The affection remains
Lie Changkong showed no impatience and bowed, saying, "The palace banquet tonight requires the Junior Master to play the zither. The Junior Master will probably arrive after the banquet."
He then gave a nonchalant, wry smile: "Actually, I don't know more than you, Lord Marquis, and I'm sure you are aware of that as well."
Since Gu Yi issued the order to summon Pei Yuanli to the Dongguang Marquis's residence last night in front of the Vermilion Bird Hall, Lie Changkong has not seen Gu Yi again on the way to Xingyuan Pavilion, where he has been half-escorting and half-escorting Pei Yuanli.
Gu Yi's order at the time was: to temporarily detain Pei Yuanli at Xingyuan Pavilion until Gu Yi himself returned.
Pei Yuanli finally turned around, his eyes gleaming as he scrutinized Lie Changkong, and said calmly, "So all the Junior Master Charioteers are this loyal? Regardless of who they are facing or what the consequences may be."
He emphasized, seemingly unintentionally, "Even if continuing to defend will only lead to certain death, we will carry out the order without fail."
Lie Changkong chuckled and said, "What you say is right, Lord Marquis. That's exactly it."
He turned his head, gazed into the deep night, and said with a smile, "However, if Your Excellency has guessed anything, you might as well talk to me. Perhaps, within my authority, I can still help Your Excellency with something."
He added with a smile, "After all, sitting around doing nothing is neither my forte nor my hobby."
Pei Yuanli felt a chill run down his spine and became extremely vigilant.
Previously, he only knew the name of the Junior Master Charioteer. Since he was not yet Gu Yi's enemy, he had never personally confronted the Junior Master Charioteer and was unaware of his true strength.
Now, just look at how a mere Tianquan Charioteer is completely unfazed by the hidden threats in the words of the dignified Grand Marshal and General Dongguang Marquis, and even manages to turn the tables on him in a nonchalant manner. By getting information out of him, one can tell that the Junior Master Charioteer is no ordinary martial arts guard.
When Lie Changkong entered the palace, he carried the Junior Tutor's Decree, whose authority was second only to the Emperor's edict. He claimed that he was acting on the orders of Junior Tutor Gu Yi to invite the Grand Marshal and General to the palace to discuss important matters.
Moments earlier, Pei Yuanli had received an urgent military intelligence report from Pei Yu, sent from the Divine Hound Camp, informing him that Gu Yi had opened the city gates to let the Shuofang army into the city, and that she had personally led troops to stop them. Gu Yi's intentions in summoning him to the palace at this time were obvious.
He had originally ordered his servants to block and delay him outside, but Lie Changkong, holding the Junior Tutor's Order, knocked down two servants and went straight into the room, saying he was sorry, and within three moves he took Pei Yuanli hostage.
In reality, Madam Pei was known as "The Queen of Hell with Her Fair Hands," and her martial arts skills were no less than Lie Changkong's, but she was stopped from making a move by a single sentence from Lie Changkong.
Lie Changkong's words were: "Madam wants to fight with the Junior Master Yu Zhe. Does the Pei family really intend to rebel?"
Mu Huaying stood frozen in place, and Lie Changkong said again, "If the Junior Tutor wanted Lord Pei's life, he could have done it long ago. Why go to such lengths to invite someone in the middle of the night?"
These two sentences alone alerted Pei Yuanli, making him realize that the Tianquan Guardians were no ordinary secret guards. For the past day and night, Lie Changkong, like him, had not received any information from the outside world, yet he had withstood the pressure without uttering a single word to him; this composure alone impressed Pei Yuanli.
The crime of privately detaining the top military official is no small matter. If something goes wrong and Gu Yi pushes him out to take the blame, even ten heads wouldn't be enough to cut off Lie Changkong's head.
Pei Yuanli calmly said, "First, something must have happened to either His Majesty or the Junior Tutor. Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to imprison me for so long without coming to discuss this with me."
His guess was not far off. Gu Yi had not seen him before because Xie Lang was still unconscious, and Gu Yi could not represent Xie Lang and the Jiangzuo clan behind him to negotiate with Pei Yuanli alone.
A glint flashed in Lie Changkong's eyes, his eyebrows twitched, and he said with considerable interest, "That makes sense. Which one do you think was involved in the accident, Lord Pei?"
Pei Yuanli smiled calmly and asked, "Which one does Chief Lie wish to choose?"
Lie Changkong laughed loudly, "I don't want either of them to be in danger, because the fate of the Southern Dynasty rests on their shoulders." Seeing Pei Yuanli's indifferent expression, he explained, "This is not just polite talk. If the Junior Tutor were to be in trouble, the Junior Tutor Charioteer would be in a terrible state. But if His Majesty were to be in trouble, not only would the Junior Tutor's ten years of hard work be in vain, but the Junior Tutor Charioteer's ten years of traveling the world would also be wasted. Both of these are closely related to me, so I am speaking from the heart."
Pei Yuanli suddenly realized that dealing with Gu Yi's subordinate was somewhat interesting. This person was not as pretentious and hypocritical as many officials, nor as lifeless as many subordinates, who were like puppets on strings.
At that moment, Lie Changkong changed the subject:
"But Master Pei, which one would you like to encounter trouble?"
Pei Yuanli laughed loudly, "It would be impolite to say this, so I won't say it. Chief Lie can certainly guess it."
Lie Changkong smiled without saying a word, also admiring his frankness.
Pei Yuanli naturally hoped that his master, Gu Yi, would meet with misfortune. Without Gu Yi's prestige as the most powerful man in the Southern Dynasty, he could easily control the emperor and the entire Jianzhang Palace. At that time, whether the Southern Dynasty would go to war or make peace with Li Chongyu would be entirely up to him, and the Pei family would leap to the position of the most prestigious family in the Southern Dynasty.
Pei Yuanli said calmly, "However, no matter which one is in trouble, at least the situation is still under control for now. Otherwise, if the palace were leaderless after the Shuofang army entered the city last night, my daughter and my wife would definitely have stormed the palace to save them, given their personalities."
A cold voice rang out from outside the door: "The General guessed correctly."
Only now did Lie Changkong finally show a relieved expression, stepping aside to make way for him, and respectfully said, "Your Majesty."
Pei Yuanli had not expected that the person who came would be Xie Lang, the Emperor of Dayan.
In fact, according to his speculation, if either Xie Lang or Gu Yi were to be injured, Xie Lang would be far more likely to be injured. This is because Gu Yi is a top-tier master in terms of martial arts cultivation, and in a one-on-one fight, probably no one in the world could harm him in the slightest.
Whether roaming the martial world or navigating the imperial court, Gu Yi is the kind of person who cannot be outmaneuvered.
But Xie Lang's misfortune brought no benefit to the Pei family. It would simply mean that Gu Yi would once again support the crown prince as the new emperor. Even if there were no crown prince, Gu Yi could easily find another powerful clan to install as emperor.
It certainly wouldn't be a military family like the Pei family. The general consensus among aristocratic clans is that military generals lack the ability to govern.
Xie Lang pushed open the door and entered, gesturing for Lie Changkong to leave.
Lie Changkong had been guarding Pei Yuanli here for a day and a night without sleep, yet he showed no signs of fatigue. He immediately withdrew and closed the door from the outside.
Xie Lang said coldly, "What, Uncle Yuanli, do you really want something to happen to me?"
Pei Yuanli swallowed back the words he was about to say in defense.
Among the scions of aristocratic families, Xie Lang was someone he had watched grow up. Xie Lang was quite unique among the Xie family's scions, who were known for their refined and elegant conversations. He entered the palace as a member of the Imperial Guard in his youth and later rose through the ranks to become a Lieutenant General, thanks in part to the patronage and support of Pei Yuanli, the top military figure.
This relationship isn't particularly special; it's common for prominent families to look after and care for each other, but it's still a bond of affection.
When Xie Lang entered, he only heard the last part of Xie Lang's words, but not his previous conversation with Lie Changkong. At that time, he had already clearly answered Lie Changkong's question: he hoped that the person who would be in trouble was Gu Yi, not Xie Lang.
But since Xie Lang had already become suspicious and had heard those last words with his own ears, there was no point in him making any further explanations.
Pei Yuanli and his daughter are quite similar in this respect. It's not that they're arrogant and disdainful of arguing, but they feel that since things are already so obvious, it would be too much to ask others to believe them by arguing.
Xie Lang stared at him intently, showing no intention of letting him off the hook.
It seemed as if they had come specifically to wait for his answer.
Pei Yuanli reflected on himself. Although he did have ambitions to compete with his family and the court, he had never harbored any disloyal thoughts or intentions to assassinate the emperor. This was because everyone knew that it would be meaningless.
Who sits on the throne is none of anyone's concern, except for a few powerful clans. And those powerful clans that once had the potential to seize power have already been wiped out by Gu Yi. Who would dare harbor such ambitions now?
Pei Yuanli hesitated for a long time before carefully saying, "Your Majesty's presence is a blessing for the people and the nation of the Southern Dynasty. The stability of the country will not last more than ten years. Anyone who hopes for Your Majesty's death would be a sinner against the world. I dare not think such a thing."
His answer was tactful, but it was also sincere. What Xie Lang wanted to hear now was, of course, the truth, not empty words like wishing His Majesty a long life.
He has been under house arrest for a day and a night. If he tries to fool the emperor with platitudes now, it would be as if he truly doesn't want to leave.
Xie Lang shouted, "Good! I believe you! If you wanted to, when the Grand Tutor helped my Xie family pacify the world, Uncle Yuanli would not have sat with tens of thousands of Jianzhang soldiers without lifting a single finger, thus stopping the factional strife within the palace and preventing it from escalating. For this reason, I have always been grateful to you on behalf of the people of the world!"
Pei Yuanli calmly replied, "Your Majesty, I am also one of the people under heaven."
As one of the people of the world, I, like everyone else, long for a peaceful world. Of course, I will not exacerbate or intensify conflicts.
Xie Lang looked at Pei Yuanli and said, word by word, "Where is your wife? Where is your daughter? Do they think the same way as Uncle Yuanli?"
Pei Yuanli asked in surprise, "My wife, Hua Ying, isn't that His Majesty's...? How could she possibly have ulterior motives towards His Majesty?"
His words suddenly stopped, as if someone had silently choked him.
Everyone knows that Madam Pei, Mu Huaying, was not only one of Xie Lang's most trusted former Flying Phoenix Guards, but also Xie Lang's sworn sister. No one could possibly turn against Xie Lang without Mu Huaying.
That means it can only be his daughter, Pei Yu.
Pei Yu was decisive and resolute, with strong opinions that could not be easily swayed by others.
Pei Yuanli's heart sank. He steadied his voice and asked, "What exactly did Yu'er do to enrage His Majesty so much?"
Xie Lang said in a deep voice, "She provoked the Shuofang Army and seriously injured Commander Sikong Zhao with your family's 'Returning Dragon Spear.' This happened last night. I've considered that it wasn't intentional, so I haven't canceled her performance tonight, lest people suspect that I'm targeting the Pei family during these turbulent times."
Upon hearing this, Pei Yuanli's usually composed face turned pale.
He raised his voice, furious, and said, "But tonight her White Tiger went berserk in the palace, charging straight at the Emperor. Fortunately, Consort Chen and Consort Zhao were vigilant and stopped it! The White Tiger then attacked the Crown Prince. If it weren't for someone protecting the Emperor, the Crown Prince would have almost lost his life tonight!"
Pei Yuanli's knuckles turned white from being squeezed so tightly, his expression a mixture of daze and bewilderment.
Xie Lang's roaring voice seemed both near and far in his ears.
Pei Yuanli regained consciousness and asked in a weak voice, "Where are Yu'er and her mother now?"
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