them for so long. It was clear that he was playing with them."You dare to bully my brother!"He raised his fist and charged, only to be grabbed by Zongyu's hand around the neck."Knowing full well you c...Fang Jinxiu's expression was a bit dazed, her mind hadn't fully woken up yet.

"Xiaoyue"

"Why did you wake me up so early"

She stretched with a yawn as she spoke, rising to her feet. She was clearly not bothered by what had happened, able to sleep soundly even afterwards.

"Madam, you slept until noon. The people from the restaurant have already been here once. They said that everything is normal today for the opening and business is very booming."

Those who were causing trouble immediately changed their faces and ran away when they heard that the owner of the restaurant had changed to you.

The innkeeper, Wu Niang, told you to go ahead and take care of your business. Don't worry about the inn; she could handle everything.

When Fang Jinshi was getting dressed, Xiaoyue chattered non-stop beside her, afraid of missing any information, and spoke in great detail.

"What It's noon already!"

She turned her head and saw that it was already daylight outside. Fang Jinshu didn't even bother to listen to the news from the tavern anymore. She hurriedly put on her clothes while asking urgently,

Where is the master Where is he now

Xiaoyue crouched down to help her put on her shoes and replied, "The master was called away by an imperial edict from the palace this morning."

As soon as Fang Jinshi heard that an imperial edict had arrived at the palace, her movements while dressing came to a halt, and her face changed slightly.

Could it be that they sent Zong Yu to discuss a marriage proposal again Or perhaps, to meet with the princess of Beijang

No matter which one, it made Fang Jinshi's heart feel a sense of restlessness.

Xiao Yuejian, who was admiring the colorful scenery, suddenly fell silent. Raising her head, she explained, "Mistress, don't you remember Today is the day when the Xizhou army returns to the capital."

“This morning, the capital city was bustling with activity. Changhe told me that as they sent off the old master [Grandfather], he watched the army enter the city. He said the old master was wearing armor and riding a horse at the very front, leading the charge with quite an impressive display of power and might.”

"I called for you several times this morning, but you were fast asleep and didn't wake up. It's a shame, Madam should really come take a look."

Fang Jinshi only then remembered, that's right, if you calculate the time, the army from Xizhou should indeed have arrived in the capital.

The emperor held a banquet in the palace to reward the entire army!

This is a rare and grand reward since the founding of Great Xi, all the civil and military officials could tell how happy the emperor was. Great Xi hasn't won a decisive battle in a long time, this time they finally managed to thoroughly subdue the spirit of Wu Meng Nation.

Besides preserving the iron mines discovered in Xizhou Mountain Range, Umon sent troops to guard the area throughout the war. They couldn't touch the ore themselves and wouldn't allow Daxixi's army to do so either.

Now that the war is over and the situation has been decided, the surrender letter received from the enemy party, this iron mine development has become paramount. The Emperor could not be anything but pleased.

The addition of a large iron ore deposit means the Daxie army's strength will see a qualitative leap.

But who to send to develop the iron mine became a thorn in the emperor's side, and to this day, he hasn't found a suitable candidate.

After the rewards were given, the palace was filled with music and dancing. The heroes of the Xi Zhou battle were all kept in the palace to attend the celebration banquet.

Zong Yu was bestowed the title of Wuding Hou, holding 50,000 soldiers in his hands and ranking as an official of the second rank.

This second-rank martial marquis carried considerable weight. He held real power and a noble title, surpassing many senior officials who had toiled for years in court before reaching the top rank.

Zongyu sat at his place. He never smiled and rarely spoke, so no one dared to offer him more than a toast from the Emperor.

“Congratulations to Marquis Wuding, I heard that the emperor is going to grant him a marriage. This is double happiness! When Marquis Wuding gets married, should we have a grand celebration Let's all go and celebrate together!”

Many in the court knew that Zong Yu's family also had a Fang Jinxiu, this woman was not easy to deal with. Since the emperor wanted to give him a marriage and bestowed upon him a princess from a foreign country.

Although Bei Jiang is also an independent country, it has been affiliated with Da Xi for many years. This time, the marriage is considered a political union, sending the princess of Bei Jiang to marry into the Wu Ding Hou's mansion. If that Mrs. Fang who had tried to divorce her husband, the Wu Ding Hou, knew about her husband's future as a marquis and prime minister, she wouldn't know if she would regret it.

Faced with these people's gleeful expressions, Zong Yu didn't toast them back. Instead, he coldly replied.

"This Marquis is already married and has long since rejected Your Majesty's offer of marriage. I wonder where you lords have heard such rumors"

"Could it be that you heard it from the palace"

As soon as these words were uttered, the faces of the officials who had been watching the show and making cold remarks turned pale. Their Majesty was still seated. If they admitted that their information came from the palace, wouldn't it make Their Majesty think they had informants inside the palace

This is a major taboo in front of the emperor's noodles.

"Your Majesty, we have only heard it from others."

Zong Yu watched as these people knelt nervously, pleading guilty to the emperor. He simply glanced away, drinking his wine in silence.

Having been granted the title of marquis and retaining his military authority, anyone else in his position would have been overwhelmed with joy, no matter how composed they were. After all, such an honor bestowed upon someone so swiftly was rare throughout history. Few could achieve such a feat as Zong Yu.

Not to mention that before entering the palace, he was still a commoner. Even when he took up an official position in the army, it was only temporary and he was not given an official seal or document.

Ze Zongyu sat down at the banquet, not even cracking a smile even in front of His Majesty. Now he was actually drinking sullen wine.

He kept thinking about how to retrieve his lost memories. Back in Yuzhou City, Gu Feng said that his brain was damaged and the chances of recovering his memories were very low.

If one were to forcibly try to retrieve memories, the methods used could very likely further damage his brain.

Therefore, it's better to just let it be. He's fine physically, and even without his past memories, it wouldn't make much difference.

Once upon a time, Zongyu indeed thought that this memory could be left alone, but now, he had made up his mind to retrieve it.

Gu Feng, due to the reasons of his faked death and identity change many years ago, could not directly attend the celebration banquet. However, he sent Zhao Yun to be by Zong Yu's side, keeping an eye on his movements and conveniently reminding him of the etiquette when meeting the emperor.

Zongyu came from the countryside, and Gu Feng always thought more deeply about things.

As for the general Qin, leading the troops this time, he was nothing more than a toolman appointed by the emperor. The Emperor gave him some superficial rewards that were essentially meaningless, and then smoothly retrieved his seal of command.

Lord Qin was also quite self-aware. He had thought that his old bones would end up in Xizhou, but for the last shred of honor of the Qin family, he decided to accept the mission. After all, he had lived a full life and went with the resolve that there was no turning back.

I didn't expect to not only survive this trip, though it took a bit longer than expected, but to actually return. And what's more, I brought back immense honor for the Qin family.

With this honor, even if the Qin family doesn't see any immediate change in their status, their descendants will have an easier path in life because of this added honor.

Qin DaRen understood in his heart that the honor of the Qin family wasn't earned by him, but was brought to them by this man named Zong Yu.

The victory of the Xi Zhou army would not have been possible without the appearance of Zong Yu and Gu Feng.

On the battlefield, military strategy is certainly important. But if there isn't a general who can carry out that strategy and is brave enough to lead, all the strategy in the world is just empty talk.etting her place as she grabbed Jiang Ye's sleeve."Master Jiang, why are you driving me away""I've served you for so many years, and I'm the only one who knows your eating and living habits best. I re...