Chapter 204 Warrior Warrior

When Madam Liu passed away, the weather in the capital had gradually turned cooler, but even colder than the weather was the atmosphere in the palace, which froze the entire Great Zhou.

The palace gates were tightly closed, and not a sound could be heard. However, Prince Rong, Prince Cheng, and several old gentlemen frequently entered and exited the harem, causing those who were concerned to feel uneasy.

For a time, even the small vendors hawking on the streets restrained themselves. The capital seemed to be still the same capital, but beneath the prosperity, undercurrents were surging, stirring the emotions of countless people.

Even so, Mrs. Liu's funeral arrangements could not wait. Liu Neng was still young, so Su Fengzhang was still in charge of everything.

At Liu Wei's funeral a year ago, at least one could say that he was glorious after death. Not to mention the endless stream of people who came to pay their respects, Prince Cheng and the Fourth Prince also showed up.

But a year later, Mrs. Liu passed away, and her funeral was held quietly, with only a few people willing to pay their respects.

Prince Cheng and the Fourth Prince were probably too busy to handle everything at the moment. The former at least sent his butler to the house, but the latter did not show up at all.

Not only that, even the generals who claimed to be Liu Wei's good friends showed up in smaller numbers this time. I don't know if they didn't receive the news or were hindered by the current atmosphere in the capital.

Su Zhaoshi helped to deal with the funeral. She still remembered the glory days before, and seeing this, she couldn't help but sigh at the fickleness of the world.

Su Fengzhang accompanied Liu Neng in burning paper money in front of the mourning hall, and looked at Liu Neng from time to time, fearing that he would be too sad.

At this time, Su Huihui came over with some snacks and whispered, "Second brother, take An Neng to the side to rest and eat something, otherwise your body won't be able to handle it."

Su Fengzhang nodded, but Liu Neng said, "I won't leave. I want to stay with grandma."

"Aneng, if you don't eat and hurt your body, the old lady will be worried." Su Fengzhang advised.

Liu Neng pursed his lips, but Su Fengzhang had already reached out and picked him up, "Let's go, just think of it as accompanying Daddy."

Hearing the word "Daddy", Liu Neng subconsciously put his arms around Su Fengzhang's neck. His original confused and helpless mood seemed to be dispelled, and he obediently followed him to eat.

Su Huihui was relieved after seeing this and continued to burn paper money on their behalf temporarily.

At this time, Su Lanzhang walked in and saw that she was the only one in the mourning hall, so she asked, "Where are my second brother and Aneng?"

Su Huihui didn't stop burning paper money and said, "Since no one is coming to pay their respects, I'll ask my second brother and Aneng to go over and have a rest and eat something, otherwise they won't be able to handle it."

Su Lanzhang nodded and said hesitantly, "No one came to pay their respects today. Those people are really..."

Today is the seventh day since Madam Liu's body was laid to rest. The funeral will be held early tomorrow morning, but not many people came to pay their respects throughout the whole process.

Su Huihui said, "When my father and eldest brother passed away, wasn't it the same at home?"

"At that time, at least my second uncle and the villagers were willing to come and help." Su Lanzhang said that the Liu family did not have many relatives in the capital, and their hometown was in Qingzhou. Liu Wei had sent a message about attending the funeral but received no response.

Su Huihui was silent for a moment, then looked up and said, "If it weren't for my second brother's success in the imperial examination, how could our family be any better than the Liu family? Now the Su family seems to be at its peak, but it all depends on my second brother alone."

When Su Lanzhang heard this, he couldn't help but touch his nose embarrassedly and said, "I know everything. Don't criticize me from time to time. After all, I am your brother."

Su Huihui simply said, "Sanlang, I'm just telling the truth."

Su Lanzhang didn't bother to argue with her. He slapped his head and said, "Oh right, I came in to tell my second brother that there were a few people at the door who looked strange. They've been coming here for several days straight, and I don't know who they are."

Su Huihui frowned and asked, "Who is it?"

Su Lanzhang said helplessly: "How would I know who it is? Anyway, he looks sneaky."

Just at this moment, Su Fengzhang walked in with Liu Neng. Upon hearing this, he asked, "Lan Zhang, who are you talking about?"

Su Lanzhang said, "Those people at the door, judging by their attire, they seem to be from less well-off families. They've been here for the past few days, and they come every day, but they don't come close. They don't look like good people."

Su Fengzhang frowned and pushed Liu Neng to Su Huihui's side: "Huihui, help me take care of Aneng, Lanzhang, come with me to take a look."

"Second brother, those are the people." Su Lanzhang said, pointing to the alley entrance.

As soon as Su Fengzhang saw them, he knew why Su Lanzhang said that they were sneaky and not good people. These people were dressed in ordinary clothes, but they were big and strong, with a bit of a rough air.

Su Fengzhang raised his foot and walked over there. Those people were in a commotion for a while, but then stood there waiting for him.

Su Fengzhang bowed and asked, "I wonder what brings you here to pay your respects to Old Madam Liu."

The big man at the head sighed and said embarrassedly, "That's right."

Su Fengzhang asked curiously, "Then why haven't you come in yet?"

The men exchanged glances, and the large man said with some shame, "This must be Lord Su. We brothers used to follow General Liu, but after he left, we were gradually ostracized and never made a name for ourselves."

"Is he Brother Liu's old subordinate? I haven't seen him before." Su Fengzhang was a little surprised. He had an excellent memory and remembered everyone who had come to Liu Wei's funeral.

A large man at the back couldn't help but say, "We were here when General Liu was buried, but there were so many people paying their respects that we were afraid of causing more trouble by entering, so we just kowtowed at the door and left."

After he said this, Su Fengzhang asked again, "Those people are here to pay their respects to the old lady today, right? Why don't you please come in first?"

After bringing people into the mourning hall, several tall and strong men knelt down and kowtowed three times, then handed the things they brought to the servants.

The leading man then said, "Master Su, we are ashamed. General Liu took great care of us back then, but after he left, we were unable to take care of him in any way."

Su Fengzhang took a glance at the things and knew why they hesitated just now. The things were indeed a little thin, but it was obvious that they were carefully prepared.

I guess the grand occasion of Liu Wei’s funeral last time was the real reason that stopped these people from coming.

Su Fengzhang said politely, "The fact that you are here to pay your respects today is more than enough for you."

The big man said, "I can't help you in any way."

After saying this, he looked at Liu Neng, who was kneeling in return, and asked, "This is An Neng, right? He looks really energetic. I just hope that he can inherit his father's business when he grows up."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Su Fengzhang walked them to the door and asked, "Brother Wang, since you were all Brother Liu's subordinates before, you were born to be soldiers. Why are you now..."

"I am sorry for being rude. Please don't blame me, brother Wang."

The big man surnamed Wang was originally hesitant, thinking that Su Fengzhang was at least the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, a very high official in their eyes, and he probably would not be willing to deal with such a rough person like them.

Who knew that after just a few words, they had formed a very good impression of Su Fengzhang. Now that he was being polite, they were embarrassed but didn't mind it that much: "To be honest, Master Su, although we were born soldiers, we brothers have no special talents and no connections. It will not be easy to make a living after we go out."

Su Fengzhang's eyes flickered slightly, and he asked again: "The Great Zhou has not recruited soldiers on a large scale in recent years. Logically speaking, unless they are old, weak, sick or disabled, they will not be moved at will."

The big man surnamed Wang sighed and whispered, "Your Excellency, you don't know that once you join the army, you can get military pay. The Great Zhou hasn't been at war in recent years. On weekdays, you just do bandit suppression work, which is not dangerous."

"In the eyes of the wealthy, this military pay may not seem like much, but in the eyes of the common people, it is no small sum."

"But the Communist Party only needs so many people, and every year some people will be squeezed out."

At this point, the big man surnamed Wang lowered his voice and said, "Another thing. If you are unknown, it is still uncertain whether you can get the military pay you receive. We can't see any future for ourselves, so we just go back home to farm."

Su Fengzhang's eyes shook slightly, obviously not expecting that the army near the capital would be like this.

He quickly thought of the 100,000 soldiers led by the Minister of War. In the words of General Meng Kun, they were just embroidered pillows that were of no use at all. The only time they fought a battle, they lost the Fourth Prince to the enemy.

If this is true, it is not difficult to understand why these so-called 100,000 people are so weak.

Su Fengzhang asked again: "Has this become the norm?"

The big man surnamed Wang nodded and said, "That's right. Everyone knows it, but who can make the decision for us?"

Su Fengzhang looked up at him and saw the big man named Wang smile foolishly. He seemed to understand what he meant.

Thinking about it, Su Fengzhang said, "Brother Wang, I haven't asked where you live yet. When things are done here, I will bring An Neng to visit you and let him recognize Brother Liu's friend from the past."

The big man surnamed Wang immediately understood and said repeatedly, "We are also concerned about Aneng, but we dare not trouble Lord Su. If Lord Su doesn't mind, we will shamelessly pay a visit to your house when the time comes."

Su Fengzhang did not refuse: "In that case, then Su will be waiting for you."

The man surnamed Wang then bowed and said goodbye: "Lord Su, your courtesy is really embarrassing. We will return today and come back tomorrow to see the old lady off for the last time."

Su Fengzhang watched them leave before turning around and going inside.

Su Lanzhang, who had been watching everything, couldn't help but ask, "Second brother, why are you so polite to them?"

Su Fengzhang just glanced at him and said, "Think about it slowly when you go back. Come back and ask me when you've figured it out."

Su Lanzhang agreed, and a feeling of unwillingness to admit defeat surged in his heart.

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The author has something to say: I flipped through my old books today and found that I wrote a lot of imperial examination essays. I really love it~~

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