Xingliang Mansion, Shanglin Prison.

Although the reputation here is very scary, even worse than the prison in Taishitai Pavilion, the environment is actually not very bad. The reason why Shanglin Prison is so scary is that it is close to the imperial mausoleum and is extremely well-defended.

It is so tight that there is no possibility of escape unless the army presses the border. Secondly, the control here is extremely strict. Any violation of the rules will result in a severe beating from the jailer. Every month, prisoners are beaten to death.

No one cares about this kind of thing. Ever since Shanglin Prison was established, there has been an unwritten rule that prisoners who come in cannot be released.

Pei Yun followed the cell leader into the prison. All the prisoners he saw along the way were standing upright, and no one dared to make a sound.

Arriving at a single cell, Pei Yun took out a 500-tael ticket from the Taiping Bank, quietly handed it to the cell leader, and said in a low voice: "Thank you, Mr. Liu. Please accept your kindness."

The tall and round prison head took the bank note without even looking at it, and coldly said: "A quarter of an hour."

"Thank you." Pei Yun bowed his head and held his hands until the other party left.

He straightened up and turned around, looking at Peirong standing in the prison through the dim light in the prison.

In less than two months, Pei Rong, who was only thirty-six years old, was already as old as a middle-aged man.

Pei Yun took two steps forward and saluted meticulously: "Father."

From the outside, Pei Rong seemed to have not been tortured by the punishment. At least he could still stand firmly, but there was a deathly look in his eyes and he asked indifferently: "What are you doing here?"

Pei Yun said calmly: "The New Year is approaching, and my son came to say hello to his father. Everything is fine at home. My ancestors, mother and sisters miss my father very much. I only hope that my father can stay here and take good care of himself. He will wait for another year or two.

Your Majesty is relieved of his anger, and the family will find a way to rescue my father."

Pei Rong was noncommittal and asked coldly: "Does your elder brother know about this?"

Pei Yun replied: "The son sent a letter to his eldest brother in the name of his father, telling him that everything is fine in Beijing and there is no need to worry about him."

Pei Rong suddenly staggered forward, threw himself on the iron railing, and shouted with a ferocious face: "How dare you? You traitor, you are more hateful than that little beast!"

Pei Yun lowered his eyes slightly and asked calmly: "What does father mean by this? My son can't understand."

Pei Rong gritted his teeth and said: "You encouraged me to file a complaint. In fact, you already knew that the emperor would favor that little beast, right? Now I am imprisoned here, and Cheng'er is at the border and doesn't know the details. Li is an ignorant person,

Moreover, the Li family has fallen again. Of course the Duke's office respects you. How majestic you are! Beasts, you are all beasts!"

Pei Yun remained calm and said calmly: "Father, have you ever thought about why His Majesty would turn to Pei Yue?"

Pei Rong smiled ferociously: "I don't want to listen to your nonsense anymore. Now everything is taking advantage of your will. I only want to ask you one thing!"

Pei Yun looked into his red eyes and said, "Father, please speak."

Pei Rong grabbed the railing with both hands and gritted his teeth and said, "I want that little beast to die! Can you do it?"

After a moment of silence, Pei Yun lowered his voice and said, "My son will do his best."

Pei Rong let out a burst of shrill laughter, then turned around and walked to the corner of the cell, coldly uttering one word: "Get out!"

Pei Yun looked at his back with a hint of hesitation in his eyes, which eventually turned into a stern expression.

He bowed respectfully to Peirong and then left silently.

…

Southern Zhou Dynasty, Pingjiang Town.

Although this place is named after a town, it is actually larger than an ordinary state capital.

As the New Year approaches, the town is filled with a peaceful and festive atmosphere.

A young man with a height of eight feet and a strong body was walking on the street, followed by two followers, carrying the most common gifts at this time. People on the road looked at the young man in awe from time to time, and even some children

Standing upright by the roadside, he gave him the standard military salute of the Southern Zhou Dynasty.

The young man responded with a smile, walked through several streets into an alley, and came to the door of the house at the end.

He knocked on the door and shouted loudly: "Third Aunt, are you at home?"

After a while, a plainly dressed middle-aged woman opened the door. When she saw the young man, a smile appeared on her face, and she said with some respect: "Master, why are you here?"

The young man took the gift from the attendant and said warmly: "Third Aunt, it's better for you to call me by my name. This young master sounds very awkward."

The third aunt shook her head and said: "This can't be done, the etiquette can't be discarded."

She let the young man into the back room and was about to pour tea. The young man suddenly raised his hand and said, "Third Aunt, I'm not thirsty. There's something I want to tell you."

The third aunt stopped and said with expectation in her eyes: "Master, please speak."

The young man sighed softly and said slowly: "There is news from the north about Fang Rui."

The third aunt first wiped her hands with her sleeves, and then wanted to go to the side and sit down, but found that her legs were a little weak. She reluctantly stood there, looking at the young man's solemn expression, her heart beat wildly, and she squeezed out a trace of

He asked with a smile: "Master, is Rui'er okay in the north?"

The young man walked up to her and said apologetically: "Third Aunt, Fang Rui was killed by people from Beiliang."

The third aunt couldn't make any sound, her eyes rolled back and she collapsed.

The young man seemed to have expected this. He stretched out his hand to support the woman, then took her to sit next to her.

The young man waited for her to wake up, and then comforted her: "Third Aunt, please have your condolences and be patient."

"Who harmed Rui'er?" The third aunt looked at him with a sad face, tears falling uncontrollably.

The young man said solemnly: "Pei Yue, son of Zhongshan in Beiliang."

"Master, can Rui'er's body be recovered? We can't let him live as a lonely ghost in the north, right?" Although the third aunt said this, she actually had no hope in her heart. Fang Rui was going to Beiliang in the first place.

She tried every possible means to dissuade him, but in the end, she could not overcome the obsession in the child's heart.

After the young man was silent for a moment, she was very surprised and said: "I will send people north to find a way to regain his bones."

The third aunt looked at him with sorrow and surprise.

The young man said: "Fang Rui died for the great cause of the Southern Zhou Dynasty. A man who dies in battle must return his soul to his hometown. Third aunt, I will not say false words in front of you. Fang Rui's fate is the fate of our Pingjiang men.

Even I will not back down, and it will be normal to die on the battlefield in the future. In addition to telling you about this matter, I also have some follow-up arrangements. I know that Fang Rui has a younger brother, and I will help him arrange one.

Stay away from dangerous errands that provide food and clothing.”

"eldest son..." the third aunt said with a complicated expression, not knowing how to continue.

The young man bowed his hands and said solemnly: "I am involved in military affairs and cannot stay for a long time. Please forgive me, third aunt."

After saying that, he turned and left.

His name is Fang Yuntian, the son of Fang Xie Xiao, Duke of the Southern Zhou Dynasty, and the leader of the Pingjiang camp.

…

The snow hides the activities, the forest wind penetrates the bedclothes. Listening to the dawn corner in Lingzhou, the guest house is not open.

The western border of Daliang, Lingzhou.

Once upon a time, due to the existence of Tucheng, the people of Lingzhou were miserable. They were harassed by the Western Wu cavalry almost every year. Many people had to leave their hometown and move to nearby Dengzhou. More than ten years ago, Pei Zhen, the Duke of Dingguo, led his army to seize the city.

Lower Hucheng provided strategic protection for Lingzhou, which allowed this fertile area to settle down, and now it is gradually returning to the prosperity of the former Wei Dynasty.

The people of Lingzhou are very grateful to Pei Zhen, and almost every household enshrines his tablet.

In an elegant and quiet manor in the east of the city, Chen Xizhi stood by the railing, looking at the gray winter sky, and said with a smile: "You should all dream of taking back Tiger City, right?"

Not far away stood an elegant man about thirty years old, who looked very much like a Confucian scholar who had read poetry and books - if you ignore the calluses on his right hand.

The man smiled faintly: "You should have dreamed of returning to Kyoto to take revenge, right?"

Chen Xizhi's eyes narrowed, then he smiled charmingly, and said slightly sarcastically: "I heard that you people from Xiwu like to tinker with various rankings. In the latest martial arts master rankings, you are ranked sixth?"

The man shook his head and said, "I don't want to fight with you today."

Chen Xizhi raised the corners of his mouth and said, "That's not what I'm talking about. The direct descendant of Dongshan Wang's Ba Dao and the sixth martial arts master, he can only pick off people's wits?"

The man stretched out his arms and sighed: "Who taught me to be stupid since I was a child? Of course I can only learn from you."

Chen Xizhi chuckled, glanced at him and said, "You took such a big risk and went to Liang alone, didn't you just want to learn the art of speaking from me?"

Even though this man was known for his perseverance in Xiwu, at this moment he was a little embarrassed by the fierceness and directness of the woman in front of him. He coughed twice and said: "That female gentleman from the Chen family back then was amazingly talented and beautiful. As a person like me,

The younger generation admires her very much. I heard that the Chen family now has another proud daughter of heaven, so I wanted to come over to have a look and talk about some things by the way."

Chen Xizhi smiled and said, "What are we talking about?"

The man said in a deep voice: "Cooperation."
Chapter completed!