A mere guard could be ignored by the steward, but with Pei Lie's command, he had no choice but to obey, however unwilling.
"I'm sorry, it was my fault."
"Not enough."
The hoarse voice reminded him.
The steward almost bit through his teeth, tasting blood in his mouth, but his knees felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead.
He simply couldn't bend them.
Pei Lie said, word by word, "Shall I find Pei Xi to discuss this matter?"
He certainly wasn't referring to a chat. If he genuinely went to Pei Xi to talk about it, the steward would be in the wrong, and Pei Xi would lose face.
He had just returned to the royal family, and every move he made was under intense scrutiny.
Thinking of his master, the steward suddenly calmed down. He bent his knees and knelt on the cold floor tiles, as if it were merely a formality.
He didn't even realize when the two of them had left.
The steward lowered his head, let out a laugh from his throat, and then slowly stood up, walking out step by step.
Today's humiliation would be repaid.
Pei Lie's face was a golden ticket. He, with the "guard," made his way unimpeded to the second floor, where a door was guarded by two tall sentinels.
Seeing Pei Lie, the two guards saluted.
Pei Lie raised his hand slightly, "Open the door, I want to see my mother."
The guard on the left immediately opened the door, then stood at attention again, without even glancing at the guard behind Pei Lie.
As soon as they entered, Pei Lie closed the door and then looked intently at Shen Qingqing.
"How did you do it?"
Shen Qingqing took off her hat and mask, revealing a bun and a completely unfamiliar face. "I already felt that relying on just a mask and hat wasn't reliable."
Now that Pei Xi and the steward also resided in the palace, if either of them saw them, they would definitely demand to take a closer look.
Pei Lie stroked his chin. "So, you altered your face while you were in prison?"
"Mm." Shen Qingqing looked at herself in the mirror by the vanity. She couldn't see properly in prison and had to rely on her senses.
However, her skills in disguise were only half-baked, not comparable to a true master of the art.
"It's said that true masters of disguise can change their face without anyone noticing. It's said that the fake faces they create can even breathe."
"What you're saying is a bit terrifying." Pei Lie's lips twitched. He had no interest in a so-called breathing fake face. "Hurry up and let my mother see you."
Shen Qingqing looked at the woman on the large bed beside them.
She appeared to be in her early forties. Her beauty was not stunning, but rather soft and pleasing to the eye, making people instinctively drop their guard.
Her skin seemed well-maintained, but her complexion was not good.
She prepared to begin examining the Queen.
Pei Lie knew that she disliked being pestered with questions when examining someone. So, despite his curiosity and worry, he remained silent.
As time ticked by, even though Pei Lie told himself to remain calm, his worry made him unable to resist asking in a low voice.
"How is my mother?"
"Not very well."
Shen Qingqing straightened up, looked at the Queen, and sighed softly. "She's been poisoned."
Pei Lie clenched his fist abruptly. "This bastard!"
He didn't need to think to know who had done it!
It had to be Pei Xi!
Shen Qingqing had anticipated his reaction. She said calmly, "But thankfully, his goal was likely to keep your mother unconscious, not to kill her."
Pei Lie was half-believing. "He's that kind-hearted?"
Pei Xi truly wasn't.
Human lives, to him, were just numbers, bargaining chips, pawns in his grand schemes.
Shen Qingqing sat down on a nearby chair. Seeing water in the teapot, she poured a cup, sniffed it, and then took a sip.
"His goal was clearly not to kill your mother. Did your mother offend him?"
Pei Lie shook his head. "Before this, neither my mother nor even my father had ever met him. How could we have offended him?"
Shen Qingqing propped her chin on her hand, and had to think more deeply. "Perhaps your mother knew he was an illegitimate son and did something in secret..."
"Impossible!"
Pei Lie interrupted her directly. "My mother is not that kind of person."
Shen Qingqing was merely speculating. She shrugged. "Alright, the poison won't endanger your mother's life, it will only keep her unconscious for a while..."
"Is there an antidote?"
Even though it wasn't life-threatening, Pei Lie didn't want his mother to lie there indefinitely.
Shen Qingqing took a small medicine bottle from her pocket, took out a white pill, and tossed it to Pei Lie.
He quickly caught it. "Is this the antidote?"
"Yes, after taking it, she will wake up in three days."
Pei Lie's lips twitched. "If it's an antidote, shouldn't you be more careful? What if you drop it by throwing it like that?"
Shen Qingqing blinked. "I didn't think much of it."
She often dealt with poisons and medicines. Things that were precious to others might be something she could re-synthesize a bottle of in just a day.
Naturally, she wouldn't be overly cautious.
"Hurry up and give it to her. While I'm here, I can observe if your mother has any allergic or adverse reactions to this medicine."
Pei Lie stopped wasting words. He carefully helped his mother up. Before that, he poured a cup of warm water, fearing that his mother, having been unconscious for a long time, would have difficulty swallowing.
But he never expected that as soon as a little water was fed to her, his mother's throat would make a swallowing motion.
"Don't worry, the pill dissolves in water." Shen Qingqing stood to the side with her hands behind her back, observing the Queen. "Even without water, it won't stay in her mouth for more than three seconds before melting... Hmm, it seems fine now, no rejection reaction."
Pei Lie breathed a sigh of relief. He helped his mother lie down, covered her with the quilt, turned to Shen Qingqing, and was about to speak with a solemn expression.
"Stop!" Shen Qingqing raised a hand. "I've heard too many thanks. If you really want to thank me, then hurry up and send me back."
The steward might call Pei Xi at any moment.
Pei Lie saw her concern. "But didn't we manage to fool them just now?"
Shen Qingqing tidied her hair, put on her hat and mask. "That's not certain. Given Pei Xi's personality, he might still suspect us and want to investigate further."
Her disguise could only fool the steward. If she were to confront Pei Xi...
She wouldn't have much of a chance.
Hearing this, Pei Lie no longer hesitated. "Alright, then let's go."
The two of them left incredibly smoothly and didn't encounter the steward or Pei Xi. They went to the back door again, where the prison guard was already waiting.
"Oh dear, my ancestors, you're finally back!"
It had been an hour and a half. He was terrified that the two wouldn't return on time and if they were discovered, he would be the first to die!
Pei Lie stood at the doorway. "You all go in quickly. I will make arrangements for your departure. Wait for my news."
With that, he turned and left, his figure soon disappearing into the night.