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  At the end of the first month, the night was bitterly cold. Pei Shang pushed open the wooden window lattice, and a blast of icy air rushed in, chilling him to the bone.

  He heard the faint footsteps behind him and didn't turn around. He just lowered his head, let out a long sigh, and asked, "Has the young master really come?"

  Shi Zengluo hesitated for a moment, then replied in a low voice, "The subordinate manipulated the report from the Western Garrison, making the Crown Prince believe that General Han was injured and that it was the doing of the Prime Minister. The Crown Prince was enraged and gathered his most trusted men overnight; they have now entered the mountains."

  "He paused slightly, 'Young Master, the prince's strength is not to be underestimated. I am determined to stay by your side and protect you at all times. Absolutely cannot leave you alone here to risk danger. The prince has gone mad, with no regard for father-son or kinship in his heart. He will not spare you as his birth father, nor show mercy or softness.'"

  His voice carried a hint of subtle pity, or perhaps some faint anger, but in this quiet and still night, the entanglement was diluted, leaving only long echoes in the vast room, dragging his hesitation and concern.

  With one hand behind his back and the other stroking his long beard, he gazed out at the dark window, vaguely seeing strange rocks that seemed to match his current mood. After a long time, he turned around and suddenly laughed, "Your loyalty is as clear as day and night, I am very grateful, but here it is not needed protection. As I previously ordered, take the brothers to ambush, I will use the broken pot as a signal, you can capture the prince's people at once."

  He took a few steps forward, walked to Shi Zeng's front, and gently patted his shoulder. Although it was as light as a feather, it felt like a thousand pounds. "My body is like a candle that has burned to the end, the wick is already visible at the bottom, and it will go out at any time. Even if the prince kills me, it's just cutting off the wick in advance, and it won't change anything. But you are still young and strong. There's no need to waste your youth here with me. Besides, I still have more important things that require my attention, so Shi Zeng, when the alarm bell on the mountain rings, leave this place and proceed according to plan."

  Dongsi Mountain is situated in the east of Shengjing, forming a natural barrier. Due to its steep terrain and many strange rocks, there were rumors of ghostly occurrences, so the nobles of Shengjing did not set up estates like they did on Xishan. Only Pei Xiang was bold and didn't believe in evil spirits, so he bought the land at the top of the mountain at a very low price and built a villa. With the mountain as defense, there wasn't much commotion to invite guards, only setting up a mysterious bell halfway up the mountain, which would sound an alarm to alert the owner whenever someone entered.

  Shi Zeng's expression changed and he couldn't bear it. He opened his mouth as if to speak.

  "Stone, don't hesitate," Pei Xiang interrupted. "Have you forgotten what I said before? After Da Lang and I leave, Er Lang will inevitably compete with Jing Xiao for the title. Jing Xiao won't say it himself, but he's simple-minded and arrogant, not worthy of being the master of the Pei family. Er Lang is intelligent and has a long-term vision, and knows how to endure humiliation and retreat. However, his ambition is not small, if the Pei family falls into his hands, it will be difficult for him to retire in time. It will only make the Emperor suspicious, which is not a blessing for our family."

  He sighed, "Zhen Ge'er is my most favored grandson. Originally, I was going to leave the Pei family to him, and then I could die with my eyes closed. But he has never taken the title of Town Country Duke to heart, and the Pei family has only brought him pain and suffering. Now that he is already the King of Anping, granted a national surname by the Emperor, I can no longer make demands. After thinking it over, apart from Zhen Ge'er, there is only Lao Er's Jing Ruo, who is gentle and kind."

  Shi Zeng's heart skipped a beat as he looked up and asked, "Sir, are you going to pass the title to Second Master?"

  If there is a will, the second master Pei Xiaoqing can avoid controversy and smoothly inherit the title of Guogong by skipping over the eldest son's nephew. However, Pei Xiang said that the second master has a strong desire for personal gain, and it would be a disaster for the Pei family to entrust him with their affairs.

  Pei Xiang's eyes narrowed slightly, and he said in a low voice, "He is the most useful person by my side. If you help him, Second Master will surely understand my good intentions. If not, then let him be like this nominal but useless Town Duke."

  Without power in his hands, the title of Prince of Jingguo was nothing more than an empty honorific.

  He had barely finished speaking when he heard a burst of silvery movement, a rapid succession of sounds that didn't stop.

  Shi Zeng knelt down on the ground and heavily knocked his head against Pei Xiang, choking back tears as he bid farewell, "Master Pei, take care!"

  After he finished speaking, he disappeared into the darkness and vanished in an instant.

  Bai Xiang took down the ancient zither hanging on the wall, gently plucked a few strings, and in the desolate night, emitted a mournful sound like gold and stone shattering, just like his current mood, helpless to the extreme, and resolute to the utmost.

  The door opened, and a chill wind poured in. Pei Xiaoan's face was filled with anger, his eyes blazing red with rage. He didn't even bother to bow, and the long sword in his hand had already been drawn from its scabbard, pressed against the other person's throat. "Pei Gu, what exactly is going on with the Han family? Twenty years ago, you wanted her dead, and now twenty years later, you want to kill her child too! You poisoned Ah Xiu, letting him get injured before the battle, his life hanging by a thread - it's utterly despicable! Tell me, what kind of poison did you use, and hand over the antidote!"

  He intercepts the imperial edict sent from Xizang every day, but in the past few days, he received news that Han Xiuxiu was poisoned and seriously injured. After investigating, he found out that it was Pei Shuang who was behind this. In this world, the only person he cares about is Han's family, who suffered those hardships to leave him with this dying bloodline. Hearing that Han Xiuxiu is going to die, Ling Chi is filled with even more pain and suffering. In his anger and worry, he leads his men to rush to Dongtishan overnight, standing by the railing with his sword in hand, vowing to make Pei Shuang hand over the antidote.

  "Pei Xiang raised an eyebrow, 'Han Shi? Isn't that the unorthodox concubine? Didn't she die twenty years ago? Who is Ah Xiu? Has Big Brother gone mad?'"

  The words were spoken calmly, his fingers still carelessly plucking the strings, producing a discordant melody, as if mocking Pei Xiaoan's madness.

  "Stop talking about her like that! Han Shi and I were deeply in love, we should have been a perfect couple. If it wasn't for the fact that we were forcibly separated and she was forced to marry another man, why would she say such heartless words to me? She must be my rightful wife, how could she be willing to become a concubine for me? But even so, in my heart, she is still my eternal wife, and the children she bears are my true heirs!"

  His eyes were wide with hatred, "It's true, Han Xiu is the child of the Han family and mine. Back then, for the sake of giving that ridiculous face to the Princess of Yongjia, they actually wanted to force me to kill my wife and child. I refused, so I took matters into my own hands. If not for Han Shi's cleverness, designing a plan to save us, my wife and child would have lost their lives. Ah Xiu was lucky, barely escaping with his life, he's so talented, at such a young age he's already a pillar of the country, now he's fighting on the front lines for the country... yet, he's so cruel and ruthless, to lay such a poisonous hand on his own grandson!"

  If it weren't for still needing an antidote, this long sword would have stabbed in instantly.

  Bai Xiang furrowed his brow, "You're saying that we were forcibly separated and she was forced to marry?"

  He had never participated in this matter from start to finish, and now it has fallen into such a complaint. He didn't expect that since both sides are deadlocked, he would want to ask for clarification on these facts at this time.

  Pei Xiao'an snorted, "You want me to marry a noble lady, but Han Shi, although born into a prestigious family, is just an orphaned girl. The Han family's reputation as a respected clan can't satisfy the ambition for a strategic marriage, so they had Liang's people come to Xining and humiliate Han Shi in every way possible. They even randomly picked a rustic village husband and forced her into a marriage with him, making it impossible for her to refuse, all in order to crush my own thoughts."

  His eyes were sinister, "No need to deny it, these words were all admitted by Liang's own mouth before his death. Even if you try to quibble, you can't escape the blame."

  Bai Xiang's heart skipped a beat, and despite being a seasoned veteran who had been through countless storms, he couldn't help but take a deep breath upon hearing the words. He asked in a low voice, "Could it be that the Liang family is also..."

  Li's family died of illness, sudden illness came suddenly, and soon she left the world. When she died, Pei Xiaoan was not there. Although it is a stepmother, etiquette cannot be abandoned. As the son of the town country public house, Pei Xiaoan must be present to respond to condolences, otherwise it would be unfilial. At that time, Pei's people searched all over Shengjing City's flower street and willow alley, finally found the young master in Wanhualou and took him back to the mansion to mourn.

  But then, Bae Hyo-an surprisingly said that he had interrogated Liang about those past events before his death.

  Bai Xiaoan sneered, "Han Shi and I can't become husband and wife, although Liang Shi is a accomplice and a thug, how could I let her off? The poison on her body is just this kind of toxin. Unfortunately, she doesn't have any friends from Lin Nan Miao Village to help her detoxify. A weak woman like her only used half the dose and couldn't survive."

  He gritted his teeth, "The Liang family deserves to die!"

  Bae Sang was silent for a moment, he didn't know what to say either.

  Before her death, Ms. Liang shifted the blame to him, which is not hard to understand. Firstly, she still wanted to ask for a chance to live, and secondly, she also hoped that the young master would not vent his anger on her four sons and five sons because of her actions, twenty years ago, four sons and five sons were still children.

  So he doesn't want to deliberately argue about anything either. In short, everything is fate and can't be avoided, so he doesn't want to avoid it anymore.

  It's just...

  He fell silent for a long time, then suddenly asked, "Liáng Shì should die, but what about the county lady? She was born into nobility, yet she was humble and kind. After marriage, she treated him with sincerity and true feelings. Due to Hàn Shì's stubbornness and eccentricity, he often lost his temper with her, but she never grew cold or distant because of it; instead, she comforted and cared for him. The county lady treated him with utmost sincerity, without any expectation of gratitude in return. So why did he have to harm her during childbirth?"

  Pae Ho-an's face showed a momentary panic and astonishment, but it was fleeting. He said with a gloomy expression, "In my heart, I only acknowledge one person as my wife, the Han family. Even if you are a great lady, you can't compare to even one of Han's fingers. Although Han and our child weren't killed by you, they died innocently because of your need for dignity. So it wasn't me who killed them, but you!"

  Pei Xiang was so angry that he lost his temper, and he said with a bitter smile, "Alright, the young master's death is on me. But what about Cheng Ge? For years, Cheng Ge has been suffering from poisoning and still can't walk properly today. Don't tell me that he too is because of me. Even tigers don't eat their own cubs, Da Lang, Han Xiu is your son, how could Cheng Ge not be your flesh and blood? In this world, there are unfilial sons and grandsons, but I've never seen anyone who wants to harm their own father as much as you do."

  He asked in a cold voice, "I'd like to ask, what crime did Brother Chen commit to suffer such poisoning for so many years?"

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