Chapter 9 He is quite good looking Mo Feigong...
Could it be that the young master also has feelings for this girl named Ji?
In the middle of winter, Manager Liu broke out in a cold sweat. He paused and replied, "...Yes."
Wang Kangan raised the corner of his mouth, leaned against the wall, and said meaningfully: "What do you mean?"
Steward Liu looked up at the young master's face and said hesitantly, "The master looks a little angry."
The corners of Wang Kangan's mouth curled up even more, and his tone was filled with excitement that was hard to conceal: "Interesting."
He stood up straight from the wall and said, "Thanks to General Yan, Shuozhou is safe and sound this year. The New Year is coming soon, please come and have a gathering."
"this……"
Manager Liu hesitated.
"It's just a regular family feast. Invite Du Tongzhi and Miss Du as well." Wang Kang'an patted Manager Liu on the shoulder and strode past him into the courtyard. "Don't worry, my father will agree. Go ahead."
—
Inside the general's mansion.
The long desk in the study faced the door. Yan Heng sat behind the desk with his knees bent, a long knife resting on his folded legs.
The knife was pitch black, curved like a crescent moon in the first quarter of winter, and it emitted a trembling light.
He leaned forward, turning the knife slightly, his upturned brows lowered in concentration, removing some of the sharpness.
Then he picked up the rag beside him and wiped it steadily and slowly.
The servant pushed the door open and hurriedly reported, "General, someone is coming from the imperial court."
Yan Heng wiped it slowly and calmly, turning a deaf ear to it.
"...General?"
The servant was curious and anxious, and asked tentatively.
Yan Heng continued to move, and asked in a normal tone, "Where's Chang Sui?"
"Master Chang was busy in the front hall, so he sent me to fetch the general." The servant was puzzled. He stole a glance at Yan Heng's face, and seeing that he showed no intention of rising, he couldn't help but say, "...the eunuch who announced the decree has already arrived in the front hall."
"He is very diligent."
He also sent a servant to urge him repeatedly.
Yan Heng sneered, threw the cleaning cloth away, and sheathed the knife.
The study is very close to the front hall. Go out, follow the corridor to the left, and pass the courtyard gate.
In the hall, several white-faced, beardless eunuchs were sitting or standing. After drinking two cups of tea, no one showed up.
Chang Sui was about to say some polite words when his master finally arrived.
The old eunuch in the lead, whose surname was Jiang, stood up to greet him, "General Yan."
Yan Heng strode across the threshold, his face radiant. A flicker of surprise flashed in his eyes when he saw the newcomer. He nodded and clasped his hands together, "After all these years, Eunuch Jiang remains as energetic as ever."
Eunuch Jiang shook his head, his eyes full of admiration: "Thank you for your kind words. The general is becoming more and more brave, just as brave as General Yan was in his youth."
After a few pleasantries, Eunuch Jiang said, "General, please accept my order."
Yan Heng lifted his robe, knelt on the ground and bowed his head.
Eunuch Jiang cleared his throat and drew out his decree, "By the providence of Heaven, the Emperor summons Yan Heng, son of Yan Hongshan, Marquis of Dingyuan, since he was ordered to fight against the Shuo people, he has been unparalleled in bravery and has made numerous military achievements. He is a meritorious official to the country. I hereby appoint him the Grand General of Dingxi as a commendation."
"Thank you, Lord."
Yan Heng remained calm, kowtowed solemnly, and accepted the imperial edict.
Eunuch Jiang put away his serious expression, and with a smile on his face, he bowed and said, "Congratulations, General."
Yan Heng did not take any credit for it, "It's all thanks to your Majesty's kindness."
After he finished speaking, he relaxed his tone and asked with concern, "Since you have come from the capital this time, does this mean my father is in good health?"
On the side, Chang Sui led several other eunuchs to rest.
"General, since he is so filial, General Yan will naturally be in good health."
Eunuch Jiang stretched out his hand from his sleeve, and gently patted the back of Yanheng's hand with his plump white hand.
After saying this ambiguous sentence, he followed.
Yan Heng stood there and nodded calmly.
An eunuch glanced at Yan Heng's expression inconspicuously, then lowered his head and walked away.
His eyes fell on the white uppers of his shoes stained with dirty snow, and a trace of disgust flashed through his heart.
-
Yan Heng watched the group of people go to the front hall and guest rooms until the last person disappeared, then he turned back to the study.
The lacquered wooden door closed silently, and Yan Heng's face was as gloomy as water.
With his five fingers spread out, he saw a sealed secret letter in his palm.
You don't have to think to know what's written in it.
If the reward is too great, there will probably be a big disturbance in the court.
Eunuch Jiang was the prince's man, and he was pushed to announce the decree and appease himself at the same time.
The Crown Prince's strategy of waiting in the wings and making secret plans will naturally lead to him suffering losses in public. His Majesty is already wary of him, and this reward that adds fuel to the fire is clearly the work of Prince Teng.
Following his temper in his early years in Beijing, he was made into a fool who loved to show off.
Thinking of this, a hint of amusement appeared on Yan Heng's face.
idiot.
Yan Heng opened the letter and glanced down.
The four characters "Shi An Qin Qi" were written in a vigorous and powerful manner, and it was impossible to tell that they were written by a sick person. The situation and the consolation were as expected. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said with certainty that the northwest was in turmoil and there was no one available in the court, so he would not easily change the commander-in-chief.
But...Yan Heng's eyes fell on the last row.
He frowned now, a frown that he couldn't even fake when being threatened by Eunuch Jiang.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince changed the subject and said something like, "It's just that the military pay has to wait for a while."
Yan Heng's gaze lingered for a moment, and he pinched his brows, feeling really troubled.
His larynx moved up and down and he sighed.
There was a knock on the door. Yan Heng took the secret letter and said in a deep voice, "Come in."
The door was pushed open, and Chang Sui approached with a cup of tea, "Master."
"Is everyone settled?" Yan Heng didn't answer. He walked to the bookshelf, found the tinderbox and lit it.
Chang Sui does not move, "It's settled."
The flames devoured the secret letter, reflecting Yan Heng's unfathomable indifference.
The ashes fell down and landed in the tea.
He turned and opened the window, and the sharp wind of the twelfth lunar month and the thin sunlight under the thick clouds came in.
The clothes were blown by the wind, and the sparrow on the dead branch outside the window tilted its head towards Yan Heng.
Yan Heng withdrew his gaze indifferently and closed the window again in an instant.
"This tea doesn't taste good. Change it."
Changsui shivered from the cold, and before he could adapt, he saw his master closing the window, and his face seemed to be even worse.
He shrank his neck and went out to deal with the tea.
When he returned, the smell of fire in the study had dissipated.
The master's complexion seemed to be better, and he was sitting by the window reading a military book leisurely.
Chang Sui put down the teacup and took out a letter from his sleeve. "The prefecture sent a letter, inviting you to a banquet."
Yan Heng raised his bony hand, and Chang Sui quickly handed it over.
Before he could hand it over, he saw his master turning a page of the book.
Chang Sui was embarrassed for a moment, not knowing whether to receive or hand over, and he paused in the posture of handing over the card.
Yan Heng raised his eyelids and glanced at him, showing little interest. "No."
Changsui felt as if he had been pardoned and turned around to prepare to retreat.
With his thick lashes drooping, Yan Heng calmly pondered the current situation, following the words in the military manual. The drunken and lustful face of Wang Zhizhou flashed before his eyes. The Zhizhou was treacherous, accumulating wealth and forming cliques, and was hypocritical and unworthy.
'But the military pay will have to wait for now.'
......
The scene flashes back to the euphemism of "no money" in the prince's secret letter.
Yan Heng paused and said, "...Wait."
"master?"
Chang Sui turned around and asked.
Yan Heng looked up, his uninterested look gone, and held out his hand: "I've changed my mind. Give me the post."
-
The prefectural government office, banquet hall.
Yan Heng sat down, looked at the female relatives who were talking and laughing, and the Shuozhou officials who were chatting and interacting, then turned to Chang Sui with an expressionless face.
His tone was so grim that I almost laughed out of anger: "It's not a formal banquet, why didn't you say so earlier?"
"You haven't..."
Chang Sui was very cautious, but when he saw Yan Heng's unfriendly gaze, he immediately changed his words: "...I acknowledge my guilt."
He neglected his duties and even talked back, but Yan Heng was not bothered by it: "Get lost."
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone coming towards me, wanting to chat.
Even if the general himself felt that the Shuozhou officialdom was corrupt and did not want to get involved in it, he might as well try to catch a few fish in the muddy waters.
Having had a talent for making friends since childhood, he was actually very adaptable to this kind of occasion.
Yan Heng turned his head and met the visitor's gaze.
He called out the man's surname and official title without hesitation: "Du Tongzhi."
Du Ning was surprised for a moment, then he raised his hands and toasted: "General."
Then he said, "I didn't congratulate the general on his triumphant return that day. I'm really ashamed."
"I left early, Master Du, don't mind."
Yan Heng raised the wine cup, brought it to his mouth, took a sip, and gestured to Du Ning.
"It shows that the general has a photographic memory."
A handsome man in an indigo brocade robe approached and complimented.
Wang Kang'an, the son of the prefect, was a man of splendid appearance but rotten inside. He behaved in a dissolute manner, even worse than his father.
Yan Heng was thinking about the evaluation of this person in the secret record of the Shuozhou children submitted by his subordinates.
When you see the expressions of his fans, you might as well pretend not to know them.
Yan Heng raised his eyelids and asked, "Who is this?"
Du Ning hurriedly introduced, "This is Lord Wang's legitimate son, named Kang An."
"Prince Wang."
He raised his wine cup slightly in response.
Seeing that Yan Heng was not very enthusiastic, Wang Kangan was about to speak when he saw his father Wang Yuan coming over here with a large group of people behind him.
"General." Wang Yuan bowed to Yan Heng, smiling with concern, and said, "General, why are you here alone for a family dinner? You don't even have anyone to serve you."
"Lord Wang doesn't know." Yan Heng looked relaxed and said jokingly, "We haven't gotten married yet, so naturally there's no one around."
The gossip about family matters was no longer intimidating.
Wang Yuan couldn't help but chat with him for a while: "At your age, it's time for you to get married."
"If the country is not at peace, how can we settle down at home?"
Yan Heng spoke leisurely, not caring at all about the matter.
General Yan was twenty-three years old, and the number of people urging him to get married was at least eighty, if not a hundred. He had long ago figured out a way to deal with the situation—explore people's weaknesses.
Those who have a playboy in the family say that they will have many children, while those who have been married for a long time but have no children say that marriage has no effect on having children... Those who say this will turn pale, and those with a bad temper will just walk away in anger.
This trick is not very decent, but it works every time.
Yan Heng then considered it for a moment and said tactfully, "Your Excellency is about the same age as me, and he hasn't married yet, has he?"
As expected, Wang Yuan waved his hand unhappily, "He has no achievements, he's a commoner, let's not talk about him." Then he quickly changed the subject and pretended to congratulate him, "The general has been honored by His Majesty, and I haven't congratulated you yet."
After saying this, even Wang Kangan himself felt ashamed.
Yan Heng patted Wang Kang'an on the shoulder twice to show his comfort, and then said politely: "I am grateful for your majesty's favor. The victory was not my own achievement."
Wang Kangan felt that this man, who had reached this position at such a young age, was indeed very sharp-minded. He then heard Yan Heng change the subject and look deeply at his father: "Speaking of this, Lord Wang, although the court has given us honors and favors, they are all empty titles."
"Marching and fighting costs a lot. I wonder if the state's granaries are well stocked this year?"
He's asking for money openly.
Wang Yuan's smile was almost gone. He was obviously silent for a moment, then he tried hard to maintain the smile on his face again and said casually: "It's a family dinner. Today is a family dinner. We won't talk about state affairs."
"Some other day, some other day."
He took advantage of the empty wine cup and spoke smoothly while turning his head.
Yan Heng was short of money and was determined to make him bleed. He asked directly, "When?"
Even Du Ning couldn't bear to watch it anymore and advised: "General, this matter is serious, we still need to be careful..."
Yan Heng ignored it.
A steward jumped out to help the prefect escape: "Master, someone is looking for you outside."
Wang Yuan winked at Du Ning, then turned around and continued to flatter Yan Heng with an apologetic look on his face: "General, what do you think?"
It's hard for ordinary people to say anything when they make such blatant excuses.
But Yan Heng is no ordinary person. To sit in this position, he needs extraordinary wisdom and courage, and he also needs to be thick-skinned.
He remained unmoved, his expression unchanged: "Since Lord Wang has something to do and tomorrow is a day off, then let's do it the day after tomorrow."
Polite but final: "Thank you, Lord Wang, for taking the time."
Wang Yuan was suppressed, and his expression could hardly be maintained. "No, no, no, since the general has spoken, I will naturally follow his orders."
He bowed to Yan Heng, forced a smile, turned around and left with Wang Kangan.
Du Ning was speechless after witnessing everything. This young man was very experienced. He found loopholes in other people's words at every opportunity, but his own words were flawless.
He was feeling ashamed when he heard a voice beside him: "Master Du." Du Ning was so shocked that he almost jumped out of his wits.
Frankly speaking, General Yan's voice was just like that of an ordinary man, but to the ears of the local governor, it sounded like a ferocious tiger snatching food.
"this……"
Du Ning met Yan Heng's gaze, pondered over and over again, and said helplessly: "...Alas."
He spoke frankly: "General, please don't blame me for being vague and evasive. It's true that our Shuozhou is desolate and it's hard to feed the people."
Yan Heng said nothing, but looked around. The hall was full of carved beams and painted buildings, and famous paintings and historical relics were everywhere, and brocade paving could be seen everywhere.
He said in an indistinct tone, "Really?"
Du Ning knew everything clearly but remained silent.
"The border is unstable."
Yan Heng sighed again and looked at Du Ning meaningfully.
Du Ning was in a heavy mood. He had no choice but to bow to Yan Heng and return to his seat with the cup.
…
"Brother, is that General Yan?"
A beautiful woman beside him held her chin and looked in the direction where Du Tongzhi was coming back. It was his sister Du Ruo.
Du Ruo ignored her brother's worried face and said casually, "He's quite good-looking."
Du Ning knew his little sister's love for handsome men and her impulsive nature, so he whispered to her, "Don't fall in love with everyone you see. It's okay with ordinary men, but this general is not someone who will easily let go."
"What are you talking about, brother."
Du Ruo was dissatisfied, but when she thought of her lover, her voice lowered again, with a rare hint of girlish shyness: "I still like Prince Wang."
As he spoke, he glanced towards Wang Kangan and happened to meet his gaze.
Du Ruo's eyes lit up, and she raised her glass to Prince Wang happily but reservedly.
Witnessing this, the Tongzhi's wife whispered to Du Tongzhi with a faint smile, "Ruoruo is still a child. Don't be too harsh on her."
"Just let her go..."
Before Du Tongzhi finished speaking, a group of dancers in flowing clothes walked into the hall.
Everyone's eyes focused on him at the same time.
Ji Yunchan walked among them, holding a zither in her arms, and she stood out hazily like the moon covered by clouds.
The dancers stopped, but she walked alone without stopping, like the moon emerging from the clouds, towards Yan Heng.
Their eyes met.
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