Zhong Ruying lived in Suzhou. People like Zhou Cishi didn't dare to be lazy, and when the officials who came to pay their respects arrived, he would lead them over to greet her.

  Three rows of nine officials stood outside the gate with Zhou as the leader, this array was much more magnificent than when they came to see Lin Qingyuan.

  At that time, Zhou Cishi represented the local officials of Suzhou to pay their respects. However, everyone knew that the officials of Suzhou were so serious not only because of Zhong Ruyi's status as a princess, but also because she was the great general of the Zhong family army.

  That's the benefit of having real power.

  Lin Qingwan did not show up herself but instead let Zhong Ruying go see them.

  Zhong Ruying raised an eyebrow and asked, "Sister, aren't you going to take this opportunity to establish your authority?"

  Lin Qingwan said: "Prestige is something that must be established through one's own abilities, only then can it last long, relying on others will always be unstable."

  Zhong Ruying smiled and stopped persuading her, getting up and going out.

  Prestige must be established by oneself, this statement is correct. When she took over the Zhong family army in those years, she first relied on the remaining prestige left by her father and husband, but she was always somewhat lacking in strength.

  She still fought several battles with Da Chu, she took the lead in charging to the front line, and consolidated it with victory and blood, otherwise she would have been eaten up by the army long ago.

  Soldiers are simple, when it comes to emotions, they also have emotions, but the most direct thing is power, the strong are respected, this is an iron law that has been unchanged in the military for centuries.

  Zhong Ruying borrowed the flower hall of the Lin family to meet with Prefect Zhou and chatted for less than an hour before sending him off.

  Zhou Zhi's heart was filled with anxiety, and he couldn't help but ask, "I don't know how many days the governor plans to stay in Suzhou. Should I prepare an official residence for you and send a few attendants..."

  "No need, I'll just stay at Lady Lin's place for now. My sister is kind-hearted, surely there won't be a lack of people to serve her?"

  Zhou Zhi followed with a flattering smile, but in his heart he was shocked. When did Lin Junzhu and Zhong Junzhu become so close?

  Did they know each other before?

  Zhou Zhi didn't ask how many days Zhong Ruying would stay, but he knew it wouldn't be short. Su Zhang was going to the capital to present the captives, wasn't she going to attend?

  Having a powerful and unruly princess under his jurisdiction was not something that brought joy.

  Zhong Ruying returned to the backyard, and Lin Qingwan was reading in the study. She circled around her twice, clicking her tongue in wonder: "You're living a comfortable life, aren't you?"

  "It's much easier than going to war with my sister."

  Zhong Ruying pointed to the bookshelf, and Lin Qingyan saw it and smiled: "Sister, help yourself."

  Zhong Ruying casually pulled out a book and said, "My past life was similar to yours, every day practicing martial arts and horseback riding, the rest of the time was spent reading books and socializing with friends, occasionally going out with two or three good friends to stroll around, feeling carefree."

  "What a pity," said Zhong Ruying, shaking her head. "After several years of fighting on the battlefield, it's impossible for me to go back to my old life again."

  It's not that there aren't opportunities, let alone others, waiting for the person who will take power from her hands to line up all the way to the gate, and for a while she also had doubts.

  She has no children and does not plan to remarry. Her husband also has no close brothers, and the Zhong family no longer has any direct relatives. What is the point of holding onto this military power?

  It would be better to hand it over to the Emperor and spend a comfortable life in the capital.

  But she always felt that it shouldn't be like this, the ancestors' hard work couldn't be destroyed in her hands, and she wasn't willing to spend her whole life as a county princess who was supported by others.

  So she put on her armor and when she would take the Zhong family army in hand again, she could not give up even more.

  Zhong Ruying turned her head to look at Lin Qingwen, who was leaning against the window reading a book with an air of comfort, and her eyes were filled with a complex mix of emotions that she couldn't quite decipher.

  Lin Qingwan simply stopped trying to understand and pointed to the seat across from her: "Sit there, the lighting is better."

  Zhong Ruying kicked off her shoes and sat on the couch, leaning against the back of the couch to look outside. She saw that there were two flower trees planted outside, which were in full bloom at this time. A gentle breeze blew from outside the window, and Zhong Ruying suddenly felt a desire to sleep.

  She shook her head and smiled wryly: "It's indeed a gentle hometown hero's tomb, I'll probably be reluctant to leave if I stay for another two days."

  Lin Qingwan smiled and shook her head, "A tiger may sleep, but the wind will always wake it up, where is the hero's tomb?"

  Lin Qingwan lowered her head to read a book.

  Zhong Ruying flipped through the book in her hand with a bored expression and asked, "Next year is Your Majesty's thousandth birthday, are you going to go to the capital to celebrate?"

  Lin Qingwan shook her head and said: "The journey is long, I'm weak and won't rush on the road. When the time comes, it's better to send a thick gift to His Majesty to celebrate his birthday."

  Zhong Ruying sighed with regret, "I originally thought I could still see you in Beijing next year."

  She is General Zhong Jiayun's daughter, and when the time comes, she will definitely go to Beijing to celebrate her birthday. Not only him, but also Lu Zhen and Xu Lian will also go to Beijing.

  As a county master, Lin Qingwan can still find excuses for not entering the capital, and no one in the court will pay attention to it. But if Zhong Ruying doesn't enter the capital, the imperial court will start speculating.

  Is she being disrespectful to Your Majesty or dissatisfied with the imperial court?

  Unless there is a big war on the border, she must enter the capital.

  Since we've already mentioned going to Beijing, Lin Qing asked her sister, "Sister, when have you decided to enter the capital?"

  Zhong Ruying waved her hand indifferently: "Don't worry, the memorial of apology has already been submitted this morning, and His Majesty will give me some more vacation days. To be honest, all these years have been spent practicing martial arts and fighting wars, and I haven't had a good time yet. This time, let's trouble sister to take care of it."

  Lin Qingwan shook her head and smiled wryly, "In that case, I'll take my sister out for a walk tomorrow. In four days, we have to go to Yangzhou, do you want to come with us?"

  "Going to Yangzhou? What for?"

  "Next month will be twenty-seven months since my late husband passed away, I'll go back for a memorial ceremony."

  Zhong Ruying was taken aback, and her expression gradually became solemn. "Sister is asking a question, don't get annoyed, little sister."

  "My sister said."

  Zhong Ruying asked cautiously: "You really don't plan on getting married again?"

  Lin Qingwan shook her head, "Wan Jie has already died for love, she will be going home in the future, why would she want to get married?"

  Zhong Ruying let out a sigh, then "slammed" the book shut and said: "It's all right, what's lost is lost. Where can you find someone more suitable, more affectionate than him? Living alone may be bitter, but as long as one's heart is happy, that's enough."

  Lin Qingwan smiled slightly and didn't say anything.

  Zhong Ruying decided to set off with Lin Qingwan to Yangzhou, planning to attend Xie Er's memorial service before heading to the capital.

  Having gotten a definite time, Shi Jian and Sao Hong and the others all let out a sigh of relief, no longer having to worry about not knowing when they would return.

  Lin Qingwan took Zhong Ruying on a tour of Suzhou, both inside and outside the city, and only stayed at home packing things up the day before they were about to leave.

  Lin Yuhong didn't go to school either, but she packed quickly and was done in half a day. She simply took her small crossbow and went out to practice.

  Zhong Jun saw her playing with the crossbow like a child, couldn't help but laugh, jumped down from the tree where she was resting, took the crossbow from her hand and fiddled with it for a moment, smiling: "This crossbow is not bad, but it's not suitable for you, who made it for you?"

  This kind of thing is not sold on the market. Once it's sold, isn't it afraid of being confiscated by the imperial court? So it can only be privately customized from someone.

  It felt like a peddler in front of a general when talking about weapons, Lin Yubin's face turned red as he said: "It was made by the craftsmen from my family."

  Zhong Ruying nodded and tried shooting, "Not bad, small but lethal enough, as long as the distance is close, the accuracy is guaranteed, almost one arrow one life. But this doesn't suit you."

  Zhong Ruying pinched her arm and said, "You're not strong enough, the recoil of this crossbow is quite big, if you shoot a few more arrows your hand will get hurt."

  Zhong Ruying thought for a moment and told Shi Jian to go back and bring the crossbow arrow she had brought with her.

  That crossbow arrow is smaller than Lin Yuhong's, she put it on Lin Yuhong and smiled: "This was my toy when I was ten years old, it was a birthday gift from my father. Don't look at its small size, the lethality is not as good as your crossbow arrow, but it has two major advantages."

  Zhong Ruying opened the quiver and explained to Lin Yuheng one by one, "This leather is used to protect your arm, it has a light recoil, and with the protection of the leather, you can shoot two or three quivers without any problem."

  "This arrow is small, a box can hold ten arrows, your crossbow arrow can only hold six arrows?"

  "But can this crossbow kill?" Lin Yubin looked at the crossbow arrow in his hand skeptically, "Can it really kill someone?"

  Zhong Ruying knocked on her head and said, "You are a lady of the boudoir, how many times do you need to kill someone yourself? This crossbow is enough for self-defense."

  She drew out one of the arrows and pointed at the green arrowhead, winking: "Do you know what this is?"

  Lin Yuheng's eyes widened, "Poison?"

  "It's not poison, it's an anesthetic. As long as you hit the person, they'll be affected in three breaths. Even if they don't fall down, their hands and feet will go soft. At that time, what can't you do?" Zhong Ruying whispered to her: "If you want to escape with your life, turn around and run away. If you're afraid of being chased, pick up the knife and give the other person a stab. Don't worry, they won't be able to resist."

  Lin Yuhbin listened blankly.

  Zhong Ruying pushed the two quivers on the table to her, "These are replacement quivers. Once the arrows inside are used up, you can directly replace them with these quivers. Moreover, the small quiver is also small and portable. Can you carry a replacement arrow with this crossbow of yours?"

  Lin Yuhong took it blankly, "But isn't this the birthday gift that General Zhong gave to Auntie Zhong?"

  Zhong Ruying smiled carelessly and said, "My father gave me many birthday gifts, not just this one."

  "But this one must be different, otherwise why would Auntie Zhong carry it with her all the time."

  Zhong Ruying sighed and rubbed her temples, saying: "You're so sensible, why aren't you my own niece?"

  Lin Yuhang was numb to this sentence, she had heard it enough in the past two days, from being shy at first to becoming numb now.

  Zhong Ruying smiled and pinched her cheek, saying: "Auntie gave it to you, so just take it. Anyway, I won't be using this thing even if I keep it. Since you called me Auntie, that makes my father your grandfather, doesn't it? Isn't it only natural for a grandfather to give gifts to his granddaughter?"

  "Take it," Lin Qingyan said with a smile as she stood under the corridor, looking at Lin Yuhong who was approaching her. "Don't you hurry to thank Clock Aunt?"

  Lin Yuhong then hugged the quiver and thanked him.