Chapter 40

The three bird calls sounded like the most common sparrow calls from the fields and eaves. They would seem like ordinary bird calls to others, but Pei Weixuan could hear the subtle differences. These were not bird calls but human imitations. He opened his eyes, put on his clothes, slipped into his cloth shoes, and walked to the window. Opening it, he indeed saw a figure crouching below.

Seeing the open window, the figure looked up and whispered, “Young Master.”

Moonlight illuminated the figure.

Pei Weixuan recognized him as Huo Ye, the Black Armor Guards captain, his elder brother’s most trusted person. Huo Ye was of similar age to his elder brother and had an average height and appearance.

The Black Armor Guards were both bodyguards and secret guards for his elder brother. Even Empress Dowager Fu didn’t know of their existence. When his elder brother had an accident, the Black Armor Guards were not in the capital.

Later, during the palace coup, Huo Ye learned of the situation and rushed to the capital, but it was too late. Empress Dowager Fu and the new emperor had already executed his elder brother.

While on his way back to the capital, Huo Ye received a message from his elder brother via carrier pigeon, revealing that the late emperor had written an edict appointing his elder brother as the crown prince. However, the edict had not been publicly announced before his elder brother’s accident.

When Huo Ye and the Black Armor Guards returned to the capital, the Pei family had already been exiled. Huo Ye stayed in the capital to search for the edict.

The palace was heavily guarded, but there were still people loyal to his elder brother inside. Huo Ye and the people inside the palace worked together to search for the edict, but Empress Dowager Fu discovered their efforts, leading to their execution.

The edict has yet to be found.

Huo Ye and the Black Armor Guards stayed in the capital for a while but couldn’t find the edict. Empress Dowager Fu was also searching for it but to no avail. The edict’s location remained unknown. Meanwhile, the court officials were criticizing Empress Dowager Fu and the new emperor for exiling the royal bloodline and the empress, causing a great uproar. Empress Dowager Fu and the new emperor were overwhelmed.

Unable to find the edict, Huo Ye had no choice but to seek out the young master.

Huo Ye knew that the master was gone, but he and his men were to continue following the young master. He had initially taken part of the group back to the capital while the rest were scattered. Now, they had all gathered at the border.

After explaining this in a low voice, Huo Ye added, “Young Master, you need to leave.”

Pei Weixuan acknowledged with a nod.

Empress Dowager Fu would not spare their lives. Not acting during the exile was only because it would have been too obvious and would have caused unrest among the officials and the people. He couldn’t stay at the border as an ordinary criminal for the rest of his life. For the sake of his family, he had to take up his elder brother’s cause.

Otherwise, once Empress Dowager Fu and the new emperor solidified their power, they would seek to eliminate them. Neither he, his family, nor Yuniang would escape.

Pei Weixuan nodded again, “Wait for me in the bamboo forest outside the town. After I speak with my family at dawn, I will come to find you.”

Huo Ye hesitated and asked, “Young Master, should we first return to the capital to find the edict?”

This would make their cause more legitimate in opposing Empress Dowager Fu and the new emperor.

“No,” Pei Weixuan said, standing by the window, looking at the distant mountains shrouded in mist. “The edict can wait. I know where my father hid it. Empress Dowager Fu and the new emperor are also searching for it to destroy it and cover up their crimes. If we return to the capital and find the edict, they will become desperate and might resort to extreme measures.”

As long as the edict remains unfound, Empress Dowager Fu and the new emperor will still be cautious of the officials and won’t act rashly to eliminate us. Revealing the edict now would bring no benefit, so there’s no need to rush. When the time is right, the edict will come into our hands. Even now, if he wanted to retrieve the edict, it wouldn’t be difficult.

Huo Ye understood immediately. But if they don’t search for the edict, what should they do now? How can they rise with only a few hundred Black Armor Guards?

He couldn’t help but ask, “Young Master, what should we do now?”

Pei Weixuan suddenly asked, “Did my elder brother leave you any silver?”

Huo Ye knew that Young Master wasn’t referring to a few hundred or thousand taels, but a large amount needed to rise.

“No,” Huo Ye replied. They were poor, and he didn’t even have ten taels of silver on him. Some of the Black Armor Guards had resorted to becoming river pirates, though they didn’t kill or rob indiscriminately, only targeting unscrupulous merchant ships. They didn’t dare touch official ships.

Pei Weixuan saw Huo Ye’s disheveled appearance and understood.

“Go ahead. After breakfast, I will join you,” he said.

Huo Ye nodded and left.

After Huo Ye left, Pei Weixuan didn’t go back to sleep. He stood by the window for a long time until he heard light footsteps outside, indicating that Yuniang was awake.

Xu Qinyu had already gotten up and was preparing to cook in the kitchen. She hadn’t slept well the previous night, dreaming of her family fleeing from the famine in the north, with her culinary skills being of no use. The whole family was cold and hungry.

After a moment of daze, Xu Qinyu got dressed and went to the kitchen to prepare braised intestines. As she entered the kitchen, she heard footsteps and looked up to see Fourth Brother.

Xu Qinyu smiled, “Good morning, Fourth Brother.”

Pei Weixuan nodded and skillfully used a fire starter to light the firewood by the stove. Once the fire was burning, he filled the water tank and chopped more firewood. After finishing all the chores in the courtyard, he returned to the kitchen. The braised intestines in the large pot were already bubbling and emitting a fragrant aroma.

Pei Weixuan suddenly said, “Yuniang, I will be leaving after breakfast.”

“Leaving?” Xu Qinyu was momentarily stunned. “Where are you going, Fourth Brother? Are you going out to buy medicine?” She hadn’t fully grasped the situation yet.

Pei Weixuan didn’t respond to Yuniang’s question. He just looked at her intensely. He didn’t want to lie to her, but he couldn’t tell her the truth about this matter, nor could he tell his mother the truth. He had to come up with a reason to deceive them.

Xu Qinyu suddenly realized, “Fourth Brother, are you planning to go out and explore?” A man should have ambitions and explore the world. It was good for him to go out and experience life. Keeping him confined to this small courtyard wasn’t ideal. Fourth Brother should have his own career and aspirations. She had previously thought that Fourth Brother couldn’t spend his whole life helping her with chores—it would be a waste. Now that Fourth Brother was willing to go out and explore, she thought it was a good thing.

Xu Qinyu smiled, “Don’t worry, Fourth Brother. I will take good care of Mother and Ning Jie’er. But where are you planning to go?”

Pei Weixuan thought about his upcoming plans and could only tell Yuniang, “I’ll start by traveling with a merchant caravan.”

Xu Qinyu nodded, her guess almost spot on. Traveling with a merchant caravan was indeed a great way to gain experience. After a couple of years, it would be much easier for him to pursue his own goals.

“Fourth Brother, be careful out there. Avoid conflicts with others, and it’s always good to take a step back when needed. If you encounter danger…” Xu Qinyu began to give Fourth Brother advice about traveling.

Pei Weixuan felt a bit helpless. Yuniang was truly different from anyone else.

Xu Qinyu chattered on for a while, then suddenly remembered that Fourth Brother had said he would leave after breakfast. She stopped talking and focused on scooping out the braised intestines.

The braising liquid was different from the one used for the meat buns. It could be reused the next day, and it should be changed every few days. After scooping out the braising liquid, she put some bean porridge on the stove and asked Fourth Brother to help her clean the pot before heading out. She went to the nearby meat stall and bought a lot of pork tenderloin.

She planned to make some dried meat for Fourth Brother to take with him. She didn’t know how long he would be gone, possibly even a few months. Traveling with a merchant caravan would be tough, so it was good to send him off with some food.

When she returned with the meat, Madam Wen was already up. She was sitting in the kitchen, looking a bit dazed and with red eyes, likely from hearing about Fourth Brother’s plans to go out and explore.

Hearing the noise, Madam Wen turned and saw her daughter-in-law. She got up to help Yuniang carry the things into the kitchen. “Yuniang, what did you buy?”

Xu Qinyu smiled, “Since Fourth Brother is going on a long journey, I bought some pork to make dried meat for him to take along.” She looked around and didn’t see Fourth Brother, so she asked, “Mother, where is Fourth Brother?”

Madam Wen replied, “He went out to buy firewood, saying he wanted to buy more and chop it all before he left.” She was worried that Yuniang would have too much work to do with him gone.

Xu Qinyu nodded. If Fourth Brother was going to explore, she planned to hire a helper to assist with tasks like cleaning fish, pounding fish paste, and washing vegetables.

She kept working, washing the tenderloin and cutting it into finger-thick strips. She marinated the strips, then slow-fried them, and prepared a seasoning mix with prickly ash, Sichuan pepper, sesame, and other spices. Once the meat was fried, she reheated the oil, added the seasoning, and stir-fried the meat until fragrant.

This was a method for making beef jerky, and it tasted great. It was flavorful and chewy, and it could be eaten as a snack or as a meal on the road. She made a lot, keeping a small portion for the family to taste and wrapping the rest in oil paper for the Fourth Brother to take with him.

When the dried meat was ready, Fourth Brother returned with a large cart of firewood and began chopping it in the courtyard.

Xu Qinyu also made several fragrant pancakes, brushing them with her homemade sauce. They were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, with a rich, savory flavor.

Breakfast consisted of these fragrant pancakes, bean porridge, and her homemade pickled radish strips. She made plenty of pancakes, enough for everyone, and wrapped the extras in oil paper for Fourth Brother to take along. The weather was still cool, so the pancakes would keep for a few days.

After breakfast, Pei Weixuan went to his room to pack. He didn’t have much to take, just a change of clothes and the dried meat and pancakes Yuniang had made. The food alone took up most of his bag. Xu Qinyu also slipped ten taels of silver into his bag.

It’s always good to have some silver when traveling.

When Pei Weixuan was about to leave, Madam Wen’s eyes were red, and Ning Jie’er and Madam Gui were also emotional. The two children seemed to understand that he was going on a long journey and felt uneasy.

Xu Qinyu felt a bit down but was the first to wave goodbye, “Fourth Brother, take care.”

Pei Weixuan looked at Yuniang, her hair still tied with a simple wooden hairpin. She had wanted to buy some jewelry before the New Year but hadn’t. He hoped to bring her a beautiful gold hairpin when he returned.

He gave Yuniang a deep look before turning to leave.