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

Chapter 688 Using Evil as a Sword
Pei Yuan looked at Zhao Sui and asked seriously again, "Do you want to come and help me? Following Prince Ning is just another act of rebellion."

"One should press on with one's might, but the momentum will wane on the second attempt and be exhausted on the third."

"You've already lost once. If you lose again, you might not even be as good as last time, so what's the point?"

As Pei Yuan spoke, he picked up the wine pot and poured wine for Zhao Sui.

When Zhao Sui's cup was full, Pei Yuan also poured some wine into his own cup.

Pei Yuan said, "So, come with me. You'll be in charge of leading those old brothers who crossed the river from now on. You and Qi Yanming will work together."

“I have a younger brother who is only fifteen years old. He’s young and doesn’t know any better.”

“Nominally, he is your commander of a thousand men; you can treat him like your own younger brother.”

"I don't have many expectations for this army. I just want them to be able to stand up like men when the Ming Dynasty is resisting the Dalu."

Pei Yuan clinked his wine cup against the one on Zhao Sui's table.

He then downed the strong liquor in one gulp.

Zhao Sui listened to Pei Yuan's words, his mind in turmoil, and silently drank his wine.

Seeing this, Pei Yuan calmly poured more wine for Zhao Sui.

He then continued, "I still remember the night the Bazhou army arrived outside Suqian City. I was awakened in the middle of the night by the noise from the camp."

“I got up and looked around. I saw those people who had been coerced into joining the bandits by you, looting everywhere in a way that was even more ruthless and unscrupulous than yours.”

"They swept through the villages surrounding Suqian County, taking almost everything they wanted: grain, women, farm tools, and even the straw on the rooftops."

"Your Bazhou army's camp is brightly lit by distant fires, and there is laughter and joy everywhere."

An unnatural blush flashed across Zhao Sui's face as he abruptly gulped down the wine in his cup.

Pei Yuan smiled and continued to serve Zhao Sui a full cup.

Then he asked, "Do you still remember Jiao Fang?"

Before Zhao Sui could answer, Pei Yuan said, "You hate Jiao Fang and think he is a traitor who has ruined the country. You dug up Jiao Fang's ancestral graves, dressed a wooden figure in Jiao Fang's clothes, and beheaded the wooden figure in public."

"You even proudly told everyone, 'Let me personally kill this old scoundrel and apologize to the world.'"

As Pei Yuan spoke, he continued to clink glasses with Zhao Sui while holding his cup.

Zhao Sui stared at Pei Yuan without touching the cup, and then Pei Yuan continued, "That night, while I was watching the great feat of your Bazhou army, the woman sleeping in my tent was Jiao Fang's granddaughter, whom you had abducted."

"I asked Jiao Yan'er, 'Do you know whose camp is that quiet, silent camp?'"

Jiao Yan'er shook her head at me.

"I told her with a malicious smile that that was your camp, Zhao Sui, the deputy commander."

Zhao Sui's hands tightened, and the veins on his hands became visible.

Pei Yuan looked at Zhao Sui and said in a casual tone, "I remember you were a scholar, and the distance between you and Jiao Fang, the Grand Secretary of the court, is no less than 108,000 miles."

“You did not see or hear about what Jiao Fang did. But even if you add up all the crimes that Jiao Fang was accused of, based on hearsay, it would not amount to the burning, killing and looting outside Suqian City that night.”

"You triumphantly chopped off the wooden figure's head with your sword and told others that you were going to rid the world of evil."

"You then wrote to the emperor, requesting him to eliminate all the wicked people."

"But when evil is right in front of you, why does Vice Commander Zhao condone its existence?"

Pei Yuan looked into Zhao Sui's eyes, as if trying to force these words into Zhao Sui's mind, "Because you are just a person with some conscience, but no strong heart, and you don't know how to solve problems."

Zhao Sui felt that he had drunk the wine a little too quickly and felt a little nauseous.

His throat bobbed as he shouted, "I did that so that..."

Zhao Sui's outburst attracted the attention of the remaining people in the restaurant.

Xiao Tong immediately glared back, "What are you looking at? Get lost!"

Although the guests at those tables were angry, seeing that the men were carrying knives, they knew better than to fight a losing battle and decided to leave for the time being.

Zhao Sui's words caught in his throat, but he didn't know what to say.

Pei Yuan used harsh language to say the words that would most hurt Zhao Sui: "A person like you, who uses evil as a sword, shouts for peace, and swings it around like a willful child, then you are evil itself."

Zhao Sui was shocked. Before he could even utter a weak explanation, Pei Yuan completely suppressed him, making him feel even more depressed.

He gulped down the wine.

Wanting to have another drink, he noticed that the wine pot was in Pei Yuan's hand, so he tried to snatch it away.

Pei Yuan gently patted Zhao Sui's hand away, then calmly refilled his wine cup.

Pei Yuan's voice softened, "The Zhao Sui of the past has already been skinned alive and made into a saddle. The Zhao Sui of the future... will he be able to live with any sense of self-awareness?"

As Pei Yuan spoke, he patted Zhao Sui on the shoulder with earnest words.

"You are a scholar, a learned man."

"Even if one abandons the pen for the sword, one should be like Ban Chao, the Marquis of Dingyuan, and become a useful person for the country and the family."

Why did you have to make yourself look so pathetic?

"Come and follow me. Others may not know how to use you, but I do."

After saying that, Pei Yuan took the initiative to pick up his cup and clink it with Zhao Sui's.

Zhao Sui looked at Pei Yuan, then at the wine in his hand, his feelings becoming increasingly complicated.

After a long while, he finally let out a long sigh of relief. "Only today do I understand why the book says, 'A scholar will die for one who understands him.'"

"Even in death, I fear dying without understanding."

After Zhao Sui finished speaking, he drank the wine in his cup in one gulp.

Pei Yuan understood the implication of Zhao Sui's words and was overjoyed. He then drank the wine as well.

Then he was to pour wine for Zhao Sui.

Zhao Sui took the wine pot, filled each of them with a cup, and sincerely said, "I am ashamed, I have lived in a daze."

Pei Yuan understood that this was a crucial moment for Zhao Sui to complete his tempering, and that his words at this moment might lead to a different outcome for Zhao Sui.

Although Pei Yuan really wanted a more powerful weapon with a lower limit and easier to use, he also understood that only a stronger belief could take him further.

Pei Yuan then generously encouraged, "It's not bad to live in a daze, but one must die with understanding."

"Train your troops well, defend the northern border for me, and drive back those invading Dalu!"

"Even if you die, you must die outside the Great Wall!"

Zhao Sui closed his eyes, and the suppressed frustration seemed to finally find its direction and an outlet.

He almost instinctively hypnotized himself.

It's as if he really peeled off his human skin and lived out Zhao Sui anew.

Then, Zhao Sui opened his eyes. In that instant, he felt as if he had been completely refreshed, like a newly sprouted seedling, thriving and exuding freshness in the sunlight.

He looked at Pei Yuan, as if making a life vow, and repeated, "Expel the Dalu and defend the northern border!"

Upon hearing this, Pei Yuan raised his cup and replied with a heartfelt promise, "If you can live a life without regrets, then I will seek for you the title of Earl of Dingyuan."

After saying that, he jokingly added, "Lord Dingyuan, I'm afraid you're not worthy."

Zhao Sui smiled as well.

Pei Yuan had said everything he needed to say, so he put the wine pot aside and said, "Let's eat."

He has already obtained two of the six bandit leaders of Bazhou Army.

One possesses unparalleled bravery, while the other has extensive experience in commanding large-scale troops.

Although... he was commanding a motley crew of bandits, Pei Yuan felt that when the Bazhou army first started their rampage, their command abilities might not have been apparent.

However, when the number of bandits they had gathered reached 100,000, and they were without food or pay, surrounded by ambushes on all sides, it took real skill to lead this rabble to fight across several provinces.

Moreover, during the standoff in Huaibei, the Bazhou army, right under Pei Yuan's nose, pulled off several impressive maneuvers against Lu Wan.

Pei Yuan couldn't have Lu Wan, but having Zhao Sui was enough.

Zhao Sui and Pei Yuan quickly finished eating.

At this moment, Zhao Sui had completely lost the dejection he had shown when they first met. Before parting, Zhao Sui said to Pei Yuan, "When I get back, I will leave the capital as soon as possible and go back to Jiangxi."

"I plan to carefully select the right people and integrate them, so that I can put them to use as soon as possible."

Pei Yuan was overjoyed, "Write back to me when you're ready."

Then, Pei Yuan remembered something and added, "There's no need to rush off. Wait for my news tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Zhao Sui asked, somewhat surprised.

He was inspired by Pei Yuan's words and was eager to live a new life. He couldn't wait to return to Jiangxi.

Pei Yuan said, "You may not know this, but I returned to the capital this time because I offended the Empress Dowager's family and was summoned here to be questioned."

Zhao Sui thought of Zhu Houzhao's human skin saddle. Although he had tried his best to let go of the matter, he still couldn't help but sneer.

Pei Yuan said, "It's not dangerous, is it? It's not worth it for something like this."

"The relationship between the Empress Dowager and the Emperor is fragile at this time, and I am of great use to the Emperor. The Empress Dowager would not add fuel to the fire at such a time."

Every time Pei Yuan entered the palace, he would prepare for the worst.

He has always had a strong sense of crisis because he knows he is facing some of the most unreasonable people in the world.

Pei Yuan dared to say "it's not that bad" this time not simply because he thought the Empress Dowager might let him off the hook in order to ease tensions with the Emperor.

These things might not be that important to the Empress Dowager.

Pei Yuan's confidence stemmed from the fact that if, during this tense period between the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager insisted on punishing him, a confidant of the Emperor, for the sake of the Zhang family's reputation, then the Emperor might retaliate against the Zhang family's two marquises to vent his dissatisfaction.

To the Empress Dowager, Pei Yuan was a useless bargaining chip.

However, if the retaliation falls on the two marquises of the Zhang family, then the consequences will be very severe for the Empress Dowager.

Moreover, Pei Yuan also had another control group.

That's the sleazy Li Mengyang.

When Li Mengyang impeached Marquis Shouning Zhang Heling in his memorial to the throne, he not only listed numerous crimes committed by the two marquises of the Zhang family, but also referred to the then Empress Zhang as "Zhang Shi" in the memorial.

Empress Zhang was furious.

Since she got married, no one has ever dared to call her "Mrs. Zhang".

Despite his rage, Li Mengyang still followed legal procedures, imprisoning him first and then questioning him, rather than simply dragging him out and beheading him.

But facing the royal monster hiding deep within the palace, Pei Yuan still played it safe.

"If things don't go well tomorrow, I might just kidnap the Empress Dowager and wander the world from now on. At that time, you can forget about the Marquis of Dingyuan and come with me to live a life of wandering."

Zhao Sui chuckled upon hearing this, "I don't believe that the dignified Zhuge Liang Jiang Gan couldn't handle a woman from the inner palace."

After saying that, he added, "I brought a few people with me. They'll be waiting for you on the street outside the palace tomorrow."

Just then, a commotion suddenly arose downstairs.

Xiao Tong went down to inquire and found out that they were from Shuntian Prefecture.

Xiao Tong came up and replied to Pei Yuan, "One of the people who were just chased away were family members of the Minister of Justice. That person went to Shuntian Prefecture to report that someone committed a crime in broad daylight."

"The Shuntian Prefecture issued a warrant to arrest him. My subordinates went down and identified themselves, but it didn't work very well."

"I'll stay and handle this for now, but let's not escalate this small matter. The Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, Yang Dan, is not someone to be trifled with. It's best not to alarm him over such a trivial matter."

Lu Yong had already understood the rules of officialdom and knew that his little token was not only useless against high-ranking civil officials, but could also lead to a crushing defeat. So he obediently put it away and did not try to stand out at this moment.

Pei Yuan said to Xiao Tong, "Then you stay and handle this matter. It's nothing more than paying some compensation."

What's wrong with the Imperial Guards being a little arrogant while drinking?
Who hasn't been arrogant at some point? It's just that today we encountered someone even more unreasonable.

It's rather undignified for the family members of a high-ranking official to go and file a complaint.

Pei Yuan has secretly returned to the capital, so it's not a good time to pursue a legal matter. He can only put the matter aside for the time being.

The constables of Shuntian Prefecture were already unsure of themselves when they saw that the person they were going to arrest was a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and someone with quite a background. But when someone was willing to take the blame, they didn't question anyone else and simply took Xiao Tong back to deal with official business.

Pei Yuan led the rest of the group down from the restaurant.

Lu Yong and Cen Meng watched with schadenfreude as Xiao Tong was taken away by the yamen runners, while Xiao Tong turned around and winked.

The constables pretended not to see anything and only urged Xiao Tong to hand in his task as soon as possible.

Pei Yuan coughed lightly and asked the two onlookers, "Where is Yan Song now?"

Cen Meng snapped out of his daze and quickly said, "Commander, Yan Song has already arrived in the capital and is temporarily staying at the home of Wang Hua, the Minister of Rites."

Pei Yuan remembered that Yan Song and Wang Shouren were good friends.

The last time Yan Song came to the capital, he stayed at Wang Shouren's house.

Pei Yuan thought to himself, "This is just right."

Pei Yuan intended to use Wang Qiong, who was a strong contender to become the Minister of Revenue, to promote the "Single Whip Law".

Wang Qiong and Wang Shouren were close friends despite their age difference, forming a treacherous duo.

After Wang Shouren's father, Wang Hua, became Minister of Rites, he gradually began to expand his network of connections and influence in the court.

Yan Song, who currently appears harmless and is quietly living in Wang Hua's home, is actually Pei Yuan's mouthpiece prepared for the "Single Whip Law" attack.

Pei Yuan pondered this slowly.

If Wang Hua, one of the Seven Ministers, could be dragged into this major policy issue, it would obviously be a good thing. However, with Wang Qiong, Wang Shouren, and Wang Hua all together, it seems that they are becoming too powerful.

(End of this chapter)