Chapter 5 First Encounter with Pei Yanzhi
When Pei Xingjian saw his father approaching, his previous disdain vanished. He lowered his eyes and bowed, saying, "Your son greets Father."
The soldiers behind him knelt down in unison, their voices echoing throughout the long street.
"Greetings, Your Excellency!"
"Greetings, Your Excellency!"
"Father, Lord?" Ji Shu's heart skipped a beat. This person was actually Pei Yanzhi, the male protagonist's father.
She slowly looked at the young man beside her who was bowing his head. Could he be the male lead, Pei Xingjian?
And this one—
Pei Yanzhi gave a soft "hmm," his voice devoid of emotion, "What are you all doing here? Are you all done with your work?"
Pei Xingjian immediately said, "I just ran into this young lady. It seems she's in some trouble. I'll go right away, right away."
He seemed to know how inappropriate those words were. He had just captured the city, so where would he meet people, especially a beautiful woman?
I'm afraid their true intentions lie elsewhere.
Pei Yanzhi turned his head and nodded slightly to Ji Shu. Ji Shu hurriedly returned the greeting. Knowing his son's character well, he frowned and said in an unyielding tone, "Hurry up and return to your unit."
Pei Xingjian hurriedly responded, then looked at the young woman with a hesitant expression for a while before saying to her, "Madam, would you like me to send someone to escort you back?"
Pei Yanzhi narrowed his eyes slightly. He was usually decisive and ruthless, but he was particularly indulgent towards his only son. Seeing this, he looked at him expressionlessly.
Ji Shu naturally did not want to, so she politely declined, saying, "I wouldn't dare trouble you, I can go back by myself."
Pei Xingjian called out, "Changfeng, you escort them back to their residence later."
Lu Changfeng glanced cautiously at his lord, then at the heir apparent, and sighed inwardly.
Heaven is going to destroy me.
One is their current lord, the other is their future lord; should they listen or not?
Seeing that his lord remained silent, he finally agreed.
Pei Xingjian turned around and saw his father looking at him expressionlessly. He suddenly fell silent, knowing that his father was angry. He then left.
Pei Yanzhi glanced at him sideways, then followed his gaze to Ji Shu, without saying anything.
Seeing this, Ji Shu subconsciously bit her lip, intending to bow and leave.
Pei Yanzhi glanced at her pale face, which was trying to appear calm, and suddenly spoke, his tone authoritative and brooking no refusal: "Where will you stay? I will escort you back."
Ji Shu subconsciously looked up, and was even more shocked.
At first glance, I only noticed his cold and hard face and well-defined features, which were more striking than his handsome appearance.
Most people's first impression of him is that they are intimidated by his imposing presence and dare not look him in the eye.
Pei Yanzhi casually glanced around, and his eyes happened to meet a pair of pitiful, delicate, and timid eyes.
She looked at the tall, imposing man before her. He appeared to be around thirty years old, with sharply defined brow bones, a high nose, and deep-set eyes that gazed at her with an emotionless intensity, like a deep pool.
They were too close; there was only one person between them. She could even smell the faint scent of blood on the other person.
This man was actually the father of the male protagonist in the book. He was only mentioned briefly in the book, but he was a powerful and influential figure.
He unified the twelve prefectures of Yan and Yun, and later became the first emperor.
He died relatively young, passing away suddenly in his forties. The book records that it was because years of fighting had left him with many health problems.
His brow bone was sharp and steep, with a high nose and deep-set eyes. He looked to be around thirty years old.
Pei Yanzhi pretended to notice her intense gaze, lowered his eyes and slightly parted his thin lips, "Where do you live?"
Ji Shu wanted to refuse, as she had no desire to rise to prominence, but the seriously injured Chang Wu let out a loud cry.
If he doesn't receive timely medical treatment, he might not survive tomorrow in this freezing cold.
Finally, he said, "I would like to trouble you, General, could you please take my injured attendant back with you?"
He said calmly, "Okay."
Lu Changming led over a horse and re-hitched it, and Ji Shu and Chunzhi then got back into the carriage.
The carriage was still dimly lit. Ji Shu quickly picked up Chunzhi's hand to look at it, and tears welled up in her eyes with heartache.
"Chunzhi, does it hurt?"
Chunzhi, who had been living in fear and anxiety all the way, finally broke down in tears, sobbing, "My lady, it doesn't hurt me. I'm just afraid that I'll never see you again, and that I'll never be able to serve you again."
Ji Shu couldn't bear it any longer and hugged her tightly, repeatedly comforting her, "It's alright, it's alright..."
As Lu Changming drove the carriage, he heard the commotion coming from inside and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at his lord.
But Pei Yanzhi's brows remained unmoved, his face expressionless as he stared ahead, as if the little incident just now was not worth mentioning.
Well, as expected, my lord is calm and restrained when it comes to women; he's just too narrow-minded.
When they arrived at the gate of the mansion, it was already completely dark, and the streets were full of traces of the battlefield.
There were many soldiers cleaning up.
As Chunzhi helped Ji Shu down, they saw a man covered in blood, not quite dead yet, staring straight at them.
Chunzhi screamed, and Ji Shu looked in her direction. In an instant, her face turned deathly pale, and her stomach churned.
At this moment, the chaotic world described in the book is clearly displayed.
Upon seeing this, Pei Yanzhi ordered Lu Changming to drag the person away.
Lu Changming was somewhat surprised, "Has the young lady never seen a dead person before?"
Chunzhi replied cautiously, "My daughter has never left the house and has always been pampered in her boudoir, so naturally she has never seen such scenes."
After saying that, he covered Ji Shu's eyes with his palm to prevent her from looking any further.
Pei Yanzhi frowned slightly and remained silent for a moment.
Once war breaks out, the lives of ordinary people in the capital are as worthless as grass, while those in power who command armies fight for control of the country, and millions can be killed in the blink of an eye.
Only the common people are separated by life and death, and are torn apart.
For the first time, she deeply felt a sense of temporal divide; in this unfamiliar dynasty, the dead seemed to hold no special significance.
A profound sense of powerlessness washed over me.
No one could even comprehend her fear, sadness, and helplessness in the face of this chaotic world.
Ji Shuping calmed her emotions; all she could do now was to live well.
Seeing that they had arrived at the gate of the mansion, he stepped forward, bowed, and said, "I have not yet thanked the general for escorting me all the way, so I will take my leave now."
His tone was strangely like that of a sulking child. Pei Yanzhi frowned slightly, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes.
However, the smile faded very quickly; it was already faint, and soon disappeared.
He glanced at the inscription on the door plaque one last time, nodded noncommittally, and then led Lu Changming and the others away on horseback.
Chunzhi let out a long breath.
That man's aura was terrifying, unlike anything I've ever seen before; it was as if a single wrong word could lead to his throat being slit.
If Ji Shu knew, she would say that this was the wrath of a king, causing corpses to float for miles.
It was the hour of You (5-7 PM) in the evening.
The heart-wrenching screams were no longer heard in the streets; everything seemed the same as it had been a few days ago.
Who could have imagined what kind of hell this place had gone through, all thanks to the man before them?
Pei Yanzhi returned to the prefect's residence.
The man sitting above had already removed his heavy armor and changed into an ordinary black robe. His long, narrow, and cold eyes were filled with icy intent, exuding a powerful aura.
Pei Xingjian, Lu Changfeng, Lu Changming, and several strategists and advisors were drinking together.
Gongsun Li rose and bowed, "Congratulations, my lord! Congratulations on taking over the treasure land of Chongzhou."
Starting from Yanzhou and launching an all-out attack, the war consumed a great deal of financial and human resources. Without sufficient support from the rear, how could they have fought their way all the way to Chongzhou?
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