Chapter 99: News of Victory, Vice Military Governor, Shock and Awe

Located at the west end of Hexi Fortress, there was a newly built cluster of thatched cottages.

This was the temporary residence for the herdsmen of Hou Village; they had built these houses during this period.

Although each household only had one or two rooms, they were much better at sheltering from wind and rain than tents.

Huang Xiuer’s house was a bit further in. She lived alone in a single room, but besides that, there was a large courtyard raising one hundred and fifty sheep, over twenty cows, and three horses.

These were the assets belonging to the small family of her and Hou Tiancai. Li Xiao had made the decision to allocate half of them to her.

These cattle and sheep were her own property, fully capable of supporting her life without having to look at anyone’s expression.

Regarding her current life, Huang Xiuer was relatively satisfied and happy.

However, on the second day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, just as Huang Xiuer had tidied her clothes and was about to ride out to herd, she was met by two uninvited guests before she even stepped out the door.

“Mother, Little Brother, why are you here?”

Looking at the two travel-worn people outside the door, Huang Xiuer’s beautiful eyes were full of surprise.

“Xiuer, Mother finally found you. Mother missed you to death.”

Huang Xiuer’s mother stepped forward directly, holding Huang Xiuer’s hand and expressing her longing.

Her younger brother, Huang Erxi, walked into the courtyard, his eyes darting around, constantly sizing up those cattle and sheep, a lewd smile appearing on his face.

Looking here and there, he seemed very restless.

Huang Xiuer hurriedly invited them into the house.

“Xiuer, these days have truly been hard on you, my daughter.”

“Those people from the Hou family are all dead. Now you are left alone as a woman; how can you live your life?”

“Whenever I think of you suffering alone here, Mother’s heart feels unbearably painful, unable to sleep all night long.”

“As soon as I had free time, I hurriedly brought your brother to see you.”

Huang Xiuer’s mother held Huang Xiuer’s hands tightly, wiping tears and whispering her longing.

Huang Xiuer was also moved deeply. Her eyes turned red, and while wiping tears, she shook her head gently and said, “Mother, I’m not suffering.”

“I’m living quite well in Hexi Fortress.”

“No one dares to bully me.”

Except for that little man, Huang Xiuer added in her heart.

But in reality, she had been living quite well these days.

Going out to herd in the morning, coming back in the evening, not worrying about food and drink, having plenty of milk and meat, and even more so, no one dared to bully her.

So in these days, Huang Xiuer’s figure had actually become a bit more plump.

But Huang Xiuer’s mother looked disbelieving, shaking her head and saying, “There isn’t even a man in this house; how can you live well?”

“Mother came today just to take you back home.”

Huang Erxi beside them also said hurriedly, “Yes, Second Sister, you are alone here; Mother and I really can’t rest assured. Come home with us.”

While Huang Erxi said this, his eyes were constantly drifting around the room.

Hearing this, Huang Xiuer bit her lip, very hesitant and reluctant. She shook her head gently and said, “Mother, I won’t go back. I really live well in Hexi Fortress; I want to stay here forever.”

Upon hearing this, the tears on her mother’s face vanished instantly, replaced by a displeased expression: “You child, why are you so insensible? Your husband’s family is gone; you should return to our family. What’s the matter with you staying here as a widow?”

Huang Erxi also chimed in from the side: “Exactly, Sister, don’t be muddled. Come back with us.”

Huang Xiuer lowered her head, her eyes slightly red, and didn’t speak.

Before coming here, Huang Xiuer’s mother had also inquired clearly about her daughter’s situation.

She knew she had gotten involved with the Fortress Master of Hexi Fortress.

So she said unceremoniously, “Aren’t you just thinking about that little man in your heart?”

“But do you think he can really marry you? Men in this world are all the same; what he fancies is just your body.”

“He will marry a new wife sooner or later. What will you do then? Follow him without status or title forever? Or become a concubine for him?”

“When your beauty fades, if you don’t have a child, how will you live then?”

Listening to her mother’s words, Huang Xiuer’s face also began to gradually turn pale. She seemed genuinely frightened by the prospect of growing old alone in the future.

Seeing this, the Huang mother and son exchanged a smile.

Huang Xiuer had a soft personality; they knew too well how to manipulate her.

“Xiuer, listen to Mother. Take these things and the cattle and sheep in your house, and go back to Huangsha Village with Mother.”

Huang Erxi also nodded as if he had no choice: “Right, right, right, Sister, let’s go home.”

If they let Huang Xiuer follow the Hexi Fortress Master without status or title forever, that would be simply too bullying.

Sleep with his sister for free?

Not giving even a penny of betrothal gifts?

But if Huang Xiuer returned to Huangsha Village and was married off again, the gifts received would be substantial.

The Huang family could not only get a generous betrothal gift, but most importantly, these cattle and sheep in Huang Xiuer’s hands would surely all stay with the Huang family.

“One hundred and fifty-three sheep, twenty-one cows, three horses…”

Huang Erxi, who had loved gambling since childhood, was particularly sensitive to money and valuables. With just a glance, he understood how much Huang Xiuer’s assets were worth.

His heart instantly became excited.

“Didn’t expect that even with the Hou family dead, my sister could still have so many cattle and sheep left in her hands? Hahaha.”

“Now, Shalifei’s gambling debt is settled, and there’s more than enough left over.”

Huang Xiuer’s father had taken his eldest brother to the battlefield, leaving only Huang Erxi and his mother at home.

And Mother Huang had doted on this youngest son since he was little.

Without constraints, Huang Erxi fooled around all day with his scoundrel friends.

And not long ago, when he went to play in a town in the southern desert, he lost one hundred sheep.

The creditor gave him ten days. If he didn’t pay it back, they would personally bring people to Huangsha Village to collect the debt with interest.

Huang Erxi could only tell his mother about this. Hearing it, Mother Huang turned pale with fright.

Although the Huang family, as the village head of Huangsha Village, could afford one hundred sheep, it would be a huge financial bleeding.

When Father Huang returned from the battlefield, he would definitely break Huang Erxi’s dog legs.

The mother and son discussed and soon thought of Huang Xiuer.

After the Hou family was exterminated, they heard that she still had quite a few cattle and sheep in her hands.

So the mother and son wanted to bring Huang Xiuer back. Not only could she help Huang Erxi pay off the gambling debt, but she could also fetch another betrothal gift for the Huang family in the future.

It could be said to kill two birds with one stone.

But what the mother and son didn’t expect was that Huang Xiuer’s character didn’t seem as soft as before.

Although her eyes were red, her head lowered, and she was wiping tears, listening to her mother and brother brainwash her for a long time, Huang Xiuer finally raised her head and said firmly.

“Mother, I won’t go back. I want to stay in Hexi Fortress.”

“A married daughter is like spilled water; this is what you always used to say.”

“I have already married out and am no longer a member of the Huang family.”

“Li Xiao treats me very well. Even if he can’t marry me in the future, as long as he can give me a child, I will stay in Hexi Fortress for the rest of my life.”

Hearing Huang Xiuer’s words, Mother Huang and Huang Erxi were instantly stunned. They completely didn’t expect that the always soft-tempered Huang Xiuer would actually talk back to them.

“You… Sister, what nonsense are you talking about? We are a family.”

Mother Huang’s face became even more angry. She glared at her and said, “I did say that.”

“But I married you to the Hou family, not their Li family.”

“If their Li family wants to keep you, fine. Proper marriage rituals, an eight-bearer sedan chair, and one hundred and eight chests must be sent to me.”

“Without these, he wants my daughter to follow his Li family ambiguously?”

“No way.”

Mother Huang shouted loudly, “I tell you, you have to come back to this home whether you want to or not.”

“Rebelling, are you?”

Saying that, she looked at Huang Erxi and said, “Xiao Er, go help your sister pack up. We are going home this afternoon.”

Hearing this, Huang Erxi was overjoyed: “Aye, alright!”

After speaking, he ran directly into the courtyard, preparing to take all those cattle and sheep back to Huangsha Village, and then rummaged through chests and cupboards, wanting to see if Huang Xiuer had hidden any good things in the Hou family.

Facing her mother’s dominance, Huang Xiuer, with red eyes, still insisted, “No, I won’t go back.”

But in the next second, with a ‘slap’ sound, Mother Huang slapped Huang Xiuer on the face.

She cursed viciously, “Shameless slut, how did I give birth to such a cheap-boned daughter like you?”

“Your own husband hasn’t even been dead for seven days, and you are fooling around with another man.”

“Shameless! Today I will teach you a good lesson.”

Hearing these vicious words, Huang Xiuer’s expression instantly froze.

She completely didn’t expect her mother to say such things about her.

“Mother…”

She cried out with red eyes, but in return, the mother and son just continued to rummage through things in the room.

Huang Xiuer despaired and could only lie on the bed, crying painfully.

Just at this time, the surrounding neighbors had already heard the commotion at Huang Xiuer’s house, and a group of women walked in.

The leader was Lin Dazhuang’s wife, a middle-aged woman who looked very strong.

“Eh? Aren’t you who…?”

“Xiuer’s mother?” Lin Dazhuang’s wife looked at Mother Huang in surprise and said.

On the day Huang Xiuer got married, she had gone to Huangsha Village to welcome the bride, so she still had some impression of Mother Huang.

“Yes, I am Xiuer’s mother. I’m preparing to take her back to live in Huangsha Village.”

Seeing the other party had many people, Mother Huang also put on a chuckle and explained.

Hearing this, Lin Dazhuang’s wife immediately shook her head: “That won’t do; you can’t take Xiuer away.”

“When the Fortress Master left, he specifically instructed my man to let us take good care of her.”

“If you want to take Xiuer away, you have to wait for the Fortress Master to come back and speak with him first.”

Saying that, she looked at Huang Xiuer again and said, “Xiuer, you don’t know yet, right?”

“The Fortress Master led my man and the others to win several big victories, and they are coming back soon.”

“And that Khitan Prince personally appointed the Fortress Master as the Vice Military Governor of our Jin Prefecture.”

As soon as this sentence came out, the whole room instantly quieted down.

Huang Xiuer stopped crying instantly and raised her head with a bewildered expression.

Hearing this news, the expressions on her mother and brother’s faces instantly became extremely colorful.

The mother, who was originally aggressive, suddenly widened her eyes round, her mouth slightly open, looking incredulous.

A trace of shock flashed across Huang Erxi’s face first, but immediately after, he suddenly realized something, and his face instantly turned to great joy.

Looking at Huang Xiuer, he began to giggle.

As a standard gambler, he had already thought about how to maximize the benefits of this matter.

And this group of women from Hou Village had discussed Li Xiao becoming Military Governor before, and now bringing up this topic again, they still had endless things to say.

“I saw long ago that the Fortress Master wasn’t an ordinary person. Didn’t expect him to directly become the Military Governor of Jin Prefecture.”

“Exactly. How could an ordinary person become a Fortress Master in his teens, and then such a high official?”

“It’s Vice Military Governor. I heard there’s a Khitan as the main Military Governor above him.”

“So what? A Khitan wants to manage us?”

“That’s right. When the time comes, we will definitely listen to the Fortress Master.”

These women chattered in Huang Xiuer’s room, seemingly completely forgetting the existence of the Huang mother and son.

At this time, Mother Huang, after experiencing the initial shock, also quickly understood the situation.

The Hexi Fortress Master, that is, her daughter’s little lover, had become a high official.

And one of the biggest officials in Jin Prefecture; even her old man had to listen to him.

Thinking of this, the mother’s attitude immediately took a one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn.

She held Huang Xiuer’s hand tightly, her face piled with smiles, smiles even more exaggerated than her fake crying just now.

“Oh my, my good daughter, why didn’t you say so earlier!”

“My son-in-law has now become the Military Governor of Jin Prefecture; that is a joyous event as big as the sky!”

“You must stay here and follow him well.”

Huang Erxi also hurriedly leaned over, fawningly saying, “Sister, you are really lucky!”

“To find such a powerful figure like brother-in-law, the future success of our Huang family depends on you, Sister.”

In fact, Huang Erxi was four years older than Li Xiao.

But just now he was calling Li Xiao a wild man, and now this ‘brother-in-law’ came out of his mouth without hesitation.

Watching the two changing their faces, Huang Xiuer felt extremely uncomfortable in her heart.

Tears flowed down again.

She was no longer that ignorant little girl. She could vaguely guess the purpose of her mother and brother’s visit this time.

Because of this, she was even sadder.

Listening to her mother starting to chat with those women again, talking about how good she was to Huang Xiuer and how excellently she had raised her.

Huang Xiuer only felt mentally exhausted.

“Li Xiao…”

“I’m so tired.”

Compared to the liveliness on Huang Xiuer’s side, the Wei family’s side seemed particularly deserted.

After nearly two months of recuperation, Wei Xuan’s injuries were basically healed, only he couldn’t do intense activities yet.

At noon that day, he returned home. Erya had already prepared lunch.

Two bowls of steaming goat milk with a few pieces of minced meat floating in them.

This was the staple food for lunch.

“Brother, since morning, the village has been a bit chaotic. Did something happen?” Erya sipped the goat milk in small mouthfuls and asked very quietly.

Wei Xuan nodded gently. Sanhe Fortress had lost many people.

The generation of young adults was almost wiped out, leaving only some old men who survived by luck.

And some teenagers about the same age as Wei Xuan.

Precisely because of this, the people of Sanhe Fortress were even more united.

Wei Xuan had been with his clansmen these days, mainly discussing if there were any opportunities to kill more Karluk people to avenge their relatives.

The news was naturally not blocked.

So he said, “The grand army campaigning against the Naimans is about to return.”

Hearing this, Erya’s hand movements paused instantly. She slowly tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear, revealing a fair and exquisite face.

Looking at Wei Xuan with curious eyes, she asked softly, “Did they win?”

“They won.” Wei Xuan nodded.

“Li Xiao has been appointed as the Vice Military Governor of Jin Prefecture, his status in Jin Prefecture second only to the Military Governor.”

Wei Xuan was not unfamiliar with the name Li Xiao.

During the period after waking up, the name he heard most in Hexi Fortress was this one.

He heard a lot about Li Xiao.

About the same age as himself, yet he accomplished things many adults couldn’t do.

Brave and skillful in battle, possessing both wisdom and courage, a very capable person.

And he also learned from Erya that his own life was saved by Li Xiao.

This made Wei Xuan feel respect and gratitude towards Li Xiao.

However, when he learned about the rumors between Li Xiao and Erya, his mind changed instantly.

That guy named Li Xiao definitely harbored ill intentions towards his sister.

Although he saved his life and avenged Sanhe Fortress, he could just sell his own life to him, but don’t even think about having ideas about his sister.

One thing was one thing.

“Vice Military Governor of Jin Prefecture?”

Hearing this title, a look of confusion appeared on Erya’s face.

Her mind couldn’t help but think of that night back then. When her life was hanging by a thread, it was that young man who suddenly appeared and saved her life.

During this time, the image of Li Xiao breaking through the door lingered in Erya’s mind and couldn’t be dispersed.

She often thought of that handsome young man riding a warhorse.

After he went on the expedition, Erya worried about him in her heart, praying for his safe return.

But unexpectedly, hearing news of him again, he had already become a high official.

Others thought of the high position and heavy power of the Vice Military Governor of Jin Prefecture.

But the first thought in Erya’s mind was: “He must have suffered a lot, right?”

For a Han person to climb to such a status in a country ruled by Khitans, the hardships and efforts paid were probably unimaginable to others.

The dangers experienced were even more unknown to others.

So at this moment, when Erya thought of Li Xiao, her heart suddenly felt a bit sour.

But Wei Xuan didn’t notice Erya’s emotions and continued to speak on his own: “Although Li Xiao avenged our Sanhe Fortress.”

“I still can’t see clearly what kind of person he specifically is.”

“After he comes back, you should keep a distance from him and don’t be too close. Other things can wait until I understand his character clearly.”

Wei Xuan’s words contained a warning, and Erya knew what he meant as soon as she heard it.

Her face instantly turned rosy.

Putting the bowl on the table, she snorted coquettishly: “Brother, what nonsense are you talking about?”

“You believe the random rumors others spread?”

“We really just did it to save you.”

Wei Xuan nodded gently: “I understand.”

“However, this doesn’t represent his thoughts.”

As a man, he understood men’s minds too well.

His sister was quite pretty; he didn’t believe Li Xiao really just wanted to establish a pure friendship.

In short, Wei Xuan would absolutely not hand his sister over to another man easily.

After lunch, Wei Xuan mounted his warhorse, took his bow and arrows, and went to the hilltop to practice mounted archery and battle formation charging.

Erya watched his receding figure, sighing gently in her heart.

Originally, Wei Xuan had a cheerful personality and liked reading. Grandpa always joked that their Wei family might produce a high official in the future.

But after experiencing this upheaval, Wei Xuan’s personality had changed.

She never saw a smile on his face again, and he no longer liked reading. Instead, he took his bow, arrows, and spear to practice every day.

Erya knew his thoughts.

He was holding back his strength, wanting to avenge Sanhe Fortress with his own hands.

Although the Arslan tribe was destroyed, there were still many Karluk tribes in the world.

This knot in his heart ultimately had to be untied by himself.