Water Margin: I am Zhu Biao

Chapter 106 Hard-Hearted

The next day, at dawn.

As dawn broke on the horizon, Zhu Biao, who was fast asleep, suddenly sniffed and slowly opened his eyes.

He smelled a strong aroma, both sour and spicy, which must have been made with a lot of dogwood and pepper.

My blocked nostrils cleared up almost instantly, and even my foggy mind became much clearer.

He groggily sat up, parted the bed curtains, and turned to look.

The dining table in the outer hall had already been cleaned spotlessly, and beside the charcoal stove, a graceful and slender figure was busy with something.

"Ruyi, did you make some hangover soup?"

The woman turned around at the sound, revealing Ruyi's beautiful smile.

"My lord is awake? Did I disturb you?"

"No, I was awakened by the fragrance."

Zhu Biao chuckled, bent down to put on his boots, Ruyi covered the casserole, quickly wrung out a cloth from the copper basin, and hurried to the bedside to hand it to him.

Thank you.

He took the handkerchief and wiped his face, but Ruyi scolded him.

"No need for thanks, sir. Do you still consider me an outsider?"

As she spoke, Ruyi raised her arm and began to comb Zhu Biao's hair and tie it into a bun. Her movements were gentle, but slightly clumsy, and her fingers trembled a little.

It was clear that he had mustered up a great deal of courage.

Zhu Biao was also momentarily dazed; he didn't feel awkward at all at this sudden closeness.

"Ruyi is certainly not an outsider."

He tossed the handkerchief aside, spread his arms, and wrapped them around Ruyi's slender waist.

"My love, my lord."

Ruyi trembled slightly and called out shyly.

In front of outsiders, Zhu Biao elevates her to the position of advisor, but Ruyi is insightful and knows that being a concubine is her final destination and the best ending.

Recently, her sense of urgency has become increasingly intense.

She knew perfectly well that Zhu Biao, a man destined for greatness, would never lack women by his side.

The women who have appeared so far, Pang Qiutang, Liang Siqi, and Hu Sanniang, are all stunning beauties, and their family backgrounds are far superior to hers. Crucially, they are all virgins.

She was merely a withered flower, and oh yes, there was also the Pan family's wife, whose brows hinted at a seductive allure.

Just as she was pondering, Zhu Biao suddenly pulled her into his arms and made her sit across his lap.

"My lord~"

Ruyi's cheeks flushed red, and she was about to say something when Zhu Biao forcefully sealed her lips with his.

In an instant, my mind went blank, my body went limp, all my worries vanished into thin air, and I lost all sense of where I was.

"Ruyi, the pot is about to burn dry."

After an unknown amount of time, Zhu Biao's voice suddenly entered her ears. Ruyi opened her eyes and found herself standing in front of the bed again.

That passionate kiss just now felt like a dream.

"The pot has boiled."

Zhu Biao patted her on the shoulder and reminded her again.

"oh oh."

Ruyi finally came to her senses, turned around somewhat flusteredly, blushed, and quickly walked towards the bubbling clay pot.

Crunch!

She had just lifted the pot lid when the door opened, a gust of cold wind rushed in, and Hu Sanniang strode in.

"Congratulations to the third son!"

She laughed heartily and walked straight into the inner bedroom, teasingly saying, "I heard you showed off yesterday, not only did you spread your butt all over, but your two brothers also made you cum~"

As she was speaking, she suddenly caught sight of Ruyi, stopped in her tracks, and frowned slightly.

"You're Ruyi? The female strategist that Zhu Laosan hired?"

"Madam Hu is very polite. It is all thanks to the young master's kindness. I am not very talented and have only a basic understanding of writing. I am not worthy of the title of strategist."

Ruyi curtsied and replied with a faint smile.

By this time, she had completely regained her composure and guessed why Zhu Biao had stopped so abruptly.

So that's how it is! Young master, you must have heard the footsteps of that young lady from the Hu family.

Just now, if the young lady from the Hu family had caught them in the act...

Thinking of this, Ruyi felt both ashamed and afraid, and a sense of loss also arose in her heart.

"I thought the strategist Ruyi was a valiant and capable woman, but I never expected her to be such a delicate and beautiful lady."

Hu Sanniang glanced at Ruyi's rosy cheeks, then at Zhu Biao who had just gotten up, before finally fixing her gaze on the steaming clay pot.

She took two steps toward Ruyi, her tone becoming even more teasing: "Tsk tsk, strategist Ruyi is beautiful and learned. Not only is she good at advising and planning, but she can also serve people. She is truly multi-talented."

These words were a bit harsh, especially the offensive term "serving others," which brought back Ruyi's unpleasant experience in the brothel.

His expression turned serious, and he was about to speak when Zhu Biao said, "Third Sister, you are being very rude."

"Excuse me?"

Zhu Biao straightened up, walked slowly, and spoke in a neutral tone.

"Is that so? Doesn't your Hu family have a rule about knocking on doors? Ruyi is my person, and no matter what, it's not your place to criticize her."

Upon hearing this, Hu Sanniang reacted like a wildcat whose tail had been stepped on, her eyes suddenly widening.

"Third Brother Zhu, you and she were alone in a room, a man and a woman, and you still dare to turn around and accuse me of being rude?"

"Heh~"

Zhu Biao sneered, but ignored her and walked straight to Ruyi, standing between the two women.

"Is the soup ready? Ruyi, quickly serve me a bowl."

"it is good."

Ruyi smiled, her eyes shining brightly.

"How dare you!"

Their question-and-answer exchange, completely ignoring each other, instantly ignited Hu Sanniang's anger, and she raised her hand to slap Ruyi across the face.

Snapped!

Zhu Biao gripped her wrist tightly.

"Third Sister, you have no manners! Didn't Grandfather Hu teach you any rules?"

Hu Sanniang struggled to break free of Zhu Biao's arm, but failed. She stared intently at him, gritting her teeth, and spoke each word clearly.

"Third Brother Zhu, do you perhaps no longer want our engagement?"

Zhu Biao curled his lip and pointed towards the door: "Third Sister, you must have heard that I abandoned the Zhu family's century-old foundation without hesitation. Now you're trying to scare me with a marriage contract? Don't you find it ridiculous?"

Before Hu Sanniang could retort, he interrupted, "Do you think I can't find a wife? Or that I can't bear to part with you? Or perhaps you're after the dowry from your Hu family?"

"You~"

Hu Sanniang was taken aback at first, then was horrified.

She was shocked to discover that Zhu Biao's personality had completely changed after his return, and their positions had been completely reversed.

For a powerful woman like her, marriage is not something to be chosen casually; an arranged marriage is inevitable.

Unless she marries someone from another place, Zhu Biao is her best choice.

However, Zhu Biao's choices were extremely wide-ranging, especially since he now held an official position. If he could make meritorious contributions, it would not be impossible for him to marry the daughter of an official.

"Go back and give a message to Master Hu for me."

Zhu Biao loosened his grip on her wrist, took the hangover soup Ruyi offered, scooped some up casually, and spoke as calmly as if he were talking about something insignificant.

"Our marriage will be discussed later. Also, on the second day of the second lunar month after the New Year, the Hu family needs to send two hundred soldiers to my militia camp for joint training. They should bring their own food and fodder."

He paused, then his tone suddenly turned cold.

"Failure to arrive on time will be considered a breach of order and will be subject to accountability."

After hearing what he said, Hu Sanniang's face turned pale and then red, her jaw tightened, and she felt that the childhood sweetheart she had peed and played in the mud with since she was a child was completely unfamiliar to her.

She has a strong personality and a bad temper, but she's not stupid.

Zhu Biao's demands had long exceeded the scope of marriage and coexistence; he clearly wanted to establish a clear hierarchy.

Private soldiers are the lifeblood of a family. Once they are handed over and Zhu Biao holds them in his hands, the Hu family will become a clawless beast, at Zhu Biao's mercy.

But if they don't pay, Zhu Biao will have a pretext to launch a military campaign.

Hu Sanniang shivered and dared not think any further.

"Good, good, Zhu Biao, only today do I truly know you."

She gave Zhu Biao a deep look, her eyes gradually reddening, and squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth before turning around and slamming the door shut.

When the door opened, Zhu Biao suddenly noticed that there were many grain sacks embroidered with the character "Hu" piled up in the yard, as well as more than a dozen pigs and sheep.

Only then did he realize Hu Sanniang's purpose in coming.

She must have heard about his ordeal at the Zhu family, so she, his fiancée, came here specifically on behalf of the entire Hu family village to stand up for him.

"Sigh~"

Zhu Biao put down the bowl of now-cold hangover soup in his hand, frowned slightly, and sighed softly.

Ruyi took the bowl of cold soup, poured it back into the clay pot, ladled out a hot bowl, and gently placed it beside him.

"My lord, do you regret it?"

She asked softly.

Zhu Biao shook his head: "No, even if I had to do it all over again, I would still do the same thing."

Knowing Hu Sanniang's feelings, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty, but he didn't regret it.

Regardless of whether he marries her or not, he's determined to take over the Hu family's private army, and the Li family as well; he'll find a way to gradually devour them as well.

Dulonggang is only so big, and its population is also limited, so the number of soldiers it can support is fixed.

For every soldier the Li and Hu families supported, the Li family would have one less soldier to manage. The land, money, and grain in Dulonggang could be divided among the three families.

However, military power is indivisible, and military orders can only come from him.