Chapter 84 The Beginning of Exposure

"Bang!"

The entire gate collapsed.

Qi Chuan was stunned and hurried over: "What are you doing!"

Pei Ji said, "Call someone."

Qi Chuan said: "How can you call someone like that?"

Pei Ji drew his sword and said, "Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Brother Qi, since you want to save them, you can't be polite."

He walked into the yard with a knife in hand, and the man who had just shown his head from the door immediately shrank back and closed the door.

“Clang——”

A cold knife was inserted into the crack of the door.

Then it spun, and with two "bangs!" sounds, the thick door was broken into several pieces, and the man inside crawled and screamed as he ran away.

Pei Ji reached out and grabbed the back of his collar, pulling him up: "Shut up."

The room immediately became quiet.

Pei Ji asked, "Who here has the final say?"

The man immediately said, "Mr. Li Laofeng! His house is just up ahead. Don't kill me, my dear. I'll lead you there!"

Pei Ji let go of his hand: "Let's go."

“Yes! Yes!”

The man hurriedly led the way.

Pei Ji walked over to the dazed Qi Chuan and patted him on the shoulder: "Brother Qi, if you want them to evacuate immediately, do this."

Qi Chuan watched Pei Ji walk away, wiped his face, raised his eyebrows, tried to look fierce, walked to another house and kicked the door hard!

When Pei Ji brought Li Laofengjun over, Qi Chuan had already kicked open several doors.

A group of residents huddled together, confused and terrified.

Li Laofengjun had been disciplined before, and he immediately stood up and shouted. These people were at a loss, but after hearing his words, they seemed to have a backbone, and some carried or hugged simple luggage and went to higher ground.

It was only then that the county magistrate Feng Changshou rushed over with his men.

Qi Chuan didn't bother to scold and just gave orders.

With the help of people from the government, the residents were able to evacuate more quickly.

Two hours later, all the residents were settled in the county government office.

The heavy rain hasn't stopped yet.

The river water has already overflowed the short embankment and rushed into the residents' homes. Although it is not deep yet, if the rain continues, it will sooner or later flood the houses.

Qi Chuan dragged his exhausted body to Pei Ji's side and collapsed on the ground. "Brother Pei, you have to have a solution. If you hadn't been more ruthless, they would still be in the water and refusing to leave."

"Brother Qi is kind and righteous. This is your first time taking on such an important case, so it's inevitable that you'll be a little anxious."

Pei Ji said something polite, then looked at the bustling county hall, a look of worry on his face: "This is also the first time Miss Wen has taken on a case like this. It seems that Lin Chuan is the only one here. I wonder how things are going on her side."

Qi Chuan couldn't help but worry when he heard this: "She's still a girl, and she doesn't know why those officials don't listen to her."

Pei Ji pondered and said, "It's not that I won't listen to her. After all, she must have been sent here with a Jinyiwei badge. I'm just afraid she'll run into someone so cunning that she'll pretend to obey and then disobey. If something goes wrong, she'll be blamed on me."

Qi Chuan knew Pei Ji had been in this business for a long time and knew more than he did. He had already been impressed by Pei Ji's evacuation of the residents earlier, so when he heard him say this, he immediately took it seriously. He sat up and frowned, saying, "Then we have to go and help. However, it's hard to disobey orders from above. If we are caught leaving our area without permission, we'll probably be punished."

Pei Ji said, "Your Majesty's decree focuses on the people. If we can help each other and reduce casualties among the people, we will be doing good. Even if we make mistakes, they will offset each other and there will be no punishment. Besides, we are short of manpower now, so no one will keep an eye on us."

He looked at the county magistrate and his runners who were busy delivering blankets to the residents. "We don't have any problems here anymore. The next step is to figure out how to settle them. We can let the people in the yamen handle these trivial matters. It will free up some manpower, so it wouldn't hurt to go over to Lin Chuan to help."

Qi Chuan felt relieved upon hearing this and said hurriedly, "Then I'll go over!"

Pei Ji shook his head and said, "Brother Qi, you've only been in the Northern Pacification Office for a short time. If you really run into someone cunning and sly, it'll be hard for you to handle them. Why don't you let me go? Miss Wen is from the palace. I'm sure she'll appreciate my help. If my distant relative gets into trouble in the future and comes to me, I can help her, too."

Qi Chuan was deeply moved by what he heard: "So Brother Pei is so loyal and righteous. I actually thought you had no conscience before. I was so shallow and stupid. I am ashamed!"

Pei Ji said, "Brother Qi, you are too kind."

He stood up and said, "Without further delay, I'll rely entirely on Brother Qi here."

Qi Chuan also hurriedly stood up and clasped his fists, saying, "Brother Pei, don't worry."

Pei Ji also clasped his fists towards him, turned around, strode out, jumped on his horse and headed straight for the city gate.

The city guards didn't dare ask any more questions and quickly let them go.

After leaving the city gate, Pei Ji did not go to Linchuan, but rode his horse straight to the capital.

They ran all the way without stopping and arrived at the city gate at dawn.

It happened just in time to open the city gate.

Pei Ji had already changed out of his Feiyu suit, lowered his hat with his hand, and slowly walked into the city gate, leading his horse.

The rain was still pouring down and it was still early, so the streets were still deserted and few shops were open.

Pei Ji found a secluded place and tied his horse to a tree.

He hurried along the alley toward the official street.

As soon as I walked out of the alley, I saw a carriage slowly driving towards me on the deserted street.

The carriage was large and was driven by two tall and handsome horses.

The driver was wearing a straw raincoat and a bamboo hat, so his face could not be seen clearly.

Fortunately, the car emblem with the surname "Zhang" engraved on it is clearly visible.

open?

It seems that the only person with the surname Zhang who can ride in such a regulated carriage is Lord Zhang Hong.

Pei Ji's mind was turning.

Until just now, he had been thinking about Wuqing Hou Gao Wei.

But now when he saw Zhang Hong's frame, he suddenly changed his mind.

Gao Wei has reached his current position thanks to his military achievements.

Those who were promoted were all military generals who followed the army.

If I find him, what are the chances of getting promoted?

Most of the people on Zhang Hong's side are civil officials, and they are shrewd and cunning. If he surrenders, his opportunities will be greater than those on Gao Wei's side.

Thinking of this, Pei Ji no longer hesitated. He lifted his robe and tore off a piece of his inner lining. He pulled out the knife and ran his index finger across the blade. Blood immediately oozed out.

He wrote a few words on the wet cloth, pulled out a dagger from his waist and pierced the cloth, then ran quickly in the alley, overtook the carriage, and finally jumped onto the wall, raising his hand to shoot the dagger out.

"Zheng!"

The dagger pierced the door frame of the carriage, passing by the driver's hat.

The driver's scalp tingled, but he didn't panic and immediately stopped the carriage.

Turn your head and look.

The dagger was still trembling.

"What's wrong?"

Zhang Hong's voice was heard from inside the car.

The driver quickly took off the dagger and said, "Sir, someone shot a dagger into the carriage, and there was a piece of cloth with words on it."

The car door was opened, and a child about ten years old poked his head out and said, "Give me the cloth."

The driver had already pulled out the dagger, and immediately handed over the cloth when he heard this.

The child took something.

The car door closed again.

After a while, the car door opened again, and the little boy came out holding an oil-paper umbrella and jumped out.

Zhang Hongdao said in the carriage: "Let's go."

The carriage then slowly moved forward again.

The little boy, holding an oil-paper umbrella, walked into the alley and walked into a deserted garden after several turns.

This deserted garden is the former site of Xuwang Temple and is now in ruins.

No one comes here when the weather is good, and there is no one here at this time.

The little boy held the umbrella handle tightly, swallowed nervously, and looked around.

Pei Ji came out from the darkness and asked, "Did the elder send you here?"

The little boy was startled and turned around quickly, seeing someone standing silently behind him.

He was tall, and although he was wearing a loose straw raincoat, one could still see the sword at his waist.

The hat on his head was pulled down, revealing only half of his face.

The little boy pretended to be brave and asked, "Are you the one who delivered the letter?"

Pei Ji raised his head and looked at him.

The little boy saw his face clearly, but felt inexplicably guilty. He suppressed his fear and said, "Just tell me what you want to say."

Pei Ji didn't expect Zhang Hong to come in person.

However, the fact that he sent someone here shows that he is also interested in the emperor's affairs.

Then take a gamble.

"I am Pei Ji, a small flag officer of the Northern Pacification Division."

Pei Ji bowed, introduced himself, and said directly, "I know the reason for your Majesty's drastic change in temperament, and I have come to report it to you. Your Majesty left the palace for Yanzhou. The second daughter of the Yanzhou Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, Luo Fu, was very beautiful and was selected as a concubine. Your Majesty personally brought her into the palace. After that, your Majesty's headaches rarely recurred, and his behavior became normal. Until he opened a civil and military academy in the inner court and became concerned about the water situation, these abnormalities may be related to this woman.

If this is indeed related to this woman, then Your Majesty loves her deeply. I have heard that Your Majesty has been disguised as a eunuch and has been with this woman, and she is unaware of Your Majesty's identity.

If the Lord wants His Majesty to recover as before, he doesn't need to take too much risk. He just needs to expose His Majesty's past behavior in front of that woman. My wife is the eldest sister of that woman, so I know something about her character. She is an upright person and is not of the same kind as His Majesty. If she knew what kind of person His Majesty is, she would naturally not be willing to associate with him!

I would like to ask you to pass on what I have said.”

He spoke bluntly and without changing his expression.

The little boy, who was listening, felt his legs tremble as he said tremblingly, "You, you are a member of the Imperial Guards and a close confidant of His Majesty. Why would you say such treasonous words to the Lord?"

Pei Ji said, "Of course, I want a successful career."

The child looked at him several times as if he were a madman.

As members of the Imperial Guard, they know His Majesty's temperament better than anyone else.

He was so bold in seeking an official position.

If anything goes wrong, apart from other things, the elder will be heartbroken. If he is handed over to Your Majesty, not only will he die miserably, but his entire clan will also die miserably with him.

It is impossible for ordinary people to pay such a high price to seek an official position.

"I understand. I'll go find the elder right away."

Pei Ji watched the little boy hurried out of the deserted garden, and then he walked out too.

He could tell what the little boy was thinking.

But there is no way.

If he didn't do this, he would really have nothing to do with Jiaojiaoer in this life.

He can't stand it.

He had to take a gamble.

Bet Zhang Hong needs a Jinyiwei as an insider.

Bet that Zhang Hong can alienate Fu'er from the tyrant, and bet that he will use him.

I bet that he will have a successful career in the future, that the tyrant will die soon, and that Fu'er will return to his arms!

In the rain, Pei Ji's eyes were as bright as cold stars.

He suppressed his pounding heart, walked to his horse, untied the reins, climbed on, and left the capital again, heading towards Linchuan County.

Wen Xiangjun didn't know that the person who had bad intentions towards Luo Fu was coming towards her.

She was holding her sword and chopping at the stones on the ground.

The stone looks extremely hard.

The blade should bend immediately when it is chopped down.

But it turned out to be as easy as cutting tofu, and he could easily split it in half.

Wen Xiangjun's face looked extremely ugly.

When she came here yesterday, she happened to see that the road was washed away by water.

She found a stone and chopped it with her knife, and just like that, it was easily chopped in half.

She immediately rushed to the dam.

But it was still too late.

The dam had long been breached.

Many houses were destroyed.

More than half of the casualties.

Wang Zhi, the magistrate of Linchuan County, had been in the flood-prone area and had been so anxious that he had to lean over several times.

Perhaps it was because of His Majesty's decree that he was afraid of being punished.

Maybe he really cares about the people.

Maybe he's pretending.

Or maybe it's all three.

The truth remains to be investigated.

Especially this stone.

She picked this up from the embankment, and the material is the same as that of the collapsed road.

No wonder the dam was washed away after just one day of heavy rain.

"Lord Wen, the casualties have been calculated."

Outside the tent, Wang Zhi's voice rang out.

Wen Xiangjun put away the stone and said, "Come in."

The tent was opened, and Wang Zhi floated in like a piece of paper. With a deathly pale face, he described the casualties to her.

Finally, a record book was presented.

Wen Xiangjun was a little surprised.

His Majesty had just issued an edict, and this happened under his rule.

Others had no time to shirk responsibility, but he did not dodge or avoid it and even recorded it in the book.

"I have already made arrangements for the remaining residents. Does Lord Wen have any further instructions?"

Wang Zhi said.

Wen Xiangjun said, "The county magistrate is the father and mother of this place. He knows better than me what arrangements should be made. If there is any order, it should be given by the county magistrate to me."

After hearing this, the Linchuan County Magistrate did not show any joy at all. He just bowed and told him about his next arrangements.

Wen Xiangjun went with him to help everywhere.

It was not until the afternoon that Pei Ji arrived in Linchuan County.

Wen Xiangjun was helping to distribute porridge and cakes in the lobby of the county government office. When she heard that Pei Ji was coming, she was also stunned.

When she turned around, she saw Pei Ji coming in from outside.

His whole body was covered in mud, as if he had just been pulled out of the water.

"Brother Pei, why are you here? What happened in Xing County?" Wen Xiangjun quickly put down her things and walked over to ask.

Pei Ji said with a haggard face, "There's nothing wrong in Xing County. Brother Qi and I were worried that something might happen to you in Linchuan alone, so we came to see if there was anything we could do to help you. How are you? Are the officials here in trouble?"

It was just a chance acquaintance, but he actually came to help in the rain.

When did the Jinyiwei become so kind-hearted?

Wen Xiangjun felt strange, but expressed gratitude on her face: "Thank you for your concern, seniors. No one is trying to embarrass me here, it's just that the dam has burst..."

She sighed and motioned him to look at the house full of residents.

Pei Ji was also silent.

Wen Xiangjun said, "Fortunately, everything is under control. The next step is to settle down and rest until the rainstorm passes. There's nothing wrong elsewhere. But Brother Pei, you look so pale. It must be due to the hard journey. I'll have someone take you to a room to rest for a while."

Pei Ji was indeed tired: "No need for a room, I'll just rest here for a while."

He untied his straw raincoat, sat on the ground beside the pillar, pulled his hat down, leaned his back against the pillar, and slept with his sword in his arms.