Why do people always say talking to smart people is tiring?
It's because of this!
A perfectly ordinary sentence, yet smart people tend to overthink it.
Sometimes you simply say hello, and they might suspect you have ulterior motives.
Fortunately,
Although Liu Qi didn't notice Gongsun Baoyue's wariness, he quickly provided an explanation.
"Baoyue, you are absolutely right!"
"Since my Liu family has no other intentions, we must prove it to the Prefect!"
"So..."
"You go have the steward find some people to load grain into the warehouse, and I'll go procure some meat."
"Alright!"
Gongsun Baoyue breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, then asked:
"Grandfather, what about the other gentry?"
"I'll send someone to notify them right away!"
Thinking of the aristocratic families in other counties, Liu Qi, disregarding the late hour, hurried to send riders to deliver the news posthaste.
If the journey was smooth, they should arrive before dawn.
Then,
After consideration and brief preparation, those aristocratic families should be able to arrive the day after tomorrow.
Fortunately, Qin Feng only instructed the gentry of Zhuo Commandery to come, otherwise, it would take at least ten days to half a month for the army's rewards.
...
While the Liu family was busy with the military rewards, Qin Feng was also working hard.
"Husband, husband... gently!"
"Yes!"
"Phew..."
After a round of one, two, three, four, four, three, two, one, Qin Feng lay on the bed, covered in sweat, resting.
Beside him,
Zhang Xuan, with a flushed face, propped herself up and cleaned Qin Feng.
"Right!"
As if remembering something, Qin Feng, who had his eyes slightly closed, suddenly opened them and looked at Zhang Xuan.
"Xuan'er, I've already sent someone to Ji Province today. Do you still want to go back and see?"
"This..."
Zhang Xuan's hand, holding the towel, trembled slightly. After a moment of hesitation, she whispered:
"Husband, if possible, I would like to bring our daughter back!"
"Daughter?"
Thinking of Zhen Mi, who would be called the "Goddess of Luo" in later generations, Qin Feng smiled and nodded:
"Since you want to go, then go. I'll arrange for someone to escort you tomorrow morning!"
"Really?"
Zhang Xuan, who hadn't held much hope, looked up in surprise.
"Husband, you, you really agree to let me go?"
"What's the big deal?"
Qin Feng gently caressed Zhang Xuan's soft black hair, his eyes squinting.
"Your daughter is my daughter, isn't she? Don't worry! I will treat them well!"
"Thank you, husband~!"
Zhang Xuan, completely unaware of Qin Feng's thoughts, was deeply moved.
This was not like later generations where men could be so humble as to take their child's surname.
This was a thoroughly patriarchal era!
Although there were scumbags like Old Cao who exclusively liked married women.
Most people, however, could not accept remarriage!
Or rather,
Even if they grudgingly accepted your remarriage, your child would no longer be related to you.
What?
You expect a man to help you raise the child from your previous marriage?
Dream on!
Therefore,
When she learned that Qin Feng didn't mind her having a child and was willing to raise them, Zhang Xuan's heart melted.
Even though she herself was forced, who would remember that at this point?
Given the situation,
It was better to maximize her benefits rather than dwell on the past.
As for Qin Feng?
He not only had no aversion to this but was inexplicably excited.
A sense of inferiority?
No, no, no!
Not at all!
He was purely excited at the thought of nurturing the "Goddess of Luo."
As for who would benefit in the future?
Let them live a solitary life!
In any case,
Qin Feng had already made up his mind. Anyone who dared to have ideas would be killed!
...
The next day,
In the early morning,
After another bout of morning exercise with Zhang Xuan, Qin Feng sent for Yang Yanqi.
"My Lord~!"
Yang Yanqi, with a rosy complexion, complained unhappily as soon as she entered:
"You promised to let me train the soldiers! How many days has it been, and there are so few?"
"Uh..."
Qin Feng hadn't paid much attention to the recruitment situation. Upon hearing this, he couldn't help but ask:
"Haven't you recruited anyone? That shouldn't be the case! Aren't we offering good treatment?"
"It's not that we haven't recruited anyone!"
Yang Yanqi took a bite of the fruit on the table, her tone full of disdain:
"Those people aren't here to be soldiers at all, they just want to get free meals."
"They lack physique and perseverance, so I kicked them all out!"
"..."
Qin Feng's mouth twitched slightly. He thought that with her standards, it would be impossible to recruit anyone.
Looking at their physique alone might be acceptable; the sons of aristocratic families could barely suffice.
But to also demand perseverance?
Good heavens!
If they had perseverance, they wouldn't have been sent to the military camp by their families for training!
As for the rural children, they had perseverance, but they were always lacking in food and clothing, so where would you find the physique?
However,
Thinking of something that could vent the girl's energy, Qin Feng didn't say anything.
"Since the male soldiers aren't suitable, when we return, I'll help your sister Xiuning train female soldiers."
"Return?"
Yang Yanqi immediately grasped the key point and looked at Qin Feng excitedly.
"My Lord, are we going to war again? Where are we going this time? How many people will we take with us?"
"I..."
Looking at the excited young girl, Qin Feng was speechless and rubbed his forehead.
Is this the legendary violent woman?
Forget it!
No matter how violent she is, she can't beat me. It's good to be a bit fierce so she doesn't get bullied.
With that thought,
Qin Feng suppressed his helplessness once more and smiled, beckoning to Zhang Xuan beside him.
"This time, we're not going to war. I want you to escort your sister Xuan to Ji Province."
"Oh?"
Glancing at Zhang Xuan, who was smiling, Yang Yanqi instinctively pouted.
"I'm not going!"
"Huh?"
Qin Feng was stunned for a moment, thinking he had misheard, and asked uncertainly:
"Yanqi, what did you just say?"
"I said I'm not going!"
Yang Yanqi, still not sensing the change in Qin Feng's tone, was still nonchalant.
"Don't you have many soldiers under you? Just send a few hundred, won't that do?"
"Anyway, I'm not going!"
"..."
After confirming he had heard correctly, Qin Feng waved for Zhang Xuan to step aside and said calmly:
"Why not? Give me a reason!"
"If I don't want to, I won't go!"
Hearing Qin Feng's almost questioning tone, Yang Yanqi stuck out her neck and said stubbornly:
"My Lord, although you are my lord, you have no right to force me to handle personal matters, do you?"
"Heh heh~!"
"Very good!"
Qin Feng was so angry that he laughed, pointed at Yang Yanqi, who was still holding her head high.
"You still know I'm your lord? Is this how you speak to your lord?"
"So what?"
Although she felt inexplicably nervous, Yang Yanqi still gritted her teeth and said:
"I've completed all the tasks you assigned. What's wrong with not doing personal favors for you?"
"You can't possibly be seeking personal revenge, can you?"
"Why can't I?"
Qin Feng's anger grew with each word. He stood up and walked towards Yang Yanqi step by step.
"You're distinguishing between public and private matters with me here, aren't you?"
"Fine!"
"Today, I'll truly show you what using public office for private gain means!"
"Get down!"