Jinghong Tower

Although she was dressed in silk and had pearls and jade on her head, He Shuting's temperament had not changed. She was still beautiful and gentle, but she had lost her youthfulness and gained a bit of tenderness.

She snuggled in Wu Ji's arms, and at this moment, even the air around them became tender.

Thinking of how his mother had just called him a "bitch", Wu Ji felt guilty and hugged the beauty in his arms even tighter.

Mrs. Wu took a short rest and recovered, then came to trouble He Shuting again.

Today she must take He Shuting away and cannot let this woman stay with her son anymore.

After not seeing each other for a long time, Wu Ji felt strange to her. Her son had never spoken to her like this before. She saw reproach in her son's eyes. Yes, her son was reproaching her!
Mrs. Wu wished she could tear He Shuting into pieces!

When she came over again, she saw Wu Ji carefully helping He Shuting onto the chair, as if he was holding a treasure.

"Bitch!" Madam Wu shouted angrily, "Come here, take this bitch down!"

Wu Ji stood in front of He Shuting and kicked away the two Wu maids who rushed over. His eyes were red as he glared at Madam Wu: "Mother, if you want to take Shuting away, then kill me first!"

Mrs. Wu was furious. She drew the sword from a maid and attacked.

Wu Ji stepped forward and the sword pierced Wu Ji's shoulder.

He Shuting screamed and rushed over. Wu Ji endured the pain, stroked her hair and said softly, "Be good, don't be afraid, I'm fine."

Mrs. Wu's body swayed, the hand holding the sword dropped limply, and she fell on her back.

Mrs. Wu had a stroke.

He Shuting served Mrs. Wu without taking off her clothes. Two days later, Mrs. Wu's condition finally stabilized. Seeing He Shuting, Mrs. Wu's lips trembled, and it took a while for her to utter a word: "Let's go, let's go!"

Wu Ji looked at the haggard He Shuting and felt so distressed. His mother was becoming more and more unreasonable. Thanks to Shuting's care in the past two days, she was gradually getting better. Unexpectedly, as soon as she was able to speak, she started to speak bad words to Shuting again.

Wu Ji told the maids and servants to serve him well, and then left with He Shuting.

It was quite unfortunate that Mrs. He came at an inopportune time. Just a few days ago, Wu Ji had just learned the good news that He Shuting was pregnant.

This is his and Shu Ting's flesh and blood, their first child. Wu Ji is very happy and wishes he could pick the stars in the sky and give them to He Shu Ting.

Mrs. He insisted on capturing He Shuting and killing her to give to He Ran at this time, and Wu Ji was determined to protect her at the risk of his life.

The spies sent out came back and found out that He Dali's army is currently stationed in Yuncheng.

Yuncheng is still five or six hundred miles away from Xianyang.

He Shuting frowned slightly: "He Dali is known as the personal guard general, and my elder sister did not bring him with her when she went south, but now she has him come to Yuncheng. It seems that my elder sister is planning something big."

Wu Ji had fought with the Ran army. He had drunk and fought with He Dali, and was very familiar with He Dali.

"In addition to He Dali, He Ran also mobilized Fu Yansheng. Compared with Fu Yansheng, He Dali is nothing to be afraid of."

Of course He Shuting knew Fu Yansheng.

She had lived in Jinyang for two years. At that time, the opponent of the Ran army was the Jin army, and Fu Yansheng was the commander-in-chief of the Jin army.

She sighed, "Eldest sister is the one who has the solution. Even a great general like Fu Yansheng has submitted to her. Brother Ji, I know eldest sister. She values ​​her things very much. Back then, my mother withdrew two thousand taels of silver from Jinghong Tower, and she still took the seal she gave. It was just because she was in the capital and failed to tell her in advance. She flew into a rage and sent my mother, my uncle, and my two uncles to jail. My mother was also expelled from the family because of this incident, and her life and death are uncertain."

Before she finished speaking, He Shuting burst into tears.

It was the first time that Wu Ji heard of this matter. A mere two thousand taels of silver would not be taken seriously by He Ran, let alone the current He Ran. Even the He Ran in the past would not take it seriously. After all, He Ran inherited Jinghong Tower from He Jinghong at a young age.

Two thousand taels is probably just the daily turnover of one of the Jinghonglou restaurants.

But He Ran refused to give in and sent a bunch of relatives to jail.

It would be fine if it was just a stepmother and a stepuncle, but there are also Master He Er and Master He San, who are He Ran’s biological uncles!

"He Ran is too cruel. However, since ancient times, all those who have accomplished great things have been ruthless. He Ran is ruthless, but she is good to the people. Now the people of Jin live and work in peace and contentment, and we rarely see people fleeing from Jin."

In the past, a large number of people from Shanxi and Henan fled to Xi'an and Xianyang. In the past two or three years, we can no longer see refugees speaking the accents of these two places on the streets of Xi'an.

He Shuting heard appreciation in Wu Ji's tone and couldn't help feeling jealous.

Wu Ji once told her that Wu Dongming had always wanted to marry He Ran to add an extra layer of protection on the basis of the alliance.

The image of Lu Zhen flashed through He Shuting's mind, the boy who didn't even bother to look at her.

Lu Zhen and He Ran were engaged. After going through life and death for He Ran for so many years, He Ran still hasn't married him.

Why?
He Shuting said softly, "Big sister has everything now. Looking north of the Yangtze River, except for the northwest, everything belongs to big sister."

Wu Ji was stunned. Yes, now in the entire north, except for the territory occupied by the Wu family, all other places belong to He Ran.

"I thought her focus was in the South right now."

He Shuting said: "The South? Of course, in the South there is the Later Zhou Dynasty, the Han Kingdom, those barbarians, and Zhou Cangyue. There are so many hard bones to chew. I'm afraid it will take more than ten or twenty years to chew them all."

Wu Ji understood the hidden meaning in her words. Looking around, he saw strong enemies in the south, but only the Wu family in the north.

"You mean, He Ran retreated in the face of difficulties and wanted to unify the north?"

He Shuting smiled bitterly: "Brother Ji, in fact, whether there is any incident in Jinghong Tower or not, my elder sister will mobilize troops here, don't you think so?"

Wu Ji nodded: "Indeed, even if there was no incident at Jinghong Tower, He Ran would still mobilize troops and generals. It may not be a real fight, but mainly to intimidate. For example, my father is already afraid, isn't he?"

He Shuting held his hand and said, "Brother Ji, our father is old and frail, our second brother is still young, our mother is ill, and our child..."

He Shuting placed Wu Ji's hand on her still flat belly: "Brother Ji, the Wu family is in turmoil right now. Our family and those clans that depend on the Wu family, we can only rely on you. Brother Ji, you are a great hero, you will definitely be able to protect me and my child, the entire Wu family, and the thousands of families in the northwest."

Wu Ji was stunned. Although he had fallen out with his father, he had never thought of replacing his father. From childhood to adulthood, his father had always been the god of war in his heart.

But now, he suddenly realized one thing: his father was old!

Ever since my father was injured that year, his health has never recovered. In the past few years, let alone fighting, even during routine training, my father could only sit in a chair and watch from afar.

My father is no longer the majestic general, he is now just a frail old man. As for my second brother, Wu Ju, he is reckless and impulsive, and he is ambitious and unworthy of the responsibility.

Wu Ji's hand wandered over He Shuting's lower abdomen, where his child was.

"You are right. I am the only one who can carry the banner of the Wu clan now."

He Shuting sighed again: "Big sister is so lucky. I still remember that when she just returned home, she didn't even have a decent piece of clothing. The only jewelry she had was given to her by the maid at home. Before she was adopted by the Princess Zhenguo, her adoptive parents sold her to a theater troupe. She learned to sing songs and do somersaults. If she couldn't learn, she would starve. But look, brother Ji, now big sister has not only gone to the capital, but she also lives in the palace. She must have a lot of beautiful clothes and expensive jewelry."

Wu Ji had mixed feelings. He Shuting had told Wu Ji before that He Ran was in an opera troupe before she was adopted by the He family. She had admitted this herself.

Wu Ji was very surprised at that time. He thought He Ran had been with He Jinghong since she was a child, but he didn't expect that she had actually been in a drama troupe.

You know, these days, in the eyes of the world, women from opera troupes are equivalent to prostitutes in brothels.

He Ran never mentioned this experience, and the world only knew that she was born in the He family of Zhending.

At this moment, when Wu Ji heard these words again, he was filled with mixed emotions.

He had not seen He Ran when she first returned to the He family, but he had seen He Ran before she started the rebellion.

He Ran, who was only fourteen or fifteen years old at that time, knocked on the door of the Wu family with a human head.

"When He Ran came to Yulin to see my father, he didn't have a single soldier."

He Shuting exclaimed, "Really? I thought that when my eldest sister and my father-in-law formed an alliance, they were evenly matched, but I didn't know that my eldest sister actually relied on the Wu family to get started."

He Ran made his fortune with the help of the Wu family?

Wu Ji wanted to correct her, but he felt that what He Shuting said made sense. At that time, He Ran really had nothing.

However, she had a good brain. She later took advantage of the conflict between Prince Jin and Cai family, snatched a batch of military supplies, and rose to power in a shocking way.

But in the very beginning, He Ran did rely on the Wu family, so what He Shuting said was not wrong.

He Shuting put her face on Wu Ji's chest, her voice as soft as a dream: "Brother Ji, I will always be with you, accompany you out of Xi'an, accompany you to the capital. Brother Ji, I haven't been to the capital yet. I heard that the capital is full of flowers and the palace is magnificent. Brother Ji, can you take me to the capital in your lifetime? I also want to broaden my horizons."

Wu Ji had been to the capital city, and he met He Ran in the imperial palace. The imperial palace in the capital city was indeed magnificent and golden. He Ran stood beside King Zhao and accepted his worship.

At that time, King Zhao was like a puppet, his expression did not change from beginning to end, while He Ran beside him was smiling like a flower.

Wu Ji suddenly felt a surge of pride in his chest. Whether it was the capital or the imperial palace, it was actually just like that.

King Zhao could go because He Ran said he was a descendant of the former crown prince.

He Ran was able to go because the emperor ran away, and He Ran arrived in the capital before the other heroes.

At that time, if another force had entered the capital first, then the person in the palace now would not be King Zhao?

From another perspective, He Ran, who came from a drama troupe, and Prince Zhao, who was picked up from nowhere, could come to Beijing and live in the palace, so why couldn't he?

When he was born, the Wu family had been guarding Yulin for two generations, and officials from the entire northwest had to act according to the Wu family's wishes.

He is the eldest son, born to inherit his ancestors' power and guard the northwest.

As for He Ran, her He family background was nothing compared to a clan like the Wu family, not to mention that she grew up in a drama troupe. Although she was later accepted as a disciple by He Jinghong, He Jinghong had died long ago and gave her nothing except Jinghong Tower.

But if He Ran can go to the capital, why can't he?

"Brother Ji, my elder sister is just a woman. She doesn't know anything. She just got lucky. First she met He Jinghong and then she met my father-in-law. But brother Ji, you also have what she has. You are just like my father-in-law, but you are too loyal. You think you have formed an alliance, so you don't fight with my elder sister for anything. In fact, if you had fought, the current situation would have been reversed long ago. Only my father-in-law and you would be the only ones left in the capital."

Wu Ji's heart was as strong as a thousand horses galloping. Yes, it's not that he can't do it, he just has never tried.

"Okay Shu Ting, let me think about it."

A few days later, He Dali received news that Wu Ji proclaimed himself the King of Chang'an and changed the Wu family army, including Yulin, into the Chang'an Army.

He Dali was dumbfounded. He had already led his troops to Wu Ji's doorstep, but Wu Ji declared himself king at this time?

Is this being fearless in the face of danger?
The main purpose of He Ran sending He Dali and Fu Yansheng over was to intimidate them.

After all, they have been allies for many years. As long as they have not completely torn apart, He Ran does not want to really go to war. This is why she wrote that letter to Wu Dongming.

As long as Wu Dongming hands over the culprit, pays some compensation, and agrees to a few conditions, He Ran will withdraw his troops, and the two families can at least live in peace for a few more years.

After all, He Ran had just finished the campaign in the south, and both the soldiers and civilians needed to rest for at least a year, and they did not want to start a major war.

Besides, there is now a bigger opponent than Wu Dongming, and that is the small Later Zhou court.

As long as the small court of the Later Zhou Dynasty remained unchanged, the people would not be able to unite as one.

But now Wu Ji's behavior not only does not seem like he is willing to hand over the culprit, but he also seems to be trying to compete with Ran Jun.

He Dali immediately asked He Ran for instructions and sent the situation in Xi'an to the capital at an urgent speed of 800 miles.

He Ran received the urgent letter from He Dali and chuckled twice. It seemed that this battle had to be fought.

He Ran asked someone to go to the Ministry of Revenue to call Meng Qing over. Meng Qing's performance in the Ministry of Revenue was remarkable. Lao Guanghuai was very satisfied with her. Now many things were handed over to Meng Qing to handle.

He Ran asked Meng Qing: "How long will it take to collect 200,000 grains and fodder?"

Meng Qing smiled: "Ten days at the latest, but the first 100,000 taels can be sent out within three days."

He Ran was overjoyed: "You guys have already prepared?"

Meng Qing said: "Master, you have prepared for a rainy day. Now, if our Ministry of Revenue cannot provide hundreds of thousands of grain and grass at any time, we will not be able to sleep well."

These days, raising money does not mean you can use it to buy food.

Therefore, the Ministry of Revenue can take out hundreds of thousands of grain and fodder at any time, which is indeed a precautionary measure.

But He Ran didn't expect that before she gave the order to He Dali to start the war, Wu Ji had already left the city and declared war on He Dali. (End of this chapter)