The male supporting character was actually myself.

What a gentle, considerate, kind, and unambitious woman she is! All I want is to be with her and live a carefree and happy life!

In that instant, Li Dongchen suddenly envied Ruan Fannan for being able to live a carefree, idyllic life with his wife at Qinya Villa, playing music and singing songs.

No wonder they were able to have so many children; the couple lived in perfect harmony, spending every day and night together, so naturally their offspring continued to multiply.

For a young master of a prestigious military family like himself to be able to only dream of such a simple life is truly a failure!

"Bang!" With that thought, he slammed his fist on the table.

It's all that lowly bastard Li Jiangchen's fault!

If her mother's plan had been successfully and perfectly implemented back then, that woman of lowly birth would have died long ago, along with her unborn child. How could she have given birth to such a thing, eyeing her covetously and making her feel uneasy about even being the eldest son?

Li Jiangchen... If only he could have died on the battlefield, then I wouldn't have to fight so fiercely for everything in the Marshal's Mansion.

By then, no matter how much my father tries to stop me, it will be meaningless. I am his only son, and he won't go against me for the sake of a woman...

Thinking of this, Li Dongchen felt an unprecedented surge of anticipation for news of his younger brother's death. He even secretly thought about burning incense for his mother, hoping she would bless his thorn in his side to die soon!

"General, the Second Young Master has returned with good news!"

"The second young master has won another battle!"

"Great news! The Second Young Master truly lives up to his reputation as a war god reborn; he has won another magnificent victory..."

…………

Just as Li Dongchen was happily imagining how he would enjoy inheriting the marshal's mansion after Li Jiangchen died on the battlefield, a commotion suddenly broke out outside. He heard that the guy who was so focused on cursing had actually won another battle and had come back to show off, and his face immediately fell.

"Young Master, aren't you going to take a look?" A servant boy walked by in the courtyard, beaming with joy, shouting, "The Second Young Master has returned victorious from the battle, bringing back lots of novelties! Everyone received a lot of reward money!"

money?

Upon hearing this word, Li Dongchen, who was feeling unbearably lonely and restless, immediately perked up, and his thick eyebrows and big eyes became bright and piercing.

Even if Dad cuts off his own money, he still has a wealthy younger brother he can borrow from!

A day apart feels like three autumns. No matter what, the most urgent thing is to get some money to go find your sweetheart and pour out your heart to her!

Jiang Chen's successful land reform and distribution case in Yucheng, after a period of publicity and fermentation, had already spread to other warlord territories. Many people who did not own their own land and were struggling to live in poverty were hoping that Li's army would come over as soon as possible, so that any land that came into Li's army's territory would be distributed to the people to cultivate according to the new policy.

Even a common saying that came from the territory of the Li family army became popular: "Farming and paying taxes is better than being an emperor."

This shows how comfortable life was when land was allocated to one's own family, and they only had to pay a small portion of taxes and grain upon cultivating and harvesting the land, with the rest being distributed among themselves!

As the people eagerly awaited their return, Jiang Chen led the Li family army to sweep away the small warlord and bandit strongholds in the north with unstoppable momentum.

Now the entire northern part of the mountain is under the control of the Li family army, and the name of the young marshal Li Jiangchen is gradually becoming well-known throughout the country. The warlords who occupy the fertile land with good mountains and rivers in the east, south and west have also begun to covet the Li family army, which has rapidly integrated into the largest warlord army in the northern region.

"That was a satisfying battle!"

Jiang Chen dismounted and casually tossed his riding whip to Zhang Mingyuan, who was following closely behind. He laughed loudly and said, "Further north lies the border mountain range where snow falls year-round. From now on, our Li family army will no longer have to worry about being attacked from both sides. We can occupy the north of the mountains and advance southwards, gradually encroaching on the enemy's territory. One day, our commander's mansion will be established in the capital!"

"The second young master will surely achieve great things and have all his wishes fulfilled!" A clever servant boy flattered him, and he casually grabbed a handful of money and threw it over, "Look at your sweet talk, take this and buy some candy!"

"Thank you, Second Master!" The servant, beaming with joy after receiving the reward, scurried around busily, busy with other tasks.

Hiding behind the moon gate and watching this scene unfold, Li Dongchen's eyes lit up with a plan.

Anyway, my younger brother has plenty of money and spends it like water. Since I'm the older brother, I have to squeeze a lot of money out of him. Otherwise, it would be too low-class and not worth the face of me having to beg for money.

If we could borrow the money to redeem my dream lover, that would be even better!

After carefully choosing his words, Li Dongchen pretended to have just arrived and walked out through a moon gate, smiling at his younger brother: "Another victory? Congratulations!"

"Big brother, you've heard about it too?" Jiang Chen's acting was much more natural than his. He slapped Li Dongchen on the shoulder and laughed loudly, "From now on, we in Shanbei are a united front. Come on, let's go have a couple of drinks with Dad, he'll definitely be very happy!"

Li Dongchen was so slapped that he almost lost his balance. His shoulder, which had already been whipped twice, hurt even more. He could only force a smile and lower his voice, saying, "Big brother wants to discuss something with you..."

"Why are we brothers being so coy? If you need any help from your older brother, just let me know!" Jiang Chen replied in his usual loud, smiling voice.

"Keep your voice down, let's talk privately, just the two of us." Li Dongchen glanced warily at the crowd, pulled him a couple of steps to the side, and twirled his fingers to lower his voice even further. "I want to borrow some money from you."

He casually straightened his military cap and chuckled, "It's rare for you to ask me for help, brother. Alright! I just raided a bandit's den the other day and got some money that hasn't been deposited into the bank yet. Tell me how much you need?"

Li Dongchen chuckled and waved his hand, "I won't lend you much, five thousand silver dollars will do."

"How much?!" Jiang Chen raised his voice slightly exaggeratedly, "Have you never done anything big before? You have no concept of money, do you? Do you know how much equipment five thousand silver dollars can buy for the army..."

Afraid that his father would hear him shouting, Li Dongchen hurriedly stepped forward to cover his mouth, saying anxiously, "What are you shouting for? If you think it's too much, just say so! What are you shouting for?! It's only five thousand silver dollars and you're already so anxious, you're such a miser!"

"Alright, alright, can I borrow three thousand instead of five?"

Seeing the other person's face fall as quickly as flipping through a book, he hurriedly changed his tune, saying, "Then two thousand... one thousand! This is the lowest I can offer. I've never asked you for this before, so this is the only time I'll see if you're generous enough to give me this face."

Jiang Chen laughed in exasperation, "Oh, how much does your face cost per pound?"

You're asking for so much money right off the bat, you have to tell me what you're going to do with it, right?

I heard the news while I was still on my way this morning: my sister-in-law has been appointed as the acting principal of Yucheng No. 1 Elementary School. You're unemployed, jobless, and have plenty of food, drink, and entertainment at home, so why would you need to spend so much money?

"I..." Li Dongchen's face paled. He hadn't expected this kid to have so many spies. He already knew about what happened that morning before he even returned to Yucheng!

A sly smile appeared on Jiang Chen's face. He narrowed his eyes and sneered, "Is he still harboring wicked intentions, wanting to go to brothels and keep the Bai Jasmine sisters as mistresses? Heh, brother, you really have unique tastes. You like being played with and treated by other men. Does that taste good?"

He reached out and grabbed the other man's long robe by the collar, straightening it for him, and said in a smug tone, "When you're enjoying the pleasure of 'plowing,' do you find it exciting to imagine that other men have done the same thing? What a strange fetish. You've been violated by so many dirty, smelly, and disgusting men, and you don't even find it disgusting?"

"You...you've gone too far!" Li Dongchen was successfully provoked.

The girl he cherished as a treasure—who had been corrupted into prostitution by this guy but remained pure and innocent like a lotus rising from the mud—was insulted by him like this!

No man could tolerate this!

He jumped up, wanting to slap his younger brother's face, but his wrist was grabbed. Li Dongchen struggled a few times but couldn't break free. Enraged, his face turned red, and he cursed, "You culprit who forced a good woman into prostitution! Li Jiangchen, you're a bastard! I was helping you atone for your sins, so that the Marshal's Mansion wouldn't be tarnished by your misdeeds! You...you've ruined her like that and you still don't know how to repent..."

"Oh? I forced a woman into prostitution?" Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow and dragged him towards the hall. "I can let everything else go, but you've slandered me like this. I have to confront my father face to face to clear things up, lest I end up taking the blame for someone else again!"

When Li Tianxing heard that his youngest son had returned victorious, he was in a good mood and prepared to personally greet him. However, as soon as he stepped out of the hall, he saw the two brothers tearing at each other and almost wrestling as they walked towards him. His old face immediately darkened again.

The fluffy ball bounced off its host's shoulder and landed lightly on the top of his head, squatting down with a serious expression to defend against the protagonist's halo.

"Both of you, let go! How can you be so old and still resort to violence? What kind of behavior is this!"

When both of them let go at the same time while their father scolded them, it was immediately clear who was at a disadvantage.

Jiang Chen was still dressed in a smart military uniform; his military cap was held firmly in his left hand; there wasn't a single wrinkle in his uniform; his high boots were black and shiny; he stood there with a straight posture and gave a standard salute, exuding the unique temperament of a soldier from the inside out.

In contrast, Li Dongchen's face was still swollen from being slapped in the morning. His slightly long, fashionable hair looked messy without hair wax, and the buttons on his cotton long shirt had been ripped open by Jiang Chen, making him look bulky and sleazy.

The stark contrast made Li Tianxing's gaze towards his eldest son somewhat unfriendly.

"Meow meow meow~ Go away! Keep dodging if you dare!" The fluffy ball was on high alert and didn't forget to provoke, "Your protagonist halo isn't working, it can't even break through my soft and cute little white's most basic defenses, how are you going to lower the old man's intelligence? You want him to favor you and attack my host? Hetui! Keep dreaming!"

The little white cat could see clearly that Li Dongchen was brewing up a pitiful and indignant mood, his protagonist aura shining brightly as he tried to envelop the old man.

If he succeeds, the situation will likely reverse immediately. The best supporting actor risked his life to win a battle, only to be scolded as soon as he entered his home. His military achievements will be completely ignored, and he will be unable to shake off the accusation of forcing a woman into prostitution.

"Don't worry, host, I'm blocking the old man's intelligence-lowering halo. Let's face him head-on and beat him to a pulp!" The fluffy little ball of fur shook its big tail and waved its paws to cheer on its host.

Chapter Thirty-Three: Friction, Rubbing on the Ground

Fluffy Ball is such a treasure of a cat!

He easily seized the protagonist's halo, leaving him helpless and unable to reduce the intelligence of important supporting characters, saving him a lot of trouble. Otherwise, he would have had to go through a roundabout and time-consuming process to bring down the protagonist.

It's so satisfying to just stand up to the aura and rub the opponent to the ground!

Jiang Chen smiled slightly and spoke first: "Father, I have completely wiped out the last wave of bandits. Now the entire northern part of the mountain is under the control of our Li family army. The newly conquered territories are being inventoried, measured, and divided equally. When the land thaws next spring, the people will be eager to cultivate their own land. Our northern mountain will surely live in peace and prosperity!"

"Great! Great!" Li Tianxing was genuinely happy.

He himself never thought that he could bring the entire northern part of the mountain under his control after he became the commander-in-chief. Now, his youngest son has accomplished such a great thing in just a few months. It is truly a cause for celebration!

"Today I'm holding a victory celebration for my youngest son. You've been leading troops in battle, enduring wind and rain, and you must be exhausted. Now that you're back, take a good rest." He walked down the steps, looked his youngest son up and down, and patted him on the shoulder with increasing delight. He laughed and said, "You must have suffered a lot outside, right? You've lost weight! It's almost time to hibernate, so don't run around anymore. It's not too late to take the next step next spring."

Jiang Chen chuckled innocently but didn't respond. Instead, he went straight to complaining, "Dad, it should have been a joyous occasion for me to bring back good news today. But I'm going to add to your unhappiness. We need to clarify the truth of this matter; I don't want to be the scapegoat again!"

Guessing that it must be another argument between the brothers, Li Tianxing immediately turned grim and looked at his eldest son, saying coldly, "You, as the eldest brother, have no manners at all. Your younger brother has finally returned from fighting abroad, and you're just causing him trouble and distress, aren't you?"

"Father, you can't be biased if you don't ignore the facts!" Li Dongchen's face was contorted with anger as he hysterically shouted, "Yes, I know he has military merits now, but no matter how many merits he has, they can't offset the crimes he committed. This matter was originally Li Jiangchen's fault!"

"Brother, this is a typical case of ignoring the facts, being vague, and arbitrarily pinning the blame on others. Don't get so worked up. Just calmly explain the whole story and let Dad judge for himself. He'll then know who's right and who's wrong."

Jiang Chen raised his voice and said confidently, "I had just entered the house when my older brother came up to me and said congratulations, and then asked me to borrow money. Is that what happened?"

There were so many people watching in the courtyard. You were the one who pulled me aside first and said, "Let's have a quiet talk, brothers." I was quite happy at the time. First, we had won a battle; second, my elder brother had put aside past grievances and taken the initiative to make amends; and third, we had some money from raiding the bandit's den that hadn't been deposited in the bank yet, so I thought I'd take it to my elder brother to tide him over.

And then you ask me for five thousand dollars right off the bat, isn't that right?

That's five thousand silver dollars! My brothers and I risked our lives fighting bandits and we might not even be able to collect that many silver dollars. We could buy a lot of guns and ammunition, enough to take down two more cities!

When I refused to lower the price to three thousand, two thousand, or even one thousand dollars, they claimed it was the lowest price and acted as if they were giving me a bargain.

The first question you must answer today is: what are you going to do with so much money?

"Managing a mere school, with all expenses covered by the bank, you can just stay home, eat and drink well, bear no risks, and give a little direction at the school. Why would you need so much money when you don't need guns or cannons?"

Hearing this, Li Tianxing, consumed by anger, coldly retorted, "A thousand silver dollars? My eldest son is naturally meant to use 'guns' and 'cannons', what else can he do besides women?"

"Oh? So you went to a brothel to find prostitutes!" Jiang Chen said sarcastically. "The rumors are true? I heard that the Ruan Xiangqin sisters are very expensive, costing thirty silver dollars a night."

Even if I gave you a thousand silver dollars, how long could you live on it? It's something everyone's already done, something you insist on treasuring. Do you know how many people and how many lives thirty silver dollars could support?

"Who did you say? Ruan Xiangqin? Is she the one from Ruan Fannan's family..." Li Tianxing was taken aback when he heard the somewhat familiar name.

The words of Lieutenant Li still echoed in his ears, and he immediately became alert: "Those two women who are unreasonable, distort the truth, steal IOUs and then try to renege on their debts, and are extremely cold-blooded even towards their own fathers?"

“That’s right!” Jiang Chen deliberately glared at Li Dongchen and said coldly, “After I refused to lend him the money, my brother became furious and accused me of forcing a woman into prostitution. He also said that he took the money to do good deeds and to atone for my sins.”

I find it strange. I'm so busy with reforms every day to improve people's lives. When did I ever force a good person into prostitution?

If you can't produce concrete evidence to support your false accusations, don't blame me for knocking out your teeth to teach you a lesson!

Li Dongchen was so angry that he trembled all over.

Especially the way the father and son were working together to target him, this scene was exactly the same as when he was once deeply favored by his father and on the same side as him, scolding Li Jiangchen!

But now, he is fighting alone while they have become a faction.

Ha, Li Jiangchen is indeed born of a vixen!

Back then, his mother was able to climb into the warlord's bed from an unknown homeless woman and successfully give birth to a son, wasn't it all thanks to her sweet talk and seduction skills? It seems Li Jiangchen has been deliberately hiding his true abilities, but now he's showing his fangs...

"Father, you can't just listen to his side of the story!"

Thinking of this, Li Dongchen took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. He summarized Xiangqin's personal description during their intimate moments and said with a look of grief and indignation, "Let's not talk about going to the Ruan family to collect debts. Anyway, Yuqin Mountain has already been divided up."