Traveling through an ancient military camp: Bao'er's survival song

At night, the couple, who hadn't seen each other for almost a month, cuddled in bed and talked.

"Dad, you shouldn't drink anymore. I haven't even had a proper meal, I'm afraid you'll let something slip."

"With my alcohol tolerance, this little bit of liquor is nothing. I know what I'm doing!"

"But...sigh, I'm worried. Haven't you noticed that the second child is growing bigger and bigger..."

"Be careful what you say! Cui'er, don't think about it. Forget about it."

"But, Father, is Bao Bao really going to never get married...?"

"Cui!" Li Balu raised his voice to stop his wife, then comforted her, "I think it's good for her to stay by my side. Besides, there's always a way out, we don't need to think too far ahead."

The couple chatted about everyday things, getting to know each other better.

Meanwhile, Peng Zizheng and Zheng Xi, far away in the southwestern border region, were also shelling roasted peanuts and talking late into the night by candlelight.

Tomorrow is the day Peng Zizheng will depart for the capital to receive the young emperor's reward. He only plans to bring twenty personal guards and Zheng Xi and Li Baobao, master and apprentice. After all, he has an organization network in the capital that he has managed for five years, and he also wants to take this opportunity to personally investigate the Luo family tragedy.

Zheng Xi's grandfather and father were both members of Peng Family Army, and he grew up in the military camp. This was his first time in the capital, and he was a little uneasy: "Zizheng, don't you think the young emperor promoted you too quickly? Is there something wrong with this?"

Peng Zizheng privately called Deputy Commander Zheng "Uncle Zheng." Upon hearing this, he suppressed his smugness and casually said, "What could be wrong with that? In the last battle, I defeated the Qiang people so badly that they dared not invade the Han Dynasty for at least ten years. Their old emperor also died without an heir. Isn't it only right that His Majesty rewards me?"

Five days after Li Baobao arrived at the southwestern garrison with the recruited soldiers, Peng Zizheng had just led his army to utterly defeat the Qiang people. The reason for this war was that Peng Zizheng had secretly infiltrated the Qiang royal palace and killed all three sons of the old Qiang emperor.

That assassination attempt was essentially a fit of madness on Peng Zizheng's part in the dead of night. He acted on a whim, driven by hatred and sheer courage, heading straight for the Qiang people's stronghold. Although the Qiang failed to track Peng Zizheng down, they easily guessed it was connected to the Han state. Therefore, leading their remaining troops, they recklessly demanded the hand over the murderer. The Han people, of course, denied the charge. Peng Zizheng, having framed the Qiang, simply launched the attack. So, although this war shattered the peace agreement between the Han and Qiang, Peng Zizheng had a perfectly legitimate and justifiable cause.

However, the new emperor's promotions and titles were indeed swift and enviable. Not only did Peng Zizheng's "justified" defeat of the Qiang people occur this time, but in the three years prior, the new emperor had also rewarded Peng Zizheng under various pretexts, promoting him from a Guide Langjiang (a military officer) to Guide Zhonglangjiang (another military officer) and then to Guide Jiangjun (a general), demonstrating his favor to the fullest extent.

In fact, Peng Zizheng had always suspected that his exceptionally intelligent young emperor had already guessed that "Peng Zizheng" was the missing "Luo Binghe," which was why he was rewarding him so lavishly. Thinking of this, he felt a surge of pride and decided to get some good wine to drink with his adjutant, Zheng.

Zheng Xi quickly advised Peng Zizheng, "You better watch your tone, kid. What's with all this talk about 'should' and 'shouldn't'? I've heard the people in the capital are cunning. Be careful what you say in the future."

"Okay, okay, let's drink!"

At this moment, Li Baobao was also filled with anxiety.

She was somewhat confused by Peng Zizheng's sudden kindness towards her; he even wanted to take her to the capital to broaden her horizons. Li Bao'er had no interest in "broadening her horizons." In this wretched ancient world, could even the grandest sights compare to the skyscrapers and neon lights of modern society? The change in environment only made her uneasy; she even had a premonition that this long journey might be fraught with danger.