Jade pendant rings
"This man is in such a sorry state, who will help him!" people exclaimed, covering their mouths and noses.
"Make way!" Jin Tao pushed open the door and entered aggressively. Upon seeing him, the crowd parted to make way for him.
Jin Tao stepped forward and, seeing that the man was still breathing, beckoned to Duan Houqi, who was cowering behind him. Duan Houqi, seeing his brother's command, hurried to the east room to fetch medicine and supplies. Seeing him leave, Jin Tao sighed, "The horse this man was riding is the lost steed of Young Master Jiang." Although everyone had seen it, only Jin Tao remembered it clearly. "I fear this man has an extraordinary relationship with Young Master Jiang. We should stay and observe him for a few days before making further plans."
People were already struggling with scarcity and feeling frustrated. They weren't kind enough to use public grain to feed an unknown person. Jin Tao noticed their concerns and said, "There's no need to use public grain for food. From now on, I'll only eat one meal a day, and give the rest to this person."
Duan Houqi arrived at this moment, his arms laden with medicine jars and gauze, drawing snickers from the crowd. He ignored them, focusing instead on carefully cleaning the man's wounds. Jin Tao looked at him and nodded slightly. Duan Houqi continued talking for a moment, "This man's injuries are severe, with numerous whip marks and lacerations. He must have suffered a lot, and judging by the appearance, the injuries have been there for over ten days. He was tied to a horse when he arrived; it's truly a miracle he survived on horseback without food or water." Upon hearing this, Jin Tao examined the man's face, noticing two colors of blood at the corner of his mouth. He leaned closer for a look and confidently declared, "It's not heaven; there are traces of fruit juice at the corner of his mouth, indicating he ate along the way." At his words, everyone crowded around to look, nodding in agreement.
Jin Tao felt awkward seeing the crowd gathering around him, so he left. He only hoped that Jiang Heng would temporarily abandon fame and fortune and return to deal with this uninvited guest. But he also made up his mind that if Jiang Heng did not come for two months, he would kill him and his horse and distribute the meat to the farmers in the village—they were all refugees who had experienced famine, and they could swallow any kind of meat.
Five days passed in this way, during which only Duan Houqi cared for Jiang Heng, and there was still no news of him. Dissent began to circulate among the villagers; some even secretly spread rumors while Jin Tao slept that Jiang Heng had ascended to a high position, disregarding the lives of the villagers. Others went so far as to spread the story that Jiang Heng had become an immortal and was enjoying a life of luxury alone. Soon, this reached Jin Tao's ears, and he was so enraged that he dragged out the person responsible and punished him by giving him only one meal's worth of grain a day. Only then was the disturbance finally quelled.
Half a day later, someone rushed to the village entrance to report that two riders had arrived. Jin Tao knew that no one but Jiang Heng would come here, so he hurriedly mounted his horse to greet them. From afar, he saw the two men in the dust, their clothes embroidered with dazzling gold, and he felt inexplicably intimidated. As they drew closer, Jiang Heng was the first to bow and say, "Brother Jin, Jiang Heng is late!" Jin Tao was overjoyed and couldn't reply for a moment, so he could only greet them politely. The people, who had been holding axes and shovels on guard, threw down their "weapons" upon hearing that it was Jiang Heng and all came to meet him. The children, unafraid of the tall horses, ran straight to Jiang Heng. Jiang Heng quickly reined in his horse and dismounted to let the children greet him. The children had never seen brocade before and tugged at the hem of Jiang Heng's clothes, playing with them. Jiang Heng held the children close to his side and slowly walked into the village.
Jin Tao hosted a banquet for Jiang Heng and his guards. Jiang Heng jokingly asked Jin Tao where the bells and colorful silks in his room came from. Jin Tao replied with a smile that they were obtained through trade with villages in Ganjiang. Jiang Heng nodded in approval. Just as they were laughing, Jiang Heng suddenly heard the neighing of a horse outside the door. He immediately got up and went to the door, muttering, "It's Jiguang." Only then did Jin Tao remember that he needed to tell Jiang Heng about the wounded soldier. He hurriedly chased after him and saw Jiang Heng gently stroking the horse's mane, the two of them head bowed in silence, seemingly whispering to each other. Jiang Heng noticed the bewildered Jin Tao and cupped his hands in a smile, asking, "Brother Jin, why are you so lost in thought?" Jin Tao snapped out of his reverie and replied, "I was so overjoyed that I forgot about the important matter." With that, he led Jiang Heng to the wooden house, pushed open the door, and pointed to the bed inside.
Jiang Heng bent down and entered the room. He noticed that the face of the person on the bed looked somewhat familiar. Upon closer inspection, he exclaimed in surprise, "This person is Zhao Peiming, the commander of the Sa Ta Cavalry. Why is he wandering around here?"
Jin Tao didn't know what commander-in-chief or governor-general was, only that it must be a title of a powerful figure. He said, "I was sound asleep at night when I heard the incessant neighing of horses. I got up to check and found this man tied to the horse's back, bleeding profusely. Recognizing your precious horse, I took pity on him and decided to treat him."
Jiang Heng looked grateful and shook Jin Tao's hand, saying, "Thank you for your help, Brother Jin."
Jin Tao wondered why Jiang Heng was thanking him and asked, "Why are you thanking him? This man should feel indebted to you." He gestured with his chin to look at the horse. "This horse has suffered a lot following him."
Jiang Heng lowered his eyes and said, "The swift cavalry led by this man are brave and skilled in battle. Without their bloody battles, we would not be living in peace and prosperity today."
Upon hearing this, Jin Tao was filled with respect and said, "Truly a chivalrous man." But when he recalled the rudeness and disdain people had shown him a few days ago, he couldn't help but sigh slightly: "Young master, you may not know this, but even if I reveal my identity as governor now, I'm afraid it will be difficult to win people's hearts."
Jiang Heng understood, and said, "From now on, I will take care of Hou Qi so that they can keep an eye on him. Even if they have grievances, they will never rashly harm him."
Jin Tao nodded, and seeing Jiang Heng sit down and pick up a handkerchief, he wisely withdrew outside the door.
Jiang Heng dampened a handkerchief and wiped the wounds on Zhao Peiming's shoulders and arms clean. The scars were as shocking as lightning in a rainy night. Jiang Heng had never seen scars before; he only felt that they resembled parched, cracked earth.
As she was wiping, Zhao Peiming suddenly grabbed Jiang Heng's wrist and mumbled, "Mother... don't leave."
Jiang Heng was in pain from being gripped so tightly that he could only sit silently by the bed, looking at Zhao Peiming reproachfully.
Suddenly, Zhao Peiming burst into tears: "Mother, I've missed you so much... I've been following Father's orders, fighting all the way..." Jiang Heng, who had been somewhat embarrassed and trying to pull away, couldn't bear to see Zhao Peiming's tears and reluctantly wiped them away, saying, "...My son, you've suffered so much." Zhao Peiming's temples were already wet with tears as he sobbed, "Mother... Quan'er is tired... Quan'er doesn't want to shed the blood of the people anymore." Jiang Heng's heart pounded. Seeing his pitiful state, he gently stroked Zhao Peiming's head. This was the way his mother usually comforted him, and now it was happening again in a different way. Jiang Heng also felt an indescribable bitterness in his heart. He comforted Zhao Peiming, but no one could comfort him. He smiled bitterly.
Suddenly, Zhao Peiming's eyes flashed. He released his hand to touch Jiang Heng's cheek. Jiang Heng, unusually stunned, was jolted back to reality by the touch and grabbed Zhao Peiming's hand in return. He looked closely and saw that the glistening tears on Zhao Peiming's fingertips were his own. Only then did Jiang Heng realize that his own eyes were already wet. He glanced down at Zhao Peiming, thinking that this man's eyes no longer seemed as cloudy as before; he must have woken up. So why was he wiping away his tears? He didn't need his pity. With that thought, Jiang Heng quickly raised his hand to wipe away the remaining tears and continued rinsing his handkerchief.
When Zhao Peiming saw Jiang Heng shedding tears, he thought that the man was being overly sentimental and feeling sorry for him, so he said, "Young master, don't be sad. Pain is a common occurrence for soldiers."
Jiang Heng didn't turn around, and said calmly, "I'm not worried about your injuries."
"Then why are you crying?" Zhao Peiming genuinely cared about him.
Jiang Heng wanted to say that he also wanted someone to confide in, but he was afraid—afraid that his heartfelt recounting of the past would be used against him. So he remained silent. Zhao Peiming, having regained much of her energy, opened her eyes and looked at Jiang Heng. Those starry eyes were truly bright; out of the corner of her eye, they seemed like shards of light reflecting off some kind of ornament.
“…I apologize for what happened earlier.” Zhao Peiming finally spoke after a long pause. He knew that Jiang Heng had a reason for remaining silent, so he naturally didn’t press further and left room for maneuver.
Jiang Heng shook his head slightly.
"Young Master's BMW has been returned. It has worked very hard for me. If it suffers any injury or illness, please just ask, and I, Zhao, will certainly compensate you with silver," Zhao Peiming said solemnly.
Jiang Heng nodded slightly.
“The young master is taciturn.” Zhao Peiming continued to observe Jiang Heng’s expression. The latter’s lips curled up, and the former smiled with satisfaction.
Although Jiang Heng felt that the other party was deliberately teasing him, he was still somewhat happy.
“Governor, there’s no need to address me as ‘Young Master,’ just call me Jiang Heng,” Jiang Heng said, enduring Zhao Peiming’s urging-for-something look.
"Do you have any writing? Call him over so we can get closer," Zhao Peiming pressed. But he regretted asking immediately. He knew Jiang Heng had lost his father; he hadn't meant to reopen old wounds.
Jiang Heng shook his head and said, "I'm afraid I won't have one in this lifetime." The last elder who could give him a courtesy name had also passed away. Fearing Zhao Peiming would press further, Jiang Heng changed the subject, "Does the Governor have one?"
Zhao Peiming replied, "Yu Quan."
Jiang Heng thought to himself, no wonder he called himself Quan'er in his delirium, it did sound so affectionate.
"I remember the disheartened scholar Jiang Heng on the tower that day, but I didn't know that Jiang Heng could also go down to the fields to cultivate the land and cure people's illnesses," Zhao Peiming said slowly.
"I remember that day when the general was defeated on the tower, but I never knew that he could be defeated again and come to my humble abode," Jiang Hengyi said slowly.
“We are both wanderers in this world,” Zhao Peiming closed his eyes. “My father’s orders are as firm as a mountain.”
Jiang Heng's heart skipped a beat. This was true; Zhao Peiming had definitely investigated his background thoroughly. As for Zhao Peiming himself, their conversation at the birthday banquet revealed his quick wit and refined manners—a true scholar-gentleman with the bearing of a Confucian general. Now, he was likely forced onto the bloody path of martial prowess.
"I hope that one day, we can all fight for ourselves." Jiang Heng was re-bandaging Zhao Peiming's hand when Zhao Peiming pinched his little finger. Jiang Heng had never been pinched like that before, and the pain left a deep impression on him.
After cleaning Zhao Peiming up, Jiang Heng got up to leave. Before leaving, Jiang Heng glanced back; Zhao Peiming was already fast asleep, his youthful vigor greatly diminished, making him seem more like a teenager than before. Jiang Heng gently pushed the door, but unfortunately, the door was too flimsy and still made a loud noise. Zhao Peiming slightly opened his eyes; Jiang Heng's long hair was loosely tied at his waist, the hairband intertwined with his belt, a sight that made his heart tremble. He simply closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Everyone had been standing quietly outside the door. Jiang Heng felt somewhat offended, but maintained his composure and said, "You needn't bother guarding the door; I do know some self-defense techniques." He then bowed to everyone. The people were already feeling guilty, and Jiang Heng's bow made them even more ashamed. Some secretly dispersed, while others chatted with Jiang Heng about other interesting things.
At this moment, Jin Tao hurriedly came forward, snatched Jiang Heng away, pulled him aside and whispered, "Brother Jiang, this man is a defeated fugitive; we may not be able to keep him here for long."
"What do you mean?" Jiang Hengyi asked in a low voice.
“This man…this man is a prisoner of war from Shajie. Shajie has sent many people to search for him. A few days ago, the villagers went out and found that Shajie’s troops had already found Hengdao Mountain. Further west, past Honglan, is Banrihua.” Jin Tao said regretfully.
Jiang Heng frowned. He had thought that he had only been separated from his soldiers during the war and rescued by Ji Guang, but he hadn't expected that he had been captured alive before that. "Don't panic. They probably don't know about Honglan Road, so it will be a little slower than expected. We should have at least three days to prepare."
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