y can't even finish it all.""The villagers are so hungry now they could eat people. As the village head's son, you can't just stand by and watch us die!"You are our unanimously recognized next village...Chapter 1166: Jinxiu, I Need You

Zhao Yun stood in front of Zong Yu and knelt down with a thud.

"My Lord!"

"You should also take care of your own body. There's no need to seek revenge from the Xixia people immediately. Think about your mother and wife, they haven't returned for several days, they must be very worried."

Others followed suit, kneeling down and shouting in unison.

"May Lord Hou take good care of his health."

Zongyu looked at the soldiers kneeling before him. If something happened to him in the palace, these people would no longer see hope.

No matter what excuses the civil and military officials come up with in court to disguise the peace, chaos has already appeared in Daxixi.

The Emperor's health was failing, and several other princes, unable to contain their ambitions any longer, were restless.

But their eyes were fixed only on power and high positions, they did not even glance at the plight of the common people in the capital city who were suffering greatly. This human suffering seemed to have nothing to do with them.

"My lord, you needn't worry about the palace. With Prince Jing here, those Xixia people won't get away."

"You should go back and rest first. Even ironclad bodies can't withstand this kind of hardship."

Zong Yu only nodded slightly, as he was also a bit worried about Jinxiu's situation.

Since Jiang Chuang's death, Jinxiu seemed to have lost her soul. She wouldn't leave the house and stopped caring about anything else that happened within the mansion.

Jiang Chuang's jealousy over Jinxiu's significance drove him to madness.

But the man was already dead, he knew that no matter how jealous he was, it wouldn't help.

"Okay, let the brothers take turns keeping watch. You all should go rest when it's your turn."

When Zhao Yun saw that the lord was willing to listen to his advice and rest, a relaxed smile immediately appeared on his face.

"Yes, even if the Marquis didn't say anything we would go to rest. We really can't hold on any longer."

Zhuge Yun wasn't joking.

During these days of firefighting, they didn't eat, sleep or rest, working tirelessly for four or five days straight. They dashed back and forth in the fire scene, rescuing people and fighting the fire.

During that time, he fainted from exhaustion once and was taken by his subordinates to a nearby villager's house for a nap.

Other brothers also had short breaks one after another, it wasn't truly sleepless.

But only one person is, and that is the Marquis.

The Lord has been working tirelessly for four or five days, without sleep, standing at the fire site. He personally rescued every citizen trapped in the fire, refusing to leave until everyone was safe.

Among them, besides the Marquis, no one else could lift a 200-kilogram stone.

These are things that allow people to survive even into the next day.

Upon returning home, Zong Yu just stepped through the door when he saw Mu Shi anxiously striding towards him.

"Is the fire out"

"Eradicated," Zong Yu nodded.

Although he desperately wanted to cheer up and ease his mother's worries, the fatigue on his face was impossible to hide. Mrs. Mu looked at him with heartache.

"Hurry, go back and take a hot bath and get some rest."

"The hot water was prepared for me early this morning."

Zongyu nodded, too tired to even utter a word.

I've been through tougher times on the battlefields of Xizhou before, and seen more bodies than there are now.

But that's war, soldiers who safeguard the nation and sacrifice on the battlefield are glorious.

But the over a thousand charred corpses he had just seen, their faces unrecognizable, were all innocent civilians.

zongyu first realized how important the stability and strength of the government were to the people.

And Dah Hsi's ruler,

lacked the ability to protect his people.

Does it truly make sense to be loyal to such a monarch

Zong Yu returned to the courtyard with heavy steps. Mu Jin and Xiao Yue saw the Marquis return from afar and hurriedly went to report to Fang Jinshu.

"Madam, the Marquis is back!"

"Madam, the Marquis looks very haggard. I hear that the big fire in the east of the city has been burning for several days, and the Marquis has been working tirelessly to put it out."

Xiao Yue looked at Madam's blank eyes and was about to cry. He had never seen Madam like this before.

So lost and despondent.

Even the Marquis didn't care.

Zongyu walked in and saw Jinxiu was still the same as always. A pang of sadness flashed in his eyes.

"My lord, you're back."

Xiaoyue and Mujin saw Zongyu in such a state, even they felt pity for him. How could Madam remain so indifferent

"All of you, leave now."

Xiaoyue and Mujin looked at each other.

"My lord, seeing your wife like this, you should let us maids attend to you."

zongyu waved his hand.

"No, go away."

He sat across from Jinxiu. Ever since Jiang Chuang died, Jinxiu seemed to have locked away her soul.

She seemed utterly disillusioned with the world, no longer wanting to face it.

Mulan tugged on Xiaoyue, feeling it was better to let the Marquis and his wife be alone together.

If there's anyone in this world who could pull the madam out, it would only be the Marquis.

Though they went out, they were still uneasy and stayed nearby without leaving.

Zong Yu reached out and took Fang Jinxiu's hand, rubbing it gently in his palm before pressing it urgently against his cheek, back and forth.

Zong Yu had never cried in his life. He knew from a young age that tears were the most useless thing in the world.

He won't bring help when he's helpless, nor will he become someone who eats others to fill his own belly after his father abandons them.

Nor will it become medicine and silver, curing your mother's illness and providing funds for Zongbo's studies.

Only actions can.

Any difficulty, as long as you have the courage to face it and make efforts for it, there will definitely be improvement.

But this time, Zong Yu really didn't know how much effort he needed to put in to make Jinxiu look at him again, to make her recover.

He held onto Fang Jinshu's hand, burying his head in her palm.

The man of iron and steel finally shed tears, the scalding hot drops landing on Fang Jinshu's palm. For a moment, her eyelashes blinked twice.

The vacant expression finally showed a hint of change.

Ah, Ah-yu.

"Why are you crying"

Hearing Fang Jinshu's voice, Zong Yu still thought it was an illusion. He suddenly raised his head, his eyes red with fright.

Fang Jinxiu's eyes finally moved, seeing the dirty and exhausted man with a full beard. Fang Jinxiu couldn't hold back any longer, tears streaming down her face.

She gently raised her hand and caressed Zong Yu's cheek.

"Ayu, how did you become like this"

"Jiang Chuang Gege has already left me, you can't leave me too."

A choked and hoarse voice echoed through the room. Fang Jinshu spoke, tears welling up as she broke down into sobs, her cries unrelenting.

She was afraid.

Fearing that no matter how hard she tries, she can't protect the people she loves most. Then, what does all her effort over the years even amount to

In the end, she even made Jiang Chuang sacrifice himself to protect her.

She's useless! Totally useless.

Zong Yu embraced Fang Jinxiu's arm, pulling her in front of him. Their foreheads touched each other.

"No, I won't be like Jiang Chuang that useless. I will never leave you."

Jinxiu, I need you.

"The common people outside also need you."ed. "Okay, I understand. I'll go ask."Having just arrived, Zongyu had no choice but to turn back home.Li Yuanchun walked to his father's side puzzled, "Father, why does Zongniang's husband seem a bit...