He was extremely pleased with Chai Fengyi, his daughter-in-law.
Before he passed away, he urged his son time and time again not to let Chai Fengyi down.
He Tiantian: ...Heh, if the old master knew about Chai Fengyi’s identity, and how she was constantly longing to overthrow the Previous Dynasty, even directly harming her own son, who knows how much he would have regretted it.
Unfortunately, let alone the Old Manor Master, even Pei Quan, who shared his bed with Chai Fengyi for over twenty years, never realized until his death that he had married a princess from the Previous Dynasty.
Years later, Pei Quan died from severe injuries, and Pei Jinghou took over the Jade Villa.
He didn’t have Pei Quan’s scholarly honors, and his relationship with the government seemed to have cooled somewhat.
But he had the support of two major Sects, Shaolin and Beggar Gang, behind him.
Thus, he still became the new Martial Arts Alliance Hierarch and took over the Righteous Army founded by Pei Quan.
With thirty thousand soldiers in hand, all of whom were toughened soldiers from years on the battlefield.
Pei Jinghou was full of ambition, wishing to serve the country and the people like his father and establish a legacy.
It was at this time that Chai Fengyi laid her cards on the table to Pei Jinghou.
"My son, your mother is Princess Yian of the Previous Dynasty, and you have the blood of the Chai royal family coursing through your veins!"
"The founder of the Tianchao Dynasty was nothing but a treacherous minister and a thieving usurper, who took away our Chai family’s Jiangshan and almost eradicated the Chai Clan."
"Such a deep blood feud cannot go unavenged by your mother!"
Pei Jinghou was stunned, never having dreamed that he had any connection to the royal family.
At that moment, his brain seemed to stop working.
Subconsciously, Pei Jinghou blurted out, "Then are you related to the Sect Leader Chai of the Heaven and Earth Alliance?"
Pei Jinghou’s mentioned Heaven and Earth Alliance was also a famous force with substantial influence in the martial arts world.
However, unlike large factions like Jade Villa that were officially recognized by reputable sects,
Heaven and Earth Alliance was more akin to a "Demonic Sect," with followers who claimed to be survivors of the Previous Dynasty. Their leader even professed to be the orphan of the Crown Prince of the Previous Dynasty, the Imperial Grandson.
These people lacked a legal identity, were wanted by the government, hiding and living on the fringes, eventually forced to take refuge in the Barbaric lands on the border with the Hulu.
They aimed to overthrow the Tianchao Dynasty, often raiding the state’s silver and slaughtering court officials.
However, they targeted only the government officials, taking special care of those in the Itinerant World.
Thus, even though they were rejected by the government, they were still regarded as following the Righteous Path in the martial arts circles.
And people genuinely believed in the identity of the Sect Leader Chai as the Imperial Grandson from the Previous Dynasty.
After all, without being a true descendant of the Chai Clan, no one would risk death by falsely claiming such a status!
"Him? Pah, he’s just a bastard of the Imperial Family from the Previous Dynasty, daring to claim himself as the orphan of my Crown Prince brother?"
Hearing her son mention the so-called Imperial Grandson, Chai Fengyi’s face was filled with disdain.
But soon, she softened her expression and said indifferently, "However, he is not entirely useless; at least he lets the world know that not all the imperial relatives of the Previous Dynasty have been exterminated!"
"The debt the Zhao owes the Chai will also be settled with the Dog Emperor of today!"
However, the one with the true standing to confront the Emperor would certainly not be the Great-grandson Chai of Heaven and Earth Alliance.
But rather her, Princess Yian Chai Fengyi!
"My son, you now command soldiers and possess the fortune accumulated by the Jade Villa over generations. If you would raise an army, you could certainly topple the Dog Emperor and restore our Chai family’s Jiangshan!"
"...You could even ally with the Hulu for an attack both from within and outside, surely able to—"
Pei Jinghou could not bear to listen any further.
Having been taught about loyalty to the Emperor and the greater good of the nation since childhood, he was solidly loyal and upright in nature; he would never be an enemy of the court, nor would he conspire with Foreign Clans.
But, Chai Fengyi was his biological mother.
The weight of filial piety bore down on him like a great mountain.
He was caught between loyalty and filial piety, struggling to choose.
Just as Pei Jinghou was in immense pain, uncertain about what decision to make, Chai Fengyi’s identity as a Princess of the Previous Dynasty was publicly exposed, and Pei Jinghou was denounced for being a Martial Arts Alliance Hierarch recognized by the court, yet colluding with enemies and attempting to overthrow the Tianchao Dynasty!
In an instant, Pei Jinghou became disgraced, like a dog that had lost its home, hunted by both the government and the martial arts world.
He was compelled to flee the Central Plains.
Later, when the Hulu invaded and the Central Plains were in chaos, Pei Jinghou led some remnants of his soldiers, along with child soldiers, to the very forefront of the battlefield.
He went to his death generously, proving to the world with his life: he was not some bastard of the Previous Dynasty, but a subject of the Tianchao Dynasty!
He upheld the will of the Pei Family ancestors, acting as a Martial Hero, serving the country and the people!