You have truly caused me great suffering!

Chapter 60 Capricious
It was just getting dark.

Li Shishi had already sat up from the couch, wrapped her small jacket around her body, and although her clothes were disheveled, she still served Chen Shao in an orderly manner as he dressed.

She had just finished helping Chen Shao get dressed, and before she had even finished putting on her own dress, the door was suddenly pushed open.

Chuntao sat down on the edge of the bed without saying a word.

Li Shishi frowned and glanced at her, saying, "Why didn't you call out to anyone?"

"Hello, brother-in-law."

"This girl is getting more and more unruly," Li Shishi muttered a few words, then went to instruct the servants she had brought to prepare breakfast and provisions for Chen Shao's journey.

As soon as the door opened, a blast of cold air hit him, and Chen Shao shrank his neck.

Suddenly I felt an urge not to go out, but of course, it was just a thought.

No wonder people say that the land of gentle pleasures is the graveyard of heroes; the contrast is indeed too great. I am about to head to Yokoyama.

With only the two of them left in the room, Chun Tao quickly stood up, leaned close to Chen Shao, and asked in a low voice with concern, "Why did she keep biting you last night? Does it hurt?"

Seeing the concern on her face, Chen Shao felt a little helpless. He rubbed her head and said, "Don't peek so much in the future."

Chun Tao rolled her eyes and muttered to herself while biting her lip.

"Come here, give me a kiss." Chen Shao beckoned.

Chun Tao pursed her lips, came over happily, and offered her cherry-like lips while standing on tiptoe.

The two separated only after hearing footsteps.

Li Shishi pushed open the door and came in. Behind her, her maid Aunt Li carried a wooden tray with a clay pot of porridge, a dish of pickled vegetables, and some flatbread.

"I've poured you two jugs of wine. You can drink the one with the red bar yourself; it's something I brought from Tokyo. The dry rations are with Da Hu, and I've had Aunt Dong put away your spare clothes."

The three of them sat down and ate together.

The Li sisters saw him out of the courtyard.

After straightening Chen Shao's clothes, Li Shishi said, "If you're busy in the future, you don't need to come back. We're doing fine here. Don't worry about things at home."

Chen Shao smiled and said, "I missed you, that's why I came back."

Li Shishi was stunned for a moment, staring into Chen Shao's eyes for a long time.

His eyes were open and honest. The eyes are the windows to the soul, and his sincerity was reflected in his eyes.

"What are you looking at? Don't you believe me?" Chen Shao asked with a smile.

Li Shishi's cheeks flushed slightly, and she nodded softly, "I believe you."

Chun Tao rolled her eyes behind her.

Chen Shao smiled and waved, then stepped out. Da Hu was already waiting at the entrance of the manor.

As dawn broke, the morning breeze was unusually cool. Chen Shao mounted his horse and glanced at the even more bloated Da Hu.

"How many layers did you wear, you son of a bitch?" Chen Shao laughed and cursed. This guy was already fat, and with all this, he looked like a millstone that had come to life, which was as ridiculous as could be.

Da Hu chuckled, "My mom forced me to wear this, and it's really uncomfortable. Let's go out for a bit, and the owner will wait for me to take off a few layers before we leave. If she sees us here, she'll inevitably worry."

Chen Shao was overcome with emotion, sighed, spurred his horse, and galloped away.

At the entrance of the courtyard, Chun Tao said with dissatisfaction, "Why do you always make him come back so little?"

Li Shishi glared at her and said, "I haven't even said anything to you yet. Don't barge into my room so casually in the future, especially when he comes back. You're not a child anymore, you should know the proper boundaries between men and women."

Chuntao deliberately looked at her with an innocent expression.

Seeing the striking resemblance between her and the other woman, Li Shishi, though not particularly close to her, felt a gentler tone, knowing they were blood relatives.

Thinking that Chun Tao is indeed not young anymore, if she continues to be so impetuous after marriage, she is very likely to displease her mother-in-law, which would be very difficult.

She held Chun Tao's small hand and said, "Little sister, when you have your own husband in the future, remember this: men need to be coaxed. The more you try to keep him away, the more he'll feel you're good to him, and the more often he'll come back." "The same goes for arguments. No matter what it is, soften your stance first. Once his anger has subsided, gently remind him. Let him remember it himself, and he'll cherish and love you even more. If you argue with him with a fierce expression, even if he later realizes he's wrong, he'll only remember how you were yelling, and he'll feel annoyed."

"The more a woman is good at showing weakness, the more favored she becomes."

Chun Tao was still young and didn't understand the significance of her sister's words at all; she just kept feeling annoyed.

I asked you why you didn't let him come back more often, and what nonsense are you talking about? Who wants to get married!
-
When Chen Shao braved the cold wind to head to the Hengshan front line.

Inside Tong Guan's Xuan Shuai Hall, several men in brocade robes were sitting upright in the tent.

Tong Guan also removed the command desk, setting up only a couch and a small table, and sat down with these men in brocade robes as equals.

An awkward silence fell over the hall.

There is only one reason: I heard that the imperial court is going to make peace with the Western Xia again. So what was the purpose of these five years of fighting?
When the situation is so favorable, giving the Western Xia a chance to catch their breath will only lead to them invading again once they recover.

Having spent a long time in the Northwest, Tong Guan had been in charge of the various battlefields in Shaanxi for many years. Unlike the high-ranking officials in Bianliang, he was not very arrogant. In addition, he forced the five routes in Shaanxi to launch an attack during the New Year, which resulted in heavy losses. This made him even more courteous and tolerant towards the ministers of the Western Army.

At this moment, his face was ashen as he slowly looked at the faces of everyone present.

Liu Yanqing, the military commissioner of Fuyan Road, was one of Tong Guan's closest allies in the Western Army, and the one who listened to him the most and gave him face.

Unfortunately, he's also the one who's least capable of fighting.

The newly appointed military commissioner of Xihe Road, Yao Gu, was a key figure in the Western Army, and the Yao family had been guarding the Northwest for generations. He was a staunch supporter of the Zhong family and only respected Zhong Shidao. He was a gloomy man who never voiced any objections to his orders, but he also absolutely disregarded them.

Seemingly noticing Tong Guan's gaze, Yao Gu, with his dark complexion, simply smiled and lowered his head.

Beside Yao Gu was Junior Minister Zhong, Zhong Shizhong, the Military Commissioner of Qin Feng Road.

Although everyone in the Northwest called him Little Zhong, Zhong Shizhong was already quite old, with white hair and beard. He was calm and proud, and with Zhong Shidao protecting him, he didn't need to engage in pretense with Bianjing, which fostered his arrogance. Even in front of Tong Guan, he dared to stand up to him. A single cold remark could easily embarrass Tong Guan, the dignified Commander of Xuan!

Although Zhong Shizhong often embarrassed Tong Guan, Tong Guan did not consider him a threat.

What really gave him a headache was the old General Zhong, Zhong Shidao, who sat opposite him from afar with his back bent.

In this weather, the old man wore a thick brocade robe, his eyes half-open and half-closed. As the military governor of Baojing Army, the commander of the five routes in Shaanxi, and the military commissioner of Jingyuan Army, the old Prime Minister Zhong Shidao was the true leader of the Western Army.

The Zhong family, spanning three generations, began with Zhong E, who commanded a large army in the Western Army, fighting for the Song Dynasty. Among the various routes in Shaanxi, the Zhong family's influence was the most extensive and deeply entrenched.

By this generation, they had reached the pinnacle of their abilities. The old Zhong and the young Zhong had led the army in the Northwest for forty years, and the current generals of the Western Army were all their juniors.

Zhong Shidao was already a military governor, commander of five routes, and also served as the military commissioner of the most powerful Jingyuan Army. His control over the Western Army had reached its peak.

From the very beginning of its founding, the Song Dynasty guarded against military generals becoming too powerful; this had become ingrained in their very being.

The court also harbored much suspicion and distrust towards Lao Zhong, but they were helpless in defending the Northwest and could not do without him.

That's why Tong Guan caused so much trouble in the Western Army for ten years. Zhao Ji was a political monster. He brought Tong Guan to the Northwest, not entirely because he favored his close ministers.

He wanted to limit the power of the generals in the Northwest, but Zhong Shidao never confronted Tong Guan directly, responding indifferently to everything and not giving him a chance.

Just as the various armies were preparing to avenge Liu Fa and Xi He's army, Tong Guan sent word that the imperial court intended to make peace with Western Xia.

The purpose of gathering them together today is to unify their thinking and ensure their obedience to the imperial court's decree.

The atmosphere was already suffocatingly tense even before the meeting started.

Tong Guan coughed lightly, breaking the silence in the hall, and looked at everyone's gazes again.

Just as he was about to speak, a figure suddenly flashed outside the hall.

Yang Keshi clasped his hands at the door and said, "Commander Xuan, the scouts ahead report that the Xia bandit army is heading towards Hengshan."

Who is leading the troops?

"They are using the banner of Richard, the traitorous King of Jin from Xia."

Tong Guanqi's face flushed red: "Shameless Qiang bandits, utterly untrustworthy! They feigned peace talks to lull us into a false sense of security!"

(End of this chapter)