The carriage went all the way south, and when it passed through the rugged mountainous area, a wheel couldn’t bear it, and broke.

Yan Mingting and Xiao Gao tried in vain to repair it.

Zhao Yelan looked at the rest of their luggage in the separate carriage. Fortunately, it was only half-full and could accommodate two people, so the broken carriage was abandoned, and the two of them huddled in the luggage carriage.

After traveling like this for a day, Yan Mingting could still bear it, but Zhao Yelan couldn’t stand the torment. There was no place to lie down, and even sitting was uncomfortable. The mountain road was extremely bumpy, and he couldn’t sleep all night, so the two just huddled in the narrow space and talked.

When it was finally dawn, he asked Xiao Gao if there were any towns nearby where they could buy a carriage. Xiao Gao said with embarrassment that there were mountains all around, and it might take a day or two to reach the nearest town.

Zhao Yelan gave a sigh of despair. Never mind if there was no town. He just wanted to eat hot food and drink water.

Fortunately, no place was completely cut off from people. At this moment, he saw smoke rising nearby, and said: “Let’s go over there and have a look.”

Along the way, apart from staying at inns, they also often stayed at ordinary people’s homes. They met all sorts of people, which was also entertaining.

There were few people around here, and when they finally saw cooking smoke, they naturally had to rest for a while.

After about a stick of incense, the carriage finally stopped. Zhou Yelan and Yan Mingting got out of the carriage and looked around. There was only a simple house in this mountain field, built with earthen walls and a thatched roof. It seemed that if there was a heavy rain, the house would collapse.

“What do you think?” Yan Mingting asked for Zhao Yelan’s opinion.

Zhao Yelan hesitated for a long moment, but decided to rest for a while. He was thirsty and sleepy now, so he wasn’t too bothered.

Xiao Gao first went to check the nearby terrain, and Yan Mingting took Zhao Yelan to knock on the courtyard door: “Excuse me, is anyone home?”

“Who is it, ah?” A crisp voice sounded from inside.The person seemed young.

“We’re passing by and would like to ask for a drink of water,” Yan Mingting said.

“What are you doing passing through this wilderness?” There was still some vigilance hidden in the young man’s voice.

Yan Mingting smiled a little: “We got lost. We’re not wicked people, and only came here by accident.”

No one answered from inside, but Yan Mingting heard small movements to the side. A young man poked his head over the courtyard wall and looked at them, then came over to open the door with a stick of firewood in his hand: “You really came to ask for water?”

“Yes,” Yan Mingting said with a smile.

Zhao Yelan stared at the young man silently for a long moment. He didn’t expect that there would be such a good-looking person hidden in the wilderness. The other party’s eyes were bright, and he couldn’t stop looking at him and Yan Mingting.

At this time, there was another voice from inside: “Xiao Wu, who’s here?” Immediately after, another gentleman came out.

The young man immediately lost his guarded expression, turning his head to smile at the man as he said: “Passers-by, asking for a drink of water.”

“Then come in, have you two eaten yet? We’re about to have breakfast. If you don’t mind, let’s eat together,” the man said.

The two of them had been waiting for just such a thing, and after saying “excuse us,” they went into the house together.

At the dining table, the two and the young man faced each other in silence, each with their own thoughts.

Both of them thought that these two young men were a bit unusual. The person in front of them had an excellent appearance, with clever, deer-like eyes and delicate, fair skin. It could be seen that he had not been exposed to the sun for a long time, but his hands had a few blisters, as if he had done a lot of work in a short period.

And the young man who was serving porridge in the kitchen had an indescribable feeling around him. He had black hair and black eyes, was personable, and behaved in a dignified manner, not like an ordinary farmer at all.

It was a bit intriguing that these two people had appeared here at the same time.

“Who are you?” The young man asked suddenly.

Zhao Yelan said: “Just people passing by.”

The young man’s gaze fell to his attire: “Seeing how wealthy you are, could it be that you’re traveling for leisure?”

“Exactly.”

The young man breathed a sigh of relief, and asked again: “Why are you two out for leisure? Where are your wives and family members?”

Yan Mingting said: “We are a family, and he is my wife.”

The young man’s eyes widened immediately, and he looked at them in disbelief: “Really?!”

“No lie.” Yan Mingting looked at Zhao Yelan with a smile. “Isn’t that right, wife?”

Zhao Yelan ignored him. He picked up the teacup in front of him and took a sip, and his expression turned bitter. The tea actually had sediment in it!

He was about to spit it out, but the young man suddenly held his hand and called excitedly: “Brother!”

Zhao Yelan was startled, and swallowed the tea: “…….”

“Hey, what are you doing, kid?” Yan Mingting hurriedly slapped his hand away, but the other party turned around and took his hand too, calling him brother.

“What are you shouting ‘brother’ for, don’t you know how much older we are than you?”

“Older? I think you must be thirty at most, right? I call you brother out of respect,” said the young man.

“You have a good eye.” Yan Mingting held his hand. “Little brother, my half-brother from a different mother.”

Zhao Yelan: “…….”

The young man asked curiously: “How long have you been married?”

“Fifteen years,” Yan Mingting said.

“Wow!” The young man immediately rushed into the kitchen. “Did you hear that? They’ve been together for fifteen years. Look how loving they are, ah, we can do it too!”

Hearing this, the man turned his head and glanced at them, then smiled and said to the young man: “I know. Let’s bring the porridge over first.”

“Okay.” The young man placed the porridge in front of them. “Taste my future wife’s cooking. He’ll be the number one scholar in the future, so I call this porridge number one scholar porridge!”

The two of them looked down, and saw that the porridge was unappetizing and practically dry. Zhao Yelan asked: “Are you sure this porridge can be eaten?”

“Of course, millet tastes the best, rich young masters like you wouldn’t understand.” The young man retched quietly while eating the porridge, then said with a smile: “It’s delicious, you eat some too!”

The two people: “…….”

Zhao Yelan almost suspected that he was an assassin who was trying to kill them.

“I’m sorry, there isn’t much food around here, so we can only cook it a little dry to fill our stomachs.”

The man brought out two more bowls of porridge and a plate of side dishes.

It would be fine if the porridge was just dry, but Zhao Yelan could see crispy pieces of grain in it. He picked up one of the side dishes and asked: “Is this a local specialty? Why is it black?”

The man said shyly: “These are green vegetables.”

Zhao Yelan: “……”

But the young man proceeded to quickly swallow the side dishes and porridge almost without chewing.

Yan Mingting said with emotion: “It’s clear that you truly love each other.”

The young man smiled and said: “Wow, brother, you are really discerning!”

The man glanced at the young man and smiled softly. He grabbed his sleeve to take a look at it and said: “There’s a hole here, I’ll sew it up for you later.”

“Okay, you’re really capable!” The young man praised.

It was the first time that Zhao Yelan was fed such a lovey-dovey scene. It was quite novel, and he couldn’t help but think of his friends and wonder if they had the same feeling when he was with Yan Mingting.

Zhao Yelan barely ate a few mouthfuls, but Yan Mingting marched ahead and fought well. He had already finished one bowl, and went to the kitchen to prepare another, only to find that the pot was empty. The two of them must be truly struggling.

The man turned his head and said: “I’m sorry, I only cooked for two people, so there isn’t enough.”

“We are the ones who have troubled you, and even ate your breakfast,” Yan Mingting said.

But the young man comforted the other man, saying: “Look, I told you that the food you cook is delicious, he wants to eat a second bowl. You need to have more confidence in yourself.”

“Okay, I will.”

After eating, the young man went to wash the dishes, and the man took out a needle and thread to sew his clothes for him.

Zhao Yelan and Yan Mingting were quietly discussing how much food money they would leave for them when they heard a crash in the kitchen. The young man came out with a broken bowl and said with a mournful face: “I broke another one.”

“It doesn’t matter, that’s better than smashing eight at once,” the man said encouragingly.

The two people: “……”

Zhao Yelan looked at the man and saw that he was threading the needle clumsily, like an old woman. It took him a long time to get it in, then he sewed with trembling hands, and his finger bled after poking it a few times.

The two people: “……”

It was truly not easy for these two people to survive. After thinking about it, they should leave more life-saving money for them.

When the two got up, the young man felt that he and Yan Mingting had hit it off right away, and insisted on dragging him aside to chat. 

And Zhao Yelan was also drawn over by the man, who asked cautiously: “Daring to ask, is your surname Zhao?”

Zhao Yelan was taken aback, and looked at him in surprise. “You know me?”

“I just guessed. The two of you are not ordinary, and it is clear that you are either wealthy or noble. Although marrying a man as a proper wife isn’t rare nowadays, it was a marriage fifteen years ago that caused a sensation all over the country and broke the taboo.” The man cupped his hands and bowed. “Zhao-daren, I have admired your name for a long time. It is an honor to meet you here.”

Zhao Yelan narrowed his eyes slightly: “And you are?”

“My father’s surname is Shen. He is currently working in the Imperial Academy.”

The current head of the Imperial Academy was surnamed Shen. He had two sons. The eldest had already married and established a family, and he had heard that the second son had a marriage contract with someone in his early years.

“Why are you here? Aren’t you getting married soon? Your father even handed me a wedding invitation a while ago,” Zhao Yelan said curiously.

The man sighed: “It’s a long story. I’ve already written an annulment letter to the Liu family, and I am in love with Xiao Wu. I hope Zhao-daren will not tell my father. When the time is right, I will return to Beijing to plead guilty.”

After bidding farewell to these two people, Zhao Yelan and Yan Mingting got back on the road, but Yan Mingting took out a jade pendant and said: “I thought that kid was unusual, and sure enough, he said he was from the Liu family in Jiangnan. He asked me to take this jade pendant to the Liu family and ask for money so that he can buy bowls, clothes, and a big house for his future wife.”

Zhao Yelan paused: “Wait, who did you say he is?”

“From the Liu family in Jiangnan.”

Zhao Yelan laughed suddenly: “Coincidentally, his lover is from the Shen family.”

“What?!”

Zhao Yelan told him the story, and Yan Mingting laughed, saying: “Then should we go back and tell them?”

“Forget it, we’ve traveled too far. Depending on their own good fortune, maybe they’ll wait until the novelty wears off and forget about living out here.” Zhao Yelan said with a smile: “I want to see how far they can go.”

A month later, the two came to Jiangnan again. They first stayed in Zhizhou for a few days. Magistrate Sun was still healthy and strong, but would soon take his wife to the capital to accompany his daughter and grandson.

Magistrate Sun also prepared several pots of lotus wine for them. Yan Mingting had missed the taste of it very much.

Zhao Yelan couldn’t help but think of the last time he drank lotus wine here. So many years had passed in the blink of an eye, but the emotions of that time were still fresh even now. As long as he thought about it, his heartbeat would speed up and his blood would boil.

Yan Mingting carried him to bed. Both of them smelled like wine, as if they had fallen into the depths of a lotus pond, staggering and dizzy.

When the two passed through Zhihuai and Huaizhou, they were recognized by many people and received a warm welcome. The local common people had always respected them, and their folk customs were more open.

With Zhao Yelan and Yan Mingting being in love, the common people seemed to have seen their example, and were open to the matter of men marrying men. Some people even went to the old Guoshi to have their fortunes read and see if they could find the person they were destined for. The old Guoshi never expected that he would become a master of marriage.

“It seems that the relationship between the two of us will never be broken. The common people will not allow it,” Yan Mingting said confidently.

Zhao Yelan: “Do you think I care what the common people think?”

“Then you care about me.”

Zhao Yelan laughed and grasped his chin, leaning forward to kiss him. The wind blew the curtain of the carriage, and the people passing by saw the love between Zhao-daren and General Yan, who they held in the highest esteem. They were relieved, and at the same time, somewhat envious.

When they arrived in Quzhou, it was Wang Guisheng who came to receive them. He had been the magistrate for several years. When he saw them, he still couldn’t help but feel that the years had been very kind to them.

They showed signs of aging after so many years, but they were still the same as before, standing side by side, bright and luxurious. Their demeanors had not diminished, and there was a bit of additional calmness.

When these two stood together in the past, they always faced ridicule and abuse behind their backs, but now they had become a good story for people all over the country.

Just when he was about to sigh with emotion, he saw Yan Mingting at the dinner table holding up the wine bowl. He was about to drink heavily, but Zhao Yelan gave him a sideways look: “How much have you had to drink tonight?”

“Aiya, it’s rare to get together with Wang Guisheng. The friendship of more than ten years is in this bowl of wine!” Yan Mingting said.

“How did I not know that you’ve had a friendship with him for more than ten years?” Zhao Yelan said quietly.

Wang Guisheng quickly clarified: “The General and I have never been familiar.”

Yan Mingting choked, then turned to look at Zhao Yelan: “Just one bowl. It’s really the last bowl.”

Zhao Yelan: “That’s what you said just now.”

“It’s really the last bowl.” Yan Mingting tugged his sleeve under the table, looking at him with aggrieved eyes. “The wine here isn’t too strong.”

Zhao Yelan looked at him for a moment, and finally let him have it.

Yan Mingting was happy. Only, he drank too much and had to be helped back to the room. As soon as he was put on the bed, he hooked the other’s waist and said drunkenly: “Mengting, sleep, sleep.”

Zhao Yelan waited for a while, seeing that he was about to fall asleep in a daze. Then he carefully took his hands away and walked out of the room lightly, returning to the table.

“I’ve kept you waiting.”

“It’s no problem,” Wang Guisheng said with a smile.

“Tell me more about the canal.”

“All right.”

The canal was a measure that Zhao Yelan vigorously promoted six years ago. It required a lot of manpower and material resources. From the perspective of time, it was a waste of money and people. At that time, it was opposed by many people and drew a lot of criticism. However, he resisted all opinions and insisted on building the canal. Fortunately, the Jiangnan people responded in support, allowing it to begin smoothly.

On the Jiangnan side, it was actually Wang Guisheng who led the way. He and Wang Guisheng exchanged letters and discussed for a long time before Wang Guisheng decided to lobby the common people.

The project was completed the year before last. The two of them discussed the current situation for nearly an hour before stopping. Zhao Yelan asked: “It’s so late, why don’t you go back?”

“It’s rare to see each other, I want to chat with you for a while,” Wang Guisheng said with a smile.

This was the largest inn in the city. Wang Guisheng had originally wanted to invite them to stay at his home, but Zhao Yelan thought that it would be inconvenient to stay with his family, so he chose the inn.

The two chatted about what they had seen and heard over the years, and time passed quickly. Just as he was talking about the stupid things Yan Mingting had done, and Wang Guisheng was laughing out loud, Yan Mingting appeared behind them.

“Why haven’t you gone to sleep?” Yan Mingting asked in a deep voice.

Wang Guisheng knew that this was aimed at him, and shook his head with a laugh. He didn’t expect that after so many years, the General would still be an old vinegar jar.

After inviting them over to the house for dinner the next day, Wang Guisheng took advantage of the opportunity to say goodbye.

“Weren’t you sleeping? Why are you up again?” Zhao Yelan stood up.

“If I didn’t get up, were you planning to chat with him all night, ah?” Yan Mingting said.

“I see you still haven’t sobered up.”

“I woke up and found that you weren’t there, and sobered up in fright.” Yan Mingting walked behind him and hugged him, lowering his head to smell him. Still a little drunk, he kept calling his name in a low voice, “Mengting, Mengting.”

Zhao Yelan leaned into his arms habitually. The corners of his mouth curled up in spite of himself, and he looked down at the bustling scene on the street. The common people were all smiling, carrying lanterns with joy and laughter. Today was the Lantern Festival.

“Those lanterns are beautiful,” Zhao Yelan said casually, pointing to the opposite building.

Unexpectedly, Yan Mingting jumped out at once, going to the opposite side to steal two big lanterns before coming back: “For you.”

“Be careful not to get arrested as a thief.” Zhao Yelan took the lanterns and studied the paintings on them.

A warm yellow halo shone on his face, as beautiful as a person in a painting.

Yan Mingting was fascinated by the sight. He lowered his head and kissed him on the forehead: “Why don’t you make a wish?”

“What wish?”

“Wish that you will love Fangli forever,” Yan Mingting hinted very clearly.

“Why not wish that you will love Zhao Mengting forever?”

“It seems that this fake wish-making ceremony can be dispensed with. What is the point of wishing for things that will definitely come true?” Yan Mingting suddenly laughed.

“Yes, ah.”

The two hung up the lanterns and watched the light of the festival together, the children on the streets laughing and cheering, and the fiery trees and silver flowers bursting in the sky.

Seeing that the land was safe, and that the one they loved was always by their side.

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T/N: I finally got around to doing the rest of the extras! The final ones are a six-part “what if” series, and I’ll post them soon.

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Extra 6 <<Table of Contents >> Extra 8: Faking Death (1)