Chapter 45: General Huo's Loyalty to the Emperor and Patriotism

General Huo didn't know how to answer this question for a moment. After thinking for a while, he said, "At the very least, it shows that he chose to live a life of ignominy and was not so loyal to His Majesty."

“That’s one point. There’s an even more important point: many members of General Xu’s family died while they escaped. How come the Zhu family was able to escape unscathed? Unless he knew better than anyone else that the capital would be besieged and fled in advance, meaning he colluded with the enemy.” Su Zhenzhen said this almost definitively. “Of course, according to Zhu’s concubine, the servants in the mansion were all bought in Dan County, so it’s possible that many members of the Zhu family died before they could escape. But the Minister of Revenue is, after all, a civil official, so I’m more inclined to believe that he received advance notice.”

General Huo remained silent for a long time after hearing this.

Hensheng looked around, then carefully asked, "So, is this master of the house General Huo's brother-in-law? And Miss Su, is this soul still being ferried?"

Su Zhenzhen found that things seemed to be developing in a strange direction. Starting with the first wronged soul she ferried, it seemed to always be related to the Jiang family dynasty. Could it be that the day she successfully became the emperor would also be the day when the nation was overthrown by the hatred of the emperor?

"The problem now is to figure out how this Master Zhu died. His spirit knows nothing about the matter, so there's no way to investigate."

After a long silence, General Huo suddenly spoke, "May I see the remains?"

Su Zhenzhen walked from the side room of the mourning hall to the main hall, and General Huo followed closely behind, with Hensheng following closely behind.

The lamps burned all night long, only swaying slightly when the wind blew in.

"Master Zhu died mysteriously; his body was seven different colors and still warm." Su Zhenzhen called to Hensheng to open the coffin lid.

The coffin lid was opened, and General Huo floated over and took a look before concluding, "This is poisoning, a kind of poison from the northern barbarians called Rainbow."

Su Zhenzhen asked curiously, "You've seen it before?"

“During previous battles, one or two soldiers accidentally ate a seven-colored wild fruit and experienced these symptoms. However, this wild fruit is extremely rare; I have only seen one plant in all these years.”

Su Zhenzhen's lips twitched slightly. "When your father returned to the capital to retire, he must have brought a maid with him, right?"

"How did you know?" General Huo asked curiously.

"General Huo truly deserves to be called a loyal and patriotic general." Su Zhenzhen was impressed. "I bet every year, people in places like the front lines find a few orphaned girls to help with laundry and cooking. Your father must have been taken care of by one of those girls for a long time, and then he fell for her, which is why he wanted to go home to retire and marry her. Otherwise, what general would be willing to leave his battlefield?"

Although General Huo felt that these words were not kind, he still nodded. "There are also villages on the front line. The twists and turns of the war will indeed leave behind some orphaned girls. Our Huo family army does not have the rule of red tents, so we let these orphaned girls help with some chores and give them military pay. Although it is not much, it is at least a way to make a living."

"Was this money provided by the imperial court or by you?"

"There is no precedent for this in the imperial court."

Su Zhenzhen didn't know what to say. General Huo was a loyal and righteous man, but he seemed a bit dull. He was focused on the war and didn't pay much attention to his father's feelings in his later years.

Imagine this: a general, after years of fighting on the battlefield, is now old and weary. He sees his son grown, but his wife has long since passed away. If the young woman responsible for chores in the camp, like when she brings him mended clothes, speaks a few words to him, the old man will feel comforted. And the young woman is alone and helpless; the man, though older, is still a once-renowned general. Wouldn't that be the beginning of a romantic connection?

Su Zhenzhen didn't know General Huo's father, but she knew extremely well the elderly people in nursing homes in the 906th century. For the elderly, loneliness was the most terrifying thing. She had once come across a news story about an old man who, despite the advice of his children and grandchildren, insisted on getting a marriage certificate with a 20-year-old caregiver, claiming they were true love.

A war god is a god on the battlefield, but when he takes off his armor and leaves the battlefield to recuperate in the rear, he is just an ordinary old man.

Humans have emotional needs.

If General Huo had paid more attention back then, he might have returned to the capital to attend the wedding banquet, after all, she was his only sister.

Now that's the case, the First Madam has never seen what General Huo looks like. Even if Su Zhenzhen brings General Huo's ghost to recognize him, the person might not believe her.

Seeing Su Zhenzhen's worried expression, Hensheng couldn't help but ask, "Is the situation very difficult right now?"

Su Zhenzhen nodded, thought for a moment, and then shook her head. "I can roughly guess how Master Zhu died, but I'm not sure. Madam Zhu should be General Huo's sister. I think she might have targeted Master Zhu for the sake of the Huo family."

"For the Huo family?" General Huo didn't understand. "What does that mean?"

“You probably don’t even know how old your sister is. I heard from the servants in this mansion that the couple is 10 years apart in age. Tell me, what man would want to marry a woman that much older than himself?” Su Zhenzhen paused and continued, “And didn’t you say before that this Master Zhu is the second son? I guess his older brother is much more capable than him, right?”

General Huo nodded. "Zhu Da studied at the Imperial Academy from a young age, and I met him when he was very young. As for Zhu Er, it was only after Zhu Da's death that people learned that Minister Zhu had another son."

"That's right. If I were the emperor, a position like the Ministry of Revenue, which controls the purse strings, has been monopolized by a single family for so many years. I would definitely choose the relatively mediocre heir. And Zhu Er might not be without ambitions to seize the throne. If the emperor were to extend an olive branch to him at this time, and the two of them joined forces to get rid of Zhu Da, wouldn't he be tempted? Of course, the best way for the emperor to control a minister is through marriage. And the only princess in the royal family is a prodigy like Jiang Sijin. So what to do? Of course, choose a daughter from among the loyal ministers and bestow her in marriage. And the Huo family is known for its loyalty to the emperor and its patriotism. Your father shouldn't be dead by now, right? He would definitely agree without hesitation because he is absolutely loyal to his emperor. If your father were dead at this time, it would be even easier. What right would an orphan and a widow have to speak?"

Upon hearing Su Zhenzhen's words, General Huo was initially surprised that this woman dared to assume herself to be an emperor, even if she possessed all the skills in the world, it was still extremely disrespectful. But as he listened, the more he thought about it, the more he realized that it made sense.

“I received the news of the arranged marriage first, and then news came from the capital that my father had passed away, along with his last letter, telling me to guard the border and not to rush to the funeral.”

Su Zhenzhen suddenly noticed something else, "General Huo, are you married? Considering the 10-year age difference, your sister was considered an old maid when the marriage was arranged. Why didn't your father arrange a marriage for her when he was alive? Or was your sister just waiting to be used for political alliances?"