The sun shone brightly in March, and flowers bloomed.
Their pace slowed on the way home. A large group walked and played as they went. Since there was no rush to reach their fiefdom, they decided to enjoy the scenery along the way.
If anyone was happiest about Fan Zehao's dismissal, it was Zong Han.
At lunch, he leaned over and said, "Brother Fan, the Cloud Emperor doesn't value you, but I do. Why don't you come work for me? The treatment here will be much better than what you have now!"
Fan Zehao glanced at him sideways, shook his head, and said frankly, "Don't waste your efforts. I don't care about any prince or general!"
Zong Han rubbed his nose, turned around, and went to find Zhao Jiaqi. He coaxed her, "Sister-in-law Fan, your husband is too stubborn. Go talk to him. As long as you come to my Zongsheng Kingdom, he can pick any position, prince or general. Gold, silver, whatever you ask for, I'll agree to it. How about it?"
What was Zong Han's situation?
It was a bit like poaching, wasn't it?
He wondered if Huangfu Jintao would spit blood if he knew!
Zhao Jiaqi was about to refuse when Xiao Ce, holding an imperial decree, appeared behind them. He was travel-worn, looking as if he had ridden day and night without rest.
"The good intentions of the Emperor of Zong are something this King of Zhen dare not accept!" Xiao Ce quickly stepped forward and answered for Zhao Jiaqi.
It was fortunate he arrived in time; he dared not imagine the consequences if he hadn't!
Seeing this person arrive, Zong Han knew the Cloud Emperor would not easily give up on someone like this.
He sat back down, bored, and continued eating the roasted meat Ah Shi had given him, occasionally glancing at them.
Xiao Ce respectfully handed the imperial decree to Fan Zehao, "His Majesty's intention is that after returning to your fiefdom, you should govern it well. His Majesty will investigate the matter of the Prime Minister carefully. He will not falsely accuse a loyal official, nor will he let a villain go unpunished. You can be completely at ease about this. Once the results are out, they will inform us by letter."
This Emperor had indirectly acknowledged Fan Zehao's words. He had also urgently sent this imperial decree to restore his official position. As for Xiao Ce's current identity, it remained a thorn in Fan Zehao's heart.
"Brother Xiao, please take this imperial decree back. I just want to go home and farm. With my wife, children, and a warm kang, that's the life for me. Being a prince makes me tremble with fear. If I lose my head carelessly, it's not worth it!"
Fan Zehao merely glanced at the imperial yellow decree, neither looking at it nor accepting it. He immediately uttered a string of words.
Xiao Ce chuckled, sat beside him, took out a letter from his pocket, and pressed it into his hand. "If there's anyone in this world who understands you best, it's the Emperor. He seemed to know long ago that you'd be stubborn. He said if you refused the decree, I was to give you this letter. You'll know once you've read it!"
Fan Zehao looked suspicious and opened the letter. The handwriting was the Emperor's own. His tone was like a father scolding his son. He first berated him, and then revealed part of the truth.
It turned out that the Emperor and the Prime Minister were putting on a show. The Emperor didn't explain the reason in detail, only saying that he wanted to find out who was disloyal.
What was disloyalty? And who was disloyal?
The Emperor didn't say. He only stated that the Prime Minister was a loyal official, as important as himself, and that His Majesty trusted the Prime Minister greatly.
The more he read, the more confused he became. He admitted that his intelligence was truly no match for those old foxes in court. He wouldn't dwell on those complex matters.
"If His Majesty truly trusted me, why would he send you to be the supervisor?" Fan Zehao asked with a wry smile, spreading his hands.
"Let alone the brotherhood we forged fighting side-by-side on the battlefield, even if I fought through life and death to protect the peace of Yun Country, wouldn't that earn His Majesty's trust? His talk of trust is just lip service!"
Xiao Ce shook his head in disagreement. There were some things he couldn't explain, nor was he allowed to. It wasn't time yet.
He patted Fan Zehao's shoulder heavily and said earnestly, "You truly misunderstand His Majesty. I have been by his side for many years and have never seen him favor any minister. You are the only one who can make him lower his head. You will understand in the future!"
Understand?
Fan Zehao was indifferent to future understanding and had no expectations for it.
He took the imperial decree. Even though he was unwilling, he couldn't refuse it. Resisting an imperial decree meant death, and he didn't care about that for himself. But he had his family behind him, and recklessness wasn't the way to be.
On the other side, Pingting, who was so tense she was about to touch the ground, felt her wildly beating heart finally calm down when she saw her elder brother accept the imperial decree.
"My elder brother's temper is simply maddening. He almost drove me crazy!" Pingting pouted and complained to Zhao Jiaqi.
She truly didn't understand how her elder sister-in-law liked this man. A smart and capable sister-in-law and a stubborn and ill-tempered elder brother, they seemed like a mismatch, but perhaps they were complementary!
"What are you so anxious about?" It was just that he hadn't accepted the imperial decree immediately. What was she so worried about?
Pingting pulled her and pointed to a man in a fitted outfit not far behind Xiao Ce. She said cautiously, "That man is the Emperor's confidant. If my elder brother resists the decree, he has the right to kill first and report later. Don't underestimate him, even though he has no official rank or title. He's very capable."
Seeing Pingting's fear towards the man, Zhao Jiaqi turned to look. As she appraised him, he alertly noticed her.
Their gazes met in mid-air before they each withdrew their own. Zhao Jiaqi touched her chest, feeling that this man's alertness was indeed too strong, his sharp eyes like an eagle's, seeming to see through everything.
"Let me tell you, Sister-in-law, this man is not only capable, but also ruthless. He kills without batting an eye and never wastes words. With a swift movement of his blade, heads roll on the ground. The scar on his neck is as wide as a bowl, and blood spurts out like this, ugh~~" After speaking, Pingting couldn't help but shiver, hugging her arms.
Looking at the roasted meat Fan Xudong handed her, she suddenly lost her appetite. Thinking of the hot blood spraying out, she forced herself not to vomit. This was already an improvement.
Hearing Pingting's detailed description, Zhao Jiaqi stretched her neck and asked, "Have you seen him?"
"Yes, I have, which is why I remember him so vividly. But why is he here this time?" Pingting rubbed her chin, looking very puzzled.
Regardless of the reason, their journey home had changed course again. In the next prefecture, the group boarded a ship and headed north.
On the ship, Xiao Ce met Li Sisi and was about to say a few words to her when Li Sisi avoided him.
They were like complete strangers. For this reason, he had even gone to find Zhao Jiaqi, hoping she could mediate, but Zhao Jiaqi had directly refused him.
On the deck, Fan Zehao asked Xiao Ce, "Who is that man who came with you?"
He glanced at the man not far away and smiled, "Oh, him. His name is Gao Wenbin. He's your protective charm. You should treat him well."
Fan Zehao coldly glanced at him and said unfeelingly, "My protective charm is my wife!"
As a grown man, did he need a man to protect him?
The only person in this world who could harm him was his own woman!