Hu Liangyou rode back to the city late at night and went straight to the Regional Military Commission office, where Hu Liangcai was still discussing border defense matters with his advisors. Bursting in, Hu Liangyou shouted loudly, "Elder brother! You must stand up for me!"
Startled by his disheveled, mud-covered appearance, Hu Liangcai hurriedly asked what had happened. Hu Liangyou then embellished the events of the day, stretching out his neck to reveal a dark purple bruise as he complained, "Brother, this Pei You'an is vicious—I nearly lost my life at his hands! As for me, fine, but after all your kindness to him, he doesn’t give you the slightest respect! If you don’t teach him a lesson, where will the face of us Hu brothers be in Suyeh City from now on?"
Furious, Hu Liangcai stormed a few steps toward the door but abruptly stopped. Turning back, he ordered Hu Liangyou to leave first while he consulted his advisors. Among them was a certain Yang, well-versed in court affairs and official matters, who said, "Lord Hu, we must not act rashly! Pei You'an was once a close confidant of the emperor. Your Majesty’s reliance on him was evident to all. His sudden exile here is puzzling—there’s been no official explanation, and rumors abound. In my humble opinion, my lord should not provoke him too much. Remember, there’s always the possibility of a comeback. Moreover, the Pei father and son have deep roots here. The military and civilians still remember them fondly. You’ve only been here a short while. If you move against him, he won’t go down without a fight, and any chaos that ensues would be hard to contain. My lord should summon the lieutenant’s attendants first and find out exactly what happened today to cause this incident."
Reminded by his advisor’s words, Hu Liangcai immediately summoned Hu Liangyou’s attendants and pressed them for details. Soon, the truth came out: they had chased horses into the fodder yard and harassed Pei You'an’s wife, which led to the noose around the neck. Filled with anger and resentment—anger at his brother’s troublemaking and resentment over how Pei Xian had once humiliated him with military punishment—Hu Liangcai forcibly suppressed his rage. He called Hu Liangyou back and sternly reprimanded him, ordering him to stay away from the fodder yard and avoid stirring up trouble in the future.
Having suffered greatly, his throat still swollen and painful, Hu Liangyou had expected his elder brother to avenge him. Instead, not only was his wish denied, but he was also scolded. Muttering meekly, he withdrew.
Several days later, deep in the night, flames suddenly erupted in one of the granaries at the fodder yard. However, the two arsonists had no chance to escape before Yang Yun, lying in wait nearby, captured them. The sound of gongs brought Lao Ding and his men rushing to the scene, and the fire was quickly extinguished.
The two captured arsonists turned out to be Hu Liangyou’s attendants from that day. After a brief interrogation by Yang Yun that very night, they confessed that they had been ordered by Hu Liangyou to sneak in and set the fire.
The fodder yard stored three months’ worth of military horse rations. Regardless of whether the fire could have claimed lives, if the granary had burned down, cutting off the horses’ food supply, the guards would have faced execution under military law.
Pei You'an ordered Yang Yun to bind the men and, along with their confessions, deliver them overnight to the Regional Military Commission office to be handed over to Hu Liangcai.The next day, Yang, the advisor by Hu Liangcai's side, arrived before Pei You'an with utmost deference. He presented two heads—those of the arsonists from the previous night—as an apology. He explained that Hu Liangyou had been incited by these two men, leading him to momentarily lose his senses and stray down the wrong path. Lord Hu had already punished Hu Liangyou with the military rod as a disciplinary measure. Originally, Hu Liangyou was supposed to come as well, but his legs had been beaten raw, leaving him unable to stand, hence his absence. He begged Pei You'an for understanding.
Pei You'an merely smiled without a word and politely saw Yang off. With that, the matter was finally laid to rest, and Hu Liangyou never appeared again.
Jiafu could finally set her mind at ease. Every day, she fed the chickens, took the horse for walks, and, as the weather grew warmer, busied herself with her two maids sewing light clothes and making new shoes. Though their life was frugal, it was simple and stable. Aside from occasionally missing her family, she could truly say all was well in the present. Unexpectedly, one morning, she woke up feeling nauseous and began dry heaving. At first, she thought she had eaten something bad the night before, and when the nausea subsided after a few bouts, she paid it no further mind. Pei You'an, however, noticed and grew slightly tense. He immediately helped her lie down, took her wrist, and checked her pulse.
Seeing how seriously he was taking it, Jiafu initially teased him a little. But when he finished and silently gazed at her, his eyes flickering with a mix of joy and worry, she suddenly understood. "Do we have a child?" she asked.
Pei You'an nodded.
Jiafu froze, then scrambled up from the bed. "Cousin, do I really have a child? You're not lying to me?"
Pei You'an nodded again.
Jiafu let out a short, excited squeal and threw herself into his arms.
Pei You'an held her close. Looking down at her childlike exuberance, his heart gradually filled with tender joy. He gently patted her back, soothing her excitement before carefully laying her back down. Stroking her flat abdomen, he smiled and said, "Snow Treader has a bad temper. From today onward, you mustn’t ride him anymore, understand?"
Jiafu nodded. She gazed up at him for a moment, then touched his face, her eyes clouded with unease. "Cousin, aren’t you happy about the child?"
"Are you worried people will say it’s unfilial to have a child now?" she hesitantly added after a pause.
Pei You'an was taken aback, then realized his earlier concerns had been noticed. Hearing her worry, he chuckled and shook his head. "As long as Grandmother doesn’t object, what is there to fear?"
He lay down beside her, pulling her close and holding her tightly for a long moment before murmuring, "How could I not be happy that Fu'er is going to bear my child? I was only thinking about our difficult circumstances now and fearing you and the child might suffer hardships in the future..."
Jiafu shook her head. "I won’t suffer. Our child, whether a boy or a girl, will surely be as eager as I am to come into this world and meet their father."
Pei You'an laughed, his eyes bright, and embraced her tightly once more.
Soon, Tanxiang, Muxiang, Ding Mo, and the others all learned of Jiafu’s pregnancy and came to congratulate her, overjoyed by the news. From then on, Jiafu focused on resting for the pregnancy, while Pei You'an treated her like a precious jewel, attending to her every need with meticulous care.
The news of her pregnancy, once her belly began to show, soon reached the imperial palace a thousand miles away.That day, the emperor had been in a foul mood from the start. After court adjourned, several ministers who had been reprimanded for incompetence emerged from the Imperial Study with sweat-drenched brows—the emperor's temper had been erratic for most of the past year, and Li Yuangui had grown accustomed to it. Once the ministers dispersed, he immediately entered to deliver his report.
Upon hearing the news, the emperor sat motionless for a long moment before a faint glimmer of excitement and joy—long absent—appeared in his eyes.
Seizing the opportunity, Li Yuangui added, "Your Majesty, this servant has also received word that Hu Liangcai, the Regional Military Commissioner of Suye, harbors resentment against Lord Pei due to past punishment by the Duke of Wei. His younger brother, seeking revenge, even sent men to set fire to the fodder yard in an attempt to harm Lord Pei."
The emperor's face darkened with anger as he slammed the table and stood abruptly. "What happened to him?"
"Rest assured, Your Majesty," Li Yuangui hurriedly replied. "Fortunately, Lord Pei was prepared and apprehended the arsonists immediately. Both Lord Pei and his wife are unharmed."
The emperor slowly sat back down, his voice icy. "If nothing happened, why report it to me? Isn't he all-powerful, with flawless strategies? He’s so capable! Even as a convicted man, he thrives in that place. I have countless matters to attend to—spare me such trivialities in the future!"
"Yes, yes, this servant understands..."
Li Yuangui wiped his sweat and nodded repeatedly.
"Pass on my orders: Zhen must be protected at all costs—not a single misstep is permitted!"
Just as Li Yuangui was about to withdraw, the emperor suddenly called him back and issued the command.
Li Yuangui acknowledged and bowed before retreating.
...
Time flew by, and before they knew it, over half a year had passed. By the eleventh month of winter, Jiafu was heavily pregnant, with less than a month left until her due date.
As her belly grew larger, her legs and feet swelled painfully, making her uncomfortable. Every night before bed, Pei You'an would patiently massage her legs and feet until she fell asleep.
One evening, Jiafu lay curled in Pei You'an's warm embrace, sound asleep, when she was abruptly awakened by a commotion outside. Straining her ears, she heard the distant whinnying of horses. Soon after, Lao Ding's voice sounded at the door: "Lord Pei, the Regional Military Commission has issued an urgent order to requisition fodder!"
Pei You'an sat up, urging Jiafu to go back to sleep, then dressed and stepped outside. At the granary, the gates stood wide open, illuminated by torches as a large contingent of soldiers bustled about. A deputy commander surnamed Liang was directing men to load sacks of fodder onto carts while soldiers hurried back and forth. Lao Ding and other awakened veterans stood nearby, watching and murmuring among themselves.
Spotting Pei You'an, Deputy Commander Liang hurried over and bowed respectfully.
Pei You'an sidestepped the gesture. "I no longer hold office, Commander. There’s no need for formalities. But why the sudden requisition of so much fodder tonight?"
He had glanced at the requisition order—the amount was enough to feed ten thousand warhorses for months.
Deputy Commander Liang explained, "Lord Hu received urgent intelligence that the Hu and Hui tribes have allied and plan to mobilize a hundred thousand cavalry to attack Arrow Gate Pass, aiming to breach the frontier. Lord Hu is mobilizing defenses and has sent me to secure fodder. We march for Arrow Gate Pass imminently."Pei You'an gazed toward the direction of Arrow Gate Pass beneath the pitch-black night sky, lost in thought for a long while. Early the next morning, he entered Suyeh City and went straight to the gates of the Regional Military Commission. Seeing the doors wide open, he noticed armored officers constantly coming and going with grave expressions. Nearby, many townsfolk had gathered, murmuring uneasily among themselves. The atmosphere was thick with the tension of an impending battle.
He rarely visited the city, and the two guards at the commission's entrance did not recognize him. Pei You'an ascended the steps, gave his name, and asked the guards to announce his arrival. One of them widened his eyes, scrutinizing Pei You'an from head to toe with an expression of disbelief. "You're that Lord Pei from the capital?"
Pei You'an smiled faintly. "Indeed, it is I. Please inform the Regional Military Commissioner that I have urgent business to discuss."
The guard hastily asked him to wait and turned to rush inside, his figure disappearing beyond the gates of the commission.
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