A long, resounding bugle call sounded, and the majestic city gates gradually opened wide.
Looking around, a magnificent army came into view.
There were three generals leading the army on tall horses. One of them had a weathered face but sharp eyes. When he saw the familiar imperial city, his sharp eyes softened for a moment.
Tears welled up in my eyes.
Behind him was a vast army, and in a place unnoticed by anyone, there was a sedan chair that was not very ornate, but not small either.
"Welcome back, General! Welcome your army into the city!"
The people in the streets cheered, and Emperor Wenjian and his entourage also looked delighted as they stood on the city wall.
Su Zhen and his entourage entered the city in grand style, then dismounted and went up to the city wall to kneel before Emperor Wenjian.
"This humble general, Su Zhen, pays his respects to Your Majesty!"
Su Zhen knelt down before Emperor Wenjian.
"Very well, my dear minister, please rise. Your contribution in retaking the two cities in the Northern Desert with the help of Han Qi and Zhou Shitong is invaluable. I will reward you handsomely!"
"Guards, bring me the imperial edict I have prepared and proclaim it to the world!"
Emperor Wenjian, beaming with joy, said...
He almost wished he could personally help Su Zhen up.
If Su Zhen hadn't been lurking in the Northern Desert, working in concert with the people of Daliang, they wouldn't have been able to recapture the two cities.
Moreover, the two cities that were recaptured were very important. They were once the border gateways of Daliang, where trade flourished and brought considerable economic revenue to Daliang every year.
Over the years, he has always regretted the two cities that were taken away.
One of these two cities was lost due to Xiao Ye's mistake in leading his troops back then. Han Qi and his men were Xiao Ye's subordinates. Although they had made contributions this time, Emperor Wenjian did not reward them greatly. He only gave them some material rewards because he considered their merits and demerits to be offset.
Su Zhen was promoted from a fourth-rank military officer to a second-rank military officer and was bestowed with one hundred taels of gold, ten thousand taels of silver, one hundred bolts of silk, ten boxes of ceramics and jade, and three mansions.
Among these residences is the old house of the second branch of the Su family that was confiscated by Emperor Wenjian.
Su Lilu suppressed her excitement and stood aside, staring intently at her father, whom she was meeting for the first time. Seeing his weathered face and frail figure, she knew he must have suffered a lot at the border over the years.
But she knew she couldn't acknowledge him yet. Nominally, she was still the daughter of the second branch of the Su family. She needed to find an opportunity to secretly take her nanny to see her father and tell him the truth about what happened back then.
After meeting the emperor, Su Zhen returned to the Su family's old residence with the imperial edict from Emperor Wenjian. The rewards from Emperor Wenjian were also delivered to the Su residence shortly afterward.
Su Liluo watched Su Zhen enter the mansion from a distance while riding in a carriage, but she was surprised to find that a woman got out of a small carriage that had been following Su Zhen, and she was accompanied by a boy and a girl.
"Father, is this our home from now on? Will we live here forever?"
A girl's clear voice rang out, her face innocent, and she looked no more than eight or nine years old.
Su Liluo was startled when she heard this address. Her father had actually gotten married again?
Did her father betray her mother?
This surprising discovery instantly shattered her joy at seeing her father.
"Luo'er, I will help you find out the truth about this."
Xiao Ye noticed Su Liluo's surprise and held her hand to comfort her.
"Well, let's head back first today."
Su Liluo nodded.
She needs to figure out what's going on before deciding whether or not to acknowledge this father.
If this father isn't as good as she imagines, and is actually a scumbag, then she shouldn't acknowledge him anymore, since she's already severed ties with the second wife anyway.
So, Su Liluo's carriage quietly left.
On the other side, Su Zhen smiled faintly at the little girl, "Yes, you'll live here from now on. Daddy will take you to see your older sister or brother."
The reason for this is that Su Zhen does not yet know whether his wife Jiang Ruan gave birth to a girl or a boy.
He lost contact with Jiang Ruan before she gave birth.
When Su Zhen entered the mansion, he found only a few servants cleaning. When the servants saw Su Zhen enter, dressed in a fierce suit of armor, they instinctively knelt down.
"Why are there only a few of you? Where is my wife? And my second brother and his family, and the old lady?"
Su Zhen asked curiously.
"Big brother, we're here! You've finally come back!"
Before the servants could answer, Su Yu's excited, almost tearful voice came from behind Su Zhen.
Turning around, I saw Su Yu leading his entire family, dressed in tattered clothes, as they entered.
Su Zhen's pupils dilated in surprise. Seeing the disheveled state of Su Yu's family, he was at a loss for words.
How come those who live in the capital seem to be living even worse than I am on the border?
"Boss, you're finally back! You have no idea what that wretched girl, Su Liluo, has done to us!"
Old Madam Su cried with snot and tears streaming down her face, and said with a vicious look in her eyes.
"Who is Su Liluo? What exactly happened?"
Su Zhen asked in surprise.
"It's a long story, brother. Let's go inside and sit down first, and settle our family in before we talk about this!"
Su Yu sighed, then urged Su Zhen to have the servants settle them in.
It took about two or three hours for the servants to settle them all back into their previous courtyards. And without Su Zhen saying a word, the second branch of the Su family distributed the rewards that Emperor Wenjian had given to Su Zhen.
Seeing the actions of the second branch of the Su family, Su Zhen roughly understood that they were penniless. He was very curious about how the Su family had become like this, even though their official rank was not high back then. His mother was a shrewd businesswoman, and under her management, the Su family was comparable to the richest family in the city.
"Second brother, what about the property my mother left behind?"
After everything was tidied up, Su Zhen's family and the second branch of the Su family sat down in the Su family hall.
"Big brother, it's all that wretched daughter Su Liluo's fault. Part of the property was stolen, and she tricked us out of the shops. Now the Su family is just an empty shell!"
Su Yu was on the verge of tears as she spoke.
Who is Su Liluo?
Su Zhen's heart skipped a beat; his intuition told him that this was a very important person or matter.
“Su Liluo is our daughter, and... she is also your daughter, brother.”
At this moment, Jiang Qinshu stammered.
"What do you mean? Whose daughter is she anyway?"
Su Zhen stared intently at Jiang Qinshu.
“Back then, Jiang Ruan passed away after giving birth to twin daughters. My daughter also died. My mother and the others were afraid that I would be heartbroken, so they gave one of my eldest brother’s daughters to me to raise.”
"What?"
Jiang Ruan is dead!
He also has twin daughters!
Su Zhen was so surprised that his body trembled. He stood there for a long time before he slowly came back to his senses.
"How did Jiang Ruan die? Who killed her?"
Su Zhen's eyes were filled with tears, a mixture of sadness and anger, his eyes bulging as if they were about to burst.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
