I support the army through farming and business.

Chapter 108 Guarding
The princess' carriage stopped in front of a brand new green gate.

Dongmei put down the riding stool and helped Tang Zhao, Nanny Song and others get off the car.

When the people in the courtyard heard the voice, they opened the gate, stepped aside to make way, and bowed respectfully, "Young Master, please come in, Princess."

Chunfeng frowned. What do you mean by little princess? These girls are already nineteen years old.

Tang Zhao narrowed his eyes and looked at the middle-aged strong man with lowered brows and eyes, and felt vaguely familiar with him.

Nanny Song supported Tang Zhao and said, "Miss, let's go in first."

Tang Zhao nodded, stepped onto the stairs, and glanced sideways at the middle-aged man as he passed by.

The middle-aged strong man still kept his head down, his eyes fixed on the stone steps under his feet, obviously he had great respect for Tang Zhao.

Tang Zhao suppressed his doubts and went to the backyard under the guidance of Nanny Song. Just as he sat down and cleared his throat to ask a question, the middle-aged strong man came into the room like a gust of wind.

More than a dozen dark shadows gathered from all directions to the open space in the middle of the house, and the door was slammed shut.

Tang Zhao was startled.

Chunfeng, Xiamo and Dongmei protected Tang Zhao.

The middle-aged burly man led a group of burly men wearing tofu shop uniforms to kneel on one knee and said in unison, "Subordinates greet the young lady!"

Tang Zhao:.
Tang Zhao's butt fell back onto the chair, his back slightly relaxed as he leaned against the backrest and breathed a sigh of relief.

Chunfeng, Xiamo and Dongmei retreated behind Tang Zhao.

"You guys are showing off like bandits, aren't you afraid of scaring the young lady?" Nanny Song stepped forward and hit the middle-aged strong man who led the group. Then she smiled at Tang Zhao soothingly, "Don't blame me, young lady. They are all rough guys and were just anxious to pay their respects to you, so they scared you."

Tang Zhao adjusted his facial expression and said stubbornly, "I didn't scare this princess."

The middle-aged man kowtowed and said, "Young lady, please forgive me. It has been a long time since we last saw you. I feel uneasy. Please forgive me for any impoliteness."

A group of strong men behind him kowtowed and apologized.

"Everyone, get up!" Tang Zhao waited for them to stand up before asking, "Are you from my maternal grandfather's family?"

The middle-aged man said, "Young lady, we are the personal guards of the Protector General's Mansion. We are here to protect the eldest and young ladies under the orders of the old general."

At the beginning of June in the 30th year of the Kangzhi reign, General Song received a secret letter saying that someone in Luoyang was secretly communicating with the Turks and intended to trade the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in the northwest and dozens of cities with the Turks.

General Song was shocked and mobilized the military and civilians to defend against the Turks with the mentality of "it is better to believe it than not". Because he was worried that his only daughter would be isolated and unprotected in Luoyang, he specially sent 200 of the most skilled personal guards in the general's mansion to Luoyang secretly.

In mid-June of the 30th year of the Kangzhi reign, the Turks launched an attack on Wuwei. General Song died in the battlefield, all the sons of the Song family died defending the city, and all the women in the general's family committed suicide.

Three hours after Wuwei City was captured, King Xuan led his troops to rescue and repel the Turks, regaining Wuwei.

At the end of June in the 30th year of the Kangzhi reign, the wife of the Duke of Wei took her young daughter to the northwest to attend a funeral. She encountered the roving remnants of the Turkic army and had no choice but to jump off a cliff into the lake.

"We missed the eldest lady on the way. When we received the news that she had returned to Wuwei, we rushed back from Luoyang and happened to encounter the guards of the Duke of Wei's mansion fighting a desperate battle." The middle-aged man looked ashamed. "After we killed the remaining Turkic soldiers, we went down the cliff and searched for the eldest and young ladies for a whole day before we found the eldest lady's body."

"The young lady was protected in the arms of the eldest lady. Although she was injured, her life was safe."

Nanny Song covered her mouth tightly with her hands.

The middle-aged man choked up and said, "I escorted the eldest lady's coffin and the young lady back to the capital. On the way back, we were chased. Of the two hundred of us, only one hundred and thirty-four escaped."

"While escaping, my thoughts became increasingly baffled. I ventured back to Luoyang, where I saw the young lady and Nanny Song being taken to the manor. I initially considered taking the young lady with me, but I was afraid the journey might harm her. So, I split my men up into smaller groups and took a few with me to guard the manor where the young lady lived."

"I saw that the servants on the farm were disrespectful to the young lady, so I planned to take her back to the northwest. However, she was so sick that she could hardly even get out of bed. I had no choice but to wait until she was better. This wait led to the imperial decree granting the marriage."

"The imperial edict came suddenly. Officials from the Ministry of Rites and the imperial guards surrounded Zhuangzi. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get close. I could only watch helplessly as the young lady was carried away in the sedan chair."

The middle-aged strong man punched the ground. If the old general were still alive, how could the emperor allow the young lady of their Song family to marry a dying man to bring good luck!
"I have been guarding outside Prince Xuan's mansion for three months. I have seen that the young lady has not only recovered in health but has also become more and more organized. Furthermore, the Princess and everyone in the mansion have treated the young lady very well. Thinking that the young lady will return to the northwest one day, I have gone back to the northwest to prepare for her return."

"Thank you for your hard work," Tang Zhao was shocked. She had previously doubted how the original owner could persist for so many years with such a weak body, and now she finally had the answer.

Suddenly, Tang Zhao remembered that familiar feeling and said with certainty, "You were the one who poured out the bucket of manure for the young lady of the Loyal and Brave Marquis's wedding, right?"

The middle-aged man lowered his head and said, "Ever since the young lady arrived in the northwest, the daughter of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery has repeatedly plotted against her. The Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery has failed to educate their daughter and has repeatedly indulged her, which has infuriated us subordinates. We are determined to teach the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery a lesson."

"As we were pondering what to do, we happened to run into a group of bee catchers. Song Yi overheard that the steward of the Meng Mansion was planning to use killer bees to kill the daughter of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery. So we took advantage of the situation and first stole the Meng Mansion's token. Then we sent someone to follow the daughter of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery, ready to dump the manure at any time."

Song Yi was afraid that the young lady would think their methods were cruel, so he explained, "Killer bees are most afraid of stench. We poured feces all over Miss Zhongyong Hou to save her."

Tang Zhao felt the same way. "I prepared three buckets full of slop to save her."

Song Yi:.
Well, he underestimated the young lady.

The middle-aged strong man was overjoyed. The young lady was worthy of being the blood of the Song family and the granddaughter of the old general. Her temper and personality were exactly the same as the old general's.

Tang Zhao looked at this group of strong and powerful men with great martial arts skills and asked thoughtfully, "What are your plans next?"

The middle-aged man knelt down and said, "We are ordered to protect the eldest lady and the young lady. Now that the eldest lady is gone, we will follow the young lady's orders."

A group of strong men followed suit and knelt on one knee, "We will follow the young lady's lead."

Tang Zhao's eyes lit up. "Okay, I promise you too. As long as I, Tang Zhao, am here, I will protect you."

"Thank you, young lady!"

"Everyone, get up!" Tang Zhao looked at their tofu shop work clothes and was very impressed. "Very good, you can stay here for the time being. After the people from Prince Xuan's Mansion leave, I will take you back to the Protector General's Mansion!"

Everyone was delighted: "Thank you, young lady!"

Zhao Zhao: My loving grandfather!

Author: And me, your biological mother!