The cousin is beautiful but ruthless.

Chapter 163 Celebration Banquet

Although Chen Jianshan's actions can be difficult to accept at times, he wouldn't dare take on such a task.

Pei Du rode back to the camp, and his blood-covered appearance terrified many people. When Shen Hanyu received the news, she went out and bumped into Pei Du.

"You are hurt?"

Pei Du shook his head and pulled the head he was holding back. "It's not my blood, it's from those foreign tribes."

Shen Hanyu noticed the head, but she didn't ask any further questions.

"Then you should go find General Chen first."

Pei Du nodded and carried the head over.

Jin Chui and Miao Cui watched Pei Du's retreating figure. No wonder Shen Hanyu had just expressed her concern; it made sense.

Chen Jianshan was speechless when he saw what Pei Du was holding.

"So you went and did that?"

He touched his head, realizing this was a rare achievement; if it were reported, the Emperor would surely reward Pei Du.

Pei Du said, "I have troubled General Chen. I am guilty of making a decision on my own. I will accept whatever punishment General Chen wants to give me."

How could Chen Jianshan possibly punish him? Everything was going so smoothly thanks to Pei Du's actions, not to mention that he even brought back his head.

"Alright, I won't punish you, but I will report this matter truthfully. If nothing unexpected happens, you should be rewarded."

Pei Du understood, thanked him, and left his head behind. They didn't need his help there. He washed off the blood and went to see Shen Hanyu.

Shen Hanyu poured him a cup of hot tea.

"Is everything over?"

Pei Du held up his teacup: "Yes, everything will be fine once General Ji's matter is over."

Ji Yuxiu's side is almost there too. He just showed the head to the foreign tribes. The morale of the army is not a cause for concern.

"I came here for two reasons. First, to find you. Second, Princess Huaijiang assigned me a task: to find Wei Jianfeng. Do you know who Wei Jianfeng is?"

Pei Du didn't recognize him. "I don't have any impression of this person, but if Princess Huai Jiang is looking for him, it must be related to that matter."

They both now know that the mastermind is the Crown Prince, and they also know that there was a reason behind Li Sheng's incident.

"I found Wei Jianfeng in Muyu Village. I will take him back with me when I leave the border."

It's good that the person has been found.

"Let's go back after New Year's Eve. The New Year is just a few days away."

Shen Hanyu also had the same plan and wasn't in a hurry to do it in the next few days.

"Wei Jianfeng should be fine in Muyu Village. I'll leave after New Year's Eve. You don't know what reward the Emperor will give you this time, so you might be able to return to Chang'an again."

With Pei Du back in Chang'an, Shen Hanyu could finally feel at ease.

“I learned a lot from Princess Huaijiang. I will definitely investigate Father’s death. I have found a clue now, and I hope I can find out quickly.”

Pei Du wasn't quite clear about the specific progress on Shen Hanyu's side, so Shen Hanyu slowly explained it to him.

After listening, Pei Du also shared his plans.

“If I can return to Chang’an, I plan to bring it up with the Emperor again and ask him to divorce my mother.”

Shen Hanyu was somewhat surprised, "I didn't expect that."

Pei Du didn't want his mother to remain in the Pei family's ancestral graveyard after her death; Pei Mingjian's actions were truly disgusting.

Shen Hanyu could understand.

"Did you already tell the Emperor last time?"

"His Majesty has already agreed that if I achieve something this time, it will be to bring up this matter again."

The request for imperial decree was not only for his marriage to Shen Hanyu, but also for this matter.

As darkness approached, Ji Yuxiu returned with her troops.

“Those foreign tribes were routed. I spared some survivors and handed them over to General Chen for disposal.”

Chen Jianshan was extremely busy today, but he was also very happy.

"A great achievement, a truly great achievement! We owe you all this time."

Ji Yuxiu curled her lips slightly: "General Chen also deserves credit."

If Chen Jianshan hadn't been willing to believe them, this matter wouldn't have been easy to accomplish; each step was interconnected.

Chen Jianshan was very pleased; it was the first time he had ever found Ji Yuxiu so pleasing to the eye.

"General Ji is a capable man."

Ji Yuxiu, holding the spear with a helpless expression, led her men away first.

Everyone was very happy with this resounding victory.

Chen Jianshan immediately arranged a celebration banquet and invited Shen Hanyu to attend as well.

Pei Du led Shen Hanyu outside, where a huge bonfire was lit, its light illuminating everyone's faces.

The noise from the other side made it impossible for Shen Hanyu to hear what the people next to her were saying, so Pei Du raised his hand to protect Shen Hanyu from all sides.

"Be careful."

There are a lot of people here, so it's easy to get jostled.

"It's so lively."

This was also Shen Hanyu's first time attending a victory celebration banquet, and she felt it was much more lively than a palace banquet.

"This is my first time here too. Although the climate here at the border is a bit unbearable, it feels pretty good."

After these past few months, Pei Du's skin has become somewhat rough. He adapted to this place quickly. In Chang'an, he needed to be wary of his stepmother and younger brother, and his blind and incompetent father would also bother him from time to time.

It's different at the border. Although some people have grievances against me, there are still capable people who can speak up here.

Shen Hanyu also noticed that the atmosphere at the border was noticeably more relaxed than in Chang'an.

Although Li Huaijiang was helping her in Chang'an, she was still worried every day, not knowing how Li Jing would deal with them.

Miao Cui and Jin Chui followed behind the two, and Jin Chui smelled the aroma of meat.

"smell good."

Pei Du turned to look at him, "Go eat, you don't need to follow us."

Upon receiving the order, Jin Chui immediately ran off.

Ji Yuxiu placed a cup of milk wine in Shen Hanyu's palm.

"Try this, it tastes pretty good."

Shen Hanyu took a sip; it was acceptable.

They found a place to sit down.

"It feels a bit like being on a hunt."

A plate of meat was placed in front of her, and Shen Hanyu picked it up with her chopsticks.

"The autumn hunt in Chang'an has ended. This time, the Empress Dowager wants to arrange a marriage for Princess Yongning."

When Shen Hanyu started talking about things in Chang'an, Ji Yuxiu exclaimed "Ah!"

"What? Arrange a marriage for Princess Yongning?"

Ji Yuxiu remembered that it had been mentioned once during the Dragon Boat Festival banquet, and now it was mentioned again during the autumn hunt.

Shen Hanyu pressed down on Ji Yuxiu, who was about to stand up: "It's alright. The Empress Dowager didn't succeed, but I still feel that she might do something else. She doesn't like the girls' school that His Highness runs."

Ji Yuxiu knew about this. "The Empress Dowager has disliked girls' schools for a long time. I am not in Chang'an now and cannot help. In fact, when I first returned to Chang'an, the Empress Dowager also came to me."

They were openly and covertly belittling her, and even hoped that she would not take the position.

However, Ji Yuxiu has always been a person with her own opinions, so she agreed to Li Jiangui and Princess Yongning's request and went against the Empress Dowager.

Because of this, she received no shortage of disdain from the Empress Dowager.

Pei Du said with a serious expression: "If this matter is not handled properly, it will always be a hidden danger. The girls' school has finally gotten on the right track, and we can't let it be ruined."