lady, please calm down

Chapter 351 Homecoming
  On the [-]th day of the twelfth lunar month, the Huai army squadron returned to the court, and Fan Gongzhi led all his officials to greet him.

After entering the city and handing over orders, Chen Chu asked Cai Hua to pack up and prepare to return to Caizhou while waiting for Jia Rou to summon her.
  Recruiting the marshal and defeating the thieves led to a great victory, and both Yu Qing and Li Jiarou had to meet each other.

Unexpectedly, the day after Chen Chu returned to Beijing, Jiarou dropped out of the court citing "slight illness".
  All the officials only thought it was strange that before the King of Chu set out for the expedition, His Highness was ill for two days and did not go to court. His Highness, who had been attending court every day for more than a month, became ill again.
  His Royal Highness is suffering from an illness that prevents him from meeting the King of Chu?
  They speculated that His Highness was sick either out of fear or dissatisfaction, but no one believed him.

But only the two parties involved, King Chu and His Highness, know the real reason.

On the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, Jia Rou left the court again, so Chen Chu went to court alone and asked to see him. He felt that he could not be blamed alone for that night two months ago.

Brother Chen has never been a person who likes to disappoint people. Since Jiarou yourself said you were empty, lonely and cold, how could he not help?

Jiarou, you have to reflect on this matter!
  However, after Chen Chu went to the table, he got a reply from Jia Rou personally sent by Huang Doudou on the same day: The King of Chu can do what he wants and there is no need to see me.

This edict has no official document style at all. It only contains a few words, but it can reveal a trace of deeply hidden resentment.

If you don't see me, see you there. Chen Chu had business to do when he returned to Caizhou and didn't have time to spend time in Tokyo, so he met Cai Yuan, Chen Jingan, Wu Kui, Zhou Liang, and Liu Siliang that night and made some arrangements.

The most important thing when returning to Cai this time is to marry Ayu.

The families of both parties have already discussed this matter privately, and they only need to go through the process when they return.

Even after Ayu marries into the palace, Chen Chu can ask her to be a concubine again, but in the final analysis, she is a concubine after all, and it is not appropriate to have a big deal.

But the marriage between Chen and Chen is of great political significance. The binding of the Yingchuan orthodox family and Chen Chu will help Chen Chu stabilize the current situation and appease the trembling scholars everywhere.

By then, the scale of the wedding banquet at the palace will not be too large, but at Chen Jingyan's side, important family members, relatives and friends will all attend.

Therefore, Chen Jingan needs to return to Cai with Chen Chu tomorrow to provide support. For the time being, the only core member of the Huaibei Department left in Beijing is Cai Yuan.

In order to prevent accidents, Chen Chu specifically told Wu Kui and Liu Siliang, who had just switched defenses, that Cai Shangshu's opinion should be given priority in everything.

At present, Chen Chu has about [-] troops at his disposal. After excluding the [-] soldiers of Wang Yan's Han'an Army on the Hebei Road and the [-] soldiers of the Guiyi Army on the Shandong Road, the ten direct armies of Huaibei are less than [-].

The military strength is already stretched thin.

Among the commanders of the Tenth Army, the eldest son always accompanied Chen Chu. Jiang Shuquan's Ningjiang Army deployed defenses along the river and could not be easily mobilized.

Brother Peng stayed in Fucheng, while Xiang Jing's armed guards changed defense and returned to Caizhou.

Xin Qiji's Flying Tiger Army and Guo Tao'er garrisoned Yingzhou.

Liu Erhu pinged the Huai army and took control of Shouzhou. Yang Dalang formed a new army to garrison Shouzhou.

In the huge city of Tokyo, there are only less than [-] troops left by Wu Kui, Liu Siliang, and Zhou Liang.
  Fortunately, the Tokyo Forbidden Army and the Xiang Army newly organized by Liu Baishun and Jiang Huaixiong already have the basic ability to patrol and guard the city, and can barely maintain order in Tokyo.

As long as the enemy is not besieging the city, it will be enough for the time being.

On the [-]th day of the twelfth lunar month, at [-] o'clock in the morning, the whole army returned south.

In the Xuande Hall of the Imperial City, Jia Rou has been reviewing memorials for the past two months. In order to prevent her from causing trouble again, Chen Chu specifically told Fan Gongzhi that some insignificant memorials would be passed on to His Highness, who should just play with the children.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, Huang Doudou came to report that the King of Chu had left the capital.

Jia Rou, who was carefully giving his reply in Zhubu on the memorial, heard the words and couldn't help but draw a red mark diagonally on the memorial.

After a while, Jia Rou dismissed the soy beans and sat on the big chair in a daze for a while. However, she suddenly became angry for some unknown reason. Her beautiful face swelled into a bun shape. She grabbed the imperial pen and vented her anger on the memorial. Apply randomly.
  The fine memorial was painted black and red.

It’s afternoon on the twenty-second day of the twelfth lunar month.

Caizhou City is in sight.

There is no wind today, and the air is filled with light haze and the smell of sulfur from burning coal. Black-gray smoke is spewing out from the tall chimneys in the distance.

Chen Chu was used to seeing clear blue skies, but the air in his hometown, which was obviously laden with industrial pollution, made him feel even more at ease.

Ten miles north of the city, Chen Jingyan and the entire city's civil and military forces were waiting in the ten-mile long pavilion.

On the other side, there are the generals and their families who are looking forward to it. Among them, the Princess of Chu is naturally the most respected.

Cat's body is petite, but her belly, which is already seven months pregnant, is extremely big. After standing for a while, she couldn't help but bend her arms back to support her lower back to relieve some of the pain.

Next to her, Yu Nong pulled down the mink velvet cap on little Yuan Bao's head to prevent her daughter from catching the cold. Then she handed the little girl to the nanny, freed her hand to support Mao'er's other arm, and said, "Sister, go first. Just stay in the car, I'll call you when the young master arrives later."

Yu Nong, who had experience, knew how hard it was at this time, but Mao'er covered his forehead with his bare hands and looked north, saying: "Just now, Xiao Yi came to report in advance. He said that my husband would be arriving at about the end of noon, so he should be almost there."

As he spoke, a cloud of smoke rose on the northern horizon.

At this glance, it was clear that there were traces of the march of the army. Chen Jingyan, Xu Bang and others who were sitting in the Shili Pavilion drinking tea and talking quickly stood up and began to tidy up their clothes.

Seeing this, Ximen Chong laughed and said, "Third brother, you don't have to be so polite. From now on, you and Yuan Zhang will have a good time."

The marriage between Chen and Chen is no longer a secret among Caizhou's senior officials.

Although Lao Wu has no relatives, since last month, despite her heavy body, Princess Chu personally went to Chen Jingyan's house several times to communicate with Mrs. Chen, Tan, about Ayu's entry.

Mrs. Tan had known about her daughter's concerns a few years ago, and with Chen Chu's current situation, it would not be too aggrieved to let Ayu be the concubine.

After years of waiting, her daughter finally got what she wanted, and Mrs. Tan did not refuse.

But that night, when Mrs. Tan mentioned the matter to her husband, the latter had a dark face and told Luo Si that Chen's daughters were not allowed to be concubines, and that Ayu and Yuan Zhang had different generations.

Mrs. Tan couldn't help but feel anxious. She knew that if her husband pushed forward the marriage, her daughter would hate him for the rest of her life, so she wrote a letter to invite her son back to negotiate.

Knowing a father better than a son, Chen Yingjun could see through his father's thoughts at a glance. It wasn't that his father didn't like the marriage, but he was just afraid of being accused of clinging to powerful people behind his back.

But who said this was his father, and Chen Yingjun had heard Wu Yifan say with his own ears that Ayu and Chen Chu had made peace in the Taoist temple, and they had given up their bodies. Who else could my sister marry if she didn't marry Chen Chu?

Due to the above reasons, Chen Yingjun had no choice but to hold his nose and cooperate with his reserved father. He first wrote a letter to his second uncle and asked his second uncle to persuade his father. Then he called relatives and friends from his hometown in Yingchuan to persuade his father.
  In the end, amidst numerous persuasion attempts to "do it for his daughter" and "for his family," Chen Jingyan sighed and reluctantly agreed.

Therefore, when Ximen Gong said meaningfully, "You and Yuan Zhang," Chen Jingyan thought for a while and sat down calmly.

But after all, he was not as calm as Cai Yuan back then. After sitting still for a while, he got up and walked to the roadside.

Under the strange gazes of Ximen Gong, Xu Bang and others, Chen Jingyan stroked his beard and explained: "Ahem, Yuan Zhang has made great contributions to the country. I should welcome him anyway, regardless of personal matters at this time."

In about the time it took to burn an incense stick, the king's flag with the word "Chu" headed by the Suppressing Huai Army was clearly visible.

The armored general at the front seemed to have seen the crowd greeting them. He suddenly urged his horse to speed up and rushed over, followed closely by the knights behind him.

Suddenly, more than a hundred horses galloped over, rolling up a puff of dust and smoke on the official road.

Not long after, the horse approached, and the general at the head could be someone other than Chen Chu.

Seeing that he was still more than ten feet away from the crowd, he flew off his horse and ran towards this side.

Chen Jingyan couldn't help but show a reserved smile, waiting for his brother-in-law to talk to him first.

Unexpectedly, Chen Chu flew past the officials like a gust of wind and ran straight to the female family members at the rear.

"." Chen Jingyan couldn't help but smile.

Ximen Gong hurriedly smoothed things over and said: "Haha, Yuan Zhang and his wife are deeply in love. They have been separated for more than half a year, so they must miss him deeply. Let's talk to him later." Chen Jingyan, who adjusted extremely quickly, looked at Chen Chu's back with a smile. , stroked his beard and exclaimed: "Yes, yes, Yuan Zhang is a man of good temperament!"

On the other side of the female family, Yu Nong, who was familiar with the young master's tricks, was startled when he saw how fast he was coming. He quickly took a wrong step and opened his arms to block Mao'er, "Young master! You can't hug your sister! Be careful of hurting the future. The born child!”

Chen Chu braked suddenly, pinched Yu Nong's chubby cheek, and then looked at Mao'er for a long time.
  There are so many emotions in the eyes of the two people that they may not be able to explain clearly in words, but they both understand what each other wants to express.

Amidst the cheers from the sisters-in-law, the two said in unison: "Madam (officer), thank you for your hard work."

At the end of Shenshi on that day, the Huai army took a leave at the campus in the south of the city after receiving the extra rewards for the expedition and handing over their weapons and armor.

With this group of out-of-cage tigers carrying rewards and having been in the army for nearly a year, merchants of all sizes in Caizhou City are experiencing another wave of consumption peaks.

Wine shops, teahouses, and Goulanchu restaurants were all full, and there was a long queue in front of the theater.

At dusk, the city is bustling with lights and buildings.

Yanhefang, a backlit corner of Foothills Street.
  "Yang Erlang! Be gentle with your hands!"

"Oh haha."

"Hmm~"

"Hiss! Jiang Qian, are you a dog? Why are you biting me?"

"Who allowed you to kiss me?"

"So what if you kiss me on the mouth? Anyway, you will be my woman from now on!"

"Bah, scoundrel! I didn't promise you."

"No, I'll give you this."

"What is this?"

"This is the Medal of Valor! I earned it for my life by capturing the traitor Dan Ninggui alive!"

"Just you?" Jiang Qian, the second daughter of Jiang Huaixiong, the commander of Caizhou's left-behind department, wanted to make a habitual taunt, but accidentally revealed a trace of her true emotions, "You're not hurt, are you?"

"Hey" Yang Erlang sighed with emotion, put his arms around Jiang Qian's slender waist, and continued: "Not only was he injured, he almost died. When faced with life and death, I didn't think about it. After all, my parents still have me. The only thing my eldest brother could count on was Qian'er. At that time, I thought, if I die, Qian'er will be sad."

"."

Jiang Qian could clearly feel Yang Erlang's magic grip slowly moving down from her waist and stopping on her buttocks. But hearing his sincere words, she endured the shame and let him go, but she said insincerely: "You are a I won’t be sad if the scoundrel dies.”

"Even if I die, as long as you can live happily, I am also very willing to ask what love is in this world, and teach you how to make love between life and death!"

Yang Erlang followed Brother Chen. He didn't learn anything else, but he learned a lot about picking up girls. He immediately recited a line he heard from Brother Chen.

But this sentence was like a heavy hammer hitting the heart of Jiang Qian, who was just beginning to fall in love. After a moment of silence, Jiang Qian murmured: "Did you write this sentence?"

"Yeah! I wrote this to you because I missed Qian as a child."

Yang Erlang, please order Bilian!
  But when Jiang Qian heard this, she felt her body soften a little. At the same time, she felt that Yang Erlang's hand was getting more and more aggressive. Finally, she returned her hand and patted the back of Yang Erlang's hand painlessly, and then walked out of the shadow. , turned around and gently warned, "If you are serious, your parents should come to my house to propose marriage."

After all, it was embarrassing to say this from her daughter's family. After Jiang Qian said this, she blushed and walked towards home with the medal of bravery in her hands.

Shao Qing and Yang Erlang also walked out and went straight to Xiao Yi, who was waiting for him in the dark a few feet away.

"Xiao Yi, let's go to Yunxiu Pavilion! Qin Shengwu and Kang Shitou should have arrived." Erlang seemed to be fine.

Xiao Yi glanced at the door of the Jiang family and couldn't help but worry: "Erlang, she is Jiang Dutong's daughter! Why are you provoking her for no reason? Aren't you afraid that her father will beat you to death?"

"Why did you beat me to death? It's time for a man to get married and a woman to get married! How can I not be worthy of her?"

"Ah? Are you serious? Do you really want to marry her?"

"Nonsense, why would I waste so much effort if I don't marry her? Is it just because Jiang Dutong has a good temper?"

Yang Erlang's logical answer left Xiao Yi stunned for a while.

Actually, there is no problem in discussing marriage when they are sixteen or seventeen years old, but Xiao Yi has always felt that for this kind of thing, the elders should identify a certain girl for him, and then he can marry her home.

I never thought about choosing a wife by myself
  Erlang may have guessed Xiao Yi's thoughts, and suddenly asked with a smile: "Xiao Yi, what kind of wife do you think you will marry in the future?"

Xiao Yi shook his head blankly, saying that he had never thought about it.

Erlang put his hands behind his back and said with a mature look: "You also know that Brother Chen is alone and has no brothers and sisters, but he treats us as brothers, so you should think more about some things and help him share his worries. !”

"What do you mean?" Xiao Yi was confused.

Seeing this, Erlang stopped pretending and said directly: "I still remember that when we were in Tokyo, Jing Peng of the Wei Sheng Army told Brother Chen that there was a girl in the family who wanted to be my wife."

"Isn't he joking?"

"Hey! Those of them like to talk about serious matters as jokes, so as not to hurt both parties' face after being rejected."

"What does that have to do with Jiang Qian?"

"Why doesn't it matter? I'm going to marry a wife sooner or later anyway, so why not find someone I like. After all, she and I are classmates and know each other well. I also like her cheerful temperament. It can also help Brother Chen."

"Help Brother Chen? How can you help Brother Chen by marrying a wife?"

"Stupid! Jiang Dutong is the leader of the Xiangjun faction in the Huaibei Army! I am getting married to his daughter, so the Tongshan faction and the Xiangjun faction can become one!"

Yang Erlang said it casually, but Xu Xiaoyi's eyes widened in shock, and he blurted out: "Erlang, this is a major event in your life! Is this why you decided to marry the second mother of the Jiang family?"

Xiao Yi, who has never had any relationship experience, is still a warrior of pure love and cannot tolerate feelings being mixed with utilitarian transactions.
  But Erlang glanced at Xiao Yi and said: "Xiao Yi, now that we have benefited from our brother, we have to think more about him! The girl Jing Peng mentioned last time, why not give it to you! You think about it, marry a wife , you can help Brother Chen solve a big problem, this transaction is worth it!"

"I haven't thought about these things yet." Xiao Yi was a little flustered, but then stared at Erlang suspiciously, "Erlang, did you think of these things yourself?"

"Haha, not necessarily. Some of them were realized while talking to Mr. Yanagawa."

"No wonder you run to his house all day long!"

The two fell silent and walked slowly towards Baihua Lane, where Yunxiu Pavilion was located.

Now that Xiao Yi has been with Chen Chu for a long time, his horizons have gradually broadened. When he thinks about it carefully, what Lai Erlang said does make sense.

Like himself, Erlang, his sister-in-law's cousin Qin Shengwu, and even the young Wu Yanzu Peng Yuyan, if there is no girl of his choice in the future, Brother Chen may indeed come forward to help them arrange marriages with various generals.

Thinking of this, Xiao Yi thought of Chen Jing'an and Chen Xiaoniang, who will marry into the palace in the next year, and couldn't help asking carefully: "Erlang, do you think Brother Chen married Chen Xiaoniang because of the reasons you said?"

"I don't know." Erlang shook his head.

However, Xiao Yi silently counted on his fingers for a while, and finally said worriedly: "Hey, the world is so big, and there are so many territories. If everyone belongs to our Brother Chen in the future, how many women will he have to marry? Can his body and bones bear it?"

(End of this chapter)