Chapter 122: Relaxation

"I thank Your Majesty for your reward!" Li Weizheng kowtowed heavily.

From the Jinyiwei Qianhu to the Weihai Guard Commander, he was promoted one level in terms of position, but the power of the two was incomparable. Even the prince was afraid of seeing him, but the commander had layers of superiors. Not only that, after becoming the commander, it means that Li Wei had officially become a military household and no longer an ordinary household registration. Perhaps realizing this, Zhu Yuanzhang gently comforted him and said, "I have told you that the Jinyiwei can only be used for a while, not for a lifetime. At most one or two years, I will disband the Jinyiwei in order to come out in advance. In fact, it is for your own good. Of course, I know that you have offended many people as the Jinyiwei Qianhu, so I will say hello to the commander of Shandong, Ye Sheng, and let him treat you well. In addition, I will give you something privately."

Zhu Yuanzhang was obviously prepared for a long time. He took out a scroll from the drawer and smiled: "I am also a poor emperor. I cannot reward you with any gold, jade, land and other things. These are a few words I have written to you. I hope you can remember the promise of being an honest official and be loyal to me and the prince in the future!"

After coming out of the palace, Li Weizheng seemed to be still in a dream. In just over an hour, his fate was changed. He was no longer the Qianhu, the Jinyiwei, which everyone feared, but turned into the commander of the Weihaiwei. This was the third-rank rank. Of course, the third-rank rank of the army is far from being compared with the third-rank rank of civilian officials. There are 329 guards in the country, and the third-rank rank is not uncommon. Many five or six-year-old military children have inherited the fourth-rank and fifth-rank rank.

In addition, the commander was above the commander, the commander, the commander, and the five major governors, including the left and right governors, the co-governor, the deputy governor, the assistant governor, and the assistant governor. They had the power to command troops, but they had no power to send troops. The power to send troops was in the hands of the Ministry of War. Only the emperor could unify the two powers. Therefore, most of the governors with high titles and dukes had empty positions, such as Lan Yu, Fu Youcai, Feng Sheng and other veterans. Only when the war occurred, they could lead troops to fight.

Although the official position of the Guard Commander is not very high, it is one of the highest military positions in the military system with real power. It holds five thousand troops in one guard. If it is located far away from the capital, such as the Nanhai Guard, it can be considered a prince.

Weihaiwei, north of Shandong Peninsula, is across the sea from Goryeo.

Li Wei was riding a horse slowly on the street like a sleepwalking, and the sound of firecrackers kept ringing in his ears. Groups of children were chasing and playing on the street. Every pedestrian's face was full of excitement and expectation. They hurried home with bags of rice, flour or pork, while the housewives were cleaning the old dust for a year in front of the gate, laughing and noise were endless.

The breath of the New Year finally made Li Weizheng slowly recover from the great changes in life. He suddenly remembered Zi Tong. The time for her childbirth was already in front of him. Li Weizheng immediately threw the incident in Shandong aside. He drew his war horse hard and rushed to his home quickly.

From afar, he had seen the gate. He had been away from home for half a year. He was about to reach the door and was even more timid in his heart. He was so nervous that he was pounding. I wonder if Zitong had given birth prematurely. The gate suddenly opened. Yang Erlang and Jiao Sanlang each walked out with a pair of big lanterns. None of the five personal soldiers followed Li Weizheng south, but stayed to protect his family.

"Miss Qian, are these four lanterns divided into two rows or arranged in a row?" Yang Erlang leaned his head and asked loudly into the yard.

"I see that they are all divided into two columns, so are we. You forgot to get the bamboo hook, how can you hang it?"

Qianqian walked out with a long bamboo hook, but saw Li Weizheng at a glance. He stood dozens of steps away with his horse, his lips closed, restraining his inner excitement, but his eyes were filled with a warm smile. Qianqian's hand loosened and the bamboo hook fell to the ground. She stared at Li Weizheng blankly. At this moment, Zhu Yunwen's figure disappeared in her heart without a trace. A deep feeling suddenly filled her heart. Her eyes slowly blurred. The two personal soldiers quietly entered the door when they saw this scene, spread their feet and ran away, "Sir, are back! Sir, are back!" Their loud voices echoed over the house.

Li Wei was handing the horse to Shisanlang behind him. He slowly walked up the steps, gently stroked Qianqian's hair and smiled, "Why are you crying? Do you don't know the eldest brother?"

Qianqian suddenly hugged his waist and pressed her face against his chest. Silent tears surged out. At this moment, her heart was filled with self-blame and guilt for her elder brother. Li Wei was using her sleeve to wipe the tears from her face and asked with a smile: "How are your family in the past six months?"

Qianqian wiped away the tears from her face, Zhan Yan smiled and said, "My sister is in a good condition. The midwife said she will give birth in ten days at most. Go and see her!"

Li Wei nodded and pointed at Shisanlang behind him and said, "This is my personal guard Shisanlang. You can arrange a place for him to live in. I will announce important things to everyone during dinner."

Qianqian went to arrange accommodation for Shisanlang without mentioning it. Li Wei was entering the house and walking quickly towards the back house. Everyone in the family came out. When he saw his stepmother Yang Ying, he nodded and greeted her quickly, and asked her again, "Is my father here too?"

"The master is back to his hometown for the time being, and he will try to come back before the New Year."

His young girl Li Duoduo hid behind her mother and looked at her elder brother with some timid eyes. Li Wei was squatting down, pulling her in front of him, patting her little face and smiling, "Did you forget your brother so soon?"

He smiled and took out a big pearl tied with red thread from his arms. This was a small gift he bought in Guangzhou before leaving. He hung the pearl around her neck and asked with a smile: "Do Duoduo like it?"

Duoduo's delicate fingers pinched the size of grapes and shining pearls. She smiled and nodded heavily and said, "Thank you brother!"

She suddenly lay in her brother's ear and whispered: "I'll tell you a secret. The eldest sister is going to give birth to a little sister."

"How do you know?" Li Wei asked curiously.

"Of course I know, because she is very well-behaved in the elder sister's belly. If she were younger brother, she would have been so naughty that the elder sister's belly would have hurt to death."

Li Wei was laughing, "Yes! You are right, I also hope that your elder sister will give birth to a little sister."

"Duoduo, don't talk nonsense. What your brother wants is his son." Yang Ying hurriedly brought his daughter to his side and said to Li Weizheng: "Dalang, Zitong is unable to move, so he can only stay in bed. Go and see her!"

Li Wei patted the young girl's face and walked upstairs. When he reached the door, the maid Chunhua bowed to him and walked downstairs quickly. The room was very warm, emitting a smell of sandalwood mixed with charcoal fire. Before Li Wei was brewing his emotions, a slender arm stretched out by the bed. Ye Zitong waved to him with some coquettishness and said, "Darang, you can't come yet."

Li Wei was just awakened as if she was dreaming and hurried over. Zi Tong covered her quilt, half leaning against the head of the bed, her hair was combed into a bun and wrapped around the back of her head. Her cheeks were pink, her eyes were filled with autumn water, and her skin was full of luster and elasticity like a peeled egg.

Li Wei was sitting by her bed, touching her face and smiling, "I have known you for so long, and I have never seen your skin be so good."

"What's good!" Ye Zitong pouted and said, "Eat it every day and then sleep. When you wake up, you will be as fat as a fat pig."

Li Wei lowered her head and kissed her lips and said with a smile: "Don't worry! When you have a child, you will slowly recover as before."

Ye Zitong suddenly stretched out his arms and hugged her husband's neck tightly, and begged in his ear in a low voice: "Please don't leave me anymore. I look forward to your return every day. Dalang, I'm really scared when you hold me."

Li Wei was holding her gently and asked softly: "What are you afraid of?"

Zitong shook her head, and she said sadly: "I don't know either. I just think everything is so unreal. I don't seem to be your wife, but I'm going to be a mother. Everything comes so suddenly, just like it's not over autumn, from summer to winter. I'm really scared, I'm afraid that one day you will abandon me and my children."

Li Weizheng sighed in his heart. He knew where the problem was. They had just borne fruit without blooming. He didn't give her the two most hopes for in her life. Even when she needed herself the most, he left her again. When the female bird hatched eggs, the male bird knew to be by her side, let alone the human being?

Li Wei was filled with guilt. He got up and closed the door, took off his clothes and shoes, went to bed and lay side by side with her, rested her head on his arm, and gently stroked her Gaolong's belly with his other hand.

"I'll sleep with you these days and be with you, okay?"

"Yeah!" Ye Zitong nodded shyly. She sighed happily and leaned against him slowly. After a while, she heard that Li Wei was not speaking, and then she realized that he was asleep and snoring softly. It was obvious that he was extremely tired.

Ye Zitong caressed his chin covered with Hu Tsai and his face that was dark and thin by the wind. This was her husband, the man she would rely on for her whole life. She suddenly felt so happy that she wanted to cry.

Li Weizheng slept until dusk before waking up. When he woke up, Ye Zitong was no longer by his side. In order to give birth smoothly, she would walk back and forth in the backyard at this time every day. Li Wei was turning over and getting up. He put on his coat and walked to the window. Zitong was slowly walking on the backyard trail with the help of her midwife. She staggered and it was very difficult to walk.

At this time, Qianqian's voice came from behind him, "Brother, do you know? I heard from the midwife that the eldest sister seemed to have two children in her belly."

Li Weizheng was stunned, and then he was overjoyed and suddenly turned around and asked, "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure. I've found it all. I don't know if it's a man or a woman?"

The ecstasy almost exploded Li Weizheng's chest. He had always longed for a pair of twins, but he knew that the probability was too small, but he didn't expect that his first pair of children in the Ming Dynasty would be twins. He rushed out of the room to find Zi Tong. Qianqian followed behind and shouted: "Brother, we're having dinner, everyone is waiting for you."

"I got it, Zitong and I will be there soon."

The table was filled with hearty meals, steaming and the whole family was full of people. Li Wei was sitting in the main seat. On the left was stepmother Yang Ying, on the right was his wife Ye Zitong. Next to Zitong was Qianqian, and next to Yang Ying were the Gu siblings. They were twin siblings. Perhaps Li Weizheng had this genetic gene in his body.

Everyone was here, and Li Wei was standing up with a glass of wine and said with emotion: "I went to Guangdong for half a year, and Zi Tong happened to be pregnant. Thanks to everyone's care, she was able to spend this time safely. I am very grateful. I toast everyone with this glass of wine."

He drank all the wine, but Yang Ying next to him smiled and said, "Dalang, when you talk about thanks, you have forgotten two people, one is your father, who specially brought a hundred chickens from his hometown to nourish his daughter-in-law. Guess who it is?"

Li Wei was thinking about it, but couldn't guess it. Zi Tong whispered beside him: "It's Su Tong, she has been with me for the past six months."

Speaking of Su Tong, Li Wei was thinking of going to see her. He nodded and smiled, "The food is going to be cold, everyone will have a meal first."

The whole family started eating with laughter and laughter. Li Wei looked at Gu Ying and asked, "Cousin, how is your business in the store?"

Gu Ying smiled and said, "The business is very good. We already have nearly a thousand fixed customers, almost including the powerful and powerful people in Beijing. I specially hired twenty men and sent pastries to these thousand families every day. The reason why the business is booming is because our Gu family's pastries were ordered by the emperor as tributes in the palace in July. There is a shortage of supply every day. I have expanded the workshop for this. Now, together with the shop's shop, I have hired nearly 300 people. In a few days, I plan to let my father go to Beijing, so I set up the main store in Beijing. In addition to the old Suzhou store, I am also planning to open a branch in Hangzhou, Wuxi, Changzhou and Yangzhou within next year."

Li Weizheng didn't expect that a small cake could make such a large scale, and he couldn't help but exclaim: "My cousin is worthy of being a genius in business. It has been so large in just one year."

At this time, Gu Jun next to him smiled and said, "Cousin, my sister's cake shop is actually nothing. The Zhengrentang Pharmacy opened by Uncle Afu in Peking is a success. Not long ago, Uncle Afu asked Brother Sun to transport a batch of ginseng to Beijing for sale. He made a net profit of 3,000 taels of silver after a change of hand. He heard that Zhengrentang opened a pharmacy in Peking and Liaodong, and soon became famous. People who see the doctor every day lined up in a long queue."

After getting two good news in a row, Li Weizheng was in a very happy mood today. He drank three glasses of wine in a row. Qianqian, who had been silent all the time, suddenly asked: "Brother, didn't you say that there was news to everyone at the dinner table?"

A word reminded Li Weizheng, he nodded and said, "Yes, I have a big thing to tell everyone."

Everyone at the dinner table stopped chopsticks and waited for his announcement. Li Wei was scanning everyone's eyes, and finally his eyes fell on Ye Zitong's face. He slowly said: "I was summoned by the emperor when I came back today. Now I am no longer the Qianhu of the Jinyiwei. I have been promoted to the commander of the Weihaiwei. I will take office in two months at the latest."

This news shocked everyone. After a while, Ye Zitong was the first to react. She took Li Weizheng's hand and asked nervously: "Dalang, you won't throw us in the capital again!"

Li Wei was smiling and shook his head, "No! You and Qianqian are going with me, I will not throw you in the capital."

Qianqian didn't say anything, and she would not have any other choices for her. Wherever her brother went, she would definitely follow her. Yang Ying was secretly happy. Dalang became the chief officer of the whole place, so it would be easier for him to help his brother and nephew. As for Gu Ying, she was considering whether she could do business to Shandong. Everyone had their own thoughts and their faces gradually became cheerful.

Seeing that everyone was not depressed, Li Wei also smiled relaxedly: "Actually, being the Qianhu of the Jinyiwei seems glamorous, but every day I face the emperor, the pressure is not too great, and I always feel like I am in danger. From Qianhu of the Jinyiwei to the commander of the Yiwei, maybe everyone thinks I was demoted, but I know the cold and warmth. When I go to the local government to be an official, I feel that I have finally stabilized for the first time."

Speaking of this, he picked up the wine glass and smiled, "Come on! We have made this glass for my new life."

"Cheers!" Everyone drank the wine in one go...

After dinner, Li Weizheng didn't go out. He helped Ye Zitong slowly go upstairs and returned to the room. Zitong's belly was full of twins, which was much more important than being promoted. The original plan to find Fitingan tonight was temporarily cancelled.

"Slow down, the stairs are dark, walk slowly." Li Wei was carefully helping Zitong go upstairs, holding the oil lamp in one hand and holding the other hand around her waist from behind.

Zi Tong has been up this staircase hundreds of times, but she has never felt a strong support like today, which makes her heavy body much more relaxed. She silently snuggled in her husband's arms and walked towards the second floor step by step with difficulty.

When he walked into the room, Li Wei was holding her on the bed, and then pulled the quilt to cover her. When Zi Tong saw that he was considerate and subtle, he couldn't help but caress his face and said with a distressed feeling: "Dalang, if you have anything to do, go and do it! It doesn't matter me."

"It was cold at night and the road was frozen. I was unhappy and went out. I have been busy for so half a year. Let's have a good rest tonight."

As he said that, Li Wei was taking out a scroll from the bag. When Zi Tong saw that he was careful, he asked curiously: "Dalang, what is this?"

"This is a piece of calligraphy that the emperor praised me today. I haven't read it yet!"

Li Wei was cleaning the table next to the big bed and slowly spread the scroll open. He saw two lines of poetry written on it: "The tiger enters the deep forest, and a roar moves thousands of mountains." The pen is vigorous and straight through the back of the paper.

Zi Tong read it silently twice, only to feel that the poem is majestic and has a profound meaning of tempering will. She thought about it and suddenly asked, "Dalang, is this the emperor encouraging you?"

Li Weizheng nodded, "The emperor means that I can endure a moment of loneliness, exercise my actual leadership ability, and reuse it for me in the future. This is the profound meaning of him asking me to go to Weihaiwei. There are many pirates there, and it has always been the main invasion channel for Japanese pirates to harass the Ming Dynasty. It seems that my future will be connected with the sea."
Chapter completed!