Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 434 Personal Guards (Part Two)

Pei Yue was shocked and pointed to his chubby face with his round finger: "Cousin Yan! Look at me, am I strong enough to take a punch from Cousin Qinghe?"

The guards turned away and chuckled.

Pei Yan adopted the air of a personal guard commander, giving them a disdainful glance: "When the personal guards were being selected, you were the one who volunteered, and you even begged your second aunt to plead your case and pull strings to get into the personal guard battalion. You don't even dare to do daily drills, what kind of personal guard are you?"

"Also, in private she calls me 'cousin,' but when we're on duty, she calls me 'commander' or 'general'!"

Pei Qinghe didn't indulge Pei Yue's intentions and said calmly, "When Pei Feng was your age, he was already able to lead troops into battle. Pei Xuan and Pei Yan were eleven or twelve years old when they took up arms to fight the enemy. Pei Yue, you are a son of the Pei family, so you must work hard to practice martial arts. Otherwise, when you go to the battlefield, you won't even be able to withstand a single blow from the enemy."

Pei Qinghe remained calm, her gaze sharp, and no one dared to meet her eyes.

Pei Yue swallowed hard and mustered his energy to find a suitable weapon. He quickly picked out a long wooden axe.

Pei Qinghe also took a long axe.

The long axe is a heavy weapon; an iron long axe can weigh over ten kilograms, and only the strongest can wield it. Even a wooden long axe weighs four or five kilograms. Pei Yue has been a glutton since childhood, but he is not weak either. He swung the long axe with impressive skill, making "whoosh" sounds.

Pei Qinghe spotted the opening at a glance, and with a powerful swing of her long axe, struck squarely. Pei Yue's right hand jerked, and the long axe flew out of his hand.

Pei Qinghe also threw down her long axe and began to "teach" Pei Yue martial arts.

Nothing is more useful than real combat. Her younger cousins' skills were almost all honed through this kind of training.

Pei Yan watched Pei Yue get beaten up and grinned from ear to ear.

Song Dalang and Fei Lin gasped repeatedly, exchanged a glance, and their eyes were filled with shock and relief.

It turns out the general shows no mercy even to his own cousin. Compared to that, he was actually quite polite to the two of them earlier.

Next, Pei Qinghe challenged more than a dozen people to spar. The other guards couldn't just watch the spectacle, so they each found an opponent to practice against.

After practicing for an hour, they each went to bathe and change clothes.

Today, it was Vice Minister Qin who came to see Pei Qinghe. Vice Minister Qin presented a thick memorial: "General, this is the detailed plan for the enthronement ceremony that I have spent several months drafting. Please take a look. If there are any improprieties, I will revise it."

The enthronement is the most important event at hand, and the grand ceremony will be held in just over half a month. Pei Qinghe carefully read through the memorial and then said, "Thank you for your hard work, Minister Qin. Just follow the steps outlined in this memorial."

Professional matters should be handled by professionals. Minister Qin was indeed very dedicated, and following Pei Qinghe's instructions, he simplified the enthronement ceremony considerably.

"If you doubt someone, don't use them; if you use someone, don't doubt them." Minister Qin was very pleased with Pei Qinghe's attitude of trust and respect.

Minister Qin bowed and accepted the order, then smiled and said, "The dragon robe is ready and will be delivered this afternoon. Please try it on, General. If there are any imperfections, we can make alterations."

Pei Qinghe nodded with a smile.

Over the past six months, Minister Qin recruited more than a dozen skilled embroiderers from the Wang family's embroidery workshop to work together to create this specially made dragon robe. It differs greatly from the emperor's dragon robe worn during the Jingchao era. The color is black, with nine dragons embroidered in gold thread, creating a striking contrast that is both majestic and magnificent.

After trying it on, Pei Qinghe stood silently for a long time, looking at her familiar yet unfamiliar reflection in the mirror.

My heart was naturally surging with emotion.

She had tens of thousands of loyal Pei family soldiers, numerous civil and military officials who followed and supported her, and countless people who supported and loved her.

Her throne was not seized, but earned through honest and fair struggle.

This world, at least the northern lands, already belongs to her.

She no longer needed to bow to anyone; she could stand tall and decide her own path with ease. No one could control or sway her destiny anymore. Yet, she felt somewhat uneasy and bewildered.

She is walking a path no one has ever walked before. Can she truly walk this path steadily, living up to the expectations of those around her, the people, and the nation?

Pei Qinghe, you must not be arrogant, self-righteous, or make any mistakes.

No matter what, you must remember your original aspirations, don't let power go to your head, and don't let the throne trap you.

Pei Qinghe closed her eyes and silently repeated the words several times in her mind. When she opened her eyes again, her expression had returned to calm and composure. She called Pei Yan over and, amidst Pei Yan's exclamations of surprise, instructed, "Have someone go and tell Minister Qin that the dragon robe fits perfectly and there is no need for alterations."

Pei Yan's eyes were practically glued to Pei Qinghe: "Yes, I'll have Fei Lin go right away. Cousin Qinghe, this dragon robe suits you so well. So imposing! So majestic! And so stunningly beautiful!"

Pei Qinghe smiled, pursing her lips.

……

After a busy day, things finally quiet down a bit in the evening.

The guards who had changed shifts were called into a room. The room contained tables, chairs, pens, and ink, and each table also had a simple book on it.

Pei Yue understood immediately: "They drill in the morning, work during the day, and study at night!" That's how they lived in Pei Family Village, and they were used to it.

They're being treated like livestock!

Fei Lin thought to himself, and couldn't help but curl the corner of his mouth in disapproval.

Suddenly, Song Dalang nudged him with his elbow. Fei Lin was caught off guard and glared at him angrily: "Why did you hit me for no reason?"

Song Dalang was speechless, and his lips twitched.

Fei Lin then realized that everyone was looking at him, including General Pei, who had just stepped in.

Fei Lin: "..."

Fei Lin really wanted to slap himself, his face turning red with embarrassment.

Pei Qinghe withdrew his gaze and said to the guards, "I have some free time tonight, so I will teach you to read military books. If I am not free in the future, I will have Yang Huai teach you to read military books. Or I will ask Prime Minister Pang and Vice Minister Qin to take turns to teach you to read history books."

Fei Lin instantly regained his breathing and his eyes shone brightly.

Coming from a military family, though somewhat arrogant, he certainly possesses considerable insight. General Pei isn't recruiting personal guards; he's cultivating true military commanders!

What merit or ability did he possess to be the first to enter the Imperial Guard?

Song Dalang was equally excited. He had long expected that the emperor's personal guards would receive extraordinary treatment, but he had not expected that General Pei would personally teach them martial arts and military strategy.

Even Pei Yue and other young men and women, who were direct descendants of the Pei clan, were filled with joy and excitement.

Pei Qinghe frequently led troops into battle, and in the past two or three years, he had spent very little time in Pei Family Village. It wasn't easy for them to see him. Now, having joined the Imperial Guard, they could be by Pei Qinghe's side every day, and their cousin was even personally teaching them to read and practice martial arts. This was too wonderful and blissful!

An hour later, everyone stopped laughing.

Pei Qinghe's face darkened, her gaze sharp as a dagger: "You only learned two pages today. Pei Yue, you recite them first."

(End of this chapter)