Chapter 69: Reunion

Upon hearing that familiar voice, the one-eyed man whipped his head around so violently he nearly sprained his neck.

The other men also turned back in excitement. "Gen—" Before they could finish shouting "General," their mouths were covered.

Could they not see that the General was wearing a veiled hat?

Gu Ci walked through the crowd of men, slightly lifting his chin as he addressed the servant. "You haven't told me yet—what is the status of your Shen family in Baiyin County?"

Even through the black veil, the servant could still feel the man's gaze, which was colder than the biting wind. His arrogance instantly withered by seventy percent.

The only reason he dared to act high and mighty with those men was because he was bullying them for not knowing how to sell goods; they only knew how to work hard chopping wood and selling it, forced to endure low prices.

It was because the Shen family was the sole dominant power in Baiyin County, capable of providing a continuous stream of money to buy firewood. To offend the Shen family meant cutting off their source of income.

After thinking it through, the servant regained some of his bravado. "My Shen family is the wealthiest household in Baiyin County! When my master stomps his foot, the whole of Baiyin County trembles. If you dare offend the Shen family, you'd better be prepared for the consequences!"

"Is that so?" Gu Ci raised his hand, and the men behind him charged forward like hungry wolves.

The servant hadn't expected them to actually strike. He turned to run, but his collar was grabbed. He felt a surge of immense strength before being slammed violently to the ground, blood instantly leaking from his nose.

"Do you know who I am? I—" Before he could finish, a fist slammed into his face. He spat out a large mouthful of blood, mixed with several broken teeth.

Surrounded by the men, the servant was kicked and punched. He wailed and screamed, "You band of peasants! I won't let you get away with this!"

Gu Ci stood quietly to the side. "Watch yourselves. Don't kill him."

"Gen—Young Master, rest assured," the one-eyed man said, delivering a kick. "We know our limits."

"Stop! Everyone stop! Who dares to beat people in front of the Shen residence!"

The side gate of the Shen manor opened, and a man appearing to be a steward emerged, leading a dozen strong men.

"If you don't stop immediately, the Shen family will go to the county magistrate to demand justice and have you peasants arrested!"

With a wave of Gu Ci's hand, the men immediately retreated in an orderly fashion.

"Peasants? Who are you calling peasants?"

The steward, following behind the master of the house, possessed much more worldly experience than the servant. He could tell at a glance that the man possessed an aura far beyond that of an ordinary person. He paused and said, "I am the steward of the Shen Manor. May I ask why your excellency is causing trouble at our gates?"

"Ask him," Gu Ci said, pointing at the servant.

The bruised and swollen servant recounted the incident with seventy percent truth and thirty percent lies. Finally, he clung to the steward's leg, weeping loudly, "Third Uncle, you must get justice for your nephew!"

The steward was both shocked and enraged. He pointed at Gu Ci and said, "Your excellency has assaulted a servant of the Shen household without cause. Even if this goes to court—"

Tang Zhao stepped forward to interrupt him. "To court? If you have the guts to go to court, then let's go together. I'll take the opportunity to tell the Baiyin County Magistrate exactly how your Shen family oppresses soldiers who have served the country. Let's see if the Magistrate strikes us or exiles your entire Shen family to the mines!"

"Soldiers? You say they're soldiers just because you say so?" the servant stammered incoherently. "They're probably just bandits and thugs who got their legs broken while bullying honest citizens!"

Tang Zhao raised an eyebrow. "Whether they are or not, we can let the Baiyin County Magistrate decide in court."

The steward looked at the men. They were either missing limbs or limping; the least injured was the one-eyed man. Indeed, only those from the military could sustain such severe injuries.

Recalling the reputation of Prince Xuan, who loved his soldiers like his own sons, cold sweat instantly broke out on the steward's forehead.

He kicked away his nephew, who was still wailing while clutching his leg, and plastered a smile on his face. "A misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding! Our Shen family holds the greatest respect for the soldiers who protect our country. How could we dare to insult them?"

Turning his head, he barked at the servant sitting on the ground, "You blind fool! Hurry up and kowtow to apologize to the soldiers of the Northwest Army!"

The servant froze for a moment before reacting, scrambling forward to kowtow repeatedly. "It's my fault! I'm a blind fool! I was blinded by greed! Great officers, please be magnanimous and let this lowly one go!"

The one-eyed man snorted. "We've vented our anger by hitting you. We're even."

With that, the one-eyed man signaled the others to step forward and hoist the firewood back onto their backs.

The steward hurriedly said, "Soldiers, please leave the firewood! Our Shen Manor will buy it at market price!"

The one-eyed man looked at Gu Ci. Gu Ci replied, "It is up to you."

The one-eyed man then waved his hand. "No need. We won't be coming to the manor to sell wood anymore." With that, he followed Gu Ci and departed.

Tang Zhao glanced at Gu Ci's somber face beneath the veil and patted her chest, teasing him, "I've never seen my husband lose his temper so much. You've scared my little heart; it's going *thump-thump*."

Gu Ci ignored her.

The men behind them, however, grew nervous and began chattering to defend their General.

"Gen—Young Master's temper is a bit fierce, but he only loses it with us. Madam, please do not be afraid."

"What nonsense are you talking in front of Madam? The Young Master has always been gen—gentle and elegant. When has he ever lost his temper?"

"Have you forgotten when you failed your training and were punished with twenty military strikes before being sent to the kitchen to pick vegetables?"

"Nonsense! That's better than being punished to sweep the latrines for half a year like you!"

"Liar! I only swept for three months. The one who swept for half a year was clearly the eldest!"

Tang Zhao's eyes twinkled with laughter as she leaned toward Gu Ci's ear and whispered, "Husband, you're so wicked."

Gu Ci suddenly froze in place. The men behind them were still arguing and exposing each other's secrets, and in their distraction, one of them bumped hard into Gu Ci's back.

Gu Ci stumbled from the impact.

The one-eyed man turned pale with fright and rushed forward. "Young Master, are you alright?"

He wondered privately if the poison in the army had caused significant damage to the General's body; otherwise, why had he suddenly become so frail? Previously, even with a dozen of them, they couldn't move the General even half a step.

Tang Zhao smoothed things over. "Your Young Master has been traveling for several days and hasn't had time for a proper meal." She looked around and pointed across the street. "That place looks good. Come, Madam is treating you all to dinner!"

The men cheered, "Thank you, Madam!"

The group rushed toward the establishment like a pack of wolves, piling their firewood to the side and slapping the tables to call the owner over to take orders.

The owner asked with a smile, "What would you like to eat, guests? My wife makes excellent pulled noodles. Would you like to try some?"

Despite their boisterous shouting, the men became surprisingly reserved when it came to actually ordering.

Tang Zhao beckoned the owner over. "Bring out all your signature dishes." She flipped through the menu. "And this braised mutton and braised pork—cut twenty catties of each." She looked at the dozen or so strong men crowding the small shop and corrected herself, "Make it thirty catties each, and add double the amount of mutton to the noodles!"

The owner's eyes crinkled with a smile. "Would Madam like some wine as well?"

Gu Ci shook his head. "Drinking leads to trouble."

The men swallowed hard.

Tang Zhao: "It's rare to gather like this. It's not fun without wine. How about a few small cups?"

Gu Ci paused. "Do not overindulge."

"Don't worry," Tang Zhao agreed, then turned to the owner. "Bring out three jars of *Shaodao* wine first. If it's not enough, we'll add more."

Gu Ci:...

Gu Ci: *If you aren't going to listen to me, why did you even ask?*

Tang Zhao: *Because that's how I show I'm democratic!*

Gu Ci: *Speechless.*