A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Song Xichen nodded and said to Gui'er, "We've been in private contact regarding Sha Yanyao's matter. He told me that this matter would be helpful to his career. He said that he's gradually moving away from relying on the Tian family for support. If he comes back and is willing to help persuade the Marshal to actively prepare for war, that would be a good thing."

"Actually, even if you don't come to me this time, I'll still come to you." Song Xichen changed the subject and said seriously, "I heard that some of the officers in Jiangcheng who used to follow the Marshal and are more senior are forming cliques and clinging to each other for support. They're also colluding with the steward in the Marshal's mansion. Although this is none of our business, if a conflict breaks out and causes a mutiny, it will have a huge impact on the public security in both Jiangcheng and Fengcheng. You can find an opportunity to give Sha Yanxiao a proper warning."

Gui'er was stunned for a moment and immediately thought of the gathering between Zhao Yingwu and those officers. She had previously thought that Zhao Yingwu was ambitious and wanted to win over the army to gain benefits for himself, but now it seems that there may be far more than that.

She quickly told Song Xichen that she had run into Zhao Yingwu and the officer together, and then what happened at the clothing store. Afterwards, there was a rumor in the mansion that Zhao Yingwu had sent clothes to her.

Song Xichen frowned and said, "Is it so blatant? It seems that the Marshal wants to support Zhao Yingwu to counter Sha Yanxiao."

Guier asked anxiously, "Then what should we do?"

Song Xichen pondered for a moment. "Objectively speaking, Sha Yanxiao has made significant achievements in Jiangcheng and Fengcheng. Over the years, he's banned gambling and drugs, eradicated bandits and gangs, and brought both cities to a higher level of economic and cultural development. He's managed both cities better than Marshal Sha and Marshal Zhang ever did. But perhaps it's precisely because of his good reputation that Marshal Sha is dissatisfied and wants to counterbalance him economically and militarily. You should subtly remind him to be careful of a mutiny. Sino-foreign relations are so tense right now, and a war could break out at any time. We can't afford to let internal strife break out again."

Gui'er nodded. She also agreed with Song Xichen's point of view. When she returned to the Marshal's Mansion, she wanted to find a reason to talk to Sha Yanxiao.

When I came to the study, I saw Sha Yanxiao fiddling with the pocket watch Wu Mingqiang gave him.

Sha Yanxiao was wearing casual clothes today, a white shirt and a vest, making him look very gentle and refined.

"Brother, this outfit looks really good with your pocket watch."

Sha Yanxiao smiled, closed the pocket watch, put it back into the box and said, "I plan to give this pocket watch to my elder brother. After all, I need help from him."

"Are you talking about asking my eldest brother to help convince father? I don't think that's particularly important."

"Oh? What's on your mind now?"

"It's about Zhao Yingwu hanging out with the officers. I find it particularly strange. How could he know those officers? And he just happened to be close to Big Brother in the past. Everyone is saying that Zhao Yingwu is the Marshal's illegitimate son. If that's true, then it would be perfectly legitimate for the Marshal to let him interact with his officers and subordinates."

After hearing this, Sha Yanxiao's face suddenly turned gloomy, and Gui'er was so scared that she didn't dare to say a word.

After a long while, Sha Yanxiao said, "He's got a good plan. I've fought my way through the army for so many years, fighting my way through the dead, and he wants to pry it away with just a bastard son of unknown origin?"

He looked up at Gui'er, his tone undeniably firm. "You're right. I was too careless a few days ago. I'll immediately arrange for reliable people to keep a close eye on the movements of those old guys. I'll be the first to know if they make any moves."

After a pause, his voice softened. "Those people followed Father in the past. Although they didn't make great contributions, they did work hard. I arranged for them to do sinecure jobs so that they could retire properly. After all, they are almost as old as Father now. Big brother couldn't win the battle against me back then, and they chose the wrong side, so I didn't pursue the matter."

He rubbed the edge of the pocket watch box with his fingers. "It seems some people are still unwilling to give in. Well, this is a good opportunity to see which ones can be won over. I can offer some benefits to appease them as appropriate. As for the rest... don't blame me for being rude."

Seeing that he had listened to her advice, Gui Er heaved a sigh of relief. However, she was worried that he might get angry and hurt himself, so she said softly, "Brother, just be aware of this. Don't worry too much."

Two days later, the eldest wife's family came back. In addition to sending a military vehicle to pick them up, Sha Yanxiao also had a red carpet laid at the door, and the servants stood in a line straight, which was considered a grand occasion.

Around noon, a fleet of cars slowly arrived, led by a black sedan. As soon as it stopped, servants rushed to open the doors. Sha Yanyao, radiant in his neatly trimmed military uniform and a medal of honor, emerged, followed by Miss Tian, ​​dressed in a lilac cheongsam. Holding her son, Cheng Qian, her expression had lost its former arrogance, and instead had a more composed look.

Jin Bao also followed behind, holding a baby in his arms. It was a newborn baby, whose eyes and eyebrows looked very much like Sha Yanyao.

"Father!" Sha Yanyao strode forward and gave a standard military salute to the Marshal who came out to greet him, his voice loud and clear.

The Marshal's eyes narrowed into slits from his laughter. He held onto his father's hand and refused to let go. "Good boy, you've made it big! Come show it to your father!" His eyes fell on the swaddling clothes. "Is this my darling grandson?"

Jinbao quickly handed the child over. The Marshal carefully took it, shook it, and said happily, "Good, good! His cry is loud, it's a strong boy! Let's call him Chengshi, to inherit the family business and have a bright career in the government!"

The evening's welcoming banquet was held in the main courtyard's flower hall, and the table was overflowing with delicious dishes. The cold dishes included three kinds of fermented rice, drunken crab, and white-cut chicken, all vibrant and vibrant. The hot dishes were even more impressive: the pork elbow in rock sugar was a brilliant red, the steamed hilsa lay on crushed ice, its scales gleaming silver, and there were also braised pork ribs and braised prawns, all renowned Jiangcheng specialties. The soup was a chicken broth simmered over a traditional fire, dripping with golden oil. Next to it were several plates of exquisite dim sum, like jade-like steamed dumplings and osmanthus cakes, their sweet aromas wafting through the air.

Gui'er sat at the table, looking at the dishes, but she had no appetite. Her eyes casually glanced at the doorway and suddenly stopped—Zhao Yingwu was there too. He was wearing a white shirt and standing behind the Marshal with his head lowered. He looked completely different from the other servants serving their masters, and it was clear at a glance that he was of a higher status.

The concubines all noticed it and couldn't help but take a few more looks out of curiosity. The Madam didn't even look at Zhao Yingwu, but glanced at him sideways and enjoyed the delicious food very elegantly. But Gui'er had been with the Madam for so long, and she knew her Madam's character very well. If she had no reaction to someone at all, it meant that she didn't like that person. Gui'er was secretly happy, thinking that she could take advantage of this.

After three rounds of drinks, the Marshal was in high spirits. He pointed at Zhao Yingwu and said to Sha Yanyao, "Yanyao, let me introduce you to someone. This is Yingwu. He's very smart and I rely on him to take care of everything around me. If you have any problems in the mansion in the future, you can always look for him."

Zhao Yingwu immediately stepped forward and bowed slightly to Sha Yanyao: "Hello, Young Master."

Sha Yanyao glanced at him and said "hmm" indifferently, obviously not taking this "servant" seriously.