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

Chapter 505 Final Showdown

The rain was getting heavier and the wind was starting to pick up.

The falling rain had made Pei Yuan's face wet.

Just as he breathed a sigh of relief and was about to go back to his room, the window of a room opposite opened, revealing Bai Yujing's figure.

Pei Yuan, who had roughly figured out everything, no longer had that fear of the unknown future and just looked at her coldly.

No matter what happened before, now, after the great success of Huai'an roasted nuts and selling the Bazhou rebels to King Ning, he has become a very capable deputy to Han Qianhu.

From her generosity in dumping the mess in the north on me, it can be seen that in her heart, my position is roughly equivalent to that of Cheng Leixiang or Chen Toutie.

She would love to see herself grow in power in the North to be her aid, or simply become a spoiler out there.

After all, she paid almost nothing, and she was holding on to hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, thinking she was holding on to her lifeline.

Pei Yuan chuckled.

Oh, hundreds of thousands of taels.

Just when Pei Yuan felt that he could face it calmly, and was considering how to carve out his own interests, and trying to get along with Han Qianhu again in a new role, the window was opened a little wider by Bai Yujing.

Captain Han was sitting at the desk in the room, his chin supported by one hand, and it was unknown what he was thinking about with his eyes closed.

As if feeling the moisture on his face and the change in light, Han Qianhu raised his eyes and looked out the window.

When he noticed that Pei Yuan was staring at him blankly, he nodded slightly and thought about his own things.

Pei Yuan looked at Bai Yujing who was looking at him meaningfully, and then looked at Han Qianhu who was calm.

Then it dawned on me.

Han Qianhu came to the north to see me this time, and brought Bai Yujing with him, just to have a showdown.

Thinking of Cui Bohou's large group of elite cavalry, Pei Yuan had completely understood that Han Qianhu not only had no intention of avoiding, but also had made all preparations.

I just don’t know whether it’s because Luo Jiao’s bait is big enough or because she smelled other benefits.

The blood vessels in Pei Yuan's forehead were throbbing, but his expression became calmer.

Pei Yuan silently closed the window.

When he turned around, his face had already begun to become hideously distorted.

Pei Yuan was clenching his fists, trying his best to suppress himself, when he suddenly heard a knock on the door.

Pei Yuan took a deep breath, walked over expressionlessly and opened the door.

Then Bai Yujing, dressed in white, threw herself passionately into Pei Yuan's arms.

Pei Yuan was not surprised at all. He let her hug him and sniff him.

Pei Yuan said nothing and did not respond.

Bai Yujing smiled and kissed Pei Yuan's ears, cheeks, and throat, then she swung her long legs and closed the door.

Seeing that Pei Yuan still didn't respond, Bai Yujing leaned over to Pei Yuan's ear and chuckled, "What's wrong? Captain Han said you're very smart."

Pei Yuan sighed lightly. He already understood that this was Han Qianhu’s final showdown.

Pei Yuan was just glad that he had figured this out earlier, so that he wouldn't be so embarrassed now.

He said to Bai Yujing, exhausted both physically and mentally, "I am a little tired. Go back and tell Captain Han. I know what to do."

Bai Yujing seemed not to hear Pei Yuan's words. She happily pecked Pei Yuan's face with her lips, occasionally touching Pei Yuan's lips teasingly.

Her lips were soft, and every touch of tenderness made Pei Yuan subconsciously hold his breath.

Bai Yujing is pretty, with delicate features and a pair of long legs.

As a top-notch plaything raised on a flower boat, in terms of beauty alone, she is one of the best among all the people Pei Yuan has ever seen.

However, at this moment, despite Bai Yujing's teasing, Pei Yuan was a little listless.

Bai Yujing didn't seem to force it, just kissed and sniffed awkwardly.

Mei Qinnan's last obsession before her death, and the ghost living in it, made Bai Yujing half dazed and half driven by instinct, obsessed with everything about Pei Yuan.

Bai Yujing's delicate face was caressed and sniffed in Pei Yuan's arms. Even though Pei Yuan was depressed at the moment, he couldn't help but feel a little moved.

Pei Yuan remembered that Bai Yujing was a prostitute and Mei Qinniang seemed to just want to end the relationship hastily with regret, so he pinched Bai Yujing's lips open himself.

Bai Yujing came out of a half-conscious trance and chuckled, not resisting.

As Pei Yuan's ambition grew, he suddenly became bolder and all the resentment that had been suppressed for a long time burst out. He dragged Bai Yujing directly to the window, and then forcefully pushed open the window facing Han Qianhu's room.

Bai Yujing's long legs collapsed to the ground as Pei Yuan dragged her, and her pink and white feet kicked out of her foot bags.

Pei Yuan pushed open the window and saw that the light was still on in Han Qianhu's room, but the windows were closed, blocking out the sound of wind and rain.

The cool rain made Pei Yuan a little more sober. He looked at the tightly closed window, not knowing whether he was relieved or regretful.

Bai Yujing was like a gluttonous beast transformed into a beautiful woman. Driven by instinct, she lingered on Pei Yuan.

Pei Yuan touched the beauty's head, and finally boldly looked straight at the tightly closed wooden window.

I imagined that Han Qianhu might be reviewing documents behind the window, or taking a nap on the bed, or maybe...

Pei Yuan's breathing was heavy. He faced forward, staring at the wooden window with burning eyes, and tormented Bai Yujing without any sympathy.

The blows were so violent and violent, as if something invisible was knocking on the window.

It’s just that the knocking happened in people’s hearts, quietly without any sound.

Pei Yuan ignored the other officials' wives living in the nearby rooms, turned Bai Yujing over, tore off her clothes, and pressed her against the window. He held her soft waist like white porcelain, and leaned close to her long legs to Bai Yujing's ear.

He instigated Bai Yujing with malicious intent, "Speak louder later so she can hear you."

Bai Yujing looked back in confusion.

Then, she immediately understood what Pei Yuan meant and let out an uncontrollable groan.

Heavy rain fell, soaking the man and woman standing by the window.

One is strong and heroic, the other is graceful and twisting like a white snake with a beautiful head.

Perhaps time had worn away Mei Qinniang's hostility, so that after she got Pei Yuan again, she no longer pursued the sense of ritual of dying together.

However, Bai Yujing was severely tortured and her body was delicate, so she stayed in Pei Yuan's room afterwards.

Pei Yuan released the pressure in a drunken state, and simply didn't care about what would happen in the future. He just lay down on the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

When I woke up in the morning, the bed was empty.

The heavy rain is still falling outside.

Pei Yuan saw some water in a wooden basin in the room and used it to wash himself.

After he hastily put on his clothes and left the room, he saw several Jinyiwei talking under the eaves.

Seeing Pei Yuan coming out, they all bowed and said, "Captain."

Pei Yuan felt relieved when he heard this. There was no doubt that these people were his own people.

Pei Yuan asked casually, "Where is Captain Han?"

One of the Jinyiwei replied, "Captain Han saw that it was raining heavily, so he took a few followers to the canal to see the scenery. Judging from the situation today, they can't leave for the time being."

Pei Yuan was hungry and didn't care about Han Qianhu's affairs.

He asked for a bamboo umbrella from his personal guard, opened it, stepped into the rain, left the yard, and went to the front hall of the post station.

Several bodyguards also held umbrellas and followed in a line.

Along the way, guarded Jinyiwei would occasionally greet him, some calling him "Captain Pei" and some "Deputy Captain Pei."

When Pei Yuan arrived under the eaves of the spacious main hall of the post station, a personal soldier came forward and took the umbrella from him.

Pei Yuan kicked off his wet boots and walked into the hall barefoot.

The post station mainly serves the purpose of welcoming and seeing off guests, and its main services include food and lodging.

Chongwu Shuiyi is a large post station, so these aspects are naturally comprehensive.

With Pei Yuan's wealth, he naturally looked down upon the court's standard of three to five liters of rice for food and lodging. After he had ordered the food and wine under the delighted gaze of the postman, Chen Xinjian arrived just in time to pay the bill.

Chen Xinjian knew that Captain Pei had been in a bad mood for the past two days. Seeing that Pei Yuan didn't say anything, he tactfully didn't say much.

After a while, the food and wine came up and filled the table.

Pei Yuan asked the Jinyiwei guarding outside the eaves, "Who hasn't eaten yet?"

Several Jinyiwei were all laughing as they watched the wine and food.

Pei Yuan smiled and shouted, "Come over here, whether you have eaten or not."

Everyone gathered together happily and started eating and drinking together.

After everyone had eaten their fill, Pei Yuan ordered a few more jars of wine, thinking that they didn't need to set off today.

He took a jar and left.

Several bodyguards wanted to get up and follow, but Pei Yuan waved his hand, signaling them to continue drinking, and picked up an open bamboo umbrella from under the eaves.

Chen Xinjian also wanted to follow.

Pei Yuan said lazily, "How many people are there in this post station? Most of them are our soldiers. I have the courage of ten thousand men. Who can hurt me?"

Chen Xinjian knew that Pei Yuan was in a bad mood, and thinking that what he said was true, he watched Pei Yuan leave.

Pei Yuan put on his muddy and wet official boots, and walked with wine in his arms and an umbrella under his arm.

When he returned to the courtyard where he lived, he saw that there was no one around. He also felt that the courtyard seemed particularly quiet after the Jinyiwei left.

Pei Yuan subconsciously glanced towards the room where Han Qianhu lived, but found that the window was open.

"Could it be that Captain Han has returned?"

Pei Yuan thought about it, and then thought about what happened last night.

Although the white moonlight turned black, he still felt an inexplicable sense of blasphemous pleasure.

Pei Yuan's evil thoughts encouraged him to see how Han Qianhu would react.

Pei Yuan, holding an umbrella and a glass of wine, turned to the side where Han Qianhu was. He put down the umbrella under the eaves, still took off his muddy boots, and slowly walked to the door and knocked gently.

Han Qianhu's calm voice came from the room, "Come in."

Pei Yuan pushed lightly and the closed door was pushed open.

Pei Yuan quickly glanced around the room and saw that only Han Qianhu and Bai Yujing were in the room.

Han Qianhu was still wearing the black tights, and Bai Yujing had also changed into a similar outfit. Both of them were wet, obviously having just returned to the room and had not had time to change.

There was a basin of hot water in front of Han Qianhu, and Bai Yujing was standing beside him, apparently intending to help Han Qianhu clean himself. When Han Qianhu saw Pei Yuan, he seemed unaffected by the showdown and looked at him as usual, "What's wrong?"

Pei Yuan thought for a moment, then asked with a slightly drunken smile, "It looks like the rain will continue to fall for a while, why don't you do something to dispel the rain?"

Han Qianhu glanced at Pei Yuan unhappily and said calmly, "If you have nothing to do, go back and drink your wine."

Facing Han Qianhu, whom he needed to get to know again, Pei Yuan really didn't have much to say.

He patted the wine jar and was about to leave.

Then he heard Han Qianhu behind him say, "By the way, there is one more thing I haven't told you."

Pei Yuan turned around, but unexpectedly found that Bai Yujing thought Pei Yuan was leaving, and was bending down to help Han Qianhu take off his wet official boots.

Although Pei Yuan stopped, Bai Yujing did not stop his movements.

Perhaps it was because the official boots were soaked in water and difficult to take off, Bai Yujing pulled the official boots hard and actually took off the boots along with the soaked foot socks and silk socks, leaving only Han Qianhu's bare feet exposed.

Han Qianhu was obviously also disrupted by Bai Yujing's actions.

She stared at her subordinate in silence, and when she saw her taking off another boot, she wanted to stop her, but she felt that she had already taken off one boot, and it would only make it more obvious if she tried to stop her.

Soon, with Bai Yujing's efforts, Han Qianhu's other foot was also exposed.

Han Qianhu quickly put the two white feet into the wooden basin and wanted to change the subject quickly, but found that Pei Yuan was staring at them in a trance.

For a moment, Han Qianhu, who was always calm in the face of emergencies, had a rare blush on his cheeks.

Looking at the graceful curve of the arch of the foot and the round and pearly toes, Pei Yuan suddenly felt that there were many things that could be discussed.

I have nominally been loyal to Captain Han for more than a year, so there is no need for us to be so distant from each other.

Han Qianhu couldn't get angry openly, so he could only scold Bai Yujing, "How can you do this? Get out now."

Bai Yujing's face was filled with charm and Mei Qinniang's evil spirit. In a short period of time, her expression changed twice, but she said obediently, "I obey your command."

Captain Han dismissed Bai Yujing, and the awkwardness was finally eased temporarily.

I wanted to take the opportunity to tell Pei Yuan what I just said, but I found that the bastard was still eager to watch.

Han Qianhu shrank his jade toes in the wooden basin and said angrily, "Pei Yuan, please respect yourself."

Pei Yuan came back to his senses, thinking about the bold things he had done yesterday, and simply blurted out, "Actually, they are all pretty good-looking."

Han Qianhu was stunned for a moment, then realized that this sentence was in response to what he said last time when Pei Yuan was staring at his tabi during a drink, "Let's just look at the face, it's pretty good too."

Han Qianhu gritted his teeth again.

Just because I was the one who started the joke, I have no right to criticize it now.

You have to know that at that time, Han Qianhu was calm and confident, and naturally had no scruples and did not stick to common sense.

But she never thought that there would be a time when her boots and socks would be taken off in front of Pei Yuan.

Han Qianhu could only pretend to be calm and said, "Really?"

Seeing that Pei Yuan was about to speak and launch into a long speech after hearing this, Han Qianhu quickly stopped him and said that it was unnecessary and that he would stop there.

Perhaps it was because the invisible awkwardness and ambiguity were now talked about and over, and Han Qianhu felt more at ease.

She didn't care where Pei Yuan was looking, and said calmly, "The rain this time is heavier than expected. We have too much baggage with us, and I'm afraid it will be difficult to travel even if we try to get on the road. Instead of rushing to Yuqiu Horse Post, we might as well take the canal from Chongwu Horse Post, through Qingyuan Horse Post to Ande Horse Post, and then make a decision."

Pei Yuan had no objection, just holding the wine and said, "The commander has made the decision, and I will obey your orders."

Han Qianhu glanced at Pei Yuan and hummed softly through his nose.

Then, there was a moment of silence.

Han Qianhu took the initiative to say, "We can't send out the boat in the rainstorm, so go back and have a good rest."

Pei Yuan responded and turned to leave.

When he got outside, Bai Yujing was sitting under the eaves.

As soon as Pei Yuan came out, her charming eyes were fixed on him.

Pei Yuan had already shaken off the resentment in his heart yesterday. He was thinking about how to build layers of defense against Han Qianhu in the Northern Bureau, so he didn't pay attention to it for the time being.

Bai Yujing opened his mouth and said softly, "Yujing, send Qianhu off."

Pei Yuan said "oh" and slowly walked towards the corridor exit.

When they walked a little further, Bai Yujing chuckled and asked, "Does it look good?"

After a pause, he continued, "Just now."

Pei Yuan then realized that the one who was controlling Baiyujing at this moment should be that crazy woman Mei Qinnan.

Thinking about Bai Yujing's actions just now, Pei Yuan's heart was pounding, and he turned around and asked, "Did you do this on purpose?"

Bai Yujing leaned close to Pei Yuan's ear and whispered in a sticky voice, "You asked me to scream to her yesterday, and I knew you were targeting her."

Pei Yuan was silent for a while and did not respond.

When he reached the eaves, Pei Yuan was about to put down his wine and put on his official boots.

Bai Yujing had already bent down and was lifting up the official boots to stretch them open.

Pei Yuan hesitated for a moment, then raised his foot and stepped into his official boots.

Bai Yujing's index finger lifted up slightly as if unintentionally, and her well-trimmed nails gently scratched the side of Pei Yuan's foot, making Pei Yuan feel so comfortable that he got goose bumps.

Bai Yujing immediately stood up and left with a smile, without even looking at Pei Yuan who was only wearing one shoe and was looking forward to her.

After Bai Yujing left, Pei Yuan put on his official boots in disappointment and returned to his room holding a bamboo umbrella.

He placed the wine on the table, broke the mud seal and took a few gulps.

Pei Yuan stared blankly at the rain outside the window, not knowing what he was thinking for a moment.

When the scattered gazes focused on Han Qianhu's half-open wooden window, Pei Yuan said softly, "A man from Huguang."

"Ah."

I have liked her for so long, but all I knew was that she was pretty and that she was from Huguang.

This one rides on a horse.

Pei Yuan felt that he was being cheated by his own scumbag nature.

Pei Yuan sorted out his thoughts bit by bit, thinking about his previous interactions with Han Qianhu.

First of all, I thought of the sentence that impressed me the most and that I have been thinking about all the time, "Everyone has his or her own territory. If I easily cross the line, what will others think?"

So, does Han Qianhu, who "owns a territory", also have interests that he needs to work hard to protect?
So, among those intertwined forces, whose interests does Han Qianhu represent?
Pei Yuan's thoughts moved, and he first rejected the powerful people who owned large tracts of land.

The reason was simple. Han Qianhu seemed to have little interest in Pei Yuan's and Wang Qiong's "One Whip Law" during his communication with Pei Yuan. This "One Whip Law" that would cause heavy damage to many current interest groups obviously did not affect Han Qianhu's interests.

Huguang was an important grain base of the Ming Dynasty.

People from Huguang who were related to the land were excluded and were not affected by the Single Whip Law.

Pei Yuan slowly figured it out, and a vague answer came to his mind.

So, in this case, under this assumption, what is the purpose of Han Qianhu's sudden decision to come to Beijing?

At this moment, Pei Yuan really missed the old man Sikong Sui.

At least that guy was aware of the current situation and was able to get some information out of me.

If you ask Tan Tai Fang Tu, I'm afraid he won't be reliable.

But this matter is a little too important. If Pei Yuan wants to buy enough time to deal with it, he can only try it first.

Pei Yuan stood up, took another sip of wine, and then went out to look for Tan Tai Fangtu.

Pei Yuan first went to the main hall of the inn where he had just eaten and took a quick look. He did not see Tan Tai Fangtu among the Jinyiwei.

Chen Xinjian noticed Pei Yuan and hurried over to ask, "Captain, is there anything I can help you with?"

Pei Yuan asked, "Where is Tantai Fangtu?"

Chen Xinjian replied, "He doesn't like to be with the crowd, so he stays alone in the back yard."

Pei Yuan curled his lips.

This is the fate of a dog who is neither a human nor a human being.

Pei Yuan signaled Chen Xinjian not to worry about him, and went to the backyard to look for Tan Tai Fangtu.

There were quite a few people living in the courtyard at the back, including some officials' families, some scholars who were traveling for studies, and even a few who had just heard the news of the special examination and were about to go to Beijing to take the exam as if they had just woken up from a dream.

Pei Yuan quickly found Tan Tai Fangtu, who was watching the rain boredly on the corridor.

Seeing the old man drinking his wine dejectedly, Pei Yuan simply opened the door and asked, "Captain Han said that you are already on my side, right?"

Only then did Tan Tai Fang Tu notice Pei Yuan and hurriedly tried to stand up.

Pei Yuan patted him on the shoulder and signaled him not to worry about it.

Tantai Fangtu then answered Pei Yuan's question, "Of course."

Pei Yuan then asked, "What do you think of my ability, Captain Tantai?"

Tan Tai Fang Tu answered without any guilt, "Of course he is outstanding in ability, far superior to others."

Pei Yuan said, "But the Qianhu Suo is going to split up."

Pei Yuan was not afraid that Tan Tai Fang Tu would say to Han Qian Hu, "I know almost nothing about Han Qian Hu, and the Northern Bureau has a lot of independence and autonomy, which makes it impossible for me to cooperate with Han Qian Hu's ideas."

"It's just like……"

Pei Yuan thought of a metaphor that Tan Tai Fang Tu could understand, "It's like a fierce dragon, being tied to a boat by a fragile fishing line. If I don't know more about the direction of the boat, then it is very likely that the waves I turn over will overturn the boat and completely destroy our connection with each other."

Pei Yuan stared at Tan Tai Fang Tu, "Do you understand what I mean?"

Tan Tai Fang Tu couldn't help but grin when listening to Pei Yuan's words. He said under the influence of alcohol, "Captain, although you are very capable, you should not overestimate yourself. When reasoning doesn't work, you still have to use your fists."

Pei Yuan had nothing to say about this.

This time, Captain Han brought Cui Bohou's elite cavalry to the north for a showdown.

He Huan always made himself feel like he was facing a formidable enemy because in addition to his extraordinary strategies, he had the Huai'an Guard and Dahe Guard, plus two hundred elite cavalry.

Pei Yuan did not argue, but said, "Even if the boat can withstand it, can the fragile fishing line withstand it? By then, the Qianhu Division will surely be split."

Tan Tai Fang Tu was a little sober now.

He frowned and asked, "What do you want to say?"

Pei Yuan boldly gave a suggestion, "For the future of Qianhu Suo, either let me know more about the ship, or deepen the bond between us. For example, let Han Qianhu marry me."

(End of this chapter)