Gao Shun had just finished giving his orders when Han Mo suddenly heard Zhe Yourong’s voice.
“Cough, cough, cough, it’s nothing, just some errands to run! Alright, go take care of your business!”
The moment he saw Zhe Yourong, even the audacious Han Mo felt an inexplicable pang of guilt.
In this era, having multiple wives and concubines was quite common for men, yet when it came to himself, Han Mo’s heart pounded incessantly.
“Tch, you all get out!”
With a dismissive glance at Han Mo, Zhe Yourong decisively kicked Gao Shun and Jiang Yan out.
Soon, the only people left in the courtyard, besides Li Shishi in the carriage, were Han Mo and Zhe Yourong, husband and wife.
“My lady, you, you…”
“What me? How long do you plan to keep this from me? You’ve brought someone into our home, do you plan to send her away again? Do you really think I’m so narrow-minded?”
Before Han Mo could speak, Zhe Yourong rolled her eyes at him again.
“You know?”
Hearing her words, Han Mo’s mouth twitched involuntarily. Had Gao Shun sold him out?
“Such a big event has happened in Bianliang City. Do you think the merchant guild would receive no news at all? Since Elder Sister is here, she should stay in the manor for now!”
After pinching the soft flesh on Han Mo’s waist, Zhe Yourong spoke towards the carriage again.
“I wouldn’t dare accept the title of Elder Sister…”
Since Zhe Yourong had made her intentions clear, Li Shishi could no longer hide. It was going to happen sooner or later, so she had no choice but to brace herself and walk out.
“I knew Elder Sister wouldn’t have fallen into the water, so she was tricked by this scoundrel! Hmph!”
As Zhe Yourong spoke, she stomped hard on Han Mo’s instep.
“No, I…”
Zhe Yourong was from a military family, and this time she was determined to make Han Mo suffer. That stomp nearly made Han Mo jump up.
“Pfft—”
Seeing Han Mo’s embarrassed state, Li Shishi couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Alright, you’ve been hiding for so many days. It’s time to show your face. Let the two of us women have a private chat, you don’t need to stand here awkwardly!”
Indeed, even a woman from a military family like Zhe Yourong could only choose to compromise in such a situation. Although she hadn’t explicitly said it, the fact that she didn’t chase Li Shishi away showed she was giving Han Mo some face.
“Well, alright then…”
Despite feeling a little worried, Han Mo could only turn back and walk out, reluctant to leave.
After walking a considerable distance, Han Mo was still uneasy. Just as he was about to sneak back to eavesdrop on their conversation, he was stopped by Jiang Yan.
“What is it? Can’t it wait?”
Looking at Gao Shun, who was peeking around curiously beside him, Han Mo scratched the back of his head with a headache.
“Young Master, you should go and see. That fellow Qu Duan is here again!”
“Who did you say?”
Hearing this, Han Mo’s spirits immediately lifted.
This was a true general!
Aside from his personality issues, his military talent was no less than that of Yue Fei or Han Shizhong!
Unfortunately, in the original history, due to his overly straightforward personality, so much so that he gambled his head against his superior, his military talent was stifled by his superior Zhang Jun before he could even display it…
However, Han Mo didn’t care about his straightforward personality. After all, if you could win over such a person, they wouldn’t even frown if you asked them to die!
“It’s Qu Duan, from the northwest!”
“What are you waiting for? Hurry up and take me to see him! When did he arrive? Why didn’t anyone tell me?”
Upon receiving confirmation from Jiang Yan, Han Mo eagerly urged him to lead the way.
“We wanted to tell you, Master, but it’s too far! Young Master, why are you so nervous about this barbarian? If it were in Fuzhou, this kind of fellow would have been dragged out and beaten by the master…”
Thinking of Qu Duan’s conduct, Jiang Yan couldn’t help but curl his lips.
“What do you know! Stop talking such nonsense in the future. What do you mean by ‘barbarian’? If a military general lacks ferocity, is he still a military general?”
Although Han Mo knew that Jiang Yan’s words carried no ill intent, and he was merely stating facts, he also understood that it was crucial to prevent any seeds of slander from being sown.
“What does your Lord Han mean? He summoned me all the way from the northwest, and after so many days, he hasn’t even seen me. Isn’t that too much of a bully? Damn it, if this were the northwest, I would have chopped him with my sword long ago!”
As Jiang Yan led the way, Han Mo had just stepped into the front courtyard when he heard a rough male voice.
Even without seeing him, one could tell from his voice that he had already had quite a bit to drink and was slurring his words.
“Pfft—”
This time, Jiang Yan really couldn’t hold back his laughter and burst out chuckling.
“Laugh your head off!”
After kicking him in the backside with annoyance, Han Mo strode towards the gatehouse.
“My Lord!”
Seeing Han Mo approach, the servants of the household quickly stepped forward to pay their respects.
“Are you that so-called talented scholar?”
Seeing everyone paying their respects to Han Mo, Qu Duan drunkenly approached him.
“That’s right. If you are looking for Han Mo, then it must be me!”
As Han Mo spoke, he sized up Qu Duan.
Han Mo was already quite tall, but standing next to Qu Duan, he was clearly half a head shorter.
As for their physique, there was no comparison. Although Han Mo was well-built, he looked rather insignificant next to Qu Duan.
The two of them together, Han Mo was clearly three or four sizes smaller…
Although Qu Duan’s appearance was a bit… unappealing, Han Mo didn’t consider it a flaw.
A general, if he looked fierce, might even scare the enemy’s horses on the battlefield!
“Tell me, why did you have to transfer me from the northwest to this godforsaken place? If you’re coming, you’re coming, but you’ve kept me waiting for so many days in this godforsaken place! I’m telling you, I’m not convinced by you!”
Qu Duan was clearly drunk, waving his fists around as he spoke.
“So, according to you, how can you be convinced?”
Despite the drunken words, Qu Duan’s declaration made Han Mo’s teeth ache. It was only because it was him!
If it were any other civil official, they would have had him strung up and whipped long ago. It seemed there was a reason why Zhang Jun had his head cut off…
After all, who would want a subordinate who constantly threatened to gamble their head with you and was more capable than you…