At dusk, the servants hurriedly prepared dinner and tidied up the house. Because the new master’s requirements were many and precise, before they knew it, it turned into the servants of Zhao Mansion instructing the people of the General’s mansion on how to do things. It was inevitable that the two sides would become hostile.

Originally, the servants of the General’s Mansion could spend their time leisurely, feeding the chickens and fishing. The general who had just returned to Beijing was an easy-going person, and he didn’t need them to take care of him at all. Now there was an extra master, or rather, an ancestor.^[1] In the past two days, he had added a lot of work for them, and the servants he brought with him were even more arrogant. Dissatisfied with everything they saw, they assigned tasks to them domineeringly, making them angry.

After a while, a little maid ran into the kitchen and said happily to her companions: “My god, the General actually punished his wife to do horse stance in the courtyard!”

“Is this true?”

The little companions were delighted, and ran to the front courtyard to watch.

The people of Zhao Mansion heard this, looked at each other, and followed suit.

Not long after, a group of servants peeked out from the corridor at the front courtyard, and saw Zhao Yelan crouching crookedly with his expensive clothes hanging on the ground, stained with dirt. His expression was very ugly.

Zhao Yelan heard whispering voices and looked back. With just that one look, they quieted down and left the place, pushing and shoving.

Gao Tan ran over, and was about to speak when Zhao Yelan stopped him: “Xiao Gao, go and see what the kitchen has cooked. If there is nothing I like, let them redo it.”

Gao Tan immediately stopped, hesitated for a moment, then turned and went to the kitchen.

“How old is Gao Tan?” Yan Mingting asked, looking at his back.

“What concern is it of yours?” Zhao Yelan said calmly. “Why do you ask so many questions?”

“Just asking, he looks pretty young,” Yan Mingting said, pressing down on his shoulders. “Put your hands down, squat down a bit, your body isn’t stable. If you sway around, you’re liable to fall down with a single blow.”

Zhao Yelan gritted his teeth. Sweat dripped from his forehead and a blush appeared on both sides of his cheeks. Just like peach blossoms unintentionally smudged on rice paper, the finishing touch was vivid and fragrant.

It was still dark during the morning exercises, so Yan Mingting had missed this sight. Now, he gazed at this novel and stunning thing, and couldn’t help but take a second look.

Zhao Yelan noticed his gaze, raised his hand, and slapped him on the chest.

The servants of Zhao Mansion who were passing by were surprised, and happily sped up, running back to the kitchen, where they exaggeratedly told everyone that Zhao-daren slapped General Yan. The Zhao Mansion recovered some lost ground!

“What are you slapping me for?” Yan Mingting asked.

“I was itching to, that’s all.”

Yan Mingting shrugged indifferently and pinched his face. Grabbing his face, Zhao Yelan hissed in pain and glared.

“Don’t ask, I was just itching to,” Yan Mingting replied.

“General, Zhong Yuehong and He Cuizhang are here,” the guards ran in to announce.

“Understood.” Yan Mingting let go of his grip and turned around, telling Zhao Yelan, “You persist for another quarter of an hour.”

When Zhong Yuehong and He Cuizhang stepped into the General’s Mansion, they happened to meet Yan Mingting approaching them. The three of them didn’t exchange too many pleasantries, and walked together to the study room, where they could discuss business.

When passing through the corridor, the two saw with sharp eyes a figure in fine attire disappearing at the end, and asked, “Is that Zhao Yelan?”

“En.”

“There’s another master in the General’s Mansion, I’m not used to it,” He Cuizhang said. “General, are you used to it yet?”

“Is it something to not be used to? It’s just one more person, how much impact could it have?” Yan Mingting said indifferently. Turning the corner and coming to the study room, he had just opened the door when he was stimulated by a pungent fragrance and sneezed on the spot.

He saw the person inside and said, “It’s fine if you don’t continue training, but why did you come to the study to burn incense?”

“I wanted to use the study.” Zhao Yelan held a history book in his hand, sitting leisurely on his seat to read it, and didn’t give them a single look.

There were too many other people about, and the servants were bustling around and coming in and out. It was very inconvenient, so the three of them came to a century-old tree in the back courtyard.

“General……are you really used to it?” He Cuizhong asked incredulously. They used to discuss business everywhere when they were on the frontier, but this was the first time they had fled to a tree.

How was it that they had worked so hard to return to the prosperous and affluent capital, yet the conditions here were more difficult than fighting in the field?

Yan Mingting cleared his throat in embarrassment, and said seriously, “What do you need with me?”

“There are some clues about what you want to investigate.” Zhong Yuehong lowered her voice and said, “The boy who delivered the old general medicine before he died confessed, saying that someone ordered him to put poison in the medicine. This poison is colorless and tasteless, and the dosage was small. Long-term use will make people dizzy and weak in the limbs, so with the old general on the battlefield……”

On the surface, the old general died fighting for the country, but in fact he was killed by a traitor. The major general didn’t even have time to mourn his father, setting aside personal matters for the sake of the country as he quickly led the soldiers onto the battlefield. It took three full days to win the battle, and the distraught Yan Mingting stopped the team that was transporting the old general’s body back to Beijing. He said that he wanted to spend another night with his father, and then quietly led the coroner to open the coffin for an autopsy.

He did not believe that his father would die at the hands of an ordinary soldier. His father once said that even if he died, he would cut off the head of the enemy general and be buried with him.

That night seemed extraordinarily long. He didn’t want to believe that his father could be defeated so easily, but was even more unwilling to believe that his father had braved untold danger only to be killed by his own people.

The end result was not surprising, only bitter and hopeless.

Since then, Yan Mingting had been concentrating on the battlefield while secretly sending his confidants to investigate the matter covertly. It was only that they hadn’t cultivated any influence in Beijing, and couldn’t inadvertently alert the enemy, so the investigation had dragged on until now. After many years, he finally found some clues after Mongolia surrendered, so he hurried back to Beijing. Even if he knew that he was also coming back to get married.

“Where is that person? Did you find out who ordered it?” Yan Mingting’s expression turned severe.

Zhong Yuehong shook her head bitterly: “He only said that the man was monstrously powerful in the capital, and that the lives of his whole family were in that man’s hands. Then he committed suicide.”

The three were silent for a while. He Cuizhang asked: “The trail was lost, so what should we do next?”

“It’s not lost, we at least narrowed the range,” Yan Mingting said.

“That’s true, there are quite a few powerful people in the capital, but if you want to say that their power is monstrous……” He Cuizhang thought about it, and suddenly pointed to the patio not far away, where Zhao Yelan was surrounded by a group of servants as he ate. “Isn’t he one of them?”

Yan Mingting crossed his arms in front of his chest, gazed at that figure for a moment, and said: “You continue to investigate, the things they have done are sure to have left a clue. Let’s see if we can find traces of that young man’s family.”

He Cuizhang still wanted to say something, but Yen Mingting had already skipped under the tree, saying relaxedly, “It smells so good, and it’s getting late, let’s stay and have dinner together.”

He Cuizhang and Zhong Yuehong really had to admire the speed of his emotional change. The two walked together behind him.

Born in the army, everyone had a life-long friendship and the rules were naturally fewer. They all used to eat together, but today they encountered some difficulties.

When the two were ready to sit down, they were suddenly sized up by Zhou Yelan’s cold gaze, and their hands and feet immediately became so stiff that they didn’t know where to put them.

Yan Mingting asked people to add two sets of bowls and chopsticks. Zhao Yelan didn’t stop him, but he also gave the order: “Go and wash your hands first.”

He was obviously disgusted, and the two looked at Yan Mingting awkwardly. Yan Mingting nodded: “Go, go.”

“You go too.” Zhao Yelan slanted a look at him.

Yan Mingting: “……Oh.”

The three of them stood in front of a basin of water, staring at each other in silence, and rubbed their hands together. They had just taken them out when a maid from the Zhao residence handed over a piece of osmanthus soap, and the three stared at each other again.

The maid explained: “It is used to rub on the hands to remove dirt and smells.”

The three rustic fellows had to take turns rubbing the soap and cleaning their hands carefully.

He Cuizhang whispered: “General, when will you be able to have dinner, ah?”

Yan Mingting whispered even lower: “You are lucky that you were not asked to take a bath before being served today.”

He Cuizhang felt terrible at the thought. When he looked at Zhao Yelan again, the words “this much is fine” came to mind.

Zhong Yuehong didn’t say anything, but took a few more glances at the sweet-scented osmanthus soap. Even as her family’s daughter, she had never used such delicate playthings. She came from a butcher’s family and had never seen anything like it. After enlisting in the army, even having a source of water was not a guarantee, so where could she have used it?

The three of them finally took their seats, picked up their chopsticks, and grabbed the food quickly, as if there were pursuers chasing after them. The speed of the meal made people speechless.

Zhao Yelan chewed slowly and swallowed a few mouthfuls, and saw that the food on the table had been completely eaten. Then he looked at the three people who were comfortably touching their stomachs, and set the chopsticks down heavily on the table.

Pa – 

The three of them were startled and quickly sat up straight, showing belated expressions of apology.

“Xiao Gao, go and bring out the things in the small kitchen,” Zhao Yelan ordered.

Not long after, exquisite delicacies were brought out. Yan Mingting was surprised: “Why are there so many dishes?”

Zhao Yelan picked up the dishes leisurely: “I was worried that there were too few cooks in your house, so I arranged for people to prepare more in the small kitchen. Thankfully, I gave the order, otherwise would there still be something for me to eat?”

He Cuizhang and Zhong Yuehong smiled cautiously, seeing the delicacies placed in front of him. They were delicious and beautiful, making people salivate, but their stomachs were already full and they could only be envious.

After the meal, the two left the General’s Mansion in disgrace. Before leaving, Zhong Yuehong was stopped by Zhao Yelan. She turned her head uncertainly, and Gao Tan walked up to her and handed her something.

Walking outside the gate, she opened it and saw that it was a brand new sweet-scented osmanthus soap.

“Why were you given this? Controlling us in the General’s Mansion and then sending it with us to wash with every day when we go home? Our calloused hands, even if we rubbed them hundreds of times, we can’t achieve the effect of his delicate skin and tender flesh,” He Cuizhang muttered.

Zhong Yuehong kicked him far away.

In the evening, Zhao Yelan, who had been tired all day, washed up early and picked up a new blanket, preparing to go to bed. It didn’t take long for another person to appear beside him. He turned his back to the other party, thinking that when he came back in the afternoon, he had found that the things he asked for were all there – – his requests having been met, he asked, “Why won’t you agree to splitting the house?”

Yan Mingting put his hands behind his head and crossed his legs: “Sleeping in separate rooms after just being married, I don’t want to lose face when the word spreads. It would look like this General’s Mansion was parading its wealth.”

Zhao Yelan snorted, not understanding what went on in his mind. Just as he closed his eyes, he realized that the other party was covering him with a blanket, and turned to glare at him: “Don’t cross the line.”

“The dog snarls and snaps at Lu Dong Bin,”^[2] Yan Mingting said.

“Who are you calling a dog?” Zhao Yelan turned around, picked up the classic book between them, and threw it at him. “Get out of here!”

“Don’t move around.” Yan Mingting tilted his head to dodge the blow, then got up and grabbed his hands with a smile, pressing them on top of the pillow. “If you fight and can’t win, why bother?”

Zhao Yelan struggled for a long time, unable to free himself at all. His wrists were still grasped tightly. He looked at him with anger that stemmed from embarrassment, his chest heaving slightly and his collar messily opened to reveal jade-like porcelain skin.

Yan Mingting was dazed for a moment, then gradually restrained his playfulness and raised his head to look at the roof.

Zhao Yelan raised his head and bit his protruding Adam’s apple.

“Hiss –”

Yan Mingting hurriedly pushed the person away and got off the bed.

Zhao Yelan smiled triumphantly and lay down again. A short while later, he opened his eyes wide, in disbelief that Yan Mingting dared to tie his hands and feet with rope.

“Sleep tight.” Yan Mingting touched his Adam’s apple, his hair standing on end, then stretched out his legs to press down on those wriggling legs.

Zhao Yelan was about to curse him, but when he opened his mouth, it was covered.

“Hush, there is someone on the roof.” Yan Mingting lowered his voice.

Zhao Yelan blinked.

Yan Mingting looked up vigilantly, then down at the puppy who had suddenly become obedient. He smiled and said softly: “Be good tonight, understand?”

After a while, Zhao Yelan nodded.

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[1] Calling him an ancestor is a sarcastic way of saying that Zhao Yelan is extremely self-important and demanding of respect. ⮐

[2] The entire saying goes: “The dog snarls and snaps at Lu Dongbin and doesn’t recognize his kindness.” This basically means “mistaking a good man for a bad one” and comes from a story about the Eight Immortals in Chinese myth. A man named Gou You (苟杳), which is pronounced the same as ‘dog bites’ (狗咬), was friends with Lu Dong Bin. ⮐

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Chapter Nine <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Eleven

The person who arrived was Chen Haoyi, the deputy official from the Ministry of Appointments. Ever since Minister Yu Junliang died in prison, he had been somewhat anxious and impatient.

He had been in office for many years, and finally got a promotion opportunity. Logically speaking, he should be qualified for this vacancy, but the emperor had not issued a transfer order for a long time. He was unable to sleep, fearing that something might go wrong, so he thought of coming to Zhao Yelan to discuss it with him.

The last time he went to visit Zhao Mansion and got a positive answer, he was excited for a few days after going back, but he found that Zhao Yelan had been busy with his marriage and had no time to pay attention to his affairs. He also heard that the colleagues who visited Zhao Mansion in those few days almost broke the threshold, and he panicked again. He wasn’t the only one who wanted this great opportunity.

So taking advantage of today, he prepared another big gift and came to visit him on the grounds of congratulating him on his wedding.

“Congratulations to General Yan and congratulations to Zhao-daren. It’s really a blessing to see the two of you loving each other so much.” Chen Haoyi calmly stood up from the ground, patted the dust off his clothes, picked up the things in his hands, and walked into the main hall with a smile.

It was a pity that he used the wrong means to flatter them. Zhao Yelan glanced at him coldly, straightening up and returning to his seat without giving Yan Mingting another look.

Yan Mingting smiled and said, easy-mannered, “You are……”

“I am the deputy official of the Ministry of Appointments, Chen Haoyi.” Chen Haoyi introduced himself respectfully, not offended. This general had just returned to Beijing, and it was normal for him not to recognize most of the people in the court.

“What are you doing here?” Yan Mingting asked directly. Chen Haoyi glanced at Zhao Yelan hesitantly, and Yan Mingting understood, saying, “It seems you are not looking for me. You two talk first, I’ll go out for a while.”

After speaking, he lifted his sword and left in an easygoing way, his manner completely different from the scene of Zhao Yelan going out with great fanfare.

Zhao Yelan watched him leave before stepping back to ask, “Tell me, what is the matter?”

Chen Haoyi explained his intention again, and before leaving, carefully handed him some snacks wrapped in paper while secretly taking out a house deed from his sleeve. He said in a whisper, “This is a house in the north of the city. If my lord likes it, he can use it as a leisure house.”

Zhao Yelan gave a half smile: “Chen-daren is too polite. As I said, the final decision on this is in the Emperor’s hands, I have little say.”

“Zhao-daren is modest. How about this, you only need to say a few words in front of the Emperor, and this house is yours.” Chen Haoyi raised his eyebrows at him, affirming that as long as he was willing to whisper in the Emperor’s ear and not help others, coupled with his own qualifications, this seat would be easy to obtain.

“Well, then……it’s difficult for you to visit again and again, so it would be impolite to refuse.” Zhao Yelan took the deed and watched him leave as if bathed in a spring breeze. There was nothing else to do, so he asked Xiao Gao to pack up and go to the north of the city to have a look at the house.

It was rare that these two days had been sunny. The temperature was also on the rise, and a stick of incense was still burning in the sedan chair.

Xiao Gao put a thin blanket on his lap, opened the curtain to look at the weather outside, and said happily: “It’s warming up quickly, so my lord’s health should be better.”

Zhao Yelan closed his eyes to rest and said: “It’s not so easy as that.”

“My lord’s condition is better today, and he only coughed thirteen times in the morning,” Xiao Gao said. “Is it because you went to train with the General?”

“No.” Zhao Yelan shook his head. He would rather believe that it was because of the weather.

“When it comes to the General, I think he is a good person. He met me in the morning and asked me my name. According to Housekeeper Qin, the General knows the names of every servant in the mansion,” Xiao Gao said.

“This makes him a good person?” The corner of Zhao Yelan’s mouth twitched. “Then tell me, am I a good person?”

“Of course you are!”

Zhao Yelan glanced outside. There were common people looking over, and those who recognized him backed up a few steps in fright, for fear of being caught and taken to prison.

“Look, no one thinks I’m a good person, so your judgment is flawed,” Zhao Yelan said with a smile.

“That’s because they are blind.” Xiao Gao smacked his leg. “There are not many good people like you left who kill people and still return the corpse to their family.”

Zhao Yelan muffled his laugh. As if it had hit a nerve, he couldn’t stop laughing out loud.

“What made Furen so happy?” Yan Mingting’s face suddenly appeared outside the window.

The laughter stopped abruptly. Zhao Yelan looked at the lingering person: “Why are you here?”

“I came out to do errands and I smelled my wife’s scent from a long distance away, so I came over to see, and it really is you.” Yan Mingting followed the sedan chair for a few steps, then called a stop and got in.

“Who allowed you to come up?” Zhao Yelan said, displeased.

“Then thanking Furen for being magnanimous and letting me sit down for a while, and allowing me to experience the comfort of this sedan chair.” Yan Mingting crossed his arms and leaned back, sighing contentedly. “Hey, there’s still something to eat.”

Seeing that he was going to take plums from the plate, Zhao Yelan reached out and slapped his hand away. “Dirty hands are not allowed to touch my things.”

“So particular.” Yan Mingting clicked his tongue twice and withdrew his hand. He glanced at their route through the window and asked, “Where are we going?”

Zhao Yelan asked back, “Where are you going?”

“I have nothing to do, I can accompany you around,” Yan Mingting said leisurely, holding the sword in his arms.

Zhao Yelan stared at the sword for a while, then heard a scream outside. He glanced toward it and shouted: “Stop the sedan chair.”

The three stood in front of a store, and a man was thrown out by several burly men, rolling right in front of them.

Crying bitterly, the man grasped Zhao Yelan’s hem. Raising his head, he saw that he was a frail young man and begged, “Help me, lend me one hundred taels and I will pay you back one hundred taels when I win! No, I will pay you back one thousand taels!”

Zhao Yelan watched his clothes being crumpled by his dirty hands, and stepped on his face: “Let me go, you mere ant.”

Xiao Gao immediately dragged the man into a nearby corner. Yan Mingting couldn’t help taking a second look, and then looked at the banner hanging outside the shop. A big “gambling” character was in the middle, and there was a commotion inside from time to time.

“What do you want to do in a casino?” Yan Mingting asked.

“Gamble, what else?” Zhao Yelan lifted his foot and walked inside, leaving Yan Mingting two steps behind. 

When Xiao Gao came back, he pretended to act natural and asked, “Gao Tan,^[1] did your lord plan to come to the casino?”

“No, ah.”

“Then where are you going?”

“I don’t know.” Gao Tan scratched his head. “My lord’s behavior is the most unpredictable. He often goes out to do one thing, but turns around and does several other things.”

This kid looked simple and honest, and his words were sometimes stupid and sometimes shrewd. Yan Mingting couldn’t tell if it was true or not, so he had to follow and see the situation first.

In broad daylight, people came and went in the gambling house. This was the largest gambling house in the capital. Many people had made a lot of money here, and there were even more people who lost their family fortunes and committed suicide in hatred.

But no one would have sympathy, watching the excitement before proceeding to the next gamble.

Everyone’s emotions were magnified in the casino. The seven emotions and six desires seemed to have been ransacked, and only the words “lose” and “win” were left in their minds.

As soon as Yan Mingting entered, he spotted his target at a glance. Among the noisy, boisterous crowd, Zhao Yelan sat soberly and indifferently in front of a table with valuable things all over his body, attracting attention.

These gamblers seldom cared about major affairs in the world. When they saw the children from rich families coming to the gambling house, they would unconsciously come forward to watch, so as to see what would happen in the end.

Zhao Yelan chose the simplest way, only betting big or small, but he spent extravagantly, and his first bet was an expensive jade pendant.

“Big.”

Yan Mingting squeezed in through the crowd and stood beside him. Seeing him betting calmly, with a look of sure victory, he asked Gao Tan in a low voice: “He doesn’t come here often? Are you sure?”

Before Xiao Gao answered, he heard the dealer shout, “Small.”

Yan Mingting: “……”

The people around gave a “ooh.” After so much had been lost in the beginning, discussions gradually started and there were more and more people watching.

Zhao Yelan took out another jade pendant from his waist: “Big.”

The dealer shook the dice cup and opened it: “Small.”

For several rounds in a row, Zhao Yelan bet big, but none of them won.

Some people couldn’t help but bet against him specifically and won a lot. Others followed suit and made small bets one after another.

Not far away, another loser who was playing around heard this and squeezed over. When he saw the appearance of the person sitting there, he was shocked.

Ordinary people may not know, but he was Li Yucheng, the son of the Prime Minister, so he naturally knew Zhao Yelan a little bit. Zhao Yelan targeted his father everywhere in court, which had always caused him to hold a grudge.

He observed in secret for a while and gradually became attracted by the game. Finding that Zhao Yelan was losing every round, he inwardly ridiculed him for being taken advantage of. It was obvious that the dealer was cheating. Zhao Yelan went back to betting big, not knowing how to adapt to the circumstances. Wasn’t this giving money for nothing? He had thought that Zhao Yelan was powerful, but he was a fool, ah.

Zhao Yelan lost more than 20 rounds in a row, losing all the valuables on his body. The dealer asked him if he wanted to continue, and everyone around him jeered. The more they did this, the more they made others angry, and the easier it was to make them jump into a pit recklessly.

Yan Mingting saw that Zhao Yelan had clearly decided to take a gamble, and was a little curious about what else he would come up with to bet on. Unexpectedly, in the next moment, Zhao Yelan snatched the sword from his hand very naturally, put it on the table, and said proudly: “Big.”

Yan Mingting: “……”

“Is this sword worth money, ah?” Someone questioned.

“This sword is an item that General Yan Mingting wears all year round. Do you think it is worth money?” Zhao Yelan asked.

Hearing this, everyone was startled and looked away from the gambling table, staring at the tall and upright man next to him. The more they looked at him, the more they felt that he was imposing and majestic.

“But according to the rumors, isn’t General Yan ugly? This brother, no matter how you look at him, he doesn’t look like……”

“That’s right, I’ve heard that General Yan has a fat head and big ears.”

“You are deceiving us.”

Everyone spoke their minds and offered their opinions, but the dealer proposed to take the sword and ask the people above. Zhao Yelan nodded in agreement.

About a quarter of an hour later, the dealer returned, cupped his hands, and said, “It is indeed the General’s sword.”

Everyone gasped. For a moment, they didn’t know whether to be surprised that General Yan was so handsome or that General Yan also came to gamble.

“Wait, wait, if he is General Yan, then who are you?” Someone asked.

As soon as these words were spoken, there was a moment of silence in the noisy casino – – may they ask which man would General Yan accompany to the gambling house on the second day of his wedding, and be willing to stand by his side and offer his sword?

Everyone had an answer in their hearts, and they each looked at him differently.

Zhao Yelan smiled faintly without answering, and turned to face the dealer: “Can we start?”

Once the game began again, everyone stared at the table intently once more. Some daring people placed small bets, but more people did not dare to bet.

Everyone stared at the dice cup, and after a while, they exclaimed, “It’s small again!”

Amidst the wanton ridicule of the crowd, Zhao Yelan got up to leave dejectedly, but was bumped into by someone.

“How impressive.” Li Yucheng glanced at him arrogantly, as if he had forgotten that he had already lost everything today. He had also made two small bets secretly, and it was only thanks to Zhao Yelan that he managed to win back some pocket money. “When you are free, do you dare to gamble with this young master?”

“Anytime, I look forward to it.”

Zhao Yelan looked at him for a moment, but was blocked by Yan Mingting: “You lost my sword just like that?”

Zhao Yelan shrugged, walked out the door of the gambling house, and said without looking back: “If you make the bet, you must accept the loss. Just go to the gambling house and ask for it. Use your identity to press the issue, no one would dare to take the General’s things.”

Yan Mingting left sulkily, and Zhao Yelan went to a nearby restaurant in a good mood. There was no money to settle the bill, so he sat in a private room for a while, and a person dressed as a waiter offered the money: “My lord, take these things back.”

Zhao Yelan picked through them, took back a few ingots of silver to settle the bill, and returned the jade pendants: “The business is doing well, this is a reward for you.”

“Thank you, my lord, then this sword……”

Zhao Yelan glanced at it and said snappishly: “Just keep it at your place and don’t let me see it again. No one will be allowed to redeem it.”

“Yes.”

Zhao Yelan watched contentedly as the sword disappeared from sight. Tapping the teacup twice with his fingers, he asked, “Has Li Yucheng come to the shop often lately?”

“Yes. According to your instructions, we let him win a few hands from time to time, so that he comes frequently.” The man asked, “……Do we need to get straight to the point?”

“No need.” Remembering Li Yucheng’s arrogant attitude, Zhao Yelan smiled. “It’s not time yet.”

Now that the annoying Yan Mingting was gone, according to the original plan, he made another trip to the north of the city and saw that the house was not bad. Only then did he return to the General’s Mansion in the warm halo of dusk.

“You came back just in time, come with me to the training grounds.” Yan Mingting walked towards him, and was about to walk out while holding his arm.

“What are you going to do?” Zhao Yelan’s brain ached when he heard the words “training grounds.”

“Train.”

“I won’t go, release me!”

Being pulled and tugged at the gate, he found this feeling of being manipulated by others to be very hateful. Zhao Yelan was so annoyed that he pulled out the sword of the guard by the gate without any hesitation, but before he could lift it up, he felt a chill on his neck.

Yan Mingting had moved faster, picking up another guard’s knife and pressing it against his throat. He asked with a smile: “You want to use this trick again?”

Zhao Yelan lowered his eyes and stared at it for a while, then silently put the sword in his hand back into the scabbard. 

Yan Mingting raised his eyebrows: “Will you go to train?”

Zhao Yelan: “……Can’t training be done in the mansion?”

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[1] Xiao Gao, or “little Gao” is an affectionate name that Zhao Yelan uses for him. Gao Tan is his actual name, and the author starts using it regularly at this point. ⮐

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Chapter Eight<<Table of Contents >> Chapter Ten

For the joy of the newly married couple, the Emperor spared Zhao Yelan and Yan Mingting from going to court for three days as a show of empathy.

It was just that the three-day rest period was nothing special to these two people. The former often missed morning court due to physical reasons, while the latter hardly ever went to morning court.

But it was not completely indistinguishable from the days before.

After all, the two were nominally husband and wife now, and there were many things that needed to be adjusted in daily life with one more person around.

After Zhao Yelan took a bath, he changed into a purple robe with intricate patterns embroidered on the bottom of the lapel, gold thread at the cuffs and white lining at the hem, walking like the clouds in the sky parting. It was very difficult for anyone to present such a rich and indifferent temperament properly.

Yan Mingting took a few more glances, thinking that if he were to wear this outfit, it would have the effect of Guan Gong^[1] wearing a floral dress, out of place and incongruous.

The two sat down in the main hall. According to tradition, they would serve tea to their parents-in-law this morning. Yan Mingting taking him to the memorial tablet to burn a stick of incense for the two elders could be regarded as a visit.

“Since we will be together morning and night in the future, let’s clarify some things first.”

“What do you mean?” Yan Mingting felt that from his serious expression and the servants of the Zhao Mansion standing in the center of the hall that what he was about to say was probably very serious.

Zhao Yelan picked up the teacup, skimmed the tea foam from the top, and said, “For example, your living habits.”

“Oh, living habits. Mine are very simple. Start at Maoshi, train, have breakfast, lunch, dinner, and sleep at midnight,” Yan Mingting said.

Zhao Yelan gave him a sidelong glance: “What about other times?”

“Training.”

How very boring.

Zhao Yelan took a sip of tea, frowned slightly, put down the cup, and said, “Change the cup of tea.”

“What’s wrong?” Yan Mingting asked, not sure whether there was a problem with his answer or the tea. He looked down at the tea in his hand. “Don’t you like this tea?”

Xiao Gao received a look from Zhao Yelan and stepped forward to explain stridently, “Our lord only likes to drink Longjing tea. The Longjing needs to be the Mingqian tea produced in Xihu. As the name suggests, it is a crop that is to be picked before Tomb-sweeping day.”

Yan Mingting was stunned when he heard this.

Zhao Yelan: “What kind of tea is this?”

“It’s picked from the camellia tree out back,” Yan Mingting said.

“I won’t drink it.” Zhao Yelan looked at his people. “Go and change the tea.”

Housekeeper Qin saw the maidservant of the Zhao Mansion across the street hurrying to change the tea leaves, and couldn’t help but feel sorry for the general: “Zhao……furen, you don’t know, but the tea leaves in the General’s Mansion were all grown by the old lady herself. That’s why the general has been ordering people to pick it every year, and he is only willing to make two cups for distinguished guests.”

“Is that so?”

Seeing Housekeeper Qin’s anxious look, Yan Mingting sighed heavily under Zhao Yelan’s questioning eyes: “Ai, yes. This is all my mother’s wish. If you don’t drink it, I’m afraid that the elders will remember you and come to give you dreams in the middle of the night.”

Zhao Yelan: “……”

Housekeeper Qin was shocked. Seeing Yan Mingting secretly and solemnly winking at him, he quickly lowered his head and pretended not to see it.

“Since it is for distinguished guests, it is even more necessary to save it. It is not suitable for me to drink.” Zhao Yelan gave a calm smile and then looked at Yan Mingting fixedly. “After all, I am not a guest, but a host.”

“Yes, yes, yes, you are right.” Yan Mingting couldn’t refute it, so he ordered people to put away all the tea leaves and not brew them for this master in the future. Hmph, ignorant fellow.

While waiting for the new tea, Housekeeper Qin proposed to take Zhao Yelan to tour the mansion. Although the General’s Mansion was old and simple, it was not small, so it was good to take advantage of these two days to get familiar with the environment.

Zhao Yelan had no objection, and got up to follow behind them. A sachet at his waist swung with his steps, and a pair of eyes swung with it.

Zhao Yelan turned his head to look at Yan Mingting expressionlessly: “What are you looking at?”

Yan Mingting pointed at the sachet curiously: “This scent is different from the previous ones.”

He used to sneeze when he smelled it, but this scent was faint, indistinct, and just right, suitable for this weather and for this owner.

“Of course it’s different. I have all kinds of sachets, and they have all kinds of scents.” Zhao Yelan proudly raised his head, put some distance between them, and observed every corner of the mansion.

There were many wings and side rooms, but because they were not occupied all year round, they had a stale smell, and even after some repairs, they had not been fully restored.

“From now on, you should always be living in the capital. Why don’t you fix it up?” Zhao Yelan asked.

“There are not many people in the mansion, so why bother to spend time on it? No one will live in it after it is repaired.”

“Not many people?” Zhao Yelan turned his head to look at the old man from the Zhao family he had brought. “Then go recruit a group of servant girls tomorrow.”

Yan Mingting hastily stopped him: “We only have two masters in total, so it’s inconvenient to ask so many people to do whatever.” 

“It’s inconvenient for me if there are fewer people, these people in your house don’t know how to serve others at all. They slack off and can’t even make Furong Tofu soup well, just chatting around in the kitchen,” Zhao Yelan said.

Yan Mingting: “They have been used to staying in the mansion since they were young, so they are definitely not as good as the people in your house, or as refined.”

The two started arguing over this matter again, and Housekeeper Qin persuaded, “Why don’t we go to the study first?”

Zhao Yelan flicked his sleeves and strode into the study room. As soon as he entered the door, he raised his hand to cover his nose with his sleeve, waving the other hand: “How long has it been since anyone was in here?”

Housekeeper Qin explained: “The General’s Mansion has never liked to use the study.”

Zhao Yelan walked in with a frown and ordered: “Pack this up and go back home tomorrow to move all the things in my study. The house is too musty, clean it well and smoke some incense in it……There, set up a seat for me and a table, and prepare pen, ink, paper, and inkstone. Remember, it must be the inkstone from Jinming Pavilion.”

The people in the General’s Mansion were dumbfounded – – taking notes, several people rushed to make arrangements at this moment.

After only visiting a few rooms, there were not enough servants, and Yan Mingting finally understood why he wanted to recruit more.

Thinking that there were still so many rooms to visit in the back, and not knowing how many orders were still in that mouth, he saw Zhao Yelan walk to the door of his armory and quickly grabbed his arm to pull him back.

Zhao Yelan was caught off guard and turned around. Before he could see what happened, his eyes went dark and he bumped into a broad and powerful chest.

A faint fragrance lingered in front of him, and when Yan Mingting lowered his head to look, he happened to bump into Zhao Yelan’s raised head. Those eyes that seemed to be quenched with cold light gave him a hard look.

Yan Mingting forgot what to say for a moment and just thought it was funny, so he laughed.

“Let go.” Zhao Yelan shook off his hand angrily and subconsciously touched the dagger hidden in his sleeve.

“Uh……what I mean is, do you want to take a look in the back courtyard? This room is full of knives and spears, it would be bad if you accidentally hurt yourself,” Yan Mingting said.

Zhao Yelan looked at him for a while, then turned and walked in another direction: “Lead the way!”

Yan Mingting breathed a sigh of relief and secretly told Housekeeper Qin, “Don’t let him in this room from now on.”

On the one hand, it was true that he was afraid that swords and spears would hurt unwary people, and on the other hand, he was worried that if Zhao Yelan got interested, he would come here to burn some incense. If these babies smelled so strongly, could he still live?

The General’s Mansion had been languishing for many years. Zhao Yelan knew about this situation, so he ordered some changes, but when he came to the back courtyard, he found that he had still underestimated the situation in the General’s Mansion.

He saw a piece of land specially set up in the back courtyard, surrounded by fences. There was a group of chickens within it, and a rooster was walking around the circle with its cockscomb in high spirits. A hen was foraging for food, and there were two eggs in the nest.

The maid in charge of raising chickens ran over skillfully, picked up the two eggs from the nest, and placed them in her arms.

Those who didn’t know would think they had entered a farm. Zhao Yelan looked at the lively place, pointed at the chicken coop, and asked in disbelief: “You actually raise these things in the mansion?”

“En.” Yan Mingting didn’t find it strange at all, and enthusiastically led him to the small fish pond in the rear. “Look at these.”

Zhao Yelan pressed his forehead.

High-ranking dignitaries and officials were very particular, and would build small bridges and flowing water landscapes in their courtyards, which were beautiful and unique, with good feng shui. The General’s Mansion was just fine, with a small bridge over flowing water, but the fish inside were not the common red and yellow koi that were used for ornamental purposes. It was a school of commonly eaten fish such as perch and carp, which hid at the bottom of the water and only surfaced occasionally.

“What are you doing raising these in the mansion?”

“Don’t you think it is very energetic?” Yan Mingting raised his eyebrows, pleased with himself, pointing at the chicken coop and fish pond with a proud expression that seemed to say that this was the country he had laid down. “Who says that my General’s Mansion is lifeless, look how lively it is.”

“Other people generally don’t say that the General’s Mansion is lifeless.” Zhao Yelan met Yan Mingting’s questioning eyes and said slowly, “They talk about you being so cursed that even the dog is dead.”

Yan Mingting rubbed his chin and pondered: “Unexpectedly, they know quite a lot. Most of these living creatures are going to be killed by me.”

Soon, Zhao Yelan knew what he meant by “going to be killed.”

The food on the table was freshly served and steaming. Steamed sea bass, boiled fish filets, fish head with chopped peppers, hot and sour chicken giblets, ginseng chicken soup……there were also a few side dishes, using chicken and fish to the extreme.

“……This is what you killed them for?” Zhao Yelan asked.

“This is me sending them to be reincarnated earlier. Don’t worry, I’ve recited the mantra for them, and they won’t fall into the animal world again in the next life.” Yan Mingting picked up a piece of fish and ate it with relish.

“…….”

These were all the specialty dishes cooked by his own chef, so they were naturally not as good as the delicacies that Zhao Yelan had eaten, but after this morning’s tossing, his appetite had been roused. After a few bites, the taste was acceptable, and after a leisurely meal, he was quite satisfied.

However, it was impossible for him to eat this every day.

After several hours of gathering knowledge, the living habits of Zhao Yelan and Yan Mingting could be said to be worlds apart.

One luxurious and ostentatious, one simple and convenient.

If they wanted to live in harmony, they would have to make concessions to each other. But Zhao Yelan didn’t want to live in harmony, let alone give in.

“If you can change, that would be best. If you can’t, let’s divide the house. Aren’t there so many rooms in the back courtyard? You take your people to live with your chickens and fish,” Zhao Yelan said.

“No, you’re asking me to change, so what exactly should I change?” Yan Mingting didn’t understand.

“First of all, when you go back home, you have to wash your hands first. Especially after going to the training grounds and back, the whole body smells bad,” Zhao Yelan said in annoyance.

Xiao Gao on the side added honestly: “My lord is fond of fragrances, we all want our bodies to smell good.”

These words fell into Housekeeper Qin’s ears, and it was not a pleasant feeling – – for a general who practiced martial arts, what was wrong with the smell of sweat! That was the majesty of masculinity! Unlike some people who were fond of their fragrance of cosmetics and powder.

He snorted and was unexpectedly heard by others. Zhao Yelan gave him a sideways glance: “Housekeeper Qin seems to have something to say?”

Housekeeper Qin was startled, bowed his head, and confessed, “This old slave has nothing to say.”

“Is there anything else?” Yan Mingting asked.

Zhao Yelan: “Also, there are too few servants, the food is too much, the tables and chairs are too old, the wardrobe is too small, the bed board is too hard, and the chicken coop is too smelly……Think of these for the time being, and take care of them all first.”

Yan Mingting pondered for a while, but Housekeeper Qin became anxious first: “General, don’t agree, we can’t bear this grievance!”

Zhao Yelan leisurely played with the jade pendant at his waist, the crystal clear jade shuttling between his fingers. He smiled slightly: “If you can’t stand it, then let’s separate. The accounts will also be separated, Zhao Mansion will belong to Zhao Mansion, and the General’s Mansion will belong to the General’s Mansion. Let’s not interfere with each other, how about being friendly neighbors?”

Housekeeper Qin thought this proposal was very good!

Although there was no news in Beijing of newlyweds who split houses on the second day of their marriage, this was a special situation for the General. For two big men, it was better to sleep in different rooms, and more spacious!

Housekeeper Qin sent a silent, meaningful glance at Yan Mingting, but surprisingly, Yan Mingting said, “That’s fine, I’ll change all of these, and I’ll arrange for you to replace all the things you want to change immediately.”

Zhao Yelan paused and looked up at him: “Really?”

“En.”

“Why did you agree so readily?” Zhao Yelan asked suspiciously.

“It’s nothing, I just don’t want to split houses with you.” Yan Mingting stretched comfortably in his chair. “It’s rare to marry such a beauty, how can I leave you in the cold?”

Knowing that he said that on purpose to irritate him, Zhao Yelan couldn’t help but get angry. His expression changed several times and he smiled suddenly. Suppressing the anger between his brows, he got up and walked in front of him, raised his chin, and said elegantly and virtuously, “Is the General telling the truth?”

Yan Mingting held in his amusement, waiting for his reaction: “Yes.”

The person in front of him tilted his head, leaned close to his ear, and slightly hooked his lips: “My sachet contains not only incense, but also poison. It depends on whether you have the ability to steal it from me.”

His warm breath landed lightly and intimately on Yan Minging’s skin, stirring up a slight shudder. This was different from the excitement and apprehension of leading troops into battle. It was the breath of another person that easily made him freeze in this way, an unknown and novel experience that he had never had before.

With a shua sound, his sword revealed a bit of light, extremely sharp. Yan Mingting asked with a low laugh: “I wonder if your poison will be faster than my sword?”

The two pairs of eyes confronted each other for a long time.

However, outsiders could not hear what they muttered, and didn’t even feel the tense atmosphere. The servants only saw that the two masters were arguing about splitting the houses a moment ago, and then started speaking words of endearment in an instant, whispering with their heads close together and smiles on their faces. It was truly shocking.

“Zhao-daren, someone wants to see you!”

As soon as the gatekeeper’s voice fell, an extra figure appeared at the door. From a distance, he saw the terrifying Zhao Yelan leaning on Yan Mingting’s chair, lowering his head as if he were about to forcefully kiss General Yan. He was so frightened by this scene that he tripped directly through the door.

In broad daylight, under the bright sky! General Yan, you have been molested so miserably!

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[1] Guan Gong: Lord Guan, a decorated military general in the historical novel, ‘Romance of the Three Kingdoms.’ ⮐

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Chapter Seven<<Table of Contents >> Chapter Nine

The person who was still asleep heard someone calling his name, opened his eyes drowsily, and saw Yan Mingting’s face. He didn’t react for a while: “Why are you here……”

“You’re in my room,” Yan Mingting answered.

“……” Zhao Yelan glanced at the sky outside. It was as black as thick ink. He rubbed between his brows. “What time is it?”

“Maoshi,^[1] it’s time to train.”

Zhao Yelan closed his eyes, turned his back to him, and cursed inwardly. The world suddenly spun and he woke up abruptly to find that he was no longer in the warm bed. Instead, he was suspended above the floor, his body carried on a pair of shoulders.

“What are you doing! Put me down!” Zhao Yelan was fully awake and beat Yan Mingting’s back hard.

Yan Mingting said nonchalantly: “We’re going to stretch your lazy muscles.”

Zhao Yelan kept calling his name, and the other party stopped at the door, turning back. He had just breathed a sigh of relief when the other party pressed him onto the bed, put on his boots and cloak, and then picked him up again.

The guard at the door was startled when he saw the general carrying a man out: “General, is there a thief?”

“Yan Mingting! Let me go, you hear me!” Zhao Yelan cursed, out of breath.

“It’s nothing, not a thief, just the Furen.^[2] Go get my horse and we’ll go out.”

As soon as Zhao Yelan landed firmly on his feet, Yan Mingting dragged him onto the horse’s back. With a cry of surprise, he grabbed his arm in a panic, and then roughly pushed it away.

“Don’t move around, be careful not to fall.” Yan Mingting laughed. “This fall would hurt so much, you might break something.”

Zhao Yelan was frustrated: “Isn’t there a sedan chair in the majestic General’s Mansion?!”

“Why would you want to sit on that thing? It has to be carried, and it’s very boring, how can it be relaxing and comfortable? Hold on tight.” Yan Mingting grabbed the reins, clamped the horse’s belly with his legs, and vanished on the wide road in an instant.

The cool wind rushing by blew across Zhao Yelan’s face, cold and painful. The speed of the horse was so fast that it was impossible to see the road ahead. He simply closed his eyes and listened to the beating of his own heart as he sat on the back of a fast horse for the first time. His body was not used to it, and he felt unspeakably nervous for fear of falling off.

They went all the way without speaking.

“Here we are.” Yan Mingting stopped, dismounted first, and stretched out a hand to him. “Come down.”

Zhao Yelan glanced at him sharply. As soon as he stretched out his hand, he found that it was still trembling slightly and he retracted it again, holding the reins motionlessly, like a silent stone lion.

“If you don’t come down, my subordinates will arrive soon.” Yan Mingting laughed.

Zhao Yelan’s face turned cold, and he gave him his hand expressionlessly. Just as he stepped on the stirrups, he was easily carried down and his waist was measured, only to hear Yan Mingting sigh: “Let me just say that you have poor stature, your waist is too thin, and you can’t even subdue a horse.”

Zhao Yelan raised his eyes, smiled slightly, and fiercely stomped on his foot.

When the subordinates rushed over, they saw their general standing at the gate of the training field, hopping with one foot in his arms. They hurriedly stepped forward to ask what happened.

“It’s fine, it’s fine.” Yan Mingting waved his hands and said nonchalantly, “Let’s all go in.”

The group of people nodded, only to find that there was an additional person. His face was so pale, but his cheeks were stained red, likely from anger.

“General, why did you bring Zhao……ah, furen here?” Zhong Yuehong was puzzled.

“He wants to practice martial arts to keep fit, so I brought him to train together,” Yan Mingting said.

Nonsense!

Zhao Yelan was angry, but he didn’t want to argue with others in front of a group of strangers and lose his elegant demeanor for no reason.

The soldiers in the training grounds had already stood up in an orderly manner. Yan Mingting led the group of people inside and heard a loud shout: “General!”

“This is the capital, not a camp, so don’t wake up the common people.” Yan Mingting asked these men not to speak loudly and to go down and lead everyone in training, then led Zhao Yelan around in front.

The soldiers’ feet were planted firmly, but their heads sprung up like bamboo shoots, one after another, scrambling to look at the people in front of them.

They heard that the pale and tender person next to the General was the General’s wife. He looked sick, coughing twice from time to time, but he was a person who was a gentleman in front of others while doing bad things in the dark, and the common people scolded him, cursing him to die early. Unexpectedly, on the second day of the wedding, the General pulled him over to train together early in the morning. The General was really amazing, ah!

While the soldiers were observing Zhao Yelan, Zhao Yelan was also watching them. This group of people suffered more and were more useful than the Imperial guards in the capital. The Imperial guards had long been supported by Imperial funding. The commander used to take a lot of money to curry favor with him, and it could be seen that there was a lot of greed for ill-gotten gains.

“Zhao Yelan, come here.”

Zhao Yelan turned around. When he saw Yan Mingting, he became inexplicably angry, and said coldly: “Who allowed you to call me by my name?”

“Then what should I call you? Furen?” Yan Mingting smiled.

Zhao Yelan’s expression became even more unsightly, utterly unable to put up with it. Yan Mingting took the initiative to come over and say: “How about it? Let’s see, shouldn’t we get started?”

“Start……what?” Zhao Yelan glanced at him blankly. Then a leg suddenly squeezed between his, exerting force from left to right, and his legs were forced to separate. After stabilizing his figure, his shoulders were pressed down by a pair of hands.

“Train your body well.” Yan Mingting stood behind him and said, “Lower your legs a bit, and keep your waist straight.”

Zhou Yelan wanted to resist and was about to stand up, but the other party used force indiscriminately and pushed him down even deeper.

His legs couldn’t support the weight of the two of them and he almost fell backwards, but it was easy for Yan Mingting to hug his back, saying sarcastically: “Even my family’s chickens are stronger than you.”

Enraged by these few words, Zhao Yelan looked sideways at his smug, smiling face. He raised his hand and was about to lash out, but heard the sound of a blade being unsheathed – – Yan Mingting held a sword in his hand, and when he lifted his thumb, a part of the sword came out of the sheath, shining coldly.

The eyes of the two met, and neither of them would give in. After a moment of confrontation, Zhao Yelan turned his head silently.

– – A wise man submits to the circumstances.

Yan Mingting nodded happily, and continued to guide his movements and adjust his posture.

This side was conducting two-person training, but the soldiers on the other side couldn’t hear what they were talking about. They only saw the General bring his new wife to train with everyone, already not coveting the conjugal bed, but bullying the new wife fairly and justly……. Ah, correcting the Furen’s actions was really admirable, and he was worthy of being their indomitable General!

The soldiers stepped steadily, as easy as eating or drinking, but Zhao Yelan was not like that.

After just a quarter of an hour, his legs were shaking and his back was sweating. The sheen of sweat on his forehead and the back of his neck caused his hair to stick, making him very uncomfortable.

Yan Mingting came over to inspect: “En, not bad, there’s finally a little color in that face.”

Zhao Yelan gave him a fiercely cutting look, pondering how to make this fellow kneel down and beg for mercy.

Not long after, a little bit of light appeared in the sky, and the whole city began to wake up. The common people rose in the morning to start freshening up, and the officials went to court one after another. The streets were soon full of people coming and going, stepping on the age-worn flagstones and talking about today’s events.

The soldiers were finally able to fight loudly. Yan Mingting divided them into several teams to practice in turn. After observing for more than half an hour, he finally remembered the person who had been left out. Standing on the platform and looking around, he asked, “Where’s Zhao Yelan?”

“He left early,” Zhong Yuehong said.

“Why didn’t you remind me?”

“He threatened me with his official authority, and I dared not disobey.” After speaking, Zhong Yuehong jumped into the training team and picked a strong person to compete against.

Yan Mingting glanced at the gate of the training grounds and didn’t know how Zhao Yelan got back.

Obviously he went back in a sedan chair. Zhao Yelan saw Yan Mingting going to the platform to divide the teams, so he left the training field in a fit of anger and hired a soft and comfortable sedan chair. After sitting down, he coughed a few times and pounded his aching thighs, then laid back to nap.

After the sedan chair stopped, he woke up and opened the curtain to take a look. Realizing that he had habitually ordered it to go back to the Zhao Mansion, he sat back in the sedan chair and did not leave for a long time.

In a daze, he heard his name from the mouths of passers-by outside.

“Did you see the special ceremony yesterday?”

“Of course, it was a huge scene, but it’s a pity that it was for the eunuch Zhao Yelan.”

“Eunuch?!”

“You don’t know yet, ah? There have been such rumors in the market for a long time. I didn’t believe it at first, but marrying him to the General now is just for convenience. Look at his white and clean appearance, what sort of man is like him, dressed up beautifully and with the fragrance of cosmetics all over his body? He is also in his twenties and has never married a wife, so maybe he can’t have sex.”

“No wonder, he walks slowly and his voice is mostly delicate and cute, but I don’t know if the General was scared by his appearance last night, hahaha.”

As the voice faded away, Zhao Yelan lifted the curtain and gestured to the two guards at the gate of the Zhao Mansion.

Seeing that it was him, the guards hurried forward to listen to his orders.

“Eunuch Gao is short of manpower. Those two looked quite clever, suitable for errands. Take them to Eunuch Gao.” Zhao Yelan turned his head and pointed to the two figures walking away.

“Yes.”

After returning to the General’s Mansion, he realized that the place was in chaos.

Early in the morning, the maids had knocked on the door, only to find that there was no one in the room. They searched around anxiously, but to no avail, and for some reason a quarrel broke out.

Xiao Gao brought a group of servants from the Zhao Mansion to ask the General’s Mansion where he was, while Housekeeper Qin and the maids suspected that the new master had murdered their General.

The two sides argued endlessly, until Xiao Gao discovered Zhao Yelan’s figure and hurried forward: “My lord, where did you go early in the morning?”

Zhao Yelan asked him sullenly: “Why did you sleep so long today?”

Normally, Xiao Gao would wake up if there was a little movement, but today when he was taken away by Yan Mingting, he especially raised his voice and Xiao Gao didn’t show up for a long time.

“I drank some wine at the wedding last night.” Xiao Gao knew he was wrong, and walked around him. “Are you alright, my lord? Are you injured?”

Zhao Yelan was exhausted to the point of weakness and couldn’t censure him anymore, so he walked to the room with a lack of interest and ordered: “Prepare some hot water, I want to take a bath.”

Xiao Gao immediately took people to make preparations, but because it was a new environment, he had to find a few maids from the General’s Mansion to go with him.

Housekeeper Qin followed behind Zhao Yelan. Seeing that he didn’t intend to bring it up, he asked cautiously: “May I ask Furen, where did you and the general go? Where is the general now?”

He was answered by a violent slam of the door.

Housekeeper Qin, embarrassed at being rejected, went to the guards at the gate for questioning. The guards were the first group after the change of shift, and remembered that their colleagues had jokingly mentioned that the General had carried his new wife out to play.

Just as Housekeeper Qin breathed a sigh of relief, he choked up inexplicably – – why did that sound like the General was going to kill someone to silence him?

At the end of the hour, Yan Mingting returned home on horseback. As soon as he entered the gate, he saw maids and servants coming in and out with hot water, in a mad rush. He stopped a maid casually, and seeing her holding a pot of delicate and beautiful flower petals, he wondered: “What are you all doing?”

“Answering the General, it is Furen who wants to take a bath.”

“He needs these things……to take a bath?” Yan Mingting picked up a petal, turned around, and walked into the room with a complicated expression.

Behind the screen was a large wooden barrel. The servants took turns pouring hot water, and the petals were sprinkled in together. Xiao Gao tested the water temperature and nodded: “My lord, it’s ready.”

Zhao Yelan sniffed the smell on his body. As soon as he got behind the screen and took off his outer clothing. Yan Mingting rushed in hurriedly. He subconsciously covered a certain part of his back, then realized that there were still clothes covering him and put down his hands, looking at Yan Mingting with an unworried expression: “Get out.”

“I just want to look.” Yan Mingting turned his head to look into the barrel and saw the petals floating on the water. There was also incense and candied melons and fruits beside the barrel, exceedingly enjoyable.

He heard from the maid that Zhao Yelan ordered the freshly picked flower petals and melons and fruits, but where could the General’s Mansion get rose petals? So she had to go outside to look for them, and she would be taught a lesson if she was late, so she was in a hurry.

“What? Never seen such a thing?” Seeing his surprised gaze, Zhao Yelan asked with a half-smile.

“I’ve never seen such inspired and meticulous bathing with my own eyes,” Yan Mingting said.

“What do you want to say? That I’m not like a man?” Zhao Yelan casually leaned on the edge of the barrel. The veins in his hands were bulging and there was a storm brewing in his eyes, just waiting for a thunderclap before capsizing people.

Xiao Gao, who was familiar with him, stood silently a little farther away at this time. An angry lord was not to be offended.

In the dead silence, Yan Mingting finally withdrew his gaze from the barrel and said: “What do you mean, not like, you are a man yourself, ah. What I want to say is……I want to try this too.”

Zhao Yelan frowned slightly. His dangerous eyes were caught off guard and disrupted, and he glanced at him with incredulity, unable to believe what he just heard.

“So this is the petal bath, ah.” Yan Mingting fished in the water curiously. The petals lay softly and comfortably in his palm, exuding a slight fragrance. “Softens the liver and awakens the spleen, soothes qi and activates blood, clears stagnant blockages. I’ve been wanting to try it for a long time, it’s just that it would be strange and embarrassing in the barracks, but now I have a chance.”

Zhao Yelan hadn’t recovered from his astonishment when he saw him take off his outer clothing. He quickly stopped him, saying: “Get out of here!”

“What’s the matter, with so much water and petals, it’s a waste to wash alone.” Yan Mingting invited, “We’re both big men, what are you afraid of? Come, let’s do it together, ah.”

Zhao Yelan pressed his forehead, gritted his teeth, and said: “Xiao Gao, light some more incense!”

Yan Mingting thought to himself: Not good!

After a while, Housekeeper Qin saw his General running out of the room in disheveled clothes while sneezing and yelling, “If you won’t let me, then don’t let me, why pull out a hidden weapon!”

Housekeeper Qin didn’t know who would be the first to kill the other.

– – – – – – – – – –

The author has something to say:

Yan Mingting: I also want to wash in fragrance together ~~

Zhao Yelan: Disgusting.

Housekeeper Qin: Let’s make a bet and see who gets stabbed first?

Yan Mingting: ? The fierce man draws his sword.jpg.

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[1] Mǎoshí (卯时): 5-7am according to the system of two-hour subdivisions. ⮐

[2] Furen (夫人) is applied to a married woman’s name. Basically, ‘Mrs.’ Many people will use this title from now on when referring to Zhao Yelan. ⮐

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Chapter Six<<Table of Contents >> Chapter Eight

Ye Ci leaned over, squeezing his fingers and twisting them.

There was a soft, powdery feeling between the fingertips.

He was still confused, but had a gut feeling that something was going wrong. His face was suddenly burning hot, and he clutched the back of his neck as he stood straight on the ground, the revolving lantern of life projecting in his mind……

Fortunately, Huo Tinglan was still asleep.

After another half a minute, he swallowed his saliva, leaned over to lift a corner of the sheet and slowly pulled it.

If his technique was light and careful enough, then maybe it could be pulled out without alerting Huo-shushu.

The idea was sound, but unfortunately, before it could be implemented, Huo Tinglan suddenly turned over. He opened his eyes without warning and stared straight at Ye Ci. His tone was wide awake when he opened his mouth, as if he hadn’t slept: “What’s the matter, baby?”

Primal instincts of vigilance enabled advanced Alphas to recover energy quickly through short, light sleep. The higher the gland level, the more prone they were to sleep light and wake up easily.

Besides, the fishy-sweet vanilla scent was so strong that it could clog the nose, and it was not hard to wake up.

“N-nothing!” Ye Ci almost jumped at his unexpected and sudden stare. “You go to sleep, I’m going……to the bathroom.”

What was with Huo-shushu’s sleep patterns……no, why was he so alert?!

Huo Tinglan turned around and turned on the light. Propping up his upper body with his elbows leaning on the pillow, his heavy eyes swept over him. He smiled and said teasingly: “Why is there a sweet scent? Did juice spill?”

“Ah, en.” Ye Ci was stunned for a moment. Heart pounding, he babbled nonsense, “I wasn’t, wasn’t careful.”

“Why are you eating in the dark in the middle of the night?” Huo Tinglan looked at Ye Ci tenderly, and slowly said with concern, “Did you not get enough to eat at dinner? Are you hungry?”

“I was very full at dinner,” Ye Ci rambled. “That isn’t why……it’s easy to get hungry when, when the body is growing.”

“Oh.” Huo Tinglan was silent for a moment, thinking, then smiled as he reproached affectionately, “You also spilled a pair of pants……be careful next time.”

Ye Ci’s eyes went blank, and he tried his best to suppress the impulse to jump out the window and end it once and for all.

Huo Tinglan remained calm and composed: “Next time you get a midnight snack……bring me one?”

“I, I’ll bring you one next time.” Ye Ci nodded indiscriminately.

“What juice did you drink?”

“S-strawberry.”

“Where did you get it?”

“The, the kitchen refrigerator.”

“You know where the kitchen is?”

His tone was surprised.

“……….”

Seeing that the little gentleman was so ashamed that he would answer indiscriminately when asked, Huo Tinglan teased him for a long time and said a lot of nonsense.

His needs as an Alpha were chronically unmet. In addition to losing his spouse and finding him again, his lover was too young and his glands weren’t fully developed, so he could always see but never eat……psychologically, it was inevitable that there would be some serious illnesses.

With symptoms such as bullying children. The more obedient they were, the happier he was to bully them.

Ye Ci: “……….”

He had thought Huo-shushu was going to rescue him and give him a way out.

In the end, it was going more and more wrong……

Only when he saw that Ye Ci was about to be harassed into a coma did Huo Tinglan mercifully withdraw his supernatural powers. After digging out the replacement clothes, sheets, and other items from the cabinet, Ye Ci retreated to the bathroom.

After tidying up in a hurry, Huo Tinglan couldn’t help it and cornered Ye Ci, puncturing the paper window to give him a few words of “popular science.” 

In short, it was……

Very thorough.

“Can you stop, stop talking about this, Huo-shushu……” Ye Ci drooped his head. His face was so red that he could boil an egg on it, and he was so embarrassed that he could cry.

It wasn’t just the glands on the back of his neck. He had thoroughly turned into an Omega.

However, Huo Tinglan managed to speak in a sincere tone, and with half a smile, he kept talking to him.

In order to make Huo Tinglan shut up temporarily, Ye Ci wanted to cry but had no tears as he agreed to the next thing – – 

Regarding his lack of education in some respects.

In fact, there was no time to delay. Before their relationship had settled, there were some things that even Huo Tinglan felt would burn his lips, and he couldn’t teach them if he wanted to. Now he could finally teach generously.

“……So it’s settled? We won’t talk about it today, and I’ll talk to you slowly when we go back.” Huo Tinglan gave an innocent smile and put the blame on others again. “You didn’t even read the popular science textbook I gave you earlier. I would have rather taught you personally, but I was afraid you would be too thin-skinned and misunderstand that I was taking advantage of you……It’s just in time for summer vacation, and when we go back in two days, there will be one forty minute class per day until the book is finished. Do you think this arrangement will work?”

“Fine, it’s all……fine.”

“Then, when will you have time……to go to the hospital to check?” Huo Tinglan pointed at Ye Ci’s stomach.

How could Ye Ci dare say no? Only hoping that Huo-shushu would stop quickly, he said whatever he had to say.

Huo Tinglan was satisfied and let him go to sleep.

. . . . . . 

The next day.

Ye Ci didn’t want to let summer vacation wear down his fighting spirit too much, so he still woke up as early as when he was in school and took advantage of the morning, when he was most clear-headed, to memorize ancient Chinese and English words for a while, and then went to have breakfast.

After breakfast, he went back to his room to quiz himself. Too much pressure could be counterproductive, and he would be at loose ends. According to Huo Tinglan’s guidance, he formulated a study schedule and rested every day when his goals were completed, which could be regarded as recharging for the coming year.

Huo Tinglan said that after today’s task was completed, he would take him to have fun. There was a horse farm near the old house, where horses could be ridden, and a shooting gallery nearby, where you could play with guns. In the end, he had a playful heart and was full of motivation to learn, so he completed the task nearly an hour earlier than the expected time and looked for someone after putting down his pen. Huo Tinglan wasn’t in the room where they slept last night, and he didn’t message back right away, so he just asked the random auntie who was cleaning the room. She said that the other party was drinking tea in the tea room on the second floor. He didn’t think much about it and went directly to find him, but before he could knock on the door, he heard Lin Yao’s soft voice coming from the tea room.

“……After all, he is your husband and you’re the head of the Huo family. He will more or less attend some occasions with you in the future, and it’s not good to open one’s mouth and speak poorly……”

It turned out to be about his stuttering.

What Lin Yao said was not unreasonable, and her words were also tactful, but Huo Tinglan still defended him. There was a smile in his voice, almost mischievous: “It’s not easy for him to speak, but he still has me. I will be my husband’s spokesperson, all the same……”

“Aiya,” Lin Yao teased him with a smile, “I know that Xiao Ci is the flesh and blood of your heart and you won’t listen to half a sentence that doesn’t please your ears.” She was not in a hurry, and persuaded slowly, “I know you are afraid that he will think you dislike him for not being good enough, and that his self-esteem will be hurt. I understand, and that’s why I’m talking with you and not him. This is not an urgent matter, I just wanted to remind you.”

“I know you meant well.” Huo Tinglan smiled and lightly changed the subject, no longer speaking with Lin Yao about it.

He knew the cause of Ye Ci’s language barrier.

In the previous life, it was only in the second year after their marriage that Ye Ci completely let his guard down and confided those things to him.

How it was because of Ye Hongjun’s ex-husband, Ye Ci’s stepfather, a low-level Alpha.

This person was in love with Ye Hongjun for more than half a year before they got married, and had always been taciturn and honest, gentle and sincere, treating mother and son with utmost obedience and meticulousness. Ye Hongjun mistakenly thought that she and her child had found support for the rest of their lives.

However, after a few months of marriage, that scumbag gradually tore off his disguise in front of the mother and son.

He had quite serious violent tendencies.

And that personality flaw was compounded when he became addicted to drugs.

Maybe he used it to justify the outpouring of violence, or just to spice up the monotonous brutality – but outside of the regular punching and kicking, from time to time, he would also torture the seven-year-old Ye Ci in the name of “reciting texts.”

Of course, the items to be recited were not limited to textbooks for the lower grades of elementary school. In order to deliberately make things difficult for him, the stepfather sometimes even found some difficult and obscure classical Chinese.

In the process of reciting, if little Ye Ci misidentified a character, omitted something, or stumbled……

This would lead to beatings.

If Ye Hongjun went to stop him, they would be beaten together.

For little Ye Ci, “reciting texts” was synonymous with fear during those days of purgatory.

And the act of “talking” was often accompanied by sudden and severe beatings.

During that time, little Ye Ci often went to school with injuries all over his body, his thin little arms and legs covered with blue and purple bruises. During the dog days of summer, the tiny little kid was all wrapped up in long shirts and trousers, otherwise there would be no way to see other people.

Ye Honjun had been desperately trying to protect her child, but there was a huge gap in physical strength between her and an Alpha. The marriage process was difficult and long, with obstacles everywhere, and even after the divorce was successfully adjudicated, she was constantly harassed. Until that poisonous worm was imprisoned for drug trafficking, and died suddenly of a drug overdose several years after being released. The days of mother and son completely returned to peace.

Unfortunately, this tranquility came too late.

After being abused for a period of time, little Ye Ci gradually realized that when he was speaking normally, he would often suffer from nervousness, anxiety, and other emotions that lead to obstacles such as cold sweats and his mind going blank, as if he was being forced to “recite texts.” The tension and anxiety caused by this deepened in turn, exacerbating the problem……and just like that, a vicious cycle was created.

After growing up, Ye Ci, who had differentiated into an A-level Alpha, had the ability to protect himself. He gradually no longer flinched or felt fear when thinking of his stepfather, but a speech impediment could be deeply entrenched and difficult to remove.

To effectively correct Ye Ci’s stuttering, psychological treatment was an unavoidable hurdle.

Some victims with sensitive self-esteem tended to conceal this type of violence and abuse, and Huo Tinglan wasn’t sure if the current Ye Ci was willing to reveal this old scar in front of a therapist.

Therefore, until Ye Ci took the initiative to ask him for help, he would never put any pressure on him.

……

The tea room fell silent.

Ye Ci didn’t dare to stay any longer, and was about to retreat on tiptoe, when the cell phone in his pocket suddenly rang.

– – Huo Tinglan had sent him a message back.

The corridor was quiet in the afternoon. Even Lin Yao could hear the sound clearly, and it couldn’t escape the ears of a top Alpha.

Huo Tinglan hurried out of the tea room. After Ye Ci slipped a few steps away, he knew he couldn’t escape and stopped in embarrassment in a corner.

“Still learning how to eavesdrop?” Huo Tinglan first teased in a spry tone to show that he didn’t mind. Then he pressed the wall beside Ye Ci and caged him in with his arms, watching his expression.

Seeing that Ye Ci’s face was turning red and he didn’t look like his dignity had been hurt, he was relieved and tentatively asked: “What did you hear? Tell me.”

Ye Ci hesitated briefly, and raised his eyes. Those eyes were calm, and there wasn’t the slightest trace of the painful struggle when baring a scar, only candidness and a soft, kitten-like dependence.

“Huo-shushu, in fact, I want to, to fix it myself,” Ye Ci said with slight shyness.

“Baby, why are you so good……’ Huo Tinglan smiled softly. Fearing that he might be putting on a brave face, he thought about it and said lightly, “You don’t have to think about things like attending events with me. You are my husband, and no one can force you to do things you don’t like, to go where you don’t want to go, or say what you don’t want to say……understand?”

“It’s, it’s alright.” Ye Ci shook his head, and his expression did not seem to be fake. “I also never, never mentioned correcting it because I can’t remember speaking more than, than a few words to people before. But……” He took a step forward, wrapped his arms around Huo Tinglan’s slim waist, and tilted his head to rest his face on his shoulder.

From this angle, Huo Tinglan couldn’t see his expression, but he could hear it.

“I just hope that, that in the future……I can talk to you without barriers.”

There was a smile in his tone.

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Chapter Thirty-Six<< Table of Contents >> Chapter Thirty-Eight

The storeroom of the General’s Mansion was useless. The General’s Mansion, which sounded impressive, actually had pitifully little wealth. All of the reward money and salary was used to purchase weapons and reward the soldiers.

This room had been cleaned up, and then Yan Mingting stuffed it full of weapons brought back from the frontier.

The servants were afraid of the dangers these weapons might pose to the new master, and while guarding him carefully, they could only obey his orders and open all of the gift money and gift boxes received today for him to check.

As soon as Yan Mingting walked to the door, he heard that cold and indifferent voice drifting out: “The left official of the Ministry of Revenue has a hundred taels of silver, ten bolts of silk, and a sword, which is barely passable…… the silk?”

Yan Mingting pushed open the door and saw a servant opening a new box, which contained the received silk. Zhao Yelan leaned over to pick one up, rubbing the material with his fingertips.

“General,” the servant called out.

Yan Mingting nodded. His eyes remained on the back of that red figure, but the other party didn’t turn around for a long time, and even took the trouble to peruse the box.

“Cough.” Yan Mingting deliberately coughed to signal his existence. 

Only then did Zhao Yelan turn his head and reluctantly glance at him. He paused abruptly and tilted his head to look again at the person standing at the door, his pupils slightly dilated: “Who are you?”

“He’s the General,” Housekeeper Qin replied, wiping away his cold sweat. He quickly gave the maids meaningful looks and coaxed them away from the bridal chamber. In the middle of the night, the newlyweds gathered in the storeroom to count the gifts.

Zhao Yelan went to the door and glanced at Yan Mingting suspiciously. Yan Mingting wore the same wedding clothes, but with a sense of wantonness. His body was like a longbow, strong and powerful, poised for action. His hair was all coiled on top of his head, revealing a broad and handsome face, valiant and heroic. The bridge of his nose was high and straight, and despite being exposed to the wind and sun all year round, his skin was still fair.

Yan Mingting was satisfied to see the surprised expression on his face. Quite proud of himself, he lifted his chin slightly and was about to speak, when Zhao Yelan regained his calm appearance in an instant and turned around to order: “Take those two pieces of silk to the tailor shop tomorrow.”

“Yes,” Xiao Gao replied immediately, and took away the two pieces of silk in full view.

Housekeeper Qin and the servants all looked at the General. Yan Mingting nodded: “Give it to him, it’s useless to just leave it here.”

Zhao Yelan gave him a sideways glance, then walked to the bridal chamber, closing it with a bang. Yan Mingting and the people behind him were blocked outside.

“General, you still need to drink the wedding wine,” the servant girl whispered.

“It’s okay, you all go back first, there’s no need to wait.” Yan Mingting waved his hand and waited for everyone to leave before entering the bridal chamber as if nothing had happened.

The two cups on the table were empty. Yan Mingting glanced at the person sitting by the bed and walked to the table on his own, lifting the jug and tilting his head to take a few sips. He said cheerfully: “This is good wine.”

Zhao Yelan looked at him gloomily without moving a muscle.

“It’s getting late, let’s rest, ba.” Yan Mingting put down the jug, came to the bed, and moved to untie his belt.

“What are you doing!” Zhao Yelan shouted.

Yan Mingting was taken aback: “Undressing, ah, do you want to go to bed wearing such cumbersome clothes?”

Zhao Yelan was going to give him a few choice words, but when he opened his mouth, he coughed involuntarily. He subconsciously grabbed his collar and tilted his head to cough into it non-stop. His face became even paler, and he closed his eyes tightly, not wanting Yan Mingting to see his shameful appearance. 

After a little improvement, he slowly opened his eyes. They were full of defensiveness and anger, but he didn’t know if that anger was towards others or himself.

After a pause, he looked at the cup that had appeared before him and glanced at the person in front of him suspiciously.

“Drink some water first, ba,” Yan Mingting said.

Zhao Yelan was silent for a while, then took it without speaking. The hot water soaked his throat, soothing it.

Seeing that he had stopped coughing, Yan Mingting had just taken back the cup when he couldn’t help but sneeze two more times. Zhao Yelan frowned.

“I say……what on earth is that smell on you, ah? So pungent.” Yan Mingting asked. “With a fragrance like this, I’m going to sneeze every time I see you.”

Zhao Yelan looked askance at him: “This is the best perfume for tribute, it’s only pungent if you’re a fool.”

“How is it best for tribute, it only harms people.” Yan Mingting didn’t believe it, and wanted to cover his nose again.

What a puzzling custom!

Zhao Yelan found it bothersome to look at him any more. He wanted to go to bed, but had to be wary of this boor in front of him.

While he thought about it, Yan Mingting had already taken off his outer clothing. He sat on the bed and asked: “Why don’t you take it off?”

Zhao Yelan’s eyes were like knives cutting into him.

Yan Mingting didn’t realize this, however, and even started observing his new wife.

He had grown up amongst men since he was a child, and had seen millions of soldiers, but he had never seen a man like Zhao Yelan. He was said to be a formidable figure, yet he coughed after walking a few steps, was as weak as a weed, and could be blown away by a gust of wind. He was weak, and killing him would be effortless.

Of all people, such a person was extremely good-looking, surpassing all the men and women he had ever seen. His skin was as white as snow and his clothing as red as blood, which surprisingly suited him.

“Don’t worry about it,” Zhao Yelan said coldly.

“Is it too cumbersome for you to take it off? These clothes are really troublesome, I can help you.” As soon as Yan Mingting stretched out a hand, he was hit by a pillow. He pressed the pillow back to the bedside and leaned forward, almost touching Zhao Yelan.

There was a sudden bright flash followed by a chill at his neck. He froze, looked down at the knife against his throat, then raised his eyes to the pale Zhao Yelan.

“What do you want?” Zhao Yelan coldly looked at the person before him.

Yan Mingting looked puzzled. This was not a good attitude, ah. He asked doubtfully: “What are you doing?”

Zhao Yelan’s eyes were sharp as he held the knife firmly in his hand: “Stay, behave yourself, don’t move around.”

The corner of Yan Mingting’s mouth twitched. “You are the first to get close enough to me to threaten me with a knife.”

Seeing that he wasn’t concerned, Zhao Yelan’s pupils shrank slightly, and just as he was going to use force, his wrists were suddenly grabbed. Immediately afterwards, both hands were pressed against the bannister.

Zhao Yelan struggled, but his opponent’s strength was greater than his and he had no ability to fight back. He gasped violently, his chest heaving.

“Let me see what other good things you have hidden.” Yan Mingting touched his waist.

Zhao Yelan said furiously: “Yan Mingting!”

“That’s me.” Yan Mingting reached out and took a waist protector from him, difficult to penetrate with ordinary weapons. “En, that’s a good thing.”

Zhao Yelan was infuriated as he watched him throw the waist guard toward the door.

“Oh, and wristbands too?” Yan Mingting laughed and took the wristbands from his hands. “This is a treasure from the Minister of Ministry Affairs and should be a wedding gift for me. It seems that you took a lot from the storeroom just now.”

Zhao Yelan looked at him, bold and self-righteous: “What is the problem?”

“Nothing. Just to warn you, these are of no use to you.” Yan Mingting weighed the wristband. “Too heavy. You have thin arms and legs, and they will be difficult to wear.”

“You!”

Zhao Yelan had both hands free. While the other was lowering his head to study the wristband, he picked up the knife with a spurt of energy. As soon as he raised his hand, the other party easily grabbed his wrist without looking up and twisted it. He felt an immediate burst of pain.

It wasn’t over yet.

He didn’t know what kind of martial arts Yan Mingting did, but he was spun around for a moment and then sat in front of Yan Mingting with his back against his chest, making Zhao Yelan’s face turn red and white.

As he was about to fly into a fit of humiliated rage and start cursing, Yan Mingting held his hand and carved a word on the bed’s bannister – Early.

“You’re weak and in poor health. From now on, get up early every day and do horse stance with me!” Yan Mingting said.

Zhao Yelan: “ ? ”

After a lot of tossing, Zhao Yelan had given up on threatening his life and just looked at Yan Mingting as if beholding a fool: “What did you just say?”

“Horse stance.” Yan Mingting let go of his hand. “Your foundation is too poor. Since you want to practice martial arts, you have to learn from the fundamentals. For the sake of our marriage, I will personally supervise you. Ordinary people cannot enjoy this treatment.”

Zhao Yelan endured and endured, but still couldn’t hold it back. He gritted his teeth and asked, “Who said I’m going to practice martial arts?”

“That flowery and useless move you made just now, weren’t you testing your martial arts on me?” Yan Mingting wondered.

Zhao Yelan: “……….”

“Could it be……you want to threaten me with this lousy knife? So that I will have a wedding night with you?” Yan Mingting turned pale with shock, covering his chest with both hands.

Zhao Yelan was so angry that he threw the knife away: “Who wants a wedding night with you!”

“It seems that he wants to practice martial arts.”

“……….”

Zhao Yelan was exhausted. He numbly took off his outer garments, wrapped himself in the blanket and turned over, showing his angry back.

Seeing this, Yan Mingting smiled silently and lay down beside him.

“Get up!” Zhao Yelan sat up abruptly and said sharply: “Who told you to lie here!”

“This is my bed, why can’t I lie down?”

Zhao Yelan only hated that the knife had no effect on him, coughing twice: “In short, you can’t sleep here!”

“If I don’t sleep here, where else can I sleep?” As Yan Mingting spoke, he replaced the blanket for him. “Why do you keep coughing, why don’t you drink more water?”

Zhao Yelan’s body stiffened slightly, and he said, “Get out, don’t sleep in this room.”

Unexpectedly, the other person not only didn’t move, but instead leaned closer and closer to him and whispered in his ear: “There is someone on the roof.”

Zhao Yelan opened his eyes wide. To dare to secretly observe the wedding night at the General’s Mansion, there was perhaps only one person who had such courage.

He didn’t say anything more, just got up and went to get some books from the room and put them in the middle of the bed, separating the two of them clearly.

The room suddenly fell silent. Yan Mingting waved his hand to put out the candle flame, and it became pitch black.

After a long time, Zhao Yelan noticed that he was lying down, well-behaved, and had no intention of overstepping the rules. Maybe this boor didn’t know how to have a wedding night between two men, so he secretly relieved himself. He lay on his side for quite a while and couldn’t help but defend: “That was not a lousy knife, but a tribute from the King of Yunnan.”

“Tsk, paying tribute with garish and useless things. This thing can kill people on the battlefield in the hands of a talented person, but the jade inlaid on it can be sold for some money.” Yan Mingting said leisurely, “Looking good doesn’t necessarily mean it’s useful. I’ll pick some suitable ones for you another day.”

Zhao Yelan did not refuse. It was a fool’s behavior to not take advantage of something, and he was not a fool.

“By the way……aren’t you wondering how I suddenly became so handsome?” Yan Mingting turned sideways, and he could still see that silhouette in the darkness.

Since he returned to Beijing, anyone who saw him sighed that he was so different from what he was back then, and he didn’t bother to explain why.

But Zhao Yelan was only surprised for a moment, and immediately accepted the fact without giving him a chance to show off.

“It must be because of the poisoning, ba,” Zhao Yelan said. “The people who knew the inside story back then only knew that you were poisoned, but after some thought, it should be a poison that could even affect your appearance.”

“En.” Yan Mingting smiled. “This poison was so powerful that the military doctors were helpless, and I almost died. Fortunately, you sent someone to the frontier in time and saved my life.”

“It was the third……a person who was sent by the Emperor,” Zhao Yelan said.

“The Emperor didn’t even know about my poisoning at the time. Only you had seen me. Regardless of whether your original intention was to use us or not, you saved my life anyway.”

Zhao Yelan said nothing, and when he was about to fall asleep, Yan Mingting poked his back and asked: “What did you mean by the flowers you sent me?”

“Don’t touch me!” Zhao Yelan said angrily. “When did I send you flowers?!”

“Just a few days ago, you specially sent someone to the mansion with those willow branches……were you, to me……” While Yan Mingting was talking, he felt a little embarrassed to continue.

He usually lived with a group of big men and rarely encountered women. Such a bold act of love really made people troubled and embarrassed.

He sighed. Resting his arms on the pillow, he looked at the roof and said with a slight smile: “You don’t need to rush this matter. Wait for me to make mental preparations first. Although you are good-looking, I also haven’t seen anyone……”

“It was just some useless trash.” Zhao Yelan said.

Yan Mingting’s smile froze: “Huh?”

“There was no place to dispose of it, so I could only throw it in your house.”

The ruthless answer caught Yan Mingting by surprise, and he said in a daze: “What do you mean by that?”

“What do I mean?” Zhao Yelan asked indifferently. “You thought it meant something?”

“……….” Yan Mingting was speechless. Naturally, he wouldn’t reveal the fact that he had been self-indulgent, so he turned over and hummed. “It’s nothing, I just thought those flowers were too ugly, especially ugly.”

“Not as ugly as you.”

“You speak without conscience, where is this general ugly?”

“Everywhere is ugly.”

The two quarreled with their backs facing each other, falling asleep before they knew it.

But Zhao Yelan didn’t sleep well in a new place and a different bed, with a strange man beside him, and would wake up from time to time.

However, he didn’t expect that Yan Mingting would pick him up after he had finally fallen asleep to go practice horse stance!

T/N: No……no footnotes?! The universe can be so kind??

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Chapter Five<<Table of Contents >> Chapter Seven

The Mount Tai landslide situation improved. After the aftershocks subsided, public opinion changed somewhat. From the beginning, it was a secret insinuation that it was a punishment from God, but now everyone was talking about the marriage between the General and the Deputy Prime Minister.

Cut-sleeves were not prevalent in the Xuan Dynasty, but there was no harm in a rich and powerful businessman with special hobbies raising one or two men in the house as new playthings.

According to the ancestors of the Xuan Dynasty, a man could not be a main wife, especially in the royal family.

But now, Zhao Yelan would be given to Yan Mingting as his main wife. There were various speculations about it, and opinions differed, but what was certain was that no one was optimistic about this marriage.

However, no matter how far the rumors spread, the Zhao Mansion and the General’s Mansion were not affected in any way, and everything went on as usual.

What Xiao Gao brought back from the General’s Mansion was not only a chicken, but also a dowry booklet.

“Housekeeper Qin said that the General’s Mansion has not been lived in by the master for a long time, and many things are too old to be used, so he hopes that the Zhao Mansion can bring some useful dowry over there.”

“This was clearly Yan Mingting’s idea.” As soon as Housekeeper Qin saw him, he became an old quail and didn’t dare ask him directly. Zhao Yelan took the booklet and looked at the sky outside. The rain had stopped at some point, and the dark clouds dispersed. He hadn’t heard any news he wanted so far, so he could only go to the palace again by himself.

After finishing the morning court, the emperor went all the way to the main hall to review the memorials. When he saw him coming, he asked: “You didn’t come earlier, but now you’re here. What’s the matter?”

Zhao Yelan said bluntly: “I want to protest the decree.”

Zhao Xuan smiled instead of getting angry: “When the Imperial decree was first issued, I thought you would resist it. Why wait until now?”

“This minister has dedicated himself to the Emperor, but General Yan is an intolerable bully.”

“How did he bully you?”

Zhao Yelan handed over the booklet: “This was delivered to the mansion by General Yan. How dare he make such a request? It is clear that he doesn’t attach importance to Zhao Mansion and Your Majesty.”

Zhao Xuan opened it and looked at it for quite a while, then laughed and picked up another booklet from the table: “Does this look familiar to you?”

Zhao Yelan replied: “It was delivered to the General’s Mansion by this minister.”

“General Yan handed this thing over to me after the morning court, and said the same thing as you. He also wants to protest,” Zhao Xuan said. “Were you waiting for the news that I agreed with General Yan to call off the marriage? You couldn’t wait any longer, so you came to me in person to withdraw your agreement?”

Having been together for many years, they had long become familiar with one another’s temperaments.

Zhao Xuan walked up to him with a smile. The smile gradually faded, and he said in a low voice: “You know it is impossible for me to rescind an order I have already issued.”

As soon as the Imperial decree was issued, everyone knew that if you openly disobeyed the Emperor’s order, it would only lead to death. The only option was to come at it from another angle, such as taking the initiative to make Yan Mingting think of retreating. It was best to come to the Imperial court to file a complaint and blame the other. Maybe there was still a chance.

But Zhao Yelan also knew that this trick could be easily seen through by Zhao Xuan. Yan Mingting might also see through it, but if he still wanted to make a fuss, it depended on whether the Emperor was willing to turn a blind eye and take advantage of the stability of Mount Tai to cancel the decree.

But obviously, Zhao Xuan was not just Zhao Xuan anymore. He was also the Emperor who kept his promises.

“That will be all for now, go back and rest. People from the Ministry of Rites will take care of the details of the marriage, and I will definitely let you get married in a glorious manner.”

What a ridiculous marriage.

Zhao Yelan sneered in contempt, but when he raised his head, his pitiful expression had returned to his face: “This minister will obey the order.”

Seeing his appearance, Zhao Xuan’s voice softened unconsciously: “Will you blame me?”

Zhao Yelan: “This minister wouldn’t dare.”

“Then will you get along well with the General?”

Zhao Yelan’s mind moved slightly. The Emperor seemed to be asking casually, but he had to choose his answer carefully. The throne’s biggest taboo was officials shielding one another, not to mention that he was going to marry Yan Mingting, who held an army in his hands.

“If Your Majesty wishes so, this minister will live in harmony with him,” Zhao Yelan replied very meticulously.

Zhao Xuan smiled and patted him on the shoulder: “It doesn’t matter, you just need to be yourself after you get married.”

“Yes.”

“By the way, General Yan is very heroic, and he is a perfect match for you. It seems that you haven’t seen him yet, right? He looks exactly the same as what I’ve seen before……”

“This minister has seen him.”

Zhao Xuan was startled, and asked with a smile: “Then what do you think of him?”

“He’s not like that.”

Zhao Xuan laughed loudly: “In the past few days, everyone in the court is praising him, and you just look down on him.”

Zhao Yelan didn’t stay for too long. When there was no hope of withdrawing the decree, he took his leave.

Zhao Xuan watched him leave, his frail figure drifting away from the resplendent palace. He twirled the jade ring on his thumb and murmured: “Eunuch Gao,^[2] tell me……he really won’t blame me?”

Eunuch Gao poured tea for him and said: “Zhao-daren’s life belongs to you, the Emperor. He has devoted himself all these years, and once blocked an arrow for you. There is no second person in the world who is so loyal. Now that you have found a good marriage for him, how could he blame the Emperor?”

“Yes, ah, his health has not been good since he was hit by the arrow.” Zhao Xuan subconsciously pressed that place on his chest. If Zhao Yelan hadn’t blocked it for him back then, he might have been the sick man. He might have even died on that snowy night. He turned his head and said, “Go to the Tai Hospital and find a new doctor with good medical skills, and take them to Zhao Mansion for him to have a good look.”

Not long after Zhao Yelan returned to the mansion, people from the Tai Hospital came to check his pulse and prepare medicines. He listened sleepily to the sounds of people coming and going outside.

After a good while, Xiao Gao came in with a bowl of medicine. Zhao Yelan frowned, put the medicine aside, and went to the study.

Xiao Gao chased after him to the study room with the medicine bowl in his hands, coaxing and persuading him: “My lord, please take a sip, good medicine tastes bitter. This time there is a new doctor, maybe it will make your illness better.”

“Leave it, ba.” Zhao Yelan unfolded a piece of paper, picked up a writing brush, and began to draw.

“My lord, take a sip first.” Xiao Gao didn’t seem to be afraid of him getting angry. Just like an old hen, he kept making noises.

After the medicine had cooled down, Zhao Yelan put down his writing brush and picked up the bowl. He closed his eyes and drank it calmly, then handed over the painting he had made on the table to Xiao Gao.

Xiao Gao was overjoyed. When he took a closer look, the painting was clearly of an old hen.

The wedding date was getting closer and closer, and the Zhao Mansion and General’s Mansion were visibly busy. Although there were people from the Ministry of Rites to take charge of this matter, the two main participants still had to cooperate.

They must be familiar with the procedures of wedding clothes, wedding banquets, and big gifts.

Unexpectedly, even an old maid in the palace was sent to the Zhao residence, bringing with her many boudoir items.

As soon as Zhao Yelan heard her mention consummation, he invited the person to leave his house.

There were many things he needed to do, but he didn’t want to hear such nonsense. He wanted to look at his account books. He had saved a lot over the years, and knew very well that he would never be cheaper than others.

Xiao Gao came in with brand-new big red wedding clothes in his arms and saw him sitting at the table with a gloomy face. He stepped forward and asked: “My lord, why are you unhappy?”

Zhao Yelan glanced at him: “You are very happy.”

“Of course, I think my lord will look very good in these clothes.” Xiao Gao trembled with joy, and Zhao Yelan’s face turned darker.

Xiao Gao hung his clothes aside and asked, “My lord, what are you worrying about?”

Zhao Yelan didn’t make a sound. Even if he told him, he wouldn’t understand. After getting married, it would be very difficult to hold the position of Deputy Prime Minister again, and it was not certain whether he could go to early court. The emperor didn’t give his promise, so if he couldn’t keep it, he would have to stay in the back house^[3] like an ordinary woman.

But he intuitively felt that the Emperor would definitely deal with it in this way, which not only restrained him, but also restrained Yan Mingting, killing two birds with one stone.

He didn’t mind staying at home for the rest of his life, being a wealthy idler. The idea was to live safely, but would those enemies allow him to do so?

“By the way, where is the basket?” Zhao Yelan asked.

“Wait a minute.” Xiao Gao turned his head to get the basket. He couldn’t figure it out, but thinking about the strange things in the basket, he handed it to Zhao Yelan directly. “It’s strange, there seems to be nothing unusual about these ones today.”

There were only some snacks in the basket today, red dates, peanuts, longan, melon seeds. Ziao Gao scratch his head, completely confused: “What do these things mean? My lord, you don’t seem to like the food either, ba?”

Zhao Yelan threw the basket out and said angrily, “Clean all of these up.”

In the blink of an eye, it was the day of the big wedding. There were officers and soldiers on both sides of the street, and some common people who watched with excitement lined up from the Zhao Mansion to the General’s Mansion. The grand scene of the ten-mile red marriage procession could only be seen when the Emperor welcomes the Empress.

The welcoming line was very long, and the sending line was even more so. There were many boxes hanging behind the sedan chair, and the heavy dowry was enviable.

Zhao Yelan was sitting in the sedan chair. He was covered in red, holding a bridal veil in his hands that was embroidered with the golden word “Happiness,” which did not match his complexion.

The chattering voices outside carried into the sedan chair. Some guessed how much the dowry was worth, and some scolded him for stealing people’s wealth……He lazily closed his eyes to sleep, until the sedan chair was kicked three times and he heard the matron of honor say: “Please receive the new bride from the sedan chair.”

He woke up slowly, and saw a hand stretched out from outside the door curtain. It was a big palm with calluses all over the fingertips, the hand of a person who practiced martial arts all year round.

Today’s grand ceremony was presided over by the Emperor himself. All the officials had come to congratulate him, and Zhao Yelan didn’t want to lose face in front of everyone, so he simply put on the veil. What the eye didn’t see, the heart didn’t grieve over. He reached out and took that hand.

That hand froze for a moment, and then helped him down from the sedan chair. They stepped across the threshold of the General’s Mansion together, and went to the main hall.

Wearing bright yellow informal clothes, Zhao Xuan sat on the main seat and said a few words of congratulations. Standing on both sides were civil and military officials, each with their own thoughts, watching the couple together.

“The auspicious time has come, let us pray to heaven and earth.”

“Second, pay respects to the parents.”

“Bow to husband and wife.”

After that, Zhao Yelan was led to the new house, but the person next to him who had been quiet all of a sudden sneezed: “Achoo! Achooachoo!”

Zhao Yelan: “……….”

“General, bear with it,” the matron of honor whispered.

“I’ve endured it for a long time, and I almost did it just now during worship.” Yan Mingting flexed his fingers and rubbed his nose.

Zhao Yelan thought in his heart: Boor!

After the bridal procession, Yan Mingting was urged to drink with the guests. Regardless of whether you had met this group of people or not, whether you were familiar with them or not, you had to save face in this kind of life. He dealt with the Emperor first, waited for him to leave, and then turned around to drink with those well-mannered colleagues 

The military leaders were each better at drinking than the one that came before, and it didn’t take long to drink this group of civil servants to the ground. All that was left was a group of military officials fighting for wine.

Zhong Yuehong was the only female military leader here – although she could drink well, she was no match for so many people. She was about to change tables, and saw Yan Mingting sitting on the threshold, holding a bottle of wine in his hand as he drank from it from time to time.

“General, the moon is out.” Zhong Yuehong reminded him, “Leave this to us, ba, you should go back to your room.”

Yan Mingting sighed, propped himself up, and stood. Then Zhong Yuehong  whispered: “If the General is not willing, why did he accept the decree? We have so many brothers, so just……”

Before she finished speaking, He Cuizhang appeared from behind and covered her mouth: “Yuehong, this is the capital, be careful what you say!”

Zhong Yuehong elbowed him backhand. “I’m just offended on behalf of the General, he went through life and death for the Emperor and finally won the battle, but in the end he gave him a man? And a person like Zhao Yelan, isn’t this ruining the General’s reputation for nothing? How will future generations judge the General?”

The others were also silent, because she spoke out loud what was in everyone’s hearts, and the soldiers were also complaining on the General’s behalf in private.

Yan Mingting raised his head and took a sip of wine, then said abruptly: “I don’t live and die for the Emperor.”

Everyone was taken aback.

“I live and die for the people.”

“General……” Hearing these words, several people became even sadder, and their eyes turned red one after another.

“This is what Zhao Yelan told me.”

The people’s tears froze in an instant, then retreated back in.

“When did he tell you that?” Zhong Yuehong asked curiously.

“When we met for the first time,” Yan Mingting recalled.

Back in Beijing that year, the princes rushed to visit his father, trying to win over the Yan family’s army.

His father was at a loss. Because he didn’t know when the poison in Yan Mingting would be cured, he wasn’t sure how long his son would have to stay in Beijing. It might be for his entire life.

The princes would definitely use Yan Mingting to blackmail him. The crown prince was licentious, the second prince was cruel by nature, the third prince was powerless, the fourth prince had no great wisdom, and the fifth prince was weak and naive. It was hard to choose one of them, and if he chose wrong, the entire Yan army might be buried with him.

Yan Mingting bumped into Zhao Yelan, who was waiting for someone in the mansion, and asked him: “Since you belong to the third prince, you also came to find my father?”

“I’m here to see you, Major General.” Zhao Yelan’s voice was not loud, but calm and unhurried.

“Me?” Yan Mingting felt this was very novel, as if he was also a big shot. There were countless guests in the mansion and all of them were looking for his father. Because of his poisoning, it was difficult for him to see outsiders, let alone gain publicity. It was only mentioned that he was going back to Beijing to visit relatives. What’s more, he didn’t expect to be rumored to be a famous ugly man in Beijing.

“Major general has been fighting alongside the general since he was a child and will be a first-class figure in the future. It’s just that if a wrong decision is made now, it will not only be a loss for the Yan family army, but a loss for the entire Xuan Dynasty.”

Yan Mingting said: “So you want to persuade us to join the third prince?”

“No, I hope you don’t join any camp.” Zhao Yelan shook his head.

“Why?”

“Because you are fighting for the people, not for the Zhao family. Don’t get involved in this conspiracy, you can continue to protect the people on your own.”

Yan Mingting was stunned: “But, if we don’t make a choice, the Zhao family can kill our Yan family army at any time.”

“That’s because you have to stay in the capital right now. What if you didn’t have to?” Zhao Yelan said, “Major General, the person who tied the bell on the tiger’s neck should be the one to untie it,^[1] but it depends on whether you have the courage.”

Yan Mingting understood the meaning behind his words. The current dilemma was that his father would not disregard his life, so he was at an impasse. 

He talked with his father all night, and finally his father agreed that he would not treat him in Beijing and instead go back to the military camp, exchanging his health for the stability of the Yan family army and avoid stepping foot into this Imperial city that killed without spilling blood.

Unexpectedly, a few days later, the third prince secretly sent the Imperial doctor in charge of his illness to the frontier. The old general accepted his favor, and only said that if the third prince came to the throne in the future, Yan Mingting must be obedient.

The memory came to an abrupt end, and the details didn’t need to be shared with this group of subordinates, so Yan Mingting just smiled helplessly: “I’m not happy about this marriage, and Zhao Yelan might also not be happy, so you should all stop talking like this.”

Zhong Yuehong: “Then why did you keep sighing?”

“I was thinking……” Yan Mingting rubbed his chin. “Zhao Yelan has always thought I’m ugly, so when he suddenly sees my handsome appearance, will he faint in surprise? He was secretly in love, so wouldn’t he be infatuated now? This is tricky, how should I deal with this relationship problem……”

Subordinates: “……….” Excuse us, we’re very worried about you.

After handing over the courtyard to his subordinates, Yan Mingting passed through a corridor with red lanterns on both sides that made people blush and beam with joy.

When he came to the door, he felt a rare nervousness. He straightened his clothes, smelled the scent of alcohol on his body and fanned it with his hands, and then pushed open the door –

It was empty.

Yan Mingting blinked and looked around. Could he be hiding?

He went in and carefully checked the beams, the wardrobe, the underside of the bed, but there was no trace of anyone.

“Servants.”

Soon, a little maid ran over with a flustered expression.

“Husband……Zhao……where did he go?” Yan Mingting pointed at the room and didn’t know what to call him for a moment.

The maid hurriedly replied: “Answering the General, your husband……Zhao……aiya, it’s not good, he went to your storeroom!”

“Why did he go to the storeroom on the wedding night instead of staying in the room?” Yan Mingting strode toward the storeroom.

The servant girl said: “He took the gift list and went to the storeroom to count the gifts from the guests!”

Yan Mingting: “……….”

– – – – – – – – –

The author has something to say: 

The couple on their wedding night –

Yan Mingting: If he is stunned by me and falls in love with all his heart, what shall I do……

Zhao Yelan: Let me see, who gave too little gift money, who looked down on me? Assassination tonight.jpg

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[1] “The one to tie the bell on the tiger’s neck should be the one to untie it” means that the one who started the trouble should be the one to end it. ⮐

[2] This is a different Gao than the one we know and love. Xiao Gao is definitely not two-timing with the Emperor! ⮐

[3] Consider the ‘back house’ to be an official’s family, a wife, siblings, etc. These people cannot be involved in court matters since there would be a conflict of interest if mutual family members banded together to accomplish a goal. ⮐

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Chapter Four<<Table of Contents >> Chapter Six

The general’s mansion was not called the General’s Mansion, but Dingguo^[1] Mansion, the house bestowed by Yan Mingting’s father when he was alive. But because the family had produced two famous generals, the common people were more accustomed to calling it the General’s Mansion.

Its master had fought on the battlefield all year round, and there were almost no people living there. Usually there were only some sweeping servants and the old housekeeper.

Housekeeper Qin had been working in the general’s mansion since he was a child. Perhaps he was getting old. He watched the little master follow the old general to kill the enemy since he was young, but before enjoying a day of blessing, he was given a legacy as an evil star by the people. Now he was twenty-seven. Other men at this age were already surrounded by children, and his family’s general was still alone.

As soon as the imperial decree of marriage was delivered to the mansion in these two days, he was overjoyed. But upon hearing that he was going to marry Zhao Yelan, he fainted from fright.

There was no telling what the general thought, but after receiving the news, he sent a letter to him instructing him to take charge of household affairs and wait for his return.

No matter what the masters were thinking, he always had to do his job well. He hastily ordered people to renovate the mansion, and it was really troublesome to tidy up this place that had not been inhabited for a long time.

When people told him that Zhao Yelan was coming, he was almost unresponsive and then fell down from the ladder. He patted his trouser legs, trotted to the main hall, and saw the powerful official who was rumored to do all kinds of evil. Black hair and snow-white skin, willowy posture. He didn’t look like a villain. He was clearly a fairy who went to the wrong place, right?

“Zhao, Zhao-daren?” Housekeeper Qin looked at him in astonishment. “You came to visit late at night, what is it?”

Zhao Yelan frowned and took a look at his body. Housekeeper Qin lowered his head and followed his gaze, and finding that his clothes were stained with dust, he patted them hurriedly.

“Stop patting.” Zhao Yelan raised his hand and waved it, then took a few steps back to get some distance from him and looked around. “Where is Yan Mingting?”

“Zhao-daren is here to find the general?” Housekeeper Qin was bewildered, and said aloud, “My lord, this is not in compliance with custom.”

“What custom?” 

“Before the wedding, newlyweds cannot meet.”

“Are you telling me the rules?” Zhao Yelan narrowed his eyes slightly, and when he saw him trembling, he turned his eyes away indifferently. “You take care of the affairs of the General’s Mansion?”

“Yes.” Housekeeper Qin nodded obediently. “But don’t worry, my lord, when you pass through the door, the ledger will be handed over to you.”

“I’m not interested.” Zhao Yelan gave Xiao Gao a meaningful glance.

Xiao Gao immediately took out a thick booklet and handed it to housekeeper Qin. “These are the daily food and clothing expenses for our family, please prepare them. In case there are some things that my lord doesn’t need in the betrothal gift, in order to avoid waste, we will send the required betrothal gift list tomorrow. At that time, you can prepare accordingly and save yourself some effort.”

Housekeeper Qin held the thick booklet, opened it tremblingly and glanced twice. Just like Grandma Liu^[2] entering the Grand View Garden, he said in amazement: “These……these are just daily necessities?”

“Naturally,” Xiao Gao said with a smile. “The bride price should not be neglected.”

“It’s a big matter, and this one is not the master, ah.” Housekeeper Qin cried with a thick face. “This is not a small sum. The General means for everything to be kept simple, just following formalities. After all, the General’s Mansion is not that rich……”

“Where’s Yan Mingting?” Zhao Yelan interrupted him to ask again. He turned his head to cough a few times, and the expression on his face was colder than when he first entered the door.

Xiao Gao immediately urged: “Our lord is not well due to the wind and the cold, and came all the way here. Why hasn’t the General come out to receive his guests?”

Housekeeper Qin quickly explained: “The General went to drink with his subordinates. Rest assured, my lord, as soon as the general returns, I will tell him about this right away……”

Zhao Yelan turned and left before he finished speaking. He sighed deeply, thinking that this was not a good thing, and that the General’s Mansion would be very lively in the future.

As soon as Zhao Yelan departed, Yan Mingting returned. Housekeeper Qin quickly informed the other party about this matter, and Yan Minging took the booklet, saying in surprise: “He was just here?”

“Yes, he also said that he would send someone to send the betrothal gift list tomorrow.”

“Betrothal gifts?” Yan Mingting recalled the scene just now and suddenly smiled. “Then I bumped into them.”

“Really? You saw him?”

“No, it was too dark for me to see him.”

Just now when Yan Mingting walked out of an alley, he saw a sedan chair coming from the direction of the General’s Mansion.

Just when he was wondering, the sedan chair passed in front of him. As it swayed up and down, the corner of the curtain swung and a white neck could be seen by candlelight inside the sedan chair. Then a slightly annoyed voice could be heard: “Add a few more agates and emeralds to the betrothal gift! Does he not have a lot of fine horses? Ask for a few more horses……cough.”

“Oh, how can this be good, ah.” Housekeeper Qin was very worried. When he thought about the General marrying such a money-grubbing person, he wanted to kowtow in front of the old general’s tablet and cry.

It was said that good people were given good rewards, so how come the Yan mansion had always been sparsely populated, and now it was still in an unprecedented situation?

“Uncle Qin, don’t worry. You’ve worked hard these few days, so go take a good rest.” Yan Mingting patted him on the shoulder.

“The matter of the dowry……”

“Leave it to me.”

It rained that night, and before the sedan chair arrived at the house, the rain fell on the ground like beans. Xiao Gao rushed to protect Zhao Yelan and return him home, but he was still drenched by the rain. Even after soaking in hot water, he was still a little dizzy when he woke up the next day, so he had to send someone and continue to ask for leave.

He had punished the Minister of the Ministry of Officials in prison, and didn’t go to court for two consecutive days. In the entire court, only Zhao Yelan dared to be so confident.

There was a smell of medicine in the room. No matter how hard he tried to get rid of it, there would always be new medicine poured into his stomach.

No one knew how long this body could last. He had taken medicine and didn’t want to continue lying down, so he leaned against the window and watched the rain outside smashing a flower in the courtyard to pieces.

A servant girl ran over holding an umbrella and tried to straighten the stem, but upon seeing it, Zhao Yelan stopped her and said, “Don’t touch it.”

The servant girl was puzzled: “My lord, this is the flower you planted yourself last time.”

“Leave it alone.” Zhao Yelan looked at the few petals that were about to fall from the stem. “Perhaps it deserves this fate, and it was lucky that it could survive until now.”

The servant girl had no choice but to clean elsewhere, and she had to tidy up the mansion as soon as possible. There was going to be a wedding in a few days, and she had to decorate everywhere.

Zhao Yelan sometimes looked at the rain, and sometimes glanced at the servants squatting under the eaves cutting paper, feeling a little irritable.

He was in a bad mood whenever it rained.

After a while, Xiao Gao ran back with a basket in one hand and an umbrella in the other, put the fresh fruit he brought today in front of him, and then went to the General’s Mansion without stopping to hand in the betrothal gift list.

Zhao Yelan looked at the things in the basket. It was another basket of fresh pears, big in size, juicy and thirst-quenching. But he had no appetite, so he just reached out to pick and choose and finally selected a pear with rotten spots. He broke it in half and took out a bamboo tube from within. Pouring out the note inside, he unfolded it, and a line of beautiful characters was revealed before his eyes –

The news of Yan Mansion was reported a few days ago. There’s really nothing new, but I was lucky enough to meet General Yan yesterday. His appearance is quite different from the rumors. I only needed to pay a hundred taels of silver to get a portrait of the general made for myself.

After reading it, he threw the note into the charcoal basin.

Yan Mingting hadn’t lived in the capital for a long time, and there was indeed very little relevant information that could be inquired about, but as for his appearance……it had nothing to do with him. Not to mention that he had seen the other person’s appearance with his own eyes, and he was really difficult to look at.

The rain was getting louder just then, and his mood was even worse. He thought a little self-defeatingly – he might as well be dead.

But it was just a fleeting thought. He’d had this idea many times, but ultimately, he always propped himself up with stronger thoughts of survival.

“Someone come, ah!” Half an hour later, Xiao Gao ran in from outside, yelling, and the others rushed over immediately, chattering nonstop.

“What’s all the noise about?” It was raining less now, so Zhao Yelan walked to the door to take a look and saw Xiao Gao holding a chicken in his hands. “Where did you get it?”

“The General asked me to bring it back.” Xiao Gao lifted the chicken a bit farther away with a sad face, a little afraid of this thing, and handed it to the maid next to him. The servant girl lost her grip for a moment and the chicken flopped to the ground, cooed a few times, and ran away shaking its chubby buttocks.

“What are you still doing!” Zhao Yelan said sternly.

As if waking up from a dream, everyone rushed to catch the chicken, and in an instant, the courtyard was in chaos.

Zhao Yelan’s face was darker than the dark clouds outside. He stepped out the door, looked around, and heard a sound getting closer to him. He turned around, and before he could see it clearly, he felt a fleshy object hit him.

He looked down.

“Coo, coo, coo!”

An old servant stepped forward to grab the chicken quickly, but the chicken was quiet for a moment, and then its buttocks bulged.

“Is this chicken’s butt about to explode?” Xiao Gao looked terrified.

The maids stepped back in worry and stared at the chicken curiously.

“No, it should be laying an egg,” said the old servant.

Zhao Yelan stretched out his hand in the direction of the door: “Throw it out for me.”

As soon as the words fell, there was something warm on his slipper-clad foot. An egg had rolled onto it. It was warm.

Zhao Yelan looked at the egg, then at the unclean chicken butt, and his expression changed abruptly.

The others wanted to laugh, but they held back and quickly grabbed the chicken and egg to escape.

“A bath and a change of clothes!”

Zhao Yelan soaked in the bathtub for half an hour, and the hot water was constantly refreshed, but his anger was not reduced.

“Did Yan Mingting say something when he gave you the chicken?” After changing his clothes again, he came to Xiao Gao to question him. He thought of the meeting many years ago, where the other party also stuffed a chicken into his hands and then hid to watch the joke, and only got angrier.

“The General said that your health is too poor, so he would send you a chicken for nourishment.”

“Poor health?” Zhao Yelan sneered angrily. “Good, good, Yan Mingting. He’s insinuating that I don’t have the strength to restrain a chicken, right? Go and clean up the fallen flowers and willows in the yard and send them to that ugly, stingy old widower! Let him see what happens to things that die!”

In the lobby of the General’s Mansion, there was silence.

All the military leaders who were still discussing amongst themselves stared at the pile of dying flowers and willows on the table. Drops of water soaked the tabletop.

Yan Mingting: “What do these mean?”

He Cuizhang scratched his head: “Let me make a bold guess, could the fallen flowers and running water show his intention to be merciless?”

Yan Mingting: “Then what about these willow branches?”

“Broken willows……lovemaking?”

Everyone looked sideways at General Yan with complicated expressions.

General Yan stared at this pile of things for a long time, sighed, and worried: “This isn’t too good, ah. Could it be that a chicken made him secretly fall in love?”

– – – – – – 

The author has something to say:

Yan Mingting in Zhao Yelan’s eyes: Fat old pig spirit, ugly and picky old widower!

Zhao Yelan in Yan Mingting’s eyes: A strange man whose love was bought with a chicken.

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[1] Dingguo (定国) means “to stabilize the country.” ⮐

[2] This is a reference to the famous novel, ‘A Dream of Red Mansions.’ Grandma Liu was a woman from a peasant family, and was ignorant to the ways of the elite, which is what the author is portraying here. ⮐

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Chapter Three<<Table of Contents >> Chapter Five

The flow of people on the street gradually thinned, with the occasional officers and soldiers patrolling. When they saw a group of people squatting on the ground laughing uncontrollably, they came forward to ask what happened.

Zhong Yuehong pointed to the only one standing, but the man with the sad face said: “It’s nothing, it’s just that a short while ago……our elder brother was mocked.”

Yan Mingting rubbed his face, shook them off, and strode forward. Those people hurried to catch up again.

“I’m sorry, I promise I won’t laugh.” Zhong Yuehong wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, and then patted the other brothers. “You stop laughing too.”

The group of people laughed and laughed for a long time without calming down. Zhong Yuehong said with emotion: “This Zhao Yelan can’t tell good from bad, how can he tell blatant lies? As for the General’s heroic face and appearance, the King of Lanling might feel ashamed when he sees it. How dare he say that you are the reincarnation of a pig spirit, pff –”

Yan Mingting turned around and glared at her. She immediately covered her mouth and laughed nonstop.

The others laughed again, and He Cuizhang said: “General, why didn’t you just go in and let him have a good look? Has he really seen you? Was he talking nonsense?”

“He’s seen me,” Yan Mingting replied.

Everyone went quiet, and then immediately scrambled to ask when did they meet, why did they meet, why didn’t he say anything?

Yan Mingting also did not expect that the person whom he met once when he was young would marry him in the end.

Ever since he could remember, he had been taken to the frontier with his father and almost never stayed in the capital.

There was only one time when his body was badly poisoned, his face was abnormally swollen, his eyes black and blue, and he had difficulty walking and needed support. The military doctor was at a loss, so his father took him back to Beijing to find an imperial doctor. While he was being treated at the mansion, he heard that the third prince had come to talk to his father.

In those few days, the princes all came to look for his father and win him over, but the situation was still unclear and there were constant wars at the border, so his father was very worried.

He was curious. Among the few princes, the third prince was not favored by the emperor, and his mother, an imperial concubine, passed away early. There was no support from any forces at all, so why come to grab that seat?

So he asked his servants to help him have a look, but just as he walked into the courtyard, he met a frail young man, his face as white as snow, who coughed three times for every two steps. He couldn’t stand watching it, and called for the person to stop. “Who are you? Why did you come to the general’s mansion alone?”

The young man saw his appearance and was taken aback for a moment, then replied: “This one is Zhao Yelan, he came with the prince.”

“Zhao Yelan.” Yan Mingting said this name once, spoke a few more words, and was urged by his servants to go back to the room and take medicine. He glanced at the man again, and ordered someone to catch a chicken from the courtyard and stuff it into Zhao Yelan’s hands. “Look how skinny you are, you would be blown away by the wind before you reached the battlefield.”

“I don’t go to war.”

Yan Mingting ignored him and walked to the end of the corridor. When he looked back, the young man was stiffly holding the flapping chicken wings, not sure what to do, brows almost knit together. He happily went back to his room.

“I don’t know if the chicken was fried or stewed in the end,” Yan Mingting muttered.

“What chicken? You ate so much just now, aren’t you full, General?” He Cuizhang asked.

“It’s nothing,” Yan Mingting said seriously, remembering that there was still proper business to address. “Go back early to rest and recharge your spirits. Remember to be careful when you go to court tomorrow, don’t bring those vulgar words to the court and make people laugh.”

These people had fought many battles with him, and the Emperor wanted to reward them for their merits, so they had returned to Beijing with him. There were still some of his subordinates who would continue to be stationed at the frontier, and he would also accept their rewards and make arrangements for their families.

“Then can we see Zhao Yelan’s true face tomorrow?” He Cuizhang eagerly said. “I want to see what the person who dared to make fun of our General looks like!”

Zhong Yuehong was not very happy: “I don’t like him, didn’t you hear what those common people said just now? How many bad things has he done? How can he be worthy of the General? Furthermore, the Emperor’s arrangement was aimed at the General just to trap him.”

Yan Mingting cast a stern glance at her: “This is the capital city, so be careful when you speak.”

Zhong Yuehong pouted: “I hate the capital city. I still have to finish visiting relatives before I go back to the barracks. I’ll be home soon, farewell, everyone.”

The next day, Yan Mingting got up before dawn, changed his clothes, shaved his beard, and took in his image in front of the bronze mirror. He didn’t look like a pig spirit at all. Only then did he go to court triumphantly. He not only wanted to see if Zhao Yelan’s appearance had changed, but also wanted to show him that he surpassed the King of Lanling’s attractiveness!

That was what the soldiers said!

Who knew that there were hundreds of civil and military people in the dynasty, and Zhao Yelan alone was the one he didn’t see. It was said that he was on leave due to illness.

Tsk, as expected, he was still the guy who coughed three times every two steps. He hadn’t improved at all.

The emperor lavishly praised the officers and soldiers, and also gave out promotions and rewards. It lifted people’s hearts, and the subordinates all looked excited.

When it was Yan Mingting’s turn, the Emperor was stumped for words for a moment, his eyebrows squeezed together. Then he smiled and said: “General Yan seems to be different from the rumors.”

At noon, the sun finally did something to dispel some of the chill. Zhao Yelan was bored lying in bed, so he went to sit in the courtyard and bask in the sun.

Xiao Gao had just come back with a basket on his shoulders, which contained freshly picked melons and fruits. He washed them and put them aside, picked up a pear and peeled it, and told him about the outside world: “Several people at the restaurant had their tongues pulled out last night, and the government is investigating this matter.”

Zhao Yelan took the pear calmly and asked, “What did you find out?”

“Somebody traced us here.”

“The person?”

“Gone.”

Zhao Yelan sneered: “Knowing perfectly well that the mastermind was here, they didn’t dare to come in and investigate?”

Xiao Gao laughed: “How could they have the courage? By the way, the emperor rewarded some more medicines, which have already been put into the treasury.”

“En.”

“The treasury is a bit bright today.”

“The night pearl.”

“Is it also a reward from the emperor?”

“En.”

“His Majesty treats you very well.”

Zhao Yelan smiled meaningfully. A worthless handkerchief was exchanged for a night pearl, was there a more cost-effective business than this?

Xiao Gao chose a few trivial things to say, and hearing that Zhao Yelan was drowsy, he was very worried: “I know you want to hear something about the court, but my ability is small and I can’t find out.”

“It’s fine, someone will come to talk.”

“Who?” Xiao Gao asked curiously.

“I don’t know, I also want to see who comes first.” Looking at the deserted courtyard, Zhao Yelan leisurely asked Xiao Gao to prepare some snacks and hot tea.

Xiao Gao naturally prepared them according to his preferences, and when he came out with a plate of snacks, he saw that officials had already come to visit in the parlor. He put the things down carefully and left. His lord was very clever!

“Zhao-daren, did you catch a cold today?” The visitor asked in concern.

“It’s just an old problem, Chen-daren. Please take a seat.” Zhao Yelan sat on the main seat and exchanged perfunctory greetings with him, a little impatient.

Over the years, he had been laying down plans for the emperor’s great cause, and he naturally also got to know a lot of people. After the emperor ascended the throne, he was deeply favored and trusted, and they more or less followed his example.

The gift of marriage in the past few days had made this group of people a little scared, suspecting that he would completely fall out of favor, so they were all watching the situation and waiting.

But this morning, the emperor said that Yu Junliang had died in prison, and the officials were surprised. He should have been executed in public according to law, but he had died quietly in prison like this. It was also rumored that Zhao Yelan had met him in the imperial prison, and once the two were connected together, it was known that this was Zhao Yelan’s good deed. But not only did the emperor not punish him, he also cared about Zhao Yelan’s health.

In this way, how could they not know that Zhao Yelan had not fallen out of favor, and that the emperor was constantly concerned for him?

It was reckoned that even if he was married to the great general in the future, he would still have influence inside the court.

So as soon as he came to court, Chen-daren from the Ministry of Officials came to visit him with a small gift.

“Why did Chen-daren seek me out?” Zhao Yelan was too lazy to pretend at politeness with him, and got straight to the point.

“Well……since Minister Yu died, the position of Minister of the Ministry of Officials is vacant……” Chen-daren hinted.

“Chen-daren is already an official. According to regulations, is it your turn to take office?” Zhao Yelan said flatly.

“There are quite a few people who are greedy for this seat, ah. Although I am the left official^[1], there is also the right official. What’s more, the right official has been contradicting you at court meetings. If you let him take the position, it would be a great disadvantage to you……Zhao-daren, you must speak a few words for this old minister in front of the emperor, ah.” Chen-daren cupped his hands. “If there is anything I need to do in the future, just ask me to do it.”

The corner of Zhao Yelan’s mouth twitched: “I’m well aware of the situation and will naturally intercede for you, but this is still the emperor’s decision and I don’t know what will happen in the end.”

“Of course.” Chen-daren wiped the sweat from his forehead. “As long as you give me a few good words, this matter will probably be settled. At that time, I will definitely prepare a big gift and visit in person.”

Xiao Gao sent the left official away, and welcomed the person from the Ministry of Revenue. He refreshed the teacups again, and before leaving, he heard his lord say: “I’m well aware of the situation and will naturally intercede for you, but this is still the emperor’s decision and I don’t know what will happen in the end.”

Several distinguished guests came to the house that afternoon one after the other. Xiao Gao was accustomed to it and kept busy, not stopping until it was time for dinner. He couldn’t help squatting beside Zhao Yelan and giggling: “My lord, you are really good at talking. If you keep running circles around these people, I will be able to recite that sentence.”

Zhao Yelan glanced at him, then knocked him on the head. “If you can’t speak, you mustn’t speak.”

Xiao Gao covered his mouth with a smile.

After eating, Xiao Gao carried over a basin of hot water for him to wipe his hands. Zhao Yelan was taking a stroll in the courtyard, devising plans while digesting food, when he suddenly thought of another thing: “Why hasn’t the person from the general’s mansion come yet?”

“Ah?”

“Didn’t they come to discuss the marriage proposal yesterday? Where are they?”

“Oh, the old housekeeper sent someone to deliver a message, saying that the general is busy with household affairs, so he would not come over, and it’s better to keep things simple when the time comes.”

Xiao Gao wrung out the handkerchief and was about to hand it over, when Zhao Yelan stepped forward angrily and kicked the basin over.

“Simple? Why should it be simple?”

Half the water poured out and the basin was still spinning on the ground. Xiao Gao hurriedly supported it, and said weakly: “Maybe he doesn’t want the publicity?”

The basin was kicked over by Zhao Yelan again. He took the handkerchief and wiped his hands vigorously, his cold eyes narrowed: “How dare he disdain me as if I’m an ugly person? I, Zhao Yelan, have a big household and great influence. It is my first marriage, how can it be casual? Prepare the sedan chair, let’s go to the general’s mansion to see this old pig spirit!”

– – – – – – 

The author has something to say:

Yan Mingting: I am heroic and valiant, surpassing the King of Lanling!

Zhao Yelan: You old pig spirit.

Yan Mingting: Retreat! Retreat! Retreat! Retreat! Retreat!

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[1] “Right” and “left” here denote rank, and right is higher than left. For example, the prime minister would be a right official and the deputy prime minister would be a left official. ⮐

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Chapter Two<<Table of Contents >> Chapter Four

The fact that Ye Ci was lagging behind in Tiancheng Private School had been widely circulated within the Huo family. This sort of famous and noble family that had existed for hundreds of years looked down on ignorant and uneducated playboys. Mediocre offspring implied a drop in social class and opened the door to family decline. Therefore, “the family head’s little gentleman is naturally dull” had become a topic of conversation for those side relatives who coveted the family estate.

Knowing that Ye Ci’s ranking at the end of the term had improved by more than 150 in one go, Lin Yao couldn’t hold back. She was anxious to show off to others and let loose her belly full of anger at this small matter. It just so happened that Huo Changyu had his birthday in July, so she happily held another family banquet, using Lao Huo as her tool. Half the focus of the banquet was on birthday celebrations, and the other half was to celebrate Ye Ci’s academic progress.

“……Xiao Ci, you are too modest, what mid-to-low rank? Besides, can the middle and lower ranks for Tiancheng and those of ordinary schools really be considered the same concept?” Beside the dining table, Lin Yao affectionately held Ye Ci’s arm and eloquently refuted his ‘mid-to-low rank’ theory. “Furthermore, you took a break from school for more than a year to take care of your mother, and in the past six months, you’ve managed to make up over a year of progress.  Your subsequent improvement will only be faster, and you’ll work even harder. It goes without saying that you’ll get into the top 30 or 50 in your grade with no problem at all. Don’t you think so, Tinglan?”

Huo Tinglan was using serving chopsticks to fill Ye Ci’s plate. Hearing this, he first affirmed Ye Ci’s learning ability: “En, there would be no problem, in theory.” After saying so, he glanced at Ye Ci and gently comforted him, “But Xiao Ci doesn’t need to stress too much over rankings……”

There was no need to set rigid requirements for himself.

He had originally wanted to reduce the pressure on Ye Ci, but Ye Ci had been exaggeratedly praised by his elders and entrusted with high hopes, thoroughly flattered. Before Huo Tinglan finished speaking, that little head had already nodded toward Lin Yao several times, and issued a military order: “I will try, try harder. In the second semester of, of the third year of high school……I will definitely be able to enter the top 30 in my grade!”

His path couldn’t be blocked.

Huo Tinglan smiled.

“Is that right?” Lin Yao’s maternal love overflowed, and she smiled gently. It was rare for her to lower herself to serve someone, but she raised her hand to lift the lid of the small cup of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall^[1] and called, “Xiao Ci, taste the stew first, it won’t be fresh once it cools down……”

This child was so obedient, and had a rare innocence that made people everywhere fond of him. It was no wonder that her son’s temperament had changed drastically in the past few months, and he protected this person like the flesh of his heart.

There was only one point where he was lacking.

When this child talked……it wasn’t very eloquent.

It shouldn’t be difficult to correct stuttering these days, right?

Lin Yao took a sip of the soup, slightly worried, and wanted to wait until the banquet was over to find a chance to bring it up. But after thinking about it, she was afraid that hearing such a thing would hurt the child, so she had to suppress her thoughts for the time being.

The family dinner lasted nearly three hours.

During the banquet, Huo Changyu was urged by Lin Yao as the birthday star to invite the guests present to toast Ye Ci’s academic progress. Ye Ci was afraid that not drinking would be disrespectful, so he urgently asked the nearest waiter to pour him a small half glass of some kind of wine, and then got up and drank it all in one gulp.

The wine tasted fine and bitingly cold, and the alcohol content seemed to be quite high. Ye Ci had a hunch that it would get worse.

After drinking and sitting down to see Huo Tinglan looking at his wine glass with narrowed eyes, Ye Ci was sure that something was going to go wrong.

Sure enough, the wine was served extremely fast.

When Lin Yao took out the jadeite bracelet passed down to her by Huo Changyu’s mother in front of the Huo family members, and handed it over to the husband of the current family head according to family custom, Ye Ci was already drunk.

Fortunately, he was a well-behaved drunk, not prone to wild drunken behavior. If it weren’t for the dull eyes, one wouldn’t be able to tell that he was inebriated. When Lin Yao spoke to him, he let out a soft sound from his throat.

Lin Yao also hadn’t imagined that he would be that far gone. The corners of her mouth lifted up and she couldn’t press them back down. With men on the left and women on the right, she took Ye Ci’s left hand and put the jade bracelet on him.

Taking advantage of the rare vacation time, Ye Ci had promised Lin Yao before the family banquet that he would stay for a few days and talk with her.

After the banquet, Huo Tinglan took him out of the banquet hall with the intention of letting him take in the night breeze and walk for a bit to sober up, and walked back to the main house through the garden.

The gardeners had retired for the night, and the garden was quiet. Ye Ci was simulated by the alcohol, and his gait became more lively as he walked in front of him in a provocative and tempting manner. Lin Yao liked flower art, and there were many exotic flowers and plants in the garden. Ye Ci patted this and touched that, like a curious kitten. Huo Tinglan wore his formal coat on his forearm, following unhurriedly with a smile on his face.

When the two passed by a flower wall, Huo Tinglan casually glanced at the top of the wall and raised his hand, calling to Ye Ci: “Xiao Ci, look – –”

It was late and the garden lights were all on, shining brightly to illuminate the good things on the flower wall – – 

A rare variety of rose.

The petals transitioned from bright golden red to cream, and didn’t look like a real flower. If it was photographed and posted on the internet, there was a high probability that it would be called a photoshopped image.

The current temperature was no longer suitable for the cultivation of this delicate and expensive flower variety. For some reason, this one bloomed exceptionally tenaciously.

Ye Ci raised his head, opened his watery apricot core eyes, and looked over.

“Is it pretty?” Huo Tinglan asked, looking at him with great interest.

He pointed at the flower to show him, just to tease out his innocent and surprised expression.

“Pretty.” Ye Ci blinked. “Huo-shushu, do you like it?”

“I like it.” Huo Tinglan answered casually, solely admiring the face against the wall of flowers.

As a result, with such a distraction, Ye Ci tugged his sleeves smartly and suddenly rushed a few steps toward the flower wall. Stepping on the red and white bricks exposed between the vines, he jumped up in a parkour style. His right hand firmly grasped the top of the 3.5-meter-high wall, and taking advantage of the brief pause, he grabbed the rose with his left hand and flew down.

He still wore the jade bracelet on his left wrist.

This bracelet could fetch tens of millions at the auction house, but due to his ignorance and drunkenness, he just jumped up and down like this while wearing it.

Anyone who hadn’t met him would think he was some family’s young master who had been spoiled by lack of discipline.

Huo Tinglan couldn’t tell what state of mind he was in, but he suddenly smiled.

Ye Ci stood firm on the ground. He was so drunk that his mind was muddled, but he also vaguely understood that he had acted cool just now. However, he didn’t know what effect being cool would have, and whether it would move the heart of the person he liked. Seeing Huo Tinglan looking at him and smiling, he revealed a hint of pride amidst his shyness and handed the rose to Huo Tinglan, saying in a small voice: “If you like it, I’ll give, give it to you.”

He was a boy ingratiating himself to his sweetheart.

And his sweetheart was his favorite person.

All of this was hazy like a dream.

Huo Tinglan’s heart was a mess, and he reached out, intending to pick up the rose, but touched Ye Ci’s hand by chance.

He couldn’t help caressing the back of his hand, rubbing it almost lustfully and then moving up to caress the strong, thin wrist – – as white as the moon, surrounded by the thin, delicate green color of something that only the orthodox “daughter-in-law” of the Huo family could have.

A wife.

Ye Ci was afraid of hearing such gender-reversed titles.

He had differentiated into an Omega, which was the “female” sex at gland level, so the “male” nature of his body structure had become his bottom line. He was so sensitive to these things that he couldn’t even crack a joke about them.

If it really happened, he wouldn’t be angry with Huo Tinglan, but he would be listless for a long time and lose his energy, with the downtrodden look of a man whose masculinity had been damaged. So Huo Tinglan only made this kind of joke once, and after he said it, he regretted it so much that he hugged the little gentleman for a long time and couldn’t bear to do it again even on pain of death.

But this kind of address was indeed thought provoking, and when he mouthed it silently, it made him burn.

“Huo-shushu……” That sort of touch was too strange. It wasn’t normal. Ye Ci was so embarrassed that he wanted to withdraw his hand, but he was looking forward to Huo Tinglan picking up his rose, so he had no choice but to let it hover there in a dilemma and allow the other to be frivolous.

“Let’s go back to the room.” Huo Tinglan finally took the rose, wrapped Ye Ci’s hand completely in his palm, and dragged him toward the main house quickly.

The room they were staying in had already been prepared, and Ye Ci was tossed down by him. Their red faces and hot ears rubbed together, and Huo Tinglan repeated what he did to Ye Ci’s left hand a few moments ago from his head to his toes.

Ye Ci was rubbed by him until he couldn’t see straight. With some drunkenness and reddened eyes, he couldn’t even struggle to resist, and gave a weak groan.

At present, this was as far as they could go.

“Here……” Huo Tinglan stood up and covered Ye Ci’s abdomen. The cool linen was warmed by the palm of his hand, looking soft and smooth. His Adam’s apple rolled and he asked in a low voice, “Has it grown?”

Ye Ci asked in confusion: “What, what’s grown?”

Inside that flat belly……

He didn’t know how far that secret cavity had grown, or if it was mature enough to bear a permanent mark.

This was different from the glands. He had no way to judge with his sense of touch and naked eyes, so he could only rely on Ye Ci’s own perception or go directly to the hospital for a test.

And before confirming this, he couldn’t do anything.

Besides, taking advantage of the moment when Ye Ci was drunk and hazy to take this step was just……inexcusable.

He believed that every major breakthrough in a relationship happened when both partners were at least sober and lucid.

Fearing that Ye Ci would have a hangover and a headache, Huo Tinglan asked someone to bring over sobering soup and a small vase.

He put the rose in a vase and fed Ye Ci the sobering soup all at once, then coaxed the little drunken cat to change clothes and wash, falling asleep with his arms around him. He hadn’t given deliberate instructions, so when a servant cleaned the guest room, they only spread out one blanket, and he was happy to cover up under the same blanket as Ye Ci.

Soothing tequila pheromones and the sweet scent of roses permeated the quiet night.

Perhaps because of so much physical contact that day, and because they slept with their arms around each other intimately in the same bed……

At three o’clock in the morning, Ye Ci woke up from a beautiful dream.

He dreamed of Huo Tinglan again like last time.

The back of his neck felt hot, the sweet and sticky scent of vanilla filled the room, and his heart was beating wildly.

He had already sobered up from the wine.

If there was even a remnant of drunkenness, it was scared off when he realized that something was wrong……

And when Ye Ci became more conscious and realized that they were not even at home, but at Huo Tinglan’s parents’ house, this bad turn of events became doubly unfortunate.

Ye Ci bit his lips until they turned white, then sneakily lifted the quilt.

He was drenched in sweat, and……there were traces of dampness on the sheets.

“……”

He was finished.

He would rather die.

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[1] Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, 佛跳墙, is a high-protein delicacy named for its rumored ability to entice vegetarian Buddhist monks away from their temples to sample the meat-based dish. ⮐

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Chapter Thirty-Five<< Table of Contents >> Chapter Thirty-Seven