Chapter 5.22 – Meeting

When he returned to Jin Zhou once more, Xu Yan Ze was the image of high-spirited. He wore a shiny armour, riding atop a fine steed, his back straight; the disposition of a hero.

But once he passed through the gates, he began to scan his surroundings but did not see Xiang Han. His grandeur immediately diminished by half as he began to mull over in his heart: This isn’t right. I’ve already sent the letter a few days ago, how could my wife not come? Did he really not miss me at all?

Governor Zhao had also received the news early on and came to welcome him with trembling legs. Logically speaking, Governor Zhao’s position was higher than Xu Yan Ze and didn’t require this level of respect. But having been scared by the events previously, in addition to the number of troops Xu Yan Ze’s brought back into the city, he felt his legs go soft.

Xu Yan Ze was also surprised to see him and muttered amusedly, “Zhao Daren is actually still an official?”

“Haha, General Yan must be joking.” Governor Zhao laughed dryly. Thinking of how the Jin family was currently being surrounded by Chen Ting Hong, his heart sank.

Realistically speaking, it was also partly because of Xu Yan Ze that he was able to retain his position. By right, he should try to rope this person to join him. But was Chen Ting Hong someone he could reason with?

After toiling for some time, Governor Zhao quietly told him of the matter of the Jin family being surrounded. In any case, even if it was not him, Xu Yan Ze would learn of it sooner or later. In that case, it wouldn’t hurt to do him this favour and not offend either side.

Xu Yan Ze’s expression changed. He immediately took his troops and left for the Jin manor.

At this time, Chen Ting Hong was laying on a sedan with beauties in his arms as he ate grapes. Since there were no movements from the Jin manor, he lazily ordered, “Let’s not wait any longer and directly break in. The Jin family has always been stupid and cowardly, what kind of tricks could they possibly come up with?”

Just as he spoke, the thundering sound of hooves could be heard from a distance. In the blink of an eye, they had appeared. Xu Yan Ze lowered his head to gaze at him coldly, his tone condescending, “I would like to see who dares to touch a single tile of the Jin family.”

The grape in Chen Ting Hong’s hand fell with a plop and rolled on the ground. It took him half a minute before he regained his senses. Pushing away the beauties in his arms, he stood up and berated, “Yan Xiao Ze, you’re really daring. You actually dare to raise a private army. This is a revolt!”

“Impudence!” The aide behind Xu Yan Ze suddenly roared. “This is the army the emperor personally conferred. Who are you?!”

Chen Ting Hong’s eyes widened as he stared at Xu Yan Ze in disbelief. However, he suddenly said, “So what if it’s the emperor? This is Jin Wu, not the capital.”

The aide was originally an imperial soldier loyal to the emperor. Once he heard this, he couldn’t help but grow furious and immediately brandished a whip to drag him off from the carriage.

A couple of mercenaries couldn’t help but feel unhappy upon seeing him acting willfully.

However, Xu Yan Ze didn’t mind. He had long known that the emperor would definitely plant his most trusted aides within the imperial army. If the emperor’s men wanted to teach Xue Qing Lin’s men a lesson, what did it have to do with him? Although he also wanted to teach Chen Ting Hong a lesson, seeing his wife took precedence.

Thus, he issued an order to confiscate all the weapons from Chen Ting Hong’s troops. Perhaps it was due to their overwhelming numbers, but the other side didn’t put up a fight and were quickly suppressed.

Xu Yan Ze hurriedly dismounted and fixed his armour before knocking on the door. “I am… Yan Xiao Ze. It’s fine now, quick open the door.”

The guards at the door exchanged a glance: Who was Yan Xiao Ze?

However, they quickly informed Jin Er of this situation. He was still lazily chewing on a blade of grass, “What Da Ze or Xiao Ze? I don’t know him.”

The guard quickly hurried away but before he could take two steps, Jin Er suddenly fell off his chair before getting up, cutting a sorry figure. “Wait! Did you say he called himself Yan Xiao Ze?”

“Yes.”

“Isn’t that sister-in-law? Ah, he’s finally back.” Jin Er slapped his thighs and ran towards the door like a hurricane as he ordered, “Hurry up and open the doors.”

Xu Yan Ze was standing outside the doors. He straightened his back and maintained a slight smile. When Jin Er saw him, he shot forward like an arrow. “It’s really you? Ah, you’re finally back.”

However, Xu Yan Ze’s smile stiffened. Before long, his face turned dark. “Why is it you?”

Having tarried so long in opening the door, he had thought they went to notify Xiang Han but didn’t expect this lad instead. It was truly a waste of his appearance and the perfect smile he had put on.

Xu Yan Ze immediately pushed him aside in disdain. “Move over.” But after taking a step, he suddenly turned back and asked, “Where’s your third brother?”

“Huh?” Jin Er had yet to recover from this blow and instinctively responded, “Probably in the north courtyard with grandmother.”

“Mn.” Xu Yan Ze carelessly threw his horsewhip towards a soldier and ordered, “You all remain here.” Then he headed for the north courtyard alone.

Xiang Han had also known of Xu Yan Ze’s return. Although he had expected it, he still couldn’t wait to see him.

Knowing that the crisis was resolved, the atmosphere in the north courtyard instantly relaxed. Seeing Xiang Han constantly looking outside, the old madam deliberately blanked her expression, “If you want to go, then go. It must be boring to accompany this old lady.”

Xiang Han quickly turned back and mumbled, “It’s not boring.”

The old madam suddenly smiled and shook her head. “I was just teasing you. Just go.”

Xiang Han’s face instantly reddened to his ears. “I’ll accompany you for a little longer.”

“What’s there to accompany? Coincidentally, I’m thinking of going to rest. You need to quickly leave.” She deliberately chased him away.

Xiang Han got up and laughed knowingly, “I’ll come back later.”

After leaving the courtyard, he met Xu Yan Ze in the flower garden. They both were at a loss for what to say.

A moment passed before Xu Yan Ze suddenly stepped forward and pulled him into an embrace. He lowered his head and kissed his lips rather deeply and urgently. It was wanton, intense and full of sucking and biting.

Xiang Han was kissed until he could barely breathe and wanted to escape. But once his fist landed on the heavy armour, tears sprang into his eyes and he could only glare grievously.

Servants who occasionally passed by had their faces turned red upon seeing such a scene.

By now, Xiang Han’s tongue had gone numb from kissing and his mouth was also aching. He furiously reached under the helmet to twist Xu Yan Ze’s ears.

Xu Yan Ze finally pulled away with extreme reluctance but didn’t release his hands. Taking some time to recover, Xiang Han berated him angrily, “Are you trying to kill your husband?”

Xu Yan Ze’s mood was very good. He simply touched his nose and said, “Lack of stamina will cause shortness of breath. Let’s go, I’ll accompany you to exercise.”

Then, he grabbed Xiang Han’s waist and pulled him back towards Chenghui Courtyard.

Xiang Han struggled as they walked. “Wait, there are still many things to settle. Why are you going back? What did the emperor say when you were in the city? What about your troops? What are you planning to do?”

Just in time, Jin Da and Jin Er had rushed over. When he saw them, Jin Er excitedly said, “Sister-in-law, your soldiers are really formidable, they even dare to detain Chen Ting Hong. Ah, what about me? Can I become a military officer under you?”

Jin Da circled around and sized him up. After a moment, he clicked his tongue. “Not bad, brother. I don’t even dare to recognize you now.”

Xu Yan Ze had no choice but to release Xiang Han helplessly. “Let’s go to the main hall.”

In the main hall, Uncle Jin and Second Uncle Jin were also present. Once they saw Xu Yan Ze appear, they were both immediately reticent.

Uncle Jin rubbed his hands and said, “Baby Han’s fam-family…”

Second Uncle Jin suddenly kicked him and he hurriedly changed his words. “N-No. It’s… Xiao Ze, this matter is really all thanks to you.”

Second Uncle Jin echoed ‘that’s right, that’s right,’ before being deeply concerned. “I heard that you’ve become a general. How many troops do you have? Can you win against the regional commander?”

Xiang Han was helpless. “Second uncle, things have not reached that stage. If you’re too free, why don’t you arrange for some soldiers to prepare some food?”

The two sides were only at odds in private and had not yet made their feud public, to the extent that only one side could survive. How could they possibly fight?

Moreover, how could Xue Qing Lin not know of Xu Yan Ze’s arrival? Having Chen Ting Hong surround their Jin manor was perhaps just a show of strength. It was likely that he had other plans, considering the fact that he hadn’t made a move against Xu Yan Ze.

After sending away Uncle Jin and Second Uncle Jin, Xiang Han asked, “How do you plan on dealing with Chen Ting Hong? I heard that you’ve detained him and all his troops?”

Xu Yan Ze laughed, “I’ll lock them up first and give them a beating. As for the rest, we’ll wait for Xue Qing Lin to appear before doing anything.”

Seeing his confidence, Xiang Han was surprised. “How many men do you have?”

“About 50,000.” Xu Yan Ze said indifferently.

Uncle Jin and Second Uncle Jin’s eyes widened. They stared at him in shock.

Xiang Han was also speechless, only replying after some time. “Didn’t the emperor only confer 20,000 troops to you?”

Xu Yan Ze answered, “20,000 is too little. We met several refugees and bandits along the way. Since our family doesn’t lack provisions, I took them in.”

Jin Er couldn’t help but chime in, “Sister-in-law, look at me. Can I become a general and lead a thousand soldiers?”

Xu Yan Ze grinned, “I’ll consider it if you call me brother-in-law.”

Jin Er hurriedly replied, “Deal. Don’t mention brother-in-law, I can even call you elder brother.”

At this time, he never thought that Xu Yan Ze would actually let him become the captain of a team and lead four other fools.”

Xiang Han was once again speechless. 50,000 people including the mercenaries could probably add up to roughly 55,000 people. Jin Wu’s garrison had 100,000 troops but the emperor had transferred 10,000 to him. In addition, the matters that occurred previously had caused a rift between Xue Qing Lin and Zhang Yong. Therefore, Xue Qing Lin could only mobilise about 70,000 troops but within this figure, a portion of them was currently locked up.

If Xue Qing Lin wanted to deal with Xu Yan Ze, he would be forced to deploy troops from Shuo Feng but with such big movements, there was a high chance that the emperor or other neighbouring countries would intervene, increasing the risks. It was also no wonder Xu Yan Ze would have such confidence. Despite the irregularities of the soldiers under him, Xu Yan Ze simply had to properly allocate them to deal a heavy blow to Xue Qing Lin.

However, Xue Qing Lin most likely did not know that Xu Yan Ze had many troops and thus, dared to enter Jin Zhou. As for what he was thinking, Xiang Han was currently unable to guess it.

True enough, Xue Qing Lin currently had other plans. He was a greedy person; knowing that the emperor had conferred 10,000 troops to Xu Yan Ze, he couldn’t help but pay special attention to it.

How could a mere 20,000 soldiers be a match for his 70,000 person army? Moreover, their leader was still a young lass. In his opinion, this was simply a fatty piece of meat. It would be a waste to not eat it.

Chapter 5.22 – Meeting

When he returned to Jin Zhou once more, Xu Yan Ze was the image of high-spirited. He wore a shiny armour, riding atop a fine steed, his back straight; the disposition of a hero.

But once he passed through the gates, he began to scan his surroundings but did not see Xiang Han. His grandeur immediately diminished by half as he began to mull over in his heart: This isn’t right. I’ve already sent the letter a few days ago, how could my wife not come? Did he really not miss me at all?

Governor Zhao had also received the news early on and came to welcome him with trembling legs. Logically speaking, Governor Zhao’s position was higher than Xu Yan Ze and didn’t require this level of respect. But having been scared by the events previously, in addition to the number of troops Xu Yan Ze’s brought back into the city, he felt his legs go soft.

Xu Yan Ze was also surprised to see him and muttered amusedly, “Zhao Daren is actually still an official?”

“Haha, General Yan must be joking.” Governor Zhao laughed dryly. Thinking of how the Jin family was currently being surrounded by Chen Ting Hong, his heart sank.

Realistically speaking, it was also partly because of Xu Yan Ze that he was able to retain his position. By right, he should try to rope this person to join him. But was Chen Ting Hong someone he could reason with?

After toiling for some time, Governor Zhao quietly told him of the matter of the Jin family being surrounded. In any case, even if it was not him, Xu Yan Ze would learn of it sooner or later. In that case, it wouldn’t hurt to do him this favour and not offend either side.

Xu Yan Ze’s expression changed. He immediately took his troops and left for the Jin manor.

At this time, Chen Ting Hong was laying on a sedan with beauties in his arms as he ate grapes. Since there were no movements from the Jin manor, he lazily ordered, “Let’s not wait any longer and directly break in. The Jin family has always been stupid and cowardly, what kind of tricks could they possibly come up with?”

Just as he spoke, the thundering sound of hooves could be heard from a distance. In the blink of an eye, they had appeared. Xu Yan Ze lowered his head to gaze at him coldly, his tone condescending, “I would like to see who dares to touch a single tile of the Jin family.”

The grape in Chen Ting Hong’s hand fell with a plop and rolled on the ground. It took him half a minute before he regained his senses. Pushing away the beauties in his arms, he stood up and berated, “Yan Xiao Ze, you’re really daring. You actually dare to raise a private army. This is a revolt!”

“Impudence!” The aide behind Xu Yan Ze suddenly roared. “This is the army the emperor personally conferred. Who are you?!”

Chen Ting Hong’s eyes widened as he stared at Xu Yan Ze in disbelief. However, he suddenly said, “So what if it’s the emperor? This is Jin Wu, not the capital.”

The aide was originally an imperial soldier loyal to the emperor. Once he heard this, he couldn’t help but grow furious and immediately brandished a whip to drag him off from the carriage.

A couple of mercenaries couldn’t help but feel unhappy upon seeing him acting willfully.

However, Xu Yan Ze didn’t mind. He had long known that the emperor would definitely plant his most trusted aides within the imperial army. If the emperor’s men wanted to teach Xue Qing Lin’s men a lesson, what did it have to do with him? Although he also wanted to teach Chen Ting Hong a lesson, seeing his wife took precedence.

Thus, he issued an order to confiscate all the weapons from Chen Ting Hong’s troops. Perhaps it was due to their overwhelming numbers, but the other side didn’t put up a fight and were quickly suppressed.

Xu Yan Ze hurriedly dismounted and fixed his armour before knocking on the door. “I am… Yan Xiao Ze. It’s fine now, quick open the door.”

The guards at the door exchanged a glance: Who was Yan Xiao Ze?

However, they quickly informed Jin Er of this situation. He was still lazily chewing on a blade of grass, “What Da Ze or Xiao Ze? I don’t know him.”

The guard quickly hurried away but before he could take two steps, Jin Er suddenly fell off his chair before getting up, cutting a sorry figure. “Wait! Did you say he called himself Yan Xiao Ze?”

“Yes.”

“Isn’t that sister-in-law? Ah, he’s finally back.” Jin Er slapped his thighs and ran towards the door like a hurricane as he ordered, “Hurry up and open the doors.”

Xu Yan Ze was standing outside the doors. He straightened his back and maintained a slight smile. When Jin Er saw him, he shot forward like an arrow. “It’s really you? Ah, you’re finally back.”

However, Xu Yan Ze’s smile stiffened. Before long, his face turned dark. “Why is it you?”

Having tarried so long in opening the door, he had thought they went to notify Xiang Han but didn’t expect this lad instead. It was truly a waste of his appearance and the perfect smile he had put on.

Xu Yan Ze immediately pushed him aside in disdain. “Move over.” But after taking a step, he suddenly turned back and asked, “Where’s your third brother?”

“Huh?” Jin Er had yet to recover from this blow and instinctively responded, “Probably in the north courtyard with grandmother.”

“Mn.” Xu Yan Ze carelessly threw his horsewhip towards a soldier and ordered, “You all remain here.” Then he headed for the north courtyard alone.

Xiang Han had also known of Xu Yan Ze’s return. Although he had expected it, he still couldn’t wait to see him.

Knowing that the crisis was resolved, the atmosphere in the north courtyard instantly relaxed. Seeing Xiang Han constantly looking outside, the old madam deliberately blanked her expression, “If you want to go, then go. It must be boring to accompany this old lady.”

Xiang Han quickly turned back and mumbled, “It’s not boring.”

The old madam suddenly smiled and shook her head. “I was just teasing you. Just go.”

Xiang Han’s face instantly reddened to his ears. “I’ll accompany you for a little longer.”

“What’s there to accompany? Coincidentally, I’m thinking of going to rest. You need to quickly leave.” She deliberately chased him away.

Xiang Han got up and laughed knowingly, “I’ll come back later.”

After leaving the courtyard, he met Xu Yan Ze in the flower garden. They both were at a loss for what to say.

A moment passed before Xu Yan Ze suddenly stepped forward and pulled him into an embrace. He lowered his head and kissed his lips rather deeply and urgently. It was wanton, intense and full of sucking and biting.

Xiang Han was kissed until he could barely breathe and wanted to escape. But once his fist landed on the heavy armour, tears sprang into his eyes and he could only glare grievously.

Servants who occasionally passed by had their faces turned red upon seeing such a scene.

By now, Xiang Han’s tongue had gone numb from kissing and his mouth was also aching. He furiously reached under the helmet to twist Xu Yan Ze’s ears.

Xu Yan Ze finally pulled away with extreme reluctance but didn’t release his hands. Taking some time to recover, Xiang Han berated him angrily, “Are you trying to kill your husband?”

Xu Yan Ze’s mood was very good. He simply touched his nose and said, “Lack of stamina will cause shortness of breath. Let’s go, I’ll accompany you to exercise.”

Then, he grabbed Xiang Han’s waist and pulled him back towards Chenghui Courtyard.

Xiang Han struggled as they walked. “Wait, there are still many things to settle. Why are you going back? What did the emperor say when you were in the city? What about your troops? What are you planning to do?”

Just in time, Jin Da and Jin Er had rushed over. When he saw them, Jin Er excitedly said, “Sister-in-law, your soldiers are really formidable, they even dare to detain Chen Ting Hong. Ah, what about me? Can I become a military officer under you?”

Jin Da circled around and sized him up. After a moment, he clicked his tongue. “Not bad, brother. I don’t even dare to recognize you now.”

Xu Yan Ze had no choice but to release Xiang Han helplessly. “Let’s go to the main hall.”

In the main hall, Uncle Jin and Second Uncle Jin were also present. Once they saw Xu Yan Ze appear, they were both immediately reticent.

Uncle Jin rubbed his hands and said, “Baby Han’s fam-family…”

Second Uncle Jin suddenly kicked him and he hurriedly changed his words. “N-No. It’s… Xiao Ze, this matter is really all thanks to you.”

Second Uncle Jin echoed ‘that’s right, that’s right,’ before being deeply concerned. “I heard that you’ve become a general. How many troops do you have? Can you win against the regional commander?”

Xiang Han was helpless. “Second uncle, things have not reached that stage. If you’re too free, why don’t you arrange for some soldiers to prepare some food?”

The two sides were only at odds in private and had not yet made their feud public, to the extent that only one side could survive. How could they possibly fight?

Moreover, how could Xue Qing Lin not know of Xu Yan Ze’s arrival? Having Chen Ting Hong surround their Jin manor was perhaps just a show of strength. It was likely that he had other plans, considering the fact that he hadn’t made a move against Xu Yan Ze.

After sending away Uncle Jin and Second Uncle Jin, Xiang Han asked, “How do you plan on dealing with Chen Ting Hong? I heard that you’ve detained him and all his troops?”

Xu Yan Ze laughed, “I’ll lock them up first and give them a beating. As for the rest, we’ll wait for Xue Qing Lin to appear before doing anything.”

Seeing his confidence, Xiang Han was surprised. “How many men do you have?”

“About 50,000.” Xu Yan Ze said indifferently.

Uncle Jin and Second Uncle Jin’s eyes widened. They stared at him in shock.

Xiang Han was also speechless, only replying after some time. “Didn’t the emperor only confer 20,000 troops to you?”

Xu Yan Ze answered, “20,000 is too little. We met several refugees and bandits along the way. Since our family doesn’t lack provisions, I took them in.”

Jin Er couldn’t help but chime in, “Sister-in-law, look at me. Can I become a general and lead a thousand soldiers?”

Xu Yan Ze grinned, “I’ll consider it if you call me brother-in-law.”

Jin Er hurriedly replied, “Deal. Don’t mention brother-in-law, I can even call you elder brother.”

At this time, he never thought that Xu Yan Ze would actually let him become the captain of a team and lead four other fools.”

Xiang Han was once again speechless. 50,000 people including the mercenaries could probably add up to roughly 55,000 people. Jin Wu’s garrison had 100,000 troops but the emperor had transferred 10,000 to him. In addition, the matters that occurred previously had caused a rift between Xue Qing Lin and Zhang Yong. Therefore, Xue Qing Lin could only mobilise about 70,000 troops but within this figure, a portion of them was currently locked up.

If Xue Qing Lin wanted to deal with Xu Yan Ze, he would be forced to deploy troops from Shuo Feng but with such big movements, there was a high chance that the emperor or other neighbouring countries would intervene, increasing the risks. It was also no wonder Xu Yan Ze would have such confidence. Despite the irregularities of the soldiers under him, Xu Yan Ze simply had to properly allocate them to deal a heavy blow to Xue Qing Lin.

However, Xue Qing Lin most likely did not know that Xu Yan Ze had many troops and thus, dared to enter Jin Zhou. As for what he was thinking, Xiang Han was currently unable to guess it.

True enough, Xue Qing Lin currently had other plans. He was a greedy person; knowing that the emperor had conferred 10,000 troops to Xu Yan Ze, he couldn’t help but pay special attention to it.

How could a mere 20,000 soldiers be a match for his 70,000 person army? Moreover, their leader was still a young lass. In his opinion, this was simply a fatty piece of meat. It would be a waste to not eat it.