Inside the gambling den.
Song Lin was pinned down on a bench by several burly men.
He struggled desperately, his face flushed from being drunk, and his body trembling with fear.
"Let me go, you bastards! My mother is coming to save me soon, and then you'll be sorry!"
"My mother, she's a noblewoman! She won't let you get away with this... Ah!"
Before he could finish speaking, he received a hard slap across the face.
"Stubborn coward!"
The gambling den owner said with disgust.
"It's been half an hour, and still no one has come to rescue you. You know the rules here..."
"If you can't pay back seven hundred taels of silver, you'll have to pay with your finger!"
Upon hearing the sound, the burly man stepped forward, a gleaming kitchen knife in his hand, and raised his hand to chop at Song Lin's wrist.
Song Lin was so frightened that his soul almost left his body, and his lower body became wet, even soaking his private parts.
"Don't touch me! Please..."
He wailed, the gentle face of Jiang Wan from the past appearing before his eyes, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
"My mother will definitely come. She... she jumped off a cliff for me, she was willing to risk her life, please..."
A sharp blade slashed his wrist, and blood gushed out.
Just when Song Lin thought his hand was about to break, a hurried shout came from the doorway: "Stop!"
Song Lin suddenly looked up, gazing at him expectantly.
However, the person who came disappointed him.
"Father, Father?"
Song Ziyu strode in, his face ashen.
He ordered his men to settle the accounts, paid seven hundred taels, and redeemed Song Lin.
It was already past midnight when they brought the person back to the main courtyard.
Gu Yurong was so frightened when she saw the injured Song Lin that she cried out and quickly called a doctor to bandage him.
Fortunately, the knife wound was not deep and did not damage the bones or tendons.
If it had gone in just half an inch deeper, Song Lin's right hand would have been completely ruined.
"Drinking in a gambling den and refusing to pay back debts, what kind of behavior is that? If word gets out, you'll bring shame to the General's Mansion!" Song Ziyu said angrily.
Gu Yurong said with heartache, "General, please don't mention Lin'er, he's so badly injured..."
"He's so useless because you spoil him!"
In a fit of anger, Song Ziyu blurted out.
“Even that vicious woman Jiang Wan was able to raise Song Yu to be outstanding, but you…you should also discipline your son properly!”
"General, are you saying that our son is inferior to that little bastard?"
Gu Yurong was hit where it hurt and became agitated.
"If my mother hadn't taken Lin'er away, how could I have been unable to take care of him and let him suffer like this?"
"Arong, that's not what I meant."
Song Ziyu sighed.
"How about this, I'll talk to Mother and ask you to raise Lin'er yourself."
"The spring hunt is approaching. You should teach him manners these next few days and make sure he doesn't cause any more trouble."
He pointed to the guards standing at the door.
“His name is Shen Ci. He is highly skilled in martial arts. I plan to have him teach Lin’er martial arts so that he can make a name for himself in the spring hunt.”
"Yes, I'll do whatever you say."
Gu Yurong felt much better.
Seeing that Song Ziyu had calmed down, she smiled and stepped forward, gently probing him.
"Ayu, regarding the matter of the imperial merchants, could you...?"
"The matter has been settled, and even His Highness the Crown Prince has given it his approval. In his delight, the Crown Prince might recommend me to take charge of the patrol battalion, which is a major event for the Song family."
Song Ziyu gently advised.
"Let's not talk about the imperial merchants anymore. It doesn't matter if the Gu family earns a few thousand taels less. You are my wife, how could I mistreat you?"
Several thousand taels?
Gu Yurong's face stiffened.
Military supplies are already highly profitable, and with the Gu family using inferior goods and other tricks, they can earn ten times their initial investment every year.
However, these things must absolutely not be known to Song Ziyu.
She could only force a smile and grit her teeth as she said, "...Okay, I'll listen to my husband."
Song Ziyu was very satisfied and turned to go to his study.
As soon as he turned around, Gu Yurong's face darkened.
"Madam, the general disagrees, you'd better not..."
"No! I must reclaim the Imperial Merchant status for the Gu family!"
Gu Yurong took a deep breath and pulled a letter from the bottom of her makeup box.
“It’s better to rely on yourself than on others. Go and reply to her, and tell her that I’m willing to cooperate with her.”
The maidservant exclaimed in surprise, "But the medicine she mentioned..."
“That secret medicine is indeed rare, but that’s also what makes it so powerful. Ordinary people simply can’t resist it! I will have my parents search the martial arts world for the medicine at great expense.”
Gu Yurong said viciously.
"I refuse to believe that Jiang Wan will be so lucky this time!"
…
Two days had passed before Jiang Wan received Shen Ci's message.
Biluo was somewhat worried: "Guard Shen's martial arts skills are so good, wouldn't it be... to have him teach Song Lin martial arts?"
“Song Lin is used to being arrogant and extravagant. He can’t endure the hardships of martial arts training and won’t last more than a few days.”
Jiang Wan didn't take it to heart.
And it turned out just as she expected.
Half a month later, when Song Lin was seen at Cuizhu Hall, he still looked like he hadn't warmed up yet.
Under Gu Yurong's supervision, he dared not go to restaurants or gambling dens anymore, and could only sit in teahouses at most.
Today, when I came to pay my respects to the Zhou family, they specially told me a story about "a general who returned from a western expedition and made outstanding military achievements".
It is said that this is the most popular storybook in Beijing right now.
Zhou smiled broadly upon hearing this.
"Good! Our family of military generals should hear stories like this! Lin'er, you must strive to be a great general like your father in the future!"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Wan nearly spat out the tea in her mouth.
The Zhou family is truly foolish.
As the descendant of a military general, he felt no sense of crisis about being "discarded after the hunt," and even applauded the move.
She chuckled softly: "If Mother likes this story, why not have a stage set up in the backyard of the General's Mansion and have someone perform it for a few days?"
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