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

Chapter 235: Domineering Thousand Households
Seeing Gu Dayong crying, Pei Yuan was also excited, "This is the meaning of my coming here."

"I will escort you back to the capital as soon as possible, and then find out the truth about those monsters and demons causing chaos, and help you regain your glory!"

The word "revitalize" is a bit sensitive.

But these are details, and Eunuch Gu is not the kind of person who cares about them.

The key is attitude.

Gu Dayong patted Pei Yuan's hand, and was also very excited. "Okay, now that you say that, our family is relieved."

After he finished speaking, he couldn't help but sigh, "They say there is karma in the world, and I finally see it. Pei Yuan, you can come to help me, it must be the Buddha's eyes that have opened."

Pei Yuan smiled awkwardly and didn't say much.

Gu Dayong felt very insecure at the moment, and asked Pei Yuan directly, "Pei Yuan, how many people did you bring this time?"

Pei Yuan replied, "I heard that Eunuch Gu was in trouble, so I immediately rushed here with my trusted followers. Including me, there are about 20 people accompanying us, and there are also seven or eight good fighters in the martial arts world."

Two more of the gangsters under the monk Daigo have escaped in the past two days.

Pei Yuan didn't care. These guys were unreliable to begin with, and forcing them to stay would only bring unnecessary risks.

After hearing this, Gu Dayong was very disappointed and asked, "Why are there so few people?"

Pei Yuan was just about to clear Sun Keding's name, so he explained, "I was on a mission before, and I didn't know the situation here. Later, Sun Keding came to me for help, and I knew that my father-in-law was in danger. That's why I didn't care about gathering troops, and only brought my personal soldiers to rush here."

"Sun Keding?" Gu Dayong's face immediately darkened.

His face was filled with anger. "Where is that shameless villain?"

Pei Yuan waited until Gu Dayong's anger subsided before saying, "It seems that the eunuch really misunderstood Sun Keding."

"What?" Gu Dayong was furious again. "That despicable guy betrayed our family when he saw that our family had lost power. If I catch him, I will have him skinned alive and cut into pieces!"

Pei Yuan naturally couldn't waste Sun Keding's chess piece, so he immediately explained, "Eunuch really misunderstood."

"When Sun Keding saw that the messenger was coming with such force, he was afraid that it would be bad for the eunuch. So he came to me at night and asked me to help the eunuch. At that time, he was planning to cry like Shen Baoxu in the Qin court. When he saw me, he fell to the ground and asked me to come and save the eunuch."

Gu Dayong: “…”

After a while, out of trust in Pei Yuan, he asked suspiciously, "Is that so?"

Pei Yuan immediately gave strong evidence, "Otherwise, how could I, who was far away in Huai'an, rush here in time when my father-in-law was in such a critical situation?"

Gu Dayong thought about it.

It's quite critical.

Pei Yuan arrived just in time.

"Um?"

Gu Dayong was just about to think carefully about whether Pei Yuan came first or the crisis came first, when he was interrupted again by Pei Yuan's words.

"Father-in-law, I have some immature words from my heart that I want to tell you."

When Gu Dayong heard Pei Yuan say this, he immediately said, "Oh. Then tell us about it."

Pei Yuan said seriously, "I think that to correctly understand a person, we should not only look at his words and deeds, but also look at how he does it."

"I would like to speak for you about Sun Keding's matter."

Gu Dayong barely suppressed his dissatisfaction with Sun Keding and listened to Pei Yuan.

"May I ask, eunuch, since you were stripped of your military power, have you ever resumed your title of military commander? Has your superior ordered you to supervise the Western Factory again?"

Gu Dayong said unhappily, "Of course not."

Pei Yuan immediately said, "But Sun Keding is back. And Sun Keding has returned with me, the Imperial Guards, and the people in the underworld that I have gathered."

Gu Dayong remained silent.

Pei Yuan continued, "When the eunuch was relieved of his military power, he was surrounded by his old friends and trusted subordinates. Now he is barely living in the City God Temple, with only a few servants and a few guards. However, he is surrounded by powerful enemies, worse than tigers and wolves."

"But Sun Keding is back."

"If Sun Keding was really a coward who wanted to curry favor with the powerful, why would he come back after escaping and finding the situation getting more dangerous? This doesn't make sense at all."

Seeing Gu Dayong's expression moved, Pei Yuan said with regret again.

"It's fine if others don't understand him, but if you can't understand him, I'm afraid it will make people all over the world sigh."

"This?" Gu Dayong still had a little doubt, "Then he shouldn't have left without saying goodbye. Even if he had told me, there wouldn't have been such a misunderstanding."

Pei Yuan sighed again, "Eunuch, he is a scholar, and a scholar with the title of Jinshi."

"He can put aside his dignity and come to me, a stranger who has only met me a few times, to beg for mercy. But how can he let the people he cares about see his miserable side?"

"Sun Keding was able to endure humiliation and cry for reinforcements. Your Excellency should also be considerate of his dignity."

Gu Dayong was really touched. "I never thought Sun Keding would be so loyal. I want to meet him in person."

Pei Yuan hadn't yet agreed on the words with Sun Keding, so of course the two couldn't meet.

So he hurriedly stopped her and said, "Don't worry, sir. We will see each other on the road later. We should leave here as soon as possible and return to the capital. You can pack your luggage first and wait for me to bring someone to pick you up."

Gu Dayong said quickly, "Yes, yes, yes."

He suddenly stopped talking halfway and questioned Pei Yuan, "But you only have so few people under your command. If we leave Xuzhou rashly, wouldn't it be even more unsafe?"

If so many people really wanted to harm him, he would rather stay in Xuzhou.

At least, even if he died, he could still use Lu Ting, who stole his position, as a scapegoat, right?
Pei Yuan knew that Gu Dayong was afraid of death.

What a coincidence! Me too.

Captain Pei is still not sure whether the Bazhou Army can rationally define the relationship between the two sides.

Besides, the silver that Pei Yuan brought from Jiangnan was divided in Huai'an, so was this mission considered a success or a failure?
If it was considered a success, the silver was never delivered to the internal transport warehouse. From a geographical point of view, it didn't even complete one-third of the journey.

But if it failed, was the money successfully converted into military expenditure?
And so what if it’s only shipped to Huai’an?

Wasn’t the grain paid by various places in Jiangnan transported to Huai’an and then transferred and dispersed?

What if the imperial court directly treats this silver transportation as a routine, and then refers to the model of grain tax to transport commercial taxes from all over Jiangnan to Huai'an, and then let the garrisons collect them themselves, then will this plan have a chance to be promoted?

If calculated in this way, it is still unclear whether the forces in Jiangnan will take subsequent revenge on Pei Yuan.

Pei Yuan doesn't have many people around him now.

Killing is easy, but it is very satisfying and can give an explanation to all parties.

Who knows, someone might take the risk.

Now Pei Yuan can use Gu Dayong's name to get a troop escort.

Pei Yuan then said to Gu Dayong, "So I have to go see someone."

Gu Dayong saw that Pei Yuan was serious and asked, "Who do you want to see?"

Pei Yuan answered frankly, "It's Lu Ting."

Gu Dayong was surprised at first, then immediately asked, "Why did you go to see Lu Ting?"

Pei Yuan reminded him, "Eunuch Gu, think about it, if you were assassinated, who would be the most unlucky one?"

Gu Dayong got the answer without even having to think about it, and immediately realized Pei Yuan's intention.

Pei Yuan said, "The one who is most worried about accidents right now is probably Eunuch Lu. He has just taken over the military power and is very proud of himself." "If Eunuch Gu has an accident, I'm afraid he will be covered in mud and shit."

Gu Dayong frowned slightly at first, then his eyes lit up.

Although Pei Yuan's metaphor is crude, it is easy to understand.

What we are most worried about now is that something bad happened to Gu Dayong, isn't it just Lu Ting who replaced him?

Very reasonable.

Gu Dayong asked Pei Yuan, "So what are your plans for going to see him?"

Pei Yuan smiled and said, "Since he doesn't want Eunuch Gu to have any accidents, he has to contribute. I plan to go to him to ask for some manpower to escort Eunuch north together."

After hearing this, Gu Dayong reminded, "He is not the same kind of person as us."

Pei Yuan said, "If he is unwilling to provide troops, then he has evil intentions and wants to harm Eunuch Gu."

Eunuch Gu felt that this was a bit magical and asked hesitantly, "Aren't you blackmailing me?"

Pei Yuan was alert when he heard this. He must not give Eunuch Gu such a wrong impression, so he quickly said, "Sun Keding is a Jinshi, but he still ignores his own honor and disgrace. How can I not be inspired by him?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Dayong couldn't help but sigh, "I have been in the palace for so many years, and I have met many people, but I have never seen anyone as loyal as you and Sun Keding."

Pei Yuan convinced Gu Dayong and immediately told him to make preparations as soon as possible.

As long as he could get troops from Lu Ting, he could leave Xuzhou as soon as possible.

After falling from power, the old eunuch felt the warmth of spring for the first time, with mixed feelings.

He insisted on sending Pei Yuan to the palace gate, then he stared at Pei Yuan's back and watched him leave.

Pei Yuan met up with Chen Toutie and two personal guards, and immediately rushed to the prefectural government where Lu Ting was.

Lu Ting is now the governor of military affairs and holds a high position of power. The group of four was stopped before they were even far from reaching the prefecture.

Pei Yuan knew that his identity as a captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard might not be very useful, so he directly told the soldiers on guard that he was an old acquaintance of Eunuch Lu Ting.

This is basically equivalent to asking for an audience based on Lu Ting's personal relationship.

After hearing this, the soldiers on guard immediately perked up, asked for the name, and quickly went to report.

It doesn't matter if the adults' official business is delayed, but if their personal affairs are delayed, will they suffer the consequences?
Not long after, a Jinyiwei wearing a Feiyu costume rode over on horseback.

Pei Yuan took a closer look and found that it was an acquaintance, Xiao Jing's nephew Xiao Tong.

This person inherited Xiao Jing's incense and was considered Xiao Jing's godson.

Xiao Tong rode up to Pei Yuan, with an indifferent look on his face. After a few glances, he said arrogantly, "Pei Yuan, why are you here to see Eunuch Lu?"

When Pei Yuan saw Xiao Tong's expression, his face also darkened.

He looked at Xiao Tong for a moment before asking in a deep voice, "Did Eunuch Lu ask you to come, or did you come here on your own?"

Xiao Tong has been following Lu Ting's high and mighty side these days, and has become accustomed to being bossed around.

In addition, Xiao Jing proposed the plan of "If you want to take it, you must first give it" in order to accumulate merits for Xiao Tong and Xiao Yan.

As a result, Pei Yuan failed to kill several times, which not only made Eunuch Lu return empty-handed, but also made their achievements go to waste.

There is an old grudge.

When they met this time, this little captain not only showed no intention of being respectful or fawning, but he even refused to get off his horse, which made people very unhappy.

He immediately pointed his whip at him and shouted, "How dare you! Who gave you the courage to speak to me like that?"

Seeing that this little kid was so difficult to deal with, Pei Yuan suddenly raised his head and laughed.

The guards and patrolling soldiers nearby were all drawn to look at the men who were confronting each other on horseback.

Xiao Tong's face turned red and he was about to curse.

Pei Yuan patted the linen pocket around his waist.

Xiao Tong's gaze was involuntarily drawn over.

Then I saw the pocket squirming a few times, the opening opened, and a half-foot-long black rat jumped out and fell to the ground.

Xiao Tong was startled and was subconsciously wondering who would hide a mouse on his body.

Then a large group of rats rushed out of the pocket like a black stream of water, rushing down quickly and rushing towards Xiao Tong.

Xiao Tong's horse was immediately frightened and started jumping wildly on the spot.

Xiao Tong was dumbfounded at this moment. He screamed in panic, holding the horse's head tightly, allowing the warhorse to shake him to and fro.

Suddenly, the warhorse under Xiao Tong's crotch fell to the ground for some unknown reason, wailing incessantly, and Xiao Tong was also thrown out.

Xiao Tong fell off his horse and was knocked unconscious.

Then the rats all over the ground swarmed towards him.

Xiao Tong screamed in panic, flailing his hands and struggling.

However, the rats crawled all over Xiao Tong's body like crazy, biting him uncontrollably from time to time.

"Ah——" Xiao Tong ran a few steps like crazy, but was caught up by the group of rats and dragged to the ground.

Although the horses of Pei Yuan and his companions were not the targets of the rats, they were still shaking with fear and thrashing about in place.

Chen Toutie and his two bodyguards quickly covered the warhorse's eyes with their hands and tried to calm the horse down.

The soldiers who were watching the scene screamed "Ah!" and ran around in panic as if they had seen a ghost.

Pei Yuan ignored those people and stared at Xiao Tong.

Soon, the rats seemed to have received some order and retreated back to the rat pocket on Pei Yuan's waist like a tide.

Xiao Tong was rolling on the ground with his face covered, when he suddenly felt his body lighten. When he found that the rats had retreated, his pupils became dilated and he lay on his back looking up at the sky, gasping for breath.

He didn't have many wounds on his body, but his beautiful flying fish suit was torn to pieces. Blood was dripping from some places, staining the snow-white lining red.

Pei Yuan rode his horse to Xiao Tong.

The tall black shadow on horseback seemed to directly block out the sky in Xiao Tong's eyes.

Pei Yuan looked down at Xiao Tong from his horse's hooves and asked again, "Did Eunuch Lu ask you to come, or did you come on your own?"

Xiao Tong was enveloped by that figure and it seemed like he was having difficulty breathing.

His teeth were trembling. "Yes, it was Eunuch Lu who asked me to come. I am here on behalf of Eunuch Lu!"

Pei Yuan just looked down at Xiao Tong from his horse.

Xiao Tong was stared at by Pei Yuan, and he felt as if a huge rock was pressing on his chest and he couldn't breathe.

Pei Yuan said coldly, "Are you representing Eunuch Lu?"

"Yes, yes..." Xiao Tong answered hastily, breathlessly.

Pei Yuan raised his head and laughed like he did before, then the smile on his face faded and he looked at Xiao Tong again.

——"Eunuch Lu, don't dare talk to me like that."

(End of this chapter)