Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 770

Chapter 770: Night Raid

Hearing that Li Xing had brought the Imperial Seal of the State, Pei Que’s opinion of him rose even higher.

He withdrew his scrutinizing gaze. “Your Highness, what are your plans for the future?”

Li Xing tightened his grip on the imperial seal slightly, turning his gaze to the courtyard outside. The sky above the Pei Mansion was serene and peaceful, but he knew that the capital was engulfed in flames of war. “To be honest, I do not know yet. What to do depends on the outcome. If Xu Wenyong succeeds, I will have to return to my fiefdom and make other plans. Of course, that’s assuming I can go back.”

“Xu Wenyong will not succeed, and Your Highness does not need to go back,” Pei Que said confidently.

Li Xing’s words carried a hint of probing, which Pei Que immediately sensed.

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The room was quiet for a moment. Pei Que noticed the wind picking up outside and suggested, “It’s stuffy and uncomfortable sitting in here. Would Your Highness like to come with me to the tower?”

Li Xing nodded in agreement. He did not know what to say sitting here, but from the tower, they could see what was happening in the distance.

The two went out of the room together, and An Zhi brought them hand warmers.

“It’s windy outside; it’s better to carry it. Only when you’re warm can you have the energy to think about other things.” An Zhi knew today would not be peaceful, and they needed to rest well now; otherwise, their frozen hands would not be able to hold the sword properly.

Pei Que said softly, “Alright,” and then said to An Zhi outside, “Please have someone prepare some food, Madam. The guards outside are tired and need to eat their fill.”

“I already sent someone to prepare it,” An Zhi replied.

“Then thank you very much, Madam.” Pei Que smiled at An Zhi before leaving with Li Xing.

After they had walked for a while, Li Xing casually remarked, “You two seem to have a really good relationship.”

“Indeed, quite good,” Pei Que readily admitted. “I’ve heard the Princess Consort is a very considerate person. If there’s an opportunity in the future, the Princess Consort and my wife should get along very well.”

Speaking of his princess consort, Li Xing smiled, and the atmosphere lightened somewhat. “She’s a bit timid, but she’s very kind, and the people of the fiefdom all like her.”

As they spoke, the two reached the tower.

Looking out from the tower, a line of the palace wall could be seen, but the palace gates were not visible.

Pei Que sat on a bamboo chair, and after Fusheng served him a cup of tea, he spoke again, “Although the tower is high, it still cannot see the entire capital. Although I cannot see what’s happening to Xu Wenyong outside the city, standing at a high point always makes one feel more at ease. If anything happens, I can notice it immediately.”

“So you saw me coming from the tower?” Li Xing asked.

“Yes.” Pei Que and Li Xing smiled, turning to look towards the city wall. “It seems the time is almost up. If anything has happened, there should be a result by now. Your Highness, please sit here a little longer. After you see the person, you can go to the palace.”

Li Xing had escaped danger. According to principle, he should immediately go to the palace to reunite with the Empress Dowager and the others; that’s what a loyal subject should do.

“You’ve planned every step very well,” Li Xing said with a smile.

“This is all for Your Highness’s sake,” Pei Que said calmly.

Li Xing chuckled dryly, his gaze fixed on the distance. They did not know the situation outside the city, but they were certain that after such a long delay, some reinforcements would have reached outside.

If Li Xing were ruthless, he would have left two men to kill the Fifteenth Prince in the chaos. But he did not do that. Even though it was a brother he had little affection for, Li Xing still could not bring himself to kill a ten-year-old child.

He and Pei Que sat on the tower. Neither of them particularly trusted the other, and their relationship was not especially good. Saying too much would easily lead to mistakes, so it was better to say nothing.

Just before leaving, Li Xing expressed his gratitude to Pei Que and reiterated that he would remember this kindness.

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Pei Que personally saw Li Xing off and even sent several men to escort him to the palace. He himself returned to his courtyard.

As evening approached and the situation outside the city was nearing a conclusion, Pei Que did not seem particularly anxious.

When he sat down to have dinner with An Zhi, he ate as usual.

After finishing his meal, Pei Que told An Zhi to go and rest, but she refused.

“It’s so chaotic outside; how can I possibly sleep?” An Zhi turned to Binglu and said, “You take the young lady back to her room first. I will stay here with Master.”

Binglu took Yue’er away, and An Zhi and Pei Que went to the study together. The two had just sat down when Shuo Feng entered from outside.

“My lord, my lady, news just arrived from outside the city that the Fifteenth Prince has died at the hands of the mutinous army, and the Empress Dowager was taken to the palace by soldiers she encountered along the way. She sustained some injuries, but her condition is still unclear.” Shuo Feng paused, slowing his speech, and continued, “I personally went outside the city to take a look. The Xia family of Lingnan has come to reinforce us. Normally, it would not be this fast from Lingnan to the capital, but for some reason, Xia Yunjiang personally led his troops here and is currently engaged in fierce fighting with Xu Wenyong’s men.”

Xia Yunjiang was the young master of the Xia family. He and An Zhi had been betrothed years ago, but Pei Que interfered with their matchmaking. In the past two years, Xia Yunjiang had achieved considerable success and had gained a considerable reputation in the Lingnan region.

Pei Que pondered for a moment, then immediately came up with the answer. “Xia Yunjiang’s mother, Madam Cheng, comes from the Cheng family. It seems Duke Cheng discovered something and sent someone to inform the Xia family, which is why the Xia family secretly dispatched troops long ago. Xu Wenyong originally thought that reinforcements from the prefectures and counties would arrive in at least two days; he never dreamed the Xia family would arrive so quickly.”

Pei Que was not the only strategist in the capital. If Pei Que could orchestrate a scheme, naturally others could follow suit.

Considering it was Duke Cheng’s doing, Pei Que was not surprised.

Duke Cheng may seem rigid, but he’s quite shrewd; otherwise, he would not have remained a pillar of the court despite his unpopular personality.

An Zhi nodded in agreement. “With the Xia family’s arrival, they will definitely be able to hold Xu Wenyong back. This way, Xu Wenyong will not occupy the capital; instead, he will be forced out of the city. If he continues to linger outside the city, reinforcements from other states will arrive before his own, and they will be faster than those from Jizhou or Linshan.”

The more An Zhi spoke, the more excited she became.

It had to be said, Xia Yunjiang’s arrival was incredibly useful.

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Shuo Feng also excitedly said, “I’ve taken a quick look. Although Xia Yunjiang’s forces are not as strong as Xu Wenyong’s, there are still a thousand troops stationed in the palace. They can easily hold out until new reinforcements arrive. Xu Wenyong must be very troubled right now. And it’s getting dark. If Xu Wenyong continues to linger near the palace, Xia Yunjiang can easily launch a night attack on him.”

Thinking of Xu Wenyong’s furious frustration, Pei Que and the others smiled slightly.

Pei Que’s eyes darted around. He gestured for Shuo Feng to come closer and whispered, “Take a group of men out of the city. If Xu Wenyong still refuses to give up, set a fire and create chaos. Remember the batch of gunpowder we intercepted from Linshan bound for the Northern Desert? Return it all to Xu Wenyong tonight.”