The disturbance just now had gathered a lot of onlookers. It was only when he heard the commotion outside that Zhao Yelan came back to his senses and said in a lowered voice, “Let me down.”

“Aren’t your legs weak?” Yan Mingting teased.

Zhao Yelan pushed him away and stood firm on the ground to show that he was not affected in any way, but his clothes were dirty, which concerned him a bit.

As soon as the two walked out the door, Zhong Yuehong reported: “General, those people committed suicide.”

The subordinates had arrested two groups of people. One group was hiding in the crowd and sneaking around, and the other group was the men in black with strong martial arts skills.

Yan Mingting frowned slightly and walked quickly in front of the men in black. Breathing out, he pulled off their masks. Every face was ordinary, and when their robes were opened, they all wore uniform nightclothes with a sun pattern stitched in gold thread on the collars.

“They seem to be well-trained dead soldiers, but I don’t know which organization this is. They dared to try to assassinate an official of the court in the capital,” He Cuizhang said.

“Let’s give these people to the government first, and see if they can find anything,” Yan Mingting said. He turned around and asked Zhao Yelan, “Do you have any enemies?”

“I do, which one?”

Zhao Yelan had more than one enemy. Looking at the group of corpses, he felt that he could smell them, so he quickly took out his handkerchief to cover his nose, and coughed.

Seeing this, Yan Mingting arranged for his subordinates to stay in place and wait for the people from the government to come and take over, and then brought Zhao Yelan back to the mansion.

“My lord, what happened to you?” Gao Tan saw Zhao Yelan stepping through the door with a weary expression, and rushed to greet him.

“Go and get some hot water,” Zhao Yelan ordered.

“Okay.”

Yan Mingting looked at Gao Tan’s back as he left in a hurry, and his eyes narrowed imperceptibly.

The water was soon ready. Zhao Yelan went back to the room to bathe, changed into new clothes, picked out a slightly scented sachet to wear on his waist, and carried a scent as he walked.

Whether it was a different scent or he had just been exposed to it too much, Yan Mingting had gradually adapted to the scent that came out of the mansion at any time. It didn’t seem too pungent anymore. He asked, “How did the man in black find you today?”

“I went and asked someone to look for the shopkeeper, but a group of people in the crowd bumped into me, and then a man in black appeared,” Zhao Yelan said.

“Do you have anyone you suspect?”

Zhao Yelan shook his head.

Soon, Zhong Yuehong and He Cuizhang came to the mansion and said: “The government interrogations are over, and the rest of the people said they were ordered by Li Yucheng to teach Zhao Yelan a lesson.”

“Who is Li Yucheng?” Yan Mingting asked.

“The son of the Prime Minister,” Zhao Yelan said.

Yan Mingting asked Zhao Yelan thoughtfully: “What about the man in black? Were they with him?”

“They didn’t know about that group of people. I’m not sure if they were other experts hired by Li Yucheng,” Zhong Yuehong said.

“Go and invite Li Yucheng to have a chat.” Yan Mingting put his sword on the table.

However, it didn’t take long before news came out that Li Yucheng had run away from home. They didn’t know where he was hiding, and the Prime Minister was also looking for him everywhere.

“Send someone to track him down.”

“Yes.”

After they left, Yan Mingting glanced at Zhao Yelan and said: “The man in black and Li Yucheng may not be part of the same group. Maybe there are other people who want to assassinate you. You should reduce unnecessary excursions for the next few days. If you must go out, call me to join you.”

Zhao Yelan’s brows rose, and he smiled meaningfully: “Why does General Yan treat me so well?”

“With our relationship, why are you being polite? I can’t let you die as soon as you walk through the door, right? Then I’m afraid that my fate as an evil star will truly be confirmed.” Yan Mingting also smiled.

“Then, thank you, General,” Zhao Yelan said modestly and politely.

“Hiss, why am I not used to you like this? You’ve already said thank-you twice today.” Yan Mingting reached out and touched his forehead. “You don’t have a fever either, ah.”

Zhao Yelan batted his hand away expressionlessly.

“That’s right, that’s Zhao Yelan.”

“It turns out you have poor eyesight.” Zhao Yelan sneered and suddenly pinched his chin with force. His pupils shrank slightly. “I haven’t settled accounts with you just now. Don’t make unreasonable requests. Did I agree to you holding me?”

Yan Mingting frowned: “Then how do you want to settle the score?”

The distance between the two was less than half a foot, and every expression fell into the other’s eyes. During this stalemate, Housekeeper Qin came into the hall: “General……oh! I didn’t see anything! It is easy to go blind when you are old!”

Housekeeper Qin covered his eyes and hurriedly backed away.

Zhao Yelan: “……”

Yan Mingting smiled and pushed his hand away. Touching his chin, the feeling of being tightly gripped by those slender fingers seemed to still linger on the surface of the skin, putting him in a good mood. But what he said made him in need of a spanking: “I just like how you hate me but can’t kill me.”

Zhao Yelan was extremely angry, but he had unexpectedly hit the mark again, so he had no choice but to walk towards the gate, fuming.

“Where are you going?” Yan Mingting shouted from behind.

“Going outside to seek death and confirm your reputation as an evil star!” Zhao Yelan was so angry that he couldn’t control his mouth.

Yan Mingting laughed loudly, then followed after him and found that he was not wandering aimlessly, but straight in a certain direction, and wondered: “A clothing shop?”

Zhao Yelan ignored him and walked straight into the store.

“Yo, why did Zhao-daren come in person?” When the shopkeeper saw the big guest, he happily greeted him. “Are you here today to buy cloth or ready-to-wear?”

“Is the silk delivered a few days ago ready?” Zhao Yelan asked.

“The embroiderers are rushing to make it. The material you provided is so good, we don’t dare to be sloppy.” The shopkeeper said with a smile, “Why don’t you take a look at the newly arrived materials?”

Zhao Yelan nodded and wandered around.

Yan Mingting stood in the lobby, out of place and surrounded by women and children who secretly pointed at him and snickered. He awkwardly walked to Zhao Yelan’s side: “When are we going back?”

“What’s the rush? Since I’m out to seek death, of course I have to get results. Don’t you want to find out who is working behind the scenes?” Zhao Yelan casually picked up some fancy fabric and held it to Yan Mingting’s chest. “How about this one?”

“They clearly want to kill you, how can you be sure that I can catch the mastermind?” Yan Mingting shook his head. “It’s no good, I don’t want it.”

“Just a gut feeling.” Zhao Yelan’s lips curled. “Who said I would give this to you, it is for Gao Tan.”

“Is this the great General?” The shopkeeper covered his mouth in surprise and his eyes lit up. “So striking and handsome, with a casual and elegant bearing!”

The surrounding voices suddenly became louder, people looking at Yan Mingting in surprise as they pulled their companions in to whisper. The expressions of admiration and astonishment on their faces were beyond words.

The corners of Zhao Yelan’s mouth twitched, and he said in a low voice: “You are frequently active in the city these days. Before long, the rumors of your ugly appearance will crumble. General Yan might as well take a look at these women, each is beautiful in her own way, and if it’s love at first sight, you can take her back to fill in a room.”

The people around were peeping at them, so Yan Mingting could only lower his head and whisper in his ear with a smile: “Furen is stunning, second to none in the capital. I am already satisfied.”

Zhao Yelan shot him a cold look, threw the cloth on the table, and left angrily: “Are you the only one who deserves such good material?”

“Didn’t you get it for Xiao Gao?” Yan Mingting gave a muffled laugh, chased him out two or three steps, and suddenly stopped and grabbed his arm. He said in a low voice, “There is someone.”

Zhao Yelan was about to turn his head and look, when a big hand pinched his cheek.

“Don’t look, just keep going.”

“……”

The two went outside the city as usual, and as soon as they stopped, Yan Mingting pulled out his sword and stabbed in a certain direction behind him, provoking a black shadow from a tree, and the two quickly became entangled.

The people had been drawn out. Yan Mingting fought at will. In the corner of his eye, Zhao Yelan was still standing there foolishly in his original spot. “You go first, I’ll follow behind!”

Zhao Yelan looked up at their battle, but couldn’t hear clearly, and frowned: “What do you mean, braised pork?”^[1]

“……”

As soon as Yan Mingting was distracted, the man in black immediately diverted his attention, turning around to stab directly at Zhao Yelan.

In an instant, seven or eight men in black appeared from nowhere behind them to block the sword, attacking simultaneously. The man immediately sprinkled some poisonous powder and left the place in a flash.

Zhao Yelan took two steps back, and his mouth and nose were covered by Yan Mingting just in time. The group of men in black ran into Yan Mingting head-on as they narrowly escaped from the poisonous powder.

“Who are you?”

The group of people didn’t answer and were about to retreat, when they were stopped by Yan Mingting.

Standing in front of Yan Mingting, Zhao Yelan had just said, “Leave me alone,” when Yan Mingting hugged him tightly around his waist, and then his feet were in the air as his whole body flew up with him.

“Hold on tight, no matter what.” Yan Mingting thought that he was going to risk his life, and said with a straight face, “At worst, we die together, and we will be a pair of good brothers in the next life!”

Wind whistled in his ears along with the piercing sound of weapons clashing, and  danger visible to the naked eye was right in front of him. Numerous sharp weapons passed before him, his body was tugged back and forth, and he brushed shoulders with death several times. Zhao Yelan’s heart almost stopped beating.

Before he fainted, unable to take it anymore, he cursed: “Yan Mingting, go to hell!”

---

[1] Both sentences Yan Mingting spoke ( nǐ xiān zǒu, wǒ duànhòu) sort of rhyme with ‘braised pork” (hóngshāo ròu). ⮐

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Chapter Fourteen <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Sixteen

Half of the precious twenty-day summer vacation had passed in the blink of an eye.

As for the “health education class,” with emphasis on the quotes, Ye Ci took it once and refused to honestly take it again. Their relationship had only been confirmed for so long – how could he be subject to such stimulation? As a result, Huo Tinglan, who had taken off his disguise, captured him and brought him to the study every time. As soon as it was time for class, the dignified head of the Huo family relied on his terrifyingly keen five senses to catch the little cat all over the house, using his high-quality top Alpha genes in crooked places.

He himself was a person with heavy desire, and had endured for too long to match Ye Ci’s pace, so it was understandable for him to do so.

The next round of susceptibility was coming soon, and he could finally ask his Omega for comfort. Huo Tinglan didn’t deliberately suppress it, and the medicine for susceptibility syndrome was stopped early. He just let nature take its course and waited for the susceptibility period to come, stroking and sniffing Ye Ci every day to relieve the discomfort caused by the pre-susceptible stage.

In the past few days, taking advantage of the Omega knowledge class, Huo Tinglan gave Ye Ci several informal “physical examinations.”

It could be seen that Ye Ci’s current development was good, and he would be able to withstand the intensity of a permanent mark without being harmed.

However, health was the top priority. Huo Tinglan didn’t intend to take any risks, so he still took time to take Ye Ci to the hospital for a comprehensive and detailed examination.

……The meticulousness was a bit much.

Ye Ci sat on a bench in the hospital corridor, his knuckles turning blue as he clutched the medical report that Huo Tinglan handed to him.

Due to excessive shame and indignation, the paper crumpled.

……The lining is smooth and soft, good dilation, complete development, no abnormalities……

He wanted to die.

Didn’t they use that unknown instrument to take a few laps up and down his belly and have that Omega doctor press a few times……

How did they come to such a series of conclusions?

It was already so advanced?!

“Have you read all, all of the report?” Ye Ci asked in a quivering voice, propping up his forehead with one hand.

Huo Tinglan said tactfully: “I read a bit.”

Ye Ci: “……….”

“Baby, these exams are a must.” Huo Tinglan looked at him tenderly, half comforting and half suggesting, “My susceptible period is in two days, and if I don’t hold back, I’ll mark you permanently……I don’t want to hurt you.”

Moreover, he also couldn’t bear it.

The matter of a permanent mark had finally come to the table.

Ye Ci’s pupils trembled, and he lowered his head in alarm.

Susceptibility syndrome was devastating to an Alpha both mentally and physically. Since its influence could be permanently eliminated with a lifetime mark, there was no excuse for Huo Tinglan to continue torturing himself.

It was also good for an Omega to have a permanent mark. It meant a stabler mood and hormones, and regular, manageable periods of fever.

Huo Tinglan sat down next to Ye Ci, held his long, thin white hands in his palms, and asked in a gentle voice: “Would you blame me if I didn’t hold back?”

Ye Ci licked his dry lips and murmured: “You don’t, don’t need……to endure it at all.”

Huo Tinglan gave a soft sigh and brazenly said: “Baby, how can you think of Huo-shushu so much?”

Ye Ci tried his best to fight against his soft heart. His lips were tightly pursed, for fear that more honeyed words would follow as soon as he opened his mouth.

“Say it just in case.” Huo Tinglan smiled, teasing him with words, “Baby, can you accept it?”

He was so shameless that Ye Ci didn’t know how to answer.

Thus,Huo Tinglan changed the question: “So it’s not acceptable, is that it?”

Ye Ci’s chest rose and fell quickly, and he shook his head: “……That’s not it.”

“It’s not unacceptable.” Huo Tinglan smiled and said unhurriedly, “Double negation means affirmation.”

“ ! ” Ye Ci’s face went red. He jumped up and slipped away without a trace along with the full set of medical reports.

He couldn’t be around Huo-shushu for one second!

. . . . . .

It was two o’clock in the morning.

A groan suddenly sounded in the quiet bedroom.

The tone was hoarse and pained, as if someone had just woken up from a nightmare.

Huo Tinglan stared at the ceiling. His forehead was covered in sweat, and his ink-black pupils trembled neurotically.

His heart was beating like it was about to burst.

Fortunately, the warm temperature by his side quickly brought him back to reality. There was a heavy feeling of pressure on his upper arm. Ye Ci was resting on it, sound asleep.

……It was a dream.

He slowly tightened the arm holding Ye Ci and rubbed the back of his neck with the other hand.

The Alpha glands were already boiling hot with excitement, accompanied by the beating of his heart.

This round of susceptibility had already begun.

No wonder.

The excessive secretion of glandular hormones during the susceptible period would increase an Alpha’s sensitivity and alertness, thereby amplifying negative emotions and the dark side of their personality.

Moreover, yesterday was the anniversary of Ye Ci’s death in his previous life……

He knew that that “future” would never happen again in this one, and had long been obliterated, but his mood was unavoidably low. He concealed it impeccably during the day, but after nightfall, he failed to escape the intrusion of nightmares.

He dreamed of that temple.

Bright yellow walls, green-gray tiles, magnificent snowy mountains, so white that they shaded to blue. It was late summer, but the altitude where the temple was located was very high. He wore a windbreaker and could still feel the chill.

He was an atheist, but Lin Yao held the belief that “if you believe in it, it exists, and if you don’t believe in it, it doesn’t exist.” She didn’t usually mention these things, but she had also made offerings to temples. Therefore, after Ye Ci passed away unexpectedly, she advocated praying for him – – they prayed for blessings for the dead, but it was actually the living who were comforted.

Huo Tinglan didn’t care about anything at that time. Lin Yao made up her own mind and took care of all the big and small matters by herself. The only thing she asked him to do was to sign the donation agreement for the temple, and dragged him by force on the day of the ceremony.

He was in disbelief, his face frozen along the way like an empty shell, until Lin Yao personally offered Ye Ci the ever-burning lamp.^[1]

According to her, the ever-burning lamp could be provided to the living to seek a safe and long life, and it could also be offered to the dead to illuminate the soul’s way to the next life and accumulate blessings. 

“……Xiao Ci had a hard time in this life, and his good fortune was small, his predestined fate with us was too shallow.” Lin Yao hugged her son’s shoulders with difficulty, rubbing them in distress. The Alpha’s frame was tall and broad, but he hardly ate or drank these days, and was worn down to a skeleton. “Let’s offer a lamp to Xiao Ci, perform a good ceremony, and accumulate merit for him. In this way, if there is an afterlife, he will surely live in peace and joy. Perhaps you will meet again in the next life, and your fate will be deeper, unable to be broken apart. Maybe you can meet him earlier, protect him earlier, and prevent him from suffering. It’s all arranged by the heavens, who can say for sure. I believe that sincerity leads to success. If me, you, and your father all believe in this matter wholeheartedly, then we will definitely be able to……Tinglan?……”

“……I want this life.” Huo Tinglan shook his head. He hadn’t spoken for a few days, and when he did speak, his voice was rough and unfamiliar.

– – I want this life.

Approximately this sentence.

He couldn’t remember clearly. He was numb during that time, his mind in a daze, and his memory was not solid.

What previous life, afterlife……they were too illusory, too ethereal.

He only wanted this life.

In this life, he wanted him to have peace and joy.

In this life, he wanted to have a deep fate with him, which could not be broken apart.

In this life, he wanted to protect him as soon as possible, so as not to let him suffer so much……

He knelt down before the Buddha statue.

It was said that sincerity leads to success.

As Lin Yao asked, he had donated the Buddha statue, and the red sandalwood and silver tiles. The temple hall was rebuilt, along with the glazed tile pagoda. He did everything, kowtowed, and shed tears. Was it sincere enough? Would it work?

Tears wet the corners of his eyes, dampening the blue bricks in front of the Buddha statue.

His mother said that the ever-burning lamp could illuminate Ye Ci’s path to the afterlife, so that he would not be frightened, miserable, or scared of the dark.

Could it then give him light to find his way?

. . . . . . 

After that, he lived like the walking dead for a while.

And then, a few months later, he woke up that morning and time had gone backwards.

He had no way of knowing whether it was true that sincerity leads to success, or if it was just a coincidence. But in any case, he had miraculously returned to the year after he turned thirty. The first thing he did was to go to the Chu family and commit robbery. The second thing was to go to the temple that Lin Yao took him to in order to fulfill his vows, and donate a sum of money far more generous than in the past for various repairs in the ancient temple.

Whether it was true or not, he wanted peace of mind.

Then, another few months passed.

The grief that once pierced his heart and bones had long since disappeared. However, the psychological shadow had not been completely removed. Especially when he was affected by the susceptible period, the heartache and despair of that time would come to haunt him and make him wake up in the middle of the night when he dreamt of the past.

Huo Tinglan’s breathing gradually became heavy, and he hugged Ye Ci in his arms tighter and tighter.

Alphas who lacked a sense of security would tend to “mark” their Omega……

The rich fragrance of tequila madly invaded every inch of Ye Ci’s skin.

The nearly suffocating tightness all over his body and the slight tingling of his skin woke Ye Ci up.

“Huo-shushu, what……what’s the matter?” He rubbed his bleary, sleepy eyes. The steel-like arms around him hurt, but he didn’t struggle to get free, and stroked Huo Tinglan’s back with difficulty using his moveable forearm.

“Baby……” This sort of comfort made Huo Tinglan relax a little, and the pain from being constricted was no longer so painful. He lowered his head like a wounded beast, silently buried his face in the socket of Ye Ci’s shoulder, and sniffed the sweet vanilla pheromones hungrily.

Ye Ci’s neck was pressed against Huo Tinglan’s cheek.

Smooth, damp, and slightly cool.

“Are, are you……” Ye Ci was slightly startled, and was forced to move back. It was like pushing away a giant, clingy dog. Reluctantly fighting for a little space within Huo Tinglan’s arms, he twisted his neck desperately to check Huo Tinglan’s face.

The moist touch and luster……was like tears.

Would A+ grade Alphas be sentimental during the susceptible period?

Ye Ci was anxious and sat up suddenly, hugging Huo Tinglan back with all his strength.

“If, if something is the matter, you can tell me anything.” He was so anxious that he couldn’t care about anything, and his speech was much more agile than usual. “Don’t keep it all inside, I’m worried to see you like this. Is, is it not going well at work?”

“No……it’s nothing.” Huo Tinglan suppressed his emotions, let out a sigh of relief, and comforted him, “Let me hold you for a while, baby.”

Ye Ci paused for a moment, then lowered his voice: “Is that an emotional matter?……”

Huo Tinglan benefited from Ye Ci’s anxious concern, and the aftermath of the nightmare disappeared without a trace. He smiled and said truthfully, “It is, ba.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the room fell into silence.

Maybe half a minute later, Ye Ci very slowly withdrew from Huo Tinglan’s arms and eased into bed.

After a while, his muffled voice, softer than the sound of a mosquito, came from the bed.

“I didn’t, didn’t say……that I, I wouldn’t let you permanently mark me.”

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[1] A light that would be left lit in a tomb until the flame went out by itself. ⮐

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Chapter Thirty-Nine << Table of Contents >> Chapter Forty-One

The house had already prepared breakfast, and as soon as the two of them entered the courtyard, the maids served it up one after the other.

Yan Mingting ordered the cook to make some steamed buns, then sat down to eat. Taking a few big mouthfuls, he found that Zhao Yelan was looking at the table in boredom and asked, “Why don’t you eat?”

“Not hungry.” Zhao Yelan had no appetite.

“You said you didn’t eat enough.” Yan Mingting said, “What did you eat?”

Zhao Yelan glanced at him arrogantly: “Regardless, it was richer than what is on your table.”

“No matter how rich the food is, if the diner doesn’t like it, it’s a waste.” Yan Mingting smiled and continued to eat.

After marching for many years, he had always had a good appetite. Eating fast and in large amounts, he ate half the table without knowing it.

Zhao Yelan was stunned: “Have you not eaten for hundreds of years?”

Yan Mingting chewed quickly and gave a hearty smile: “Sometimes the military rations were not enough, and the soldiers were either starving or digging the roots of wild vegetables. When we had hot food, we couldn’t wait to swallow it right away, unlike you who are well-clothed and well-fed. You don’t understand the preciousness of food.”

Zhao Yelan was silent.

“Have you ever gone hungry?” Yan Mingting asked.

“How could I not have.”

It happened that the buns were delivered to the table. Zhao Yelan picked up a hot bun and broke it. The juice flowed out along the thin skin, releasing its fragrance. He took a bite and ate slowly.

“When?” Yan Mingting became interested.

“It’s none of your business, just eat your share, ba.” Zhao Yelan no longer responded to him, and quietly finished eating a bun. Yan Mingting picked another one for him and set it on his plate.

Zhao Yelan didn’t refuse, and finished another one.

“I told you the cook in our mansion is good.” Yan Mingting raised his eyebrows triumphantly, and then pretended to be sad, saying, “Don’t always give the cook a cold shoulder. Be careful not to dishearten him, yesterday I saw him secretly wiping away tears in the kitchen.”

“……” Zhao Yelan resisted the urge to hit him. Then he was taken aback, and said seriously, “What do you mean, ‘our?’”

“Hey, family doesn’t have to stand on ceremony.”

“Go away.” Zhao Yelan returned to his room expressionlessly, called Gao Tan in, and asked, “What is going on in the mansion these days?”

“Going on?” Gao Tan scratched his head and recalled, “Playing flower drum?”^[1]

“……”

“It’s interesting, Housekeeper Qin taught me how, and it’s fun to play with everyone,” Gao Tan said with a smile.

“……” Zhao Yelan tapped him on the head. “I’m talking about news about me and Yan Mingting, such as……affection between couples, or something.”

“Affection between couples, ah……oh, I see! Everyone is saying that you and the general are playing adult games, so I went to ask Housekeeper Qin, and he taught me how to play flower drums.”

Zhao Yelan: “Adult games?”

“En.”

“I see, you go out first.”

Since Gao Tan obviously didn’t even know what “adult games” were, then the people in the General’s Mansion probably didn’t spread the night’s incident to the outside world.

If the Emperor knew, there could only be two reasons. One was that an informant was planted in the General’s Mansion. But the servants in the General’s Mansion were all familiar people from many years ago, when Zhao Xuan was just a prince with no power. It was impossible for him to have planned this such a long time ago.

It could only be the other reason – The Gold Collar Guard.

The Imperial City had guards to maintain security, but the world was unaware of another organization – The Gold Collar Guard was a group of dead soldiers^[2] organized by Zhao Xuan in his early years. Proficient in martial arts, well-trained, and loyal, they followed orders covertly.

He only learned of the existence of this group of people after being besieged with Zhao Xuan.

There was a time when there were many assassination attempts on him, so Zhao Xuan sent a small team to protect him. Ordinarily, no one could detect the traces of this group at all. They were a strong shield.

But now, they were a thorn in his side.

When Yan Mingting said before that “there is someone on the roof,” was it just to tease him, or was there really someone there, and it just happened that Gao Tan didn’t see them?

Regardless, planting people to monitor him without his consent would not be tolerated.

The problem was, since he didn’t have the manpower to defeat the Gold Collar Guard, not to mention blatantly killing the Emperor’s people, the solution to this problem still needed some thought.

After one morning, the news of Zhao Yelan’s demotion spread all over the capital. This matter was being discussed in the streets and alleys, and although opinions differed, there was no doubt that they were all gloating.

It was rare for anyone in the gambling hall to mention this sort of business, but likely because everyone had witnessed Zhao Yelan coming to gamble with their own eyes, they talked about it enthusiastically.

Standing by the gambling table, Li Yucheng couldn’t help but laugh when he heard that Zhao Yelan had been sent to the Imperial Academy: “Retribution, this is all retribution!”

“Young master, you can’t gamble anymore, the master is already angry,” a servant boy reminded him from the side.

“This young master is already in a good mood today. All these things, I’ll bet all of them!” Li Yucheng placed his bets with such arrogance, and then lost all his money, but he was not angry, and walked out of the gambling house cheerfully.

“Zhao Yelan, Zhao Yelan, your day has come as well.” Li Yucheng rubbed his hands expectantly, turned his head, and told the servant, “Has he been out of the house recently? You go find a few people. Cover your face, and find a chance when he’s alone……remember to keep it secret.”

“Yes.”

After plotting loudly, Li Yucheng swaggered forward and left the gambling house with a cheerful expression, not noticing the doorman standing at the door, who immediately turned and went up to the second floor.

The people in the General’s Mansion naturally heard about the rumors that spread outside. The servants discussed in private and immediately felt that they had won another round. The master had been demoted, let them see how long those servants of the Zhao family could hold their heads high.

Housekeeper Qin found Yan Mingting, who was practicing his sword. With a heavy heart, he said: “General, your wife was demoted just after you were married, so will you also be……”

Yan Mingting stopped and took a handkerchief out to wipe his sweat, but felt that it was not enough. After returning to the room, he washed his hands with cold water to wash away the smell of sweat.

Watching this series of actions, Housekeeper Qin was dumbfounded. It was hard to believe that this was the easygoing person who had entered the battlefield countless times with his father since he was a child.

“No, it was inevitable that he would be demoted. He knew it himself that this would happen, have you ever seen him so calm? What’s more, he relied on the Emperor to reach his high position, so as long as the Emperor became unhappy, he would have to withdraw at any time.”

Yan Mingting picked up another handkerchief to wipe the water off, and used it to wipe his scabbard. “I’m different. I’m the son of Duke Ding, a first-rank general, and the commander of the Yan family army. Even if he no longer favors me, he still has to give me face.”

Housekeeper Qin seemed to see the old general before him. No, he was more energetic, proud, and confident than the old general. He smiled and nodded: “As the general says…….only, do you want to go see Furen?”

“See him?”

“Yes, ah, Furen must be very sad now,” Housekeeper Qin said in a considerate manner.

Although he didn’t like his new master, Zhao Yelan would also implicate the General’s Mansion if something serious happened, not to mention the fact that the two of them had a “husband and wife” relationship. He persuaded: “Since you are now united, you should face difficulties together and overcome them together, ah.”

“With him?” Yan Mingting didn’t think Zhao Yelan would be sad, but after thinking about it, he went to the mansion to search for him.

“He is in the back courtyard,” Housekeeper Qin said.

Not expecting this, Yan Mingting raised his eyebrows. He strode towards the back courtyard, a little worried that Zhao Yelan would be unhappy and kill all the chickens in the pen. He couldn’t finish eating so many chickens in a day or two.

Fortunately, all the chickens in the pen survived. He turned and caught a glimpse of a figure fishing by the fish pond.

Gao Tan was squatting beside him, murmuring something. When he heard footsteps, he turned his head to greet the general and stood aside to stand guard.

“Hey, are you fishing?” Yan Mingting walked over.

Zhao Yelan didn’t turn his head, continuing to stare at the hook. “You ask when you already know the answer.”

“How are you feeling now?” Yan Mingting asked bluntly.

“Feeling?”

“There are rumors going around outside.”

“What does it have to do with me?”

Yan Mingting turned back and shrugged at Housekeeper Qin, signaling that this man did not need comfort. Housekeeper Qin gave him a meaningful look – this is Furen putting on a brave face, it’s just the time to comfort him!

Yan Mingting asked: “What would you like to have for lunch?”

“Why? What do you want to eat?” Zhao Yelan raised his head to look at him. The sun was a little dazzling, and his pupils shrank slightly, his eyelashes fluttering like dragonflies in the sunlight.

“Dragonflies.”

“……I didn’t know that the General has such strange tastes that he likes to eat dragonflies.”

“No, it’s not that.” Yan Mingting waved his hand briefly, then bent down and pointed to his eyelashes with a smile. “I mean, your eyelashes kind of look like dragonflies.”

“……” Zhao Yelan was stunned for a moment, then turned his face away like nothing had occurred, staring at the hook in a daze. “I can’t catch any.”

Yan Mingting wanted to persuade him to be patient, as fishing was not easy and not something that could be accomplished overnight, but the other person said: “You go get me some.”

“Me?” Yan Mingting pointed to himself.

“En, I’m hungry.” Zhao Yelan tilted his head. His face was covered with a layer of gentle sunlight, his expression was soft, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. “Aren’t you good at martial arts? Quickly grab one and braise it.”

Yan Mingting was quite pleased. He went down two steps to stand by the fish pond, and observed quietly for a while before quickly pulling out his sword. He deftly inserted it into the water, and when he took it out again, a perch was impaled upon it, frantically flicking its tail.

“Is one enough?” Yan Mingting asked.

Zhao Yelan looked directly at him and smiled lightly. It was as if a calm lake was touched by the feet of a bird, causing layers of ripples that formed a beautiful trap.

“Not enough.”

Yan Mingting went to fish for several more.

Housekeeper Qin was very pleased to see it, but couldn’t help but want to persuade him to change his tool. This sword was a precious weapon bestowed by the Emperor, ah. Using it to spear fish was too excessive!

In the end, a total of six fish were caught. Yan Mingting said regretfully: “So many, how can I finish them? What a waste.”

“Don’t you have a few subordinates? They come to the house every day. Let’s have them eat lunch together today,” Zhao Yelan said.

“Really?” Yan Mingting was slightly surprised. “You actually took the initiative to invite them for lunch?”

“Didn’t you say it was a waste?” Zhao Yelan’s face straightened. “If you don’t want to, then forget it. Throw them away if you can’t eat them.”

“No, I’ll talk to them later.”

He Cuizhang and the rest would come to the General’s Mansion to discuss important matters these days, and they occasionally smelled the fragrance of the kitchen, so they left quickly, for fear of staying and having dinner with Zhao Yelan. According to He Cuizhang’s report, this group of lieutenant generals had listed eating with Zhao Yelan as the third most difficult thing they encountered after returning to Beijing.

However, as soon as they arrived at the mansion today, they were persuaded  by Yan Mingting to stay.

At mealtime, everyone looked at each other in blank dismay. Finally, Zhong Yuehong stood up first to wash her hands, and the others followed suit.

Zhao Yelan nodded in satisfaction: “At will, everyone.”

The result of letting this group of military officials do whatever they wanted was that he didn’t have enough to eat. A table of vegetables and six fish was not enough for them all.

Putting down the bowls and chopsticks, they felt belatedly embarrassed again, and smiled awkwardly.

Seeing this, Yan Mingting turned his head and was about to order the kitchen to make more, but was stopped by Zhao Yelan: “Don’t bother, I’m going out for a while.”

“Where are you going?”

“Huichun Tower.”

“Look how finicky you are.” Yan Mingting immediately ordered the kitchen to prepare more.

A vein twitched on Zhao Yelan’s forehead. He kept smiling: “By the way, let’s go to the gambling hall to redeem your sword.”

Everyone was astonished. Yan Mingting said in disbelief: “Are you serious? You’re going to help me redeem it?”

Zhao Yelan nodded and looked at the table calmly: “It’s just as a thank-you for these few fish.”

“Ai, with our relationship, why are you being polite?” Yan Mingting stood up and urged, “What are you waiting for, let’s go together.”

The subordinates also breathed a sigh of relief. Although the sword was not something expensive, people who practiced martial arts treated their swords as treasures. Losing it to the gambling hall was really neglectful.

“Although, I went to the shopkeeper before, and he refused to return the property to the original owner,” Zhong Yuehong said.

“That only shows that the money you gave wasn’t enough.” Zhao Yelan took out a stack of bank notes. “Gamblers only have money in their eyes.”

Everyone was taken aback by the generous brush he conveniently took out, and thought it made sense, so they went together to get the sword.

He Cuizhong suddenly felt that something was wrong, and pulled Zhong Yuehong over to whisper: “It’s strange, he obviously lost the General’s sword and should be the one to get it back, so why do we still feel so grateful now?

Zhong Yuehong: “ ! ”

The group of people came to the gambling hall in a grandiose manner. Zhao Yelan said: “Just wait here, lest anyone be too afraid to move when they see your swords.”

“Alright.” Yan Mingting and his subordinates waited at the gate. The swords and knives on the waists of this group made them daunting, and no one dared to approach them at all.

Suddenly, there was the sound of fighting inside.

Several people rushed in quickly and saw Zhao Yelan being grabbed by the collar by a man in black and thrown towards the wall.

Before anyone could react, Yan Mingting exerted strength in his feet and leaped onto a table with good form, taking two or three steps forward to catch Zhao Yelan.

“Are you all right?”

Zhao Yelan looked at him in panic: “There are more than one of them.”

Yan Mingting looked over and found a few suspicious people among the shocked crowd around him. His men started to move immediately, and he rushed directly toward the man in black.

There was instant commotion in the gambling hall. Tables and chairs were split apart and swept around the room. The sound of swords colliding was frightening, and the people rushed out with their arms covering their heads.

Li Yucheng was caught in the crowd. He looked back at the man in black who was fighting Yan Mingting, and said in surprise: “Where did you find this person? I just wanted to teach Zhao Yelan a lesson, I didn’t want him to actually die! How can I explain it if he dies!”

“I didn’t find this person!” The servant boy said anxiously. “I only found a few ruffians, and they’ve already been caught by those military officials!”

“Where did the man in black come from?!”

As soon as these words were spoken, the roof of the gambling hall suddenly broke open. The man in black jumped out, followed by Yan Mingting, and the two started fighting hand-to-hand on the roof.

Yan Mingting noticed that the other’s collar had several patterns embroidered with gold thread. Unlike ordinary nightwear, this should be from an organization.

At this time, other men in black suddenly poured out from all directions, besieging them. There was gold thread on their collars.

Yan Mingting drew out the sword at his waist, unsheathed the sharp blade, and slashed at them with an awe-inspiring sword aura.

He Cuizhang and the others came out and joined the battle together, and soon gained the upper hand.

This group of people were obviously martial artists. Yan Mingting was originally concerned about keeping them alive, but the other party had completely hit his weak point. With a cold look in his eyes, he struck quickly and ruthlessly. The vigilance gained through years of experience allowed him to always predict his opponent’s moves first, and he quickly took down this group of people.

Not having a rope at hand, Zhong Yuehong skillfully took out a nine-tailed whip and tied up the group of people: “General, everyone is here.”

Yan Mingting sheathed his sword, bowed his head to the dozen or so people on the ground, and frowned: “No, one person is missing.”

The one who attacked Zhao Yelan at the beginning was not among them.

Oh no, Zhao Yelan.

He turned and rushed into the gambling house. Almost everyone had fled, leaving only a messy floor and the crying shopkeeper.

“Zhao Yelan!” Yan Mingting yelled a few times, searched around, and was relieved when he saw the corner of his clothes hidden beneath a table in the corner.

He picked up the broken table and saw Zhao Yelan crouched there. He bent over and laughed, stretching out his hand: “You’re not well-hidden at all.”

Zhao Yelan seemed to be frightened, staring at his hand motionlessly.

“All right, it’s okay. I lost one, but I’ll catch him.” Yan Mingting looked at his slightly trembling body, and simply gathered him in his arms. “Don’t go to Huichun Tower today, let’s go home first.”

Zhao Yelan froze and looked at him with a complicated expression.

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[1] Flower drum is a kind of folk dance where one person beats a small gong and the others play a small drum while singing and dancing. ⮐

[2] Dead soldiers (死士) is a term referring to people with special ops training, used to protect important people. They also carry out suicide attacks. ⮐

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Chapter Thirteen <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Fifteen

It was still dark when he heard footsteps outside the door. Zhao Yelan woke up right away. He hadn’t slept soundly at all, and a single sound could easily wake him up. The first thing to do after getting up was to step on Yan Mingting’s body: “Get out.”

Yan Mingting got up in two or three movements, arrived at the door in strong and vigorous form, and asked, “Who is it?”

“It’s me, Xiao Gao.” Gao Tan knocked on the door. “My lord, are you going to court today?”

“I’m going,” Zhao Yelan replied.

He hadn’t gone to the morning court for many days in a row, and if he didn’t go again, those people might think he was dead.

Gao Tan opened the door and came to dress him in court clothes. The purple robes fit his upper body snugly. After being specially fumigated with incense, there was a faint fragrance left behind, and the robes were embroidered with cranes spreading their wings. A gold and jade belt adorned the waistline, and a gold fish pouch^[1] hung at the waist.

After returning to Beijing, Yan Mingting also went to court several times, but looking around, there was no one in the civil or military courts who could wear court clothes with such an awe-inspiring aura.

He couldn’t help but look a few more times before going to change his clothes.

The official uniforms of Yan Mingting and Zhao Yelan were very similar. They were both purple, symbolizing honor and glory, but the military general’s robes were embroidered with a tiger, and he could carry a sword to court. Ordinary military officials could only wear one, but generals could wear two.

He randomly picked two swords to wear and said to Zhao Yelan with emotion when they went out: “It’s a pity that my good sword was lost by you in the gambling house.”

The corners of Zhao Yelan’s mouth twitched as he sat in the sedan chair, but Yan Mingting stood outside and persuaded: “It’s such a short distance, just walk over to exercise your body.”

“Raise the sedan chair.” Zhao Yelan ruthlessly lowered the curtain, letting him walk alone in the cold wind blowing outside.

When he arrived outside the palace gates, he ran into many colleagues, and one of them enthusiastically took the initiative to greet him and say, “Having not seen the General for many days, I feel refreshed.”

He and Yan Mingting smiled. 

The sedan chair at the side stopped, and Zhao Yelan walked out expressionlessly without even looking at them, walking straight to the palace gates.

The colleague was embarrassed for a moment and immediately found an excuse to leave, slipping in from the other side, disheartened.

“Who was that person just now?” Yan Mingting asked in a low voice, catching up with Zhao Yelan.

“Senior Neisi, he’s only seventh rank,” Zhao Yelan said flatly. “He’s good at brown-nosing.”

Yan Mingting laughed softly. “What about you, Zhao-daren, what are you good at?”

Zhao Yelan slanted a look at him and said coldly, “If you want to know, you can come and give it a test.”

“Then I’d rather be obedient than respectful.” Yan Mingting suddenly raised his hand.

Zhao Yelan subconsciously wanted to block, but his opponent’s hand only landed on his shoulder, and he pulled himself a little further into his space, almost leaning against him.

“What are you doing!” Zhao Yelan gritted his teeth.

“Someone is watching us,” Yan Mingting said, looking forward. He had only returned to court a short while ago, and many people hadn’t fully recognized him yet, but he could still perceive sightlines from all directions.

Zhao Yelan looked around and saw that his colleagues were secretly looking at the two of them, and not far away, the Imperial Censor was staring at them blatantly. He batted Yan Mingting’s hand away and said in a low voice, “If you don’t want to bring disaster upon yourself, stay away from me.”

Soon, Yan Mingting knew the deep meaning behind his words.

Civil and military officials stood in the hall in an orderly manner, separated on the right and left sides, and behind them were officials in various colors of court uniforms. Yan Mingting also had a high position and authority, so he didn’t have a fixed position and stood next to Zhao Yelan.

Not long after, the Emperor came to preside over the court meeting.

The main business was to discuss the shaking of Mount Tai. After the local officials reported the situation, the Emperor was a little relieved and arranged for manpower to take care of the aftermath. 

The second matter was the death of Yu Junliang, the Minister of the Ministry of Officials. There was a vacancy and someone had to be selected, so there was a lot of noise in the hall for a while, and everyone had a recommendation.

Chen Haoyi was like an ant on a hot pan. Seeing that several opponents were recommended by others, he hurriedly looked at Zhao Yelan, hoping that he would do as he promised.

Zhao Yelan gave him a soothing look, then cupped his hands and said: “This minister thinks that the left official of the Ministry of Officials is worthy of this important task. He has been in office for many years, and is very familiar with the government affairs of the Ministry of Officials.”

Chen Haoyi breathed a sigh of relief.

But somebody immediately objected: “The right official, Kan Chuan, is also familiar with government affairs. Moreover, he is young and strong, and has more energy to serve the Emperor. Chen Haoyi has been in office for many years, and has he made any political achievements? This is just taking advantage of one’s seniority. From my point of view, Zhao-daren, you are clearly in collusion with Chen-daren, right?”

Zhao Yelan didn’t answer, but Chen Haoyi became anxious first: “Who do you think is colluding! Zhao-daren is upright and plainspoken, you are clearly just jealous!”

Zhao Yelan shook his head inwardly. He thought this person had some wits, but he didn’t expect that he was really the mud that couldn’t support the wall.^[2]

His rebuttal just confirmed the fact of collusion. Zhao Xuan was originally trying to prevent Zhao Yelan from forming a clique for personal gain, but now it was almost impossible to give Chen Haoyi any chance. However, Chen Haoyi was still complacent, thinking that Zhao Yelan would be able to secure victory if he helped him speak out.

There were many complicated matters discussed at the court meeting, ranging from major national affairs to minor officials taking concubines, and officials had to refute each other from time to time.

Yan Mingting was just bored and felt drowsy now and then. He subconsciously glanced at Zhao Yelan, but the other party was watching with great interest as the Imperial Censor impeached a certain official for taking a brothel woman as a concubine.

After endless arguments, the Emperor listened for a long time and looked down at the people standing in the first row, asking, “Prime Minister, what do you think of this matter?”

The Prime Minister was over fifty years old. His biggest hobbies had always been reciting poetry and composing poetic essays, and because of his qualifications as a minister for three generations, he somehow reached the position of Prime Minister. But when it came to politics, he hid whenever he could.

“Answering Your Majesty, I think that this matter should be……left to Zhao-daren to judge.”

Civil and military officials: “……”

Besides Zhao Yelan’s overwhelming power, there was also this reason that the position of Prime Minister was useless.

Zhao Yelan cupped his hands calmly, glanced at the impeached official, and said: “Fang-daren, I have heard a little bit about this matter. That woman was originally a girl from a good family, but she was inadvertently abducted and deceived into the brothel. Fang-daren’s intent was to save a person from disaster, which is really not poor style.”

Fang-daren nodded again and again: “That is exactly the case, the Emperor has insight and vision!”

It would be impossible for a while to investigate whether the woman was truly abducted. Disinclined to bother with the officials’ housework, Zhao Xuan waved his hand: “That is all, let this matter be over.”

Seeing that his memorial was rejected, the Imperial Censor turned his head to look back despondently. Seeing that Fang-daren was giving Zhao Yelan a meaningful look, it was clear that he was colluding, so he immediately knelt down on his knees: “Your Majesty, I have one more thing to tell you!”

“Speak.”

“Since the Deputy Prime Minister has married General Yan, according to the regulations, people in the back residence are not to participate in court affairs.”

Hundreds of officials whispered to each other. Zhao Yelan’s accomplices stood forward to speak for him one after another, but he habitually made many enemies in court, and now even more people expressed opposition.

Yan Mingting didn’t make a statement, but just looked sideways at Zhao Yelan. He saw that he was listening calmly to the quarreling crowd, but when the Emperor looked over, his expression shifted slightly. With a faithful and devoted look, as if he wished he could demonstrate his sincere convictions through death, he saluted respectfully: “This minister has absolutely no ambiguity towards His Majesty. The heavens and earth can testify that he would never conspire with the General to plot against the law.”

At this time, Kan Chuan, the right official of the Ministry of Officials, stood forward to speak. He knelt down with a plop and made a big salute: “Your Majesty, this one earnestly requests that Zhao Yelan be abolished as the Deputy Prime Minister. Zhao Yelan conducted himself improperly, and behaved intimately with the General inside the palace; he concealed the true state of affairs from those above and below him and executed Minister Yu privately; he formed cliques of private interests, colluding with officials for personal gain. Your Majesty, please reconsider!”

For a moment, everyone was stunned.

Kan Chuan was not very old, but he often argued with Zhao Yelan in court, and this time he made a bold proposal that shocked people into speechlessness. Soon, some people followed suit and knelt down, requesting the abolition of Zhao Yelan’s position.

“All right.” Zhao Xuan finally spoke, “Now that Minister Zhao is married to General Yan, it is indeed difficult to weigh the affairs of the court and the government. Therefore, in the future, he will manage the affairs of the back house for General Yan, so that he can lead the troops with peace of mind and maintain the safety of the people. This can be regarded as fulfilling his duties for the country and society. Do you agree?”

“Yes.” Zhao Yelan hung his head.

Seeing that he was so obedient and never went against his orders, Zhao Xuan felt compassion and said: “But you married General Yan for the sake of the country and the people. In light of your meritorious service and your literary excellence, you are specially approved to enter the Imperial Academy as an Imperial Editor.^[3] What do you say?”

As soon as these words were spoken, the silence in the hall was so profound that one could hear the sound of a needle falling, and everyone glanced at each other with their own thoughts.

The officials who opposed the Zhao party had impeached Zhao Yelan many times without success. This time, they wanted to take advantage of the opportunity his marriage afforded and pull him off his horse in one fell swoop, completely crushing him. Unexpectedly, the Emperor still couldn’t bear it and demoted him to the Imperial Academy. However, they were already satisfied with the result of him dropping directly from first rank to seventh rank, and no longer having the ability to attend court to charm and confuse the attendants.

Those who supported the Zhao party were greatly disappointed. They had originally relied on Zhao Yelan’s shadow to gain a firm foothold, but now the tree had fallen. Everyone’s complexions became grayer and grayer. But after some thought, that the Emperor did not uproot and kill them all was already lucky.

As a result, the court meeting ended with the results of both gains and losses.

Zhao Yelan walked out of the hall and looked up at the sky. The sun couldn’t be seen and dark clouds piled up in the sky, threatening rain.

There were whispers behind him. The officials were talking in low voices about today’s events, which had undoubtedly caused a sensation in the entire court.

“Let’s go back.” Yan Mingting walked to his side, glancing at him sideways and seeing his inattentive appearance. He didn’t seem to be affected at all, and his thoughts became more and more elusive.

When the Emperor demoted him just now, his expression was fragile and fearful, as if the sky was falling. Unlike now, when he still had a mind to give him a blank look.

“Stay away from me.” If it wasn’t for the moment when Yan Mingting grabbed his shoulder, the rumors of him being intimate with Yan Mingting wouldn’t have spread.

Zhao Yelan scoffed coldly and glanced back at those colleagues who were muttering gossip, and soon the discussions stopped. Some people, even if the tiger fell from the mountain, would still be terrified.

At this moment, Kan Chuan, the right official of the Ministry of Officials, stepped out from among the trembling crowd, looked straight at Zhao Yelan, and said: “Zhao-daren, I look forward to seeing you again in court.”

Others heard the sarcasm in his words and inwardly thought that newborn calves did not fear tigers.^[4] People who had been immersed in officialdom for many years still knew how to conduct themselves and stay in line, but this sort of high-spirited young man dared to challenge him directly.

A sneer appeared on Zhao Yelan’s mouth: “When I return, you had best still be living.”

The people around were shocked. He dared to openly threaten the lives of his colleagues in the palace, how shameful!

“I certainly will be,” Kan Chuan said.

Someone grabbed Kan Chuan and separated them to try to smooth things over.

Zhao Yelan watched the group of them leave. But Chen Haoyi and his like were still staying nearby, and only now came forth to express their concern. Gathering around him as they walked out, they asked him about what to do in the future.

“I have already done all I can do for you. From now on, you can figure out what to do in the court,” Zhao Yelan said calmly.

“Zhao-daren, please stop!”

Everyone paused, then looked back at the person who had arrived. Eunuch Gao, who was waving his whisk, trotted over and said in a low voice: “My lord, the Emperor extends an invitation to you.”

Zhao Yelan nodded, bid farewell to the others, and followed Eunuch Gao to see the Emperor, arriving at the palace hall soon after.

“I looked into the Imperial dining room today and saw your favorite Linglong Jade dumplings for breakfast, so I called you here,” Zhao Xuan said.

“Many thanks, Your Majesty.”

The two sat down at the table. Zhao Xuan watched him pick up a dumpling, blow on it, and only then put it in his mouth. He couldn’t help laughing: “The first time you ate these dumplings, you burned your mouth and learned a lesson.”

Zhao Yelan smiled: “One cannot be fooled twice.”

Zhao Xuan paused, sighed, and said slowly: “Recently, I often miss the old days when you would grind ink for me and contribute good ideas without so many complications. Nothing could come between us, and we were the best of companions, unlike the mutual suspicion of today.”

Zhao Yelan nodded: “As Your Majesty says, from now on when I am in the Imperial Academy, it will be the same as before, only doing things for Your Majesty.”

Zhao Xuan was silent for a moment. Seeing his expression shift, as if he was reminiscing about the past, he smiled lightly: “Very good. After all these years, only you are in my heart.”

“Your Majesty, don’t worry that I will feel resentful. The life of this official is yours, so how can I care about mere official positions? As long as I can do things for you, that is my greatest wish.” Zhao Yelan naturally knew what he was worried about, and spoke sincerely, picking up a piece of horseshoe cake and putting it on his plate.

“The horseshoe cake is delicious.” Zhao Xuan laughed, recalling some past events with him, and casually mentioned another matter. “Today the Imperial Censor said that you and General Yan are very affectionate? It seems that my marriage decree was truly correct?”

“Not at all,” Zhao Yelan denied. “It was not a matter of a day or two for the Lord Censor to impeach me. He just latched onto a trivial matter and spread it.”

“But aren’t you having conjugal relations? I heard from the people in the General’s Mansion that you have been very affectionate these two days.”

Zhao Yelan’s movements froze, and the jade dumpling he had just picked up fell back into the bowl. He almost couldn’t control his expression: “That’s just a rumor, I am not so familiar with him.”

Zhao Xuan laughed: “Forget it, let’s not mention this matter. Hurry up and eat, there are still so many left.”

The two finished their meal in harmony. Zhao Xuan needed to review the memorials, so only then did Zhao Yelan leave.

As soon as he stepped out of the door, the corners of his mouth quickly pursed. There was no emotion in his eyes, and the spring-like smile from just now vanished completely.

There was some distance from here to the gates of the palace. He straightened his back and stepped on every brick slowly.

The guard at the gate saw him and was ignorant to what had gone on in the court meeting, so he saluted respectfully: “Minister Zhao.”

Zhao Yelan walked through the gate without looking to the side. Suddenly, from the corner of his eye, he noticed Yan Mingting leaning against the city wall and asked in a daze, “Why are you here?”

Hearing the sound, Yan Mingting came over. The swords at his waist made a clashing sound, with a heroic spirit just like the expression on his face: “Since we came together, of course we have to go back together.”

After getting on the sedan chair, the other party followed suit.

Zhao Yelan asked suspiciously, “Waiting here for me and then sitting in the sedan chair with me, what is your purpose?”

“I waited because I thought you would come out soon, but I didn’t expect to wait for so long. The sedan chair is because I’m tired from all the waiting. I wouldn’t sit just for nothing.” Yan Mingting was astonished. “Why can you not recognize kindness?”^[5]

Zhao Yelan still looked at him with scrutiny.

“Humph.” Yan Mingting strongly expressed that he was offended.

Zhao Yelan looked away.

Suddenly, Yan Mingting’s nose twitched. He moved closer to him and sniffed: “I smell food, have you already eaten?”

“Why?’

“I’ve been waiting for you for so long, but you’ve already eaten!” Yan Mingting sat back, folded his arms, and said nothing.

Zhao Yelan glanced at him: “I’m not full, do you want to eat together?”

“You still aren’t full from the Imperial dining room?” Yan Mingting asked.

Zhao Yelan lowered his eyes and said nonchalantly, “I had no appetite.”

“Then what do you want to eat?”

Zhao Yelan thought for a while and said, “Stuffed steamed buns.”

“Then we’ll go straight back to the mansion. The buns made by the cook are delicious,” Yan Mingting said.

Zhao Yelan had just nodded, but immediately denied: “No, I want to eat Ming Ji restaurant’s buns.”

“Is it more delicious than other places?”

“No, just more expensive.”

“……” Seeing that the sedan chair was almost at the General’s Mansion, Yan Mingting was really too lazy to go to the east of the city to buy buns, so he dragged Zhao Yelan off the sedan chair.

Zhao Yelan held on tightly to the sedan chair and refused to get off.

The bearers were all dumbfounded.

“You bastard, let go! If you don’t want to go, I’ll go by myself!” Zhao Yelan cursed loudly.

“Let’s go back to the mansion, you can have as much as you want. Why waste the money? Do you know if you have to cut down on food and clothing now?”

“I have infinite silver!” 

“Do you have this?” Yan Mingting pointed to his swords, and Zhao Yelan became much quieter.

He smiled triumphantly, wrapped his arm around Zhao Yelan, and brought him back to the mansion. Imitating his official authority, he said threateningly: “Don’t mess with me, I’m a first-rank general. You’d better be obedient, you’re only seventh-rank.”

Zhao Yelan: “……”

“You’re good at being ostentatious,” Yan Mingting added.

Zhao Yelan: “…………”

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[1] The gold fish pouch is like an ID card for officials. Those of the highest rank wore a pouch decorated with gold fish, those just below them wore one decorated with silver fish, and lower ranks didn’t wear them at all. Zhao Yelan’s clothing also indicates his rank, with the purple robes being worn only by officials of the highest rank, and the cranes symbolizing a high ranking civil official. While civil officials wore birds on their clothing, military officials would wear beasts such as tigers and lions. ⮐

[2] “The mud that couldn’t support the wall,” (烂泥扶不上墙) means that someone is useless/inept. ⮐

[3] The duties of an Imperial Editor could range from drafting Imperial edicts, compiling historical books, and doing other daily work for the Imperial court. ⮐

[4] The idiom “Newborn claves do not fear tigers” (初生牛犊不怕虎) is an idiom that means ‘The young are fearless and dare to act.’ ⮐

[5] This is the second half of the idiom 狗咬吕洞宾，不识好人心, “The dog snaps and snarls at Lu Dong Bin and doesn’t recognize his kindness.” ⮐

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Chapter Twelve <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Fourteen

Everything in the room was smashed to pieces. Zhao Yelan couldn’t beat him, so he had to smash things to discourage him, and greeted him with all kinds of pillows and bedding, whatever he had at hand.

“I was wrong, I was wrong, I won’t tease you next time.” Yan Mingting dodged a few times while shielding his head, then held the blanket and returned to his original position. Zhao Yelan smashed around for a while, utterly vexed, but he was so tired that he stopped to catch his breath and couldn’t help coughing again.

“Why don’t you take a break first.” Yan Mingting became considerate.

Zhao Yelan also threw the sword he had put on the table. Yan Mingting caught it with one hand, but this time he did not draw the sword to threaten him. He placed it on the cabinet and then went to appease his mood: “All right, all right, I was wrong this time, okay?”

“What could you be wrong about?” Zhao Yelan said mystifyingly.

“Okay, then I was right.”

“……” Zhao Yelan regretted for the first time that he hadn’t learned martial arts.

There were more footsteps outside the door, and Yan Mingting made a gesture for silence: “Look, there are really people.” Then he opened the door and saw several servants in the courtyard carrying hot water and asked, “What are you all doing?”

“Housekeeper Qin asked us to prepare some hot water, does the General want it now?” asked a servant.

Yan Mingting looked back at the messy room and then at the overcome Zhao Yelan. Guessing that he could probably use it later, he said: “Come in and leave it.”

The servants carried the water in, and Xiao Gao was among them. He saw Zhao Yelan’s angry face as soon as he entered the room, and just as he was about to ask, the group of people were sent out by Yan Mingting.

“My lord seems to be angry,” Xiao Gao said worriedly.

The servant next to him smiled and said: “How could he not be angry? The General played too hard, and the draperies were all torn.”

Xiao Gao was curious: “What were they playing?”

“Of course it’s……a game for adults!” The servant patted him on the shoulder and went back with a serious face to explain to Housekeeper Qin.

That night, Yan Mingting finally slept on the floor.

Zhao Yelan originally wanted to drive him to the study, but he had thick skin and insisted on staying in the room.

At night, Yan Mingting tugged the mattress on the bed and said aggrievedly: “Zhao-daren, give me a blanket, ba.”

Zhao Yelan tugged hard and pulled the blanket back on the bed.

The moonlight outside the window entered the room and fell on Zhao Yelan’s silent back, thin and stubborn. If it wasn’t because he couldn’t defeat him, he might have already killed him.

Yan Mingting smiled silently and fell asleep holding the sword in his arms.

The next morning when Zhao Yelan woke up, Yan Mingting was nowhere to be seen. There was only a blanket and a pillow on the floor, placed neatly beside the bed. It seemed to be an expression of grievances, but also a gesture of goodwill.

Zhao Yelan stepped on the pillow and kicked it farther away. Then he opened the door and ordered people to come in and clean up the room.

Not long after, Yan Mingting returned from the training grounds and bumped into Xiao Gao, who had come back from outside, and said casually: “Are you going to buy fruit for your master again?”

Xiao Gao nodded.

“You wait on him every day, isn’t it better to have someone else handle such a trivial matter?” Yan Mingting asked.

“No good, other people don’t know my lord’s tastes.” Xiao Gao walked ahead with a little pride.

Yan Mingting stared at the basket for a moment. It was still a basket of cherries. He had tried them yesterday, and they were sweet and sour, nothing special.

After arriving at the great hall, he saw that Zhao Yelan was already eating breakfast. He strode to the side and was about to sit down, when Zhao Yelan glanced at him. He stood back up straight again, sniffed the smell on his body, went back to the room and changed his clothes, washed his hands again, and then sat down at the table.

Housekeeper Qin watched this series of actions which were skillful enough to make people feel distressed, and mentioned another important thing: “General, Furen, today I must go back home.”

Yan Mingting nodded, turned his head, and asked, “Then where are we going today?”

“Zhao Mansion.” Zhao Yelan took a bite with his chopsticks, put down the bowl and utensils, and went back to the room to pack his things.

Yan Mingting stared at the half bowl of food left in a daze.

He only knew that Zhao Yelan had no relatives nowadays, and he didn’t even know who his parents were. Returning home was just a custom. Yan Mingting still ordered someone to prepare a gift, and then went back to the Zhao residence together with him.

As soon as they reached the door, the servants of Zhao Mansion ran through it happily. It was unavoidable that they would be happy to return to a familiar place, and even the expression on Zhao Yelan’s face softened a little bit.

This was Yan Mingting’s first visit to Zhao Mansion, and he looked around. The scenery was fresh and elegant, but the furnishings in the room were extremely extravagant. It was contradictory, but not surprising.

Since returning to Zhao Mansion, Yan Mingting seemed to have been left out in the cold. Everyone was busy, and no one cared about his existence at all. There was only Housekeeper Qin who followed him around.

He unintentionally saw a door open, and went toward it to take a look. It was a study room, in which were many newly made landscape paintings dried by the wind.

“General, you should go and find your wife,” Housekeeper Qin reminded. “Even if Furen’s parents died, it would be good to pay respects.”

Yan Mingting tilted his head: “Do you think he will allow me to worship?”

“Why would he not allow it?”

Yan Mingting didn’t answer and took him directly to look for Zhao Yelan, but was kicked out mercilessly. “Look, ba.”

Housekeeper Qin: “……”

Zhao Yelan bolted the door and ordered Xiao Gao to wait there, then opened the hidden door next to him and walked into the tunnel. He lit the fire folder^[1] and walked to the two memorial tablets. After staring at them quietly for a long time, he took out a brocade handkerchief and went forward to wipe the tablets clean.

“The old emperor is gone. Not long ago, Yu Junliang also came to accompany you in death. Those who mistreated you are almost all dead.” He spoke softly, as if telling a story, “Who is still left……oh, I haven’t found the head of the prison from back then, and I don’t know where he’s hiding. Don’t worry, none of them will get away.”

There was dead silence all around, and not even a single ray of light. No one responded to him.

After staying for a while, the scarce, humid air was a bit uncomfortable. He put the tablets back, bowed, and then slowly left.

As soon as he walked out of the secret door, he suddenly felt weak and fainted to the ground, hearing Xiao Gao cry out to him in horror. Before losing consciousness, he saw a figure rushing in and was embraced. The warm chest made him unconsciously lean against it, and he closed his eyes drowsily.

In a half asleep, half awake state, a bitter and numbing concoction was poured into his mouth, but he didn’t swallow it, turning his head away with resistance and spitting it out.

“My lord, don’t move around.” Xiao Gao anxiously straightened his head.

“Let me do it.” Yan Mingting wiped the corner of his mouth with a handkerchief, and then pinched his nose.

After a while, Zhao Yelan opened his mouth to breathe and felt the medicine being poured into his mouth again. He resisted very much and choked, sitting up wide awake as he coughed all the while.

Yan Mingting patted him on the back and said: “If you don’t drink any more, I can only feed you mouth to mouth.”

Zhao Yelan coughed for a long while, looked sideways at him, and pursed his lips. He mumbled a sentence, then grabbed the medicine bowl with a frown and drank it all in one go before throwing the bowl away: “Everyone get out!”

The servants immediately cleaned up the debris and left. Xiao Gao followed Yan Mingting, and after walking outside, he asked in a low voice, “General, what did my lord tell you just now?”

Yan Mingting: “Shameless.”

Xiao Gao: “Why are you scolding me?”

“He scolded me,” Yan Mingting said with a smile.

Zhao Yelan had been lying in the room, and after dark, he was reluctantly served a meal before he lay back down listlessly.

In the evening, Yan Mingting softly and quietly returned to the room. He picked up a pillow, spread out a blanket, and soon fell asleep on the floor.

A sudden scream shattered his dreams.

“I don’t want – !”

Yan Mingting nimbly grabbed the sword and sat up, looking to the side to see a figure sitting up on the bed. Violent panting sounded heavily in the night. He lit a candle and walked to the bed for a closer look. Zhao Yelan was sitting in bed, covering his chest with one hand. His eyes were empty, the strands of hair on the sides of his face were slightly moist, and his face was too pale.

“What’s wrong? Had a nightmare?” Yan Mingting patted his back, only to find that his whole back was soaked in sweat.

Zhao Yelan’s breathing gradually calmed down with the frequency of his patting, and his eyes refocused. Glancing at him indifferently, he turned over and lay down again.

After a while, his wrist was grasped. He looked up and to the side, and saw Yan Mingting taking a soft red rope out of nowhere, wrapping it around his wrist.

“What are you doing?” His voice was a little hoarse.

“Don’t worry, it’s still a slipknot this time. If it feels uncomfortable on your wrist, you can untie it any time.” Yan Mingting showed him the knot, then wrapped the other end around his own wrist and lay down on the ground again. “If you have nightmares again, or can’t fall asleep, just pull the rope and I will wake up.”

Zhao Yelan looked at him silently.

The room returned to silent darkness again. Perhaps because he slept too much during the day, Zhao Yelan not could not fall asleep no matter what. He looked at the ceiling for a long time in the dark, and then pulled the rope.

“A nightmare again so soon?”

Yan Mingting’s voice sounded immediately, but if he listened carefully, he could tell that there was a softness in that voice, as if he had just woken up from sleep.

“I can’t sleep.”

“What should I do, then?”

“You can knock me out.”

“I’ve never heard such a request.”

“Hurry up, we have to go to court tomorrow.” Zhao Yelan said, “I won’t take revenge on you this time.”

“That’s impossible, your body may not be able to withstand a blow from me. If something goes wrong, wouldn’t I become a murderer?” Yan Mingting smiled. “Why don’t I tell you a story? When I was a child and couldn’t fall asleep, my mother would tell me stories.”

“Childish.” Zhao Yelan gave a snort of contempt.

A quarter of an hour later, Zhao Yelan pulled Yan Mingting’s rope again and coldly: “What about the story?”

Yan Mingting had no choice but to open his eyes and clear his throat: “There was a family surnamed Wang south of the Yangtze River whose wealth could rival a country’s, but their only son still hadn’t gotten married after a long time. It gave the old lady a headache, so she deliberately picked out a few suitable women. There was the daughter of the magistrate, who was knowledgeable and reasonable, and there was also a green plum girl who had practiced martial arts since she was a child, but contrary to what was expected, Wang-gonzi fell in love with a fire-burning maid.”^[2]

“Why did he fall in love with her?” Zhao Yelan was puzzled.

“Because the girl was not afraid of power. Although she came from a poor and humble background, she was as beautiful as a flower and also the only one who dared to set fire to him. The fire burned in his body and also in his heart.”

“……” Zhao Yelan picked up a pillow and threw it over. “You still didn’t forget to carry some storybooks to read while marching and fighting?”

Yan Mingting laughed out loud. “Don’t you want to know the ending?”

“It is nothing more than disregarding the family members’ obstruction and worldly views, and insisting on marrying the fire-burning girl.”

“Wrong. Wang-gonzi, he……burned to death. Rather, that magistrate’s daughter and the green plum girl cherished each other, had mutual love and affection, and toured the jianghu together,” Yan Mingting said cheerfully.

“……”

Zhao Yelan rolled over to sleep. There was a little tension on his wrist, and he touched the rope but didn’t untie it, and when he closed his eyes, he didn’t see that scene again.

But in the second half of the night he still had a nightmare, dreaming about that gongzi being burned to death.

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[1] A fire folder is a tight papyrus roll that can be easily ignited. Basically a precursor to matches. ⮐

[2] A maid who would kindle the fires in large households. ⮐

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Chapter Eleven <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Thirteen

Ye Ci lived in the Huo residence for a few days, riding horses, playing with guns, and swinging a few rounds of golf. He was not interested in the leisurely sport of golf, and after completing his daily study tasks, he went to the shooting hall. When he touched the gun, his eyes lit up with excitement. After a few days, he emptied the platinum card that Huo Tinglan’s assistant gave him, but he still couldn’t get enough of it. It was a pity that he had stayed in the manor for long enough and it was time to go back to the house.

On the way back, Ye Ci listlessly stroked the platinum club membership card whose massive balance was cleared in just a few days. Putting his head on Huo Tinglan’s shoulder, he whispered: “Huo-shushu, in the future……just occasionally, is it okay for me to go back and play?”

“……Why are you interested in these dangerous things?” Huo Tinglan rubbed the back of his neck and sighed quietly. “If it’s not racing, it’s shooting.”

It could be seen that no matter how soft Ye Ci was in front of him, there was still a bit of an Alpha’s nature left in his bones, and he naturally yearned for these dangerous and exciting things.

After all, it was the result of his first gland differentiation, and its influence on shaping his personality could not be completely erased.

“I’ve been racing for, for a long time, but if you forbid me to go, I won’t go……” He raised his head and gazed at him with those shining almond eyes. “I’ll just go do this, okay, Huo-shushu? Okay?”

Huo Tinglan was silent for a moment, then held the card reservedly between his middle fingers and pulled it away.

Ye Ci fell silent. This was the highest level request he could make, and it was impossible to pester him further. But he was so depressed that he almost collapsed into a limp noodle in the back seat.

“What?” Huo Tinglan rubbed his flat stomach and said with amusement, “Didn’t you say it was empty? I’ll get someone to take care of it and give it back to you……are you unhappy?”

“I’m happy!” Ye Ci sat up abruptly.

“But you are not allowed to go by yourself. Every time you go to play, you have to wait for me to coordinate the time to accompany you, otherwise I’ll worry……can you do that?” Huo Tinglan established his terms.

“I can!” Ye Ci nodded as if he was pounding garlic. Then he paused, afraid of holding up Huo Tinglan’s time, and tried to speak, “In fact, this shooting gallery is very formal……it’s pretty safe. I’m already an adult, so even if I go by my, myself……”

Huo Tinglan cut him off with a smile: “Not allowed.”

“Okay, I’ll listen to you.” Ye Ci shut up obediently. His thoughts drifted, and he remembered what happened some time ago.

He hadn’t ridden motorcycles for a long time, and didn’t need to make money by racing with people. It was purely a hobby. But a few days ago, Huo Tinglan’s attitude was quite profound when he mentioned that he wanted to go to a regular race track for a few laps during summer vacation. Out of respect for his lover, he didn’t directly object, but in his words were a million reasons he was reluctant to let him race, as plaintive as if when Ye Ci went out to race, he would become an old man with an empty nest……No, not an empty-nester, but more like a widow……

Of course, Ye Ci obediently didn’t go. It was Huo Tinglan who originally asked where he wanted to go to relax during summer vacation, and he only mentioned it. It was not something that had to be done, and there was no reason to make Huo Tinglan unhappy.

However.

Ye Ci held his chin in his palm and fell into deep thought.

It was the same as drinking at the family banquet before. Huo Tinglan deliberately let him drink first and allowed him to realize that his drinking capacity had become extremely low after the second differentiation, telling him not to drink outside in the future……This safety education was rather thoughtful ba.

Was he thinking too much, or was Huo-shushu really……insecure?

A top Alpha like Huo-shushu……could feel insecure too?

Before he could come to a conclusion, a more serious matter appeared before Ye Ci – –

The one session per day 40-minute “Omega General Education Class” was officially put on the agenda by Huo Tinglan.

Ye Ci couldn’t help delaying the scheduled class time, and showed up five minutes late.

The health textbook for the second grade of junior high that Ye Ci had shelved before was placed on the desk in the study in a dignified way. Huo Tinglan held his chin with one hand in a reserved posture, flipping through the pages.

On the other corner of the desk, there was also the rose that Ye Ci picked for him that night when he was drunk.

The rose had been dried with desiccant and other chemicals, and was placed in a sealed glass container. It was golden red and milky white, fresh and alive, like a work of art.

It was just a flower, but because it was gifted by Ye Ci, he cherished it so much.

Ye Ci looked at the glass cover in astonishment. His heart was tender and warm, and he almost forgot what he was doing in the study.

“You came.” Huo Tinglan nodded slightly and greeted very naturally, “Please sit down.”

Ye Ci looked around, dazed.

Sit……where?

The swivel chair he sat in while doing his homework had been removed.

“It’s not convenient for two people to read a book while sitting face to face.” Huo Tinglan smiled apologetically. “Can you make do with……sitting on my lap?”

Ye Ci was so shocked that his face almost cracked. He stared at the “apologetic” expression on Huo Tinglan’s face that he was very familiar with.

Could it be that from the past to the present, every time Huo-shushu showed such a sorry expression……

He was always secretly playing the scoundrel? !

Ye Ci recognized Huo Tinglan’s true face, was thoroughly unwilling, and turned around with a pair of red ears to go and find a chair. As a result, as soon as he took a step from the study, a powerful forearm was inserted horizontally from the side, hooking around him to prevent him from going. Immediately afterward, the other hand wrapped around the bend of the knee and lifted him up lightly and deftly.

“Huo-shushu!” Ye Ci struggled and kicked, and his head almost hit the man in the nose again.

Huo Tinglan laughed and walked towards the desk. His elegance was three points like a bandit leader who stole away the women of the people.

The kitten was finally spoiled enough to scratch at him, and he was overjoyed.

In the end, Huo Tinglan sat in the swivel chair with Ye Ci in front of the desk.

It was exactly the same as during the previous susceptible period, a familiar scene.

But this time, it wasn’t even about physics.

The textbook was beautifully printed, and the pages were made of coated paper with a delicate luster, full of color and various popular science diagrams.

Ye Ci knew that this was a serious textbook, so he had to treat it with a correct attitude. But as soon as Huo Tinglan was by his side, he would inevitably think wildly when he read, no matter how serious the book was.

He felt uneasy and didn’t dare to look, turning his face away awkwardly.

But Huo Tinglan pulled his chin so that he couldn’t help but look, and he had to read it anyway. After a few glances, he couldn’t hide his curiosity. His eyelashes dipped and he half-read the book through the cracks in his eyelids, a contradiction of innocence and curiosity.

Huo Tinglan turned the pages of the book and recited word by word, with his thin lips at his ear.

“……Different from a Beta, the gland is a structure unique to Omegas……”

“It is located here.” He marked the key points with a pen.

“An Alpha will mark an Omega.” Huo Tinglan asked in a low voice, “Do you know how this pheromone chemical reaction process works?”

“I know, you don’t, don’t have to say it.” Ye Ci was so anxious that he tried to turn the page. “Skip this, this paragraph.”

“As soon as you’re asked, you ‘know’ it.” Huo Tinglan scoffed lightly. This was like a student who pretended to understand the lesson. Holding the page, he said, “If you’re asked more difficult questions, you’ll reveal your secret, and if you take the exam again, it will be difficult to pass.”

So he forced the little gentleman who was ashamed and indignant to explain it.

When the lesson was finished, the actual time was far more than forty minutes.

After finally getting out of class, Huo Tinglan released him from his restraints and Ye Ci hurried back to his room. 

Huo Tinglan got up with lazy satisfaction in the corners of his eyes and brow, and went into the bathroom.

His hands were stained with ink, and he rubbed them slowly. It turned into dark blue hand wash foam, which was washed away by warm water.

Later, when he was about to go out, he straightened his tie and checked his appearance.

According to the plan, he would accompany Ye Ci to see a well-known psychological counselor in the afternoon. It was said that he was very good at correcting stuttering.

Ye Ci hoped to overcome this obstacle, and of course he supported him, but he really didn’t mind Ye Ci’s little problem.

Besides……

Huo Tinglan thought about it for a bit, and the corners of his lips raised.

When Ye Ci was bullied by him to the point of shame and indignation, he couldn’t even say a few words to beg for mercy……it was cute.

When Huo Tinglan got ready and went downstairs, Ye Ci had already changed clothes and was waiting in the car.

The kid was bullied so badly this time that when he heard him get in the car, he didn’t even look back, just folded his arms and rested his chin as he looked out the window, his body stretched like a bowstring.

“Baby.” Huo Tinglan coaxed softly, not afraid that the driver would hear through the privacy screen. “Are you angry?”

Ye Ci remained silent, pressed against the car door, and tried to distance himself from the old scoundrel.

Huo Tinglan suppressed a smile, controlled his apologetic tone, and said, “Isn’t this just helping you with a lesson? I urged you to learn by yourself, and you didn’t study hard……”

What else could be said……he was teaching a class.

In this world, there was really such a degree of shamelessness.

“You’re still, still speaking in this tone!” Ye Ci, red-faced, rushed to cover his mouth.

As a result, Huo Tinglan pushed the chair back with his hand.

He bullied him fiercely again in the same way.

The poor innocent high school boy wanted to call the police!

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

“……Alright.”

Huo Tinglan hugged Ye Ci and stroked his head.

He didn’t know when it had started, but Ye Ci was more and more different from the brittle and fragile person in his memory.

The scarred sapling had sprouted new shoots from the wounds, fresh and high-spirited. All the humiliation and suffering endured in the past had been peeled away like an inconspicuous plaster, unable to hurt him anymore.

Warmth surged quietly between the two as they embraced each other.

It was a pity that Huo Tinglan here had lost both his gentleman’s mask and demeanor, and the warmth lasted no more than three seconds.

“Baby,” Huo Tinglan backed away a little and lightly ran his fingertips over Ye Ci’s lips, smiling and humbly asking for advice: “Isn’t the usual way to correct this through mouth-to-mouth? I say something and you say something back?”

He was playing a scoundrel. Ye Ci glanced at him hesitantly, and honestly said: “We may have to find a specialized agency, or a psychiatrist……”

Huo Tinglan said, “Okay, I’ll help you find the best one.”

Ye Ci was silent for a moment. His eyelashes fluttered, and his voice became smaller and smaller: “Just now, you really, really made an innuendo……”

Huo Tinglan said courteously, “Yes.”

Not with shame, but with pride!

Ye Ci: “……….”

There was silence.

Ye Ci was not reconciled to being harassed by his older lover all day long. He was so embarrassed that his earlobes were about to drip blood, and he didn’t dare look at anyone, but stood up straight and said: “Then, then you try and treat me mouth-to-mouth……”

He was like a young animal trying to hunt with his tiny claws.

Before he finished speaking, Huo Tinglan pushed him against the corridor wall.

“I’ll give you mouth-to-mouth, and stroke your tongue again……can I, baby? What do you say?”

Lips rubbed against lips. Not knowing who made the first move, the two were inseparably entangled.

Those pink lips were sucked bright red and slightly swollen, and it would be impossible to face anyone for half an hour. 

That little tongue was also firmly “stroked’ a dozen times back and forth, and became not nimble, but doubly clumsy.

After the kiss was over, Ye Ci covered his mouth and hurried back to the room, unable to utter a single sentence.

He really shouldn’t have flirted with Huo-shushu indiscriminately!

Originally, he wanted Huo Tinglan to take him out to have fun. Now he had to wait in his room for his mouth to calm down before he dared go out. Fortunately, he happened to have something to do when he came back – – those clothes and sheets hanging on the terrace should be collected.

Apart from the big items such as the quilt cover, there were also Ye Ci’s pajamas and a pair of white cotton underwear……

Huo Tinglan had washed them all by hand.

Yesterday, Ye Ci had to deal with Huo Tinglan’s teasing interrogation with a head full of steam. He was dazed from embarrassment, and when he came back to his senses, he was already in the bathroom. Huo Tinglan pushed him to sit on the changing stool.

The so-called spilled juice was all sticky and wet.

“Take off your pajamas for me.” Huo Tinglan knelt down on one knee in front of him. Putting aside the teasing look, he said softly, “I’ll go wash them.”

An Alpha’s desire to possess was illogical. Even if Ye Ci didn’t care about these items soaked in the scent of vanilla, he couldn’t let others wash them.

“I, I can do it myself……” Ye Ci muttered.

Huo Tinglan tugged at his trouser legs and thoughtfully said: “Juice is not easy to wash out. Let me do it, I have strong hands and can rub it clean.”

“It’s, it’s not……” Ye Ci got stuck in the middle of his retort. His face flushed red, his mouth pursed in shame, anger and pitifulness, and he was clutching his trousers as if they were his last hope.

“Be obedient,” Huo Tinglan said gently, with ulterior motives. “Go take a hot shower and I’ll clean up the rest.”

“Baby.” Seeing Ye Ci’s refusal, he tossed a sentence out in a lukewarm manner: “Are you so polite with your husband?”

He said this as if complaining about Ye Ci’s estrangement from him. Ye Ci’s hands shook as he tentatively let go.

His legs felt cold when he loosened his grip.

The pajama pants were taken off by Huo Tinglan.

That hand speed belonged to a thief, and made one feel ashamed to see it.

Two white, slender, and straight gazelle-like legs were desperately pressed together. Almost out of breath, Ye Ci pulled the hem of his pajamas to cover himself.

“Give it all to me,” Huo Tinglan said with a gentle look and a smile. “I just want to help you wash your clothes, why are you making it look like I’m a scoundrel……be good, baby, stand up and be obedient……”

Like this, he half-coaxed, half-spurred him to undress.

Ye Ci was as embarrassed as a steamed shrimp, curled up red and hot on the changing stool. The hem of his pajamas was long enough that nothing could be seen. He pulled it down with one hand and grabbed Huo Tinglan’s wrist with the other to prevent him from leaving, pleading in a trembling voice: “Huo-shushu, throw it away instead, don’t, don’t wash it……”

“Is it a good thing to just throw it away after spilling some juice?” Huo Tinglan smiled. Kneading the ball of cotton and white cloth into the palm of his hand, he set up a provisional rule for the Huo family, earnestly instructing the little gentleman who was extravagant and wasteful: “‘Tranquility cultivates morality, and frugality fosters character.’ This is the Huo family’s motto.”

“Then I’ll do it my, myself, the Huo family’s motto should also include……taking care of, of your own problems, right?” Ye Ci pulled at Huo Tinglan’s fingers, wanting him to open his hand flat. Huo Tinglan moved his hands away with a smile, and Ye Ci leaned forward to chase after them, resulting in his hands wrapping around him. The visual effect was as if he had taken the initiative to hug Huo Tinglan. As a result, that mischievous man took the opportunity to kiss his face twice. This didn’t look like he was trying to grab something at all, it was basically flirting.

“Huo-shushu!” Ye Ci’s eyes widened in disbelief. It seemed that he wanted to stare at Huo Tinglan’s face, to test how thick it was.

It was just a little unfathomable!

“Be good, take a shower.” Huo Tinglan pulled out a bath towel for Ye Ci to wrap himself in, and drove him to take a shower.

Ye Ci took one step and turned his head back three times, deeply reluctant to go. He was itching to take those wet things out of Huo Tinglan’s hands and stuff them into a rocket to launch into outer space.

The bathroom was designed to keep the wet areas separate from the dry, and the shower room had a frosted glass door. Nothing could be seen clearly, and the water vapor hung in the air, making it more hazy.

Huo Tinglan brought a new pair of pajamas and put them on the wash stand, then went back to the room and removed the dirty quilt cover and other large items, and even dug out the spare ones to replace them. Although he hired someone to take care of these things when he was abroad, it was not as convenient as at home, so he was not bad at taking care of himself and could even change the quilt and wash the clothes.

Ye Ci cleaned up in a hurry and didn’t wash his hair, so he came out and changed in less than two minutes.

Huo Tinglan walked into the bathroom with a pile of wet linens. Pushing Ye Ci out the door, it was as if he doted on the little gentleman and wouldn’t let him do the work.

Ye Ci stood at the door and heated the room temperature several degrees with his face. Heaven and man fought for 300 rounds,^[1] and there was really no way to go back to sleep like this, so he mustered up the courage to push open the door: “Huo-shushu, let me wash it……Huo, Huo-shushu! ! !”

“En?” Huo Tinglan unhurriedly removed the pile from near his nose and pushed it back into the sink with an elegant gesture, as if he had just wiped his mouth with a napkin.

Ye Ci’s pupils shook like an earthquake.

“What, what are you……!”

“What did you say? You spilled some juice?” 

Huo Tinglan laughed lightly and simply shook off the drops of water on his hands. Strutting out of the bathroom, he bundled Ye Ci into the corner, leaned close to his ear, and said in a hoarse voice: “That’s called……something a mature or near-mature Omega has in some specific circumstances.” Huo Tinglan lowered his eyes, stared at him darkly, and said softly, “Xiao Ci has grown up.”

After a moment, he turned Ye Ci’s embarrassed face back with his fingertips and asked in a low voice, “Did you dream of me?”

Ye Ci turned his face away, not daring to recall.

But Huo Tinglan didn’t let him go. He grabbed his hands in one of his own and tortured him slowly: “What did you dream about?”

Ye Ci couldn’t bear the torture, and truthfully said, “I just, just dreamed of you holding me……”

Huo Tinglan didn’t believe it, and forced a confession: “What else?”

Ye Ci swallowed his saliva and lowered his head. Wiping the seams of the floor with the soles of his feet, he confessed in a voice softer than a mosquito: “There was a kiss……”

“Anything else?”

“That’s all there was.” Ye Ci shook his head rapidly, honestly assuring, “Really, that’s it.”

Huo Tinglan knew he wasn’t lying, so he laughed in surprise: “You dreamed of me……so innocently?”

Whether he had been teased into insanity or to add credibility to the confession, somehow Ye Ci came up with a sentence: “I don’t, don’t know……what else can be done, ah.”

As a result……

He bit the bullet and agreed to go back to study the Omega biology book.

How could he take this lesson, ah!

Ye Ci stood on the balcony in a daze.

After a while, he didn’t know what to think and suddenly raised his hand and punched the balcony railing.

Huo-shushu took care of him well.

But he was also too……too unscrupulous!

---

[1] When a party refuses to accept and wants to challenge an opponent, the catchphrase, “Who will fight with me for 300 rounds!” is sometimes used. ⮐

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Chapter Thirty-Seven << Table of Contents >> Chapter Thirty-Nine

Perhaps he was exhausted from running around during the day, because not long after Zhao Yelan calmed down, he fell asleep.

Yan Mingting stared at him intently. Compared with his appearance when he was young, today’s Zhao Yelan was more and more outstanding, with a sort of eye-catching, radiant beauty. But he was always wary of others, his eyes were always cold, and his brow was always furrowed. However, what he himself didn’t know was that the more his aura warned people away, the more aggressive and unique his beauty would be.

Yan Mingting’s mood was very complicated. He didn’t know how this unseemly marriage would develop in the end, and also didn’t know what exactly Zhao Yelan had done. The stories told by outsiders were vivid and colorful, but he only trusted his own judgment.

Asleep, Zhao Yelan lost his indifferent expression. His nostrils fluttered, his thin lips straightened, and at the moment, the mole under his eye nestled on his face obediently and quietly, like an unguarded child.

“Could it be you?” Yan Mingting murmured.

He sighed deeply and slowly closed his eyes.

Presently, Zhao Yelan, who had appeared to be sleeping all this time, opened his eyes. His eyes were clear, and he frowned habitually……

What did that question mean?

His gaze wandered around Yan Mingting’s body, and then fell onto his bound hands and feet, his face sinking like water.

Zhao Yelan didn’t sleep well that night. His hands and feet were bound and there were things on his mind. When he was about to fall asleep, he heard the crowing of a cock.

After repeatedly turning from side to side all night, when Yan Mingting opened his eyes, he met a resentful and bitter gaze.

“You……woke up very early today. Not bad, not bad, keep it up,” Yan Mingting praised.

Zhao Yelan wished he could peel off his skin……but the other person had knives and swords, and a high position.

How annoying.

“Get up, it’s time for morning exercise.” Yan Mingting quickly got off the bed, put on his clothes in two or three moves, and picked up his wrist guards to buckle them on his wrists.

Zhao Yelan stared at his wrists. Seeing that he jumped on the spot twice after putting on the boots, he couldn’t help but suspect that there were also hidden weapons in the boots.

“Why are you still not moving?” Yan Mingting turned to look at him.

“How do you expect me to move!” Zhao Yelan abruptly raised his voice.

Yan Mingting was stunned for a moment, then remembered. Lifting the quilt and seeing the bound hands and feet, he showed a more astonished expression than Zhao Yelan and reached out to untie the rope for him: “You were tied up like this all night?”

“What do you mean? You wake up and want to renege on your debts? Whose work is this?!” Zhao Yelan rebuked.

“No, I thought you’d untie it, it’s a slipknot.” Yan Mingting pointed at the rope teasingly, pulled it tightly, and let it go.

“……”

Zhao Yelan froze for a moment. Last night, he only cared about pulling out his hands, and gave up when he failed. He never expected Yan Mingting to have a hidden skill.

As soon as the rope around his ankles was untied, Zhao Yelan kicked him. Yan Mingting didn’t dodge, and he kicked him a few more times.

The bed creaked.

Seeing that he couldn’t be bothered to kick any more, Yan Mingting’s eyes stopped on his wrists and ankles. There were light red marks on the tender skin. Looking a little miserable, he asked, “Are you going to do morning exercises today?”

“Go to hell.” Zhao Yelan turned over and tugged the blanket hard. A gust of cold air rushed in, and then he felt Yan Mingting tuck him in.

“Alright, then I’ll go first, everyone is still waiting for me.”

After the door closed, Zhao Yelan looked at the sky outside. It was still dark, so he lay down and started drifting back to sleep.

He vaguely smelled a pungent fragrance, and his ankle felt cool for a spell. He subconsciously pulled his foot back under the blanket, but it was caught by a hand. He immediately sat up vigilantly and found Yan Mingting holding his foot. 

Face to face, Zhao Yelan looked up with a frown: “What are you doing?”

“Applying medicine.” Yan Mingting stretched out his hand, and in his palm was a small medicine bottle. “When we march and fight, injuries are common. This medicine works well.” 

Zhao Yelan glanced at his chilly ankles. There were also traces of medicine being rubbed into his wrists, so he snatched the medicine bottle and examined it carefully, asking, “What kind of medicine is this? Call the doctor, I want to test it.”

“You don’t think I’m poisoning you with this, do you?” Yan Mingting was amused. “If I wanted to harm you, would it be necessary to use such a roundabout way?”

Zhao Yelan shrugged his shoulders. “Better safe than sorry.”

“Don’t worry, if you died as soon as you entered the General’s Mansion, how could I explain it to the Emperor and others?” Yan Mingting took back the medicine bottle, held his other ankle, and squeezed his calf. “Relax.”

Zhao Yelan didn’t move anymore, quietly watching his hands rub back and forth on his ankle. The medicinal oil was cold to the bone, and gradually warmed between those palms. His stiff, tense legs eventually relaxed.

It just smelled too bad. He didn’t like it.

A servant girl knocked on the door. It was getting late, and they should be waiting for the masters to awaken.

“Come in,” Yan Mingting said.

Two cleaning maids opened the door and entered, and saw Zhao Yelan sitting on the bed with his black hair hanging down his shoulders while the General rubbed his feet.

The maids looked at each other, seeing surprise in the other’s eyes.

They didn’t understand, why did these people sometimes confront one another and sometimes love each other so much? Were all great men so capricious? 

“Are you done?” Zhao Yelan urged impatiently.

“At once.” Yan Mingting called it a day and put the medicine bottle away, getting up to wash his hands. “Get up and take a few steps?”

Zhao Yelan got up, looked down and stretched his ankles, then went to wash and change clothes expressionlessly.

After Yan Mingting washed his hands, there was nothing else to do, so he leaned against the door and waited while watching Zhao Yelan, bored to death.

Zhao Yelan changed into light yellow robes, which caused his skin to look fairer and his beauty and elegance to surpass others. He also chose a sachet with a stronger fragrance to wear, to suppress the scent of the medicinal oil.

He sat in front of the bronze mirror while the maid bound his hair. Raising his eyes, he met Yan Mingting’s in the mirror and they looked at each other silently, each with their own thoughts.

The two people went to have breakfast together, but Zhao Yelan didn’t want to talk to him, so he went back to the room after eating quietly.

The servants secretly gathered to mutter to each other.

“Did you just see that? The general’s neck! Was bitten! There were tooth marks!”

“Of course I saw it! I also saw the red marks on Zhao……furen’s wrists!”

“So it’s not just my illusion!”

“Are they……?”

The group of people seemed to have discovered some terrible secret, endlessly shocked. Then they were interrupted by the passing Housekeeper Qin: “What are you doing here? Don’t you have work to do?”

They quickly dispersed, and Housekeeper Qin looked around while muttering in a low voice: “In the end……young people really know how to play.”

Housekeeper Qin suddenly felt that he was very old and couldn’t understand what these young people were thinking. But considering it carefully, Zhao Yelan was born so stunningly beautiful, so it was understandable for the General to be confused and infatuated.

As old as he was, he still had some experience.

“Looks like I need to prepare some hot water for the night.”

In the bedroom, Gao Tan came back from outside and said happily: “My lord, I bought cherries today.”

A basket of bright red cherries sprinkled with drops of water looked very delicious.

Yan Mingting reached out to grab some, but was slapped away by Zhao Yelan: “Take your hand away, you are not allowed to eat.”

“Stingy.” Yan Mingting quickly snatched a handful and slipped out of the mansion.

“My lord, do you not want to go get them back?” Xiao Gao asked quickly.

“No need.” Zhao Yelan picked up a cherry, and when he squeezed it hard, the pulp split open and the juice flowed down. He narrowed his eyes slightly. “I have something else to tell you.”

Yan Mingting didn’t come back until evening.

When going to bed, the two lay side by side with books in the middle to separate them, each covered with a blanket.

The candle light was dim, and neither of them fell asleep. Yan Mingting was thinking about something, and Zhao Yelan was staring at the roof, wondering what he was thinking.

After a while, he sat up suddenly, crossed over Yan Mingting to get out of bed, and then lit the incense.

“Why are you lighting this stuff again?” Yan Mingting sneezed helplessly, then got up and pinched out the incense.

Zhao Yelan lit it again, and Yan Mingting extinguished it again. 

Zhao Yelan lit it again, and Yan Mingting extinguished it again. 

After several repeats of this, Yan Mingting simply carried him to bed and pressed his legs over the other’s to keep him from moving, and said in a low voice: “Hush, go to bed, stop making trouble, there is someone on the roof.”

Zhao Yelan blinked, and suddenly shouted loudly: “Xiao Gao!”

“My lord, I’m here,” someone outside the door responded.

Yang Mingting looked at him in confusion as he pushed his legs away, calmly walked to the door, and said inexplicably: “It’s very late, it couldn’t be that you want to eat some fruit again, do you?”

Then he heard Gao Tan standing outside the door and answering honestly: “My lord, I have been guarding for two hours, and there is no one on the roof, not even a bird.”

Zhao Yelan looked back at Yan Mingting.

Yan Mingting was dumbfounded. His eyes darted and he sat up in embarrassment, pulling up the curtain casually as he said with a guilty conscience: “Hey, look, the holes in this bed curtain are so small and unique.”

“Yan, Ming, Ting!”

A moment later, there was a commotion in the room, and Housekeeper Qin, who was lingering nearby, heard the movement. From a long distance, he could see two shadows entangled, going from east to west and back to east again. The General also yelped from time to time, and it could be seen that the situation was intense.

Housekeeper Qin blushed and shouted: “Xiao Gao, what are you doing at the door, is this something you can watch? Hurry up and help deliver the hot water!”

---

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Chapter Ten <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Twelve

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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