He unfolded the note and placed it on the table along with the torn purse in his hand, making the memories of last night clearer.

One of the gold nuggets on the table still bore his teeth marks.

"My lord," Chen Ruojiang called out quietly.

Wei Li collected all the gold. Did Zhao Xiheng think she could appease him with some scrap metal and a couple of broken characters? Did he lack such a thing?

He tossed the gold to Chen Ruojiang, saying, "Here you go."

Chen Ruojiang was overjoyed.

"Chen Ruojiang, why do people give each other money during the New Year?" There seem to be many sayings about the New Year. Is giving money as a custom?

Vice General Chen was about to leave the camp in high spirits when he suddenly heard Wei Li ask him this question, and he immediately stopped in his tracks.

He coughed lightly. His lord didn't even know such a thing. "Because it's New Year's money, every year during the New Year, family members will stuff New Year's money under the child's pillow and into their clothes. The amount depends on the situation. It's believed that this will protect the child from evil spirits and ensure peace and safety throughout the year."

Wei Li clutched the rag in his hand, and he could hear his heart pounding so hard it was deafening, as if it were about to leap out of his chest.

She couldn't quite describe the feeling in her heart; it was a little sour and a little swollen, but she was no longer angry with Zhao Xiheng, and even felt a little like going home.

"My lord, I have a little story about New Year's money that you'd like to hear. Once upon a time, there was a child who..."

"Is Jizhou rich in gold mines?" Wei Li interrupted him, not wanting to hear the story.

But he did nothing in Dongying and returned empty-handed, looking like he had a fight with her, how embarrassing.

"Yes, yes." Chen Ruojiang scratched his head.

"Jizhou is rich in gold mines, but because it is small and sparsely populated, even if it is rich, it is still beaten by others. Of course, because it is rich, its army is well-equipped and has not been annexed to this day." As a qualified deputy general, Chen Ruojiang remembers everything that Wei Li does not know or is too lazy to know. He also has a little notebook in his mind about what the surrounding neighbors are like.

"Now send someone to tell Hua Shangle that I don't want his two counties, I want the gold mined from his two gold mines. If he agrees, I will lead men to relieve his predicament today." Wei Li felt his blood rushing back, and he was a little out of his mind. Even though this was the most troublesome thing, he couldn't control his mouth and said it.

Chen Ruojiang slapped his forehead, realizing that Wei Li's days of confining himself to the study to read hadn't been in vain. Indeed, with money, you could have anything. The invasion of Luchang by Goguryeo was a significant loss for Pingzhou. If they could acquire the two gold mines in Jizhou, they could not only make up for the losses in Luchang but also have money left over to improve the army's equipment.

General Song was just lifting the curtain when he heard Wei Li's words and couldn't help but think they made sense.

The output from both the two counties and the two gold mines was quite beneficial to Pingzhou.

Pingzhou originally covered a vast area, so if Wei Li felt he needed money, he could easily make a profit by giving up the territory for money.

Wei Li shifted his gaze to the pile of gold that Chen Ruojiang was holding, and then stared into Chen Ruojiang's eyes.

"Put it back." Wei Li tapped the table with his knuckles and gestured with his chin as he spoke to him.

Chen Ruojiang was almost in tears. He had worked hard all year and thought he would get some year-end bonus, but it was taken away from him. He was really upset.

Wei Li emptied the box on the table that held the seals and put the gold and the note inside.

Then he casually took a jade pendant from his waist and threw it into Chen Ruojiang's arms, saying, "I'll trade you this."

Chen Ruojiang touched the texture of the jade pendant and became happy again; this thing was more valuable than gold.

Zhao Xiheng waited for two days, but Wei Li still didn't return. She thought to herself: Well, Wei Li is really angry and ran away from home. He's really angry; I wonder when he'll calm down.

She spread out her brush and ink, and began to write a letter to Wei Li.

What should I write? There doesn't seem to be anything to write about.

She suddenly remembered the letters her parents exchanged. Although they contained no substantial content, they could still write several pages of sentimental words. Zhao Xiheng had an inspiration and rolled up her sleeves.

"Come here, Gou Dan'er," Zhao Xiheng called the cat over.

"Have you realized your mistake?"

Dog Egg meowed twice and lowered its head. These past few days, Zhao Xiheng had been much colder to it and even trimmed its claws. No matter how tough it was, it had to give in now.

"Alright," Zhao Xiheng wrote, "My lord, Gou Dan'er says it knows it was wrong and will never scratch people again. It sincerely apologizes to you. I also know I was wrong. My lord, I feel so sorry and sad that you were scratched. I've cut Gou Dan'er's claws off and will wait for you to come back to check."

After finishing writing, Zhao Xiheng shivered from the sourness of her own writing. But she still pressed Gou Dan'er's paw into the ink and then left a small paw print on the letter.

Then she continued writing. With Wei Li gone, she couldn't eat or sleep well, and even the north wind seemed more desolate.

After Zhao Xiheng finished writing these words, her scalp tingled from the soreness, and her hands trembled. She didn't dare to look at it anymore, quickly stuffed the letter into an envelope, sealed it with sealing wax, and had it sent to Wei Li.

If that still doesn't work and doesn't vent his anger, then I have no other choice but to let Wei Li stay outside and let him vent his anger.

Zhao Xiheng opened the drawer at the head of the kang (a heated brick bed), looked at the rows of keys lying inside, and took them all out to count them.

It's so frustrating! If Wei Li never comes back, won't she be living the life of a wealthy young widow ahead of time? So many storeroom keys, and so much money inside—it's really a headache.

Zhao Xiheng only thought about it; he understood that such a good thing as becoming a rich young widow was unlikely to fall into the hands of someone as unlucky as her.

Jizhou Hua Shangle was already extremely anxious. Wei Li asked him for the output of the two gold mines. Although he felt bad, he still gritted his teeth and agreed.

Wang Zhiyao and Liu Huanzhen got into a fight right in front of his house, so his losses would be more than just two gold mines.

It's really bad luck that he, someone who has nothing but money, is stuck between these two large states.

Someone suggested to Wei Li that he should do what the Prince of Zhenbei usually did: send envoys to coerce and entice both sides to withdraw their troops.

Wei Li thought this method was both reckless and stupid. He wondered how much face he would have to ask both families to withdraw their troops, so he did not adopt it.

He led his men to the rear of Qingzhou, where they deployed their troops and made it appear as if they were about to attack.

Wang Zhiyao was on high alert at the front, while Wei Li and his men were eyeing him menacingly from behind. He was so angry that he gritted his teeth and repeatedly sent messages to Wei Li, ordering him to withdraw his troops. Wei Li remained unmoved and did not reply. He even made a show of attacking.

If it were the original Prince Zhenbei, Wang Zhiyao would be certain that he wouldn't take advantage of his war with Liu Huan to launch a sneak attack on his own side. That old fellow Prince Zhenbei cares about his reputation and always has to come up with a high-sounding reason for everything he does.

But Wei Li is like a mad dog; didn't he just recently rob two counties of Goguryeo of their grain supplies? Looking at it this way, he's capable of anything.

Wei Li was getting impatient waiting in the rear of Qingzhou. Chen Ruojiang told him that it was already the third day of the first lunar month, and according to custom, the fifth day of the first lunar month was for sending off the New Year, which meant that the New Year was over.

Unable to contain himself, he set fire to a warehouse behind Qingzhou. Wang Zhiyao immediately abandoned his confrontation with Liu Huan and led his troops back to the rear of Qingzhou, only to find that Wei Li's troops had long since disappeared.

With Wang Zhiyao withdrawing his troops, the battle naturally did not break out, and Liu Huan also withdrew his troops.

Hua Shangle breathed a sigh of relief and quickly sent cartloads of gold to Pingzhou.

Wang Zhiyao then realized that Wei Li was using a strategy of "besieging Wei to rescue Zhao." He had never intended to attack Qingzhou; it was just that Jizhou had promised him benefits to come and relieve his predicament.

"My lord, two hundred chests of gold have been inspected."

Wei Li looked at the sky just beginning to brighten, squinted slightly, thankfully, there was still time, "escort them together to Bu Xian."

"My lord, your letter!" Before they could even set off, a messenger arrived on horseback with a message. He carried two banners, one bearing the emblem of Pingzhou and the other the emblem of Buxian City, indicating that the letter had come from Buxian.

Wei Li took the letter, looked at it in the torchlight, and saw that it was signed Zhao Xiheng.

He looked around and saw the generals shivering in the cold wind, some of whom were complaining about their wives' fierceness at the welcoming banquet.

“Cough…” Wei Li coughed twice, raising his voice a bit, and said to Chen Ruojiang, “The princess has written again urging me to go home quickly. Women are such a hassle. She’s afraid to stay at home by herself and insists that I go back to keep her company. I don’t have time to deal with her lovey-dovey nonsense every day.”

Perhaps it was the biting cold wind, but the expressions on the generals' faces became even more wooden, almost cracking open.

Chen Ruojiang stared at Wei Li with dead fish eyes.

Good heavens, his lord is truly remarkable; he knows what's written inside the letter before it's even opened.

Wei Li quickly finished reading the letter, then tucked it into his pocket and rushed towards Bu Xian as if he had been injected with chicken blood.

On the fourth day of the first lunar month, just as the clapper sounded at the hour of Hai (9-11 PM), Zhao Xiheng was already fast asleep in her quilt.

The door creaked open, the candlelight flickered, and Wei Li entered from outside, covered in cold air and frost. His eyelashes were covered in frost, which melted into water as soon as he entered the warm room.

Dog Egg jumped up from the kang (a heated brick bed), and seeing him, he didn't dare to be fierce anymore. He obediently went over and meowed at him twice, then stretched out his paw to show him that he had already trimmed his nails.

Wei Li had no time to deal with the little thing. He swatted it away and took out two warehouse keys from his pocket.

He stood beside Zhao Xiheng, feeling anxious. He didn't even bother to change his clothes or wash up, and placed the key under her pillow.

After watching for a while, I felt it was inappropriate, so I pried open her hand that was resting on her cheek, put the two keys in her palm, closed it, and then took her hand and tucked it under the covers.

Zhao Xiheng was a heavy sleeper and was not disturbed at all.

When Wei Li returned after washing up, he lifted Zhao Xiheng's blanket to check if the two keys were still in her hand. Seeing that she was still clutching them tightly, he smiled.

"May you have a peaceful and healthy new year, Zhao Xiheng," he said softly.