Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 329 Reply
This letter, naturally, needs to be written with care.

Meng Bing, a military officer of the imperial court, stayed in Youzhou after recovering from his injuries instead of returning to the capital to marry into the Pei family, leaving behind eight hundred cavalrymen as well. Such an unethical act deserves an explanation from the emperor.

Shi Yan ground the ink and laid out the paper for Pei Qinghe. Pei Qinghe had already thought it through, and wrote it down in one stroke. After finishing, he immediately ordered someone to send it to Bohai County by fast horse.

It would take time for a fast horse to travel back and forth. While waiting for the emperor's reply, Pei Qinghe prepared a wedding banquet for Mao Hongling and Meng Bing.

This wait lasted for almost half a month.

What arrived was a reply, worded rather coldly, that made no mention of Meng Bing and Mao Hongling's marriage. It ordered Meng Bing to lead his cavalry back to the capital.

After reading the letter, Pei Qinghe sneered, "This letter was not written by the Emperor; it must have been written by General Zhang."

Since Emperor Jian'an fainted last year, he has been bedridden and has consumed countless tonics, yet his health has shown no improvement. General Zhang has been solely in charge of all court affairs.

"It seems the Emperor is in a very precarious situation," Shi Yan said in a low voice. "He can't even send out a single letter."

Pei Qinghe's eyes flashed, her voice icy and almost cruel: "If you want to wear the crown, you should bear its weight. He is of legitimate royal blood and was enthroned by the civil and military officials. But what has he done in the past few years, besides hiding in the palace and eking out a living?"

"Weak-willed, indecisive, mediocre and incompetent. He failed to win over either civil or military officials, nor did he care for the common people. He also repeatedly made foolish and stupid decisions!"

"Even loyal ministers like the Meng brothers have been disheartened by him. Otherwise, why would Meng Bing have voluntarily married into the family and stayed? This shows his complete disillusionment with the emperor and his desire to leave a way out for the Beiping army."

"General Zhang is more than happy that Meng Bing doesn't go back. Meng Liu is good at fighting, but in terms of brains, he is far inferior to Meng Bing. If Meng Bing stays in Youzhou, Meng Liu alone is not a threat. General Zhang is definitely thinking about how to swallow up the Beiping army."

"This letter is a challenge from General Zhang, who wants to use this matter to test my mettle."

Shi Yan raised an eyebrow: "You mean, General Zhang might use this as an excuse to launch an attack on our Pei family army?"

Pei Qinghe said calmly, "General Zhang is not a fool like Emperor Jian'an. He will not make a move without sufficient preparation and a sure chance of victory. At present, the Pei family army is in high spirits, and I, General Pei, who led the troops to repel the Xiongnu barbarians, have a great reputation. He cannot find a suitable reason to attack the Pei family army."

“If Meng Bing wants to stay, he can’t stop her, nor will he. This letter is just to express his attitude and stance.”

"Go and invite Meng Bing over. I'll give him the letter and see how he reacts."

Shi Yan nodded and went to invite Meng Bing personally.

Meng Bing arrived shortly afterward.

Pei Qinghe handed the letter to Meng Bing. After reading it, Meng Bing remained calm and said, "The Beiping Army was originally stationed in Youzhou to defend against foreign enemies and fight the Xiongnu barbarians. Now that I am staying in Youzhou with the general, I can better serve the court. The emperor is angry for a moment, but he will understand later."

Pei Qinghe gave Meng Bing a deep look: "Are you really sure?"

Meng Bing looked back calmly: "From the day I led the cavalry out of Bohai Commandery, I was prepared to die. I was fortunate enough to survive the Xiongnu barbarians, and now my life is mine to live. I know very well what I want to do."

"I want to stay in Pei's army, follow the general, protect Youzhou, and fight the Xiongnu barbarians!"

This is the true destiny and future of the Beiping Army.

Military generals should fight on the battlefield to protect their country, not be resentfully confined to the court, scheming and vying for power, and manipulated by a weak and incompetent young emperor.

Pei Qinghe and Meng Bing looked at each other for a moment, then laughed: "Alright, the wedding will proceed as planned."

"Take this letter with you too."

Meng Bing bowed and accepted. He returned to the house, where Mao Hongling was waiting for him.

Mao Hongling felt a little uneasy. She looked at Meng Bing's expression and asked softly, "What did the Emperor write in his reply?" Meng Bing gave a self-deprecating smile and handed the letter to Mao Hongling: "You'll know once you take a look."

Mao Hongling quickly read through the letter and keenly sensed something was amiss: "This doesn't seem to be a letter from the Emperor himself."

Meng Bing nodded slightly: "It was General Zhang's doing."

Mao Hongling's expression suddenly turned serious: "Has it come to this? Isn't it dangerous for Liu Lang to stay in Bohai County?"

“That’s not the case,” Meng Bing said. “I brought two thousand cavalrymen with me that day, and my sixth brother also had eight thousand infantrymen.”

"The Bohai Army's strength is several times that of the Beiping Army, and it has been recruiting new soldiers to expand its forces. However, if a real battle breaks out, one Beiping soldier can take on three Bohai soldiers. General Zhang is thinking of annexing the Beiping Army, which would turn into a civil war. He is not stupid and would not do such a stupid thing."

Meng Bing's tone was full of arrogance and confidence. It was clear how confident he was in the Beiping Army.

The Beiping army certainly had reason to be arrogant. Back then, their invincible general boasted of leading an army of 100,000, but the fierce offensive was repelled by the Beiping army. In the north, the Beiping army only respected the Pei family army.

Meng Bing is usually humble and easy-going, and it is rare for her to show such an arrogant and proud demeanor.

Mao Hongling chuckled softly and reached out to stroke Meng Bing's slightly weathered face: "Then let's ignore him and get married first."

Meng Bing smiled and nodded, then grabbed Mao Hongling's hand and pulled her into his arms.

……

Three days later, a celebratory banquet with dozens of tables was held in Pei Family Village. All members of the Pei family were present, as were all the leaders and important figures in the army.

During the wedding ceremony, Madam Feng sat at the head of the table, her face beaming with smiles.

Mao Hongling and Meng Bing, dressed in bright red wedding attire, first bowed to heaven and earth, then to their parents, and finally bowed to each other as husband and wife.

The puppy is dressed in a festive red outfit today, with both pockets full of candy, generously handing it out to his friends.

The children unwrapped the candy, licked it again and again, their hands and mouths sticky: "Little dog brother, from today onwards, you have a dad too."

The puppy puffed out its chest proudly: "Of course."

"Will your mother give you a younger brother or sister?"

The puppy didn't understand any of this, and scratched its head: "I'll go ask my mother right now."

Leading a bunch of children, they squeezed into the new house.

Amidst the cheers of the crowd, Mao Hongling and Meng Bing drank the nuptial wine. Just as they were feeling a little shy, they suddenly heard the little dog shouting loudly, "Mom, if you have a child in the future, I'll be the older brother, right!"

Mao Hongling: "..."

The crowd who came to the new house to join in the fun burst into laughter.

Meng Bing had suffered a serious injury and was unable to have children. Very few people knew about this. Therefore, everyone laughed without restraint.

Pei Qinghe was among them, smiling as she reached out and pulled her mischievous nephew into her arms: "Aren't so many children in the village calling you brother enough?"

"Stop fooling around. Auntie will take you out to play."

(End of this chapter)