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Upon returning to the capital, the war between Pei Yongshang and Lou Yu officially erupted. The nearby areas of the capital were engulfed in flames of battle, resulting in countless casualties. Many common people began to flee southward to escape the chaos.
Yunzhou and Chongzhou were suddenly inundated with a large number of refugees.
With so many refugees arriving, Liu Jin was busy all day managing their resettlement, leaving Ye Chen alone in the royal residence. Without Xin Xiang from Tianqian to provide comfort, Kun Ze, who was already sensitive and emotional during her pregnancy, began to feel increasingly overwhelmed. Previously, Ye Chen had not sensed much, but now those feelings were intensifying.
A bittersweet sensation spread through his heart as he sat on the swing in the courtyard, staring blankly at the peach tree. His thoughts drifted far away, wondering what Pei Guanjing was doing in the capital at that moment.
In the capital, within the Regent's Wenxin Study.
"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, the spies we placed in Cangzhou have all been eliminated by Lou Yu and his men. Moreover, those we had in Yunzhou have also been discovered one by one. It won't be long before he finds the remaining spies."
Pei Guanjing narrowed his eyes slightly, contemplating silently. Despite Lou Yu's 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 placed for many 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 by the prince and you; they do not know each other's identities. How could Lou Yu find them so easily? Besides, he is far away in Cangzhou and has recently learned a lot about the Regent's estate. Even our shadow guards sent out recently have been ambushed and killed by Lou Yu."
"Enough," Pei Guanjing interrupted. "It seems our royal residence has a traitor." His gaze grew deeper as he looked out at the scenery in the courtyard, lost in thought and silent.
A few days later, Pei Guanwei stumbled into the presence of the Regent, his luxurious attire 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 gentle sip without speaking. Both Pei Guanjing and Pei Guanwei were nurtured by him; it would pain him to eliminate either one. However, a person of great ambition must act decisively. Thus, Pei Yongshang set down his teacup, turned away with closed eyes, and said solemnly, "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 to act, you did nothing. Now that others are coming to take it from you, you finally remember. But alas, it's too late." As he spoke, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
Pei Guanjing waved his hand dismissively, signaling for those behind him to drag Pei Guanwei away.
As they left the courtyard, Pei Guanjing noticed Miss Lin sobbing with her hand over her mouth; she was now Pei Guanwei's woman. Over the years, Pei Guanwei had contributed significantly to the royal 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, while Pei Guanwei turned his head and no longer looked at her. This time, he had lost completely.
Time flew by, and it was already February, the end of the year.
However, a heavy oppressive atmosphere enveloped the capital. Death, hunger, and war—these brutal scenes continued to unfold across the land. As long as the war persisted, the slaughter on this continent would never cease.
But soon, an unexpected event occurred that shocked the entire realm. Chongzhou was known for its fertile land and had a reputation for its rice. Pei Guanjing had never worried about Ye Chen under the protection of King Huai'an. However, upon reading the secret letter sent by his scouts, he felt a sense of despair for the first time in his life.
Huai'an's Manor had been attacked at night, and the young Heir Apparent had been captured and was missing. The only person capable of such an act was Lou Yu; Pei Guanjing could think of no one else.
Chongzhou's army suffered a crushing defeat and was occupied by Linzhou City’s forces. Soon after, Chongzhou changed hands, and the severely injured King Huai'an also went missing. From then on, war broke out fully between Pei Guanjing and Lou Yu.
On the battlefield, Pei Guanjing held a spear, his gaze fixed intensely on Lou Yu as he demanded, “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 think you can keep him by your side?”
Unable to discern whether Lou Yu spoke truthfully or deceitfully, Pei Guanjing felt a surge of blood rush to his head and engaged in a fierce battle with Lou Yu for a long time. Both were gravely injured before this confrontation finally came to an end.
After that, 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 drifted into a hazy sleep, he found himself in Lan Prefecture’s Military Camp. Snowflakes fell thickly from the sky as he walked in white robes lined with black fur. He approached a tent and reached out to slowly push aside the thick padded curtain.
Warm air rushed towards him, revealing a handsome young man half-lying on a table.
Hearing the sound of the curtain being pushed aside, the young man turned back with delight. He had hair like green leaves and a face as beautiful as flowers; his features were striking as he quickly rose to greet him with joy. “Master, you’re back!”
Pei Guanjing suddenly awoke, most of his drunkenness fading away.
Inside the tent, silver candles burned brightly, casting flickering shadows. Outside, the cold wind howled past as snowflakes continued to fall.
It was winter once again. He suddenly covered his face with one hand, tears silently slipping through his fingers.
Five years have passed. A Chen, are you dead or alive? If you are dead, why have you never appeared in my dreams? If you are still alive, how can you bear to leave me alone in this loneliness?
Closing his eyes, Pei Guanjing recalled the moment when he escaped An City with Ye Chen.
Their journey was fraught with difficulties, and they were ambushed by enemy troops along the way. He had held Ye Chen's hand tightly, but at some point, that hand slipped away. Even though he had been severely injured at the time, he never let go—so why did it happen?
He couldn't tell whether he had released his grip first or if Ye Chen had broken free. In any case, by the end of it all, he found that Ye Chen was no longer by his side. After dispatching all the enemies 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 exactly when or how he had left. Perhaps someone had seen it happen, but at that moment, they were unable to tell him.
Following the threads of memory, he arrived at that village. The village lay under a blanket of white snow, hazy and indistinct; it seemed both near and far away. No matter how long he walked forward, it felt as though he could never reach those houses.
After Ye Chen was captured, Pei Guanjing had tirelessly sought news of him while fearing that he might have fallen into the Military Camp and met with misfortune. Each time he scoured the battlefield, his heart raced as he checked every corpse on the ground, always reminding his subordinates to be on the lookout for anyone of Ye Chen's stature. Finally, he breathed a sigh of relief—among all those corpses, 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 simply starve to death in the wilderness?
Pei Guanjing dared not think further. He mounted his horse and rode swiftly on, continuing his search for 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 remained strong; there were still endless recruits joining their ranks.
Pei Guanjing remained the highest commander in the army.
He returned to the military camp, continuing to advance toward Cangzhou while relentlessly sending out troops to search for Ye Chen.
It had been five years of searching.
During these five years, he sometimes wondered, despite the vastness of the world, how could Ye Chen be just a Kun Ze? Where could he possibly go? How was it that after sending so many people to find him, not a single trace of him had been uncovered?
A Kun Ze, especially one in the early stages of pregnancy, he could hardly imagine what dangers awaited without his protection.
Could it be that he truly was... already dead?
As time passed, Pei Guanjing became increasingly numb, his suspicions magnified infinitely, like vines growing in the dark, spreading wildly.
Pei Yongshang, in order to maintain his power and status, continually forced Pei Guanjing to carry out cruel and bloody tasks. He became more 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 slain 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 its streets.
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 weapon 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 crumbled 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 hollow as he stared into the distance, waiting for Lou Yu's arrival.
Below the city tower, Lou Yu led his troops and looked up to see Pei Guanjing, 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 the fight and stood on the wall waiting for death.
Lou Yu waved his hand, signaling the soldiers to take Pei Guanjing into custody. Pei Guanjing made no resistance, allowing himself to be escorted 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 control of the capital, Lou Yu's ambition swelled as he fully grasped the power of the realm.
Amidst the throngs of supporters, 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, his former authority had vanished; he wore tattered prisoner’s garb. But nothing could change what was to come. As the executioner raised his blade and brought it down, Pei Yongshang's head rolled away, marking the end of a formidable era.
And next would be Pei Guanjing.
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