Qin Yining and Pang Xiao did not expect that there would be such an inside story in the army. They both had subordinates who had carefully investigated the situation in the army. But if Madam Zheng did not mention it, they would not have known!
No wonder Lu Zhang got 'sick' so easily and allowed Pang Xiao to gain control of the army so easily. It turned out that they were waiting for this!
Regardless of whether it was Deng Minchang or Lu Zhang, if they continued to be the leaders of the army, wouldn't they have to think of ways to raise provisions for them? That was not all. The promissory notes that Lu Zhang wrote would all be given to Pang Xiao. No matter how big the hole was, Pang Xiao, the tall one, could shoulder it. They, who had profited from the middle, could shrink their necks and watch the show at any time.
Pang Xiao had always been a resourceful person. He had always been the one scheming against others. Now that he was being schemed against by others, he did not know whether to laugh or cry.
"This is really pressing the gourd and lifting the ladle." Qin Yining shook his head and said with a bitter smile, "What are these people thinking in their heads? They have the leisure to scheme against their colleagues, but they have no time to do practical things for the people. If they used half of their scheming mind on serious matters, there would not be so many hungry people outside. "
Madam Zheng patted Qin Yining's shoulder comfortingly and said with a smile, "Isn't this human nature? They are only doing this because they are motivated by benefits. If there are no benefits, who would do this? As for working for the people, they would not care. "
Madam Zheng was speaking the truth. But when such a truth was heard, it made one feel powerless.
The three of them could not help but fall into silence. After a long time, Pang Xiao said, "I understand, grandmother. It's just that I am now involved. "
Madam Zheng sighed and said, "It's all my fault for being locked up and delaying so many things."
"How can this be blamed on you? You were also implicated because of me and Sister Yi. Don't worry, I will think of a way to deal with these matters. I'm not a pushover either. If they want to use such a small matter to make things difficult for me, then they're wrong. "
Qin Yining calmed himself down and nodded with a smile. "That's true. Anyway, this isn't the first time we've encountered such a situation. We'll deal with whatever comes our way. What's there to be afraid of? To be able to grasp the army firmly in one's hands and use it at the crucial moment, that would be the greatest advantage. As for the rest, we can think of ways to solve them. "
When Madam Zheng saw that both Pang Xiao and Qin Yining were very cheerful and did not have the slightest bit of gloominess, she could not help but sigh in her heart. It was good to be young. When she was still young, all the big and small matters in the Duke's Public House were handed over to her to manage. At that time, she did not think much of it. It seemed that no matter how many things there were, she would not worry too much. It was just a comprehensive consideration.
It seemed that she was only like this because she was getting older. Why did she start to worry now that she encountered problems?
Especially this time, she had originally taken the initiative to leave the mountain to help Qin Yining. Who would have thought that not only did she not help, but she also got herself implicated and almost lost her life. In the end, Qin Yining had to go through so much trouble to save her.
Not only did she not help, but she also added to the trouble.
It seemed that this era belonged to the younger generation.
Madam Zheng's heart was filled with emotions. She had already made up her mind to retreat.
"I'm getting on in years and my mind is not as clear as before. This time, leaving the mountain has also greatly damaged my vitality. Sister Yi, in the future, I plan to peacefully spend the rest of my life at home. "
When Qin Yining heard this, he was stunned. He was worried that his grandmother was saying this because she felt frustrated that she did not succeed. He wanted to persuade her.
However, Madam Zheng saw through his thoughts. She smiled and waved her hand. "You don't have to say anything. I know your intentions. It's just that I'm really tired. "
Madam Zheng's gaze fell on Pang Xiao's handsome face. She smiled and said, "Besides, now that you have someone to rely on, I can rest assured. At first, I was worried that you would be wronged because of the grudges of the previous generation. Now, it seems that I worried too much. Since you all have your own lives and have your own support and companionship, no matter how difficult the future is, there will be someone to support and accompany you. This old woman can also put down her burdens and peacefully spend the rest of my life. "
Madam Zheng's eyes were looking at Pang Xiao, but her words were directed at Qin Yining and also at the distant Sun Clan.
When Qin Yining heard his maternal grandmother's sentimental words, he actually felt a bit of the sorrow of a hero in his declining years.
However, Madam Zheng was open-minded and did not mind. She said, "I don't have subordinates like the Qingtian Alliance, but I have some connections and power. Just like the Qingtian Alliance in the past, they all have some beneficial relationships with each other. When I return, I will hand them over to you. You can use them for your own purposes, but you have to be careful not to be hurt by them. "
"Maternal grandmother, I …"
"Don't refuse." Madam Zheng smiled and patted Qin Yining's shoulder. She said, "There's no harm in having more people. I know that with your abilities, you can control these people. You only need to order them around. When they encounter problems, you can help them solve them. After a long time, they will be like your subordinates. "
Seeing Madam Zheng's insistence, Qin Yining sighed softly and nodded.
He owed too much and could only slowly repay her in the future.
After all, Madam Zheng was old and had suffered in prison. Her body could not take it. After saying all that she needed to say, she was a bit tired.
Qin Yining and Pang Xiao left. They did not care whether it was New Year's Eve or not. They did not want to disturb Madam Zheng and let her have a good rest.
When Pang Xiao and Qin Yining returned to the bedroom, the wet nurses were taking a stroll in the room with their two brothers.
When Pang Xiao saw his son, his eyes lit up with joy. He smiled and went over to carry Brother Zhao, who was wearing a tiger head hat.
"Aiyo, let me see if our Brother Zhao has gained weight. Brother Zhao, do you still recognize your father? "
Brother Zhao stared blankly at Pang Xiao with his grape-like eyes. Then, he reached out to Qin Yining, who was beside him. He waved his arms and twisted his body. Clearly, he did not want to stay in Pang Xiao's arms and insisted on looking for Qin Yining.
Pang Xiao felt sad and helpless. He was forced to go out. Even his own son did not recognize him?
"Brother Zhao, your father is here." Pang Xiao kissed Brother Zhao. His stubbled chin was prickly, and Brother Zhao burst into tears.
The wet nurse was shocked. She was afraid that Wang Ye would blame her. She wanted to take the child but did not dare to. However, when Brother Han heard the crying, he also burst into tears. The wet nurse was immediately flustered.
Qin Yining quickly took Brother Zhao and hummed a familiar tune. However, Brother Zhao stopped crying after a few breaths. He nestled on Qin Yining's shoulder and grabbed Qin Yining's hair with tears and snot hanging from his face.
Pang Xiao sighed helplessly and said sadly, "Does our son not recognize me anymore?"
Qin Yining was amused by his tone. "How old are you? Why do you still care about these things? The children are still young. You don't care about your appearance and you haven't been home for so long. It's normal for the children to be shy with strangers. You should spend more time with the children in the future. They will naturally become closer to you. "
"That's true, but I'm still not happy." If it weren't for the fact that there were so many terrible things happening in the imperial court, he would not have made such a fuss that his son did not recognize him.
Qin Yining naturally knew that Pang Xiao was not really angry. However, the wet nurses did not understand. At this moment, they were so scared that their faces were pale and they did not dare to move.
Seeing them like this, Qin Yining let them continue to take care of the two children. He pulled Pang Xiao to the bedroom to change clothes and wash up.
The maidservants had already prepared hot water for Pang Xiao to bathe in. Qin Yining took off his outer robe and only wore his inner garment. He rolled up his sleeves to reveal his white elbows and stood outside the large wooden tub shrouded in mist to help Pang Xiao wash his hair and scrub his back.
The sound of the water was seductive. Qin Yining's voice sounded even softer in the misty bathroom.
Pang Xiao was a little dazed. His tired nerves suddenly relaxed and he felt a little drowsy.
Qin Yining knew that he was tired, so he gradually stopped talking. His hands gently helped Pang Xiao scrub and he did not mind that he was sweating. After washing all the places he could reach, he saw that Pang Xiao had fallen asleep. He did not want to wake him up, so he stayed by his side and added hot water to the wooden tub from time to time.
In fact, Pang Xiao did not sleep for long before the sound of firecrackers came from outside.
It was New Year's Eve. Many people had already eaten dinner and were starting to set off firecrackers to celebrate.
Pang Xiao was awakened by the sound of firecrackers. He saw that Qin Yining was still sitting by his side, using a wooden spoon to add hot water for him. He looked as if he was afraid that he would catch a cold. His heart melted into a ball.
"Sister Yi."
"You're awake? They've already prepared the food. Let's go eat, then you can go back to bed and have a good sleep. "
"Okay." Pang Xiao nodded with a smile and stood up casually.
Qin Yining's face turned red. He quickly got up and went out.
Pang Xiao could not help but laugh. After cleaning himself up neatly, he changed into clean clothes and went out with Qin Yining to have a reunion dinner with his half-dry hair.
Qin Yining did not ask when Pang Xiao would return to the military camp. If he asked, Pang Xiao would still have to leave when it was time to leave. It would only make him sad. As long as he knew that he would not leave today and that their family could have a good reunion, that was enough.
Some families were happy, while others were sad.
Just as Qin Yining, Pang Xiao, and Madam Zheng were celebrating the New Year with their family, Yuchi Yan and Gu Shixiong were trying their best to contact Sitong.
In the past, they did not have to put in much effort, and the people from Sitong would take the initiative to come to them. Now that they wanted to meet the other party, they found that the other party was very mysterious. It was actually very difficult to find them.
Gu Shixiong was very anxious. It had only been two days, but a string of blisters had already formed at the corner of his mouth.
It was not easy until the fifth day of the New Year that he finally managed to contact Mr. Liu, the accountant of Sitong who had been in contact with them all this time.
Gu Shixiong hurriedly told Yuchi Yan to prepare a table full of food and wine. Then, that afternoon, he invited Mr. Liu to come over for a meal. The location was in the old imperial palace where Yuchi Yan lived.
Mr. Liu looked to be in his early forties. His facial features were well-defined, and he had an elegant temperament. He did not look like the head of the household, but more like a teacher.
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