Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 248 Abacus
"This is absolutely outrageous!"

"That Zhang Yun, when he left he was yelling that we should never ask the Zhang family for help again. Bah!" Pei Yan angrily swung her fist: "If you hadn't told me, I would have beaten him to a pulp today."

Pei Qinghe glanced at Pei Yan with a smile: "You've been impressive enough today."

Pei Yan's anger came quickly but subsided even faster, and she immediately grinned smugly: "That's true."

Pei Xuan frowned, her sweet little face contorted in a frown: "What exactly are these people here for?"

Pei Qinghe smirked: "Isn't it clear? They're sending young, unmarried men from their families to pay a visit to me, the female general, intending to marry me and then naturally take over the Pei family army and territory."

Pei Xuan made a nauseous face.

Pei Yan spat out a loud "Pah!"

Pei Feng's handsome face tightened with anger, and he suddenly stood up: "I'll chase after them right now and give them a good beating."

Pei Qinghe wasn't angry: "They love to daydream, let them be. We don't need to pay attention to these clowns."

"Let alone here, even within the Pei family army, aren't there enough people who want to become my son-in-law?"

“If I were a man, I would have a lot of people coming to my door today, wanting to marry their daughters or granddaughters to me. Marriage alliances are the most common political means.”

Pei Feng bluntly retorted, "That's different!"

Pei Qinghe chuckled: "There's no real difference. Because I'm a female general, my dream of having both men and troops and territory is even more beautiful."

Pei Feng clenched his fists, a fire of anger raging within him, yet he didn't know who to punch. Thus, the pent-up rage in his heart intensified.

Pei Yan, oblivious to Pei Feng's anger, didn't understand why he was so furious.

Pei Xuan was precocious and clever, and having grown up with Pei Feng day and night, she guessed Pei Feng's thoughts: "Don't worry, my cousin Qinghe won't be afraid of you just because you are a boy."

Pei Feng looked at Pei Qinghe and whispered with some grievance, "Cousin, I am loyal to you and have never thought of replacing you as general."

Ironically, in the eyes of the world, he, as the legitimate male heir of the Pei family, was the rightful successor. Even though his cousin Qinghe was so capable, she was still criticized because she was a woman.

Pei Qinghe smiled and reached out to pat Pei Feng's head: "Of course I know. My cousin Feng has always been my most loyal follower."

“As our territory expands, you won’t need to replace me; you can still be generals.”

Just like Pei Yun and Mao Hongling, they are now each in charge of their own affairs and leading troops independently.

Pei Xuan and Pei Feng will be trained by her side for several years, and then they will be able to be sent out one by one to lead troops to fight and occupy territory.

Pei Feng then grinned and said, "That's what I was thinking too."

Pei Yan stepped forward and naturally pushed Pei Feng aside: "What are we doing today?"

Pei Qinghe said calmly, "I'm going to the Meng and Pang residences to deliver visiting cards. I'm going to pay my respects to the Meng brothers and Prime Minister Pang."

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

The Pei family army and the Beiping army had a long history together, though their paths diverged, they still maintained a close relationship. The first people Pei Qinghe paid a visit to were the Meng brothers.

Meng Dalang, though physically challenged, was a master strategist and cunning, while Meng Liulang was exceptionally brave and a fierce general on the battlefield. Together, the two brothers trained the Beiping army into a sharp and ruthless elite force.

Pei Qinghe came to pay her a visit, and Meng Dalang greeted her warmly. Some things didn't need to be said; they understood each other implicitly.

The Pei family army and the Beiping army have formed an alliance, which is enough to rival the Bohai Navy. "With the Pei family army here, the people of Beiping can live a peaceful life." Meng Dalang said with a smile, "I want to thank the general on behalf of the people of Beiping."

Pei Qinghe smiled slightly: "Since I have collected land taxes from the people, it is my duty to protect the safety of the people of Beiping County. It is my responsibility, so there is no need for thanks."

Friendships are friendships, and territory is territory. Once you've got your fill of meat in your mouth, you can't just spit it out.

Meng Dalang sighed inwardly, then smiled and replied, "General, your actions are upright and honorable, truly admirable." He paused, then added, "Next April, my sixth brother will be marrying Miss Pang."

Pei Qinghe smiled and said, "I have to go back after the prince's full moon banquet. I will definitely send a generous gift to General Meng on his wedding day."

Meng Liulang, who had been silent until now, suddenly asked, "When are you going to bring Shi Yan into the family?"

Pei Qinghe remained calm: "No rush, let's wait a little longer."

Meng Liulang couldn't hold back any longer. Ignoring the frequent glances from Meng Dalang, he blurted out, "You'd better hurry up! Get married as soon as possible and put an end to those people's filthy thoughts and schemes."

"I heard that Zhang Yun went to your residence early this morning. He's already married and has children, and his harem is overflowing with beauties, if not a hundred. You'd better not get involved in the Zhang family's mess."

"Also, you must be careful in dealing with the Emperor. You are a general who rides into battle, you can't be tricked into entering the palace and becoming a concubine."

Meng Dalang's lips twitched, and he rubbed his forehead vigorously. He gave Pei Qinghe a helpless, bitter smile: "Sixth Brother is just so outspoken and reckless. He's caused so much trouble. General Pei, please be magnanimous and don't take it to heart."

Meng Dalang breathed a sigh of relief and glared at Meng Liulang: "Hurry up and apologize to General Pei."

Meng Liulang reluctantly apologized: "I'm sorry, I spoke rashly."

Pei Qinghe smiled and said, "We've been old friends for many years, and the young general is genuinely concerned for me. How could I be angry?"

Meng Liulang couldn't help but blurt out again, "Compared to these wicked people, Shi Yan is actually quite pleasing to the eye."

Meng Dalang coughed heavily.

Pei Qinghe smiled again: "More than just pleasing to the eye, Shi Yan is the commander of my Pei family army. With him around, the Pei family army has never lacked food or military funds."

Meng Dalang was extremely envious: "Our Beiping army is lacking such a capable person. We often have to be mindful of the whims of the Zhang family in order to cover military expenses and provisions."

Meng Liulang glanced at Meng Dalang: "Otherwise, you can marry into the Pei family, and then have Steward Shi provide money and provisions for us to support our soldiers."

Meng Dalang injured his leg and also his genitals. He could still have sex, but could no longer have children. Three years ago, his wife died of a serious illness, and his young daughter also died young. Meng Dalang had no desire to remarry and remained alone ever since.

Meng Dalang was amused by his anger and pointed to the door: "Go to the military camp and don't come back today."

Pei Qinghe was amused: "That's a good suggestion, Young Master, you might want to consider it."

Meng Dalang was both amused and exasperated: "General Pei, please don't make fun of me, a cripple."

After leaving the Meng residence, Pei Qinghe went to pay her respects to Prime Minister Pang.

Old friends reunite, each sighing with emotion.

"More than five years have passed since we parted. The former Grand Tutor of the Eastern Palace is now the head of the civil officials, the Grand Chancellor," Pei Qinghe said with a smile, flattering him.

Prime Minister Pang smiled and said, "Sixth Miss Pei built the Pei Family Army single-handedly, making her famous throughout the world. She is truly worthy of respect."

After exchanging compliments and expressing their goodwill, Prime Minister Pang probed, "When the Emperor quells the rebellion and recovers the lost territories, what are General Pei's plans?"

(End of this chapter)