"Husband..."

In the room, Xiao Zhiruo twisted the corner of her clothes with her slender jade fingers and spoke nervously, "I... I know my father has wronged you and has tried to kill you many times, but if he is really captured, can... can he spare his life?"

Pei Yun sighed softly. He had not concealed from Xiao Zhiruo the fact that he had asked Shen Yanyu and the other two to capture Xiao Cheng. It had been a few days before Xiao Zhiruo came to him to talk about this, which showed that she was struggling inside.

Seeing Xiao Zhiruo's pleading eyes, Pei Yun held her cold little hand and said, "Zhiruo, there is something I should tell you."

"What's up?"

"Xiao Cheng is not actually your biological father."

Xiao Zhiruo's body trembled, her beautiful eyes widened, "What?"

"I know this is hard for you to accept, but it's true." Pei Yun said as he took out a letter from the cabinet.

"This is what Lu Jingxuan found when he went to Xiao Cheng's study to look for evidence of treason. Take a look for yourself."

Xiao Zhiruo took the letter with trembling hands. After reading it carefully, her body trembled violently and she staggered back two steps.

"How...how could this happen?"

"Impossible. My father treats me like a treasure. If I were not his biological child, why would he be so good to me?"

Xiao Zhiruo clenched the letter tightly, unable to believe what was said in it.

For nineteen years, she didn't know who her mother was, but she did receive a lot of fatherly love from Xiao Cheng.

Therefore, even if Xiao Cheng wanted to kill Pei Yun, she still wanted to plead for Xiao Cheng after thinking it over. As a result, Pei Yun now told her that Xiao Cheng was not her biological father.

She didn't want to believe that this was true, but she also knew that Pei Yun would not use this to lie to her. She remembered that she had been asking who her mother was since she was a child, but Xiao Cheng always evaded the question.

I only now know that my mother is the Crown Princess.

Xiao Cheng swapped her out.

Pei Yun took a step forward and held her in his arms. "I know this is hard for you to accept, but it's true. Lu Jingxuan has already met the prince, and the prince also knows about this."

"Why...why did he do this?"

Xiao Zhiruo's voice trembled a little. She couldn't understand what the point of transferring your son to the prince was.

The prince is not the emperor. Even if he inherits the throne in the future, can you wait until the day your son becomes the emperor?

Pei Yun shook his head. "I don't know why Xiao Cheng did this. When you capture him, ask him yourself."

The letter only recorded the process of the substitution, and Pei Yun couldn't understand what Xiao Cheng was thinking.

Xiao Zhiruo leaned on Pei Yun's shoulder and sobbed for a long time, and Pei Yun hugged her to comfort her.

After a while, Xiao Zhiruo raised her tearful eyes and said, "Although he is not my biological father, he has raised me for nineteen years after all..."

Pei Yun wiped away the tears on her face and said, "Don't worry, I won't kill him."

"Thank you, husband."

"What's the point of saying thank you between you and me?" Pei Yun hugged Xiao Zhiruo. He would not kill Xiao Cheng, but would hand Xiao Cheng over to the court. As for how the court would deal with Xiao Cheng, it was none of his business.

Even if the emperor did not kill him out of consideration for the father-son relationship, he would probably be imprisoned for life.

"Master, we are back."

At this moment, Leng Qingqiu's voice came from outside.

Pei Yun let go of Xiao Zhiruo, "They are back, let's go out and take a look."

Xiao Zhiruo nodded, wiped her eyes, straightened her clothes, and followed Pei Yun out.

Outside the room, Pei Yun saw Chen Yanyu, Leng Qingqiu, and Ye Jinghong. Pei Yun breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the three of them were not missing any limbs.

He looked behind the three people and saw no one there, so he asked, "Where's Xiao Cheng? Wasn't he caught?"

Xiao Zhiruo also came out at this time. She didn't see Xiao Cheng and wondered if he was not captured.

Leng Qingqiu said: "Xiao Cheng is dead."

"Dead?" Pei Yun was stunned. Xiao Zhiruo's body softened and she almost fell down. Pei Yun held her up.

Ye Jinghong opened his mouth and recounted what had happened.

Pei Yun felt a little sad when he heard that Xiao Cheng would rather die than be captured. He had a good impression of Xiao Cheng at the beginning. After all, the people of Yizhou were very grateful to Xiao Cheng.

Regardless of whether Xiao Cheng wanted to win people's hearts or deliberately set up a persona, at least he did some practical things for the people. It was only because of what happened later that Pei Yun developed a bad impression of Xiao Cheng.

But he also didn't expect that Xiao Cheng would rather die than surrender.

Xiao Zhiruo burst into tears and sobbed.

"You have worked hard, go and have a rest."

Pei Yun spoke up. Since Xiao Cheng was dead, the border troops and government troops of Yizhou would probably withdraw soon. He didn't know how the court would deal with these people.

Of course this has nothing to do with him anymore.

After thinking about it, Pei Yun felt that he should let Xue Wenju write a memorial to the court and explain what happened. After all, Eunuch Cao had announced that he would be rewarded with ten thousand taels of gold.

Pei Yun doesn't care about official positions, but he can't give up the money.

…

Jinling.

Xiao Yugan was a little overwhelmed. He had received accurate news that Beiliang was going to gather its troops and march south again. The last time Beiliang marched south, they had barely managed to hold them off.

Unexpectedly, the other side was coming again, and the war in Yongzhou had never stopped. Although Beiliang retreated in the last battle, the Yongzhou barbarians besieged Sui County, which was an important strategic location and was fought over many times by Jingchao and Beiliang.

Although the Northern Liang army retreated, the Yongzhou barbarians did not retreat and continued to harass them, which was extremely annoying. Fortunately, the situation improved after General Mu Xiong went there.

Now Xiao Cheng is rebelling and Beiliang is about to move south. It is really a situation of internal and external troubles.

"Cao Rui, how long has it been since you went to Yizhou to announce the decree that Pei Yun should go to the barbarians to borrow troops?"

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