Chapter 168

Chapter 168

Having corresponded beforehand, Old General Shao was naturally unsurprised to see the Han brothers, Han Zhang and Han Qinnian, arrive.

Once they were in the tent and brief pleasantries had been exchanged, Old General Shao looked at Han Qinnian with great satisfaction, nodding in praise: "Not bad—at just seventeen, you stand a full eight chi tall, with solid muscles and abundant vitality. You've got the makings of a fine soldier!"

This was no mere courtesy; it was heartfelt admiration.

Han Qinnian had also been quietly nurtured by Han Zhang's Power, and with a year of good food and ample nutrition at home, his physique was the perfect build for a soldier.

And because Han Qinnian harbored feelings for the old general's grandson, being praised now made his heart race with excitement. At a loss for words, he could only nervously clasp his fists and declare in a booming voice, face flushed red:

"Thank you for the kind words, Old General! I, I... this young man will follow you, learn your skills well, and in days to come, charge into battle and never tarnish your reputation!"

His voice was so thunderous that, given how close he was, it directly rattled Old General Shao's ears, causing the hand holding his teacup to tremble twice.

Old General Shao: ...No need to be that enthusiastic.

Shao Langzhou, who knew exactly why Han Qinnian was acting this way, blushed crimson once more.

Seeing this, Han Zhang chuckled warmly to smooth things over: "Old General, my younger brother may have some strength, but he's still just a country lad—never trained in proper martial arts, relying purely on brute force. His temperament is also rather straightforward. In the army, I hope you'll guide and temper him well."

"Hahaha, no worries—in the ranks, what matters most is being down-to-earth. Your young brother is quite something, a diamond in the rough."

Old General Shao, accustomed to the booming shouts of soldiers in the army, wasn't truly offended. Instead, he found Han Qinnian's reaction full of youthful spirit and laughed heartily, praising him again.

After the laughter subsided, he composed himself and said in a serious tone:

"But the military camp is not like home—rules are strict, and the conditions are harsh. Han's second son, for the sake of our old acquaintance, I can do you a favor: let you serve as my personal guard. Your safety would be assured, and you'd see the world, but don't expect to learn any real skills."

"If you truly wish to join the army properly, you must start from the lowest ranks and follow all military regulations without exception. So, which path will you choose?"

Han Qinnian, upon hearing this, answered without a moment's hesitation:

"Reporting to the Old General, since I've come to serve in the army, I intend to fight for the court in real combat, earn military merit to establish myself. How could I hide under your wing and seek comfort? I'm willing to start as a common soldier, obey all orders, and won't complain!"

Whether to make his parents and elder brother proud, or to win Zhou Geer's hand, he had to make something of himself in the army.

His gaze was clear and resolute, his posture ramrod straight, and his words rang out with conviction.

Old General Shao, seeing his determination, stroked his beard and smiled:

"Good! Just like your elder brother, Lord Han—you have his bearing! Very well, I'll allow it. Zhou Geer, take young Han to the new recruits' camp to find Captain Wang and take care of his enlistment. Put him in... hmm, put him in..."

Before he could finish, Shao Langzhou quickly cut in: "Grandfather, assign Second Brother Han to my Valiant Camp! I'm exactly one man short."

Having said that, his face burned even hotter, as if steam might rise from his head.

But he didn't regret it—he wanted to be with Han Qinnian!

If he didn't seize this opportunity and the man was assigned to another camp, it would be hard for them to meet.

Beside him, Han Qinnian's face also flushed red again—this time from joy and excitement. He looked at Old General Shao with eager expectation, stammered: "Old General, I, I, I'm willing."

Willing, my ass!

Old General Shao cursed inwardly, looking at the two blushing, smitten young people before him. How could he not realize now—his grandson had been stolen away after one outing.

This rascal, no wonder he'd been so eager earlier—he'd had his eye on his grandson.

Old General Shao glared at Han Qinnian, all his previous praise and appreciation instantly replaced by scrutiny, and the irritation of a wild boar eyeing a prized cabbage.

Though he did want to settle his grandson's marriage quickly, now that his grandson had truly given his heart to some outsider, the old man's feelings soured.

Old General Shao set down his teacup heavily, his expression darkening as he snorted:

"Nonsense! The military camp is a serious place, not a playground! The Valiant Camp is an elite unit under my command—we're extremely selective. This lad has some potential, but he's never been drilled, let alone has any combat experience. How can he earn the respect of the men?"

"Grandfather!" Shao Langzhou grew anxious at this and quickly defended his beloved, "The Valiant Camp values real skill, but you yourself said Han's second brother is a diamond in the rough. The instructors under my command are best at training newcomers—I'm sure they can bring him up to standard quickly!"

"Besides, rules are rules, but there have been precedents for exceptional recruits being admitted early in past years..."

"You think you're so clever?" Old General Shao's beard bristled as he cut him off irritably. "I can see you're playing favorites!"

"..."

The words were blunt, and both their faces instantly turned red as tomatoes.

Seeing how in tune they were with each other, Old General Shao grew even more exasperated. He immediately turned to glare at Han Zhang, pointing at the two of them in frustration:

"Lord Han, don't you have some explaining to do?"

He'd sent his grandson to serve as a guard, and this Han family had some nerve.

They'd taken his boy, lock, stock, and barrel!

Han Zhang: ...

Han Zhang also looked at the two with feigned surprise: "You two... you two..."

As if he'd just found out.

Old General Shao: ...Did he look like a fool?

The old general's face turned red with anger.

This rascal Han Zhang, playing dumb for him.

His grandson had been staying at the Han residence, seeing each other every day. He refused to believe Han Zhang, as the elder brother, hadn't noticed the sparks between his grandson and the Han family's second son.

If it weren't for the need to send Han Qinnian to the army, his grandson would probably have secretly pledged himself, and he, the old man, would be the last to know!

Seeing the old man already reaching his boiling point, Han Zhang decisively made a quick exit.

"Ah, Old General... kids have their own destinies. I'll entrust my second brother to you—train him as you see fit. Even if you send him back to the Han family on a stretcher, I won't say a word! My husband is expecting at home, so I won't linger any longer."

With that, Han Zhang clasped his hands in salute and made a hasty retreat.

Han Qinnian: ...

Elder brother, weren't you supposed to help me win my beloved's heart? You just abandoned me like this?

Old General Shao pointed at the still-swaying tent flap, his beard bristling once more: "He, he, he... what a shameless scoundrel!"

"Scholars are supposed to be reasonable and refined, yet this little punk actually dares to pull a fast one on me."

Han Qinnian gave an awkward, sheepish smile, not daring to say more.

Shao Langzhou looked over with big, hopeful eyes: "Grandfather, about Second Brother Han being assigned to the Valiant Camp..."

"We'll talk about that later! Let him get settled first—you come over here, young man!"

Seeing his grandson still siding with an outsider, Old General Shao was both angry and heartbroken, waving his hand and shooing them away.

Han Qinnian had no choice but to take one last, lingering look at Shao Langzhou before withdrawing from the tent.

Once everyone else was gone.

Old General Shao demanded to know, clearly annoyed: "Zhou Geer, you tell your grandfather the truth now—what's really going on between you and that Han boy?"

What else could it be? It's exactly what you think it is.

Shao Langzhou got all shy and fidgety: "It's... just what you saw, Grandfather. I... I like him. He... he seems to like me too."

From the way he said it, the two hadn't yet broken through that barrier—hadn't confessed their feelings. They were still at that stage where feelings were just starting to blossom.

Old General Shao breathed a temporary sigh of relief, but then scolded him with that "why can't you be better" tone:

"You like him? How long have you even known each other? You've only lived in the Han residence for a little over a month. How can you be so pathetic, letting that big lug steal your heart away?"

"Do you even know what the Han family is really like? Do you know anything about that kid's character? And you just went and eagerly dragged him in front of your grandfather like that?"

He was too embarrassed to even mention how his grandson had been acting—no young lady or lad should be throwing themselves at a man like that.

Though that second Han boy wasn't much better—his eyes were practically stuck to his grandson. But a man and a lad—those aren't the same thing, are they?

So pathetic.

Old General Shao was so angry he was pacing in circles: "No, I absolutely refuse to approve this match."

"Forget the fact that that second Han boy looks like a big dumb oaf—his elder brother Han Qinzhang is a real troublemaker, the kind who stirs up trouble. For the sake of the Kang family's grand-nephew, we can help them out a little, no problem, but marriage is absolutely out of the question. The Han family isn't on solid ground—what if something goes wrong down the line?"

He only had this one grandson, and all he wanted was for him to live out the rest of his life in peace and safety. He wanted nothing more.

But Shao Langzhou saw things differently.

He blinked and said, "But Grandfather, didn't you say I needed a simple, honest husband to have a good life? Isn't it a good thing that Second Brother Han is a little simple?"

"As for what happened with Brother Han in the capital, I really don't think you can blame him. The imperial family was the unreasonable one—they tried to force a marriage, and when that failed, they kicked him to the curb..."

"Brother Han bravely refused the marriage for his husband, even sacrificing his bright future. And the Han family didn't take their anger out on Qinglan or shift the blame onto him—they've treated Qinglan the same as ever. Doesn't that prove the Han family has good character?"

"And besides, now that Brother Han has been demoted to Yunyang Prefecture, he may never get another chance to move up in rank, but he's also far from all the scheming in the capital. He can settle down in a quiet corner and live in peace—isn't that the same idea as your plan to get transferred to Yunyang Prefecture, Grandfather?"

"And besides, Grandfather, you were even willing to consider Qianhu Hong—someone from a lowly family, plain-looking, burdened with a widowed mother, a widowed sister-in-law, and a nephew, and a full nine years older than me... So why can't you accept Second Brother Han—young, handsome, backed by a prefect brother, and from a respectable family?"

Shao Langzhou shot back with three questions in a row, clearly not backing down, and then wrapped it up by saying: "And most of all, Grandfather, I just like handsome young men like Second Brother Han!"

Old General Shao: "..."

So, family background and ability don't matter—you just care about whether he's good-looking, huh?