My vicious dog, my horse, I can do whatever I want with it

The woman standing quietly in front of him was just as Zong Yanli remembered her, dignified and gentle, unperturbed by fame or disgrace, with the demeanor of a lady of a noble family.

Her mother was never gentle and graceful, and was always strict to both her and Zong Yanyin. As the wife of a general, who single-handedly supported the inner chamber of the Zong Yan family, she was definitely not a weak person.

"Mother." Zong Yanli walked forward and bowed.

Han looked up at Zong Yanli, her eyes were a little throbbing, clearly full of pity, but she nodded calmly and said, "I'm glad you're back. Ask someone to prepare the meal."

Zong Yanli's eyebrows relaxed, and she stared at Han for a long time before she reached out and took something out of her bosom. There was a jade bracelet in the exquisite box. She handed it over and said, "My son saw it on the way home, and he thought it was very suitable for his mother, so he gave it to her."

Han looked down at the brocade box handed to her and seemed stunned. There was a smile on her lips that was hard to hide, but she still kept her composure and said in a serious tone, "Military merit is not easy to come by. Why spend so much money to buy these things? I don't need them."

Han said this, but she took it very carefully, stroking the jade bracelet with her fingertips and her eyes full of emotion.

"Brother, where's mine!" Zong Yanyin shouted when she saw this.

"You are indispensable." Zong Yanli raised his lips and smiled, and like a magic trick, he took out a jade hairpin and handed it to Zong Yanyin.

"Wow!" Zong Yanyin jumped for joy, begging Zong Yanli to help her put it on. The pretty girl held her chin and blinked at her: "Brother, do I look good?"

"It looks good." Zong Yanli's smile widened. Looking at such a lively and bright sister, the haze in her heart seemed to be dispelled little by little.

Han looked at the two of them, turned around with a faint smile on her lips, and told the servants to prepare a meal, and took Zong Yanli downstairs to wash and bathe.

This was probably the most comfortable day that Zong Yanli had ever had since her rebirth. She let her hair down and soaked her whole body in the bathtub. The steam and fog made her doubt for a moment. Was what she was experiencing an endless illusion or reality?

The rough fingertips touched one horrible scar after another on the body, and Zong Yanli was suddenly pulled away from this comfortable environment.

Zong Yanli took a deep breath, got up from the bathtub, and put on the coat prepared by her mother. She found that the coat was surprisingly fitted. Perhaps she was used to it in the army. She still wore the soft armor inside, put on the coat, tied her hair and walked out.

Wen Nian was already waiting outside the courtyard. When he turned around and suddenly saw Zong Yanli in brocade clothes, he was a little stunned.

Without his armor, Zong Yanli had a tall and slender figure. The military training in the past two years had made Zong Yanli stronger and taller, with heroic eyebrows and sharp eyes.

"General." Wen Nian walked forward and bowed.

"You don't have to be so polite. This is not the army." Zong Yanli whispered to Wen Nian.

"You go down and have a rest. I'll take you for a walk in the city tomorrow." Zong Yanli treated Wen Nian like a friend.

"Yes." Wen Nian lowered his eyes and responded.

He rarely saw Zong Yanli in such a relaxed state. He looked at Zong Yanli's back as he walked away with a brisk step. The heavy air of tiredness on his body seemed to have completely dissipated, as if light was shining through the darkness, like the rising sun, full of vitality.

Zong Yanli went to the front hall, where Han was discussing New Year matters with the household managers.

"Young Master." When the servants saw Zong Yanli, they all bowed to greet him, with praise and pride in their eyes. This was their young master!

"Let's make this arrangement first, and we'll discuss it later if there are any changes." Han handed the account book in her hand to the manager, then stood up and looked at Zong Yanli. Looking at her outstanding and heroic appearance, she was dazed for a moment and really thought this was her son, not her daughter.

"Ali, is everything okay in the army?" Han took a breath and looked at her and asked.

"Thank you for your concern, mother. Everything is fine." Zong Yanli paused and said, "Father has a letter for me to bring to you. It concerns me as a son. Do you want to read it now?"

Han was so smart that she knew what Zong Yanli meant as soon as she heard it.

It must be that Zong Yanhongjing already knew that Zong Yanli was not a man.

Han took a deep breath and raised his hand and said, "Bring it here for me to see."

Han read the letter written by Zong Yanhongjing at a glance. The expression on her face changed slightly. The hand holding the letter seemed to tremble slightly. It seemed that a long time had passed before she put the letter away. The usually calm mother showed a bit of hesitation for the first time.

Zong Yanli was called into the inner hall by Han, and the servants were sent away, leaving only the mother and daughter in the room.

"Ali, do you blame your mother?" Han looked up at Zong Yanli with tears in her eyes and asked.

"I have resented and blamed others." Zong Yanli answered truthfully. She was not a saint. If she had no resentment or blame in her past life, how could she not return home when she heard that her mother was seriously ill?

This resentment became deeper with the arrival of A-mei. Although they are both daughters, they have completely different paths.

She didn’t understand before. She didn’t understand why Zong Yan must have a eldest son, and she didn’t understand why this person had to be her.

Now she understands.

Han's lips seemed to tremble slightly, she clutched the handkerchief tightly and quickly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, her eyes firmly looking at Zong Yanli and said, "Ali, there is no turning back now. If you want to blame your mother for being cruel, then do it."

Han's intention was to tell Zong Yanli that in this life she could only be the eldest son of the Zong Yan family, Zong Yanli!

"The son does not blame his mother." Zong Yanli's eyebrows were firm and his tone was calm and peaceful.

"Okay, okay." Han showed a smile that was uglier than crying. Finally, she stayed alone in the inner hall and asked Zong Yanli to go out.

Inside the inner hall, Han covered her face with a silk scarf, choked back her cries and shed tears silently.

The Zong Yan family has been a family of generals for generations. In addition to the Zong Yan Hongjing branch that has been passed down from the ancestors, there are also several side branches. Zong Yan Hongjing's father and several brothers have made countless contributions. If there were no direct descendants to take over as the head of the family, half of their life's work would have been wasted.

Now, the only direct descendant is Zong Yanhongjing, who has the only "son" named Zong Yanli.

Zong Yanli at home did not slack off at all. He went to the martial arts field to practice in the morning. The servants at home saw Zong Yanli practicing and waving his fists, and their eyes were full of admiration: "Our eldest son is becoming more and more like the general."

"Of course!" Everyone was quite proud. Ever since the general and the eldest son left home, the mansion seemed to be deserted. Suddenly hearing the sound of the martial arts performance, everyone naturally recalled the past.

When they looked at Zong Yanli, they felt at ease.

They all have the hope and joy that the Zong Yan family will have a successor.

Zong Yanli carries the expectations and admiration of too many people. Zong Yanli has never been just three simple words.

"Master, there is a guest visiting." Zong Yanli changed his sweat-stained clothes, wiped his body and went to the front hall when he heard the servant come to report.

Zong Yanli was a little surprised. Her return home did not alarm too many people, so how could there be guests coming?

Zong Yanli walked to the living room with a puzzled mood, and saw Dong Haoqiang talking to Han. There was a rather large box on the table. Judging from Dong Haoqiang's posture, he seemed to be here to deliver something.

Dong Haoqiang saw Zong Yanli coming and stood up with a look of joy: "Young Master!"

Zong Yanli was a little uncomfortable. Her status in the army was lower than Dong Haoqiang's. However, Dong Haoqiang was a soldier led by Zong Yanhongtu himself. Now that he came to Zong Yan's family, it was natural for him to call her the eldest master.

"General Dong, you're welcome." Zong Yanli quickly bent down and stepped forward to support him, and asked with a little doubt: "Why did General Dong come to Huai'an?"

"The emperor has ordered us to escort the Nankang captives to various places." Dong Haoqiang smiled and said, "I just happened to be assigned this task. I was escorting the captives through Huai'an, and my general instructed me to deliver some things."

"Ali, please entertain General Dong well. I'll ask the kitchen to prepare the meal. It's a rare opportunity for the general to come." Han was very considerate and generous. She stood up and left space for the two to talk.

Dong Haoqiang quickly leaned over to see him off. After Han left, Dong Haoqiang patted Zong Yanli on the shoulder and said, "You kid, you ran so fast! You didn't even attend the celebration party and ran back home?"

Zong Yanli laughed: "You also know that I just left home, and I came back early because I missed my mother."

Zong Yanli pulled Dong Haoqiang to sit down, and then asked about the situation in the army. Dong Haoqiang sighed and said, "The general has reorganized the Pingnan Camp, and my general has returned to Changfeng County. I will also go back after I escort the prisoners of war."

Our army captured many prisoners of war when Nankang conquered the country, but not all of them could be incorporated into the army.

They were all to be dispersed and reunited, some to be escorted to other military camps, some to be used to quarry stones and build fortifications, and those who disobeyed would naturally be killed.

This is not a simple matter. Wu State was not a strong country. After capturing prisoners of war, they would of course keep them if possible and not kill them if they could not.

Pingnan Camp was rebuilt. Many wounded soldiers who were unable to fight again in the battle against Nankang would be sent away. If there were not enough soldiers in the army, they would have to train these prisoners of war to make up for the shortage, which was not an easy task.

"Nankang was destroyed. Jin State borrowed troops from Nankang because they were afraid that we would hold a grudge against them. We have already seen scouts before the New Year." Dong Haoqiang frowned and said, "You should return to the army as soon as possible after the New Year. I am worried that the war will start again."

Zong Yanli frowned slightly and responded in a low voice.

The war will never end. If you don't fight others, others will fight you.

But Dong Haoqiang was wrong. The war broke out not in Jin State, but in Qing State.

Earlier, Qing State always wanted to contain Jin State, not for any other reason, but because Jin State was the best-equipped among all the states and mastered iron casting, which made Qing State jealous and wanted to snatch its weapons and ironware. The reason why Jin State was so generous to Nankang was because Nankang had iron mines and used them as bargaining chips.

One has iron mines, and the other has mastered the art of iron casting. If they wait another three to five years, Nankang will grow up, and Wu will be the one to be swallowed up.

The State of Qing wanted to attack the State of Jin, but the border cities of Jin were not only extremely high, but also like a solid wall of iron and steel, and could not be conquered at all, so the two countries fell into a stalemate.

However, now that Wu State has annexed Nankang, its territory has further expanded. Without Nankang as its backup, it is only a matter of time before Jin State is swallowed up.

Unlike Nankang, Qing State had a vast territory. The king of Qing State founded his country on military power and was best at attacking cities and setting up crossbows. He gave up Jin State and turned to attack Wu State in order to suppress it before it became strong enough to prevent it from growing and causing unrest in Qing State.

If the State of Qing could conquer the State of Wu, it could go around and attack the State of Jin without having to focus on the iron-clad border town of Jin.

"Jin will not act rashly. This test is also to see our army's attitude." Zong Yanli pondered for a long time and said, "General Dong, when you return to Changfeng County, tell my second uncle that Qing is as fierce as a tiger or a wolf. If there is a trend of attacking the city, we should avoid it and not fight."

"Avoiding battle?" Dong Haoqiang was quite surprised. Outside the pass of Changfeng County was the border of Qing State. There had been some minor fights in the past years, but the main force of Qing State was not seen. The challenge and fight seemed like a military training exercise.

"Yes." Zong Yanli looked calm, staring at Dong Haoqiang and said, "I'm worried that Qing State is trying to lure the enemy out of the country and invade Wu State."

Zong Yanli said this because in his previous life, Zong Yanhongtu suffered a great loss here. Although he defended the border town, he was seriously injured and left with an old illness. Later, he died in the war with the Qing Kingdom.

Dong Haoqiang was shocked. He thought carefully about what Zong Yanli said and compared the situation of Jin and Qing. He felt that Zong Yanli's thoughts were not unreasonable. He could not sit still and stood up and said, "I have to go back to Changfeng as soon as possible!"

Zong Yanli looked at him helplessly and smiled, "General Dong, there is no need to be so hasty. Even if Qing Kingdom is determined to attack the city, it is difficult to march in this cold weather. The fastest way to march is after the spring. It is completely in time for the general to escort the prisoners back."

Only then did Dong Haoqiang feel at ease to stay in Huai'an for one night.

It was not until later that Zong Yanli found out that the things Dong Haoqiang sent on behalf of Zong Yanhongtu were not for the Han family, but were sent to Guiyun Temple.

That is a nunnery, where Zong Yanchang's eldest sister-in-law lives.

Master Hui'an is the legal wife of Zong Yanhongfeng and also the aunt of Zong Yanli.

Zong Yanli had no impression of his eldest uncle. Zong Yanhongfeng died in battle just after he got married, leaving behind a widow named Zhou. At that time, Zong Yanhongtu and Zong Yanhongjing were both unmarried. They respected their eldest sister-in-law and advised her to remarry.

However, Zhou and Zong Yanhongfeng had already prayed to heaven and earth and became husband and wife. Zhou refused to remarry and worked hard for Zong Yan.

If that were the case it would be fine, but something went wrong.

As Zong Yanhongtu grew up, he actually developed feelings for his eldest sister-in-law. However, he dared not say it out loud because of his deceased brother's status. He kept it in his heart and raped his eldest sister-in-law after getting drunk one day. This became a stain on the Zong Yan family, and he was beaten and driven out of the house by the elders of the clan.

This is also the reason why, although Zong Yanhongtu is the elder brother, he is not the head of the Zong Yan family, but Zong Yanhongjing is the head of the family.

Zhou felt humiliated and ashamed to face the elders of the clan, so she asked to enter a nunnery, cut her hair and became a nun. From then on, she was accompanied by the green lamp and the ancient Buddha.

"It's not easy for our general either." After drinking half a round of wine, Dong Haoqiang's face flushed with alcohol. He sighed and said helplessly, "He can't go home, and I, as his subordinate, have to look after him."