Chapter 194: Letter Arrives
After Madam Lu arrived in Bohai Commandery, her original illness gradually improved, and she was no different from ordinary people in daily life. She just could not stand to hear words like rebel and loyal martyr, reacting particularly intensely.
Madam Fang’s muttering reached her ears, and Madam Lu immediately glared over: “What did you just say?”
One should not provoke anyone with a problem in the brain.
Madam Fang gave a forced smile: “I was just joking casually! Big Sister, rest assured, if the city really falls, I will hang myself with you without a second word.”
Madam Lu was choked up for a moment, and the other old women all laughed.
Perhaps it was because they had experienced too much. From the destruction of their families, losing husbands and sons, to the difficult exile, and then to the establishment and rise of the Pei Family Army later on, every step had been hard. Now with the rebel army coming fiercely, they panicked for a while but soon calmed down.
“We are all at this age; living a few more years or fewer makes no difference.” Madam Li said slowly: “As long as the Pei Clan younger generation is living well in Yan Prefecture, that is enough.”
“I will write a letter to Qinghe right now and instruct her. If warfare spreads to Youzhou, she must not do anything foolish—fight if she can win, but if not, lead the people to hide in the Yan Mountains.”
Madam Fang and the others nodded repeatedly in approval.
Madam Lu moved her mouth but did not make a sound.
Madam Li, understanding others’ intentions, looked at Madam Lu: “You should not be angry with Qinghe anymore. She is your consanguineous granddaughter, and there is also Pei Yan, Pei Feng, Pei Yue—do you not miss any of them? You write a letter too, and I will have it sent back together.”
Madam Lu yielded to no one but was willing to listen to Madam Li, though still very awkward about it: “I will write a letter to my grandson.”
Madam Li laughed lightly: “That is fine too. Write it to Pei Feng and Pei Yue, and remember to instruct in the letter not to let Qinghe Yatou and Yan Yatou see it.”
The group of old women all laughed.
Madam Li continued: “You should all write a letter each, and send them back together.”
Taking advantage of the fact that fighting had not started yet and letters could still be sent back. Once the rebel army arrived and Bohai Commandery was besieged, sending letters would be impossible.
Perhaps this was the last letter they were leaving for their daughters-in-law, granddaughters, and grandsons.
The group of old women understood the meaning in Madam Li’s words, and their hearts felt heavy.
That evening, more than twenty letters were packed into a bundle. The road was not peaceful, so Pei Jia specially sent a team of ten men back to Pei Family Village to deliver the letters. If they encountered bandits on the way, ten strong men with knives would at least have the power to protect themselves.
Bohai Commandery was filled with tension, and the city gate defenses became increasingly strict. After repeated questioning, the ten men of the Pei Family Army were allowed to leave the city and galloped away on fast horses.
Several days later, the bundle full of letters arrived at Pei Family Village.
Pei Qinghe looked at the bundle of letters, feeling a strange heaviness in her heart. Each letter had the recipient’s name on it, and Pei Qinghe called them over one by one, distributing the letters to everyone.
The handwriting on the last letter was very familiar.
Pei Qinghe glanced at it and called Pei Feng and Pei Yue over: “A letter Grandmother wrote to you.”
Pei Feng had grown much taller this year, already taking on the appearance of a youthful youth. A few days ago, his voice had become hoarse, and Pei Xuan had mocked him for sounding like a duck quacking. Pei Feng was so angry that he spoke even less.
Pei Yue was already nine years old, still round and Pang Dundun, a top master at flattery: “Cousin Sister Qinghe, Grandmother surely wrote the letter to you but was too stubborn to admit it, so she wrote my and Brother Feng’s names instead.”
Pei Yan curled her lips: “She is the stubborn one—does that mean my Cousin Sister Qinghe has a good temper? I will not read it, not interested!”
Pei Qinghe was amused: “Alright, stop talking nonsense. You two read the letter first, then give it to me.”
Pei Yue opened the letter, and Pei Feng leaned over.
Madam Lu’s letter was quite thick, and the two brothers spent a full stick of incense reading it. After finishing, their expressions were somewhat strange.
Pei Yan could not restrain herself any longer: “Bring the letter over; I want to see what Grandmother wrote.”
She reached out and snatched it, unfolding it in front of Pei Qinghe while leaning her head over as well.
Pei Qinghe read it quickly, and after finishing, the corner of her mouth twitched.
Madam Lu clearly did not trust the ability of the Beiping Army and Bohai Navy to defend the city, so she wrote a farewell letter. In it, she instructed Pei Feng and Pei Yue to practice martial arts well, marry and have children when grown to continue the Pei Clan lineage, and repeatedly urged the two brothers to be loyal ministers and not rebels.
Pei Yan rolled her eyes: “If Bohai Commandery City falls and the Emperor dies at the hands of the rebel army, then the Jing Dynasty will be gone—how are we supposed to be loyal ministers?”
“Grandmother is really old and muddled!”
Pei Qinghe said indifferently: “This letter was written for me to see. Forget it, I will not hold it against her.”
“Should we write a reply?” Pei Feng asked glumly.
Pei Qinghe thought for a moment: “Write a reply. Agree to whatever Grandmother says, just to coax her.” Anyway, it would not be taken seriously.
Pei Feng understood and nodded in agreement.
After returning, Pei Yue took up the brush to write the letter. Pei Yue was naughty and restless, not diligent in reading, but he had practiced a good handwriting.
Not long after the reply was sent out, news came of the Northern Expedition rebel army approaching Jizhou.
Once fighting started, news transmission became inconvenient, and true and false rumors flew around like scraps of paper. One moment it was said that 100,000 rebel army had surrounded Bohai Commandery, the next that the Beiping Army had displayed divine power and repelled the rebel army.
The Fanyang Army suffered a major defeat, and General Lu was willing but powerless, quietly sending a few hundred men to support the rebel army. Just two days after setting out, they encountered a large group of rioters. These few hundred were scattered by thousands of rioters and simply became deserter bandits.
General Lu was so angry that he cursed loudly in the barracks, yet there was nothing he could do.
General Yang of the Guangning Army sent Yang Huai to deliver a letter.
General Yang intended to send troops to support Bohai Commandery and wanted to invite the Pei Family Army to send troops together.
“…That day when the Beiping Army went to the Capital City, the Guangning Army stayed put, and I have always deeply regretted it. Now the rebel army is coming fiercely; if Bohai Commandery falls and something happens to the Son of Heaven, the Jing Dynasty will completely lose the empire.”
“The Guangning Army plans to send 2,000 troops; if the Pei Family Army is also willing to send 2,000 elite soldiers, there will be 4,000 elite soldiers. They can take a detour to the rear of the rebel army, raid and kill the enemy. Then, coordinating with the Beiping Army and Bohai Navy, defeat the rebel army together.”
“This battle concerns the survival of the Imperial Court; I earnestly request General Pei to consider it carefully.”
Yang Huai clearly knew the contents of the letter and waited with a suspended heart.
After reading the letter, Pei Qinghe remained expressionless: “Yang Huai, go back and tell General Yang that now is not the time to move out; the Pei Family Army will not send troops for the time being.”
She then took up the brush to write a reply.
Yang Huai sighed inwardly, cupped his hands and said: “Yes, your subordinate will go back now and present General Pei’s letter to our general.”
Emperor Jian’an had issued an edict to confer rewards, making Pei Qinghe a fourth-rank military general, the same rank as General Yang. Yang Huai addressed her as General Pei repeatedly, not daring to show the slightest disrespect.
“Pei Yan, see Young General Yang off for me.”
Yang Huai did not even get a chance to rest and catch his breath before mounting his warhorse and leaving again.
Riding his horse, Yang Huai kept glancing at his fiancée from time to time. Pei Yan was completely oblivious to romance: “Why do you keep looking at me? Did I grow an extra eye on my face?”
