Chapter 28: Sorrow of Parting, Pledge of Fealty, Weaving an Intelligence Network
Chapter 28: Chapter 28: Sorrow of Parting, Pledge of Fealty, Weaving an Intelligence Network
Gongsun Yi hired a horse-drawn carriage. After loading everything onto it, he stood by its side, reluctantly saying farewell to his wife.
Liu Yuheng pressed her red lips together, looking at the husband she was about to part with. Though she had a thousand things to say, they all condensed into a single sentence: "Be careful on your journey, Senior Brother."
"Yes, and you must take good care of yourself and Lan’Er," Gongsun Yi instructed in a gentle tone.
"I will." Liu Yuheng nodded, her eyes firm. "Don’t worry, I’ll protect Lan’Er. I will never let Pei Shaoqing bully her."
Gongsun Yi didn’t respond to that. He simply smiled tenderly and reached out to tidy her hair.
Meanwhile, Zhao Zilan was also saying goodbye to her senior brother, her face full of tenderness and reluctance. She nagged him endlessly, "Senior Brother, you must listen to Master when you get back to the mountain. Don’t go running around all day anymore. Wash up frequently when it’s hot, and remember to wear more clothes when it gets cold..."
"Junior Sister, why are you nagging like the Master’s wife?" Jiang Yebai cut her off, taking her hand. "I’m a grown man, you don’t need to worry about me. You’re the one who needs to be careful. Don’t let that lecher Pei Shaoqing bully you."
"Don’t worry, Senior Brother. I certainly won’t let him have his way," Zhao Zilan said, forcing a smile.
Jiang Yebai felt a persistent unease. He glanced back at his master and master’s wife in the distance, then summoned his courage and said in a low voice, "Junior Sister, we’ll get married next year."
"Yes," Zhao Zilan replied softly.
"Yebai, it’s getting late. It’s time to go."
Just then, Gongsun Yi’s voice called out.
"Junior Sister, I have to go. You must take care of yourself." Jiang Yebai reluctantly let go of Zhao Zilan and ran toward the carriage. He kept looking back every few steps, waving and shouting, "Junior Sister, wait for me to come visit you!"
Zhao Zilan stood there in a daze, watching the carriage disappear into the distance. She could no longer hold back her tears.
’Senior Brother, I’m sorry. I lied to you.’
"There, there, don’t cry." Liu Yuheng walked over and pulled her into an embrace, comforting her. "It’s not like you’ll never see him again. Besides, you still have me to keep you company."
"Master’s wife! WAAAAAH!" Zhao Zilan hugged Liu Yuheng back tightly and began to sob her heart out.
Liu Yuheng gently stroked her beloved disciple’s back, assuming she was just sad about the parting and didn’t think much more of it.
"Let’s go, Lan’Er. We’ll head inside."
The two had just stepped onto the front stairs when a voice came from behind them. "Ladies, please wait. I am Chen Zhongyi, Standard-Bearer of the Jing’an Guard’s Tongzhou Hundred Households. I’ve come to call on Young Master Pei. I hope you might announce my presence."
About the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea later, Pei Shaoqing walked into the main hall and saw Standard-Bearer Chen, who was already waiting.
Chen Zhongyi hadn’t dared to take a seat and had been standing the whole time. Upon seeing Pei Shaoqing, he dropped to his knees in one clean motion and kowtowed, his head hitting the floor with a heavy THUD.
"The sinner Chen Zhongyi pays his respects to the Young Master!"
"Oh? How strange. What crime has Standard-Bearer Chen committed?" Pei Shaoqing asked with a half-smile.
Chen Zhongyi remained in his kowtowing position, not daring to rise. With his rear end high in the air, he replied, "Zheng Xuancheng, under orders from Noble Consort Wan, intended to harm you, Young Master. This lowly one was coerced and manipulated into conspiring with him, becoming his accomplice. My crime is truly worthy of ten thousand deaths, but I beg for your mercy, Young Master. Spare this dog’s life, and I will go through fire and water for you from now on!"
"And what of your sincerity in begging for forgiveness?" Pei Shaoqing lifted a foot, using the tip of his shoe to tilt Chen Zhongyi’s chin up. He looked down on him condescendingly and said coolly, "I am, after all, granting you the grace of life."
"My Lord, one moment." Chen Zhongyi got up, hunched over, and scurried to a nearby table to pick up a wooden box. He then returned, knelt before Pei Shaoqing again, and presented the box with both hands held high. "My Lord, this is this lowly one’s sincerity!"
Pei Shaoqing opened the wooden box, curious.
Inside was a fresh, severed man’s head.
Based on his extensive "harvesting" experience, he estimated it had been removed from its neck no more than two hours ago.
The blood pooled at the severed neck had not yet coagulated.
"Whose is this?" Pei Shaoqing asked, closing the lid.
Chen Zhongyi put down the head, pulled out a Copper Waist Token, and handed it over. He answered in a low voice, "This is the henchman that demon consort sent to Tongzhou. Zheng Xuancheng had me take charge of receiving him. Please, My Lord, verify his identity."
Zheng Xuancheng and Xu Zhiyong were both dead. He didn’t think he had any chance of escaping under these circumstances.
So even if Noble Consort Wan’s power blotted out the sky, distant water couldn’t quench a nearby thirst. His only option was to kill her man and present him to Pei Shaoqing as a pledge of allegiance, begging to keep his own life.
"Does County Magistrate Wang know about this person?" Pei Shaoqing asked nonchalantly as he took the Token and examined it. There was a character "Jiang" on it. Noble Consort Wan’s maiden name was Jiang; this man was clearly one of her trusted confidants.
"County Magistrate Wang was dragged into this by Zheng Xuancheng to share the risk. He doesn’t know this man existed." After answering, Chen Zhongyi gritted his teeth and added, "My Lord, do you need me to go kill that Wang fellow for you?"
’He had initially considered killing County Magistrate Wang as his pledge of allegiance, but he’d been afraid that Pei Shaoqing had other plans for the magistrate, so he abandoned the idea.’
"Heh, that won’t be necessary. Standard-Bearer Chen, why don’t you take a guess as to how I found out about your plan?" Pei Shaoqing said with his half-smile.
Chen Zhongyi froze for a moment, then his face changed abruptly. In his mind, he cursed eighteen generations of County Magistrate Wang’s ancestors. He said bitterly, "I never would have thought County Magistrate Wang would be so astute as to have already pledged his allegiance to you, Young Master."
’I thought Xu Zhiyong must have leaked it on his deathbed, but it was that two-faced bastard County Magistrate Wang all along.’
’Fucking scholars, not a single one of them is any good!’
"It’s not too late for you, either," Pei Shaoqing said, casually toying with the waist token. "I expect they’ll be sending over a probationary Hundred Households Commander soon. What are your thoughts on that?"
"What bullshit probationary commander? In this lowly one’s eyes, there is only the Young Master!" Chen Zhongyi declared, his voice firm as hammered nails.
Pei Shaoqing smiled. "Very good. Only those who understand why they are alive get to live longer."
With that, he turned and strode away. A draft blew through the hall, catching his wide sleeves and the hem of his robe.
"This lowly one respectfully sees you off, Young Master! Take care, Young Master!"
Overjoyed, Chen Zhongyi kowtowed again with another loud THUD, shouting himself hoarse.
Only after the hem of the robe was out of sight and the footsteps had faded did he finally stand up and walk out.
’He had considered inviting Pei Shaoqing to his home tonight and arranging for his wife and concubines to "serve" him as an apology, but he was afraid the Young Master would look down on them, so he dismissed the thought.’
.........
When Pei Shaoqing returned to his room, he found that General Li had come back at some point and was now sprawled on the dressing table, licking his fur.
"Where did you run off to?" He walked over, grabbed General Li by the fated scruff of his neck, and lifted him up.
"Aiya, let go, My Lord! This is unbecoming of a sovereign! Unbecoming, I say!" Dangling in the air, General Li went from being a cat-lump to a cat-noodle, flailing his paws about. "Your servant went to handle business for you, My Lord!"
Pei Shaoqing’s sharp eyes spotted a few strands of cat fur on him that weren’t his own. He sneered, "Handle business for me? More like you went off to flirt with some she-cats!"
’This cat is a pervert.’
"Er..." General Li, who had been struggling, suddenly went rigid. His big, round eyes darted about as he said with a completely serious face, "My Lord, you are mistaken. Your servant was merely infiltrating the local cat population to weave an intelligence network and help you control the county seat! For this, your servant is willing to sacrifice his looks, his very chastity!"
Although Pei Shaoqing suspected he was just out looking for fun with other cats, he had to admit the idea had potential.
At first, Xie Qingwu was just enjoying the show.
But then she considered that if General Li could actually organize the city’s cats into an intelligence network, then no movement in the city, no matter how slight, would escape Pei Shaoqing’s notice.
The network could even expand continuously. After all, General Li’s status as a demon gave him a unique advantage.
Her expression couldn’t help but turn serious.
"Then tell me the details of your plan to weave this intelligence network," Pei Shaoqing said, letting go of General Li.
"Ah?" Landing on the floor, General Li was stunned. He had just been bullshitting in a panic; he didn’t have any plan. He broke into a cold sweat and forced himself to say, "Your servant has been planning this for a long time... Your servant... Your servant plans to impregnate all the she-cats in the city! Once my children and grandchildren are spread throughout the city, they will all be My Lord’s eyes and ears!"
Xie Qingwu’s mouth twitched. ’Like master, like cat. Both are absolute fiends of lust.’
"So you want an imperial decree to go mate, is that it?" Pei Shaoqing rolled his eyes, annoyed. It was obvious the cat had no plan whatsoever. He instructed, "In the shortest time possible, you will become the Cat King of this city. Gather all the cats and make them your underlings."
"Improper, improper! How could your servant overstep his bounds? My Lord has not yet claimed the title of king, how could your servant dare do so?" General Li shook his head back and forth. "My Lord, why not form a new army? You can name it the Tianmao Camp. This Military Advisor and Grand General will personally lead this camp, specializing in intelligence and reconnaissance."
’Tianmao Camp? I might as well call it the Jingdong Camp!’
"Let’s just call it the Mao Camp," Pei Shaoqing said casually.
Although General Li felt the name wasn’t imposing enough, he didn’t dare defy his lord’s command. "Yes, this general will obey."