Full House Spring

Kuang Chengrui had firm determination and unyielding will to fight against the Dongyi people who had been plotting for a long time.

The brothers had not rested for half an hour when another wave of enemy troops attacked. Kuang Chengrui led the soldiers to rush to the front. With thousands of horses galloping and dust flying, the soldiers, holding weapons, rushed towards the enemy formation like a tide.

In the fierce battle between the two sides, accompanied by shouts and the sound of weapons clashing, Kuang Chengrui was not panicked at all. He responded calmly. Even though arrows were flying, the formation remained in order. The soldiers defending the city used the traps on the city wall to repel all the enemy troops who wanted to take the opportunity to attack the wall.

Suddenly, smoke rose up everywhere, swords flashed, wails rose one after another, and the smell of blood filled the air.

Abuler did not rush forward to confront Kuang Chengrui head-on. His gloomy eyes were always fixed on Kuang Chengrui. When the time was right, he drew his bow and shot an arrow. However, before the arrow could pass through the gap in the armor, it was cut off by an arrow from the sky.

Kuang Chengrui looked back in shock, only to see Lu Lingyan holding a sword, slashing at him fiercely. Along with the neighing of the warhorse, Lu Lingyan shouted sarcastically, "Why, do you want Xia Li to be a widow, Kuang Chenshi? I will kidnap her right after you die, do you believe it?"

A cruel smile appeared on Lu Lingyan's lips, his slightly narrowed eyes had the light of a wild beast hunting. The splattering blood dripped onto his handsome face, and his whole body was filled with provocation.

Kuang Chengrui raised his eyelids slightly. In contrast to his calm expression, two pieces of ice condensed in his pupils, shrouded in a ball of silent anger. He said with anger: "Wishful thinking! You will never have this opportunity in your life."

After saying that, he raised his hand and chopped off half of the enemy's head. Lu Lingyan raised his eyebrows but did not comment.

Fierce fighting raged on the battlefield. Kuang Chengrui didn't bother to argue with Lu Lingyan. He mounted his horse and rushed towards Abuler. Abuler's face became visibly tense, but he had no room to retreat at this moment and could only bite the bullet and fight.

The war horses galloped on the broken armor plates, the sound of weapons colliding resounded through the sky, Kuang Chengrui brandished his sword with fierce moves, and each blow was accompanied by the sound of wind and thunder. The two fought fiercely, their swords crossed each other, sparks flew, and the two confronted each other. For a moment, the murderous atmosphere filled the air, and it seemed that even the air was solidified.

Amid the flashing of swords and sabers, Abuler dodged nimbly. Kuang Chengrui's long sword drew arcs in the air, chasing Abuler closely. After several rounds, he finally found his weakness. A cold light flashed, and before Abuler could react, his shoulder was cut by the blade.

He fell off his horse uncontrollably, and rolled on the ground in a panic to dodge the attack. The severe pain made his lips turn bloodless. He could not gain any advantage in this battle, and the most important thing was to save his life. Under the protection of the soldiers, Abul finally escaped from Kuang Chengrui's attack and rode away quickly on his horse.

Shunzi wanted to pursue the enemy, but Kuang Chengrui stopped him and shouted, "Don't pursue a desperate enemy!"

If there were Dongyi reinforcements nearby, it would not be worth it to follow and make a meaningless sacrifice. Although Shunzi felt it was a pity, he did not dare to disobey military orders and had to retreat. Kuang Chengrui looked around and saw his injured brothers. He felt very uncomfortable and ordered people to carry his brothers back and then clean up the battlefield.

Lu Lingyan's black suit was stained with blood, even his hair was dripping with blood, but he couldn't hide his excitement. He walked up to Kuang Chengrui and said arrogantly, "I want to stay and kill the Dongyi people with you."

Kuang Chengrui stood condescendingly, looking at him with dark eyes, and said with thin lips, "Master Yan San should go back to the Cheng En Marquis's mansion to enjoy a peaceful life instead of staying on this battlefield where swords and knives are blind."

Lu Lingyan's face darkened, and he said in a low voice with displeasure: "Are you looking down on me? If I hadn't saved you just now, would you have fought back and made Abuler run away in fear? It's fine that you don't know how to be grateful, but you are so arrogant. You really don't know what you mean."

Kuang Chengrui bent down and picked up a long sword on the ground, frowned slightly, and said coldly:

"If you had good eyesight, you would have seen the archers on the wall. If you were a little slower, you would have seen the arrow being shot down. You wouldn't have had to do it yourself."

Lu Lingyan's eyes were full of disbelief. The corners of his mouth raised with contempt, and he said shamelessly: "If your archers are really that powerful, write my name backwards."

Kuang Chengrui looked stern, his thin lips pressed into a straight line, as if he didn't want to talk to him anymore. He turned around and wanted to leave, but Lu Lingyan quickened his pace and walked up to him to stop him, saying with a bit of anger in his voice: "You haven't even made it clear, why are you leaving? Are you usually like this to Xia Li?"

Kuang Chengrui looked at him, his eyes were as dark as ink, and he said in a reproachful voice: "What does my wife and I have to do with you? You can't just say my wife's name casually, you'd better be careful."

Lu Lingyan dared to kill even the Duke, so how could he be afraid of Kuang Chengrui? He raised his eyebrows slightly and sneered: "I have called Xia Li like this since I knew her as a child. If you look down on her for having been a maid, you can just divorce her and set her free. You can deceive the Fang family's trust, but you can't fool me."

Kuang Chengrui lowered his eyes and said sternly, "Master Yan, do you think that you can rest easy knowing that no one knows what you did in the Duke's Mansion? If you don't want your life story to be exposed and become a rat crossing the street and everyone shouts and beats you, then keep your mouth shut."

Lu Lingyan's white knuckles bulged, his jawline was tightly taut, his cheeks seemed to move slightly, his dark eyes seemed to be about to roll up a storm, and he said sternly: "So what if you know those things? I am alone now, I am not afraid of death, so why would I care about what others think of me? But you are not an ordinary person, how did you know such a secret thing? At the critical moment of the struggle for the throne, whose orders did you follow to come to Kyoto? Who is the master behind you? What exactly do you want to marry Xia Li?"

Kuang Chengrui stood there, leaning forward slightly, his eyes like knives, sharp and ruthless, his body filled with unquestionable control. He said in a low voice: "I came to Kyoto to perform official duties. The emperor has not yet held me accountable, what qualifications do you have to question me?"

Lu Lingyan raised his chin slightly, unwilling to be outdone, and said, "I am not interested in your affairs. If you don't provoke Xia Li, even if you are plotting to usurp the throne, it has nothing to do with me. But you obviously have bad intentions towards Xia Li, so I will naturally not stand idly by."

Kuang Chengrui hated to hear him mention Xia Li, as if he was some dirty thing. Even mentioning Xia Li's name was an insult. He stood with his back to the light, his face hidden in the shadows, and said coldly:

"My wife and I have been engaged since we were young. If she hadn't encountered this, we would have been childhood sweethearts. Now that she has returned, how can I fulfill the engagement with bad intentions? Or do you think you can make her happy?"

It was not the first time that Lu Lingyan's thoughts were discovered. He was a little dazed at the moment. He subconsciously tilted his head and said word by word: "I never said that I could make her happy. How can I guarantee her happiness when I can't even live well myself? But this does not mean that I can't keep an eye on you." Kuang Chengrui didn't want to continue to talk nonsense. He looked into the distance and said in a slightly cold voice: "As long as you don't interfere in our lives, love is fine. I don't have time to talk nonsense with you. Please do as you please."

Kuang Chengrui turned and left. Lu Lingyan hadn't achieved his goal yet, so how could he let him go so easily? He hurriedly followed him and said quickly: "We haven't finished talking yet, why are you leaving? I want to go to the battlefield to kill the enemy and join your team."

Kuang Chengrui kept walking and said indifferently: "If you want to join the army, go find the person in charge. As long as you meet the requirements, no one will stop you. You don't need to ask for my opinion."

Lu Lingyan didn't know that there was someone in charge of this matter. Since there was room for maneuver, he didn't have to hold on to Kuang Chengrui. During the time since his mother passed away, he had been living in a daze and couldn't find the meaning of living. If he died on the battlefield, it would be a worthy death.

Everyone has their own things to do. Kuang Chengrui has no time to take care of his family, but Xia Li takes good care of the old and young in the family.

After more than a month of hard work, when the first batch of sea salt was extracted and placed in front of everyone, the old man and Cao Shixiang couldn't wait to dip some with their hands and put it in their mouths to taste it.

The old man clenched his fists tightly, his fingers trembling slightly with excitement, his eyes flashing with incredible enthusiasm, and he said in a hoarse voice: "This sea salt is so fine and tastes better than the ordinary salt we eat every day. This will finally solve the crisis of salt shortage."

Cao Shixiang was also very excited, his blood seemed to be boiling, and he said in a high voice: "It is more than just solving this crisis. With this sea salt, Jiaozhou will have a new source of income. This income alone can feed many civilians. The profit is simply immeasurable."

Such a great political achievement fell on Cao Shixiang's shoulders, which made him extremely excited and unable to calm down. The old man had not thought about this and was not in a position to interfere in other people's affairs.

Xia Li raised his lips inadvertently, and reminded calmly: "Selling private salt is a serious crime. Brother-in-law should find a way to report it to the court as soon as possible, so as not to be caught by others and turn a good thing into a disaster."

After hearing this, Cao Shixiang finally calmed down. After thinking for a while, he frowned and said, "Although the main transportation route is controlled, it is still possible to send someone out through another narrow mountain road to deliver the message. I will write a memorial and arrange for someone to go to Kyoto. This matter cannot be delayed for a moment."

The old man chuckled and said, "Master Cao, just go and do your work. I will keep an eye on this place and make sure no one comes to cause trouble. We will try to extract more sea salt and sell it on the market, so as to appease the people as soon as possible."

Cao Shixiang bowed his hands and said in a deep voice, "Thank you, old master."

After saying that, he turned around and was about to leave, but after taking two steps he stopped, turned his head and looked at Xia Li, and said solemnly: "Don't worry, sister. No one can erase your achievements. I will report the truth to His Majesty, and I will also let the people know who they should be grateful to."

Xia Li smiled and said lightly: "These are not the most important things. We are united as one and will overcome this disaster. That is better than anything else."

Cao Shixiang was impressed by her broad-mindedness and could not help but bow deeply to her. Then he left without looking back. The old man was also very emotional and thanked himself countless times for having such a good marriage.

After all, Cao Shixiang was a descendant of a noble family, and even if he was sent out to serve as an official, he had no shortage of capable people around him. He handed the written memorial to his confidants, and then sent five people to escort them to Kyoto together.

Cao Shixiang was the eldest son of the Cao family and was to inherit the family business. Those who could follow him were all very capable. The six of them broke through the enemy's encirclement and finally arrived in Kyoto a month later.

After receiving the secret letter from his son, Minister Cao immediately changed his clothes and went to the palace to meet the emperor. The unrest caused by the Dongyi people had been heard about in Kyoto for a long time, but the court had no time to take care of it. Minister Cao was worried about his eldest son all the time, and knowing that he had a plan to deal with it, he finally felt relieved.

He had a secret conversation with the emperor in the imperial study for more than an hour before leaving the palace and returning home. Li Fengmin had not expected that the little maid who had dared to hit him would have such ability. He paced in the imperial study for a while, and then went to Queen Lu's bedroom with Cao Shixiang's memorial.

Lu Zhiyao was holding the eldest prince and trying to coax him to sleep. When she saw the emperor coming, she hurriedly stood up to greet him. The emperor immediately waved his hand to signal her that there was no need to be polite, and then stretched his head to look at the eldest prince who seemed to be half asleep.

Although their marriage was calculated, with the birth of the eldest prince, there was more affection between the couple. After the child fell asleep and was carried to the side hall by the wet nurse, Lu Zhiyao said softly, "Why did the emperor come here at this hour? What happened?"

Li Fengmin sat upright, his upper body straight, his right hand gently stroking the rim of the cup, and said calmly: "The prefect of Jiaozhou has submitted a memorial. Although the situation over there is not good, Kuang Chengrui can still resist. The crisis of salt shortage has now been resolved. Guess who broke the deadlock?"

Lu Zhiyao's eyes sparkled, and she said in a gentle tone: "I only know that Kuang Chengrui is your man, and Cao Shixiang is also a very capable and practical man. It was just the two of them who broke the situation."

Li Fengmin shook his head and said with a half-smile, "How could the Queen miss the audacious person who dared to hit me? This girl is really capable. She actually extracted sea salt from seawater. Not only did she solve the crisis in Jiaozhou, but she also increased the continuous income for my Great Jin."

Lu Zhiyao could not hide her shock. She knew Xia Li was smart, but she didn't expect her to be so powerful. If she had kept her by her side, she would definitely be able to rest easy now.

She restrained her expression slightly, looked at His Majesty and said, "Xia Li's contribution is really great. Your Majesty should reward her kindly. She hit His Majesty like that that day to protect me. The blame is not on her. If you want to vent your anger on me, just blame me."

Li Fengmin raised his eyebrows and said, "I am not a petty person, and I will not hold on to the past. Fang Xiali is no longer a powerless maid. She is my confidant and first wife, and the legitimate daughter of the Fang family. She has made such great achievements. Even if I know that she was the one who smashed it, I have to pretend that I didn't remember it. If I don't have this kind of tolerance, how can I sit firmly on the throne?"

Lu Zhiyao flattered at the right time: "Your Majesty is wise, Xia Li has unlimited potential, and she may create more miracles in the future. Your Majesty may wish to give her more authority and freedom." (End of this chapter)