Jiangshan Fengwuzhi

Chapter 305 A Failed Return
"puff."

The arrow pierced through another Rui soldier who was supporting Gu Beiming, and Gu Beiming was also pulled down to the ground, where no one was there to help him up.

He struggled to his feet and tried to walk in the direction of Lü Maoxiu.

If he hadn't been fed too many Dispersing Energy Pills, he would have been able to break free from his captivity by now.

Upon seeing this, Pei Wugou immediately stepped forward and took Gu Beiming's arm, saying, "Marshal Gu, this way."

"Whoosh."

Another arrow flew, slicing through Pei Wugou's neck and embedding itself in the steps below.

The arrow not only carried blood, but also severed several strands of Pei Wugou's hair, nearly killing him.

He couldn't help but glance back at Gu Jingnian, who was standing on a distant pavilion, and thought that perhaps Gu Jingnian had suddenly moved the bow away just as the arrow was about to leave the string, thus saving his life.

As for why he showed mercy, it was simply for Pei Nian's sake.

Pei Wugou rarely felt the affection between the two young people.

The current situation didn't allow him to think too much, so his first instinct was to help Gu Beiming hide inside the Marshal's Mansion.

"go!"

Arrows continued to rain down, occasionally knocking down the guards around Pei Wugou.

On the Ruijun side, they also retaliated against Gu Jingnian with sharp arrows.

But Gu Jingnian was familiar with the terrain of the Marshal's Mansion. He leaped from the high pavilion to the eaves of another pavilion and continued to shoot them.

Shen Jichi was tied to his back and turned around from time to time to face the Rui army, forcing them to be hesitant to act against him.

At this time, among the various forces in the city, Pei Wugou had the strongest military force. Gu Jingnian and Yin Wanqing joined forces and were evenly matched with him. The Xiaoyi Army could not tell who was holding the marshal hostage, so they simply surrounded the marshal's mansion and waited for the outcome.

Over there, Pei Wugou helped Gu Beiming into the main hall and said, "Marshal Gu, order the execution of Princess Yong."

"it is good."

Gu Beiming was about to shout an order when he turned around and suddenly saw a person sitting in the hall. His gaze sharpened.

For a fleeting moment, surprise, doubt, and suspicion flashed in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Mr. Long, your presence is an honor. I am sorry for not welcoming you sooner."

Pei Wugou was waiting for Gu Beiming to give the order when he suddenly heard this sentence. He turned his head and saw a middle-aged woman wearing a tall crown sitting in the main seat, with four attendants wearing black hooded cloaks behind her, exuding an imposing aura.

He recognized her; she was Long Minzhi, ostensibly a teacher at Chongjing Academy. However, her true identity was unknown even to ordinary officials. He only confirmed her identity as the cage owner through a mortal.

Today, Long Minzhi no longer concealed her identity. She sat there and glanced at Gu Beiming and Pei Wugou with a cold and dignified gaze.

“Pei Wugou,” Long Minzhi said, “you’ve interfered enough with the affairs of the Northern Office and the caged people. From now on, I’ll take over.”

Pei Wugou frowned slightly, sensing something was amiss, but not wanting to cause internal strife at this juncture, he cupped his hands in a gesture of respect and did not refute.

Long Minzhi shifted her gaze and said, "Gu Beiming, do you still remember the promise you made to His Majesty?"

"remember."

Long Minzhi said, "Then hand over what you are supposed to hand over."

Gu Beiming remained silent for a while, his eyes shifting slightly, as if he was hesitant.

Pei Wugou couldn't help but say, "Given the current situation, I'm afraid we should first deal with Gu Jingnian, Yin Wanqing, and the others..."

"I didn't ask you."

Long Minzhi interrupted Pei Wugou with a cold expression, looking only at Gu Beiming and saying, "Hand it over, or not?"

"Your Majesty, I shall report back to Your Majesty."

As Gu Beiming spoke, he gently pushed away Pei Wugou's hand that was supporting him and walked towards Long Minzhi.

He was still very weak and walked very slowly, but the soldiers around him did not stop him. They watched with curiosity as he was about to return something to His Majesty.

Pei Wugou was also watching, thinking to himself, "Jusai City is both a prison for imprisoning extraordinary people and a furnace for refining them. What is Long Minzhi's purpose in coming here?"

Then, he saw Gu Beiming break away from the soldiers and lunge forward.

"wrong!"

Pei Wugou finally realized something was wrong and shouted, "Seize him!"

Gu Beiming lunged forward, and the four men in black behind Long Minzhi immediately stepped forward. Two of them helped him up, while the other two suddenly brandished their swords and attacked the Rui soldiers.

With the chaos beginning, Pei Wugou looked at Long Minzhi and said, "Are you an imposter?!"

"Ah."

Long Minzhi sneered, took two steps forward, placed one hand behind Gu Beiming, and said, "Why don't you give the order to eliminate these people sent by Ruiting?"

She didn't deliberately change her tone of voice at this moment; once she spoke, it was clear that she was actually Feng Niang. As for the two people holding Gu Beiming hostage, they were Lao Hei and Gao Changgan.

They immediately dragged Gu Beiming to the window and forced him to order the Xiaoyi Army to take action against the Rui Army that had entered the city.

At this point, the situation reversed once again.

Pei Wugou intended to rush back to Beiming and ordered several soldiers to rush to the window, but a sharp arrow pierced through the window and killed them.

Looking out the window, Gu Jingnian's figure was passing over the rooftops opposite.

"go!"

Seeing that the valiant army was closing in, Pei Wugou made a decisive decision, stopped fighting, and left the marshal's mansion.

The Rui soldiers who entered the city kept chasing Gu Jingnian, trying to rescue Shen Jichi. In addition, Meng Li was shot and killed, and the city fell into a chaotic state of being leaderless. Then, they were surrounded and attacked by the Yong army and the Xiaoyi army, and gradually fell into a disadvantageous position.

Pei Wugou knew that the opportunity had passed, so he ordered his soldiers to withdraw from Jusai City.

"What? Minister Pei, the Marquis hasn't been saved yet, how can we retreat?!"

"retreat!"

Pei Wugou was not a general, so when faced with this situation of retreat, he did not personally cover the rear, but instead went to find his daughter and escaped with her first.

He knew that once Gu Jingnian had some free time, he would definitely come to see Pei Nian.

Fortunately, he acted decisively. At this time, the east gate of Jusai City was still in the hands of the Rui army, allowing him to ride out at full speed.

After a night of commotion, the rising sun just emerged from the distant mountains.

The wind swept through the valley, blew over the black city walls, and fluttered Pei Nian's red wedding dress, making her look like a butterfly with red wings from afar.

Gradually, the sounds of battle faded away, and then even the majestic outline of Jusai City disappeared behind them, and ahead, the flag of the Kingdom of Switzerland could be seen fluttering.

That was the team that Pei Wugou had arranged in advance to meet him, so he was now somewhat safe.

Pei Nian's eyelids twitched, and she woke up on horseback.

She vaguely remembered that she and Gu Jingnian had just bowed to heaven and earth before entering the bridal chamber before she fell into a deep sleep.

The atmosphere of the flickering red candles was still fresh in her mind. When she opened her eyes again, the grass on the ground was covered with morning dew. She was already far away from Jusai.

For a moment, she felt a little lost and regretful, but Pei Nian was not one to be unable to extricate herself from romantic feelings. When she sat up on the horse, her eyes had returned to calm.

"woke up?"

Pei Wugou turned around and saw her daughter, giving a bitter smile.

"Since Father has left Jusai, he must have captured the Womin?"

“No,” Pei Wugou said. “You knew all along that Womin was a fake, didn’t you?”

"Whether I know or not, Li Shuangyun will find out for herself," Pei Nian said. "This time, she took action herself, so the success or failure is probably none of my business."

"Failed."

Pei Wugou did not hide the result, and sighed slightly, saying, "Not only did I fail to fulfill His Majesty's request, but I also caused the loss of Marquis Wuding."

He was quite good at comforting himself. After saying that, he stroked his long beard, looked at Pei Nian with a hint of relief in his eyes, and said another sentence.

"Fortunately, you were saved."

"You saved me?"

Pei Nian couldn't help but sneer.

If Pei Wugou hadn't "saved" her, she would already be married to Gu Jingnian at this moment.

But things have come to this point. Whether good things are hard to come by or fate has brought them together but they are not meant to be, she has to move on.

Her mission to monitor Gu Jingnian, assigned by the Kaiping Division, had come to an end. The process had been fraught with entanglements and hardships. From now on, she would be herself again, and even if she encountered Gu Jingnian again, she could finally be open and honest.

"I'm going back to Kaiping to report. Where is my father?"

"Let's go back to Switzerland."

Pei Niansui kicked the horse's belly, and it galloped across the grassland.

A few days later, she returned to the territory of Rui Kingdom, changed out of her red wedding dress, and put on a brocade robe embroidered with Gu eagles.

She strode up the city wall and walked toward Min Yuanxiu, who stood atop the wall leaning on his long sword.

"Pei Nian, the clerk of the Kaiping Sinan Yamen, has met with the Commander-in-Chief. I have failed to perform my duties and request the Commander-in-Chief to punish me."

Min Yuanxiu's face was half hidden behind a mask, so his expression was not visible.

He gazed in the direction of Jusai City, and without blaming her, simply said, "Officer Pei Nian, welcome back."

(End of this chapter)