CHAPTER 738: CHAPTER 738: SECTION LEADER LIN COURTING DEATH

The man was dressed in black, blending into the darkness like a bar of ink, holding a knife to his throat, making it impossible for him to make a sound.

"There is a letter here from Lord Fang for you," said the man in black.

"Lord Fang!" Old Master Zhan was agitated and asked, "Which Lord Fang is it, the one from the Capital?"

He had heard about Lord Fang from Xia Gu. If it truly was Lord Fang sending him a letter, then he could establish a line of connection with Lord Fang himself, getting even closer to the top of the Lu Family.

The man in black nodded and tossed the letter to him: "Read it."

Old Master Zhan, disregarding the knife at his throat, immediately tore open the envelope and read the letter, his face turning pale: "What does Lord Fang mean by this?"

It expressly forbade the Zhan Family from harboring any designs on Miss Gu and demanded that the Zhan Family keep tight-lipped about the matters of the Lu Family. If he dared let slip a single word, he, Old Master Zhan, would surely die an unnatural death.

Lord Fang held a high and influential position. Not to mention enacting covert assassination, with the power of the Lu Family, they could even annihilate the Zhan Family.

Old Master Zhan dared not disobey, yet he wondered: "Why? Years ago, the Zhan Family and the Lu Family had old ties, and today’s legitimate son of the Zhan Family is compatible with the granddaughter of the Lu Family."

Jinxiu was not surnamed Lu; frankly, she was just a lowly farmer girl. The Lu Family was not ungrateful, for if it hadn’t been for their desire to leave an escape route for the Zhan Family because they sensed instability in Great Chu, they would never have let the legitimate son of the Zhan Family marry a daughter of the Gu Family.

"Just do as the letter says, no need to ask more," the man in black instructed, then snatched the letter, burned it on a nearby candle, and added, "Keep a close eye on your nephew; whether or not he gets his wish depends on if he obeys... Above Lord Fang, there are others."

Old Master Zhan’s eyes lit up: "Is it the Lu Family Head?!"

The man in black did not respond directly; merely stating, "As long as the Zhan Family obeys, everything you desire will come to pass."

With that, the man sheathed his knife, dashed out of the house, and swiftly disappeared into the night.

Old Master Zhan was too agitated to sleep, and it turned out Xia Gu had not lied to him; the Lu Family Head was indeed still alive!

Xia Gu, Lord Fang, Lu Family Head naturally, the identity of the Lu Family Head was the most prestigious, and almost without further thought, Old Master Zhan decided to listen to the Lu Family Head.

...

Qin San Lang did not accompany Gu Jinli and the others home, but instead stopped on the outskirts of He’an Prefecture, heading to the garrison camp for winter training for seven days, starting on the 18th of the twelfth month until the end of Little New Year, returning home right after Little New Year, just in time for the New Year festivities.

He approached the mule cart, lifted the green cloth curtain on the window, and smiled at Gu Jinli inside, bundled up like a rice dumpling: "Xiao Yu, you guys go back first, I’ll be home on the evening of the 28th. I’ll help out on the 29th if there’s anything to do, so just leave it until I get back."

Gu Jin’an, sitting in another mule cart, lifted the curtain to look over: Can’t you just stop treating me like a blind man? We’re not even betrothed yet, why are you being so clingy with my sister? Qin San Lang, do you realize you look exactly like someone giving last-minute instructions to his wife before a long journey?

Besides, his family had servants; Xiao Yu could assign chores to the servants, or else he, as her older brother, was there; why would it ever be Qin San Lang’s turn?

Gu Jinli stuck his head out of the window, lifted his face, and gave Qin San Lang a sweet smile: "Okay, I’ll remember that. If it’s too rushed, don’t worry about coming back on the night of the 28th, coming back on the 29th is fine too."

To spend more time at home, Qin San Lang always rode back at night whenever he came home, but with the cold weather and occasional snowfalls, riding through the night in snow wasn’t ideal.

Gu Jin’an: "..."

Forget it, he wasn’t going to concern himself with this garden any longer. They can do whatever they want.

Gu Jin’an lowered the carriage curtain and sat back inside, waiting for them to finish talking.

Qin San Lang, upon hearing her words of concern, was delighted and smiled. His bright, sunny face lit up with a dimple, and he nodded, "Yes, I understand. Traveling at night is not a problem for me; it’s not tiring and it helps improve my night vision, which is beneficial for the future. Great!"

He then asked her, "What gift would you like? Or is there anything particular you want to eat? Last year, there were people selling fruits in the Prefecture, I’ll check this year. If they are available, I’ll buy some for you."

She enjoyed eating fruits, but they were hard to get in the countryside. In the future, once he was capable, he planned to open a fruit shop primarily for her to enjoy first before selling to others.

Gu Jinli thought for a while and said, "Then see if there are any fruits for sale. At Yanfu Building, there’s plenty of meat, and I want meat. These days, fruits are a rarity."

Qin San Lang nodded, "Alright, I’ll buy fruits for you."

Although the two were talking about trivial matters and it even seemed a bit childish to Gu Jin’an, they were enjoying their conversation—one inside the mule cart, and the other outside. They didn’t want to stop even after chatting for quite some time.

Luo Wu came over on his horse and reminded, "San Lang, we should get going. It’s getting late."

Otherwise, Good Brother An would be furious.

Gu Jinli hurriedly said, "You should go now; we need to get going."

Qin San Lang nodded, "You go ahead, I’ll leave after watching you depart."

Gu Jin’an couldn’t stand hearing this and immediately had Feng Lian drive the mule cart away.

Although Feng Lian was young, his driving skills were commendable, and soon he disappeared down the road with the mule cart.

Zezi followed in another mule cart and Gu Jinli waved repeatedly to Qin San Lang.

Qin San Lang’s face was filled with smiles until both mule carts were out of sight, then he rode away.

But just as he approached the Prefecture garrison, his expression darkened.

Section Leader Lin had followed them and was currently arguing with Section Leader Zhang, "Zhang Zhong, why are you stopping me? I participated in the summer night training, and my name is definitely on the list for winter training this time, let me in!"

Zhang Zhong blocked Section Leader Lin, "Linzi, don’t be foolish. Your name isn’t on the list for this winter training. If you dare to force your way in, it will be considered storming the camp and you’ll be shot to death."

Section Leader Lin didn’t believe him, "Ha, who are you trying to scare? I’ve been to the Prefecture garrison multiple times, even Deputy General Lan has seen me. Who dares to shoot me with arrows?!"

He shouted the last part very loudly, causing the soldiers guarding the gate to look over from a distance.

Zhang Zhong was very annoyed. He had purposefully stopped Section Leader Lin quite far from the Prefecture garrison to avoid letting the people inside know about this situation. Yet, Section Leader Lin had shouted, "Are you trying to get Company Commander Qin killed?"

If someone under Company Commander Qin was found storming the camp, not only would Section Leader Lin die, but Company Commander Qin would also be punished.

Section Leader Lin argued, "Then by stopping me from participating in the winter training, aren’t you essentially killing me?"

In the south, there were few conflicts, and besides raiding a few highwaymen or competing within the garrison, it was difficult to achieve a promotion. Section Leader Lin wanted to advance in rank, so he needed to perform well in such collective training.

He also sensed that recently, Company Commander Qin had been quite distant and cold towards him. He feared that he might lose his position as Section Leader anytime, and so, worried about the lack of his name on the winter training list, he disobeyed military orders and secretly followed.