Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 293 Fury (Part 1)

The talkative guard was ruthlessly driven out.

The door closed, leaving Meng Dalang alone inside.

Meng Dalang fell into deep thought.

The guard's words actually made some sense. The Pei family army was at its peak, and Pei Qinghe's talent was on full display. After this battle, with the Liaoxi army under his command, it was only a matter of time before the Fanyang army submitted. Such a large territory as Youzhou would all belong to Pei Qinghe in the future.

General Zhang was arrogant and domineering, using the emperor as a puppet to command his generals, but his true sphere of influence was only in Ji Province.

In terms of reputation and strength, Pei Qinghe is on par with General Zhang. In terms of military and popular support, he is even more so.

If the Pei family army and the Bohai army were to fight in the future, would the Beiping army need to think twice about which side it should stand on? Since their positions have already been decided, why can't they form a marriage alliance to take things a step further?

The shrewd and capable Shi Yan from the Shi family and Wang family could become a son-in-law, and the young, handsome and brave Yang Huai could also become a son-in-law. Why can't he, a lame man who is nearly thirty years old, become a son-in-law?
Mao Hongling, the third-in-command of the Pei family army… He had met and interacted with her a few years ago when he accompanied his father to Pei Family Village. She was beautiful, gentle, and meticulous. He was no longer able to impregnate a woman, so if he married Mao Hongling, he would have another son ready-made.

If I hadn't even considered it, that would have been fine. But once I had that thought, everything about me would have been perfect.

Adults don't talk about love; they only look at practical matters. If this marriage goes through, the benefits will be numerous!

Unfortunately, he can't get out of bed right now, so there's no use thinking about it. He should just stay in bed and recover from his injury.
Over the next two days, Eunuch Shen repeatedly came to "visit" Meng Dalang. However, Meng Dalang was adept at dodging the question; as soon as Eunuch Shen started a conversation, Meng Dalang would change the subject or brush him off by saying that he was recovering from an injury and shouldn't think too much.

Eunuch Shen was filled with resentment and dared not risk offending Pei Qinghe. He had brought the Emperor's personal letter here, and then brought it back in the same way.

Emperor Jian'an waited eagerly for over a month, and finally, Eunuch Shen returned.

Emperor Jian'an could hardly contain his eagerness and immediately waved for everyone to leave, leaving only Eunuch Shen and Gao Yong in the imperial study.

"Did you give my letter to Qinghe?" The two people in front of him were his confidants, so Emperor Jian'an didn't need to hide his feelings. His tone revealed his expectation and eagerness.

Eunuch Shen stammered and hesitated, glancing at Gao Yong with pleading eyes.

Gao Yong silently looked away.

They all knew that Emperor Jian'an was indulging in wishful thinking. No one wanted to shatter their master's dream. But it seemed there was no escaping it today; perhaps they should let the eloquent Eunuch Shen speak!
Emperor Jian'an was somewhat displeased: "I'm asking you, what are you looking at Commander Gao for? When you went to Liaoxi to deliver the imperial edict, you surely didn't see General Pei!"

Shen Gonggong cursed Gao Yong for being disloyal in his heart, gritted his teeth, took out the letter he had been carrying for more than a month from his bosom, and presented it to the emperor's desk.

Emperor Jian'an's smile froze, and anger flashed in his eyes: "Why didn't my letter reach General Pei?"

Eunuch Shen knelt down, not daring to look the Emperor in the eye: "This servant presented it, but General Pei refused to accept it. General Pei even publicly announced that he would summon Steward Shi to be his son-in-law, and that they would get married once his injuries had healed!"

The imperial study suddenly fell silent.

All that could be heard was Emperor Jian'an's heavy breathing.

Gao Yong glanced quickly at the emperor, whose expression was stiff, then looked away again, pretending to be a silent wooden stake.

Bang!
A brush washer was thrown at Eunuch Shen's forehead, instantly tearing his skin and drawing blood. Despite the excruciating pain, Eunuch Shen didn't wipe the blood away, repeatedly kowtowing and begging for mercy: "This servant is useless, it's all my fault. Please, Your Majesty, calm your anger and don't harm your health."

Snapped!
The hard, stiff memorial struck Eunuch Shen in the chest and then fell to the ground.

Shen Gonggong dared not dodge or avoid him, and continued to kowtow and beg for forgiveness.

Emperor Jian'an went mad and threw all the memorials at hand away.

As Emperor Jian'an picked up the heavy inkstone and threw it away, Gao Yong finally couldn't help but move, knocking the inkstone away with his scabbard: "Your Majesty, please calm down! Eunuch Shen has served Your Majesty for more than ten years, and has both merits and hardships. Does Your Majesty intend to kill Eunuch Shen to vent your anger today?"

Enraged, Emperor Jian'an ignored the advice of his loyal ministers and directly vented his anger on Gao Yong: "Gao Yong! How dare you! Do you think you have a say in what I do?!"

Gao Yong pursed his lips, suppressing his anger, and knelt down expressionlessly to beg for forgiveness: "This humble general has spoken out of turn, please punish me, Your Majesty!"

What did Eunuch Shen do wrong?

What did Gao Yong do wrong?

This weak and useless emperor was completely controlled by the Zhang family, and he had very few trustworthy or capable people around him. When the young woman he had loved for many years wanted to marry another man, he, as the emperor, was powerless to do anything about it, and could only rage in a fit of impotence.

Emperor Jian'an, his eyes red with anger, roared, "Get out! No one is to be brought in without my permission!"

Shen Gonggong was worried about his master and wanted to speak, but Gao Yong reached out and pulled him, causing him to stagger backward involuntarily, all the way to an empty side room.

"Let me go." Eunuch Shen was dizzy and muttered to himself, "I have to go back and let my master vent his anger. I don't want him to get sick from anger."

Gao Yong, annoyed by his chatter, reached out and pressed his acupoint to silence him. He then sent someone to summon the imperial physician.

The imperial physician was also startled. Seeing Commander Gao's face, which was as black as the bottom of a pot, he dared not ask any more questions and kept his mouth shut as he cleaned, applied medicine, and bandaged Eunuch Shen.

After the imperial physician left, Gao Yong tapped his hand a few times and said, "If you still want to live, don't even think about seeing the Emperor today. Just lie here obediently."

Eunuch Shen stopped making a fuss and lay there pitifully, two lines of tears streaming down his face: "His Majesty is so pitiful, his devoted heart has been wasted. General Pei is also too cold-hearted. His Majesty went to great lengths to persuade General Zhang and his son to grant her the title of First-Rank General for her sake. Such favor is unparalleled in the world. How could she turn a blind eye to this and take that Shi Yan as her husband..."

"Otherwise what? General Pei, are you going to fight desperately in battle while also becoming the emperor's concubine?"

Gao Yong couldn't stand it anymore and said sharply, "General Pei is an unparalleled warrior. The Emperor admires her bravery and fierce fighting skills, yet he wants to keep her as a pretty face. Isn't that just wishful thinking?"

"If His Majesty could make General Pei Empress, then perhaps I could even consider it. But now that there is already Empress Zhang in the palace, and the eldest son born of the legitimate wife, what right does she have to covet General Pei? What Imperial Concubine? She's nothing but a concubine. If I were General Pei, I wouldn't have endured this long ago; I would have given His Majesty a good beating long ago!"

Only military generals truly understand just how formidable Pei Qinghe is.

Such a person should be treated with respect and courted. For the emperor to even dream of taking her into his harem is utterly absurd!
Gao Yong concluded, "Your Majesty had better come to a clear head, otherwise, you're bound to cause a huge mess."

(End of this chapter)