knife

Chapter 709 It's Good to Be Alive
On the city wall, Tu Jiaojiao held a stack of documents in her arms and watched as Zhou Zhi chased Li Dachui away with a stick, and she couldn't help but feel worried.

"Sister, Protector Li is the highest leader of our Beiting Protectorate. Won't this make everyone think..." she asked, looking at Luo Hua beside her.

Luo Hua smiled slightly: "Jiaojiao, what kind of feeling did you have towards Protector Li in the past?"

"Admiration, awe!" Tu Jiaojiao said without hesitation. "Sister knows my past. If it weren't for Protector Li saving me and Ding Ergou back then, we would probably have died in Beiyuan long ago!"

Luo Hua nodded: "And what about you now? Besides admiration and awe, do you have any other feelings?"

Tu Jiaojiao paused for a moment, pondered for a while, and finally nodded: "Indeed, there are some other feelings as well, that is, Protector Li is actually just like all of us, with the troubles of ordinary people!"

“That’s it!” Luo Hua said, “So do you think the previous leader was better, or this loud and boisterous leader who gets whipped around by his adoptive father?”

"It seems more realistic now, and closer to us!" Tu Jiaojiao's face showed a hint of realization.

“You feel this way, and that’s how everyone feels!” Luo Hua laughed. “Before, it was awe and worship; now it’s love. The Protector General used to be far away from you; now he’s close to you. Isn’t this also a way to unite people’s hearts?”

"I see. I was a bit narrow-minded!" Tu Jiaojiao nodded repeatedly. "Sister, you are truly insightful. But sister, does General Xiao really not care at all about Protector Li and the Empress Dowager of Southern Chu?"

Luo Hua chuckled: "What would you do if your Ding Er Gou found a younger woman?"

“But Protector Li is different!” Tu Jiaojiao shook her head and said, “That Jiang Qian is related to the future world order of Southern Chu!”

"If I told you Ding Ergou had found a mistress, would you be happy?"

"I won't let him into the house!" Tu Jiaojiao raised her eyebrows.

"Do you think your cavalry commander will be happy?"

"But there's nothing we can do!" Tu Jiaojiao sighed. "Xiao Biaoqi is such a proud man, yet he can't show too much of his emotions in matters like this. I read the letter that Chief Secretary Mao wrote to Xiao Biaoqi, and I was so angry that I didn't eat all day!"

“Ningyu is an extremely proud person; she wouldn’t stoop to competing!” Luo Hua gritted her teeth and said, “But we have to fight for her, don’t we? We can’t let that woman from the south get the better of us!”

Tu Jiaojiao laughed: "So during this period, there have suddenly been many storytellers and stories about this matter under the jurisdiction of Beiting. I suppose they were all written by you, sister. I also went to listen to two performances. If these things reach Jiang Qian's ears, I'm afraid they will make her furious!"

"I've already arranged for people to spread these things throughout the world, hmph!" Luo Hua said smugly. "Besides, even if we become family in the future, with her past experience as the Empress Dowager of Southern Chu, how can she possibly surpass Ning Yu? No matter how powerful she is, she still has to bow to Ning Yu and call her 'elder sister'!"

“That makes sense!” Tu Jiaojiao nodded and said, “When the Protector-General unifies the world and becomes emperor, there will be no chance for her to become empress. Not only will we not agree, but all the scholars in the world will not agree either. Everyone can accept being a concubine, but if it comes to vying for the position of empress and mother of the world, that’s unacceptable!”

“That’s true, but our Protector-General has always looked down on all these etiquettes and manners, even scoffing at them. If it weren’t for that, would the two of us be officials?” Luo Hua said, “Our Protector-General has a bad temper. That Jiang Qian must be a vixen. After a bit of bewitching, Protector-General Li might not be able to resist. You know, men are men!”

“My man isn’t like that!” Tu Jiaojiao said with some pride.

Luo Hua chuckled: "Really? When we go back to Tai'an City next time, go to Yingchun Tower and ask if your man has been there!"

Tu Jiaojiao looked at Luo Hua, first in surprise, then her eyebrows slowly rose.

Luo Hua laughed and turned to leave the city: "Jiaojiao, don't be angry. I think Ding Ergou was just corrupted by his bunch of cronies. He's actually a pretty good guy! Men sometimes play games, so don't take it to heart. Come on, your Xiao Biaoqi is entering the city!"

Tu Jiaojiao's face flushed red, her teeth grinding together. "You, Ding Ergou, you're two-faced! Just wait until you get back, you'll be sorry!"

Meanwhile, far away in Tiger Roar Plain, Ding Ergou was enjoying a hot pot with a group of brothers, eating slices of mutton, when suddenly his nose itched and he sneezed several times in a row. "Captain Ding, you're so lucky! Even while you're on the march, someone thinks of you. Judging from this, your wife must be missing you again!"

Ding Ergou, with a smug look on his face, picked up a large piece of mutton with his chopsticks and stuffed it into his mouth: "That's right, your sister-in-law is talented and beautiful. You guys can only envy her!"

"Hehe, but we have our advantages too, Captain. Yingchunlou recently opened a branch in Yangguan. We can go check it out when we get back. Do you want me to call you?"

"Why don't you call out?" Ding Ergou asked, his eyes wide.

"We're just afraid of our sister-in-law, aren't we?"

"Your sister-in-law will be going back to Baoping City with General Xiao soon!" Ding Ergou said with a smile. "Brothers, after we take Boling County, we'll be able to rest for a while. The soldiers will mostly be going home to do spring plowing, and we'll definitely be stationed outside. Don't forget your brother if there's anything good!"

"sure!"

Tu Jiaojiao hurriedly followed Luo Hua down the city wall, but out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of a few familiar faces.

The fat man, Lü Youcheng, was carrying a battle axe and leading his horse, talking to another fat man.

Bad friends!

Wasn't that the group of guys Luo Hua was just talking about?
Lu You, Jin Bao, and Cai Ming, who loves to sleep with women, are the people Er Gou followed who led him astray.

Tu Jiaojiao was instantly furious. She stopped in her tracks and shouted at the other side, "Lu You, Jinbao, come here!"

Lu You and Jin Bao walked over. Tu Jiaojiao wanted to scold them, but when she saw Lu You covered in blood and looking pale, and Jin Bao in the same state, she realized that today was not a good time. She decided to ask them again in a few days and capture Jin Bao first. That little fat boy would never dare to lie to her.

"Sister-in-law, Brother Cai is gone!" Lu You whispered.

"What did you say? Who's gone?" Tu Jiaojiao asked in astonishment.

Jinbao continued, "I just came back from Volcano Fortress. General Xiao led three thousand iron cavalry in a fierce battle against the Guanzhong Li family's elite soldiers and the Hongnong Yang family's white-feathered soldiers. The three thousand iron cavalry lost more than a thousand men, and Brother Cai is gone!"

Tu Jiaojiao's raging anger was instantly extinguished by a bucket of ice water poured over her head.

Gone?

Looking at Tu Jiaojiao's pale face, Lü You sighed, "We soldiers are always risking our lives. We might die on the battlefield one day. Old Cai didn't live a bad life; no one lived as carefree as him. Besides, he has descendants. Jinbao will take care of sending Old Cai's body to Dading. He has a ranch there, and his wife and son are there!"

Tu Jiaojiao's mind went blank. She whispered, "Jinbao, let me know when you leave. Er Gou and Lao Cai are brothers, and now that he's not home, I have to fulfill my brotherly duty to him!"

“Okay!” Jinbao nodded.

"I have to go now!"

"Sister-in-law, go ahead and get busy! Jinbao will take care of Lao Cai's funeral arrangements, it won't be a problem!" Lu You quickly said.

Tu Jiaojiao's steps were a little unsteady.
Suddenly, I realized that it wasn't a big deal for my husband to occasionally go out and have a good time.

As long as we are safe and sound, that's better than anything else!
(End of this chapter)