Chapter 97

Hu Yong was found dead three days later, on the official road at the junction of Dongxiang Town and Luosang Town. He had been torn to pieces by wild beasts. His identity was identified by the fabric of his clothing. However, given his unruly behavior and his habit of bullying, no one suspected him when his death was discovered in such a horrific manner.

Or even if someone had suspicions, no one was willing to speak out.

It was a month after Luntai received the news that they sent someone to investigate. After the information was passed on, several days passed. Suletu was very concerned about Hu Yong's death, and the person he sent to investigate was Yang Chenglie.

Yang Chenglie was considered Suletu's right-hand man, and he was never called upon except for urgent matters. However, Yang Chenglie's arrival was unfortunate. Less than three days after he and his men arrived at the Libei Town fortress, the Turks, taking advantage of the cold winter, launched a counterattack. Compared to the death of Hu Yong, resisting the foreign enemy was naturally more important. The investigation was temporarily put on hold, and the priority was to defend the country.

The 30,000 troops, belatedly arriving, were left leaderless without their original commander, Hou Yong. As the commander-in-chief of the campaign against the Turks, Zhou Jingchen naturally adopted Hu Yong's troop deployment order. He promptly disbanded the 30,000 troops and reorganized them according to the border defense system.

Yang Chenglie instinctively felt that this move was inappropriate, but special cases should be handled separately and not be generalized.

Only after experiencing it firsthand did Yang Chenglie truly understand the hardships faced by the soldiers defending the border. Libei Town was severely short of supplies and the environment was harsh. Especially during the freezing winter, the conditions for fighting were extremely difficult. Besides the difficulty of navigating the snowy conditions, the soldiers faced a more serious challenge: a lack of food and clothing. The fortress was severely short of rations, and winter coats were a long time coming. Seeing the fortress in such dire straits, while those in charge only prevaricated and delayed, the fiery Yang Chenglie erupted in anger.

Since the beginning of August, Libei Town's food and grass have relied on Guo Huai's transfer of grain from various places, as well as the support of merchants such as the Cheng family.

Not to mention the harsh winter conditions in Dayan, the Turkic conditions were even more challenging. Heavy snow blocked the roads, forcing the Turkic forces to cross the grasslands to attack Dayan, leaving their homes and carrying heavy baggage. During the freezing cold, hungry wild beasts roamed the deep grasslands, making their survival difficult. Zhou Jingchen patiently waited three days for the snow to subside before launching his counterattack.

Late one night, Ajiu led a small team and set fire to the Turkic people's accompanying baggage.

Ajiu hadn't officially joined the army, but instead ran a security company with his men. They traveled throughout Dayan under the guise of business. Secretly, he had already become Zhou Jingchen's disciple, doing many things for him that couldn't be publicly mentioned.

Ajiu and his men played an indispensable role in the rescue of Suiye Town.

After returning from the Anxi Protectorate in November, he hadn't left since, settling in a village near Libei Town under the guise of a caravan. Ajiu's men were skilled in martial arts, having been hunting since they were twelve or thirteen, and possessed extensive experience in winter hunting. Their archery and horsemanship surpassed those of ordinary cavalry. He burned his baggage and retreated without further ado.

In a tit-for-tat move, the Turks, without food and supplies, were trapped in the snow and were cold and hungry, so they had no choice but to abandon their weapons and armor.

Yang Chenglie couldn't sit still, watching anxiously from the sidelines, and naturally participated in this war. While Yang Chenglie was pursuing the Turkic soldiers deep into the grasslands, an incident occurred in Luntai that was enough to cause unrest in the Beiting Protectorate.

Suletu was found dead in his concubine's room at home. He was naked, his eyes were bulging, and his face was blue and purple. His death was extremely horrific.

As the highest-ranking officer below Suletu, Li Wenzhu held a higher prestige within the army than even Suletu, the Grand Protector. He immediately intervened to stabilize the situation, swiftly concealing the news of Suletu's sudden death. He quickly ordered the Grand Protectorate to be sealed off, and, under the pretext that the Grand Protector had suffered a sudden illness late at night and needed to recuperate, removed the tiger talisman and replaced it with his own.

At the same time, Zhou Jingchen officially raised the banner that the current emperor was a villain who killed his brother and father and plotted to usurp the throne, and was not worthy of being the emperor.

Li Wenzhu had been busy during this period, unexpectedly imprisoning Sultu's closest associates, including the Lin Zhilan brothers, and seizing control of Sultu's three thousand guards. He then presented Zhou Jingchen with the tiger talisman, which had been seized and commandeered, commanding 200,000 Beiting troops. This led the entire Beiting Protectorate's 200,000 border guards to completely align themselves with Zhou Jingchen. Thus, Zhou Jingchen's identity as the orphan of Prince Jing's mansion was officially exposed.

He claimed to be holding the secret decree of the late emperor and was about to restore order and defeat the current rebellious court.

The Beiting Protectorate was separated from the Central Plains by a long pass, and with the long distances and rivers, information was already limited. Even if there were any unusual movements during the heavy snow in the depths of winter, news wouldn't have reached the border quickly enough. This perfect combination of time, place, and people provided Zhou Jingchen with ample time for planning and preparation. Ye Jia had been hoarding countless grains over the past six months, gradually filling up six granaries.

The granaries are distributed around Dongxiang Town, covered by shops, making them hidden and unnoticed.

Dongxiang Town and its subordinate villages had long been accustomed to the unrest in Beiting, so the sudden uprising was no surprise. They even secretly applauded upon hearing about the rise of the Dongxiang Town Commandant, Zhou Jingchen. Even in just six months, Zhou Jingchen and his family had earned considerable fame. The Dongxiang Town Commandant had repeatedly repelled foreign enemies, guarded the border, and maintained peace in the northwest. The Commandant's wife emptied her family's savings to help the people, setting up soup kitchens in several towns to provide alms, a continuous effort since the beginning of the war.

We do practical work and put everything on the table.

The common people were very pragmatic. They didn't care who their superiors were; they would wholeheartedly support whoever treated them well. The fact that the captain was of royal blood not only gave them a sense of comprehension, but also strengthened their resolve to follow him.

Zhou Jingchen's rise to power was unexpectedly smooth, almost too natural. The people of Luoyun Town and the surrounding areas were eagerly awaiting his arrival. Many locals who had accompanied Zhou Jingchen against the Turkic invasion also joined the army.

The Turks had been severely weakened after six months of warfare and were temporarily unable to mount further border incursions. However, nothing was certain; no one could guarantee that the Turks would not exploit the civil unrest in Great Yan. Zhou Jingchen left nearly 10,000 troops in Dongxiang Town and Libei Town, with Bazatu as the garrison commander. Five thousand troops were also left in Suiye Town to secure Great Yan's northwest and western entrances.

By the way, when the Turks attacked from the west, the garrison in Suiye Town suffered heavy casualties. But Ye Qinghe was lucky. Not only did he survive unscathed, he also made considerable military achievements.

This daring and ruthless young man imitated the Turkic attack on Libei Town. Late one night, he assembled a small group just as fearless as himself and retaliated by burning the granary of Suiye Town. While this act was equivalent to killing one thousand enemies and losing eight hundred of his own, leaving the Suiye garrison without food, it also deprived the Turkic people of their existing food supplies. It was precisely this action that slowed the Turkic advance and provided Zhou Jingchen with a glimmer of hope.

Suiye Town was originally under the jurisdiction of the Oghuz. Although Suiye Town suffered heavy losses, Zhou Jingchen did not dismiss him from his military post. He simply sent Chen Shiqing there, and the two of them jointly guarded the town. Luoyun Town, the most northeastern garrison, was handed over to Ye Qingshan.

The three sides were on high alert, so Zhou Jingchen felt relieved and had time to formally launch his rebellion.

With each side deploying substantial border defense forces, peace gradually returned to the towns. The people were overjoyed and heartfeltly grateful to Zhou Jingchen for stabilizing the situation and creating a peaceful life for them.

The only thing that feels not so good is probably the merchants such as the Wu family who have offended the Zhou family.

The Wu family had tried every possible means to uncover the Zhou family's details, largely because the names of the royal family were kept secret, leaving the lower classes in the dark. Wu En slumped to the ground, a cold sweat pouring down his body. Despite all his calculations, he hadn't anticipated that the Zhou family, against whom his family had repeatedly resorted to covert manipulation, were the orphans of King Jing. How had this descendant of a noble family fallen upon hard times and landed in their area? Why had they, the Wu family, been the one to provoke them?

It's true that you don't know until you mention it, and once you mention it, everything comes to mind. Others might not know who King Jing is, but the Prince of Jing is a household name. The Wu family travels extensively for business, and they know all the dignitaries, fearing they might offend someone by failing to recognize their true worth.

It is said that the late Prince Jing was the most beloved descendant of the late emperor. He was the person most likely to take the throne of the next crown prince at that time.

...If Zhou Jingchen holds a grudge against them, will the Wu family be destroyed in the hands of their generation in the future?

The Wu family had been on edge ever since receiving the news, like ants on a hot pan, whirling in panic. Wu Min and his brothers, the Third Young Master, no longer dared to harbor resentment, and like defeated roosters, they allowed their father to beat them and scold them.

Had they not initially provoked the Zhou family, then pursued them relentlessly after several defeats, the Wu and Zhou families would still be allies. Even if they weren't allies, the Wu family, thanks to their early favors, could still be considered supporters of the Zhou family. If Zhou Jingchen ascended to the throne, the Wu family wouldn't be considered a hero, but at least their future prospects would be bright. Father repeatedly advised them to be humble and sincere, but they ignored him, regretting their mistakes only too late.

"Dad, what do you think we can do to earn the Crown Prince's Consort's forgiveness?" Zhou Jingchen called himself an orphan, not the Crown Prince of Jing. The title of Crown Prince's Consort was also arbitrarily given to Ye Jia by the common people.

How could Wu En know? His Wu family had done so much wrong that even if they continued to flatter him, no one would look at them with admiration.

"...What about offering our wealth?" Young Master Wu thought for a moment, then said with a ruthless heart, "The Crown Prince is just beginning to rise to power, and he certainly needs financial support. If we offer our wealth to help him, wouldn't that atone for our sins?"

When these words were spoken, the men in the Wu family all felt a pang of fear in their hearts.

As they exchanged glances, the eldest son, Wu Min, looked a bit conflicted. "Offering our wealth won't necessarily make up for our sins. Besides, if we offer our wealth, how will we support our entire family?"

"Confused!" Wu En felt that he agreed with his youngest son on this point.

The question now faced them was no longer whether to offer their wealth voluntarily. The Zhou family had already risen in power, and since the Wu family had offended the Crown Prince's wife, it would only take a word for them to find a crime and plunder the Wu family. They would eventually lose control of this wealth, and offering it voluntarily might have the advantage of being more discerning and understanding, preventing Zhou Jingchen from turning his back on their kindness and easily destroying the Wu family in the future.

Wu En was extremely disappointed with his eldest son, who was greedy, short-sighted, and always causing trouble. "He can't even see through such a small thing! He's truly a blind fool!"

At this time, many merchants, like the Wu family, were secretly discussing how to help Zhou Jingchen succeed. After all, they didn't dare to dream of becoming a successful follower, but everyone wanted to be a mentor. Especially since this seemed like a deal with no drawbacks.

Ye Jia didn't care what outsiders were thinking. She had just collected the cotton-padded clothes and was still trying her best to make money.

Since Zhou Jingchen had already begun, Ye Jia naturally couldn't afford to hold back. She chose to advance and retreat with this man, like grasshoppers tied to the same rope. It might be a bit awkward to say that, but that was the truth. Ye Jia looked at Xue Tiantianhan, mentally estimating how long it would take the Great Yan court to react, given the normal speed. And if they did, from which direction would they react?

Although Zhou Jingchen had already made preparations for these things, Ye Jia could not rely entirely on him.

She knew all too well that carelessness could lead to failure, and that details determined success or failure. Ye Jia didn't dare boast about her influence over Zhou Jingchen or the war situation, but she knew for sure that if she and Yu Shi were caught, it would be bad for the situation in the northwest. Ye Jia, never one for blind self-confidence or self-deprecation, decided to add another layer of protection.

Sometimes doing a little more may help you get through a crisis at a critical moment.

The Shen family mansion naturally didn't need to worry about anyone climbing over the walls; its sturdiness was unquestionable. The only concern was that someone would surround the mansion from the outside and trap them. She considered digging a tunnel in a hidden area of ​​the house.

"Dig a tunnel?" Yu thought her daughter-in-law always had some creative ideas, like the nailed tiles and traps she'd installed in the yard. While these things seemed absurd when they were created, they proved quite useful in crucial moments. "Where are you going to dig?"

"There's a dig underneath each of the main houses."

Ye Jia's idea wasn't a sudden one. "Let's build a few fake tunnels, with only one being the real one. The real tunnel's location is only known to us, and it leads to the mountain behind the forest. Let's set up multiple exits, just in case one exit is blocked and we're stuck in the tunnel. A cunning rabbit has three burrows, that's probably the logic..."

The location of the back mountain is relatively hidden, and it is not easy to be discovered if you walk through it.

Yu was a little moved: "...will this work?"

Ye Jia did what he said and took people to various places in the mansion that day to observe the soil and geological conditions.

For several days, he wandered around the mansion. He picked out a few locations, confirmed the soil was solid and wouldn't collapse, and then worked through the night by lamplight, drawing a map of the tunnel. Ye Jia had considered making it more complicated, but he thought that since it was already invisible underground, he might not be able to get out if he made it any more complicated, so he abandoned the idea.

The next morning, Ye Jia ordered a tunnel digger to come. The locations chosen were: underneath the house where Ye Jia currently lived, underneath a dry well in the most remote courtyard, and inside the rockery in the southeast servants' courtyard.

Digging a tunnel was no easy task, but thankfully, the tunnel Ye Jia had mapped wasn't too long. With a large team, it would only take a month. To ensure the tunnel's construction remained completely secret, Ye Jia even had the craftsmen separated, each digging in a different direction, each unaware of the others' locations and objectives. Ye Jia was incredibly busy day in and day out, and even then, quite exhausted.

Her nerves were extremely tense these days. Her busy days kept her busy every moment and she would fall asleep immediately at night. One night, not long after she fell asleep, someone blocked her nose and woke her up from the suffocation.

Before she opened her eyes, her hand had already reached under the pillow, pulled out a dagger and stabbed it out.

"It's me!" Just as he thrust forward, someone grabbed his wrist. A familiar voice floated down from above, waking Ye Jia up. "Jia Niang, open your eyes and take a look. It's me, your husband."

Ye Jia opened her eyes and saw Zhou Jingchen sitting in front of her wearing thick armor.

I don't know where this guy came from, but he carries a chilling aura of ice and snow. His face is clean and fair, but he looks extremely tired. He hasn't slept in who knows how long, and there are dark circles under his eyes. Seeing Ye Jia staring at him, he curled his eyes.

"Why are you back?" Ye Jia retracted the dagger and rubbed his head. "It's so late at night?"

"Well," Zhou Jingchen supported her shoulders and pulled her up, "There's something very important that I need to deal with personally. I'm not in Beiting, so I might have to go on a long journey..."

"Oh, you're just passing by?" Ye Jia immediately understood, "Then just go ahead and don't worry, I'll take good care of you..."

"No, you come with me." Before she could finish her words, Zhou Jingchen interrupted her, "These things need to be done in secret. I will deliberately disguise myself and act in secret. I came back specially to pick you up."

Ye Jia raised an eyebrow: "???"

Zhou Jingchen: "Yeah."

Ye Jia frowned, thought for a moment, and asked him bluntly: "...Is it dangerous?"

“…It’s not dangerous.”

"oh."

Zhou Jingchen felt an inexplicable lump in his throat, and his fingers unconsciously stroked Ye Jia's earlobe.

Ye Jia: "..." It's not that she can't go, but the main thing is that once she leaves, the women in the family are weak and no one can support her.

"I'll arrange for someone to take care of the family, don't worry." Zhou Jingchen was like a worm in her stomach, he could guess what she was thinking. He thought for a moment and said, "Jia Niang, in fact, I asked you to go this time not just as a cover, but because there is something I need you to do."

"What's the matter?" If you have something important to do, it's not that you can't go.

Zhou Jingchen recalled the drought of the previous year, which had left millions dead and the land teeming with starvation. Before the bodies could be processed, a plague broke out, displacing the people. He sighed softly, "If possible, I'd like to secretly build several granaries in the Anxi Protectorate to store food and medicinal herbs. If I can, it might be crucial to turning the tide in the future."

"...Why did they suddenly set up a secret granary? Is there something going on?"

Zhou Jingchen lowered his eyelids, his thick eyelashes covering the dim light in his eyes. He didn't know if it was Ye Jia's illusion, but he felt a little gloomy.

Ye Jia looked at him and suddenly said, "...There are still some unfinished business at home."

"Um?"

Ye Jia blinked and grinned faintly.

For some reason, it was fine when Ye Jia didn't smile, but when she did, Zhou Jingchen felt a strange tingling sensation on his scalp: "Did you set a trap at home again?"

"No," Ye Jia said with a bit of pride, "I just made a little escape route."

...Escape route? Zhou Jingchen raised an eyebrow.

Speaking of which, although Zhou Jingchen had hurried back at night and the darkness was pitch black, he naturally couldn't see the entire mansion. But Ye Jia was alerted at this moment. He smelled the smell in the house and noticed something was wrong. The house was filled with an earthy smell and a damp dusty smell. He had smelled it as soon as he entered the room and thought Ye Jia was at home tilling the fields to plant again.

But then he thought again, the land at home was not that big, and there was not that much space for Ye Jia to plow, so he didn't take it to heart.

Zhou Jingchen glanced around and finally noticed what seemed to be a pile of things behind the screen in the inner room. He walked over to take a look and saw a huge hole on the floor. Ye Jia had also slipped on her shoes and got out of bed, following his gaze.

"This is……?"

Ye Jia raised his chin: "Authentic."

"???" Zhou Jingchen wasn't shocked, but rather felt caught off guard. "Tunnel?!"

"Yes." Ye Jia then told Zhou Jingchen what he had said to Yu. "With the tunnel, even if we are surrounded in this mansion in the future, we won't be afraid of being trapped inside. We can get out through the tunnel and disguise ourselves to escape."

Zhou Jingchen: “…”

He couldn't help but look at Ye Jia with a strange look.

To be honest, while later TV dramas depict secret passages in the imperial palace, they didn't exist in modern ancient reality. Ye Jia's sudden inspiration wasn't the first of its kind, but it certainly shocked and inspired Zhou Jingchen to some extent. It made sense: "If we can't fly in the sky and walk on the road, why not go underground... But Jia Niang, how long do you plan to stay in the Shen Mansion?"

Ye Jia said without hesitation: "Stay here until you finish the battle."

Zhou Jingchen: "..." Is this young lady planning to leave him alone in Luntai?

Ye Jia didn't know what Zhou Jingchen was thinking about, and the look in his eyes when he looked at her suddenly became resentful.

Ignoring his resentful look, she turned and went to the desk. From the drawer, she pulled out a stack of papers. The blueprints contained a complete map and the locations of the other tunnels. Ye Jia spread the blueprints on the table and began to talk non-stop, "...If there hadn't been any tomb robbers here, they'd have dug a hole in the ground and perhaps even dug faster."

"You still want to find grave robbers?" Zhou Jingchen didn't know how to describe it. "Do you know what grave robbers do?"

Ye Jia was speechless: "A tomb raider, why don't you know? Isn't it good to develop skills in multiple directions?"

Zhou Jingchen: “…”

"...I'll find someone to take over the digging work, so don't worry about it. Hurry and pack your bags."

Zhou Jingchen felt that Ye Jia's heart had cooled so quickly. He'd been trying to warm her up for so long before it warmed up a bit. But after more than four months, she'd completely forgotten him. What was going on?! He had to get her back! This trip was inevitable, but taking Ye Jia with him wasn't a requirement. It was just that Zhou Jingchen hadn't seen Ye Jia in over four months, and he couldn't help but miss her.

He had selfish motives and came to take Ye Jia away on purpose: "Hurry up and pack up, the carriage is waiting outside."

Ye Jia: "...in such a hurry?!"

She originally thought that if she wanted to set off, the earliest she could do so would be tomorrow, after she had explained everything to Mrs. Yu.

It turned out she was overthinking it. Zhou Jingchen's return probably didn't even alert Yu Shi, and now he wouldn't even give her a moment. He let go of Ye Jia and dug out a piece of cloth from the cabinet, spreading it on the table. Seeing him like this, Ye Jia knew she couldn't delay any longer, so she thought about what she should bring. Actually, she didn't wear makeup or use many skincare products these days, so she didn't have a lot of stuff.

Besides the clothes and jewelry she needed to wear, she was also required to carefully handle matters at home and in business... Well, business didn't require much instruction from her for now. Yuan Chunsheng, Zhao Lingyun, and the others were more alert and perceptive than she was. All she had to do was keep the shop running smoothly.

After much deliberation, Ye Jia went to the wardrobe to look for clothes, found a bottle of pear blossom cream and several large bottles of wound medicine. After thinking about it, he went to the corner to get the money box and took out a small stack of silver and put it in his pocket.

She rummaged through some clothes, and Zhou Jingchen took a few out for her. In the end, there was only a small bag. Inside was a few of Ye Jia's underwear. Then the man picked her up and strode out the door.

"I haven't packed my things yet..."

"You don't need to bring anything you need, just use mine. If mine isn't available, there are shops inside the pass, and you can just buy new ones." Zhou Jingchen stuffed the person into his large tent. Outside, snow had begun to fall again. His arms were warm, with only his unique scent remaining. His voice was muffled and fell from above, "Don't bring your old cotton-padded clothes, and don't use your rouge and powder."

Ye Jia wanted to say something, but the man had already carried her into the car.

The door creaked shut from the outside. Zhou Jingchen grabbed her waist and turned her over to sit on his lap. He lowered his head and kissed her lips. He must have cleaned up before coming back. There was a faint scent of tea in his mouth.

Between their lips, Ye Jia heard him murmur softly: "If I don't come to find you, you will forget me, you heartless little girl!"

Ye Jia: "..." Isn't this busy!