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

Chapter 468: Xia Family Survival
Pei Yuan ignored Xia Ru's words and continued, "Although the emperor overreacted in anger, what will happen after he has vented his anger?"

"Guess what?"

Pei Yuan looked at Xia Ru with a smile on his face that contained undisguised malice.

Xia Ru was frightened by Pei Yuan's smile and reluctantly said, "I don't know."

The muscles on Pei Yuan's face moved, as if he was smiling, but he said something that frightened Xia Ru, "He is the Queen Mother's good son again."

After Pei Yuan finished speaking, he seemed to have said something interesting and couldn't help laughing a few times.

"By then, whether the Queen Mother wants to deal with the Queen, or Zhang Heling wants to deal with your Xia family, it will be easy."

"Perhaps you don't believe it, or perhaps you still have a little bit of luck."

"I may not have told you before, but now that His Majesty likes men, he has not touched the harem for a long time. How much do you think the emperor still loves the queen?"

"Is this little favor worth a new round of confrontation between the emperor and the queen mother?"

Pei Yuan stared at Xia Ru, and seeing his eyes widen in fear, he asked again, "Do you think the ministers would be willing to help you fight against the emperor's mother for the sake of an unfavored queen?"

Xia Ru hesitated and said, "This, this..."

Pei Yuan continued, "Let me tell you a little secret. In fact, the ministers like this queen mother and this Zhang family."

"Because they can use the Queen Mother to suppress the Emperor, and they can also use the arrogant and evil Zhang brothers to threaten the Queen Mother."

Pei Yuan asked in a light and somewhat sarcastic tone.

"May I ask Earl Qingyang, does your Xia family have such an ally in the court?"

"May I ask Earl Qingyang, can your Queen Xia help the ministers to suppress the emperor at a critical moment?"

Xia Ru said in despair, "This, can't be done."

Then, Pei Yuan changed his tone and said to Xia Ru kindly as if nothing had happened, "Come, let me tell you what I should do if I want to wipe out your entire Xia family."

Xia Ru was startled and quickly said to Pei Yuan, "Captain, I already know I was wrong. Don't make such a joke."

Pei Yuan signaled Xia Ru to calm down, "It's just a chat."

After that, Pei Yuan said calmly, "This thousand households have made it very clear that the emperor's support for the Xia family is not because he favors the Xia family, but because of the emperor's resentment towards the Zhang family."

"If I had walked out of this door just now, I would immediately organize people to impeach the two brothers Zhang Heling and Zhang Yanling based on the Xia family's affairs."

"This move will not only please the emperor, but will also allow him to severely punish the two Zhangs and calm his anger."

"But what happens when the emperor gets rid of his resentment and becomes the queen mother's good son again?"

"The Xia family has completely lost all their support."

"After that, the Zhang family's revenge will inevitably follow. In the face of this dog-eat-dog fight between the foreign relatives, the court will also stand on the side of the Zhang family."

"By then, I'm afraid the emperor won't have the time to help you."

Pei Yuan said verbally that he was just "chatting", but the future he described in those few words made the Xia father and son panic from the bottom of their hearts.

Only then did they truly realize it.

The little captain in front of them was not trying to intimidate them, but was really going to wipe out the Xia family with just a little trick.

And such a terrible guy dared to criticize the queen lawlessly. How could rich and idle people like them afford to provoke such arrogance?

Xia Ru said sincerely, "Thank you for your kindness, if there is anything wrong between father and son, please tell me directly."

Pei Yuan's expression became kind after hearing this. "If you had been like this earlier, why would we hurt our feelings? Even for the queen's sake, I wouldn't embarrass you."

Unfortunately, the Xia family father and son were already accustomed to Pei Yuan's mood swings, and they just pretended not to hear Pei Yuan's outrageous remarks.

Pei Yuan continued, "We have already talked it out. I will help you think about how to break the impasse next."

Xia Ru breathed a sigh of relief and said quickly, "Please give me some advice, Master."

Pei Yuan said, "Since the Xia family gained support by relying on the emperor's anger and unwillingness, the best way to maintain this situation is naturally to continue to accumulate the emperor's anger and unwillingness."

"This way, you can survive."

The matter was related to the survival of the Xia family. Xia Ru could no longer care about Pei Yuan's viciousness. He smiled carefully and asked, "Then what should I do?"

Pei Yuan raised his chin and signaled Xia Zhu who was eavesdropping nearby.

Xia Ru quickly said with a stern face, "You little bastard, get out first!"

Xia Zhu was about to get up and leave in disgrace, but Pei Yuan stopped him and said, "No, I mean, this matter must be done by him."

When Xia Zhu heard this, he knelt back down obediently.

Xia Ru realized that he had misunderstood, and quickly asked again, "Please explain clearly, Master."

Pei Yuan looked at Xia Zhu and said, "Get up."

Xia Zhu hesitated for a moment, glanced at Pei Yuan again, and then slowly stood up.

Pei Yuan pointed to a chair nearby and said amiably, "Sit down and talk."

Xia Zhu sat down carefully.

I wanted to take a look at Pei Yuan, but I met Pei Yuan's gaze and could only smile awkwardly.

Pei Yuan sighed and said to him, "Just now, I was just joking with you. I told you long ago, do you think I would be so bored as to torment a useless dandy like you?"

"This thousand households, this is teaching you how to survive."

The Xia family father and son heard this in silence.

Pei Yuan did not feel embarrassed and asked Xia Zhu, "Yesterday, in order to ensure that everything was foolproof, I asked you to inform Shouning Hou in advance. Did you do as I asked?"

Xia Zhu nodded hurriedly, "Done."

Pei Yuan heard this and ordered, "That's good. Tomorrow morning, you will go to the gate of Shouning Marquis's mansion and kneel down. If anyone asks you, you will say that although you are favored by the emperor, you dare not offend Shouning Marquis, and would rather offer the land to him."

"You have already informed Shouning Hou before, so he won't feel awkward with your actions."

"On the contrary, it can make him think that your Xia family is still sincere. This time it was all because of the emperor's willfulness that things went wrong."

"However, a willful emperor is still an emperor. He has already intervened in this matter, and he will never dare to take back those lands." "When the time comes..., you will just kneel in front of the gate of Shouning Marquis."

Xia Ru couldn't judge the pros and cons of this for a while, and asked hesitantly, "If we do this, won't it make the emperor unhappy for our Xia family?"

Pei Yuan asked, "What else? In the eyes of the emperor, what else does the Xia family have besides that dispute of pride?"

"Instead of trying to win his favor in vain, you might as well become a tool to arouse his emotions."

Xia Ru was more mature after all, and he raised his doubts carefully, "But this is not a long-term solution. If you always rely on stirring up emotions to provoke the emperor's blessing, there will definitely be a day when it will backfire."

Pei Yuan said, "What the Earl of Qingyang said makes sense. But we don't need to provoke his emotions all the time. It will be enough if we can get the emperor to defend you a few times."

"When the emperor subconsciously regards the oppression of your Xia family as a provocation to him, you can survive and be saved."

"As for the rest, it depends on Queen Xia..."

In fact, Queen Xia's hope is even slimmer.

How cold and distant must the relationship between husband and wife be for one to ask in surprise when they meet, "Why are you so thin now?"
However, we should at least give the Xia family some hope.

After hearing Pei Yuan's dirty trick, Xia Ru couldn't figure out what it meant for a moment, but Pei Yuan's previous display of strength and control made him subconsciously believe it a little.

He asked Xia Zhu, "Did you hear it clearly?"

Xia Zhu nodded quickly, "I understand, kid."

If before coming here, a arrogant playboy like Xia Zhu was asked to kneel in front of someone else's house, even if that person was Zhang Heling, Xia Zhu might not be willing to do so.

However, after experiencing this social beating and Pei Yuan's detailed explanation, Xia Zhu finally recognized the bloody reality.

Compared with the death of one's own body and the extinction of one's clan, what does this little grievance matter?
Moreover, after what happened today, Xia Zhu also found that he could still kneel down.

After Pei Yuan explained the Xia family's affairs, he said to Xia Ru, "If you want the emperor to keep an eye on the Zhang family, the best way is to keep accumulating anger points for him."

"If you do this alone, it will easily backfire. I think it would be better to seduce a few more people to share your pressure."

When Xia Ru heard this, he immediately became more energetic.

Although Pei Yuan's plan sounds feasible, it would be even more perfect if "my fellow Taoist would die rather than myself."

Xia Ru asked with great concern, "Who do you think I should bring with me? Who would be more suitable?"

Pei Yuan said, "I heard that three years ago, the Grand Princess of Yixing and your Xia and Zhang families fought for land in Tianjin, and a large-scale fight broke out?"

Xia Ru added, "There was also Wang Min, the younger brother of the old concubine of Emperor Xianzong, and Zhang Rui, who was in charge of the imperial farm at the time."

Pei Yuan said, "Wang Min's weight is a bit low, and Zhang Rui is just a servant, so there is no need to mention him. As for the Grand Princess of Yixing, can your Xia family have a say?"

Xia Ru felt a little embarrassed after hearing this. "I'm afraid this won't work. At the beginning, Princess Yixing not only didn't get any advantage, but also suffered a little loss, and the relationship with our Xia family became very tense."

Pei Yuan felt a little regretful, "Is that so."

Xia Zhu, who was listening, said in a low voice, "I have a decent relationship with Ma Liang, the son of Princess Yixing, and we can talk to each other."

"Ma Liang?" This was the first time Pei Yuan heard this name.

Xia Zhu nodded quickly and said, "Ma Liang is the legitimate son of Princess Yixing, and now holds the honorary title of Qian Hu in the Jinyiwei.

"His father, the Prince Consort Ma Cheng, was always beaten by the Grand Princess for cheating, and Ma Liang was also implicated and received a lot of scolding."

"Ma Liang doesn't have a very good relationship with his family, but he gets along well with me, so he doesn't care about the situation between the two families, and often plays cockfighting and dog running with me."

Pei Yuan was delighted when he heard this. "Then do you have any idea to trick Ma Liang away tomorrow?"

Xia Zhu had some crooked ideas, and whispered, "If I ask him to go and watch my fun tomorrow, he would certainly agree."

If he and his good brother Xia Zhu were to embarrass themselves, Ma Liang would definitely read the message but not reply. If he were to go see his good brother Xia Zhu embarrass himself, Ma Liang would definitely stand in the first row.

Pei Yuan thought to himself, it would be a waste if he didn't take advantage of such a good opportunity.

Then he said, "Very good. As long as Ma Liang goes, you can find a reliable person to spread rumors among the scholars, saying that the Zhang family is very arrogant, and even the family of the eldest princess of Yixing can only bow to the Zhang family."

"With you kneeling in front of me and Ma Liang at the scene, those rumors will definitely implicate the family of the Grand Princess of Yixing."

"The emperor has always paid attention to the public opinion among scholars. In the previous incident of Liang Ci's death, he followed the public opinion and made a quick decision. As long as the news spreads, the emperor will soon know about it. Seeing that Shouning Hou is still so domineering, he will definitely try to target Shouning Hou."

"This way, we can also buy more time."

Xia Zhu understood Pei Yuan's thoughts. Wasn't this just playing the victim and continuing to solidify the Zhang family's lawless image and deepen the emperor's hatred?

He had some bad intentions in mind, and immediately suggested, "It would be great if we could convince Changning Earl Zhou Yu."

"Changning Earl Zhou Yu is also a royal relative. He and Zhang Heling used to have a large-scale armed fight in the capital using their servants. Now that Empress Dowager Zhou is gone and the Zhang family is so powerful, Zhou Yu must be very panicked. Why not take this opportunity to scare him?"

"If Zhou Yu saw that even our Xia family was in such a miserable state, his reaction might be even stronger. Whether he gave in or went to the emperor to ask for help despite his desperation, it would have a good effect."

Pei Yuan began to look at Xia Zhu with a new respect.

This kid is really a promising talent.

He said to Xia Ru, "This kid looks pretty good. Instead of letting him hang around outside, I'd rather have him work with me. Who knows, he might be able to achieve something."

Xia Ru laughed dryly twice and didn't dare to respond.

Pei Yuan naturally didn't care.

No matter how the Xia family struggles, the reality that they will be under the shadow of the Zhang family for a long time cannot be changed.

With the return of the "old people of Hongzhi", Empress Dowager Zhang's influence in the palace will become even stronger. Empress Xia, who is already in a weak position, does not even have anyone to use, let alone hope of causing any trouble.

With Empress Dowager Zhang in charge of the palace, Zhang Heling and Zhang Yanling in the outer court were almost invincible.

The Xia family will slowly discover that their dependence on Pei Yuan will become stronger and stronger.

As long as the Xia family, this cannon fodder, can temporarily distract Zhang Heling's attention and continue to create resentment towards the Zhang family in the eyes of the emperor, giving Pei Yuan time to calmly lay out his plans, then no matter what happens next with this chess piece of the Xia family, Pei Yuan will not lose.

After all, Pei Yuan was taking a risk on the Xia family's life and death, and it wouldn't implicate himself.

If he could force the Xia family to establish a close relationship with him, Pei Yuan would be able to influence Queen Xia just like the ministers did by controlling Zhang Heling and threatening Queen Mother Zhang.

(End of this chapter)