Chapter 354 Private Army
In the dark night sky, tiny snowflakes swirled and fell to the ground in a disorderly manner.
You Bingjun and Jiao Yong knelt for a long time at the inn's entrance. Over their snow-covered shoulders, one could see the string of red lanterns overhead, swaying slowly in the wind, revealing the words "Xintong Inn." The red light from the lanterns illuminated the ground at the entrance, which was covered in a thin layer of snow, a faint red glow from the lanterns.
A palace maid emerged from the doorway carrying two packages. Upon seeing the two men, she shook her head and stepped forward, saying, "My lords, you are not young anymore. Time is not forgiving. If you continue kneeling like this, you will probably get sick."
You Bingjun knelt until his whole body was stiff. He raised his head with great effort and said, "We know that the master is magnanimous and will not take our mistakes seriously. We just want to see the master again."
When his master was nine years old, he was ordered to leave and go to Tongliao County to implement his master's plan. Now, twenty-six years have passed, and he wants to see his master again. In his mind, the impression of his master still remains that of a nine-year-old girl.
"The master said that those things in Daliang Village were seen, and she no longer cares about it. She doesn't blame you at all."
"Since you don't blame us, why don't you let us see her?" Jiao Yong asked.
"The master won't see anyone," the maid took off the bundles hanging from her arms and placed them on the bench beside her. "Let alone you two, so many ministers have come before, but not one of them has seen the master. Even the prime minister was chased away."
"We are different from them," Jiao Yong said without looking up, "We have been following our master since she was born. We have watched her grow up with our own eyes."
"My two lords, the master knows that your loyalty is unmatched." The maid first picked up a package and came to You Bingjun. "My lords, you are now free. From now on, you no longer need to serve the master."
You Bingjun was startled and looked at the package in front of him: "What did the master say?"
"The master said that you two have devoted more than 20 years to her, and now you can enjoy your retirement. The things in the package are given to you two by the master, and they are worth a fortune..."
Before the maid could finish her words, You Bingjun hissed, "I don't want it. I've been serving my master all my life. Could it be that the master despises us because we are old and can't work for her anymore?"
He refused to accept the package, and the maid couldn't lift it, so she put it back on the bench and said, "Master You, the things in this package are enough to make you rich. Are you sure you don't want it?"
"No!" You Bingjun said firmly.
"What about you, Lord Jiao? You don't want it either?" The palace maid turned her gaze to Jiao Yong.
Jiao Yong was initially tempted by the package, but when he saw You Bingjun didn't want it, he felt too embarrassed to ask for it. He shook his head and said, "I don't want it either."
The maid said helplessly, "My lords, you don't want any money or property. And you're kneeling on the ground and refusing to get up. What on earth do you want to do?"
You Bingjun said, "We just want to see our master once more, and then we will have no regrets."
"But the master said..."
"Let them both in." Pei Jingyun's voice was heard in the inn.
The two men were overjoyed and tried to get up. However, due to their age and the cold weather, they knelt for an hour and a half, their legs and feet numb from the cold. The palace maid ordered the guards on either side to come over, help them up, and carry them into the inn.
Arriving at the inn's lobby, all the tables and chairs had been removed, leaving it empty, save for candles in the four corners. A woman in palace attire stood in the center of the lobby with her back to the door, her white hair draped down her back a particularly glaring sight.
You Bingjun couldn't believe that the person before him was his master. Although he was over sixty, his hair was not so white. And the woman before him had not a single black hair on her head.
The two men broke free from the guards who were supporting them, knelt on the ground and said, "This humble servant kowtows to the master."
The white-haired woman slowly turned around: "You two have already seen me."
Even though so many years had passed, the moment You Bingjun laid eyes on Pei Jingyun, he immediately recognized the unique determination in her eyes. It seemed to be something that only Pei Jingyun possessed, something she had always possessed at the age of nine, and the light remained the same. She was still the same Pei Jingyun, willing to do anything to achieve her goals.
He was filled with both joy and sorrow, tears streaming down his face. He cried, "Master, I'm finally able to see you again. I never thought your hair would turn completely white. You've truly suffered so much."
Jiao Yong, who was beside him, was in tears and speechless, just looking at Pei Jingyun.
Facing the two people's crying, Pei Jingyun remained indifferent and just said lightly: "You two have seen me, you can leave now. Take the money I gave you and live the rest of your life well."
"I won't leave," You Bingjun banged his forehead against the ground, making a thud. "Master, my life is yours."
"Why are you doing this?" Pei Jingyun shook her head gently. "Spending your whole life with me, is it worth it?"
You Bingjun cried, "Master, aren't you the same?"
He had spent twenty-six years in obscurity, which was nothing at all. He knew he was working for his master willingly. But why was his master in such pain? Her plan had clearly succeeded, and she was clearly with her beloved, but she was trapped in Wen Yi's inner demons and couldn't extricate herself.
"You don't understand." Pei Jingyun turned away.
"Master, why are you staying in this inn?" Jiao Yong asked. "There are rumors in the capital that Prince Ping murdered the king. At this critical moment, why don't you return to the capital and clarify this matter with the ministers?"
On their way to Anzhou, the two of them noticed someone spreading rumors that Emperor Ming of Qi was murdered by Xiao Beiheng. They were baffled that their master had ignored such a serious matter.
"There's nothing to clarify," Pei Jingyun said, "Heng'er has already fought with that bitch's son. I only care about this matter... Will you two still serve me?"
"I will not refuse even if I die," the two men touched their foreheads to the ground, "Master, please give your orders."
"Okay, get up," Pei Jingyun said, "Heng'er is no match for that man. Go help him immediately. This is my only request. No blood of that bitch can remain in this world."
You Bingjun was bewildered. He and Jiao Yong were both already old men over sixty years old. Pei Jingyun asked them to go to the battlefield, what could they do?
The master's order was an order, and he would not question it. Just like Pei Jingyun had arranged for him twenty-six years ago, he did it without hesitation.
The two of them stood up, and Pei Jingyun continued, "Whether this trip succeeds or fails, you don't have to come see me again."
You Bingjun and Jiao Yong didn't understand the meaning of this sentence for a moment. Judging from their master's tone, he seemed to have considered failure. They could only bow three times to Pei Jingyun's back and retreat out of the inn.
As soon as we left the inn, we heard the rumbling sound of horse hooves in the darkness. The sound was heavier than that of ordinary war horses and echoed throughout the streets.
The two men looked toward the source of the sound and saw a group of cavalry emerging from the darkness. Unlike any cavalry they had seen before, not only were the mounted soldiers heavily armored, but even the horses were covered in iron armor. Only their hooves were visible, and both men and horses were filled with murderous intent.
The leading cavalryman dismounted and bowed to You Bingjun and Jiao Yong, saying, "My lords, the Iron Buddha Army comprises five thousand cavalrymen and is now under your command. Please mount your horses."
"You... who are you serving under?" You Bingjun asked in surprise.
As far as he knew, Xiao Beiheng had mobilized all his troops to attack Xiao Zhuo. Where did this cavalry come from?
"We are the Queen's private army, and we have been training in secret. We are specially set up to restrain the crossbows of Xiao Zhuo's army."
Pei Jingyun stood in front of the corridor window on the second floor of the inn, watching teams of armored cavalry emerge from the darkness on the street below, stepping across the snow in front of the inn door, and galloping into the darkness again.
Soon after, the streets became quiet again, with only snowflakes flying in the sky and the horseshoe prints on the ground gradually fading.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com