You have truly caused me great suffering!

Chapter 4 Establish a Career Before Starting a Family

Time flies, and half a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

Chen Shao had been honing his martial arts skills.

The imperial decree was still delayed.

Chen Shao was getting restless.

Early in the morning, he summoned Dong Dahu to prepare a horse, as he was going to the city to inquire about something.

His only connections were his aunt in the Liu family and his cousin Liu Guanglie.

In Chen Shao's estate, there was only one horse.

The Northwest was the region with the most horses in the Song Dynasty, but it still couldn't compare to the Liao and Xia dynasties.

I heard that the imperial court is going to buy horses from the Jurchens. In fact, many people had already noticed something was up when the news spread.

The imperial court mostly used the pretext of buying horses to make contact with the Jin state.

Chen Shao asked Dong to fry some lotus seed tea for him, and he came to pick it up today to give to his aunt.

Recently, Mrs. Dong has changed her usual somewhat shrewish demeanor, always keeping her head down, and seems to have aged suddenly.

Chen Shao came to fetch the tea, but she didn't say anything, silently packed it up and put it on her horse.

Dong Dahu was very happy.

Three days ago, his employer told him that he would take him to enjoy a life of luxury in a few days, and promised to get him a horse as well.

And they don't have to do farm work.

They said they wanted to help him change his way of life.

The landlord's words were so pleasant to hear; every single one of them struck a chord with Da Hu, who had long since had enough of life on the estate.

These past few days, he's been following Chen Shao around every day, and he's certainly not lacking in food or drink. Moreover, he really has some talent in martial arts, and even Instructor Hong has praised him highly.

Once they left the village, the post road was bustling with people and horses, so the two had to take a side road instead.

Upon arriving in Fuzhou City, the marching troops were gone, but there were still military officers leading several soldiers riding horses through the streets.

Chen Shao looked at the coming and going troops, all of whom exuded a murderous aura. Such frequent troop movements clearly indicated that there was a war going on.

Upon arriving at the Liu residence, one could see people constantly entering and exiting the gate.

Chen Shao became even more convinced that war was about to break out.

Liu Yanqing was the chief steward of Fuyan Road, and his residence must have been very busy at this time. Chen Shao asked Dong Dahu to wait outside with his horse, while he himself went directly to the gate of the residence.

After the man gave his name and learned that he was not looking for Master Liu, the steward breathed a sigh of relief and, without having to wait in line any longer, instructed the doorman to lead him to the central courtyard.

A moment later, Liu Guanglie came out in a flurry of activity.

"Shao-ge'er, what brings you here?"

Chen Shao smiled and said, "The lotus seeds in the village are ripe. I remember my aunt likes to drink lotus seed tea, so I asked someone to stir-fry some and send them over."

"You've put your heart into this. Your mother will be so happy to know."

After saying that, he pulled Chen Shao into the house. After walking through several long corridors, they arrived at a side room.

Although the rules of etiquette were not as strict as in the Southern Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties, Chen Shao would absolutely not be taken to the inner quarters.

This is also a reception room.

The two brothers chatted idly in the room for a while when footsteps came from outside. A middle-aged woman entered, who looked somewhat similar to Chen Shao.

It was Chen Shao's aunt, Chen Yuexian.

She was delighted to see Chen Shao, and stepped forward to take his hand, saying with a smile, "I heard from Instructor Hong that you have made progress recently, and you have been working hard in your martial arts practice. Today I see that you are indeed a bit darker, so I suppose you haven't been slacking off."

Chen Shao recounted the story of the lotus seed tea, then took out the tea and some lotus seeds, making Chen even happier. "It's rare that you still remember. The lotus seeds from our village are the best—plump and sweet. I've been used to them since I was a child, and they never taste right when I eat them elsewhere. Every year around this time, I often ask your cousin to pick some, but he always makes excuses and refuses to do the work. I can't get him to do anything, and I don't expect anything from him."

"Fortunately, I have a good nephew."

Liu Guanglie rolled his eyes and shrugged at Chen Shao.

Chen Shao smiled and said, "My aunt loves to eat it, so I bring it to her every year."

Chen Yuexian was flattered by him and smiled broadly. "I heard from your cousin that you've become more talkative since you hit your head, and seeing it today, it's true."

“That’s right, if you ask me, this head should have been hit a long time ago,” Liu Guanglie said with a laugh.

Upon hearing this, Chen Yuexian was about to laugh and playfully punch him.

Liu Guanglie stood there with a simple smile, and his mother punched him a few times.

Chen Shao changed the subject abruptly and asked naturally, "Aunt, cousin, with so many people coming and going from the Liu residence, is there going to be a war?"

Liu Guanglie curled his lip and said, "I was just about to tell you. The court just promoted Tong Guan to Grand Protector and ordered him to continue building fortifications and gradually encroaching on the Xia bandits."

"I don't know what went wrong with this old woman, she ordered all forces to advance at full speed and besiege Shuofang before next year."

The old man was Zhao Ji's confidant and rose through the ranks far too quickly, but Chen Shao couldn't follow this path.

He has two fewer weaknesses than him.

Moreover, even if you grit your teeth and cut off both testicles, you'll have missed the best time; this track is very crowded.

In Bianliang, the capital of the Eastern Capital, the six traitors had Emperor Huizong (Zhao Ji) in high spirits, so how could they allow a treacherous minister to suddenly appear and seize their resources?

Chen Yuexian said, "Your transfer order is for Kerong Village, which is at the foot of Hengshan Mountain, not far from Shuofang. There's going to be fighting on the front lines again, so I specifically asked your uncle to hold off on it for you until after the war next year."

No wonder the transfer order was delayed; it was being suppressed.

Liu Guanglie laughed and said, "Tong Guan spent money this time, and the old lady gave you the title of Zhongyi Lang. If you ask me, this guy is alright. He really does get things done when you pay him. He's much better than those old men with big headscarves before!"

Chen Shao had no intention of continuing to laze around in the village. He said with a smile, "Aunt, your nephew wants to go to the front lines to get some experience."

Chen Shao knew that Tong Guan's urgency was likely because the Song Dynasty had secretly made contact with the Jin Dynasty.

He wanted to push the Western Xia front forward, ideally to completely eliminate Western Xia, and then focus on allying with Jin to attack Liao and reclaim the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun.

Chen Shao's heart tightened inexplicably; this time, time truly was running out. The old eunuch was ambitious but incompetent; the seemingly prosperous and powerful Song Dynasty could collapse in an instant.

We must improve quickly!

"How can that be!" Chen Yuexian frowned and said, "You are the only son in our Chen family. You are not married and have no offspring. If something happens to you, how can I explain it to my parents?"

"If a good man doesn't establish himself, how can he start a family? Don't you agree, cousin?"

Liu Guanglie was somewhat surprised, not expecting his cousin to be so determined to go to the front lines.

Seeing that both the aunt and niece were stubborn, Liu Guanglie's eyes lit up and he smiled and said, "I've got it. Why don't you ask your father to arrange a grain and fodder envoy for you? Now is the time to transport grain and fodder. There is no danger and you can accumulate some merit."

Chen Yuexian nodded and said, "That's fine too."

Chen Shao wasn't entirely unafraid to go to the battlefield, especially a battlefield with cold weapons.

It would be a good option to first move the supplies around and get familiar with the area.

Chen Yuexian sighed and instructed, "Shao-ge, after you go there, you must do your job well and not slack off. Accumulate some merit so that I can find you a good match from a wealthy family and continue the Chen family line."

For Chen Shao, continuing the family line was not a big deal.

They took care of it as a side job.

It's more important to make progress as soon as possible.

(End of this chapter)