“Although the rank of the general in charge of the heavy crossbows isn’t the highest in the army, the heavy crossbows are extremely important. Generally speaking, generals who can command them are not ordinary soldiers.” Liu Yuan, who had returned to report, briefly examined Li Zhou and said, “Although Li is a common surname, this Li is no ordinary Li; he is a member of the imperial clan!”

Of course, not all members of the imperial clan hold the titles of king or marquis. Initially, they were all kings or marquises, but after several generations, they lost their titles. However, due to their bloodline, they could still enjoy some protection.

“His branch of the imperial clan has long since fallen, but compared to ordinary members of the imperial clan, he is quite ambitious, and his martial arts skills are not bad. After joining the army, he was transferred to command the heavy crossbows!” Liu Yuan said, “Because he commands the heavy crossbows, his position is not low among the generals in the army who least value imperial bloodlines!”

For a member of a fallen imperial clan, Li Zhou has already done quite well!

“He’s the only one left in his branch now. He only got married two years ago, and his wife is pregnant now. A man like that shouldn’t be willing to risk his life for someone else so easily!” Liu Yuan shook his head, his face full of confusion. “I don’t know why he would volunteer!”

…

…

As the last wounded constable was carried into the Dali Temple, the entire Zhuquefang Street returned to silence. In a large house within the same ward, lights suddenly illuminated the scene.

A man alighted from a carriage, handing a heavy fox fur cloak to a servant, and entered the main hall.

Everyone in the hall looked up at him.

“Late! Late!” the man said, his impatience visibly evident. “It’s been years since I’ve been woken up in the middle of the night. It’s quite unpleasant!”

This complaint immediately drew a chorus of agreement from the crowd.

“If it weren’t for that Lin family brat being so stubborn, why would anyone be unable to sleep?” someone said, a hint of dissatisfaction flashing across their face. “He looks smart, but he’s a complete idiot, utterly clueless! Disturbing our sleep in the middle of the night!”

“Isn’t that right?” another person yawned, equally exhausted. “How much effort did we put into training Li Zhou and those people? Now we’ve just wasted it all!”

“Forget it, we can just pick someone else later!” someone said, fiddling with a cricket jar in their hand, occasionally opening the lid to play with the crickets inside, while asking the others, “Won’t Li Zhou talk nonsense?”

“His bedmate is one of our people, what nonsense could he possibly say?” someone muttered casually. “Besides, she’s pregnant; for the sake of the baby, he wouldn’t dare say anything!”

“So what if he has a wife beside him?” the cricket player scoffed. “There are plenty of people in this world who abandon their wives to save their lives! Besides, he doesn’t seem satisfied with the wife we ​​arranged for him!”

“Dissatisfaction with his wife is fine, we don’t expect to hold him back with beauty! What holds him back is kindness!” another chuckled casually. “Back then, he was the only child in his family. If it weren’t for us, this so-called wealthy nobleman would probably still be begging for food! He’s grateful to us, so why would he talk nonsense?”

These words immediately drew a chorus of agreement! The man playing with crickets glanced at everyone and said meaningfully, “We should indeed be grateful. If we hadn’t spared his life back then, he would be dead by now!”

…

…

After finishing a bowl of Suan La Fen, Lin Fei took out a handkerchief to wipe his mouth. He remained calm in the face of Liu Yuan’s doubts: “Not all members of the imperial family live well. A member of the imperial family like Li Zhou, all alone and without any family wealth, is no better off than ordinary people without help and care from others!”

Upon hearing this, Liu Yuan and Bai Zhu were taken aback: Li Zhou had only emerged tonight, so they only knew his military rank and nothing else.

Lin Shaoqing knew this Li Zhou, could it be…?

“Lin Shaoqing, do you recognize this Li Zhou?” Liu Yuan asked.

Lin Fei shook his head: “No!”

How could that be…?

“Do you two still remember that wealthy Zongnü¹ who was abducted years ago?” Lin Fei glanced at Liu Yuan and Bai Zhu, whose expressions had changed drastically, and then looked at Wen Mingtang beside him.

Wen Mingtang subconsciously looked down at the portrait she was looking at: the Zongnü in the portrait was beautiful and dignified, with very gentle features.

After finishing her Suan La Fen, Lin Fei stared at this portrait for a long time! Curious, she looked at it a few more times, and then Lin Fei pushed the portrait in front of her.

“Li Zhou came from this branch!” Lin Fei pointed at the portrait and said, “This branch had always been wealthy idlers since the founding of Darong. By the time the Zongnü was born, their family fortune was even more astonishing! Unfortunately, at the height of their prosperity, her father and brothers met with misfortune one after another. To keep the bloodline from dying out, the Zongnü simply took in a son-in-law!”

Upon hearing “misfortune befell her father and brothers one after another,” Liu Yuan and Bai Zhu instinctively frowned.

Lin Fei continued, “After the marriage, the two were relatively harmonious, but the good times didn’t last long. The Zongnü’s husband fell from his horse while playing polo with others, and although he survived the night, he didn’t make it, leaving the Zongnü a widow!”

Liu Yuan and Bai Zhu exchanged a subconscious glance upon hearing this.

Lin Fei paused slightly and continued, “However, fortunately, the Zongnü was already pregnant at that time. Although she suffered severe bleeding on the day of delivery and nearly died, she still gave birth to a child and had an heir!”

Was this Zongnü really that unlucky? Even Wen Mingtang, who was standing nearby, looked up at Lin Fei upon hearing this.

“Afterwards, perhaps feeling that the capital was a place of sorrow, the Zongnü decided to move back to her hometown! However, she encountered an accident on her way back, and was kidnapped along with all her possessions!” Lin Fei said. “Because she was preparing to return home, she took most of her family’s wealth with her, leaving only some unsold assets in the capital! After this incident, only this small amount of wealth was left to that three-year-old child!”

“With no one to discipline the child, he learned to gamble! He squandered that small fortune, and by the time Li Zhou was born, this branch of the family had nothing left!” Lin Fei paused here, looking at Liu Yuan and Bai Zhu, and asked them, “What do you two think?”

What do you think? Liu Yuan gasped, “If it’s just luck, then this branch of the family is incredibly unlucky!”

“Indeed!” Lin Fei nodded, pointing to a line of small characters below the portrait, Wen Mingtang was looking at, saying, “If it’s just luck, then this Zongnü born on an unlucky day, in an unlucky month is incredibly unlucky!”

Liu Yuan and Bai Zhu’s expressions changed drastically upon hearing this: although they might not understand the evil arts of those wandering sorcerers, the birth date and time of “unlucky day, in an unlucky month” was indeed too special, exactly what those so-called sorcerers liked to use for their evil arts!

Thinking of the live sacrifice related to this case, Liu Yuan suddenly shuddered and blurted out in alarm, “Could that Zongnü be the first person chosen for a live sacrifice?”

If so, who would dare to use a Zongnü for a live sacrifice?

(End of Chapter)

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Footnote

1. imperial clan woman without an official princess title