The Empress Kneels in Her Palace to Admit Her Mistakes After Slaying Her Ways in the Female-Oriented

Shen Zhian then emphasized the matter of 100,000 taels of silver, since this amount could immediately solve the immediate crisis.

But as soon as the words left his mouth, Shen Zhian was stunned for a moment.

She suddenly realized where Zhang Shi's money came from.

"It seems, probably, maybe, perhaps..."

"Was it a one million tael silver note I gave you?"

"So, Zhang Shi used the money I gave him to give me the money to persuade Zhou Buzhang to come out of retirement?"

Shen Zhian's mind was in a mess.

But considering himself a strong woman, he wouldn't allow himself to be distracted at such a crucial moment. Maximizing his personal interests was paramount, so he quickly replied, "Ten thousand taels of silver!"

"If you give it to us, our lives will be easier."

Anyway…

Shen Zhian gave Zhou Buzhang an ultimatum.

"Zhou Buzhang, you have to go today, whether you like it or not!"

"You have to go, whether you like it or not!"

"Otherwise, you'll just have to watch me and our children starve to death in the streets!"

As Zhou Buzhang's close confidant, Shen Zhian knows best where to place the knife so that Zhou Buzhang will feel the most pain.

Although Zhou Buzhang was depressed all the time, he was a person who valued blood ties and family ties very much. He didn't care much about his children, but his sense of responsibility towards them was no less than anyone else's.

Therefore, Shen Zhian understood.

Once those words were spoken, Zhou Buzhang would have no room to refuse; all that awaited him was to seek refuge with General Zhang Shi.

Whether they actively sought refuge with General Zhang Shi or went through painful struggles and entanglements before finally joining him.

I have to go anyway!

After saying that, he swaggered away.

Zhou Buzhang, as expected, was in great pain and was on the verge of collapse.

Child, child...

He sold his ancestral home, which already betrayed his ancestors. Does he have to betray his children too?

Is Zhou Buzhang destined to be the eternal sinner of the Zhou family?

Overwhelmed by despair, Zhou Buzhang was filled with resentment, wondering why he hadn't died on the battlefield, why he had survived to this point. Otherwise, why would he have had to endure such a calamity?!

He locked himself in his room for three whole days, without eating, drinking, or sleeping, until the very last moment before Zhang Shi gave him time, when Zhou Buzhang finally emerged from his study.

Shen Zhian was already waiting at the door.

"At General Zhang Shi's place..."

"I'll go seek refuge with them!"

Zhou Buzhang said this in a sullen tone.

He looked completely exhausted and numb.

In contrast, Shen Zhian's face was beaming with joy.

"My husband, I knew it. For me and for this family, you would definitely make a comeback."

"I have prepared all the horses, equipment and other necessities for you. Now go to the military camp and find General Zhang Shi."

"I guess he's getting impatient."

Zhou Buzhang turned his head and gave Shen Zhian a deep look.

The joy on Shen Zhian's face remained as always, but the look in his eyes no longer held the excitement he felt when he saw Shen Zhian's smiling face in his youth. All that remained was emptiness, numbness, and even...

With a hint of hatred!

Zhou Buzhang took a deep breath, went out, and mounted his horse.

The whip fell, and the steed galloped off.

His body, which hadn't been exercised for many years, coupled with the exertion of the past three days, made riding on horseback a bumpy and difficult experience, feeling like it was about to fall apart, but he still gritted his teeth and kept going.

The Zhou residence was not too far from the naval camp.

When Zhou Buzhang arrived, he was still barely clinging to life.

He dismounted, took a breath, and looked up to see the military camp he hadn't seen for decades. This place held everything from his youth, recorded his achievements, and also witnessed his downfall.

Now that it has come again, a wave of emotions welled up in my heart.

fear?

Perhaps it's a case of feeling apprehensive as one approaches home!

Just as he was trying to calm himself down and regain his composure, the soldiers guarding the camp gate walked quickly over from a short distance away.

"Hey, what's that guy doing here?"

"This is a military camp, a place you can come and go as you please?"

The guards shouted, but when they got closer and saw Zhou Buzhang's appearance, they were taken aback.

"Zhou Buzhang?"

"Are you Zhou Buzhang?"

Zhou Buzhang took a slight breath and said, "Yes, I am Zhou Buzhang, and I have come to pledge my allegiance to General Zhang Shi..."

Before he could finish speaking, the guards burst into laughter.

"Hahaha... Zhou Buzhang, you've shamelessly come back?"

"Wow, back then the Grand Commander chased them away like stray dogs, even threatening never to see them again. How come they're back now?"

"Did a good dog eat its own poop?"

The guard at the gate was clearly one of Grand Commander Zhou Mengyan's men, and he immediately launched into a rather impolite tirade against Zhou Buzhang.

He not only indulged in his own verbal sparring, but also called on the soldiers who were guarding the gate to join in the mockery.

Back then, after Zhou Buzhang lost the competition for the position to Zhou Mengyan and left, the specific details became difficult to reconstruct with the passage of time. In addition, Zhou Mengyan, the victor, always embellished himself and vilified Zhou Buzhang.

This led to Zhou Buzhang having a very low opinion of the soldiers guarding the gate.

They say a good horse doesn't eat the grass it's already grazed, but someone actually did!

"Look at this pathetic state, how dare they compete with the Grand Commander back then?"

"Wow, this is quite a big deal! The person who was kicked out actually has the nerve to come back?"

"Go quickly and inform the Grand Commander! He'll be ecstatic to know that someone has shamelessly returned!"

……

The insults were uttered, each word ringing in my ears.

Zhou Buzhang, a proud and arrogant man, was already red with anger. He really wanted to leave and turn away from this place that had once hurt him and now made him even more desperate.

But he knew he couldn't go back.

Not only will I be unable to explain myself when I go back, but Shen Zhian will definitely cause a huge uproar.

He could only try his best to suppress the boiling anger in his heart, and bowed, saying, "Please inform them that I, Zhou Buzhang, have come to serve General Zhang Shi."

Ignore him!

Even if he brought out Zhang Shi, a rising star in the army, no one paid him any attention. These soldiers under Grand Commander Zhou Mengyan were biased towards Zhou Mengyan.

They were just waiting for Zhou Mengyan to arrive.

Zhou Mengyan arrived very quickly.

After all, it's certainly nice to be successful, but it's even more nice to see your former enemy fall from grace.

This kind of spectacle is a rare sight, and you might only see it a few times in your lifetime. Now that you've finally encountered it, you should hurry up and enjoy it while you can, because who knows when you'll get another chance to see it again.

"Yo!"

The moment Zhou Mengyan saw Zhou Buzhang, a grin spread across his face.

"Isn't this General Zhou Buzhang?"

What brings you here?

"You used to look down on this little military camp of ours, turning your back on it and leaving without even heeding the old commander's attempts to persuade you to stay. Why are you back now?"

"Have you come back to see your old buddies?"

"Hey, are you unhappy that your old buddies didn't come out to welcome you back?"

"Look at that pouty face of yours, it's like someone owes you millions!"

Zhou Mengyan felt a surge of pleasure with every word he spoke, and he felt a surge of pleasure as he spoke for a while.

My mood is absolutely soaring!

In stark contrast to Zhou Mengyan's mood was Zhou Buzhang's face, which was ashen and dark, or rather, crumbling.

His heart was already in ruins.

This is one of the reasons why he used to look down on Zhou Mengyan.

Zhou Mengyan is too petty and narrow-minded.

They cannot tolerate outsiders.

Now that he has returned in disgrace and is being mocked and ridiculed by Zhou Mengyan, it is clear that Zhou Mengyan has not changed at all over the years.

But... it was precisely this complete lack of change that was driving Zhou Buzhang to the brink of despair!

Even under these circumstances, Zhou Mengyan still did not let Zhou Buzhang off the hook. Not only did he not let him off the hook, he also intensified the humiliation!

—This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to humiliate Zhou Buzhang. If we don't take revenge now, what are we waiting for?

Isn't life all about experiencing joy and vengeance?

If you can't even live a life of righteous indignation, what's the point of living?

Therefore, Zhou Mengyan immediately gave the order loudly.

"Someone, go and summon Old Liu, Old Zhang, Old Jiu, and all those who were once colleagues of General Zhou Buzhang."

"General Zhou Buzhang has finally come to the military camp, we... we can't treat him poorly!"

His personal guards burst into laughter instantly.

Everyone knows that the people Grand Commander Zhou Mengyan summoned were all his close associates and had a past relationship with Zhou Buzhang.

Once we call them over, we'll be in for a real show!

A truly massive production!

This made the guards who went to summon him very excited.

To be honest, I rarely see such a large-scale humiliating scene!

I've never even seen one!

Aren't you excited yet?

This caused a great commotion in the general's camp, which caught Zhang Shi's attention.

"Stone, what's happening outside?"

"I don't know who the Deputy Commander is!"

"Didn't you know you couldn't just take a look?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Shi Tou quickly agreed. When he left the tent, he pretended to be very unhappy with Zhang Shi's orders, maintaining his consistent opposition to Zhang Shi.

He ran back in no time.

"Deputy Commander, a man has arrived at the military camp gate. He says his name is Zhou Buzhang, the one who used to run a martial arts school here. He's currently being humiliated by the Grand Commander and a group of people."

Zhang Shi heard this.

"broken!"

"This guy's here to see me!"

"Why are you even humiliating me?"

He quickly walked out, and soon arrived at the gate of the military camp, where he saw a group of people surrounding Zhou Buzhang, watching him like he was watching a monkey show. They all had smiles on their faces, but their mouths were full of sarcasm.

"Oh my, who do we have here? It's our General Zhou Buzhang! You used to be so full of vigor, but now you look so disheveled. What are you doing at the military camp? Could it be that you couldn't make it here and are begging for a job?"

"Grand Commander, this is where you're wrong. General Zhou Buzhang has come begging for your help, so you should at least give him a job. I remember our camp has always been short of someone to clean horse manure, and I think General Zhou Buzhang would be a good fit."

"Perfect, absolutely perfect! General Zhou Buzhang has always been extremely meticulous in his work; he'll clean horse manure spotlessly!"

"Haha, that's a great idea!"

……

Under this onslaught, Zhou Buzhang's face changed from green to red, then from red to green, his expression shifting repeatedly. His fists clenched so tightly that his fingernails pierced his palms, yet he remained standing motionless.

Zhang Shi, who was not far away, was watching...

very satisfied!

"It seems Zhou Buzhang is truly desperate; otherwise, given his previous honors and achievements, he would definitely have left!"

"But now, despite being humiliated like this by these people, they can still stand still and not move..."

"Just how terrible were Shen Zhi'an's sins?!"

"Did you drive an honest person to this?"

Zhang Shidu couldn't help but sigh.

Having seen many extraordinary people, he has gradually developed a thick heart, just like Ren Tianye, and can now take anything for granted.

But now... I can't help but feel sorry for Zhou Buzhang.

Zhou Buzhang was a renowned general; even after retiring, he should have been able to enjoy his later years in peace. How could he have ended up in such a state?

Feeling a sense of shared sorrow, Zhang Shi strode over.

The moment he appeared before everyone, all the sounds vanished, even the smug satisfaction on Grand Commander Zhou Mengyan's face disappeared.

Everyone harbored a deep-seated fear of Zhang Shi.

This man, who dared to kill twenty-seven naval commanders on his very first day of joining the cause, left a very deep impression on everyone!

It was so profound that everyone subconsciously avoided Zhang Shi!

"Greetings, Grand Commander!"

Zhang Shi broke the deadlock first, saying, "This Zhou Buzhang was summoned by me, Grand Commander. Hand him over to me."

Zhou Mengyan was taken aback and asked, "General Zhang Shi, was he someone you summoned?"

"Why did you call him here?"

Zhang Shi sighed helplessly, "Isn't it because the army is short-handed? I have no choice. If we can't train some excellent naval commanders in a short time, who will hold them off when Ren Tianye attacks?"

"I?"

"Still you?"

"I had no choice but to invite Zhou Buzhang. This man is at least renowned and exceptionally talented. Having him train naval commanders will surely enable us to resist Ren Tianye in the future!"

"You want him to train naval commanders?" Zhou Mengyan was even more surprised, and immediately refused: "No, absolutely not!"

Zhou Mengyan was very clear about this.

Zhou Buzhang, his enemy, is the reason why the naval commanders trained by Zhou Buzhang would be loyal to him.

It would be troublesome if we ended up creating a bunch of enemies!

"No way?" Zhang Shidao asked. "Then what do you suggest, Grand Commander?"

"As far as I know, Ren Tianye's naval training is progressing smoothly, and they'll be attacking soon. Should I turn myself into twenty men and lead them up there?"

"But I can't bring my own people!"

"If Ren Tianye really attacks, I can stop him on land, but in the water... I can't stop anyone in the water either!"

After a pause, Zhang Shidao said, "Then how about you, Grand Commander, have more than twenty men? You can lead them up there, what do you think?"

Zhang Shi's words were impulsive, but they were in line with his consistently tough personality. He then walked directly towards Zhou Buzhang. The people on both sides tried to stop him, but after being glanced at by Zhang Shi, they were all frightened and backed away.

Zhang Shi approached Zhou Buzhang and said, "Come on, Zhou Buzhang. You've joined the army, so come with me. Don't worry, with me here, let's see who dares to say anything more."

Zhou Buzhang felt as if he had grasped a lifeline, following Zhang Shi step by step, while Zhang Shi led the way, leaving with his head held high.

However, Zhang Shi didn't push things too far. After taking a few steps, he paused, turned around, and said, "Brother, can you please stop looking like that?"

"In urgent situations, expediency is key!"

"I had no choice!"

"Let's talk about everything after we defeat Ren Tianye, okay?"

This half-hearted attempt at consolation failed to quell Zhou Mengyan's anger, which immediately turned black. Upon returning to the military camp, he flew into a rage!

……