Chapter 124: Intentionally Startling the Snake, Fighting the Fox Demon Again

Chapter 124: Chapter 124: Intentionally Startling the Snake, Fighting the Fox Demon Again

Morning. The Jing’an Guard’s Tongzhou Hundred Households.

Pei Shaoqing was at his desk, buried in paperwork.

Song Youcai walked in with a grave expression and said in a deep voice, "Sir! I have an important matter to report."

"What is it?" Pei Shaoqing asked casually, still making marks with his brush without even looking up.

Every time he drew a circle, a prisoner in the Jing’an Guard’s dungeon would be beheaded, as if he were playing a matching game.

Song Youcai blurted out, "There are men from the Southern Garrison Command in Tongzhou! On Noble Consort Wan’s orders, they’re trying to dig up dirt on you, Sir. They’ve been operating in the shadows for a while now."

Pei Shaoqing’s brush froze, leaving a blot of ink on the paper. He looked up, his gaze sweeping over Song Youcai like a sharp knife. "How do you know this?"

He suddenly remembered the message from the calico cat.

’Is this Noble Consort Wan’s new method of revenge?’

’Her last attempt to have Zheng Xuancheng kill me illegally failed, so now she’s trying to use the law of the land to convict me.’

"Because they found me and tried to bribe me," Song Youcai answered honestly.

Pei Shaoqing asked, "What did they offer you?"

"The position of Hundred Households Commander," Song Youcai replied, lowering his head.

"Heh, quite a generous offer," Pei Shaoqing remarked with a smirk, though he was inwardly wondering if the Southern Garrison Command had only approached Song Youcai.

Song Youcai knelt on one knee, performed a fist-and-palm salute, and said resolutely with his head lowered, "The position of Hundred Households Commander is naturally tempting. But while I may not be learned, I know a thing or two about repaying a debt of gratitude. I am no ungrateful scoundrel.

Without you, Sir, I wouldn’t even have been qualified for them to bribe. If I were to betray you just for a high position and a hefty salary, how would I be any different from an animal?"

"Officer Song, with such unwavering loyalty, I will certainly not fail you. Please, rise." Pei Shaoqing, looking moved, stood and walked over quickly to help him up personally.

Song Youcai allowed himself to be helped up and proactively offered a plan. "Sir, the officer who came to bribe me is named Gu Mingshan. He just told me to await orders. I’m willing to play along and help you set a trap for them."

"No, no, that’s too much trouble." Pei Shaoqing chuckled and shook his head, a vicious glint in his eyes. "I don’t like to overcomplicate simple matters. The next time Gu Mingshan comes to find you, fire a whistling arrow to summon my men, and have him brought before me, bound."

"But Sir, won’t that alert the enemy?" Song Youcai said, both confused and worried.

Pei Shaoqing replied-leisurely, "That’s the point. I *want* to alert the enemy. Just do as I say."

’If I don’t blow this up, that madwoman Noble Consort Wan will never stop. Only by making a big scene will the Emperor intervene, restrain her, and bestow his favor upon me.’

Pei Shaoqing figured the Emperor must be aware of the situation.

The Emperor had extremely strong control over the country; his control over his own Imperial Palace was undoubtedly even greater.

Therefore, the entire Imperial Palace was teeming with Emperor Jingtai’s spies. How could Noble Consort Wan’s actions possibly escape his notice?

And yet, he hadn’t stopped her. Considering the many favors the Emperor had shown him, this was highly unusual.

So, Pei Shaoqing could only speculate that the Emperor intended to wait until Noble Consort Wan had forced him into a desperate situation. Only then would the Emperor step in to rescue him, thoroughly resolving the feud between him and the consort in the process. ’And wouldn’t I be moved to tears with gratitude then?’

But he didn’t want to follow that script. It was too passive. He preferred to take the initiative.

Besides, the Emperor had repeatedly showered him with great rewards. For him to spend so much effort on a minor figure like himself was frankly a little unnerving. ’What is that old fox up to?’

"Yes, Sir." Although Song Youcai didn’t understand what Pei Shaoqing was planning, he agreed to follow his orders.

Pei Shaoqing waved his hand, dismissing him.

In a foul mood, he returned to his chair, bent his head, and drew several more circles. "Guards! All the men I’ve marked are to be executed tomorrow. Standard-Bearer Sun will oversee it."

"As you command!"

After returning home that evening, Pei Shaoqing summoned General Li. "Arrange for your cats to keep a long-term watch on all the officers and standard-bearers in the Hundred Households. Report any unusual activity to me immediately."

’Song Youcai’s report today was a wake-up call. You never know what’s in a person’s heart. For my own good, and for the good of my men, it’s better to install some ’surveillance cameras’.’

"Yes! Your subject obeys the decree!" General Li, commander of the Feline Special Ops unit and head of the intelligence agency, replied solemnly.

...

Three more days passed, and Xie Qingwu emerged from her seclusion.

At that moment, Pei Shaoqing had just finished washing up and was about to go to bed.

Upon hearing a servant’s report, he immediately went to the Alchemy Room.

"Husband, come and see!" Although Xie Qingwu looked a bit disheveled, there wasn’t a trace of fatigue on her face. Glowing with energy, she pulled Pei Shaoqing to the shelves where the pills were displayed and began to introduce them one by one, as if showing off for praise.

"This is an Aphrodisiac Pill, this is a Bone-Strengthening Pill made from Fox Demon Bone Powder, this is a Qi Gathering Pill, and this is a Blood Circulation Pill that uses the fox demon’s internal organs as a base..."

"Wife, you’re truly incredible." The variety of pills left Pei Shaoqing dazzled, and he praised her from the bottom of his heart.

Xie Qingwu broke into a radiant smile, wiping the soot from her face. "It was all thanks to my husband’s help."

"Qingwu, shall we test the effects of this Aphrodisiac Pill later?" Pei Shaoqing said teasingly, picking one up.

Xie Qingwu rolled her eyes alluringly and pouted. "Can’t I get a little rest? I just came out of seclusion."

"You’ve worked hard, Qingwu. How about this: tonight, your husband will do all the work. You can just sit back and enjoy the ride. You won’t even have to move your hips," Pei Shaoqing said with a thoughtful expression.

Xie Qingwu scoffed, then took the fox tail from the shelf. "This one is useless, but it looks nice. I had the servants save it as a decoration."

"I agree, it’s perfect for a decoration," Pei Shaoqing nodded, but his gaze fell on her rear.

Xie Qingwu felt a little awkward. "What are you looking at?"

Pei Shaoqing leaned in and whispered a few words in her ear.

"You..." Xie Qingwu was instantly overcome with a mixture of shame and anger.

Pei Shaoqing swept her into his arms and coaxed her softly, "My dearest wife, since you won’t let me have my way in *that* regard, you have to indulge me in this, don’t you?"

Helpless, Xie Qingwu could only agree bashfully.

That night, she wore light makeup, her hair elegantly pinned up with pearl hairpins and dangling ornaments. She wore nothing on her upper body, only a light, white gauze skirt over black silk stockings. The white fox tail was attached to the back of the stockings, trailing behind her.

The fluffy white tail and the glossy black stockings formed a stark contrast, giving her full, rounded rear an even greater visual impact. At a glance, it looked as if she had truly grown a tail, like a Fox Demon that had taken human form.

"Young Master, I am a white fox who has cultivated for a thousand years. In a past life, you saved me, and now I have come to repay that debt," Xie Qingwu said in a sweet, delicate voice, her charm on full display as she knelt on the bed and gently swayed her fox tail.

As the one who wrote the script and a natural director, Pei Shaoqing got into character in a second. With an expression of shock, fear, and anticipation, he asked, "Are... are you really a Fox Demon? Then... then how will you repay me? This isn’t some trick to try and suck away my vital essence, is it?"

"How could you think such a thing of me, Young Master?" Xie Qingwu blushed beet-red with shame. She couldn’t quite act out the part of a wronged maiden on the verge of tears, so she decided to just go for broke and pounced. "Fine, you saw right through me! This demon isn’t pretending anymore. I’m here to suck out your essence!" ℴ

"You audacious Fox Demon! Taste my staff!"

"Mmph... Spare me, Young Hero! *Cough, cough*... This little demon was blind and failed to recognize your greatness. I am willing to be your mount..."

Facing the Fox Demon’s sudden attack, Pei Shaoqing struck her with a head-on blow that left her dizzy and disoriented. He then used Ah Wei’s Eighteen Techniques to battle her fiercely for three hundred rounds, finally subduing her.

Afterward, during the ’sage time’ of post-coital clarity, Xie Qingwu was filled with regret and shame. "I, the proper daughter of Uncle Anning, actually played these kinds of games with you. If word of this ever got out, I would have no choice but to die."

Shy and timid before, unable to contain her delight during, and filled with endless regret after.

"Who would spread it? What happens in the bedroom is just between you and me," Pei Shaoqing quickly reassured her. He had to dispel these feelings, or she would be resistant next time.

He quickly changed the subject, asking about Jiang Xue’s enemy. "By the way, Wife, do you know someone named Xie Wenjin? He’s a high-ranking official in the Capital City."

"Xie Wenjin?" A glint appeared in Xie Qingwu’s eyes. Instead of answering directly, she asked, "Why are you asking about him?"

"No reason. A friend of mine just has some issues with him," Pei Shaoqing said evasively.

"Is that so?" Xie Qingwu smiled faintly and said, "Then you’d best advise your friend to let go of those issues."

"Why?" Pei Shaoqing asked in return.

Xie Qingwu said, "Xie Wenjin is my father."

Pei Shaoqing was instantly dumbfounded. ’My wife’s father is my mistress’s mortal enemy? What kind of cliché melodrama is this?’

Xie Qingwu could see he was hiding something. Frowning, she asked, "What is really going on? Husband, you must understand that even if we are no longer close with our respective families in the future, the ties of blood cannot be broken. If something happens to my family, it will inevitably implicate you."

"A friend of mine is a descendant of the former Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, Xu Yong..." Pei Shaoqing laid out the whole story of the feud between Jiang Xue and the Xie Family, but concealed the fact that his ’friend’ was a woman.

’Xie Qingwu was right. As the Xie Family’s son-in-law, of course he had to side with them. That was the same as siding with himself. He couldn’t possibly harm his own interests for Jiang Xue’s sake.’

After listening, Xie Qingwu stated flatly, "That’s impossible! To put it nicely, my father is prudent and steady. To put it bluntly, he’s a coward by nature. This time, he won’t even contact me because he’s afraid of getting on Noble Consort Wan’s bad side.

He has spent his whole life avoiding conflict, just seeking a peaceful and uneventful existence. How could he possibly do something like frame Xu Yong and have his entire family executed? There must be a misunderstanding."

"I believe you," Pei Shaoqing stated his position immediately.

Xie Qingwu snorted coldly. "Is this friend of yours very important? If so, when we go back to the Capital City, I’ll ask my father about what happened back then and get an explanation for him.

If he’s not important, then there’s no need to waste the time and effort to find out the truth. Just kill him. We can’t have him causing trouble for my family, can we? What do you say?"

"He’s very important to me. We share a friendship that transcends status, a bond like father and son. We should go back and ask my father-in-law," Pei Shaoqing said with a straight face.

Xie Qingwu’s expression softened. "In that case," she said softly, "I’ll go back and ask."

After a moment, she added, "If—and I’m just saying if—it really was my father who did it, what would you do?"

"I’d break off the friendship. It would be over between us," Pei Shaoqing answered without hesitation, holding Xie Qingwu tightly.

Of course, in that moment, he knew exactly what to say.

At that same moment, Song Youcai was in his courtyard, drinking alone. Suddenly, a figure leaped over the wall and landed in front of him. It was Gu Mingshan, with whom he had a brief acquaintance.

"Officer Song, enjoying some leisure time, are we? Celebrating your promotion to Hundred Households Commander in advance?" Gu Mingshan said with a smile, glancing at the food and wine on the table.

"Can you give a warning next time? You scared me, just showing up like that," Song Youcai said irritably.

His attitude made a flicker of gloom pass through Gu Mingshan’s eyes, but he hid it well. Smiling, he cupped his hands in a salute and said, "My apologies, my apologies. It was my fault. I’ve come this time with orders from the Lord Hundred Households. Everything is ready. It’s time to make a move on Pei Shaoqing."

"Do you see what this is?" Song Youcai took a whistling arrow from his robes and waved it in front of Gu Mingshan.

Gu Mingshan was stunned for a moment, then chuckled in spite of himself. "Isn’t that just the standard-issue whistling arrow for every member of the Jing’an Guard? Officer Song, why are you suddenly asking..."

His voice trailed off, and the smile on his face slowly froze. Across from him, Song Youcai, his face a mask of mockery, had already pulled the cord on the whistling arrow.

WHOOSH! BANG!

A brilliant firework exploded in the sky.