Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 86 Different
General Meng stared coldly at Pei Qinghe and slowly said, "Over the past year, His Highness the Crown Prince has written to me several times, instructing me to take care of the Pei family. Without the support and protection of the Beiping Army, how could the Pei family be where we are today? How will Sixth Miss Pei repay this kindness?"

Pei Qinghe and General Meng exchanged glances: "General Meng can't possibly be unaware of what I write in the letters I send to the Crown Prince every month."

"I devised a plan for His Highness the Crown Prince to deal with the Prince of Wei, and His Highness the Crown Prince ordered the Beiping Army to take care of the Pei family. We are even now, so why talk about favors?"

"Furthermore, during the change of the throne, the court is in turmoil and bloodshed. Even if I, the daughter of a disgraced official, went to the capital with General Meng, I would only be throwing my head away."

"General Meng should be loyal and lead five thousand men to their deaths. Why drag a teenage girl into it?"

"Furthermore, Your Highness, your officials are a bunch of greedy parasites. With the flood raging, instead of thinking about how to help the starving people, they embezzled large sums of money and grain, causing the disaster relief efforts to be ineffective. Hundreds of thousands of people have starved to death, and countless others have died from the plague. Does Your Highness know absolutely nothing about this?"

"Either he knows perfectly well what's going on, yet he allows the officials of the Eastern Palace faction to fight for power. Or he is too foolish and has been deceived by his ministers. Either way, the Emperor has ample reason to depose the Crown Prince."

General Meng was a general who had fought on the battlefield, but he was not good at verbal sparring, and soon he was speechless.

Pei Qinghe continued, "Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together. General Meng is about to lead his troops on their journey, so I will not disturb him any longer. Finally, I would like to offer General Meng one last piece of advice: leave one of your sons in the military camp. He can carry on the Meng family line and also endure hardship to avenge his father and brothers."

After saying this, he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, turned, and left.

General Meng's eyes flashed with anger: "Pei Qinghe! If I insist on taking you with me, what will you do?"

Pei Qinghe readily turned around and said, "If General Meng insists on taking me with him, I will go. I beg the general to be lenient and spare the women, children and elderly of the Pei family."

General Meng was speechless again.

He took a few deep breaths and said in a deep voice, "The Crown Prince is the heir apparent of the dynasty and is the popular choice. The Emperor is incompetent and tyrannical. With just one imperial edict, he can abolish the dynasty's legitimacy. Loyal and righteous armies from all over the country will follow my example and lead their troops to the capital to cleanse the court of corrupt officials and restore order."

"If you go with me, on the day His Highness the Crown Prince ascends the throne, you will be a meritorious official who helped him, and you will marry the Prince of Zhangwu and become the Crown Princess of the Eastern Palace."

Pei Qinghe said calmly, "Only by surviving can we have a future."

"Pei Qinghe, I hope you won't regret your choice today."

"I offer the same words to General Meng."

Pei Qinghe walked away.

General Meng took a few deep breaths to suppress his anger and coldly summoned his sons into the military tent. General Meng had six sons in total; three died young, and four died in battle. His eldest son, Meng Dalang, was twenty-eight, his second son was twenty-six, and his fifth son was twenty. The youngest, Meng Liulang, was only seventeen.

Meng Dalang has one daughter, Meng Erlang has no children, and his fifth and sixth sons are still unmarried. Although Pei Qinghe's words were harsh, General Meng took them to heart.

"I will lead the troops out today, Liu Lang, you will stay in the camp."

Meng Liulang was startled and suddenly looked up: "Father! I'll go with you!"

General Meng, seething with pent-up anger, unleashed a torrent of fury: "Shut the hell up! I told you to stay, so stay. If you utter another word, I'll personally give you a beating with a military rod."

Meng Liulang's body trembled. The beating he received three months ago, which kept him lying on the bed for more than half a month, was etched in his memory.

General Meng looked at his eldest son: "You immediately relay my order: the entire army will set off in two hours."

……

Dede! Dede!
Pei Qinghe had already spurred her horse out of the military camp. Pei Yan and the others followed on horseback. They galloped for dozens of miles before finally resting when both men and horses were exhausted. Pei Yan asked in a low voice, "Cousin Qinghe, what exactly did General Meng send you here for?"

Mao Hongling was also full of doubts. Their coming and going in such a hurry must have meant something serious had happened. However, Pei Qinghe was unwilling to say more: "I'll tell you when we get back."

He rode back to Peijia Village in two days.

Pei Qinghe summoned everyone. The eldest was Li Shi, Wu Xiuniang was in charge of money and grain, Fang Shi was in charge of the kitchen, Zhao Hai was in charge of the stables, and Doctor Bao was in charge of the pharmacy. There were also the capable soldiers Mao Hongling, Pei Yun, and Pei Yan, the younger Pei Xuan and Pei Feng, as well as Pei Jia, Pei Yi, Fang Datou, Feng Chang, and Gu Lian.

The key figures of Peijia Village are all here.

Pei Qinghe remained expressionless as she recounted the events of the Crown Prince's deposition and General Meng's campaign to purge the court of corrupt officials.

Pei Jia and the others were completely bewildered, clearly not understanding what such a major national event had to do with them.

Despite being deaf and blind, Lady Li reacted the fastest: "Trouble is brewing within the palace, and the court is in complete chaos."

Wu Xiuniang, who came from a prominent family, was quite insightful: "The Emperor has deposed the Crown Prince and wants to establish the Prince of Wei as the new ruler. However, the Crown Prince has been the heir apparent for many years and has many loyal civil and military officials under his command. Upon hearing the news, General Meng is not the only one who will lead troops to rush to the capital. There may also be powerful and treacherous families with ulterior motives taking advantage of the chaos to establish their own regimes, and bandits and outlaws stirring up trouble."

Pei Yun frowned slightly and quietly continued, "With internal strife, I'm afraid the northern border will also be unstable. The Xiongnu and the eastern Xianbei are both eyeing us covetously. Once the border falls into chaos..."

Needless to say, everyone immediately pictured scenes of chaos and devastation in the nation.

Having experienced the ravages of war, Feng Chang's face was extremely grim. He muttered to himself, "Changping County is six or seven hundred li from the border, so it should be safe. If something does happen, we'll take our food and hide in the mountains."

Pei Qinghe said, "This is the last and worst-case scenario. We haven't reached that point yet. Don't be afraid, everyone. The sky won't fall. Even if it does, I'll be the one to hold it up first."

Yes!

Even if the sky were to fall and the earth were to collapse, Pei Qinghe would lead them to fight their way out.

Everyone turned to look at Pei Qinghe.

"What do we need to do now?" Pei Yan asked carelessly, "Just tell us what to do, Qinghe. We'll do whatever you say."

Pei Qinghe nodded slightly and made the arrangements in a low voice.

Continue recruiting refugees and intensify their training into soldiers. With chaos looming, a strong military is the greatest asset for self-preservation.

They needed to sneak into the mountains and forests to find a secluded place, store a batch of food and weapons, and use it as a means of retreat.

In addition, a message was sent to the Shi family, reminding the young master to stockpile large quantities of grain in preparation for the chaos of war. A message was also sent to the Changping County government office, reminding Magistrate Wang to be wary of unruly civilians and bandits.

Everyone accepted their orders and dispersed, but Pei Yun deliberately stayed behind. She looked at Pei Qinghe's delicate and spirited face: "Qinghe, you still haven't told me what General Meng wants you to do. It's not that he wants you to go to the capital with him to rescue the Crown Prince, is it?"

Pei Yun was indeed a clever person; she actually guessed it.

Pei Qinghe nodded: "That's true. However, I have already refused. The men of the Pei family have all died for the Crown Prince, and we should not be buried with him."

(End of this chapter)