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

The crisp "tap!" sound of the billiard balls colliding was like a huge rock thrown into stagnant water, instantly breaking the suffocating silence and desperate atmosphere in the backyard of the county government office.

Qian Ming was the first to react. He looked up suddenly, his eyes filled with disbelief and anger: "How dare you! What time is it?! There are still people who dare to play billiards for fun in the government office?! They are simply courting death!" He thought that some ignorant servants or yamen runners were slacking off.

Wang Ergou also frowned. He was a relatively calm person, but at this moment he also felt a sense of absurdity: "Although the manager doesn't allow us to go out, we can still enter the government office... the government office, right? I'll go and see who is so blind!" He rolled up his sleeves and strode towards the government office with a feeling of frustration and anger that had nowhere to vent.

The remaining people in the hall looked at each other, the heaviness in their hearts made even more disturbing by this sudden episode.

However, only a moment passed!

"Bang! Clang!"

Accompanied by the loud crash of tables and chairs and the sound of hurried footsteps, Wang Ergou actually tumbled and crawled back from the government office, practically using both hands and feet! Where was the trace of anger on his face? Instead, it was replaced by extreme ecstasy, excitement, and disbelief! He rushed into the hall, and because he ran too fast, he stumbled and fell to the ground, but he didn't care. He raised his head, his face covered with tears and snot, and his voice was cracked with extreme excitement. He roared in a sobbing voice: "Young, Young Master! Young Master! It's Young Master!!!"

"Master?!"

"Master is back?!"

Like thunderclaps from a clear sky! Zhang Liu suddenly raised his head, his cloudy old eyes gleaming with a terrifying light, and he stumbled forward. Liang Dahai, Qian Ming, and the others were momentarily stunned, then burst into a huge cry of surprise!

Huangfu Ling felt a buzzing in her head! Standing there, her body trembling imperceptibly, Wang Ergou's panicked, ghostly expression pierced her deepest fears like an icy needle—could it be... that they had found... a body? She didn't dare think any further, her blood running cold.

She didn't even dare to confirm it, fearing it was all a dream. But her body's instincts had already overtaken her reason—she didn't want to waste a moment, and she pushed Wang Ergou away from her. Like a white arrow shot from a bow, she rushed towards the government office recklessly, her skirt fluttering in the wind.

The atmosphere in the government office was completely different from the despair and heaviness of the backyard. Candles lit brightly, and the air was filled with the faint smell of saltpeter powder (the powder used in billiard cues).

Zhang Jingwei was leaning over the large billiard table, squinting one eye to aim, and making clicking sounds: "Tsk, Brother Zhaoxuan, this ball... is not played like this." His face was still a little pale, and he was wearing the coarse cloth clothes that Jia Renyi had found for him. He looked a little embarrassed, but he was in good spirits, especially his eyes, which were surprisingly bright.

Gao Ying stood opposite him, playing with the club in his hand, looking willing to learn but also a little unconvinced: "Oh? Isn't it said that you can score points by using this white ball to knock other balls into the pocket?" He looked at the colorful balls scattered on the table with interest.

Zhang Jingwei stood up, picked up the chalk beside him and wiped the club head, pointing to the shiny black ball in the corner: "That's the rule, but the last black ball must be saved for last. You just hit the black ball in, which is a foul."

Gao Jiong immediately cheated: "Ah? This game doesn't count! Let's do it again! Brother Jingwei, you didn't explain the rules clearly just now!" He pretended to go and mess up the game.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Zhang Jingwei quickly stopped him with the cue, with a mischievous smile on his face, "Don't cheat! You have to accept the consequences of the bet! The rules are clearly written on the wall. You were staring at them for a long time just now. I thought our talented man had already known them by heart!" He pointed to the billiard rules written by himself on the wall.

Gao Ying looked in the direction his finger pointed, an expression of sudden enlightenment and a bit of appreciation on his face: "Oh! So that's it! I was just... admiring the calligraphy of the great boss! As expected, Brother Jingwei's handwriting is as elegant as ever!" He cleverly changed the subject.

"Thank you very much!" Zhang Jingwei cupped his hands proudly, "But rules are rules, and as for the bet... Brother Zhaoxuan, just accept it! A dignified Hedong Jieyuan will not owe me such a small amount of money?" He stretched out his fingers and rubbed them together, looking like a money-grubber.

Gao Jiong shook his head helplessly and smiled bitterly: "Okay, okay, I accept the loss. But I didn't expect that the boss of the military camp who is rich enough to rival a country would be interested in the few taels of silver in the pocket of a poor scholar like me?" He took out a small ingot of silver from his sleeve and pretended to throw it over.

Zhang Jingwei took it, weighed it, stuffed it into his arms, and laughed, "Money is a bastard! It's a waste not to make money! Even a mosquito leg is meat!"

Gao Ying looked at his lazy appearance, glanced at the direction of the government office gate (he had heard hurried footsteps a long time ago), coughed deliberately, and reminded in a low voice: "Ahem, Brother Jingwei, jokes aside. Look... it's getting late, shouldn't you... go home first? My family... must be worried sick." He meant something.

Zhang Jingwei waved his hand nonchalantly, even sporting a hint of the ambiguous smile that every man understands. "It's okay, it's okay! Sixth Uncle and the others are taking care of us at home. Brother Zhaoxuan, tonight... hey, I'll treat you. How about we go to the best place in Gaoyang, 'Zuixianlou', and listen to some music to unwind? After escaping death, we need to relax!"

Gao Ying laughed in his heart but pretended to be surprised on his face: "Brother Jingwei, this... is not a good idea, right?" He had already caught a glimpse of the white figure at the door from the corner of his eye.

Zhang Jingwei didn't notice it at all. Instead, he approached Gao Jiong with great interest, lowered his voice, and said with a bit of boasting: "Let me tell you, although Gaoyang is small, it has a different world! A few days ago, when I went to a brothel... Oh no, to observe the people's sentiments, I met two girls with perfect figures. They danced... Wow, their waists were as slender as willows, and their steps were like lotus flowers..." As he spoke, he gestured with his hands, with an expression of endless aftertaste on his face.

Gao Ying tried hard to suppress his smile and continued to "kindly" remind him: "Brother Jingwei, stop talking..." He tried to signal with his eyes.

However, Zhang Jingwei misunderstood his meaning. He nudged Gao Ying with his shoulder and said with a wink, "What's the matter? Brother Zhaoxuan, you are so old, but still shy? You...you are not...still a virgin, are you?" His tone was full of teasing and the sense of superiority of an "experienced person".

Gao Jiong was amused by him, and a meaningful smirk appeared on the corner of his mouth. He asked in return: "Me? Of course not... But I am curious, how does the courtesan in Yunzhou compare to the girl from Gaoyang brothel like you...?" He was deliberately setting a trap.

"Yunzhou?" Zhang Jingwei waved his hand with an expression that said "you have a narrow mind", "Yunzhou is naturally much stronger than Gaoyang! But..." He changed the subject and said with a serious look, "Brother Zhaoxuan, as a man, you should be more generous! You should have a long-term vision and an open mind! You must understand... that everyone should be treated equally!" He even pretended to wave his wide sleeves, as if he was pointing out something.

"Oh? 'Equal treatment?'" Gao Jiong suppressed a smile and asked, "How do you mean 'equal treatment'? Could you please enlighten me, Brother Jingwei?"

Zhang Jingwei was a little annoyed by his questions and waved his hand: "Hey, why do you have so many questions? When we get to Zuixianlou, I'll demonstrate it to you myself! I guarantee it will open your eyes!" He was completely immersed in his image as a "romantic genius" and didn't notice the sudden drop in air pressure and the cold murderous aura behind him.

Gao Ying raised his eyebrows and asked again, "Aren't you afraid that your wife will find out?"

Zhang Jingwei patted his chest and said, "I've already told you, no one is allowed to tell my wife that I'm back. If anyone tells anyone, I'll exile them to Lingnan!"

Gao Jiong finally couldn't help himself. He cleared his throat and pointed behind Zhang Jingwei with his folding fan. His voice was not loud, but it was clearly heard by the door. "Madam, did you hear everything? It's not that Zhaoxuan didn't announce the return of the son-in-law, it's really... Your Excellency threatened to exile the person who filed the complaint to Lingnan! Lingnan is a place full of malaria, and Zhaoxuan's body is probably not strong enough to withstand it."

The smile on Zhang Jingwei's face froze instantly! A chill ran from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head! He turned his neck stiffly, inch by inch...

Huangfu Ling stood quietly at the entrance to the government office, dressed in a plain white dress, her face ashen, as if covered in a layer of frost. Her beautiful eyes, once filled with worry and tears, now burned with rage, threatening to burst forth! In her hand, she clutched her sword! Though unsheathed, the cold scabbard and the chilling murderous intent emanating from her were enough to bring the temperature of the entire government office to a freezing point!

"No... No way! Gao Ying!!" Zhang Jingwei let out a shrill wail, his fingers trembling as he pointed at Gao Ying. "You... You're kidding me?! You're setting me up on purpose!"

Gao Jiong opened his folding fan with a "swish", covering half of his face, revealing only a pair of smiling eyes: "Hahaha! Boss, this is not my fault! My wife has been waiting for you until she is pale and heartbroken, but you don't want to go home quickly to comfort her, but instead you are here talking about 'rain and dew are equal'... It's really... Alas, Gao is doing this for your own good, reminding you to cherish the lover in front of you!" He had an innocent expression of "I am a good person".

Zhang Jingwei looked at the sword in Huangfu Ling's hand that could be unsheathed at any time, and then looked at Gao Jiong's gloating expression. He felt a black screen in front of his eyes, his calves went weak, and he instinctively shrank back, his voice tearing: "Husband... Madam... you... you heard everything? That... put down the sword first... Let's talk it over... Let's not fight, okay?" At this moment, he no longer had the "romantic" demeanor he had just used to point out the way forward. He was like a cat whose tail was stepped on.

Huangfu Ling didn't move. She just stared at Zhang Jingwei intently, her eyes looking as if she wanted to eat him alive. After a few seconds, she slowly spoke, her voice icy cold without a trace of warmth, every word sounding like it had been fished out of an ice cellar:

"You're back."

"Yes... I'm back..." Zhang Jingwei laughed dryly, cold sweat dripping down his face. "Madam, please listen to my explanation! The situation is urgent, I..."

"You know..." Huangfu Ling interrupted him, her voice suddenly rising with great grievance and anger, and the anger in her eyes was instantly replaced by surging tears, "Do you know how worried I was about you?! I thought... I thought you were dead! I thought I would never see you again!" Tears flowed out like beads with a broken string, breaking the cold mask she had forced herself to wear, and also breaking all her strength.

Seeing her tears, all Zhang Jingwei's sophistry and teasing were stuck in his throat. He opened his mouth, but no words came out, leaving only a heart full of guilt and heartache.

Gao Ying stood aside, gently poking Zhang Jingwei's lower back with his fan, and whispered, "Stop talking... hug her."

Zhang Jingwei woke up as if from a dream. Seeing Huangfu Ling, tears streaming down her face and trembling, all his fear turned to pity. He took a deep breath, mustered his greatest courage, and slowly and firmly walked towards Huangfu Ling, step by step.

He walked up to her, ignoring the sword she clutched tightly in her hand and the coldness emanating from her body. He stretched out his arms and carefully embraced her trembling body. His movements were gentle, yet filled with an irresistible strength.

"Madam..." His voice was low and hoarse, full of deep apology, "I'm sorry... I made you worry... It's my fault..."

Huangfu Ling was hugged by him, and her body stiffened for a moment, but then all the grievances, fears, and anger found an outlet. She did not push him away, but buried her face deep in his chest, her hands tightly grasping the clothes on his back, as if she was afraid that he would disappear again. Her voice was muffled, with a strong sob tone:

"You are the father and mother official of Gaoyang... You should be responsible for the people... But you are also my husband! Zhang Jingwei! You have to be responsible for me too!" She finally shouted out the deepest fear and attachment in her heart.

Huangfu Ling nodded with tears in her eyes.

A huge joy and even deeper guilt instantly overwhelmed Zhang Jingwei. He hugged her tightly again, his voice choked with sobs: "I'm sorry... Madam... I'm so sorry... I didn't expect to be pushed to that point by that evil Shen Kaiyang... I almost... I almost..." He didn't dare to say any more.

"I don't want to hear this!" Huangfu Ling shook her head vigorously in his arms, raised her tearful face, with unprecedented stubbornness and fragility in her eyes, "Promise me! Promise me! No matter what happens in the future, no matter how dangerous it is, you are not allowed to hide it from me! You must let me know! Let me bear it with you! Life or death! I won't allow you to carry it alone anymore!" Her request was almost overbearing, but full of unforgettable love.

Zhang Jingwei saw the desperate love and determination in her eyes, and the softest part of his heart was deeply touched. He tightened his arms, holding his wife tightly in his arms. He lowered his head and placed a solemn and gentle kiss on her smooth forehead. His voice was firm and clear: "Okay. I promise you. No matter life or death, we will share weal and woe. Let's... go home."

Huangfu Ling finally burst into laughter, buried her face in his chest which smelled of dust and faint herbs, and nodded vigorously.

Gao Jiong was waving a fan on the side, looking at the couple who had finally embraced each other after going through so many hardships, with a relieved and warm smile on his face.