22 Rewards for Good Deeds

Cao Ge, Minister of the Ministry of War, also stepped forward and said, "Indeed, Your Majesty. Although the imperial court has been dragging its feet on raising provisions, let us address this matter: Zhao Zun has deceived the court and acted with unbridled audacity, wielding military power for his own ends—his crimes are unforgivable! If Your Majesty does not severely punish such a traitor, I fear that even if Cao Xiong reaches the Northern Pass, he will be unable to smoothly take command."

As soon as Cao Ge spoke, the officials below echoed his sentiments one after another.

Cao Xiong was Cao Ge’s younger brother. Cao Ge had consistently recommended Cao Xiong to Emperor Jing. Since he controlled the Ministry of War, and the Eastern and Southern Passes had already fallen into the hands of others, he naturally hoped his brother could secure the Northern Pass as well.

If one family could produce two high-ranking officials, both being among the Emperor's most trusted confidants, their Cao clan would surely become a prestigious and influential family in the capital.

Cao Ge’s words resonated deeply with Emperor Jing, who nodded slightly, casting an appreciative gaze toward him.

"Hmm! That is a very sound point. Let us proceed as Minister Cao suggests!"

Emperor Jing, too, was eager for the matter of Zhao Zun to be settled once and for all. The Zhao Army recognized only Zhao Zun and not the imperial court; as long as the military power remained unrecovered, he would not have a moment of peace.

"Your Majesty, you must not!"

Just as all the civil and military officials believed the matter was settled, the aged and frail Prime Minister Wei spoke up.

"Oh? Does the Prime Minister have a different insight?" Emperor Jing asked, displeased.

"Your Majesty!" Prime Minister Wei stood up from the chair specially provided for him and bowed slightly. "This old subject believes we should wait a little longer."

"Wait even longer?" Cao Ge was also quite unhappy.

"Yes!" Prime Minister Wei remained calm and unhurried. "Minister Cao’s brother, Cao Xiong, has already been on his way to the Northern Pass with the imperial edict for many days. Regardless of anything else, we should at least wait until Cao Xiong sends word back before Your Majesty makes a final decision."

"This..."

If it were not for the fact that Prime Minister Wei was also the Emperor's tutor, Emperor Jing would have wanted to rush up and slap him right then and there.

The officials in the court looked silently at Prime Minister Wei, sighing inwardly that he was the only one who dared to speak such defiant words to the Emperor.

Emperor Jing took a deep breath, barely managing to suppress the anger in his heart.

"Very well! Let us follow the Prime Minister’s advice. We shall wait until there is news from Cao Xiong before making a decision."

...

Northern Pass Military Camp.

As night fell and dinner concluded, the soldiers returned to their respective tents.

Snowflakes danced in the air, and the howling cold wind covered the entire world in a silver mantle.

Han Lei ran into her tent, bolted the curtain, brushed the falling snow from her shoulders, and collapsed onto the bed in exhaustion.

Ever since Zhao Zun had confessed his feelings with the intensity of a battlefield charge, Han Lei had been intentionally or unintentionally avoiding him these past few days. She dared not face his fiery, burning gaze, nor had she figured out how to conduct herself as his lover.

Han Lei’s heart was in such a state of chaos that she could not find peace, so she resorted to leaving early and returning late, busying herself with tasks to distract her from her tumultuous emotions.

She had found Tao Qing and led the recovered wounded soldiers to build a few grass sheds on the open ground by the mountainside of the camp. Inside, they built several stoves, then used large water vats, oil paper, bamboo poles, and clay to fashion a few simple distillers.

She intended to use the low-alcohol white liquor Zhao Zun had purchased from the market to obtain high-proof alcohol through repeated distillation. With this alcohol, the soldiers would no longer need to fear bacterial infections when wounded.

Although the crude and backward production process meant the daily yield of alcohol was small, it was better than nothing.

She worked enthusiastically alongside the recovered soldiers. Since there was no money in her system, she had to roll up her sleeves and get to work herself. Having work to do made her days feel fulfilling and allowed her to temporarily escape from having to face Zhao Zun’s aggressive displays of affection.

Zhao Zun had come to find her several times, but each time she had secretly slipped away. Partly out of shyness and embarrassment, and partly because, in her subconscious, she was still hoping for a day when she might return home.

"Ding!" A sound echoed in her mind.

Han Lei sat up with a start, her face full of excitement. She hadn't heard from the system in many days. She had tried to initiate contact several times, but the system had completely ignored her.

"Ding, congratulations to the host for successfully imparting a skill. Reward: five hundred taels of gold."

"Imparting a skill? I can get rewards for this too?"

Han Lei recalled that under her guidance over the past few days, Tao Qing had fully mastered the techniques of distillation and judging alcohol purity, and was now capable of producing alcohol on his own.

"As long as the host does good deeds, there is a chance to receive rewards!"

"Oh, I see! No wonder I received rewards the last two times I saved lives and delivered grain. So it was because I did good deeds!"

Han Lei was very happy.

It was truly a case of "planting a willow tree by accident and having it grow into shade." She hadn't intended to "impart skills" or act like a hero; she had merely wanted to produce more alcohol for the soldiers so they would suffer less from their wounds. It was just that the lad Tao Qing was quick-witted and had picked up the techniques while helping her.

"What should I buy this time?"

With five hundred taels of gold earned, looking at the dazzling array of goods on the system panel, Han Lei’s joyful mood immediately dampened.

"System! Tell me honestly, is it true that I really can't go back?" Han Lei asked, feeling dejected.

"Host, don't dwell on such useless thoughts. To repeat: the Buddha says, everyone you meet in this life is someone you were entangled with in your past life."

"The Buddha says again?" Han Lei wanted to hit someone. "I'm asking you if I really can't go back, and you're quoting the Buddha to me?"

"Host! You are so dense! Haven't I made it clear enough?"

The system was actually calling her dense?

Han Lei froze. Could the answer be hidden in that quote from the Buddha?

"I came here and saved Zhao Zun, and Zhao Zun developed feelings of love for me. Could it be... that this is my destiny? Could it be that Zhao Zun is the person I am fated to be entangled with?"

Han Lei looked at the unopened cloth parcel on her bedside table, and a flash of realization struck her, as if everything suddenly made sense.

"Not entirely hopeless."

The system’s words carried a note of disdain, but Han Lei chuckled in response.

"You make it sound so complicated. Couldn't you just say that I should go with the flow, accept Zhao Zun’s feelings, and stay here for the rest of my life?"

"You don't even have Tao Qing's insight. Stupid!"

"Tch!"

Han Lei rolled her eyes at the system, finally resigning herself to her fate.

Since she was to stay here for a lifetime and be entangled with Zhao Zun for an eternity, she decided to start planning her life seriously and stop avoiding his feelings.

"Then, I’ll start by giving him a small gift," Han Lei murmured to herself.

She glanced at the items on the system panel, then turned her eyes to the outdoor karaoke speaker sitting on the table.

That day, she had intended to bribe Zhao Zun by giving him the speaker in exchange for a position as a military advisor. Who would have known that Zhao Zun would disregard the image of a marshal and act in such a brazen way that she had fled in a blush of embarrassment?

As a result, the speaker hadn't been given away.

Now that their relationship had changed, it didn't seem quite appropriate to give him that karaoke speaker as her first gift to a man—especially a man who led armies in ancient times.

So... what would be a good gift?

Han Lei, experiencing romance for the first time, was quite troubled.