Without money, what is the point of being a traitor?

Chapter 114: The Dream Prisoner of the Imperial Ceremony
The good brother who was particular about his work did not answer.

But the system messages still arrive honestly and in a timely manner.

——Debt of favor:
——Debts Receivable (1/1): Lu Ting appreciates your decision to give up the pursuit. The two failed raids have made him very interested in you. You can use this debt of favor to forcefully make a request. Out of appreciation, Lu Ting will fulfill your expectations with a high degree of completion.

Pei Yuan was stunned. Is it really that particular?
This was the first time Pei Yuan came across the concept of "high degree of completion".

In other words, the forced requirements made previously can only guarantee feasibility, but it remains to be seen whether the other party will take it seriously.

Is this the charm of the combination of gratitude and appreciation?

Then Pei Yuan began to weigh the value of this favor in a very mercenary way.

Even though it is a debt of gratitude, the value it represents is certainly different for different people.

This Lu Ting... Pei Yuan was wondering about his identity.

From the current perspective, this person is responsible for the siege of their troops.

Being able to participate in such a confidential matter, mobilizing so many troops, and dare to kill people wantonly, I think this person should be a person in the circle of power.

When the critical moment comes, maybe I can find Lu Ting to save my life.

At the very least, the fact that we can use maps to track his location at any time is already worth it.

The outcome is still unknown, whether it is intentional or not.

Pei Yuan thought of his fair-faced and beardless appearance again, and suddenly something moved in his heart.

Could it be that this "fine brother" is someone from the palace?
As soon as his mind opened up, Pei Yuan immediately had a vague impression.

It seems that a few years ago, the King of Turpan, Suotan Ali, took advantage of the fact that the Hami Kingdom was extinct and abducted the Queen Mother of Hami and stole the golden seal of King Zhongshun.

The Ming court was very unhappy about this and repeatedly issued orders to border officials to send troops to restore Hami.

The border guards were fed up with being urged, so they planned a not-so-successful raid not long ago.

After several twists and turns, although Hami City was finally captured, the main force of Turpan was not severely damaged.

Fortunately, Turpan also felt that the Ming Dynasty was not easy to mess with, so it surrendered and everyone was happy.

The border officials beheaded sixty people, recovered the country, and were promoted to higher positions.

Later, the border officials discussed the matter and felt a little embarrassed.

I think the situation of the new Hami King is still a bit indecent.

Although he has all the python robes, colorful ribbons, crowns, and golden seals, someone still has to cook for him...

It's impossible for the King of Hami to have no one to talk to.

So the border officials selected two thousand ethnic minorities from the Ming people in Ganzhou, gave them cattle, horses, food, cloth, and farm tools, and sent them to Hami City.

A brand new and legendary Hami Kingdom has risen again!

The young Lu Ting, as the eunuch guarding Ganzhou, happened to catch this good opportunity.

Although he didn't get much specific credit, his resume is so impressive!
One day, the HR in the palace was checking the files and when they saw Lu Ting’s information, they were immediately attracted by two qualities: “talent in commanding troops” (the sixty beheadings were not mentioned) and “ability to restore the country” (the Ming people made up the numbers but did not mention it).

Isn’t this the dream love prison that the entire Silijian has been waiting for?

Therefore, as a eunuch with the qualities to reach the top, Lu Ting first went to Xuanda to gain experience, and then was recalled to the capital by the emperor to be reused.

That's just not right.

Pei Yuan was thinking about Lu Ting's affairs.

It seems that this father-in-law is on the rise...

He remembered that in the seventh year of Zhengde, the emperor became more and more impatient with the useless Gu Dayong. Not only did he remove Gu Dayong from his position as the head of the Western Factory, he also let Eunuch Lu, who had the "talent to command troops" and "the power to restore the country", take over Gu Dayong's military supervisor.

Eunuch Lu also arrived at the right time. The rebels in Bazhou were made suspicious by the earthquake in the capital, and their morale was low. They dared not approach Beijing again.

The rebels' escape to the south immediately gave the imperial troops an opportunity to take action.

So Lu Ting readily accepted the credit for suppressing the rebellion.

At the end of the war, four people were awarded first-class merit.

——Eunuch Lu Ting, General Qiu Yue, Chief Censor Lu Wan, and Chief Censor Peng Ze.

Ranked in order.

Gu Dayong has no use at all.

After the army returned to the capital, Gu Dayong relied on constant begging to force Emperor Zhengde to remember his hard work and add him to the reward list.

Thinking of this, Pei Yuan suddenly felt that this favor was precious.

I, Captain Pei, already have my own Prime Minister, so why can't I have my own eunuch who holds the seal of the Imperial Household Department?

Although Emperor Zhengde liked to use old ministers, Lu Ting could not completely suppress people like Zhang Yong, Gu Dayong, and Qiu Ju, but Pei Yuan could completely take advantage of it first, and then make his own move after a few years when Emperor Jiajing ascended the throne.

Pei Yuan thought about it for a long time and felt that he could try to get in touch with Lu Ting.

If Lu Ting doesn't comply, he will have no choice but to castrate that bastard Cheng Leixiang and send him to jail.

Thinking of Cheng Leixiang, Pei Yuan quickly opened the creditor map to look for Cheng Leixiang.

Pei Yuan breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the creditor's name was still there. He looked more carefully and found that he was not far away.

At this time, Sikong Sui came up and asked breathlessly, "Captain, what's going on now? Please give me your instructions."

Pei Yuan didn't have time to look for Cheng Leixiang. He looked around and saw that the front of the post station had been destroyed beyond recognition.

Tantai Fangtu can be described as a terrain destroyer. The originally compacted land has almost been turned over.

On the uneven and bumpy ground, there were pits blasted by Pei Yuan, scattered burning sparks, and more were earth and rocks thrown by Tan Tai Fangtu, and collapses caused by the absorption of soil.

Pei Yuan asked Sikong Sui, "Have you counted the casualties?"

Si Kong Sui had already known the result before he came over. He said with a grim expression, "There are 117 people in total, 42 of them died, and the survivors all had some minor injuries."

Pei Yuan didn't know what to say.

Even Han Liu can’t be blamed for this.

It was the imperial court that employed them, and it was also the imperial court that betrayed them.

Basically, from the moment the decision was made to let Zhenxie Qianhu escort the silver, it was destined that these people would be regarded as victims by the court.

Pei Yuan certainly knew that there was still hope, but how could he say it? Could he say it clearly?
Pei Yuan could unscrupulously tell Song Chunniang, Cheng Leixiang and Chen Toutie that he was going to take revenge and punish the Ming court. Moreover, the more severe the price the court paid in the early stage, the more benefits Pei Yuan could gain when the Suzhou camp switched.

But he couldn't say this to Sikong Sui and Tantai Fangtu.

Because the three general flags and Pei Yuan are one, they prosper together and suffer together.

What about Sikong Sui and Tantai Fangtu? And what about the Jinyiwei soldiers?
They are the price.

Pei Yuan can shamelessly feed the three general flags with chicken soup, but he can't feed the chickens with it as well.

He changed the subject and asked Sikong Sui, "What are the casualties of the other side?"

Sikong Sui replied, "Including the wounded who were left behind, there should be about 140 to 150 people. I didn't count them carefully."

Pei Yuan replied, "We can't interrogate them or ask questions. What's the point of keeping the wounded?" Sikong Sui had an idea in mind and replied again, "One hundred and forty to fifty people died."

Pei Yuan had an idea, so he said, "I still have use for these bodies. Anyway, my whereabouts have been exposed, so there is no need to worry too much. I remember that the military order given this time allowed me to recruit yamen runners from nearby prefectures and counties, right?"

Sikong Sui also had a general understanding of the situation of this mission and nodded.

Pei Yuan ordered, "How about this, when it's daybreak, go to Yixing County and recruit a group of yamen runners. Also recruit some carts, lime, and straw mats to transport these corpses and go to Suzhou with us."

"Bringing a corpse?" Sikong Sui looked embarrassed. Not only would this thing stink, but it could also cause an epidemic if one wasn't careful.

"Well, it's cold now, so it won't stink for a while. Sprinkle more lime on it and find more runners to help with the transportation."

Sikong Sui just obeyed, "Okay, I'll arrange it right away."

As the two were talking, Tan Tai Fang Tu came over with a tired look on his face.

In today's battle, he suffered a lot of damage and almost fought for his life.

Even Tan Tai Fang Tu himself felt that if Captain Pei didn't praise him well, he would not be a human being.

Pei Yuan was very satisfied with Tan Tai Fang Tu's performance, so he said to him, "Tan Tai Bai Hu, take a good rest quickly, you are the first to achieve success today!"

Tan Tai Fang Tu was happy for a while, but then she became a little bored. "Ah, what's the point of talking about the first achievement? I'm old."

Pei Yuan saw that the Jinyiwei were cleaning up the battlefield in an orderly manner, and he wanted to get close to Tan Tai Fang Tu, so he asked, "Tan Tai Bai Hu is very capable."

Tan Tai Fang Tu shook his head and sighed.

Pei Yuan thought of what Lu Ting had said just now, and asked again tentatively, "I just heard people over there shouting, saying that it was some evil magic of the Five Elements Flag back then. What does that mean?"

Tan Tai Fang Tu then reluctantly said, "The Qian Hu is not an outsider, so there is no need to hide this from you. In the early years when we were tracking down the remnants of the Ming Cult, the Qian Hu Office once got some good things from a Taoist temple. Later, when rewards were given for meritorious service, some people started to learn it."

"I specialize in earth training, and I can only say that I have made some progress."

Pei Yuan inexplicably thought in his mind that all five hundred households of this thousand households corresponded exactly to the five elements. Could there really be some meaning behind this?
Then Pei Yuan reacted and looked at Sikong Sui questioningly.

"Well, what's your skill? Why didn't you get up just now?"

It doesn't make sense that Tan Tai Fang Tu is so powerful, but Si Kong Sui, a centurion at the same level, is so useless?

Could it be that this guy was hiding his abilities just now?
Sikong was embarrassed and didn't want to say anything.

Now Pei Yuan really took it to heart.

If I don't figure it out, what will I do if I get tricked by this guy in the future?
Pei Yuan's tone became a little more serious. "Tell me in detail, otherwise how can I use you in the future?"

Seeing Pei Yuan's attitude, Sikong Sui knew that it would be unreasonable if he didn't explain anything.

He waved his hand and asked the Jinyiwei who were nearby to go and do their work further away.

Song Chunniang was temporarily serving as Pei Yuan's bodyguard, so she naturally ignored this.

Fortunately, Sikong Sui knew what was going on and didn't care about it.

After the people left, he said bitterly, "I studied the Wood Element, which is called Spring brings all things to life. Unfortunately, I didn't learn it well."

Pei Yuan said, "Come and see the trial performance."

The tone was still serious and did not allow for rejection.

Sikong Sui had already made plans to embarrass himself, so it didn't matter.

Anyway, one of them is a boss who will know about it sooner or later, and the other is an old friend who already knows about it.

So he silently practiced the method, and soon a tender branch grew out from his head, with a small flower bud and a few broken leaves on it.

Pei Yuan was stunned. "What the hell is this?"

Sikong Sui sighed and closed his eyes.

Tantai Fangtu explained, "As long as there is sunlight, you won't feel hungry even if you don't eat for a day."

Pei Yuan stared at Tan Tai Fang Tu blankly, "What else?"

Tan Tai Fang Tu was very straightforward, "No, that's all he can do."

Pei Yuan kept the word "waste" in his mouth without spitting it out.

He understood now. No wonder Sikong Sui was the first to speak up whenever something happened.

Since his fighting ability is not good, he can only develop horizontally.

Pei Yuan concluded, "That is to say, the other three centurions correspond to fire, water, and gold, right?"

Tan Tai Fang Tu hesitated for a moment and said, "Well, it's better for Qian Hu to ask them himself."

Pei Yuan saw that Tan Tai Fang Tu was not a nosy person. He thought about it and asked a question that Tan Tai Fang Tu could not refuse, "What was Yuan Lang like before?"

Tan Tai Fang Tu hesitated for a moment, then thought that Yuan Lang had already died in Linqing City, so there was nothing to hide.

"Yuan Lang practices the Metal Element. His body has become as strong as a piece of iron and indestructible."

"Hmm..." Pei Yuan was silent.

From this, we can see what level of ability Liu Qi had to be able to kill Yuan Lang in battle.

Pei Yuan and the other two were so shameless that they dared to say that they defeated Liu Qi and took away the sword.

Fortunately, the number of households has increased from a hundred to a thousand, so Pei Yuan no longer worries about these things.

In another half a year, when Liu Qi dies, Captain Pei can also pat his chest and say that he is as brave as Liu Qi.

After all, in the battle of Hami, sixty heads were beheaded, and his family members were promoted to high positions, so that high-ranking officials like the Right General were promoted.

Pei Yuan thought about it and asked the most crucial question, "Can I let Cheng Leixiang and Chen Toutie learn this method?"

Tan Tai Fang Tu didn't care. "As long as the merits are sufficient and Han Qianhu is willing to nod his head, it will be fine. But this also depends on your aptitude and understanding."

As he said this, he glanced at Sikong Sui obliquely.

Pei Yuan understood.

However, there are many people in this world who are qualified and understanding. The real difficulty lies in getting Han Qianhu to nod.

Sikong Sui asked, "Sir, don't you plan to learn it yourself? With your status and position, as well as your achievements in the past few days, I'm sure Han Qianhu will not refuse as long as you ask."

Pei Yuan had already been awakened by the crossbow from the bed.

"I think that this thousand households should grasp the overall situation and help everyone better."

As he spoke, Pei Yuan's eyes wandered and he shouted, "Chen Toutie, come here!"

Upon hearing the sound, Chen Toutie dropped the work at hand and rushed over.

"Come on, let's go find Cheng Leixiang." Pei Yuanduo instructed, "Bring your weapons with you."

Chen Toutie responded.

Speaking of Cheng Leixiang, Pei Yuan's heart skipped a beat.

That guy Yue Qingfeng is still hiding something in his sleeves.

What exactly is the mechanism of this torn cassock?
Wouldn’t that guy suddenly jump out when I’m sleeping in the middle of the night?
We have to deal with this problem first!
(End of this chapter)