Chapter 876 Thoughts

"Your… Your Highness…"

Peng Kai looked at the Prince in terror.

At this time, as a secret agent, revealing such an expression was a dereliction of duty.

As far as superiors were concerned, they wanted their subordinates, especially those who lived in the shadows, to be absolutely cold-blooded and ruthless; in the literal sense… tools.

You shouldn't have feelings; feelings will hold you back. Everything you have should be dedicated to Great Yan, dedicated to His Majesty.

On the bright side, there was a similar saying: "If the ruler demands his subject to die, the subject has no choice but to die."

Fortunately,

The Prince wasn't too angry.

Some people, once they ascend the altar, even if it's just for a moment, can't come down even after the platform is dismantled.

Zheng Fan, however, could go up whenever he wanted and come down whenever he pleased.

After wiping the blood from his face,

The Prince of the West smiled:

"The Old Madam is quite spirited. Even from this far away, she managed to spit on my face."

The Old Madam didn't prepare a second mouthful but pursed her lips and looked at Zheng Fan.

Zheng Fan also looked at her, still wearing a faint smile.

The instructors in the academy were used to sitting at the front, watching the students do their assignments; the students thought they were clever, but from above, one could clearly see their tricks.

"This old woman is muddled," the Old Madam said. "This old woman is very muddled."

As she spoke, there was a glint in her eyes.

People who had lived to this age might not all have a sense of the big picture, but they certainly had a wealth of survival wisdom.

"You say you're a Prince?" the Old Madam asked.

Zheng Fan nodded and said, "I am."

"The Prince of the West?"

"Yes."

"A big shot, a big shot."

"Not really."

"I heard that in Yan, you're second only to one person and above everyone else?"

Zheng Fan shook his head.

Said:

"You're wrong about that."

"Oh?"

"I sit on equal footing with that one."

"..." The Old Madam.

Zheng Fan said to Chen Xianba, "Bring me a basin of water."

"Yes, sir."

The Old Madam moved her lips slightly, "Your Highness."

"If you have something to say, just say it. I'm in a good mood, having just survived a disaster."

The Old Madam smiled,

Turned her head,

Looked at the hall.

In the hall, there was a plaque with four characters written by the official himself: "Commendable Loyalty and Righteousness."

It was said that many similar plaques had been bestowed under the capital city, but her old man had always treated it like a treasure.

The Old Madam's eyes were filled with a hint of desolation,

Then,

Turned back and looked at the Prince, saying:

"The old man wanted to get rid of him before he died."

He, definitely referring to Peng Kai.

"And then?"

"I stopped him. The old man said that this son-in-law, this adopted son, would either be utterly loyal or utterly treacherous!"

Chen Xianba brought the basin of water. The Prince washed his face while saying:

"Continue."

"I told him that this child, regardless of whether he's utterly treacherous or utterly loyal, at the very least, his heart is warm. Unless absolutely necessary, he will protect his family, at least, his immediate family."

As she spoke, the Old Madam turned her gaze to the Prince again.

The Prince had just finished washing his face,

Said:

"Peng Family Village can also be preserved. I will take the entire village and migrate back to Yan or Jin. Furthermore, I can promise that after I lead my army to take this land, the Peng family can have a noble title. Don't even think about being a marquis or an earl, but at the very least, it can be hereditary."

It wasn't Zheng Fan boasting; he could ask Ji Laoliu for a low-level title, and Ji Laoliu had no reason not to give it.

"I can write a letter here, stamp it with my royal seal, and reach an agreement with the Peng family."

The Old Madam was an honest person.

Zheng Fan had noticed this from the moment he entered.

If he talked to her about national righteousness, she would understand; she definitely understood, after all, she had assisted her husband in making a name for himself.

But what she valued more was this family.

From goading her daughter to the previous commotion and scolding Peng Kai,

Even,

The spit she directed at him earlier,

Was itself a reminder;

Reminding them how much the Peng family had already paid, before talking business, shouldn't one first mention the costs?

When the costs went up, it was easier to ask for a higher price.

The Old Madam leaned on her crutch,

Got up,

Her eyes filled with a smile, a smile filled with tears.

Her body was still quite sturdy.

She walked step by step to the Prince.

"You, are you really a Prince?"

Zheng Fan nodded.

The Old Madam suddenly knelt down,

She knelt down so suddenly that everyone around her was caught by surprise.

Chen Xianba and Zheng Man, who were closest, subconsciously worried that their Prince would be assassinated by this old woman and prepared to step forward.

But the words the Old Madam shouted next,

Made everyone except the Prince, whose boots she was hugging, astonished;

"Your Highness, my Peng family's ancestors were exiled to Qian because of a crime. When my husband was alive, every night he would yearn for his homeland, yearn for Great Yan, hoping that the army of Great Yan could arrive here soon!

Years ago, when Your Highness attacked Qian, my husband gathered the Peng Family Village's militia and rushed to the capital, not to protect that damn official of the Qian royal family, but to help the Yan army!

Unfortunately, the Yan army left, and my husband didn't make it in time to join the royal army. He returned and died in depression.

Your Highness,

Your Highness,

You,

Have finally arrived!"

The Prince of the West bent down and helped the Old Madam up.

The Old Madam didn't resist and stood up obediently.

The Prince held the Old Madam's somewhat withered hand, patting it gently,

Said:

"You have suffered, I, Great Yan, have come too late."

For a moment,

Everyone present was a little dumbfounded.

Peng Kai, kneeling on the ground, opened his mouth wide.

His wife, holding her two children, also had a somewhat frozen expression.

Everyone seemed to think that the scolding and cursing they had heard at the beginning were just a dream, but this dream seemed excessively real.

The change in the conversation between the Prince and the Old Madam,

Was as if they were treating everyone like a bunch of idiots.

But that was the true meaning of "calling a deer a horse," not secretly hiding it from you but letting you see it openly, and you still couldn't do anything about it.

Did the Old Madam hate him?

She hated him very much; the words she had spoken before were basically from the bottom of her heart.

But she had to be realistic. As the Old Madam of this family, she had to consider the family's survival.

When Peng Kai brought the Yan army, or rather, the Prince of Yan, into Peng Family Village, the Peng family had already embarked on a dead end.

Either be wiped out by the Qian army in the aftermath or follow the Yan people.

Since they had to follow the Yan people, they had to sell themselves for a good price, for the sake of their descendants.

The dead were already dead; the living had to live better.

"Old Madam's body is still quite sturdy," the Prince said with a smile.

The Old Madam nodded,

Looked at her kneeling son-in-law, then looked at her daughter behind her,

Said:

"This old woman has to hold on. I can't die now. My daughter is stubborn and stupid. When I'm here, she can still make a detour. If I'm not here, with her temper, I'm afraid…

Son."

Peng Kai hesitated for a moment and responded:

"Mother…"

"From today on, you are my own son, even more… even closer than my own."

"Yes, Mother."

"Then you old rest and take care of your body. In a few days, we'll probably have to hit the road."

"Your Highness is an honored guest, son, you must treat His Highness well."

"Yes, Mother."

The Prince turned and walked out of the courtyard. The Yan soldiers also followed him out.

Even the people who had been captured outside were released.

At this point, there was no need to worry about anyone informing on them. Even if they could inform, the Qian army would have to organize enough troops to dare attack. Furthermore, Ma San'er and the others would arrive soon. Once San'er and the others arrived, Chen Yang's main force would also be close.

The way they came in openly before, they could now leave openly.

In front of the hall,

The Old Madam walked to her daughter,

The daughter raised her head, looking at her mother with a somewhat blank expression.

She knew that her mother was deliberately enduring and ingratiating herself, but she was still in pain, still sad.

"Slap!"

The Old Madam slapped her daughter in the face.

The grandson and granddaughter immediately started crying.

"Grandma, don't hit Mother, don't hit Mother, boo hoo hoo…"

"Don't hit Mother, Grandma, boo hoo hoo…"

Because Peng Kai was considered to have married into the family and had even changed his surname, these two granddaughters were, in terms of etiquette, grandchildren.

"Min'er, I asked someone to call you, and you came here so foolishly. Your father is already gone, and your two brothers are already gone. When you came, did you ever consider these two children of yours?

They, after all, are surnamed Peng!"

"Mother…"

"Since you're married to another man, mind your own business. You have to think about your own children. Don't tell me you're planning to take these two children of yours and die here with me today?

You have such a cruel heart, such a stupid brain!"

"Mother… Daughter…"

"Mother is doing this for you, for my two granddaughters, and also for the children your two brothers left behind, and your younger brother, and the Peng surname in the clan.

Min'er, you are a mother, and I, your mother, am also a mother. You have to endure, you have to endure well. I don't ask you to treat him as well as you did before, but don't be stupid anymore. It's not worth it, it's really not worth it.

He saved that Prince this time, and after we go back, things will be different. When our Peng family migrates to Yan, it will be like an old tree being uprooted.

Who will the whole family rely on?"

"Mother…"

"Look at it optimistically. Even Mother can see it optimistically. What can't you see? After we migrate to Yan, you can mention it to him, change the surname of these two children back to his original surname."

"Mother, I understand."

"He's an orphan. Who knows if he even knows what his real surname is? The previous surname might not even be his parents' surname. Even if you mention it, he probably won't change it, but you still have to mention it.

In the past, our Peng family relied on your father. In the future, we will have to rely on him."

The Old Madam stabbed the python cane hard a few times,

Scolding:

"It's all a bunch of old men who can't hold things together outside, letting people break into our nest and harm us!"

……

"Thank you, Your Highness. This way, this humble one will be able to better mobilize the Peng family's descendants to migrate to their homeland and protect Your Highness back to the country."

With the Old Madam coming out to endorse, the migration work would definitely be smoother.

The Peng Family Village's fighting strength was just so-so; it was somewhat similar to the Yan country's fortified village forces, but the number of people was actually quite large.

The Yan army's fighting strength was good, but they lacked troops. Sometimes, even useless pieces couldn't be discarded, as they could be kept to fill a spot.

"It's also because the Old Madam herself knows how to adapt. However, what I'm thinking about more is that during the first attack on Qian, the Wen family in Chuzhou City entered Yan and was promised high official positions.

That's why, this time when I entered Qian, the officials in Lanyang City and Chuzhou City didn't put up much resistance.

Everyone actually had a way out in their hearts. At worst, they could follow us to Yan, and they could still be officials and enjoy their blessings.

This time, after I broke through their capital, I'm afraid that many Qian people, especially those with more foresight than ordinary people, should be thinking about it. This Great Qian might really be destroyed by Great Yan.

With thoughts in their hearts and a way out, they won't fight to the death.

Your Peng family is lucky. This time, I also intend to use your Peng family as a model. After the capital is broken, the power of the local militia and powerful families in Qian will definitely rise further.

I'll praise your Peng family and let them see it, which can be regarded as giving them an optional path for when we truly conquer and destroy Qian in the future."

"Your Highness has profound vision; this humble one admires you!"

"By the way, what was your original surname?"

"In response to Your Highness, this humble one's original surname was Zhang, but this humble one has been an orphan in Yan since childhood, so… so this humble one intends to keep the surname Peng for the rest of my life."

"That's good too; we shouldn't let good fortune flow to outsiders."

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

"I'm tired."

"This humble one will take my leave."

The Prince returned to the house specially arranged for him;

He walked in and lay directly on the bed.

Chen Xianba made tea, and Zheng Man stepped forward to light a cigarette.

Liu Dahu wasn't here, and Zheng Man finally had the opportunity to help the Prince light a cigarette. He cherished this opportunity very much.

A Ming sat on the opposite chair and laughed:

"When Master was spat on earlier, he really had the demeanor of an invader, hehe."

He was clearly angry, but he had to endure it, forcibly maintaining some kind of demeanor, suppressing the urge to give an order to slaughter everyone.

"This Peng Kai is a talent," Zheng Fan said.

"Oh, Master has taken a liking to him?"

"I really have taken a liking to him. In the future, I plan to expand the Brocade-Clad Personal Guards and make it a proper Embroidered Uniform Guard structure. This Peng Kai can be used to help Xue San."

A Ming asked curiously, "Just because he saved us, so Master, you're going to?"

Zheng Fan shook his head.

Said:

"From the time he led the Peng Family Village's troops to rescue us to the few days we've been living in Peng Family Village, he had already completed the cleansing and control of Peng Family Village.

The Secret Intelligence Division should have also arranged for some subordinates to be placed in the village for him.

So,

Why do you think his wife was able to release people and stage this show right under my nose?"

"Master means, he did it on purpose?"

"The Peng Family Village's armed forces are very ruthless in their attacks on the Qian army, which is enough to show his prestige. He's cleaned things up so well outside; there's no reason why something would go wrong in this house, especially when I'm living right here, hehe."

"Then Master, what was the purpose of his scheming? Was it for himself? It shouldn't be. He already has the merit of saving you."

"He didn't expect that I would say before him that I would have him take the entire Peng Family Village to migrate back. If he had known, he wouldn't have staged this show.

Didn't you see him looking at me when he knelt there? He was afraid that he would be overdoing things and causing trouble, being discovered and blamed by me, hehehe."

"So, does this count as womanly compassion?"

The Prince stretched,

Said:

"Womanly compassion is good. If I really put a cold-blooded and ruthless person next to me, managing the Embroidered Uniform Guard, I wouldn't be able to sleep."