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

Chapter 396 Don’t offend the river
Pei Yuan stared at Bi Zhen and was silent for a while.

Bi Zhen looked at the scrutinizing look in that gaze and was suddenly startled.

Only then did he realize that the county magistrate and the bailiff were dead, and he was alone in the county government office, and it seemed that his life and death were in the hands of others.

Even with Bi Zhen's courage, he didn't dare to say anything that might irritate Pei Yuan.

Pei Yuan looked at Bi Zhen for a while before he let out a breath and asked Bi Zhen, "Where were we talking about just now?"

Bi Zhen naturally understood that Pei Yuan was not asking the same question, so he said, "Captain Pei mentioned earlier that Prime Minister Jiao wanted to return to the court and asked your father-in-law Jiao Huangzhong to help him in the capital."

Pei Yuan then said, "Yes, yes, that's it."

I wanted to say something, but I remained silent.

Bi Zhen was a little nervous for a moment because of Pei Yuan.

With his intelligence, how could he not figure out that Pei Yuan was also hesitating and weighing the pros and cons, wavering in his heart between breaking up and maintaining the dignity of both sides.

Pei Yuan's next words really made Bi Zhen feel nervous.

Pei Yuan stared at Bi Zhen and said slowly, "Since Eunuch Bi just told me to handle my own problems, then we should keep to ourselves, right?"

Bi Zhen listened to Pei Yuan's words, which seemed to give him room to retreat unscathed, and immediately smiled and said, "That's naturally good."

Pei Yuan nodded, his eyes still fixed on Bi Zhen, "Then Eunuch Bi, please don't get involved in the matter of Yanggu. I am a fair person, and there is no such thing as a free lunch."

Bi Zhen's heart skipped a beat when he heard this. He felt a little reluctant, but he also understood how hot the money was.

He said with a fake smile, "Captain Pei has made it so clear, we can't ruin the harmony."

After that, he asked Pei Yuan as if jokingly, "If we help Pei Qianhu solve this problem, how much can we get?"

When has Pei Qianhu ever vomited out what he had eaten?

He said directly, "You can't get anything. Whether Eunuch Bi is there or not, I can handle this matter smoothly."

What Bi Zhen said just now was actually meant to give Pei Yuan the impression that he could still negotiate, and he was trying to increase the bargaining chips to resolve the matter in a dignified manner.

But I didn't expect Pei Yuan's answer to be so direct.

Bi Zhen couldn't help but sneer, "Is this what Captain Pei meant by justice?"

Pei Yuan said frankly, "The incident in Yanggu happened for a reason, and it is only natural for me to retaliate. Whether or not Eunuch Bi intends to interfere, it will not change the outcome of this incident."

"Whatever Eunuch Bi plans to do, the only difference is that it will affect my attitude towards you."

Seeing that Bi Zhen did not respond, Pei Yuan said, "If Eunuch Bi shows sincerity, then we can try to involve him in the next deal. If Eunuch Bi insists on reaching into Pei's pocket, then Pei..."

Pei Yuan paused and smiled at Bi Zhen, "Then Pei can happily continue the previous topic with Eunuch Bi, talking about Old Prime Minister Jiao and the past events in the capital. Eunuch Bi can talk about whatever he wants to talk about."

Pei Yuan finished speaking.

Chen Xinjian, who thought he understood, quietly walked behind Bi Zhen.

Bi Zhen lost his composure again.

He looked at Pei Yuan and quickly stated his position, "Then let's not interfere with each other."

Having said that, Bi Zhen stood up and was about to leave.

Chen Xinjian turned his gaze to Pei Yuan, who shook his head.

Although Bi Zhen seemed fearless, he had actually been paying attention to the communication between Pei Yuan and Chen Xinjian.

Seeing that Pei Yuan was willing to let go, he also breathed a sigh of relief.

At this moment, Bi Zhen already regretted coming to Yanggu.

He now plans to leave here and return to Jinan as soon as possible, then observe the subsequent development of this matter and then decide on his attitude towards Pei Yuan.

Pei Yuan watched Bi Zhen stride down the hall, with no intention of taking action at all.

It would have been fine if only a county magistrate had died, but if a garrison eunuch had died, then Lu Ting's army returning from the battle would have headed straight for Yanggu.

Even with Pei Yuan's confidence, he didn't dare to say that he could get Lu Ting to stand on his side.

When Pei Yuan saw Bi Zhen was about to leave the county government office, he suddenly said to him loudly, "Eunuch Bi, wait a minute."

Bi Zhen's hand trembled slightly, then he squeezed it hard and looked back at Pei Yuan.

Pei Yuan did not come forward, but just stood far away and shouted, "I met an interesting person in Beijing before. He told me that he was an old knife."

Bi Zhen looked at Pei Yuan, full of doubts as to whether Pei Yuan was really willing to let him go.

Pei Yuan made a final effort and said to Bi Zhen, "I asked that man why he compared himself to others in that way."

"That person told me that the old knife has been chipped and has lost its sharpness, so even if it can still help people cut through thorns and bushes, it will be discarded and replaced with a new knife."

"And those broken knives... can only wait helplessly to be broken by the enemies they once killed."

Bi Zhen's originally indifferent gaze immediately became sharp.

Pei Yuan's metaphor and the key word "Beijing" made Bi Zhen understand something at once.

He didn't wait for Pei Yuan to continue, and simply interrupted, "What do you want to say?"

Pei Yuan saw Bi Zhen take the initiative to answer the question, knowing that he had achieved three-quarters of his goal, and continued, "The old knife was very angry and had been trying hard to prove itself."

A mocking smile appeared on Bi Zhen's face, waiting for Pei Yuan to continue.

prove?

What to prove? To hack and kill the enemy crazily, leaving more gaps for yourself, or to break directly under the enemy's sharp edge?

Pei Yuan said to Bi Zhen, "Later, he really proved himself."

Bi Zhen said casually, "Oh?"

Bi Zhen was guessing in his mind and was about to express some of his guesses.

Pei Yuan said, "The old knife suddenly got an opportunity, so he chopped the other arm of the man holding the knife without hesitation, cutting the man's blood. In this way, he proved his sharpness."

"Oh?!" Bi Zhen's eyes lit up all of a sudden. He was surprised and overjoyed. He couldn't help but say, "Tell me about it."

Pei Yuan smiled and spread his hands to him, "You are the well water, I am the river water, I can only tell you this much."

Bi Zhen knew what Pei Yuan meant.

Just now he refused to express his sincerity, so naturally both sides could not be frank with each other on this matter.

In particular, if Bi Zhen’s guess was correct, then the meaning of Pei Yuan’s words... I’m afraid it really can’t be said out loud.

Bi Zhen simply changed the question, "Who is he?"

Pei Yuan said, "No comment." Bi Zhen was not discouraged at all and asked again, "Then why did he tell you this?"

Pei Yuan replied, "Because he told me that I am the new knife, and he, the old knife, will teach me how to do things."

When Bi Zhen heard this, many thoughts immediately came to his mind.

He was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed out loud and said, "Interesting! He is indeed an interesting person!"

It seemed that Pei Yuan's words had touched Bi Zhen so much that he was not in a hurry to leave.

He did not ask about the old knife again. Instead, he looked at Pei Yuan with interest, "He said you are the new knife?"

Pei Yuan also said in a joking tone, "Probably."

Bi Zhen nodded and asked without hesitation, "Then which one did he ask you to cut?"

Pei Yuan looked at Bi Zhen without answering.

Bi Zhen knew that given the relationship between the two parties, the conversation was getting a bit deep.

Bi Zhen didn't dwell on the topic and asked, "Do you want me to teach you a few tricks and learn how to do things?"

He was just saying it casually, but after the words came out, he felt how refreshing it was.

Isn’t he, Bi Zhen, also an old knife that was discarded because of a temporary failure?
Some old knives have already cut the man's left and right arms. Can't I do the same?
By the way, there is also Liu Lang and Liu Jing.

Bi Zhen was lost in thought, and some bold ideas that he had never dared to imagine before kept flashing through his mind.

He had a strong desire to talk and share his thoughts at this moment.

Bi Zhen looked at Pei Yuan and suddenly felt that this guy seemed to be worth his while to observe carefully.

So Bi Zhen said to Pei Yuan, "Take your people and leave quickly. Leave the things here to me. I will also show you a few tricks and let you see how to do things."

Pei Yuan thought of Bi Zhen's betrayal of Zhengde, so he boldly spoke metaphorically at the last moment.

Unexpectedly, Wei Ne's experience caused Bi Zhen's attitude towards Pei Yuan to change drastically. He even decided to take the initiative to participate in Yanggu's affairs and help take charge of the matter of killing Chen Lang.

Pei Yuan still had a very high opinion of Bi Zhen.

After all, the Avengers' principle of "doing it when there is a problem" is a big plus in the current political environment.

Seeing that Bi Zhen wanted to ease the relationship between the two sides, Pei Yuan naturally happily accepted Bi Zhen's kindness.

Pei Yuan ordered his men to sheathe their swords and left without any delay.

Even when he returned to Liansheng Temple, Pei Yuan still felt fortunate to have met Bi Zhen this time.

This is not just Bi Zhen, but the person who took the lead in bringing together the "Avengers Three".

These three people are now guarding their own areas, and their strength should not be underestimated.

From a strategic perspective alone, their current defense zone is even more critical than during the Ning Wang Rebellion.

Bi Zhen was not in Zhejiang, but in Shandong, which was able to exercise long-arm jurisdiction and controlled the capital and the Grand Canal.

Liu Jing was not in Henan, but in Guangdong and Guangxi, which controlled the iron trade.

Now Liu Lang is still in charge of guarding Nanjing. There is no need to mention the criticality of this position.

As long as he can win over these three eunuchs guarding the three places, Pei Yuan will have a force to rely on when he wants to take action against these three places.

Pei Yuan returned to Liansheng Temple and sent people to secretly investigate, wanting to know how Bi Zhen resolved the matter.

On this day, he was in Liansheng Temple waiting for the follow-up of the incident at Yanggu County Court, when he suddenly heard someone come to report that Chen Toutie, who had been away on business, had returned.

When Pei Yuan heard that Chen Toutie had returned, he was overjoyed and immediately asked someone to call Chen Toutie over.

When Chen Toutie saw Pei Yuan, he immediately bowed down with a beaming face, and said loudly, "I have fulfilled my mission. I have completed the task assigned by the captain."

"Okay, okay!" Pei Yuan patted Chen Toutie on the shoulder and was very pleased with Chen Toutie's trip.

This was the first time that Chen Toutie left Pei Yuan and did such a big thing alone.

Being able to complete it successfully, even he himself felt very encouraged, and he even straightened his back a little in front of Pei Yuan.

Pei Yuan looked behind Chen Toutie again and saw Tian Fu, who was also unsophisticated.

Pei Yuan's face was even more joyful, and he quickly pushed Chen Touji aside and said to Tian Fu, "Did the trip go smoothly? Did you gain anything?"

Seeing Pei Yuan's concern, Tian Fu had to put away his tiredness and forced a smile, "This is also the first time for me to handle such a big thing. Everything is not as simple as I expected. It can be said that this journey has been very fruitful for me."

Pei Yuan laughed and said, "Very good. Come, let's have a few drinks together, and tell me about your experiences."

He walked in with Tian Fu in one hand, and told Chen Toutie, "Get some wine and food, I'll drink with you guys."

Chen Toutie felt upset.

Although the decision along the way was made based on the land tax, but, but...

Before Chen Toutie could figure out what contribution he had made, Pei Yuan had already entered a Zen temple with Tian Fu, chatting and laughing.

Chen Toutie could only arrange the matter in a sullen manner, and then chased after him, intending to wait for Tian Fu to report his achievements so that he could find an opportunity to say, "Me too."

Pei Yuan heard Chen Toutie's heavy footsteps, turned around and finally remembered that this was the future cult leader.

He thought to himself that now that the leader had returned, the affairs of the Luo Sect could be put on the agenda.

At the banquet, Pei Yuan listened to the detailed reports from his two younger brothers and was very satisfied with the results of their trip.

What the two did basically did not deviate from the big framework designed by Pei Yuan, but the thrills and excitement of each step were not something that that rough plan could cover.

Fortunately, with Tian Fu's help, Chen Toutie was able to respond appropriately.

In addition, Pei Yuan had a thorough understanding of Wang Qiong's mentality of "anxious to cash in and reduce the loss of the treasury". With the secret help of the eunuch Lu Ting, the commander of military affairs, the plan to bid for soybeans went smoothly.

The 140,000 taels of silver that Chen Toutie brought with him were used to buy soybeans worth 80,000 taels of silver.

After knowing that the eunuch Lu Ting, the commander-in-chief of military affairs, was one of Tian Fu's own, he tried to ask to see the inventory details.

Although Lu Ting felt it was strange, he was about to hand over his military duties, and he had to discuss with his brother Pei how to make progress after returning to Beijing, so he was happy to do this favor.

After checking the land tax, I estimated that my family's share should be about half.

So he took a bold adventure.

Tian Fu asked his Jinyiwei to find out the routes and departure times of the caravans in Henan and Hebei, and then started selling soybeans along the way before the merchants who were bidding for them did.

Those merchants who also bought soybeans were stunned to find that the outside world seemed to have changed since leaving the Huguang front.

The price of soybeans unexpectedly plummeted all the way. At the beginning, it was still 90%, and one could make a lot of money according to the bidding price. But when it came to the next city, the price of soybeans had dropped to 80%. As a result, the price in each city was lower than the other, and it dropped to 35% of previous years.

(End of this chapter)