You have truly caused me great suffering!

Chapter 40 Staying New Year’s Eve
There was even more pointing and whispering in the hall.

Everyone's saying this guy is really stubborn.

Privately, Tong Guan's confidants already called him "Stupid Shao".

Tong Guan was also somewhat surprised. He smiled and said, "With everyone having Chen Shao's determination, what is there to worry about in destroying the mere Western Xia?"

He only affirmed Chen Shao's spirit, but did not believe that it was possible to destroy Western Xia in five months.

Chen Shao knew that destroying Xia was much more reliable than destroying Liao.

The main problem was that the Western Xia Dynasty itself had a lot of internal problems, and its internal strife was the most severe among the Jin, Liao, and Song dynasties.

Moreover, they were the weakest in terms of national strength. The Western Xia emperor relied entirely on occupying the trade routes in the Western Regions and the annual tribute given by the Song Dynasty to maintain the empire.

After the war broke out, trade routes were cut off, and the annual tribute from the Song Dynasty also ceased.

At this point, all we need to do is patiently divide them and slowly erode their strength, and we can gradually devour the Western Xia.

Let the Liao and Jin dynasties wear each other down for a while. With such a vast territory, it will take a long time to conquer Youyan. Why are you in such a hurry, Tong Guan?
Tong Guan's outburst of anger made Chen Shao think of one reason: he still wanted Cai Jing to help him.

Ultimately, even if they disagree on political views, it doesn't affect Tong Guan's trust in Cai Jing's abilities.

For the next period of time, these cobblers gathered together to discuss how to pacify Liaodong.

Unsurprisingly, it quickly turned into a praise session for Tong Guan.

Although Chen Shao inwardly despised him, he still praised him enthusiastically for quite a while.

Tong Guan looked radiant in the photos, seemingly even happier than when he was indulging in his pleasures with a beautiful woman.

It was already late when we left Tong Guan's residence.

The gloomy sky was filled with light snowflakes, sparse and not very dense.

Big Tiger stood in the cold wind, right next to the horse, and looked quite happy.

He has only two hobbies: horseback riding and eating meat.

Back on horseback at the courtyard in Xinghua Lane, Chen Shao personally did the splits to boil water, then carried one bucket in each hand.

He discovered that his strength was also slowly increasing.

He carried two buckets of water, looking quite relaxed.

Chun Tao sat on the chair with her legs crossed, smiling as she watched Chen Shao fill the bathtub.

She and Li Shishi do look alike, but there are subtle differences. For example, Li Shishi's face was round and smooth, a standard oval face, which was also the most popular in that era.

Chun Tao's chin was a little pointed, which was very popular in later generations, but according to the ancients, a pointed chin was a minor flaw for a woman.

She has a slightly foxy air about her; her beauty lacks grandeur and elegance.

Chen Shao reached out and tested the water temperature; it was slightly too hot. Both sisters enjoyed taking baths and preferred hot water.

"Hurry up and take a shower, it's cold and you'll cool off quickly."

Perhaps because she was about to take a bath, Chun Tao was dressed very thinly, revealing her snow-white skin on her neck, arms, and ankles.

After standing up, her slender waist and petite, upright figure were faintly visible.

After pulling back the curtain, Chen Shao, as usual, kept the stove burning outside.

A faint, pleasant fragrance wafted from the clothes; it was unclear whether it came from the girl's clothes or her natural body scent.

This scent is different from the one on Li Shishi.

As Chen Shao pondered, desire began to stir within him. Seeing the slender, graceful, and hazy figure through the steamy curtain only intensified his longing.

Suddenly, he said, "Chuntao, after you're done washing, I'll wash too."

"what?"

Chuntao angrily slapped the water's surface, "Brother Chen is talking nonsense and bullying people again!"

"I'm in a hurry to go out tonight to meet someone very important, and I won't have enough time to boil water."

Chen Shao said casually.

"Really?"

"Of course it's true." Chun Tao thought for a long time, and then, feeling that the water temperature was still okay, she hurriedly got up.

After wiping herself down a bit, she put on her coat, tied her belt, and then bent down to wipe her feet and put on her shoes, her small, pretty bottom sticking out.

Chen Shao sneaked over.

Startled by the noise, Chun Tao took a half step back, her petite figure leaning against the bathtub with her back to the door, panting heavily.

"Brother Chen! What...what do you want to do?" she asked pitifully, shrinking back.

"Take a bath!"

Chen Shao asked with a grin, "Little Chun Tao, are you staying here to help your brother scrub his back?"

Chuntao spat and ran away, her face flushed.

Chen Shaoshu sat comfortably in the round cypress bathtub, his clothes hung on the screen, and he even hummed a little tune.

"Chuntao, bring me a soap towel."

Chun Tao sat by the mirror, her face flushed. Upon hearing this, she wrinkled her little nose again, but still obediently walked over and draped a soap towel over the shelf through the curtain.

Chen Shao nodded inwardly; this could be considered a test of obedience.

If she strongly dislikes it, then I probably have no chance.

But the girl's behavior now clearly has a certain appeal.

Chen Shao was in a hurry to keep the appointment, and after washing up, he did not launch any further attacks.

He said with a smile, "The hairpin this morning was nice; it suits you quite well."

Chun Tao paused for a moment, then couldn't help but smile. "You don't need to tell me!"

After saying that, he couldn't help but proudly raise his chin.

When the little girl first arrived, she was quite timid, but as time went on, her true nature gradually came out.

She may seem fierce, but she is actually very gentle and obedient at heart. If you ask her to do something outrageous, she will do it for you with her hands on her hips.
-
In the western suburbs of Bianliang, a quiet little building is brightly lit with candles, illuminating the year.

Li Shishi rested her chin on her hand before the desk, staring blankly at the red candle dripping with tears, her heart filled with a hundred knots of tender emotions.

Shaolang said he would settle me down and take care of me, but was he sincere or not?

What she loved about Chen Shao was his disdain for the emperor and his audacious courage to do anything for her.

Li Shishi, who had never been so cherished before, impulsively gave him her whole heart.

Now, however, it's hard not to feel anxious and uncertain.

After all, if Chen Shao really took her away, that would be going against the emperor.

How many people in the world would have the guts to do that? If he ran off with their money, they wouldn't dare to make a sound.

I've already given everything; if I get scammed, I'll be devastated. Money isn't so bad, but having my sincere heart trampled on is.
It's possible that I'll truly have to end my remaining years, unable to live on any longer.

The candlelight flickered, and a figure appeared out of nowhere in the room, but she didn't notice it at all.

Chen Shao was also puzzled to see her standing there in a daze.

He waved his hand in front of Li Shishi, who then woke up with a start, looked up abruptly, and exclaimed in surprise and delight, "You've come!"

Let's stay up all night together.

Chen Shao took her hand and sat down beside her.

Li Shishi naturally buried her head in his arms, gently rubbing her cheek against his arm.

It seemed that this would give her a greater sense of security.

The man was younger than her, but he had a broad chest. Coming from a military household in the Northwest, he had inevitably developed a strong physique.

Nestled in his arms, all the distracting thoughts from before vanished.

In a daze, Li Shishi heard Chen Shao speak.

"Starting this year, we will stay up all night together until we grow old."

　Thank you to Liu Yifei for capturing the Desolate Heavenly Emperor, Ji Mingtian, the handsome Qidian readers, and Fengmeng for their generous donations. Please vote with monthly tickets, recommendation tickets, and keep reading!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)