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

Chapter 221 You are such a clever kid

Pei Yuan was dazed when he heard Sun Keding's name. Why is this guy here?

Then thinking about this gentleman's character, Pei Yuan suddenly realized a possibility.

Could this guy have abandoned Gu Dayong when he was at his most pitiful and helpless?

I rely on!

You are really...

Gu Dayong was a prominent figure in the Zhengde Dynasty, and he also contributed to the enthronement of Emperor Daojun.

It's just that Emperor Daojun succeeded to the throne as the son of a vassal prince, and he even wanted to make Emperor Hongzhi extinct and make his own father the emperor. To do this, he certainly didn't dare to use the old people who had been in power before.

Despite this, Gu Dayong was able to successfully leave the factory despite the impeachment of the censor, and even followed the path of the former head of the Western Factory, Wang Zhi, in a very ceremonial manner.

——He also went to Nanjing to retire and his official position was also Fengyu.

Later, Emperor Daojun had a falling out with Yang Tinghe's faction, who had welcomed him to the throne. After Yang Tinghe's death, Emperor Jiajing finally couldn't bear it anymore and began to settle accounts with them one by one.

It was only at this time that Gu Dayong's property was confiscated.

Sun Keding was such a lucky eunuch, but he ran away when he was the most pitiful and helpless. This was really not the way to commit suicide.

Pei Yuan sighed, stood up and called, "Let him in."

After Pei Yuan tidied his clothes and sat down in the main room, he saw Sun Keding coming in with a serious look on his face.

Pei Yuan thought that the two of them were close friends, so he didn't put on airs and stood up to greet him, "Brother Sun, how are you?"

As he said this, he let him go and said to the Jinyiwei who followed him in, "Go get some tea."

Before Sun Keding spoke, he sighed, then sat down and said, "My dear brother, it's hard to put it into words!"

Without waiting for Pei Yuan to speak, Sun Keding asked anxiously, "Brother, haven't you heard? Eunuch Gu has fallen!"

"Uh." Pei Yuan thought for a moment and asked calmly, "Really?"

Seeing Pei Yuan's reaction, Sun Keding looked even more stunned, "You really haven't heard of it?"

Pei Yuan asked, "Brother Sun, where did you get this information from?"

Sun Keding replied with a sad face, "When the imperial court came to deliver the decree, I was beside him. The decree clearly stated that all official positions of Gu Dayong were taken away and he was asked to return to the capital to report. And it was not just the deprivation of his official position. I heard from the Jinyiwei who accompanied him to deliver the decree that even the entire Western Factory was gone."

"Just think about it, how angry is the emperor?"

Sun Keding couldn't help but complain when he said this, "I don't think Gu Dayong can accomplish anything. It would be better for him to be a rich man in Jiangnan. I don't know if he will be implicated by this matter."

The implication of these words was that he blamed Pei Yuan for dragging him into this pirate ship.

Pei Yuan didn't care about that and asked in amazement, "So, you ran away in front of Gu Dayong?"

"Not really." Sun Keding accurately corrected Pei Yuan's words, "I ran when he turned his back."

Pei Yuan was speechless.

You're such a damn smart kid.

Such a thick thigh was kicked twice by you.

Pei Yuan thought of this and suddenly came to his senses. He quickly stood up from his seat and asked, "Brother Sun, do you know what happened to Eunuch Gu later?"

Seeing Pei Yuan so excited, Sun Keding was a little puzzled at first, but then he remembered that Pei Yuan's backer was Gu Dayong.

He said, "I heard that Eunuch Gu was dissatisfied with Lu Ting and insisted that a treacherous minister had slandered the emperor. As long as the emperor came to his senses, he would definitely use him again. So Eunuch Gu stayed in the army and sent someone to the court to plead for mercy."

"But it's easier said than done."

Sun Keding shook his head as he spoke.

He had already thought about these things clearly on the way.

So he said to Pei Yuan, "Even if civil servants like us lose power occasionally, we have teachers, fellow townsmen, and peers who can help and support each other. As long as one of us gains power, there will always be a chance to make a comeback. The world is so big, there is always a place for us to be accommodated."

"But what about Gu Dayong? There are only so many places in such a small palace, and how many people are watching?"

"Once these eunuchs lose power, they will have no choice but to die. The newcomers must prevent him from reviving, and his former enemies will also take advantage of his misfortune."

"Think about what happened to Liu Jin after he was overthrown by Zhang Yong? Lingchi death!"

"Gu Dayong is so ignorant of life and death that he still dares to stay in the army. When that eunuch Lu Ting comes, it might be the end of Gu Dayong's life."

Perhaps it was because Liu Jin was mentioned that Sun Keding immediately thought of himself as a remnant of Liu Jin and how he was stripped of his official position at the first opportunity.

Sun Keding couldn't help feeling sad.

It would have been fine if she was a eunuch, but I didn't expect that she would follow two eunuchs, and neither of them was useful.

When Pei Yuan heard that Gu Dayong was so miserable, he felt even more angry.

Eunuch Gu, Eunuch Gu, I will now let you see what it means to have white jade pillars supporting the sky and purple gold beams spanning the sea!

Wait for me to pick you up on the colorful cloud!
A series of plans to "save eunuch Dayong" immediately emerged in Pei Yuan's mind.

Not only did he have to bring Dayong back to his beloved emperor, but he also had to help the Head of the West Factory to a new position and give him a ride!
Pei Yuan was too lazy to pay attention to Sun Keding's complaints. He immediately slammed the table and said, "Eunuch Gu is in such a predicament, how can I sit by and watch? I will go to pay my respects to Eunuch Gu right now."

Sun Keding was shocked when he heard this, "Brother, are you serious?"

Pei Yuan originally did not want to bring along Che, a ruthless and cold-hearted man, but after thinking about it, he realized that there was really no one else around him who could be used. Putting Sun Keding next to Gu Dayong might have a miraculous effect.

Pei Yuan knew that other tricks would be useless to Sun Keding, as he only cared about benefits.

So he asked Sun Keding, "Is it because of his talent that Gu Dayong was able to command an army of more than 200,000 and take charge of military affairs?"

Sun Keding shook his head and laughed, "Brother, you are kidding. I think Gu Dayong is as stupid as a pig. If he hadn't been in charge of the army, I'm afraid the rebellion in Bazhou would have been quelled long ago."

Pei Yuan didn't quite agree with this. Gu Dayong was a little stupid, but he didn't meddle in other people's affairs.

He asked for soldiers and food everywhere, but he didn't hinder Lu Wan.

Compared with Gu Dayong, the way Lu Ting and Zhang Zhong, who came later, eat is really ugly.

Pei Yuan said, "Gu Dayong is incompetent, but he was able to hold such a high position because he was the emperor's trusted attendant. Now he has been dismissed by the emperor because of the unfavorable war situation, but can this shake his foundation?"

"Has the emperor's favor for him changed?"

"Uh." Sun Keding hesitated after hearing Pei Yuan's words. Pei Yuan continued, "It is the personal relationship between the emperor and Gu Dayong that determines his future, not his talent. So Gu Dayong's lack of talent will never shake his foundation."

Pei Yuan added, "If my guess is correct, after Gu Dayong returns to the capital this time, he will be silent for a while at most, and he may be entrusted with an important task again soon."

After Sun Keding heard Pei Yuan's judgment, beads of sweat immediately appeared on his forehead. Then he fidgeted and stammered, "Is, is that so?"

Pei Yuan looked at Sun Keding and said, "What else? Even if the emperor thinks his eunuchs are useless, this is still insignificant."

Sun Keding had already realized Pei Yuan's subtext.

——Gu Dayong still has a chance to make a comeback!
Then his mouth became dry.

What the hell!

He ran away when Gu Dayong needed him the most!
When the day comes when Gu Dayong really comes back to life, he may not remember who the person was who helped him in his time of need, but he will definitely remember the person who took advantage of his misfortune.

Sun Keding was so frightened that his face turned pale. He looked at Pei Yuan and said, "I, I, I..."

"Brother, you must save me."

As he spoke, his legs went limp and he almost knelt down to Pei Yuan.

Just then, the Embroidered Uniform Guards brought in tea. Sun Keding's pride as a Jinshi helped him hold on and not embarrass himself in front of outsiders.

Pei Yuan sighed and said, "It's difficult, difficult!"

Pei Yuan continued to analyze the situation for Sun Keding, breaking his last line of defense.

"Think about it, what is Gu Dayong's background? He is an old friend of the Qiandi!"

"When the current emperor was still a child, they were the ones who brought him up. What kind of deep relationship is this?"

"Besides, what crime could Gu Dayong have committed? The officials in the court can't say he rebelled, can they? He commanded an army of 200,000 for more than a year, and he didn't rebel when he commanded an army of 200,000. So he can't use a fan to clip a knife to rebel, can he?"

Sun Keding's body began to shake.

But he knew how cruel those people without balls could be when they became vicious.

Pei Yuan added, "This time is different from the time when Liu Jin was overthrown. In addition to the efforts of the civil and military officials in the court, the internal strife among the Eight Tigers in the palace was also involved. It was a group of people headed by Zhang Yong who colluded with foreign officials to kill Liu Jin together."

"Because of the participation of Zhang Yong and others, the forces were unprecedentedly united, which is why Liu Jin died without a burial place."

"But who is the current eunuch Lu Ting? He was a palace servant who went out to guard the eunuchs during the Hongzhi Dynasty. He has no relationship with Zhang Yong and his gang."

"I won't hide it from you. This time when I was transporting the tax silver, it was this Lu Ting who took the lead in setting up many obstacles for me. He was recommended to return to the capital by the eunuch Xiao Jing, and Xiao Jing is also an old man from the Hongzhi Dynasty. What does this mean?"

"This means that without Liu Jin, a ruthless man, to keep them in check, some eunuchs from the Hongzhi Dynasty are now rising up and trying to seize the power originally controlled by the Eight Tigers."

Pei Yuan stared at Sun Keding and asked, "Before, Zhang Yong was in charge of the troops inside, and Gu Dayong was in charge of the troops outside. Now that Lu Ting has gotten rid of Gu Dayong, what do you think the other six tigers will react to?"

Before Sun Keding could think of anything, Pei Yuan gave him the answer, "Those people will definitely work together to support Gu Dayong. Even if their conflicts are huge, they won't want others to sit at the table."

Pei Yuan said slowly, "With all these factors added up, do you think Gu Dayong can still make this dead ash burn again?"

Sun Keding was completely frightened by Pei Yuan's words.

Although he is a cold-hearted person, he has no backbone.

Otherwise, with his status as a Jinshi, why would he go and join the eunuch party? And after failing in the first one he joined, he actually gave up and went to the second one.

Sun Keding knelt down on the floor across the table, tears streaming down his face, "I am so stupid, so stupid, please save me, please save me!"

Pei Yuan sighed and motioned to the Jinyiwei who had finished pouring the tea, "Go get some paper and pen."

After hearing this, Sun Keding felt a glimmer of hope and quickly asked, "Brother, are you going to help me write a letter to explain? Will Gu Dayong, no, Eunuch Gu, trust us?"

Pei Yuan was not polite and said coldly, "It's ours. I'm not the one who ran away secretly from Eunuch Gu."

Sun Keding was embarrassed, but when he heard that Pei Yuan did not deny the first half of the sentence, he felt a glimmer of hope.

"Then Brother Pei..."

Just then, the Jinyiwei came in with paper and pen.

Pei Yuan waited for the Jinyiwei to leave, placed a pen and paper in front of Sun Keding, and said calmly, "Write."

Sun Keding was stunned for a moment, "Brother, didn't you write this letter?"

Pei Yuan didn't give him face, and directly frowned and scolded, "Why write a letter? You turned a good thing of sharing hardships into something else. A letter, what's the use of it?"

"I asked you to write down everything you just said!"

Sun Keding immediately became alert upon hearing this, "Brother, what do you want to do this for!"

"What?" Pei Yuan stared at Sun Keding fiercely, and suddenly knocked heavily on the table with his knuckles, "What?!"

"I really want to save you! But what you've caused is a disaster that will affect my whole family! I have to protect myself, right?! How can I save you if I don't get myself out of this?!"

"But, but this..." When Sun Keding heard that Pei Yuan wanted to save him, he felt a little hopeful, but what Pei Yuan asked him to write was equally deadly.

Pei Yuan raised his voice again without any hesitation, "Write it! Either write clearly about how you abandoned Gu Dayong and fled, or you should get back to Jiangnan and clean up your family's necks while waiting for Gu Dayong to become the head of the West Factory again!"

Seeing Sun Keding's face turned pale, his legs trembled.

Pei Yuan added the final fuel to the fire, "Whether you write it or not, as long as Gu Dayong is not a fool, he will understand what you did. In this case, even if you write it, what do you have to lose?"

"I am still a man of friendship. But no matter how much I value our friendship, I can't get involved in this matter with you and suffer the same misfortune."

"You have to remember, I'm here to help you, I don't owe you anything!"

"If this doesn't work out and Gu Dayong gets angry, I can't let him think that I'm the same kind of person as you!"

"So, only if you get me out of this and free me from all worries, can I show my full strength and help you resolve this matter."

Sun Keding's mind was a mess at this time. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that there was a great possibility that Gu Dayong would become a disaster this time.

He pondered secretly.

If Gu Dayong were to make a comeback, his entire family would most likely be killed by the revenge of the Western Factory. What would be the loss even if he wrote about it?

If Gu Dayong was finished, who could do anything to him even if he wrote it?
Sun Keding thought about it for a long time, and finally gritted his teeth and said, "I'll write it!"

(End of this chapter)