During the Annan Rebellion, almost all of the Pei family was wiped out, leaving only Xiao Changyan's uncle Pei Zhan. Pei Zhan also had only one son, named Pei Ce. Pei Ce had been following Xiao Changyan's side as a military advisor and deputy general, guarding Annan City over the years.
Pei Zhan died in the northwest, and His Majesty could not leave his only son Pei Ce in Annan City. As Pei Zhan's nephew, Xiao Changyan could not fail to return for Pei Zhan's burial. He is still staying in Kyoto, and it seems that he will not return to Annan City.
"What does Balang want to ask?" Xiao Huayong asked in a gentle voice, acting like a good brother.
Xiao Changyan looked at Xiao Huayong and asked, "Where did my uncle die and why did he die?"
"That day, Minister Pei came to me and said that His Majesty had ordered him to go out on business. I didn't ask much and agreed. I was exhausted from traveling, so I stayed in bed when I arrived in Tingzhou. The next day, I heard that Minister Pei was ambushed in Danxia and unfortunately died." Xiao Huayong said slowly, "I ordered Prince Xun to collect Minister Pei's remains. I don't know why Minister Pei left or why he died."
"Why did His Royal Highness the Crown Prince go to Tingzhou?" Xiao Changyan asked again.
"It's a long story..."
Xiao Huayong sighed slowly, and then told Shen Yueshan that he accidentally discovered that his right-hand man had betrayed him, and he had to fake his death in order to stabilize the northwest and capture the traitor. Shen Yun'an was an insider, so he followed Geng Liangcheng to Tingzhou.
Because the matter was confidential, Shen Yun'an and his son did not tell anyone else. They were all very anxious when the prince disappeared. Someone reported seeing the prince. The situation was urgent at that time and Shen Xihe had to stay in the royal city, so he chased after him.
Originally, there was no plan to bring Minister Pei along, but Minister Pei volunteered.
Xiao Changyan had a blank expression on his face. As a man who had experienced the battlefield, even when he was standing there, he looked like a straight sword that had seen blood and had its blade sharpened. Even without doing anything, he was still sharp and oppressive.
"I have also heard about General Geng. Since he has rebelled, it is reasonable for the King of Northwest and the Crown Prince to go to such lengths to help him." Xiao Changyan could understand this, but he changed the subject and said, "The Crown Princess is a married woman, and this matter is secret. Even if it is to confuse people, it is reasonable not to inform the Crown Princess.
However, the King of Northwest and the Crown Prince were so cautious? The Crown Prince knew the Northwest very well, and he must have been very careful on the way to Tingzhou, but he was discovered? Aren't they afraid that this matter would be heard by Geng Liangcheng, so that Geng Liangcheng would see through this trap early on? "
Shen Xihe listened at the side, raised his eyebrows slightly, and thought to himself that Xiao Changyan had a very sharp mind.
Since the incident happened, many smart people have been involved, but no one noticed this slightly unreasonable loophole. However, Xiao Changyan was able to point it out directly.
Xiao Huayong seemed to be thinking seriously after hearing this: "I don't know why this happened. Maybe the prince deliberately found a trustworthy person to reveal it to the palace, or maybe someone was greedy for a share of the reward and got lucky by accident? Time is tight, so I can only believe it rather than not."
The two answers given by Xiao Huayong were reasonable. Shen Yun'an could not reveal such crucial records openly, so it was understandable that he tried to hint at something. If it was really a trap set by Shen Yun'an, since he dared to do so, he must have a way to hide it from Geng Liangcheng.