My lord, spare his life!

Love is always a feeling of indebtedness.

Wang Ba felt he owed Wang Qi a huge debt.

With the mindset that "he's still a child, what could he possibly understand?", Wang Ba carefully considered his reply. Only a third of the letter was dedicated to discussing serious matters with his ally Zhang Yang, reassuring him and expressing his optimism about the prospects of their cooperation. The remaining two-thirds were spent subtly praising Wang Qi and inquiring indirectly whether Zhang Yang had any other cooperation needs.

Cooperation means that both parties can create benefits.

Interests naturally lead to emotional inclinations.

Even if Bo Yuanjun initially disliked Wang Qi's type of woman, he couldn't afford to be disgusted by her because of the money she offered. As long as it wasn't out of hatred, there was always a chance to win her favor further. Wang Ba, being an experienced person, understood this.

When writing to Zhang Yang, Wang Qi was naturally not forgotten.

Wang Ba picked up his pen and pondered for a long time.

Finally, he gently advised his son to curb his volatile temper, remember to dress himself up, and tell him if he needed money, as he had his own savings. Even military generals need to pay attention to their appearance. Can a slovenly, sweaty, stubble-bearded burly man be compared to a neatly dressed, upright young general? In any case, the phrase "cold-faced, cold-spear, white-horse" definitely doesn't describe Zhang Yide.

What if Wang Qi doesn't know who to imitate?

Look, just keep an eye on Wu'an and teach him.

"Wu'an is such a handsome boy, and he speaks so sweetly. Who wouldn't like him? Why doesn't he learn from him?" Wang Ba wished He Ningzhen was his own flesh and blood; how much trouble would that save him?

The confidant said, "Young Master is doing quite well now."

Perhaps Boyuan Jun simply likes the wild.

Wang Ba: "...That's true."

What if Zhang Boyuan is blind?

The confidant watched as Wang Ba carefully sealed the secret letter, but inwardly he thought that if the young lord saw Wang Ba mention He Ning again, he would probably kill his father again. On a whim, he asked, "If Lord Boyuan really…should we make some preparations for the young lord?"

Wang Badao said, "I don't have much savings left."

The confidant pressed his fist against his lips for a while before managing to suppress his laughter: "It's not about money or material possessions, it's about 'people'."

Wang Ba was stunned for a moment: "A person?"

The confidant lowered his voice: "Young Master isn't one to please everyone. If a conflict arises, someone needs to mediate, right? Rather than giving someone an opportunity to take advantage, why not secretly look for someone first?"

Actually, he wanted to nominate He Ning.

He also quite liked He Ning, but He Ning was far too capable. If Wang Ba was completely biased towards Wang Qi in matters of the heart, then he was utterly biased towards He Ning in matters of official business. He Ning, though young, was quite opinionated and disliked associating with his uncles and elders of Wang Ba's generation, his intention to avoid suspicion being very clear. His confidants approved of He Ning's actions, but many others secretly harbored resentment towards him.

He Ning lost his father and mother at a young age and had little to rely on.

If something were to happen to Wang Ba, his situation would likely be dire.

He Ning could also leave with his personal guards and seek another way out, but like a rootless duckweed, once unlucky enough to encounter a storm, he would be swept away and die. His confidants had seen the fate of such people over the years.

The best approach is to attach oneself to a stable power.

It's better to live under someone else's roof than to die young.

Wang Ba understood the implication: "Isn't this a bit too early?"

He didn't see anything wrong with arranging a marriage for his son. Among his married children, there was also a mediocre and frail son whom he arranged for a marriage alliance; the woman was the second daughter of a powerful family. Wang Ba gave this son a share of the family fortune and also arranged for two good-looking and virtuous servants to accompany him.

If the woman is satisfied with the marriage, these two attendants will serve as her personal attendants, managing her businesses and protecting her safety. If she is not satisfied, then they will be used for other purposes.

The confidant said, "It's getting late..."

Wang Qi is not a teenager.

Wang Ba's indecisiveness drew the attention of his confidants.

He said sheepishly, "It reminded me of the time I was beaten up..."

The trusted confidant probed, "That time, Madam?"

Wang Ba: "Hmm."

He believed he loved Wang Qi's mother, and loved her deeply. However, Wang Qi's mother didn't see it that way. She felt her husband was a philanderer, had many concubines, and had even had affairs with female subordinates. How could he have the audacity to claim love for her after such behavior?

Wang Ba felt that his sincerity had been trampled on.

After sulking for two days, he sent the other person a gift.

You can no longer say I don't love you, but your health is weak, and even if you love this gift, you cannot indulge yourself.

Wang Qi's mother: [...]

Wang Ba explained: "This won't affect our relationship. People are fickle; even the most beloved delicacy will grow tiresome if eaten too often, let alone a person. That wasn't a person; it was just a talking, breathing creature with a bit of warmth."

He sent his wife two handsome male concubines.

Considering the other person's physical condition, I chose two lean and handsome men.

Then I got slapped.

It didn't hurt, but the look in her eyes lingered in his memory for a very long time—a look of terror, fear, incomprehension, as if she were looking at an alien. Wang Ba suspected that in his wife's eyes, he wasn't human, but some kind of inhuman being.

However, this conflict did not last long.

The couple returned to their previous state.

"Madam is a normal person after all; she is different from us." The confidant sighed, then thought that the young king was, after all, Madam's bloodline, and perhaps his thoughts were different from theirs.

Even her trusted confidantes couldn't understand the lady's thoughts; some of them seemed to belong to another world, utterly incomprehensible. She disapproved of her lord having concubines and mistresses, but she could have them too.

She could even openly use her master's money to possess it.

But she refused, becoming melancholic and unhappy. Already physically weak and frail, each breath she took slowly eroded her internal organs; coupled with her emotional distress, how could she not die young?

In the eyes of Wang Ba's subordinates, she was an even stranger oddball than Wang Qi. Compared to her, Wang Qi's thinking seemed perfectly normal.

Wang Ba looked down at the reply.

After thinking about it, I destroyed one of the letters and rewrote it.

just in case--

Wang Qi also looks a little like his mother?

After writing his reply, Wang Ba instructed his trusted aides to handle both letters. Zhang Daji secretly took them without alerting anyone.

The next day, Dou Jun sent someone to invite him over to discuss the matter.

As for troop deployment, Wang Ba, being an external ally, couldn't interfere much; he only needed to look after his own three thousand men. After finishing their business, the Lord of Dou County exchanged pleasantries with him.

"I've heard that Hongtu has a son who has joined the Yang family of Guansuo?"

Wang Badao: "Yes, she is the second daughter of the Yang family."

The Lord of Dou County chuckled as he spoke, "It's quite a coincidence, actually. The fourth son of a collateral branch of the Yang family, Guan Suo, is serving under me. He greatly admires that young man, which shows how adept Hongtu is at raising his children. I wonder if Hongtu has any other unmarried children?"

Wang Ba raised an eyebrow.

Is the other party trying to use marriage to strengthen ties and bind the two sides more closely? Or is this just a simple test?

"You want to become in-laws with my children?"

"No, no, no, I wish to hire one son to manage the household affairs."

Wang Ba's smile froze: "Huh?"

The other party laughed and said, "I'm not afraid to admit it, but my husband passed away three years ago. I did think about making someone my wife. However, they were not virtuous enough to shoulder the responsibility, and I was too busy with other matters, so I never considered it. I happened to hear that you, Hongtu, are good at raising your son, and that Guan Suo Wang Lang is a talented man praised by everyone. So I had the idea of ​​hiring him, but unfortunately, our two families have no connection. Now that we have this opportunity, I'm shamelessly asking."

Wang Ba thought about his sons.

All the eligible and suitable candidates were killed by Wang Qi.

He was troubled: "This—"

The other party said, "I heard that Hongtu has a legitimate son?"

Wang Ba: "..."

Right now, he wished he could grab his trusted confidants and hear why his son wasn't popular—after all, there were other people who liked him. However, Wang Ba was also rational; Wang Qi could side with outsiders on his own, but he absolutely couldn't let Wang Ba arrange for him to be led astray…

Wang Qi would really kill his elderly father.

After holding back for a long time, Wang Ba said, "He's engaged."

Others present: "..."

Doujun had naturally heard about the friction and conflict between Dongxian and Chesi over the years. They even knew that Wang Ba had a notoriously cruel son, the "legitimate son," but they never expected that someone would be so blind as to take a liking to someone so cruel.

Their lord doesn't count.

The lord was merely testing Wang Ba.

What's even stranger is that Wang Ba was actually willing to give it up.

"That's a real shame. Does Hongtu have any other candidates?"

"Of course there are." Wang Ba thought for a moment and picked out a son whose appearance he couldn't remember—since the marriage between the two families was unlikely to actually succeed, he would just pick an unmarried person to deal with. "After we deal with Zhang the thief, we can hold two happy events at the same time."

"it is good."

--------

Lu Yuan dispatched troops to the Imperial Capital and also sent Zhang Yang a "gift". Zhang Yang was initially quite happy, after all, it was his daughter's filial piety, until he saw what the "gift" looked like.

"Why are you alone?"

Judging from his appearance, he is only fifteen or sixteen years old.

Lu Yuan smiled wryly: "This is called 'borrowing flowers to offer to Buddha'."

Zhang Yang: "...What happened?"

Lu Yuan said, "Dou County sent a rare and precious horse last time, and when I didn't respond, they sent a person instead. However, this person's identity is a bit tricky, so we can't just deal with him casually..."

Zhang Yang: "How is it troublesome?"

Lu Yuan leaned close to Zhang Yang's ear and whispered something.

Zhang Yang was startled: "Sun Zhaoruo's son?"

Sun Zhaoruo, whose real name is Sun Ban.

The current top leader of Dou County.

Although Hu County and Huanguan County appear to be independent, their troop deployments are actually constrained by Dou County. In the relationship between the three, Dou County is inferior to Hu County, and it is someone Zhang Yang needs to deal with in the short term.

Lu Yuan said, "Yes, she also promised me that if I agreed, she would let me manage the mountain with her once the matter was settled."

The temptation is undeniably great.

This sincerity is undeniable.

However, Lü Yuan was a rational person, so how could she be tempted by these flashy benefits? She would never actually kill her adoptive mother like Lü Wenhou just because Sun Zhaoruo gave her a son.

Zhang Yang: "My own son?"

Lu Yuandao said, "He is an adopted son."

Zhang Yang: "He wouldn't be named Diao Chan, would he?"

Ritsumoto: "..."

She doesn't study history so she can understand jokes!

"Godmother, please don't tease me. Even without your earnest guidance, I wouldn't have agreed to the 'beauty' she offered me..."

Why?

It can't be that they had a change of heart.

Zhang Yang was aware of his adopted daughter's hobbies.

Zhe Meng saw through Lu Yuan's stammering and said bluntly, "It's because in this mountain place, her reputation is even worse than Ba ​​Feng's."

??ヾ(?■_■)

This chapter is a little short... I'll add more tomorrow.