Wish You All the Best - Chapter 96
Chapter 96
It was late at night when Hu Liangyou rode back into the city and headed straight for the Commissioner's residence. Hu Liangcai was still discussing border defense matters with his staff. Hu Liangyou burst in, shouting loudly, "Big Brother! You must seek justice for me!"
Hu Liangcai was shocked to see him covered in mud and in such a wretched state. He hurriedly asked for the reason, and Hu Liangyou embellished the day's events with his own twisted version. He stuck out his neck, revealing a red and purple bruise, and complained, "Big Brother, this Pei You’an acted with extreme ruthlessness; I almost lost my life at his hands! That’s fine for me, but you have treated him with such generosity, and yet he shows you not the slightest respect! If you don't teach him a lesson, where will we, the Hu brothers, hold our heads up in Su Ye City from now on?"
Hu Liangcai was furious. He took a few steps toward the door but then stopped abruptly. He turned and told Hu Liangyou to leave first so he could consult his staff. One of the advisors, surnamed Yang, who was well-versed in court history and bureaucratic matters, said, "Commissioner Hu, you must not be reckless! Pei You’an was once a close minister to the Son of Heaven, and the Emperor’s reliance on him was plain for all to see. The reason for his sudden exile here is truly suspicious; there has not been a single official document from the court, and opinions vary wildly. In my humble opinion, you should not offend him too deeply. One must remember that there is always the possibility of a comeback. Furthermore, the Pei father and son have deep foundations here, and the military and common people have not forgotten them. You have not been here long; if you move against him, I fear he will not submit without a fight. If that causes a chaotic situation, it will be hard to clean up. It would be better to summon the Colonel’s attendants and find out exactly what happened today to cause this incident."
Hu Liangcai was reminded by his advisor’s words. He hurriedly summoned Hu Liangyou’s attendants. After some intense questioning, he quickly learned the truth: they had pursued a horse into the supply yard and harassed Pei You’an’s wife, which led to the punishment of being lassoed. Hu Liangcai felt both anger and resentment—anger that his brother had stirred up trouble, and resentment that Pei Xian had once subjected him to military punishment in public, and now Pei You’an gave him no face at all. He forced down his anger, called Hu Liangyou back, scolded him severely, and ordered him to stay far away from the supply yard and never cause trouble again.
Hu Liangyou had suffered a great loss, and his throat was still red, swollen, and painful. He had expected his brother to vent his anger for him, but instead of getting his wish, he had been reprimanded. He retreated in silent submission.
Several days later, deep in the night, a fire suddenly broke out in one of the warehouses at the supply yard. The two men who set it had not yet managed to escape when they were captured by Yang Yun, who had been keeping watch nearby. With the sound of a gong, Old Ding and his men rushed over and quickly extinguished the fire.
The two arsonists caught were none other than Hu Liangyou’s attendants from that day. Yang Yun interrogated them through the night, and after only a few attempts, the two confessed that they had been acting under Hu Liangyou’s orders to sneak in and commit arson.
The supply yard contained three months’ worth of provisions for the military horses. Regardless of whether the fire had spread to harm people, if the warehouses were burned down and the horses lost their source of food, according to military law, the guards would face execution.
Pei You’an ordered Yang Yun to tie the men up and send them, along with the written confession, to the Commissioner’s residence that very night to be handed over to Hu Liangcai.
The next day, Advisor Yang, who served under Hu Liangcai, arrived. He was respectful toward Pei You’an and brought two human heads—those of the two arsonists from the previous night—as an apology. He claimed that Hu Liangyou had been incited by these two and had acted out of momentary stupidity, leading him astray. He stated that Commissioner Hu had already administered military floggings to Hu Liangyou as punishment. Originally, Hu Liangyou was to have come as well, but his legs were beaten so badly that he could not get up, so he could not accompany them, and he requested Pei You’an’s understanding.
Pei You’an only smiled without a word. He sent Advisor Yang off with great politeness. The matter finally came to an end, and Hu Liangyou was never seen again.
Jiafu finally set her mind at ease. She spent her days feeding chickens and walking the horse. As the weather gradually warmed, she was busy with the two maids cutting fabric for light clothes and making new shoes. Although their life was simple and poor, it was stable and secure. Aside from the times she missed the current situation of her relatives back home, it could truly be called a peaceful life. Unexpectedly, one morning, she woke up, felt nauseous, and began to retch. At first, she thought she had eaten something bad the night before, but after vomiting a few times, it stopped, so she didn't think much of it. Pei You’an, seeing this from the side, looked slightly nervous. He immediately helped her lie down, took her wrist, and felt her pulse.
Jiafu saw how serious he was and joked with him, but when he finished checking her pulse and remained silent, staring at her with shimmering eyes—his expression a mixture of joy and worry—she suddenly realized: "Are we going to have a child?"
Pei You’an nodded.
Jiafu was stunned. She scrambled off the bed. "Big Cousin, am I really pregnant? You aren't lying to me?"
Pei You’an nodded again.
Jiafu let out an excited, short shriek and threw herself into his arms.
Pei You’an hugged her. He looked down to see her exuberant, childlike excitement, and his heart was gradually filled with joyous tenderness. He gently patted her back. Once her emotions had settled, he laid her down gently on the bed, touched her flat abdomen, and smiled. "Snow-Stepper has a bad temper; from today on, you cannot ride it anymore, do you hear me?"
Jiafu nodded. She looked into his eyes for a moment, touched his face, and looked worried. "Big Cousin, I’m pregnant; aren't you happy?"
"Are you worried that having a child at this time will make people call you unfilial?" she asked, hesitating.
Pei You’an was startled, but then he understood; she must have sensed his prior misgivings. Hearing her worry like that, he laughed and shook his head. "As long as Grandmother doesn't blame us, what is there to fear?"
He lay down beside her, wrapped his arms around her body, and held her tightly for a long while before whispering, "Fu’er is going to have my child; how could I not be happy? I was just thinking of our current difficult circumstances and feared that in the future, you and the child would suffer..."
Jiafu shook her head. "I won't suffer. Our child, whether a boy or a girl, will surely be like me, looking forward to being born and seeing their father."
Pei You’an smiled, his eyes bright, and he hugged her tightly once more.
Soon, Tanxiang, Muxiang, Mother Ding, and the others all learned the news that Jiafu was pregnant. They were all overjoyed and came to offer their congratulations. From then on, Jiafu focused on nurturing the pregnancy, and Pei You’an treated her like a precious gem, tending to her with meticulous care.
The news of her pregnancy, not long after her belly began to show, was transmitted to the imperial palace thousands of miles away.
That day, the Emperor’s mood was originally quite terrible. Just after the morning court, several ministers who had been reprimanded for incompetence walked out of the Imperial Study, bathed in cold sweat. The Emperor’s mood had been erratic for the past half-year, and Li Yuangui had long since become accustomed to it. Once the ministers had dispersed, he immediately entered to report the news.
After hearing the message, the Emperor sat there, motionless. After a long while, a faint look of excitement and a spark of joy he had not shown in a long time appeared in his eyes.
Li Yuangui took the opportunity to report further: "Your Majesty, I have also received news that Hu Liangcai, the Commissioner of the Su Ye supply office, bears a grudge against Master Pei due to past punishments and has been quite disrespectful toward him. His brother, in order to vent his private anger, even sent people to commit arson at the supply yard, deliberately intending to harm Master Pei."
A look of fury appeared on the Emperor’s face. He slammed his hand on the desk and stood up. "How is he?"
"Your Majesty, please rest assured," Li Yuangui said hurriedly. "Fortunately, Master Pei was prepared; he captured the arsonists on the spot. Both Master Pei and his wife are unharmed."
The Emperor slowly sat back down and said coldly, "If they are unharmed, why report it to me? Isn't he all-knowing and able to calculate every move? He has great ability! A man under punishment, arriving in such a place—isn't he now like a fish in water? I am burdened with countless affairs; in the future, don't come disturbing me with such matters!"
"Yes, yes, I understand..." Li Yuangui wiped his sweat and nodded repeatedly.
"Pass on my command: ensure Lady Zhen is protected at all costs! Not the slightest mishap is allowed!"
Before Li Yuangui withdrew, the Emperor suddenly called him back and gave the order.
Li Yuangui responded and bowed to retreat.
...
Time flew by in the blink of an eye. More than half a year passed. By the eleventh month of winter that year, Jiafu’s belly was quite large. Counting the days, in less than a month, it should be her due date.
As her belly grew larger, her legs and feet swelled significantly, causing her discomfort. At night, when they went to bed, Pei You’an would always rub her legs and feet, never tiring of it until she fell asleep.
That night, Jiafu was curled up in Pei You’an’s warm embrace, fast asleep, when she was suddenly awakened by a commotion outside. She listened, and in the distance, it sounded faintly like the whinnying of horses. Then, Old Ding’s voice rose outside the door: "Master Pei, a military order has suddenly come from the Commissioner’s residence—they need to urgently requisition our fodder!"
Pei You’an sat up and told Jiafu to go back to sleep. He put on his clothes, opened the door, and went out. When he arrived at the front, he saw the warehouse doors wide open. The area was brightly lit with torches, and a large contingent of troops had arrived. A Colonel named Liang was directing men to load bags of fodder onto carts. Soldiers ran back and forth, while Old Ding and other awakened veterans stood to the side, watching and whispering to each other.
When Colonel Liang saw Pei You’an, he hurried over to salute, his attitude quite respectful.
Pei You’an stepped aside to avoid it. "I am no longer an official; the General need not be so polite. May I ask why there is such an urgent need to requisition so much fodder tonight?"
He had just looked at the requisition order; such a quantity was enough to supply ten thousand war horses for several months.
Colonel Liang said, "Commissioner Hu has received urgent news that the Hu and Hui tribes have colluded and plan to mobilize one hundred thousand cavalrymen to attack the Arrow Gate Pass, aiming to enter the pass. Commissioner Hu is preparing for battle and sent me to requisition the fodder. We will be mobilizing our troops to the Arrow Gate within days."
Pei You’an looked toward the Arrow Gate Pass, shrouded in the dark night, and pondered for a long time. The next morning, he entered Su Ye City and walked straight to the entrance of the Commissioner’s residence. The gates were open, and officers in full armor were entering and exiting, their expressions grave. Many people had gathered nearby, whispering uneasily. A tense atmosphere, as if a great battle were about to begin, rushed to meet him.
He rarely entered the city, and the two guards at the door did not recognize him. Pei You’an stepped onto the stairs, gave his name, and asked the guards to pass it on. One of the guards widened his eyes, looked Pei You’an up and down, and showed an expression of disbelief: "You are that Master Pei from the capital?"
Pei You’an smiled slightly. "I am indeed Pei. Please bother to report for me; I have matters to discuss with the Commissioner."
The guard hurriedly asked him to wait a moment and turned to dash inside. His figure disappeared into the depths of the Commissioner's residence.