My father is Chongzhen? Then I have no choice but to rebel.

Chapter 357 Li Dingguo: I'm afraid I can never repay Zhu Cilang in this lifetime!

On the other side, Li Dingguo had just left the East Palace when he keenly sensed that the atmosphere was somewhat strange.

A group of people dressed in flying fish robes and carrying embroidered spring knives were already waiting there in an orderly fashion. Judging from their attire, they were undoubtedly the Imperial Guards.

Beside them, a beautifully decorated sedan chair stood quietly.

Upon seeing Li Dingguo appear, the leading Imperial Guard quickly stepped forward, bowed, and said:
"By order of His Highness the Crown Prince, escort the general home."

After saying this, he turned slightly to the side and extended his right hand, gesturing for Li Dingguo to get into the sedan chair.

Upon hearing this, Li Dingguo felt a pang of bitterness in his heart, for in this bustling yet unfamiliar capital city, where was he to find a home?
In his heart, home was never a magnificent mansion, but a place with his wife by his side. Even if it was just a thatched hut, it would still be his home.

Thinking of this, he slowly shook his head, a hint of melancholy in his eyes, and said:
"I'm not used to riding in this sedan chair, I'd rather walk."

He was telling the truth; he really wasn't used to sitting in this sedan chair!

Upon hearing this, the Imperial Guard looked troubled for a moment, then said:
"That may not work, as this place is quite far from your residence. If you walk there step by step, it will probably take more than half an hour."

"How about riding a horse? That way we can get there faster."

Li Dingguo didn't say anything more after hearing this, he just nodded slightly.

Immediately afterwards, the Imperial Guard waved to his subordinates, and soon several glossy, well-fed horses were led over.

The horses were full of energy, their hooves pawing the ground from time to time, making a "clattering" sound, as if urging people to set off as soon as possible.

The group then mounted their horses, and with a command from the Imperial Guards, the horses kicked up clouds of dust and galloped off in the southwest.

It was dusk, and although the sky was not yet completely dark, the soft afterglow was gradually being replaced by twilight.

Along the streets, people have already started cooking in their homes.

Wisps of smoke rose from the rooftops of each house, weaving into a thin cloud of mist in the air.

Riding a horse down the street, the aroma of food wafts through the air, creating a unique, lively atmosphere.

The aroma stirred up a deep emotion in Li Dingguo, and his thoughts involuntarily drifted back to the past.

He seemed to see his wife's busy figure in the kitchen, and he couldn't help but think to himself that if his wife were here now, she would probably be preparing a sumptuous dinner for him.

Unfortunately, this is ultimately impossible.

Before long, the group arrived at a large three-courtyard house.

The gate of the mansion was tall and imposing, the bronze rings on the gate gleaming golden in the setting sun, and the stone lions in front of the gate were lifelike, as if guarding the peace of the mansion.

The lead Imperial Guard reined in his horse, dismounted, and then looked at Li Dingguo respectfully, saying:

"General, this is the residence that His Highness the Crown Prince has bestowed upon you."

Li Dingguo looked at the house in front of him, feeling somewhat speechless.

The house was so big that he felt somewhat overwhelmed.

It should be noted that although he had followed Zhang Xianzhong all over the years, experiencing countless hardships, he had never owned a house of his own.

Now, thanks to Zhu Cilang's reward, he has a house of his own.

Thinking of this, Li Dingguo shook his head helplessly.

Just then, the Imperial Guards nearby dismounted, strode to the gate, and pounded on it.

"Boom boom boom!"

As the knocking sounded, a servant's head cautiously peeked out from under the door.

Upon seeing the Embroidered Uniform Guards, the servant quickly put on a fawning smile and said:
"What are your orders, gentlemen?"

The Imperial Guard pointed to Li Dingguo beside him and said loudly:
"Go and announce it immediately, tell them that your master has returned."

Upon hearing this, the servant glanced at Li Dingguo with some surprise, and then the shock in his eyes intensified.

Li Dingguo didn't pay any attention, assuming that Zhu Cilang had specially arranged a servant for him.

After all, it would be a waste for him to live in this big house by himself. Having a servant to help manage it would bring more life to the house.

But the next second, the servant suddenly turned around and ran into the house like a startled rabbit.

As he ran, he shouted:
"Master, Madam, the master is back! The master is back!"

The voice was filled with excitement and surprise, as if they had discovered some great joy.

Li Dingguo was completely dumbfounded when he heard this, and had no idea what was going on.

What kind of master or mistress?

When did he get a wife in the capital?

Just as Li Dingguo was bewildered, a series of noisy footsteps suddenly came from inside the house.

Immediately afterward, a familiar figure suddenly appeared at the door, causing Li Dingguo to freeze for a moment.

His eyes widened as he stared intently at the doorway, his face filled with disbelief.

Because he could see clearly that the person standing in front of him at this moment was none other than his wife, Luo Yunsu!
Luo Yunsu looked just as he remembered her, only a little more haggard than before. Her hair was a bit messy, and there were tear stains on her face, but her eyes were still bright and gentle.

The next second, another familiar figure appeared—it was none other than his father-in-law, Luo Lin!
"What the hell is going on?"

Li Dingguo muttered to himself, unable to understand what was going on in front of him.

He never expected that his family, whom he had been longing for, would suddenly appear in front of him at this moment.

Just then, his wife suddenly rushed over and hugged Li Dingguo's waist.

Her body trembled slightly, and she cried through her tear-filled eyes:

"My husband, you're finally back. I thought I'd never see you again in this lifetime."

The cries were filled with longing and grievance, as if trying to express all the pain and worry of the past few days.

Li Dingguo then realized that this was not a dream, but all of this was real!

He gently patted his wife's back, then looked at the Imperial Guard beside him with a surprised expression, his eyes filled with doubt and confusion.

The Imperial Guard laughed and said:

"To be honest, General, His Highness the Crown Prince sent people to search for your family in Shaanxi a while ago. They arrived in the capital about two or three days ago."

"Besides your family, the families of Liu Wenxiu and other generals are also in the capital, and His Highness the Crown Prince has arranged accommodations for them."

Upon hearing this, Li Dingguo suddenly realized what was going on, but then he sighed, his sigh carrying a hint of helplessness and emotion.

Because he knew that he owed Zhu Cilang a debt he could probably never repay in this lifetime.

Zhu Cilang not only spared his life and gave him an official position, but also helped him find his lost family. How could he ever repay such a debt of gratitude? Just then, the Imperial Guard said:
"General, now that the family is reunited, we will not disturb you any longer. Farewell!"

Li Dingguo nodded and said sincerely:
"Thank you all for your hard work. Please convey my gratitude to His Highness the Crown Prince."

The Imperial Guard nodded repeatedly, then mounted his horse and left with his men.

Immediately afterwards, Li Dingguo's gaze turned to his wife in his arms, who was already sobbing uncontrollably, her tears soaking Li Dingguo's clothes.

Li Dingguo gently patted her back, then said with a smile:

"Don't cry, I'm back alive and well, aren't I?"

Just then, the father-in-law, who had been silent until now, finally spoke:

"Alright, alright, stop crying. It's not easy for the family to be reunited. Let's go inside and talk about it."

Although Luo Lin was also a minor leader in the peasant army, he was a scholar who knew how to write and paint, so he was in charge of logistics in the peasant army.

That's why he's quite fair-skinned and chubby, and doesn't look like he's suffered at all.

The family then returned home, and the servants quickly closed the door again.

With a loud bang, the heavy wooden door slammed shut, seemingly shutting out the noise and troubles of the outside world.

After returning inside, Luo Yunsu wiped away her tears and then said with a smile:

"Husband, have you eaten yet? I'll cook for you right away."

After saying this, Luo Yunsu hurriedly went downstairs before Li Dingguo could refuse.

Seeing this scene, Li Dingguo felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

He had just been thinking how nice it would be to have a meal cooked by his wife, and he never expected that his wish would come true so soon.

While Luo Yunsu was cooking, Li Dingguo suddenly turned to look at his father-in-law.

"Father-in-law, what exactly is going on?"

He couldn't wait to find out what was going on.

Although he already knew that Zhu Cilang was behind it all, he still wanted to ask about the specifics.

Upon hearing this, Luo Lin sighed slightly, and then recounted the general events.

It turned out that after Li Dingguo disappeared, almost everyone believed that he was dead, including Zhang Xianzhong.

Only Luo Yunsu refused to believe it. She always felt that her husband was still alive and firmly believed that one day he would appear in front of her.

However, at that time, she had no ability to find Li Dingguo.

Because Zhang Xianzhong's army was quickly scattered by Zuo Liangyu.

Left with no other choice, they had to continue their journey with Zhang Xianzhong.

They traversed mountains and valleys, enduring wind and rain, and experienced countless hardships and dangers along the way.

Ultimately, due to Zhang Xianzhong's decision, they all surrendered to Li Zicheng.

He thought he could find peace under Li Zicheng's rule, but unexpectedly, due to Luo Rucai's betrayal, an unprecedented internal strife broke out in Li Zicheng's camp.

That internal strife was like a violent storm that swept through the entire camp.

Soldiers turned on each other, swords flashing and blood splattering everywhere.

Countless people lost their lives in this civil war, ultimately resulting in 100,000 casualties.

The horrific scene was like a living hell.

Fortunately, Luo Lin was still in charge of supplies when he arrived at Li Zicheng's side, so he was not affected.

His daughter, who had stayed by his side the whole time, also escaped the disaster.

However, when Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong decided to enter Sichuan, Luo Lin felt that he was too old to endure the hardship, and he also did not want to go to Sichuan.

So he secretly went to Zhang Xianzhong, hoping to ask him to let him and his daughter leave so that they could surrender to the imperial court and live as ordinary people.

Zhang Xianzhong still valued old friendships, and Luo Yunsu was Li Dingguo's wife, making her practically his daughter-in-law.

Moreover, he knew that his fate was uncertain on this trip to Sichuan, so there was really no need to take Luo Lin and his daughter with him.

So in the end he agreed to Rowling’s request and then secretly arranged for them to be placed among the peasant army that had been sent to surrender.

Thus, Luo Lin and Luo Yunsu successfully arrived at Tongguan, surrendered to the imperial court, and encountered the general whom Zhu Cilang had previously sent to gather information about them.

They then arrived in the capital.

It was at this time that they learned that Li Dingguo had not actually died, but had been captured by the imperial court and eventually surrendered to it.

That's all the information they had, because no one told them where Li Dingguo had gone, only that they would meet again someday!

And then, there we have today's meeting!

After listening to Luo Lin's story, Li Dingguo was filled with emotion once again.

Although he had already heard Luo Rucai recount what happened after he left, hearing it again from his father-in-law still felt like a dream.

Who could have imagined that in just six months, the once invincible and unstoppable peasant army would suddenly become so fragmented?
This filled Li Dingguo with a sense of sorrow.

Just then, Roland asked with a hint of doubt and concern in his eyes:

"By the way, what exactly is your job in the imperial court? We've asked around about you, but everyone just says they don't know. We still don't know what you're doing."

Li Dingguo snapped out of his daze and, looking at his father-in-law's expectant eyes, said:
“Father-in-law, I am currently in Liaodong, holding the rank of a fourth-grade guerrilla general.”

Fourth-rank guerrilla general?

Upon hearing this, Luo Lin's eyes widened instantly, and his mouth opened slightly, momentarily unable to close.

He never expected that his son-in-law would be appointed as a fourth-rank guerrilla general as soon as he surrendered to the imperial court.

In his memory, the county magistrates who were once high and mighty were only seventh-rank officials, while Li Dingguo was only fourth-rank. There must be a difference of three ranks between them, right?

Li Dingguo rose from a traitor to a fourth-rank guerrilla general in less than three months, a feat that felt like a dream to him.

In fact, Luo Lin was unaware of the Ming Dynasty's official rank system. If he had known, he would have understood that the difference between the ranks was not just three ranks, but almost six ranks.

Of course, this is not important.

The important thing is that he knows his son-in-law now holds a very high official position and status.

The next second, Luo Lin suddenly let out a long sigh of relief, and his tense nerves finally relaxed.

From that moment on, their family was no longer considered traitors and rebels, but rather an official family!
(End of this chapter)