Love Lock

Chapter 22 Rewards for Doing Good Deeds

Minister of War Cao Ge also stepped forward and said, “Yes, Your Majesty, although the court has been dragging its feet on procuring provisions, in this matter, Zhao Zun has deceived the court and is audacious enough to amass military power. His intentions are despicable! If Your Majesty does not severely punish such a traitor, I fear that even if Cao Xiong arrives at Beiguan, he will not be able to smoothly take over military power.”

As soon as Cao Ge said this, the officials below echoed his sentiments.

Cao Xiong was Cao Ge's younger brother. Cao Ge had been strongly recommending Cao Xiong to Emperor Jing. He was in charge of the Ministry of War, and since the East and South Passes had already fallen into other hands, he naturally hoped that his younger brother could also take control of the North Pass.

If two high-ranking officials could emerge from one family, and both were among Emperor Jing's most trusted confidants, the Cao family would surely become a prominent and prestigious family in the capital.

Cao Ge's words pleased Emperor Jing, who nodded slightly and gave Cao Ge an approving look.

"Yes! That's absolutely right. Let's do as Minister Cao suggests!"

Emperor Jing was also eager for Zhao Zun's matter to be settled as soon as possible. The Zhao family army only knew Zhao Zun, not the imperial court. As long as the military power was not taken back, he would not have peace of mind.

"Your Majesty, no!"

Just when all the officials thought the matter had been decided, the elderly Prime Minister Wei spoke up.

"Oh? Does the Prime Minister have any other brilliant ideas?" Emperor Jing asked, displeased.

"Your Majesty!" Prime Minister Wei stood up from the chair specially prepared for him, bowing slightly with his hands clasped. "This old minister believes we should wait a little longer."

"Still waiting?" Gary Cao was also very unhappy.

“Yes!” Prime Minister Wei said calmly, “Lord Cao’s younger brother, Cao Xiong, has been at Beiguan with the imperial edict for several days. At the very least, His Majesty should wait for Cao Xiong to send back a message before making a decision.”

"This……"

If Prime Minister Wei hadn't also been the Emperor's tutor, Emperor Jing would have wanted to rush up and slap him right now.

All the officials silently looked at Prime Minister Wei, sighing inwardly, "Only Prime Minister Wei would dare to say such disobedient words to His Majesty!"
Emperor Jing took a deep breath and barely managed to suppress the anger in his heart.

"Alright! Then we'll do as the Prime Minister says. We'll wait for news from Cao Xiong before making a decision."

………This is a lazy dividing line………

Beiguan Military Camp.

As night fell, after dinner, the soldiers returned to their tents.

Snowflakes fluttered down, the cold wind howled, and a silver-clad world was covered in snow.

Han Lei ran into the tent, tied the curtain, brushed the snow off her shoulders, and lay down wearily on the bed.

Ever since Zhao Zun confessed his feelings so directly, like charging into battle, Han Lei has been intentionally or unintentionally avoiding him these past few days. Han Lei doesn't dare to face his burning gaze, and she hasn't figured out how to interact with him as a lover yet.

Han Lei's mind was in turmoil and she couldn't calm down, so she had to go out early and return late to find things to do to distract herself from her chaotic emotions.

She found Tao Qing and asked him to lead the wounded soldiers who had recovered from their injuries to build several thatched huts on an open space near the mountain by the military camp. Inside the huts, they built several stoves and then made several simple distillers using large water tanks, oil paper, bamboo poles, and clay.

She planned to use the low-alcohol liquor that Zhao Zun had bought from the market last time, and obtain alcohol through multiple distillations. With this alcohol, the soldiers would no longer have to fear bacterial infection from their injuries.

Although the amount of alcohol produced each day was small due to the crude and outdated production process, it was better than nothing.

She led the recovered wounded soldiers in a vigorous and enthusiastic effort. Since the system was currently out of funds, she had no choice but to roll up her sleeves and work harder herself. Having something to do made her days fulfilling, and it also allowed her to temporarily escape from facing Zhao Zun's aggressive advances.

Zhao Zun came to see her several times, but she always secretly avoided him. One reason was that she felt shy and embarrassed, and the other was that subconsciously, she still hoped that one day she could go back.

"Ding!" A sound rang in her mind. Han Lei sat up abruptly, her face full of excitement. She hadn't heard the system's voice for many days. She had tried to contact it a few times, but the system completely ignored her.

"Ding! Congratulations, host, for successfully imparting your skills. Reward: 500 taels of gold."

"Teaching skills? You can get a reward for that?"

Han Lei remembered that under her guidance for several days, Tao Qing had fully mastered the skills of distillation and judging the purity of alcohol, and was now able to produce alcohol on her own.

"As long as the host does good deeds, there will be a chance to receive a reward!"

"Oh, I see! No wonder I got rewarded for rescuing people and delivering food the previous two times. It's because I did a good deed!"

Han Lei was very happy.

It was truly an unexpected stroke of luck! She hadn't intended to pass on any skills, nor did she plan to do a good deed like Lei Feng; she simply wanted to make more alcohol for the soldiers so they would suffer less from injuries in the future. It was Tao Qing who, being quick-witted, secretly learned the skills while helping out.

What should I buy this time?

Having earned five hundred taels of gold, Han Lei's happy mood immediately plummeted as she looked at the dazzling array of goods on the system panel.

"System! Tell me honestly, is it really impossible for me to go back?" Han Lei asked sullenly.

"Host, stop thinking about those things. To reiterate, the Buddha said: Everyone you meet in this life is someone you had entanglements with in your previous life."

"And the Buddha said?" Han Lei wanted to hit someone. "I'm asking you, is it really impossible to go back? And you're telling me the Buddha said?"

"Host! You're so stupid! Haven't I explained myself clearly enough?"

The system actually called her stupid?
Han Lei was taken aback. Could the answer lie in that Buddhist saying?
"I saved Zhao Zun when I came here, and Zhao Zun fell in love with me. Is this... my fate? Is Zhao Zun the one destined to be entangled with me?"

Han Lei looked at the unopened cloth bundle on the bedside table, and a flash of inspiration struck her, as if she understood everything.

"Not too stupid."

The system's words revealed disdain, but Han Lei just chuckled.

"Why make it so complicated? Why don't you just tell me I should let things take their course, accept Zhao Zun's feelings, and stay here for the rest of my life?"

"You're not as quick-witted as Tao Qing. Stupid!"

"cut!"

Han Lei rolled her eyes at the system, finally giving up.

Since she was going to stay here for the rest of her life and be entangled with Zhao Zun for eternity, she decided to start seriously planning her life and no longer avoid her feelings for Zhao Zun.

"Let's start by giving him a small gift!" Han Lei murmured.

She glanced at the products on the system panel, then turned to look at the outdoor karaoke speaker on the table.

That day, she had intended to bribe Zhao Zun by giving him a karaoke speaker in exchange for a job as a strategist. However, Zhao Zun disregarded his marshal image and pulled a series of outrageous moves, which frightened her so much that she ran away blushing.

As a result, the karaoke speaker was not delivered.

Now that their relationship is different, it seems a bit inappropriate for her to give a gift to a boy, especially one from an ancient military leader, as a gift.

So... what should I give as a gift?
Han Lei is very distressed as she experiences her first relationship!
(End of this chapter)