Chapter 348: Chapter 349 Xia Zhaohe is Dead

Pei Huaian feigned deep thought for a moment and said with a smile, seeing the person whose face had subtly changed, “Then it must be someone else’s fault, or else it’s my fault for letting those messy troublemakers disturb you.”

Shao He didn’t expect him to answer like that and her previously disheartened mood instantly turned joyful.

“Why did you deal with Liang Rou publicly? After all, she is a young lady from an official family, and such news spreading will create a stir, making it even harder for us to clear our names.”

Shao He knew he was trying to show his support for her and also understood that his actions were meant to prevent others from troubling her, but it could lead people to definitely think there was something between them.

“Our affair probably won’t be hidden for long, and I did this to let everyone know your place in my heart, so even if our relationship is exposed later, they won’t make things difficult for you.”

Pei Huaian was laying the groundwork, as the matter between the two of them could not be hidden forever, and he estimated that Princess Ninghe would soon spread the news about the child.

Shao He did not expect him to think so comprehensively, her eyes flickered slightly and she pursed her lips.

Pei Huaian caressed the back of her hand and said tenderly, “Shao He, trust me, I will protect you and the child no matter what.”

Shao He withdrew her hand, feeling somewhat flustered, “I, I’m going to see how Qingxia’s medicine is doing.”

Pei Huaian looked at her retreating figure, almost as if she were fleeing, and the smile on his lips gradually widened.

Two days before the banquet, Pei Huaian brought clothes and jewelry to Anji Hall.

“What is this?”

“Try it, see if it fits.”

Shao He picked up the dress; it was a gold-threaded dress embroidered with a hundred butterflies amid clouds, a pale white dress with short sleeves adorned with soft fluff, with a skirt hem boasting large patches of butterfly threads, lifelike as if about to take flight.

This dress was clearly very expensive, and moreover, was too extravagant. If she wore this dress to the banquet, she would definitely be the subject of much gossip.

She didn’t care what others might say but just wanted to be peaceful and keep her presence unnoticed.

“This dress and jewelry are really too lavish, I wish to be low-key, not too ostentatious.”

Pei Huaian’s eyes flashed subtly, “The jewelry can be toned down a bit, but this dress was specially customized for you, and it’s just a dress, not overly extravagant.”

“But this dress is obviously expensive, especially the texture, and the patterns on it, all sewn with gold silk thread, it’s better to change to another one.”

“The banquet is tomorrow, and if we go for another custom order, I’m afraid it will be too late, so why not just wear this one for now.”

Shao He realized that Pei Huaian really wanted her to wear this dress and was about to ask if there was something special about it when Ah Mo suddenly hurried in.

“Master, Xia Zhaohe is dead.”

This news made Pei Huaian and Shao He look at each other, surprise evident in their eyes.

“How could that be…” Shao He didn’t believe Xia Zhaohe was the kind of person to end her own life.

“What happened?” Pei Huaian asked with a somber expression.

Ah Mo continued to report, “The news from Prince Jing’s Mansion is that a fire broke out that had insulted the Emperor and harmed his unrivaled admiration, leaving her feeling immensely guilty, thus she committed suicide out of fear for her crimes.”

“But our spies reported in recent days that Xia Zhaohe had shown no signs of intending to take her own life.”

“Moreover, there are rumors in Capital City saying that the Xia Dynasty didn’t want to marry Zhaohe to Pei Jingyi as a concubine, implying that the royal family forced her to her death.”

After hearing the spies’ messages, Pei Huaian spoke with great certainty, “The death of Xia Zhaohe is definitely not that simple.”

“Yes, I also feel that Xia Zhaohe wasn’t the kind of person to take her own life,” Shao He added.

“Any news from Prince Jing’s Mansion lately?”

“I heard that Princely Heir Xia Zhaoshun returned to Capital City to report on his duties two days ago.”

Pei Huaian’s eyes held a trace of deep thought, “Xia Zhaoshun?”

“Correct.”

“If my analysis is not wrong, this matter is definitely related to Xia Zhaoshun,” Pei Huaian’s fingertips tapped incessantly on the table, not expecting Zhaoshun to return so soon.

This person appeared gentle and scholarly but was actually ruthless and would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

“How could that be? She was his own sister!” Shao He found it hard to believe that someone could be so cruel as to harm their own sister.

Pei Huaian shook his head and sighed, “You don’t understand Xia Zhaoshun, and now with Prince Jing’s power waning, it is quite normal for Zhaoshun not to want to tie his fate to a prince with no prospects like Pei Jingyi, after all, his ambition is much greater than that of Prince Jing.”

“Even so, there’s no need for that, right? Sending her to a Nunnery would still be better than killing her!”

Shao He couldn’t imagine how ruthless a person could be to commit such a monstrous act.

“This is just my speculation, for now, we still can’t be sure what the other party intends to do,” Pei Huaian said, knowing that he must be cautious in dealing with someone like Xia Zhaoshun.

He turned to Ah Mo behind him and ordered, “Keep a close watch, and if anything happens, report it immediately.”

“Yes.” Ah Mo hurried off.

Seeing the heavy expression on his face, Shao He asked, “Who exactly is this Xia Zhaoshun?”

“He is a meticulous and ruthless person, not easy to deal with,” Pei Huaian frowned deeply.

Shao He realized that from his mouth such words meant that this person must be extremely cunning.