Without money, what is the point of being a traitor?

Chapter 341 Pursuit
After hearing this information, Pei Yuan couldn't help but admire Yang Tinghe's experience.

Yang Tinghe took the initiative to beat up Jiao Fang, a fallen dog. It seemed meaningless, but it directly united those Jiangxi officials who had returned to important positions.

At this moment, just as at that moment.

Jiao Fang, who rose to power by creating opposition, also had his hopes of making a comeback easily crushed in the confrontation.

Pei Yuan couldn't help but think of his good brother He Huan.

Such a sharp Yang Tinghe...

Wouldn't it be just right to use it to cut off the head of He Huan, the commander of Huai'an Guard?
It's time to recommend this talent to the court.

Thinking of this, Pei Yuan quickly asked Chen Toutie to meet Gu Dayong secretly.

Gu Dayong didn't expect that the thing Pei Yuan arranged for him to do last time would cause such a big disturbance. When he heard that Pei Yuan had sent someone to deliver a letter again, he complained bitterly and chose to stay at home and not see him.

Pei Yuan was very disappointed by this.

Unfortunately, Wang Chang was far away at the moment, and Xiao Yan was also reflecting on his mistakes behind closed doors. As for the others, they had nothing to do with Huai'an Wei.

Pei Yuan didn't get the chance for a while, so he could only focus on another important thing, which was to strengthen the comprehensive monitoring of the Liang family.

As the Liang Ci case came to an end, the Liang family also began to feel proud.

If it weren't for the five-year sentence of exile, the Liang family would have celebrated it long ago.

On this day, Pei Yuan was handling official business in Zhihua Temple, looking at the trivial information sent by spies from various provinces.

Cen Meng hurried in and whispered to Pei Yuan, "Captain, Liang Cifeng has gone to the Ministry of Justice."

Pei Yuan perked up and asked, "Have you found out?"

Cen Meng nodded, "I have found out everything. Liang Ci was sent to Xingzhou Zuotunwei, and Dai Zhongpeng was sent to Nanning Prefecture for supervision."

Even though Pei Yuan was not involved in this case, he almost laughed out of anger.

It would have been fine if Dai Zhongpeng had been sent to Nanning Prefecture for administrative control. Although it was right next to Guangdong, it was at least not in the same province.

This damn Liang Ci was exiled to Xingzhou Zuotunwei as a soldier, and he didn't even leave Shuntian Prefecture.

Pei Yuan stopped writing and thought for a moment, then warned, "Keep a close eye on Liang Ci'an. Notify me immediately if he leaves the city."

Cen Meng asked excitedly, "Does Qian Hu want to deal with this Liang Ci'an?"

Pei Yuan suddenly stood up, glared at Cen Meng, and shouted, "What nonsense are you talking about?!"

Cen Meng was shocked and quickly apologized.

Pei Yuan was still angry, so he asked him to go and call Cheng Zhihu.

When Cheng Zhihu arrived, Pei Yuan looked at Cen Meng, who immediately got up and left in shame.

When Cheng Zhihu met Pei Yuan for the first time, he mistakenly thought Pei Yuan was Han Qianhu's confidant, so he was very respectful to him. Not only did he readily pay money at the beginning, but after Pei Yuan said he didn't want to accept the money, he also gave him the green-glazed porcelain bottle to express his gratitude.

For Pei Yuan, who was still poor at the time, Cheng Zhihu was simply the most considerate and thoughtful person in the world.

Therefore, Pei Yuan has always had a high degree of favorability towards Cheng Zhihu.

This is different from Chen Xinjian. Chen Xinjian completely took advantage of Chen Toutie.

As soon as Cheng Zhihu arrived, he immediately bowed respectfully and said, "I am Cheng Zhihu, your humble servant, and I pay my respects to the captain."

Pei Yuan hummed and ordered, "Get up and close the door."

Cheng Zhihu was a veteran in the Huai River area in the past. He knew that Pei Yuan wanted to tell him something in private, so when he went to close the door, he alertly paid attention to the movements in the yard.

When Cheng Zhihu came back, Pei Yuan smiled and said, "Very good, you are a careful person. I just happen to have a confidential matter for you to do."

Cheng Zhihu immediately stated, "As long as the commander orders me to do so, I will never refuse my position, no matter what happens."

Pei Yuan looked at Cheng Zhihu calmly and said slowly, "The son of Grand Secretary Liang Chu, Liang Ci'an, was sentenced to be exiled to the Zuotunwei of Xingzhou. This man has a grudge against me, and I am going to kill him."

Cheng Zhihu's forehead was slightly sweaty after hearing this.

He still replied calmly, "What does the captain want me to do?"

Pei Yuan said, "You don't have to do anything."

Before Cheng Zhihu could breathe a sigh of relief, Pei Yuan continued, "Go and give Cheng Leixiang a message, telling him what I just said. Ask him to gather his men and wait for my intelligence, and join me in robbing and killing Liang Ci'an."

After hearing this, Cheng Zhihu felt extremely anxious.

He had been in the capital for many years and knew better than anyone how powerful a university scholar was.

Now Pei Yuan wanted to kill the son of a university scholar, but he asked Cheng Zhihu to deliver a letter to his son.

Cheng Zhihu gritted his teeth and said directly, "Since I joined the Qianhu, I have not achieved any success. Cheng Leixiang's ability is mediocre, far inferior to mine. I am willing to personally take Liang Ci's head."

Pei Yuan said in a bad tone, "Whatever I say is what it is. You should leave and go to Tianjin as soon as possible."

Cheng Zhihu had no choice but to agree to the matter and left with a heavy heart.

Not long after Cheng Zhihu left, Cen Meng came in and reported that the official from the Ministry of Public Security had come again.

Chen Toutie also came in with Cen Meng.

Chen Toutie went to Xiao Yan to help Pei Yuan deliver a letter, but as expected, he was turned away.

The official from the Ministry of Public Administration that Cen Meng was referring to was naturally Wei Ne.

Ever since Wei Ne talked to Pei Yuan last time, he would come over for a stroll after court, just like he was on duty.

Chen Toutie carefully reminded him, "Captain, is this Wei Ne planning something?"

Seeing that Chen Tou was stubborn and talkative, Cen Meng immediately looked at him.

You're done!
You're going to be sprayed!
Unexpectedly, Pei Yuan did not start to curse, but instead smiled and explained to Chen Toutie, "There's nothing strange about it. A dog like Wei Ne can naturally smell the scent of his master."

"He should be trying to get closer to me."

Cen Meng looked at Chen Toutie eagerly and continued, "I see. When I first met Qian Hu, I was determined to be Qian Hu. I guess he was so persistent."

"Uh." Pei Yuan felt a little embarrassed. Only then did he realize that he had hinted at Chen Toutie.

He quickly smiled and waved his hands, "You are different from them."

Pei Yuan asked someone to call Wei Ne in.

Wei Ne had a very arrogant look on his face a few days ago, as if he would die with a good fight, but now he looks a little depressed.

As soon as he came in, he sat there sighing.

Pei Yuan asked with a smile, "Is it because of Jiao Fang's matter?"

Wei Ne nodded and said in annoyance, "I thought we would have to wait until the Bazhou rebels were pacified before we could thoroughly investigate the remnants of Liu Jin, but I didn't expect them to target Jiao Fang."

"Jiao Fang offended many people, and at the critical moment he abandoned others and retired early."

"It can be said that both the remnants of Liu Jin and the officials of the court do not like this person."

"Holding Jiao Fang accountable will not cause too much reaction from either side, and it can also please those newly appointed Jiangxi officials. Yang Tinghe's move has brought him great benefits with little investment."

Pei Yuan had tea served, and asked, as if he was watching the fun, "I saw that Councillor Zuo had already given up hope of life and death last time. Why is he so worried today?"

Wei Ne was slightly angry when he heard this, "Am I a person who is afraid of death?"

After saying that, he looked depressed and said, "If we track down the remnants of Liu Jin, we can all die together, that would be fine. But now Yang Tinghe has set his sights on Jiao Fang. Others will not be implicated, but I have been tricked." Pei Yuan understood.

This guy just can't stand seeing others do better than him.

If everyone was unlucky, he would have accepted it, but they were all remnants of Liu Jin, and as a result, Yang Tinghe's attack this time fell precisely on him.

But who made Wei Ne a lackey in Jiao Huang?

Moreover, Wei Ne's act of helping Jiao Huangzhong to seize his colleague's house was indeed too shameless.

Pei Yuan drank his tea in silence.

This has nothing to do with him.

Wei Ne obviously didn't expect to get any help from Pei Yuan.

What happened last time was very delicate, so it’s best for both of us to keep it to ourselves.

Even though Pei Yuan is only a thousand-householder, a thousand-householder who can influence the emperor and disrupt the court is not that simple.

Wei Ne simply got straight to the point, "Jiao Huangzhong wanted to see you."

"Burnt yellow?" Pei Yuan frowned slightly, "What does he want me to do?"

Jiao Huangzhong is not a good person to deal with, and Pei Yuan didn't want to have anything to do with him before.

Now that Yang Tinghe is going to hunt down Jiao Fang politically, one can imagine Jiao Huangzhong's situation. Pei Yuan has no intention of getting involved in his affairs at this time.

Wei Ne did not hide anything and said directly, "I briefly mentioned Qian Hu to Jiao Huangzhong. After Jiao Huangzhong heard about it, he said that he missed his beloved daughter and wanted to talk to Qian Hu about the relationship between father-in-law and son-in-law."

"Heh." Pei Yuan sneered.

He stared at Wei Ne and said sternly, "Watch your mouth. Spreading things without evidence will only hurt you."

Wei Ne sighed, "I am not sincere in talking about this. Last time I mentioned your matter to Jiao Huangzhong, he didn't take it seriously. Maybe he is desperate this time. That's why I came to ask you. I want to meet Qian Hu."

Pei Yuan didn't want to get involved in this matter at all. "I'm not going to see Jiao Huangzhong. You can tell me what he thinks. If I can help, I will help. If I can't, don't let him have any illusions."

Seeing Pei Yuan's firm words, Wei Ne could only say, "Jiao Huangzhong wants to see the emperor and beg the emperor to spare the Jiao family for the sake of their friendship."

Seeing that Jiao Huang had no unrealistic fantasies, Pei Yuan said, "Nothing serious will happen to the Jiao family. Let him go back home as soon as possible."

Wei Ne looked at Pei Yuan with some suspicion.

Pei Yuan thought, anyway, this is how it is according to the original history.

If not...

Well, if it’s not allowed, then it’s not allowed.

When Wei Ne left in a huff, Pei Yuan asked him tentatively, "I wonder if Zuo Canzheng has noticed the movements of the Bazhou Army?"

Weiner was silent for a while.

He replied in a muffled voice, "The Bazhou Army has already entered Huguang. Huguang has recruited a large number of Han and native official troops, and also recruited a large number of monk soldiers. Now the progress of the Bazhou Army is not going smoothly."

Pei Yuan was a little surprised.

Huguang is a mixed area of ​​Han and ethnic minorities, and there are many chieftains under its jurisdiction.

Therefore, it is not strange that the Han army and the local army are mixed, but what about these monk soldiers? Could it be that the power of the temple already has monk soldiers?

Pei Yuan originally wanted to test whether Wei Ne was willing to cooperate, but when he saw that Wei Ne was willing to pass on information, he was not in a hurry.

He stood up and said goodbye with a smile.

A few days later, Liang Ciwu and Dai Zhongpeng, who were sentenced to exile and prison, were officially escorted from the Ministry of Justice to the local area.

When Pei Yuan heard the news, he changed into casual clothes and silently watched in the crowd as the two men left in a carriage under the supervision of guards.

If someone didn't know, they would probably think he was just an ordinary traveler.

Pei Yuan still asked Cen Meng to send people to keep a close eye on him.

He also sent someone to quickly notify Cheng Leixiang, while he himself held a grand banquet in the city.

From the capital to Xingzhou Zuotunwei, if you ride a horse at full speed, you can get there in more than a day.

If we go there in such a brazen way, it will probably take three or four days.

time……

Totally in time.

The next day, Pei Yuan went to Da Ci'en Temple.

He performed the duties of a thousand-householder in the Suppression of Evils Office, checked the records, questioned monks, and implemented the court's policies meticulously.

Several Dharma Kings of Da Ci'en Temple were very dissatisfied when they heard this, but when they learned that it was Captain Pei who had caused a big fuss in front of the temple some days ago, they did not care about anything.

When it was almost dusk, Pei Yuan rushed back to Zhihua Temple and changed into casual clothes.

Then he took Chen Toutie, Chen Xinjian, Cheng Zhihu and others, as well as a team of his most trusted personal soldiers, and secretly left the city.

Cen Meng, who was waiting outside, immediately led his men and horses to respond. The group galloped eastward along the official road and started to chase Liang Ciwu.

Chen Toutie reminded him on his horse, "Captain, according to the route, Liang Ci'an and his party have already arrived in Sanhe, and they will most likely stay at Sanhe Posthouse. The previous spies reported that the people of Yingzhou Houtunwei sent a lot of soldiers and horses to protect them in order to please the Grand Secretary. We must do what we can when the time comes."

Pei Yuan said slowly, "Stop talking too much."

Chen Toutie knew that they were not the protagonists of this scene, and he prayed silently for Cheng Leixiang in his heart.

This guy has always been smart, so he must not let down his guard at this time.

The people around Pei Yuan have been fighting with him for more than a year and are already accustomed to riding on horses.

Except for changing horses halfway, they galloped eastward almost non-stop.

They took the official road, which was deserted at night, and they avoided the post stations they saw. After one night, they passed through Tongzhou and reached Sanhe.

Seeing that it was getting light, Chen Toutie reminded Pei Yuan, "Captain, there will be a lot of people on the official road soon. Should we slow down to avoid attracting attention?"

Pei Yuan stayed up all night and felt full of energy.

"No need, we are not far away now. We all brought two horses, which will arouse suspicion. Why deceive ourselves? We should hurry to Sanhe Posthouse as soon as possible."

As the two were talking, the sound of horse hooves was heard in the distance.

Pei Yuan and his men all drew their swords, ready to silence the witness.

The other party was getting closer, and they all had steel knives in their hands. Someone rushed forward and shouted in a low voice, "But the thousand households are in front?"

It was the darkest time before dawn. Chen Toutie stepped forward to identify them and reported, "Captain, they are Cheng Leixiang's men."

Pei Yuan remained calm and ordered Chen Toutie, "Let him come over."

Chen Toutie rode out and said a few words to the people over there. Then a knight jumped off his horse and strode towards Pei Yuan.

Chen Toutie rode his horse back first.

After a while, Cheng Leixiang, the commander of Tianjin, who was covered in blood, was seen holding a box in both hands and respectfully presented to Pei Yuan, "Captain, I am honored to have fulfilled your mission."

(End of this chapter)