CH 49

Yan Mingting looked at Zhao Yelan with burning eyes.

The others also looked over one after another, wondering what gift Zhao Yelan had prepared.

Zhao Yelan pondered for a while before saying: “In the study.”

As soon as his voice fell, a collision of tables and chairs sounded in his ears. Yan Mingting hurried to the study, and He Cuizhang and Xiao Gao quickly followed. Zuo Ran looked around, then followed behind curiously.

“……”

After a moment, Zhao Yelan walked leisurely to the study and heard Yan Mingting’s joyful voice: “You see, this one looks much better than Bao Lun’s portrait!”

A ruler pressed a sheet of rice paper on the table. It was a painting, in which the person’s hair was flying as they sat on horseback while shooting wild geese.

“Yes, yes, this painting is very beautiful! So lifelike, just as if he had seen the General hunting with his own eyes!” He Cuizhang spared no effort in his praise, not knowing that Zhao Yelan had also entered the hunting grounds with Yan Mingting.

It suddenly seemed like a secret between the two of them. Yan Mingting looked at Zhao Yelan with a smile as he came in. Their eyes met, and Zhao Yelan lowered his head and hurriedly looked away.

“My lord, I want a portrait too,” Xiao Gao said expectantly, and made a gesture of drawing a bow. “Do you think my posture is okay?’

Before Zhao Yelan could reply to him, Yan Mingting patted his head: “What do you want, go feed Hongshao.”

Xiao Gao went to feed the rabbit with grievances. Yan Mingting rolled up the painting happily, and then prepared to go out with great enthusiasm.

“General, where are you going?” He Cuizhang called.

“To find someone to frame it,” Yan Mingting said without looking back.

“Wait for me, I’ll go too!” He Cuizhang chased after him.

Only Zuo Ran and Zhao Yelan were left looking at each other. She smiled shyly and turned to go after them as well. After all, she didn’t know Zao Yelan very well.

Hearing the sound of their footsteps gradually fading away, Zhao Yelan walked to the desk and opened the lower drawer. There was actually another painting inside.

He unfolded it and took a look. The person in the painting was turning around to wave his hand with a smile on his face. It was the scene of when he had watched Yan Mingting go to court today, when the other party turned around to wave goodbye to him.

The corners of his mouth curled slightly in a fleeting smile, and he put the painting in the cabinet, storing it together with the luggage that needed to be taken away with him.

In the afternoon, even though Yan Mingting said that he would not accept guests, many officials still came to visit. However, Yan Mingting was not in the mansion at this time, so only Zhao Yelan could receive them.

He was just about to take a nap when he heard a servant come to report the matter, and he really didn’t have the patience to deal with it. He walked to the front hall and gave the officials ugly expressions, and those people found reasons to leave with embarrassment.

“Wait, take everything back,” Zhao Yelan said coldly.

The group of people took their congratulatory gifts and left in a desperate manner.

He turned around and was about to go back to the room when he heard another guest coming, and waved his hand: “Tell them to go back instead of bringing them in.”

“It seems that I have come at an inauspicious time?”

Zhao Yelan paused and turned his head to look at Eunuch Gao, who walked in with a smile on his face, and his expression softened slightly. “Eunuch Gao, what is your purpose in coming here?”

“Isn’t today General Yan’s birthday? His Majesty specially sent me to give something.” After Eunuch Gao spoke, the young eunuchs following behind him respectfully offered congratulatory gifts.

Zhao Yelan didn’t look at what they were, ordering Xiao Gao to take it all.

Xiao Gao glanced at Eunuch Gao, then went to the storeroom with Housekeeper Qin in silence.

Eunuch Gao looked at his retreating back and smiled with gratification. He told everyone to leave, then took a box from his sleeve and said: “General Yan will go south tomorrow and will pass Zhizhou. Concubine Xian is very homesick and wants the General to bring something to her family. I hope the General can do her this favor.”

“Concubine Xian?”

“Yes, Sun Muyun, the daughter of the Magistrate of the prefecture, has been promoted to concubine Xian,” Eunuch Gao said with a smile.

It hadn’t been long since she entered the palace, and the speed of promotion couldn’t be ignored. It seemed that Sun Muyun was rather easy to like.

“Zhao-daren is not an outsider, so I’ll just tell you the truth.” Eunuch Gao whispered in his ear, “This concubine was promoted due to your blessing.”

“When did I do this?”

“When the Emperor summoned all the concubines, he happened to hear her muttering, ‘Zhao-daren really didn’t lie to me.’ The Emperor asked why, and she said that Zhao-daren once praised the Emperor for being handsome, which made him laugh.”

Zhao Yelan: “……”

As soon as Eunuch Gao left, Yan Mingting came back and said: “The painting can be picked up in three days. I won’t be here then, so you can pick it up for me.”

Zhao Yelan was silent for a moment, then nodded and told him about Eunuch Gao’s visit. Yan Mingting was not curious about what the Emperor had given him, but felt strange about Sun Muyun entrusting him with a token: “Although the distance is long, it shouldn’t be a problem for her to send a few people back to Zhizhou to bring some tokens, right? Why did she ask me to take it for her?”

“Who are you? You are the famous General Yan Mingting.” The corners of Zhao Yelan’s mouth twitched. “It turns out that she also has brains. She is likely unaccompanied in the harem, and her status rose too fast, drawing the hatred of others. In addition, her father is far away in Zhizhou. A magistrate can be regarded as a family of status in a local area, but in this harem, she is really not a person with powerful connections. Because of this, she considered the prestige of the General’s Mansion and wants you to be her backer.”

Yan Mingting understood: “So I just need to help her deliver this token, and outsiders will know that I have a good relationship with her. If it is for my sake, they will go easy on her?”

Zhao Yelan nodded.

“Why is this so troublesome? In your opinion, should I help her deliver it?”

Zhao Yelan considered for a moment, then said: “Deliver it. She has a lively temperament and is not too stupid. If she really continues to be favored in the future, it will do no harm. If she loses power, it has nothing to do with you. Anyway, you were just being kind, not meddling in the affairs of the harem.”

“Okay, I’ll listen to you.” Yan Mingting put the token away.

After dinner in the evening, Yan Mingting proposed to go out for a walk, and took Zhao Yelan out with him together.

There were many more small merchants and hawkers who came out to set up stalls in the night market than in the daytime, and their hawking was constant. The lanterns on both sides of the street were hung high, not only for lighting, but also for the unique scenery of this night.

Zhao Yelan walked for a while before unknowingly coming to the tailor shop and walking in.

Yan Mingting quickly followed, and subconsciously went to look at those colorful clothes. He wondered which ones would be taken away by Zhao Yelan, but he didn’t expect the other party to pick up the black silk on the other side and give the shopkeeper a meaningful look.

The shopkeeper followed his gaze, understood immediately, and went up to measure Yan Mingting with a smile.

“The General is so lucky, Zhao-daren personally chooses clothes for you. Don’t worry, I will sew it up as soon as possible and send it to the house.”

Yan Mingting looked at Zhao Yelan, flattered, but seeing that his expression was normal, he could only laugh inwardly and ask: “Can it be made tonight?”

The shopkeeper’s smile froze: “Of course not.”

“Oh……” Yan Mingting was a little frustrated. It seemed that he couldn’t go out in new clothes.

Hearing this request, Zhao Yelan raised his head and looked around. He also chose a ready-made garment, paid for it, and handed it over to him.

Yan Mingting held the new clothes and walked happily beside him with light steps: “So this is the joy of wearing new clothes on your birthday?”

“Have you never worn new clothes on your birthday?”

Yan Mingting shook his head. In his memory, his birthdays were almost always spent in the military camp, so there was no room to think of such trivial things.

“What about you?” He asked back.

Zhao Yelan seemed to be in a good mood, and actually answered this question: “En, my mother……would give me a new outfit every year.”

The family was poor, and there were only these things that could be gifted, such as his father’s calligraphy paintings, new clothes, and snacks that could not usually be eaten……these gifts couldn’t compare to those of the children of rich and noble families, but they were also things that were normally difficult to obtain.

He looked around and walked swiftly over to an old man, looked at the bunch of tanghulu, and asked, “How many skewers do you want?”

Yan Mingting: “One skewer is enough.” There were still ten skewers given by Xiao Gao back at home.

Zhao Yelan bought one and then asked him what else he wanted to eat. Walking a few steps, he looked back and found that the other person was stunned: “Why aren’t you moving?”

“I’m not used to you……being like this,” Yan Mingting said. “You didn’t do something to offend me, did you?”

“……”

“Just say it straight. I’m in a good mood today and won’t fight with you,” Yan Mingting said generously.

Zhao Yelan’s expression changed several times, and he finally gave him a cold look: “It’s just because it’s your birthday. The sky and the earth are big, but the birthday star is the biggest.”

Yan Mingting looked into those familiar eyes and relaxed again at once. Walking to his side with a smile, he said: “Then whatever request I make today, will you satisfy me?”

“What else do you want?”

“Let me think about it, ah……” Originally, Yan Mingting was really serious about taking the opportunity to make some requests, but while he was thinking it over, he became absent-minded and stared at the person in front of him intently.

The two stood under the eaves as the red and yellow lanterns above their heads shone down on their faces. Zhao Yelan’s fair face reflected a bit of warmth, and in today’s clothes, he really couldn’t take his eyes off him.

Not only him, but everyone around subconsciously paid more attention to him, although they didn’t dare approach.

“Can you promise me one thing……” Yan Mingting looked at him hesitantly, his eyes sincere.

Zhao Yelan looked at the other for a moment, almost burned by his fiery eyes, and seemed to guess what he was going to say. He immediately covered his mouth: “Can’t’.”

“I haven’t said it yet.” Yan Mingting took his hand away. “I want you……”

“No, you don’t.” Zhao Yelan covered his mouth again.

“Wu……I want to say it!” Yan Mingting pushed his hand away again, and held it down to prevent him from moving.

Zhao Yelan closed his eyes tightly, but heard him say: “I want you to move your foot away, you are stepping on me.”

“……?”

Zhao Yelan opened his eyes blankly and looked down. He had indeed stepped on his foot by accident. Moving his foot away in embarrassment, he walked away without a backward glance.

Yan Mingting laughed on the spot. In fact, he was almost about to speak his mind just now.

But he was going to head south soon, and the round-trip journey alone would take at least ten days, not to mention the delay in suppressing the bandits and other things, and it should take at least a month to come back.

Now was not a good time. To say those words right before leaving, like a romantic man who could only talk sweetly, he worried that the other party would blame him for having no sense of propriety and be anxious during the days he was gone. Anyway, the future was long, so there was no rush.

However, when he looked over again, Zhao Yelan was nowhere to be found.

He quickened his pace and searched around, but he didn’t see that figure’s back. His expression tightened and he expanded his search area.

No matter how fast Zhao Yelan’s steps were, it was impossible to be as fast as him. Either he had reached some hidden corner, or……he was taken away.

Thinking that it might be the latter, he frowned and showed a rare bit of hostility, even exerting strength when pushing a passerby aside.

“Have you decided on a date?”

At this time, on the second floor of a pawn shop, a woman in casual clothes held the deed to Zhao Yelan’s house and hesitantly asked this of the man opposite her.

Just now, Zhao Yelan had walked a few steps when he bumped into Gu Niaoniao, who had come out to do errands. He gave her a meaningful look, then they walked into the nearby pawn shop one after the other and went to the second floor to find an empty room, closed the door, and began to talk in low voices.

“Three days from now,” Zhao Yelan said.

“Okay, I’ll get ready.”

“See if you can secretly bring Gao Tan out at that time. If it will easily arouse suspicion, just leave him alone and let him find another way to make a living with Eunuch Gao,” Zhao Yelan said.

“En, I’ll try.”

Zhao Yelan once again thought about what he had left behind for Yan Mingting. His two most powerful informants had been exposed to him, and if anything needed to be done, they would help him. A birthday gift was also given, and a ten thousand-tael banknote was left in the bedroom. He did everything that should be done, which was already benevolent and dutiful.

“Hey, your jade hairpin has a pretty color,” Gu Niaoniao suddenly said. “Is this the hard-to-find accessory you spoke of?”

Zhao Yelan subconsciously touched the jade hairpin on his head.

“Where did you get it, will you ‘bury’ it with you?” Gu Niaoniao eagerly said, “If you find it cumbersome, why not leave it to me? Or do you want to set a price?”

“You’re dreaming,” Zhao Yelan scoffed at her.

Gu Niaoniao shrugged resentfully, took an inadvertent glance out the window, and said: “Is that Yan Mingting? It seems that he is in a hurry to find someone, could he be looking for you?”

Zhao Yelan turned his head and looked out the window, and saw Yan Mingting’s anxious figure looking around.

“Go back quickly, lest he find you here,” Gu Niaoniao said.

Zhao Yelan went downstairs first and lowered his head to quickly walk somewhere else. After finding a secluded place, he stood there silently and waited for the other party to come over.

Unexpectedly, a bright light flashed across the sky at this time, followed by a bang as if the sky had split in two. The crowd suddenly startled, looking up at the sky until big raindrops hit their faces, and then quickened their pace and fled in all directions.

There was no defense against the torrential summer rain. As soon as it came, it would rain heavily for a short while.

Yan Mingting was even more anxious, calling Zhao Yelan’s name everywhere. When he was just about to find some nearby officers and soldiers to search for him, he heard a faint voice: “I’m here.”

He paused and immediately turned around, running toward the source of the sound. The voice became clearer and clearer, until he saw the person sheltering from the rain under the eaves. When he was about to step forward, he turned around and borrowed an umbrella before returning.

Zhao Yelan had originally thought he would ask him where he had been, and had even thought of what to say, but the other put the umbrella over his head and the first thing he said was: “Let’s go home.”

Zhao Yelan looked at him in astonishment.

“You are all wet.” Yan Mingting touched his clothes. “I don’t know when the rain will stop, and it’s no good to wait here and let the cold enter the body. It’s better to go back and soak in hot water now.”

Zhao Yelan nodded.

There were no sedan chairs or carriages to hire at this time, so they had to return in the rain. The umbrella was fluttering in the storm, and Yan Mingting firmly held it in one hand over Zhao Yelan’s head, with the other arm around his shoulders.

“You’re soaking wet.” Zhao Yelan frowned.

“I’m used to it, I won’t get sick easily like you,” Yan Mingting said.

As the icy rain poured down on his body, Zhao Yelan seemed to have forgotten how much he hated rainy days. He just lowered his head silently, looking at his feet as he walked, as if an invisible force had dispelled the cold.

As soon as the two returned to the mansion, Yan Mingting urged people to find Yao Muze, who was the closest doctor to the General’s Mansion.

The servants rushed to boil hot water, and they went back to their room to change into dry clothes.

When the hot water was ready, Yan Mingting asked Zhao Yelan to take a bath first, and then went out with their wet clothes. It happened that Yao Muze had arrived, so he stopped him and took him to the foyer to wait. While talking and holding the clothes, he accidentally touched Zhao Yelan’s sachet hanging on his clothes. With a sudden frown, he took off the sachet, opened the inside, and took out a small note.

He calmly asked his servants to entertain the guests, then handed the clothes over to the maids and went to the study to unfold the note. Upon it were two lines of fine characters.

– The cell boss has been found and escorted back to the capital today. What do you want to do with him? In addition, the medicine has been prepared. When are you going to act?

Cell boss? Medicine? What action?

After a while, he put the note into the sachet. Once Zhao Yelan finished bathing, he quietly put it back in its original place, secretly took another sachet, and then called Yao Muze in to feel his pulse.

Zhao Yelan had already started coughing, but it wasn’t too severe. Yao Muze brought medicine and asked his servants to brew it.

When Yan Mingting sent Yao Muze away, he pulled him into a corner, took out the sachet, and handed it to him while saying in a low voice: “I’ve always been very sensitive to this stuff and have to sneeze when I smell it. Is there anything wrong with my nose?”

“Is this sweetgrass?” Yao Muze sniffed it, then opened it to sniff it more carefully, and gradually frowned. “Sweetgrass’s smell is already particular, but the contents are generally heavy and it doesn’t have such a strong scent. I used to go to gather herbs, and it took about eight taels of sweetgrass to achieve this level of smell. There may be other things in this sachet. Can you let me take it back and examine it thoroughly?”

He definitely couldn’t directly take it away. Zhao Yelan often wore it, so it was easy for him to find out and become suspicious. Yan Mingting poured some out for him: “Is this enough?”

“It’s enough.”

Yan Mingting didn’t go to take a bath until he sent this person away, and when the two of them lay down, it was almost midnight.

“There is nothing wrong with your body?” Zhao Yelan asked.

“En.” In the darkness, Yan Mingting kept his eyes open, deep in thought.

Zhao Yelan became quiet, and just as he was about to fall asleep, he heard a rustling sound. He opened his eyes and found that the room was lit up again.

Yan Mingting went out holding a candle, and when he returned, he moved the blanket on the ground to the bottom of the bed. He sat cross-legged on it to block him in, clinging to the bed, and said: “There is still a quarter of an hour before my birthday will pass. Can I still make a request?”

Seeing his serious expression, Zhao Yelan also sat up and asked: “What request?”

Yan Mingting handed a stack of booklets to him: “This is the account book of the General’s Mansion and all my salary, as well as the property left to me by my parents. I will give it all to you. Can you keep it for me?”

Zhao Yelan froze: “Why do you want me to keep it? Isn’t there an accountant?”

“In the end, an accountant is an outsider, so I’m worried,” Yan Mingting said. “It’s okay if you don’t want to take care of it. In any case, I don’t know how to check the accounts, so you can use it however you want, whether it is to buy nice clothes or expensive meals.”

Wasn’t this just giving him family wealth for nothing? Zhao Yelan said in disbelief: “Why are you leaving this to me?”

“I specifically asked Kan Chuan this morning why his wife is so considerate. He said that because he handed in all his salary, his wife trusted him very much.” Yan Mingting paused for a moment, showing a smile. “It turns out that husbands should also be considerate to each other. Don’t you like shopping? You can take all of this. Although I don’t have as much wealth as you, I won’t starve you.”

Zhao Yelan looked slightly mournful, not sure how he felt, and gave back all of these things: “It isn’t necessary, I can’t even spend all of my own.”

“If you don’t promise me, I won’t leave,” Yan Mingting said resolutely.

The two confronted each other for a long time before Zhao Yelan was defeated: “All right, first release me.”

“Okay.” Yan Mingting laughed, and his tense back finally relaxed a little. Urging him to fall asleep early, he tucked him in the blanket and said again, “Actually I still have some wishes.”

“Don’t be too greedy!”

Yan Mingting smiled: “The first wish is for Zhao Mengting’s wishes to come true, the second wish is for Zhao Mengting to always smile and be in good health, the third wish……”

Zhao Yelan: “Whose birthday is it? How can you speak about my wishes?”

“But this is indeed what I hope most for, ah.” Yan Mingting smiled softly, leaning over to touch his forehead. “The third wish is as the years pass by, you will always have today’s glory. Let’s spend the next birthday together, okay?”