After a long and awkward journey back to the General's Mansion, Li Chang'an finally breathed a long sigh of relief.
Only Li Changsheng was carefree, eating, drinking, and having fun the whole way. When it was time to leave, he was very reluctant to go back. When he arrived at the General's Mansion, he kept asking Feng Beichuan to come and take him out to play again next time.
The next day, Li Chang'an left the mansion early in the morning to check on Deputy General Sun and the others at the villa. Before leaving, he instructed Li Changsheng to stay in the courtyard and read and write, as he would check on him when he returned in the evening.
Originally, Li Changsheng wanted to go out with Li Chang'an, but he was resolutely refused. In the end, he could only pick up his book in a sullen mood.
"I'm telling you, don't try to sneak out to play after I leave. If you fail my test when I come back, you'll have to copy everything in that book ten times!"
Before leaving, Li Chang'an didn't forget to make a threat.
Li Changsheng had no choice but to reluctantly start flipping through the book. Although he was very dissatisfied, he dared not say anything more, after all, he did not want to copy the book.
Li Chang'an rode his horse all the way to the villa.
Because it had been a long time since they had seen Vice Commander Sun and the other soldiers, they gathered together and chatted about many things.
Upon learning that Li Chang'an now had so many talented individuals under his command, everyone was greatly encouraged, saying that this was like adding wings to a tiger.
"Our general is truly remarkable; he's only just returned to the capital and people are already coming to see him."
Sun Fujiang's face beamed with joy, and his words were filled with undisguised pride.
Immediately afterward, the other soldiers nodded in agreement, and then one after another praised their general.
Li Chang'an felt a little embarrassed, because he could only say that he benefited from Feng Beichuan's help and owed him a huge favor. How could he be worthy of such praise?
"You're all being too kind. Actually... those people were all introduced by Feng Beichuan. They were originally Feng Beichuan's men."
After considering for a moment, Li Chang'an finally confessed the whole story.
Everyone was completely taken aback by the truth, and immediately fell silent, creating an awkward atmosphere.
Vice General Sun, however, raised an eyebrow, slammed his hand on the table, and said confidently, "So what? Our general is so capable, how could he not be worthy of it? There's a saying that goes, 'What good birds and wood, what nonsense!' In my opinion, those people are actually benefiting from our general's fame!"
"Yes, yes, Vice General Sun is right!"
After hearing these bold words, all the soldiers nodded in agreement.
"That's called choosing a good tree to perch on. Deputy General Sun, I think you should also read more books in addition to practicing martial arts every day."
Li Chang'an couldn't help but make a joke, feeling both helpless and amused, but mostly warm inside.
When I'm with the soldiers, I feel a real sense of closeness, like being with family. Over the past few years, they've not only fought side by side on the battlefield, but they've also brought me a lot of joy and comfort.
Especially Vice General Sun, because of his age, he was more like an older brother to Li Chang'an than just a vice general.
Li Chang'an felt that coming here and gaining such a group of good brothers and experiencing so much rare camaraderie was already enough.
"But then again, that guy surnamed Feng did do a good deed. But now I'll have to change how I address him when we meet again. I'm so used to calling him a 'dog thief' that I don't even know what to call him anymore..."
Deputy General Sun started talking again to warm up the atmosphere, and the other soldiers couldn't help but burst into laughter.
But Li Chang'an remained remarkably calm, not responding to him with a single word, his face always appearing indifferent.
"By the way, General, why didn't that guy surnamed Feng come with you today?"
Deputy General Sun naturally didn't know what had happened between Li Chang'an and Feng Beichuan, so he casually asked a question.
After all, in everyone's eyes, Feng Beichuan was always like an unshakeable tail following Li Chang'an, and people gradually got used to it after seeing it so often.
"I don't know. Alright, show me the results of your recent training! And then review the formation with me."
Li Chang'an frowned slightly, then changed the subject.
Although he was somewhat surprised, Vice General Sun always understood Li Chang'an's thoughts, so he didn't ask any more questions. He then ordered the soldiers to go to the open space of the villa to practice their recent training.
After the drill, Li Chang'an patiently provided further guidance.
It was around noon by then, so Deputy General Sun told everyone to light the stove and cook.
By the time they returned to the general's mansion, it was nearly evening.
Standing at the entrance of the General's Mansion and gazing at the magnificent twilight on the horizon, Li Chang'an felt an extraordinary sense of peace and refreshment.
He walked into his own courtyard but did not see Li Changsheng.
Did this kid run away again?
Li Chang'an quickened his pace and walked into Li Changsheng's room, only to find it dark and empty.
She then went into her room and found a tiny person curled up on the table by the window.
"Chang Sheng?"
Li Chang'an walked over, patted the child's shoulder, and called out softly.
"Hmm? Royal sister, you're back..."
Li Changsheng, who was slumped over the table in a daze, groggily raised his head and said weakly while rubbing his eyes.
"If you're sleepy, go back to bed and sleep. Why are you lying here?"
As he spoke, Li Chang'an couldn't help but reach out and touch Li Changsheng's little face, then got up and lit the lamp.
The room lights then came on, and Li Chang'an couldn't help but feel surprised when he saw Li Changsheng's pitiful appearance.
I've only been gone for half a day, how did this child become like this? He's clearly lost his usual energetic self.
"What's wrong? Are you sick?"
Li Chang'an couldn't help but worry, so she reached out and touched Li Changsheng's forehead again. Fortunately, it felt cool to the touch, so she was relieved a little.
"I'm so hungry..."
As he spoke, Li Changsheng's stomach began to rumble.
Haven't you eaten?
He roughly calculated that there were at most two hours left until lunchtime. Moreover, the maids in the small kitchen would bring him some pastries and other snacks in the afternoon, so under normal circumstances, he would not go hungry at all.
Li Changsheng felt wronged whenever this was mentioned, and he shook his head with tears in his eyes: "No..."
Li Chang'an frowned and asked, "Why aren't you eating?"
After saying that, she got up and called a maid who was guarding outside to bring her some food.
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