Lord: Start with a book of Water Margin

Chapter 490 Three Things
Zhao Yuanli had someone serve tea. After drinking, Zhao Zhen asked, "Whose son was beaten and forced you to abandon your family and business?"

Tu Long said, "My ancestors lived in Daming Prefecture. I made a living by forging iron and I also have some martial arts skills. With this martial arts, I got the nickname [Iron Cast Diamond] and became quite famous in Daming Prefecture. If it was an ordinary family, it would be no problem. But the man my daughter beat up was the youngest son of Huang Zhensheng, the prefect of Daming Prefecture."

"This fellow has been favored since he was young, and few people can control him. He has been wandering around the market since he was fifteen or sixteen. He gambles with money, sleeps with prostitutes, and eats wine. At the age of twenty, he has beautiful concubines and maids filling his room. This fellow still feels that it is not enough, and he also keeps helpers and lets his confidants go out to inquire about the beauty of other people's women. If there is a beauty, he will do everything he can to get her, and then he will be satisfied. Therefore, people nicknamed him [Hua Mian Li] Huang Wen."

"He came up to tease my daughter because he saw her. My daughter has been learning martial arts from me since she was young, so I didn't allow him to be so presumptuous. I beat him up along with five or seven hangers-on. I heard about it from the neighbors, so I didn't dare to delay and went to see him. He had been beaten by my daughter until he vomited blood. I knew it was no use, so I grabbed my daughter, packed up some valuables, and fled from Daming Mansion."

"I have nowhere to go, and I heard that you are fighting against the Qingzhou bandits here, and you are not afraid of the imperial court's arrest warrant, so I came to seek refuge with you."

Zhao Zhen listened and laughed, "Yes, although I obey the emperor, I only follow orders and not announcements. Let alone the arrest warrant from Daming Prefecture, even if it is from Bianjing City, I don't need to pay attention to it. Your daughter can beat seven or eight people by herself. She is really as brave as a man."

Tu Long was secretly happy when he saw Zhao Zhen asking about his daughter Tu Qiao. It turned out that Tu Long and his daughter were in a hurry to leave because they thought they had offended the governor and were afraid that no one would take them in and they had nowhere else to go.

It was heard that Zhao Zhen was fighting against the Qingzhou bandits and was extremely powerful. In addition, Zhao Zhen was lustful. Tu Long thought that his daughter's beauty would be a disaster if she married an ordinary family. She was also very hot-tempered and there was no telling how much trouble she would cause in the future. He simply made her Zhao Zhen's concubine. No one would bother her in Liangshan and he could enjoy his old age. He gritted his teeth and brought Tu Qiao to Liangshan Prefecture. He found out Zhao Zhen's residence and went to his house to ask for a meeting.

Unfortunately, Zhao Zhen was fighting outside and they had not been able to meet for more than half a month. Now that he had met Zhao Zhen today, Tu Long naturally did not want to miss the opportunity.

"My dear, my daughter is like the melting spring water when she is happy, but like the raging autumn waves when she is angry. Because she lost her mother when she was young, she has never learned needlework. She doesn't like makeup, but only likes martial arts. When she was ten years old, an old Taoist nun saw her and liked her intelligence, so she taught her a set of sword skills. When they started fighting, I was no match for her."

"The most beautiful thing is when she rides on a horse, with her pair of small feet tilted in the silver stirrups, looking very charming and delicate. That's why she got the nickname Tu Qiao, the charming one on horseback. Ever since she learned swordsmanship, she has looked down on ordinary men. I heard that your husband is very extravagant, which is rare in the world. I have no one to rely on, and I have always wanted to find a hero to marry. Today, I see that your husband is still in his early twenties, but he has already created such a large business. I am willing to marry my daughter to you as a concubine." Tu Long said.

Zhao Zhen was stunned when he heard this. He thought: Has my reputation as a lecher spread all over Hebei Province?

Zhao Zhen declined, "Your daughter is a heroine, would you be willing to be my concubine?"

Tu Long said to Tu Qiao, who was sitting below him, "Daughter, are you willing?"

Tu Qiao said, "Daddy doesn't let me speak, it's suffocating me. Daddy is the one who decides my daughter's marriage. If you want me to be willing, you need to do three things for me."

"Tell me what you have to say, so that I may hear it," Zhao Yuanli asked.

"I have been at the farm these days and heard a few servants chatting. They all said that my husband is not bound by rules and that even women can be officials or generals. This is the first point. I don't want to be trapped in the backyard, but I want to be a female general." After saying this, Tu Qiao looked at Zhao Zhen who was at the top.

Zhao Yuanli did not wait for Zhao Zhen to reply, and said first: "That's right, the two teams of female cavalry under your command are both led by my lady."

"The second thing is that my father is old, and we don't want him to fight on the battlefield."

Zhao Yuanli didn't dare to agree and looked at Zhao Zhen.

Zhao Zhen nodded: "This is your filial piety. Besides, I have hundreds of warriors here, so I don't need you to fight with me." Tu Long stood up and said: "No, I am still strong now. With a spear, I can beat 30 or 50 people. I am confident that I am not inferior to others. If I do nothing every day, I will get sick."

Zhao Zhen said: "That's fine. My father-in-law is a blacksmith by profession. I have an armory here and I need your help."

Tu Long listened and sat down.

Tu Qiao continued, "There is one more thing. My betrothal gift does not require anything else but a good horse."

Seeing that Zhao Zhen agreed, Tu Qiao blushed and stopped talking.

Tu Long was very happy. He took out the engagement letter from his bosom and said, "This is my daughter's engagement letter. Please choose a date for us to marry."

Zhao Yuanli stepped forward and said to Tu Long, "Don't worry, old man. Just wait for the news at the farm. I will take care of it right away." As he said that, Zhao Yuanli took the engagement letter from Tu Long's hand.

After Zhao Yuanli left, only Zhao Zhen and the other two were left in the hall. Tu Qiao lost her aggressiveness and just stared at her feet. Tu Long didn't know what to say either, he just smiled.

Zhao Zhen thought for a moment and asked, "Father, is Daming Prefecture safe now?"

Tu Long heard this and replied, "Daming Prefecture is in a strategic location, with a huge amount of money and grain, a large population and abundant resources. Although there are corrupt officials, it is generally stable and the people are wealthy. Peddlers and cart sellers are constantly coming and going, and the houses are lit all night long, making it very lively."

Zhao Zhen nodded: "After all, it is one of the four capitals, a military stronghold with a large population. Is there any important figure in Daming Prefecture?"

"Officially, there are two military commanders, one is called [Big Knife] Wen Da, and the other is called [Heavenly King] Li Cheng. Both of them are brave enough to fight against thousands of men, and they command a lot of troops. Recently, the government has been suppressing bandits everywhere, and there is a [Vanguard] Suo Chao in the army who has made outstanding contributions and has been promoted to the position of Military Supervisor."

"There is also a Mr. Lu in the market, with two names, Junyi, nicknamed [Jade Unicorn], who is one of the three best in Hebei. He is good at martial arts and has no rival in the world with a stick. He has a servant who has been raised since he was a child. He is good at embroidery, and can play, sing, and dance. He can break up the white characters and play the hemp. He can do everything. He can also speak the local dialects and the market jargons of various arts. Moreover, his skills are unmatched, so people call him [the prodigal] Yanqing."

"Speaking of these five, everyone in Daming Prefecture knows them." Tu Long said.

Zhao Zhen listened and nodded, saying, "I have heard of many of these people in Shandong. Especially this Suo Chao, whose apprentice Zhou Jin is still working in the state."

Tu Long said: "Speaking of Zhou Jin, there was a competition in Daming Prefecture. Suo Chao and a descendant of the Yang family, Yang Zhi, the Green-faced Beast, fought on the training ground and won the favor of the governor. Unfortunately, Yang Zhi lost his birthday gift and became a wanderer."

"Hahaha, this Yang Zhi also works in my state." Zhao Zhen said with a smile.

(End of this chapter)