Chapter 32

The journey from Luoyang to Chang'an is long, spanning many mountain passes. Deep within the Zhao Prison in Chang'an, the father and son of the Pei family had only just managed to cheat death. When they were first thrown into prison, the Peis truly believed their days were numbered. Although General Pei had always walked the straight and narrow, open guns are easy to dodge, but hidden arrows are hard to guard against; he and his son had been catastrophically sabotaged by that clerk who had taken his own life. No one knew who had held leverage over that man, forcing him to use such a method to prove his "innocence" through death. Fortunately, the current Emperor was wise; he had ordered a thorough, discreet investigation, which ultimately cleared their names. Even so, to protect his aging father, Pei Yu had sustained many injuries, and he had matured overnight. If not for his thoughts of Jiang Ling and his father, he might not have had the strength to survive the ordeal of the Zhao Prison, no matter how robust he was.