Chapter 152 Then he would climb up step by step by himself.

After listening to Xiao Jiuzhu lament about life, regrets, and heartache for a while, the little dumpling also sighed, "Alas, life is unpredictable, like a large intestine wrapped around a small intestine."

Xiao Jiuzhu chuckled: "Hey, you little dumpling, you're quite interesting."

After a pause, Xiao Jiuzhu looked at Zhuifeng beside her and nodded to him: "You're this little dumpling's bodyguard, right? I hope you won't tell anyone about what happened today."

Zhui Feng, who had just been silently planning to report to the Second Prince when he got back, was speechless.

Sheng Sheng tugged at Xiao Jiuzhu: "Uncle Xiao, Zhui Feng was sent by my brother to protect Sheng Sheng. Of course, Zhui Feng won't tell anyone, but my brother is his master, not someone else."

Xiao Jiuzhu seemed to be thinking, and shook the sword in his hand: "Oh, it's fine if you tell others, just make sure this little dumpling doesn't sleep tonight."

Be careful, or you might fall asleep and be sent to the Yellow Springs by my sword.

Sheng Sheng: "?"

Why did he bring up Sheng Sheng when he leaked the secret?

Chasing the Wind: "...Don't worry, senior."

Zhui Feng cupped his hands in greeting, then turned and disappeared back into the darkness.

Zhui Feng vanished from her side in a flash, leaving Zijuan feeling rather unaccustomed to it. As soon as he left, Zijuan tried to salvage her fate of being punished by being sent to clean the stables.

"Princess, shall we go back too? If we don't go back to sleep soon, you really won't be able to get up tomorrow."

Although Sheng Sheng still wanted to hear Xiao Jiuzhu tell stories of the past, she knew that Xiao Jiuzhu definitely had something to say to Pei Ji alone, and it was inconvenient for her to be present.

And she really should go back to sleep, otherwise Xie Yunchuan would notice something was wrong with her running away for so long.

"OK."

Sheng Sheng replied softly, cheerfully bidding farewell to the group, "Sheng Sheng won't tell anyone, Sheng Sheng will keep the secret. Goodbye Uncle Xiao, goodbye Brother Pei Ji."

Xiao Jiuzhu smiled and waved to him.

Sheng Sheng guessed correctly; Xiao Jiuzhu did indeed have something to say to Pei Ji privately.

But he didn't rush to speak immediately. Instead, he casually asked him a few questions about his recent situation. After a quarter of an hour, when the presence in the darkness disappeared, Xiao Jiuzhu chuckled and spoke.

"This Chasing Wind is interesting. His martial arts skills are good, and his ability to hide is also excellent."

Pei Ji looked outside and realized that Xiao Jiuzhu had been talking about other things because Zhui Feng hadn't gone far yet.

Xiao Jiuzhu gestured for him to sit down, then took out a letter: "This is a letter your mother wrote to you. Take a look at it first."

Pei Ji paused, a hint of joy appearing in his eyes, and took the letter, reading it carefully.

It was indeed Bai Meiren's handwriting. The letter was short, but every word revealed her longing and worry for him.

Pei Ji's tightly pursed lips, like icicles melting in the spring breeze, slowly curved into a shallow arc.

Even the frost in her eyes seemed to radiate a faint light.

Xiao Jiuzhu sipped her tea and asked him, "What did your mother write?"

Pei Ji now completely trusted Xiao Jiuzhu and said softly, "My mother said that the Song royal family is currently in turmoil, and I am actually safer in Yu than in Song. Also... my mother said that you are a trustworthy person and told me to trust you."

"At least she has some conscience." Xiao Jiuzhu chuckled, unable to hide his joy.

"However, what is the situation regarding the internal strife in the Song Dynasty that my mother mentioned?"

"Hmph, that old bastard of your father, the emperor, is incompetent and tyrannical. Sooner or later, he'll be tricked by those treacherous officials into handing over the throne. That so-called old prime minister, along with a group of old ministers, jointly submitted a memorial advising the dismissal of those officials who only know how to talk big. In a fit of anger, the old emperor actually had several old ministers beheaded and their heads displayed in public! Isn't that absurd?"

Pei Ji frowned. Prime Minister Lin of the Song Kingdom was nearly sixty years old and had always been loyal to the country. When the emperor of the Song Kingdom first ascended the throne, it was Prime Minister Lin who did his best to assist him so that he could secure his throne.

Now, decades later, Prime Minister Lin is still highly respected and enjoys great prestige despite the presence of treacherous officials.

Instead of refusing to remove the old prime minister, the old emperor directly killed the other ministers who had submitted the memorial with him. Such actions truly chilled the hearts of all the loyal officials in the court.

This also made those loyal ministers who still held hope for the Song Dynasty realize that if the throne wasn't changed, the Song Dynasty would be doomed sooner or later.

Coincidentally, the old emperor had many children, including twelve princes.

Regardless of your intelligence, as long as your character is acceptable, we'll help you get promoted first.

The entire court officials took sides, and regardless of whether they were treacherous or loyal ministers, they openly or secretly supported the princes they had chosen.

The State of Song was thrown into chaos.

"I won't hide it from you, our Jin state also has spies in the capital of Song. Every change of regime inevitably causes turmoil, let alone the corrupt and decadent Song state. When the news reached Jin state, Jin state naturally had to make preparations. As a Jin state citizen, I went alone to the Song state palace to gather information and observe the situation. Cough cough, and also to see your mother, which is why your mother asked me to come and find you."

Pei Ji didn't speak, looking at the letter Bai Yue had written to him, his fingers pinching a corner of the paper.

With her eyes lowered, her eyelashes cast thin shadows beneath them, like two strands of quiet night. A warm light shone in her eyes, yet they were also filled with heavy thoughts. Even her breathing was so light that she was afraid of disturbing her thoughts.

After a while, Pei Ji glanced at the shelf piled with books next to his bed out of the corner of his eye.

The Four Books and Five Classics, History, Philosophy, and Literature, Military Strategy and Tactics.

It has everything.

"If it were Sheng Sheng, she would exert all her strength to become stronger, making herself someone he couldn't possibly reach, and then teach him a lesson he couldn't possibly avoid!"

"A golden carp is no ordinary fish; it will transform into a dragon once it encounters wind and clouds."

His smiling face appeared in his mind, and Xie Yunsheng's words to him echoed in his heart once again.

Pei Ji's gaze was deep, as if he had made a decision.

After a while, the young man's soft yet firm voice rang out.

"Uncle Xiao, please teach me swordsmanship!"

If he was born unappreciated, then he would rely on himself to climb up step by step and earn the admiration of others.

*

The next day, before dawn, Zijuan pulled him up and dressed him properly before he even opened his eyes to her calls. She then coaxed him into drinking a cup of milk to fill his stomach.

I went to bed late last night and got up too early today. I was really sleepy and my voice was hoarse.

Looking at Zijuan bustling about, Shengsheng felt a pang of guilt and quickly opened her eyes wide, trying to bring herself back to her senses.

But Sheng Sheng felt as if a stone was pressing on her eyelids, and she couldn't open them no matter what she did. She felt so sleepy that she was about to faint after taking just a few steps.

After finishing the milk, the little dumpling cried out, "Sister Zijuan, why are you so energetic?"

She goes to bed later than her, gets up earlier than her, and still has so much energy. How does she do it?

Zijuan felt sorry for the little dumpling when she saw her all droopy, but at the same time she thought she was really cute, all listless and wanting to curl up into a ball.

Zijuan smiled and wiped her mouth, saying with a smile, "This servant is actually sleepy too, but if this servant doesn't perk up, how can I take care of our princess?"