PS: I'm really sorry, chapter 197 was sent incorrectly, it's not that chapter, the subsequent chapters were sent out, sorry, please forgive me. Thanks to Fengyue and Mo Ming, these two book friends reminded me, sincere apologies. Now corrected, please forgive me.

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  The old lady was so excited that she started coughing violently, her body shaking uncontrollably. Fang Yingying quickly stretched out her small hands to pat the old lady's chest and back.

  After a while, Mrs. Fang's breath finally calmed down, and she sighed: "I'm old, one excitement is not good."

  Xu Haifeng glanced at the old lady's eyes, and seemed to have understood something in his heart. He said: "You're tired today, why not take a rest first and talk again another day?"

  Mrs. Fang hesitated for a moment, then said: "Alright, I'm indeed feeling tired. Ying'er, you all go back first, Ming'er and Zhi'er help me back to the bedroom."

  Fang Yingying's eyes widened as she looked at her aunt, who had always been the most loving to her. There was a hint of doubt and sadness in her eyes. A warm large hand rested on her shoulder, and Xu Haifeng whispered softly in her ear, "Let's go first."

  Fang Ying nodded dazedly, her footsteps walking outwards, but her eyes still gazing at the closed eyes above, as if exhausted Fang Lao Tai.

  As he stepped out of the house, Xu Haifeng suddenly said in a loud voice: "Before leaving Beijing, my son promised his father-in-law that no matter what, the honor of the Fang family would never be extinguished to this point."

  Mrs. Fang's eyes finally opened, and she gazed at the two figures walking away in the distance, her heart filled with a mix of emotions.

  "Auntie... you..." Xiang Zhi called out cautiously.

  The old lady's gaze followed the sound and converged on Zhì's body, he immediately felt a deep pressure, even his breathing seemed to be constrained by three points.

  "I heard that you and General Chiang have been having a rather unpleasant time lately, haven't you?" asked Old Lady Fang seemingly casually.

  "Grandma, nothing's going on. My grandson has great respect for General Chiang." Direction Zhi lowered his head, unable to guess the old lady's true intentions, and muttered a few words, not daring to speak directly.

  "Hmph, you're still a descendant of the Fang family, how can you be so spineless and not dare to speak the truth?" Old Lady Fang's voice was filled with disdain and disappointment.

  "Ah, Granny, it's not that I'm a coward, but rather I didn't want to make you angry."

  "Ah..." Old Lady Fang let out a meaningful, drawn-out sigh.

  Zhang Zhiyuan raised his head and said loudly: "Jiang Gongming has been arrogant and domineering since he took power, looking down on everyone, not only Sunzi but also Su Chunwei and Tang Qili are extremely dissatisfied with him."

  He spoke to the point of excitement, suddenly feeling a flower in front of his eyes. Fang Lao Tai actually raised the cane in her hand and heavily smashed it towards him. He was greatly shocked, under the accumulated prestige of the old man's family for many years, he didn't even have the idea of dodging, being hit by this cane heavily on his shoulder, a great force pressed down, knocking him to the ground.

  He fell to the ground with a thud, immediately got up, and knelt down. Although he no longer spoke, his face was full of stubbornness, obviously discontent in his heart.

  "Zhi Er, you've heard me tell the story of the Dong family. In your opinion, what is the biggest reason for Dong Zhenrui's downfall?" Fang Lao Tai asked sternly, putting away her cane.

  Xiang Zhi was taken aback, he couldn't have thought that the old lady would ask such a question. He hesitated for a moment before answering: "Dong Qianbei's achievements were so great that they shocked the emperor, causing him to become suspicious."

  Heh heh, with a smile, Old Lady Fang shook her head and sighed: "You're wrong."

  Fang Zhong was tongue-tied and stunned for a while before he said: "Your son is dull-witted, please tell me, Auntie."

  Mrs. Fang said lightly: "Dong Zirui's greatest fatal weakness is that he has won people's hearts, as long as he has ulterior motives, he will surely gather followers and become unstoppable."

  The two brothers exclaimed in unison.

  Mrs. Fang said coldly, "General Jiang has always been courteous to others in the past, why did he become like fire and water with you young masters of the aristocratic families overnight? Don't you ever think carefully about it?"

  Fang Zhishu suddenly woke up and said: "Could it be that he did it on purpose?"

  Fang Lao Tai hummed and said, "If Feng can delegate all his power, it means he has great trust in him. However, no matter how wise a ruler is, he cannot fully trust his subordinates. Once the world is at peace, the minister with the greatest merit and strongest influence will inevitably suffer the most severe blow. I think that Jiang Kongming is skilled in this way. He doesn't get close to women, so he has no descendants. He has a grudge against the Fang family but hasn't intentionally suppressed them. In Wulong City, his political status has always been below that of Ming'er. He is telling Feng with facts that he has no intention of rebelling."

  Fang Zhong's back slowly seeped out a cold sweat, he thought of Jiang Kongming's changes over the past few days, the more he thought about it, the more shocked he was. Before, he only knew that this person was highly intelligent and unparalleled in the world, so once he took power, he immediately became arrogant and revealed his true nature. Now thinking about it, his heart was actually so deep, making people feel chilled to the bone.

  "Remember, those who truly understand politics will never push themselves to the forefront. You are a descendant of our family, with wisdom as your name, this name was taken by your uncle himself, learn more and don't humiliate this character."

  Old Lady Fang's severe voice was like a heavy hammer striking in the heart of Fang Zhong, he lowered his head and respectfully said: "Yes, I know."

  A look of exhaustion quickly spread across her aged face, and Fang Lao Tai closed her eyes, waving her hand as she said, "You go out first, I'll have a couple more words with Ming Er."

  Zhì Zhī smiled and nodded slightly towards his elder brother before turning around and leaving.

  Out of Fang's mansion, onto the horse carriage, arrived at the curved corner of the road, Fang Yingying lifted a corner of the carriage curtain and looked out through the gap. Just then, the two vermilion lacquered doors slowly closed.

  For no reason, she felt a pang of sadness in her heart and threw herself into her husband's arms. Although she tried to hold back, a faint sobbing sound still drifted into Xu Haifeng's ears.

  Xu Haifeng stroked her plump shoulders, let out a long sigh and said: "Yinger, don't worry, I'll take care of everything."

  Fang Yingying composed herself and sat up from his embrace, gazing at the familiar face, but the sorrow in her heart did not diminish in the slightest.

  Xu Haifeng reached out and wiped away the tears on her face, softly saying: "Better now?"

  Fang Yingying shook her head, a hint of sadness and despair in her eyes. "This past year, although brother and husband have been as close as brothers, I don't know why, but I feel like there's already a rift between you two. At first, I thought it was just my imagination, but with Father gone and Auntie acting this way, I...I..."

  She also saw this layer! Fang Yingying, this heroic and independent girl who looks carefree, actually has a delicate and sensitive heart.

  Xu Haifeng held her in his arms and comforted her softly: "Don't worry, I won't let such a thing happen."

  "Really?" Fang Yingying's eyes were filled with hope again, and that spirit made Xu Haifeng's heart surge. This was the real Fang Yingying.

  Xu Haifeng nodded heavily, but whether this promise could be fulfilled, even someone as powerful as him couldn't be certain.

  "My lord, the council chamber is ready, General Jiang is waiting inside."

  The council hall is solemn and dignified, with intricate carvings. In the middle of the inner hall, a long window opens naturally, with a pattern of the king of beasts carved on it. The frame is inlaid with polished glass, which shines brightly under the sunlight.

  "I'm back." Xu Haifeng strode in, picked up the wine jug on the table, tilted his head and gulped down half of it.

  Jiang Gongming stood up and bowed, asking: "I heard that the lord is going to fight a decisive battle with Li Zhi at the northern camp, is this true?"

  "Isn't it alright? Haven't I already explained in the letter? Why does General Military Advisor still need to ask? Is there some change or not?"

  Jiang Kung-ming sighed: "Ha Mee has already spread the news far and wide, at this point even if we want to change it, it's too late."

  "Huh......" Xu Haifeng raised his head in surprise.

  "What does your lordship think?" asked Jiang Gongming.

  Xu Haifeng sank into thought for a moment, then said: "Li Zhi has only the intention to fight, but no murderous intent. Even if we set a deadline of two months, this battle will not be a matter of life and death."

  "What the lord says is extremely right, at this moment, it's absolutely not the time to start a war." Jiang Gongming put down his worries and smiled: "The lord's trip this time will allow him to ascend to the position of Grand Master, truly a joyous occasion to congratulate."

  Xu Haifeng's actions came to an abrupt halt, with a mouthful of wine halfway down his throat, almost spitting it out. Fortunately, he was highly skilled and managed to swallow the wine by summoning his inner energy, thus avoiding embarrassment on the spot.

  Jiang Kongming saw this expression of his and was extremely surprised in his heart, asking: "Master, why is it so?"

  Xu Haifeng shook his head with a strange expression and said, "Let's not talk about that, tell me about yourself first."

  Jiang Kongming's eyes swept over Xu Haifeng's body, but he couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. The puzzlement in his heart grew thicker, but on his face, not a single hint was revealed.

  "Master, you want to ask why Direction Wisdom and others suddenly frowned at the students with great dissatisfaction, right?"

  "That's right. I heard from Brother Zhi that the Military Advisor has been performing exceptionally well these days, even someone as calm as him was infuriated."

  "Calm?" Jiang Kongming slightly curled his lip, with an air of disdain: "With him looking like that?"

  Xu Haifeng smiled and said: "Among the young masters of aristocratic families, Zhī Gē is already a top-notch figure. Military Adviser, you are being too harsh."

  Jiang Kungming reached out to stroke his chin, where a few fine whiskers had sprouted. If one were to say that the biggest change in his appearance over the past year was anywhere, it would naturally be here.

  Stroking his short beard, Jiang Kongming smiled and said: "Compared to Old Lady Fang, he is far inferior."

  Xu Haifeng's eyes narrowed, looking at Jiang Kongming with a hint of doubt in his eyes.

  Jiang Kongming put away his smile and said seriously: "Although Mrs. Fang is advanced in years, she has seen a lot and knows much about human nature. It's just a pity that she was born in the wrong era; if it were three thousand years later, she would certainly be an evergreen tree on the political stage."

  "Have you discussed it?" Xu Haifeng was shocked in his heart, and it was the first time he heard him evaluate someone so highly.

  "The student went to Fang's house to pay respects to her elderly three times, and each time gained a lot."

  "Mind-reading technique?" Xu Haifeng immediately understood his meaning and guessed his method.

  "Not bad, this old man's eyes are venomous and his mind is dense. If the student couldn't see through people's hearts, he wouldn't be her match. The student's change was indeed due to her guidance." Jiang Kongming sighed, feeling that winning with such cunning and clever means was a shame to his reputation as General Jiang.

  Xu Haifeng couldn't help but laugh in his heart. Jiang Kongming had always been proud and arrogant, yet this was the first time he admitted that someone else's skills were better than his own.