Chapter 910 Willing to Do Anything for You

Granny Liu had been unhappy for a while now.

Then, she was happy for a while because the Prince's Residence had a Young Master.

But lately,

she was unhappy again.

The root cause of her unhappiness was that more than twenty burly barbarian men had snatched her territory!

Yes,

outright snatching,

snatching it in a way that left you with no room to complain!

Ever since Xuehai Pass, the street by the Prince's Residence had been Granny Liu's responsibility. After moving to Fengxin City, the street became bigger and the district covered more ground, but what remained the same was that the street in front of the Prince's Residence was still Granny Liu's.

Granny Liu had quite a few old sisters under her, all from decent families, either with sons in the army or sons-in-law working for the Prince's Residence. You couldn't get the job of sweeping the streets without some connections. Every month, there was a salary of silver and subsidies of rice, flour, and oil.

Of course, these old sisters didn't really care about that. Their families were all well-off. They just wanted something to do, something to keep them busy.

Originally, everyone was living a good life, and their jobs were going well. Inspections were done when needed, and cleaning was thorough. Granny Liu was easy to talk to, but she never skimped on her work, and she did a clean job.

But ever since the Prince returned last time,

a group of barbarian men actually picked up brooms and started sweeping the streets, and without even saying hello, they directly occupied the street in front of the Prince's Residence.

Was the street in front of the Prince's Residence just any street?

It was the face of the Residence!

Her old sisters were all looking forward to their turn to sweep the street in front of the Prince's Residence, but these rough men were just focusing on sweeping there every day, not giving an inch!

You couldn't just snatch territory like that. This auntie couldn't stand it anymore.

Granny Liu was alright, knowing that her son-in-law was the Prince's personal guard, a confidant;

but the more of a confidant he was, the less suitable it was to have him talk about trivial matters outside. It would only ruin the relationship.

However, while Granny Liu didn't move, many of her old sisters did. Some had their sons or sons-in-law try to smooth things over.

One of them, whose son-in-law was a clerk in the City Patrol Office, even brought some people from the City Patrol Office to help his mother-in-law clear the area.

As a result, they were directly confronted by the barbarians with brooms, and a group fight broke out. The City Patrol Office people were outnumbered, and their knives were taken away immediately, followed by a sound beating. They suffered a great loss.

This matter blew up. The City Patrol Office people had been beaten. How could this be allowed? Immediately, a group of City Patrol Office soldiers went to that street.

This time, seeing the City Patrol Office coming aggressively, with bows and crossbows raised,

the barbarians didn't continue to act recklessly.

The leader of the barbarians, leading his brothers,

tore open his clothes,

revealing the scars on his body,

and shouted:

"I bled for the Prince!"

"I risked my life for the Prince!"

The scars were real,

and this "iron-blooded" aura couldn't be faked.

Not everyone in the City Patrol Office was clueless. Putting aside everything else, if a group of barbarians of unknown origin were hanging around the Prince's Residence all day with brooms, did they really think the Prince's personal guards were just there for show?

At first, they just wanted to find trouble because their own people had been beaten and they were driven by a surge of bloodlust. Now, they didn't dare to escalate things further.

So, no bloodshed occurred.

But this matter spread, and at the same time, memorials were being reported up, layer by layer.

Finally,

it appeared on the Prince's desk.

……

Prince's Residence,

backyard.

Zheng Fan was trimming the flowers with large shears, accompanied by Qu Peiluo behind him.

"You're also going along with his nonsense."

Hearing this, Qu Peiluo took half a step back and said apologetically:

"Your Highness, I had no choice. He came to me asking for help, and I couldn't refuse him. You know, I'm in a rather awkward position here."

"Wouldn't it be better to be a bit more impartial?" the Prince asked in return, "Be an isolated minister."

"Yes, I can certainly be impartial in other matters, but this one, after all, is your beloved general. Otherwise, you wouldn't have arranged for him to sweep the street in front of the Prince's Residence.

How could I not give face to your beloved general?"

"Oh, so it's my fault."

"I didn't mean that."

"Alright, I've made things difficult for you. Let's not do this again."

"I understand."

Although Ke Yan Dongge and his group had been stationed at Xuehai Pass for a long time, their relationship with Fengxin City was essentially that of a local garrison and the central government;

there was estrangement and distance, but it wasn't as if he, the former Commander of Xuehai Pass, was reduced to being completely alone and helpless in Fengxin City.

Since the implementation of the standard household system,

the Prince's Residence's various garrison troops had already undergone many rounds of shuffling through this system. The framework of senior generals was basically retained, but the middle and lower levels had long been intermixed;

The Prince dared to enter Xuehai Pass and Zhennan Pass alone and directly seize the military power of the two commanders, and his confidence largely stemmed from this.

After all, he had risen from the ranks with his own private army, so he naturally knew better how to prevent his subordinates from finding themselves in a similar situation.

Therefore, Ke Yan Dongge also had old subordinates and even old clansmen in Fengxin City.

It could only be said that the cause of the matter was that the clerk who stood up for his mother-in-law was foolishly used as a pawn.

Ke Yan Dongge took advantage of this "accident,"

made some noise,

and expressed his grievances,

intending to remind the Prince, who had been cooped up in the Prince's Residence every day since having both a son and a daughter, that he was still sweeping the streets outside.

Of course, Qu Peiluo was in charge of the internal defense of Fengxin City, and the City Patrol Office could also be considered an agency under Qu Peiluo's control. On this point, Qu Peiluo had obviously been notified by Ke Yan Dongge in advance.

"The situation at Zhennan Pass is still a bit complicated. Although you're a Chu person, if you go to Zhennan Pass now, it will be difficult for the people below to accept you, and I'm not very comfortable with it."

"I understand, I'm very satisfied with my current job."

"Heh, the west is planning to build two new prefectures, and Jindong is starting from scratch on a blank slate. We can't just keep rotating these three points.

But it's all just beginning there, and I think it would be a waste of your talents to send you there.

But I remember what I promised you. Let's wait another two years. When we have more money and expand the army, I'll create a Chu character battalion just for you."

"I'll do whatever Your Highness orders."

Zheng Fan put away the shears and handed them to Qu Peiluo.

Qu Peiluo placed the shears on a shelf to the side.

The Prince stretched,

and said:

"Forget it, I'll go see that dog thing."

"This subordinate will take his leave." Qu Peiluo bowed and was about to retreat.

"You haven't seen Da Niu yet, have you?" the Prince suddenly asked.

The children were still young. Other than the old subordinates who had a chance to see them when Zheng Fan held them out, they stayed in the inner courtyard at other times and were not suitable for going out.

Qu Peiluo was clearly not among the old subordinates;

His identity was unusual. You could say he was refined and important, and he was. He was in charge of the City Patrol Office, and he was quite impartial. Ordinary people didn't dare to provoke him at all, but no circle was really willing to include him.

Qu Peiluo smiled.

"Go see her."

Qu Peiluo took a deep breath and bowed, saying:

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

……

"Your two Highnesses, this is a re-enactment of the battle of Xuehai Pass, a thousand li forced march."

Jin Shuke stood by the sandbox and had just re-described the battle of that year.

Tian Tian and Chuanye stood beside him, listening very attentively.

Chuanye wasn't even born when that great battle took place, and Tian Tian's speech wasn't yet fluent;

But that battle had a particularly far-reaching impact. It could be said that it laid the foundation for the current structure of the Prince of Pingxi's Residence.

Taking Xuehai Pass not only meant that Great Yan had driven out the barbarians and ensured the security of the Three Jin Lands, but also that the Marquis of Pingxi, who controlled Xuehai Pass, ensured his influence over the lands of Jindong;

For the future departure of the Prince of Jingnan and the Prince of Pingxi's accession to Jindong, the most necessary link in the transfer of power was completed.

"Telling the two Highnesses about this battle is not to teach you some brilliant methods of using troops at this time, but to let the two Highnesses know how much risk the Prince took when making this military forced march. A slight carelessness could have led to a desperate situation where the army was surrounded.

The art of using troops emphasizes caution. Although our Prince has won many battles, what this humble general is most clear about is that every time he uses troops, the Prince carefully considers and deliberates in his heart.

He uses the most cautious and meticulous deductions to carry out what looks like the most dangerous move to outsiders.

It is never just for a moment of high spirits, deliberately taking risks.

I hope the two Highnesses will remember this."

Tian Tian and Chuanye bowed together and said in unison:

"Your disciple is taught."

At this time, someone outside announced:

"General Jin, the Prince summons you."

Jin Shuke pointed to the sandbox in front of him and said to the two Highnesses:

"Your Highnesses can conduct your own deductions. This humble general will go see the Prince first."

……

In the front hall, Ke Yan Dongge was kneeling on the floor tiles, with tea offered on the side table according to the rules, but it was clear that it hadn't been touched.

At this time, Ke Yan Dongge was particularly well-behaved;

The Prince walked in and sat in the seat of honor.

After a while, Jin Shuke also arrived.

Jin Shuke saw Ke Yan Dongge kneeling there, didn't say anything, first saluted the Prince, and then sat down to the side at the Prince's gesture.

Although Jin Shuke and Ke Yan Dongge were both barbarians,

barbarians and barbarians were also different;

Although Ke Yan Dongge's Keyan tribe had failed in the struggle with the royal court and was forced to migrate out of the desert, they had at least once been a medium-sized tribe;

And Jin Shuke came from a tribal group of convicts.

To outsiders, they were all barbarians, but in reality, the difference between them was no less than that between a noble in Chu and a commoner in Yan.

Moreover,

Jin Shuke's ability in using troops had always been unquestionable. He had always said to outsiders that he had learned the art of using troops from the Prince, which was not just politeness, because he really thought so;

He felt that he had learned how to lead troops in battle because of the Prince's influence and guidance. He really didn't realize that he was essentially a military genius himself.

And in terms of being a person, Jin Shuke had always been very particular.

Since Ke Yan Dongge had looked for Qu Peiluo, it was impossible that he hadn't looked for Jin Shuke, who was also of barbarian origin, but Jin Shuke had clearly ignored him.

Just because they were both barbarians, did they have to stick together?

Wasn't this actively forming a clique and building a power base in front of the Prince?

At this time,

the Prince gently rotated the teacup,

and slowly said:

"I heard you were complaining outside?"

Ke Yan Dongge immediately said: "Your Highness, this humble general just wanted to see you."

"It's only been a short time sweeping the floor, and you can't take it anymore?"

"No, Your Highness, it's not that this humble general can't take it, but they've all seen the Young Master and eaten the Young Master's full moon wine, but this humble general has yet to see the Young Master.

This humble general is anxious, Your Highness;

Later on, those people will be able to act old and important in front of the Young Master, saying that they watched you grow up since you were little, but this humble general can't say it… Wouldn't this humble general never be able to stand tall?"

"Stand tall in front of whom?"

"Uh… This humble general misspoke, Your Highness. What this humble general means is that this humble general is willing to continue sweeping the floor, to continue tempering his character. Please, Your Highness, allow this humble general to see the Young Master and bestow upon this humble general a cup of the full moon wine. Apart from that, this humble general asks for nothing else."

The Prince continued to rotate the teacup without saying anything.

In fact, Ke Yan Dongge's request was very straightforward. He wanted to acknowledge the Young Master.

This was the custom of the barbarians. Of course, the people of Zhuxia could also understand it, which was the so-called "old minister of several dynasties."

Jin Shuke stood up and reported:

"Your Highness, although Dongge has been confused and had his own selfish desires, this humble general believes that he has always been loyal to you. Please, Your Highness, grant his request."

Ke Yan Dongge immediately nodded desperately.

He wasn't afraid of temporary dormancy. He wasn't that stupid. As long as he was still in the Prince's good graces, he could still rise again. He never doubted this.

Official positions could be removed, military power could be taken away,

but affection,

could not be broken!

Jin Shuke didn't want to speak for him either, but since the Prince had called him here, it was to make him speak…

If he didn't plead for him, what else could he say?

Could he say that Ke Yan Dongge was arrogant and unrepentant, and ask for his execution?

"Since Jin Shuke has pleaded for you, then I will grant your request. In ten days, when my daughter, Da Niu, has her zhua ji (first birthday ceremony), you and your subordinates will enter the Prince's Residence to attend the ceremony. I'll let you see my son, and the full moon wine will be made up for as well."

Zhua ji is the custom of grasping objects, which is usually done when a child is one year old in the folk, but it is done earlier in official families because they need to determine the child's future development earlier.

There was also another matter,

which was that the name of his son had to be completely decided at that time.

Zheng Fan had originally thought of a few, but the Demon Kings had also thought of a few. Zheng Fan was also clear about the meaning of his son to the Demon Kings, so he wanted to fully consider their opinions. Everyone discussed it together, and this discussion went back and forth, and they still couldn't come up with a real idea. Fortunately, there was a final deadline.

"Thank you, Your Highness, thank you, Your Highness."

"After that,

continue to sweep the floor properly for me!

If you want to continue assisting the Young Master, then you have to see if you can get rid of your bad habits.

I was pruning branches in the backyard just now."

"This humble general understands, this humble general is clear, this humble general will definitely reflect on himself and will not let Your Highness down again."

"Get out of here."

"This humble general takes his leave."

Ke Yan Dongge got up with a smile on his face, left the front hall, picked up the broom leaning there, and walked out, walking with the wind.

"Shameless."

The Prince took a sip of tea.

Jin Shuke smiled and said, "Your Highness is too indulgent with us soldiers."

"I myself am also a soldier, and I know the difficulties of soldiers, but sometimes, I also feel that it is not entirely unreasonable to value literature and suppress martial arts like the Qian Kingdom.

Some things, if you change a person, the situation is completely different.

I'm not saying that he, Ke Yan Dongge, is a barbarian. With his personality, even if he were a Yan person, without me suppressing him, this Jindong would probably have been in chaos long ago."

"No matter how arrogant and brave a general is, he wouldn't dare to act rashly in front of you, Your Highness."

"You're getting more and more refined in your speech."

"It was Your Highness who once taught this humble general to read more. This humble general takes the time to read every day."

The Prince nodded in satisfaction.

At this time, Xiao Yibo walked in and announced:

"Your Highness, General Liang has returned."

Xuehai Pass and Zhennan Pass had successively changed their garrison generals. Liang Cheng had to sit in the army to ensure that nothing went wrong, so he didn't have time to rush back when his child was born.

Now that the situation was stable, he returned immediately.

Zheng Fan smiled and said to Jin Shuke:

"Let's go, let's go welcome him together."

……

Xiong Liqing's courtyard was the only greenhouse in the Prince's Residence. The weather was already getting cold, but this courtyard was still warm like spring.

Originally, Xiong Liqing had taken the initiative to suggest swapping courtyards with Si Niang, but Si Niang refused.

One was that Zheng Fan himself didn't really like the feeling of being warm all day, and the other was that his son wasn't afraid of the cold.

Qu Peiluo was led in by A Ming.

In any case, the person in charge below couldn't let Qu Peiluo enter the Princess's courtyard alone in such a casual manner.

A Ming also understood this, so he didn't complain about being called out of the wine cellar. Before returning to the wine cellar later, he could also go see the child.

When Qu Peiluo came in, the Princess was also in the courtyard, but there were no screens separating them;

Xiong Liqing was wearing a cyan dress, sitting there very gracefully. Seeing Qu Peiluo coming, she didn't get up to greet him, but just cracked melon seeds by herself and said:

"You're here."

Qu Peiluo bowed slightly and said, "Yes, I'm here."

"Liu Niang, bring the child out."

"Yes."

The wet nurse brought Da Niu out.

Qu Peiluo was at a loss for what to do with his hands and feet for a moment, and was full of discomfort, but he didn't want to leave. This appearance was like a mischievous child who kept saying he didn't want lucky money from relatives during the New Year.

"Hold her," Xiong Liqing said.

"Is it okay?" Qu Peiluo was a little incredulous.

"You're her uncle," Xiong Liqing said.

Hearing these words,

Qu Peiluo's breathing also suddenly became heavier, and his palms were full of sweat;

Taking a deep breath,

he wiped his palms on his clothes,

and then carefully took the child from the wet nurse's hands.

Da Niu was a few months old now, the time when children were at their most adorable and tender, and she had almost perfectly inherited her mother's qualities, making her very likable.

Da Niu had a characteristic: she liked to smile, but this smile was selective. She liked to smile at Tian Tian and her own father, but she always disdained the Crown Prince.

But when she was held in Qu Peiluo's arms,

Da Niu immediately showed a charming smile;

In an instant,

Qu Peiluo felt that his bones had softened, as if all the beauty in the world had been bloomed by this smile at this moment.

Although there was no blood relationship between them,

although her parents still had a deep blood feud with him,

at this moment,

in his heart,

Qu Peiluo was willing to,

in the future, for this child,

do anything!