Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 432 Kindness and Power (Part Two)

General Fei was taken aback.

General Fei reacted quickly and immediately said, "It is his good fortune to be a general's personal guard. As for my good-for-nothing son, I ask the general to teach and guide him."

Then he turned his head and looked intently at Fei Lin, who was a step slower to react: "Hurry up and thank the general for his kindness!"

The importance of the emperor's personal guards is self-evident.

This is a smooth road leading to the heavens.

Of course, one could also say this was a disguised way of sending a hostage to Pei Qinghe's side. The problem was that Pei Qinghe had already spoken, and General Fei had no chance to refuse. General Fei was a smart man; he wouldn't, and dared not, leave the room awkward, so he readily agreed.

Fei Lin then realized what was happening and hurriedly cupped his hands, saying, "Fei Lin thanks General for your guidance."

Pei Qinghe smiled and said, "I'm glad you're willing. Starting tomorrow, you'll come and serve by my side." She then called Pei Yan over and, in front of General Fei, instructed her, "Pei Yan, you are the commander of the Imperial Guard. From now on, Fei Lin will be under your command."

Pei Yan bowed and accepted the order, while casually glancing disdainfully at Fei Lin.

Fei Lin: "..."

"It's over! It's over!" Half an hour later, General Fei, who had returned to his residence, wailed in front of his father: "That tigress Pei Yan is not someone to be trifled with. I'm going to suffer terribly from now on, and I won't have any good days."

General Fei looked at him with disdain: "You good-for-nothing! No matter how powerful Pei Yan is, she's just a woman. She can't possibly devour you alive."

Fei Lin, with a mournful face, sighed with joy: "Father, you haven't seen it with your own eyes. General Pei is invincible, never defeated. This Pei Yan is the second bravest female general on the battlefield after General Pei! When she leads the cavalry to charge and kill the enemy, she takes a head with every stroke of her sword. I saw it with my own eyes."

“Isn’t it better to have such ability?” General Fei raised an eyebrow and said, “You can learn from General Pei Yan and practice for a while.”

Fei Lin's face was almost red with embarrassment before he managed to squeeze out a few words: "I heard Song Dalang mention it. Pei Yan has a nickname of female tyrant in the Pei family army. Whoever she doesn't like, she'll invite them to the training ground for a fight. The number of people she's beaten could circle around Pei Family Village. I never had a good life under her."

General Fei remained unmoved: "Then be careful, lest you get caught out."

However, when Pei Yan, that female bully, wants to beat someone up, she doesn't care whether you've done anything wrong or not; she just drags you to the training ground!

Fei Lin was on the verge of tears and wanted to speak, but General Fei waved his hand impatiently and shooed him away: "Get out! I want to see these two booklets. You are not allowed to come in without my permission."

Fei Lin: "..."

It was already the twelfth lunar month, and more and more military officers were arriving in Yan County to attend the new emperor's enthronement ceremony. With so many officers, it was inevitable that they would visit each other and chat, and news spread rapidly. Before nightfall, the news that Fei Lin had been selected for the emperor's personal guard had already spread.

In the evening, some people came to pay their respects to General Fei.

The guests were none other than the Song father and son, who had been keeping a very low profile lately.

General Fei and General Song sat chatting. Song Dalang stood next to Fei Lin and whispered enviously, "I heard you're going to be a bodyguard for the general."

Fei Lin said irritably, "If you're so envious, how about I let you have this good thing?"

Song Dalang grinned: "That's great. That's exactly why I came."

Fei Lin: "..."

Fei Lin gasped and blurted out, "Are you kidding me?!"

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Song Dalang rolled his eyes at him. "How come such a good thing fell to you first?" Then he regretted it deeply. "In terms of kinship, I should have been the first. It's all because of that good-for-nothing Jiang Huan who caused trouble and dragged me into it."

Fei Lin couldn't help but scratch his head: "It's so prestigious to be a junior general in your own army camp. Why do you want to be a bodyguard?"

Song Dalang couldn't help but roll his eyes again: "Are you stupid? Is that an ordinary personal guard? The general will soon ascend the throne as emperor. With the general's abilities, would he be a wooden puppet holding the title in name only?"

How is that possible.

Without hesitation, Fei Lin said, "General, you are a born war god. You will surely be able to unify the country, pacify the grasslands, and achieve great things in the future."

Anyone who had followed Pei Qinghe into battle was deeply impressed and sincerely respected and followed him. Fei Lin's words came from the bottom of his heart and were truly heartfelt.

Song Dalang said solemnly, "That's what I think too. Only those who can follow the general into battle and achieve great deeds are true heroes. Even if I have no official position and can only be an ordinary bodyguard, I would be willing to do so as long as I can be by the general's side."

"Besides, people like us can't stay as ordinary bodyguards forever. We might spend a few years by the general's side, gain some seniority, and then be sent to lead troops into battle. With real military achievements, we can establish ourselves in the north. That's much more impressive than being a young general! It's a future we've earned ourselves!"

Then, he sighed helplessly again: "Originally, I should have been the first. But I acted inappropriately that day and angered the general. This good thing fell to you."

Fei Lin couldn't help but puff out his chest and grin: "It's that Pei Yan, she's not someone to mess with."

Song Dalang glanced at him and said, "From now on, call him Commander Pei. You can't just call him Pei Yan like that either."

Song Dalang was two years older than Fei Lin and was an outstanding figure among the young generals in the north. Fei Lin respected him and immediately corrected himself, saying, "You are right; it was my oversight."

Song Dalang said in a low voice, "I've dealt with Pei Yan quite a bit. She is indeed strong, has a bad temper, and likes to beat people up, but she is also really brave and capable. And she is extremely protective of her own. If you go to work for her, she will definitely stand up for you and defend you if anything happens in the future."

"You either get used to getting beaten up sooner, or you train hard and defeat her as soon as possible. Who knows, the position of commander of the personal guard might just be yours."

Fei Lin glanced back and said, "So you're the one who's going to get beaten up, you make it sound so easy."

Song Dalang chuckled: "Father will go to see the general tomorrow, and I will go too, to volunteer to be the emperor's personal guard. Perhaps we will soon be colleagues."

Seeing Song Dalang's enthusiasm, Fei Lin's heart also burned with anticipation.

The next day, General Song indeed led Song Dalang to see Pei Qinghe.

Pei Qinghe thought for a moment and then agreed.

Song Dalang took up his post that very day, becoming a bodyguard alongside Fei Lin. Their special status meant they couldn't be treated poorly. Pei Qinghe secretly instructed Pei Yan to convey a message to them: after the enthronement ceremony, they would be appointed sixth-rank captains.

Song Dalang was overjoyed: "Thank you very much, Commander Pei."

Fei Lin felt a surge of warmth in his heart and also bowed his hands in thanks.

Pei Yan said casually, "No need to thank me for such a small matter. By the way, since I am your superior, I should at least test your skills. Come on, let's go to the training ground!"

Song Dalang: "..."

Fei Lin: "..."

(End of this chapter)