Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 844

Chapter 844: Autumn Examination

The Zhang Mingbei brothers and Zhang Huai’an had been at odds for two days, but finally, the autumn examination arrived. Zhang Mao spoke privately with Zhang Mingbei and Zhang Huai’an, and the matter was dropped.

Zhang Qiong, after kneeling in the ancestral hall all night, began to reflect on her actions behind closed doors.

Upon hearing this, An Zhi knew it was the best outcome, but she could not help feeling a tightness in her chest.

As the autumn imperial examinations began, the capital city bustled with activity. Members of the Pei family were also going to take the exams, but these were all from minor branches of the family, so An Zhi did not need to worry about them.

What An Zhi was most concerned about lately was Shuo Feng’s imminent return.

The letter said that Shuo Feng would arrive in the capital in about five days and had obtained the medicine. Thinking of this, An Zhi felt slightly relieved, but since Shuo Feng had not arrived home yet, she could not help but worry.

The other matter was the marriage of Pei Xuan from the third branch of the family and Qian Jinyu.

Originally, the third branch wanted Pei Xuan to stay until another year, but the Qian family said that both children were old enough and wanted to get married before the end of the year. Hearing this, the third branch did not want to delay any longer and set the wedding date for the end of November.

Pei Xuan was An Zhi’s niece, and a legitimate daughter at that. This marriage was also an alliance with the Qian family. From the time Madam Meng began preparing for the wedding banquet, An Zhi had frequently gone to help.

The autumn imperial examinations concluded that day, and Tao Ruiming, wanting to experience it for himself, also took the exam. An Zhi returned early from the third branch of the family and prepared a banquet for Tao Ruiming and the other scholars from the Pei family who had participated in the examinations.

That evening, only male scholars from outside the family attended, so An Zhi did not go out to greet them. Instead, she ate with Chunlan in her own courtyard.

“Madam, your Cousin Li sent a letter today, saying that she will be going to her fiefdom with Prince Yongning before the snow falls at the end of the year. Before she leaves, she would like to invite you to a meal,” Chunlan said while clearing the dishes.

“Is a date set?” An Zhi asked.

“They said it’s the day after tomorrow, just family members; no one else is invited,” Chunlan replied.

“I understand.” An Zhi thought about Li Sihui marrying Li Ji, unsure whether it was a good or bad thing. “Li Ji is a man of his word. But not everyone can have it all. There are gains and losses. Sihui is such an open-minded person; she should be able to accept it.”

Chunlan nodded in agreement.

The dishes in the room had just been cleared away when Pei Que returned. However, he had barely spoken to An Zhi when Lin Feng called him away again.

In the study, Pei Que looked at the secret letter Shuo Feng had sent back with a grim expression, his fingers clenched tightly. “Not many people knew about Shuo Feng’s trip to the Northern Desert. How could he have been suddenly attacked?”

Lin Feng was also puzzled. “I’ve already sent people to investigate. According to the secret letter Shuo Feng sent back, the other side clearly prepared for a long time just to hijack the antidote they had. Verifying the facts is one thing, but the most important thing is to send someone to bring Shuo Feng back. Without the antidote, Madam’s health will not be able to withstand it.”

Pei Que’s face was grim, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

He had kept An Zhi’s poisoning a secret, but some people knew about it. Investigating now would be fruitless in the short term. Moreover, the other party was after the antidote, meaning they knew An Zhi was poisoned. If they stole the antidote, how easy would it be to go to the Northern Desert again?

“Go find the best fighters in the residence. I will personally lead a team to retrieve them,” Pei Que said, still worried.

Shuo Feng and his group had been attacked and were now trapped in a valley north of the capital. The attackers had sent numerous assassins, their purpose clearly apparent.

Lin Feng did not dare to delay and immediately went to find them.

While Lin Feng went to gather his subordinates, Pei Que went to see An Zhi, but he did not mention Shuo Feng’s situation. He only said there were some urgent matters regarding the deployment of troops at the military camp north of the city, and he needed to leave for a few days.

An Zhi was already used to Pei Que’s sudden assignments. She had Chunlan prepare warm clothes for him, gave him a few words of advice, and then saw Pei Que off.

Pei Que traveled north, but upon reaching the city gate, he suddenly stopped, summoned a subordinate, and whispered, “Go find Prince Yongning and tell him…”

The autumn outskirts of the capital were already carpeted with yellow leaves.

Pei Que traveled for two days and two nights before finally arriving at the valley Shuo Feng had described.

Lin Feng pointed to a plume of smoke rising from the mountains and guessed, “Master, that should be their stronghold.”

“Do not be careless. Remember what I told you on the way,” Pei Que frowned. “We came all the way from the capital. If they’ve targeted Shuo Feng, they will definitely be watching us too. Now it’s a matter of who’s more capable. Do not act rashly. We are in the open, so let’s set up camp first and scout ahead at night.”

Pei Que trusted Shuo Feng’s abilities; it was impossible for them to find him so quickly. The most powerful aspect of the secret guards was their ability to hide, and Shuo Feng was a master of this, making it even easier for them to succeed.

As darkness fell, Pei Que did not move himself but instead sent his men to search.

He was now like a target, with the enemy possibly watching him from some hidden spot.

However, the early moonlight was weak, and after the fire was extinguished, it was so dark that only a few outlines could be seen. Only then did Pei Que quietly move towards the valley.

The light was dim, and Pei Que and his companions moved slowly.

The primary objective now was not to deal with the pursuers of Shuo Feng, but to find Shuo Feng and bring him out.

As they closed the distance, Pei Que bypassed their camp. The closer they got, the less likely they were to find Shuo Feng.

Shuo Feng would leave behind specially prepared spices, which only the Pei family’s hunting dogs could locate based on clues.

Lin Feng had set off an hour earlier than Pei Que. Pei Que had not heard any movement around them, meaning the pursuers had not discovered Lin Feng yet.

However, it seemed the pursuers had spotted him.

While crossing a stream, several fire arrows suddenly shot out from the surrounding dense forest. Had Pei Que and his companions not reacted quickly, they would have been riddled with arrows.

The faint light from the fire arrows was not enough to illuminate the forest, but it revealed Pei Que’s position.

“Run forward!” Pei Que ordered.

Whoosh! Several rockets shot out from the dense forest in quick succession.

A tall, masked man carrying a torch emerged from the forest.

“Greetings, Fourth Master Pei,” the masked man said.

Immediately afterward, hundreds of people sprang out from all around the forest, all wearing masks, as if they had been waiting for Pei Que.

“You were waiting for me on purpose?” Pei Que asked.

The masked man said, “Fourth Master Pei is clever; he guessed so quickly that our target was you, but it’s too late. Now that you’re here, everyone’s one of ours. You should have your men give up resistance; they will die a quicker death later.”

Pei Que sneered, “You did not attack immediately, which means you have designs on me. Let me guess, whose side are you on?”

“The Xu family? No, the Xu family is too busy to hunt me down right now, and they do not have the ability to know about Shuo Feng’s trip to the Northern Desert.”

Pei Que tightened his grip on his sword hilt without showing any emotion. “It cannot be the Lin family or any other powerful family. I think… you’re on Pei Yu’s side, right?”

T/N: Pei Yu has always been a scumbag from the previous life to this one.