Chapter 61 Ying is my wife
The prison was dim and filled with a pungent smell.
Pei Zhouwu was sitting against the wall, his white clothes exposed from inside had been stained red with blood. The arrow on his shoulder was still firmly embedded in his flesh, with the tip of the arrow sticking out and sticking to the wall. Blood was flowing down along the arrowhead, leaving streaks of blood on the wall.
Having not slept for a whole day and a whole night, the physical fatigue and the inner torment made him look particularly haggard.
The pain of being pierced by an arrow made him turn pale.
His half-lidded eyes didn't blink, as if he had lost his breath.
But he would rather die, so that he wouldn't have to endure this situation which is more painful than death.
Earlier, his father came up to him and was ready to escort him personally, but he still refused to surrender, even though he had read his father's good intentions in his eyes.
The arrow shot by his father was actually meant to protect him.
The emperor once issued an edict that if he escaped from Xiangshan without being summoned, anyone could execute him on the spot without mercy.
By then, with arrows flying everywhere, he would be in such a panic that he might not be able to leave the Qi Wang Mansion alive, which was surrounded by layers of enemies.
Even with multiple facts before his eyes, he still refused to believe that Ying had lied to him.
No matter what, he had to see her first.
Until the old Concubine Qi rushed over and swore to the gods, to the Taoism she believed in, and to her entire family that if there was a person named Su Yueying in her mansion, she would turn into a lonely soul after her death with no one to worship and offer sacrifices to her, and the Qi Palace would end without an heir.
At that moment, he completely collapsed and gave up resistance.
But now I thought about it, doubts arose again.
Maybe the old concubine also lied. She had been alone in Aying's house to recuperate from her injuries, and she was afraid that the news would get out and affect her reputation, so she lied.
Even if she didn't...
Even if the person who actually deceived him was Ying, so what.
He always wanted to see her in person and wait for her to tell him in person, perhaps she had her own difficulties.
Aying is his wife!
They have worshipped heaven and earth.
No matter what others say, he would trust his wife more. Now that she is missing, he doesn't believe anyone.
…
In the imperial study of the palace, the current emperor Zhao Youheng was throwing things around in anger.
Father Pei, who was kneeling in front of him, lowered his head and said nothing, letting the emperor lose his temper.
"Don't be so hypocritical. Do you think I don't know your intention? You pretended to shoot him with an arrow, which seemed like a show of sacrifice for the greater good, but why didn't I tell you clearly? If it weren't for you protecting him, that evil creature would have been shot to death by arrows. You swore to me that you would drive that evil creature out of the Pei family and sever ties with him from now on, and I actually believed you."
Zhao Youheng was so angry that he threw his sleeves and paced back and forth beside Pei's father.
"Pei Zhouwu is so disrespectful of the majesty of heaven that I cannot tolerate it. He defied the imperial order and fled so arrogantly that he even dared to assassinate my uncle. I have charged him with multiple crimes at the same time. How can I convince the people if I don't punish him?"
"Your Majesty!" Father Pei kowtowed.
"If a son does not teach his father, it is his fault. I am willing to die to apologize for my sin and beg Your Majesty to spare his life."
"You bastard!" Zhao Youheng pointed at Pei's father and was extremely furious.
At this moment, a cry of surprise suddenly came from outside the hall.
The eunuch who came in to report lost his usual composure and ran so fast that he fell several times.
Just as Zhao Youheng was about to scold, he saw the eunuch kneeling down with tears in his eyes. "Your Majesty, the Western Jin army has invaded and has divided into two routes to break through the two border lines of Yunnan and Zhaoxi. Zhaoxi has lost two cities in a row. General Xiao He has been... killed in the battle. General Wei Buyu of Yunnan has also been seriously injured and can no longer hold on. Now Yunnan is also littered with corpses and it is a horrible sight. The Western Jin also sent a message saying that it will lead a million strong troops to the north in the near future to directly capture the capital city of Shangjing."
The eunuch held up the envelope in his hand, his eyes filled with tears.
"Your Majesty, this is a letter that was sent seven days ago at an expedited distance of eight hundred miles. Right now, we don't know how far the war has progressed."
"What did you say?" Zhao Youheng stretched out his hand but was reluctant to take the urgent letter.
"Your Majesty." Father Pei kowtowed again and said solemnly: "My son Pei Zhouwu has fought in Zhaoxi for many years, and he is against the people there..."
"Shut up!" Zhao Youheng shouted.
"You want me to order that evil creature to lead the troops to war? You have a good plan. Let me tell you, Pei Zhouwu is not the only one in my court who is brave and good at fighting. Let him lead the troops? He dared to break into Prince Qi's mansion alone. If I let him lead the troops, wouldn't he just break into the palace directly?"
Having said that, Zhao Youheng's expression was not as firm as his tone.
There were few generals left in the court who were worth using. General Song, who was already seventy years old, had been ill two months ago and could hardly leave the house, let alone go to the battlefield. The younger generals were inexperienced and had limited abilities. Even a great general like Xiao He had died in battle, so they were probably even less useful.
"Where is General Shen? Didn't Chen Xiu leave Beijing to garrison in the south two days before the New Year? Send a fast horse to order him to lead his troops to Yunan for support."
"I will send someone to deliver the order right away. What about Zhaoxi, Your Majesty? Zhaoxi's condition is even worse than Yunan's."
Zhao Youheng looked at Pei's father, holding his breath and not saying anything.
Father Pei no longer concealed it and took out a letter from his arms. It was the letter about Pei Zhouwu being framed.
After Zhao Youheng read it, his expression became even uglier.
"Prime Minister? How could it be... Why didn't you show me this letter earlier?"
Pei's father kowtowed again and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, I have expelled Pei Zhouwu from the Pei family earlier. If I didn't have absolute certainty and evidence, I would not easily make this letter public. I am afraid that Your Majesty would doubt my intentions, and I am even more afraid that the traitors would make further moves. If I hadn't just heard about the fierce battles on the border, I might not have handed over this letter. Let me ask Your Majesty, if I had just given the letter to Your Majesty, wouldn't Your Majesty be even more angry and think that I forged this letter to frame the prime minister in order to save my son?"
“…”
Zhao Youheng clenched the letter in his hand, his face seemed moved.
But in the end, he still hesitated and did not issue any order.
…
Over the next two days, urgent letters were delivered to the palace one after another, and each one indicated that the war situation had become worse.
This incident shocked the whole government and the people outside the palace, and they were also in a panic.
Seeing that the sky was about to fall, Zhao Youheng issued an imperial decree to release Pei Zhouwu from the prison, saying that he should be allowed to make up for his crime and quell the war in Zhaoxi.
Pei Zhouwu was carried out of the prison unconscious.
The injury to the shoulder was not fatal, but it was too much blood loss and he couldn't recover for a while.
Many people died on the front line, and no one dared to say that this war came at a chance.
But it is undeniable that if it were not for this war, Pei Zhouwu would have been sentenced to death even if he could have been spared the death penalty.
Imperial doctors came in waves, and they wanted him to recover from his injuries as quickly as possible. The front line could not afford any more delays. Even if his injuries were not healed yet, he had to drag his sick body while traveling and recuperating.
But on the eve of departure, Pei Zhouwu disappeared.
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