CH 45

Zhao Yelan handed over the rest of the purchases to Housekeeper Qin to arrange and led Xiao Gao to the bedroom. He took out a house deed and handed it to him: “You have been with me for so many years, and it is time for you to start a family. You take this deed and check on the house, see if there are any repairs that need to be made. Buy some new things and find a girl that you like, ba.”

Xiao Gao looked at the house deed, then at him, and quickly took two steps back: “My lord, what I want is tanghulu, not a house deed, ah.”

“I’m aware.” Zhao Yelan tucked it into his belt and whispered softly: “You’ve grown up and it’s time for you to have your own place. If you really can’t find a good place to go, then ask your uncle to arrange it, and he will find a good job for you.”

“I don’t want Uncle.” Xiao Gao pursed his mouth. “My lord, what’s wrong with you? Don’t you want me anymore?”

Zhao Yelan sighed, persuading with kind words: “Don’t you want to marry a wife and have children?”

“Don’t want to,” Xiao Gao said without hesitation.

“……”

“If I marry a wife and have children, I will become a bald old man like Housekeeper Qin. I just want to follow my lord.” Xiao Gao suddenly asked, “My lord, are you going to die?”

“……”

“When my dad died, he was just like you are now! Don’t die, I don’t want you to die……”As Xiao Gao spoke, his eyes turned red.

“Okay, okay, I’m not dead yet, I won’t die.” Zhao Yelan coaxed: “Since you don’t want to marry a wife, then stay.”

“En!” Xiao Gao wiped away his tears, nodded swiftly, and then quickly wiped his eyes again: “The General is here.”

Zhao Yelan looked outside. He saw Yan Mingting coming over and whispered: “Don’t let anyone know what we spoke about today.”

“Understood.” Before Xiao Gao left, he hesitantly pointed to the tanghulu in his hand. “Can you give this to me?”

As soon as Yan Mingting entered the room, he saw Zhao Yelan give Xiao Gao the last pieces of tanghulu. Just as he was about to speak, Xiao Gao turned around with tears in his eyes and ran out with it.

He opened his mouth several times, and only after a while did he ask: “What’s wrong with Xiao Gao?”

“He’s homesick.” Zhao Yelan sat down leisurely, then remembered the food he had bought and got up to look for something to eat. 

“I saw it, ah, you gave him some tanghulu.” Yan Mingting followed and walked up beside him, noticing that he had bought a lot of delicacies. There were still a few days before his birthday, was he not afraid of letting it go bad?

“What? You want some too?” Zhao Yelan took out Huichunlou’s drunken shrimp and opened the paper bag. Its fragrance wafted out immediately.

“En, I’m homesick too,” Yan Mingting blurted out.

Zhao Yelan gave him a strange look: “Whose home are you in now?”

“Oh……I mean, I miss my parents and brother.”

“Then do you want to eat these?” Zhao Yelan asked, pointing at the lavish meal he had brought back.

“No, I just want tanghulu.”

“What is the trouble?” Zhao Yelan opened a paper bag beside him. There happened to be a few tanghulu inside, and he gave it all to him. “Take it.”

Satisfied, Yan Mingting stepped aside with the tanghulu and heard Zhao Yelan summon all the servants to divide up the lavish meal.

Yan Mingting: “ ? ”

In the end, while eating tanghulu, Yan Mingting watched the servants eat fish and shredded chicken so happily, and regretted it very much.

“What’s the matter with you today?” Yan Mingting couldn’t help asking.

“If you accidentally buy too much, it will become rancid after some time, so it is better to ask everyone to come taste it,” Zhao Yelan said.

Yan Mingting grudgingly accepted this explanation, but over the next few days, Zhao Yelan seemed a bit abnormal.

First, he spent a lot of money to add things to the house. The tables and chairs were replaced with high-quality rosewood, the wooden screens were replaced with glazed ones, the weeds in the yard were pulled out, the chicken coop fence was repaired, and some koi were thrown in the fish pond. Even Hongshao had its own extra-large cage. It seemed that he couldn’t wait to renovate the General’s Mansion.

“It’s not right, really not right.” Standing in the foyer, Yan Mingting looked at Zhao Yelan who was going out shopping again, and narrowed his eyes slightly, asking Housekeeper Qin beside him, “What exactly is he trying to do?”

“Don’t you understand?” Housekeeper Qin smiled happily. “My lord is obviously preparing for your birthday, ah. Isn’t renovating the mansion just to let you live comfortably?”

“Then why did he buy so many things?”

“They are congratulatory gifts for you. After all, it’s his first time celebrating your birthday. If he can’t make up his mind, he buys more.”

Yan Mingting came to a realization and nodded: “It’s still Uncle Qin who sees most clearly.”

Housekeeper Qin stroked his beard with a smile. After being pleased with himself for a moment, he picked up a broom and went to clean the mansion.

“That’s right, Uncle Qin, you go tidy up the west wing.” Yan Mingting remembered another thing.

“Who will use it?”

“I don’t know if it will be used or not, but prepare it first.”

He had received a letter from Zhong Yuehong yesterday. According to the distance, it would take two days to be delivered from the border, so this letter was written at a post station on the way. The letter briefly mentioned a few things about her travels, and then mentioned that she had met Zuo Ran at the post station.

Zuo Ran was traveling to Beijing alone and said that she was going to look for the General. She was in a hurry, and continued on her way without taking even a sip of water.

Zhong Yuehong couldn’t find out her purpose, but knew that something had happened, so she hurriedly wrote a letter and sent it to Beijing to notify him in advance.

If she was traveling day and night, Zuo Ran should arrive at about the same time as the letter. No matter what had happened, he would know when he saw her.

Zhao Yelan hadn’t come back yet when it was time for dinner. Yan Mingting walked outside the gate and looked around for a while, and a man ran up to him and asked: “Excuse me, is General Yan at the residence?”

“I am.”

“Someone asked me to hand this to you.” The man handed him a letter and ran away.

Yan Mingting opened it and saw an address written on it. He put the letter away, walked along a secluded path, and came to a small farmyard. According to the instructions on the letter, he knocked on the door five times in succession. The door opened.

Yan Mingting looked at Xiao Gao, who had opened the door, and said, “What is this?”

“Inside, please.” Xiao Gao gestured for him to go in quickly, and then guarded the door.

Yan Mingting took out the letter, walked towards the person at the table, and put it in front of him: “Why did you go to so much trouble to call me here?”

“Can’t I just call you out for no reason?” Zhao Yelan asked back.

“Of course you can.” Yan Mingting smiled, sat down beside him, and looked around. There was only one candle lit in the room, and the environment was a little dark, so he had to move the chair a little to the side in order to see Zhao Yelan’s face clearly.

Zhao Yelan turned his head to the side with a neutral expression, and Yan Mingting grinned: “I came here specially to meet you, what is the matter?”

“I want to introduce you to a friend.”

“A friend? Who, ah?”

Just as he spoke, there were five knocks on the door, neither light nor heavy, and Xiao Gao glanced out the window before opening the door.

Yan Mingting looked out the door suspiciously but couldn’t get a clear view. When the other party walked in, he pointed at the person, dumbfounded, and was speechless for a long moment.

The new arrival didn’t seem to expect him to be there, and was briefly stunned before turning to Zhao Yelan and asking: “Why is the General here?”

“It’s fine, come in, ba.” Zhao Yelan said.

“Yes.” The visitor restrained his surprised expression, walked over calmly, and sat down on the other side of him so that he was face to face with Yan Mingting.

Now that he could see his appearance clearly, Yan Mingting couldn’t hide his inner astonishment and turned pale with shock: “Kan Chuan?!”

“General Yan, I have long wanted to pay a visit, but never found the opportunity. I didn’t think I would meet you here.” Kan Chuan smiled slightly. His speech and demeanor were somewhat similar to Zhao Yelan’s. At first glance, he was either someone under his influence or a like-minded person.

“You, you two……aren’t at odds?” Yan Mingting was so shocked that he was unable to recover for a long time.

No wonder he didn’t suspect it at all. After returning to Beijing and going to court with Zhao Yelan for the first time, he had witnessed Kan Chuan’s request to abolish Zhao Yelan’s official position and learned from hundreds of officials that the two often had verbal disputes in court. Even though Zhao Yelan had gone to the Imperial Academy, he was repeatedly mentioned and castigated by Kan Chuan from time to time. 

Originally, he had admired Kan Chuan’s temperament. If he hadn’t always insulted Zhao Yelan openly, he might still have been able to make friends with him. He really didn’t expect this……

“It seems that even General Yan has been fooled by this ruse. Does this mean that my acting skills are not bad, Zhao-daren?” Kan Chuan looked at Zhao Yelan with a smile, and Zhao Yelan smiled back.

“Then when you asked to impeach him in court that day, in fact……”

Kan Chuan took a glance at Zhao Yelan and saw that he didn’t object, so he knew the reason he was here tonight. He wanted to hand over his cards to General Yan. It seemed that their relationship was closer than he had imagined.

“It was Zhao-daren’s idea,” Kan Chuan said.

Yan Mingting understood everything. Presumably, it was Zhao Yelan who saw the Emperor’s intention behind the marriage decree. He simply retreated in order to advance and let Kan Chuan come out on top, so that he was appreciated by the Emperor. He became a supporter of high moral character and there was no objection to his extraordinary promotion. Now he had become a new palace favorite, but no one insulted him like they had insulted Zhao Yelan, and he gained a lot of support instead.

And Zhao Yelan appeared to have withdrawn from court, but still held the greatest power. Moreover, he didn’t have to go to court every day and face his enemies, but could hide in the Imperial Academy with a group of scholars, relaxed and happy.

At first, Yan Mingting had seen that he was not dispirited after being demoted, and thought that he was optimistically accepting his fate, but he didn’t expect that the arrangement had been made long ago. He had still underestimated Zhao Yelan.

“Last time, when we learned about Yuehong’s entry into the harem in advance, that was you?”

“Indeed, the Emperor discussed this matter with me. I thought it was an extraordinary piece of news, so I passed the information to Zhao-daren,” Kan Chuan said.

It turned out that this was Zhao Yelan’s person in court. At that time, he had been admonished that small indiscretions could lead to big problems, and if the informer in the court was exposed, there would indeed be endless troubles.

No wonder the two were exchanging looks at the Imperial Examination banquet.

“My lord, recently the Prime Minister has asked the Emperor to invite you to return to court several times on the grounds of numerous government affairs, but I temporarily stopped it. What are your thoughts on this matter?” Kan Chuan asked.

“Stop it, I don’t want to go back yet.”

Zhao Yelan knew that Li Jinyu was doing this either to repay his son’s gambling debts, or for Yan Mingting. But after all, Li Jinyu didn’t know that he had stepped down on purpose. Fortunately, Kan Chuan was quick-witted and opposed Li Jinyu’s suggestion in time before receiving instructions, which made the scholar-politicians favor him even more.

“All right.” Kan Chuan spoke again, “Yesterday, the Mongolian royal family sent a letter, wanting to make peace through marriage to the princess. Do you think this is a good thing or not?”

“There is only one princess, who is not yet of age, so naturally there will be discord.”

“The Emperor also thinks similarly. However, the old prince insists on the marriage.”

The old prince was the younger brother of the late Emperor, an idle prince with only a few daughters in his family. Worried that there would be no one to inherit the family estate, while taking concubines to have children and using his daughters to win over the powerful, he actually turned his thoughts to the Mongolian prince.

Zhao Yelan said firmly: “It is absolutely impossible. The Mongolian people surrendered, what prestige is there in delivering a princess for a political marriage? The Mongols are just testing us. Once they see us backing down, they will only ask for more in the future. Besides, did they forget how to surrender? Although the Yan family army has returned to the court, they are not dead yet, so what is there to be afraid of?”

Yan Mingting was shocked, and looked at him with burning eyes: “That’s right.”

“All right, then tomorrow I will have a good fight with that old prince,” Kan Chuan said with a smile.

Zhao Yelan nodded, and had another matter to discuss: “The water report from the Huainan area stated that there may be a risk of flooding, and the Imperial court has distributed disaster funds. However, I have heard people south of the Yangtze river say that it has been sunny for more than ten days, so I have sent people to verify this matter. In the end, it is either a Jiangnan population error or the water reporter lied about the disaster situation.”

“Yes,” Kan Chuan said worriedly, “Natural disasters are the most difficult. As soon as the court received notice, it prepared silver taels lest the disaster relief be delayed. The water reporter is an official position that has just been established, and I am afraid that someone will take advantage of this and use the changing weather to make false reports.”

Yan Mingting listened to the two of them discussing the affairs of the court and gradually accepted the fact that this righteous-looking Kan Chuan was actually allied with Zhao Yelan. How many other surprises was he unaware of?

Zhao Yelan talked too much and started coughing, and Kan Chuan asked in concern, “How is your health, my lord?”

“Still the same.”

“You should pay more attention to it, ah. I’m still waiting for you to come back and work with me.”

Why did these words sound so familiar?

Yan Mingting thought about it carefully, and recalled that on the day that Zhao Yelan was dismissed, Kan Chuan once said in front of all the officials once court was let out: “Zhao-daren, I look forward to seeing you again in court.”

What had Zhao Yelan said? Oh, he had said: “When I come back, you’d better be alive.”

Everyone present at the time, including Yan Mingting, thought they were being sarcastic, but didn’t know that there was truth in the drama, ah.

The candle was about to burn out, and the night was already dark. Zhao Yelan asked Yan Mingting to leave first, and then opened the box that had been placed on the table. Inside were a pair of jade ruyis[1] and golden locks. “Is your baby coming soon? At that time, I may not be able to drink a cup of full moon wine,[2] so I am delivering the gift to you in private.”

“My lord, what are you doing? The child will not be born until autumn, so it is too early to send a gift now,” Kan Chuan said.

“I just happened to see it when passing by, so I bought it. If you don’t like it, I’ll exchange it for another gift.”

Kan Chuan quickly put it away with a smile: “It’s fine, it’s fine. Then I would like to thank Zhao-daren. Now that the child has been mentioned, I would like to make a presumptuous request. My lord, would you like to be my child’s godfather?”

Zhao Yelan blinked and said: “No……”

“My lord, don’t refuse me in a hurry. Anyway, Li Niang and I will only recognize you. It is thanks to you, my lord, that we can be together. Other words of gratitude, I will not repeat. It is all thanks to my lord that I can have today, and the only one I admire is you. After all, not just anyone is willing to bear so much infamy,” Kan Chuan spoke with conviction.

Zhao Yelan felt that he was not as great as he said. In any case, Zhao Yelan did all those infamous things, so what did it have to do with him, Zhao Mengting?

“Let’s talk about this once your baby is born. It is too early to mention such things.”

At that time, he would have disappeared from the eyes of the world. The name Zhao Yelan, whether it was accompanied by stigma or power, would be completely buried under the tombstone of history over time.

And the one who lived would be Zhao Mengting, free for a lifetime.

The two left after the conversation was over. Zhao Yelan walked a distance away from the courtyard and heard the sound of unhurried footsteps behind him. He said without turning his head: “Didn’t I tell you to go back first?”

“That won’t do, I wanted to wait for you,” Yan Mingting said.

Zhao Yelan shrugged his shoulders and continued to walk forward, but this person did not keep up, and remained a short distance away from him.

He stopped and looked back at the other party.

Yan Mingting said with a smile: “I just wanted to see how many people there are behind you.”

Zhao Yelan frowned: “Then how many people did you see?”

“I looked horizontally and vertically, front and back, and behind you……” Yan Mingting twirled his fingers and finally pointed at himself. “It’s just me.”

The corner of Zhao Yelan’s mouth twitched.

After lying down at night, Yan Mingting asked curiously: “Kan Chuan is much more powerful now. Aren’t you afraid that one day he will stop listening to you and bite you back?”

“I dared to give him power to go up, but naturally there are ways to pull him down,” Zhao Yelan said. “Besides, he has a very affectionate and righteous nature, so he won’t easily betray me. If you need him for something in the future, just go to him.”

“You invited me to meet him today, and now you say this again. What is your meaning? You want him to help me with my father’s case?” Yan Mingting asked.

Zhao Yelan was silent for a moment, then said: “I also have my own affairs, and it is impossible to help you all of the time. Kan Chuan is a good candidate. You can observe for a while before making a decision.”

That was the point of organizing the meeting today. If there was anything more he could do for Yan Mingting before leaving, it would be with this matter.

“Are you planning to give up your responsibilities?” Yan Mingting said. “That’s why you found someone to take over?”

The words were coarse, but the rationale was not.

Zhao Yelan counterattacked: “I just want to find a few more trustworthy people for you. You can use them or not.”

Yan Mingting didn’t say anything more.

The next day when Zhao Yelan came back from the Imperial Academy, he heard commotion from afar, and then the sedan chair stopped. He went out to take a look, and it turned out that someone had taken two beautiful concubines at once. People coming and going to watch the excitement blocked the road.

He had no choice but to order the sedan chair to go back and take Xiao Gao to walk the distance. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the red-faced master standing at the door. He was very young, and continuously showed off how amazing his concubines were.

Concubines……

After he left, Yan Mingting would marry a wife and have concubines, right? The Yan family itself was sparsely populated. If he, the man that the Emperor forced onto him, died, it would be normal for him to have children.

He was lost in thought when he heard a sarcastic remark in his ear: “What are you looking at? Do you also want to see other people’s beautiful concubines?”

Zhao Yelan was startled. He turned his head and his nose brushed against Yan Mingting’s cheek. “Why are you here?” How was he so free that he could haunt him every day?

Yan Mingting blinked nonchalantly, then pretended to be angry: “I happened to pass by and saw you standing there, staring at the beauties in other people’s houses in a daze.”

Zhao Yelan didn’t want to argue with him, so he continued moving forward, followed by Yan Mingting. They went through a few alleys, entered the main road, and were about to enter the General’s Mansion when someone nearby suddenly called out to Yan Mingting: “General!”

The two turned their heads together and saw a horse coming to an abrupt stop. The horse’s hooves were raised high, almost stepping on Zhao Yelan, and Yan Mingting pulled him to the side.

Sitting on horseback was a young woman with a fair face and heroic features. She was elegant, with bright eyes and good looks, but her clothes were a bit dirty and smelly, her hair was a mess, and her travel-worn appearance was indeed a bit battered.

“Zuo Ran.” Yan Mingting saw who it was and called out her name.

“You know her?” Zhao Yelan had just spoken when he saw the woman neatly dismount the horse. Her knees seemed to have no strength, and they buckled. As soon as Yan Mingting reached out to help, the other party directly collapsed on Yan Mingting’s body.

Zhao Yelan: “……”

“General, something has happened.” The woman burst into tears and grabbed onto his arm, begging, “You’ll help us, won’t you?”

Seeing this, Yan Mingting knew that something was truly wrong and hurriedly supported her: “Let’s go back and you can explain in detail. A wing of the house has been prepared for you.”

Zhao Yelan stood on the spot, looking at their backs. His eyes narrowed slightly and a stern look flashed through them. It was all right to hug and hold each other in a public place with numerous people, and even a wing had been prepared without a word?

He gave Xiao Gao a meaningful look and said in a cold voice: “Have Gu Niaoniao investigate, who is this woman of unknown origin?”

[1] A Ruyi (如意) is a decorative ceremonial scepter or talisman symbolizing power and good fortune. ⮐

[2] A baby’s one-month birthday dinner celebration. ⮐