In the twelfth year of Yongtai, October 16th.

The emperor announced to the world that Dingguo Duke Shen Tiannan faked his death and lured the enemy deep into the country. He used 60,000 troops to annihilate the 600,000 barbarian army. He killed the barbarian king Asule and captured the barbarian king Zahash alive, as well as 540,000 Chisong. The main force of the army went deep into Beizhou, killed 200,000 barbarians, and captured countless cattle, sheep, and horses.

As soon as this edict came out, the whole world was frightened, and then there was joy like a roaring mountain and a tsunami.

Countless people were crying and laughing as they removed the longevity tablets they had enshrined. They had enough money to kill pigs and sheep and entertained everyone. They had difficulty digging some wild vegetables and drank alone in the north. It was much more festive than the Chinese New Year.

Amidst all the joy, Liu Shouyi, the chief assistant, wrote a letter begging for the bones.

For a time, hundreds of officials praised him, saying that such a person is a role model for officials.

Begging for bones is a very common thing, but under normal circumstances, you are either too old to move, or you have been impeached by someone.

But first of all, although Liu Shouyi is old, his body is strong and he is far from dying.

Secondly, not only did no one impeach him, but he also played a vital role in this victory.

As long as Duke Dingguo returns to Beijing, Liu Shouyi will definitely have a share in the rewards given by His Majesty.

This is a military merit, and you may be rewarded with a hereditary title that will benefit your descendants.

But as for Liu Shouyi, not only did he not take any credit, he even retreated bravely at his most glorious moment, wrote a letter of resignation and returned home.

If His Majesty nods, wouldn't it be a huge loss?

Fortunately, the results came out quickly.

As everyone expected, Emperor Yongtai was reluctant to part with such a kind old man and issued an edict to retain him. His words were sincere and touching.

But Liu Shouyi had already said what he said. If the emperor stayed and couldn't leave, wouldn't the letter become a show?

So he wrote again to beg for the bones.

Emperor Yongtai once again issued an order to persuade him to stay.

After pulling back and forth three times, Liu Shouyi was finally "touched" by Emperor Yongtai's "sincerity" and "reluctantly" agreed to continue working for a few more years.

Ronganfang, Liu Mansion.

Underground secret room.

This is the most hidden place in the entire Liu Mansion. No one knows the existence of this secret room except Liu Shouyi himself.

The secret room is cramped, with no extraneous furnishings except for a half-person-high stone platform in the center.

There is a slightly lower concave surface on the stone platform, which contains a turbid black liquid.

Liu Shouyi stood alone in front of the stone platform, expressionlessly cut his palm open and placed it on top of the stone platform.

As the bright red blood continued to drip, the turbid liquid gradually became clear.

After a while, a human face appeared inside.

The face was extremely blurry, and the only thing that could be seen clearly were the sharp eyes.

"Why are you the only one?"

Liu Shouyi frowned.

"And it will be great if I am willing to see you."

A plain voice sounded, "Do you know how much it cost this time? But what's the result?"

"No one expected this."

Liu Shouyi was condescending and his eyes became colder, "If you plan to pass all the responsibilities to me, I'm afraid it won't be that easy."

All the plans he mentioned in Yongqing Palace indeed took a lot of thought.

In order to make Emperor Yongtai relax his vigilance, he even recommended people like Lou Guan to take over the Chisong Army.

Unexpectedly, another person came out.

"Without further ado."

There was a trace of impatience in those eyes, "If you want to continue to be believed by everyone, then quickly produce results."

"No, this plan has attracted Lu Qingkong's attention, and Shen Tiannan will return to Beijing soon. We must not alert the enemy at this time."

Liu Shouyi said in a deep voice.

"Then what do you want me to do? Let me help you explain to others?"

The eyes in the water mocked.

"I want to remind you to clean up the traces as soon as possible."

Liu Shouyi said disdainfully, "If I guess correctly, Jia Hongyi is already on the road with the blood-clad guards."

"Jia Hongyi?"

The voice coming from the water was a bit louder, and it was obvious that he was very afraid of Jia Hongyi.

"okay, I get it."

After saying these words, the clear water on the stone platform rippled and became turbid again.

And the blurry human face inside also disappeared.

………

Ding Guo Gongfu, inverted seat room.

Su Ping and Shen Xian'er sat opposite each other, each frowning, looking worried.

At this time, even Shen Xian'er, who rarely went out, knew about Duke Ding's upcoming triumphant return, let alone Su Ping.

Early this morning, Su Ping went to the lakeside house to wait.

However, a whole day passed and Han Shuang didn't see a hair on his body.

No one said anything, it was like disappearing into thin air.

Su Ping was puzzled.

On the way back, the news that Duke Dingguo was about to return in triumph completely diverted his attention.

scare?

Duke Dingguo is still alive?

Not only did he survive, he even achieved unprecedented results.

Could it be that he is Shen Tiannan, Duke of Dingguo?

With doubts, Su Ping asked Shen Yushu specifically about Duke Ding's appearance, and then he breathed a sigh of relief.

Duke Dingguo is nine feet tall, has a burly build, and is not angry but powerful.

Nothing is better than good.

"Fortunately it's not...after all, I scolded him in person."

Su Ping smiled brightly and felt a lot more relaxed, "But from this point of view, it is really possible that he is from the Chisong Army... It's really pitiful that he is of such a high grade."

While he was thinking about it, Su Ping suddenly noticed that Shen Xian'er opposite had a sad face, her facial features were tangled together, and she looked even drier.

"what are you thinking about?"

Su Ping asked curiously.

"I……"

Shen Xian'er hesitated for a moment and sighed, "You still remember, I told you, Shen Tiannan is my maternal grandfather."

"Remember, what happened?"

Su Ping was puzzled.

"Tell me, if he sees me when he comes back, will he kick me out?"

Shen Xian'er raised her head and asked solemnly.

"Uh... It's hard to say. I've never seen him."

Su Ping's expression paused and he replied.

"It's over!"

Shen Xian'er suddenly stood up, with an anxious look on her face: "It's over, it's over, even if you say that, he will definitely drive me away."

"???"

Su Ping had a question mark on his face, did he say that?

"what to do……"

Shen Xianer began to pace back and forth in the room, mumbling to herself.

"Aren't you afraid? You can make money by playing with straw sandals when you go out."

Su Ping was a little funny.

"Are you stupid?"
To be continued...