“Alright.”
Zhang Xin looked up at the sky outside the window and nodded.
It had just gotten dark; there was no rush.
Zhang Bao held Zhang Ning in his arms and sat down beside Zhang Xin, spreading his legs out.
“Zi Qing, when I transferred you away from my side, did you resent me in your heart?”
“No resentment, but there was some dissatisfaction.” Zhang Xin thought for a moment, then decided to tell the truth, “Later, Xin thought about it carefully. Since Second Uncle took Xin in during the fifth year of Guanghe, he has not treated Xin poorly. Therefore, Xin believed that Second Uncle must have his considerations, and so Xin no longer felt dissatisfied.”
“It’s good that you can think that way.” Zhang Bao smiled, “Do you know why I transferred you away?”
Zhang Xin shook his head.
Zhang Bao’s eyes darkened, “Ever since my Zhang clan was annihilated, I often thought about who should lead this branch of Yellow Turbans after my hundred years.”
Zhang Xin’s heart stirred upon hearing this, “Could it be… Second Uncle had already taken a liking to me back then?”
“Exactly.” Zhang Bao nodded, “Among my generals, there’s no need to mention Hu Cai and Li Le; they are merely mediocre individuals.”
“Although Zhang Niujiao is fierce, he is crude, lacks wisdom, and enjoys leading from the front, fearing he won’t have a good end. If the Yellow Turbans were handed over to him, they certainly wouldn’t last long.”
Zhang Xin was inwardly amazed.
Zhang Bao was quite accurate in his judgment of people.
Historically, it was Zhang Niujiao who inherited Zhang Bao’s remnants and was then chosen as the Great Marshal by the Black Mountain Army.
But he, a dignified Great Marshal, instead of commanding from the center, actually ran to the front lines to attack a city. As a result, he was shot dead by a stray arrow after only two days as Great Marshal.
If it weren’t for the formidable Chu Yan among his subordinates, the Black Mountain Army would probably have been finished long ago.
Oh, there probably won’t be Zhang Yan in the future; it should be Chu Yan.
“Even so,” Zhang Xin was still puzzled, “Xin is young and of little virtue; why would Second Uncle entrust such an important task to me?”
“I once had a Changzi, also named Zhang Xin, but unfortunately, he died young.” Zhang Bao stared intently at Zhang Xin, “You bear a five-tenths resemblance to him.”
Zhang Xin suddenly understood.
No wonder Zhang Bao didn’t take anyone else from the sick camp back then, but only kept him by his side.
“But you are different from him.” Zhang Bao stroked his beard and smiled, “You are much more intelligent than he was. When I taught you to read, you could remember it in one go, and when studying, you were often able to draw inferences from one example.”
Zhang Xin’s old face flushed.
He had already learned it in his previous life, so of course he could remember it in one go!
The script of the Eastern Han period had gradually phased out the Small Seal script of the Qin dynasty, beginning to lean towards the cursive, semi-cursive, and regular scripts of later generations.
For example, the Feibai script of the great calligrapher Cai Yong was a type of cursive script.
Another example is the inscription carved by Zhang Fei on a rock after defeating Zhang He at Dangqu, which is almost indistinguishable from the regular script of later generations.
Even without prior study, modern people can read traditional characters with almost no difficulty, let alone with Zhang Bao personally teaching him?
“However, even if I favored you, as a mere personal guard, if you were to take over as Great Marshal, you naturally wouldn’t be able to command respect.” Zhang Bao continued, “Therefore, I took advantage of your bluntness in offending me to transfer you out. This way, I could observe your character and see your abilities.”
“You certainly didn’t disappoint me!”
“After being transferred, you diligently performed your duties and also led the soldiers well… I originally planned to find a day to adopt you as my son, but Guangzong was breached, and Zuo Bao brought Ning’er over.”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Xin shifted his gaze to Zhang Ning, only to find her face covered in tears.
Even if she was young and ignorant, after listening for so long, she understood the situation.
But even so, she still didn’t cry or fuss.
What a good child.
Zhang Bao lovingly stroked her head, “Ning’er is the only bloodline of my Zhang clan. After much thought, entrusting her to you is the most suitable. Since that’s the case, I can no longer adopt you as my son, otherwise it would be against the rites…”
“Zi Qing.” Zhang Bao looked up, “Can you promise me one thing?”
“Second Uncle, please speak.” Zhang Xin nodded, “Whatever Xin can do, I will not shrink from death.”
“There’s no need for death.” Zhang Bao chuckled, “If you and Ning’er have a son in the future, you must pass one to my Great Brother’s name to worship my Zhang clan’s ancestral temple.”
“Alright.” Zhang Xin readily agreed, “Not to mention passing one to the Great Virtuous Teacher’s name, even passing another to Second Uncle’s name would be fine.”
“Good, good, good.”
Zhang Bao placed Zhang Ning into Zhang Xin’s arms, “Since that’s the case, take Ning’er and go, go do what you need to do!”
“Understood!”
Zhang Xin reached out and gently wiped away Zhang Ning’s tears, then picked her up and turned to leave.
After walking a few steps, a thin mist formed in Zhang Xin’s eyes.
Since transmigrating, his parents wanted to eat him, the refugees beat him, and the government ignored him.
It was Zhang Bao who pulled him out of that filthy sick camp.
Not only did he provide him with food and clothing, but he also taught him to read and practice martial arts.
If this chaotic world was an boundless darkness, then Zhang Bao, to him, was the only light.
He had once been dissatisfied with Zhang Bao, but he never expected that Zhang Bao sending him to guard the city walls was actually with the intention of cultivating him as a successor.
“Second Uncle, take care!”
Zhang Xin turned around, put Zhang Ning down, and knelt, kowtowing three times with a resounding thud.
Zhang Ning also couldn’t hold back, and tearfully bowed and kowtowed.
“Get up, both of you.” Zhang Bao helped them up and admonished Zhang Ning, “Ning’er, remember, you must listen to your elder brother’s words in the future, and do not be willful!”
“Ning’er understands,” Zhang Ning sobbed.
“Mm, go, both of you.” Zhang Bao waved his hand, his eyes filled with exhaustion.
Zhang Xin bowed and kowtowed again, then picked up Zhang Ning and left the main hall.
After the two left, Zhang Bao buried his head in his knees, his body trembling slightly.
A moment later, Zhang Bao raised his head, wiped his face, tied his Yellow Turbans, and headed into the city with his personal guards.
Zhang Xin walked out of the county office with a sorrowful expression. A cold wind blew in his face, making him shiver and instantly calm down.
Once his mind calmed down, things seemed a little off.
Damn it? Wasn’t I here to slack off?
How did I become the Great Marshal?
Zhang Xin recalled the various details from just now, and his heart became even more certain.
This scene in the hall today was probably secretly planned by Zhang Bao from the day Zhang Ning arrived at Lower Quyang.
Damn, I got CPU’d!
I shouldn’t have opened my mouth!
After an internal complaint, Zhang Xin looked at Zhang Ning in his arms and started to worry again.
How was he going to explain this to Liu Hua when he went back…
He couldn’t possibly say, “Hua Jie, look how amazing I am? I went out once, not only did I go from being a rebel to a rebel leader, but I also brought you a little sister back. Aren’t you happy?”
“Oh, by the way, according to the rules, she’ll be the main wife and you’ll be the concubine from now on. Remember to call her Mistress.”
Liu Hua probably wouldn’t tear him apart, but most likely, she wouldn’t let him into bed anymore.
“Hiss… This is going to be tough.”
Zhang Xin walked on, and before he knew it, he had returned to his doorstep.
He reached out to knock on the door, but then pulled his hand back, repeating this several times, which made Zhang Ning curiously ask, “Elder brother, what are you doing?”
“Oh!” Zhang Xin was startled, and hastily put his index finger to his lips, “Shhh…”
“Has the General returned?”
After Zhang Xin left, Liu Hua tidied up her things and waited in the courtyard. Hearing the sound now, she quickly walked over and opened the courtyard gate.