Chapter 178

On the eve of the Lunar New Year, while his family was enjoying a reunion, Pei Lingjun went to Ying County overnight, personally killed Cai Hui, and then went to the villa where Cai Hui's relatives were temporarily staying.

The old fellow was quite shrewd. Knowing that he might face death if he lost power, he returned to the county alone with a few servants, leaving his wife, children, and other relatives in the villa.

When Cai Hui's crimes of embezzlement were exposed, His Majesty had already issued an edict to kill his son-in-law Ruan Mingyuan and his eldest son Cai Ze, but that did not mean that Cai Hui's lineage would end!

Pei Lingjun traveled for several days without stopping to the manor of the Cai family outside the capital city, where he slaughtered all of the Cai family members, leaving not even a dog behind.

"A family should always be together and reunited."

Since the Cai clan members were protected by Cai Hui and others, they shared the same fate, and now that Cai Hui is dead, how can they live on alone?

Those who climbed to high positions by stepping on the blood and bones of his father and brothers should pay the price!

After slaughtering all of Cai's relatives outside the capital, he then traveled south for several days.

He was delayed in Anyang for a while on the road, but there was no other official business. He had received a tip from the Zhu family that his good nephew had said he wanted to go south to do business not long after he left the capital last time.

He hasn't been granted an official position yet, so what official business could he be involved in?

Pei Lingjun immediately sent people to inquire and learned that Zhu Zijin was in Anyang at the time.

It only takes a little thought to understand who in Anyang is worth his trip.

That young lady from the Zhuang family.

After the New Year, Cui Pei followed Pei Lingjun to his side, and the two met at the Cai clan's villa, where they have remained together ever since.

He only stayed in Anyang for two or three days before continuing south back to Shanzhou.

The night deepens, the dew grows heavy, and the air grows cold.

Cui Pei tightened his sleeves, gazing at the twinkling stars in the night sky, and lazily yawned while pulling on the reins. "Boss, His Majesty asked when you're returning to the capital. After all, it's been almost a month since you started attending court, and there's been a lot of work piling up in the Imperial Guard..."

Exhausted from days of travel, Cui Pei could barely speak.

What's the rush?

The man's voice was colder than the night itself. The two men held gold tokens, which allowed them to enter the city even when the gates were locked, and ride freely along the main street of Shanzhou.

Cui Pei stared blankly, "Boss, we can't just stay away from home forever... We've avenged ourselves, and if you're worried about Fourth Sister, why don't you just bring her to Jijing too..."

After he finished babbling on and on, he looked up and saw that there wasn't a soul in sight on the dark main street.

The person has long since disappeared.

Upon arriving at the familiar courtyard, Pei Lingjun gently knocked on the door. After a short while, someone answered and opened the gate. Hanxiang was startled by the icy aura emanating from the man.

"Lord Pei...?"

Looking over her shoulder, he could see that Wen Shu's room was completely dark, without a single ray of light. He wondered if she had gone to sleep.

However, it was indeed getting late.

He stepped forward, leaving behind the words, "I'm going to check on her. You go and rest."

Hanxiang stood still, still in the action of opening the courtyard gate. Upon hearing this, she murmured twice, "My lord... the young lady has not yet returned."

The man froze in his tracks as he unfastened his wristband. He turned his head, his eyes icy. "What did you say?"

It was already late at night, the city gates were locked, and ordinary people were not allowed to enter or leave at will. Soldiers were still patrolling and guarding the city.

She shouldn't be not back at this hour.

Where did they go?

Hanxiang barely dared to meet his gaze, lowering her head and speaking in a voice barely audible, "It's Miss Lu who invited you to a restaurant, saying she might not be coming back..."

Miss Lu?