Chapter 267: Pros and Cons Princess Acts as Lobbyist
"You're still pregnant, why don't you stay in the mansion and rest more? What are you doing here at this time?"

The old emperor loved Princess Qinghuan dearly, so everything she did was reasonable. Even if it meant leaving the father behind and keeping the son, the old emperor thought it was right as long as his daughter liked her.

Therefore, Princess Qinghuan also knew how to guess the old emperor's thoughts, so she touched her belly and said.

"This child has been making a lot of noise since he got up early. I thought he might be missing his father, so I brought him in to see him. Who knew I would run into General Pei and Madam Pei? What a coincidence. But what happened to Madam Pei? There's a blood mark on her forehead."

"Nothing. Madam Pei wants to ask for something. Father has not yet made a decision. Since you are here, you can give me some advice. She wants to divorce Marshal Pei. Qinghuan, do you think I should agree or not?"

The old emperor's words instantly shifted the attention of the Pei mother and son to Princess Qinghuan. Pei Zisu knew that the princess would not make such a trip for no reason, so he was so sure that she would help himself and her mother.

Then, Princess Qinghuan said in a calm tone.

"If Madam Pei is doing this for the greater good, then this marriage should not be divorced. But if it is for personal reasons, I think the marriage should have been divorced 20 years ago when Mr. Pei took a concubine."

"Oh? What do you say?"

"Although your father is in Xijing City, he must have heard a few things about Marshal Pei's family. It is not uncommon for officials to have several wives and concubines, but it is rare to hear of Marshal Pei favoring his concubines and killing his wife. The Wu family of Xuanzhou is also a prestigious family in our Dasui. In the beginning, they happily sent their daughter away for the imperial decree of the royal grandfather, but in the end they had to endure for twenty years. In these years, has your father ever heard that the Wu family complained to the outside world? On the contrary, Marshal Pei openly and secretly favored that concubine and did not take the royal grandfather's marriage seriously at all. In comparison, your father must not be fooled by any nonsense. I think that the Wu family has been able to endure until today to ask for the imperial decree of divorce, which is already the limit."

Princess Qinghuan provided another perspective, which actually reminded the old emperor.

The Wu family of Xuanzhou has always been loyal to Dasui, which makes them much more loyal than the Pei family, who are closer to the King of Han. If we can do them a favor this time, it would actually be better than tying them to the Pei family.

Therefore, this point, combined with what Pei Zisu had just said, made the old emperor waver.

Seeing his expression soften, Pei Zisu and Madam Pei were waiting for the old emperor to make up his mind, and Princess Qinghuan added the finishing touch and then said.

"If you can't catch the quicksand, it's better to let it go, so that you don't become resentful of each other every day. It will turn a good thing into a bad one, and the gain will not outweigh the loss. This is what the emperor said to me at the beginning. Do you remember it?"

Of course the old emperor remembered these words.

It is precisely because of this that he loves Princess Qinghuan even more because she knows how to let go. He has loved someone in his life, but ultimately failed to receive the same response. When resentment was rising, he also doubted whether he kept someone by his side, tied up like this, for the so-called "love", or just to vent his anger?

So after being reminded by Princess Qinghuan, when he looked at Madam Pei, he saw himself when he was younger, so he felt some sympathy and relaxed.

"Okay, since the princess has spoken for you, I will agree to this matter. I will get the imperial edict later. The marriage between the Pei and Wu families will stop here. In the future, you can marry freely without interference from others."

Hearing this, Mrs. Pei burst into tears of gratitude.

She had never thought that there would be a day in her life when she would be separated from the Pei family. Her previous persistence suddenly dissipated at this moment. She sincerely kowtowed to the old emperor to express her gratitude. The true feelings at this moment made the old emperor have some insights. Then he looked at his beloved daughter and said something to Pei Zisu.

"Stay here, I have something to ask you!"

"The minister obeys the order!"

At this moment, he was still General Pei, so whatever the emperor said was the truth. Princess Qinghuan understood what her father wanted to ask, so she took Madam Pei to the side hall to wait.

This was the first time the two of them had such close contact. Although Mrs. Pei was not reserved, she was not warm enough to have a conversation with the princess. Therefore, Princess Qinghuan asked a question and she answered it, just like the emperor and Pei Zisu in the imperial study.

"You have already handed over the seal of the Patriarch. Do you really not want the Pei Family anymore?"

Pei Zisu was somewhat surprised when the old emperor said this. He had been certain that Princess Qinghuan would "privately keep" the family seal in order to have a big enough trump card in the future when seizing power. However, he did not expect that the emperor had already known about such a thing.

It seemed that the trust between Princess Qinghuan and the old emperor was far beyond what he could imagine, so after thinking quickly, he answered respectfully.

"I don't have much gratitude towards the Pei family. After the great victory of the Southern Tang, if I continue to be proud of my achievements, I will cut off my own path. That's why I gave the seal of the head of the family to the princess in the hope of keeping my family safe."

"Why did I let you choose the princess instead of the prince?"

This question made Pei Zisu speechless for a moment. It was an established fact that the old emperor favored the princess, but how could he know that the old emperor would feel disgusted with the prince to the point of disliking him?
If he answered wrongly, all his plans for the day would be in vain, but in the end he answered sincerely.

“Before attacking Southern Tang, I once changed my appearance and went to the heartland of Southern Tang. I saw how miserable the lives of those innocent people were after being forced into the war. I asked myself if I could do anything for them, but I always thought that if the world could be unified and the people from all over the world would be united, under the leadership of wise and insightful people, the people would be able to live a good life. However, the premise of all this is that there would be no more wars. Therefore, I did not choose the princess over the prince, but like Your Majesty, I chose the child in the princess' belly. If Da Sui was free of those intrigues, I believe it would be able to create a greater prosperity!”

When Pei Zisu said this, he was not completely sure in his heart.

The only thing he was betting on was the old emperor's heart, whether he was also weighing the pros and cons, hoping to turn hostility into friendship so that Xijing City and Hanzhou could avoid a war of fratricide.

After he finished speaking, the old emperor on the throne remained silent for a long time.

He just remembered an incident in the past. At that time, his relationship with the King of Han had not deteriorated to such an extent. Therefore, when they were drinking and chatting happily, he heard him mention a few words about his admiration for the young Pei Zisu.

"If this child is yours, it would be your great fortune."

Now it seems that it is a good thing that this child is not the King of Han’s child. This is the real blessing for Dasui.