Wang was furious and finally realized he had been tricked. He summoned Pei Lie and, in the Queen's chamber, unleashed his rage.
"How dare you, Pei Lie! Your audacity grows with each passing day. You dare to lie in front of so many people? You dare to deceive me! Do you still have any respect for me, your father?!"
He paced back and forth, his face flushed with anger.
Pei Lie paused for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Father, I did not intend to, but at that moment, I truly had no other choice!"
"You had no choice, so you could deceive me!" The King felt like a monkey being played, and by his own son no less. He simply could not accept it. "You've gone too far. You dared to use your mother's name to deceive me, and you even dared to steal the King's Whip!"
Indeed, that was the crux of the matter.
If Pei Lie hadn't held the King's Whip, even if he had claimed the Queen had woken up, the King would not have so easily compromised!
Now he knew everything he had believed was a deception!
He glared fiercely at Pei Lie, raising his hand high as if to strike him. Pei Ji rushed in just in time, his heart nearly leaping out of his chest at the sight. He grabbed his father's arm.
"Father, what has happened? Why are you so enraged?"
Wang snatched his hand away and roared, "Go ask your esteemed elder brother! Ask him what good deeds he's been up to!"
Pei Ji immediately looked at Pei Lie, "Elder Brother?"
Pei Lie looked at him apologetically, "I'm sorry, Pei Ji, I deceived you."
"Deceived me about what?"
"Mother... did not wake up." Pei Lie found these words difficult to say.
Pei Ji didn't believe it. "How is that possible? If Mother hadn't woken up, how would you have gotten the King's Whip? Only Mother knows where the King's Whip is kept..."
As he spoke, he realized something was amiss.
From the corner of his eye, he saw his mother lying motionless on the bed. If she had woken up, she would certainly not be in this state.
"Elder Brother, you... you stole the King's Whip?"
Pei Lie remained silent, his head bowed, his fists clenched tightly.
The King sneered, "Well done, truly my good son, your good elder brother. Look, look at what he's done!"
Pei Ji was also at a loss for words.
He had never imagined his elder brother would have the audacity to steal the King's Whip. That was a violation of royal law and punishable!
Pei Lie's jaw was tense, and he gritted his teeth. "I did it. I admit it. I will accept whatever punishment you mete out, but I do not regret it."
The King's anger had slightly subsided, but upon hearing this, it flared up anew. "Say that again!"
"I do not regret it!"
Pei Lie's words were firm, with no trace of remorse.
Even if he had to do it again, he would still steal the King's Whip, as long as it could prevent his father from making a foolish decision.
Anything he did would be worth it!
"You unfilial son!" The King, who had felt some guilt towards Pei Lie over the dungeon incident, now had that guilt utterly consumed by rage, leaving only resentment and loathing. "Guards, take Pei Lie away!"
"Father, no, don't!" Pei Ji knew his father too well to know that when he looked like this, he was truly furious. If his father was allowed to continue, his elder brother's life might be in danger. He rushed forward to intervene. "He made a mistake, Father. You can scold him, but this is our family matter. You cannot hand this over to others to deal with."
Wang said hatefully, "This unfilial son no longer sees me as his father!"
Pei Ji pleaded, "I know, Elder Brother was wrong. He shouldn't have deceived you, but think about it, Elder Brother's actions that angered you so much were not born of malice, but for your sake."
"Nonsense! Deceiving me was for my own good?"
Pei Ji quickly said, "Father, you know Elder Brother has always thought of you first, always put you first in everything. This time, it was also for your own good. So many people disagreed with you appointing Fourth Brother as the Crown Prince, but you insisted. They will have opinions about you, and there will be rumors outside. You have been King your whole life, and now, at this point, will your reputation be ruined?"
Of course, there was the most important point: Pei Xi's character and integrity were not fit to be King, which was why the two brothers strongly opposed it.
But these words could not be spoken to a father who doted so much on Pei Xi.
Wang gritted his teeth. "Even if it was for me, lying requires punishment!"
Pei Ji was anxious and turned to look at Pei Lie, but he remained motionless, standing there like a sculpture.
Many people had gathered at the entrance, and Shen Qingqing and Fu Jingshu had also arrived upon hearing the news.
And Pei Xi was there too.
He stood at the doorway, a gloating expression on his face where the King could not see it, which made Pei Ji's teeth itch.
Wang could no longer tolerate it. "Take Pei Lie away!"
"Your Majesty, it would be best if you didn't," Shen Qingqing said, leaning against the doorway. "Don't forget, the appointment of the Crown Prince requires all three princes to be present. If you imprison any one of them now, the subsequent ceremony for the appointment of the Crown Prince might not proceed smoothly."
Wang ignored her completely, his rage still burning fiercely if he didn't imprison Pei Lie now. "I will release him on the day of the Crown Prince's appointment ceremony."
Shen Qingqing raised an eyebrow. "But if he is imprisoned, he will surely be haggard. During the ceremony, under the public gaze, it will cause gossip, won't it?"
The King's face froze.
He turned and glared at Shen Qingqing, his voice filled with anger, "Why are you everywhere? Go back to your room!"
Shen Qingqing smiled playfully. "I'm here to watch the show, and also to help you."
Wang glared at her gloomily. "Stop meddling. Know your place, and don't really think you are a guest."
There had been too much going on at the Crown Prince's appointment ceremony before, and he had forgotten about this woman.
But wasn't it this woman who proposed the vote in the first place!
Shen Qingqing blinked her bright eyes. "Alright, I've given you the reminders I needed to. If you want the subsequent Crown Prince appointment ceremony to not proceed smoothly, then continue."
She even pulled Fu Jingshu aside to clear the way for the guards to enter.
However, this made the King hesitate.
Although he found this woman disagreeable, her words were quite reasonable. For Pei Xi's Crown Prince appointment ceremony to proceed smoothly, it was truly not a good time to cause any trouble.
"Your Majesty?"
The guards entered, but without the King's command, they dared not move.
Wang waved his hand impatiently. "Forget it, forget it. Get out."
So the guards left, utterly bewildered.
Shen Qingqing suppressed a smile and was about to say something when she suddenly felt something was wrong. She scanned the area around her.
She looked at Fu Jingshu and whispered.
"Where is Pei Xi?"
Fu Jingshu frowned slightly. He hadn't noticed either; all his attention had been on his captivating wife.
Shen Qingqing had a bad feeling, so she signaled Pei Ji to go look for him, while she and Fu Jingshu walked around the garden.
Although guards followed them, it was confirmed that Pei Xi was not in the garden.
Now, all they could do was rely on Pei Ji.
Two hours passed. Pei Xi was not found, but a servant ran back from outside, looking flustered and breathless.
"The Second Prince has arrived!"