Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 665

Chapter 665: Night Talk

Pei Que had just entered the room when he heard An Zhi’s question. Although her tone was calm, Pei Que knew An Zhi and knew that she was very concerned.

Before today, Pei Que truly had no idea that the Prince of Dingnan intended a marriage alliance. It was only after seeing Tao Ruiming and his sister that he gradually understood.

He slowly walked to the bedside, opened his mouth, and raised his hand to swear, “I swear, I didn’t know the Prince of Dingnan would send a granddaughter. Madam, please don’t look at me like that. When have I ever lied to you? If I had known the Prince of Dingnan would send a young girl, I definitely wouldn’t have agreed.”

An Zhi leaned forward slightly, carefully observing Pei Que’s gaze. “You didn’t know before, but what do you think now? Didn’t Tao Ruiming tell you?”

“No, really not.” Pei Que tried to take An Zhi’s hand, but she pinched it. He still stubbornly held on. “He was only listening to me this afternoon and couldn’t get a word in edgewise. You can’t blame me for this. I never intended a marriage alliance with the Prince of Dingnan; it was all his own idea.”

Both were intelligent people; even though Tao Ruiming and his sister hadn’t explicitly stated their intentions, they could guess.

An Zhi snorted, watching Pei Que shamelessly lean closer, and said disdainfully, “What if Tao Ruiming reveals his intentions to you? What are you going to do then?”

The Prince of Dingnan was Pei Que’s most important ally and best supporter. Even the Prince of Dingnan was willing to let his granddaughter marry him as a concubine. If Pei Que were to refuse ungratefully, he would definitely anger the Prince of Dingnan.

It wasn’t easy to refuse the Prince of Dingnan without creating a rift.

In the past, when An Zhi was jealous, she would first secretly get angry and then tell Pei Que that she was unhappy. Now that they had been together for a long time, she could face this kind of arranged marriage, rather than Pei Que having another love interest, more calmly.

Pei Que was also a little troubled by this matter, so he spent the whole afternoon chatting with Tao Ruiming about various things, avoiding getting to the point.

Pei Que lay on An Zhi’s lap, analyzing, “The Prince of Dingnan wants a marriage alliance to solidify the relationship between our two families. He knows I don’t have much contact with the Tao family of Dingnan. Although he trusts me, he doesn’t really understand me. If a granddaughter marries me, it will be different. He will have more contact with me, and it will lay the foundation for the next head of the Tao family.”

The Prince of Dingnan was getting old, and Tao Ruiming and his sister’s father would inevitably inherit the title in the future. Once his ally becomes his father-in-law, Pei Que would naturally have to flatter Dingnan.

An Zhi could understand what Pei Que was saying.

“If you marry Tao Yingying, things will be much easier, and the Prince of Dingnan will trust you more.” At this point, An Zhi was gaze darkened slightly. “Pei Que, do you want to marry Tao Yingying?”

If he were an ordinary man, he would definitely marry her in this situation. Moreover, their wives couldn’t refuse, as it would be a good thing for their husbands, and the traditional virtues of obedience and filial piety forbade women from being jealous; otherwise, they could use that as grounds for divorce.

But An Zhi was different. Having been reborn, although she still had limitations and was bound by worldly constraints, she wanted to live more for herself.

If Pei Que were to even nod in agreement, she would immediately kick him off the bed.

Pei Que understood An Zhi. He looked earnestly into her eyes and coaxed her in a softer tone, “Madam, you’re enough for me. I thought so before, and I still do.”

An Zhi silently breathed a sigh of relief. Although she had guessed Pei Que would say that, her heart still leaped into her throat when she asked, “So, how do you plan to resolve this?”

“It’s already dark. We will talk about it tomorrow.” Pei Que rubbed his face against the back of An Zhi’s hand; the cool touch was very comforting. “Let’s blow out the candle and go to sleep.”

Before An Zhi could agree, Pei Que got up and blew out the candle.

Outside, the red candle flickered, blending with the summer cicadas’ chirping, creating a somewhat lively atmosphere.