Sui and Tang Dynasty Generals

Chapter 45 I don’t want to, but those people are incompetent

"What should I do?"

"That's right! If we can't come up with a solution, Qinghe County will be lost!"

"I heard that all the scholars who tried to persuade Zhang Jincheng were killed. Zhang Jincheng is determined to capture Qinghe County this time..."

In the front yard, as bad news came from Qinghe, the scholars, officials, and some generals in armor standing in the yard all frowned and talked.

When Fu Zihou passed by the main hall, he heard a voice coming from inside.

"Everyone, we, the people of the Cui family, beg you to come up with an idea as soon as possible. As long as you can lift the siege of Qinghe, we, the Cui family, are willing to give you a hundred taels of gold to remember this kindness..."

Fu Zihou heard the elders of the Cui family speaking in eager and anxious tones. He was about to walk towards the attic when he saw Aunt Bao and Aunt Changsun welcoming a few people in from the direction of the gate and garden.

"Zihou, come here quickly!"

Seeing Fu Zihou, Uncle Changsun hurriedly called out.

Fu Zihou stopped when he saw this. Although he was puzzled as to why Aunt Changsun asked him to come over, he still walked towards her.

soon.

Fu Zihou came in front of Uncle Changsun and looked at Uncle Bao and the men, women and children behind Uncle Changsun with some doubt.

"Zihou, these are Cai'er's grandparents! This is Cai'er's great aunt! This is Cai'er's uncle! Cousin, these are the children of the great aunt! In terms of seniority, they are also Cai'er's cousins!"

When Changsun Nonggui saw Fu Zihou coming, he smiled and introduced these elders to Fu Zihou. Because there were so many people, he asked Fu Zihou to greet them first.

Fu Zihou was stunned. He didn't expect so many elders from Li Cha to come suddenly. But when he thought about it, it made sense. The New Year was approaching, and all the members of the Gao family who were away, as well as the female relatives, who were not old or sick, had to return to the Gao family in Qian County to worship their ancestors.
"Zihou, hello..."

Under the introduction of his eldest grandson's aunt, Fu Zihou bowed to everyone in turn.

What Fu Zihou didn't expect was that the last girl, who looked as good as Li Qiong and even had a better temperament, looked only a little older than him, but in terms of seniority, she was actually Li Cha's cousin.

Before, Fu Zihou had only heard his aunt mention that Cai'er's deceased mother was the daughter of Gao Shining of the Gao family.

As for Gao Shining and his clansmen, Fu Zihou didn't know much. He didn't ask during the time he came to Xian County. After all, Old Lady Li had said that when Li Cha's father came back at the end of the year, she would take him to visit Li Cha's great-grandmother and grandfather's family to recognize them.

At this moment, with so many of Li Cha’s relatives and elders suddenly appearing, it would be a lie for Fu Zihou to say that he was not nervous, especially when he saw Li Cha’s grandmother and great aunt looking at him with smiles on their faces.

"This is Cai'er's fiancé, Fu Zihou!"

Changsun Nonggui waited until Fu Zihou finished his ceremony before he smiled and introduced Fu Zihou to the people behind him.

Looking at the people behind him, except for Li Cha's grandfather Gao Shining and grandmother Xiao, Changsun Nonggui did not expect that Li Cha's great-aunt would also return to Gao's to worship their ancestors this year.

Li Cai's great-aunt was the sister of Gao Shining and Gao Shilian. She married Changsun Sheng in her early years and is now Changsun Sheng's widow. The young brother and sister behind them are the children of Gao and Changsun Sheng; Changsun Wuji and Guanyinbi.

A few years ago, Changsun Nonggui heard that after Changsun Sheng's death, Gao and her children were driven out by Changsun's clan members. Fortunately, Gao Shining's younger brother Gao Shilian was in Luoyang, so he took his sister and her children back home.

However, two years ago, Yang Xuangan started a rebellion. After Yang Xuangan was defeated, the Minister of War in Luoyang, Hu Si Zheng, fled to Goguryeo for fear of punishment. Gao Shilian had always had contacts with Hu Si Zheng, so he was implicated and directly demoted to Jiaozhi as the chief clerk. Before Gao Shilian left, he left behind his mother, sister and son, and asked his brother to come and take care of them.

Thinking of the Changsun clan, although Changsun Nonggui himself is also a member of the Changsun clan, his blood relationship with the siblings Changsun Wuji and Guanyinbi is very distant, and not as close as the relationship with Caier.

The other two men were Gao Jin, the son of Gao Shining and the younger brother of Li Cha's deceased mother, and Gao Luxing, the son of Gao Shilian.

Cai'er's great-grandmother did not come back. Judging from her appearance, she must be Gao Shilian's wife, who stayed in Luoyang to be taken care of.

At this moment, seeing everyone looking at Fu Zihou and nodding with satisfaction, Changsun Nonggui couldn't help but smile.

"Although Zihou's family was not well-off and he had just come to Qian County with his family, he met Cai'er some time ago and in order to give Cai'er a hairpin, he took his beloved sword to the pawnshop to pawn it. In the end, he spent 13,000 coins to buy the hairpin for Cai'er..."

Changsun Nonggui said this in a complaining tone, as if saying that Fu Zihou was stupid.

But when they heard what Changsun Nonggui said, everyone in the Gao family was full of surprise. No matter whether it was Gao Shining or Xiao, they had never thought that there would be a man who would be willing to treat Li Cha, who was born with a disability, in this way.

Fu Zihou did not expect that Aunt Zhangsun would praise him like this in front of so many people. He smiled embarrassedly. Silence was the best answer.

However, looking at elders like Li Cha, Fu Zihou also breathed a sigh of relief.

The sword can be redeemed sooner or later, but the hairpin that I gave to Li Cha can let Li Cha and other elders know that no matter how poor I am, I will never let Li Cha suffer any grievances, and can save these elders a lot of unnecessary worries.

"Zihou, where are you going? Where's Cai'er?"

Changsun Nonggui asked. He just saw Fu Zihou seemed to be going to the attic, and Cai'er was not around, so he was a little confused.

"Aunt, Cai'er is warming herself by the fire in the backyard. Zihou wants to go and see how Brother Cui is injured!"

Fu Zihou said to Changsun Nonggui.

"Then you go first! Auntie will take people to the backyard to check on Cai'er first!"

Changsun Nonggui nodded when he heard Fu Zihou's words.

In Changsun Nonggui's eyes, Cui Yuzhe was seriously injured and unconscious, so it was a good thing for Fu Zihou to go over and show more concern for him. After all, Cui Yuzhe was a member of the Cui family, and there would be no harm in having a good relationship with him.

"Yes, aunt!"

Fu Zihou nodded, then raised his hand and saluted to Li Cha's many elders. After seeing the eldest great-grandmother nodded, he turned and left.

"If Cai'er's mother were still alive, she would definitely be relieved to see a man like this who treated Cai'er so attentively!"

Xiao, who was in her forties and almost fifty, looked at Fu Zihou's leaving back and thought of her eldest daughter. She couldn't help feeling sad and regretful.

"But I can't see it after all..."

Gao Shining also nodded, his eyes somewhat complicated.

Seeing someone he knew in the main hall, and thinking of the current conflicts within the Gao family, Gao Shining asked his wife and sister to go see Li Cha, while he went to the main hall first to meet the Cui family members in Xin County.

"Little sister! I used to think that among all the men I met, the only one who could be called a good husband was Shimin! I never thought that there would be someone like Shimin!"

After watching Fu Zihou's back disappear, Changsun Wuji couldn't help but look at his younger sister beside him and sighed.

He had a very good relationship with his brother-in-law Li Shimin, and they used to hunt and eat and drink together.

Ever since the younger sister married Li Shimin, Li Shimin has doted on her, especially two years ago, when Li Shimin's mother Dou was seriously ill and the younger sister took care of Dou day and night by her bedside. Although Dou eventually passed away, Shimin remembered everything the younger sister did. From then on, Li Shimin, who already doted on the younger sister, never refused as long as the younger sister asked.

He thought that his brother-in-law Li Shimin was a rare good man in the world, but when he heard about Fu Zihou mortgaging his sword, he was still moved. It was because his younger sister was a rare beauty, but he had seen Li Cha several times, but she was a mute who could not speak since childhood.

In the eyes of the world, this person is an ominous person.

No matter rich or poor, how many people in this world would not mind marrying a girl of unknown origin, let alone treating her sincerely?

"Yes! There are very few people who can exchange their beloved sword for a hairpin for their fiancée! In his eyes... his fiancée must be very important." Guanyinbi said softly.

"It's a pity that Shimin was originally planning to come over from Xin County, but later he had to stay in Hexi with his brother, so he couldn't come with us! If Shimin met Zihou, I'm sure he would like him!"

Changsun Wuji showed regret on his face and said with a smile that he knew his brother-in-law Shimin's character. Shimin was a man of loyalty and righteousness, and he liked people who were loyal and righteous the most.

"Didn't you hear about Qinghe's situation? If he comes here, I'm afraid he won't be able to help but get involved. It's too dangerous!"

When Guanyinbi heard her brother's words, she turned to look at him, with a hint of reproach on her pretty face. She knew some things about her husband, and also knew what her husband and Dalang were doing.

Faced with the favors of Qinghe Cui, she knew that her husband would definitely be tempted and could not help but bring people to Qinghe to fight Zhang Jincheng, which was too risky.

"Little sister, why are you so afraid that Shimin will be hurt? You didn't go hunting with Shimin, otherwise you would definitely know that the siege of Qinghe could be easily resolved if Shimin came!"

When Changsun Wuji saw his younger sister's expression, he couldn't help but smile and shook his head. His younger sister was too afraid that Shimin would get hurt.

Seeing that his younger sister ignored him and followed his mother and others towards the backyard of the Li Mansion, Changsun Wuji could only sigh helplessly and follow his younger sister.

.....................

In the guest room of Li Mansion.

Because Cui Yuzhe was seriously injured and needed quiet, except for the elders of the Cui family who came to visit, Cui Wenjin was the only one who was guarding him at other times.

The person guarding the door was a servant of the Li Mansion. When he saw Fu Zihou, he naturally recognized him and did not stop him.

In the room, Cui Wenjin looked at his brother who had a pale face and eyes that were swollen from crying.

"Brother Cui hasn't woken up yet?"

Fu Zihou came to the window and looked at Cui Yuzhe with a frown.

"What are you doing here, you liar?"

Cui Wenjin looked at Fu Zihou while sobbing. Although she was surprised by the appearance of the liar, at this moment, looking at her unconscious brother, she no longer cared about the liar's feelings.

Thinking back on the times when her brother had taken care of her and doted on her no matter what she wanted, Cui Wenjin was afraid of what she would do if her brother could not wake up.

"Liar? Miss Wenjin, when has Zihou ever lied to you?"

When Fu Zihou heard Cui Wenjin's words, he felt puzzled. If they had not just met, these words would have been easily misunderstood by others.

"You know whether you are a liar or not!"

Cui Wenjin didn't want to argue with Fu Zihou about this. Looking at her unconscious brother, she raised her hand to wipe away her tears, not caring about the slight pain in her eyes.

"Do you know what the situation is in Qinghe now? Can you tell me about it?"

Cui Wenjin asked softly, looking a little weak.

She had been staying in the room, watching over her brother. She was not clear about what was happening in Qinghe. Apart from being a brother, she was also worried about her parents, sister, and clansmen in Qinghe County.

"I heard that all the soldiers who came to support from Xin County have been killed, and only one or two out of ten have escaped back to Xin County! According to what those deserters saw and reported back, the elders of your Cui family speculate that Qinghe County may be lost tomorrow!"

Fu Zihou didn't know when he had lied to Cui Wenjin. When he heard Cui Wenjin's question, he thought about it and decided to tell him.

Don’t wait until you become a liar in her eyes!
"What? Tomorrow!!!"

When Cui Wenjin heard Fu Zihou's words, his pupils shrank and his expression changed drastically. He turned around and grabbed Fu Zihou's clothes tightly with both hands, looking around in panic, as if he was looking for something.

"It's useless even if you go! Your elders and all the people in the yard can't do anything!"

Fu Zihou looked at Cui Wenjin who picked up the sword and sighed helplessly.

Cui Wenjin stood there in a daze. Thinking of the current situation, Fu Zihou's words were like a knife stabbing her heart.

"But my parents..."

Two more tears fell from Cui Wenjin's red and swollen eyes. As the sword fell to the ground, Cui Wenjin closed his eyes in despair, leaned against the bed with a painful face, sat down, curled up and cried bitterly.

When Fu Zihou saw Cui Wenjin's appearance and then looked at Cui Yuzhe on the bed, he thought of the later generations. After Li Yuan killed Dou Jiande, Hebei was unwilling to truly submit to the Li Tang Dynasty for hundreds of years.

"I don't know why you say I'm a liar! But right now, I want to ask you, do you keep your word, Cui?"

Fu Zihou took a deep breath and turned his gaze from Cui Yuzhe to Cui Wenjin on the ground.

After hearing what Fu Zihou said, Cui Wenjin took a few breaths before slowly raising her head. Under her slightly messy long hair, her pretty face looked at Fu Zihou with tears in her eyes.

I don’t know what Fu Zihou meant by this.

Fu Zihou picked up Cui Yuzhe's ID card from the wooden table next to the bed, then bent down and picked up Cui Wenjin's dropped sword.

"I may not be able to help Cui, I can only try my best! Remember, if anything happens to me and I can't come back, you have to take care of my family for me!"

Fu Zihou looked at Cui Wenjin, whose eyes were blurred with tears, and spoke softly, then turned and walked out of the room.

When Cui Wenjin, who was crying, understood what Fu Zihou meant, she was suddenly stunned.

"Hey! Don't be impulsive, or you'll lose your life!"

Cui Wenjin spoke loudly in a sobbing voice. Although she wanted to save her family, she also didn't want this liar to die. This liar was frail and not a strong man. What use could he be alone?

So many generals and strong men were defeated, and some even died at the hands of Zhang Jincheng.

He looked at Fu Zihou as if he didn't hear anything and didn't turn around.

"Hey! Don't go!"

Cui Wenjin wiped her tears and quickly got up. However, she had not eaten much in the past few days because of worry, and her movements were not as agile as before. When she stood up, she saw Fu Zihou standing in front of the door. He stopped and looked back at her.

"I won't go. No one dares to go to Qinghe County right now! Aren't you afraid that Zhang Jincheng will break into the city?"

When Cui Wenjin heard Fu Zihou's words, he was stunned. He thought of Zhang Jin's claim that he liked to massacre innocent people in the past, and then he thought of what Fu Zihou had just said.

When Cui Wenjin came to his senses, Fu Zihou had already walked out of the room, leaving behind only a helpless remark.

"I don't want to go either, but those people are incompetent!"

　Note: Guanyinbi married Li Shimin at the age of thirteen, which was several years ago.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)