Pei and Heng

Zhao Peiming reined in his horse and peered into the mansion from afar. Everything was calm and peaceful, except for a servant sweeping the courtyard. Judging from his attire, it was Kongkong'er, whom he had grown up with. He was still tall and thin, always wearing a small braid, and carrying a sachet given to him by his beloved girl at his waist. The jujube tree in the courtyard still spread out its canopy like a canopy, and as he looked at it, a stinging sensation of insect bites rose on his neck. His father should be resting in the inner room. These past few days, he had already caused his father to lose face in court, and a beating was inevitable. Thinking of this, Zhao Peiming moved closer to the gate. The mansion was located in a remote area, west of the palace, with only one main road leading to the gate, which echoed loudly. Hearing the commotion, the servant pressed his sword against his hip and quietly approached the gate.

“Kongkong’er, it’s me,” Zhao Peiming whispered.

Upon hearing this, the servant jumped out of the door, dropped the broom, and grabbed the horse's reins, his face a mixture of surprise and joy: "Fourth Master! I thought you were going to go out to avoid the trouble, but I didn't expect you to actually come back!"

"I've come back with good news." Zhao Peiming dismounted, bypassed the main gate, leaped onto a tree, and stepped onto the smooth brick to enter the side courtyard.

Kongkong'er hurriedly tied up his horse and ran to find the person. When he found his young master, he was swaggering around the inner room drinking tea. "Oh, my young master, since it's good news, why don't you just come in through the main gate!"

Zhao Peiming beckoned him over and whispered a few words in his ear. Before he could finish listening, Kongkong'er jumped back and exclaimed in surprise, "Young Master, are you planning to 'lay the foundation' for our family? No way! I, Kongkong'er, will be the first to disagree!"

"Shh! Do you know who that is? It's Uncle Jiang's son!"

"Young Master Jiang?!" Kongkong'er fell to the ground in fright. "Fourth Master, you're not joking, are you? How could the Prime Minister's son... uh... how could..."

"What's wrong!" Zhao Peiming instinctively reached out to help him up. "Our two families are well-matched and on good terms. Isn't this just icing on the cake?"

Kongkong couldn't help but chuckle, "Young Master, you're going to get double the beating!" With that, he slipped out the door. He secretly thought to himself, "The other day, Master Jiang has been such a treasure to me, he wants to meet him personally every day and take him everywhere. Everyone's saying their own young master doesn't even get this treatment. If Master finds out, I… I'd better risk my life to plead for Young Master Jiang."

Zhao Peiming changed into casual clothes and tied his hair up with the hairpin his mother had given him. The peach wood hairpin hadn't faded, only bearing dark marks left by sweat. Zhao Peiming was born on the Ghost Festival, and his mother had given him this hairpin to ward off evil spirits. He applied medicine to his wounds and covered everything he could before going to the main hall to see Zhao Chen.

Zhao Chen had heard the commotion from the start and knew the child had returned. His brow furrowed, and he gripped the ruler tightly, but then he thought, the child is all grown up now, and he couldn't really hit him again. Kongkong'er stood nearby, his eyes constantly glancing at the ruler, measuring its length, and always ready to step in front of it, feeling a pang of pain as if he were about to be hit. Another person stood guard beside Wang Shi.

As Zhao Peiming approached, Zhao Chen noticed that he had become quite tanned, with faint scars on his neck and the back of his hands. Seeing the boy's firm and earnest eyes and upright posture, Zhao Chen couldn't help but feel a sense of感慨 (gan3kai3, a complex emotion encompassing both admiration and reflection) – he had finally grown into a young man. Wang Shi suppressed a cough, straightened her back, and looked at her beloved son with great affection.

"Great-grandfather and great-grandmother, your unfilial son Zhao Peiming has been fighting for five months, and thanks to the blessings of our ancestors, I have been able to return to your side. I bow to you to pay my respects. I earnestly hope that you will instruct me on all matters concerning the family." Zhao Peiming gave the usual military salute, and seeing that his mother's condition had improved, he felt much relieved.

"I am aware that our forces are limited for this campaign. You must be tired from the journey, so please rest first." Zhao Chen put down the ruler and took a sip of tea. Kong Kong'er's face lit up with joy at the sight, and she went down from the stage to help Zhao Peiming.

“Mother, you are still ill and should not sit for long. It is important for you to rest early.” After saying this, Zhao Peiming left the hall with Kongkong’er.

"Fourth Master, how are you? It must have been tough up north these past few days. I heard it's all vast grasslands over there!" Kongkong asked curiously.

Zhao Peiming glanced at him: "Nine times I died and one life was lost. They raised eagles to carry out surprise attacks. We were already in a disadvantageous situation with thousands of enemies, and they even managed to outmaneuver us. In the end, Xiao and I separated and went to Hengdao Mountain to rejoin the main force. Only then did things stabilize again."

"I heard that Fourth Master got the map? That's amazing!" Kong Kong'er's eyes lit up as she parted the curtain.

Zhao Peiming lowered his head and went into the house: "I was captured by them. I stole it while they were drinking and celebrating their victory."

"Survival is the most important thing! If you ask me, running away is the best option! Why take this risk!"

"If I really run away, it will be the imperial court that will take my life."

Kongkong'er seemed to be deep in thought: "...And then what?"

Zhao Peiming suddenly perked up: "What are you guessing? Do you remember Uncle Jiang had a Ferghana horse?"

"Is it the yellow and white one? I know!"

“That horse saved me.” Zhao Peiming finished speaking and looked out the window. The wind gently blew the eaves bells, and the fresh scent of leaves and earth wafted into the window.

Kongkong'er's eyes widened, and she roughly understood why her young master was so obsessed with Jiang Heng—they had received few letters from home in the past few months, but every single one mentioned Jiang Heng. Perhaps this was why her master was wavering; perhaps, in some mysterious way, they had mutually benefited each other. Thinking of this, a strange smile appeared on Kongkong'er's lips.

Seeing that he hadn't spoken for a long time, Zhao Peiming shifted his gaze back to him and noticed that the man's expression was off, so he coughed lightly.

Kongkong'er immediately sat up straight, and after a while she hurriedly got up to serve tea and water: "By the way, Young Master Jiang has now been appointed as the Supervisor, so perhaps we can ask him to advise us on the matter of joining forces. However, if the two of you meet in court and reveal too much, that Qingfu will definitely become suspicious!"

“We have considered everything you said and come up with a solution. This matter should not be rushed. I need to spend half a day making amends before we can cooperate.” Zhao Peiming smiled at Kongkong’er.

"Fourth Master is blessed with good fortune and has two outstanding partners. It's only a matter of time before the country is free from turmoil." Kongkong'er stood with her feet up, looking forward to it.

Is it just around the corner? It's difficult, but we'll give it a try.

—————

"Dad, didn't you urge me to get married? Now I'll tell you about one, and you can see if you like her." Zhao Peiming shouted as he walked through the courtyard, with Huang Huang wagging its tail behind him.

"Tell me about it." Zhao Chen thought to himself that his son's life-changing event was finally settled, but he was also curious as to why his son, who had never talked about marriage before, had suddenly become interested today.

“This person is steady and capable in dealing with people, and is proficient in poetry and literature, able to recite them backwards. He is well-educated and reasonable, and we are a good match. Our ancestors had a deep friendship,” Zhao Peiming said, pacing back and forth and circling his finger. “Moreover, he is as beautiful as Pan… as beautiful as a fairy.”

Zhao Chen was naturally satisfied, but he deliberately said, "It's only good if they like you."

“Father, that’s not fair. You taught me that you can’t rush things.” Zhao Peiming said confidently, then hurried off to urge the preparation of military supplies.

Seeing Zhao Peiming's arrogant gait as she toddled out, Zhao Chen remained uneasy. This child had been educated at home since childhood, and later trained in the army. The military was full of capable women, and perhaps feelings could develop over time. However, he had hardly ever seen any women and didn't know how to interact with them. Whether he would be infatuated with a man was still unknown, but in this description, the most inappropriate person vaguely emerged.

Zhao Chen also set off to the courtyard to supervise the inspection, but suddenly noticed something was wrong with Zhao Peiming and exclaimed, "You brat, where did you put your jade pendant?!" He was about to hit him when he said, "You dare to lose the jade pendant that your parents prayed for before they gave birth to you!"

While dodging, Zhao Peiming said, "Father, Father, this jade pendant was given to my sweetheart. Let's talk this out."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Chen stopped his pursuit. Only then did he notice what was hanging from Zhao Peiming's waist. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a beautifully crafted jade pendant. This child gave away her pendant and is now wearing a jade pendant; it must have been a gift from her sweetheart. A jade pendant… a jade pendant… Zhao Chen thought, when suddenly his vision went black.

Could it be that this brat has taken a fancy to... to his own nephew?!

If that's really the case, I'm afraid I'll never have the face to set up a table and drink with Jiang Zhong at his grave again.

"...Quan'er, tell your father, is this person a man or a woman? Father...do you recognize her?" Zhao Chen's voice trembled. It didn't matter whether his own child liked a boy or a girl, but how could this brat ruin such a precious child of the Jiang family!

“Father, it’s so obvious. I just wanted to let you know that I will be traveling with him from now on. You can rest assured.” Zhao Peiming clasped his hands and was about to kneel down, but Zhao Chen pulled him up before he could.

"...Sigh, so be it. But Jiang Heng isn't as resilient as you are to weapons. From now on, you should protect him more so that your Uncle Jiang can be at ease." Even so, Zhao Chen still felt ashamed to face Jiang Zhong again.

“Father, he’s not some weakling. We’re as solid as a rock when we’re together, and as fragile as gold when we’re apart. Uncle Jiang will definitely be at ease.” Zhao Peiming said calmly, “I will treat him well.”

This child is full of naive nonsense again. In these chaotic times, we're like drifting duckweed. He and Ning Shuang only maintained their relationship by exchanging letters, both openly and secretly. With Ning Shuang's marriage, the Wang family declined, and everything changed in an instant. Of the four children, only this one survived, forced to fight to the death every year. He looks strong and burly, but his life hangs by a thread. Thinking of this, Zhao Chen sighed.

"Third rank from the left! Swords drawn, advance!" Zhao Peiming's voice boomed, his hair flying at his temples. The noisy ranks instantly became serious and obeyed the order.

The child had completely shed his previous childishness and become much more mature. His escape from death was a stroke of luck; perhaps he truly was destined for greatness. A hint of relief flickered in Zhao Chen's eyes. Suddenly, he caught a whiff of a familiar, cool fragrance. He turned around in surprise. Wang Ningshuang slowly stepped forward, gently placing one hand on Zhao Chen's shoulder and gesturing for silence with the other, smiling and nodding at him.

"You heard everything just now?" Zhao Chen helped Wang Ningshuang up.

“Quan’er is an adult now, and his choice is the one that is best for him. We shouldn’t interfere too much. The two of them can rely on each other and will be more stable in this wind and snow.” Wang Ningshuang leaned against Zhao Chen. “We did the same thing back then, and we turned danger into safety several times.”

Zhao Peiming disbanded the team, jumped up from below the stage, saw his mother, and hurriedly went to pay his respects.

"If you get married, your mother will choose an auspicious time for you." Wang Ningshuang smiled and stepped forward to stroke Zhao Peiming's head.

Zhao Peiming's heart skipped a beat. He quickly knelt down to express his gratitude, then suppressed a laugh and went inside with his parents.