The male supporting character was actually myself.

Lieutenant Li, with a serious expression, stood behind the commander-in-chief, holding a riding whip, awaiting orders.

"Father!" Li Dongchen was not afraid at all when he saw this scene. He had just glared fiercely at his cheap younger brother who had tattled on him when he was pushed to his knees by a servant. He hurriedly pretended to be innocent and said, "What are you doing?"

Jiang Chen, naturally unwilling to suffer in silence, immediately looked at Li Tianxing with a bewildered expression, then glanced at Li Dongchen with a strange look and asked, "Big brother, why are you glaring at me? It was Father's order to have you tied up, not me who ordered it."

As he spoke, he turned to Li Tianxing, who was sitting in the main seat, and said innocently, "Father, you have to testify for me that I don't know anything. Look at the way my elder brother looked at me just now, he must have misunderstood."

Damn it!

You've taken all the benefits, and now you're trying to play mind games with me, causing internal strife and framing the victim!

Li Tianxing was furious. He threw the teacup he was holding at his brother. "You still have the nerve to glare at your brother! He respects you as his older brother and voluntarily handed over the financial power to you, but you've been neglecting your duties and haven't stepped foot in the bank since you received the order. What kind of behavior is this, being so lazy and irresponsible!"

Damn it, it was definitely that kid who snitched on me behind my back. Otherwise, how would Dad have known so quickly that I hadn't gone to the money exchange?

Li Dongchen, feeling indignant, quickly defended himself, "No, Father, I didn't mean to delay important matters! I... I've been away from home for many years and just got back today. After dinner, I saw that it was still early, so I thought I'd go for a walk. But I got lost in the back mountain and wandered around for a long time before finally finding my way out. It really wasn't intentional."

As he spoke, he glanced at his younger brother and grumbled, "It only took a little time, but who knew someone would tattle on me behind my back?"

Jiang Chen spread his hands and said in a cold tone, "A gentleman is open and honest, while a petty person is always worried and anxious. I never stoop to reporting on others behind their backs."

Brother, this has never happened before in our manor. Ha, I'm afraid you learned some petty tricks from those scoundrels abroad, and that's why you've been looking down on me ever since you came back.

My advice to you, little brother, is to be honest. True gold fears no fire; no one can hide their evil deeds forever!

Li Dongchen, who was already feeling guilty, suddenly felt uneasy.

This kid had previously mentioned rumors circulating about him and Zhang Ziqiu, so what exactly does he mean by his veiled barbs now?

It's all that bitch Zhang Ziqiu's fault!

Four years ago, before I went abroad, my affair with her was known only to heaven, earth and the two of us. If she hadn't deliberately spread rumors to threaten the Marshal's Mansion into marrying her, how could such a trouble have arisen out of nowhere?

But fate actually made her succeed. That idiot Li Jiangchen said he was protecting the reputation of the Marshal's Mansion, but didn't he just fall into that bitch's trap?

Once Zhang Ziqiu marries into the family and I also marry my beloved Ruan Xiangqin, this household will likely be far from peaceful. The problem is that right now I need her and Zhang Mingyuan's help to bring down Li Jiangchen, so I can only deal with the brother and sister after things are settled.

Anyway, the Zhang family isn't exactly a prestigious clan, and the Zhang siblings are all tied to Li Jiangchen's failing career, so they can easily find some excuse to resolve this...

"A real man admits his mistake, what excuses are you making! This has nothing to do with your brother. If the money shop manager hadn't come looking for him, I wouldn't have known you were so lazy! Humph, I thought you'd been kidnapped and I was leading the elite troops to search for you, but I never expected you to..."

Seeing his eyes darting around in exasperation, Li Tianxing scolded him, "How can someone as irresponsible as you inherit the family business and lead troops into battle? Lieutenant Li, go and give him thirty lashes. Make sure he learns his lesson!"

"Yes!" Lieutenant Li stepped forward and shook the riding whip in his hand.

While Li Dongchen was lost in thought, he saw that Lieutenant Li had come in person and immediately felt a chill run down his spine. He knew that his father was not going to just give a loud reprimand like usual. He was so frightened that he hurriedly begged for mercy, "Father, Father, I know I was wrong! I will go to the bank to help out right now, please don't hit me, Father!"

"I'm sorry, young master." Lieutenant Li was known for his ruthlessness. He shook the leather whip in his hand and lashed it down without any mercy.

"Snapped!"

The exquisitely crafted and extremely resilient riding whip lashed across his back, immediately tearing a gash in his white robe and revealing the delicate skin beneath, which quickly swelled and turned red. Never before subjected to such torture, Li Dongchen let out a howl, his pleas for mercy mingling with the slow, deliberate crack of the whip, creating a somewhat noisy atmosphere in the marshal's mansion.

Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow with a hint of disdain on his face.

The original owner was disliked from a young age, but was also tough and loved to wield swords and spears, so he naturally received his fair share of whippings from the warlord; on the other hand, this pampered young master, who had never been beaten since childhood, was now being whipped and was screaming like a woman in mourning.

"How could I have given birth to such a useless son!" Li Tianxing slammed his fist on the table in anger.

He was a rough man, born into poverty, who joined a somewhat irregular army just to earn a living. He fought and endured hardship, slowly working his way up. Although he wasn't very educated and longed for the life of a scholar, Li Tianxing was, after all, a soldier, a tough man who believed in being a true man and standing tall.

That's great. Before they've even suffered any hardship, a single lash makes them scream and wail as if their lives are about to end. It's infuriating to watch.

Glancing at his youngest son, who stood to the side, unabashedly disdainful and rolling his eyes, Li Tianxing couldn't help but compare his two sons' behavior in his mind. Jiang Chen was a bit reckless and short-tempered, and liked to talk back to him, but when he was being whipped, the way he gritted his teeth and didn't utter a sound showed he was a tough guy.

He also wondered why he used to dislike his youngest son so much, even finding it annoying when the boy didn't utter a sound after being beaten, thinking the boy was sulking and always adding extra lashes in the heat of the moment. But now that his eldest son was behaving like a woman, he found his youngest son's simple-mindedness somewhat endearingly clumsy.

Thirty lashes were neither too many nor too few. Li Dongchen, who had never suffered any injustice before, cried until his voice was hoarse after being beaten. His face was covered with snot, tears, and sweat, making him look extremely disheveled. His white long robe was torn to shreds, and his back was covered with bloody welts from the whipping.

"Father, I was wrong. I will never dare to neglect my duties again." Li Dongchen pleaded through trembling teeth as he lay on the ground.

Jiang Chen watched the spectacle from the sidelines, thinking to himself that the protagonist's halo was really not that great this time. It couldn't even make his own old man lose his brains. Was his halo only good for conquering women?

If it were to follow the typical TV drama formula, every time the protagonist is tortured, he should be stopped by various beautiful confidantes or beloved old ladies. After being beaten a few times, there should be a sentimental scene, and the protagonist should interact with the beauties to increase their feelings.

If we really get beaten up, that'll be the main event!

He would either faint or fall seriously ill with a high fever, which would not only allow him to seduce the girls but also make the family members who beat him feel guilty and compensate him double.

Unfortunately, Li Dongchen's beautiful confidantes hadn't appeared yet.

In the original storyline, Li Tianxing, who had little screen time and always showed favoritism and bias, had his own scenes added. At most, the main character would get beaten up and fall ill, and the old man would be heartbroken and become even more fond of him.

The original owner's storyline naturally involves suffering more injustices and failing to win favor, gradually turning evil and doing some incredibly stupid bad things to trip up the protagonist, only to be slapped in the face in return.

It's so cliché and unoriginal. Can't the scriptwriting team learn from this and innovate to break free from the constraints?

Jiang Chen smiled slightly and waved his hand, saying, "Dr. Yang, could you please treat my elder brother's wound and give him some anti-infection injections? Otherwise, if he feels wronged and gets a fever from the beating, our father will blame himself."

Seeing that the commander-in-chief did not object, Dr. Yang agreed and stepped forward with his medical kit to treat Li Dongchen's wounds.

"Tsk tsk, big brother, your physique isn't up to par."

Jiang Chen, with his left hand behind his back and his right hand holding his military cap, strolled over, glanced at the scene, shook his head, and laughed, "Thirty lashes are nothing, you look like you've lost half your life. Do you remember that summer when I was fifteen, the fish you caught was snatched away by a wild cat, and you insisted that I stole it, crying and demanding compensation?"

I refused to admit I was a thief, so you had the steward whip me for almost half an hour, claiming it was an elder brother disciplining his shameless thieving younger brother. Even though the steward showed mercy, my back was still a gruesome mess, much worse than yours now, but I didn't cry like a woman like you.

He glanced at the pale-faced butler not far away with a smile, bent down and said in a relaxed tone: "Do you remember how I behaved when I was whipped? You were sitting under the eaves eating grapes, and when I was whipped, I shouted 'I didn't steal anything,' without crying or changing my tune from beginning to end."

You said I was being stubborn, so you had the butler beat me until I gave in.

If I didn't do it, I didn't do it. Even if you try to pressure me with your status as the eldest son, I'll still say the same thing—a real man stands tall and takes responsibility for his actions!

I remember that time I was beaten and then my father dragged me over and gave me a good scolding without asking any questions. There was no one to apply medicine to my back. The wounds on my back were festering, and I had a high fever and was delirious for several days.

Luckily, I'm alive. I made some medicine for the bruises, lay down for two days, and even rice and water didn't stick to my teeth, so I made it through. Now you've only been whipped a few times, don't act like you've suffered some great injustice. Tell me, what's that saying again?

Oh, by the way, hitting is a sign of affection, scolding is a sign of love, not hitting or scolding is harmful.

"Your father disciplined you for your own good, so don't hold a grudge against him. Like when I was thirteen and he pushed me into the river because he resented me for eating an extra piece of cake. I was young and resilient, so instead of drowning, I learned to swim. Your father is too old to handle your 'playing around' like that."

The old story of favoritism being brought up again made Li Tianxing lose face, so he kept a straight face and didn't say anything.

The youngest son is very bad at this; he doesn't know how to save face for his father at all!

Fortunately, none of the subordinates and servants in the courtyard reacted to these barbed words. It seemed that the youngest son was used to being clueless and talking nonsense, and no one took his complaints about favoritism seriously. Li Tianxing secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

As people get older, they become more concerned about saving face, but their hearts are not as hard as before. A few years ago, Jiang Chen would definitely have been whipped a few times as punishment to cover up his own guilty conscience.

He still remembered that incident from back then. Dongchen came running over angrily to complain and told him what had happened. He had just suffered a loss in battle and was fuming with anger. When he heard that his youngest son had stolen something and was still being stubborn, he got furious. He had his son, who was covered in blood from being beaten, dragged over. He had only asked the youngest son a couple of questions when the youngest son stubbornly refused to listen. He got angry and scolded the youngest son, and then, in his anger, ordered that no one was allowed to interfere with him.

Although his younger son, who is quite resilient, was fine afterward, the father was still a little scared. What if the infection had cost his child his life? Wouldn't it be too late to regret it then?

At that time, the war situation was chaotic and he was busy running around. Unfortunately, his youngest son was stubborn and refused to back down, so the matter was left unresolved and never brought up again. Who would have thought that he still holds a grudge to this day?

For a moment, Li Tianxing suddenly wondered if his youngest son's simple-mindedness was due to the damage to his brain caused by being beaten too much when he was young. After all, his mother was a smart and clever girl, and he, the father, was not bad either. How could they have raised such a silly son?

Thinking about it this way, my guilt only intensified.

Now that the youngest son's beloved fiancée has been slept with by this rebellious eldest son, let alone making sarcastic remarks to him, he should personally beat the eldest son half to death!

"Let bygones be bygones. Brother, you got a beating today too, so I'm even. From now on, let's put aside our differences and cooperate. You can work together, and I can work together, to lead the Li Family Army to greater heights and make our Marshal's Mansion bring glory to our ancestors!"

Jiang Chen changed his tone, no longer being sarcastic but instead saying with high spirits: "The current situation is turbulent and unstable, which is a great opportunity for our army to develop. Brother, you've worked hard. After you finish applying the medicine, take a break, change your clothes, and go over the accounts with the head of the bank. We need to quickly collect the debts and replenish the military supplies. This winter is probably going to be tough, so we need to prepare early."

[Mission: Personally go to Ruan Jiaqin Ya Manor to collect the debt and burn the manor down. Reward: One-time use C-grade item x1]

The sudden task release from the main system left Jiang Chen bewildered. He had modified the script so that even the minor character Li Tianxing was now causing trouble for the main character, so why was the script still progressing according to the original plan?

The little white cat was sent out and wasn't around, so he could only steal a glance at the script when he had a spare moment.

Surprisingly, the script hasn't been updated yet!

Chapter Seven: The Combination of Civil and Military Talents

This shows that the actions he orchestrated to embarrass the protagonist have not yet affected the subsequent developments.

Tonight, taking the protagonist to the female lead's house to cause trouble should involve revising the plot. If the script team still doesn't change their original intention, then we can only wait until tomorrow for Lieutenant Li to successfully annul the engagement.

Of course, there's also the possibility that the engagement can't be called off for various reasons, so you'll have to prepare for both possibilities in advance...

Judging from the current situation, Li Tianxing's change of favoritism has not had any impact. The protagonist's halo has not had any effect on the old man's intelligence. Does this mean that it doesn't really matter who the general favors?

If the script isn't forcibly changed later, Li Dongchen will still smoothly travel overseas with his virtuous wife and beautiful concubines and his vast fortune to live a happy life abroad, while he, the Li family army, and the people of Yucheng will become victims of the turbulent times, disappearing in the midst of gunfire.

The sacrifice and suffering of countless lives are contrasted with the protagonist's good fortune in finding true love and living a peaceful and tranquil life amidst chaos.

Jiang Chen silently put the script away, her brows slightly furrowed.

It seems that we still have to focus on our careers, protect our beautiful land and people, help them get through the darkness before dawn and welcome a bright future. That is the duty of a soldier, and also the deepest romance in this special period.

Of course, the best career plan is to complete the unification of the country ahead of time and create a glorious nation with strong military power in the alternate history mission world, so as to prevent the common people from suffering from the ravages of war and the devastation of life.

"Dongchen, you are the older brother, but you are not as magnanimous as your younger brother. You must learn from Jiang Chen in this respect!"

The two brothers, skilled in both literature and martial arts, supported each other. Clearly, Jiang Chen's words resonated with Li Tianxing, who nodded in satisfaction and said, "As the saying goes, 'Brothers fight side by side, fathers and sons go to war together.' The most important thing is for you two to put aside your past grievances and stop fighting amongst yourselves, and join forces to make the Marshal's Mansion even better."

Work hard, and Dad won't treat any of you unfairly in the future!

A real man shouldn't act like a sissy, all whiny and delicate. Learn from your younger brother. Change your clothes later and go see the head manager of the money exchange. See how he plans to collect the debt…”

“Father, my elder brother has just been beaten and is, after all, a scholar. I’m afraid he won’t be able to keep order if he goes to collect the debt.”

Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Chen pretended to be reckless and volunteered, "Today I'll take some men to help my elder brother keep order and also dispel the rumors that we brothers are at odds."

When we first mistakenly thought our eldest brother was missing and searched the whole city, you must have heard the rumors circulating, right? Letting these rumors fly around like this without taking any action is not good for our Marshal's Mansion.

If you're worried that I might act rashly and clash with my elder brother again, why don't you trouble Lieutenant Li to accompany us?

"Yes, my youngest son is becoming more and more thoughtful in his considerations." Li Tianxing thought about it and agreed with him, nodding in agreement.

Anyone who dares to default on a debt at the Li Family Money House is not easy to deal with. They are either lazy, gamblers, or opium addicts. They are all tough guys. Even with the eldest son's refined appearance, it will be difficult to get the money back without someone in charge.

Li Dongchen's back was burning with pain from the beating. After receiving medicine and an injection, he was listless but not completely dumbfounded. Only then did he realize that his adopted younger brother was not an easy opponent.

His father's words, in particular, chilled him to the bone: "I will not mistreat anyone."

Doesn't that mean the Marshal's Mansion will be divided up in the future? The family business that should have been entirely inherited by me will now be divided in half with others. How can I be willing to accept that!

At this moment, Li Jiangchen suddenly suggested that they go to collect debts together. Surely he wouldn't be digging a hole for himself again?

Did he deliberately hand over the financial power of the money shop to me just to see me make a fool of myself by collecting bad debts?

On second thought, with the incorruptible Lieutenant Li by his side, Li Jiangchen wouldn't dare to cause any trouble. Besides, he had just returned and didn't have a trusted confidant. He didn't know what kind of situation he would face if he rashly went to collect debts. With Lieutenant Li around, he could feel more at ease.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Lieutenant Li." Li Dongchen weakly cupped his hands in a gesture of goodwill.