Appointed to a critical mission

It was seven or eight days later when Zhou Ziliang came to find Tang Feng again. Tang Feng didn't mind; everyone has their own things to do every day! Even a beggar on the street has to plan where to beg for his three meals a day, let alone Zhou Ziliang, who was always busy. When Tang Feng went out, he saw Zhou Ziliang riding Hongdou, waiting for him, with a carriage behind him. When Zhou Ziliang saw Tang Feng come out, he dismounted and led Tang Feng toward the carriage. Tang Feng broke free from Zhou Ziliang's hand and said, "I'll go to the military camp with you. Putting aside the old stubborn guys in the camp, I've met the brothers who have been with you through thick and thin. They're all simple and straightforward. If I go there in a carriage, it will make me seem petty and calculating." "He's quite spoiled and pampered. If word got out, it would be embarrassing for you." Others might not know, but Tang Feng knew very well that men often care about their image, whether in front of elders or brothers. In reality, Uncle Li, who sells fried skewers, was like that. Aunt Li was very strict with him at home; he couldn't drink, he couldn't smoke, and he had to think twice before eating meat. But to outsiders, Aunt Li certainly gave Uncle Li a lot of face, which was why the elderly couple had been married for thirty years and still lived harmoniously.

Zhou Ziliang smiled, "Alright, it was I who was a bit ignorant." He then waved for the driver to go back. Zhou Ziliang waited for the stirrups to be on the horse, then stretched out a hand to Tang Feng, "Xiao Feng, get on the horse!" Tang Feng took Zhou Ziliang's hand, and Zhou Ziliang pulled him firmly, making him sit sideways in front. Hongdou was a Ferghana horse, capable of traveling a thousand miles a day. Walking down the street was like a ostentatious display. The people on the street pointed and whispered, saying that Tang Feng must have used some kind of witchcraft to make Zhou Ziliang suddenly so obedient. Tang Feng looked up and saw that Zhou Ziliang's expression wasn't good, so he tugged at his sleeve, "Alright! It's nothing. They're talking about me, not you. I haven't done anything, why are you getting so upset? Besides, this is already a mild insult. In previous years, you hadn't heard any harsher insults."

What could Zhou Ziliang say after hearing this? He could only feel even more guilty. He finally understood why Qin Jiujiu was targeting him so much. His beloved younger brother had been insulted like this; who wouldn't be angry? Zhou Ziliang held Tang Feng's hand tightly.

Tang Feng didn't care. It was just some gossip! It's happened before. If he took everything to heart, what was the point of living? He'd finally come to this world and gotten some leisure time. No need to rent a place, no financial pressure, family around, a decent but easy job, and Zhou Ziliang by his side. Compared to the real world, where he was all alone, bullied by superiors, sown discord, and subjected to ridicule, what more could he ask for?

The Dingbei Army's camp was west of the city, and it was still quite a walk after leaving the city gate. Tang Feng leaned against Zhou Ziliang's chest, and the two chatted idly along the way, talking about the interesting things that had happened in the past few days.

"Young Master!" Just as they arrived at the camp gate, before even dismounting, Chen Ke came to greet them. Chen Ke helped Zhou Ziliang hold Hongdou's reins. "The young mistress is here too! That's good news today. Those old fogies in the camp have all gone home today, otherwise they'd probably be gossiping behind your backs."

"They've disliked me for a long time, let them be!" Zhou Ziliang dismounted and helped Tang Feng down. "Little Feng, come on, I'll take you inside for a look around."

The Dingbei Army's camp must be very disciplined. Tang Feng could feel a chilling atmosphere as soon as he entered. He remembered what Zhang Mobai had told him years ago: that the hundreds of thousands of imperial guards in front of the border army were just for show. Chen Ke stretched out his hand, "Young Madam, this way please. The brothers over there are practicing their marksmanship! Don't let them hurt you." Chen Ke had a particularly good impression of Tang Feng. He was sensible and intelligent, no wonder the young marquis was now hanging around him. She had only heard that the young master of the Tang family was a shy young master who rarely left his home, but now it seemed that those were all rumors.

Tang Feng craned his neck to watch the soldiers practice shooting, and smiled, "Did you teach them all this?"

Chen Ke scratched his head sheepishly, "Hehe, the young marquis is usually busy with military affairs and doesn't have time, so I did it for him. I'm clumsy, how can I compare to the young marquis?"

Tang Feng followed Zhou Ziliang into his tent and saw a large bow behind a chair. "Is this yours?" The bow was almost as tall as Tang Feng when it stood upright. It was made of black ebony, with gold patterns on both ends. When the bowstring was plucked, it hummed. It was clearly a fine bow.

"Yes, my father gave it to me. I went to the border with him when I was fourteen. At that time, the relationship between Han and Yanyun was tense. It was my first time going to the border, and he was afraid I would get hurt, so he made me a bow, saying that at least I could stay away from the enemy. But... I still got wounded that time." Zhou Ziliang pointed to his chest. "An arrow went straight into my chest, and I almost died."

Li Yunrui summoned Shen Qinghang today to question him about the pawnshop. The pawnshop's account books had been repeatedly found to contain errors, and the cause remained elusive. Shen Qinghang knelt before Li Yunrui and bowed, saying, "Your Highness... this subordinate is incompetent."

"Get up! We should be thinking carefully about how to salvage this situation." Li Yunrui clenched his fists. He knew that Li Yunheng might be behind the pawnshop incident, but... he lacked evidence. Now was a crucial moment in the struggle for the throne, and he couldn't afford any more mistakes.

"I have a plan! Your Highness, why don't you think of another merit to offset this mistake and cover it up?"

Li Yunrui didn't rush to answer, but pondered for a while. After a while, he pointed to the bookshelf opposite him and said, "Give me the map." Upon hearing this, Shen Qinghang quickly got up, took out the map from the hidden compartment of the bookshelf, and handed it to Li Yunrui. Li Yunrui held the brush but hesitated to write. "You said that the Central Plains is divided into four kingdoms, and Yan Yun has not had any contact with other countries for so many years..."

"Shanghan and we only have a mutually beneficial relationship; Puyuan... is irreconcilable with us. But this Qianghu... Your Highness might want to give them a try."

“I’ve had this idea about the Qianghu for a long time,” Li Yunrui said, pointing to the sea at the bottom of the Qianghu. “The Qianghu has an excellent geographical location, but its development has been slow, relying mainly on agriculture. This harbor is called Ayi Harbor, but unfortunately, the Qianghu has never had anything to export, which is a waste of this place.”

"What Your Highness means..." Shen Qinghang stared at the blueprints on the table, as if he had already guessed Li Yunrui's meaning.

"Our Yan Yun region is vast and rich in resources; we have everything we need. If we had this harbor to export these goods, wouldn't that be like adding wings to a tiger?"

Shen Qinghang nodded. "Your Highness is absolutely right, but... will the Qiang and Hu agree to this condition? This is a risky move! It's not impossible that the two countries could go to war."

"War is unlikely, but tensions are probably brewing. It seems we need to find someone flexible and adaptable to handle this matter."

"Your Highness! I am willing to serve and sign a military pledge," Shen Qinghang knelt on the ground, his face filled with righteous indignation.

"No," Li Yunrui waved his hand. "You can't go. I already have someone in mind."

Who is it?

"Tang Feng," Li Yunrui smiled, narrowing his eyes. "Everyone knows you're one of my men. If you go, the court will definitely turn against me. Tang Feng is different. He works at the pawnshop and is already serving as the Chief of the Imperial Guard. It's only natural for him to go. If he fails, and relations between the two countries become strained, even if Father is furious, he will give him leniency out of consideration for Marquis Zhou. If he succeeds, since I recommended him, I will naturally share half the credit."

"Tang Feng?" Shen Qinghang was so frightened that he stood up abruptly, disregarding etiquette, and grabbed Li Yunrui's sleeve, saying, "Your Highness, you mustn't! Tang Feng has no desires or wants, and nothing can restrain him. How can he possibly do his best for us? This trip is doomed to failure!"

"My mind is made up! Don't try to persuade me anymore!" Li Yunrui waved his hand. "Call Tang Feng over; I want to ask him myself."

At this moment, Tang Feng was having a great time in the military camp. Most of the people in the camp were around the same age, and Tang Feng was also very approachable, so it didn't take long for him to start chatting with everyone.

"Young Master, why don't you let the young mistress come and sit with us? I'm afraid she might get hurt if she stays with those roughnecks." Chen Ke stood to the side, watching Tang Feng in the crowd, seeing the soldiers brandishing their swords and spears, and felt a pang of fear. If anything were to happen to Tang Feng, how could she bear the responsibility?

Zhou Ziliang sat to one side, watching Tang Feng chatting and laughing in the distance. "Isn't Xiao Feng having a good time over there? It's alright, everyone knows their limits. If I call him back, I'm afraid Xiao Feng will throw a tantrum at me again."

It wasn't that Tang Feng particularly enjoyed sitting in the crowd; he'd just rarely seen swordplay and was simply curious. After watching for a while, he got tired and left. Tang Feng rubbed his slightly sore back, looked at Zhou Ziliang watching him from a distance, waved to him, and was about to go over when a figure suddenly appeared, kneeling on the ground and grabbing Tang Feng's clothes. This startled Tang Feng, causing him to fall to the ground with a thud. Zhou Ziliang, standing nearby, also jumped up alertly. Chen Ke stared intently, "Old Hu? You old fool, what are you doing! Let go of him right now! Do you know who he is?! He's the young marquis's betrothed! Can you afford to take responsibility if he gets hurt?"

Old Hu raised his head and said, "I know it's the young mistress. I'm just too excited. A few days ago at Qinghui Lane, I'm so grateful to the young mistress for speaking up for me and keeping my position. Otherwise, how would my family of eleven survive!"

Tang Feng, sitting on the ground with his legs being held, couldn't get up. He gave an awkward laugh, "It was nothing, don't mention it. Brother, why don't you let go first? I... I can't get up like this."

Hu Laosan quickly got up and helped Tang Feng up, brushing the dust off his clothes. "Young Madam, please don't mind. I, Hu Laosan, am just a roughneck, barely literate, but I know how to repay kindness! In the future, if you ever need anything, just ask me! I'll definitely take care of it for you."

Tang Feng raised his arm to look at his hand, which had just hurt from the fall, and quickly agreed, "Okay, okay, I'll have to trouble Brother Hu then."

Tang Feng shook off Hu Laosan and quickly moved closer to Zhou Ziliang. "You guys... the big brothers in your army camp... they're all pretty honest and simple, huh?" Zhou Ziliang pulled Tang Feng around to check him over. "You didn't fall, did you?"

"Oh, what could be wrong! It's not like it's anything precious," Tang Feng patted his chest. "It's just... I'm a little hungry, I want to eat... stir-fried beef."

Zhou Ziliang tapped Tang Feng's forehead. "Let's go back then! I've taken care of most of what I needed to do."

"Let's not go back to eat! What would we eat if we went back? I'll just have a bite of whatever you usually eat in your camp," Tang Feng said, gazing at the large iron pot of stewing beef behind the tent. "It smells pretty good here too."

Before Zhou Ziliang could even speak, Chen Ke interrupted, "Oh my, Madam, your nose is really sharp! This is the braised beef we have today. Even the Zuixianju restaurant in the city can't compare."

The soldiers started talking amongst themselves, saying that Old Zhang was in charge of cooking, and that his forty years of experience were no joke. They said that if Tang Feng ate it, he would definitely crave it again when he got home.

Tang Feng had grasped the gist of the situation and turned to Zhou Ziliang for advice. Zhou Ziliang smiled helplessly, "Everyone has tried so hard to keep you here, what can I say? Let's eat together then! I feel like I'm putting you down, but if I don't let you stay, you'll probably get angry and start yelling."

Tang Feng nudged Zhou Ziliang's belly and glared at him. "Shut up! So many people are watching!" Tang Feng sat down, holding a bowl in her hands. Old Zhang cut off a large piece of lean and fatty meat and served it to Tang Feng, saying, "This brisket is the best cut of beef. Young Madam, please try it and see if you like it."

Just as Tang Feng was about to eat, he heard Shen Qinghang call out, "Tang Feng! My lord needs to see you. Go there immediately!"