Chapter 238: Night Meeting
It was nearly midnight.
The sky was pitch black, and Pei Family Village was completely peaceful.
Only in Shi Yan’s house was the candlelight still burning.
Dong Erlang accompanied his master in calculating on the abacus, occasionally yawning. Hearing familiar footsteps, Dong Erlang immediately went to open the door and tactfully withdrew.
Pei Qinghe closed the door behind her: “You continue with your work, no need to get up to greet me.”
Shi Yan had already gotten up and come over, chuckling softly: “The general has arrived, how could I not greet her.”
He reached out to embrace Pei Qinghe, their temples rubbing intimately.
The two were busy with their own affairs during the day, and even when they crossed paths, they spoke only of official business. Only in these fleeting moments each day could they be alone together.
In the heat of passion, Pei Qinghe suddenly whispered: “I’ll stay tonight!”
Shi Yan trembled all over, rejecting her with difficulty yet firmly: “I want to wait for you to marry me properly.”
Pei Qinghe burst out laughing and planted a deep kiss on Shi Yan’s lips.
Shi Yan spoke firmly with his words, but his actions were exceedingly eager, his hands deftly pushing aside the abacus. Pei Qinghe grabbed his hands and gave him a coquettish glare.
Shi Yan chuckled lowly, pulling her into his arms, their faces pressed together. They said nothing, simply snuggling quietly like this.
After a long while, Pei Qinghe pushed Shi Yan away: “Yang Huai came to see you today?”
Shi Yan hummed in acknowledgment: “He even brought generous gifts, but I refused to accept them, so he took them back. He wasn’t polite about it though—I asked what the Guangning Army lacked, and he listed a whole sheet of paper for me.”
Pei Qinghe was struck speechless with amusement. When Shi Yan handed it over for her to see, she also felt a bit of a headache: “How are they short on so many supplies?”
Shi Yan was also somewhat helpless: “Yang Huai said Guangning Prefecture is a poor place, the magnates have been squeezed dry of oil and water. Moreover, the Guangning Army has been fighting continuously, with too many casualties, and supplies, money, and grain are being consumed heavily. Fortunately, we’re willing to aid them, or they’d have to go around extorting everywhere again.”
No one understood this feeling better than Pei Qinghe.
Thinking of the bitter past in her previous life when raising troops often meant going hungry herself, Pei Qinghe felt fortunate once more: “Shi Yan, fortunately I have you.”
Shi Yan laughed: “The general is full of sweet words tonight—what is she after?”
Pei Qinghe teased in a low voice: “Naturally, to make you work wholeheartedly, to be my ox and horse.”
Shi Yan replied solemnly: “I am willing to bow my head, to let the general exploit me, never to rise again.”
Pei Qinghe laughed and spat at him, then continued studying the contents on the paper before saying: “Give the Guangning Army whatever they want. I want to completely bring the Guangning Army under my control!”
Shi Yan composed himself and acknowledged.
The candlelight reflected in Pei Qinghe’s bright, ambitious eyes: “With Yan Prefecture, Beiping Commandery, and Guangning Prefecture in hand, I can support over ten thousand elite soldiers. The Fanyang Army is a defeated foe under my command, not worth worrying about. As for the Liaoxi Army, they stole my warhorses and killed Pei Yi and the others. Sooner or later, I’ll thoroughly deal with them.”
Shi Yan reminded in a low voice: “I’ve dealt with the Liaoxi Army many times before. General Li has a vile character, is greedily insatiable, but has some capability in battle. At least he’s stronger than the Fanyang Army.”
Pei Qinghe sneered: “Liaoxi has repeatedly been invaded by Xiongnu barbarians, and Li Gouzei managed to hold on, so of course he has real ability. But this time he suffered a defeat, coming back disheveled and dejected, so he has no face to send messengers to harass anymore.”
The Xiongnu barbarians split into two forces: one suffered heavy losses in Guangning Prefecture, with only over a thousand escaping back. The cavalry force heading to the Liaoxi Army, however, passed through unimpeded.
The Liaoxi Army hunkered down in their stronghold and didn’t come out, neither luring the enemy nor daring to set ambushes. The Xiongnu barbarians plundered and killed everywhere, taking away large amounts of money, grain, and able-bodied common people. On their way out, they even besieged the city for several days. The Liaoxi Army nearly failed to hold the city gate, suffering heavy casualties.
Even so, Li Gouzei has the face to claim he defended Liaoxi Commandery! Bah!
Mentioning such a person dirties one’s own mouth.
“The Pei Family Army and the Liaoxi Army will inevitably clash.” Pei Qinghe said coldly: “But the time hasn’t come yet. We’ll train troops first, to train infantry capable of facing the Xiongnu barbarians’ cavalry head-on.”
Shi Yan said softly: “I know nothing about training troops. What I can do is exert myself to raise money, grain, and supplies, so you have no worries.”
Pei Qinghe relaxed her brows, her eyes brimming with smiles: “That’s enough.”
Shi Yan gazed at Pei Qinghe, murmuring softly: “You lead troops in battle, but also protect yourself. The last time I heard you were injured, I wanted to drop everything and rush to Guangning Prefecture.”
During that time, he was busy by day, anxious and fretful by night, tossing and turning unable to sleep. Only when Pei Qinghe sent word that she had recovered did he breathe a sigh of relief.
Pei Qinghe sighed lightly: “The battlefield is like that—one moment you’re majestic and invincible in deadly combat, the next you might take a stray arrow or get slashed by a knife. Pei Yan, Pei Zhi, and Pei Feng were all injured this time.”
“And many others die on the battlefield or succumb to wounds.”
“War is that cruel. I’ve already set foot on this path, can only press forward, never to turn back.”
This was the first time Pei Qinghe had bared her true heart to Shi Yan: “I refuse to let fate manipulate me, unwilling to have my life controlled by others.”
“King Qiao and Tao Wudi only know killing, Situ Xi single-mindedly attacks the capital city to restore the imperial court, General Zhang seeks to seize power as regent. Xie Li only hides in the imperial palace, covering his ears and eyes to play at being the Son of Heaven. And Liaoxi’s Li Gouzei only seeks his own pleasure, utterly disregarding the lives of the common people.”
“None of them deserve to aspire to conquer the land.”
“One day, I will reach the highest place, to end this chaotic age of strife. To let the common people under heaven live in peace and contentment.”
Pei Qinghe’s eyes burst forth with blazing light.
Her ambition to aspire to conquer the land was fully revealed before Shi Yan.
Shi Yan listened with surging emotions and boiling blood.
He lowered his head, devoutly kissing the back of her hand: “I wish to follow the general forever!”
……
Yang Huai stayed in the Pei Family Army for half a month, going to the training ground every day to train together and learning several new types of weapons. Once Steward Shi prepared the supplies, he shamelessly asked for some new types of weapons before setting off contentedly back to the Guangning Army.
Pei Yan saw him off with a look of disdain: “Not now. But once you marry into the family later, your heart must be toward the Pei family—no elbow turning outward.”
One donkey, one tethering method.
Yang Hu liked Pei Zhi’s coquettish willfulness.
Yang Huai, used to being bossed around by Pei Yan with her fist clenched, was quite accustomed: “Got it.”
Yang Huai returned to the barracks with large quantities of supplies and weapons, and the entire Guangning Army was jubilant. What use was surrendering to Emperor Jian’an? Nothing came of it these past years.
General Pei was different—generous and forthright, giving whatever was asked for.
Not just the Yang family members, even several veteran military generals in the barracks privately praised Pei Qinghe endlessly.
With no worries, they could train wholeheartedly.
Several months passed in a flash.
By year’s end, the young Empress Zhang gave birth to a son. Emperor Jian’an was overjoyed, announcing it throughout the Northern Lands, planning a grand full moon banquet for his legitimate eldest son.
All military generals loyal to the imperial court must personally go to Bohai Commandery to offer congratulations.
