In fact, it really had started out as an accident. After all, his life was completely in Huo Fenglie’s hands, and he didn’t want to arouse any suspicion, so he would naturally choose to do less and make fewer mistakes.

At that time, the three of them had tired of chatting. Liu Zhenqing was reclining in the pavilion to bask in the sun, while Huo Yunci was carrying a spear to train her body under the waterfall. And Huo Yunqian was reading a book on acupuncture next to him.

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but want to laugh when he saw Huo Yunqian start to prick acupuncture points in his hand while reading.

. . . . . . .

Back then, they had started learning at such an age. He himself was a beginner, and Li Xingruo had already started. When Master taught them, in addition to piercing themselves, they also needed to find someone else to practice on.

The most obedient experimenter, Huo Feihan, was naturally snatched away by Li Xingruo, and Liu Zhenqing could only rely on his good looks and silver tongue to fool other people in the Imperial Academy into cooperating with him. However, Liu Zhenqing’s skills were not good, and his classmates all ran away frantically after a round of stabbing. Only Er-gou, who came to visit, was willing to cooperate.

Liu Zhenqing recalled that he had made this child cry several times. When he looked up, Er-gou would continue to hold back his tears and say he was fine, until the last time he was pricked and started foaming at the mouth. This frightened Liu Zhenqing into giving up, after which he was disdained and punished by his master for a while. 

After that time, Master was probably completely certain that he had been deceived. If he hadn’t asked the craftsmen to make a set of “ancient medical tools” to appease the miracle doctor, he probably would have made the old man so angry that he would curse at the thought of him.

. . . . . .

“Mrs. Huo taught you so early?” Liu Zhenqing asked curiously.

Huo Yunqian looked slightly uncomfortable, and his dark eyes flashed. “No…..I’m just reading out of boredom.”

Liu Zhenqing was a little surprised: “Look at how amazing you are just from being bored. Your technique, force, and positioning are all just right.”

“You…..how do you know?” Huo Yunqian asked in surprise.

“Eh…..I’ve seen it many times before,” Liu Zhenqing quickly changed the subject and said: “You are very talented. If you study hard, won’t the student soon surpass the masters? By then, your Huo family will have two miracle doctors.”

Huo Yunqian was stunned. His eyes widened uncontrollably, his cheeks reddened, and his expression became a little strange. “Uncle Liu thinks so?”

Liu Zhenqing nodded with a smile.

Huo Yunqian was a little ill at ease, and said: “Doesn’t everyone think that I…..should be like Father and Second Uncle, riding a horse and carrying weapons on the battlefield? This is what Huo family boys should do.”

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but curl his lips when he heard this: “Is that so? If you should learn martial arts and become a general, then what about your sister?”

Huo Yunci put away her red tassel spear and ran over to drink tea. While drinking, she said: “I….they all think that Mother’s medical skills should not be wasted, and that I should be made to learn them, but I’m not interested. My brother and I are rebellious. When my brother saw Mother and Mother’s master treating illnesses and saving people, he became obsessed. Sometimes he dreams about being a brilliant doctor, and he doesn’t feel bored reading those complicated medical books.”

“Besides, my little brother is very capable, and can even read the pulse through self-study. And I have learned the Huo family’s first forms of marksmanship, and can often compete with my Second Uncle!”

Liu Zhenqing looked at the two of them with a smile: “This is really a case of a self-disciplined gentleman who practices medicine and a clever girl who dreams of being a heroic general.”

Huo Yunci raised her head proudly and said: “Yes! However, my little brother doesn’t dare fight for it. He is often asked to go to martial arts school with me, and it is difficult for him to learn a few moves. It is better for him to study medicine. Anyway, the Huo family still has me!”

Liu Zhenqing shook his head with a chuckle. Although Great Zhou was already very open-minded in many aspects of thinking, the idea that men should inherit the family business was still deeply rooted.

The father of the two children was no longer here, and the grandparents had also passed away long ago. Naturally, the other elders around them would give them more advice and have expectations. They hoped to continue the Huo family’s glory as generals for generations.

Liu Zhenqing looked at Huo Yunqian, who was a little downcast, and Huo Yunci, who was pretending she didn’t care, and said: “I don’t think that Mrs. Huo or General Huo have said anything like this to you.”

The two of them were taken aback, and looked at Liu Zhenqing in surprise: “You…..how do you know?”

“I guessed, ah. This book should have been given to Young Master Huo by Mrs. Huo, and Young Lady Huo’s marksmanship should have been taught to her by General Huo. If they can do this, they will naturally not insist upon what you should do like the other elders.”

The two couldn’t help but widen their eyes. “But they haven’t said anything.”

“Perhaps they are waiting for you to make your own decisions. After all, you’re still young, and it is hard to say what you will want to be in the future. But they should respect your decisions, so talk about it with them when you get the chance,” Liu Zhenqing said with a smile.

When the twins were born, Liu Zhenqing was by Li Xingruo’s side. At that time, both the Huo brothers were on the battlefield in the west, and the war was at a critical point. Only Er-gou took the time to come back. Therefore, Huo Feihan never saw his children from beginning to end.

But Liu Zhenqing knew that if Huo Feihan was here, he would definitely say the same thing as he just did.

“Life is short, so just choose what you like. I think you’re very talented in your preferred fields.”

The two of them were slightly stunned after hearing Liu Zhenqing’s words. He was the only one — the only adult who heard their ideas and agreed with them and praised them. After all, the elders in the clan began to lecture them when they saw the slightest signs, and even complained to their mother and second uncle and asked Uncle Tian to deal with them. There was no need to speak of how outsiders felt, and it seemed that they should take up the inheritance of their mother and their father. This was the first time that someone like Liu Zhenqing had appeared.

The two of them couldn’t help saying in unison: “Really…..?”

“Why not? Isn’t there your Second Uncle? With him here, the burden of the Huo family no longer falls on you, and your Second Uncle will get married and have children. Your life decisions will not easily shake the Huo family inheritance, so don’t think so seriously.”

But the two shook their heads and said: “It’s better to count on Second Uncle than to count on his future children.”

Was Er-gou’s bachelor temperament driving the children to despair?

Liu Zhenqing smiled and said: “Then it’s better to count on your future offspring.”

The two of them instantly blushed. They felt that Liu Zhenqing’s words were frivolous, but it did make them happy.

But soon, Huo Yunqian thought of another question and couldn’t help but ask Liu Zhenqing, “But even if Mother and Second Uncle don’t object, the other elders…..maybe Mother and Second Uncle will have to listen to their opinions.”

Huo Yunci nodded quickly in agreement, and then looked anxiously at Liu Zhenqing.

The corners of Liu Zhenqing’s mouth twitched. He wasn’t sure about Er-gou, but these children must not understand their mother’s personality.

If Li Xingruo was a person who could listen to the words of others, how could she have dared to change her engagement first and not get married right away? She insisted on learning from Master and waiting until she was “older” before marrying into the Huo family. The elders on both sides tried to persuade her to no avail, and Huo Feihan doted on her. She finally married later on, but enjoyed a two-person world with Huo Feihan and put off having children. The elders of the Huo family were tired of waiting, but there was nothing they could do about her, so she wasn’t obedient at all.

Thinking of this, Liu Zhenqing suddenly had a question he wanted to understand. These two children were not very clear about their mother’s glorious deeds. Could this have been intentional on the part of the Huo family elders? They might be afraid that once they knew about those “negative examples,” they would be even more difficult to manage.

Liu Zhenqing held back his laughter. “I have an idea.”

The eyes of the two children immediately brightened.

“You don’t need to let them know. In any case, you should be going to the Imperial Academy soon. You will be required to live there, and you can study whatever you want while avoiding direct conflict with the elders.”

The two were enlightened at once, and looked shocked that they could manipulate them like this…..was it okay to lie to the elders?

Liu Zhenqing didn’t dare to teach the children bad things, so he quickly added: “But you can’t hide it from your mother and second uncle.”

The two children continued to listen to the words of an adult, and nodded obediently.

Huo Yunqian seemed to gain motivation and picked up his book again, while Huo Yunci fiddled with her red tassel spear once more.

Liu Zhenqing was not concerned with Huo Yunqian, but looked at Huo Yunci and said: “The battlefield is very dangerous. You are not afraid, but it is a hundred times more dangerous than the villains at Longxing Gambling House.”

Huo Yunci held up the red tassel spear and said boldly: “The Huo family is not afraid of dying on the battlefield. It is our honor to die fighting for the country.”

Liu Zhenqing’s expression changed. “It is better not to die in battle. A good general is one who can bring her soldiers back alive.”

Huo Yunci was slightly taken aback, and felt that Liu Zhenqing was very different from usual when he said this. Feeling stifled, Huo Yunci couldn’t help but show off in front of Liu Zhenqing, and made a flowery move. “Then I will be the best general!”

The next second, they heard Huo Yunqian forget his manners and yell out.

The two of them followed the sound and saw that the book in his hand had been lifted high by the tail of the red tassel spear and landed directly on top of a nearby willow branch.

The expressions of the two immediately changed, and they rushed over, only hesitating for a moment at the slope before finally running up.

Huo Yunqian stood anxiously under the tree. The angle was very tricky, and it was so stuck that he couldn’t reach it even when he tried to hit it with something to knock it down. Just as he was about to climb up, he was stopped by Huo Yunci. “You can’t go, you’re afraid of heights! I’ll do it.”

Huo Yunci tried to use qinggong to jump up, but she hadn’t mastered it yet and couldn’t reach it at all. The only option was to climb the tree, but the young girl was so flustered that she almost slipped several times. Liu Zhenqing was frightened, and Huo Yunqian beside him was also very anxious.

“You come down, ba. If the young lady falls into the water, it is so cold that it will hurt her health.” Liu Zhenqing quickly pulled her down.

“But…..” Huo Yunci said anxiously, “I can climb, I’m just…..just not used to climbing this tree.”

It was clear that Huo Fenglie’s imposing manner still caused them to have some psychological roadblocks in this area, otherwise with Huo Yunci’s skills, she wouldn’t make such mistakes. They all wanted to solve the matter quickly and cover it up so that no one would see it.

“Don’t worry, I’m good at climbing trees!”

“You’re so thin and weak, how can you do it…..” Huo Yunci expressed her disbelief.

Liu Zhenqing didn’t explain. He just leaped up efficiently and climbed halfway up in one go. He wasn’t just boasting when he said he was good at climbing trees.

“Wow, that’s amazing.” Huo Yunci was shocked. She hadn’t known that he could use qinggong.

Liu Zhenqing didn’t want to be praised by this girl. After all, he had trained in order to avoid the beatings of this girl’s mother.

He often jumped up a tree and shouted, “Come up and hit me if you can, ah!” Li Xingruo would chase him to the tree, put her hands on her hips, and threaten, “Then you spend the night up there, ah!” Then Huo Feihan was put in the awkward predicament of breaking up the fight.

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but smile at the memory. Then he suddenly sneezed, and the two children below called out a warning. He quickly grabbed the book, and just as he was about to come down, he heard shouts coming from outside the courtyard. Liu Zhenqing was so startled that he thought he had been caught misbehaving again.

As a result……

Liu Zhenqing looked at the ugly expressions of the people around him and coughed. “I didn’t mean to. I can apologize to General Huo, or perhaps compensate him for it?”

The three adults looked at Liu Zhenqing speechlessly, while the two younger ones regarded him with mournful faces.

Finally, the four adults gathered in the pavilion and stared at each other.

“Or you can be arrested by me,” He Lan said directly.

Liu Zhenqing’s mouth twitched, and he said: “Are you kidding me?”

“This tree is half dead from your torture. And Uncle Tian just came to clean up, didn’t you see him? His face paled and he even took the two little ones away for a lecture,” He Lan said.

“Ahem, don’t scare Young Master Liu, Zhanyuan is not such an unreasonable person. Although he seems fond of that tree, a tree is still just a tree,” Bai Su said awkwardly.

Liu Zhenqing nodded swiftly in agreement.

Qin Yu said based on past deeds: “At the worst, he’ll simply break your hand as an apology.”

Liu Zhenqing immediately grabbed his hand and stared at Qin Yu in horror.

“He has been working so hard for you, and even risked being punished by the Emperor to protect you. Shouldn’t this be so?” Qin Yu said appropriately.

Liu Zhenqing: This makes me feel that I’m no longer a human being.

“Right, oh, Zhanyuan has been busy these two days. He even went to the Imperial Prison to interrogate Rong Shiming early this morning,” He Lan said.

Bai Su didn’t know the details, and asked curiously: “Shouldn’t the matter of interrogation be the job of you two?” The Jinyiwei and Dongchang had been cooperating to solve the Imperial Examination fraud incident.

“We didn’t expect Zhanyuan to go. He was originally going to wait for the results of our investigation, but he had just left when we went in, and it was Lieutenant General Mo who stayed to inform us.”

“And Zhanyuan is extremely efficient. We made no progress in a day, but he finished in an hour and investigated everything clearly.” He Lan clicked his tongue.

“Investigated clearly?” Liu Zhenqing asked in a daze.

He Lan quickly gave the facts of the matter. Since he was talking to Liu Zhenqing, he naturally gave him the priority. 

“Rong Shiming arranged your assassination twice, and Jiang Zi’er was the insider. His purpose was to work closely with the Minister of Rites to make arrangements for the Imperial Examination fraud. Because he feared the Emperor’s shrewdness and what he might see, and because the Minister of Rites was hesitant and reluctant to let go of the benefits of cooperation with your Imperial merchant family, he didn’t dare to directly ask Jiang Zi’er to break off the engagement, and just tried to assassinate you. In this way, the engagement would end automatically, and the two of them getting together would not be so abrupt. Moreover, the previous rumors about you and Zhanyuan were implemented by Rong Shiming’s design. Before you lost your memory, you likely thought that you were above board and had no reason to defend yourself. In fact, your actions would not have become known to the entire city without someone adding fuel to the fire. It was also proved during the interrogation that the Minister of Rites and the First Princess were insiders and participants in the Imperial Examination fraud.”

Liu Zhenqing was not surprised to hear this. It was similar to what he had initially suspected.

“Aren’t you angry?” Bai Su frowned after hearing this, and questioned Liu Zhenqing when he didn’t respond.

“I’ve lost my memory, ah.” Liu Zhenqing gave his universal response. “Then how is the Liu family related to this matter?”

He Lan shrugged and said: “I don’t know, it hasn’t been investigated yet, but…..”

Qin Yu stepped on He Lan before he could speak, making him pause.

They had asked Mo Yu what to do with the Liu family before and if they needed special treatment. Mo Yu said that apart from the Old Master, there was no need to be polite no matter how they suffered. Even if they were crippled, the general didn’t care.

Mo Yu’s meaning was naturally that of Huo Fenglie. The two of them didn’t question it. After all, it was the Liu family. It was normal for Huo Fenglie to dislike them, and helping Liu Zhenqing was excusable. Only, it wasn’t convenient to talk to Liu Zhenqing about this matter.

“What?” Liu Zhenqing asked doubtfully.

He Lan coughed and said: “When we went there, Rong Shiming was still screaming and was no longer human in appearance. Zhanyuan tortured Rong Shiming to extract a confession, leaving Jiang Zi’er to watch the whole process. That Jiang Zi’er was already petrified when she was brought out by others. It is said that even the people in charge of interrogation were trembling in fear.”

He Lan suddenly paused here, looked toward the entrance of the courtyard, and said with a treacherous smile: “So good luck to you later.”

When he heard this sentence, Liu Zhenqing’s immediately tensed and he looked back stiffly, only to see Huo Fenglie walking over nearby. He saw them in the pavilion at a glance.

Liu Zhenqing wasn’t sure if those eyes were on him, but he stood up instinctively, swallowed, and gave Huo Fenglie a sheepish look.

Huo Fenglie seemed to pause, then walked over faster.

But when he had walked halfway, he seemed to notice something and looked at the tree.

Liu Zhenqing immediately held his breath.

The other three people had been joking just now, but at this moment, their expressions were restrained. They seemed to be sitting calmly, but everyone was tense, as if they were paying attention to Huo Fenglie’s state. 

Because as they all knew, Huo Fenglie couldn’t have too many mood swings. They still remembered that when someone broke the willow branches, Huo Fenglie’s eyes had immediately turned red. A gust of wind from his palm flew by, and that person was shot into the stream. He couldn’t move and almost fed the fish.

So it was not a complete exaggeration in order to scare Liu Zhenqing, but they found it embarrassing to say too truthfully that their general was so childish and crazy about a tree. Even they didn’t understand, and thought he just liked to spend time there.

But as for what would happen now, they would just have to be 120,000 percent prepared.

After all, He Lan and Qin Yu couldn’t control Huo Fenglie when he really got angry.

They just hoped that the current tragic situation of the willow tree…..was not too…..

Looking at the half-bald willow tree, why did they become more hopeless the more they thought about it, ah!

But in the next second, Huo Fenglie walked in their direction again after a pause, like…..a normal person.

The three of them still didn’t dare to relax, fearing that Huo Fenglie would appear with red eyes in the end and slap Liu Zhenqing to death with one palm.

But then Huo Fenglie came into the pavilion and stood before Liu Zhenqing.

Those eyes were still pitch black, clear and pure, only reflecting the image of Liu Zhenqing standing in front of him.

And according to the intuitive observation of these three good brothers, this guy……was in a good mood?

The three people: ? ?

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Chapter Thirty << Table of Contents >> Chapter Thirty-Two