Golden Branch

"Southwestern Protectorate? A fifth-rank Sima?"

Since Wang Heng has decided to help Zheng Shisan, she will take action immediately.

Zheng Shisan had just held a baptism ceremony for his daughter when Wang Heng sent someone to deliver a document of appointment.

As long as Yang Shou was willing, he could immediately transform himself from a playboy holding an empty position and living a life of idleness into a fifth-rank military officer appointed by the imperial court.

The Sima of the Protectorate was of the fifth rank and was in charge of all military affairs within the jurisdiction of the Protectorate.

There are ranks, real power, and opportunities for promotion.

Work hard to train your troops and fight bravely in battle. You will also have the support of the royal palace and noble relatives in the capital, and you will be able to get promoted in three to five years.

Even if he cannot be promoted to the position of Lieutenant Commander, he can be transferred to other guard offices based on his rank and military achievements.

This is an excellent starting point, except that—

southwest?

It turned out to be the land of Lingnan.

Although the protectorates were all located in frontier areas, Lingnan was still too remote and too intimidating.

In this wild land, smoke and miasma are rampant, and snakes, insects, rats and ants are rampant. Just thinking about it makes my scalp tingle.

If I change to other military honors, I will only think about making achievements and achievements, instead of suffering losses!

Yang Shou is different. What he wants is "gilding" rather than "alchemy".

He can't endure hardship, nor is he willing to endure it!

However, the position of Sima of the Protectorate, a military officer holding real power, is too tempting!

I can’t bear to give up!

Next, I had many concerns.

Alas, this is no longer chicken ribs, but arsenic covered with honey.

This is Zheng Shisan's conspiracy——

The opportunities and dangers are all there for you to choose.

No matter which option was chosen, it was the decision of Yang Shou and the Rui Palace. If they suffered losses and endured hardships, they could not blame others.

Yang Shou: ...It's so confusing! So painful!

He vaguely understood that this was Zheng Shisan's "return gift", but he was helpless.

He had no choice but to send back the two maids sent by Princess Rui, and then ran to the main courtyard to guard Zheng Shisan and his daughter.

If Zheng Shisan had not already known his true face and seen how attentive and thoughtful he was, he would have mistaken him for a good husband and a good father!

"Oh! That's what a man is! Love and affection are far less important than his career!"

"You, Yang Shou, are selfish, cold-hearted, and profit-driven. I, Thirteenth Lady, am not some fool crazy about love!"

Zheng Shisan was rational and sober, and he saw through Yang Shou's "werewolf" nature, so he naturally would not be fooled again.

She just had to hold onto the princess's thighs.

Husband or something like that is not important.

Throw out a piece of bait and make him behave like a dog. Then, she and her daughter can still live a rich and carefree life in Prince Rui's Mansion.

After two or three years, when he has recovered his health, Zheng Shisan will find a way to have a son, and that scumbag can be banished to the ancestral hall.

Zheng Shisan enjoyed Yang Shou's flattery without hesitation, but did not help him anymore.

This time, I want to teach Yang Shou a lesson.

When training a dog, you can’t just give him bones, you also have to let him know how “pain” it is!

Yang Shou: ...

After struggling for half a month, he tried his best to be gentle and considerate, but he still had to face a difficult choice.

However, Zheng was concerned about their relationship and relented, saying, "Go ahead, my dear. We have you in Lingnan!"

"Just work hard, and Lord Lou will protect you!"

"If you can achieve one or two merits, Lord Lou will also help you apply for merit and get you promoted!"

Zheng Shisan also seemed to unintentionally reveal that Lou Yu's trip to Yongzhou was by no means a demotion as rumored by the outside world, but a recognition of the sage and the prince's respect.

Going to Yongzhou is just a formality.

With the experience of serving as a governor, his official rank was promoted. In a year or two, Lou Yu would be promoted and return to Beijing.

Now that he has been promoted, he will naturally not treat his followers unfairly, ahem, that is Yang Shou!

Yang Shou: ...That makes a lot of sense!

The fact that Lou Yu went to Yongzhou was itself suspicious.

He was personally trained by the Crown Prince, who treated him no worse than his own sons and nephews.

The prince chose a name for him, acted as a matchmaker for him, and planned his career... This is probably the treatment a biological son should receive.

Lou Yu's sudden trip to Yongzhou did not seem like exile, but more like another assignment, and only the supreme father and son knew about it.

The more Yang Shou thought about it, the more he felt that his wife was right.

Going to Yongzhou and following Lou Yu seems to be an excellent opportunity!

There are risks indeed, but fortune and wealth are achieved through risk.

The reason why their Rui Wang Mansion is in such a state of decline is because they are not decisive enough.

At first, he was wavering between the former emperor and the current emperor.

Now, faced with opportunities, I am hesitant again.

Do not!

No more hesitation!

He must make a decision. He must make great achievements instead of relying on women all the time!

Half a month later, Zheng Shisan was out of confinement and Yang Shou also received an appointment from the Ministry of Personnel.

He brought his personal guards, put on the armor passed down to him by King Rui, and went to Lingnan in a grand manner.

……

After the first month of the year, the Crown Prince completed his mourning period for the Crown Princess.

The Ministry of Rites had already made all the preparations and was only waiting for the Crown Prince to finish his mourning period so that his wedding ceremony to marry his new bride could take place.

The Imperial Astronomical Observatory selected an auspicious day, and the new Crown Princess, the fourteen-year-old Lu, was sent to the Eastern Palace.

Wang Heng went to watch the ceremony.

Speaking of which, Xiao Lu can also be considered as Wang Heng's student.

She was not a direct disciple. Little Lu was a student of Deyin Hall in Lishan Academy.

Although she only studied for half a year, Wang Heng actually taught Xiao Lu and they had the status of teacher and student.

only--

Wang Heng was still "raising" her mistress. She belonged to the "original wife party" and had an inherent conflict with her second wife.

Wang Heng had some friendship with the Crown Princess. Before the Crown Princess passed away, she left letters and gifts for Wang Heng.

In the letter, the Crown Princess sincerely thanked Wang Heng for her teaching of Xiao Sanlang, and also implicitly entrusted Xiao Sanlang to Wang Heng.

And those gifts were the Crown Princess's thank you gifts to Wang Heng.

Wang Heng: ...Alas, how pitiful are the parents in the world!

Even a princess as noble as the Crown Princess could not help but lower her noble head for the sake of her children.

In fact, Wang Heng would take care of Xiao Sanlang even without Da Lu's request.

They were so destined to be together. Their first meeting a few years ago and their current relationship as teacher and student made Wang Heng value Xiao Sanlang even more.

Not to mention, this is also an investment of Wang Heng——

As the grandson of the emperor in the Eastern Palace, with the friendship of an educated man, no matter whether Xiao Sanlang can ascend to the throne in the future, he can become a help to Wang Heng.

With a wedding ceremony in the Eastern Palace, Da Lu was completely drowned in yesterday.

The Eastern Palace has a new mistress, and the imperial palace and the entire capital have ushered in a new beginning.

The bloody storm of the past also ended with the arrival of the New Year.

It is March now, and it is another warm spring day.

Wang Heng continued to teach Jiulang and Xiaosanlang, and Princess Changning occasionally came to listen.

In the imperial examination that just ended, more than a dozen students from Mount Li Academy were on the list, which really made the academy famous.

Wang Mian and Zheng Shisan, who had been in confinement for two months, came out of confinement one after another.

They also resumed their normal lives, and while taking care of various affairs in the capital, they would also take time to come to Mount Li to teach.

In the peaceful days, Wang Heng received another letter from Lou Yu:

"Flowers are blooming on the roadside, I have returned home!"