On the first night after Liu Zhongzhi's death, Zhang Hongdao went back to his room and slept for more than an hour.
Although the difficulties were in front of him, he no longer dared to work without sleep or food. The age of thirty was like a threshold for him. After passing it, he obviously felt that his strength was weakening.
It seemed that he had a nightmare that night, perhaps because of an old injury on his body. Zhang Hongdao was sweating all over. When he woke up, he found his wife Yan Shu wiping his forehead.
"What time is it?"
"At three o'clock in the morning, it's still dark. Can the official sleep for a while?"
Zhang Hongdao held Yan Shu's hand and shook his head.
"No, there's a lot going on today."
Yan Shu lowered her head and said apologetically: "I was not careful yesterday and let my eldest sister sneak out..."
"I don't blame you. With her cunning, you can't guard against her. Oh, just as my father left and I went out on urgent matters, she waited to take advantage of this gap and pretended not to know anything."
"Her vision makes it easy for her to look down on anyone. Back then, she was unwilling to show off like Qiao Ju, which caused a lot of quarrels with her family. Now that the little girl's family is having an affair, who can persuade her?"
"What do you want to say?" Zhang Hongdao frowned and stood up, feeling that his body was very heavy.
"Why not fulfill my eldest sister's wish? And let Li Xia from the south become the Zhang family's son-in-law to help the officials and my father."
"As a woman...how do you know his name? Did my eldest sister tell you?"
"I don't know why I have heard officials chanting this name in my dreams several times over the past year..."
"No." Zhang Hongdao snorted and said, "Don't hide it from me. You never care about this. It would be strange if you weren't coaxed by the eldest sister."
Yan Shu didn't dare to hide it anymore and admitted honestly: "Yes, we had a chat for a while last night. Although she didn't clarify what she said, her meaning was very clear."
"A grown-up girl is not ashamed to say that she wants to marry someone."
"I think what the eldest sister said makes sense. What's wrong with such a person, and the eldest sister is right about it? Now my father is not here. If he were, he wouldn't necessarily object. On the contrary, if the officials don't deal with it properly, what happens?
The eldest sister is really unwilling to marry anyone else in the future, how much should my father blame me..."
"This Zhang Wenjing, are you trying to trick you into threatening me?" Zhang Hongdao was so angry that he coughed.
Yan Shu quickly patted his back gently, her eyes becoming more worried.
"I understand what you mean." Zhang Hongdao stopped coughing and said, "You don't want me to have to deal with Li Xia hard. Even you think I can't fight him."
"I am not..."
"I am indeed not as good as him." Zhang Hongdao murmured: "My father used to say that Liulang and Jiulang were the most talented, but I was not convinced. For many years, I tried desperately to show my father how to accomplish things, but the result was still far inferior to Liulang and Jiulang...
Ah, talent is good or bad, and you can't force it. Li Xia is even more talented. I'm not as good as me, so I can only admit it."
"The officer never loses to anyone, I just want to make the officer less tired."
"I know." Zhang Hongdao hugged his wife and sighed: "I don't agree with the marriage between the eldest sister and Li Xia. It's not that I am too small-minded to swallow this breath. Li Xia's character and talent are indeed worthy of being the son-in-law of the Zhang family, let alone the eldest sister.
I have such intention again. But the time has passed."
"I don't understand, Isn't it good for a talented man and a beautiful woman to have a happy marriage?"
"If I had known my eldest sister's thoughts last year, I would have been willing to have this marriage. But things are different now. Li Xia killed Wu Lianghetai and Atahu, and he has become the great enemy of Mongolia. The Khan's court is eager to kill him.
Come on, how dare the Zhang family ask him to be their son-in-law?"
Yan Shu was stunned.
After hearing what Zhang Wenjing said last night, she felt it was very reasonable. After hearing what Zhang Hongdao said today, she felt that her husband was even more right.
Zhang Hongdao smiled bitterly and said: "What 'Father may not object' is because the eldest sister deceived you, deceiving you to be gentle and kind, and let you blow the pillow. If this matter is so easy, why didn't she dare to tell me directly? Father yesterday
We just left for the war, why didn’t she tell her before?”
"This...how can eldest sister be so bold? Aren't you afraid of pushing the whole family into a pit of fire?"
"She lost her head..."
~~
Zhang Hongdao was still thinking about the conversation he had with his wife in the morning on the way out of the Military and Civilian House of Ten Thousand Households.
He knew that Zhang Wenjing would not push the Zhang family into the fire pit, but she wanted to marry Li Xia for sure... She was testing his attitude towards this matter.
If he relaxes even a little bit, Zhang Wenjing will force him to find a way to promote this marriage.
There are many ways, such as asking Li Xia to change his name, but even so, the Zhang family will still have to bear huge risks.
Li Xia is not worth it.
As for what Jingxuan said about "compromising with Li Xia", Zhang Hongdao has been thinking deeply about it. This is a mature and prudent approach, but it is only a temporary measure and still leaves consequences.
After much deliberation, the problem can only be solved by killing Li Xia.
The city gate has been closed, and the news about Liu Zhongzhi cannot be spread for a few days. As long as Li Xia is captured, everything can be blamed on him, and the Khan's court can believe it.
Because Li Xia's head is worth it.
Everyone thought it was impossible to do this, but Zhang Hongdao wanted to try one last time. Zhang Rou gave him five days, and now there are three days left...
~~
"He is a very careful person when he eats. Look at me... He chews carefully like this, chewing it to pieces before swallowing. He never drinks raw water. Whenever he is thirsty, he has to boil the water before drinking.
I’m not afraid of getting burned. It’s even more noticeable when I walk. He’s so much taller than me…I’m afraid he’s still growing, so he needs to be so tall and straight…”
A short man was talking non-stop to a row of soldiers.
He tried hard to straighten his body and put on a magnanimous expression, but he still couldn't achieve the look he wanted, and he scratched his ears and cheeks anxiously.
"Scholar Lin is here, Scholar Lin, come and give one to them. They always say that I don't look like..."
"Okay. I've only met him once, that time when he used the pseudonym 'Yang Shen'. He has a habit worth noting. He will look into the other person's eyes when he speaks..."
Zhang Hongdao stood there and watched for a while, then ordered: "Call Bai Mao over."
"yes."
Immediately, a soldier came forward and shouted to the short man: "Bai Mao, Wu Lang ordered you to come over."
…
"I've seen Wu Lang." Bai Mao ran to Zhang Hongdao and immediately knelt on the ground, kowtowed and got up again.
Zhang Hongdao was displeased and said, "I said, don't delay things like this again."
Bai Mao hurriedly apologized and said with a smile: "The villain dare not delay. He can get up easily without delay."
"Bringing bad vibes."
"Yes, I will definitely not dare to do it next time. I am loyal to Wu Lang, and I can't help but want to kneel to Wu Lang..."
Bai Mao leaned down very low, wishing he could shrink his waist into Zhang Hongdao's crotch, with full reverence in his eyes.
There is no reason why he is acting like this... After he failed to frame Li Xia in Lin'an City last year, Bai Mao was thrown into prison and was supposed to be exiled to Qiongzhou.
What he never expected was that Zhang Hongdao actually asked someone to rescue him. He even sent him to the north together with his old mother.
Bai Mao didn't know, but he knew that his case was handled by the right prime minister of the Song Dynasty. How big of an official did you have to be to be able to make money from such a big case?
He vaguely heard that there was something like "Secret Pavilion" in that person's official name, which was very bluffing.
Zhang Wulang was willing to use such a secret that was deeply buried among the senior officials of the Song Dynasty, but it was only for Bai Mao, a small person who couldn't handle a single thing. Bai Mao couldn't help but be ungrateful and frightened.
He himself thinks he is not worthy.
…
It was not difficult for Zhang Hongdao to ask Liu Mengyan to send Bai Mao to the north.
As for why he did this? In addition to wanting to know more about Li Xia, he also had a reason in his heart that he hadn't discovered yet.
People around Li Xia defected to him, Zhang Hongdao... This made him feel an inexplicable satisfaction.
"Talking as we walk, tell me everything about Li Xia again." Zhang Hongdao's tone was very cold, and he had already walked a few steps after speaking.
Bai Mao quickly followed and said: "The first time I saw Li Xia was in Qiantang County Prison..."
He had said this many times, but Zhang Hongdao had to ask him to recall something new every time, and he couldn't make it up, which was quite embarrassing.
"...After he faked his death and woke up..."
"Wait a minute." Zhang Hongdao suddenly stopped and turned around and said, "I remember the first time you said he was dead?"
"It's a fake death. Wulang is right. It's impossible for people to come back to life. It's just a fake death."
"Why did you think he was dead then?"
"The villain checked, there was no breathing, the body... no, the body has started to get cold..." Bai Mao had a hint of fear in his eyes.
Zhang Hongdao shook his head, still not believing it, and said lightly: "Go on, did he tell you why he was imprisoned?"
"No."
"Did he mention Tang An'an?"
"No, I'm sure, I've never mentioned it once."
Zhang Hongdao asked again: "If he is going to get married, who do you think he will marry?"
"Ah? If it's one of the two young ladies traveling with him, he must be marrying the Gao family's daughter, but I can't say for sure. The little girl is even more clinging to him..."