Chapter 379: Marquis Xu was defeated??? [Thank you! Thank you again! Owed]

Just after Qixi,

Guizhou, the seat of government of Guangnanxi Circuit,

The afterglow of the sunset disappeared on the horizon.

In Guizhou City,

Beside a fairly lively and prosperous street,

There was a two-story restaurant, and a large plaque was hung at the main entrance of the restaurant, with the three characters "Sai Fanlou" engraved on it.

Under the wine flag in front of Sai Fanlou,

A very robust young man was curiously looking at the entrance of a wealthy family diagonally opposite the restaurant.

Someone was carrying thick bamboo poles out of the entrance, preparing to put them on an ox cart and pull them away.

At this time,

A man with a square face, thick eyebrows and small eyes, and as robust as this young man, walked out of Sai Fanlou: "Little Duan, did you see anyone?"

The young man shook his head: "Brother Shen, I didn't see anyone!"

"Then what were you looking at just now? So fascinated?"

Little Duan pointed to the entrance of the wealthy family and said: "Brother Shen, what do you say such thick bamboo poles are used for?"

That "Brother Shen" thought for a while and said: "Perhaps this family is using them to build a Qiqiao building!"

Hearing this, Little Duan's eyes lit up: "Hey, that's really possible! Brother Shen, how did you think of that?"

That "Brother Shen" didn't know what he thought of, and a happy smile appeared on his face:

"How did I think of it? Before in Yuzhou, your sister-in-law Zou and little sister would worship every Qixi! I was often called by your sister-in-law to build that thing!"

Little Duan nodded and looked into the distance:

"Brother Shen, do you think that Little Earl Xiong will come to us? I heard that there are quite a few people in Guizhou City who want to invite him!"

That "Brother Shen" hesitated: "He should be coming, if he wasn't, he would have refused long ago!"

Little Duan replied: "But this... the sky is about to get dark, and I haven't seen a shadow! Brother Shen, you say that if we and Old Geng went to the Marquis of Tuoxi or the Marquis of Yongyi's command, and fought with real swords and guns, why would we have to suffer this kind of anger!"

"I heard people say that the guy surnamed Guo beside this Little Earl Xiong, his clan brothers are under the Marquis of Yongyi, and in less than a year, he has been promoted to a deputy commander of a battalion!"

That "Brother Shen" sighed: "Who says it isn't! But your sister-in-law asked me, saying that although it is easy to make contributions under these two Marquises, how many people will die when attacking cities and fighting in the field?"

Little Duan was embarrassed.

"We are now using my brother-in-law's clan status to seek a military position of recruiting and training troops here, which is already not bad! And..."

"Brother Shen" looked around, seeing no outsiders, and continued: "And Ce Ying wrote to me two days ago, saying that the Emperor intends to expand a few armies in Guizhou, we can build a good relationship with this Little Earl Xiong, maybe we can go under the Xie Zijue in the future and be a commander!"

Little Duan: "Ah? Xie Zijue? Brother Shen, you say that, is the god standing behind this Little Earl the Xie family? But one is an Earl, one is a Xie Zijue..."

"Brother Shen" shook his head: "Ce Ying said in the letter that this Little Earl is engaged to the third daughter of the Xie Zijue family, and will be the brother-in-law of the Marquis of Yongyi's heir in the future. The Xie Zijue's own sister married a descendant of the Zheng family of the Marquis of Zhongjing."

Little Duan nodded: "The Xu family is also an in-law with the Gu family... no wonder before the banquet, the sons of the Guangnanxi Circuit Commander, Magistrate, and other families all came."

That "Brother Shen" continued: "Not only this, Old Geng said that when he invited the people beside the Little Earl to drink, he heard that they also visited the mansion of Lord Wu of Huainan Circuit and Lord Shen of Jinghunan Circuit on the way!"

"Brother Shen, before we left, the regiment leader said that the Xie Zijue once helped Lord Shen! What relationship does this Lord Wu have with this Little Earl?"

"Lord Wu's brother serves in the Ministry of Revenue, and his sister, Da Niangzi Wu, is the Da Niangzi of the Marquis of Yongchang, perhaps they have some relatives we don't know about! Look, people are here! Call Old Geng down!"

Hearing this, Little Duan hurriedly

Xiong Yan and several others arrived at the entrance of Sai Fan Lou and dismounted.

That "Brother Shen" brought two men over with a smile, cupped his hands, and said, "Your subordinate, Shen Congxing."

Little Duan: "Your subordinate, Duan Chengqian."

Old Geng, who was the last to come down, said: "Your subordinate, Geng Jiechuan."

"Greetings, Little Marquis!"

Just as the three were about to bow, Xiong Yan hurriedly stepped forward, supported Shen Congxing's arm, and said:

"Brother Shen's sister is married to the Yuzhou Zhao Training Commissioner, making you imperial kin! This young one cannot accept such a bow from you, brother!"

Xiong Yan looked at the three sturdy men and added: "I was just entertaining some business managers from the families of several elders in the capital, which kept you all waiting. I will drink to apologize later."

Shen Congxing waved his hand and said with a smile: "Little Marquis, you speak too solemnly! Your presence alone brings honor to us! Please, go upstairs!"

"After you."

As Shen Congxing and Xiong Yan talked, Old Geng and Little Duan entertained Guo Zhui, Yu Zhi, and the others, walking toward the upper floor.

The group took their seats in a private room on the second floor facing the street, and the table was filled with local delicacies from Guizhou and dishes imitating those of the Bianjing Fan Lou.

Amidst the clinking of cups, Shen Congxing set down his wine cup and said:

"Little Marquis, what you said is correct! In this Guangnan West Circuit, apart from the Imperial Guard under the command of Xie Zijue Xie, the most capable fighters are the four thousand barbarian troops under Nong Jing'an, the Training Commissioner of Tianzhou."

"Since the Lantern Festival this year, in several skirmishes with Jiaozhi, Xie Zijue Xie and Training Commissioner Nong have cooperated well and won quite a few victories!"

Xiong Yan nodded and pondered for a moment before saying: "I heard that this Tianzhou Training Commissioner has married several wives?"

Geng Jiechuan, who had a 'tigress' at home, said with a hint of envy in his tone: "The Little Marquis is right. I heard those wives are all daughters or sisters of barbarian chieftains around Tianzhou! Tsk~"

Xiong Yan looked at Old Geng's expression and smiled slightly: "Brother Shen, I also heard that Nong Jing'an has two sisters married into the Prince Yong's mansion?"

"Yes, Prince Yong has many descendants! The two younger brothers of the Prince Yong's heir have each taken one as a concubine."

"So it seems Prince Yong has indeed gained some influence here in the Guangnan West Circuit."

Shen Congxing said: "According to my nephew, this is a matter of necessity! With the war in the north against the Bai Gao Kingdom raging and Jiaozhi in the south repeatedly violating the border, Prince Yong forming marriage alliances with them is beneficial to our Great Zhou."

Xiong Yan nodded and said: "Brother Shen is right."

Looking at Xiong Yan's young face after he had drunk, Shen Congxing thought of the letter from his nephew Zhao Ceying, gritted his teeth, and said:

"In the south, Xie Zijue Xie and Training Commissioner Nong face Jiaozhi directly, while we recruit and train troops in Guizhou to help Prince Yong guard against all kinds of situations—it is better to be prepared!"

"After all, Guizhou is a vital land and water hub for moving north into the Central Plains from the Guangnan West Circuit."

Hearing this, Xiong Yan raised his wine cup, his eyes much warmer as he said: "Brother Shen, well said! Cheers!"

Looking into Xiong Yan's eyes, Shen Congxing understood a few things and hurriedly raised his cup.

After finishing a cup, Xiong Yan saw Little Duan looking at the large Gao sword in the hands of the Xiong family servant and waved his hand: "Let Brother Little Duan take a look!"

Duan Chengqian was stunned, then hurriedly stood up and raised his cup: "Many thanks, Little Marquis!"

Old Geng and Little Duan admired the large Gao sword.

Xiong Yan then told Shen Congxing about the origin of this large Gao sword.

Shen Congxing held his wine cup, and after hearing Xiong Yan's words, his eyes were filled with memories as he said: "The Xu family's fifth son, Jing Ge'er? I remember when the Emperor celebrated his birthday years ago, my nephew went to the palace to offer congratulations and was bullied by the Prince Yong's heir; it was Jing Ge'er and the Gu family's second son who helped him out of the predicament!"

Xiong Yan was stunned: "Oh? There is such a thing!"

"Indeed! It's a pity that my brother-in-law, fearing that the remonstrance officials would accuse him of colluding with noble military officials, hasn't let my nephew visit the young masters of those two families in all these years."

Xiong Yan said: "Magistrate Zhao is truly self-disciplined and keeps to his duties! His Majesty and the Empress have praised him many times!"

Hearing this, Shen Congxing raised his cup somewhat embarrassedly: "The Little Marquis is right!"

After they had eaten and drunk their fill,

Xiong Yan went downstairs with Shen Congxing.

Before parting, Xiong Yan said: "Brother Shen and the brothers are all accustomed to serving under Training Commissioner Zhao. In the future, I will have to trouble you all often regarding matters in Guizhou."

Little Duan and Old Geng looked at each other happily, then cupped their hands together with Shen Congxing in front: "Many thanks, Little Marquis!"

After saying goodbye, watching Xiong Yan ride away, Geng Jiechuan came to Shen Congxing's side and said: "Old Shen, this Xiong family young master is only twenty years old, but he has quite a lot of poise for his age."

Shen Congxing nodded: "My wife says that Bianjing is never short of tigers and wolves, nor is it short of shrewd people. To be chosen to come here, how could he not have extraordinary qualities?"

"This Little Marquis naturally acts this way in front of us! If he were in front of noble children of equal status, he might act in an entirely different way!"

Little Duan said from the side: "What Sister-in-law Zou says is always reasonable."

Shen Congxing patted Little Duan's shoulder, and the three left the place laughing and talking.

In the middle of the seventh month,

As the Ghost Festival approached,

The streets of Bianjing were filled with many merchants selling all kinds of funerary items; the shelves were stocked with various daily necessities made of colored paper, including clothes, shoes, and hats, among others.

Two quarters past the Wei hour (after 1:30 PM)

East of the Imperial City,

In the streets and alleys near the palace walls,

The Chai family,

Autumn Sound Garden,

In the inner hall, Fuyi stood by the desk looking at Chai Zhengzheng, who was sitting in a chair: "Miss, do you have anything to add or remove from the things I mentioned?"

Chai Zhengzheng looked down at the account book in front of her and said in a low voice: "Buy some peaches as offerings, and buy a few wooden combs to burn for Qingxue and the others; as for the rest, just buy them as you said."

"Yes, Miss!"

After Fuyi left the desk, Chai Zhengzheng took a deep breath, dispelled the sorrow in her mind, and continued to look at the account books of the shops under her name.

"Clatter."

The bead curtain hanging in the middle of the hall's partition was lifted, and Miss Yun Mu walked over in a hurry.

After Chai Zhengzheng looked up, she put down the brush in her hand and said in a deep voice: "What's the matter? Why are you in such a rush?"

Miss Yun Mu came to Chai Zhengzheng and said urgently: "Miss, just now when I went to the shop where Miss Wei is, I heard a guest say, say..."

"Hmm? Say what?"

"A guest said that the Marquis Yongyi was defeated by the Bai Gao Kingdom's garrison commander outside the Keyi Gate pass of the Bai Gao Kingdom!"

"What!!!"

Chai Zhengzheng's eyes widened, she stood up abruptly, frowned, and said urgently: "Defeated? Is the Marquis Yongyi alright?"

Then she added: "How could this happen..."

Miss Yun Mu sighed: "They say that because the Marquis Yongyi was too arrogant after successive great victories, he led his troops directly outside the Keyi Gate to form battle lines, and as a result..."

"Before the Marquis Yongyi could finish forming his lines, the Bai Gao Kingdom's garrison commander took advantage of the terrain and used the Iron Kites to throw his formation into chaos while they were rested and he was exhausted! Many people were lost!"

"I heard the Marquis Yongyi was also injured."

Chai Zhengzheng: "Is the injury serious?"

Miss Yun Mu shook her head: "I didn't hear that."

Chai Zhengzheng exhaled and sat back in her chair with a solemn expression, saying: "The Marquis Yongyi had great merit for conquering the Houqu region before! This kind of setback shouldn't be anything major."

"Miss Yun Mu, have you found out when this happened?"

Miss Yun Mu frowned and shook her head slightly from the side:

"Miss, I rushed back as soon as I heard the news, I haven't had time to find out! I only heard that when the Emperor attended the morning court today, his expression was very bad! I don't think it's as simple as you say, Miss."

Chai Zhengzheng frowned at Miss Yun Mu: "Why?"

Miss Yun Mu said: "Miss, because during the morning court today, there were officials who impeached the Marquis Yongyi for this matter! They petitioned the Emperor to recall the Marquis Yongyi from the north to face punishment! Others said that an experienced and steady veteran noble should be sent to take charge of the matter!"

Chai Zhengzheng: "Who should be sent?"

Miss Yun Mu: "I heard some say the Duke of Anguo should be sent, some say the Duke of Ling should be invited out of retirement, and others say the Duke of Han is capable."

Chai Zhengzheng shook her head and said: "How old are these people!"

"Miss is right! During the morning court, the Marquis of Zhongshan and the Marquis of Jinxiang both recommended themselves, but it seems the Emperor didn't show much reaction."

"Miss Yun Mu, what about the Marquis of Xiangyang? Did he recommend himself, or did the Emperor mention the Marquis of Xiangyang?"

"I didn't hear the Marquis of Xiangyang mentioned!"

Hearing this, Chai Zhengzheng's eyes were filled with thought, and she slowly sat back in her seat.

The Rong family,

At the entrance of Returning Snow Garden,

Rong Xian, who had finished his shift, was wearing a set of Imperial Guard armor and was peeking into the garden.

Hearing his sister inside the room say "Take care, Mama," Rong Xian hurriedly walked a few steps outside the garden and hid to the side.

Peeking at the figure of Kong Mama, whose hair was neatly arranged and whose face was stern, disappear around the moon gate planted with flowers, Rong Xian then walked out slowly, straightened his helmet, and walked into Returning Snow Garden.

"The Young Master is here!" a little maid shouted at the entrance.

Rong Xian lowered his head and walked through the gauze curtain lifted by the little maid, took off his helmet, sat in a chair to the side, and said: "Sister, why did you call me here in such a rush? What's the matter?"

Rong Feiyan turned her back, took a duster to brush the hanging painting on the wall, while the maid Seeing Xi Bu walked out and called all the little maids in the room away.

After Seeing Xi Bu left the room,

Rong Feiyan turned around, bit her lower lip, and said: "Brother, has anyone from the Duke of Consort Fu Guo's family been blocking you these past two days?"

Rong Xian curled his lips and said: "With someone as handsome and dashing as your brother, the Dou family naturally won't give up easily. Why are you concerned about me today?"

Rong Feiyan nodded at Ningxiang, and the maid Ningxiang understood and went to the room to the side to bring out a small wooden box.

Watching the small wooden box being placed on the table, Rong Feiyan said: "Brother, you know about the Marquis Yongyi Xu family's matter today, right!"

Rong Xian glanced at the small wooden box and nodded indifferently: "You mean the Marquis Yongyi losing a battle?"

Rong Feiyan looked at Rong Xian with a solemn expression: "Yes!"

Rong Xian said: "I know, victory and defeat are common in military affairs, it's no big deal!"

Rong Feiyan frowned and said: "But, I heard from the maid that it's spreading like wildfire outside, saying the Emperor wants to punish the Marquis Yongyi."

Rong Xian glanced at his sister, then at the wooden box on the table, and said hesitantly: "Sister, you aren't going to dock your brother's pocket money because of the Xu family's trouble, are you?"

Rong Feiyan said angrily: "Brother, I'm talking about serious business! Why are you still thinking about your pocket money?"

Rong Xian shook his head, took a sip of the cold tea handed to him by Ningxiang, and said: "A little girl in the inner chambers, what do you know?"

Rong Feiyan: "Brother, what do I know? What don't I know!"

Rong Xian curled his lips in a noncommittal manner.

Looking at Rong Xian's appearance, Rong Feiyan said: "Brother, if you can give me a reason, I... I'll make up your pocket money for this month!"

(End of chapter)