Chapter 75 My Cousin Can Fight Now
Jiang Ru had thought it through clearly. Wherever Pei Wu went, she would go. Besides, if Pei Wu was gone for several months, it would be pointless for her to stay in Bianjing alone.
In her haste, she grabbed Pei Wu's wrist, beneath which was the round agate bracelet, warmed by Pei Wu's body heat.
Jiang Ru looked at him with hope: "They'll definitely take me with them, right?"
Pei Wu struggled again, but couldn't break free. He could only say helplessly, "This matter is still undecided. Even if you were to go, the journey is too long for you to handle. It's better not to go."
"No!" Jiang Ru slid her hand up and grabbed his arm: "You said you would take me with you wherever you went."
She's talking nonsense; Pei Wu never said anything like that.
Jiang Ru stared at Pei Wu expectantly, as if Pei Wu had committed a terrible mistake by not taking her. Pei Wu could only compromise: "We'll talk about it later, okay? I don't necessarily have to go."
Indeed, this task may not necessarily fall to Pei Wu, and the fact that Northern Yan will attack is just their speculation. It's too early to say anything about it now.
Pei Wu finally broke free from Jiang Ru's control. He glanced at the night outside the window and said, "It's night, cousin, you should rest early."
After saying that, he turned and left. Only Jiang Ru's hand, which she had touched, remained stiff and motionless. Jiang Ru called out to his back, "You promised to take me with you."
Pei Wu paused, not giving a direct answer, but simply telling Jiang Ru, "We'll see."
Whether he agrees or not, Jiang Ru always has a way to get him to agree, so there's no rush and she's quite at ease.
As autumn approached and frost fell early, the Empress Dowager's illness showed no signs of improvement and she had reached the point where she could no longer get out of bed. The Emperor prayed for her well-being and personally went to Guoan Temple to offer incense.
Surprisingly, after the emperor returned from Guoan Temple, the empress dowager did indeed improve somewhat, and within a few days she was able to get out of bed and walk around.
However, just when everyone thought the Empress Dowager had miraculously recovered, she suddenly fainted while having a meal and remained unconscious for several days. When she woke up, it looked like she had suffered a stroke, and she couldn't even move.
The first thing the Empress Dowager said when she woke up was that the emperor was too young and that Chen Ling should be appointed as regent.
The court was in turmoil again. If Chen Ling were to become regent, the Great Xia would truly become a one-man show by the Chen family.
It's hateful that their quarrel dragged Pei Wu into it. On the day they finished their duties, Pei Wu, wearing a rumpled official robe and with his hat askew, looked as if he had joined the melee.
Before entering his home, he tried his best to straighten his official robes, but it was no use, as Chen Ling, who used underhanded tactics, tore them.
Jiang Ru saw his disheveled appearance from afar, looking like a disobedient thug who had been fighting outside, something rarely seen in Pei Wu.
As he got closer, Pei Wu turned his face away, his lips tightly pressed together, not wanting Jiang Ru to see.
Jiang Ru wasn't about to let him get away so easily. She grabbed Pei Wu's sleeve and pulled him close, looking him up and down. "Why did you have to join in the fun? Didn't I tell you to stay away? You're no match for these old foxes."
Although Pei Wu has the advantage of youth, his methods are certainly not as cunning as those people's. Standing inside, wouldn't he just be a target to be shot at?
There were no visible wounds, but it looked terrible, which made Jiang Ru feel a little relieved. Just as she was relieved, she reached down and grabbed Pei Wu's torn clothes. Jiang Ru angrily shouted, "Who is it? How can you be so uncivilized, tearing clothes like that!"
Look at poor Pei Wu, he was beaten so badly he couldn't fight back at all.
Jiang Ru felt sorry for him and grabbed Pei Wu's sleeve, pulling it up: "Are you hurt?"
Pei Wu shook his head: "No, it just tore the clothes."
Jiang Ru was still furious: "Whoever laid a hand on me, I'll make them a voodoo doll!"
Pei Wu was silent for a moment: "Chen Ling wanted to fight with Lord Song. When Lord Song saw me standing behind him, he pulled me over to block him."
Song Pingzhang is the real villain. He couldn't beat them himself, so he used Pei Wu as a human shield. Jiang Ru gritted her teeth and said, "He's really cunning and treacherous."
Caught off guard, Pei Wu was pulled to block the attack, only to be met with the claws of Chen Ling and the others. Unlike Song Pingzhang, who was a veteran of countless battles, he was not skilled in any unorthodox techniques and was naturally beaten down.
Jiang Ru felt more and more sorry for Pei Wu. She gave him some advice: "Next time you do that, fight back. Don't be so obedient. You should learn from Song Pingzhang. He must be pretty good at fighting."
Despite Song Pingzhang's unsteady gait, Pei Wu always tells me that he's always at the forefront of fights, and not long ago he even pulled out two tufts of Chen Ling's hair.
Even before, Su Mu would grit his teeth and mourn the hair that Song Pingzhang had pulled out of him whenever he mentioned Song Pingzhang.
Jiang Ru stood on tiptoe and straightened Pei Wu's hat, which had been pulled askew: "You're also copying Song Pingzhang by pulling your hair? You're such a waste of your height."
Pei Wu was silent for a moment, then said, "I accidentally kicked Chen Ling, and she had to be carried back."
Jiang Ru: "..."
Was it really an accident?
I originally thought Pei Wu was a naive girl who was bullied by everyone, but I never expected him to be a wicked black lotus inside.
Jiang Ru was shocked: "How did you kick him? You didn't do it on purpose, did you? I didn't know you were that strong."
Pei Wu originally didn't intend to fight back, but after being pushed out, Chen Dang and the others chased after him and beat him. He was punched several times in the hands and waist. Normally, a few punches wouldn't be a big deal, as Pei Wu couldn't bring himself to fight by grabbing hair in public. However, Chen Ling accidentally pulled on his sachet.
The sachet was a gift from Jiang Ru, which she had painstakingly embroidered stitch by stitch over several sleepless nights. However, it was touched by Chen Ling's dirty hands. Almost instinctively, Pei Wu kicked Chen Ling away.
It was this kick that caused all the officials on the field, who were in disarray, to look at Pei Wu in unison. Although they fought, they had never used such a ruthless move.
Seeing that things were not going well, Song Pingzhang quickly pulled Pei Wu behind him, basically saying that Chen Ling had fallen on his own.
Never had anyone seen someone so twisted right and wrong. The two sides argued again until Chen Ling, lying on the ground, weakly called for the imperial physician, and the chaos finally came to an end.
Chen Ling was, after all, Pei Wu's superior. To be kicked away and carried away by him was quite serious. Pei Wu was fined three months' salary and ordered to stay home for ten days to reflect on his actions.
Pei Wu returned dejectedly.
After Pei Wu finished speaking, he asked Jiang Ru somewhat nervously, "Do you think I'm useless?"
He's useless, but incredibly useful!
He beat up Chen Ling and got a ten-day vacation. What kind of punishment is that? Although he was fined three months' salary, he got his revenge and won the fight.
Jiang Ru strongly encouraged Pei Wu to participate in fighting. As long as Pei Wu didn't lose, everything would be fine, and he would even get a ten-day holiday!
Jiang Ru excitedly grabbed Pei Wu's hand: "I wanted to tell you a few days ago that Song Shu's family owns a mountain villa with hot springs. Now that you have a break, you can go with us."
The meaning of "reflecting on one's mistakes behind closed doors" is mainly about staying at home. There's no reason for her to travel around. Pei Wu wanted to stop her, but Jiang Ru seemed too happy, so he could only swallow his words.
This completely relaxed Pei Wu, who had been feeling uneasy when he got home. He had thought Jiang Ru would say that he acted impulsively, but Jiang Ru said that he did a great job.
Since the torn official robes couldn't be replaced with new ones, Jiang Ru told Pei Wu to change into a different set of clothes first, and then take them to a tailor to have them mended.
Jiang Ru walked ahead, her voice reaching Pei Wu's ears: "As long as we're not bullied, that's the best thing. What does it matter if our clothes are torn, or if we get paid?"
Pei Wu paused slightly. It seemed that from the very beginning, Jiang Ru's expectations for him were never about promotion or having a lot of money. She just wanted him to be safe and not be bullied.
The corridor was long, and a branch of vines hanging down on both sides brushed against Jiang Ru's hair. She raised her hand to sweep it away, her steps light and quick.
The courtyard was planted with many chrysanthemums. When Jiang Ru walked by, the flowers and leaves trembled slightly in the breeze, still blooming in early winter.
After Jiang Ru and Pei Wu changed their clothes, including removing their official hats, Jiang Ru's gaze fell on a lock of hair on the hat and she said angrily, "He still managed to pull out a few strands of hair. What a despicable person."
Actually, those few strands of hair were done by Song Pingzhang. After the event, Song Pingzhang scolded him for not knowing his own strength and pushed his official hat, which tilted the hat and pulled out a few strands of hair in the process.
However, in order to stop Jiang Ru from holding a grudge against Song Pingzhang, Pei Wu decided to let Chen Ling take the blame again.
To reward Pei Wu for winning the fight, Jiang Ru stewed a chicken for him at dinner and announced the itinerary for the next ten days.
Pei Wu's holidays are always very short, and Jiang Ru sometimes doesn't even have time to ask him to go out and have fun. Now is the perfect time.
She took Pei Wu to several places she had wanted to take him to for a long time, and they went crazy for several days. Pei Wu was then summoned to the palace, and his vacation ended early.
Urgent reports arrived in the capital from the border: the Northern Yan army had split into three routes to attack Nanzhao, Juzhou, and Daizhou, and the situation was extremely dire.
The imperial court has not stationed many troops in these places, and these places are now easy to conquer. What the imperial court needs to do is to quickly recruit and send troops to support them. Otherwise, if the cities are breached, the people will be displaced, and the Great Xia Dynasty will collapse.
Pei Wu received an urgent summons to the palace. The meeting lasted until very late that day. As night fell, some sounds finally came from outside the residence.
Jiang Ru quickly stood up. The night wind was chilly, and Pei Wu also carried a chill. Jiang Ru could feel the coldness emanating from Pei Wu even before she got close. She breathed a sigh of relief: "What's going on today? Why are you in such a hurry? Have you had dinner yet?"
Pei Wu said, "I ate something in the palace to fill my stomach, so I'm not very hungry." Then he continued, "The Northern Yan you mentioned earlier has indeed invaded."
Thanks to Pei Wu's efforts a few days ago to get the court to transfer some troops to the border, Jiang Ru, though her memory wasn't very clear, could still barely remember these places, and the transferred troops could hold out for a while.
Although she already knew this would happen, Jiang Ru couldn't help but feel a chill: "So, what did we come up with today?"
Pei Wu: "Issued an edict ordering Chen Ling to lead troops to provide support."
Chen Ling and Jiang Ru asked in confusion, "Why not Lord Song?"
Even if it wasn't Song Pingzhang, it should have been Su Mu of the Privy Council; it shouldn't have been Chen Ling at all.
Pei Wu explained, "Four years ago, Chen Ling led the troops to provide support and won a great victory, so it still fell to him. Besides, Chen Ling was very proactive."
Given Chen Ling's cowardly nature, he would definitely try to avoid it if possible, so it's strange that he actually volunteered. Jiang Ru wondered, "How did his internal injuries from being kicked by you heal so quickly?"
This was indeed a strange question. Pei Wu felt something was amiss and said, "Lord Song also said that his actions this time were strange and asked me to go with him."
In this way, even as a deputy envoy, Pei Wu could easily monitor Chen Ling.
Jiang Ru was pondering this matter and was about to ask herself if she could go when Pei Wu suddenly looked at her and said, "You can't go."
It wasn't a question he was asking; he genuinely didn't want to take Jiang Ru with him.
Jiang Ru frowned: "Didn't you promise me?"
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