Climbing to the Top: A Reborn Queen's Journey-Chapter 344: Eagle Guard (Part 2)

Li Tianxi was caught off guard and staggered back a step, nearly falling. Fortunately, Liu Hengchang was quick-eyed and quick-handed and managed to grab his son-in-law.

After Li Tianxi steadied himself, he smiled ingratiatingly at his father-in-law and said, "Commander Liu, don’t be angry. I wasn’t intentionally keeping it from you; I wanted to figure it out first before telling Commander Liu."

Liu Hengchang glanced at him, "In the future, if anything happens, report to me promptly. Do not babble in front of the Commandery Princess."

This time, the idea was not bad and meaningful, so that’s fine. But if you develop a conceited and arrogant temperament and start spouting nonsense, it would become a joke.

Li Tianxi detected the care and concern in his father-in-law’s words and obediently agreed.

Jiang Shaohua did not interfere with her father-in-law’s mentoring of the inexperienced son-in-law. After Liu Hengchang was done lecturing, she smiled and said, "It’s a good thing for young people to be energetic, hardworking, and have ideas. Moreover, I think this matter is feasible. I’ll leave this matter entirely to Li Tianxi. No need to rush for success, take it slowly."

"If this matter is accomplished, it will be a great achievement, and I will reward you handsomely."

Li Tianxi perked up and loudly accepted the assignment.

Liu Hengchang calmly added a couple of sentences, "First, write a petition and present it to the Commandery Princess."

Upon hearing that he had to write a petition, Li Tianxi’s face turned bitter, but he dared not refuse.

After the Commandery Princess and her group left, Li Tianxi immediately rushed back to the military camp, found the writing materials, and spent ages biting his pen tip while writing the petition brain-rackingly.

He struggled for an entire afternoon and finally wrote two pages.

This time, Li Tianxi didn’t make a fool of himself and first presented his written petition to his own commander and father-in-law.

After reading it, Liu Hengchang criticized him, "You’ve never liked reading since you were young, nor have you properly practiced writing. Look at what you’ve written! Could you possibly show this to the Commandery Princess?"

Liu Hengchang couldn’t be blamed for being picky or harsh. The characters on these two pages were of varying sizes, the handwriting was untidy, and the sentences were not smooth. It was quite unpresentable!

Li Tianxi scratched his head, looking embarrassed, "Had I known earlier about a day like this, I would have read and practiced more diligently. Now, it’s just too late. Uncle, help me revise it, rewrite it, and then present it to the Commandery Princess!"

Liu Hengchang snorted with mild displeasure. What else could he do? His own nephew, his own son-in-law, he could only indulge him.

Liu Hengchang instructed with a stern face, "Prepare the paper and grind the ink."

Li Tianxi responded eagerly, swiftly setting up the paper and quickly grinding a full inkstick.

Liu Hengchang picked up the brush and inked, his handwriting neat and beautiful, indeed writing in an excellent hand.

Li Tianxi couldn’t help but flattered, "If Uncle were to take the Imperial Examination, surely he’d achieve a high score instead of becoming a military general."

Liu Hengchang’s mouth twitched, "Stop flattering. Be quiet!"

Li Tianxi chuckled and stopped speaking.

Liu Hengchang thought for a moment, then started writing smoothly, quickly completing the petition. After letting it dry, he handed it to Li Tianxi, repeatedly instructing, "Go seek an audience with the Commandery Princess and present this petition to her. Remember, be steady, don’t say things you shouldn’t say."

Doing more and saying less has always been Liu Hengchang’s guiding principle.

Li Tianxi solemnly agreed.

...

An hour later, the petition arrived in front of Jiang Shaohua.

Jiang Shaohua reviewed it carefully and praised with a smile, "This petition is concise and clear, very good."

Li Tianxi, standing solemnly, responded in a low voice, embarrassed, "Reporting to the Commandery Princess, this petition wasn’t written by me; it was written by Commander Liu. I haven’t liked reading or practicing writing since I was young. The petition I wrote was simply unusable, so I sought help from Commander Liu."

Jiang Shaohua chuckled, "You’re quite an honest person."

The Commandery Princess didn’t get angry; she was smiling. Li Tianxi’s courage suddenly grew a lot stronger, and he gave a sincere smile, "To be honest, Commandery Princess, I’ve never been particularly clever since I was young. Fortunately, my father passed down the skill of taming eagles to me. Otherwise, how would I qualify to enter the Personal Guard Camp of the Commandery Princess, let alone become a captain."

"Being able to say such words makes you more than qualified to be my trusted aide." Jiang Shaohua’s eyes were full of appreciation and praise, "You’re still young; skills can be learned, books can be read again, and writing can be practiced again. I have faith in you."

Li Tianxi, being praised, felt elated, puffed up his chest, and loudly responded, "Yes, I will read more books and practice writing more often, and strive to become a versatile talent like Commander Liu."

Jiang Shaohua offered a slight smile, chose to encourage a few more words and rewarded Li Tianxi with a fine horse.

Li Tianxi was so delighted that he couldn’t close his mouth, leading the Commandery Princess’s gifted warhorse for a stroll around the military camp.

Some eager individuals couldn’t help but ask, "Where did such a fine horse come from?"

Li Tianxi imitated his father-in-law’s calm demeanor and replied, "The Commandery Princess gifted it."

Then there followed a series of amazement and envy.

After Liu Hengchang found out, he was somewhat speechless and had to lecture his son-in-law. Only then did Li Tianxi behave and returned to his military tent with the horse.

...

Upon learning of this, Jiang Shaohua couldn’t help but smile slightly and said to Song Yuan, "Everyone has their weaknesses. Commander Liu, usually very steady, speaks and acts cautiously and carefully, never making mistakes. Yet his nephew and son-in-law are straightforward young men, without much scheming or depth."

Song Yuan also laughed, "Li Tianxi is one of the top among the youth group of trusted aides. No one is perfect; small shortcomings like this can be corrected gradually."

In the First Camp, there’s Tao Da with natural strength and unparalleled courage, in the Second Camp there’s the calm and meticulous Divine Archer Xiao Tian, and now in the Third Camp, Li Tianxi who is adept at taming eagles has emerged, giving some competition among the camps.

Additionally, there’s Qin Huma and Meng Sanbao, the Commandery Princess’s personal aides, who are exceptionally loyal and brave. Under the Commandery Princess, there is truly an abundance of talent.

Jiang Shaohua was still somewhat dissatisfied, and said quietly, "Li Tianxi and the others each have their strengths, but I still hope for more capable people."

Song Yuan felt a subtle shift in his heart, glanced at the Commandery Princess, "Qin Zhan Meng Dashan and the others are not only taking in refugees but also secretly recruiting trusted aides. Now, the number of people in the Personal Guard Camp exceeds four thousand."

These four thousand trusted aides are all elite, utterly loyal to the Commandery Princess, with formidable combat capabilities. To make an inappropriate comparison, this four thousand trusted aides could fearlessly face the court’s twenty thousand troops and still confidently ensure the safety of Nanyang County.

Furthermore, there’s the Nanyang Army, numbering over four thousand. With such manpower, does the Commandery Princess still find it insufficient?

What exactly does the Commandery Princess intend to do?

Jiang Shaohua remained silent, the image of Cui Du and the words he said that were utterly treasonous flashed through her mind. After a while, she spoke, "General Fan has been unable to capture Pingzhou despite leading troops. After the locust plague, who knows what chaos will ensue."

"I have a feeling that the world will be in turmoil. Nanyang, situated at the junction of the north and south, having more military force is always beneficial."