Chapter 223 - Capital
The first snowfall of Crane City was a heavy snowfall. The weather was extremely cold and wet, and Zuo Shaoqing and Lu Zheng had left for the capital under these kinds of weather.
There were three layers of bedding in the warm carriage, making it difficult for people to get up once they laid down.
“Fortunately, I had the foresight to bring some of the luggage back to the capital. Otherwise, even with such a long convoy, it would still take me ten days to half a month to get home.”
It was the third day since Lu Zheng's return. Zuo Shaoqing had arranged everything properly and could not wait to return to the capital. He didn't want to ride on the horses all the way back, otherwise his nose would be frozen by the cold weather.
Lu Zheng's voyage was extremely smooth. The loss of troops was negligible as he had destroyed more than two hundred pirates. He was a very small group and thus, the loot collected was not as great as the previous two times.
Zuo Shaoqing spent an entire day to finish lightly, leaving behind the few things Lu Zheng and himself had set their sights on. The rest he loaded up and shipped to the capital, ready to use it to honor the Emperor.
Maybe if Zhan Yuanfeng was happy, he could give his son a title.
“Bada!” Zuo Shaoqing gave Zuo Xiaolang a kiss on the cheek, causing Zuo Xiaolang's face to turn red and his eyes to brighten. He looked shy but happy.
“Son, have you remembered what father told you?”
Zuo Xiaolang nodded fiercely and carefully kissed Zuo Shaoqing's face when Lu Zheng wasn't paying attention.
Ever since his father returned, this was the first time he got close to his father. However, why was it that his father didn't look well?
“Daddy, do you feel pain somewhere?” Zuo Xiaolang's small palm touched Zuo Shaoqing's frown. He knew that the pain was unbearable.
A hand reached out to pull him away, then it replaced Zuo Xiaolang's position and reached to Zuo Shaoqing's waist and pressed down.
“Still not feeling well?” Lu Zheng asked gently.
Zuo Shaoqing glared at him and warned him: “Don't say that in front of a child!”
Originally, it was a new marriage but two days ago, he was too busy giving orders and packing his things, so he didn't let Lu Zheng get close to him. As a result, a certain someone completely exploded last night and turned into a wolf and beat him to death.
If Zuo Shaoqing didn't know that the rest of his days were spent on the carriage, he definitely wouldn't dare to let Ye Zichen do whatever he wanted. Thus, Zuo Shaoqing could only lie on the ground.
Lu Zheng gathered his inner strength into his palm and increased the strength of the massage. In just two moves, Zuo Shaoqing was already singing comfortably.
“Try a little more strength …” Point Left… Right!… Oh… “So comfortable …” One after another, the guards on both sides of the carriage consciously took a few steps back to avoid being captivated by the voice.
Lu Zheng was also out of the fire, but he couldn't use his limited conditions. He could only eat some tofu with his hands as he calculated how long it would be until nightfall.
During the night, the group rested at a farmhouse. Those who were near the master of the house heard strange noises, like mice stealing food.
This caused the host family on the second day to feel embarrassed to accept their money, even apologizing and saying that their home was crude and their hospitality inadequate. After Zuo Shaoqing understood the cause of the matter, he was so embarrassed that he didn't dare to raise his head.
In the next three days, Zuo Shaoqing drove Lu Zheng off the carriage and didn't show up in front of others easily. He taught Zuo Xiaolang how to read while he was recuperating in the carriage.
The further north they went, the more snowy weather increased and the weather became colder. Zuo Shaoqing even stayed in the carriage for the meal and wrapped himself into a ball.
At first, he was worried that Zuo Xiaolang would not be able to adapt to the weather in the north, so he bought him several sets of fox fur coats.
There was no reason. He had already trained his inner force to a certain level, so how could he be so afraid of the cold? How could he not even compare to Zuo Xiaolang?
“How do you think Zuo Xiaolang came through the winter of the first two years? Being able to survive in that kind of situation, it is unlikely for his physique to be afraid of the cold. “
Zuo Shaoqing touched Zuo Xiaolang's white and tender cheeks. Recalling the hardships he had gone through, he couldn't help but feel jealous and envious.
“It seems that the punishment for those people is still too light. I really want to throw them into a wolf's nest and let them experience the feeling of living with a pack of wolves.”
After taking down Wang Second Master, Zuo Shaoqing proceeded to drag out the people who had harmed Zuo Xiaolang. Wang Zhenhai's concubine was the first to bear the brunt of the attack.
Other people who were involved in this matter would at least break their hands and feet, which gave Zuo Xiaolang a bad temper.
However, after hearing that these people had been killed one after another, when the case was reported to the yamen, Zuo Shaoqing intentionally sentenced them to suicide. As for the real culprits, they would definitely be people from Wang Family who had lost their children.
On the ninth day, Zuo Shaoqing finally saw the city gates of the capital wrapped in silver. The tall city wall was still as solemn as before.
“Little thing, we're almost home!” Zuo Shaoqing held Zuo Xiaolang and swayed left and right, smoothly passing the happy mood to him.
Zuo Xiaolang was happy to see him, so he happily danced with joy. Whenever he got excited, he would let out a few howls, scaring the commoners to the point that they would think he was a wolf.
Zuo Shaoqing patted his butt and scolded helplessly: “Where's the promise? “We said that we wouldn't learn to howl like wolves, walk like wolves, and flash our claws casually, why can't we remember?”
Zuo Xiaolang got into Zuo Shaoqing's arms embarrassedly and whispered, “I will remember it next time!”
The group of people originally wanted to enter the city in a low-key manner, but who would've thought that the guards at the city gate would recognize Soong Hanlin's group? Who knew who shouted first, “Duke Zhen is back …” Then, Zuo Shaoqing saw a scene that he had not seen for a long time.
The pedestrians inside and outside the city gate stopped their steps and looked over. The patrolling soldiers immediately rushed over, afraid that someone would be daring enough to charge at Duke Zhen.
The crowd automatically parted to form a path, shouting excitedly at them. Their enthusiasm did not seem to lose to the scene of Lu Zheng exterminating the bandits.
“I didn't expect Master Lu to be so charming!” Zuo Shaoqing kicked Lu Zheng and asked in puzzlement: “Why are you still stuck in the carriage? Shouldn't we be riding tall horses at this time to receive the admiration of everyone? “
Lu Zheng grabbed his ankle and scratched the sole of his shoe that wasn't wearing a shoe. He smiled and replied: “I prefer to accept Madam's admiration!”
Zuo Shaoqing pulled back his foot and stuffed it back into the warm blanket. He said with disdain: “If the people of the capital find out that the dignified Duke Zhen is riding in a carriage, wouldn't you lose face?”
“I didn't gain my face by riding a horse!” Lu Zheng leaned against the carriage and remained unmoved.
The shouts outside were unceasing. Zuo Shaoqing guessed that it was probably because of the dozens of cars they brought back. In order to let everyone in the capital know about Lu Zheng's achievements, Zuo Shaoqing had purposely left his trunk open for others to see.
At this point, Lu Zheng's skin was not as thick as his. According to his personality, he would either leave these things for himself or send people to the Ministry of Revenue.
Zuo Shaoqing glanced at him, “You are a righteous man, so you do not care about this reputation. But if you want the citizens of Great Yang to always respect the Wu Steel Manor, you must let them know what you have done, otherwise, once Beidi's threat is gone, people will slowly forget about Duke Zhen's achievements.”
Humans were like this, no matter how profound the matter was, it would be diluted by time. Where Lu Zheng was, he had to win the hearts of the people. Even if someone wanted to touch him in the future, they had to take the hearts of the people into account, right?
“Besides, it's not like we're exaggerating the facts. We're just laying out the spoils of war. As for other things, let the commoners guess for themselves.”
Lu Zheng hugged him tightly and rubbed his head, causing his black hair to become a mess. “Scholars are indeed scholars, they are truly treacherous!”
Lu Zheng was very smart, but his intelligence was all used for big things. He was really not good at those small tricks. His identity, his position, decided his methods of doing things.
Returning to the Liu Steel Manor, Zuo Shaoqing jumped off the car and stamped his numb legs before turning around to carry Zuo Xiaolang in. Three days ago, they received news that the old mistress had already returned to the capital.
He first went to meet the madame. Zuo Shaoqing introduced Zuo Xiaolang. He was a little nervous and wondered if the madame could accept Zuo Xiaolang's birth.
“What's your surname, Zuo?” The old mistress' first question was answered with a slight frown, as if she was not too happy about it.
“Ugh …” “I thought that I would take a fancy to him, so I let him take my surname, and in the future when you or Master Lu has taken a fancy to someone else's child, you will take Master Lu's surname.”
The madame did not say anything and just waved at Zuo Xiaolang, “Good grandson, come over to Grandmother!”
Zuo Xiaolang wasn't timid, but he was scared of strangers. His attitude towards strangers was always vigilant and fierce.
Zuo Shaoqing was worried that he would hurt the madame, so he quickly spread the knowledge to him, “This is daddy's mother, your grandmother, and your relative. Do you want to listen to your grandmother obediently?”
Zuo Xiaolang listened to Zuo Shaoqing the most. He carefully looked at the madame a few times to make sure that she was not in danger before walking over.
The madame was also carefully observing the child. She was satisfied when she saw the meticulous facial features and the lack of fear in his eyes. There was a trace of viciousness in his eyes.
The child of their Lu Family cannot be a docile little sheep.
Zuo Shaoqing had already told her about the child's background when he wrote to her. She didn't feel that he was born in a low family, nor did she feel that he was inferior when he lived with wolves. He was just a little worried that this little thing didn't look like a normal person.
Luckily, when he saw her, he found her walking steadily, and when he called “Grandmother,” his voice was soft and pleasant.
It was said that the elder doted on his grandchildren the most. He would soften his heart whenever he saw a child. Even if he knew that the child was not his own grandson, it wouldn't hinder her affection for him.
In the following time, the madame completely forgot about her son and son. She hugged her grandson and asked Maid Zhong to take out a big box of treasures for Zuo Xiaolang to choose. Her generosity made Zuo Shaoqing jealous.
Zuo Xiaolang was sensitive and could easily distinguish if someone had good intentions or was hostile towards him. After interacting with the madame for a while, he knew that this beautiful grandmother truly cared for him, so he slowly let her go.
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