The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the Somersault Cloud, Old Zhu was so envious he cried!

Huang Zi'an was really anxious.

"Miss Xu, this really won't do."

He leaned close to Xu Miaoyun and said urgently in a low voice, "There are thirty or forty people outside, all private soldiers raised by Zhao An and Hu Wan. If a fight really breaks out, our numbers won't be enough."

"I know you have ideas, but it's not about ideas; it's about the sheer number of people."

He swallowed hard and continued to persuade her, "Miss Xu, listen to me, go through the back door."

"It's not too late to leave now. Hu Wan and the others are still in the dark alley and don't know what's going on inside us."

"Once His Highness returns, dealing with the Zhao and Hu families will be a simple matter of a word. There's no need to fight here tonight."

Xu Miaoyun remained silent.

She waved her hand, meaning: My mind is made up, don't say anything more.

Huang Zi'an wanted to argue further, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he saw the look in that eyes and swallowed his words back.

He sighed inwardly, thinking to himself, "Why won't you listen to advice, Miss Xu?"

If you lose even a single hair, my entire family will be wiped out!

He turned to Wang Defa, hoping that Magistrate Wang could offer some words of advice.

Magistrate Wang was, after all, an official, and his words carried weight.

"Lord Wang, you—"

Before he could finish speaking, Huang Zi'an realized that Wang Defa wasn't listening to him at all.

Wang Defa stared at Xu Miaoyun, his eyes practically glued to her.

He just stared at it, his expression gradually changing.

From confusion to stunned silence, from stunned silence to an indescribable excitement, my hands hung at my sides, my fingertips trembling.

"Lord Wang?" Huang Zi'an waved his hand in front of his eyes.

Wang Defa ignored him.

He took half a step forward, his voice slightly unsteady: "Miss Xu, you just said you are... a member of the Xu family?"

Xu Miaoyun glanced at him and nodded.

Wang Defa's breathing suddenly became heavy.

He stared at Xu Miaoyun's face for a long time, then suddenly seemed to be struck by something and swayed.

"Are you General Xu Da's daughter?"

Huang Zian was stunned when he heard this.

He knew, of course, that the girl beside the Sixth Prince was no ordinary person.

But he always thought she was the daughter of some civil official.

Xu Da—he was the first marshal of the founding of the nation, a good brother who shared life and death with His Majesty.

What is she doing here?

Wang Defa stood there, motionless for a long time.

He recalled many years ago when he was just a lowly soldier. He had been defeated and was trampled on among the dead. He had been shot in the leg with an arrow and thought he was going to die.

As a result, a general passed by, glanced down at him, tossed him a water bag, said, "If you're alive, wait for the army doctor," and then left.

He later learned that it was Xu Da.

For Xu Da, this was probably just a matter of course.

With so many people in the army, how could he possibly remember a single soldier?

But Wang Defa remembered it for the rest of his life.

After crawling out of the pile of dead bodies, he had only one thought:

Live well, so that one day you can see this general again and thank him in person.

He toiled for so many years, rising from a lowly soldier to a minor official, and then from a minor official to the magistrate of Qingshui County, but he never reached that day.

Today, his benefactor's daughter is standing in front of him.

"I was wondering why you looked so familiar when we first met..." Wang Defa's voice was a little hoarse. "Your eyebrows and eyes are similar, you really look like General Xu."

He paused, then lifted his robe and knelt down.

"This old minister, Wang Defa, served as a soldier under General Xu in his early years."

He didn't look up, his voice muffled, "Since Miss isn't leaving, then this old minister won't leave either. Wherever Miss points, this old minister will go."

Huang Zi'an was completely dumbfounded.

He originally came to Wang Defa to persuade people, but the old man suddenly knelt down and pledged his loyalty first.

"Lord Wang!" Huang Zi'an exclaimed anxiously, taking two steps forward and speaking in a low voice, "I asked you to help persuade the young lady, why did you kneel down first?! How many people are there outside, Zhao An and Hu Wan? How many are there among us? Are you blind?!"

Wang Defa remained silent and did not get up.

Huang Zi'an was furious. He moved closer and spoke even more harshly:

"Furthermore, if something were to happen to Miss Xu, would the Sixth Prince forgive us when he returns? That would be a matter of the entire family being wiped out! My Huang family still has dozens of members—"

He stopped mid-sentence.

Nine clans settled?

He suddenly remembered that Wang Defa's extended family didn't include nine generations of relatives.

His son went to the capital to deliver a message a year ago, but was intercepted by Hu Wan's men on the way and killed in a mass grave.

Who leaked the information?

She's just his wife.

That woman had an affair with Zhao An. She was the one who told Zhao An when the child left and which road it took.

Zhao An then reported this to Qian Youde, who handed a note to Hu Wan, and then the man disappeared.

After learning the truth, Wang Defa personally slit his wife's throat.

Now, he's the only one left in his family.

Huang Zi'an opened his mouth, but swallowed the rest of his words.

He then realized that Wang Defa's willingness to kneel was not because he was frightened by Miss Xu's identity.

That old bastard was waiting for tonight.

Zhao An slept with his wife, Hu Wan killed his son, and these two bastards delivered themselves to his doorstep.

He should hide? He'd love to be the first to grab his knife and charge out.

Huang Zi'an has a family and relatives to support; he fears the loss of his entire clan and the punishment from the Sixth Prince.

But what does Wang Defa have?

There was nothing there.

How can you persuade someone who has nothing left and is full of hatred to back down?

Huang Zi'an felt a tightness in his chest and a sense of unease. After a long pause, he finally managed to squeeze out, "...Lord Wang, you're risking your life to gamble with Miss Xu."

Wang Defa raised his head, his face filled with hatred:

"My life is no longer mine."

"I was saved by General Xu back then, and now I'm returning the favor to Miss Xu."

He paused, then added, his voice low but his enunciation heavy:

"Besides, Zhao An and Hu Wan—I've been waiting for this day for a year."

Huang Zi'an was completely speechless.

Xu Miaoyun turned her head and glanced at Huang Zi'an, then said.

"Master Huang, you don't need to stay with me. You can leave anytime you wish."

Huang Zian was stunned.

He was just trying to figure out how to persuade this old lady to retreat, but she let him go first.

"The entire Huang family is here," Xu Miaoyun added. "Now that you're leaving with your people, no one will say a word against you."

Huang Zi'an opened his mouth, but didn't say anything.

To leave or not to leave, two thoughts were battling in my mind.

Let's go, the Huang family of dozens of people has been saved.

If we don't leave, there are thirty or forty people blocking the alley outside.

But he remembered the day His Highness left, when he patted him on the shoulder: "Patriarch Huang, I'm entrusting Miaoyun to you."

"Miss Xu." Huang Zi'an was silent for a moment, then slowly raised his head. "I'm not leaving."

He paused for a moment, as if speaking to himself:

"I promised His Highness the Sixth Prince that I would protect the young lady with my life."

"Besides—" he smirked, "if I run away, what will I say to His Highness when he asks?"

Xu Miaoyun didn't reply, but simply nodded.

Huang Zi'an then steeled himself and took a step forward:

"Miss Xu, tell me, what should we do next?"

"That's right." Wang Defa chimed in from the side, his voice rough and crisp, "We'll fight however Miss says. Everyone here will listen to Miss's orders."

Xu Miaoyun didn't respond, as if she had expected the two of them to say that.

This is exactly what she wanted.

Those who are forced to stay will run away at the last minute.

Those who choose to stay will not back down even with a knife to their throat.

Wang Defa is barefoot; there's no need to keep him.

Huang Zi'an has a family to support; he needs to be made to open his heart himself.

Now, it's done.

"Okay," Xu Miaoyun said, "Then follow my instructions."