Dad, open the door. I'll bring your mistress back for you.

Emperor Jing shouted angrily, "Do you Zhou family want to rebel?"

Zhou Lin kowtowed and said calmly, "I dare not. Your Majesty, please calm down and see clearly!"

At this moment, Emperor Jing's face was ashen, and veins bulged on his forehead. He pointed at Zhou Lin and said sternly, "Don't you dare? I think you dare very much! What? You want all the civil servants and military commanders in the north to come from your Zhou family? Are you planning to become local tyrants in the north?"

It was not until then that Zhou Lin realized that Emperor Jing had misunderstood his meaning.

So, he loudly defended himself, "Your Majesty is wise and wise. The Zhou family is loyal to you and has absolutely no intention of rebellion! The reason I made this request is actually to go to war in my grandfather's place!"

Zhou Antai devoted his entire life to Dayong. Now that he is old, he really can't bear to see his grandfather being branded as a rebel because of this incident.

At this point, Emperor Jing's expression softened slightly, but he still asked with some doubt, "Is it General Dingguo who is unwilling to lead the army again?"

Zhou Lin hurriedly bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, it's not that Grandfather doesn't want to go, but his health is really not able to support him to go to the cold north again."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jing suddenly sneered and said mockingly, "Humph, what a Zhou Antai! Dayong needs him to serve the country, and he actually came up with such a trick of feigning illness to escape!"

When Zhou Lin heard this, he couldn't help but frowned slightly, thinking to himself: My grandfather has always been dedicated to the country. How could Emperor Jing doubt my grandfather so easily?

You have to know that their Zhou family has been guarding the north for generations. At the beginning of their enlightenment, the first lesson for each generation of boys in the family is taught by the elders of the family. They must swear allegiance to Dayong until death, and even more so to the royal family Xiao family unconditionally.

However, now, Emperor Jing said this, accusing his grandfather of feigning illness, which was a great insult to his grandfather's sincere heart.

Thinking of this, Zhou Lin's tone unconsciously darkened. He raised his head and looked directly at Emperor Jing, saying solemnly, "Your Majesty, grandfather did indeed suffer a serious illness two years ago and nearly lost his life. Since that illness, he has suffered from a stubborn cough. At that time, the imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital came to your residence to see your grandfather. If Your Majesty doesn't believe me, you can summon any of them to ask. You will naturally know that everything I say is true and not false!"

Emperor Jing's face was as gloomy as water, and the knuckles of his right hand tapped lightly on the table in front of him one after another, making a crisp sound.

He stared intently at Zhou Lin standing below him, his eyes sharp as torches, and spoke slowly, "The war in the north is currently intense and the situation is critical. I cannot trust you with such an important mission, as someone who can faint mid-route even for something as trivial as suppressing bandits. After the last accident, I thought it would be good for you to live a leisurely life. I didn't expect you to take the imperial examination. Otherwise, you should forget about being sent out and stay in the capital. That way, your father and grandfather will at least have something to think about and care about."

Zhou Lin lowered his head, seemingly submissive, but in fact he had already sneered in his heart.

He thought to himself that Emperor Jing wanted to force him to stay in the capital as a hostage.

This must be because he has been suspicious of the Zhou family for a long time.

Thinking of this, Zhou Lin suddenly raised his head, his eyes icy, and his tone even colder as he responded, "Your Majesty, be wise! The North has never lacked brave and skilled generals, but what is scarce are members of our Zhou family. Your Majesty is surely well aware that the barbarians in the north fear our Zhou family the most. As long as the Zhou family is guarding the area, they will not dare to act rashly. Therefore, my personal abilities are not important. The mere fact that I am surnamed Zhou will allow me to be effective in the North."

He paused for a moment and continued, "Furthermore, Grandfather is old and his health is declining. It's not even October yet, but the charcoal brazier has already been lit in Grandfather's room. To be frank, I'm really worried about whether Grandfather can reach the Northland safely!"

Emperor Jing looked up and saw Zhou Lin's face full of worry, and that heavy expression was definitely not fake.

Emperor Jing considered in his heart that for the Zhou family, leaving an old man in his twilight years in the capital was naturally a world of difference from a psychological perspective compared to leaving behind hope for the family's future.

However, the current situation is extremely serious. The barbarians in the north are eyeing us covetously and are ready to march straight in.

Seeing that Emperor Jing was still hesitant, Zhou Lin became anxious and quickly spoke up, "Your Majesty, I once served in the Jinwu Guard. I'm sure you know my abilities very well. During the time I was suppressing bandits in Panlong Village, I was accidentally framed by a traitor. I'm afraid your concerns about transferring the deputy general from the north are also because of Ji Anbang's situation, right?"

Emperor Jing nodded slightly, indicating that he agreed with what Zhou Lin said.

Indeed, Zhou Lin is not only extremely capable, but is also not much inferior to his brother Zhou Lie. He is even much stronger than his father Zhou Hongqi, and has the style of General Dingguo back then.

Moreover, the policy essays he submitted during the palace examination showed his profound thoughts, brilliant literary talent and strong practicality.

If it were not for the fact that it was really difficult to find anyone with more outstanding looks than him among the group of examinees at that time, Emperor Jing would have been willing to enthrone him as the top scholar.

It's really a pity to let him go to the north so rashly!

However, if you think about it carefully, the top three in the imperial examination will appear every three years, but a general like him may not appear once in a hundred years.

If Zhou Lin is sent to the north, after a few years, perhaps Dayong's territory can be expanded further.

Thinking about it this way, it is a good thing that benefits the country and the people.

A long time passed like this, and Emperor Jing finally spoke slowly: "I am not an unreasonable person. General Zhou is old and his energy is limited. Since you are determined to go to the north, then I will agree to it."

Hearing this, Zhou Lin quickly knelt down and kowtowed to express his gratitude.

In fact, as early as when Shen Huaizhong just proposed to return to the north, Zhou Lin had already begun to think about going in his place.

But at that time, he was still thinking about Shen Chuning deep in his heart, and always wanted to wait until the marriage was settled before going.

However, what Shen Huaizhong said was like a bolt of enlightenment that woke him up.

Civil servants' promotion mostly depends on the accumulation of seniority, and it often takes a long time to climb to a high position.

But it is completely different for military generals. The level of their achievements depends entirely on their own abilities and strengths.

Since the Shen family wanted to have a powerful grandson-in-law, Zhou Lin decided to rush to the north to establish merit and pass the Shen family test first.

Shen Chuning has always preferred civil officials and disliked military generals. Zhou Lin wanted to wait until the two got married and then switch to being a civil official.