Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 250 Virtuous and Kind (Part Two)

The finest brocade, with its elegant colors, shimmers softly in the bright light.

The crimson gold headdress was exquisite and intricate, while the other two headdresses were inlaid with fingernail-sized gemstones, gleaming with an alluring light.

Pei Yan wasn't interested in any of this, but Pei Xuan, being young and vain, had her eyes light up at the sight.

Pei Qinghe glanced at them casually and said with a smile, "Put them all away and take them back to Pei Family Village. Have Steward Shi register them and put them in the warehouse. When you get married in the future, you can pick some out yourselves."

Pei Yan pouted: "I don't want that. I'll pick a fine horse and a bow and arrow."

Pei Qinghe chuckled: "Fine, whatever you say."

Pei Xuan was different. She looked at it with delight for a while before making up her mind. She pointed to a piece of green brocade and then to a set of crimson gold headdresses: "I want this one."

Pei Qinghe smiled and nodded, "Pei Feng, you should take a look too, and pick one out for your future wife."

Pei Feng replied seriously, "These belong to my cousin. I don't want any of them. When I get married, I'll buy my own clothes and jewelry for my wife."

Pei Xuan glared at her: "Hey, hey, hey, what do you mean by that? Are you implying something about me?"

Pei Feng, unusually, gained the upper hand verbally, and remained unmoved, looking infuriatingly calm: "Anyway, I don't want it."

Pei Xuan: "..."

Pei Qinghe was amused and coaxed Pei Xuan with a few words. Pei Xuan dragged Pei Feng outside to play around, while Pei Yan muttered unabashedly, "The Empress wants to show her virtue and magnanimity, so why should she use you as a scapegoat?"

Pei Qinghe's smile faded, and she frowned: "It's not advisable to stay in Bohai County for long. We'll leave in a few days."

Pei Yan said, "It's time to go. If we don't leave soon, we'll have to carry you into the palace."

Pei Qinghe glanced at Pei Yan.

Pei Yan immediately covered her mouth with her hand, indicating that she would not say anything more.

The next day, the Empress bestowed upon him several boxes of specially made rouge and face powder from the palace.

On the third day, the Empress ordered someone to send over delicious palace pastries.

This was Empress Zhang upholding her dignity as empress in her own way. Pei Qinghe could understand, but she simply didn't have the patience to pay attention. She quickly went to bid farewell to the emperor.

Emperor Jian'an was reluctant to see Pei Qinghe leave and tried to persuade her to stay.

Pei Qinghe cupped his hands and said, "Last year, the Xiongnu barbarians suffered a defeat, and I'm afraid they might launch an attack at any time this year. This humble general must return as soon as possible to prepare for war."

The barbarians from beyond the Great Wall frequently raided the border, burning, killing, and looting, and had always been Jingchao's most trusted and formidable enemy.

Emperor Jian'an was not exactly a brilliant emperor, but he knew the importance of things and immediately said, "In that case, General Pei should set off back as soon as possible!"

"When I have free time in the future, I will come to Bohai County to pay my respects."

Pei Qinghe smiled and agreed, then bowed again in farewell. After leaving the palace, they walked for a while and "coincidentally" encountered the Empress.

Zhang Jingwan was already beautiful and gentle, and today, with her careful dressing up, she appeared even more elegant and graceful.

Pei Qinghe was still dressed in plain clothes, her long hair was braided, and she did not wear any makeup.

One is a peony grown in a greenhouse, the other is a giant tree standing tall in the cold wind. There's no need to compare them, because they're fundamentally different.

Zhang Jingwan gazed at Pei Qinghe and said slowly, "I heard that General Pei is about to set off back to Yan County. I wish General Pei a safe journey."

Pei Qinghe smiled slightly: "This humble general also wishes Her Majesty the Empress peace and good health."

Then, I bowed slightly and said goodbye.

Zhang Jingwan turned around and watched Pei Qinghe's departing figure, her gaze darkening.

……

Pei Qinghe, along with Pei Yan, Pei Xuan, and Pei Feng, went to bid farewell to the elders, including Madam Li.

Madam Lu was reluctant to part with Pei Feng, so she hugged him and whispered, "You're thirteen this year, you've grown up. Go back and train your troops diligently so you can lead them into battle in the future." Pei Feng nodded.

Madam Lu whispered again, "You must remember, our Pei family are loyal and virtuous officials and generals. We must always be loyal to the Emperor. In the future, the Pei family will be recorded in history..."

Pei Feng remembered his cousin Qinghe's instructions and nodded no matter what his grandmother said, not taking a single word to heart.

Li held Pei Qinghe's hand and said in a low but firm voice, "Qinghe, remember what your great-aunt told you."

Just keep moving forward, and we'll support you no matter how far you go!

Pei Qinghe grasped Li's hand in return: "Great-aunt, please take good care of yourselves. When the time is right, I will send someone to pick you up."

Then, he solemnly instructed Pei Jia: "You must take good care of the Pei family elders."

Pei Jia solemnly bowed and accepted the order.

That evening, the Meng brothers hosted a banquet to bid farewell to Pei Qinghe. The military officers still stationed in Bohai County also attended. Even Zhang Yun came.

Empress Zhang frequently bestowed generous rewards, making her stance clear. Among the military officers, those with quick minds began to consider marriage alliances with other women from the Pei family.

Another person who took a liking to Pei Feng was General Song, the very same General Song who had once teased Pei Qinghe. At the banquet, General Song directly stated his willingness to marry his daughter to the Pei family.

Pei Feng had never experienced anything like this before; his scalp tingled and his handsome face stiffened.

The benefits of alliances through marriage are evident in the case of the Guangning Army. He would be willing to form a marriage alliance if he could gain control of an army without bloodshed. However, it's too early now…

Pei Qinghe smiled and said, "I thank General Song on behalf of Pei Feng for his kindness. However, Pei Feng is still young, and he has many older cousins ​​who are not yet married. It will be another five or six years before it is his turn."

Pei Feng secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Pei Qinghe saw this and smiled gently.

At dawn the following day, five hundred Pei family soldiers rode out of the city gate. The Guangning army followed closely behind.

Meng Liulang stood on the city gate, watching the Pei banner flutter away into the distance. Turning his head, he saw his elder brother looking at him meaningfully.

Meng Liulang twitched his lips: "I'm not a hot-blooded youth, I know what's important. After I marry Miss Pang, I will definitely treat her well."

Meng Dalang patted Meng Liulang on the shoulder: "You've really grown up."

Meng Liulang rolled his eyes.

He wasn't the greedy and shameless Emperor Jian'an.

The heart-fluttering moments of youth are gone forever. Let go of what you should let go of, and move forward.

……

The warhorses galloped for sixty miles, rested for a while, and then set off again.

As usual, they camped out in the open that night. Pei Qinghe divided the men into two shifts: "I will lead the troops to guard the first half of the night, and General Yang, you will guard the second half."

Yang Hu was somewhat surprised: "Why are you being so cautious? We haven't even left Bohai County yet, could there be bandits around?"

Pei Qinghe twitched the corners of her mouth, the flickering campfire reflecting in her cold, dark eyes: "That's hard to say. We've been making quite a splash these past few days, so it's inevitable that some people will take a dislike to us and try to take advantage of us while we're on our journey."

Pei Yan raised an eyebrow menacingly: "Whoever dares to come, let them experience the power of the Pei family army."

Pei Xuan and Pei Feng sat by the fire, wiping their long knives.

Sun Cheng carefully maintained the bow and arrows.

Half of the men slept fully clothed, while the other half, elite soldiers, patrolled and stood guard with sharp eyes, weapons in hand.

The first half of the night passed peacefully.

In the dead of night, around 4 a.m., a group of bandits quietly arrived.

(End of this chapter)