Chapter 40 Grandpa's Skilled at Picking Peaches

Shen Zhong was very happy because his grandfather still took him out for a big meal.

In this small border town in the north, the merchants from Dayu and Beihu all left in a hurry after completing their transactions.

In that case, the only edible food available in this market is what's left.

The whole leg of lamb is chopped into large pieces, thrown into a pot to boil, and then sprinkled with salt. In the eyes of the locals, this is the ultimate delicacy and a dish to be served to guests.

Oh, even the salt is large-grained, a bit dark, the kind that's hard to chew.

After eating half a lamb leg, Shen Zhong couldn't eat anymore.

It's a bit too rich; I wish I could have a bowl of wine with it.

It's a pity that my master doesn't allow me to drink during the day, saying that drinking will cause me to make mistakes.

"Sir, you've been wandering around the North for three years now, what have you gained?"

Shen Zhong threw down the mutton bone he was gnawing on, looked at the oil on his hands, and wiped it on his sheepskin coat.

"Why haven't you found anything?"

Over the past three years, has Grandpa's Northern Hu dialect gotten better and better?

Also, in this entire border town, and further north in Sahara City, aren't many people familiar with me?

"Let me tell you, this is the path to the future." Shen Huaichen tossed the bone in his hand aside and wiped his hands on his sheepskin coat.

Looking at his master's appearance, Shen Zhong suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.

Ah, three years ago, our master was the most outstanding person in the entire North, the Duke of Dingguo, Shen Huaichen. Just by his name, he could make the Northern Hu retreat overnight.

Now...

Mr. Du, a well-known scalper at the border market...

Ultimately, it's all the fault of those guys in the capital, especially that old geezer, Duke Anguo.

If it weren't for him, how could I have been wandering outside for so long, unable to even go home!

For many days, the master would sit outside the tent, staring blankly at the sky, thinking about his wives and young masters in the capital!

That damned Duke Anguo, if he gets the chance, he'll definitely stab that old guy in the back a couple of times, so he can taste what it's like to be stabbed in the back.

"Master, you've suffered these past few years!" Shen Zhong said softly.

Shen Huaichen was taken aback.

bitter?

It seems there is a bit of that. If he hadn't come to this era, he would have been a spirited and ambitious elite.

Bright lights, champagne, beautiful women, luxury cars, and mansions—anything here is better than this!

Who would have thought we'd end up here!

However, as time went on, it seemed that this place had a unique charm.

He truly experienced the authentic desert scenery and the meaning of "a lone plume of smoke rising straight in the vast desert"!

They drink and eat heartily, singing and dancing like the Hu people when they are happy, and shouting a few words outside the tent when they are unhappy, exchanging insults with the lone wolves in the desert.

However, most of the time, he prefers to lie outside the tent at night and look at the sky.

A sky free of air pollution is indeed breathtakingly beautiful.

In the pitch black, the moon hung overhead, and the stars, like diamonds, adorned the black velvet.

Shen Huaichen always felt that he was one with the world at that moment.

That feeling...it's like being adrift in the universe...

As for the original owner's wife and children in Kyoto...

Well, if they have spare money to hire so many people to look for the original owner, it means they are all safe and sound and living a decent life.

Shen Huaichen has no intention of taking advantage of someone else's wife right now.

This is a matter of moral bottom line.

"Master, what are your plans for the next step? I heard that Saha City is going to have a new master, the sworn brother of the Northern Hu Emperor," Shen Zhong continued.

Shen Huaichen smiled.

Oh, they're changing players? That's a good thing!

"Kid, what do you think if Dayu takes over Saha City?" Shen Huaichen asked in a low voice.

Shen Zhong was stunned.

How could they possibly take the Sahara?

The border market was a place where the Dayu and the Beihu traded goods when they were not at war.

This place is at least a hundred miles away from Sahara.

But this area is all desert for a hundred miles, and the merchants from the Northern Hu always rely on camels to carry their goods over when they come to sell them.

Don't underestimate this hundred-mile stretch; it is a natural barrier for the city of Sahara.

With even a slight breeze, the entire desert turns yellow, and you can't see anything. The army went in...

"Master, that's impossible. Saha City is the first line of defense for the Northern Hu, and every master there is a confidant of the Northern Hu emperor."

It's highly unlikely that Da Yu can take Saha City.

Furthermore, given how well Saharan is managed, the Northern Hu are unlikely to relinquish it.

The one coming soon seems to be called Aqige. He was appointed as the War King by the Northern Hu Emperor and is currently the mortal enemy of Dayu.

He came to Saha City, definitely intending to manage it well so that he could launch an attack on Dayu.

"How could he possibly let anyone else touch the place he has painstakingly built up?" Shen Zhong said honestly.

Shen Huaichen tapped Shen Zhong on the head.

"That's absolutely right!"

But what I'm best at is picking peaches.

Especially when the peaches are almost ripe, the feeling of reaching out and picking them...

"Tsk tsk tsk, this is too good!" Shen Huaichen laughed.

Shen Zhong was stunned.

He thought about it carefully and realized that when his grandfather was still in the Weiyuan Army, there was a sand table in the room where he lived, and the most conspicuous place was Saha City.

However, whenever the Marquis of Changsheng and his men discussed military matters with their master, and the city of Sahara was mentioned, their master would always say, "No rush, it's not time yet."

Could it be that the master already had designs on Sahara back then?

"Master..." Shen Zhong wanted to ask more.

Shen Huaichen stood up.

"Find a shopkeeper to stew two lamb legs, and also fill up the water bladders with water. Take several water bladders with you. We'll head to the Sahara tomorrow."

"Master... are we just going like this? Just the two of us?" Shen Zhong was a little surprised.

"What? You want to hire a few more people to serve you? Let me tell you, I don't have much money on me, I can't afford to keep idle people."

Also, don't be so surprised.

It's just the Sahara, isn't it? To take the Sahara, there are other ways besides military occupation, such as taking it quietly.

"If you follow me, just do as I say, and I'll make sure you get your share of glory someday," Shen Huaichen said with a smile.

Shen Zhong thought about it and realized that his master was right.

Everything the master does has a purpose.

If it weren't for the sake of his family in the capital, haha, what would the Duke of Anguo and the Empress Dowager be worth!

"Hey! Shopkeeper, stew two more lamb legs, make them extra tender." Shen Zhong's spirits lifted.

Master is right. Following Master means we'll have meat to eat, and following Master will bring us glory in the future.

Following my master, I'm sure I'll be able to marry a good wife in the future.

Bah! It's better if they don't go back to the capital. The master said that as long as he doesn't go back, the madam and the young masters will be safe.

Sigh, being an emperor in this family is so frustrating.

If it weren't for him, the master wouldn't be hiding like this now.

Shen Zhong shook his head as he thought about it.

Back in the capital, Emperor Xiao Jing, who had been frustrated by Shen Zhong's words, finally finished dealing with the day's affairs.

"Shouldn't Xiao Qi be back by now?" Emperor Xiao Jing suddenly asked.

"Yes, they're back. They're in the Empress's palace! Would Your Majesty like to go and see them?" Wu Youde asked in a low voice.

"Let's go take a look! They're having a meal with the Empress."