Are you crazy? Trying to trick him into military service? He's the number one dragon on the fro

"Minister Lu, well done!"

After laughing, Emperor Dehong cast an approving glance at Lu Xiao, his eyes full of admiration:

"Minister Lu deserves the greatest credit for this great victory over the Northern Hu. Now, you have personally escorted the Northern Hu king and the Tongtian Witch to the capital, showcasing the prestige of our Great Zhou Dynasty. This is an even greater achievement!"

"I need to think carefully about how to reward you!"

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. However, if you could exchange this reward for a transfer order, I'm afraid I would be so happy that I wouldn't be able to sleep."

Lu Xiao made a small joke, and then, under his questioning gaze, he wanted to tell him about his request to bring Zhou Daxing, Chen Ye, Gao Hong and others to his side.

This time when he went to the capital, he didn't bring the people he had just mentioned, mainly because he listened to what Zhou Kang had told him when he went to the White Wolf camp last time.

He made contributions so quickly that the imperial court's rewards couldn't keep up.

Therefore, sometimes taking the initiative to make some requests to the imperial court can properly resolve these matters.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Dehong waved his hand and laughed:

"As Minister Lu suggests!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

After bowing, Lu Xiao asked with considerable confusion:

"Your Majesty, Your Excellency, I am about to head south, but I am completely ignorant about the situation in Yun County. Could you please enlighten me?"

"Of course, even if you didn't say it, the Prime Minister and I would have given you a few words of advice."

Emperor Dehong nodded slightly, pondered for a few moments, and then said:

"The place that Qian Yu is guarding is called Ze Meng Camp. This place was originally located in the southeastern hinterland of Yun County. After dozens of fierce battles, it has reached the border of Zhou and Chu and has nowhere to retreat."

"Further on, after passing two more county towns, you will reach the county seat of Yun County."

Speaking of this matter, he was filled with resentment:

"The reason I sent you south to provide reinforcements is not because your soldiers are incompetent, but because the Chu people have stretched their battle lines further and further, and you cannot take care of everything by yourself."

"After Minister Lu goes there, if there is an opportunity to strike a heavy blow against the Chu army, their battle lines can be reduced, which will greatly alleviate the pressure on our Great Zhou soldiers to defend the city."

After speaking, Emperor Dehong sighed softly, feeling quite helpless.

The Great Zhou Dynasty has been in existence for several hundred years, but unfortunately, due to factors such as national strength, it has not produced any particularly outstanding generals.

Although he was angry about Qian Yu's failure last time, he had no choice but to continue to let him guard Yun County because there was no other more suitable candidate.

Now that Lu Xiao has finally been freed, we should make the most of him.

Zhou Kang, standing to the side, also said:

"Although General Qian's abilities in all aspects are not particularly outstanding, he is steady and meticulous, and is good at defense. Otherwise, if it were another general, the Chu Kingdom would have already occupied most of Yun County."

"Lord Lu, once you arrive at the Ze Meng camp, don't worry too much. Punish those who deserve it, let Qian Yu know where he went wrong. Only in this way can we unite the army's morale and make the soldiers even stronger!"

"Prime Minister, you can't say that."

Emperor Dehong was pleased to see that he had finally admitted Qian Yu's mistake, but he also spared the other party's feelings:

"When I first ascended the throne, General Qian made many contributions to help me secure my position. So I am very pleased that he has been able to maintain the stability of the camp and prevent it from retreating too much."

The implication is that Lu Xiao can criticize Qian Yu, but he cannot hurt Qian Yu's feelings too much.

Lu Xiao kept all of this firmly in mind.

For the next while, the three of them talked about the specific details of the Battle of Yingji Plain. Afterwards, Emperor Dehong smiled and told Lu Xiao to hurry home and spend time with his wife.

After all, the couple had been living apart for a long time, and he was about to head south.

It would be good to spend more time with Liu Xianya!

……

The Marquis of Champion's Residence.

After receiving news of Lu Xiao's return to Beijing, Liu Xianya got up early, got ready, and waited in the front yard, eagerly anticipating his return.

She would send people out to check from time to time, afraid that she would miss the news of Lu Xiao's return home and be unable to greet him in person.

Princess Yuezhen found it amusing, but secretly felt a deep envy.

When her mother was still alive, her father had never treated her like this.

"Madam, the Marquis has returned to the manor!"

Just as noon arrived, the maidservant rushed into the courtyard from the main gate, excitedly saying:

"We saw the Marquis returning with several subordinates in the distance; they'll be at the front gate soon!"

"Come with me quickly to greet them!"

Liu Xianya was actually just about to investigate again, but upon hearing this, she couldn't wait to pull Princess Yuezhen toward the main gate.

Just as the two women arrived, Lu Xiao returned with his men. When their eyes met, both of them revealed a deep sense of joy.

"My husband, you must be tired from your journey?"

"Go inside and rest quickly!"

The two originally had a thousand words to say, but because there were many people around, they tacitly suppressed their thoughts and returned home together with friendly smiles and mutual support!

Upon arriving at the main hall of the Marquis's residence, Lu Xiao called over Fan Changxin and Fan Changrui, the brother and sister, and introduced them with a smile:

"This is Fan Changxin, the head of the Fan family. He previously served as the magistrate of Bai County. He is preparing to travel south with me this time. This lady next to me is Chang Rui."

"The lady knew, and even corresponded with her!"

"Grandpa Fan is well. Sister Changrui is indeed as intelligent and kind-hearted as described in your letters!"

Liu Xianya was very accepting of Fan Changrui. Although the two women were meeting for the first time, they were not strangers at all because they had corresponded before.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, he took the initiative to introduce the Fan siblings:

"This is Princess Yuezhen of the Northern Hu, whose real name is Ayili. She is now one of her husband's concubines!"

"My younger sister, Fan Changrui, greets Princess Yuezhen!"

Fan Changrui was startled when she heard the other party's identity.

She knew that Princess Yuezhen had been sent to the Great Zhou, but she always thought that Lu Xiao had handed her over to the Emperor. She never expected that it would actually come true, just as Mirohan had said, that he would give his daughter to him!

At this moment, Lu Xiao also felt quite emotional:

"Your Majesty's favor is too great, and I have no choice but to comply."

"Let's not talk about this anymore, let's eat first, I'm starving."

At his invitation, everyone enjoyed a peaceful lunch together.

Fan Changxin then took his leave, saying that his family still had some property in the capital, and he wanted to take this opportunity to manage it properly, so he wouldn't stay any longer.

Lu Xiao knew that important matters were more important, so he let him do as he pleased.

However, he also reminded Fan Changxin that the Marquis's residence was also his home, and it didn't matter how late he came back.

After Fan Changxin left, Fan Changrui and Ayili accompanied Lu Xiao for a few cups of tea, and then returned to the backyard hand in hand, leaving the time for the two of them.

After the servants left one by one, Lu Xiao couldn't wait to pull Liu Xianya back to the room to rest and make up for their longing. Then, as usual, they began to talk about the things they had encountered during their separation.

After chatting for a while, Liu Xianya said with a hint of helplessness:

"Since you left Beijing last time, Qingqing has come back a few times, but it seems... she's been avoiding me."