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

Chapter 649 Uproar
Seeing that the group was coming aggressively and in large numbers, the commander of the Beijing garrison grabbed his horse and rode away immediately.

The others cursed and chased after them.

However, these soldiers were not equipped with horses, and they had only run a few steps before being overtaken by the cavalry coming from behind.

Pei Yuan showed no mercy and swung his sword to strike. A soldier from the capital garrison who was lagging behind heard the sound of hooves and only had time to turn around in a panic before Pei Yuan slashed his neck.

Fearing that the knife would get stuck, Pei Yuan slashed open the soldier's neck, then pulled away with the knife still attached, dragging him along with the horse's momentum, leaving a huge gash on the soldier's neck.

Blood spurted out, like unrestrained spring water, breaking through the stream and leaping onto the land.

When the soldiers of the Beijing garrison saw that people had actually died, they were in an uproar and scattered in all directions.

Pei Yuan's only targets were Xiao Chong and the censors and officials around him; he couldn't be bothered to waste time on these people.

After casually slashing down some fools who hadn't run away, Pei Yuan had already spotted the group of people rushing towards the reception pavilion in the distance.

They all saw the commotion behind them and, no longer caring about their status or rank, they all ran away as fast as they could. Even the gentry and officials in the reception pavilion were secretly making their escape.

The magistrate of Pingyuan County was the most desperate; everyone else could run, but he couldn't.

Even if he manages to escape alive, what fate awaits him if he watches helplessly as the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the court falls into trouble on his territory?
Pei Yuan and his group had a clear objective: to kill the imperial envoy team led by Xiao Chong. They went straight for the people in official robes.

The subordinates vied to make contributions, each eager to participate, and in an instant, gleaming longswords were raised and slashed wildly.

The last few censors were hacked to death. The censor who took the most blows had his official robe badge almost ripped off.

Remembering his promise, Pei Yuan went straight for Xiao Chong, the only one in the room wearing a scarlet robe.

However, by the time Pei Yuan arrived, Xiao Chong had already been hacked to the ground.

The two men who had killed Xiao Chong also realized that the only one wearing a scarlet robe was a big fish.

In an attempt to curry favor, they all jumped off their horses, vying to cut off Xiao Chong's head.

Pei Yuan quickly shouted, "Stop!"

Upon hearing this, the two recognized Pei Yuan and quickly put Xiao Chong down.

Pei Yuan jumped off his horse and helped Xiao Chong up. Fortunately, he could still breathe.

Pei Yuan said with relief, "Thank goodness you're not dead."

As he spoke, he looked back at the two men who had killed Xiao Chong, "Do you know that the person you killed was the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Imperial Court?"

Xiao Chong, who had already closed his eyes and was waiting for death, immediately tried to open his eyes and beg for mercy after hearing these words.

The two men stammered, "Wasn't it the commander who sent them to hunt us down?"

Pei Yuan smiled, ignored the two, and turned to look at Xiao Chong.

Xiao Chong opened his eyes and met Pei Yuan's gaze.

Pei Yuan pulled off the veil on his face, and Xiao Chong's eyes widened suddenly. He couldn't help but blurt out, "It's you?"

Pei Yuan smiled at him and said, "Last time, Brother Xiao asked me about the cheating in the imperial examinations. At that time, I had no choice but to tell you the truth. Now I can finally be honest with you."

Xiao Chong felt a chill in his heart. He endured the pain from the knife wounds on his body and begged for mercy, "I don't know where I offended the commander. Why have I brought such a disaster upon myself?"

Pei Yuan had a very accurate understanding of his own position, knowing that villains often die from talking too much.

So he simply said, "This cheating in the imperial examination was indeed intentional on my part. Even the origin of this special imperial examination was my doing."

"And your death today is but a tiny link in that chain."

"I orchestrated this special imperial examination for my men, sending them to the top of the list. Now, I will personally take action to kill all the censors who have come south this time, and arrange a future for them."

Seeing that Pei Yuan had made his point so clear, Xiao Chong knew there was no hope of survival, and immediately cursed, "You lawless, corrupt traitor who wreaks havoc on the court!"

Pei Yuan said, "We've been friends for a while, so don't curse me. I'll leave you a whole corpse."

Xiao Chong showed no fear and continued to curse, even spitting blood from his mouth due to injuries to his chest and abdomen.

Pei Yuan found it amusing.

In the heat of political infighting, they disregard right and wrong and resort to any means necessary; now, on their deathbed, they've suddenly remembered their principles.

Pei Yuan gestured to the two people beside him.

The two immediately stepped forward, cut off Xiao Chong's head, and then presented it to Pei Yuan like a precious treasure.

Pei Yuan watched as the thick blood flowed between their fingers.

He asked, "I can tell you two speak with a Xuzhou accent. What are your names, and which one are you with?"

The two men were overjoyed and said, "We are Gao Yang and Sun Jin. We went to Tianjin with Commander Cheng before, and were later sent to Commander Chen's side by Commander Cheng."

Pei Yuan looked at the two of them and smiled, "So, you've learned quite a bit?"

The two didn't know how to respond, so they just chuckled.

Pei Yuan then said, "How about this, I'll find you two a different boss. You two can work for him for another year, and then come work for me, how about that?"

The two were overjoyed to hear this, as the commander indeed intended to promote them.

So they all said, "We will obey the commander's orders."

Pei Yuan said to the two men, "You two should have met Hou Qing before. I left him in Yanggu to assist Commander Tantai. Now that Commander Tantai has come to the capital, he needs manpower. You two go and help Hou Qing take good care of this business."

Upon hearing this, the two immediately replied, "We will inform Commander Chen and then proceed to Yanggu."

Pei Yuan nodded, signaling the two to leave.

He decided not to mount his horse, and instead covered his face with a cloth, inspecting the censors and officials who had been killed one by one.

Once it was confirmed that there were no survivors and the number of people was correct, Pei Yuan finally breathed a long sigh of relief.

Chen Xinjian hurriedly came over to ask, "Commander, I see that many people have run away and are not far away. Should we go and chase after them again?"

Pei Yuan mounted his horse, looked around, and said, "No need. The objective has been achieved, and it's best not to cause any further trouble. I need to return to the capital as soon as possible to complete the wedding, otherwise, something might go wrong."

Chen Xinjian was delighted to hear this and quickly asked, "So, Commander Han has already agreed? Then will I come to the capital with you so we can all have some fun?"

Pei Yuan thought about what might happen in the capital now, and felt a little uncertain.

He immediately scolded, "Just do your job and stop causing me trouble."

Chen Xinjian dared not say more, and could only laugh awkwardly twice.

Pei Yuan said to Chen Xinjian, "You've come at the right time. I'll leave everything here to you. Once you've finished, take your men and go seek refuge with your brother. Try not to cause any trouble."

"After a while, Shandong will truly become lively. At that time, I, the commander, will definitely have to come again, and then I will talk to you again."

Chen Xinjian quickly replied, "Leave this to me."

Pei Yuan immediately ordered Xiao Tong and Lu Yong to follow him away from the battlefield.

The soldiers who had accompanied Pei Yuan on his southward journey had been watching his every move since early morning. When they saw him leave, they quickly followed.

Pei Yuan then led the small cavalry unit westward, and only after they had seemingly escaped the sight of the others did they turn north.

Just then, Cen Meng arrived and greeted Pei Yuan, saying, "Commander, I have taken care of the aftermath." Pei Yuan had already guessed what Cen Meng had been doing when he hadn't followed him earlier.

Although Pei Yuan felt it wasn't really necessary, it was rare for Cen Meng to take the initiative, so Pei Yuan didn't want to dampen his enthusiasm.

Besides, if there were any knowledgeable people in that roadside inn, it might cause trouble.

Pei Yuan immediately praised, "Well done."

After the group reunited, they changed into the same clothes that had been delivered by the Ministry of War and began their journey north.

The matter is now resolved, but it's not over yet.

Because next, it will be a race against real express couriers.

The Right Vice Censor-in-Chief, more than ten circuit inspectors from the thirteen provinces, and two supervising secretaries from the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue, all sent by the imperial court to investigate the case, were all openly murdered. The shock this incident brought to the imperial court was no less than that of the Bazhou Rebellion 2.0.

When such a major incident occurs in a locality, all the local officials involved can do is one thing.

That means immediately reporting to superiors and being suspended from duty pending investigation, awaiting the thunderous retribution from the heavens.

Pei Yuan and his group had already traveled for quite some time in their pursuit of Xiao Chong, and now, in order to buy more time, they could only grit their teeth and persevere in heading north.

Before nightfall, Pei Yuan arrived at Ande Water Horse Station and exchanged horses with the Jinyiwei guards who had been deployed in advance.

After a quick bite to eat and a glass of water, they continued on their way.

Pei Yuan's current manpower and the manpower used to attack the Imperial Censorate are no longer a match, but the sooner he gets out of the suspected area, the further north he will be found, and the safer he will be.

Of course, the best outcome would be to arrive in the capital safely without being detected.

Taking advantage of the moonlight, the group continued their journey north.

Pei Yuan and his personal guards have spent most of the past year on the road, but they have managed to endure the hardships.

Xiao Tong and Lu Yong were finding it hard to keep up; after traveling all this way, they felt like their buttocks were about to break from sitting on the saddle.

The two were on the verge of tears, but dared not say anything in the face of such a ruthless person as Pei Yuan.

However, it was precisely at times like these that Pei Yuanyue dared not let his guard down. He was afraid that if he lost that momentum, the entire journey would collapse.

They persisted until almost dawn, and when they reached the vicinity of Dongguang Post Station, Pei Yuan led the group into the prepared supply point.

The men on horseback, when they tried to dismount, froze halfway down and almost fell off their horses.

The Imperial Guards responsible for providing assistance rushed forward, some carrying people, others pulling horses.

Xiao Tong and Lu Yong were barely held up before they were about to fall into a deep sleep.

Pei Yuanqiang managed to dismount, thus maintaining the dignity befitting a commander, but his discomfort was no less.

The officer in charge of providing support here quickly sent someone to fetch food and water.

Pei Yuan drank a couple of sips of water. Despite being hungry, he didn't care about eating or drinking and just wanted to find a pillow to sleep for a while.

Several imperial guards first dragged Pei Yuan away and placed him on a large communal bed, and then successively dragged in the others.

Pei Yuan fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow and slept soundly until the world was completely dark.

In a daze, Pei Yuan could feel someone massaging his sore muscles, but he was too tired to move and could only let them do as they pleased.

Pei Yuan slept for just over two hours before being woken up.

He was extremely tired and filled with intense anger, wishing he could punch the person who had woken him to death.

But he knew what a critical moment this was, so he could only get up and quickly wash his face with cold water.

The others also woke up amidst complaints.

The only consolation for them was that at least this time they could sit at the table and eat something, and take the opportunity to rest a little longer.

Pei Yuan disregarded his image and ate heartily with them. Only when he could no longer eat did he stand up with great willpower and call everyone to set off together.

A replacement horse had already been prepared in the courtyard and had been fed and watered.

The group exchanged glances, then forced themselves to climb onto the horse.

Pei Yuan guessed that the urgent messengers sent to the imperial court should already be on their way, but he didn't know whether they were ahead of them or behind them.

After traveling for two days, when they arrived at Guiyi Post Station, the Imperial Guards left there nervously informed Pei Yuan.

"Commander, something has happened in the south!"

Pei Yuan's heart tightened, and he quickly inquired, only to learn that these exhausted people had ultimately failed to outrun the imperial court's urgent delivery service.

The news of the mass killing of numerous censors in Shandong has spread far and wide.

Killing so many imperial censors who went to investigate the case was almost tantamount to rebellion. Not only were the people in a state of panic, but even the price of grain began to rise sharply.

Pei Yuan knew the situation was urgent, so he hurried on his way.

Even the weakest two, Xiao Tong and Lu Yong, were playing like their lives depended on it, completely disregarding their own safety.

And so, Pei Yuan hurried to the outskirts of the capital.

Pei Yuan dared not enter the city directly, so he went outside the city to meet the people who were supposed to meet him.

The guard stationed here was Qu Chen, Pei Yuan's personal guard.

Qu Chen was overjoyed to see Pei Yuan and quickly said, "Commander, you're finally back!"

Pei Yuan asked anxiously about the situation first, "Is nothing wrong?"

Qu Chen said, "Not now."

Upon hearing this, Pei Yuan breathed a sigh of relief as if all his strength had been drained. He quickly asked again, "Where is Yun Buxian?"

Qu Chen said, "He's busy preparing for the commander's wedding, so he has nothing else to do."

Pei Yuan was finally relieved; he was innocent!

I can finally appear in the capital with dignity and be able to offer timely advice to share the emperor's worries and work together to catch those rebels!

Seeing that Pei Yuan was exhausted, Qu Chen couldn't help but advise, "Commander, why don't you rest here for the night and enter the city tomorrow?"

Pei Yuan gritted his teeth and said, "No, we have to go back to Zhihua Temple."

He then asked, "What's the situation in the court now?"

Pei Yuan was absolutely certain that such a major event would enrage the imperial court, and the court might respond with unusually strong force.

Qu Chen then remembered that he hadn't told Pei Yuan about what had happened before, and quickly said, "Yun Buxian sent someone out to deliver a message, saying that the court has been thrown into turmoil because of the killing of the censor."

"The four outer armies left the city early this morning. The emperor twice went out of the city in armor to review the troops, seemingly intending to personally question them."

Pei Yuan: "?"

No, Zhao Zi?

(End of this chapter)