Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 159 Surrender (Part 1)

Pei Qinghe settled down and rested for half a day. In the evening, Old Master Shi hosted a family banquet and sent Shi Yan to invite guests.

Pei Qinghe chuckled: "Now I know where all your skills and abilities come from."

His movements are both firm and flexible, and his methods are agile. Clearly, all of this comes from the true teachings of Master Shi.

Shi Yan, teased and joked with, was not embarrassed at all and grinned: "When I was fifteen, my grandfather said that I had surpassed my master."

Pei Qinghe smiled and said, "Alright, since you came to invite me in person, I'll definitely give you this much face. Please wait a moment while I change into some clean clothes."

For ease of movement, Pei Qinghe never wore skirts, only a gray cloth dress. Her hair was too long to manage, so it was cut and braided repeatedly. When attending banquets, she couldn't conveniently carry a bow and arrows or a long sword, so she concealed a sharp dagger in her sleeve and wore a soft whip as a belt. In times of crisis, both the dagger and the whip could be used for self-defense or killing.

This is certainly not in accordance with the etiquette of attending a banquet.

Now, Miss Pei is running rampant in Yan County, and no one has the right to point fingers at her.

Pei Yan also went to the banquet. She was tall and strong, with thick arms, dark skin, and eyes like copper bells; she looked like a female warrior just by standing there. The spirited Pei Qinghe looked petite next to Pei Yan.

Grandpa Shi and his family warmly welcomed them.

The direct line of the Shi family is small, but the collateral branches have quite a few members. Those who have come to the family banquet today are mostly the heads of each branch and house.

Everyone held Pei Liu, who was notorious for killing people without hesitation, in awe and treated her with utmost respect.

Pei Qinghe said with a smile, "Everyone, please don't be shy, please sit down!"

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and took their seats.

Pei Qinghe naturally took the seat of honor, with Old Master Shi and Shi Yan, grandfather and grandson, sitting on either side.

Old Master Shi took the initiative to stand up and offer a toast. Pei Qinghe smiled and stood up to return the toast.

After the family banquet, Old Master Shi invited Pei Qinghe to his study for a talk. Pei Qinghe and Old Master Shi sat facing each other, while the brothers Shi Yan and Shi Li stood to one side.

Old Master Shi was referring to the Zhan family's arrival to seek refuge: "Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. The Zhan family's private salt mines were seized by the Fanyang army, and their family business was also robbed. However, Zhan Fei has trade routes that he has been operating for decades, and he still has more than two hundred men under his command. All of these are of great use to the Pei family army."

"I shamelessly pleaded for Zhan Fei, and I also hope that the Sixth Miss can completely bring the Zhan family under her control."

Pei Qinghe nodded slightly: "I had the same idea."

"What I value is the Zhan family's salt-selling team. They have been to the area beyond the Great Wall, are familiar with the terrain, and have dealt with the Xiongnu barbarians."

“I want them to continue to the area outside the pass. Since there is no smuggled salt to sell, they can sell tea, wine, and cloth. I will provide the supplies. He will lead the men to the area outside the pass to exchange for horses and bring them back.”

Old Master Shi was startled: "So the Sixth Miss had already thought of this."

Pei Qinghe smiled and said, "What the Pei family army lacks most right now is warhorses. Jingchao doesn't produce horses, and every army is short of them. If we want good horses, we have to go beyond the Great Wall."

“Going beyond the Great Wall to buy horses is quite risky. Old Master Shi might as well give Zhan Fei a heads-up. If he is willing to risk his life for me, Pei Qinghe, I will not only give the Zhan family a way out, but also help them make a comeback. If he only wants to survive, then he doesn’t need to come to see me again. If he stays in Yan County, the Pei family army will not touch him.”

"I'll give him five days to consider."

Old Master Shi let out a breath and nodded in agreement: "Alright, I will definitely convey what the Sixth Miss said to Master Zhan."

The choice is up to Zhan Fei.

"Do I have any choice?"

Half an hour later, Zhan Fei, who had been invited to the study, smiled bitterly: "Our Zhan family's wealth accumulated over decades has all been stolen. We sacrificed our daughter in exchange for the lives of our entire family. I, Zhan Fei, have lived a glorious life for most of my life, and now I am like a stray dog."

"I will not be a human being if I don't avenge this."

“I don’t want to live a life of ignominy. I want to make a comeback and rebuild the Zhan family. I am willing to go beyond the Great Wall to buy horses for the Sixth Miss.”

Old Master Shi sighed: "You'd better think this through. You used to go to the border to sell smuggled salt, and bring back cattle and sheep to make a lot of money. The Xiongnu barbarians don't care about selling cattle and sheep, but they don't treat those who buy horses well. Who knows, you might end up buried outside the border and never come back."

Zhan Fei gritted his teeth: "I have to go. There's no other way, this is the only one left, I have to give it my all."

Looking at Zhan Fei's red eyes, Old Master Shi felt uneasy.

The Shi and Zhan families had been allies for many years, their wealth and influence earning them the nickname "the two most powerful families in Youzhou." While the Zhan family was nearly driven to ruin by the Fanyang army, the Shi family remained unscathed. Although they had to contribute a large amount of grain, they in return secured the protection of the Pei family's army. Compared to the Zhan family, the Shi family was worlds apart.

If he were Zhan Fei, he wouldn't be willing to fade into obscurity either. He wouldn't miss any opportunity to make a comeback. What's wrong with risking his life? If it weren't for Miss Pei, Zhan Fei wouldn't even have had the chance to fight.

"Alright! I'll pass on your message to Sixth Miss." Old Master Shi sighed, "I hope your wish comes true."

Zhan Fei swallowed his tears, clasped his hands in thanks, and then said, "No need to wait five days. As long as Sixth Miss is willing to see me, I will go to ask for an audience tomorrow."

Since Zhan Fei was willing to risk his life for his future, Pei Qinghe was happy to meet him.

The following day, Zhan Fei came to see him.

Pei Qinghe left only Shi Yan and Pei Yan behind, while the rest of the people stood guard outside the door. Zhan Fei wanted to kneel again, but Pei Qinghe raised her hand to stop him: "From now on, we're all family, no need to kneel around."

"Sit and talk."

Zhan Fei sat down, tears of gratitude streaming down his face.

Before Pei Qinghe could ask, Zhan Fei spoke up after thinking about it all night: "Sixth Miss, our Zhan family has been selling salt to the area outside the Great Wall for the past ten years. We've sent three salt smuggling teams, but unfortunately, most of them were killed by the Fanyang army. Now, only a little over a hundred people remain."

“I divided the more than one hundred people into two teams. I led one team and my third brother led the other. After the two teams passed through the pass, they went their separate ways. I carried cotton cloth and my third brother carried several carts of tea. We made a trip first to see how many horses we could exchange for.”

Salt is out of stock, and wine is difficult to carry. Cotton cloth and tea are both in high demand outside the pass, and are goods that can be stored for a long time without spoiling.

No wonder he's a big business tycoon who's been in business for decades. Even though his family fortune was taken away, no one can take away his business experience and insight.

Pei Qinghe nodded approvingly: "I don't know much about business. You can discuss these things with Steward Shi."

Shi Yan continued, "The Wang family provides the cloth, the Zhan family provides the men, and the warhorses they exchange for are all supplied to the Pei family army. Don't worry, we won't let Master Zhan risk his life for nothing. The Pei family army will buy the horses at market price. The Wang family will profit 30%, and the Zhan family will profit 70%."

"I'll handle the negotiations with the tea merchants. They'll provide the tea leaves and take a 30% stake."

Zhan Fei's spirits lifted, and he cupped his hands again: "I have another matter to ask. I would like to request that Sixth Miss send some men to accompany us. Opening up trade routes is not an easy task, and it will be safer to bring more men."

(End of this chapter)