Pei Xiu was dumped at the gates of his own residence. Watching Zhong Hui stride away, he sighed again.
The age of the great clans had died in its cradle before it could formally arrive. Hereditary aristocratic houses had barely begun to rise when they encountered the reigning emperor's unprecedented suppression.
Pei Xiu felt that, at this point, he ought to shift his stance a little.
As Zhong Hui had said, if he were the one carrying it out, there would still be much room to salvage things. If he lost their trust and someone more radical took up the knife, the Pei family would suffer too.
Pei Xiu considered his work during this time quite outstanding. From here on, it would depend on each person's fortune.
In any case, there was nothing more he could do for these people.
For whatever he did next, he needed to think in terms of becoming a favored minister of the emperor.
Pondering these matters, Pei Xiu had just entered his residence when someone appeared before him with a smile.
"Elder Brother!!!"
At those words, Pei Xiu's heart instinctively shuddered-not from happiness, but from disgust.
Indeed, the man standing before Pei Xiu with a foolish grin was none other than his good-for-nothing younger cousin, Pei Kai.
Pei Xiu had many relatives. Even in the Shu lands, he had several good-for-nothing younger cousins.
Quite a few of his younger cousins had also displayed their considerable learning in this year's imperial examination.
But the one Pei Xiu found most loathsome was still this Pei Kai before him.
This younger cousin of his was somewhat like Sima Yan.
He was certainly generous and tolerant, but rather lacking in resolve and opinions of his own.
The fellow was exceptionally handsome, one of the few people who could