After time travel, share a space with your modern family.

When Wang Dezhu asked this question, everyone's eyes turned to Zhou Shuangquan.

The child was thin and small, looking about three or four years old. His clothes looked expensive, but they had patches. He seemed a little timid when he saw everyone looking at him.

Qiao Tinghao noticed that Zhou Shuangquan's small body was trembling slightly, so he gently squeezed his small hand with his large hand.

"This is the child they just found in the Luomei Palace, probably Emperor Zhou Geng's," Qiao Tinghao explained.

"Young General, how could you bring Emperor Zhou Geng's child with you? What if..." Wang Dezhu was shocked to hear this.

“Yes, young general, this child should be imprisoned together in the dungeon and executed together!” another general chimed in. He had originally thought of saying “cut the weeds and eliminate the roots,” but it seemed inappropriate to say it in front of a child, so he swallowed his words.

“Young general, aren’t you afraid that if we keep him around, he’ll take revenge on us in Beisheng when he grows up?” another general said, but he didn’t dare to say it loudly in front of the child.

"Alright, I know you all mean well, and I appreciate your kindness. But he's such a young child, and Instructor Ruan takes a liking to him. We'll take him under our wing and raise him properly," Qiao Tinghao said with an air of non-disputation.

Ruan Mumu pulled the child close to her, squatted down to face him, and gently asked, "Shuangquan, is Emperor Zhou Geng your father?"

Zhou Shuangquan looked at the gentle Ruan Mumu and nodded affirmatively.

Upon hearing the child's answer, everyone present advised, "Instructor Ruan, you should put him in jail. You can't be so soft-hearted."

"Shuangquan, do you hate us?" Ruan Mumu stared intently into Zhou Shuangquan's eyes, afraid of missing any emotion on his face.

Zhou Shuangquan looked at Ruan Mumu and said firmly, "I don't hate her."

Everyone found it incredible that such a young child could remain so calm in the face of such a major change.

At this moment, Qiao Tinghao also squatted down next to Zhou Shuangquan, gently patted his shoulder and said, "Although you are young, you are still a man. You must keep your word and keep your promise for life. Can you do that?"

Without any hesitation, Zhou Shuangquan nodded and said, "Granny Xu told me about this, I understand. I can definitely do it."

Everyone present was deeply moved by the little child's words.

"You all finish taking inventory of all the valuables first, then we'll take him out for a walk." After saying that, Qiao Tinghao pulled Zhou Shuangquan and Ruan Mumu out of the Lingxiao Palace.

After arriving at the palace gate on their electric bikes, they parked them inside the gate and the three of them walked out of the palace.

"Wait here for me," Ruan Mumu said before leaving.

It turned a corner and stopped at the entrance of a small alley.

Because the palace was undergoing a major battle, there were few residents near the palace.

After looking around and making sure no one was nearby, Ruan Mumu quickly released her SUV, got in, and drove straight to the palace gate.

Since the palace was surrounded by soldiers from the Northern Sheng, they had already seen Ruan Mumu's SUV before, so they weren't surprised to see it again.

This was the first time Zhou Shuangquan had ever seen an off-road vehicle; he had no idea what it was.

When he saw Ruan Mumu sitting in the car through the window, he shouted, "Sister, you're finally back!"

“Yes! I went to get the car, I’m back!” Ruan Mumu responded loudly.

Qiao Tinghao put Zhou Shuangquan in the back seat of the SUV, fastened his seatbelt, and then got into the front passenger seat himself.

After Zhou Shuangquan got into the car, he sat in the leather back seat and felt very comfortable, which was completely different from the hard benches they usually sat on.

"Sister, is this also called a car? What is this seat? It's so comfortable! It's softer than my bed." Zhou Shuangquan sat down and touched everything, looking very surprised and excited.

“Yes, this is called a car, and it’s different from a regular horse-drawn carriage. The seat you’re sitting on is made of genuine leather, which cushions the vibrations during the ride so you won’t feel any bumps. This car doesn’t need anything to pull it; I can drive it directly from here. Be seated properly!” Ruan Mumu said gently.

After saying that, Ruan Mumu drove the car towards the gate of Kyoto.

By this time, the craters created by the explosive charges used in the war had already been filled in.

Almost all the soldiers recognized Ruan Mumu's car, and since they had the windows open, everyone could see that it was Ruan Mumu and Qiao Tinghao, so they let them pass directly.

Throughout the journey, Zhou Shuangquan kept his eyes on the car window, looking at the brand-new world outside and curiously gazing at the scenery that was completely different from the palace.

"Shuangquan, take a good look. Look at those houses along the roadside. Those are the houses of ordinary people." Ruan Mumu explained the situation of the houses along the roadside to Zhou Shuangquan while driving.

Zhou Shuangquan saw that many houses were dilapidated, and occasionally some people looked up at their cars, their faces not showing fear, but indifference.

"Shuangquan, do you know why we brought you out?" Qiao Tinghao asked.

"Big brother, do you want me to come out and see what the Western Rong region under my father's rule looks like?" Zhou Shuangquan asked with a serious expression.

“Shuangquan, you are truly intelligent. Although our Northern Sheng Dynasty won this war, this is not the outcome we desired. The people are starving, and even if we hadn’t come, we wouldn’t have been able to change this situation.” Qiao Tinghao tried to make his point clear, so as not to let hatred take root in Zhou Shuangquan’s heart.

Zhou Shuangquan observed the scene outside the car window. Even in such a cold winter, the people were still dressed very thinly, and their faces showed nothing but sorrow and indifference.

A few miles outside the city gates, there were no traces of war left, but even so, it was no better than the places where the war had taken place; it was truly a scene of desolation.

“I know, big brother, sister, I don’t blame you. I don’t know if Father Emperor cares about the people, but he has hardly ever cared about me in all my years. He doesn’t even remember my name.” Zhou Shuangquan’s voice grew softer and softer, and his little head drooped lower and lower.

Even without looking at him, Ruan Mumu knew just how disappointed he was.

At such a young age, he lost his mother and received no attention from his father, the emperor. Living in the palace, a place that devours people, he must have suffered a lot.

"Shuangquan, from now on, your older sister and older brother will be your closest people. Forget all the unpleasant things that happened at the palace!" Ruan Mumu said gently.

Zhou Shuangquan was still young and did not know what Ruan Mumu's words meant, but he kept them in mind.

"Sister, Granny Xu has been taking care of me all these years. She was my mother's wet nurse. I wonder if you could return Granny Xu to me?" Zhou Shuangquan asked cautiously.

Qiao Tinghao knew that Zhou Shuangquan cared a lot about this Granny Xu, but he did not agree immediately. Instead, he thought he would find an opportunity to talk to Granny Xu first. If it would not increase Zhou Shuangquan's hatred, he would not mind returning Granny Xu to Zhou Shuangquan. After all, a woman could not affect anything.

“We can’t agree to your request right now. Let’s make a decision after we’ve met with Granny Xu. If she truly cares about you, she’ll know how to choose,” Qiao Tinghao said solemnly.

"Okay, thank you, big brother, thank you, sister." Zhou Shuangquan's eyes seemed to light up at this moment.

Ruan Mumu and Qiao Tinghao drove more than ten kilometers outside the city with Zhou Shuangquan. After returning to the palace, Wang Dezhu and the others had already finished counting all the valuables.

"Young General, have you informed the General?" Wang Dezhu asked as soon as he saw Qiao Tinghao.

When Qiao Tinghao heard Wang Dezhu ask about this, he realized that he had forgotten to tell his father about the situation here.

"Deputy General Wang, I was too busy just now and forgot about this. Wait a moment, we'll make arrangements for this kid first, and then I'll call my father to let him know right away," Qiao Tinghao replied hastily.

"Shuangquan, you can go and rest with this Brother Meng. You can go back to your original palace. Do you want to go back?" Ruan Mumu brought Zhou Shuangquan to Meng Hai and squatted down to ask Zhou Shuangquan face to face.

"Sister, can I sleep with you tonight?" Zhou Shuangquan asked Ruan Mumu with a hopeful look on his face.

Looking into the child's expectant eyes, Ruan Mumu simply couldn't resist those clear gazes.

"Okay, you go down first. I have something to do. I'll come pick you up when I'm done, okay?" Ruan Mumu coaxed.

“Okay, sister, you must come to pick me up!” Zhou Shuangquan said, turning back to look at Ruan Mumu every step of the way.

Seeing his pitiful look, Ruan Mumu and Qiao Tinghao escorted him to the outside of Lingxiao Palace.

After Meng Hai took Zhou Shuangquan away, Qiao Tinghao took Ruan Mumu's hand and walked into the Lingxiao Palace.

"Deputy General Wang, let's call my father right now." Qiao Tinghao took out his phone and dialed Qiao Feng's number.

"Hao'er, how's the situation over there?" Qiao Feng's anxious voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Father, we have fulfilled our mission and captured the Western Rong's palace. It's just a pity that Emperor Zhou Geng committed suicide by poison first." Qiao Tinghao briefly reported on the capture of the Western Rong's palace.

"That's wonderful! That's really wonderful! I never expected my son to be so successful." Qiao Feng's hearty laughter came through the phone, almost shattering eardrums.

“Father, Vice General Wang and the others are just as outstanding. In this war, many young people have performed exceptionally well, and everyone has contributed a great deal,” Qiao Tinghao continued.

"Deputy General Wang, you all performed very well. You have all made great contributions this time. Thank you for your hard work." Qiao Feng's voice came again. Wang Dezhu was even more excited to hear Qiao Feng's voice, especially Qiao Feng's affirmation.

"General, the young general has led the troops well this time. Young Master Liu has made many great contributions. We must report all these achievements to the court." Wang Dezhu reported to Qiao Feng.

"Good, good, good! You've all done a great service this time. Once you've settled things over there, come back soon! I reckon the Emperor will summon us to the capital soon to reward us for our contributions." Qiao Feng said with a hearty laugh.

"Father, the palace's assets have just been inventoried. Shouldn't we pay for Mumu's weapons and provisions?" Qiao Tinghao asked.

“Indeed, we should pay her. We’ve provided weapons, provisions, and a lot of money; it wouldn’t be right not to give it to her!” Qiao Feng agreed.

"So, you said you'd give her 70% of the assets back then, does that still stand?" Qiao Tinghao asked tentatively.

“It counts naturally,” Qiao Feng said.

The generals standing nearby chimed in, "Of course we must keep our word."

Ruan Mumu's face lit up with a big smile when she heard what everyone was saying.

After a brief chat about the follow-up arrangements, the call ended.

Wang Dezhu handed the tallied ledgers to Qiao Tinghao and said, "Young General, all the assets have been tallied. How do you plan to distribute them?"

Qiao Tinghao took the ledger and looked it over. Then he pointed to the amount of silver and said, "Vice General Wang, it wasn't easy for the brothers to come out with us to fight this time."

"Let's take two million taels of silver from here. How about this: give each soldier ten taels of silver, and those with a thousand or more commanders twenty taels of silver each. What do you think?" Qiao Tinghao asked Wang Dezhu.

Although Wang Dezhu was leading the troops to fight the Western Rong as the main general, he admired Qiao Tinghao's outstanding performance in all aspects, so he was willing to listen to Qiao Tinghao most of the time.

After all, most of them were just finishing off the sharpshooters and cleaning up the battlefield, with almost no chance to show their skills.

This time, the sharpshooter team charged into battle without suffering any casualties.

They also suffered virtually no casualties in the rear.

Therefore, Wang Dezhu is often willing to listen to Qiao Tinghao.

"Alright, I'll follow the young general's arrangements," Wang Dezhu said respectfully.

"Girl, what do you think of the remaining wealth? You take 70%, keep half of the remaining 30% for military supplies, and we'll take the other half back to the capital and hand it over to the national treasury." Qiao Tinghao asked Ruan Mumu.

"Taking 70% seems a bit too much. How about I take half? If I take too much, it won't be easy to explain to the brothers!" Ruan Mumu said somewhat embarrassedly.

"Do as you please! We'll still need you to provide supplies later anyway, so as long as you don't feel like you're losing out," Qiao Tinghao replied.

After discussing Ruan Mumu's situation, Qiao Tinghao began making follow-up arrangements.

"Vice General Wang, I'll leave the rest of the supplies and other matters to you. I plan to depart for the capital tomorrow," Qiao Tinghao instructed.

"What? You're going back to Beijing first, not waiting for us?" Wang Dezhu asked in surprise.

After all, they had made such a great contribution this time, and the emperor would surely summon them to the capital to reward them.

"Deputy General Wang, we won't wait for you. We'll drive back, and it should take us seven or eight days to reach the capital," Qiao Tinghao said.

"Then who should be entrusted with this matter?" Wang Dezhu asked again.