his face, and then there was a hint of doting in his eyes, and then he spoke.

"Let the princess in."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Soon, everyone saw Princess Qinghuan. She had her hands folded in front of her belly. The princess's dress was loose and solemn, so if you didn't look closely, you couldn't tell that she was more than six months pregnant.