Chapter 78 (2/2)

While Pei Zhang’s guards were running to Pei Jin’s manor, the five hundred men were sent to hide in Pei Zhang’s vulnerable manor.

Xiao Zai was exceptional at mimicking other people’s voices. The general who ordered the emperor’s soldiers to protect the emperor and kill the traitors wasn’t the real general, it was Xiao Zai mimicking the general’s voice. The real general was killed by one of the five hundred men long ago.

Pei Zhang’s guards would want to protect their master. So it didn’t matter whether Pei Zhang’s army was approaching Pei Jin’s manor to attack the emperor or not, the guards would attack the emperor’s army to protect Pei Zhang.

Pei Jin expected the battle between Pei Zhang’s men and the emperor’s men. But he didn’t order the five hundred men to attack. So the loud battle cries Pei Jin heard meant news of the battle was spread to Huang Guo and Huang Guo’s army joined the chaos outside Pei Jin’s manor.

Everyone inside Pei Jin’s manor were focused on what was happening outside and lowered their guard against Pei Zhang.

Pei Zhang grabbed an imperial guard’s sword, killed the imperial guard and held his father hostage.

‘Seventh son, what do you want to do?’ the emperor asked coldly.

‘Imperial father, you forced me to do this,’ Pei Zhang said. He held the sword closer to his father’s throat. ‘Everyone stand back!’

Pei Jin signalled for everyone not to make any sudden moves.

‘Seventh brother, let go of imperial father,’ Pei Jin said.

‘Ninth brother, I underestimated you!’ Pei Zhang said resentfully. ‘You hid your real capabilities well for many years!’

‘Seventh brother, even now you’re still stubborn,’ Pei Jin said.

‘Imperial father, you betrayed me first so you can’t blame me for betraying you,’ Pei Zhang said. ‘Imperial father, you loved tenth brother. Tenth brother is dead but you still treat me unfairly. You forced me to do this.’

Pei Zhang in his state of fury and resentment didn’t notice how close the sword was to his father’s throat.

Pei Jin saw drops of blood dripped down his father’s throat. ‘Seventh brother, let go of imperial father!’

Pei Zhang looked down at his father’s throat, he was startled to see blood and loosened his hold on the sword.

The emperor elbowed Pei Zhang’s chest while Pei Zhang was distracted and freed himself. He stabbed a sword through Pei Zhang’s stomach.

Pei Zhang didn’t know what happened. He felt pain in his stomach, vomited blood and died with his eyes wide opened.

Everyone gasped except the emperor who held a blood stained sword in his right hand.

Pei Jin’s heart farewell Pei Zhang, ‘seventh brother you finally know what happens if you oppose father.’

Suddenly Pei Jin remembered his imperial uncle’s memories of his father, ‘Xiao Jin, your imperial father was a general when he was young too. When an enemy general held him hostage, he freed himself and killed the enemy general.’

Pei Jin didn’t know how he felt about Pei Zhang’s death. If Pei Zhang truly wanted to kill their father then Pei Zhang wouldn’t have been unguarded toward their father and given their father an opportunity to kill. But if Pei Zhang wanted to convince their father to believe in their innocence then Pei Zhang shouldn’t have threatened their father. Pei Jin looked curiously at Pei Zhang’s eyes, he wondered what the last thought of people who dared to threaten their father was.

***

End of Chapter Seventy-Eight