I was living in the Five Dynasties period, just after crossing the Zhongdu Bridge.

Shen Lie's so-called fainting was seen by the imperial physicians and the Li family as an acute illness of qi and blood deficiency.

But he knew in his heart that it was a transformative rebirth.

Since the underlying health is fine, there's no need to pretend about the illness on the surface for too long.

After just three days, Commander Shen, who had been resting in the house until his bones were almost melting, could no longer stay in bed.

It wasn't that he didn't want to enjoy this peaceful life; it was simply that he had an important matter to attend to.

This story begins with a set of armor.

Since Shen Lie fainted, although His Highness Liu Chengxun did not come in person, he sent someone to deliver the generous gift that he had not sent that day.

A set of mountain-patterned armor inlaid with gold and silver.

This armor certainly has a very appealing appearance.

The armor plates are interwoven like the Chinese character for "mountain," gleaming in the sunlight, and the polished breastplate reveals a few human figures.

The interior is lined with brocade and edged with cloud patterns.

If one were to wear this outfit and go out to show off in the streets, he would surely become a young hero that the whole city would flock to see.

But Shen Lie only tried it once before having it locked up at the bottom of the box.

Simply put, this thing is for people to see, not for people to wear.

That day, Yang Ting, accompanied by two personal guards, spent nearly half an hour, sweating profusely, before finally managing to get Shen Lie properly dressed in this elaborate set of armor.

Although the reason for this was partly due to the rough and uncouth nature of these three men, this armor was indeed a real problem.

Leg armor, lining, shoulder cape, waist guard, ribbon, hood, helmet.

Not to mention that the extra gold and silver ornaments added several pounds of weight, there was just the fact that the way of wearing it was more complicated than that of ordinary armor.

If you were attacked at night on the battlefield, you probably wouldn't even have time to get half of your clothes on before your head was gone.

Liu Chengxun gave it as a gift with good intentions, but ultimately this set of armor was not suitable for this trip to Yecheng.

We can change into them on the day of our triumphant return!

However, the matter of the armor could not be ignored. After all, Shen Lie was a man who always took the lead in battle, and he probably wouldn't change this habit anytime soon.

Firstly, this fellow was quite strong and skilled in martial arts, so he was quite addicted to beheading.

Secondly, in battles between two armies, morale is the key to victory. Putting aside the saying that an arrogant army will surely be defeated and a desperate army will surely win, just the fact that one's own commander is charging ahead, how can the soldiers behind him not fight to the death?

So, taking advantage of the fact that Li Congxi and his wife were out attending a banquet, Shen Lie took only Yang Ting with him, and secretly left the mansion with the drawing he had spent three days sketching with a brush in his room.

Their destination was Guo Wei's mansion.

Shen Lie's trip was indeed to ask for help.

The armor manufacturing of this new dynasty was the work of the Armor Workshop, which followed the regulations of the Later Jin Dynasty, tracing back to the time of the Tang Dynasty.

Ultimately, it was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War.

However, everyone in the current court and the entire city of Daliang knows that military affairs are commanded by the two Privy Councilors, Yang Bin and Guo Wei, while the Six Ministries are controlled by the two Grand Secretaries, Su Fengji and Su Yu.

That official Liu on the dragon throne did seem to have the air of a hands-off manager.

Therefore, if Shen Lie wanted to get those craftsmen to obey and build a strange suit of armor according to his blueprints, he had no choice but to go through Guo Rong's connections.

After all, this Brother Guo was a merchant before, and now he is helping Guo Wei manage the Guo family's affairs. In this Daliang territory, he is known for his skill in social maneuvering and has a great deal of influence.

Upon arriving at the gate of the Guo residence, someone went in to announce their arrival.

The door opened shortly afterward, but it wasn't Guo Rong who came out to greet them; it was Qing Ge'er.

"Brother Shen!"

Guo Tong saw Shen Lie and hurriedly went to greet him.

"Brother Shen, are you feeling much better? My father was talking about you with my brother yesterday, saying that he would ask the imperial physician to take another look at you."

"The concerns of Privy Councilor Lao and Brother Guo are now largely resolved."

Shen Lie returned the greeting with a cupped hand, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then explained his purpose.

Upon hearing this, Guo Tong looked troubled and said, "This is unfortunate. My father went to the Privy Council for a meeting, and my elder brother went with him. I'm afraid we won't be home until later."

This missed opportunity was exactly what Shen Lie had expected.

With the army about to set off, Guo Wei, as a pillar of the new dynasty, was naturally extremely busy.

"In that case, may I trouble you for a moment at your residence and wait for Brother Jungui?" It wasn't that Shen Lie was being disrespectful; it was just that Li Congxi would order him to stay in his room as soon as he returned.

Besides, since we're already here, there's no reason not to come in.

"Of course!"

Guo Tong stepped aside to lead the way, "Brother Shen, please follow me. Now that you're here, according to custom, I'll take you to see your mother first."

That makes sense.

When visiting someone's home, if the male head of the household is not present, paying respects to the mistress of the house is a sign of family ties and a way to show respect to elders.

At this time, the matriarch of the Guo family was Zhang.

It's said that Guo Wei was a man of strong character. His first wife, Chai, died young, and his second wife, Yang, also passed away in Taiyuan.

This Zhang woman, whose husband died in the chaos of war, later met Guo Wei in Taiyuan. The two lived together and were quite harmonious.

During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, it was common for women to remarry after losing their husbands, and no one used the concept of a chastity archway to describe it.

However, even if it's a visit to the mistress of the house, one cannot go straight into the inner quarters.

Shen Lie followed Guo Tong through the corridor toward the main hall.

As soon as I arrived at the hall, I heard a woman's laughter coming from inside, clear and melodious like silver bells.

Shen Lie paused slightly, straightened his clothes, and then followed Guo Tong across the threshold.

In the main hall sat a woman of dignified bearing, presumably Zhang.

Beside her sat a young girl in her early teens, whose features closely resembled Guo Wei's; she must be a young lady from the Guo family.

However, Shen Lie's gaze did not linger on the mother and daughter for long.

Because there was an uninvited guest sitting in that guest seat.

The woman was dressed in a ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), and a red-gold hair ornament was inserted into her hair bun, swaying slightly as she turned her head.

She was struggling with the floating leaf in her cup that refused to fall when she heard footsteps and casually looked up.

Eyes facing each other.

Shen Lie felt his eyelids twitch.

It was none other than the young woman who had been leaning against the carriage window outside Yaozhou City.

This city of Daliang is ridiculously small.

Shen Lie inwardly groaned, but outwardly he could only grit his teeth and step forward to bow.

"Junior Shen Lie greets Madam Zhang."

Zhang had obviously heard of Shen Lie's reputation, and when she saw this rising young hero arrive, she quickly smiled and offered him a helping hand.

"Commander Shen, please don't stand on ceremony. My husband and Jun Gui often talk about you, saying that you are mature beyond your years and a pillar of the nation."

"You flatter me, Madam." Shen Lie maintained his humble demeanor.

Just as they were about to exchange a few pleasantries, a soft hum came from the guest seat.

"Mature beyond his years?"

Fu Qingzhi put down her teacup, her phoenix eyes passing over Shen Lie and landing directly on the burly, dark-skinned man outside the door who was trying to hide and minimize his presence.

Yang Ting.

The commander of the personal guards, who had been rendered speechless by the rebuke in Yaozhou City, now wished he could disappear into a crack in the ground.

"That strong man looks very familiar."

Fu Qingzhi stood up, her skirt swaying slightly, and walked a few steps to Shen Lie.

She tilted her head, trying to find Yang Ting, who was no longer visible.

"Hey, you big black guy, stop hiding!"

"Didn't you swear confidently a month ago in Yaozhou that your lord was seriously ill and couldn't bear the wind or receive guests?"

"What's wrong?"

"It's only been a few days, and your chronically ill magistrate has already managed to come and visit the Guo residence?"

Upon hearing this, the entire hall fell silent.

Guo Tong looked bewildered, while Zhang scolded him with a hint of helplessness, "Qingzhi, don't be rude."