Chapter 5 I have long admired General Pei, and beg you…

Pei Yu recalled the figure he had seen in the courtyard and those watery eyes. Song Huiyin, he knew her.

As Chi Yanfang stepped outside and was about to close the door, he heard a voice from inside: "Tell her to come up, and you stay with her."

"Yes!" he replied loudly, continuing to walk outside.

Huiyin was led upstairs, with Chi Yan's nagging voice in her ears. He was a kind-hearted person and was afraid that Huiyin would anger Pei Yu, so he told Huiyin a lot of details to pay attention to.

Huiyin asked, "Why do you call him Young General?"

"In the army, the Grand Marshal is called the Grand General, and the Young General is the Grand Marshal's son, so we all call him the Young General."

She said gratefully, "Thank you for telling me all this. I still don't know your name?"

Chi Yan chuckled, revealing two small tiger teeth: "My name is Chi Yan, I'm seventeen years old this year. I joined the army when I was fourteen, and last year I was selected as a bodyguard for a junior general. I usually enjoy archery and horseback riding..."

Before he could finish speaking, the two had already reached the bedroom door. Chi Yan wisely shut up and went to knock on the door.

The knocking on the door seemed to strike Huiyin's heart. She wasn't as smug as she appeared; her palms were slightly sweaty. She didn't know Pei Yu's character, nor did she know if her seduction would work.

"Come in." The voice was as clear as a spring striking a rock, exceptionally pleasant to hear.

Chi Yan pushed open the door, and the two of them took off their shoes, their cotton socks stepping onto the wooden floor. She followed Chi Yan and slowly stepped inside.

This is a three-room house. The inner room on the right is the bedroom, with layers of dark cloud-patterned curtains hanging down, obscuring the layout inside. The middle and left rooms are the living areas, with windows covered in linen and gauze, allowing light in while keeping out mosquitoes.

Pei Yu, dressed in a black robe, sat on the couch, his hair tied up with a jade hairpin, and was flipping through the wooden slips in his hands. In front of him was a low sandalwood table, and next to it was a low sandalwood side table, on which were stacks of bamboo books.

Chi Yan led Huiyin to the center of the main hall, respectfully lowered his hands, his expression was very different from before, and his voice became calm: "Young General, Miss Song has been brought here."

Huiyin emerged from behind Chi Yan. She slightly raised her eyes and saw Pei Yu's profile—sharp, flowing lines, upturned eyes, and an air of effortless charm. She withdrew her gaze, bowed her head, and knelt down, saying, "Huiyin greets General Pei."

Pei Yu looked up, his deep gaze falling on Huiyin, his knuckles tapping lightly on the low sandalwood table: "What business do you have with me?"

Huiyin looked up at Chiyan beside her, her expression hesitant. Chiyan noticed her predicament and prepared to ask to leave.

Pei Yu put down the wooden slip, gave Chi Yan a look that told him to shut up, and then looked at Huiyin and said, "Just say what you have to say. It's late at night, and it's a bad omen for you and me to be alone in a room. If word gets out, it will damage your reputation."

Given their current status and position, it goes without saying who they would favor.

Huiyin knew she could not delay any longer. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and her voice was very soft: "I have long admired General Pei. I beg the General to have mercy on me."

After she finished speaking, she bent down and kowtowed, burying her head on the floor and waiting for a response. Her chest was pounding like a drum, so fast that she could hardly hear anything else.

The tranquility of the inner room was broken by the sound of bamboo slips rolling off the low table. The bamboo slips fell onto the floor covered with felt mats, rolled a few times, and then scattered, revealing the black characters inside.

Pei Yu's lightly tapping fingers paused. He slowly raised his head and asked, "What did you say?"

Chi Yan stared at Huiyin in surprise, his eyes filled with astonishment.

Huiyin repeated what she had just said, and said earnestly, "I admire the general, please have mercy on me."

Pei Yu sat there, stunned for a moment by Huiyin's blunt words. He stared speechlessly at the person lying on the ground, then turned to look at the dumbfounded Chi Yan, and laughed in anger.

He raised his hand, dipped the brush in ink, and flicked it with his wrist. The ink droplet flew swiftly onto Chi Yan's forehead, leaving an ink mark. Combined with Chi Yan's stunned expression, it looked extremely comical.

Chi Yan raised his hand to touch his forehead in a daze, then met Pei Yu's cold gaze and shuddered. After hearing Pei Yu tell him to "get lost," Chi Yan didn't dare to delay and disappeared out the door in the blink of an eye.

Huiyin lay on the ground listening to the sounds, her heart sinking to the bottom. From Chi Yan's account and Pei Yu's behavior since she entered the house, he was indeed as indifferent to women as rumored, deeply in love with his former fiancée. Her seduction scheme had probably failed.

She heard Pei Yu say, "Song Huiyin, do you really think that every man in the world is susceptible to your beauty?"

"That's not what I meant." Huiyin straightened up and saw Pei Yu playing with the jade pendant in his hand, a blatant sarcasm on his lips.

Pei Yu glanced sideways and saw that the woman on the ground was slender, with a rosy face and pale lips like faded peonies. Her black hair hung naturally behind her head, making her even more beautiful than the beauties in the murals.

He propped his head up with one hand and looked Huiyin up and down.

Huiyin disliked his scrutinizing gaze, but she had no choice but to be examined by Pei Yu like a piece of merchandise.

Then she heard a sarcastic remark: "Even if you stripped naked in front of me right now, I still wouldn't be interested in you."

The last trace of color drained from Huiyin's face. She had imagined many things: Pei Yu might accept her gladly, or he might just drive her away. But she never expected him to humiliate her so bluntly.

She couldn't stay any longer and got up, wanting to escape the suffocating room as quickly as possible.

Pei Yu's voice rang out again: "Stop! Did I say you could leave?"

Huiyin suppressed her anger and shame, standing stiffly in place.

Pei Yu lifted his eyelids to look, and what came into view was Huiyin's black hair bun, fair neck, and slender back.

He commanded, "Turn around."

Huiyin turned around stiffly, her gaze falling on the floor. She regretted it. Pei Yu was not someone she could afford to offend. Although he was young, he was a true general who had fought his way through countless battles.

He was of noble birth and held many titles. His aura of nobility masked his murderous intent, making him seem not so frightening.

It makes one forget that he massacred surrendered prisoners two years ago. Tens of thousands of prisoners died on Yanzhi Mountain because of his words, and their blood stained the grasslands crimson.

Huiyin only prayed that he would not hold today's events against her and would let her go. If Pei Yu wanted to kill her, it would be as easy as turning his hand, without even needing a reason.

She took a deep breath and said softly, "I have offended the general, please forgive me."

Pei Yu toyed with a bamboo slip between his fingers, his tone playful: "You just said you admire me, what do you admire about me?"

Huiyin keenly sensed the change in his attitude. She slowly raised her head, her gaze falling on the hem of his black robe embroidered with gold.

She felt the scrutinizing gaze above her, her back tense, and she carefully said, "General Pei is a young genius with outstanding looks. All the ladies in Chang'an admire you, and so do I."

"Oh, so you were after my good looks."

Huiyin: "...Yes." She didn't know how Pei Yu came to this conclusion, so she had no choice but to agree with him.

Pei Yu shifted to a more comfortable position, propped his head up with one hand, and leaned against the railing. He beckoned to Huiyin, "Come here."

Huiyin stepped forward and knelt at his feet. The two were very close, so close that Huiyin could smell the fragrance on his body, which wafted into her nose and startled her.

Pei Yu quietly observed the slender woman before him. Her head was bowed, her long neck as delicate as a white swan's, as if he could crush it with a single hand. But without a doubt, she was a very beautiful woman, with flowing black hair and a radiant face like a flower.

He had heard of Song Huiyin's name before. When Empress Pei was choosing a consort for the Crown Prince, she had asked him about it. At that time, Empress Pei said that Song Huiyin was beautiful and intelligent, dignified and virtuous, and was suitable for the position of Crown Princess.

At the later imperial concubine selection banquet, he had a brief encounter with Song Huiyin. At that time, she was chatting with her friends about her makeup and the new clothes made by the Ni Chang Fang (a clothing workshop). He immediately scoffed at her, thinking she was just a pretty face with no substance.

Pei Yu held the bamboo slip up in front of him. It was a letter his mother had sent from afar, urging him to return to Chang'an and take his cousin as a concubine.

His gaze fell on Huiyin, whose head was bowed, and he said casually, "Have you thought this through? It's not so easy to stay by my side."

Huiyin didn't understand why he suddenly changed his mind, but the current situation left her no room to back down. She braced herself and said, "I have no regrets."

Pei Yu's gaze fell on her slightly damp black hair, and he asked, "Would you be willing to be my concubine?"

Huiyin slumped her shoulders and nodded slightly.

Pei Yu said coldly, "Fine, come back to Chang'an with me first thing tomorrow morning."

Huiyin bent down and touched her forehead to her hand: "I have another request. My younger brother fell off a cliff at Xiaoyashan today, and his fate is unknown. I beg the general to help me."

She waited for a long time, so long that just when Huiyin thought Pei Yu would refuse, Pei Yu got up.

A dark robe with gold trim swept past Huiyin, and the sweet scent of soap wafted from Pei Yu. He stopped at the doorway, his demeanor completely different from his previous carefree attitude; now he was imposing and his voice was strong and powerful: "Chi Yan, quickly send a team to the bottom of Xiaoya Mountain to search..."

Before he could turn around to signal, Huiyin spoke up from behind: "Song Jingchuan, fifteen years old, wearing a white robe."

Pei Yu raised an eyebrow slightly, nodded gently, and repeated Huiyin's words. A moment later, Chi Yan's voice came from below, loud and clear: "Yes!"

The crisp sound of armor or weapons clashing rang out, and Huiyin heard dozens of horses neighing in unison outside the post station. The heavy metal tack of the iron cavalry pounded on the ground, causing it to tremble slightly.

I heard that Pei Yu had a cavalry force of iron armor who followed him on his northern expedition against the Xiongnu, where they killed generals and captured flags, crossed the Yanzhi Mountains several times, and drank their horses at the icy river.

Looking through the window, Huiyin caught a glimpse of the cavalry force. Dozens of light cavalry galloped away, the only sounds being the clatter of hooves and the clanging of swords, the howling wind and the neighing of horses, and the clanging of armor and weapons.

"How long are you going to keep watching?" a slightly cool voice asked.

Huiyin withdrew her gaze, knelt in place, crossed her hands in front of her abdomen, gathered her disheveled clothes, and remained silent with her head down.

Pei Yu looked at her obedient appearance and couldn't help but laugh. "If you want to be my concubine, firstly, you can't do the opposite of what I say, and secondly, you can't cause trouble or make things difficult for me."

Huiyin clutched the corner of her sleeve, avoiding Pei Yu's scrutinizing gaze, and softly replied, "I understand."

"Thirdly, I haven't thought about it yet. We'll talk about it later. You can leave now." Pei Yu waved his hand impatiently and turned to go into the inner room.

Huiyin slowly got up, supporting her numb legs. Finally, she saw layers of falling curtains, flickering dim firelight, and a figure stretching with broad shoulders and a narrow waist.