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In the past few days, all the preparations for returning to the capital had been left to Pei Guanjing, while Ye Chen only needed to wait patiently for the day of their departure.
One day, Ye Chen had just come out of the canteen, his stomach full and round, making it hard for him to stand upright. He strolled slowly toward Pei Guanjing's tent, but before he got close, he heard voices coming from inside.
He had intended to lift the curtain and walk in directly, but suddenly he heard someone mention his name in a rather impolite tone, causing him to pause with his hand still raised.
The person said, "Where is Ye Chen? I am here to take him to Yunzhou to see King Ren today."
It was Li Wangcai. It was Captain Li who had brought him into the Military Camp in front of the Lan Zhou Yongji Inn.
That cold yet familiar voice made Ye Chen imagine Li Wangcai's serious expression, even from behind the curtain.
Li Wangcai's words not only mentioned him but also brought up King Ren. King Ren was the prince of Yunzhou, a land rich in fish and rice, far removed from Cangzhou and Lan Prefecture by a distance of over a thousand miles. But why was Li Wangcai mentioning King Ren at this moment? What did Yunzhou and King Ren have to do with him?
Ye Chen didn't dwell on it for long; instead, he pressed himself against the curtain, holding his breath as he quietly listened to the conversation inside.
As he expected, the other person was Pei Guanjing. His voice was equally cold: "Li Wangcai, watch your words."
Li Wangcai seemed taken aback by this remark, and his tone softened considerably afterward.
"Young Master," he said slowly, "are you really going to forget your deep-seated grudge?" With that, Li Wangcai wore an expression of disappointment. "My master asked me to remind you not to forget who it was that pulled you from the pile of corpses at the Pei family over twenty years ago."
Though he addressed him as "you," there was little respect in his tone.
“Oh?” Pei Guanjing replied in a calm tone. “When I was young, I certainly could not forget King Ren’s life-saving grace. But I have already joined the ranks of the Regent's assassins and become his adopted son, assisting him in his endeavors. I wonder if there might be some misunderstanding here. King Ren is able to survive under the Regent’s command today, isn’t it largely due to my maneuvering? Otherwise, how could he have stayed in Yunzhou for over twenty years?”
“Does this mean you intend to go against your original vow and ally yourself with Pei Yongshang?”
Pei Guanjing, however, seemed unconcerned. “Why not? Pei Yongshang’s ancestors came from our Pei family in Yunzhou over a hundred years ago. In the end, we share the same lineage; what is wrong with that?”
The tent fell silent for a moment before Li Wangcai’s voice slowly emerged. “But young master, you should know better than I do that working with someone like Pei Yongshang is akin to seeking skin from a tiger. Moreover, he does not yet know your identity. If he discovers you are a descendant of the traitorous Pei family from Yunzhou, do you think he would spare your life?”
Pei Guanjing merely snorted softly. “Do you think someone like Pei Yongshang wouldn’t investigate the backgrounds of those he recruits as assassins? Would he easily accept a beggar as his son? Or do you believe he can be easily deceived?”
The tent grew quiet again until Ye Chen heard Li Wangcai’s voice gradually return. “It seems you do not intend to hand Ye Chen over to King Ren?”
Pei Guanjing’s voice remained unperturbed. “And so what?”
“You and Ye Chen have been in the Military Camp together for so long. If this reaches King Huai'an's ears, although you have a marriage contract, I fear that Ye Chen still bears your mark! If King Huai'an notices this mark from Xin Xiang, do you think he would agree to marry his precious son to someone who harbored ill intentions before the wedding?”
Ye Chen’s heart raced wildly. In this world, a Kun Ze's reputation was worth more than life itself. Here in this remote area, he felt little of its weight, but once he reached a bustling place where customs differed greatly from this wild land, wouldn’t his reputation drag down his yet-to-be-seen father-in-law?
Yet Pei Guanjing appeared far more composed than Ye Chen. To Ye Chen’s ears, Pei Guanjing’s voice had not changed in the slightest; instead, it seemed even colder.
“Oh?”
Li Wangcai continued, “Moreover, someone entered the military camp the other day. Coincidentally, one of my soldiers named Zhao Yongsheng visited Ye Chen’s tent that day but then mysteriously disappeared. What transpired remains unknown.”
Pei Guanjing's voice remained cold and indifferent. "So what?"
Li Wangcai's tone instantly turned frosty. "Ye Chen and Kun Ze are already tainted. Even if King Huai'an takes him away, he won't be able to marry into a good family. Why would you marry someone like Kun Ze, who is so unclear? It would be better to wait until your plans with King Ren succeed, and then Princess Minglan will be betrothed to you by King Ren."
With a thud, Ye Chen felt as if someone had struck him on the forehead, nearly causing him to lose his balance. In a moment of panic, he grabbed hold of a wooden pillar nearby to steady himself.
So Pei Guanjing was playing a game within a game?
Ye Chen hurriedly shook his head and pressed his right ear against the curtain, holding his breath as he listened to the conversation inside.
He heard Li Wangcai continue, "Young Master, when you took Ye Chen as your disciple and brought him from Firehead Camp to your Medical Camp, it was clear that you sensed something amiss at that time, which is why you acted as you did. Otherwise, given your nature, how could you have taken the initiative to ask me for someone and accepted a person you had only met once as your disciple? You took him in just to observe and control him better, didn't you?"
"Although I don't know what ultimately made you change your mind about handing Ye Chen over to Lord Ren and conspiring with the Regent for a marriage alliance with King Huai'an, you may have deceived King Ren, but you cannot deceive me."
Ye Chen stood there in shock. How could Pei Guanjing be so terrifying? And what was going on with Captain Li? Why were there so many forces intertwined within a Military Camp? What did King Ren want with him? Was he going to use him to threaten King Huai'an?
He raised his right hand and pressed it tightly over his mouth to stifle any sound.
Pei Guanjing was not aligned with the Regent yet had an engagement with him; it was hard to tell if it was true or if there were deeper motives involved. Regardless, he could no longer stay with Pei Guanjing. Fortunately, in two or three days, his father's personal guards would arrive, and he could return to Chongzhou with them instead of going to the capital. He couldn't trust Pei Guanjing.
Having made up his mind, Ye Chen crouched down, lightened his steps, retreated a few paces until he was sure the people inside couldn't hear him, then suddenly turned and ran in another direction.
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