Chapter 63

Xu Zaijing was quick-eyed and fast-handed, supporting his mother.

On the other side, Xie also stood behind her mother-in-law.

Seeing the white cloth strip, Xu Zaijing's heart was also flustered, but he soon calmed down because the manager's expression did not look like something major had happened.

'It's not Father.'

So he said beside Madam Sun: "Mother, rest assured. If Father really had an accident, the mansion's manager could not be so calm."

With one sentence, Madam Sun was like emerging from the water, finally able to breathe. She took a few big breaths and said: "What happened?"

The manager came to the second gate where Madam Sun and the others were standing. The youth with the white cloth strip behind him also knelt down and kowtowed heavily.

"Madam, the brother-in-law of the Zhu family in Xiangzhou has passed away."

Madam Sun instantly didn't know what to do. Just now, she thought her own Marquis had an accident.

As a result, the manager said it wasn't the Marquis, but a relative who had an accident.

"Fifth Young Master, help your cousin up."

"Brother Hu, get up. Let's go inside and talk."

"Yes, Aunt."

Before Madam Sun married into the Xu family, Xu Minghua had an elder sister who married into the Zhu family of the founding Xie Zijue.

The successive heads of the Zhu family were determined to carry forward the family, and the men in the family mostly joined the army to achieve merit, seldom taking the civil official route.

When the late Emperor was on the throne, the Zhu family's descendants had already reached the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Tokyo Imperial Guards.

It is a pity that the Zhu family walked too close to the collateral descendants of the Imperial Noble Consort Xiao's family and was involved in the case of harming the Empress at that time. Fortunately, the involvement was not great, but their official positions were stripped from top to bottom, and their military connections were lost in one day.

Only a dry Xie Zijue title was left.

Each emperor has his own courtiers; the current Emperor is the youngest son of the late Empress, and the Zhu family had even less hope of rising.

Without a backer in the court, the Zhu family declined rapidly, and the descendants had no prospects.

Later, the current Emperor was magnanimous and reinstated many nobles who had been wronged before. Fortunately, a few years ago, they requested to marry the eldest daughter of the Yongyi Hou family. Although her upbringing was lacking, it was better than marrying into a commoner's family.

The Yongyi Hou also slowly improved with the help of the Cao family.

The Zhu family also followed and rose in the court.

Xu Minghua entered the Western Army and stood firm, pulling the Zhu family's eldest brother-in-law into the Western Army, starting from the personal guard, and later becoming a Battalion Commander. His son, Zhu Qinghu, also entered the Western Army, serving as a leader under his own father.

Zhu Qinghu sat in the main hall. Through Madam Sun's questioning, Xu Zaijing also sorted out the course of events.

Before, when the Bai Gao Kingdom invaded Lingzhou, the forward fortresses were all silently wiped out by the Bai Gao Kingdom.

It was Xu Zaijing's eldest brother-in-law who discovered the enemy situation in time and sent Zhu Qinghu, who had the best horsemanship, with a team of people to report the military situation.

He led a battalion of less than five hundred soldiers to block the Bai Gao Kingdom's military edge by relying on the terrain.

Six hours later.

A battalion of soldiers, all gone.

Zhu Qinghu was also highly skilled; with five feathered arrows stuck in his body, he forcibly broke out of the encirclement of the Bai Gao Kingdom's scouts.

A team of fifty comrades, only seven survived.

Fortunately, they brought out the enemy situation.

This gave the Great Zhou army time to react. Xu Zaijing's brother-in-law established military merit with his own life, and Xu Minghua was also commended by the imperial court; after all, he was a military officer promoted under the Xu family's banner.

Because the military situation was urgent, Xu Minghua could not return to Bianjing and only let Zhu Qinghu return to his hometown and Bianjing to report the funeral.

"Brother Hu, is your mother well?"

"She was fine when I came; she didn't cry or make a scene, and is preparing to build a cenotaph for my father."

Madam Sun: "Not crying or making a scene—this is bottling things up in her heart. You must not be negligent."

"Yes, Aunt."

"Are there any other families in the capital that need to be notified of the funeral? Let your cousin Jing go for you."

"Aunt, the Hou Fu is the only relative in the capital; there are no others."

"Then you can rest at home tonight, and I will return to Xiangzhou with you the day after tomorrow."

In the afternoon, Xu Zaiduan and Xu Zaizhang, who had returned to the courtyard, met Zhu Qinghu.

Hearing that the familiar eldest brother-in-law had passed away, both of them had eyes full of tears.

At that time, the Xu family had not yet risen, and the Zhu family brother-in-law would often bring many things to them.

On the contrary, the Zhu family brother-in-law went to the Western Army before Xu Zaijing was sensible, so they had fewer dealings.

Zhu Qinghu stayed in the Hou Fu that night.

The next day, before dawn, Zhu Qinghu's ears moved, and he woke up instantly.

He got up, put on his clothes, and walked out the door. The sound that woke him had already gone far away.

Zhu Qinghu, who was awakened, could not sleep either, so he got up and followed.

A little light in the distance.

Soon Zhu Qinghu saw the somewhat wide horse racing track.

Two black shadows on the field were fighting, retreating and advancing, which made Zhu Qinghu's heart tighten, but seeing the maid in the distance not reacting at all.

His mind turned quickly, knowing that this was someone practicing in the morning.

Walking closer, Zhu Qinghu saw clearly that the person in the field was his youngest cousin.

Qingyun also discovered Zhu Qinghu, and the two stopped. Qingyun bowed and said: "Jing Jing Biao Ge."

"Jing Jing Biao Ge."

"Are you practicing with knives and shields?"

"Yes, Jing Jing Biao Ge."

"Come, let's spar."

Qingyun saw his young master nod, so he took off the equipment on his body, saying while taking it off,

"Jing Jing Biao Ge, my young master's strength is a bit great; you must be careful."

"Alright."

Soon, Zhu Qinghu and Xu Zaijing stood on the field.

Both were holding a knife in one hand and a shield in the other, and began to confront each other slowly.

Zhu Qinghu looked at Xu Zaijing's pace. When Xu Zaijing's foot was about to be lifted, Zhu Qinghu slashed over fiercely with his knife.

Clang!

The knife in Zhu Qinghu's hand was knocked away by Xu Zaijing. Zhu Qinghu's surprise flashed by. Qingyun was about to cheer on the side, but saw Zhu Qinghu quickly lean toward Xu Zaijing.

At the moment the two shields touched, Zhu Qinghu handed his knife toward Xu Zaijing.

Xu Zaijing suddenly felt a shock in his heart.

He dissipated his strength.

Qingyun was puzzled on the side, wondering why his young master didn't use his strength to block like he did, and send Zhu Qinghu flying.

Zhu Qinghu panted and said: "Does Brother Jing understand what I mean?"

Xu Zaijing said: "Just now, if you had a sleeve arrow or lime in your hand, then I would have suffered."

"On the battlefield, it is treacherous and cunning. Others have many ways to harm you; even if they trade their lives for yours, they are still making a profit. You cannot rely on your great strength to block a knife with a knife. Do you know?"

"I know, thank you, Jing Jing Biao Ge."

Xu Zaijing bowed respectfully.

Just now, he should have blocked the knife with the shield, but he relied on his great strength and wanted to give his cousin a small shock, but instead, he was educated by his cousin.

Xu Zaijing had been practicing against Qingyun these days and was crushing him. A while ago, he even crippled five men, so he didn't even notice that he had started to float.

In addition, his horseman master had basically nothing left to teach, and had not been on the battlefield or served as a scout, so he naturally lacked the treacherous schemes of battlefield killing.

Especially after the comparison with the Zheng family's sons, it made him feel that these military sons were nothing more than this.

Before, at the Lantern Festival, if that group of people had prepared lime, they would have used it without a word.

Xu Zaijing had a great chance of being plotted against, but those people underestimated him, and as a result, they were crippled one by one.

And if Xu Zaijing still underestimates others like this on the battlefield in the future, thinking that everyone else is a dog, he will be the one who suffers or even loses his life.

"I heard from Uncle that your archery is not bad?"

"It is okay, Jing Jing Biao Ge."

"Alright, let me see."

Zhu Qinghu was also a leader of a battalion in the Western Army. Although Xu Zaijing was mature in mind, he was still a real novice on the ancient battlefield.

Qingyun brought the bow, arrows, and bowstring over.

When Xu Zaijing strung the bow and aimed at the target, Zhu Qinghu suddenly said: "I want the right target foot."

"Boom!"

The bowstring sounded, and the feathered arrow nailed directly into the target foot.

"Not bad! Little Fifth, remember, remember that continuous arrows can mobilize the enemy's shield; the first arrow attacks what the enemy must save, and the second arrow injures or kills the enemy. When encountering a shield expert, you still need the cooperation of comrades..."

"Jing Jing Biao Ge, you are truly formidable."

Zhu Qinghu's eyes flickered, and he said softly: "These are all experiences piled up with human lives."

Although the Sun family's cousins had also seen the battlefield, they had not survived death like Jing Jing Biao Ge Zhu, so they naturally lacked the awareness on the battlefield.

Xu Zaijing asked his cousin for advice on many things, and after a day, the Xu family prepared to set off.

The eldest daughter-in-law, Xie, was given the power to manage the household, and Pingmei and Anmei were left at home. Madam Sun left the most steady Xiao Zhu to assist Xie.

Before setting off with the maid Xiao Dan, Madam Sun strictly forbade them from going out, and then everyone rode horses and took carriages, rushing to Xiangzhou, hundreds of miles away from Bianjing, to mourn.

If there are any unsmooth parts, I hope respected readers will point them out.

Thank you all for your support!

The drafts are not increasing, and I am panicking.

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(End of Chapter)