Chapter228

After what happened at Lianyi Tower, Elara no longer planned to sell the high-quality iron weapons she had first forged.

But if the best ones couldn't be sold, the next grade down would do.

Anyway, Lianyi Tower already had lower-grade iron weapons forged by Tiangong Pavilion. During this time, Elara had her blacksmiths produce a batch of weapons with similar quality, planning to only sell those in the future.

With Tiangong Pavilion taking the lead, she would just sell these common lower-grade weapons, which wouldn't attract too much attention.

Since the quality had dropped, the price Elara offered the Empress of Carnation was naturally lower than what she had charged Dahlia Yu. During the trade, she also explained the pros and cons of the lower-grade weapons.

In short, they were usable but had lower durability and hardness, meaning a shorter lifespan.

The Empress of Carnation wasn't too concerned about this when she saw how light and sharp the weapons were. Compared to the thick, heavy, and clumsy bronze weapons, these were much more convenient, so she still paid a large sum to purchase many of them.

In this way, after doing several more big trades with Carnation, Elara gained a large amount of gold and silver for the national treasury and sent off the group of attendants from Carnation.

That night, Elara also decided it was time to take Mathias back to the Pei Family to fulfill her original promise.

Mathias's body was mostly recovered. Although it still hadn't adjusted to the ideal state of an attack every three months, it had stabilized enough that episodes now only occurred once every seven days, and he wouldn't lose control suddenly.

Over the past month, Mathias's mental state had also improved a lot as his body slowly healed.

Elara felt it was the right time to bring him back to the Pei residence. At the same time, the position prepared for him in the Ministry of Administration should officially be handed over to him.

Pei Residence

When Elara unexpectedly brought Mathias with her in person, the young attendant at the Pei Family residence quickly opened the gate. After a hasty greeting, he almost stumbled as he rushed back inside.

Half a minute later, Minister Old Pei led Maurice and the rest of the household members out to greet Elara.

"Welcome, Your Majesty."

The Pei Family didn't have many relatives. Plumera used to follow a male-dominated system. As the current head of the Pei clan, Minister Old Pei could have taken many wives and concubines. But aside from the Madam, there were no other women in the rear courtyard. It was clean and simple, which meant the main bloodline of this generation only had the two brothers, Mathias and Maurice.

Throughout the welcome, Minister Old Pei maintained the decorum expected of a senior official. Every movement was proper and precise. The only unusual thing was how his eyes occasionally glanced at Mathias behind Elara, with a slight frown.

The noblewoman beside him had gentle, watery eyes that resembled Mathias'. Compared to the minister's indifference, the Madam clearly felt deep sorrow for her eldest son, who had been cast out of the family for many years.

As she knelt to greet Elara, she kept stealing glances at Mathias. Her expression was filled with pain and longing.

Elara dismissed their formalities and brought Mathias with her as she followed Minister Old Pei into the Pei residence.

Inside the Pei residence

Unlike the luxurious and grand homes of many other noble families, the Pei household was simple and elegant. Even the arrangement of furniture and decorations was minimal, with a clean and somewhat austere style.

In the main hall, attendants served the best tea and pastries the household had.

Elara sat in the main seat, with Mathias standing behind her. Minister Old Pei sat at the first seat to the left, with the Madam beside him, followed by Maurice.

She thought back to a few months ago, when she had just arrived here. To get the layout of the Bai Family's business, she had personally brought Mathias back to the Pei residence, only to be shut out. Now that she was being welcomed inside by the minister himself, it felt like progress.

She smiled inwardly, amused by her own thoughts.

Even though the minister welcomed her in person this time, his attitude was still distant and cold, like there was an invisible barrier.

Elara understood. After all, the son he once valued most had been turned into her personal concubine. He still hadn't been returned to the family. It was no wonder the minister wasn't warm.

Elara lifted her teacup and took a sip, then looked toward the minister. "Minister Old Pei, I didn't come today for anything major. I just wanted to personally thank you and Maurice for your hard work with the Imperial Exams. You helped select many capable officials for Plumera. It was no easy task."

"I already rewarded the Pei Family in court. But official recognition alone feels too cold. I thought perhaps it had been a long time since you and Madam had seen Mathias, so I brought him back myself."

As soon as she finished speaking, the Madam turned and looked straight at Mathias behind Elara. Her eyes filled with sadness and guilt, even turning red.

Behind her, Maurice also looked up at his older brother. When Elara traveled south, she had forced him to meet with Mathias. But even after that, their contact remained limited. Mathias had grown quiet after years of suffering.

At first, Maurice pitied his brother. But more than that, he was angry that Mathias still willingly served the woman who had caused him so much pain.

At that time, Elara had not yet taken the throne. She hadn't yet overthrown the old system or removed the corrupt officials. Their only interaction had been when she forced him to meet Mathias. Since Mathias had been cast out and tortured because of her, Maurice's impression of Elara had been extremely negative.

Seeing his broken brother still loyally working for that woman made him furious, like Mathias had become addicted to suffering.

When Elara traveled south, Maurice brought this up to Mathias more than once. But each time, Mathias would respond with quiet indifference and continue carrying out her orders.

The more Maurice saw, the angrier he became. Not only did their relationship fail to heal, he even argued with Mathias several times, ignoring their brotherly bond.

But... thinking about the current state of Plumera, the downfall of Gregory and others like him, the executions of corrupt officials after Elara's coronation, and the Pei Family's rising status, Maurice began to feel some regret.

He smiled bitterly to himself. Maybe he really wasn't as capable as his brother. Mathias had seen through everything even in that situation. No — Elara wasn't just a cruel woman. A woman who rose from nothing, led an army north, and seized the throne with such speed couldn't possibly be so simple. If she were truly cruel, she wouldn't have gained such loyal followers in such a short time.

The scene from the palace banquet half a month ago surfaced in Maurice's mind again.

If Elara were truly heartless, she would never have said those words or tolerated those men openly touching her.

The more he thought about it, the more Maurice felt he had been wrong.

His brother... had indeed sacrificed a lot for the family.

Mathias stood quietly behind Elara. She couldn't see his expression.

She was just about to have him step forward, or go directly to his mother, when she suddenly heard Minister Old Pei speak coldly from the left:

"Your Majesty has already given our family generous rewards. Your visit today is a great honor to the Pei Family. But someone who no longer belongs to the family does not need to be brought here. We will not concern ourselves with anyone outside our lineage."

As soon as he finished, the Madam almost burst into tears. She stared at her silent eldest son behind Elara, her pain written all over her pale face. Her lips trembled as if she wanted to speak, but the situation kept her quiet.

Maurice also looked at Mathias, then at his stern father.

His hands clenched tightly, and he was about to speak on Elara's behalf when the woman sitting at the head of the table spoke first:

"Minister Old Pei, I didn't just bring Mathias to visit today. I also came to explain what happened back then. Otherwise, the injustice and suffering he endured all these years would remain unacknowledged, and I feel heartache on his behalf."

The minister's brows twitched slightly, but he remained cold and silent. The Madam, her eyes red, now looked at Elara as if pleading with her.

"I know that back then, Mathias came to the Princess' residence on his own and became my concubine. This brought great shame to you and the entire Pei Family."

"Though the Pei Family was not a military clan, it carried the spirit of scholars. You believed Mathias had degraded himself and shamed the whole clan, so you cast out the son you once cherished."

"But..." Elara turned to look at Mathias, who still stood quietly. She reached out, took his hand, and pulled him forward.