Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

Daylight streamed through the crude window lattice, casting a few faint specks of light on the adobe floor. Zhang Jingwei slowly opened his eyes. His throat felt like it was filled with rough gravel, and every swallow was a tearing pain. He propped up his limp body, and immediately a familiar, uncontrollable itch spread through his chest.

"Cough! Cough cough cough..." The violent coughing fits returned, rattling his entire chest and causing a dull ache in the bandaged wounds. The suffocating sensation of last night's choking still lingered, the icy water still seeming to clog his lungs. He spent the entire night in fits of coughing and wheezing, barely closing his eyes. Waking up now, his head felt groggy, his bones felt like they were being torn apart and then pieced back together again, and he felt aching and weak everywhere.

Fortunately, the herbal decoction that the old doctor Jia Renyi had called in last night had taken some effect. His burning cough had subsided considerably since midnight. Although his throat was still dry and aching, it was at least manageable for a while. He leaned against the cold earthen wall, panting wearily, a fine layer of sweat on his forehead.

At that moment, the door creaked open, and Jia Dayong, a towering man, walked in, carrying a bowl of steaming rice porridge. Seeing Zhang Jingwei awake, he immediately put on a simple yet somewhat awkward smile: "Master, you're awake! Did the medicine work? Have a bowl of ginger soup to warm your stomach." He carefully placed the bowl on the small wooden stool beside the bed, then remembered something and reported in a gruff voice: "Oh, Master, that thief! He woke up last night! He was sneaking around, and he wanted to slip away before daybreak!"

Zhang Jingwei's originally somewhat distracted eyes suddenly became sharp. He suppressed the urge to cough again and asked in a hoarse voice: "Cough cough... He actually still has the strength to escape?" He remembered that before he passed out, he bit the other person tightly and refused to let go. The man should have been seriously injured.

Jia Dayong scratched his shaved head, chuckled, and was a bit proud: "Hey, that thief is quite strong, and his hands and feet are very nimble. He took advantage of the boy who was guarding the night to take a nap, pried open the bolt of the woodshed and ran away! But," he patted his thick chest, "he is old after all, and injured. In a panic, he ran to the old forest behind, tripped by the roots and vines on the ground, and fell flat on his face! I heard the noise and chased after him, and brought him back in no time! This time he was tied more tightly, with an additional cowhide rope!" He gestured, as if he was carrying a chicken with ease.

Zhang Jingwei looked at his honest and reliable appearance, and something moved him. In this time of danger, he was in need of a loyal and courageous man. He took the ginger soup that Jia Dayong handed him. The temperature was just right, and the ginger mixed with the light herbal flavor made his cold stomach feel a little better. As he sipped the porridge, he asked casually, "Ahem... Thank you very much, Dayong. Would you... like to come to my house and work?" He raised his eyes, his gaze filled with sincere inquiry.

Jia Dayong was stunned, his eyes like copper bells widened, as if he couldn't believe his ears: "I...can I do this, Young Master? I...I'm just a country boy!" His voice trembled with excitement.

"Of course." Zhang Jingwei put down the bowl and showed a gentle smile on his face, "I like loyal, brave and honest warriors like you. I just don't know if your family... fields, wife and children are convenient?" He considered it quite carefully.

"Convenient! Very convenient!" Jia Dayong's face turned red with excitement, and he rubbed his big hands like a palm-leaf fan. "Although my parents are over 40 years old, they are still strong. I have a younger brother who studies in the city and is also strong! My son is ten years old, a little boy, and the few acres of thin land in our family can be taken care of by the three of them! Young Master, if you are willing to take me in and let me follow you, then... that is really the blessing that I, Jia Dayong, have cultivated for several lifetimes!" He was so excited that he wanted to kneel down again.

"Don't do it!" Zhang Jingwei quickly raised his hand to support the wound, causing him to gasp in pain. But his tone was firm. "There aren't many rules in my house, but the first one is that you shouldn't kneel down so easily. Let's just be honest with each other." He paused, looked at the simple man in front of him, and asked, "Besides farm work, what other skills do you have?"

Jia Dayong stood up straight, thought seriously, and counted on his thick fingers: "I can do all kinds of heavy work! Carrying loads, bags, building walls, repairing roofs! And... I'm also good at slaughtering pigs and chickens! Whoever in the village wants to slaughter a pig for the New Year calls me!" He puffed out his chest, as if slaughtering pigs and chickens was a skill to be proud of.

Zhang Jingwei was amused by his seriousness. A smile appeared on his pale face, and he asked half-jokingly: "Then... will he kill someone?" He wanted to test this man's courage and bottom line.

Jia Dayong immediately shook his head like a rattle, with sincerity written all over his honest face: "I can't! I don't dare! I haven't learned it! And I get beaten most of the time when we fight..." He admitted honestly.

"Haha... cough cough cough..." Zhang Jingwei couldn't help laughing, but it caused another coughing fit. He waved his hands, "Okay, okay, you're quite honest. With your temper, your wife... must have been nagging about you a lot at home, right?" He asked casually, trying to ease the atmosphere.

Yet, these words were like a key, instantly unlocking the deepest wound in Jia Dayong's heart. The innocent smile on his face vanished completely, replaced by a deep, piercing pain and anger. He suddenly lowered his head, his broad shoulders trembling slightly, and he uttered a few words through gritted teeth: "My wife... three years ago... was captured and taken to the Flood Control Camp... and... she never came out again..." His rough voice was filled with suppressed grief and indignation.

The smile on Zhang Jingwei's face froze instantly, and his heart sank. He immediately realized that he had spoken out of turn, touching the other person's most painful wound, and a strong sense of apology surged in his heart: "I'm sorry, Dayong! I...I didn't mean it."

Jia Dayong wiped his face vigorously, took a deep breath, and when he looked up, though there was still pain in his eyes, it was filled with gratitude and an almost obstinate loyalty to Zhang Jingwei. His voice was low and firm: "It's okay! Young Master! You don't have to apologize! It was you! You killed that bastard Han Ye! You avenged my wife... and so many villagers who were killed by them! You are my great benefactor, Jia Dayong! For the rest of my life, my life belongs to you!" Tears glistened in his eyes, but he stubbornly refused to let them fall.

Zhang Jingwei looked at this loyal and righteous man, feeling a mixture of emotions. He patted Jia Dayong's sturdy arm and said, "Okay, it's all over. Follow me, and I'll feed you, so you won't go hungry." He changed the subject and made a promise, "Go get me some food, just something simple. I need to go check on that 'thief.'" At the mention of the word "thief," his eyes once again grew cold and sharp.

"Yes! Young Master! I'll go right away!" Jia Dayong responded loudly, as if he wanted to roar out all the sadness just now. He turned around and strode towards the kitchen. The heavy footsteps echoed in the silent earthen house.

Zhang Jingwei leaned against the wall, watching Jia Dayong's retreating figure, then looked down at his bandaged hands, his eyes filled with a complex expression. The pain in his body, the shadow of last night's drowning, his suspicions about the "thief," and the heavy burden of his recent, honest servant's past...