Chapter 28: Inheritance of Ancestors

  Zhang Rui led five hundred soldiers into the city, Cao Chun closely followed behind him. This fellow did not forget Cao Cao's entrustment for a moment. If at first Cao Chun did not understand why Cao Cao attached so much importance to Zhang Rui, then now Cao Chun can be said to have understood. The military advisor was young and actually had some skills.

  The old master of Qingquan saw his son's majestic appearance and felt very relieved in his heart. This is his own mischievous son, now he has really grown up.

  "The old master Zhang has indeed given birth to a good son!" The villagers began to flatter. Qingquan Old Master had no choice but to nod one by one and respond with a few humble words. This person is really strange, when Zhang Rui was being naughty and causing trouble before, these people didn't come to bother him less often, now that Zhang Rui has become capable, they all jumped out to praise the old master for having a good son, it's only been two years, how can everyone change so much?

  Zhang Rui saw his old father coming to greet him, and hastily dismounted his horse. He bowed to his father and said: "Father, you have taken the trouble to come and welcome me in person, it makes your son feel very uneasy."

  "Hurry up, my son has grown up and can lead an army on his own. He is much stronger than you, this old father of yours. I have already prepared a resting place for the soldiers, hurry up and settle them down, then come home and talk to your father about something."

  Zhang Rui thought he had misheard, but this was absolutely the most orthodox and serious conversation between father and son in his life. Zhang Rui responded by starting to arrange his troops, five hundred men, not too many or too few, let alone the horses!

  As for the relocation site, it's even simpler. The Taigong Mansion occupies a vast area and is built with grandeur, so even if there are several thousand more people, they can still be accommodated. After settling everyone, Zhang Rui went to the Zhang Mansion accompanied by Cao Chun.

  Knock knock, old papaya saw the young master return, excitedly calling out "Young Master is back!" It seems that Zhang Rui leading troops to rescue Puyang has already spread, and the two words "Zhang Rui" have become a synonym for hero in this small city of Puyang.

  Zhang Rui smiled helplessly at Cao Chun, implying that he was a country bumpkin who had never seen the world and was being laughed at by his brothers. Cao Chun didn't understand this, but noticed Zhang Rui looking at him with a spring-like expression on his face, causing him to shudder involuntarily. He had heard that all the young masters of large families had a good reputation for being fond of men. Although Meng De told me to take good care of you and listen to you, I would rather die than do this.

  "Zhi Bo big brother, is that really you?" Just as Cao Chun was indulging in wild thoughts, a figure rushed over and threw himself into Zhang Rui's arms.

  "Who is this girl? Although I'm elegant and refined, with the nickname 'Jade-Faced Little Flying Dragon', but I'm not just anyone!" Zhang Rui said.

  This bastard is up to no good again. Hearing this familiar voice, the girl in his arms pinched the extra flesh on Zhang Rui's waist and raised her head.

  "Yan'er, how did you end up here?" It's no wonder Zhang Rui was so shocked, the girl in his arms was actually Cai Yan, Cai Wenji.

  "Cough, cough." Old Master Qingyuan put on a stern face and said: "You rascal, you've done something good in Luoyang, found such a wonderful daughter-in-law but didn't even tell your family about it. Fei Bai asked me at the time if I had heard of Zhang Rui from Puyang, how could I answer him? If I were to say that I have indeed heard of him, this Zhang Rui is none other than my own son."

  Cai Wenji heard the old man Qingquan calling her "daughter-in-law" just now, and she was so shy that she ran into the house, with little deer rushing in her heart. Is this the old man's hint to herself? It is not known whether father will agree or not. Looking at the relationship between father and Old Man Zhang, it should be okay. Father should agree, as long as father has contact with Zhang Rui for a while, he will definitely like Zhang Rui.

  Cao Chun stared blankly, this military advisor's methods were so formidable, he had settled the beautiful young lady with just a few words. He had originally planned to resist to the death, but could he outmaneuver the military advisor? Meng De, why did you send me to protect the military advisor? Cao Chun felt a chill run down his spine and subtly increased the distance between himself and Zhang Liao.

  Zhang Rui saw Cai Wenji look embarrassed and ran into the courtyard, also feeling embarrassed, rubbed his nose, and was scolded by Master Qingquan like this, walking towards the inner hall.

  Inside the hall, Zhang Rui paid his respects to Cai Yong and Zhang Qingquan, two elder relatives. This was also considered Zhang Rui's first formal meeting with Cai Yong, not counting the day they parted ways. Cai Yong was very pleased with this son-in-law of his who had been betrothed since childhood - young, handsome, talented, from a good family, skilled at playing the bamboo flute, and even capable of leading troops in battle. What more could one ask for in a son-in-law?

  Three people chatted for a while, Cai Yong excused himself to visit Cai Yan and left. Qingquan Old Master looked at Cao Chun behind Zhang Rui and said: "General Cao, I have prepared good wine for the general, please don't decline." Cao Chun couldn't wait to get away from Zhang Rui, nodded to him and left.

  "Little Er, actually there's something your father has been keeping from you. Our Zhang family is actually the descendant of Zhang Liang, the Marquis of Liu. After the establishment of the Han Dynasty, our ancestor Liu Bang was worried that his position would not be secure, so he killed off meritorious officials such as Han Xin and Xiao He one after another. Our ancestors pretended to be ill and didn't get involved in court politics, living a simple life, only then were they able to protect themselves."

  "Xiao Er, actually our ancestors left behind a book of military strategy. But he always hoped that the descendants of the Zhang family could be ordinary people or just officials in the imperial court, so as to avoid following his old path. He should have enjoyed his later years, but instead had to pretend to be ill and live a reclusive life. As your father, I also hope you can live a peaceful and stable life, but now with the Yellow Turbans causing trouble, perhaps what you said is right, this world is indeed going to be in great chaos. Now that you have followed in our ancestors' footsteps, I have no choice but to hand over this military book to you."

  Is the military book referring to "Taigong Bingfa"? Zuo Liang, Marquis of Liu, relied on this military strategy to rise to power and eventually helped Emperor Gaozu of Han establish the great Han dynasty. It's as if thinking about something makes it appear; I was worried about not having a good attacking method, and now one has arrived. Military families have always been known for their sharp attacks.

  Zhang Rui followed Qingyuan Laoyezi into the study, and Zhang Qingyuan twisted the incense burner in the study. Suddenly, the bookshelf that was originally neatly arranged opened from the middle to both sides, revealing a hidden compartment inside. The "Taigong Bingfa" was quietly sleeping there.

  Qingquan Lao Ye instructed Zhang Rui a few words and left, leaving only Zhang Rui and the book in the room. Holding it in his hand, it felt heavy. Zhang Rui entered an empty state of mind, after studying this book, he would possess the strengths of three families, but he didn't know if it would cause unnecessary trouble.

  Although Xiao Mo and Yin Yang never wanted to expose their true bodies, now is the time for war and they can't care about that anymore. Come on, ancestral inheritance.