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Upon returning to the capital, the war between Pei Yongshang and Lou Yu officially erupted. The nearby areas were engulfed in flames of battle, resulting in countless casualties. Many common people began to flee southward to escape the chaos.
In places like Yunzhou and Chongzhou, a massive influx of refugees poured in.
With the recent surge of refugees, Liu Jin was preoccupied with managing their resettlement, leaving Ye Chen alone in the Wang residence. Without Tian Qian's comforting presence, the already sensitive and melancholic Kun Ze experienced heightened emotions during her pregnancy. Ye Chen had not felt much before, but now those feelings intensified.
A sour sensation spread through his heart as he sat on the swing in the courtyard, his gaze vacant as he stared at the peach tree, his thoughts drifting far away to wonder what Pei Guanjing was doing in the capital at that moment.
In the capital, within the Regent's Palace at Wen Xin Zhai.
"Why has there been no report from our spies?" Pei Guanjing's gaze was icy as he fixed his eyes on Mo Sheng and Mo Yu, who were kneeling before him.
Mo Sheng clasped his hands respectfully and replied, "Young Master, all our spies in Cangzhou have been eliminated by Lou Yu and his men. Moreover, those we placed in Yunzhou have also been uncovered one by one. It won't be long before he finds the remaining spies."
Pei Guanjing narrowed his eyes slightly, pondering to himself that despite Lou Yu's considerable abilities, it was impossible for him to gather so much information about the spies in such a short time. Furthermore, some of these spies had been planted for years; unless...
Mo Yu continued, "Young Master, could it be that someone is working against us? The information about these spies could only be known to you and the prince; they do not know each other's identities. How could Lou Yu find them so easily? He is far away in Cangzhou yet has learned so much about Regent's Palace. Even our recently dispatched Dark Guards were ambushed and killed by Lou Yu."
"Enough," Pei Guanjing interrupted. "It seems there is a traitor within our ranks." His gaze deepened as he looked out at the scenery of the courtyard, falling into silence.
A few days later, Pei Guanwei stumbled into the presence of the Regent, his luxurious garments soaked in blood and looking disheveled. Pei Guanjing stood beside him, resolutely pointing at Pei Guanwei as he addressed Pei Yongshang. "Adoptive father, do you really want to hand over your legacy so easily?"
Pei Yongshang lifted his teacup and took a sip without responding. Both Pei Guanjing and Pei Guanwei were nurtured by him; killing either would cause him pain. However, a person of great ambition must be decisive. Thus, Pei Yongshang set down his cup, turned away with closed eyes, and said in a deep voice, "Handle it yourself."
Upon hearing this, Pei Guanwei lay on the ground and suddenly burst into laughter. "How pitiful! This world will never belong to the Pei family. Why can't you see that? When you had the power, you did nothing. Now that others come to take it away, you only realize it too late." As he spoke, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
Pei Guanjing waved his hand dismissively, and those behind him dragged Pei Guanwei away.
As they left the courtyard, Pei Guanjing noticed Lin Family Miss weeping with her mouth covered; she was now Pei Guanwei's woman. Over the years, Pei Guanwei had contributed significantly to the Wang residence, but with war looming ahead and having exposed spy information to Lou Yu, he could not escape this crime.
Pei Guanjing was pulled away, and Pei Guanwei turned his head, no longer looking at her. This time, he had lost completely.
Time flew by, and it was already February, nearing the end of the year.
However, a heavy oppressive atmosphere enveloped the capital. Death, hunger, and war—these brutal scenes played out continuously on this land. As long as the war continued, the slaughter on this continent would never cease.
But soon, an unexpected event occurred that shocked the entire realm. Chongzhou, known for its fertile land and praised as the land of rice, had always been a source of comfort for Pei Guanjing under the protection of King Huai'an and Ye Chen. Yet, as he read the secret letter sent by his scouts, for the first time in his life, his heart felt like ashes.
The Huai'an Wangfu had been ambushed at night, and the young Heir Apparent had been captured and was missing. The only one capable of such a deed was Lou Yu; Pei Guanjing could think of no one else.
The Chongzhou Army suffered a crushing defeat and was occupied by the Lin Prefecture forces. Soon after, Chongzhou changed hands, and King Huai'an, gravely injured and fleeing, also went missing. From that moment on, war between Pei Guanjing and Lou Yu erupted in full force.
On the battlefield, Pei Guanjing held a spear and stared fiercely at Lou Yu, questioning, “Where is A Chen?”
Lou Yu countered with a question of his own: “Shouldn’t I be asking you? You couldn’t even protect Kun Ze; what kind of Tian Qian are you? Do you still wish to keep him by your side?”
Unable to discern whether Lou Yu's words were true or false, Pei Guanjing felt a surge of blood rush to his head and engaged in a fierce battle with Lou Yu for quite some time. Both were severely injured before their confrontation finally came to an end.
From then on, there was no news of Ye Chen; it was as if he had vanished from this world without a trace.
That night, Pei Guanjing drank himself into a stupor. As he fell into a hazy sleep, he seemed to find himself in the Military Camp of Lan Prefecture. Snowflakes fell thickly from the sky as he walked in white robes lined with black fur. Arriving outside a tent, he reached out and slowly pushed aside the thick padded curtain.
Warm air rushed towards him as he saw a handsome young man half-lying on a table.
Hearing the sound of the curtain being pushed aside, the young man turned back with joy. He had hair like green leaves and a face as beautiful as flowers; his features were strikingly handsome. He quickly got up to greet Pei Guanjing with delight, saying, “Master, you’re back!”
Pei Guanjing suddenly awoke, most of his drunkenness fading away.
Inside the tent, Yin Zhu had a high fever; shadows danced around them. Outside, the cold wind howled past as snowflakes continued to fall.
It was winter again. He suddenly covered his face with one hand, tears slipping quietly through his fingers.
Five years. A Chen, are you alive or dead? If you are dead, why have you never come to me in a dream? If you are still alive, how could you bear to leave me in such loneliness?
Closing his eyes, Pei Guanjing recalled the scene when he had escaped Ancheng with Ye Chen.
Their journey had not been smooth; they were ambushed by enemy forces along the way. He had held Ye Chen's hand tightly, but at some point, that grip had loosened. Even when he was gravely injured, he had never let go. So why…?
He did not know whether he had released his hold first or if Ye Chen had broken free. In any case, by the end, he found that Ye Chen was no longer by his side. After dealing with all the enemy Centaurs in front of him, he began searching for any trace of Ye Chen, but despite scouring the area, there was still no sign of him.
No one knew when or how he had left. Perhaps someone had seen it happen, but at this moment, they could not tell him.
Following his memories, he arrived at that village. The village was blanketed in white snow, indistinct and boundless; it seemed close yet also far away. No matter how far he walked, it felt as though he could never reach those houses.
After Ye Chen was captured, Pei Guanjing had been tirelessly seeking news of him, fearing that he might have fallen into a Military Camp and met with misfortune. Each time he surveyed the battlefield, his heart raced as he checked every corpse on the ground, always reminding his subordinates to be cautious of anyone who resembled Ye Chen. Finally, he let out a long sigh of relief; among all those bodies on the ground, there was no sign of Ye Chen.
However, his heart quickly sank again. In such chaotic times, where could a Kun Ze go? Would he encounter rogue soldiers along the way and be killed? Or would he starve to death in the wilderness?
Pei Guanjing dared not think further. He simply mounted his horse and rode on swiftly in search of Ye Chen. Yet after many days of searching, he still found nothing. In the end, it was his subordinates who found him.
The capital needed him; the people needed him. But in Pei Guanjing's heart, did Ye Chen not need him as well?
Even though he was repeatedly summoned back by Pei Yongshang, Pei Guanjing increasingly wished to stay away from the capital because he felt that Ye Chen must be somewhere out there, wide-eyed and eagerly waiting for him to find him.
Even though the Regent had betrayed them, his influence still lingered; there were still endless Centaurs being recruited.
Pei Guanjing remained the highest commander in the army.
He returned to the military and continued to advance toward the city of Cangzhou while relentlessly sending out Centaurs to search for Ye Chen.
It had been five years of searching.
During these five years, he sometimes wondered, although the world was vast, how could Ye Chen be just a Kun Ze? Where could he possibly go? How could it be that after sending so many Centaurs to search for him, not a single trace of him had been found?
A Kun Ze, especially one in gestation, he could hardly imagine what would happen to him without protection.
Could it be that he was truly... already dead?
As time passed, Pei Guanjing grew increasingly numb, his suspicions magnified infinitely, like vines creeping in the dark, spreading wildly.
Pei Yongshang, in order to maintain his power and status, continuously forced Pei Guanjing to carry out cruel and bloodthirsty tasks. He became increasingly ruthless, disregarding the lives of the common people.
Had he studied medicine only to assist this Executioner?
Watching yet another person who resisted Pei Yongshang being slaughtered by him, Pei Guanjing began to reflect deeply.
In late February of that year, snow fell like goose feathers, blanketing the city in white while blood stained the ground.
The capital had been breached.
Finally, everything was coming to an end.
He no longer wished to guard this decaying capital for Pei Yongshang nor continue to serve as a blade in his hands.
He needed to find Ye Chen.
Thus, he resolutely abandoned his post in the capital.
In an instant, the defenses of the capital collapsed into chaos as Lou Yu's army surged in like a tide, and the capital fell.
Pei Guanjing stood alone on the city wall, clad in battle armor stained with blood and dirt, his hair whipping wildly in the wind.
His gaze was vacant as he stared into the distance, waiting silently for Lou Yu's arrival.
Below the city tower, Lou Yu led his army and looked up to see Pei Guanjing, a look of confusion etched on his face. He could not understand why the once-mighty Pei Guanjing had fallen to such a state, why he had given up resisting and stood on the wall awaiting death.
Lou Yu waved his hand, signaling his soldiers to capture Pei Guanjing. Without resistance, Pei Guanjing allowed himself to be taken away by the soldiers.
Soon after, Pei Guanjing was imprisoned.
In the dark and damp cell, Pei Guanjing curled up in a corner, a hint of relief in his eyes, as if nothing mattered anymore.
Meanwhile, after seizing the capital, Lou Yu's ambition swelled as he completely controlled the situation of the realm.
Amidst the crowd's adulation, he ascended to the throne, declaring himself emperor and renaming the country Chang.
To solidify his rule, he decided to execute Regent Pei Yongshang.
When Pei Yongshang was brought to the execution ground, all his former authority had vanished; he wore tattered prison clothes. But nothing could change the outcome. With a swift stroke from the executioner’s blade, Pei Yongshang's head rolled away, marking the end of a legendary figure.
And then it would be Pei Guanjing's turn.
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