Snail Village, Pei Mansion
When Pei Zi Yun opened his eyes, Ye Su 'er let out a soft moan, her body flushed red. She turned around and hugged Pei Zi Yun. She rubbed her face against his chest, "Brother Pei, I am finally your wife."
Hearing Ye Su 'er's words, Pei Zi Yun cupped her face in his hands and kissed her on her forehead, "Me too."
A serving maid knocked on the door, "Young Master, Young Mistress, Old Mistress is waiting for you."
Hearing this, Ye Su 'er's face turned red. Pei Zi Yun leaned in and whispered into her ear, "Wake up, we still have to serve tea."
Ye Su 'er replied softly, "Ok."
The both of them got out of bed and put on their clothes before walking to the main hall. They saw Pei Qian Shi sitting in the middle of the hall, looking to be in a good mood. A serving maid had already prepared tea for them. Ye Su 'er stepped forward to receive the tea and knelt down to serve it to Pei Zi Yun.
Pei Qian Shi took the tea and took a sip. She then looked at Ye Su 'er and nodded her head, indicating that the ceremony was over. She then said to Pei Zi Yun, "You and Su' er are now tied. Let's go to the ancestral hall and tell your father about this."
Pei Zi Yun listened and replied, "Yes, mother, this is the right thing to do."
"Men, prepare the offerings, incense, and paper money." Pei Zi Yun instructed. Immediately, someone obeyed. Before long, the family of three arrived at the ancestral hall.
The walls of the ancestral hall were painted white, and there were two small stone lions in front of the door. They looked very dignified. In the past, it was a little difficult to use them, but now it was more than enough.
"Old Mistress, you're here."
A member of the Pei family stepped forward to greet them. He was about fifty years old, and looked very thin. Now that the ancestral hall had been built, there were also fifty mu of farmland. Naturally, it was necessary to arrange for the clan members to guard it. This was his third uncle.
Pei Zi Yun did not mind as the three of them entered the ancestral hall. The ancestral hall had been built for more than two years, and the moment they entered, they could see a white mist with a tinge of red. They knew that this was the Qi of the ancestral hall.
Of course, the Pei Clan, not to mention Goldwater Island, had a thousand mu of land around it. There were more than ten clansmen in the vicinity, and it was only natural that they would have such an aura. However, there weren't many memorial tablets. There was only one in the middle, and it was marked as Pei Yuan Shen, the Minister of Literature. He was Pei Zi Yun's father.
Pei Qian Shi took out some candles, paper money and wine. She poured the wine and placed it in front of him before burning the joss paper. Smoke swirled around the room as Pei Qian Shi said, "Husband, after you've been gone for so many years, Pei 'er has grown up and is now married. Pei' er has a bright future ahead of him, and the life he's leading now is something that I never would have imagined. It's time for you to rest in peace."
As she spoke, she started to cry. Pei Zi Yun, Pei Qian Shi and Ye Su'er kowtowed to the Deity Tablet and lit up the incense. They then took a few steps back and bowed again, marking the completion of the ceremony.
Pei Zi Yun thought for some time before saying, "I shall allocate another hundred taels of silver to the school."
Third uncle thanked him profusely. Pei Zi Yun smiled and nodded his head before walking out. He noticed that the sky was getting darker and darker, as though it was covered by clouds. Just as he was about to speak, he saw a cavalryman riding a horse towards the ancestral hall. When he reached the hall, he dismounted and bowed to Pei Zi Yun. He then handed him a document and said, "Dao Master, the Imperial Envoy and the Governor are about to arrive."
"They're fast." Pei Zi Yun picked up the document and looked at it. He then laughed and instructed, "Half of you, escort the Old Mistress and Mistress back to the sect."
"Yes, Dao Master." The leader of the bodyguards acknowledged. Pei Zi Yun sighed and turned around to mount his horse. He then turned to Ye Su'er and Pei Qian Shi, "Mother, Su'er, wait for me to return."
"My son, just go ahead." Pei Qian Shi looked at Pei Zi Yun and said. Ye Su'er's face was filled with longing and anticipation, "Husband, go ahead. Come back soon."
Pei Zi Yun turned around and sprinted off, with the rest of his bodyguards following behind him. He sprinted all the way to the village road and arrived at the river bank. His eyes lit up when he saw that the boat had already been prepared. A sharp-eyed soldier saw Pei Zi Yun approaching and shouted out, "Old master is here!"
Everyone hurriedly welcomed him. Pei Zi Yun heard that the moment he got married, he had changed from a Young Master to an Old Master. He couldn't help but laugh to himself. He then waved his hands, "I told you to prepare. Have you finished?"
A middle aged man who was the captain of the boat hurriedly replied, "We've finished preparing. Old Master has treated us generously. He gave us land on Golden Island and even rewarded us with silver. We are extremely grateful. How would we dare not do our best?"
Pei Zi Yun laughed out and said, "Now that you've finished preparing, we shall set off immediately. We shall follow the waterway to the estuary and then head to the city's pier."
"Yes!" The captain replied loudly before the boat set off. Pei Zi Yun turned back to look at Snail Village with a look of reluctance. He then sighed heavily.
The entire journey was silent. After ten days of sailing, they finally arrived at the city's pier. It was much easier to travel by boat than by land. When they arrived at the pier, they saw that although the war had only been over for a month, the sea trade was already open. Many boats were heading towards the pier. Pei Zi Yun and his bodyguards disembarked from the boat. Someone then welcomed them and said, "Dao Master has come at the right time. We've received orders from the Imperial Envoy to arrive today."
"What a coincidence." Pei Zi Yun saw that a large number of officials were already waiting for him. Before long, someone reported, "The Prefecture Prince is here!"
Pei Zi Yun then said, "Let us go welcome him as well."
As he said this, he walked forward and saw Prefecture Prince Cheng Shun and Count Zhong Qin alight from the carriage. A group of bodyguards surrounded them. Count Zhong Qin smiled and said, "So Dao Master has arrived. Since the Imperial Envoy has arrived today, Dao Master's rewards should be here as well."
"Dao Master Pei, you've finally arrived. I was a little worried. If I missed the Imperial Envoy, it would be rude of me." Prefecture Prince Cheng Shun's eyes lit up. Before he could finish speaking, a voice rang out from the front, "The Imperial Envoy is here."
This voice interrupted Prefecture Prince Cheng Shun's speech. Everyone stopped talking and arranged themselves according to the order in which they looked out at the sea. They could see that the sea was clear and blue, with waves crashing against the shore. Flocks of seagulls flew up and down, and they could vaguely see the Imperial Envoy's boat.
The Imperial Envoy's boat was getting closer and closer to the shore. Count Zhong Qin gave an order, and the music started playing. When the boat reached the shore, the anchor was lowered and the bridge was built. The Imperial Envoy and a middle-aged man came ashore, and three cannons were fired, causing the entire shore to shake. Even Prefecture Prince Cheng Shun himself knelt down.
At this point, the music stopped, and the entire shore was filled with a clear voice, "Your subjects and the officials of Ying Prefecture pay their respects to the Emperor!"
"Pay your respects to the Emperor!" The eunuch spoke solemnly as he walked to the incense table, "Receive the Imperial Edict!"
The middle-aged man looked gentle and refined, with a sharp look in his eyes. He turned around and knelt down as well. Everyone knelt down and shouted, "Long live the Emperor. Long live the Emperor."
"By the will of the heavens, the Emperor's Imperial Edict …." The eunuch read out loud, "Ever since I became the Emperor, I have brought peace and prosperity to the people. I thought that all the officials under the heavens would be grateful to me. Who would have thought that there would be traitors plotting a rebellion and causing chaos in Ying Prefecture …."
"Fortunately, Prefecture Prince Cheng Shun led his troops to quell the rebellion. With the help of Reverend Qi Ning and Count Zhong Qin, we were able to quell the rebellion. Today, we shall be punished. How can we be stingy with our rewards?"
At this point, the eunuch swallowed his saliva and continued reading.
The middle aged man, Li Jin, was appointed as the Governor of Ying Prefecture. Immediately after that, he announced the promotions of all the lower and middle ranking officials. He announced all of them at once, except for Prince Cheng Shun, Pei Zi Yun and Count Zhong Qin. He did not announce the rewards immediately. He then said, "Prince Cheng Shun, Dao Master Qi Ning, Count Zhong Qin, Chen Yong, Meng Yao and the others are to report back to the capital immediately.
As soon as he finished speaking, the eunuch smiled, "Your Highness, Reverend Qi Ning, Count Zhong Qin and General Chen, the Emperor has issued an Imperial Edict for all of you to head back to the capital as soon as possible."
"Your subject obeys the Imperial Edict!" The few of them kowtowed deeply.
As soon as they agreed, Pei Zi Yun felt his body relax. Although he wasn't very close to it, he had been following him all this while. Suddenly, he felt a sense of loss. Even with Pei Zi Yun's temperament, he still felt a sense of loss.
'Ai, if the Emperor can give, then naturally he can take.'
Pei Zi Yun thought to himself. Everyone else had their own thoughts as well. According to the Imperial Edict, Pei Zi Yun was second only to the Prefecture Prince. Count Zhong Qin was next, and Chen Yong was next. Li Jin, who had just been appointed as the Governor, looked at Pei Zi Yun deeply.
Pei Zi Yun had a feeling as he looked at him. When their eyes met, Li Jin turned his head away.
The eunuch smiled, "Your Highness, Count Zhong Qin, Reverend Qi Ning, Generals, there's a banquet on the ship. Please board and enjoy. His Majesty has summoned us urgently, and this servant did not dare to delay. This is the only thing I can do."
Hearing this, Royal Prince Chengshun nodded his head and said, "Yes, Zhenren, Boye, generals, please, we will eat on the boat."
Although Prefecture Prince Cheng Shun was young, he had the demeanor of a prince. Pei Zi Yun did not mind and replied, "Of course, your Highness, please."
The few of them followed the eunuchs, and the generals who had been named also followed. The imperial envoy's ship was very big; they walked along the clean deck and entered the main hall. A banquet had already been prepared, the maids were respectfully waiting, and not far away, the stage had already been set up.
"Play!"
"Backup dancers!"
"Set sail!"
When it was time for the banquet, the eunuchs gave the order, the dancers came forward to dance, the maids served the wine, the imperial envoy's ship also immediately set off. The ship shook slightly, the big sail was raised.
"Why are you in such a hurry?" Pei Zi Yun sat down and saw that the entire place was decorated with wooden planks. There were fans and pillars carved with stories. Someone was pouring wine for him, but he was not in the mood to look at it. He thought to himself, 'Oh yes, it's the seventh month now. In my previous life, the Emperor had passed away in the eleventh month. His body is probably dying now. No wonder he's in such a rush.'
The eunuchs seemed to know how to act. After a few rounds of drinking, everyone was getting tipsy and relaxed.
"The Emperor is still worried, and this isn't the time for us to be happy!" The eunuchs smiled as he handed the booklet over to Prefecture Prince Cheng Shun, "This is the latest intelligence report, your Highness."
Prefecture Prince Cheng Shun frowned as he opened the booklet. He took a look and remained silent. He then handed it over to Pei Zi Yun, "Dao Master."
Pei Zi Yun took the booklet and read it carefully. His face was solemn, 'So King Lu's army attacked. A commander attacked and was defeated. The commander himself died in battle, and Chang Lin County fell.'
'Xie Cheng Dong and King Lu really have some skills. They even had a banner to lead them to victory. Indeed, they were the Emperors of my previous life. How lucky.'
Pei Zi Yun thought to himself as he continued reading, 'Four thousand captives. King Lu used the Crown Prince's rebellion to imprison his father, and reorganized them into the army. They then charged into the capital city, purged the Emperor, and rescued the Emperor.'
Seeing that everyone was looking at him, Pei Zi Yun didn't speak. He maintained a solemn expression as he handed the booklet over to Count Zhong Qin, "Count, take a look."
Count Zhong Qin received the booklet and started reading it. Prefecture Prince Cheng Shun had a look of anticipation on his face as he looked at Pei Zi Yun, "Dao Master, after reading this, what do you think?"
"The battlefield is ever-changing. If we don't fight, we can't say for sure." Pei Zi Yun's expression was unreadable as he raised his cup and downed the wine.
Although the banquet was being held on the ship, the taste wasn't bad. Prefecture Prince Cheng Shun was filled with hope. Seeing that Pei Zi Yun wasn't commenting, he frowned.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
