IDWBE -Chapter 299 People of Bitter Fate

After the sky had completely darkened, snow began to fall again.

The road was eerily silent. Even the occasional mournful hoot of an owl could make one’s hair stand on end.

He Hong, who had just been promoted to Commander of the Prince He Residence Guards, said cautiously, “Your Highness, it’s cold outside. You should go indoors.”

Lin Yi smiled. “This is nothing. Compared to Ankang City, it’s not even worth mentioning. By the way, where are you from again?”

He Hong replied, “Reporting to Your Highness, Pan Duo and I are fellow townsmen. Our homes are in Yongzhou, less than fifty li apart.”

“Anyone left in your family?”

Lin Yi asked casually.

“My parents passed away early. I have a younger sister. I brought her to Sanhe the year before last. She’s settled down there now.”

That had been Shen Chu’s requirement—

No one around Prince He could be left with leverage in others’ hands.

“And yet you’re still a bachelor,”

Lin Yi teased. “There’s nothing here that needs you guarding day and night. Go find yourself a wife. Don’t delay your own life.”

He Hong answered, “This subordinate understands.”

Lin Yi continued, “Anything interesting happen in the city recently?”

He Hong thought for a moment. “There was something this afternoon. Ye Qiu’s younger brother, Ye Chen, waited at the Provincial Administration Office all afternoon before Ye Qiu came out. After learning that the Ye family had been robbed by water bandits from the Five Lakes of Yong’an, he was furious. He healed Ye Chen’s injuries and then requested leave from the Chief Steward to go personally to the Five Lakes to settle the score.”

Lin Yi chuckled. “So he does have a bit of conscience after all. Not as cold-blooded as I imagined.”

The reason he had never fully trusted Ye Qiu was because the man lacked any trace of “human warmth.” Even the prettiest girls he would sacrifice in blood to steady his sword-heart.

Hearing that Ye Qiu would stand up for his family, Lin Yi not only didn’t blame him for acting without permission—he felt a hint of relief.

He Hong continued, “Also, as soon as Hong An and Tao Yingyi entered the yamen, they borrowed troops from the garrison and began patrolling the streets. Three men were executed on the spot.”

Lin Yi sighed. “In chaotic times, harsh laws are necessary. It’s nothing unusual.”

He found it strange that he had grown so hard-hearted. Death no longer stirred any emotion in him.

Perhaps he had simply seen too much.

That night, after drinking a little wine, he fell asleep peacefully.

Meanwhile, the Provincial Administration Office was still brightly lit.

Xing Keshou and Peng Guishou, who had just arrived in Jinling City, sat facing one another.

Xing Keshou lifted the warmed wine. Peng Guishou hurriedly stood and raised his cup to receive it. “I dare not, I dare not.”

With a smile, Xing Keshou said, “Counting on my fingers, it’s been over twenty years since we last met. Old friends reunited—why be so polite, Lord Peng?”

Peng Guishou sighed. “I dare not.”

Xing Keshou shook his head. “Have you forgotten, Lord Peng, that I am still technically a man bearing guilt? ‘Official life is laughable, more tragic than joyful. Yesterday’s glory fades to today’s decline. Like autumn tumbleweed without fixed root, how many spring dreams last?’”

“You are too modest, my lord,”

Peng Guishou said, draining his cup and forcing a smile. “Now you are close to Prince He. Everyone knows it.”

Xing Keshou smiled faintly. “You are a clever man, Lord Peng. Why exchange empty courtesies?”

Peng Guishou downed another cup and sneered. “For decades in court I have dodged fierce tigers by day and long serpents by night; gnashing teeth and sucking blood, killing without number. Tell me, Lord Xing—what should I do now?”

Xing Keshou snorted coldly.

“‘Granary rats as large as bushels—
they see the stores opened and never flee.
Soldiers starve, the people hunger—
who sends grain daily into your mouths?’

The world has rotted to this extent. What good end do you expect, Lord Peng?”

He raised his cup again. “If you are willing, you can ascend the ladder to the clouds.”

“How would you instruct me?”

Peng Guishou stroked his beard, no longer cautious.

“His Highness now controls eight provinces,”

Xing Keshou said, lifting his cup once more. “If you merely play both sides, how can anyone trust you?”

He pulled a slip of paper from his sleeve and tossed it onto the table.

Peng Guishou did not open it, yet his face had already turned ashen.

“Impressive methods indeed,” Xing Keshou said with admiration. Among the many capable men in the Provincial Office, Peng had still managed to pass messages outside. If Pan Duo hadn’t discovered it in time, that note would already have reached the palace.

“With matters as they stand, I had no choice but to resort to such means,” Peng Guishou sighed. “How does Lord Xing intend to deal with me?”

Xing Keshou shook his head. “Lord Peng, do you still not understand my meaning? Why do you think I have spoken so much to you?”

Peng Guishou said quietly, “At my age, life and death no longer matter. I only ask that Prince He show mercy and spare my wife and children, that the Peng family line may continue.”

“Prince He is benevolent,” Xing Keshou smiled. “Even if you wished to retire to your hometown, His Highness would not make things difficult.”

“I still have strength left. I am willing to devote myself entirely to His Highness, to serve until death.”

Naturally, Peng Guishou did not fully believe him.

Given the situation, he and his family could very well be imprisoned for life.

For now, he had no choice but to compromise.

“From now on, you and I must support each other.”

Xing Keshou laughed heartily.

Afterward, the two continued drinking, reminiscing about the past.

Deep into the night.

Hong An, though weary from travel, felt no sleepiness. Sitting atop a rockery, she saw Fang Pi approaching and said expressionlessly, “Why aren’t you asleep?”

Fang Pi grinned. “Heard you arrived. Came to see you.”

Hong An snorted. “Your martial skills haven’t improved. How dare you still keep that reckless temper?”

“Who says!”

Fang Pi flushed red. “My lightness skill is almost on par with Wang Tuozi!”

“You never speak truth,” Hong An said disdainfully. “Even I can’t catch up to Wang Tuozi’s footwork.”

“Talking to you gets more boring every day.”

Fang Pi disappeared into the darkness.

Pushing open his door, he found Pan Duo sitting inside.

“I knew you’d want a drink,”

Pan Duo said with a smile.

“You dare spy on me?”

Fang Pi snapped. “The Blind Man’s room is next door. If he finds out, you won’t have a good ending.”

“Are you jealous of him?”

Pan Duo asked while pouring wine.

“It’s my own lack of ability. What’s that got to do with anyone else?”

Fang Pi gulped down the wine in one swallow.

Pan Duo patted his shoulder. “A real man need not worry about lacking a wife. Relax a little.”

“Stop talking nonsense,”

Fang Pi said irritably. “You don’t even have a wife yourself. What right do you have to lecture me?”

He lay down on the bed and ignored Pan Duo.

Pan Duo shook his head, closed the door, and left.

Outside, heavy snow still filled the sky.