Wife, you didn't really drug me, did you?

Chapter 585 Mutual Affection, Warmth After the War
The post-war work was even busier than the pre-war work. Chen Jie arranged one cleanup task after another, ensuring that Huangzhou Prefecture could return to peace as quickly as possible.

The destructive power of war is inevitable, and Chen Jie can only do his best to mitigate the damage caused by the war.

Fortunately, Huangzhou Prefecture was well-off, so reconstruction was relatively simple. The first thing to do was to repair the city walls, which had been badly damaged by the catapults. Chen Jie requested that the walls be reinforced on the existing foundation and made more solid overall.

In addition, the houses of the residents near the city wall were rebuilt, and the demolition compensation was distributed in a lump sum.

Once everything was arranged, Chen Jie could finally take a break.

At this moment, Chen Jie looked at Zhao Ya, who was covered in dust from her journey, and stepped forward to put his arm around her waist, saying, "Ya Ya, it's not tiring."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ya replied, "It's no trouble at all. Military matters are something I enjoy."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie looked at Zhao Ya and said, "Okay, let's leave the rest to Xiao Hu and the others. Let's go home."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ya nodded slightly and then returned to the Chen residence with Chen Jie.

The Chen residence finally returned to its quiet state. The head maids, Yin Hongmei, Cuiju, Dujuan, Mudan, Qingzhu, and Molan, were all performing their duties. Just then, the gatekeeper, Chen Chun, excitedly ran in and said, "Master and Third Madam have returned to the residence!"

Upon hearing this, the busy maids immediately perked up, and Su Yunjin and Huang Wan'er, who were holding children inside the room, also came out with their children.

"master!"

Six head maids lined up and gave Chen Jie a full curtsy. Chen Jie smiled and said, "No need for formalities."

Following closely behind, six maids escorted Chen Jie into the Chen residence. Chen Chun, smiling, led away Chen Jie and Zhao Ya's horses.

Just then, a group of people entered the courtyard. As soon as they entered, a sweet voice suddenly called out, "Brother-in-law!"

As they were speaking, a little girl of about ten years old rushed towards Chen Jie with incredible speed, and then suddenly ran into Chen Jie's arms, saying, "Brother-in-law!"

Chen Jie looked at the little girl, patted her head and said, "Rui Rui, what's wrong? Missing your brother-in-law?"

Uh-huh!

Rui Rui nodded vigorously. Chen Jie asked, "Were you frightened by the battle in Huangzhou Prefecture these past few days?"

Rui Rui didn't speak, so Chen Jie said, "Alright, it's all over now, everything is in the past."

"Mmm, but Rui Rui is so scared!"

"Is there anything else you're afraid of?"

Chen Jie looked at Rui Rui, who was almost a young woman, and Rui Rui said, "I'm afraid I'll never see my brother-in-law and sister again. That cellar is so dark..."

Chen Jie patted Rui Rui on the shoulder and said, "Alright, we won't go into the cellar anymore, let others do it!"

After saying this, Chen Jie said to Rui Rui, "Rui Rui, guess what gifts your brother-in-law brought back from Southeast Asia this time?"

Rui Rui was taken aback by these words and asked, "What?"

Chen Jie smiled and said, "I brought back a pair of baby elephants for Rui Rui. They are on their way back now and should be delivered in the next few days."

Upon hearing this, Rui Rui exclaimed excitedly, "Really?"

"An elephant? Is it the kind that's as tall as a courtyard wall and has a long trunk?"

Rui Rui asked curiously, and Chen Jie replied, "Yes, those kinds of elephants, one male and one female, they're really fun. When the time comes, I'll build you an elephant park so you can raise elephants!"

"Really, that's wonderful! Rui Rui loves elephants!"

"When will it be returned?"

Rui Rui looked at Chen Jie and asked. Chen Jie thought for a moment and said, "Soon. If it's fast, it can be delivered in half a month. If it's slow, it will take at most a month. We can finish building the elephant park in this month, and then let all the people in the city see it, how about that?"

"The entire city?"

Chen Jie said, "Yes, all the people in the city. But these elephants are yours. If they want to see them, they have to buy tickets. That way, you won't have to pay for the elephants. The ticket money will be enough to support these two elephants!"

Upon hearing this, Rui Rui said, "Hmm, that's a good idea."

Rui Rui muttered to himself.

At this moment, Su Yunjin and Huang Wan'er also arrived. When they saw Chen Jie, their expressions were quite different. Su Yunjin had a big smile on her face and was holding Chen Jie's eldest son, Chen Li, in her arms.

Chen Jie also looked at Su Yunjin. The two exchanged a glance, and Chen Jie went up to hug Su Yunjin.

"My wife, you've worked hard."

Upon hearing this, Su Yunjin said, "Husband, why are we talking about these things?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Huang Wan'er came up and said, "My husband didn't even greet me when he came back. Is it because I'm old and my looks have faded, and my husband no longer loves me?"

These sarcastic words made everyone's teeth ache. At this moment, Zhao Ya, who was standing behind Chen Jie, said, "Husband, you talk to everyone first. I'm going to wash myself. I'm covered in blood from fighting for days. Don't let it choke the baby."

As she spoke, Zhao Ya told Qingzhu and Mo Lan to leave with her. Watching Zhao Ya leave, Huang Wan'er pouted and said, "So what if they know how to fight? What's so amazing about that?"

At this moment, Su Yunjin whispered in Chen Jie's ear, "Ya Ya is pregnant!"

Ok?
Chen Jie's eyes widened suddenly as he looked at Su Yunjin and said, "I've only slept with Ya Ya three times, and this is enough?"

Su Yunjin said, "Yes, some people even get pregnant after just one night of sleeping together!"

Upon hearing this, Huang Wan'er said, "Are you two talking badly about me?"

Su Yunjin said, "No, how could I say anything bad about my sister?"

Chen Jie then looked at Huang Wan'er's eldest daughter, Chen Luoning, whom she was holding, and teased her, saying, "Alright, I'm a little hungry. Tell the kitchen to prepare something, and we'll eat together with Ya Ya in a bit."

"Yes!"

Upon hearing this, the maidservant beside him immediately went to instruct the kitchen to prepare food.

At this moment, Zhao Ya had already entered the room with her maid. Mo Lan looked at Zhao Ya and said, "Princess, why didn't you argue with Madam Huang just now?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ya said, "Me, compete with her? Compete for what?"

"They're fighting over the master!"

Zhao Ya said, "What is there to argue about, sir? And why argue with a woman? I, the princess, can fight on horseback and govern a country on foot. What I seek is not just a husband."

"Since the princess does not seek a husband, why did she marry the master?"

Upon hearing this, the princess said, "Your master is a hero of our time. Among all the heroes in the world, I have never seen anyone who can compare with him. I am with your master because I seek a resonance of ideals. To be honest, the time I spend talking about love with your master is not as long as the time I spend discussing military and political reforms with him."

"In this respect, what is that woman surnamed Huang comparing with me? I don't need to compare with her."

"Competing for favor in the harem is something only incompetent women do; I would never do the same thing as her."

Upon hearing this, Qingzhu looked at Zhao Ya and asked, "What about the First Madam?"

"Sister Su?"

Zhao Ya said, "She's different. She really has a kind of dignified and imperial aura about her, and I'm really not as good as her in that respect."

"Perhaps I was born for the battlefield. In terms of governing the country and fighting wars, she is not as good as me, but in terms of assisting her husband, maintaining stability in the household, and managing the family affairs, I am not as good as her!"

Zhao Ya gave this rating.

Hearing this, he said, "From what I've heard, it seems that only Madam Huang is truly incompetent in this family."

Zhao Ya said, "You can't say that. She's a natural beauty. She would be a formidable woman in any family's harem. It's just a pity that she met me and Sister Su. Sister Su has a heart that embraces the world and can tolerate everything, so she can't target her."

"As for me, hahaha, I don't like the affairs of the inner court, nor am I like her. My husband also supports me in taking command of an army, so she and I don't have any core conflicts."

"It seems she can only focus her efforts on winning the emperor's favor!"

As Zhao Ya spoke, she smiled and said, "Overall, this family is not bad. At least, everyone has their own division of labor, and no matter how much trouble someone causes, they can't get out of control. This is probably what makes my husband so amazing."

Upon hearing this, the maid said, "Miss, you're making this house sound like an imperial court, with a division of labor."

Zhao Ya said, "Managing a family is sometimes like governing a country; it requires skill."

……

At dinner, Chen Jie finally had a meal with his family. The food didn't look very plentiful today. After several days of lockdown, some of the Chen family's surplus grain had been used to reward the troops. However, everyone ate with great relish.

At this moment, Su Yunjin was sitting on Chen Jie's left and Huang Wan'er was sitting on his right. Beside the two women, there were maids holding the young lady and the young master.

Sitting at the opposite table was Princess Zhao Ya, who was wolfing down her food. The princess was truly hungry. Leading troops into battle on the battlefield had consumed a lot of her energy, and being pregnant, she needed energy, so she ate large bowls of food.

Rui Rui, whose appetite was no less than Zhao Ya's, also ate heartily. This little foodie wolfed down her food. Actually, a few people were missing from the table today, such as Chen Jie's adopted son, Sun Yong. This son of the former White Tiger Hall orphan was thirteen years old this year and had been sent by Chen Jie to study at the military academy, so he was not present at this reunion dinner.

In the past, Chen Xiaohu would also come over for a free meal, but these days, with continuous wars and numerous military affairs, he has had to stay in the military camp to handle matters.

Also present were Ni Wenjun and his wife. They did not attend the banquet, but left after Bai Wenjing prescribed them medicine to help them recover.

Therefore, today's reunion dinner is only for family members. However, Chen Jie is very satisfied, at least now he has both a son and a daughter, and his three wives are very considerate.

It would be no exaggeration to say that this was a truly blissful occasion. At the dinner, although Huang Wan'er and Zhao Ya seemed to be at odds, mainly because Huang Wan'er had a temper and would speak with a hint of sarcasm, Zhao Ya mostly ignored her, making Huang Wan'er seem like a helpless and resentful woman.

Su Yunjin played the role of mediator, and although things weren't exactly harmonious, they maintained a peaceful and amicable appearance on the surface.

Chen Jie didn't have any opinion on this. After all, women aren't toys that you can set up however you want. In the past, when reading novels, the protagonist had a bunch of women, and the family was still harmonious and the sisters were very close. Chen Jie thought that was absolute nonsense.

Women are a bunch of creatures who love to scheme and plot; each of them has their own little schemes. How could they not fight when they're all together?
It's just that everyone has a different mindset.

Su Yunjin is a typical virtuous wife and loving mother, a model for women of this era, but such women are truly rare and belong to a minority and anomalies.

Zhao Ya was an anomaly among anomalies, preferring military uniforms to feminine attire. Rather than calling Zhao Ya his wife, she was more like a close comrade-in-arms.

Su Yunjin and her colleagues can't help with many military or political issues, but Zhao Ya definitely can.

From this perspective, Huang Wan'er is the most like a normal woman, capable of jealousy, coquetry, and all sorts of womanly quirks.

Chen Jie smiled and said, "I really have collected three completely different types of women."

Thinking this, the family reunion dinner was over. After the meal, Chen Jie wanted to find a wife to rest with. His first choice was Su Yunjin, but Su Yunjin told him that she was on her period and wouldn't let him into the house.

Zhao Ya was pregnant and could not have sex with Chen Jie. In addition, she had been away on campaign for many days and had not gotten proper rest, so she could not have sex with Chen Jie.

Thus, this arduous task fell directly on the shoulders of the infant Huang Wan'er.

For a woman, the most important thing is to make her husband feel relaxed...

Nothing happened that night. The next morning, Chen Jie woke up to find Huang Wan'er clinging to him like a koala, fast asleep. Chen Jie covered her with a blanket and quietly got up.

"master!"

Upon reaching the door, they saw Dujuan and Mudan, Huang Wan'er's two personal maids. Chen Jie said, "Your mistress is still fast asleep, so don't wake her."

Upon hearing this, the two head maids immediately agreed.

Chen Jie then went to the front hall and found Su Yunjin and Zhao Ya waiting for him to eat. Su Yunjin looked at Chen Jie and said, "Sister Huang, are you still not up?"

Chen Jie said, "Hmm."

Su Yunjin said, "Then let's not wait for her. I'll have the kitchen heat up the food, and we can eat it when she wakes up."

As she spoke, Su Yunjin served rice to Chen Jie and Zhao Ya, and also served herself a bowl. Chen Jie asked, "Where's Rui Rui?"

Su Yunjin said, "The two girls went to practice martial arts early this morning. This chaos has really motivated them."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie looked at Su Yunjin and said, "Rui Rui is a pretty good girl. In another year or two, we can send her to school to get some experience."

Hearing this, Su Yunjin nodded.

Chen Jie then looked at Zhao Ya, who was sipping her white fungus and lotus seed soup.

"Ya Ya, lotus seeds are cold in nature, so you should eat less of them if you are pregnant."

Zhao Ya said, "Oh, this is what I requested. My internal phoenix fire is too strong, so eating some lotus seeds can reduce the fire and help stabilize the pregnancy."

Chen Jie thought about it and realized it made sense. At this moment, Zhao Ya spoke up again: "The matter of Huangzhou Prefecture is far from over. It's not just Xu Shouhui's family that's attacking our Huangzhou Prefecture. There are also troops sent by the imperial court from the north, led by the commander of the Baoxiang Army, Bolotemur!"

Hearing this, Chen Jie frowned slightly and said, "I know about this. I haven't even thanked my father-in-law yet for helping me repel the enemy!"

Zhao Ya replied, "That's not necessary. This time, the emperor insisted on his own way, and my father had no choice but to agree to help us repel the enemy."

Upon hearing this, Su Yunjin opened her mouth as if to say something, but paused and held back.

Chen Jie said, "Hehe, don't I know? You went back and threatened my father-in-law with suicide. Otherwise, why would my father-in-law have taken action?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ya paused and looked up at Chen Jie.

Chen Jie said, "How can you say I wouldn't know if you didn't tell me? You don't think my information channels are that closed, do you?"

After listening to this, Zhao Ya pondered for a moment and said, "Alright, I knew I couldn't hide it from you."

Chen Jie then looked at Zhao Ya and said, "Ya Ya, have you sent a letter to your father-in-law? Boluo himself is very strong, and with the help of the Baoxiang Army, can my father-in-law still hold on?"

Zhao Ya was taken aback upon hearing this, but quickly replied, "It should be possible, especially given our great victory in Huangzhou Prefecture. This should have a deterrent effect on the surrounding areas. I suggest we eliminate Xu Shouhui first, and then discuss other matters!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie said, "But this would put too much pressure on my father-in-law."

Zhao Ya said, "When it comes to breaking the deadlock, there is no room for hesitation."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie said, "Then, that's the only way. I will lead my troops to Xiangyang tomorrow. After I have pacified Xiangyang and killed Xu Shouhui, I will go to support my father-in-law."

As Chen Jie said this, Zhao Ya nodded slightly.

In fact, she was also very worried about her father. After all, her father was facing the Treasure Elephant Army Lord, who was at the fourth level of the Melting God realm, and the pressure was immense. She had heard that he had already suffered several defeats. If it weren't for her father having 70,000 White Deer Army soldiers who formed the first defensive formation of Mulan, the White Deer Formation, he wouldn't have been able to hold out for long.

However, from a strategic perspective, Chen Jie has only crippled Xu Shouhui. At this point, we must press our advantage and eliminate the enemy's manpower. This is called "better to cut off one finger than to injure all ten of them!"
Therefore, Zhao Ya made the most correct choice, which was also the most difficult one, since putting her elderly father in danger was not a choice a daughter could make.

Chen Jie knew the significance of Zhao Ya's few simple words, so he could only say, "Ya Ya..."

Zhao Ya said, "There's no need for that. Husbands and wives are of one mind and should support each other, so it's only right that we make some sacrifices."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie said, "Hmm..."

At this point, there was no more words. Zhao Ya was not a person who was good at expressing her feelings. If you talked to her about military deployments or political planning, she could talk to you for three days and three nights. But when it came to family relationships and marital affection, she became less good at expressing herself.

However, Chen Jie truly felt her intense emotions.

Su Yunjin watched everything from the side, eating silently, seemingly lost in thought.

After finishing his meal, Chen Jie was eager to convene the second high-level meeting of Huangzhou Prefecture. The main point of discussion at this meeting was to send troops to Xiangyang. As the saying goes, "strike while the iron is hot." The first military objective this time was to kill Xu Shouhui, Zhao Pusheng, and other officials.

Secondly, liberate Xiangyang City and occupy the entire city.

At the military conference, the commander-in-chief for this expedition was determined: Chen Jie, who would lead the Vermilion Bird Army (renamed by Shi Gengming) and the Azure Dragon Army (referred to as Jin Yanzi) on the expedition.

Chen Xiaohu's White Tiger Army suffered heavy casualties and was therefore left to recuperate in Huangzhou Prefecture.

Chen Xiaohu was quite dissatisfied with this, but Chen Jie didn't waste any words with him and directly used military orders to suppress it.

Chen Xiaohu had no choice but to passively accept the order. Ni Wenjun was also left to guard Huangzhou City. Ni Wenjun had practiced the Nine Heavens in reverse, which caused his cultivation to regress. After a day of recuperation, he was only at the Transformation Realm level. It would take at least a year and a half for him to recover.

Besides him, only Zhao Ya was left. Because Zhao Ya was pregnant, Chen Jie did not allow her to accompany the army on the expedition.

Thus, the expedition team was selected: the Vermilion Bird Army and the Azure Dragon Army, Shi Gengming and Jin Yanzi. In addition, Zhang Dingbian and Du Xiong returned this morning, and Zhang Dingbian strongly requested to go with them to attack Xiangyang City.

Du Xiong also strongly recommended it.

However, they had no army, and Chen Jie could not possibly change commanders on the battlefield, replacing Shi Gengming and Jin Yanzi with Zhang Dingbian.

Zhang Dingbian's eyes immediately fell on the more than 15,000 prisoners of war held in the POW camp. Chen Jie was startled and looked at Zhang Dingbian, saying, "These prisoners of war haven't been disciplined yet. Aren't you afraid they'll defect on the battlefield?"

Zhang Dingbian said, "My lord, let me stay in the prisoner-of-war camp for a day. After that, I will come out. If it works out, I will lead them to attack Xiangyang City. If it doesn't, then pretend I didn't say anything."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie looked at Zhang Dingbian, who said, "My lord, please understand me. I have just arrived in Huangzhou Prefecture and have not yet made any contributions. Yet you want me to shoulder heavy responsibilities. How can I win the respect of the people? So please help me!"

Chen Jie looked at Zhang Dingbian and said, "These prisoners are all Xu Shouhui's subordinates. How can you so easily turn them against you?"

Zhang Dingbian said, "Xu Shouhui is domineering and ruthless. He doesn't treat his subordinates well and regards the lives of soldiers as worthless. How can such a person make soldiers risk their lives? Such a person's subordinates are also the easiest to turn against him. Moreover, we are all new to Huangzhou Prefecture. I want to achieve some merit, and they want to get away with something by doing something good. If we can achieve this, why would they disagree?"

"Are you suggesting we risk our lives for Xu Shouhui and his gang?"

Zhang Dingbian spoke calmly but also in a straightforward manner. This was indeed a key point in his ability to win over these soldiers. If he wanted, these people would become an asset to Huangzhou Prefecture!

After listening to Zhang Dingbian's words, Chen Jie expressed his agreement with his opinion and told him to take a gamble.

Thus, the initial plan for conquering Xiangyang was set up, with Chen Jiu Si as the commander-in-chief, Shi Geng Ming as the deputy commander, Jin Yan Zi as the deputy commander, and Zhang Ding Bian (to be determined).
Troops to be deployed: 15,000 Azure Dragon Army soldiers, 15,000 Vermilion Bird Army soldiers, and 15,000 captured soldiers (to be determined).
With a total force of 30,000 or 45,000 men, they were attacking Xiangyang City. Their forces were not very abundant, but Chen Jie was determined to take Xiangyang City and kill Xu Shouhui!
Having made these preparations, Chen Jie ordered the entire army to rest and regroup, and to officially set off the next day. Huangzhou Prefecture, on the other hand, was outwardly relaxed but inwardly on high alert, remaining in a state of strategic vigilance at all times.

Meanwhile, news of Chen Jiu Si's return and the great victory in Huangzhou Prefecture spread like wildfire, reaching all the major forces in the surrounding area and causing quite a stir.

At this time, news of the great victory in Huangzhou Prefecture on the front lines of Liuan Prefecture reached the ears of the Prince of Ruyang.

(End of this chapter)