Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 59 Letter (Part 1)

In Peijia Village, Madam Feng whispered anxiously, "Qinghe, Young Master Shi sent so much grain and bricklayers to help us build our new house. Send a message over there, and also prepare a cartload of fine wine to give to Magistrate Wang."

"How are we supposed to repay all these favors?"

In this world, the hardest debt to repay is the debt of gratitude. The Shi family is a powerful clan in Youzhou, and although they have no relation to the Pei family, they have repeatedly extended a helping hand.

The kind-hearted and easily embarrassed Mrs. Feng felt quite uneasy about the large favors she had received from the young master Shi.

Pei Qinghe, who was carefully wiping and maintaining the longbow, stopped what she was doing, looked up and smiled: "Young Master Shi has a keen eye. By investing in the Pei family in advance, he will surely reap rich rewards in the future."

"Even if the Pei family hadn't risen to power, the Shi family wouldn't have suffered any losses. The Shi family is the most famous grain merchant in the North, with a vast business empire. These grains and fine wines are just a drop in the ocean for the Shi family."

"When my father and uncle were still alive, how many merchants came to our door to curry favor?"

This is true.

In the past, if the Shi family wanted to deliver gifts, they would have to see if the Pei Zhongde brothers were willing to pay attention.

Now that the Pei family has suffered misfortune and been exiled here, a wealthy family from Youzhou has become their benefactor.

Madam Feng sighed softly, "Very well, it's good that you know what's going on."

She paused, then tenderly touched her daughter's increasingly tanned cheeks: "Your mother is weak-willed and can't help you much. You've shouldered the burden of the Pei family and are trying to find a way to survive for your clan. You've suffered so much."

Pei Qinghe pressed her face against her mother's palm, looking as innocent and charming as an ordinary girl: "How can Mother be weak? In my heart, Mother is my pillar, the mountain I rely on when I move forward."

Madam Feng chuckled and pinched her daughter's cheek: "When you're willing to coax someone, your mouth is as sweet as honey."

Pei Qinghe nestled into her mother's arms with a smile. Madam Feng hugged her daughter, and the two women leaned close together, whispering to each other.

"My cousin Shulan has taken in a husband who lives with her, and they are newlyweds, beaming with happiness these past few days. Several of my younger cousins ​​are also interested in her."

"Once the new village is built, I will recruit a group of displaced people to Peijia Village. Then, I will let the aunts and cousins ​​who are interested in finding sons-in-law choose among them."

Madam Feng was both amused and exasperated. She couldn't help but whisper a reminder: "We also have to be wary of people with ill intentions who might use the marriage arrangement to sneak into the village. That could cause trouble."

Pei Qinghe's eyes flashed, and she smiled leisurely: "Don't worry, everyone in the Pei family practices martial arts, they are not to be trifled with."

The children of the Pei family had all wielded knives and killed people, and even the delicate Feng had dug pits to bury bandits. The women of the Pei family, tempered by blood, were like sharp needles and thorns, not easy targets.

Feng's greatest virtue was that she listened to her daughter's every word. Seeing that Pei Qinghe was confident, she stopped nagging.

Pei Qinghe proactively said, "Mother is not yet thirty, she's still very young. After observing a year of mourning for her husband, if she finds a suitable man, she can take him in as a son-in-law..."

"Don't talk nonsense." Madam Feng's face flushed, and she glared at her daughter: "I only have your father in my heart, and I can't tolerate any other man."

"Your grandmother is the most old-fashioned. She was so angry when Shulan took in a son-in-law that she didn't sleep for two nights. If it were me, your grandmother would be furious to death."

Most importantly, her daughter is so capable; she might have a bright future. It's one thing for her to be of little help, but how could she possibly hinder her daughter and cause her trouble?

Other women of the Pei family could marry into the family and have children, but she absolutely could not.

Feng would not voice these considerations, but how could Pei Qinghe not understand them?

Pei Qinghe felt a warm glow in her heart and said softly, "People's hearts are fickle. Perhaps in a few years, Mother will change her mind."

Then Madam Feng realized something was amiss: "Oh right, you just said a year of mourning for one's husband, that's not right. Mourning for one's husband should be observed for three years..."

Pei Qinghe didn't take it seriously: "Three years is too long. A man's mourning period for his wife is one year, and a woman's mourning period for her husband is one year."

“In Peijia Village now, I’m the one who calls the shots.” Madam Feng then fell silent.

Button, button, button!
“Cousin Qinghe,” Pei Yan said urgently, “the Beiping army has sent someone with a message.”

Pei Qinghe's gaze sharpened, and she quickly got up to open the door.

……

The messenger who delivered the message to Peijia Village was General Meng's personal guard.

The soldiers in the Beiping army were all men from the north, tall and strong. This also shows that General Meng was a good commander. In the army, it was common for military officers to drink the blood of their soldiers; a good general was one who could ensure that his soldiers were well-fed.

"Sixth Miss Pei, this is a letter from our general." The guard respectfully presented the letter from his general.

Then, he furtively took out another letter from his sleeve: "This is a letter from our sixth young master."

Pei Qinghe remained unfazed, calmly accepting the gift and giving Pei Yan a wink. Pei Yan cleverly slipped a small purse into the purse.

The guard reluctantly accepted the reward money, quickly stuffed the purse into his pocket, and then, like a floodgate opened, began to talk incessantly about the recent activities of the Beiping army.

Putting aside the hype and cutting out the hype, there's only one useful piece of information.

Suddenly, the Beiping army dispatched a thousand men to wipe out a band of bandits of unknown origin.

General Meng sent such a trusted guard, whose mouth was looser than his waistband, to deliver the message; this was the only message he truly wanted to convey.

Pei Qinghe's eyes flashed, and she smiled as she saw her personal guards off. Then she opened the letter alone in the room.

Pei Yan stood guard at the door, her eyes wary and filled with murderous intent. The children were so frightened that they ran far away. Even the birds flew around her.

General Meng's letter contained only a few words, making no mention of the bandits, only saying that with the Beiping army there, the Pei family would be safe and sound.

Pei Qinghe opened Meng Liulang's letter again.

For sons of military families, learning martial arts from a young age is less important than reading and writing. Meng Liulang was clearly not a man skilled in both martial arts and literature; his handwriting was like a swimming dragon, uneven in thickness and size.

In his letter, Meng Liulang casually described how he had killed several bandits, beheaded a string of them, and achieved considerable military merit. Even disregarding his contribution to the annihilation of Black Bear Stronghold, he should have been promoted to a junior captain, now commanding fifty men. He also casually mentioned that if the Pei family ever needed anything, they could send a message to the military camp. He would reluctantly lend a hand.

Between the lines, Meng Liulang's smug and arrogant handsome face leaps vividly into view.

Pei Qinghe raised the corners of her mouth slightly, a hint of a smile flashing in her eyes, and casually stuffed Meng Liulang's letter into the wooden box on the wooden table.

Button, button, button!
There was another knock on the door.

Pei Yan's loud voice rang out: "Cousin Qinghe, the messenger from the Eastern Palace has arrived."

What a wonderful day it is today, with letters coming in one after another.

Pei Qinghe went to open the door: "Where is the messenger? I'll go and meet him."

If you're going to invoke the banner of the Crown Prince's authority, you must always maintain due respect for the people in the Crown Prince's palace.

Pei Qinghe, along with Pei Yan, Pei Yun, and others, came to greet them.

The imperial guards, who had been traveling for more than ten days, looked weary and dusty. They respectfully bowed and said, "We are here on the orders of His Highness the Prince to deliver a message to Miss Pei."

(End of this chapter)