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

Chapter 573 Hard to Accept
At this moment, Pei Qianhu, who should have been the happiest person in the arena, was wearing a mask of pain.

Because his eyes met those of his best friend.

That good buddy's gaze held three parts disdain, three parts pity, three parts ridicule, and one part smugness.

Pei Yuan withstood disdain, pity, and ridicule, but was broken by that bit of smugness.

—What's with the attitude?!
—And what the hell are you?!
—Oh my god!

Pei Yuan responded with a cold laugh, but he could no longer maintain the stiffness on his face.

Seemingly noticing Pei Yuan's feigned strength, Song Chunniang took Zhang Yunjun's small hand from her sleeve and intertwined their fingers in front of everyone.

Amidst the cheers and jeers of the crowd, Pei Yuan swayed.

Chen Xinjian, who was chatting with Dou Yu, reacted quickly, pushing past several people to help Pei Qianhu up.

Seeing Song Chunniang looking at him arrogantly, Pei Yuan calmly said to Chen Xinjian, "Xinjian, I'm fine."

Then, as if seeking solace, she asked Chen Xinjian with sorrow, "When I marry Han Qianhu, she will surely hold my hand like this too!"

Chen Xinjian held his breath.

After a while, she carefully corrected him, "Chief, you're confused. It was you who was holding Chief Han's hand."

Pei Yuan was stunned for a moment before he realized what was going on, "That's how it is!"

Chen Xinjian immediately expressed his confidence with a firm expression, "It will definitely happen."

While Pei Yuan felt comforted, he also felt a slight sadness in his heart.

Chen Xinjian was also disloyal.

He even dared to lie to his own father.

With the background music of "A Plum Blossom" playing in his mind, Pei Yuan watched helplessly as Song Chunniang and Zhang Yunjun completed their wedding ceremony and then entered the bridal chamber hand in hand.

They didn't even try to invite me.

A grand banquet was then held, and Song Chunniang came out to drink with the guests.

Pei Yuan poured himself two cups of wine and left in a huff before Song Chunniang could even reach him.

Watching Pei Yuan's departing figure, Song Chunniang thought about how her bride's fair skin had been deliberately licked red, and finally felt relieved and much more at ease.

Pei Yuan left Song Chunniang's mansion; the sky outside was already dusky.

Pei Yuan felt like a lost dog, his heart empty, as if he were starving.

Pei Yuan was extremely frustrated and let out a few suppressed shouts.

It's a pity that the sky has no handle and the earth has no ring.

Ignoring the Imperial Guards chasing him, he ran around aimlessly for a while.

Suddenly, the Great Ci'en Temple appeared right in front of us.

Unable to vent his anger, Pei Yuan rushed in and beat Jiang Bin up again.

Jiang Bin was completely baffled by this.

They were eating at the time, and when Pei Yuan ran in alone, they weren't on guard.

Considering their recent collaboration, Jiang Bin was immediately met with a table-flipping incident as soon as he asked, "Have you eaten?"

Then, he and his group of elite guards were utterly routed by Pei Yuan.

When Chen Xinjian and his men arrived, they were stunned by what they saw. They rushed forward and snatched their commander back.

Pei Yuan managed to calm himself down, but he didn't want to go home right now.

Seeing that Chen Xinjian was following him with several Imperial Guards, he asked him to go drinking with him.

Chen Xinjian naturally had no choice but to agree.

He couldn't quite understand Pei Yuan's desire for self-affirmation after satisfying his own needs.

Chen Xinjian's opinion on Pei Yuan and Han Qianhu's marriage was similar to that of most people in the Qianhu garrison.

—Given Pei Qianhu's generally accepted character, a woman like Han Qianhu would be lucky to marry him; why would she even consider having an affair?

However, it's not appropriate to talk about such things.

Chen Xinjian then took Pei Yuan and found a restaurant nearby.

The curfew in the early Ming Dynasty was very strict, it got a little better in the middle period, and in the later period... many places started to collect night market taxes.

We're still in the "something we have" stage.

The operation method here is very simple.

The lowly night watchmen or yamen runners could not afford to offend those influential taverns and entertainment venues; they could easily get away with it by spending a small amount of money.

The imperial censors patrolling the city were few in number and could not possibly take control of the entire capital city at once.

At this point, the issue of route or sequence will inevitably arise.

Besides, if you keep walking, don't you ever get tired?
What's wrong with taking a break now and then?
With these seemingly plausible reasons, the imperial censor on patrol wouldn't bear any responsibility. The court wouldn't hold anyone accountable in such matters.

If we really want to get serious, given the hidden talents in the capital, what if they actually pull out the mastermind behind it all?
Therefore, some markets that are willing to spend money and have connections can successfully extend their curfew by more than an hour compared to other places.

The restaurant where Pei Yuan was located was in a similar situation.

Pei Yuan was feeling troubled. He poured himself a drink and kept thinking about all the mess he had made of scheming against Commander Han.

For a moment, Pei Yuan even considered whether he should inquire whether the daughter of the Changdian Shi family had gotten married.

At least, they never looked down on that poor boy back then.

However, Pei Yuan went too far in his desperate gamble, scaring Uncle Chang away.

Pei Yuan opened the system panel after thinking for a moment.

He skipped over all the miscellaneous debts he had accumulated to refresh his passive abilities.

My gaze fell on one of the lines.

—Debts Due (0/1): You owe a favor to Chang An, the clerk of Daxing County. Clerk Chang hoped you would marry his daughter to offset this favor. He has now abandoned this idea. The host can delete this debt or forcibly repay it.

Pei Yuan thought for a moment. The mission was still in progress, so was she still unmarried?
Later, I thought about the matter of "forced repayment," and it seemed that... it didn't really have much to do with whether she was married or not.

This is the least important item on Pei Yuan's debt list, but he has kept it until today.

As the saying goes, owing someone a favor is a debt, but owing Chang'an a favor is a debt of gratitude.

The emotions between people are truly precious.

The problem had circled back to a dead end, and Pei Yuan was once again frustrated. He said, "Xin Jian, come drink with me!"

Chen Xinjian estimated Pei Yuan's alcohol tolerance.

I was too lazy to offer any advice, so I just ordered some wine.

After a few more drinks, Pei Yuan collapsed onto the table.

Chen Xinjian nodded and gestured, "Someone, carry the commander back."

A strong Imperial Guard quickly stepped forward and carefully placed Pei Yuan on his back.

On the way, Chen Xinjian thought for a moment and decided not to take Pei Yuan to the old house in Dengshikou, but instead to take him to Puxian Temple.

Jiao Yan'er, who was staying at Puxian Courtyard, heard that Pei Yuan was drunk and quickly led people out to greet him.

After a strong maidservant took Pei Yuan from her, Jiao Yan'er asked with a hint of reproach, "What happened? Why did you drink so much again?"

Chen Xinjian answered honestly, "Originally, it was because today was the auspicious day for Commander Song's wedding, but later..."

Before Chen Xinjian could say "later," Jiao Yan'er's expression became somewhat subtle. She interrupted, "Chief Song got married?"

Looking at the heavily drunk Pei Yuan, Jiao Yan'er felt that she had guessed something.

Fearing that Jiao Yan'er might misunderstand, Chen Xinjian quickly explained, "She is the daughter of Zhang Lian, the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of Shanxi."

Jiao Yan'er's joy froze. She had heard about Song Chunniang's dramatic story from Pei Yuan before.

Upon learning that it was a fake marriage, I lost much of my interest.

She just didn't understand. If it didn't have much of an impact, why would her husband, who often cheated on her, drink so excessively?
Jiao Yan'er had someone help Pei Yuan back to his room.

Thinking of her grand plan to change her life by having a son, she decisively began to take off Pei Yuan's clothes.

Pei Yuan's body was heavy, and Jiao Yan'er had to use a lot of effort to remove his outer robe.

She came from a very good family, so she was naturally not as shy as women from ordinary families.

Since they couldn't resolve the situation, they summoned several maids to help Pei Yuan undress.

With the combined efforts of these maids, Pei Yuan's clothes gradually came off. However, being both sleepy and drunk, and feeling the presence of women beside him, he habitually began to grope himself haphazardly.

Several maids blushed and tried to dodge Pei Yuan's touches, but Jiao Yan'er, who was watching from the side, remained unmoved.

After the maids finished undressing Pei Yuan, they were too shy to look at him for long.

Jiao Yan'er then instructed, "Alright, I will serve the master. You may all leave now."

The women withdrew, leaving only the candles and lamps by the bedside.

After an unknown amount of time, Jiao Yan'er was deeply in love, and the sleeping Pei Yuan could not resist the pleasure and mumbled out a few names.

Jiao Yan'er paused.

After a brief silence, the expression on her face returned to its indifferent and calm state.

In the past, when Pei Yuan sought pleasure in bed, he often liked to mention Jiao Yan'er's identity.

Jiao Yan'er's extremely high social standing has always served to increase the attack speed of the dog.

however.

Jiao Yan'er's life, shattered after her downfall, can no longer support those dream-filled teenage memories.

The unbearable situation of becoming a concubine and a plaything was undoubtedly a slow torture for a once proud and arrogant young girl.

Fortunately.

She has already seen a path in her dull life and will walk it firmly.

The next day, Pei Yuan awoke exhausted.

After staring blankly for a while, he finally vaguely remembered what had happened yesterday.

To cause trouble on the bridal sedan chair during the wedding procession is indeed not very dignified.

The result of destroying Tiezi's sense of happiness is that the opportunity to get a share of the pie is completely gone.

Judging from the results, it can basically be described as a case of losing a thousand of our own men to kill thirty of the enemy.

Despite his hangover, Pei Yuan struggled to sit up and glanced at the decorations in the room.

Just as I was feeling a bit lost, I glanced around the bed and spotted a few familiar brocade garments.

Pei Yuan took it, and smelling the familiar fragrance, he immediately knew where he was.

He must have been drunk when Chen Xinjian brought him to Puxian Temple.

Pei Yuan knew he wasn't a big drinker, but he never expected that drinking too much would cause him to feel sore and weak.

After wrapping himself in his clothes and putting on his official boots, Pei Yuan sat up in bed with a groan, and the thought in his mind grew stronger: "From this day forward, I, the commander, shall abstain from alcohol."

Pei Yuan rubbed his back as he got up and left the room.

A maid who was washing clothes in the courtyard saw this and quickly stood up to greet her.

Pei Yuan waved his hand and asked, "Where is the young mistress?"

As he spoke, he glanced at the sky.

It's almost noon now, and I slept quite soundly.

The maid replied, "As usual, the young mistress is sorting out the accounts of the thousand-household office."

Pei Yuan gave an "oh" and immediately lost interest.

Thinking about the mess he was making, he had no desire to be affectionate with anyone.

Pei Yuan asked directly, "Where is Chen Xinjian?"

The maid said, "They should be guarding outside. I'll send someone to call them."

Pei Yuan waved his hand, "Never mind, I'll go find him directly. Oh, and tell the young mistress that the garrison is very busy, so I'll be going now."

Pei Yuan arrived at the front courtyard of Puxian Temple and called for people to return to Zhihua Temple together.

On the way, Chen Xinjian reminded him, "Commander, you caused a scene at the Great Ci'en Temple yesterday while drunk. Shouldn't you go and explain to Jiang Bin today?"

Pei Yuan glanced at Chen Xinjian and thought he was out of his mind.

How can this be explained?

So he said, "From now on, we should have less contact with Second Brother."

Upon arriving at Zhihua Temple, Pei Yuan walked inside while listening to the routine report from the Jinyiwei guard on duty.

"Commander, Xiao Tong has returned to work. There's also a man named Lu Yong waiting inside."

Pei Yuan remembered the matter between the two and said to Chen Xinjian, "After you go to recruit soldiers, I plan to let Yun Buxian take over your position."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xinjian knew that this was something he should avoid, but he still couldn't help but remind him, "When the commander was in Huai'an, he promised Yun Buxian a future and sent him back to do his job, but he never came back."

"There are many secrets surrounding the commander. If Yun Buxian gets in touch with them, it could be a hidden danger."

Pei Yuan said, "What can I do? I don't have any trained people available. Do you perhaps have a younger brother who can help me?"

Chen Xinjian was speechless upon hearing this.

He and Chen Tou Tie do indeed have a younger brother, but he's still breastfeeding.

Pei Yuan's attitude towards Yun Buxian has changed considerably. "Although he is a bit cunning and likes to take shortcuts, after this experience, he should have calmed down. Besides, his attitude towards doing things before was quite good."

“He is a person who can weigh the pros and cons, and I will not treat him unfairly.”

Seeing that Pei Yuan was determined, Chen Xinjian immediately flattered him, saying, "He has caused such a huge disaster, and only the commander dared to take him in regardless of the cost. If he continues to be ungrateful, who else will tolerate him?"

Pei Yuan smiled and continued the conversation, "Take Xiao Tong and Lu Yong with you for a few days. I already have a general idea of ​​what Xiao Tong is like. As for Lu Yong, take a look at his qualities. If he's capable, then have them work with Yun Buxian from now on."

Chen Xinjian understood.

Both the Xiao and Lu families have deep ties with Pei Yuan, and their nephews and nieces are more reliable.

Things that are too confidential will definitely be handled by these two from now on.

exactly.

What right does that bastard Yun Buxian have to take my place? The three of them combined are more qualified!

Chen Xinjian was in a good mood and immediately said, "This subordinate will definitely train the two of them well so that they can take over the affairs here as soon as possible."

Seeing that the two had finished speaking, Xiao Qi quickly added, "Commander Song is also here."

Pei Yuan stopped in his tracks immediately, his expression showing some surprise and uncertainty.

Yesterday was Song Chunniang's wedding day, so she naturally couldn't cause trouble. Even though she scolded him in the bridal sedan chair, she still held back for the time being.

But the fact that they came to ambush me today is clearly to confront me, isn't it?

Chen Xinjian, ever the dutiful son-in-law, proactively asked, "How is Commander Song's mood today?"

The little flag officer thought for a moment and said, "It seems pretty good."

Chen Xinjian turned his gaze to Pei Yuan, only to find Pei Yuan's expression even more unpleasant.

Compared to Tiezi's angry and confrontational arrival, Tiezi's cheerful and boastful arrival was even more unacceptable to him!
(End of this chapter)