Lu Zhi was stunned upon hearing this. After coming back to himself and hearing the apology, he first said it was no matter, then gave a bitter smile.
“How could I not have thought of it? Day and night, I think about contributing to the court, leading troops to drive out the Hu people and reclaim our homeland. It’s just…” Lu Zhi shook his head, his expression full of regret. “It’s just that I am no longer in a position to join the army.”
Li Chanxiu shook his head and said, “To recover the northern lands, it may not be necessary to join the army.”
Lu Zhi thought he was about to suggest, “Besides joining the army, you could also take the imperial examinations and become an official,” and gave another bitter smile.
It was a kind suggestion, but unfortunately… because he had offended powerful figures and was now wanted, he could neither join the army nor become an official.
However, it was not convenient to say this, so he could only prepare to decline the goodwill.
But before he could speak, Li Chanxiu continued calmly, “The current world is unstable. Refugee uprisings break out in various places, and the Hu people in the north could invade at any time. Many powerful aristocratic families, for self-protection, maintain private troops and retainers, and the court does not forbid it. Why not follow their example, recruit capable people, and prepare for unexpected needs?”
“I’ve heard that in earlier years, there were commoners who, to resist the Hu people, spent all their wealth to recruit local militias and marched north to fight. Later, after achieving merit, they were rewarded by the court and directly appointed as generals. Young Master Lu might as well follow that example, make preparations in advance, recruit talent, and if the Hu people invade, you can lead your forces to resist them. The court will certainly recognize your contributions.”
In truth, the story Li Chanxiu mentioned about that commoner hero had taken place twenty years ago. At that time, his father had not yet been confined, and it was precisely due to his father’s strong advocacy that the man was rewarded.
At present, the court did not yet permit private armies, of course, the powerful aristocratic families who controlled the government were another matter. However, in the future he had seen in his dreams, when rebellions broke out everywhere and the Hu people invaded, the court would eventually loosen restrictions entirely, allowing people across the land to raise troops.
As long as one could fight for the court, background did not matter. Because of this, later on, powerful clans rose up across various regions, carving out their own territories. They did not think about resisting the Hu people; they only wanted to devour one another and contend for the realm.
Lu Zhi rose to prominence at that time, but he was different from those regional powers. Like Pei Zhen, he was wholeheartedly devoted to recovering lost lands.
Thinking of this, a trace of respect flashed through Li Chanxiu’s eyes. At this moment, he was merely stating in advance what Lu Zhi would go on to do in the future.
Lu Zhi was stunned upon hearing this and murmured, “How could I not have thought of this method? It’s just…”
He shook his head again and sighed, “Recruiting troops and buying horses requires money, and I… truly lack the financial means. Besides, the court does not permit it, so…”
Only those aristocratic families with centuries-old foundations dared to do such things, because even the court could not shake them. Or rather, the current emperor had ascended the throne precisely by winning over these great families.
In fact, when Lu Zhi had gathered the bandits of Wuding Mountain earlier, he had already had such plans in mind. But in the end, he still failed, and the wealth he had brought from the northern lands had nearly been exhausted because of it.
Li Chanxiu had already thought things through. Hearing this, he smiled again and said, “Young Master Lu could use the name of a merchant caravan or an escort agency to first recruit righteous men. In peacetime, they would be workers; once war comes, they would become private troops and retainers. As for money…”
He paused slightly, then lowered his voice and continued, “Young Master Lu once nearly possessed a mountain of treasure, how can you say you have no funds?”
Lu Zhi was already surprised by his boldness from the earlier suggestion; hearing this, he became puzzled. Soon, he reacted and likewise lowered his voice: “Wuding Mountain?”
But after saying it, he frowned. He had stayed in Wuding Mountain for nearly half a year and had not discovered any such treasure.
Li Chanxiu did not answer directly. Instead, he asked, “What does Young Master Lu think of smuggling private salt? Or rather, what do you think of producing salt from a salt lake not yet discovered by the authorities, and selling it to common people who need it?”
Lu Zhi was taken aback. “This… smuggling private salt is naturally a capital crime. But…”
He suddenly thought of the batch of official salt that Chief Song and the others had robbed, and then of how several nearby counties were currently lacking salt. He fell silent.
That batch of official salt had reportedly been deliberately allowed by higher authorities to be seized by Song Wanqian and his men, with the intention of selling it to the northern lands. Song Wanqian had merely been an intermediary, helping those so-called higher-ups make money.
Those handling the official salt showed no concern for the hardships of the people or for the fact that the Hu were attacking Great Zhou in the north. They only sought private profit, lining their own pockets. Some of them likely held high positions in court.
Seeing the change in his expression, Li Chanxiu finally continued, “To be frank, I know of a place more than ten li from Wuding Mountain where there is a salt lake that has not yet been discovered by the authorities. By coincidence, I happen to know some methods of boiling salt. If Young Master Lu has nowhere else to go, why not take Young Master Xuan and the others and make use of the salt lake to produce salt, then secretly sell it at a low price to people in need? This way, you can both make money and do a good deed.”
“After all, if the salt lake were reported to the authorities, even if they mined the salt, they might not sell it to the people at an affordable price. Instead, it could fall into the hands of those with ulterior motives and be used for personal gain.”
He had discovered the salt lake in a dream, when he had fled the military camp and hidden around Wuding Mountain. Earlier, when General Chen and the others couldn’t obtain salt, he had considered whether to reveal this, but worried he wouldn’t be able to explain how he knew of a place he had never been to.
Fortunately, the shortage of salt had soon been “resolved” by Lu Zhi.
Neither he nor Pei Er had known that the bandits had robbed official salt. Lu Zhi could have concealed the matter entirely and kept the salt for himself, but he had not hesitated to tell them about it. This showed that his character was trustworthy.
As for the method of making salt, when Li Chanxiu’s father had not yet been confined, he had once inspected the southwest on behalf of the emperor. The southwest produced well salt in abundance. At that time, his father had lived and worked alongside the common people, helping improve salt-making methods and increase efficiency, earning deep respect from the locals.
Later, in the future of his dreams, when Li Chanxiu and his father’s former subordinates chose to settle in the southwest, it was precisely because of the intangible legacy his father had left there.
But telling all this to Lu Zhi was not only to help him. Reporting the salt lake to the authorities would bring no benefit to the people. He also had another purpose, Western Qiang lacked salt, yet they produced fine horses.
What Great Zhou lacked most in its war against the Hu was precisely good horses.
In his dream, when he and his father’s former subordinates were in the southwest, they often used local salt to exchange for fine horses from the Western Qiang.
At one point in the dream, he had even sent some of those horses to Lu Zhi and Pei Zhen to support them.
Hearing all this, Lu Zhi grew even more astonished. His gaze toward Li Chanxiu changed several times. After a long while, he finally spoke: “Miss Shen, in telling me all this, do you have some purpose? Or rather, what do you require in return?”
Li Chanxiu looked at him and suddenly smiled, his gaze firm. “Of course I do.”
“I hope you can transport part of the salt to the Western Qiang and exchange it for fine horses. Of the horses obtained, I will take half. What do you think?”
As he said this, his tone was calm. Only the fingers rubbing the rim of the teacup tightened slightly. There was not the slightest sign that what he was discussing was something that, if discovered, would lead to execution.
Although Western Qiang did not belong to Great Zhou, it had always admired Central Plains culture and maintained friendly relations. However, in recent years, it had been frequently harassed by the Hu, and with Great Zhou, its protector, unable to look after itself, internal divisions had gradually begun to form.
In his dream, after the northwest of Great Zhou fell and trade routes with Western Qiang were cut off, Western Qiang, unable to stand alone, could not withstand the Hu cavalry and ultimately split apart. One faction turned north to ally with the Hu, while another fled south and later joined forces with Li Chanxiu in the southwest.
This time, Li Chanxiu hoped to prevent the fragmentation of Western Qiang as much as possible. Even if it could not be avoided, he must ensure that the faction that ultimately sided with the Hu did not gain control.
And since he knew some of what would happen in the future, he should make preparations early, for example… when he reunited with his father, he would bring him a batch of superior warhorses.
Naturally, if he could also recruit Lu Zhi, that would be even better.
After hearing all this, Lu Zhi was utterly shocked by his boldness. After a long while, he finally spoke again: “Miss Shen, your ideas truly are…”
He paused, then pressed his forehead and said, “You truly are a remarkable woman.”
Li Chanxiu coughed lightly and continued, “In my view, since the court does not think about resisting the Hu, war will inevitably break out in the north sooner or later. This is merely a precaution taken in advance. Moreover, although smuggling private salt is forbidden by the court, if the purpose is for the country and the people, then one’s conscience can remain clear. This is not the same as selling salt to the northern lands in exchange for personal profit.”
Lu Zhi listened and then laughed. “Miss Shen’s words have always been reasonable.”
Previously, when the other party had persuaded them to accept amnesty, she had said that accepting it was not betraying West Stronghold, but saving it.
Li Chanxiu knew that some of what he said actually didn’t quite stand up to reason, and felt a bit embarrassed. One had to know that doing such things also required the person doing them to have a good nature, otherwise, good deeds might turn into bad ones.
However, with the matter of returning the official salt, plus what he had experienced in his dream, he chose to trust Lu Zhi and quickly asked, “Then what is Young Master Lu’s decision?”
Lu Zhi pondered. Li Chanxiu and the others would soon be leaving, and the time he had to decide was limited. Moreover… he truly had no way out. Though it was a crime punishable by beheading, he was already bearing a wanted charge, so one more didn’t matter.
What he had always feared was not execution, but having a guilty conscience.
Thinking this, Lu Zhi gritted his teeth and said decisively, “Alright, I agree.”
Li Chanxiu immediately showed a smile, clearly letting out a breath of relief.
He had just been about to give Lu Zhi the method of making salt, when he heard the other say again, “However, the salt lake was told by Miss Shen, and the method of making salt was also given by Miss Shen. I truly have no face to take the larger share. Let’s do it this way, money and good horses, Miss Shen takes sixty percent, I take forty.”
He did not suspect why Li Chanxiu, a woman, would want warhorses, only guessed that she was arranging things for Pei Er.
After all, in his eyes, with Pei Er’s ability, he would never remain just a commander of a thousand. And since Miss Shen had such foresight, it was natural she could see her husband was no ordinary man and would prepare in advance for him.
Li Chanxiu did not know what he was thinking. Hearing this, he shook his head. “I only moved my mouth and did nothing. The ones who truly did the work are you and Xuanping, how could I take the larger share?”
What he valued was only the good horses; money did not matter to him.
One had to know that the salt produced in the southwest was far more than that of the small salt lake at Wuding Mountain. And his father’s old subordinates operated many salt wells in the southwest.
Seeing him decline, Lu Zhi did not argue and finally decided, “Then the money and good horses, we each take half.”
Li Chanxiu did not want to keep up a meaningless back-and-forth, so he nodded and agreed.
Next, he carefully wrote down the method of making salt as well as the location of the salt lake and handed it to Lu Zhi.
Seeing that he handed over this “generous gift” without the slightest hesitation, Lu Zhi suddenly felt that those few thin sheets of paper weighed a thousand jin.
He could not help but sigh, “With such trust from Miss Shen, Lu will certainly not disappoint.”
Li Chanxiu smiled faintly. “Then I will sit and wait for Young Master Lu’s good news.”
As he spoke, he stood up and, using a man’s etiquette, cupped his fist in salute.
Lu Zhi found him even more valiant and spirited, with a bearing that even many men could not match, and his gaze grew more appreciative.
As they were about to leave, Li Chanxiu suddenly remembered something, turned his head, and said, “By the way, when you go to Western Qiang, could you help me look for someone?”
“Miss Shen, just say it,” Lu Zhi replied without hesitation.
Li Chanxiu then smiled and said, “He’s a wandering physician surnamed Sun, around fifty years old. Usually unkempt, with a scruffy beard. If you happen to see him snatching children’s buns, or if he has nowhere to stay and lies by the roadside using snow as a blanket, please be sure to give him a ride or some silver. When you return, I’ll repay you.”
If nothing unexpected happened, that old wandering physician who, like him, had been swept into Western Qiang by the chaos of war should recently be somewhere near the border between Western Qiang and Great Zhou.
Lu Zhi smiled upon hearing this. “Since he is someone Miss Shen is looking for, Lu will certainly do his best. There’s no need to repay the silver, I’ll just deduct it from Miss Shen’s share.”
Knowing Li Chanxiu might refuse, he added the last part jokingly.
Understanding his meaning, Li Chanxiu couldn’t help but smile as well.
The two walked out of the room together. When the door opened, Li Chanxiu still had a smile on his face, until he met Pei Er’s dark, brooding gaze outside the door.
His smile immediately stiffened. It felt like meeting the eyes of a wronged big dog; for some reason, a sense of guilt arose in him.
He couldn’t help but cough lightly, quickly restraining his smile as he bid farewell to Lu Zhi and the others.
When Pei Er looked at him, his gaze remained dark and brooding, but once it moved away, it immediately returned to normal. He also cupped his fist to bid Lu Zhi farewell, only… he seemed even more expressionless than usual.
Watching Li Chanxiu and Pei Er go downstairs together, Xuanping couldn’t help turning back once they had gone far and asked Lu Zhi curiously, “Big Brother, what were you talking about with Miss Shen inside? Why so long? You don’t know, Brother Pei Er saw that you hadn’t come out for so long, his gaze was about to freeze everything within two hundred li into ice.”
Tan Yun couldn’t help laughing. “Second Brother Xuan, that’s not quite right. The northwest is cold, everything within two hundred li is already frozen…”
Before he could finish speaking, the two were swept by Lu Zhi’s indifferent gaze.
“Don’t talk nonsense,” Lu Zhi said with a warning tone, then instructed, “You two go call the others. Make preparations, we will enter the mountain tonight.”
Xuanping: “What? Still entering the mountain? Didn’t we say before that we were leaving Yongzhou?”
“There’s something else,” Lu Zhi said, turning away.
***
On the street outside the tavern, Pei Er walked side by side with Li Chanxiu, his tone faintly resentful. “Didn’t you say you were only going to talk about one thing? Why did it take so long?”
Li Chanxiu coughed lightly. Naturally, he couldn’t tell Pei Er about this matter. Pei Er had ties with the military and knew somewhat about “Shen Xiu’s” background and experiences. The more he knew, the more likely he would grow suspicious.
As for Lu Zhi and the others, they did not understand him or “Shen Xiu.” They would not wonder how he knew there was a salt lake more than ten li outside Wuding Mountain, nor would they find his behavior strange. Even if they did have such thoughts, they had no ties to officials and would not affect him.
But almost instinctively, Li Chanxiu still took Pei Er’s hand and coaxed, “It’s nothing. It’s getting late, didn’t we still need to go help you pick up your clothes?”
Hearing this, Pei Er’s expression immediately improved, and the corners of his thin lips even curved slightly upward.
He naturally did not believe Li Chanxiu’s “it’s nothing,” but what did it matter? The other had taken his hand, coaxing him so gently, and was going with him to get his clothes.
This was how a husband and wife got along.
Almost immediately, he clasped Li Chanxiu’s hand back, his palm rough, and nodded. “Mm.”
The two of them went together to that clothing shop. The proprietress still remembered Li Chanxiu, after all, such a good-looking “woman,” once seen, was hard to forget.
She hurriedly came forward with enthusiasm and said with a smile, “Oh my, little lady, you’ve finally come! The clothes are already finished, how about letting your husband try them on in the shop first? If anything doesn’t fit, we can alter it.”
After speaking, she looked at Pei Er beside Li Chanxiu. Her eyes visibly lit up, and in an exaggerated tone she launched into more praise: “Oh my, you two as husband and wife are truly a talented man and a beautiful woman, a match made in heaven, perfectly suited to each other…”
Li Chanxiu was praised until his face turned slightly red. He quickly gave a light cough to interrupt: “Shopkeeper, bring the clothes out to try first.”
Hearing this, the proprietress smiled again and quickly said, “Alright, alright, alright.”
Pei Er, however, felt a bit regretful, thinking the proprietress spoke very pleasantly and wanting to hear a few more sentences.
The clothes were brought over very quickly. Since it was an outer robe, Pei Er tried it on directly in the shop. After putting it on, it unexpectedly fit well.
The proprietress hurriedly praised again: “Little lady, your size estimation is really accurate. Look at this waist, this shoulder width, all just right. You must understand your husband extremely well to be able to get it so accurate every time.”
Hearing this, Pei Er’s gaze suddenly turned toward Li Chanxiu, like a flickering flame.
Li Chanxiu: “……”
He was not accurate every time.
“This young gentleman, look how good your wife is to you. The fabric and style of these clothes were all chosen by her personally, her taste is truly excellent. It’s just that she only cares about you and not herself; she didn’t even make a set for herself…”
How could Pei Er not understand the proprietress’s meaning? Turning his head and seeing the old clothes on Li Chanxiu, he immediately nodded and said, “Make one set too.”
The proprietress instantly beamed with joy: “Ah, good! The young gentleman really knows how to cherish his wife. I’ll go get the measuring tape right away.”
Li Chanxiu: “……”
But Pei Er shook his head, the tips of his ears inexplicably turning slightly red: “No need. I will also… estimate the size.”
Li Chanxiu: “?” Estimate what? What do you know?
……
When leaving the clothing shop, Li Chanxiu’s face was hot again, and he swore he would never come to this shop again.
The proprietress’s tongue was far too slick, no wonder the business in the shop was good, but he didn’t fall for that!
But Pei Er clearly did. His expression was like he had drunk wine, tipsy, his eyes especially bright, as he said, “In the future, we’ll have all our clothes made here.”
Not for anything else, just because the proprietress spoke nicely.
Li Chanxiu: “……”
Not far ahead, they arrived at a jewelry stall, and Pei Er again could not move on, his eyes slightly bright as he looked at the ornaments on the stall.
Li Chanxiu had almost walked past the stall. Noticing this, he helplessly stepped back.
He just couldn’t understand it, Pei Er was a man, so why did he freeze in place whenever he saw women’s jewelry?
When he stepped back, Pei Er had just picked out two hairpins. They looked to be made of jade, one male style and one female style, just forming a pair.
Seeing him return, Pei Er immediately wanted to put one on him to try.
Li Chanxiu quickly refused: “Jade hairpins are very expensive. Wooden ones are already good enough for me. We just spent money making clothes, so we should save a bit.”
Before Pei Er could respond, the stall owner immediately piled on a smile and said, “Miss, this pair of jade hairpins is sold together, if you buy both, there’s a discount.”
Hearing this, Pei Er’s eyes lit up again as he emphasized, “There’s a discount.”
As if not buying them would mean a loss.
Li Chanxiu: “……” At a glance, this is fake jade. Even after the discount, you’d still be losing money.
At a cloth stall three or four booths away, the finely dressed young master from the teahouse earlier poked his head out from behind the piled fabrics. After craning his neck to watch for a while, he ground his teeth and said to the attendant beside him, “See that? The dignified Pei Shizi not going to war, but accompanying a pretty little lady strolling around the county town, and he even had the nerve to lecture me back then!”
The attendant said bitterly, “Young master, that might not be Pei Shizi. How could Pei Shizi be dressed so shabbily, buying that kind of hairpin that is obviously fake jade to give to a little lady? And look at the little lady beside him, her clothes are far too worn.”
The finely dressed young master looked again and nodded: “That’s true. Even if Pei Zhen found a little lady, he wouldn’t treat her this poorly. If it really were him, that would be too stingy, I’d definitely go mock him a few times.”
“Exactly,” the attendant added. “Besides, Pei Shizi has always kept away from women, a cold and aloof person. No matter how beautiful a woman is in front of him, he remains unmoved. But look at the one ahead, his eyes are practically stuck to the little lady beside him, and the smile on his face hasn’t disappeared. Can you imagine Pei Shizi like that?”
The finely dressed young master thought for a moment, suddenly sucked in a breath, and shivered: “Pei Zhen, who only cares about war and still hasn’t married even in his twenties, that cold-faced god, I really can’t imagine him bowing and scraping before a little lady, following her around.”
“Right?” the attendant nodded.
“No, I still have to go test it.” After thinking, the finely dressed young master suddenly stood up again.
“Ah, young master?” The attendant was startled and hurried to follow.
Beside the stall, although Li Chanxiu didn’t want to buy that pair of hairpins, Pei Er very much wanted to. Because of this, his pair of black eyes kept looking at Li Chanxiu, extremely like puppy eyes.
Helpless, Li Chanxiu had no choice but to bargain with the owner, cutting the price directly from five taels of silver per hairpin to five hundred coins for two.
After watching him bargain, Pei Er’s gaze was full of shock.
Li Chanxiu gave a light cough, after all, they were originally just made of ordinary stone, and the workmanship was only passable.
Fortunately, the hairpins were finally bought. Just as Pei Er picked one up to put it on Li Chanxiu, a finely dressed young master passed by and deliberately bumped into the two of them.
Pei Er was fine, but Li Chanxiu, not standing steadily, leaned forward slightly.
Pei Er quickly wrapped an arm around his waist to steady him. His expression then darkened, and he grabbed the finely dressed young master back, saying coldly, “Apologize.”
The finely dressed young master was yanked back by the collar and turned his head, carefully examining him at close range. But after not seeing Pei Zhen for more than five years, he only felt the person in front looked similar, yet also had differences.
The key was…
“You don’t recognize me? You don’t know who I am?” the finely dressed young master asked in surprise.
Pei Er said coldly, “Why should I care who you are? Apologize to my wife immediately!”
“You, wife?” The finely dressed young master’s expression cracked slightly.
Impossible! Absolutely impossible! How could Pei Zhen possibly marry some little lady of unknown origin in such a remote countryside corner?
More accurately, how could someone like Pei Zhen, who at a glance looks like he has cut off all emotions and desires for several lifetimes, possibly get married?
![After Exile, I Married the Amnesiac General [Rebirth]](https://i1.wp.com/lazygirltranslations.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20240810023906_300_420.jpg?resize=151,215 "After Exile, I Married the Amnesiac General [Rebirth]")
