Chapter 767: Home to Good News!

The Chu withdrew their camp.

Tian Tian laughed.

Marquis Zheng laughed too.

Of course, the withdrawal of one riverside camp could not alter the Chu's overall deployment south of the Wei River, and Marquis Zheng had no intention of seizing the moment to cross the river and do anything right now.

A smile.

A little enjoyment.

That was enough.

That alone made it worthwhile.

This was life.

To ordinary people, clashing steel and iron cavalry were things to fear like tigers.

To Marquis Zheng... they were simply another part of life.

Marquis Zheng turned to Jin Shuke.

"Jin Shuke."

"This general is here."

"Right now, the Chu see Prince Jingnan's banner and retreat in fright. In the future, this Marquis hopes that when they see your banner bearing the character 'Jin,' they'll retreat in fright as well."

Zheng Fan deliberately did not mention himself.

In essence... it was the same thing.

"This general swears to strive unto death and never disappoint the Marquis's expectations!"

Marquis Zheng nodded.

"Let's go. Home."

But just then... another raft came over from the Chu side.

Marquis Zheng saw it and signaled the Pixiu beneath him to wait a little longer.

Before long, the Chu messenger brought a verbal message.

Grand General Nian Yao wished to set a banquet on the riverbank and meet Prince Jingnan.

Everyone beneath Heaven knew that Great Chu's Grand General regarded Great Yan's Southern Prince as his model.

In Zheng Fan's eyes...

Nian Yao was basically an Old Tian fanboy.

As for setting a banquet and drinking together... heh.

"Jin Shuke, Prince Jingnan isn't here on our side. So tell me, do you think Nian Yao is really over there?"

"Marquis, the war between Chu and Qian ended long ago. If Nian Yao has redeployed back here, that would not be particularly strange."

"Heh."

Marquis Zheng shook his head.

If Nian Yao truly was across the river overseeing the defense, then whether they should still follow the original plan and strike Chu once spring arrived... would need to be reconsidered.

Back when Old Tian was still here, he had once said that among the famous generals of the age, one seat unquestionably belonged to this Grand General Nian, a man born from slavery.

Chu had lost the Yan-Chu War.

But Grand General Nian had preserved his dignity from beginning to end.

More importantly, it was Nian Yao's grinding defense and attritional resistance in the early stages that denied Yan the chance to expand its victory.

Prince Jingnan burning Ying Capital and Marquis Pingxi digging up the ancestral tombs of Chu's nobles... were, at heart... acts of venting before they left.

"General Liang will come over again after some time."

"This general understands."

Better to have Liang Cheng come take a look first.

Marquis Zheng had confidence in himself.

But there was no reason to leave such an outstanding adviser unused.

In Jin Shuke's eyes, however, he himself was a trusted general valued by Marquis Pingxi.

Yet the number-one military confidant beneath Marquis Pingxi was unquestionably Liang Cheng.

Liang Cheng... was the man who had inherited Marquis Pingxi's mantle.

Marquis Zheng gave no reply to the "Grand General Nian" across the river.

He returned directly to Zhennan Pass.

There he visited nearby households and commoners, gave several speeches to the soldiers, then took the rice, flour, grain, and cooking oil that had already been prepared as New Year provisions and distributed them as rewards "brought personally by the Marquis" for the troops and people.

Those political performances delayed him for several days.

Conveniently... they also gave him time to wait for the Sword Saint to return.

Only then did Marquis Zheng and the Sword Saint begin the journey home to Fengxin City together.

...

"That swordsmith from the Dugu Clan really was rather easy to talk to," Marquis Zheng said.

"It's only a sword," the Sword Saint replied.

When all was said and done... it was only a sword.

Without Longyuan, the Sword Saint was still the Sword Saint.

And with the Sword Saint... hadn't the State of Jin fallen anyway?

Where there was no need to be petty, the swordsmith still possessed the bearing of a Great Chu noble.

"I saw Nian Yao," the Sword Saint said.

"The real Nian Yao?"

"I don't know. He said he was Nian Yao."

"Oh."

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know either," Zheng Fan said. "Maybe the Chu have started sensing something too. Phoenix Nest isn't there to eat dry rice."

Before troops moved, provisions moved first.

Some of the recent movements around Fengxin City were impossible for the Chu court to miss.

The only question was whether Zheng Fan's trip onto the snowfields had been enough to dispel their suspicions.

Marquis Zheng smiled.

"But it doesn't really matter. The Chu are inevitably going to guard against our Yan army marching south. And Great Yan has always been thinking about marching south. Both sides understand that perfectly well."

"The Chu lands south of Shanggu Commandery have already returned to normal life," the Sword Saint said.

"Feeling reluctant?" Marquis Zheng asked.

"Not that far."

"Once you get back to Fengxin City, ask your son. Then ask some ordinary neighbors. Ask them whether they want war. They'll tell you they do. Only through war can those who aren't Standard households become Standard households and eat the iron crop of Marquis Pingxi Residence. And those who are already Standard households want war too, because war means more rewards and a better life. Old Yu, think about it. If ordinary people don't freeze and don't starve, do you think they're satisfied? No. They aren't. When they don't have enough food or warm clothes, that's all they think about. But once they start living better, people don't stay content. They want finer food. Better clothing. They want more generous dowries when their daughters marry. They want grander furniture when their sons take wives. Once the sons and daughters are settled, they start thinking about blessings and inheritance for their grandsons and granddaughters. They won't be satisfied. They never will. It's not that I want war. You know I've always been pretty lazy. But now they're the ones who want war. What am I supposed to do?"

"Do whatever you want," the Sword Saint said. "But there's one thing I've always been curious about. What you just said... I actually felt it myself back when I was in Fengxin City. Why does it become like that?"

A year of peace.

The Emperor died.

A new Emperor ascended the throne.

Those things could serve as a little snack for conversation, but for the common people of Fengxin City... they were simply too far away.

Meanwhile, the core soldiers and civilians who had first lived in Shengle City and later moved to Snow Sea Pass had long since become accustomed to sharing the fruits of Marquis Pingxi Residence's repeated victories abroad.

When war suddenly stopped... they were the ones who felt uncomfortable.

"People don't fear war," Zheng Fan said. "They fear losing wars."

"I think that's a little absolute."

"I think so too."

There was nothing on the road worth delaying for.

The group traveled quickly.

The Sword Saint had never wanted to make the trip to repair Longyuan in the first place.

But Zheng Fan had insisted.

So he went.

By the time the party finally returned to Fengxin City... the New Year had already passed.

The Sword Saint's son's hundred-day celebration had passed too.

That was life.

Nothing could ever be completely perfect.

Once they entered the city, the Sword Saint went home.

Marquis Zheng returned to his own Residence.

This trip had not truly been arduous.

The main purpose, in the end... had been taking the child out to see the world.

The black cat and fox darted out to welcome their little master.

Tian Tian crouched down and affectionately stroked them.

Marquis Zheng took out the Demon Child's red stone and handed it to Tian Tian as well.

A'Ming, by habit, turned left the moment he entered the Residence and returned to the wine cellar where he preferred to stay.

He had never bought some separate house inside or outside the Residence.

Marquis Pingxi Residence's wine cellar... was A'Ming's home.

After all, neither Marquis Zheng nor the other Demon Kings were particularly fond of drinking.

Marquis Zheng ordered the servants to fill his bath.

In his previous life, home had been his workplace.

Perhaps the greatest happiness of this life was that once he returned home... he could completely cut himself off from the outside world.

Two stone lions stood before Marquis Pingxi Residence's main gate.

They were made in exactly the same style as the lions once placed outside the old Marquis Jingnan Residence in Litian City.

The meaning... required no explanation.

Once he sank into the bathing pool, his entire body relaxed.

Marquis Zheng could not help letting out several deeply indecent sounds of pleasure.

Then he folded a towel beneath his neck, closed his eyes, and took a short nap.

When he woke, he glanced around.

Naturally, there were no maidservants.

No maidservant was ever allowed to enter and attend Marquis Zheng while he bathed.

Even Matron Ke, the senior matron of the Residence, had only dared attend the Marquis in bed last time because all the ladies had been away.

But the real problem was... none of his three wives had come to take even one look at the man who had just returned home?

Marquis Zheng did not think his status inside his own household had fallen quite that low.

He dried himself.

Dressed.

Walked out of the room.

And stretched lazily.

A maid who had clearly been waiting for some time approached and reported:

"Marquis, Madam asks you to go to the side courtyard."

"Madam" meant Siniang.

There was no need to put "First" in front of the title.

Within the Residence, the "side courtyard" meant the small courtyard where the Princess lived.

Siniang's own courtyard... was Zheng Fan's main residence.

"Understood."

After a bath and an afternoon nap, Marquis Zheng was now full of energy.

As he approached the side courtyard, he noticed the earth around it had recently been disturbed.

Clearly... a heated room had been installed.

Originally, the only heated courtyard in Marquis Pingxi Residence had been Tian Tian's.

Marquis Zheng had only just entered when he heard the laughter of several women.

Along with it came the crisp clatter of tiles.

"Fortune."

"Pung!"

Inside the small pavilion stood a mahjong table.

Four women sat around it.

Siniang occupied the head seat.

The Princess and Liu Ruqing sat to either side of her.

The fourth player was Matron Ke.

Among the four women, Matron Ke dressed somewhat more plainly.

But her body was full and well nourished.

As for the other three ladies... they were flowers gathered into a single cluster.

Walking in while listening to the clatter of mahjong tiles...

Marquis Zheng suddenly felt as though he had become some Republican-era warlord stepping into his own rear courtyard and finding all his concubines sitting together playing mahjong.

Hm.

That was not actually far off.

Wasn't he basically a warlord now?

"Marquis."

Matron Ke was the first to leave the table and salute Zheng Fan.

Liu Ruqing followed.

Siniang reached out and pressed Xiong Liqing back down before the Princess could rise.

"Oh, Master. Slept enough?"

"Heh-heh."

Marquis Zheng smiled.

"Enough. You all seem to be in a good mood today."

He genuinely failed to notice the change in Siniang's tone.

Back when they used to play needlework games, they had tried nearly every kind of role-playing imaginable.

Naturally... he was not especially sensitive to small changes like this anymore.

Besides, he and Siniang looked like master and servant.

They were husband and wife.

But underneath that... they were also friends.

Whatever tone Siniang used with him, Marquis Zheng considered it normal.

Zheng Fan entered the pavilion.

His gaze first went toward Siniang.

Siniang smiled and jerked her chin toward the left.

"Master, take a look. Notice anything different about Sister Liqing?"

Marquis Zheng looked at Xiong Liqing.

"You've gained weight."

"..." Xiong Liqing.

Then... the smile on Marquis Zheng's face froze.

Because as his gaze moved downward... he saw the Princess's slightly rounded abdomen.

Hiss...

[End of Chapter 767]