Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

Changyuan did not answer Xia Yu's question, but his heart was hesitant because Xia Xia's words had struck a chord with him: fighting a war also requires knowledge and strategy, otherwise one can only be a reckless brute with courage but no strategy.

"Xiaxia, let me think about it first." After saying that, he left somewhat absentmindedly. When he came to his senses, he found himself already outside the mansion. He looked around and then headed towards the barracks.

The Prince of Ding'an's 100,000-strong army was scattered, or rather, it couldn't be said that it was scattered. There were desertions every day during this period, but his mind was entirely focused on how to get money from the Wang and Xie families. He overlooked this military matter that was reported to him. In addition, the morale of the army was already unstable, so his defection was to be expected.

At this point, he only had about two hundred people left with him, all of whom had escaped with him through the secret passage.

"Your Highness, let's return to our fiefdom. Let's ride back; if we delay any longer, the pursuers will catch up," said one of his generals.

"We can't go back to our fiefdom, so let's go to Huainan Commandery."

"Huainan Commandery?" Those around him were shocked and puzzled upon hearing his words. They knew that their own prince was the most powerful among these princes, followed by the Prince of Huainan. Now that they had nothing left, what could they possibly do in Huainan Commandery?

"Yes, I have my own plans for going to Huainan Prefecture. Just follow me." Prince Ding'an was as arrogant as ever. Previously, he had only been willing to consult with Mr. Hua, but now that Mr. Hua was dead, he had no one to consult with. He reverted to his old, autocratic ways. Thinking of Mr. Hua, Prince Ding'an was filled with regret and resentment. At this moment, everyone forgot that they hadn't even had time to bury Mr. Hua yet.

Poor Mr. Hua, he devoted himself to Zhou Ji's great cause, but after his death he didn't even have a mourning hall.

It was after Xia Yu and his team took over the Prince's mansion that they discovered Mr. Hua's body, covered with a white sheet and placed on a stretcher, in that secluded courtyard. After this was reported to Xia Yu, he instructed Mei'er, who had been rescued from the dungeon, to dress Mr. Hua in mourning clothes, burn some paper money, and then set the body on fire. The collected ashes were entrusted to Mei'er for safekeeping, so that she could give them to Madam Hua when she had the chance.

Seeing that Xia Yu had no intention of killing her, Mei'er tearfully begged Xia Yu to allow her to take Mr. Hua's ashes back to her hometown for burial. Xia Yu didn't care where she went; in her eyes, Mei'er was just an insignificant person. She nodded in agreement and allowed Mei'er to take her personal belongings with her.

Mei'er returned to her room and took out a small box hidden under the floor tiles. Inside was a thick stack of silver notes of varying denominations, totaling several hundred taels. Also inside were two gold bracelets, a pure gold hairpin, and several silver rings. She had secretly hidden these, just in case something unexpected happened, so she wouldn't be left with nothing. She sewed the silver notes and jewelry separately into the lining of her two tattered coats. Then, carrying a large bundle full of clothes on her back and holding Mr. Hua's urn in her arms, she left the Prince's mansion where she had lived for some time.

Those who didn't know her would genuinely believe she was carrying Mr. Hua's ashes on a long journey to bury her husband. But who was Mei'er? She had grown up under the tutelage of Madam Mei of the Red Pavilion, and had previously believed that following Mr. Hua would guarantee her a bright future. Now that he was dead, her future was hopeless. In such a chaotic world, and with her livelihood hanging on her shoulders, how could she possibly do something so troublesome and thankless? So, after leaving the palace, she walked towards the city gate for a while, making sure no one was following her, before turning into a small alley.

There was a small courtyard there that she had secretly acquired. It wasn't large, with only two main rooms, a kitchen, and a storage room—enough for her own use. She had secretly purchased it after her heyday, when everyone was fawning over Consort Lu. It only cost her one hundred taels of silver. The original owner, seeing that Prince Ding'an had stationed troops there, felt it was unsafe and was eager to sell. She bought it at a low price.

She was able to buy the house thanks to Mr. Hua for helping her escape her slave status; otherwise, even if she had money, she wouldn't have been able to buy or sell houses.

The old gate creaked open as Mei'er opened the courtyard gate. Looking at the somewhat desolate little courtyard, Mei'er felt a sense of contentment. Originally, she had intended to find an opportunity to dispose of Mr. Hua's ashes. But seeing the courtyard that belonged to her, she hesitated for a moment, and finally gave one of the rooms to Mr. Hua to live in, to place his ashes.

The men Nineteen sent to follow Mei'er arrived outside the courtyard with her, looked around, and then silently returned. They told Nineteen about what had happened.

Nineteen had no real interaction with Mei'er, but Mei'er's peace of mind was ultimately shattered by her own actions. As a woman herself, she hoped Mei'er would be alright in the future, and knowing she had a place to stay put put her mind at ease.

Zhao Bei's army spent some time resting and recuperating in Dingcheng. The Black Armor Army, originally known as a force of 100,000, was reorganized and now claimed to number 180,000. Then, in accordance with the imperial decree, he led his army to recapture the other two cities occupied by the Prince of Ding'an.

Then, Zhao Bei led his army on a grand expedition, but to his surprise, the recapture of the two cities was exceptionally smooth, to the point that he wondered if he was dreaming.

"This doesn't seem quite real!" Zhao Bei patted his face, which stung a little. But looking at the open city gates and the people coming and going, he suspected that the people were all enemy soldiers in disguise.

Seeing him muttering to himself like that, Deputy General Guo almost laughed, but remembering that he was his superior, he pinched his thigh hard, wincing in pain, to hide his urge to laugh.

"Do you also doubt the veracity of this matter?" As soon as Deputy General Guo opened his eyes, he saw Zhao Bei leaning over to slap him in the face and asked him with a sincere expression.

"Um... I want to see if it hurts?" she quickly added after saying that.

"It hurts. It seems what we've been seeing is real."

Meanwhile, the garrison commander of Mingyao County had already heard that General Zhao was leading troops to attack Mingyao County and take it back from the rebel king. He waited and waited, but no news of the army entering the city came.

"Reporting to the garrison commander, General Zhao's Black Armor Army is stationed outside the city without making any move. I have opened the city gates and withdrawn the guards as you instructed, but they still have not entered the city."

"The city gates are all open, why aren't they coming in?" The garrison commander paced back and forth in the room, looking somewhat troubled.

"Sir, why don't you go out and greet them?" a subordinate suddenly suggested.

"..." The garrison commander neither agreed nor disagreed directly, but stroked his beard, pondering his next move. He had heard about the events in Dingcheng; Garrison Commander Lu had married his illegitimate daughter to the Prince of Ding'an, and now that the prince had suffered a crushing defeat, Garrison Commander Lu and his entire family were in prison. He needed to carefully consider what he had done recently and how he should respond later.