Extra Chapter 5: A Letter from Home is Worth a Thousand Pieces of Gold
The aroma of tea wafts from the teahouse beside the official road.
"Boss, another three pounds of braised beef, please! With the tendons!"
Pei Niannian placed one foot on the bench and shouted with great spirit.
Although she has been away from home for more than half a month, she is still living a comfortable life.
After all, he has a "human ATM" (Xiao Bai) and an "all-around bodyguard" (Pei An) by his side.
Xiao Bai was diligently pouring her tea, while Pei An was resting with her eyes closed.
Suddenly, Pei An's ears twitched.
[Fluttering sound]
A rapid, powerful flapping sound, carrying a certain special frequency, rapidly approached from high above.
Pei An opened her eyes, her expression changing slightly: "Sister, you're here."
"What's here? Beef?"
Before Pei Niannian could react, she heard a soft "thud".
A pure white homing pigeon with a gold tube tied to its leg landed precisely on their table like a small white cannonball.
Instead of cooing like a normal pigeon, it scanned the three people in front of it with a cold gaze.
These are the "Soul-Chasing Pigeons" specially trained by the Regent's Palace.
It is said that once you smell the target's scent, you can find them no matter where you are in the world.
"Gulp."
Pei Niannian dropped the chopsticks in her hand to the ground.
She looked at the gold tube on the pigeon's leg, engraved with the character "Pei," which struck fear into the hearts of the entire world.
"Father... Father's letter..."
Pei Niannian's voice was trembling.
This is hardly a carrier pigeon.
This is clearly the Black and White Impermanence coming to claim a life!
Xiao Bai was somewhat curious:
"Since it's a letter from the Prince, why are you so afraid, Sister Niannian? Perhaps the Prince misses you and wants you to come back?"
"Miss me?" Pei Niannian chuckled dryly. "If that old devil missed me, he would come to see me in person with his sword."
She reached out shakily, untied the gold tube, and carefully pulled out the note inside, as if defusing a bomb.
The strip of paper was very short, just a narrow sheet of Xuan paper.
But the handwriting was so powerful it seemed to penetrate the paper, the strokes sharp as knives, that you could feel the murderous aura emanating from it even through the paper.
Return immediately, or your legs will be broken.
Even the punctuation marks in those five words exude a fierce intensity.
There was no "To my dear son" or "I miss you dearly, your father".
Only a simple and brutal ultimatum.
Xiao Bai leaned closer for a look and immediately gasped, "This...this was written by my own father?"
Breaking a leg? That's too cruel!
"It's all over, it's all over..."
Pei Niannian slammed the note on the table and wailed, burying her face in her hands.
"Daddy's angry! He's serious! He really is going to break my legs! And he'll definitely use one of those really thick military batons!"
Although her father doted on her, he was absolutely impartial on matters of principle (such as running away from home with a stranger).
If we go back now, it'll be like walking into a trap; we'll be lucky to escape with our lives!
"An'an! What should we do?!"
Pei Niannian looked to her younger brother for help.
Pei An picked up the note, glanced at it expressionlessly, and then made a calm analysis:
"The pigeons were sent out yesterday."
"Given Father's temperament, the Black Armor Guard's pursuit team should have already set off by the time the carrier pigeon was sent out."
He closed his eyes and listened to the sound of the wind:
“There is the sound of a large troop of horses to the north, about two hundred miles away.”
"Two hundred li?!" Pei Niannian jumped up: "Wouldn't that mean we could catch up in half a day?"
"Returning to Beijing is impossible."
Pei An crumpled the note into pieces, casually tossed it into his teacup to dissolve, and said calmly:
"Going back is a dead end."
"Besides, Father is still angry, so it's not advisable for us to meet."
"Where to?"
Xiao Bai's eyes lit up, and he seized the opportunity to suggest, "How about... going to Nanzhao? I am the king, I can protect you..."
"No!" the siblings refused in unison.
Going to Nanzhao changes the nature of the situation; it's no longer just running away from home, it's treason!
At that point, Pei Yunjing's actions won't be as simple as just breaking a leg; he'll wipe out the entire Southern Zhao Kingdom!
Pei An stretched out his finger, dipped it in tea, and drew a simple map on the table.
"The capital is to the north; we can't go back."
"To the west is the desert, the sandstorms are too strong, my sister doesn't like it."
"The sea is to the east, there's no way out."
His finger slowly moved down and stopped at a place with a dense network of waterways: "Then we can only go south."
"Jiangnan".
Pei Niannian's eyes lit up instantly:
"Jiangnan?!"
"I heard that the scenery there is beautiful, there are many beautiful women, and most importantly... there is a lot of delicious food!"
"Squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, West Lake vinegar fish, Longjing shrimp, crab roe soup dumplings..."
As she spoke, her mouth started to water.
More importantly...
"The emperor is far away and the heavens are high!"
Pei Niannian slammed her hand on the table and said excitedly:
"Jiangnan is thousands of miles from the capital. Father's old leg pain (not really) would definitely make him too lazy to chase after us that far!"
"Moreover, the waterways in Jiangnan are numerous and interconnected. If we travel by boat, the Black Armor Guards' horses cannot outrun the boat!"
"It's settled then!"
Pei Niannian grabbed a piece of beef from the table, stuffed it into her mouth, and mumbled commands:
"run!"
"Set off immediately! Destination: Jiangnan!"
"As long as we run fast enough, Daddy's stick can't catch us!"
"Walk."
Pei An picked up his sword, threw down a silver ingot, and got up to leave.
Xiao Bai looked at the decisive brother and sister, shook his head helplessly, but a doting smile appeared on his lips.
Jiangnan?
The misty, rainy Jiangnan region is indeed a wonderful place for romance.
So, half an hour before the Black Armor Guards arrived.
The three swift horses had long since galloped away, leaving behind only a table of leftovers and a royal carrier pigeon still pecking at bits of beef.
A letter from home? It doesn't exist.
When a general is in the field, he may disobey his father's orders in some ways!
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