The landscape remains unchanged, as do the words of old friends.

After leaving the Lin family, Tang Qi went to Dongling Street, found a place to sit down by the roadside, stacked the stones he had just picked up from the ground, and waited quietly by himself.

A little boy dressed as a beggar came along, holding a broken bowl and smiling as he approached Tang Qi: "Brother Qi, you're back?"

Tang Qi nodded and patted his tattered hat twice: "Rat, have you received any news lately?"

Haozi patted his chest: "Brother Qi, just say the word, and I guarantee I'll have whatever information you want."

Tang Qi was amused by his action and said, "Has anything major happened recently? I'd like to ask you about someone."

After scratching his head for a while, Haozi finally spoke: "It seems like nothing much has happened in Luocheng lately. Oh, the Wang family killed someone a few days ago, but that's not a big deal, everyone's used to it. Brother Qi, who do you want to ask about?"

"Mouse, do you know Zhang Dong?" Tang Qi suddenly asked.

"Zhang Dong?" Haozi blinked and thought for a moment before saying, "Isn't he the one who's always hanging around Wang Shili? What's wrong, Brother Qi? Did he offend you?"

"No, I just wanted to ask," Tang Qi chuckled and continued, "When did he start working for Wang Shili?"

"I don't know. He used to be just like us, making a living off scraps. About half a month ago, I don't know how, he suddenly became Wang Shili's follower, causing trouble everywhere. After acting like a decent person for a few days, he started kicking over our rice bowls. I haven't seen him much these days. That kid is stupid. Wang Shili just had a whim, and he was eager to be bossed around. Now that Wang Shili is tired of him, he kicked him out. He can't even hold onto his old rice bowl anymore."

The mouse's face was round and chubby, with red cheeks from the cold and the signs of cracking. Despite its young age, it spoke eloquently and its eyes were full of disgust for Zhang Dong.

"What, he even kicked over your bowl?"

"That's right, Brother Qi. He's smashed up every place in our area one by one. Sometimes I think the storyteller was right."

Tang Qi couldn't help but laugh at his indignant expression, and coaxed him, "What did the storyteller talk about?"

The storyteller said that if a person is oppressed for a long time, when he rises to power, he will surely become the one who oppresses others.

Tang Qi looked at him quietly for a while, then slowly nodded: "Yes, the storyteller is right."

"That's not entirely true. If someone becomes bad after becoming powerful, it's because they were inherently bad! They just didn't have the opportunity before, so once they do, they'll be eager to show their abilities."

Tang Qi seemed surprised by his words and chuckled twice. Haozi blushed slightly at his gesture and lowered his voice, "What's wrong, Brother Qi? Did I say something wrong?"

"No, you're absolutely right. If our little mouse becomes successful in the future, he'll definitely be a wonderful person."

"That's for sure. When I grow up, I will definitely become a good person like Brother Qi."

"You've gone too far with the flattery."

Tang Qi smiled at him, then took out a pure black cloth bag from her bosom, glanced at the side a few times, and quickly stuffed it into Haozi's arms: "Take this money and buy yourself some clothes, the rest is up to you—by the way, how's your sister's shop?"

"It's fine, it's just driving by the roadside up ahead. Qi-ge, how about we grab a bowl of noodles?"

"I'm full, so I'm not going. Seeing you like this, I thought you and your sister had been bullied by someone again."

Tang Qi looked the mouse up and down.

"How could that be? Ever since Brother Qi helped us renovate the shop last time, business has been getting better and better, and Master Cheng has been a regular customer, so no one dares to cause trouble."

"Cheng Wang?"

Tang Qi was somewhat surprised to hear his name here.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. Back then, Tang Qi skipped school, and Cheng Junshi came to catch him. They happened to see Haozi and his sister having their shop ransacked and being harassed. The two of them exchanged a glance and went at each other with all their might. But they were young then. Tang Qi was quite skilled, but he didn't escape unscathed. Cheng Junshi was even worse off, with bruises all over his face. But in the end, he managed to drive the troublemakers away.

Tang Qi still remembers that he had planned to shake hands and make peace with Cheng Junshi based on the principle of "no fight, no friendship". However, Cheng Junshi had a cold face and said, "Come back to the school with me".

Finally, Tang Qi abruptly withdrew his hand from Cheng Junshi, thus beginning the ill-fated relationship between them.

"If that's the case, why are you still dressed like this?"

"Brother Qi, you don't understand. This outfit is the source of intelligence. I have quite a few underlings under me."

The mouse wore a proud expression again.

"Alright, alright, Boss Mouse, remember to buy more clothes for your younger brothers in the future, and don't mistreat them."

"Of course. Oh, by the way, Brother Qi, how long are you staying this time? The daughter of the Hundred Steps Tower Master is getting married next month. You might be able to join in the fun."

"I know, but I'm not sure I can make it."

Mouse sat down next to Tang Qi, looking regretful: "That's a real pity, Brother Qi, you're probably going to miss a good show."

Tang Qi found it amusing and turned to look at him: "It's just a marriage, what's so interesting about it?"

"They're trying to kidnap the bride!"

"Bride kidnapping?" This time, Tang Qi was stunned.

"That's right. Lord Shen's daughter is to marry General Ye's eldest son, but just at this time, Zhou Shoujun returned to Jingzhou. We're all betting that he came back specifically to steal the bride."

Tang Qi asked him in surprise, "Zhou Ziye has returned to Jingzhou? When?"

"Yeah, it's been a while since you came back. You were probably still out there when you came back, so it's normal that you didn't know."

Something seemed to explode in Tang Qi's mind, her face filled with disbelief. How could Zhou Ziye possibly be in Jingzhou?

Qing Teng Valley was supposed to be fought alongside General Ye, but when he led the Wolf Strategy Army from the north to join forces with Li Guang's army, Zhou Ziye had already been sent to Hecheng to guard the capital.

Therefore, he should be in Hecheng as the garrison commander at this time, so how could he possibly be in Jingzhou City?

"Rat, are you sure this news is accurate?"

A chill ran through Tang Qi's heart, but Haozi didn't seem to notice. He looked at him and said, "Brother Qi, when did I ever miss a message? Zhou Ziye has been back in Beijing for about a month or two."

One or two months later, around the time the Battle of Qing Teng Valley ended, it was also the time when General Ye summoned him back to the capital.

To this day, there has been no news of the fall of Hecheng in Jingzhou City, which proves that someone must be guarding the city in place of Zhou Ziye. Only someone in the imperial court could so easily change the garrison of a city.

Therefore, it should be the Zhou family, specifically Zhou Xiaoyun, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the current court. He is Zhou Ziye's father.

Tang Qi was not clear about the purpose of the censor's summons of Zhou Ziye back to the capital, but he vaguely felt that something was changing in secret. The cracks on the ice were getting bigger and bigger, and Tang Qi could already smell the danger.

It was already deep winter, and the nights were getting cold. When Tang Qi returned to the Marquis's residence, he saw Tang Yan squatting on the threshold, peering out at the street. As soon as he saw Tang Yan, Tang Yan stood up abruptly and pushed open the door to enter the residence without looking back.

He followed Tang Yan into the mansion, and as soon as they entered, Tang Yan stretched out her hand in front of him. Tang Qi first pretended to look at her blankly, and then, just as she was about to explode in anger, he suddenly pulled out a bunch of things from his arms and handed them to Tang Yan. "Here, roast chicken from the west of the city, crispy cakes from the north street, and sweet fermented rice balls from Qifangpu. Everything you wanted is in here." After saying that, he patted Tang Yan's head, which was about to explode.

Tang Yan's anger subsided considerably, and she picked through the food in front of her, handing one portion to Tang Qi: "These are the three new dishes that Luo City has set up, and they're the only ones that suit your taste."

"It seems that Ah Yan has already tried all the new foods for me, so I don't need to bother trying them one by one."

Tang Qi spoke with a smile, but Tang Yan only glanced at him and said defiantly, "It's just that I want to eat it, it has nothing to do with you!"

"Okay, okay—where's Mother?"

Tang Qi was overjoyed, so he coaxed Tang Yan into asking.

"My mother is unhappy, and I don't know why."

At this point, Tang Yan slumped down. Tang Qi patted her head and comforted her, "It's okay, your brother is here. You go back to your room and rest. Your brother will go keep Mother company."

After saying that, he went to the main house and knocked on the door. Only after receiving permission did he push the door open and go in. Qin Jianzhi did not rest, but sat at the table with slightly red eyes, as if he had been crying.

Tang Qi frowned, his unease deepening. He walked over and sat down next to Qin Jianzhi, lowering his voice: "Mother?"

Qin Jianzhi poured him a cup of tea, concealing his emotions as he smiled at him, his voice low and husky: "You're back? Have you had a meal?"

Tang Qi spread the things in his hands on the table and said, "That girl Tang Yan asked for so much food." He then called someone to bring a pot of wine. "Mother, I just won a battle. Why don't you have a drink with your son?"

Qin Jianzhi stared at Tang Qi without saying much, then turned to look at the wine glass on the table and suddenly chuckled, "Good, my son has won a battle, so of course we should drink this wine."

After saying this, he covered his cup and drank it all, but his eyes and brows were filled with sorrow.

"Mother, including Qing Teng Valley, I have captured four cities. In a few days, I will be able to join Father on the southern expedition."

Qin Jianzhi paused, the cup she had placed to her lips still. She opened her mouth, but in the end, she just nodded: "Our Zhong Le has always been this amazing."

"Mother, you see, I told you Father was wrong not to let me join the army. You had the right eye."

Tang Qi noticed that Qin Jianzhi's wine glass was almost never empty; he just kept drinking it, one glass after another, as if he had found some opening and was letting his energy drain away.

"Zhong Le, what would have happened if I hadn't agreed to let you join the army back then?"

Tang Qi paused for a moment, thought carefully, and then answered seriously, "Perhaps, I would be in Li Guangjun's army now."

Qin Jianzhi laughed and put down his cup: "So you're going to join the army no matter what, is that right?"

This time, Tang Qi didn't hesitate and nodded decisively.

“The battlefield must have been treacherous,” she said, though it was a statement. “The year your sister was born, he led troops into battle to defend the northern frontier. After that battle, he was ennobled as a marquis.”

Tang Qi rarely heard Qin Jianzhi mention Tang Mian's past battles; she seemed very unwilling, or even avoided, discussing them.

"The imperial edict that conferred the title of Marquis was issued by me."