Chapter 816: My Lady is Under a Lot of Pressure [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
Qin Li said calmly, "I know what I'm doing."
Zhao Feng scratched his head and chuckled twice: "Hehe."
How could he forget that Gong Su's considerations were certainly more comprehensive than his own? Why would he need to comfort him? Zhao Feng, noticing the fatigue between Qin Li's brows, tactfully said, "You've been busy for so long, Gong Su, you must be tired too. If there's nothing else, I won't disturb your rest. If anything comes up, just send someone to find me. Don't push yourself."
These past few years haven't been easy for Qin Li either.
Zhao Feng saw it most clearly.
Qin Li waved his hand: "There's no rush."
He forced himself to stay alert, found some clean cloth, and asked Zhao Feng to fetch him pen and ink. Suppressing the negative effects of his scholarly ways, he began to draw the deployment of troops from the Huang, Lie, Zhang, and He families. Seeing his hand trembling uncontrollably, Zhao Feng pressed his wrist down and said sternly, "Gongsu, stop."
Qin Li glanced over: "Let go!"
Zhao Feng was both worried and anxious: "This can be done tomorrow, why do we have to start now? It won't matter if Shen Jun gets it a few hours later... The most important thing for you right now is to rest and recover. Don't you understand the principle of sharpening the axe before chopping wood?"
Qin Li tried to pull his hand back.
How can a scholar with a refined mind compare to a warrior with a strong will?
Even though Qin Li was skilled with a bow and could draw a two-stone bow, his strength was greatly diminished in his current state. After a struggle between the two, Qin Li had no choice but to resign himself to his fate, reluctantly releasing his grip and letting the brush fall: "Zhao Dayi, can you let go of my hand now?"
Zhao Feng immediately released him.
Seeing the finger marks on his thin wrists, I felt guilty.
Qin Li pushed the piece of cloth with the drawing on it forward, then leaned back against the table, exhausted. A deep, tangled sorrow gripped his chest, making him feel as if he couldn't breathe. Seeing his agitation, Zhao Feng tactfully brought him a pipe and a tobacco pouch.
Qin Li: "..."
Zhao Feng was caught between holding it and putting it down.
He could only say, “Gongsu, I know you are worried about the people still in Tianhai and are eager to resolve the situation on the front lines, but the more this is the case, the less you should be anxious and lose your composure. Huang Lie and the others are not incompetent people who can be easily manipulated. Even with your scholarly assistance, they are not easy to kill! Besides, although Lord Wu’s recent behavior has been inappropriate, it is not enough to harm the elderly and weak.”
Their relatives are still safe in Tianhai.
Qin Li remained silent.
Zhao Feng seemed to be reassuring Qin Li, but also convincing himself: "The people Shen Jun sent are very reliable, and the Zhao family will be fine. My wife is brave and resourceful; as long as she learns about the situation at the front from Yun Yuanmou, she will understand what we mean. With her in charge in the rear, we won't give those Tianhai people another chance to cause trouble. Don't you know how capable my wife is?"
The "Little Zhao" that Zhao Feng mentioned was his subordinate.
The two were from the same village, so naturally they shared the same surname.
Qin Li said, "I've been feeling uneasy these past two days..."
He felt that something unexpected had happened, and after much thought, he could only conclude that the rear was out of his control. The two places were far apart, making letter delivery difficult to begin with, and with the comprehensive suppression they were facing, transmitting information became even more challenging.
He couldn't interfere with what happened behind the scenes.
Zhao Feng choked, then whispered, "Perhaps you've been using the ways of the scholar for days, and it's taken too much to handle, causing you to hallucinate?"
Wenxin, a scholar, had a keen intuition, and Qin Li was always adept at controlling his emotions, yet even he said he was uneasy... Could something really bad have happened? Zhao Feng was filled with apprehension; even the fact that his brothers had a way out couldn't put his mind at ease.
He wanted to ask something else, but two beeping sounds came from outside the tent.
It sounded like something was hitting the wood.
Zhao Feng's expression tightened, and he could only hurriedly take his leave.
Recently, many people have been keeping an eye on them, seemingly afraid that they might gather together and cause trouble. Every now and then, they send down some trivial patrols to keep their forces dispersed. Zhao Feng and his men are well aware of this and dare not act rashly.
As soon as he left, Qin Li looked at the cloth and picked up the pen.
The moon sets and the stars fade; the night ends and dawn breaks.
When Qin Li heard the faint sounds of soldiers training outside the tent, he suddenly realized that so much time had passed. The huge cloth was covered with mountains and rivers, and the number of enemy troops, the location of the camp, and the details of the military deployment were all presented.
He put down his pen, rubbing his sore and numb wrists as he carefully checked the paper again, only feeling relieved after confirming that everything was correct.
At this moment, the tent curtain was lifted.
The guards in the camp didn't even notice someone coming in.
Qin Li remained calm, lit a charcoal fire, and dried the ink stains on the cloth. Without even looking up, he said, "Shanxiao's scholarly way is really useful; he can come and go freely from allied camps."
Cui Xiao came to pick up something.
If Qin Li were to send someone to deliver it, it would be easy to expose a flaw.
Cui Xiaodao: "Finished painting in one night?"
Qin Li rose from the mat: "I'm afraid things might get complicated if I stay up too long."
Cui Xiao bent down and carefully folded the cloth, then put it into his sleeve.
He wasn't in a hurry to leave. He poured himself a cup of tea and said with a smile, "It seems that the lord has misunderstood that you have no feelings for her... Speaking of which, just what kind of extraordinary person is this Qi Yuanliang? That he can make you hate him so much, and yet the lord protects him so much?"
Knowing that Qin Li was outside last night, he still defended Qi Shan in his words, which made Cui Xiao even more curious and eager to see this wicked man who was only known by name but never seen in person.
When Cui Xiao met Qin Li and his companions, the latter's homeland had been destroyed, and two or three thousand people were wandering outside, trying to find a place to settle down. Cui Xiao was also wandering alone. The two sides hit it off immediately and decided to travel together.
Many years have passed in the blink of an eye.
Qin Li didn't pry into Cui Xiao's past, and Cui Xiao didn't actively dig into their history; they lived in relative peace. However, as their relationship deepened, he gradually learned that Qin Li had a formidable enemy!
Unfortunately, I never got to see it.
I never imagined we'd be working together one day.
Qin Li said, "He is not a good person."
Cui Xiao paused, holding his sword and fan, and said awkwardly, "If we're talking about 'good people' in the conventional sense, then we're not either."
Qin Li warned him, "Stay away from him to avoid misfortune."
This is a lesson learned in blood!
Cui Xiao smiled and said, "Okay, okay, I'll try my best."
He took the map back and went to meet his master.
It was lunchtime, so Shen Tang invited him to have breakfast with her and asked him about Qin Li's intentions. Even though Gu Chi said that Qin Li was just playing hard to get, Shen Tang was still very nervous before she actually got Qin Li.
Dining with the lord, familiarity breeds contempt. Cui Xiao also disregarded the rule of "not speaking while eating" and was quite talkative.
He even joked about Qin Li's matter.
Qin Li's grudge is nothing compared to this.
It's just that he was young and impetuous, and met a spoiled brat. He was actually fooled into being "afraid of ropes for ten years," which is really embarrassing.
Shen Tang: "..."
As if possessed, she asked Cui Xiao.
"Judging from Shanxiao's tone, it seems he also has enemies?"
Cui Xiao casually replied, "I've been away from home for many years, wandering aimlessly. Even if I treat everyone kindly, it's impossible for me to have no enemies. What scholar is without grudges?"
Shen Tang then asked, "Who are Shan Xiao's enemies?"
Cui Xiao joked, "Is my lord going to back me up?"
Shen Tang said, "It's not impossible."
Cui Xiao bowed and thanked him half-heartedly, then said, "I have too many enemies to remember them all, but there is one surnamed Qu that I have been looking for for many years. If I can find him, I will skin him alive and make him into a human skin drum, and beat it a few times every morning and evening."
Shen Tang: "...What's your surname?"
Cui Xiao fed him a spoonful of porridge: "His surname is Qu."
Shen Tang casually asked, "Which word?"
Cui Xiao replied, "The 'qu' in 'musical score'."
"Surname Qu? What's your given name?"
Cui Xiaodao: "Qu Tan."
Shen Tang: "???"
When she finally found out which characters they were, she instantly gave the same look as the old man on the subway: wait, why do these two characters look so familiar? Qu Tan? If you reverse them, isn't it Tan Qu?
Shen Tang suddenly felt that the porridge no longer tasted good.
He probed, "What grudge does Shanxiao have against this person?"
They actually went so far as to skin people to make drums?
Could it be a feud involving the murder of a wife and children?
But Cui Xiao also said that his wife and children were still alive, and that he would go south to find them, unless that was just an excuse he made up.
Cui Xiaogan paused in his rice-eating, his brow furrowing in displeasure.
Shen Tang cautiously probed, "Is it inconvenient to go into details?"
If we touch on the other party's sore spot, it will be difficult to find out anything. We'll have to ask Gu Chi to help us get some information out of Cui Xiao.
Cui Xiaodao: "There was no inconvenience. That was many years ago. In Xiao's homeland, years of war had led to a dwindling population. The royal court issued a law that any unmarried man of eighteen would be paraded through the streets and flogged, and any unmarried woman of fifteen would also be paraded through the streets and flogged, and would have to pay an extra poll tax. Xiao's family has a daughter who is fourteen years old, and in a few months she will be fifteen and come of age..."
The elderly father was so worried about his daughter's marriage that he was completely overwhelmed.
My daughter is very stubborn and hates being forced into marriage.
With her age approaching, Cui Xiao and her mother had to put the matter on the agenda. According to Cui Xiao, there wasn't enough time for a child husband, so they decided to choose a reliable student to marry their daughter. However, their daughter was dissatisfied with all the students Cui Xiao was happy with.
As the day drew closer, Cui Xiao's wife somehow snatched a strangely handsome young man.
Shen Tang didn't miss the key point: "Your Excellency... robbed?"
Cui Xiao said without changing his expression, "I forgot to tell you, my lord, my wife was a notorious bandit in that area. She started doing it in her father's generation. But after the war was over, she retired from the criminal life to make a living and stopped doing illegal things."
Shen Tang: "..."
Didn't do much and still managed to snatch a really good-looking boy?
Her eyes bluntly revealed everything, and Cui Xiao looked away.
What Shen Tang didn't know was that this was, to some extent, a family tradition—Cui Xiaoyuan was a farmer's son from a village at the foot of the bandit stronghold. His parents had both died, and as a young boy, he couldn't support himself. One day, overcome with hunger, he collapsed by the roadside and was rescued by an old woman. Seeing that he was decent-looking, the old woman took him back to be her adopted son-in-law.
The old man died while fighting with other bandits. He followed his father's will and married the old man's daughter, who later became his wife.
After their marriage, his wife continued to run the family business, but gradually changed professions as the situation stabilized. Cui Xiao, with the help of his wife's father-in-law, had attended school in his early years. Discovered to have a talent for cultivation, he studied diligently for many years and achieved mastery, opening a private school in a town at the foot of the mountain. The family lived a peaceful and harmonious life, and no one knew that this refined and gentle private tutor was the husband of a bandit leader.
Unexpectedly, for the sake of her daughter, the lady returned to her old profession.
Cui Xiaoran vehemently disagreed; it was too frivolous!
Who is worthy of our precious daughter?
The person who stole it is unreliable; won't this ruin my daughter's life?
The lady sneered, "It's just a marriage. We can go through the proper channels at the government office and then get a divorce. If he's of decent character, we'll keep him; if not, we'll deal with him secretly. I've investigated; he's from another country and has no connections or support here."
Cui Xiao still disagreed.
He took a liking to one of his students.
Even if one is not particularly talented and has an ordinary appearance, looks can't put food on the table. As long as one has good character, a gentle personality, and can tolerate one's troublesome child, that is the right way!
The lady insisted, but Cui Xiao objected.
But in the end, it was the daughter who made the final decision.
The daughter said shyly, "This person is strangely handsome."
Cui Xiao was furious.
Although it's said that one's appearance reflects their inner state, this young man was different. He possessed a gentle, tender face, yet his eyes held an inescapable chilling ruthlessness. Cui Xiao knew at a glance that he was no good match for his daughter; if she were to marry him, she didn't know how she would die!
But my daughter happens to like it very much.
They treated Cui Xiao like a thief because of the boy. Cui Xiao could only drive the boy out when the mother and daughter were not at home.
Of course, Cui Xiao didn't do it that bluntly.
He simply told the boy that the mother and daughter were both notorious bandits who had kidnapped him to take him as a male concubine, and that he had rescued him out of compassion. The boy looked at him silently, without saying a word, but accepted the travel money. Cui Xiao thought the matter was settled.
Unexpectedly, we ran into each other again in less than a month.
This place is the fiefdom of a certain vassal king, and the young man became that vassal king's subordinate, while Cui Xiao secretly served the king as well.
The boy introduced himself as Qu, with the given name Tan.
Cui Xiao sighed, “I suspected this boy would cause trouble, but I never expected this day to come so soon. This young man is ostensibly serving the vassal king, but in reality he is here to investigate evidence of the vassal king’s rebellion. The village was destroyed due to the war, and the lady broke off with Xiao due to some issues and left with several children. The daughter was injured and ran away from home, and Xiao also left his hometown.”
Shen Tang: "..."
Although Cui Xiao was vague about some information, judging from his wife's angry break with him, he probably didn't act like a decent person in this matter either. However, none of that matters. What matters is—is this Qu Tan really Tan Qu?
(╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
It absolutely cannot be Qi Yuanliang again!
Shen Tang rubbed her temples in exasperation.
She remembered that once, Qi Shan had given up and simply handed her a list of enemies, mocking her by saying she should just recruit talent from that list. Thinking back, there wasn't a single person named Cui Xiao on it. So—were these all just coincidences?
Unsure, please confirm.
"Good filial piety."
Cui Xiao had finished his meal: "Please speak, my lord."
"Isn't Cui Xiao your real name?"
Cui Xiao laughed and said, "Xiao previously said that he has many enemies, so of course he wouldn't use his real name when traveling. This is an alias. But after using it for many years, it's no different from his real name."
Shen Tang: "..."
No, she still secretly wrote a letter to ask Qi Shan if he had offended a scholar who always carried a sword and fan when he was young, and whether he had mistreated his daughter!
|ω`)
This was the starting point of Cui Xiao's evil scheme; afterwards, he went around wandering around under the guise of Qi Shan.
PS: Qi Shan: These aren't enemies; these are all connections that Shan has built for Lord. (Pointing and pointing JPG)
PPS: Qishan: My lord loves me deeply and has helped me gather all my scattered enemies from all corners of the world. (Despairing JPG)
(End of this chapter)
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