Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 4 Advancement
Prince Zhangwu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, went along with it and took back the token. He ordered someone to bring paper and pen, wrote a letter on the spot, and affixed his private seal.

Pang Zhanshi breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that the token was retrieved; writing a letter would be a simple matter.

Judging by Pei Liu's ability to manipulate people's hearts, she won't be without a way to survive even if she goes to Youzhou.

It's a pity the Pei family suffered misfortune, and the sixth daughter of Pei became the daughter of a disgraced official. Otherwise, she would have been qualified to marry into the Eastern Palace and become a prince's consort. What a pity!
Pei Liu's bright eyes looked over again, and Pang Zhanshi's heart skipped a beat.

With a solemn expression, Miss Pei bowed to all the officials of the Eastern Palace and thanked them one by one: "Today, all of you have come to see me off. Your kindness and generosity in showing compassion for the elderly and weak Pei family members are truly admirable. I, Qinghe, thank you all."

All subordinates: "..."

Well, His Highness the Prince has been ripped off, and they can't just stand by and watch. The words "generous and righteous" carry considerable weight!
The Crown Prince's guest immediately offered him a travel allowance of one hundred taels of silver.

The Crown Prince's servants also followed suit and donated one hundred taels of silver.

Even the commander of the prince's guards generously contributed silver.

As the head of the officials under the Crown Prince, Pang Zhanshi could not be too stingy, so he gave him two hundred taels of silver as a travel allowance.

Pei Qinghe accepted everything without hesitation and thanked them sincerely once again. The officials thought to themselves that there was no need for thanks; they could just ask Miss Pei to refrain from asking for favors.

Madam Lu and Madam Feng had long since stopped crying and stared at the scene in disbelief.

What's going on?

Pei Qinghe had a high fever, and when she woke up, she seemed like a completely different person.

"This prince is returning to the palace. Farewell, Miss Pei. Take care." Prince Zhangwu gazed at Pei Qinghe and silently added in his heart.

I hope we can meet again someday.

Pei Qinghe cupped his hands in farewell: "Take care, Your Highness."

Open your eyes wider this time, and don't die such a miserable death again.

Prince Zhangwu gave him a deep look before boarding his carriage. His officials followed suit, with the palace guards leading the way.

Prince Zhangwu, sitting in his carriage, couldn't help but lean out to look back.

Miss Pei stood quietly outside the post station, watching everyone leave.

As the carriage drove further and further away, the slender yet resilient figure of the young girl grew smaller and smaller, yet strangely clear, etched into my heart like a knife.

For the first time in his life, the fourteen-year-old Prince Zhangwu experienced the subtle and indescribable feeling of his heart pounding.

Pang Zhanshi, being worldly-wise, saw through it but didn't say anything. He even smiled and praised Pei Qinghe a few times: "This sixth young lady Pei is clever, adaptable, and resilient, far surpassing ordinary young ladies."

"It's a pity that the Pei family committed the heinous crime of treason. The women of the Pei family were exiled to Youzhou, and will never be able to return to the capital in this lifetime. What a pity!"

A daughter of a disgraced official doesn't even qualify to be a concubine in the Eastern Palace. There's no point in dwelling on it; it's best to forget about her as soon as possible.

Prince Zhangwu remained silent for a moment before withdrawing his gaze.

……

Prince Zhangwu and his entourage finally departed, leaving behind five guards from the Eastern Palace.

Those who could serve as guards in the Eastern Palace were mostly sons of military families with impeccable backgrounds. These five men were originally just accompanying the Prince on a trip outside the palace, but who would have thought they would be assigned this arduous mission?

The capital is more than a thousand miles from Youzhou. The Pei family, consisting of more than three hundred women and children, would have to walk there step by step, and it was unknown how long it would take. If they accompanied and escorted them back to the capital, it might take a year and a half.

Escorting the family of a disgraced official was a thankless and arduous task. If they were implicated by the Pei family later, things would be even worse. The guards were displeased, their faces grim and devoid of any smile. The tallest, darkest-faced guard, with the least expression, spoke up: "What should we do next? Please give your orders, Sixth Miss."

Madam Lu was filled with unease, and Madam Feng looked even more anxious. She tugged at Pei Qinghe's sleeve, signaling her to lower her posture and be more polite and flattering to the guards of the Eastern Palace.

Pei Qinghe remained unmoved and said calmly, "You all heard what Supervisor Pang said. Now go to the nearest county town to make the necessary arrangements."

"Buy more rice, grain, and medicinal herbs. If we can't buy ready-made cotton-padded clothes, we'll buy a hundred bolts of thick cotton cloth and several cartloads of cotton. We'll make our own cotton-padded clothes on the way."

"We're a slow traveler, so we'll set off first. You can catch up once you've bought everything."

The guards: "..."

Although Miss Pei was young and only reached their chests, she had an imposing presence and her words exuded an undeniable air of authority and dominance.

The burly, dark-skinned guard in the lead felt a chill run down his spine and instinctively bowed in agreement.

Pei Qinghe took out several silver notes from her sleeve and gave them to the burly guard: "Please, Guard Gao, exchange these silver notes for cash."

The major banks were all located in the capital city. In remote and impoverished areas, the banknotes could not be exchanged and were essentially worthless.

These silver notes were the generous gifts from Pang Zhanshi and others. Miss Pei is truly very pragmatic.

The guard accepted the silver note with mixed feelings.

The five guards quickly mounted their horses and rode away into the distance amidst the clatter of hooves and billowing dust.

"Sixth Sister! What's wrong with you today?"

Madam Lu was greatly provoked today. Her dejected look had vanished, and she said angrily, "How could you push your luck and make so many demands on His Highness the Prince?"

Pei Qinghe raised her eyes and said coldly, "Two hundred and ninety-seven lives of the Pei family were lost because of the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince even gained a good reputation by taking advantage of the Pei family."

"All I want is some rice, cotton clothes, and medicine, a few guards to accompany me, and some protection."

"What kind of pushing your luck is this?"

"Does Grandmother want to see the elderly and weak of the Pei family starve, freeze, or die of illness on the road?"

“The bandits in Youzhou are ruthless, and there are also a bunch of military bandits in the garrison camp. With the Crown Prince’s guards escorting us there, and a personal letter from the Prince, we can raise the Crown Prince’s banner.”

"We've come to this point, what's the point of talking about propriety and shame? I advise Grandmother to open her eyes wide, see the situation clearly, and put down her airs as a noblewoman as soon as possible. Otherwise, she won't be able to survive in Youzhou."

Lu Shi: "..."

Lu was so angry at these words that she almost fainted on the spot.

The Pei family has been a military family for generations, with a strong martial spirit. The boys in the family all start learning martial arts at the age of four. The girls do not have to go to the battlefield; they only need to strengthen their bodies, so the requirements for learning martial arts are much lower than for the boys.

Among the sons, Pei Zhongde was the most skilled. In the grandchildren's generation, the "Five Tigers of the Pei Family," jokingly referred to by the world, were all highly skilled in martial arts.

Only the Pei family knew that the most talented martial arts descendant in the Pei family was not one of the five tigers, but Pei Zhongde's youngest daughter, Pei Qinghe. She was an exceptional horseman, proficient in all kinds of weapons, and a peerless archer.

Although young, Pei Qinghe had the strongest fist. When the men of the Pei family were almost entirely slaughtered, Pei Qinghe stepped forward and negotiated with the Prince of Zhangwu, obtaining a large quantity of cotton clothing, food, and medicine, as well as a personal letter from the Crown Prince's guards and the Prince himself. This act won the gratitude and support of all his clansmen.

Pei Qinghe naturally became the backbone of the Pei clan.

Lu was furious, mostly because he felt his voice had been taken away.

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(End of this chapter)