It's all ruined, who cares about the chastity arch

The crowd gradually gathered and talked about it. Pei straightened her back and shouted loudly: "Dad! Aunt died a long time ago, on the way back to Beijing! The concubine in the palace is a fake! She is just a maid beside Aunt!"

As soon as these words came out, the crowd exploded.

Upon hearing the sound, the servant hurried back to report to the master.

Upon hearing the news, Master Pei stood up suddenly, "What nonsense! How could I not recognize my own sister?!"

"She actually dared to provoke the Toffee. She is so bold!"

"Quick, bring her back to me immediately!"

"Yes, sir."

The servant took the order and retreated in a hurry, as a bigger storm was about to come.

Pei's emotions became more and more agitated, and her tone gradually rose, as if she wanted to pour out all the indignation in her heart: "It's all a false appearance! The high and mighty concubine is actually just a maid of humble origin and low status! The reason she was able to climb to her current honorable position is all because of conspiracy and trickery, and she killed her original master!"

As they spoke, the crowd's whispers spread quickly like a spark on a dry grassland in spring. Soon, this fire called "rumors" reached Concubine Pei's ears.

At that time, Concubine Pei was holding an exquisite medicine bowl in her hand. The medicine liquid was bitter and she was about to swallow it. Suddenly she heard these words and was shocked. The porcelain bowl fell to the ground with a crisp "clang" sound and the pieces scattered everywhere, as if the secret that had been hidden in her heart for a long time was exposed in an instant.

"Are you...are you sure?"

She repeated in disbelief, her voice subtle but trembling with disbelief, "That woman from the Pei family actually had the guts to publicly declare that I am not of the Pei family's bloodline?"

His eyes were filled with complex emotions, including shock, confusion, and unspeakable pain.

The maid lowered her head and answered softly, but every word seemed to hit Concubine Pei's heart like a heavy hammer: "It is true. I heard that the eldest master of the Pei family has forcibly taken the young lady back to the mansion."

Upon hearing this, Concubine Pei's face turned pale instantly, her eyes flashed with disbelief, her lips trembled slightly, and the waves in her heart were like a violent storm, completely overturning the peace she had been carefully maintaining.

How can this be?

The little-known secret of her life should be known to no one else in the world except herself and Pei Chi'an.

Could it be Chi An?

A trace of panic flashed through her heart, because he was the only one who knew all the details of the past!

Concubine Pei, who was always calm, also seemed anxious at this moment. She hurriedly ordered: "Immediately, go and ask the young master to come to the palace to see me!"

Cuifang, the personal maid beside her, stepped forward and carefully advised: "Madam, the eldest young master is currently busy preparing for his marriage with Miss Wu, and I'm afraid he can't spare time to enter the palace."

However, these words not only failed to calm Concubine Pei's anger, but instead added fuel to the burning flames: "No matter what, he must come over!"

"Yes, ma'am."

Cuifang respectfully accepted the order and left.

Concubine Pei was fidgeting, the silk handkerchief in her hand was soaked with sweat. Pei's words were like a sharp dagger that pierced through all her defenses.

As the defense line collapsed, the scorching hot afternoon outside seemed even more depressing, and the air seemed to be filled with heavy moisture, making people feel suffocated.

At the same time, deep inside the Pei Mansion, Master Pei suddenly waved his hand and slapped Pei to the ground: "Evil creature! How dare you be so presumptuous and challenge the dignity of the Concubine Dowager!"

Pei wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, her eyes full of unyielding and resentment: "Every word is true, how can it be slander? Father, you witnessed your daughter being used but remained indifferent, how ruthless you are!"

Under normal circumstances, even if there were some concerns, Pei, as a member of the family, should not be treated so coldly, let alone being ignored by relatives.

But Mr. Pei's indifference was beyond common sense. Since he chose to give up, he no longer had any attachment.

It was precisely because of this ruthlessness that Pei, who was on the verge of despair, did not care about anything and made public the secret contained in the note that had been hidden for many years.

No matter what the truth is, if she died in Pei Mansion today, everything would be revealed. Neither Master Pei nor the Concubine Dowager could bear such consequences.

At this time, Yuan Shi approached Master Pei and whispered, "Master, what if what she said is true?"

Master Pei firmly denied: "It's impossible! How could such a ridiculous thing happen in our Pei family?"

"My sister, you have been promoted from a little concubine to a noble concubine. What an honor that is! How can a mere maidservant compare to that?"

In his words, Mr. Pei was full of pride in Concubine Pei's achievements.

Yuan was still dissatisfied with the imperial concubine because of Pei Qingzhi's incident, and continued, "Master, if this matter is confirmed and spread to the emperor, our entire Pei Mansion will face a catastrophe."

"Deceiving the Lord is a serious crime punishable by death!"

She deliberately raised her voice, and each word sounded powerful and heavy.

Master Pei frowned and remained silent for a long time without saying a word.

Seeing this, Yuan lowered her voice again and suggested: "Master, why don't you keep this girl first and investigate secretly. If the matter is true, and our Pei family reveals it ourselves, we can not only avoid the crime of deceiving the emperor, but we may even be rewarded by the emperor."

Master Pei remained silent, deep in thought.

Pei lay on the cold ground, a glimmer of hope flashing in her eyes, and then she stood up with all her might, saying firmly: "Dad, Mom is right, this matter should be resolved by our Pei family ourselves!"

Facing the tough attitude of Master Pei, Pei lowered her head and tears silently fell: "Dad, I was reckless before. But dad, if the concubine is really replaced by a slave, it will be a great shame for our Pei family."

"You can ignore me, but you can't let the Pei family be humiliated because of a servant."

Master Pei's expression softened a little, and his anger slowly subsided.

Pei took the opportunity to say, "Dad, I know you don't want to acknowledge me because of the Zheng family's affairs, but can you help me this time because your daughter is still useful?"

Yuan also pleaded for her illegitimate daughter in a rare move: "During this period, she has not taken out her anger on anyone because of the Zheng family's affairs. I don't think she will bear any grudge against you just because the Zheng family's young mistress is your daughter."

"On the contrary, if you really let go, the outside world will only think that you are too heartless as a father."

Master Pei knew all these principles, but he was angry just now. Even if his reputation would be damaged, he had to draw a clear line between himself and his daughter.

His face relaxed slightly, and he asked Pei seriously: "How do you know that the current Concubine Pei is not of Pei's bloodline?"

Pei had already made up her mind and did not dare to reveal the secret of the note easily, so she made up an excuse: "It was also a rumor that my daughter occasionally heard from somewhere else."

"Dad, think about it carefully. Is it true that my aunt has not changed at all compared to before?"

She tried to guide Mr. Pei to discover the clues himself.