Sui and Tang Dynasty Generals

Chapter 56 Who is Fu Zihou?
"Duxing, what happened?"

In the main hall, seeing Cui Duxing coming, Cui Hebaek, Cui Jingong and other Cui family elders came forward one after another.

"Uncle, uncle!"

Seeing Cui Hebaek and Cui Jingong, Cui Duxing hurriedly bowed and saluted. Hearing the questions from the two elders, Cui Duxing, who was already middle-aged, couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"It's a long story. To be honest with you, uncles, this is why I came here!"

Cui Duxing said, and then looking at the crowd of people in the main hall, he was the first to look at Li Jingjie in front of him and salute.

"Meet Li Erlang!"

Cui Duxing was an official in Qinghe County, so he naturally knew Li Lao's second son, Li Jingjie.

Although Qinghe County and Xin County are not in the same county, Qinghe is not far from Xin County. Both are located near the borders of the counties.

"Master Cui!"

Li Jingjie also hurriedly returned the greeting to Cui Duxing. Seeing Cui Duxing and others saluting one after another, Li Jingjie was very curious about what had happened in Qinghe County.

In the main hall.

The ceremony ended as Cui Duxing exchanged greetings with everyone.

At this time, Cui Hebo and others could no longer wait and hurriedly asked Cui Duxing what had happened in Qinghe County, and where the thief Zhang Jincheng had led the rebel army to retreat?
When faced with the questions from the clan elders, Cui Duxing did not answer hastily, but instead looked at Cui Wenjin who was a few steps away.

See this.

Cui Hebaek, Cui Jingong and others were all confused and didn't understand why Cui Duxing didn't answer, but instead looked at the Cui brothers and sisters.

The injured Cui Yuzhe had already recovered by the time the servants of the Li Mansion went to welcome Cui Duxing into the mansion. Cui Wenjin was also a little confused when he saw his uncle's eyes.

"Come here, both of you!"

After hearing what their uncle Cui Duxing said, Cui Yuzhe and Cui Wenjin stepped forward obediently and raised their hands.

"Yuzhe, meet your uncle!"

"Wenjin, meet your uncle!"

Cui Yuzhe and Cui Wenjin bowed.

However, at this time, Cui Duxing nodded to a soldier outside the main hall, and the soldier quickly came in with a long cloth.

See this.

Everyone in the main hall, whether it was Li Jingjie or County Magistrate Wang and others, all looked at each other, not knowing what Cui Duxing was going to do.

Afterwards, under the puzzled gazes of Cui Yuzhe and Cui Wenjin, at the instruction of Cui Duxing, the soldiers opened the cloth package, and a long sword and a wooden sign appeared in everyone's sight.

At first, Cui Wenjin was very confused as to why his uncle brought such a dirty sword, which was a bit bent.

But the next moment, Cui Wenjin saw the long sword wrapped in cloth clearly and his eyes widened instantly.

"Is this my sword?"

Cui Wenjin took two steps forward and looked at the dirty sword.

If it weren't for the dirt on the scabbard that didn't completely cover the pattern, and if it weren't for the familiarity with the sword, Cui Wenjin wouldn't even have believed that this was his own sword.

Why is there so much blood on it?

Also, why is his sword bent like this, and why are there so many tiny and dense gaps on the blade?

With countless doubts in her mind, Cui Wenjin was about to ask her uncle Cui Duxing, but the next moment, she saw a wooden sign next to the scabbard.

"Brother's wooden sign..."

Cui Wenjin murmured.

Suddenly, her beautiful eyes froze and a figure suddenly appeared in her mind.

That young man!
"Hmm? This... is my ID card?"

Cui Yuzhe also noticed at this time that there was his ID card next to the scabbard. He walked forward with a puzzled look on his face and reached out to pick up the wooden card.

Because he was in a coma, Cui Yuzhe did not notice his ID card after waking up. Now looking at the wooden card, he realized that he seemed to have not seen his wooden card since he woke up.

What is going on here?

"Did you two, brother and sister, hand over the swords and the wooden plaque to a man called Fu Zihou?"

Just when everyone in the lobby was frowning in confusion, Cui Duxing looked at Cui Yuzhe and Cui Wenjin and asked softly.

"Zihou?"

"Zihou??"

When Cui Duxing's words were heard, two voices rang out instantly. The one who exclaimed was Cui Yuzhe, and the one who was confused was Li Jingjie.

Cui Yuzhe looked at his ID card, confused. He wondered when he had given his ID card to Fu Zihou.

"What about him? Uncle, what about him?"

Cui Wenjin came back to her senses, and at this moment she hurriedly looked at her uncle and asked.

Looking at the sword and the ID card, a possibility suddenly came to my mind: he really went to Qinghe County! He really went to kill those rebels!!!

But why did he only see his own sword and his brother's wooden sign? What about him?

Why don't you see others?

A bad thought suddenly came to Cui Wenjin's mind, making Cui Wenjin feel a little uneasy.

not far away.

Li Qiong was also a little confused at this moment. Why did Fu Zihou's name come from Cui Wenjin's uncle's mouth, and what about Cui Wenjin's appearance.

Could it be that Fu Zihou also went to Qinghe County?

This is impossible! Why would he go to Qinghe County?
But why did Cui Wenjin's uncle know Fu Zihou?
"Duxing, what happened? Who is this Fu Zihou?"

Cui Hebaek looked helpless. Seeing that everyone else was in the same mood as him, frowning in confusion, he couldn't help but ask again.

In the main hall.

Under the gaze of everyone, including many scholars not far from the door, Cui Duxing glanced at Cui Wenjin, who had a panicked expression, then looked at his uncle and raised his hand to salute.

"Uncle, early this morning, Duxing, Yang Juncheng and others were ready to die. Unexpectedly, at dawn, as Zhang Jincheng ordered the rebels to attack, a reinforcement force of less than a thousand people came to the rear of the rebel army. In the melee, the leader of the reinforcements killed Xu Jinpeng, Zhang Jincheng's trusted general. The rebels were terrified and fled in defeat, so the danger of Qinghe was averted!"

Cui Duxing told his uncle what had happened.

"What? Kill Xu Jinpeng? He's Zhang Jincheng's confidant!"

"Xu Jinpeng is so brave that he has killed many Sui generals. How could the chief general of the reinforcements kill Xu Jinpeng?"

"The bandit Xu Jinpeng was killed. No wonder he fled in fear. I don't know who the commander is! Most of the warriors of the Sui army are in the north..."

After hearing Cui Duxing's words, everyone in the main hall began to talk.

Everyone is familiar with Zhang Jincheng, and is even more familiar with his confidant Xu Jinpeng, who has heard a lot of his deeds over the years.

But unexpectedly, outside Qinghe County, Xu Jinpeng was actually killed by the main general of the reinforcements. Who was that main general of the reinforcements?
Cui Duxing listened to other people's discussions and saw everyone looking at him with puzzled eyes. He knew what everyone was confused about, so he turned to look at Cui Wenjin.

"After asking the reinforcements, I found out that their commander is called Fu Zihou!"

Cui Duxing looked at Cui Wenjin and said.

What I mean is, niece, don't you know Fu Zihou? Your sword and Yu Zhe's ID card are both in Fu Zihou's hands.

"Fu Zihou? Who is he? I don't know him, I've never heard of him!"

“Fu Zihou!!” “Zihou!!!!”

After hearing Cui Duxing's words, almost everyone in the main hall was puzzled and shook their heads. They had never heard of a person named Fu Zihou. However, Cui Yuzhe and Li Jingjie looked at Cui Duxing with shock.

Cui Yuzhe couldn't help but think of the young man he met in the attic of Li's mansion in the past.

Li Jingjie was not in a much better mood, and he was very suspicious whether he had heard it wrongly.

Fu Zihou?
Uncle Fu's grandson? His nephew, the Fu Zihou who was engaged to his daughter in the past?

Li Qiong, who was not far away, heard Cui Duxing's words. At this moment, she looked at the curved sword in Cui Wenjin's hand not far away. There was a bit of trance on her pretty face, and some disbelief in her beautiful eyes.

Fu Zihou not only went to Qinghe, but also served as the chief commander of the reinforcements...

Moreover, he also killed Xu Jingpeng, a fierce warrior in the rebel army!

The image of the young boy from the past appeared in Li Qiong's mind, and it was hard for her to imagine that what Cui Duxing said was what the young boy had done.

"He is the commander..."

When Cui Wenjin heard her uncle's words, she looked dazed. At this moment, she couldn't help but recall the words that the young man said helplessly when he left the room in the past.

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

Cui Wenjin recalled what he was like as a teenager in the past. When he heard his uncle say that the chief general of the reinforcements was called Fu Zihou!!!

At this moment, Cui Wenjin's eyes were slightly moist.

He really went!
And I really did it!

Thinking of something, Cui Wenjin turned his head and looked at his sword. Seeing that his sword was bent and had so many tiny gaps on it, Cui Wenjin couldn't imagine how dangerous the battlefield was at that time.

"Uncle, where are the others?"

Cui Wenjin looked at his uncle Cui Duxing anxiously and asked worriedly why he hadn't come back.

Cui Duxing looked at his niece and knew very well that she was worried.

"Don't worry! He has already taken a few of his trusted followers to hunt down Zhang Jincheng!"

Cui Duxing said softly.

Upon hearing this, Cui Wenjin nodded absentmindedly, feeling a little worried. Then she thought about how that man was able to kill Xu Jinpeng. She had heard that many warriors had died at the hands of Xu Jinpeng.

Then nothing should happen to him!
Just as Cui Wenjin was comforting herself not to worry too much, the voice of her uncle Cui Duxing suddenly came again.

"But I heard from the reinforcements that when he was fighting with Xu Jinpeng, he was stabbed in the chest, his armor was broken and bleeding, but I don't know how serious the injury was."

Cui Duxing remembered Kong Yan's words, so he spoke softly.

Thinking of Zhang Jincheng, Cui Duxing also hoped that the young general named Fu Zihou could catch up with Zhang Jincheng and kill him.

In this way, we won’t have to worry too much about the large number of rebels in the future.

This experience left him with some lingering fears.

"What? The armor was cut?"

When Cui Wenjin heard his uncle's words, his heart skipped a beat, and his anxiety, which had not yet been relieved, was immediately lifted up.

"Then he's still chasing?"

Cui Wenjin frowned, not understanding why they were still chasing people even though they were injured. Were they trying to kill themselves?

Even Cui Wenjin didn't realize that there was a hint of dissatisfaction and blame in his tone.

"He probably doesn't recognize Xu Jinpeng! He's worried that Zhang Jincheng will raise an army again, so he's chasing him! Tell me, what's your relationship with him, and where is he from? County Magistrate Yang has instructed that this matter must be reported to the court to ask for credit for him!"

Cui Duxing sighed. Although he had given his niece so many answers, he still hadn't figured out the origins of Fu Zihou, which was the important thing.

"he……"

When Cui Wenjin heard his uncle's question, he was about to speak, but after thinking about it, he suddenly stopped and looked a few steps away at Li Qiong's father, Li Jingjie!

At this time, Cui Yuzhe couldn't help but look at his...Uncle Li with a strange expression.

See this.

Seeing the looks of Cui Wenjin and Cui Yuzhe, not to mention Cui Duxing, even Cui Hebaek, Cui Jingong and others all looked at Li Jingjie.

Could it be that Li Jingjie knows this man named Fu Zihou?

In the main hall, under everyone's gaze, Li Jingjie's Adam's apple moved and a smile appeared on his middle-aged face, but for some reason, there seemed to be a hint of embarrassment in his smile.

"The Fu family and my father are old friends, and Fu Zihou is also Jingjie's nephew!"

Li Jingjie raised his hand and spoke to Cui Duxing. As he spoke, for some reason, he felt a little uneasy in his chest and his breathing became a little disordered.

After saying this, he couldn't help but look at his daughter who was not far away and had a dazed look on her face.

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

In the backyard of the Li Mansion, Changsun Nonggui looked at Old Madam Li.

"When Cai'er went over, Mr. Gao ordered his servants not to let Cai'er in..."

After Changsun Nonggui finished speaking, he glanced at Li Cai who was standing aside with her head down. Just now, she was outside the Gao family's door with Cai'er. Not only did the Gao family not let Li Cai in, but finally, the old man Gao Shining even walked out of the door. As a grandfather, he pointed at Li Cai's face and started scolding her.

"...Old Gao said in person that Li Cai wanted to have her mother's name included in the genealogy of the Gao family of Bohai, the Gao Jie branch. She should die immediately. Otherwise, she is not allowed to tell others that her mother is from the Gao family."

Changsun Nonggui said, then looked at Old Madam Li: "I'm afraid the relationship between our Li family and Old Gao has completely come to an end!"

When Old Madam Li heard what Zhangsun Nonggui said, she couldn't help but frown slightly on her old face. Looking at Li Cha with red and swollen eyes, Gao Shining took out all his anger towards the Li family on his granddaughter Li Cha, and used Li Cha's deceased mother to force Li Cha to die!

Thinking of this, Mrs. Li also felt a headache and couldn't help but look at Zhou beside her.

If it weren't for the daughter-in-law Zhou's interference, the marriage contract would have returned to the beginning, with Li Qiong marrying Fu Zihou, and this would not have happened today.

"Mother, Qiong'er is also your granddaughter! Her grandfather may not be as high-ranking as Gao, but he still loves her..."

Zhou said with some grievance, her nose feeling sore when she thought of the death of her parents and brothers.

"okay!"

Old Madam Li sighed. If Zhou hadn't thought of the Zhou family, he would not have kneeled in the ancestral hall for a day and a night, but would have been kicked out of the house long ago.

Old Madam Li also knew that Erlang and his second daughter-in-law, Zhou, looked down on the Fu family and Fu Zihou.

Even on the day when the Fu family arrived, Li Qiong behaved in the same way.

The reason Zhou mentioned her deceased family was simply because she was worried about changes in the engagement. How could Old Lady Li not see that? Old Lady Li knew even better that even if the Zhou family was still alive, Zhou would ask her family to stop the marriage between Li Qiong and the Fu family, and even go to the Fu family and Fu Zihou in person to persuade them politely.

After what happened last time, Old Madam Li had completely seen through her daughter-in-law Zhou's thoughts.

"Cai'er!"

Old Madam Li ignored Zhou and turned her gaze to Li Cha.

Seeing Li Cha with red eyes looking at her with tears in her eyes, Old Madam Li asked Li Cha to come over and then took Li Cha's hand.

"The Gao family of Gao Yi will not keep your mother and daughter's names, but our Li family tree will definitely include your mother. Not only your mother, but your grandmother promised you that your children will also be written in the Li family tree in the future! Although the Li family is not as famous as the Gao family, your grandfather was also the prince's teacher, and he was famous all over the world! It is not shameful for your mother's name to be recorded in the Li family tree!"

Old Madam Li comforted Li Cha, then smiled and used her old hands to wipe away the tears from Li Cha's cheeks.

Just looking at the sad Li Cha, Old Madam Li also knew that since Li Cha's mother had married into the Li family, her name would definitely be on the family tree, but on the Gao family's side, her deceased mother would probably never be recognized by the Gao family again.

This is something that the Li family, or even the Fu family, cannot make up for.

(End of this chapter)