Turning point
Although Song Mingyang did indeed bestow upon Pei Jue the title of Assistant Magistrate, Pei Jue had no intention of actually staying to work for Song Mingyang. His true purpose was not this minor official position; he knew this, and Song Mingyang knew it too. However, he hadn't gone to the government office for the past few days, but instead went to see the piece of land that Song Mingyang had found for him.
As requested, Zhu Ying had secretly transferred a group of secret guards from the Shadowless Pavilion to this location, where they had already settled in the suburbs. Now, their task was to recruit more adult men to join them, gradually developing a force capable of rivaling the Central Army.
This matter, while seemingly difficult, is actually quite simple. Since Pei Huai ascended to the throne, he has neglected state affairs, leading to widespread suffering throughout the country, even in the traditionally prosperous Jiangnan region. Pei Jue had already noticed this during his last visit; although the area appeared very prosperous, only a small minority were truly wealthy. With Pei Huai unable to attend to local affairs, powerful local clans seized the opportunity to rise, proving difficult for the government to control, leaving the common people with no recourse.
In this situation, if he were to give away more money, there would be no shortage of people willing to follow him.
The family has worked hard to earn money for so long, and finally, it's time for it to be put to good use.
Therefore, Pei Jue and Xu Ruoyan had been busy recruiting soldiers in the name of the government for the past few days. Many young men, seeing the generous rewards and promises of help in caring for their families, naturally abandoned their fields and came to join them. Pei Jue had also made preparations early on; after recruiting a certain number of men, he ordered his guards to train them. He also decided to wait a while, then conduct an evaluation based on their training results, selecting an elite force as the main army.
It seems that everything is going according to their plan.
"I still want to go and talk to Song Mingyang."
That night, the two sat side by side on the swing in the yard, enjoying the night view.
Xu Ruoyan awkwardly turned her head, which was resting on Pei Jue's shoulder. It had been a long time since she had been this close to anyone.
"What's the point of talking to him? Haven't we already gotten everything we wanted?"
Pei Jue shook his head: "We haven't fully gained his support yet."
Xu Ruoyan yawned lazily and rubbed her sleepy eyes.
"What do you want to do? Tell him directly that you're going to rebel?"
Pei Jue shook his head: "He's different from Pei An, so we need to use different methods."
He kissed Xu Ruoyan's forehead: "Don't worry, Madam, leave this to me."
Xu Ruoyan nodded indifferently. Firstly, she trusted Pei Jue's arrangements, and secondly, she truly didn't have the energy to continue thinking about Pei Jue. Since the assassination attempt, the news that Qi Feng was also a transmigrator had been lingering in her mind. If this was true, then she had no way to seek Pei Jue's help. Even their final stand was, in the end, just a struggle between two transmigrators.
A few days ago, Sun Yulin sent her a message saying that he had started three extra shops. Although they didn't charge high consultation fees, everyone was willing to come to them for treatment, so they made quite a bit of money. He said he would save up a little more and send it to Xu Ruoyan.
"Did Pei An say anything?" Xu Ruoyan asked Pei Jue.
Pei Jue patted her hand reassuringly: "Everything is as usual."
The biggest abnormality is when everything is normal.
Ever since the day she guessed that Qi Feng was also a transmigrator like herself, this thought had been swirling in her mind and growing stronger with each passing day. She was about 80% sure that her guess was correct, although she lacked strong evidence.
But if this speculation comes true, then the outcome of all their efforts will be in question.
Xu Ruoyan dared not tell anyone this guess, since no one here could understand what she meant. Only she knew what it meant.
What appears to be a contest between two forces may actually turn into a confrontation between two time travelers in the end.
With so few clues available, one of the possible outcomes Xu Ruoyan could deduce was that Qi Feng would help Pei Huai eliminate all hostile forces, but she had a feeling that this was not Qi Feng's ultimate goal.
Facing the bright moonlight and the calm lake, Xu Ruoyan let out a long sigh.
This is even harder than studying medicine!
Pei Jue, standing to the side, looked at her with concern and hugged her even tighter: "What has Madam thought of?"
Xu Ruoyan felt like she was about to suffocate, but she could only shake her head with a wry smile, refusing to utter a single word.
It's not that she doesn't trust Pei Jue, it's just that Pei Jue can't help her at all.
Pei Jue could sense that she was preoccupied, but since she didn't want to talk about it, he wouldn't ask any more questions. However, seeing his lover so distressed made him feel terrible.
"Let's not think about it now," he gently kissed Xu Ruoyan's hair. "Let's go to sleep first."
"Great idea!" Xu Ruoyan slapped her thigh and pulled Pei Jue to his feet.
There's no emotion that a good night's sleep can't resolve; if there is, then sleep in.
...
When Pei Jue went to the government office again, Xu Ruoyan did not accompany him. Ever since the training grounds were found, they had been inspecting them every day. Today, since Pei Jue was not there, she went to keep an eye on things.
However, Pei Jue returned very quickly, faster than she expected.
When Pei Jue rushed back to the training ground, Xu Ruoyan had just knocked down a young man who was defiant and wanted to fight her one-on-one.
"Let's practice some more."
She casually blew the dust off her hands, and when she looked up, she saw Pei Jue standing not far away.
"Was it that smooth?"
Pei Jue smiled and opened his arms to welcome her.
"Yes, everything went very smoothly."
Xu Ruoyan hesitated for a moment, then walked over and quickly hugged him before letting go, as if she had hugged a hot potato.
Pei Jue chuckled and ruffled her hair: "Let's go inside and talk."
The two went together into a small wooden house that had just been built nearby. Xu Ruoyan poured him a cup of hot tea and told him to hold it in his hands to warm it.
How did you convince him?
Pei Jue took a small sip along the rim of his cup, his eyes gradually filled with warm tenderness: "I just asked him if he wanted to expand the salt field."
"It's that simple?"
Xu Ruoyan was almost speechless with shock.
Pei Jue nodded first, then shook his head.
“The salt fields under his jurisdiction are hotspots for the illegal trade of salt, and once discovered, the entire family will be executed. Regardless of whether Pei Huai wants to or cannot manage these areas, there will always be risks in continuing like this. Moreover, he has many illegal transactions, and if he wants to make more money, he will need my cover.”
Xu Ruoyan grinned at him: "So confident, huh?"
Pei Jue took her hand and squeezed her fingertips: "No. It's just that these things are not enough to truly convince him. But I still understand him. He has hated Pei Huai for a long time, so naturally he won't want to miss this opportunity to kill him."
"Hate?" Xu Ruoyan asked. "What grudge do they have against each other?"
“Song Mingyang’s mother died early, and his father died in the disaster a year ago. He not only has a blood feud with Pei Huai, but also has long hated Pei Huai’s behavior. I’ve given him an opportunity.”
Xu Ruoyan recalled the day they first met, and the more she thought about it, the more something seemed off.
She frowned deeply: "Song Mingyang seems timid and cowardly, how could he..."
“He is indeed very timid, so he has always been cautious in his actions. Even the salt smuggling business that brought him so much wealth did not dare to expand too much, which gave us such an opportunity.”
As he spoke, he sighed deeply: "Even the most timid person would try their best to repay the debt of love for their loved ones."
That makes sense.
Xu Ruoyan looked out the window at the soldiers training outside, but the worry in her eyes did not lessen in the slightest.
"Now that you've convinced Song Mingyang, what's your next step?"
Pei Jue stared at the last sip of tea in his cup in silence for a long while before drinking it all in one gulp.
"Contact more people. Xuzhou, Huai'an, Songjiang... I'll try everything I can."
Then, silence fell over the room.
Both of them were simultaneously planning their next move and calculating their chances of success.
Just then, a head suddenly peeked out from outside the door.
"Sir, someone is looking for you. They say they are your friend."
friend?
Xu Ruoyan exchanged a suspicious glance with Pei Jue, then called out, "Let him in."
Then, a tall figure pushed open the door and strode in.
"Your humble servant Zhang Zizhi greets Lord Pei and Lady Xu."
"Zizhi?" Xu Ruoyan exclaimed in surprise, "Why are you here?"
Zhang Zizhi bowed respectfully and replied, "Madam, it was my master who sent me to assist you both."
“That kid An’an?” Xu Ruoyan turned to look at Pei Jue. “That kid knows how to get things done.”
Pei Jue smiled faintly: "That's perfect, let Zizhi watch over this place for us."
Zhang Zizhi bowed and said, "I will obey your orders, sir and madam."
For the next month, Zhang Zizhi stayed at the Yangzhou training ground with Zhu Ying to look after the soldiers, while Pei Jue and Xu Ruoyan, armed with the tokens given to them by Song Mingyang, began traveling throughout the Jiangnan region. From north to south, they passed through Huai'an, Changzhou, and Suzhou, during which time they met many insightful individuals willing to serve them.
But neither of them could deny that they had both noticed something amiss.
Why haven't Qi Feng and Pei Huai made any moves since they left Kyoto?
As the date was postponed, this vague unease grew stronger in their hearts, yet they felt helpless to dispel it.
On that day, just as they were leaving Suzhou Prefecture, Xu Ruoyan's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
She paused, gripping Pei Jue's hand tightly.
Pei Jue immediately noticed her unusual behavior and squeezed her hand in return: "What's wrong?"
Xu Ruoyan placed her free hand on her heart, which was beginning to pound wildly, and her mind was gradually swallowed by a huge sense of fear.
"No good," she murmured.
Pei Juexin's heart tightened, and just as he was about to ask more questions, a white dove fluttered its wings and landed steadily on his hand.
"It's a letter from Pei An."
As he spoke, he pulled a thin, rolled-up piece of paper from the small bamboo tube held by the pigeon. Unfolding it, he saw only four large characters written on it.
"Critical situation, return immediately."
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