Chapter 92: There Are No Useless People in This World (Happy New Year!)

Outside the East Gate of Jinyang.

On the plain.

The rebel army began pushing one catapult after another out of the front camp, preparing to hurl stones into the moat outside the East Gate, just as they had done yesterday, aiming to intimidate the citizens and garrison within the city.

Meanwhile, in the endless mountain ranges surrounding Jinyang, under Zhen Zhai’er’s orders, tens of thousands of rebel soldiers, led by various military officers, once again commenced a thorough mountain sweep. No matter what, they were determined to root out the hidden ambush troops concealed within the hills!

Inside the city.

Fu Zihou woke up feeling well-rested. Upon rising, he entered the council chamber, eating millet cakes as he studied the map.

He noticed Cui Wenjin entering the room, looking troubled.

“What is it?” Fu Zihou asked with curiosity.

He had seen Cui Wenjin’s many expressions—joy, excitement, anger, worry, even ferocity—but this deep, burdensome look was new to him, stirring his curiosity.

Missing home, perhaps?

Fu Zihou couldn’t help but wonder.

If Cui Wenjin was worried that her elder brother, Cui Yuzhe, and the Cui family of Qinghe couldn’t find her, there was little Fu Zihou could do about it.

“Have you taken a liking to someone?” Cui Wenjin asked after considering Fu Zihou’s question, her expression unreadable as she looked at him.

Fu Zihou was stunned for a moment, then quickly realized who Cui Wenjin meant.

“I’m just keeping her close,” he replied.

Fu Zihou had thought Cui Wenjin was troubled over something else but was surprised it was about that woman from the Di family.

Seeing the doubtful and disappointed look in Cui Wenjin’s eyes, Fu Zihou took a bite of his millet cake and turned back to the map.

After a long silence, he didn’t leave or speak, simply watching the gloomy Cui Wenjin.

“She is from the Di family of Jinyang,” Fu Zihou explained.

Fu Zihou knew little about the Jinyang Di family, only that many of its members served as officials across various cities, and that in a decade or two, a renowned figure would emerge from their lineage, a name remembered through the ages.

But for now, none of that concerned Fu Zihou.

What truly mattered was the Di woman’s husband.

“Her husband is Su Xu, grandson of Su Wei from the Su family of Jingzhao,” Fu Zihou said softly.

Cui Wenjin frowned immediately.

“No wonder she knew I wasn’t Li Huanzhu…”

Suddenly, Cui Wenjin seemed to understand something and quickly looked at Fu Zihou.

“Years ago, Old Li was nearly killed by Su Wei. Now you have captured Su Wei’s granddaughter-in-law—what are you planning to do?”

Cui Wenjin eyed Fu Zihou suspiciously. Even as a woman herself, she had once longed to unravel the Di woman’s clothes and reveal her alluring form.

She had often heard that, to men, the most satisfying revenge was to possess the wives and daughters of their enemies.

And now, Fu Zihou was keeping the Di woman close…

Inside the council chamber.

Seeing Fu Zihou ignore her, Cui Wenjin grew anxious, convinced she was almost right—Fu Zihou surely intended to claim Su’s granddaughter-in-law.

“Remember, you have a fiancée! She’s still waiting for you in Suixian!” Cui Wenjin said, her breath uneven and uneasy.

Fu Zihou, still munching on his millet cake, glanced irritably at Cui Wenjin, about to reply, when the door opened and the Di woman entered.

Cui Wenjin turned back and, looking at the Di woman’s seductive face and figure, her heart pounded more heavily. She looked again at Fu Zihou.

Disgusting!

Shameless!

Men were all the same!

“What does the captain intend to do with Di Xing?” the Di woman asked, smiling as she approached Fu Zihou with her brother Di Xing by her side, her tone gentle.

The young captain intrigued her greatly, especially since she had witnessed firsthand last night how he led her from the plain into the East Gate.

“To secretly watch over the noble families inside the East Gate,” Fu Zihou replied, then glanced at Di Xing.

The Di woman’s eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at Fu Zihou.

“You just met Di Xing last night! Isn’t this a bit reckless?” she asked, glancing at her brother with some doubt.

As his sister, she knew Di Xing’s character inside and out. Since birth, this was the first time she’d seen anyone entrust life-or-death matters to him.

If she didn’t know Fu Zihou’s capabilities, she might have thought him mad.

Even she doubted her brother’s ability.

Beside the Di woman, Di Xing was stunned by Fu Zihou’s words—tasked with spying on the noble families inside the city!

Thinking of the many prominent families in East City, with elders older than his father, he felt overwhelmed. How could he possibly fulfill Fu Zihou’s orders?

“Precisely because you met only last night, it’s the most suitable! No one else in East City can do this better than you, Di Xing,” Fu Zihou said to the Di woman, then looked at Di Xing. Seeing the young man’s hesitant and nervous gaze, Fu Zihou only grew more certain that Di Xing could manage the task.

The rebel army outside would soon attack the city; most of the defenders’ attention would be on the walls. Over time, disorder would arise inside, with some noble families uneasy and trying to hedge their bets—or even side with the rebels.

“Do you really know Di Xing?” the Di woman sighed, recalling her days captured by the rebel army, abused by Xiang Yifeng.

Now back inside East City, she didn’t want to return to that life and hoped the young captain could hold the city.

She hoped her brother could make a difference, though she felt this task was too important for him.

“Life is unpredictable. Who can truly know a person?” Fu Zihou replied, dismissing her concerns and turning to Di Xing.

“No need to relay messages constantly! If needed, your sister and I will support you. Don’t worry too much—if the city falls, I’ll likely die in battle. You won’t be exposed. This will keep you and your sister safe, no matter what happens.”

From the first moment Fu Zihou saw Di Xing, he was timid and weak, but despite the danger, Di Xing’s concern for his sister was unmistakable.

After instructions from Yue Ming and others, and seeing the Di woman’s faith in her brother, Fu Zihou felt reassured.

Timidity and weakness were not flaws in his eyes.

“This…” Di Xing breathed heavily, nervous yet understanding Fu Zihou’s words. He knew that carrying out this task would ultimately protect him and his sister.

Secretly glancing at his elder sister and seeing no objection, Di Xing nodded.

This was his consent.

“Is this how the captain chooses his men—so daring?” the Di woman asked, curious. It had been less than a day since they met, yet the young captain kept surprising her.

Even the generals, like Tu Ye, found this young officer troublesome.

Inside the council chamber.

Hearing his sister’s words, Di Xing nodded silently in agreement—this was no ordinary bravery.

As he pondered how to mediate between the noble families and the captain without offending either, a voice suddenly rang out.

“There are no unusable people in the world, only those unrecognized. Your so-called boldness is merely distrust in Di Xing’s abilities!”

Di Xing looked at Fu Zihou, feeling a sudden pang deep inside, as if something had been touched. He quickly averted his gaze without revealing his feelings.

The Di woman’s enchanting face froze briefly, then she looked at her brother with mixed emotions.

Watching him, her heart ached inexplicably.

There are no unusable people, only unrecognized ones…

The phrase echoed in her mind, stirring complex feelings.

She wasn’t sure if it would hold true for her brother, but she knew behind these words stood the young captain demanding her brother’s very life.

Yet she found herself unable to argue or refuse the captain.

“I now understand why that girl is so infatuated with the captain,” the Di woman murmured to Fu Zihou with a trace of wistfulness, then left with her brother.

Fu Zihou watched their backs without a word, turning back to the map.

Outside the council chamber.

Cui Wenjin, leaning against the window, blushed deeply upon hearing the Di woman’s words. She quickly lowered her head and hurried back to her chamber.

Infatuated with him?

She felt her cheeks burn and, glancing up, noticed the soldiers guarding the residence casting curious looks her way. She hastened her steps.

Thinking that Fu Zihou had kept the Di woman in the residence because of Di Xing, Cui Wenjin finally relaxed a little.

Still, she dared not let her guard down—who could say if one day Fu Zihou might lose control over that Di woman?

…

On the plain outside East City.

Batches of rebel soldiers were pushing the catapults back to the spot from yesterday, preparing to reload the massive stones they had taken down earlier.

Suddenly, the rebel captain in charge noticed from the corner of his eye that the city gate beneath Jinyang East Gate was slowly opening.

Alerted, the captain straightened up.

The rebel soldiers around the catapults also noticed the change at the city gate.

Could the Jinyang defenders be launching a sortie?

But the thought was quickly dismissed by all—considering the defenders and the entire civilian population, no one would dare to fight outside.

Their own forces numbered over a hundred thousand!

If it wasn’t a sortie, then why open the city gate now?

Surrender?

Amid the confusion, the eyes of countless rebels on the plain soon caught sight of a wooden cart being pushed out of the gate toward the opposite side of the moat. A person was tied to wooden stakes atop the cart.

The city guards stopped the cart at the far side of the moat.

The captain immediately sent a scout to investigate.

Not long after, the scout returned on horseback with terrifying news.

The person tied to the wooden cart outside the moat was none other than the much-talked-about, ambushed general who had been captured—General Xiang Yifeng!

How could General Xiang be tied up inside the East Gate?

“Quick! Report to the Grand General!” the captain shouted, his eyes fixed on the city with confusion and a hint of fear.

All along, in his mind, Jinyang East Gate was a trap to wait for death. But seeing General Xiang unexpectedly appear there made him realize that the besieged city was not as powerless as he had thought.

Inside the rebel camp.

Zhen Zhai’er, Tang Zhenhao, Yang Boyue, and others gathered around the map, calculating where the hidden Sui army ambush might be near Jinyang.

The matter of Xiang Yifeng deeply unsettled everyone.

Since the news had been discovered, it was impossible to keep it secret among the troops.

Now, Zhen Zhai’er could only pray to find the hidden Sui ambush quickly and quell the unrest.

According to her judgment, this Sui force must be small; otherwise, they would have struck the front camp or main camp directly.

“Report!”

Suddenly, a panicked voice came from outside the tent. Zhen Zhai’er, Tang Zhenhao, Yang Boyue, and the strategists looked up.

A soldier with a pale face rushed in, knelt, and reported breathlessly.

“General! The Jinyang East Gate defenders just tied General Xiang to a cart outside the moat! Our troops dare not fire the catapults!”

The tent fell silent.

The strategists, generals, and Zhen Zhai’er exchanged incredulous glances.

General Xiang tied up outside the East Gate?

Impossible!

Jinyang East Gate had been surrounded by the rebel army all along! How could the defenders ambush General Xiang?

“This can’t be…”

A strategist muttered.

Snapping back to reality, Zhen Zhai’er looked at the reporting soldier, pondering briefly before rushing out of the tent.

Tang Zhenhao, Yang Boyue, and the others hurried after her.

Soon after, hundreds of cavalry galloped swiftly from the rebel camp toward Jinyang East Gate.

Happy New Year! Wishing all readers good health, success in all endeavors, and prosperity in the new year!

My son was scared all night by fireworks, so I’m taking a day off—this is the first update!

I want to sneak a little rest this New Year and spend more time with family; updates will be fewer. Please understand!

In the new year, I hope all readers are happy, joyful, and that all wishes come true!