Nightmare

"Oh, it's my sister-in-law's birthday! How could I go empty-handed? Wait here for me, I'll go in and get something." Zhou Ziliang originally wanted to say that Chen Ke's wife wouldn't mind, but considering it was Tang Feng's thoughtful gesture, he didn't try to dissuade him. Tang Feng was quick; he came out shortly after going in and said to Zhou Ziliang, "Let's hurry! It might not be good to be late."

Tang Feng had heard a bit about Chen Ke and his wife. He said his wife was quite the heroine; she chased Chen Ke for over thirty miles, forcing him to marry her. They did eventually get married, and it was said that after the marriage, Chen Ke never dared to go out alone again, as his wife kept a close watch on him—he was practically henpecked. Tang Feng smiled and said, "Brother Chen has a good personality; it's not impossible for him to find a wife with a fiery temper. A husband and wife should complement each other."

Upon entering the military camp, Tang Feng could already smell the aroma of meat wafting towards him. He pulled Zhou Ziliang down from his horse and said, "Uncle Zhang's cooking skills have improved again, haven't they? I could smell the aroma from far away." Zhou Ziliang tied Hongdou aside, then put his arm around Tang Feng's shoulder and said, "I specifically told Uncle Zhang to prepare extra dishes for your visit."

"Young Madam?" Chen Ke rushed over to Tang Feng as soon as he arrived. "Young Madam, it's been so long! How have you been? I heard from the young marquis that you went to the palace to receive your reward. Congratulations!" Tang Feng scratched his head sheepishly. "Brother Chen, you flatter me. I... I didn't receive any reward. But it was indeed not easy to come back. Look! Ziliang brought me to eat Uncle Zhang's beef."

"Husband, who is this?" Tang Feng turned his head and saw a young woman standing behind Chen Ke. She was dressed in coarse cloth, her hair was tied up with a red ribbon and a jade hairpin was inserted in it, and her brows revealed a hint of toughness.

"A-Su, this is the young marquis's wife. Madam, this is my wife, A-Su." Upon hearing that she was Zhou Ziliang's wife, the young woman hurriedly asked, "Is she the young master you mentioned before who was so concerned about saving face that he insisted on going to the palace to beg His Majesty for a marriage decree?" After hearing this, Chen Ke quickly tugged at A-Su's clothes, "Madam, she's standing right there, please say less!"

Tang Feng didn't mind, since it wasn't about him. He smiled and said, "It's alright! My name is Tang Feng. I heard from Ziliang that your wife is a heroine, and I admire her greatly."

"Ah! No... I'm so sorry, I'm just being a chatterbox, please don't mind," A-Su bowed to Tang Feng. Tang Feng helped A-Su up and said, "Sister-in-law, please don't say that. Brother Chen has taken good care of Ziliang, I should be thanking him! Besides, what you said is true, before... I really did put in a lot of effort for no reward, I suffered for being too proud."

Upon hearing this, Asu began to look at Tang Feng with new respect. She had thought that her words might have offended him, and that even if she wasn't furious, she would at least be looking displeased. "This... Mr. Tang... I'm so sorry, I..."

"Sister-in-law, since you're a few years older than me, just call me Xiaofeng!"

"Okay...okay."

Tang Feng's whole stunt left Asu speechless. Seeing Tang Feng and Zhou Ziliang go inside, Asu tugged at Chen Ke's arm and whispered, "What's wrong with you? Young Master Tang is such a good person, why are you always gossiping about him?"

"Oh my wife, that was ages ago! I praised the young mistress the other day, why don't you remember? The young mistress is doing well, she's kind and good-natured, so don't say such things again!" Chen Ke was terrified by what Asu had just said, and she didn't know how to apologize to Tang Feng later!

Tang Feng, on the other hand, didn't care at all. He ate the beef with gusto, praising, "Uncle Zhang, this beef is so delicious! It's tender and flavorful. I've been craving this ever since I was in Qianghu."

"That's my good fortune, old Zhang! To have the young mistress think about it for so long. Please eat more; the Marquis has ordered several more dishes to be prepared."

Tang Feng turned around and, not seeing Asu, asked, "Where's my sister-in-law?"

"She must be out drinking! Chen Ke said his wife loves to drink, and today is her birthday, so she's probably going to drink until she's completely drunk." Hearing this, Tang Feng turned and left the tent, beckoning to Chen Ke, "Brother Chen, come here for a moment." He then took a small box from his pocket and handed it to Chen Ke, saying, "It's my sister-in-law's birthday, and I didn't bring anything. Look, I didn't bring much with me; I was in a rush. Here, take this." Chen Ke opened the box and saw two jade pendants inside.

"Young Madam... this... this won't do," Chen Ke pushed the wooden box towards Tang Feng's arms. "This thing is too valuable, you can't accept this, you should take it back quickly."

Tang Feng was naturally reluctant and pushed Chen Ke into her arms again, saying, "I said it's okay, so it's okay." Then, Tang Feng glanced over and saw A Su walking towards them. He quickly waved, "Sister-in-law, look at the gift I gave you!" A Su, having already had a few rounds of drinks, was a little tipsy. She swayed as she walked over, picked up the jade pendant from the box, looked at it, and smiled, "Tang... no, you told me to call you... call you Xiao Feng, right? The gift Xiao Feng gave me is so beautiful, so pretty. Sister-in-law will accept it."

"My lady...no, this is too precious..."

"Go away! It was a gift, what's it to you?" After saying that, Asu was about to step forward to thank him, but she lost her balance and fell onto Tang Feng. She then propped herself up, put her arm around Tang Feng's shoulder, and whispered, "Little Feng... let me tell you, your Brother Chen... he's a complete idiot all day long, he doesn't know anything. Don't mind him. I can see you really like him, so come chat with me sometime. We're kindred spirits."

Tang Feng chuckled, "Alright, if you like it, sister-in-law, I'll come visit you often." He then helped Asu into Chen Ke's arms. "Why don't you help your sister-in-law back to rest? I've come so close, I'm afraid Ziliang will worry." After seeing Chen Ke and her husband off, Tang Feng returned to his tent. Seeing Zhou Ziliang still sitting there waiting for him, with no food in sight, he scolded him slightly, "If you're hungry, just eat! What are you waiting for me for? What if I go home? Will you not eat today?"

Zhou Ziliang smiled and made room for Tang Feng to sit down. "You were right at the tent entrance, I could hear what you were saying. I knew you'd be back soon, that's why I was waiting for you. Besides, it's getting late, so why don't you have some fun and stay in the camp tonight? I'll take you back tomorrow."

Tang Feng was initially hesitant, worried that it might inconvenience everyone, but he eventually agreed. He remembered that Zhou Ziliang had told him that it was Mrs. Chen Ke's birthday, so a special day off was granted.

After dinner, Tang Feng and Zhou Ziliang went outside the tent to chat with the soldiers. However, Tang Feng wasn't sleepy yet when Zhou Ziliang sent him back inside. "Don't blame me, there are rules in the military. When the bugle sounds, you have to rest. Go sit at the table, I'll make the bed." Originally, Zhou Ziliang planned to stay in Chen Ke's tent, but Tang Feng wasn't happy about it. Who would send someone away on their wife's birthday? He refused to accept it, so the two of them had to make do for the night. Tang Feng squeezed in and said, "This bed is small. If I'm not very still in my sleep... just pat me."

"How could I bear to take your picture? Go to sleep!" Zhou Ziliang said and then extinguished the candle. It was the first time Tang Feng had slept so close to Zhou Ziliang in the same bed. If they were any closer, they would probably be nose to nose. Tang Feng turned over, trying to avoid facing Zhou Ziliang. Actually, he wasn't sleepy at all, but it was so quiet outside that he drifted off to sleep without even realizing what he was thinking about.

In his dream, he witnessed the imperial bestowal ceremony at the palace that day. However, after receiving his reward, he couldn't find the little palace maid, nor did he wait for Zhang Mobai at Xuanhe Gate. Instead, he walked deeper into the palace. Tang Feng wondered where he was going when he saw a familiar longsword. It was the same red walls and black tiles, the tightly closed doors. Tang Feng repeatedly warned himself not to go any further; he knew what would happen next. But his body seemed to be outside his control, and he kept walking forward until he reached the door. Through the crack, Tang Feng saw a woman in white and a man in foreign clothing talking. Just as Tang Feng was about to listen closely, the sword flew out from the crack again, and Tang Feng fell backward, landing on the ground.

Startled awake, Tang Feng sat up, clutching the blanket. Zhou Ziliang, a light sleeper, also woke up. Through the moonlight, he could see Tang Feng's pale face, his lips even a little white, and his forehead covered in cold sweat. Zhou Ziliang sat up and asked softly, "Xiao Feng? Xiao Feng, did you have a nightmare?" Tang Feng, panting heavily, looked at Zhou Ziliang and then nodded. "It's an old problem... I don't know why I often have nightmares."

Zhou Ziliang pulled Tang Feng into his arms, patting his back. "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, I'm here. Do you want some water? I'll pour you some." He then got up, lit the candle, and poured a cup of hot water for Tang Feng. "After you drink this, we'll sleep a little longer. There's still some time before sunrise. I won't blow out the candle. It's my fault; I never knew you were afraid of this."

After drinking the water, Tang Feng lay down and said, "Blow out the candle! Otherwise... I won't sleep well." Zhou Ziliang extinguished the candle again and returned to bed. As soon as he lay down, Tang Feng snuggled into his arms, resting his forehead against Zhou Ziliang's chest. Zhou Ziliang was startled at first, then gently patted Tang Feng's back to help him relax. "Little Feng, go to sleep! I'm always here." Tang Feng finally succumbed to sleepiness and slowly drifted off, though his sleep was somewhat restless. However, Zhou Ziliang didn't fall asleep. Tang Feng's occasional movements told Zhou Ziliang that he wasn't sleeping well. Zhou Ziliang didn't know what Tang Feng was dreaming about, but he felt it was related to the Sixteen Riders of Yanshan. He had heard Tang Feng talk in his sleep when they were together in Daze, but he hadn't paid much attention then, assuming it was because of the fright from the assassination attempt. Now, thinking about it, there was probably some connection.