"Qi Yuan Pan, get up quickly. This isn't the imperial palace, and I'm not the Emperor. I'm just a little old man, the seventh prince!"
Little old man?
Qi Xuan was very familiar with these words. Fan Zehao had called him that before.
Fan Zehao didn't know who this person was, but Qi Xuan did. He immediately pleaded for Fan Zehao, "Seventh Master, Fan Zehao is just a simpleton. His heart is not bad, please don't hold it against him!"
"My life and my son's lives were saved by him. I should be thanking him, not getting angry. Besides, I find this title quite novel and it gives me a sense of closeness. I actually like being called a little old man!"
Qi Xuan raised his eyebrows in surprise and glanced at the person seated above. He secretly wondered when the Emperor had become so easy to talk to.
A sense of closeness?
Born into the imperial family, where was there any talk of affection?
In the evening, Zhao Jiaqi made a pot of stew, wild chicken and potatoes, with flatbreads baked on the pot's rim, a pot of pickled pork stew, a plate of braised meat, and homemade sausages. Four dishes, all in generous portions.
"Husband, take these dishes to them, and then invite Doctor Qi to join us for dinner!"
"Okay, I'll go right away!"
He went quickly and returned quickly. Qi Xuan was very fond of the meal. If he went to Tianxiang Lou to eat pickled pork stew, he'd have to go early to get some, or he'd have to queue up obediently.
In the first lunar month, people were very hesitant to take medicine or see doctors. In light of this, Qi Xuan had directly closed his clinic and decided to stay in the village. He treated the Emperor and the Crown Prince while enjoying free meals and a comfortable life. He was living quite a good life here.
Upon learning that Zhao Jiaqi was infertile, Qi Xuan took it to heart. After taking her pulse, he discovered that it wasn't infertility at all.
"Qiqi, your body was severely weakened in previous years, damaging your foundation. But since you've met me, this isn't a problem. With good care for half a year to a year, you could have a whole brood!"
Zhang Cuihua exclaimed happily upon hearing this, "Really?"
Hearing this, Qi Xuan frowned, displeased. "When would I ever lie! Old woman, you'd better stay healthy, or who will look after this whole bunch of grandchildren!"
"Let alone a whole brood, even just one or two children would be enough for me!"
The thought of her daughter-in-law being able to bear children made her overjoyed. She clasped her hands together and muttered thanks to Buddha, Bodhisattva, and so on.
That evening, there were several more dishes on the dinner table. The mother-in-law, who had been reluctant to eat cured meat, stir-fried a large plate of it with celery.
The injured people next door also got to enjoy a good meal. Having grown accustomed to delicacies, they found the simple farm food surprisingly delicious.
The next day, before dawn, Fan Zehao woke up, preparing to go hunting in the mountains. He looked into the courtyard and saw Xiao Ce practicing martial arts. His movements were fluid and unpretentious, leaving Fan Zehao mesmerized.
He couldn't help but want to spar with him. With that thought, he did just that.
They had just started, and before ten moves were exchanged, he was taken down by Xiao Ce.
He was convinced. He approached Xiao Ce and abandoned all pretense, "Brother Xiao, your martial arts are excellent. Teach me!"
"If you want me to teach you, then how about you take care of our meals?"
Fan Zehao agreed without hesitation. Providing meals wasn't a problem. As long as he could learn some martial arts, he would be able to protect himself and establish himself on the battlefield.
"No problem!"
The two men who initially didn't see eye to eye became sworn brothers after a martial arts exchange.
Every day, they would head to the mountains before dawn, practicing martial arts and hunting.
In the afternoon, he would study military strategy with his wife. She was only half-knowledgeable and could only lecture. When it came to applying it on the battlefield, she was stumped. It was like training an army on paper.
Fan Zehao was troubled. He had learned it, but he didn't know how to apply it. What could he do?
"Why don't we try it out?"
"How can we experiment? Warfare requires many people. Even with everyone in our family, we only have about ten people!" And that included Xiao Ce and his men.
Zhao Jiaqi shook her head. "Let's count the farmhands, the workers in the workshop, and our family members. That makes about thirty people. We can divide them into two groups. We don't need to fight, just to see how it works!"
With his wife's suggestion, Fan Zehao thought it was feasible to try out formations and tactics.
That afternoon, the farmhands who worked for his family began to play a game in the mountains. Even Xiao Ce and his men were invited.
Out of curiosity, Huangfu Jintao and Huangfu Yifan stood on higher ground to watch the spectacle.
The women formed one group, and the men formed another. They were divided into two teams, and it was a case of fewer against more.
The women's team was led by Zhao Jiaqi, and the men's team by Fan Zehao. The parties, unaware of the true intention, were drawn into the game.
As they played, the Emperor and the Crown Prince both saw through the charade. This wasn't a game; it was a demonstration of troop deployment and formations!
"Father, look at this..."
"Keep watching. Remember all these maneuvers. They might come in handy!"
After a brief exchange, the father and son began to observe. The layman watched for entertainment, while the expert saw the underlying strategy.
"We won, haha!" She happily waved a strip of cloth in her hand.
In this game, Zhao Jiaqi, with fewer people, had defeated the larger and stronger team.
This infuriated the men. They clearly saw victory within reach, but who knew these women would pull off a surprise attack.
"You cheated! I'm not convinced!" Fan Zehao had never learned any underhanded tactics.
Zhao Jiaqi chuckled, "All's fair in war!"
"I used six people, just to feign an attack and draw your attention. The rest of our people set fire to your rear. Not only were your supplies and camp destroyed, but you, the leader, were captured. What do you call that?"
Fan Zehao pondered, "You first used a feint, then lured the tiger away from its mountain, and finally captured the king by capturing the leader!"
Zhao Jiaqi nodded, then shook her head. "I also used the Empty Fort Strategy."
"Wife, I don't understand. When we attacked, we didn't see where you were hiding, yet you suddenly rushed into our rear camp!"
Zhao Jiaqi shrugged and taught him another lesson. "The darkest place is under the lamp. The most dangerous place is the safest. You just didn't expect a few of us to be so daring!"
Fan Zehao was defeated in this battle, and he lost wholeheartedly. He had truly learned a lot.
That evening, the Crown Prince and the Emperor, along with Xiao Ce, were in the room, repeatedly analyzing the afternoon's events. It was perilous, but the chance of victory was high.
"This village truly has hidden talents. A game? This is clearly a rehearsal of troop deployment and formations!" Yifan scoffed.
Xiao Ce also couldn't believe that his sworn brother possessed knowledge of military affairs. He respectfully said, "My lord, young master, my subordinate has investigated. This family is native to the village. However, his wife is in partnership with Tianxiang Lou in town. There's nothing else suspicious."
"I don't think so either. You can try to probe him cautiously later. If he truly has some skills, it might be beneficial to keep him close and train him well!"
The Emperor's decree was issued, and Xiao Ce immediately bowed and replied, "Yes!"
The next day, after repeated probing, he discovered that this sworn brother actually wanted to join the army.
His grand ambition was merely to support his wife and prevent her from being bullied.
Xiao Ce felt both happy and indignant. Why would one woman warrant such doting?
He didn't dare to voice this thought, fearing that if the simpleton got upset, he might break off their brotherhood, which would be a loss.