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

Chapter 315: Join Prince Ning, Qian Hu

In an instant, Pei Yuan's hands and feet became cold.

Liang Chu broke free from the public pressure of Liang Ci's murder case. Liang Ci's death could also give an explanation to the surging social public opinion, and even the emperor at the time did not have to spend too much thought on this matter.

Everybody got out of this mess, but I was the only one trapped!

Chen Toutie obviously realized that something was wrong, and he said in a panic, "Captain, what should we do now?"

Pei Yuan was already confused.

He never expected that this class conflict, which had plagued the entire seventh and eighth years of Zhengde and had been a source of resentment for the Jinshi who passed the imperial examination in the ninth year of Zhengde, would be perfectly resolved with himself as the victim.

Who can I talk to to reason with this horse?

Then wouldn’t the seventh, eighth, and ninth years of the Zhengde reign have been wasted?
"Captain?" Chen Touti's call brought Pei Yuan back to his senses.

Pei Yuan immediately turned his gaze to Chen Toutie, "What time is it now? Has the court been dismissed?"

Chen Toutie said, "It's almost the end of the morning hour, and the court hasn't ended yet. Governor Xiao heard the news was unfavorable to you, so he quickly sent someone to pass on the message."

With Xiao Jing as his backer, it is not difficult for Xiao Yan to spread some information.

What's more, he is the Left General of the Central Military Governor's Office. Who of the soldiers guarding the imperial city dares to make things difficult for him?

Pei Yuan and Xiao Yan had always had a bad relationship before, but since the Battle of Yanggu, the interests of both sides have become increasingly closely connected. Not to mention the two uncles that the Xiao family got for free, they also planned to rob the governor of the river together.

Of course, the key reason why Xiao Yan made the decision without hesitation was that he did not believe that this little trouble could convince that powerful man.

"The court hasn't ended yet and the hour of Chen hasn't ended yet?" Pei Yuan immediately caught this point in time.

That means it is now past eight o'clock in the morning.

Pei Yuan immediately instructed Chen Toutie, "Send someone to ask Yun Buxian if anyone has entered or left the Liang family during this period of time."

After that, Pei Yuan continued, "Send someone to find out if there is a place called Caiyun Pavilion, and ask if Liang Ci'an stayed there last night."

When Chen Toutie came back after arranging the people, he saw Pei Yuan with a gloomy look and he didn't know what he was thinking.

Seeing Chen Toutie coming over, Pei Yuan said to him, "Go tell Yun Buxian to try to catch a few servants of the Liang family who went out to buy things and find out whether Liang Ci'an is in the Liang family."

Chen Toutie's eyelids jumped, and he asked, "What if Yun Buxian doesn't dare to do it?"

Pei Yuan stared at Chen Toutie and said viciously, "Then you should do it yourself. Do you need me to teach you everything?"

Chen Toutie immediately said, "I understand."

By the time Chen Toutie left, Pei Yuan was no longer sleepy. He carefully tidied his clothes and tried out the weapons in the arsenal one by one.

In addition to picking out a few embroidered spring swords that looked pleasing to the eye, he also unexpectedly discovered a long thing.

It was a long-handled hammer that was obtained during the battle of Yanggu. No one knew how it ended up in Chen Toutie's hands.

Pei Yuan waved it a few times in his hand and took out the long-handled hammer.

Soon, several things arranged by Pei Yuan came to fruition.

First, the person who went to inquire about the news reported that from last night to this morning, except for some servants going out to buy things and sweeping the door, no one came to visit.

This allowed Pei Yuan to make a preliminary judgment immediately.

The face-changing man was right. He indeed underestimated the political wisdom of Zhang Rong and Liang Chu.

What happened during today's court meeting was that Zhang Rong and Liang Chu quickly reached a tacit cooperation without even having time to communicate with each other.

Liang Chu got out of the predicament over Liang Ci's matter, and Zhang Rong used Liang Ci's death to kill Pei Yuan.

But, this also means...

Before the morning court session ended, people outside were not aware of Zhang Yong and Liang Chu's temporary alliance.

The face-changing man only saw the political tacit understanding that could be generated between the two masters, but did not realize that in special circumstances, such a quick decision could easily make them out of touch with the situation.

In other words, people outside don’t know at the moment that Liang Ciwu “should” be a dead man.

Pei Yuan showed a smile on his face, "Very good, the first good news."

The information provided by Xiao Yan allowed Pei Yuan to gain the most critical reaction time!
Then, Chen Toutie’s local partners who were familiar with the place also received news from Caiyun Pavilion that Liang Ciwu did not go there last night.

This is similar to Pei Yuan’s guess.

The emperor's sudden change of heart yesterday caused Liang Ci to leave in a panic, and he had no mood to pursue pleasure again.

There is a high possibility that he will retreat directly back to the Liang family.

Now, it depends on the news from Chen Toutie.

Pei Yuan waited a little longer this time, so long that he almost thought that all the precious time he had gained was wasted, and then he finally got Chen Toutie.

When Chen Toutie came back, he quickly said to Pei Yuan, "We caught four or five servants who were out shopping and questioned them separately. Liang Ci'an is at home now!"

After hearing this, Pei Yuan clenched his fists tightly.

"Very good, second good news."

Then Pei Yuan asked again, "Did you find out, or did Yun Buxian find out?"

Chen Tou said, "Yun Buxian and I have already taken action, and he is still watching there. We have killed all the people we caught. I am watching Yun Buxian's hands move."

Pei Yuan was a little confused about Yun Buxian's stance for a moment.

But there was no time to worry about that now. Pei Yuan decisively said to Chen Toutie, "Gather your men immediately and wait for orders."

Chen Toutie was startled when he heard this, and he cautiously advised, "Captain, this is the capital! We can't be so reckless!"

Pei Yuan showed a trace of sneer on his face, "Don't worry. The court can't re-convict a dead person, but it can't say that I killed a person twice, right?"

Chen Toutie understood the meaning of Pei Yuan's words, and his voice trembled slightly, "Could it be that the captain intends to rush into the Liang family and kill Liang Ci'an? You can't do that, that's the residence of the cabinet minister!"

Pei Yuan had already figured out the pros and cons here, and sneered, "Don't worry, as long as I use the precious time gap to catch Liang Ci'an before he hides, I will be the winner."

"Zhang Rong will be like someone who has lost his memory and will not mention the fact that I sent people to beat Liang Ci'an to death. Liang Chu will also tell the emperor that he remembered it wrongly and his son is still alive. The emperor can get Liang Chu back, which will allow him to earn more than if he keeps quiet. As long as he is smart, he will definitely not continue to pester the emperor."

"Haha, once I get out of the trap, they'll go back again."

"I have learned how to play this game that doesn't care about right or wrong, but only swings back and forth based on interests."

When Pei Yuan first came to Beijing, he was extremely timid, fearing that he would be involved in an unnecessary vortex before his layout was completed.

As for now.

Zhang Rong, Liang Chu, the emperor and the scholars have already taught Pei Yuan, the newbie, the rules of the game in the capital of the Ming Dynasty.

At this moment, Pei Yuan suddenly understood Yun Buxian's logic.

Pei Yuan's decline would certainly stimulate this guy's ambition. But as long as Pei Yuan showed his strength as a winner, Yun Buxian would stand up loyally and applaud him enthusiastically. Chen Toutie listened to Pei Yuan's clear and logical words and knew that this was not a momentary impulse of Qianhu.

He immediately said, "Since the captain has thought it through, I will go and call for help."

Pei Yuan thought of something and said calmly, "By the way, I plan to give out a reward later. I don't have much silver on hand right now. You and your military officers can pool together and give me a list. When the matter is settled, I will return you double the amount."

Chen Toutie said quickly after hearing this, "Just take the money from me, I am the one who has achieved what I have today, all thanks to your support."

Pei Yuan said angrily, "Get lost, you dare to take on anything. I'm going to pay you back double for this kind of good thing, so of course you have to share it equally."

Chen Toutie then realized that Pei Yuan was planning to give them benefits in disguise, and asked with a drooling face, "How much does Qianhu cost?"

Pei Yuan said, "The more the better, the faster the better."

Chen Toutie knew that Pei Yuan was going to do something big, and of course he understood the significance of a large reward, so he hurried out to find someone to raise money.

When Chen Toutie and his men explained the matter clearly, they all widened their eyes with excitement.

This is equivalent to them pooling money to give themselves a reward, and Pei Qianhu will return them double the amount afterwards.

Then why don't you just keep paying?
Others may doubt Pei Qianhu's financial resources, but these people don't. After all, they had put in a lot of effort to help Pei Qianhu transport the dirty money.

It didn't take much effort for the bounties that the Xuzhou soldiers had received in recent days and the extra money they had earned in the battle of Yanggu to be gathered back into Pei Yuan's hands.

Pei Yuan took Chen Toutie's account and a swipe notification popped up immediately. As the amount of debt and the number of debts increased, Pei Yuan successfully refreshed his passive state.

——Special state: Don’t worry about having too much debt (you are in an inexplicable calmness now).

Pei Yuan then let out a long sigh and said to Chen Tou Tie, "Come with me to find Liang Ci's body."

Chen Toutie and Pei Yuan had been on the run before, and that was when they were on business trips outside.

Now that he is back in the familiar capital, he still has to trample on those rules that he is familiar with. Chen Toutie feels like his bottom line is broken again, and his feet feel empty.

He couldn't help but ask, "What if our operation fails and we fail to catch Liang Ci's son before he escapes?"

Pei Yuan was silent for a moment. "Then I have to consider whether to go to Prince Ning or to the Monkey King?"

Even though Chen Toutie had accompanied his Qian Hu in so many deaths and had become somewhat numb, he still vaguely felt that joining the Monkey King was not a reliable idea.

He almost pleaded, "Submit to Prince Ning, Captain."

Pei Yuan took a deep breath. What should I be afraid of in this Ming Dynasty where there are winds everywhere?

"Stop talking nonsense and follow me!"

Pei Yuan led almost two hundred Jinyiwei and headed towards the Liang family's mansion in the capital.

Pei Yuan walked while praying silently, hoping that today's morning court session could end later.

With so many Jinyiwei taking to the streets, it caused quite a stir, but no one reacted too much.

It was not uncommon to see large groups of Jinyiwei walking on the streets. After all, Jinyiwei was also responsible for urban appearance work similar to that of urban management.

However, it was not until these Jinyiwei surrounded the Liang family that the residents nearby realized something was wrong.

The Liang family is a prestigious cabinet minister. Is the court launching another crackdown?

When Yun Buxian saw Pei Yuan coming with a large number of people, his mind was blank.

What does Captain Pei want to do?

Before, Pei Yuan asked Yun Buxian to investigate the Liang family, and Yun Buxian thought it was just an ordinary action.

After all, the main job of the Jinyiwei is to investigate these civil officials and military generals.

But now Pei Yuan actually dispatched troops directly here.

Yun Buxian bravely went forward and said, "Qian Hu, what's going on?"

Pei Yuan held a knife in one hand and ordered Yun Buxian without question, "Go knock on the door."

Seeing Pei Yuan's sharp gaze, Yun Buxian didn't dare to say anything more, but cold sweat began to run down his back.

He couldn't afford to hesitate at this moment.

Yun Buxian looked at the large group of soldiers beside Pei Yuan and could only knock on the gate of the Liang family.

In the past, there were servants outside the Liang family's door to respond to visitors, but yesterday the emperor suddenly turned around, which made Liang Chu a little alert, and he ordered his family to guard the door carefully if there was nothing to do.

From early morning till now, except for a few people who came out to do some shopping, the gate of the mansion has been kept closed.

Yun Buxian walked forward and knocked on the door knocker for a while. He asked a few questions from inside and found out that it was the small flag of the Jinyiwei who had been guarding all night. There was immediately no movement from inside the door.

Yun Buxian reported back with a somewhat embarrassed look on his face.

Pei Yuan cursed him as a waste, then motioned Chen Toutie to come forward.

Chen Toutie immediately brought several people to break down the door.

Hearing the clanging noise from inside the door, he opened it angrily. Before he could utter a word, Chen Toutie smashed the servant's face with the handle of his knife, causing him to fall to the ground.

Chen Toutie kicked open the door and rushed in with his men.

Yun Buxian stared with his eyes wide open, this, this is the residence of the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet!

Pei Yuan didn't hesitate and rushed in with the rest of the people.

Chen Toutie grabbed the servant who fell to the ground and screamed, and pulled him up by his hair. He stared at him fiercely and asked, "Where is Liang Ci'e?!"

The craftsman who had been imprisoned for ten years in the Eastern Depot was indeed very oppressive, and the servant trembled a little when he saw Chen Toutie's gaze.

At this moment, he also understood that the Liang family's intimidation could no longer protect him, so he quickly said with trembling teeth, "In, in the back garden."

Seeing that this person knew the truth, Chen Toutie grabbed his right palm and pressed it to the ground.

The servant didn't know what Chen Toutie was trying to do, but subconsciously wanted to withdraw his hand out of fear.

Chen Tou's iron hands seemed to be made of iron. He pressed the servant's wrist fiercely, then grinned and smashed three of his fingers with the handle of the sheathed knife.

The servant screamed in pain, tears and snot streaming down his face.

Chen Toutie punched the servant on the forehead, causing him to see stars and stop screaming in pain.

Chen Toutie grabbed the servant's rotten hand and lifted him up, threatening him coldly, "Take us to find Liang Ci'an! Otherwise, I will skin you alive!"

The servant was shaking with fear, unable to speak, and pointing backwards in panic.

Without waiting for Pei Yuan's orders, the Jinyiwei scattered and searched backwards like barking vicious dogs.

(End of this chapter)