Chapter 114: The Stunned Crowd

Upon hearing Yang Yichen’s words, everyone in the main hall immediately guessed that he had received news from Taiyuan.

At this thought, Fu Zihou’s father, Fu Rui, along with Old Master Liu, the grandfather, and the three men of the Li household—Li Jingjie, Li Shaozhi, and Li Liyan—all turned their gazes toward Yang Yichen with anxious expressions. Old Master Li, however, remained the calmest; from Yang Yichen’s tone and demeanor, it seemed as though good news had arrived from Taiyuan Commandery.

"News has arrived from Taiyuan Commandery..." Yang Yichen said, looking toward the elder Fu.

As soon as Yang Yichen spoke, the entire hall fell into a hush. Whether it was those familiar with Fu Zihou, such as Cui Yuzhe, Cui Lüxing, Madame Zhou, and Li Qiong, or those who had never met him, such as Feng Renyi, Yan Shigu, and Fang Renyu, everyone turned their eyes to Yang Yichen.

"The Martial-Vigor Lieutenant, Fu Zihou, led troops to garrison the East City of Jinyang. In his first engagement with the rebels, he slew the rebel general Tu Ye. Later, he led his troops on a night raid, capturing the rebel general Xiang Yifeng..."

Upon hearing this, every single person in the hall was struck with astonishment, their mouths agape and eyes wide in disbelief.

What? The first engagement? Wasn't it said that the combined strength of the Jinyang East and West City garrisons was barely two thousand men, requiring emergency conscription just to hold the walls? Wasn't it said that the rebel army numbered over a hundred thousand, fully equipped with armor and weapons?

And he slew a rebel general! And led a night raid to capture another!

In the hall, whether they were members of the clans there to offer congratulations, officials, military guests, or the likes of Fu Rui, Old Master Liu, Fu Zhi, or even the grandfather and Li Gang himself, everyone stared at Yang Yichen in a daze, doubting what they had just heard. Could their ears have deceived them? Or was Yang Yichen... yet, looking at him, everyone knew that news coming from the mouth of Yang Yichen could not be false.

The members of the Li household, Li Jingjie, Li Shaozhi, Li Liyan, and Madame Zhou, were all stunned. Even Li Qiong, the proud young talent of the Li family who was holding a teapot, wore a dazed expression upon her exquisite, noble face.

But before the silence could be broken, Yang Yichen’s voice continued.

"After holding the city for several days, he observed the rebel army splitting its forces. He rallied his troops overnight, boosted their morale, and led them out of the city again under the cover of darkness. At the mountain rebel encampment, he shattered three thousand elite rebel ambushers and captured the rebel deputy general, Liang Dan..."

Those who had yet to recover from their shock were now thoroughly dumbfounded. When Li Jingjie and Madame Zhou heard the name Liang Dan, they started, realizing immediately that he was of the Liang clan of Shuofang, one of their enemies, and perhaps even a primary conspirator.

At the head of the hall, the grandfather, standing before Yang Yichen, had long since lost all expression. Looking at the prestigious old general of the Sui Dynasty, only one thought echoed in his mind: Are these feats that the old general speaks of truly the work of my young grandson? Was it Zihou?

Cui Lüxing, standing in the crowd below, was equally stunned. He had been calculating how to maneuver Yang Yichen away, but when he heard Fu Zihou’s name, he had instinctively paid attention, still feeling a lingering regret that Lord Dou had abandoned the youth. Now, hearing these details, he was frozen in place, utterly flabbergasted.

*No... that Fu Zihou! In Taiyuan...*

Before Cui Lüxing could process this, Yang Yichen continued.

"Moreover, that very same night, Fu Zihou led a raid on the rebels' forward camp, inflicting heavy casualties on the ten thousand rebels surrounding the East City. The general Yang Boyue was captured. By dawn, Fu Zihou had led all the citizens of the East City safely across the river, then led his troops to engage the garrison of Jinyang’s West City. Three battles in one night, and three victories!"

Yang Yichen spoke to the elder Fu and Li Gang, his eyes showing a rare look of admiration for a subordinate commander. Having spent his life in the saddle, Yang Yichen understood the extreme difficulty of defending Jinyang’s West City, let alone the peril involved in leading troops out to engage the enemy. For a commander to achieve such a feat, Yang Yichen could not help but praise him. Having garrisoned the north for many years, he understood the capability of Zhen Jie'er and the strength of Wei Dao'er's forces better than anyone.

Even Yang Yichen found it hard to believe that those familiar names—people he himself had once longed to execute—had now been captured in Taiyuan Commandery by a mere youth.

Three battles in one night, three victories! The courage, bravery, insight into human nature, and grasp of opportunity required for this were all indispensable.

"The Fu family has a worthy successor!" Yang Yichen sighed. One could only imagine the Emperor's joy upon hearing this news. Today he was a lieutenant; in the future, that youth would surely become a great general.

"Is this really Zihou's doing?" the grandfather murmured, still somewhat dazed. He had once thought that his grandson’s victory over Zhang Jincheng at Qinghe County, which relieved the siege, was enough to warrant a new page in the family genealogy. Now, he realized that compared to this, the events at Qinghe County were hardly worth mentioning.

In the hall, the atmosphere remained hushed for a long time. Eventually, people began to recover, exchanging glances and seeing the shock reflected in each other's eyes.

"Did I hear correctly? Fu Zihou, not only was he not besieged by the rebels in Jinyang, but instead..."

"Three battles, three victories! That means the rebels, who once seemed so formidable at Jinyang, suffered heavy losses..."

Faint whispers grew into a clamor of excited, astonished, and incredulous discussion. Cui Yuzhe was completely bewildered, recalling the silhouette of that youth he had seen at the Li residence. He had never imagined that the boy he met would be this formidable! No, "formidable" was far too simple a word. If his younger sister were here, she would surely be equally surprised. As he pondered, a thought occurred to him: Could his sister be with Fu Zihou? Yes! The chance was slim, but it was not impossible. Determined to leave no stone unturned, Cui Yuzhe decided he must make a trip to Taiyuan.

At the head of the hall, Li Gang collected himself and bowed to Yang Yichen in gratitude. "My niece and her family have been so worried!" Li Gang said, turning to the elder Fu. Seeing the dazed expression on his old friend’s face, Li Gang couldn't help but smile, feeling a touch of envy. Even though he didn't show it, he remembered the youth he had met at his Hu County residence, and his own astonishment was no less than anyone else's.

"The two of you, go and share this news with the inner courtyard!" Li Gang ordered Madame Zhou and Li Qiong. With so many guests, the sons were busy attending to them, and the maids were occupied. The task of informing the women fell to them. Madame Zhou and Li Qiong nodded, their faces complex, and quietly turned to leave.

"Yes! Yes!" The grandfather finally snapped out of his trance and signaled to his second son, Fu Rui. "Er-lang! Go, tell the women not to worry about Zihou!" His face beamed with such pride that, had Yang Yichen not been present, he might have boasted loudly for all to hear that it was his grandson.

Fu Rui nodded, still somewhat dazed himself. He nearly tripped over a table in his haste to leave the hall. The grandfather watched him, his smile irrepressible. He caught the helpless gaze of his friend Li Gang and flashed a look that seemed to say, *It’s all in the family! He is your grandson-in-law, too!*

Inside the hall, the discussions continued. The guests were filled with shock and excitement. Only on the face of Cui Lüxing was there a hint of disappointment. *Lord Dou...* he thought, recalling the youth they had dismissed months ago. He thought of the conditions set by Gao Shining, the words of Lord Dou, and how the seemingly powerful Lord Dou had been defeated by the very man standing before them, Yang Yichen. *Lord Dou, oh Lord Dou! The youth we chose to abandon was far from simple!* A bitter taste rose in his heart. When his letter reached Lord Dou, would he feel regret? Would he, like himself, regret not keeping that youth?

***

In the back courtyard of the Li residence, Li Cha sat in a corner, shunned by the other clan women. Changsun Rongui, fearing Li Cha might do something desperate, had forbidden her from returning to her room. Madame Tai kept her company, though she felt a growing, superstitious fear of Li Cha, given the rumors surrounding her.

Suddenly, Madame Tai noticed Fu Rui, Madame Zhou, and Li Qiong approaching the inner courtyard with a sense of urgency. She saw Li Qiong glance toward Li Cha with a complicated expression. Moments later, shouts of joy erupted from the courtyard. Madame Tai saw Madame Zhang and Madame Tao reacting with excitement. Li Qiong hesitated, then walked toward Li Cha.

"You need not worry... about him!" Li Qiong said, her voice filled with a strange, lingering emotion.

As Li Cha looked up, her eyes reddening with excitement, Li Qiong felt a heavy weight in her heart. Watching her younger sister, Li Qiong couldn't help but wonder: if things hadn't changed, would she have been the one waiting anxiously, the one with tear-filled eyes?