Happy Spring Night Rain (8)
"Grandfather, calm down."
Pei Yuanchi lowered his head and looked at the patterns on the bluestone. He couldn't guess what his grandfather was thinking.
When His Majesty was still a prince, he often climbed over the walls of the Pei Mansion to play with the young master of the Pei family. At that time, Pan Qi, Mo Wenqing, Yuwen Zhan, and Pei Zheng, the young master of the Pei family, were collectively known as the "Four Heroes of the Capital." Their handsome young men always attracted the attention of countless young ladies. After completing his studies, Pan Qi entered the imperial court as an official, while Mo Wenqing, Pei Xianzheng's most favored student, ultimately chose to join the army. Prime Minister Pei ignored Mo Wenqing for over a month.
In the 15th year of Yonghua, the State of Jin invaded. Emperor Yin ordered Yuwen Zhan to pacify the border and appointed Mo Wenqing as deputy general. Pei Zheng saw that his good brothers had gone to defend their country, so he followed quietly. Pei Zheng did not return home for two nights, and then Taifu Pei discovered that his son had gone to join the army.
The friendship between comrades is the hardest to break.
After this battle, Yuwen Zhan's prowess was fully revealed, and on the day he returned to the court, all three were promoted. Pei Xian, worried about his son's safety, asked the emperor to give him a less prestigious civil service position.
Mo Wenqing and his two companions helped Yuwen Zhan clear the way for him. After Yuwen Zhan ascended the throne, Mo Wenqing volunteered to eliminate the rebels on the border. A skilled warrior and a scholar, Mo Wenqing led the Mo family army to pacify the border within three years, driving the Jin invaders out of ten cities.
From then on, the border was peaceful and the people lived in peace. The Mo family army also became famous among the people and was respected and loved by the people wherever they went.
In order to prevent thieves, Mo Wenqing and his family of four moved to Ye County to guard the border.
In the 15th year of Zhenning, the State of Jin, which had been silent for many years, was ready to make a move and the war was imminent. Upon hearing this, Pei Zheng, like he did in his youth, rode his horse at full speed and rushed from the capital to Ye County overnight, but he never came back.
Mrs. Pei and Pei Yuanchi's mother were extremely sad, and they both passed away half a month later.
The bustling Pei family held three funerals within a month, with white banners flying and yellow paper fluttering.
Pei Shan, who had been fostered in his grandmother's home in Jizhou since childhood due to frailty, had planned to come back to spend more time with his mother during the Lantern Festival that year, but what he got in return was the news of the death of his three relatives.
From then on, Pei Yuanchi also secluded himself in Wangyue Tower, devoted himself to practicing martial arts, and never left the mountain.
One day a few years later, when Pei Yuanchi was cleaning his uncle's grave in Yilin Bamboo Sea, a man named Wen Zhao came to him, and what happened that year gradually became clear.
The young man kneeling on the ground thought carefully and still didn't feel that he was wrong at all.
Pei Yuanchi pursed his lips, he knew that his grandfather was really angry this time.
But, so what? He will still do what he should do.
"Grandfather, have you ever seen the black-armored soldiers wielding swords against the people? They trampled the people's fields to kill the rebels. And you know that it takes up to six months from planting a grain of rice to harvesting it. Many farmers rely on a single harvest to keep their entire families alive for the entire year."
Pei Yuanchi's eyes gradually filled with tears.
"Do you know that the life of a poor child is worth only a bowl of porridge? Is this 'prosperous age' truly a prosperous age? Should we truly be loyal to such an emperor?"
“Bang!”
The slap landed, and crisp applause rang out in the majestic ancestral hall.
The tablets of Pei family's ancestors looked at the man kneeling on the ground.
"Who told you to say such outrageous words? Tang Xixu?"
Pei Yuanchi wiped the blood from the corner of his lips and stood up with a sneer.
"Grandfather, do you know how my father died?"
"It was because he knew the truth and wanted to tell Uncle Mo that he was killed by our Majesty, who is worshipped by millions of people!"
The old man's hand in the air trembled, and he couldn't stand on his heels, swaying a little, his sunken eyes full of disbelief.
"What did you say?"
Pei Xianzheng had investigated his son's death over the years and had always believed that Pei Zheng had died for his country. After Pei Zheng's death that year, His Majesty personally bestowed upon him the "Loyal and Brave" plaque and appointed him Prime Minister.
From then on, Pei Xianzheng was second only to the emperor, and the Pei family's century-old foundation also reached its peak.
Pei Yuanchi had found out a long time ago, but he didn't tell him for so many years because he didn't want to make his grandfather sad.
Pei Xian was trembling with anger, his mouth was crooked, his teeth were chattering, and his hands, like dead branches, were like eagle claws, stiff and motionless.
Soon, Prime Minister Pei, who was once powerful and glorious, fell down with his mouth open like a dried corpse. The old man stared at a tile on the roof, and a thin layer of mist covered his vicissitudes of life eyes.
"Grandfather, you are tired. Take a break. Brother Shan and I can support this big tree of the Pei family."
Pei Yuanchi took over the old man's body that was about to fall to the ground. He was surprised to find that his grandfather was so thin that he could hold the old man's arm with one hand.
"Come here, help the Prime Minister back to his bedroom. Without my permission, the Prime Minister cannot leave the Pei Mansion even a step."
Under the quiet light, Pei Yuanchi's eyes were like a cold pond, bottomless.
…
"Your Majesty! The rebels have already reached Linyao!"
Li Dequan rushed in hurriedly after receiving the battle report, stopped and struggled to straighten the inner envoy's hat on his head.
"What did you say?!"
The emperor on the dragon throne opened his eyes wide. His face, which was radiant yesterday, was visibly dim today.
Emperor Gan Ping's eyelids trembled slightly and he suddenly thought of something: "Go and call the seventh brother over."
As summer approaches, a sudden rain fell in the imperial city tonight. Ordinary umbrellas could not stop the rain, and the emperor's umbrella cover could not stop it either. It seemed as if the canopy was about to be overturned.
The Anning Army led by Tangxi Xu was stationed at the junction of Linyao and Jizhou. This place is also Pingshui. Going east along Pingshui and crossing Jihezi is the suburbs of the capital.
"Captain, the road here is full of potholes and it rained recently, so the soil is soft and swampy. Warhorses can't run for long." Hua Xing had surveyed the area over the past few days and reported all the details to Tang Xixu. "If we walk, it will take at least two days to get from here to Jihezi. Most of these soldiers are prisoners. Although there are some old soldiers, they are mostly elderly and have not rested for several nights. I'm afraid they won't last long."
Hua Xing looked serious, and Tang Xixu held the teacup lightly in his hand, frowning in thought.
"It won't last long. What about me?"
The two people in the tent heard Pei Yuanchi's voice from a distance.
"There are two military tokens, one of which is in the hands of my uncle, and I have taken control of it. Now the Black Armored Army plus the Imperial Guards have five to six hundred more people than us, and 30% of us are martial artists. I think we may have a chance of winning." Pei Yuanchi gave the generals in the army a reassurance.
"That won't do. Now many martial artists have defected to the royal family, including Yue Qiucheng." Chen Yin, a former subordinate of Mo Wenqing and former deputy general of the Mo family army, was worried.
"Uncle Chen, don't worry. No matter how powerful Yueqiu City is, it can't compare to the three generals of Buhuo City." Tang Xixu suddenly thought of something, and his thick eyebrows twitched. "Uncle Chen, do you know who Yueqiu City sent?"
Chen Yin stroked his chin and frowned, "I don't know much about this. I just heard that he was the second city lord of Yueqiu City who had been in seclusion and had never left the city."
"Second City Lord? How come I didn't know there was a Second City Lord?" Pei Yuanchi had been in the martial arts world for nearly ten years and had only heard of the Great City Lord. This was the first time he had heard of such a person.
Tang Xixu rubbed his thin lips, making it impossible to tell his emotion.
“Report—report!”
"The Black Armored Army has crossed the Jihezi River and is heading straight for our camp!"
"Damn it! We haven't even attacked them yet, but they attacked us first. I'm going to let them know today that even though I, the Mo family army, am old, I can still beat the shit out of him!" Chen Yin was furious. He drank the wine in the bowl in one gulp and threw the bowl to the ground.
The wind was particularly strong today, and the red cloak was blown high in the wind, and the red brocade hairband was lightly touching Tang Xixu's face.
The Black Armor Army was led by a general in white clothes with a pale face. He did not look like someone who had been to the battlefield, but more like a new soldier.
Tang Xixu saw the face of the person who came and understood.
Emperor Gan Ping really has a good plan, but unfortunately I am not my father, and I have never been merciful.
Yuwen Xin never expected that his childhood playmate would now be on the battlefield.
"Do we have to come to this? Wouldn't it be better to let go of the past and join me in swearing loyalty to His Majesty, receiving honors and titles, and reviving the Mo family?"
Tang Xixu sneered, only now realizing that Yuwen Xin was still naive.
"Be loyal to Your Majesty? To that hypocritical enemy who didn't care about the lives of the people and wiped out my entire family?" The young general in golden armor had cold eyes without a trace of warmth.
After a while, Yuwen Xin asked again: "Do you still remember Uncle Mo's last words?"
"Hmph, my father is my father, not me. I wasn't born to watch my loved ones leave me one by one. I don't consider myself a good person in this life. I kill without blinking an eye, and I am notorious in the martial arts world. I don't care about reputation or fame. My father and brother have risked their lives for the old emperor. What they dare not do, I, the 'evil man', do. This traitor, I will definitely be!"
Tang Xixu rode his horse towards Yuwen Xin and swung the silver spear in his hand.
Yuwen Xin tightened the reins, the white horse raised its front paws high, and the neighing sound opened the curtain of this battle.
Yuwen Xin dodged to the side, and the tip of the spear fell to the ground, piercing through the stone, and the fist-sized stone shattered instantly.
“Kill—kill!”
Soldiers from both sides charged into the battle array with guns, leaving no chance for the other side to survive.
The two armies fought, some died and some fell, the blood of the soldiers dyed the clear water red, and some corpses floated down the river.
…
"The report from the front is that the Black Armor Army and the An Ning Army have been fighting in Pingshui. The enemy sent someone named - Yuwen Xin." Qiao Mulan looked at the letter in her hand, her brows furrowed.
Xu Ning's eyebrows twitched when he heard this. The original book mentioned that before Yuwen Xin was crowned king, he wandered the Jianghu and co-founded Yueqiu City with the Grand Lord of Yueqiu City. He was the Second Lord, but he never appeared in public, so no one knew of his identity.
This is tricky. Yuwen Xin has always been hiding his abilities. Xu Ning doesn't think he is a simple person. A prince who has lived in the cold palace since childhood, has been granted a title and a royal palace by his own efforts, and has married a noble lady from a famous family. If he is simple, the Daxin Dynasty would probably be doomed.
"Let's go."
Xu Ning pressed her face against the skin, drew her eyebrows thicker, smeared light yellow mud on her face, and raised the insoles of her shoes by a few centimeters to prevent exposure.
Qiao Mulan looked at the handsome young man in front of her, and her brows furrowed again.
Forget it, blame me if you want. At least I have done my best to be worthy of the Mo family.
Qiao Mulan looked at Cong'er playing with building blocks alone, with reluctance in her eyes.
"Grandma Xi, thank you so much. If I haven't returned home in seven days, please take all the money from home and take Cong'er away immediately. Cong'er, I'm leaving you in my care."
"My lady, what are you talking about? If it weren't for you and the general saving my life and giving me food, how could I still be alive today? I will definitely take good care of you, young master, even if it means risking my own life."
Mother-in-law Xi knelt down and bowed to see the two of them off.
"Please get up quickly, mother-in-law." Qiao Mulan then helped the old woman up.
Xu Ning walked over to the little boy, squatted down and stroked his head. The woman smiled softly, her voice as gentle as a ball of cotton: "Cong'er, be good and listen to your mother-in-law. Your mother and I are going out to do some errands. We'll be back in a few days and bring you some candy."
The little boy, who was about ten years old, must have understood something. He glanced at Qiao Mulan, then lowered his eyes and whispered, "Okay."
Qiao Mulan hugged Mo Xinglan, her eyes hot. Mo Xinglan felt something dripping down the top of her head, and Qiao Mulan quickly wiped away her tears.
"Let's go." Qiao Mulan pulled Xu Ning out of the door and closed it tightly behind her.
"Wow wow wow, mother, mother, mother!"
Children have a strong sixth sense. Just like now, although Mo Xinglan didn't know what his mother and aunt were going to do, his heart was beating very fast and he felt panicky, as if he was about to lose something.
Xu Ning advised Qiao Mulan to stay, but Qiao Mulan refused. Even the women of the Mo family would never be afraid of the enemy.
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