"Since you've been there, I won't hide it from you." Grandmother Pei sighed, "After what happened today, I finally figured it out. This person might be gone at any time."
Pei Che hurriedly said, "Grandma, you are in good health, and I still need you to take care of me."
Grandmother Pei smiled and said, "I know you are filial, but life and death are determined by fate, and no one can predict it. Haven't you always wanted to know why Grandmother became estranged from your second uncle and his family after she fell ill?"
"I didn't quite understand it at first, but all those things that happened later made me see them clearly. I can't blame my grandmother for keeping away from them." Pei Che was a little sad. What he thought was a loving mother, filial son, and a harmonious family were all fake.
"Yes, I have been too soft-hearted over the years. I thought that even though they are a little stupid, they have the same blood as you, and it would be nice to have someone to help them. But I didn't expect that they would be so careless." Grandmother Pei frowned, thinking of the illness she had suffered a few years ago.
The time she fell ill happened to be on Shijie's memorial day. She was so sad that she couldn't sleep every night. The weather changed and she caught a cold. One morning, she felt a tightness in her heart and fainted all of a sudden.
This illness was different from the previous ones. It was called something like "fright syndrome", implying that she got this illness because of fear. There were even rumors that it was the fault of Prince Pei Xian. She had been bedridden for more than half a month without any improvement. She would have heart pain from time to time, and when it came on, she wished she was dead.
The palace invited many doctors, but they all said that the disease was difficult to cure. Finally, the imperial physician wrote a prescription, but he said that this prescription required thousand-year-old ginseng as the medicine guide. This thing can calm the mind and strengthen the soul, and it is perfect for treating this disease of palpitations.
Thousand-year-old ginseng was not rare for a family like theirs. But it was something that could only be found by chance, and when she needed it, she couldn't find it in the entire Liangjing, including the surrounding prefectures.
Grandmother Pei could feel her body getting weaker and weaker, and she was afraid that one day she would not be able to get up after falling asleep. In fact, she was not afraid of death, but she was worried that if she died, Che'er would be left alone.
He was the eldest in this mansion, but the current Duke was his illegitimate uncle. Although he had sworn in front of the ancestral tablets that he would definitely return the position of Duke to Che'er, there were countless people who had broken their promises since ancient times. She might be able to restrain him while she was alive, but it was hard to say if she died. Even if he was doing well now, it was not as good as Pei Che being the head of the family without being tortured.
Thinking of this, Grandmother Pei decided to solve this matter before she died. So, one day when she felt better, she specially called the second, third and fourth sons to her bedside.
These three people have always respected her as their stepmother. At this moment, they were standing in front of the bed, expressing their filial piety and speaking sincerely, as if they hoped that they were the ones who were sick.
Grandmother Pei was comforted, thinking that she had gained something from her years of training. After talking to them for a while, Grandmother Pei got to the point and mentioned the title.
Pei Er obviously didn't expect her to say this and was stunned for a moment. When he came to his senses, he kept talking about how he would fulfill his original promise as long as Pei Che succeeded in his studies.
Grandmother Pei was somewhat dissatisfied. "Successful in studies" was obviously an excuse. How long does one have to go through to be considered successful in studies? Juren? Jinshi
She frowned and was about to speak when she suddenly felt a familiar pain in her heart. The pain came so fast and so violently that she couldn't bear it and fainted.
She didn't know how long she had been unconscious, but she knew that when she woke up, they were still in her room. She wanted to open her eyes, but she found that her eyelids seemed to weigh a thousand pounds and she couldn't open them at all. She was so frightened that she only knew how to fight with her body and had no intention of listening to what they said.
It was not until Nanny Gao went out to urge the doctor that the word "Pei Che" appeared in their conversation that it caught her attention.
Pei Er smiled helplessly and said, "My mother has spoken, what else can I do?"
"Second brother, that's not what I meant. Even if you are my mother, we should be reasonable. She thought of you when there was no one to support the Duke's Mansion. Now that Pei Che has grown up, she wants you to go back. Isn't this making things easier for others? Besides, it's not written in the law that a bastard's son cannot inherit the family business." Pei Si was not willing to be outdone and started to speak as well.
"But, there are still people from the direct branch..." Pei Er's voice was a little hesitant.
"So what? My mother is dying, what kind of trouble can Pei Che cause?" Pei San said contemptuously, seeming to look down on Pei Che.
"Alas, you can't say that. Even if our family agrees, how can the Feng family let it go?" Pei Er still had another concern.
Pei San said, "Feng family? No matter how powerful the Feng family is, can they still interfere in other people's family affairs? Besides, mother has been keeping Pei Che away all day and not wanting him to have any contact with them. After a long time, will the Feng family still take him seriously? You just need to delay and wait for mother... that's all."
After listening to their conversation, Grandmother Pei felt as if something was strangling her throat, and she was so heartbroken that she couldn't breathe. She blamed the Feng family for Shijie's death, so she didn't let Che'er have too much contact with them. Now she didn't know the right people, and let the wolf into the house, causing Che'er to be attacked from all sides and fall into such a helpless state. It was all her fault!
When she woke up again, the three men had regained their usual demeanor, asking about her well-being and taking good care of her. Grandmother Pei wanted to break up with them, but she was afraid that if she pushed them too hard, they would do something desperate, so she didn't dare to act rashly. She only sent someone to contact Grandpa Feng privately, hoping that he could stand up for Pei Che and seek justice while she was still alive.
Unfortunately, Mr. Feng had just left Liangjing a few days ago. He received an imperial decree and went on a tour on behalf of the emperor. It was unknown when he would be able to return.
Grandmother Pei fell into despair. Was it God's will that she die with regrets
However, the turning point came quickly. As Pei Che had been looking for thousand-year-old ginseng, the Zhu family from the outer city suddenly came one day and offered the thousand-year-old ginseng, just to establish a relationship with Pei Che and seek protection from the Duke's Mansion.
With ginseng as the medicine guide and the prescription written by the imperial physician, after only three doses of the medicine, Grandmother Pei's palpitations were much better. After she recovered, she thought about getting rid of these ungrateful people. But after thinking about it carefully, she still didn't do it. It didn't matter, Pei Er was now a duke. If he died suddenly, it would definitely attract the attention of the court. Thinking of the injustice between Pei Shijie and the emperor, Grandmother Pei could only suppress the anger rising in her heart and take it slowly.
After Pei Che finished listening, he finally understood why his grandmother behaved in those ways after she recovered from her illness, and why she asked him to spend more time with his maternal family to avoid being unfamiliar with them.
Thinking of how his grandmother still thought about him when she was dying, Pei Che couldn't help but feel a mixture of emotions, and his throat seemed to be blocked by something.
Jiang Miao was also somewhat moved. Grandmother Pei really treated Pei Che very well. He couldn't help but think of his grandparents. They had always been wholeheartedly planning for him until they passed away.
After Grandmother Pei finished telling this story, she felt much better. She didn't tell it before because she was afraid that Pei Che was young and hot-tempered, and would lose his temper and reveal his true colors. Now that he can stand on his own, it doesn't matter if he knows it.
Things are unpredictable in this world, she only hopes that before she dies, she can pave the way for Pei Che, so that he can live comfortably and worry-free for the rest of his life.
(End of this chapter)