The peasant girl has a private space, and her husband is handsome.

As Lord Xue walked outside Gu's Teahouse, he felt something was off about him.

He soon discovered that the boots had become loose and didn't fit properly.

He took off his shoes and socks and was surprised to find that his swollen feet, which had been as swollen as steamed buns, had actually gone down!

Like his father, Lord Xue suffered from diabetes, a condition known as "xiaoke" in modern terms.

Therefore, Lord Xue's feet were often swollen, making walking very difficult and painful.

Unexpectedly, his foot was cured after drinking the fertilizer solution prepared by Miss Su.

This is incredible! Miss Su is truly a lucky star!

Lord Xue silently vowed in his heart that he would definitely repay this kindness.

If Miss Su performs another great service next time, he will definitely stand up and support her in being granted an official position.

What nonsense about male chauvinism! So many male doctors couldn't cure his foot ailment, but Miss Su did.

Okay, it wasn't Miss Su who cured it, it was the fertilizer solution that Miss Su prepared that cured it, but that's still thanks to Miss Su.

Lord Xue savored the taste of the fertilizer solution.

The fertilizer water had no pungent smell; instead, it had a slightly sweet aroma. As soon as I drank it, I felt refreshed all over, and a warm current spread from my mouth throughout my body.

Therefore, Lord Xue came to the conclusion that anything associated with Miss Su was a good thing.

From now on, I must find more reasons to help Scholar Liang water the flowers, so that I can drink the fertilizer water prepared by Miss Su more often.

Minister Qin, who had just come out of the teahouse, saw Lord Xue sitting on the ground, drying his toes in the sun.

"Lord Xue, this is outside Miss Su's teahouse. You should at least be mindful of your image and not disturb the customers."

Lord Xue quickly put on his shoes and socks. "Minister Qin is right to reprimand me. I was wrong. I will definitely pay attention next time."

He knew perfectly well that since Minister Qin was protecting Miss Su, the two of them were on the same side and could support Miss Su together in the future.

Lord Xue chuckled foolishly, "To be honest, I, like Minister Qin, am a staunch supporter of Miss Su."

Minister Qin thought to himself: I am not the same as you. Miss Su helped me raise more than 200,000 taels of silver through charity auction. I owe Miss Su a huge favor. You, Lord Xue, do not owe her. You used to be Prime Minister Feng's henchman. You deliberately approached Miss Su to become an undercover agent, didn't you?

Minister Qin was determined to be careful to prevent Lord Xue from harming Miss Su.

Lord Xue's feet were no longer swollen, and he walked with unprecedented ease. He was also in a particularly good mood.

I feel like I have more purpose in life now.

When he got home, he quickly took off his shoes and showed his feet to his wife.

Fang, the wife, thought she must be seeing things. She rubbed her eyes and looked again and again, and found that her husband's foot was indeed healed.

This feels like a dream.

Over the years, the master's foot had cost a lot of money, and he had consulted many doctors and tried many prescriptions, but none of them could cure it. She had almost given up hope, but unexpectedly, it suddenly got better, and the master no longer had to suffer when walking.

Lord Xue was very tight-lipped; he didn't even tell his wife the secret of the ginseng that saved his father's life last time.

He only instructed his wife, "Remember, Miss Su is a great benefactor of our Xue family. Our Xue family must repay her kindness and stand up for her and do everything we can to protect her and her family when something happens."

"Miss Su's parents are coming to Beijing soon. I heard that they are both from humble backgrounds, and many people are waiting to see them make a fool of themselves. You should try your best to get along well with Miss Su's mother. If anyone dares to look down on Miss Su's mother, you must stand up for her."

Madam Fang nodded, "Don't worry, sir, I've remembered everything."

Lord Xue suddenly remembered something and said, "You don't need to refer to yourself as a concubine anymore. I heard that when Miss Su was in charge of Qinghe County, she mentioned the rule of gender equality. Listening to Miss Su is definitely the right thing to do."

\

In Shacheng, a thousand miles away, the weather is still not very warm.

The soldiers hadn't even taken off their cotton-padded coats yet.

The goatee-bearded strategist was bidding farewell to the soldiers guarding the city. He planned to go to the capital to follow General Su, and becoming General Su's strategist was his greatest dream at the moment.

Goodbye, friends, I'll miss you.

General Mu wanted to persuade him to stay a little longer. After several years of getting along, he knew that Military Advisor Hu was quite capable.

Hu Junshi wielded the family's traditional swordsmanship with great skill and power, and had even saved the life of a great general on the battlefield.

This person's only flaw is that he's too stubborn.

"Military Advisor Hu, please reconsider. Miss Su is, after all, a woman. The court will never grant her an official position. There is no future for you if you follow her."

"Military Advisor Hu, if you are willing to stay, I will definitely help you apply for military merit next time. At least you will be a junior officer."

The goatee shook his head; the decision to follow Miss Su had long been ingrained in his heart.

"My mind is made up. In my eyes, Miss Su is the most amazing. If I, Hu Pingfan, cannot follow Miss Su in this life, I will die with regrets."

The other young generals also offered their advice—

"Military Advisor Hu, the Northern Barbarians have basically stopped invading Shacheng. Shacheng is safe now, but you're leaving."

"Military Advisor Hu, it's over a thousand miles to the capital, and the road is fraught with danger. You'll be traveling alone, and it will be very dangerous. Why don't you wait until there's a caravan going to the capital before you set off? You can go with the caravan and have someone to look after you."

But the goatee showed no hesitation, for he had been looking forward to this day for a long time, to the point of sleeplessness, and was unwilling to wait even a day longer.

"Thank you all for your concern, but what's the point of living if I can't do what I love and follow the people I admire?"

General Mu felt his emotions were being influenced by Military Advisor Hu, and he even had a moment of reckless thinking, but he quickly suppressed the unrealistic idea.

As expected, Hu Junshi, a scholar, has excellent eloquence and is very good at persuading people.

General Mu felt that Hu Pingfan was a particularly suitable person to be a strategist, as he could unite the army and boost the morale of the soldiers with just his words.

He really wanted to keep Hu Pingfan, and asked, "Military Advisor Hu, have you considered what might happen if you travel thousands of miles to the capital, only to find that General Su doesn't want you?"

The goatee's eyes were firm: "Miss Su has her reasons for not wanting me. I just need to be myself."

General Mu felt that he really couldn't persuade her anymore. He estimated that even if Miss Su wanted to kill Hu Pingfan, Hu Pingfan would willingly put his neck to the blade.

She's completely obsessed; there's no way to reason with her.

"Alright then, Pingfan, be careful on the road."

Hu Pingfan bowed respectfully, then resolutely turned and left.

Several young generals climbed to the top of the city wall and watched Hu Pingfan's lonely figure walking away outside the city.

The figure in black stood out against the vast expanse of yellow sand, like a lone boat, both solitary and desolate.

They don't understand Hu Pingfan, but they want to be like him, wanting to pursue their dreams without regard for worldly opinions and live for themselves.

Regardless of the meaning of life, as long as one can live according to their own wishes, that is brave, and they have no right to laugh at Hu Pingfan.

General Wang was still very worried about Hu Pingfan's future: "I heard that General Su is no longer in favor, and all his troops have been taken away by the court. This strategist Hu is still stubbornly insisting on joining General Su. He has no future at all. I really don't know what he's thinking. I can't stop him."

General Wei said, "I actually admire Hu Pingfan quite a bit. He dares to do anything for his dream. Even the military merit promised by General Mu couldn't sway him. I can't say whether Hu Pingfan will be successful in the future, but at least he hasn't lived in vain. I'm not as good as him. I don't dare to be myself. I clearly like doing business, but my family forced me to go to the battlefield. My family insisted that military officers get promoted quickly."

General Mu nodded, "Yes, Hu Pingfan is anything but ordinary. I wonder if we'll ever meet again."

Deputy General Zhao also said, "When Military Advisor Hu handed over his life savings to someone to pass on to Miss Su, I knew he would leave one day. I heard that although General Su's troops were taken away, he is still very wealthy. General Su is very good at business. Military Advisor Hu should be able to live a life of comfort and security with Miss Su."

The short, thin veteran who was on good terms with Hu Pingfan said, "You probably don't know, but Hu Pingfan is a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations). He had the opportunity to become an official but gave it up. I believe in Hu Pingfan's judgment. When we meet again, Hu Pingfan will definitely impress everyone."