Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne Chapter 1026 - 98: The Southern Wei People Find Pei Dingyuan (3)

"Rest assured, your arrival at this hour must signify something crucial," Zhao Yao responded kindly, "What issue prompted such haste in seeking me out? Has trouble arisen in the Ministry of Personnel?"

Without delay, Pei Dingyuan posed his question forthrightly, "Your Highness, do you have knowledge of the Southern Wei people?"

At Pei Dingyuan’s inquiry, surprise flickered across Zhao Yao’s features.

Observing Zhao Yao’s reaction, Pei Dingyuan realized he was indeed informed.

"Your Highness, so you are familiar with the Southern Wei people."

Zhao Yao gave a faint nod and replied, "I’ve been aware for quite some time, yet how did you come to learn of the Southern Wei people?" While speaking, his eyes narrowed a bit, "Have you encountered someone from Southern Wei?"

"I’ll be straightforward with Your Highness. Not long ago, an individual approached me, asserting ties to the Pei Family and claiming knowledge of the true events surrounding the Pei Family’s destruction in those days." In recent years, Pei Dingyuan had slowly pieced together fragments of his suppressed childhood recollections, though they remained incomplete. Those snippets held no details about the Pei Family’s annihilation. He recalled only his own belonging to the Pei Family and that his grandfather had barely survived the family’s collapse back then.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yao straightened in his seat and questioned, "What exactly did he reveal to you?"

"He claimed the Pei Family suffered injustice in the past, with the Yuan Family orchestrating their extermination, much like what you once explained to me." A few years prior, Pei Dingyuan had been informed by Zhao Yao that the Yuan Family pulled the strings behind the Pei Family’s fall. "Furthermore, he mentioned that the Pei Family’s elder matriarch, grandmother to Noble Consort Pei, hailed from Southern Wei. The Yuan Family accused the Pei Family over a specific artifact, whose location was known solely to them."

At these words, no astonishment showed on Zhao Yao’s countenance, as he had long been privy to the facts.

Noticing Zhao Yao’s composed demeanor, which suggested prior awareness, Pei Dingyuan couldn’t suppress his astonishment: "Your Highness, you already knew?!"

"I possess even greater insight than that." Zhao Yao offered little elaboration and steered the conversation onward, "What more did he disclose?"

"He further explained that the Pei Family was once merely a common household, not of noble lineage. It was through Southern Wei assistance that they rose to prominence in the prior dynasty, allowing Pei kin to occupy vital roles in government. Even Noble Consort Pei’s entry into the palace and her gaining imperial favor stemmed from their schemes." Pei Dingyuan went on, "He added that without the Pei Family’s downfall, the son of Noble Consort Pei would have claimed the throne. Regrettably, Emperor Xia Ling fell prey to false accusations and confined Noble Consort Pei along with her son to the Cold Palace. Soon after their imprisonment, the Pei Family faced charges of rebellion and was put to death. Later, Noble Consort Pei’s son succumbed to sickness, yet she endured. The Southern Wei folk had repeatedly attempted her extraction but failed."

Zhao Yao recalled the hidden passageway in the Cold Palace housing Noble Consort Pei, likely excavated by the Southern Wei agents. The passage had been finished, connecting straight to her quarters. Why then had they not spirited her away? Perhaps Noble Consort Pei had refused to flee?

"Did he reveal the Pei Family treasure’s hiding place?"

"No, he lacks knowledge of its whereabouts, though he insisted the Pei Family members must be aware." Throughout the years, Pei Dingyuan had never unearthed any recollection concerning the Pei Family’s treasure. "He assumed I held the secret, but I informed him of the childhood fever that damaged my mind, erasing all early memories, leaving me clueless about the treasure’s location."

"Did he accept your words?"

"I believe so. He mentioned he’d seek methods to revive my lost childhood recollections." Pei Dingyuan harbored doubts about the Southern Wei people’s ability to recover his past. "He emphasized that the Pei Family’s treasure rightfully belongs to the Southern Wei, and he’s determined to locate it. Additionally, a vital element within ties directly to their destiny, compelling him to press me into recalling my youth by any means."

Hearing this, Zhao Yao remarked evenly, "That aligns closely with my suspicions."

"I pressed him on the nature of that item, but he refused to elaborate. Your Highness, are you aware of what it might be?"

Zhao Yao shook his head gently and stated, "I cannot say for certain." In truth, several possibilities lingered in his mind.

"Truthfully, even recovering those memories would likely prove fruitless," Pei Dingyuan expressed, "Given the circumstances, my grandfather was doubtless a minor, sickly bastard child dispatched to a Taoist temple by the Pei Family. How could they have entrusted him with critical knowledge like the treasure’s site?" It was his grandfather’s early exile to the temple that kept his presence obscure within the family, allowing him to be overlooked during the Pei purge.

"Should the Southern Wei discover your ignorance of the Pei Family treasure’s location, your life would hang in peril." For years, Zhao Yao had covertly probed into the Southern Wei people, gaining some grasp of their ruthless character. "They rarely reveal themselves without cause. Their approach to you centers on unearthing the treasure via your connections. Without that knowledge, you become expendable to them. Worse, your awareness of their presence marks you as a threat they cannot tolerate."

Horror dawned on Pei Dingyuan’s face: "They’d eliminate me?"

"They might, though perhaps not, considering the Southern Wei blood coursing through your veins as well."

"Your Highness, what manner of folk are these Southern Wei exactly?" Pei Dingyuan sensed instinctively that they spelled trouble.

"Far from honorable," Zhao Yao declared with contempt, "a band of fanatics bent on reviving Southern Wei, willing to stoop to any depravity without remorse."

"So that’s the truth of it." Quick-witted Pei Dingyuan inferred volumes from the Southern Wei man’s statements, "Your Highness, their frantic pursuit of the Pei Family treasure revolves around that particular object. Could it connect to Southern Wei’s resurgence?"