Chapter 105: Reunion His world fell silent, leaving only what was before him...
I don’t know which naughty kid shouted “Boss”, but the kids in the paddock started to yell “Boss” a lot.
The people of the Fu Bo Army looked unhappy. You know, the origin of Fu Bo Village has always been criticized. The first thing Shen Changfeng did after accepting the amnesty from the court was to order his subordinates to change their titles. If you want others to recognize your identity, you must first recognize yourself.
Old titles like "Boss" must never appear in the military camp.
Sure enough, after hearing this joking remark, the smiles on the faces of the King of Chu's staff became more meaningful.
Shen Changfeng smiled and said to his left and right: "Go call back a few hunting dogs, don't scare anyone." After a pause, he raised his mouth: "Especially Mo Qi."
Horses roared past, and cheers echoed from the terraces. Shen Changfeng, like the others, raised his wine cup to toast the King of Chu. He had barely taken a sip when he heard someone behind him say, "General Shen, you're a master at riding and shooting. Why don't you show us your skills today?"
The voice seemed familiar. Shen Changfeng raised his eyes and saw the late Prince of Changping looking at him with a half-smile.
The guests present all knew to some degree the grudge between Shen Changfeng and the Prince of Changping. In the past, the Prince of Changping had considered marrying his daughter to Shen Changfeng, but the latter had mercilessly rejected his offer. Now that Shen Changfeng was in dire straits, the Prince of Changping, still fuming, would not easily pass up the opportunity to humiliate him.
As soon as these words were spoken, many people subconsciously looked at Shen Changfeng's right hand with the ring and sheath, and thought of several nicknames at the same time, hiding the smiles at the corners of their mouths with the help of wine cups.
Should I show one hand? Or three fingers? Should I sink the wave of power or sink half a finger?
The King of Chu ordered his attendants to seat the Prince of Changping. He seemed oblivious to the laughter from the audience and said with a smile, "Uncle, you've had a long journey. Please find a seat."
The King of Chu and the Prince of Changping had always had a personal relationship. Everyone greeted the Prince and toasted him one by one. When it was Shen Changfeng's turn, the others tacitly did not stand up, so he was left alone, standing out from the crowd, holding up the wine cup and toasting.
The Prince of Changping and the Prince of Chu were talking to each other for a long time before they reacted. The Prince of Changping looked at Shen Changfeng, raised the corner of his mouth, and asked, "What did General Shen say? I am old and hard of hearing."
Shen Changfeng then walked out from his seat, came to the viewing platform, raised his wine cup high and repeated his toast loudly.
Prince Changping looked at the man kneeling below him with his head bowed, carefully examining his increasingly resolute and upright shoulders. Then his gaze fell on his still handsome features, he clapped his hands and laughed, saying, "Good!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Changfeng drank the wine in his hand. The Prince of Changping said again, "Give me more wine!"
However, no maid came forward to pour wine. Shen Changfeng frowned slowly, and when he saw a pair of soft satin round-toed shoes approaching, his jawline tightened almost imperceptibly.
Prince Changping took the wine cup handed to him by the attendant, leaned forward slightly, and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "Qinxue is right behind, you go..."
Shen Changfeng raised his hands as if to receive the wine and interrupted loudly: "Thank you, Your Highness, for the wine!"
Prince Changping paused, the anger that had just subsided in his heart flaring up again. What on earth was wrong with his daughter? Her family background, looks, talent, and personality were all exceptional, but what about Shen Changfeng? He had always been indifferent, even when he had begged her several times with a stern face, he still wouldn't give him the slightest bit of face. Now, he just wanted him to go see his daughter, to comfort her, but what about him? He was clearly trying to avoid her!
If there were no outsiders present, the Prince of Changping simply wanted to knock Shen Changfeng unconscious, tie him up and take him home, and then lock him up in a secret room without sunlight, leaving him to cry out to the heavens and the earth for help but no one would answer!
The Prince of Changping finally saw through this man's true colors. He had clearly said he wanted to marry Su Qinxue when they were little! He was already five years old at that time. Didn't he know what it meant to be a gentleman's word? Back then, he was so well-behaved and obedient, saying yes to everything asked. At the banquet, he would ask everyone he met, "Do you want to come to my house to play? My house is big and fun!"
The adults were all drunk and didn't recognize the child for a moment. They burst into laughter and found it even more amusing to see him trying to hold back his tears until his nose turned red and clenching his fists to pretend to be calm. They laughed even harder. Finally, Su Qinxue asked him, "Where is your home?"
Little Shen Changfeng smiled and said, "In the Dingbei Palace! Will you come home with me?"
Shen Zhongda was drunk and had been sent back long ago. Everyone then realized that he had been left behind and teased him, "You married the county lady, so naturally you two will go home together."
Prince Changping remembered the "good" he had said then, and looking at his current appearance, he truly felt that this man's despicable nature had been instilled in him since childhood: treacherous! Unfaithful! Shameless!
If he had married his daughter earlier, there wouldn't have been so many troubles later on!
It's not that her daughter is bad, it's what's so good about Shen Changfeng! Those ordinary people outside must be just like her and her daughter, deceived by his appearance and fooled by his sweet words, which is why they are blinded and love and respect him!
The Prince of Changping, filled with hatred and anger, suddenly sneered twice and slammed the cold wine into his face. Shen Changfeng knelt upright on the ground and suddenly closed his eyes. The wine flowed into his eyes, causing a sharp pain. The remaining wine flowed down his nose and mouth, quickly soaking most of his clothes.
The guards of the Fu Bo Army changed their expressions and clenched their fists.
Shen Changfeng grinned, bowed, and said loudly: "I thank His Royal Highness Prince Changping for the wine! Good wine!"
Someone, under the influence of alcohol, urged: "At such a joyous occasion, with wine already drunk and the excitement already in full swing, how could we miss the general drawing his bow and arrow to add to the excitement?"
The crowd erupted in laughter, and the King of Chu, who sat at the head of the table, chimed in, "We're just entertaining each other, there's no need to worry about winning or losing. Since everyone wants to see it, just consider it a fun way to entertain the party."
Come and add some fun by making a fool of yourself to liven up the atmosphere for everyone.
The King of Chu had spoken, and Shen Changfeng had no choice but to refuse.
Soon, a servant came over with a bow and arrow.
Shen Changfeng glanced at the black bow that was obviously carefully prepared for him, nodded, and said thoughtfully: "In that case, I will present my humble opinion."
He took the black bow, stood in front of the spring rope, picked up the arrow and drew the bow, and shot out three white-feathered arrows, hitting the target right in the process.
The stance and posture were very standard, and the distance was not very far, about eighty steps, but he used his left hand. This strong bow had been gathering dust in the warehouse for more than ten years, and normally it took more than ten people to open it.
The platform suddenly became quiet.
The Prince of Changping's expression changed, and he was about to stand up when a look from the King of Chu calmed him down. Zhang Yixin, an aide to the side, looked at him with a hint of blame, but he couldn't speak. This was because the King of Chu had wanted to involve Shen Changfeng, but he knew he was a tough nut to crack, so he didn't act rashly.
Some people say that Shen Changfeng is calm, resolute, and strong, while others say that he is cruel, cunning, and experienced. But no matter what others say about him, he has never complained or made a single excuse. However, even so, it does not prevent his reputation among the people from growing.
The King of Chu knew that if he wanted to succeed, he should not humiliate Shen Changfeng too much at this juncture, so as not to give him something to talk about. This was his hint to the Prince of Changping to stop.
The movements of several disciples outside the spring rope who were drawing their bows froze. Shen Changfeng bowed to his left and right, his expression indifferent, and chuckled softly, "Thank you, thank you."
Two young generals passing by the pavilion shouted, "Well done, General!"
The other man thought his companion was truly worldly-wise and said in a very arrogant tone, "That's nothing. The general used to be able to shoot with both hands. That was truly impressive."
After these words were spoken, neither of them responded immediately.
The man who had spoken first patted his companion's shoulder and said in a much lower voice, "Let's go. We have more important things to do."
Lin Meizhu walked out from behind the pavilion's pillars. She hadn't expected Shen Changfeng to be so unfazed by the humiliation he endured. In the past, he would have been furious and murdered before the wine was poured on him.
Those rebellious, unruly, and unruly arrogance seemed to be suppressed by a greater force, drawn deep into his brows and condensed into a restrained aura. All the visible and invisible edges and corners in his body had been filed off and crushed through the hardships, and then polished thousands of times, becoming rounded and smooth, silent and restrained.
Lin Meizhu withdrew her gaze and slowly stepped onto the path. As she turned the corner, she caught a glimpse of Shen Changfeng leading the group out of the enclosure. After a moment's silence, she looked back at one of his followers—their attire was identical to the others beside them, but Lin Meizhu recognized them immediately; they were women.
The woman with melon-seed-faced hair moved her lips, as if she were saying something. Shen Changfeng heard it, turned slightly, and looked at her.
Lin Meizhu recognized her as Lin Yue'e, who had spent ten days or so in the medical tent. She seemed to have been following him all along.
Lin Meiju was silent for a moment and slowly let out a breath. This was fine. Since she was wrong, she would just keep making the same mistake.
Shen Changfeng didn't quite catch what Lin Yue'e said behind the team. Seeing her anxiously motioning him to look at the nearby pavilion, he looked up. The pavilion was empty except for a mad dog. Mo Qi appeared from nowhere, crouching beside the pavilion's pillars and barking like a madman. In a few moments, it sprinted over to Shen Changfeng, spitting out a small object, grinning and wagging its tail, waiting for his praise.
It turned out to be a small ball of fur covered with saliva. Shen Changfeng thought it had found a treasure.
Watching Shen Changfeng put the little ball of fur into his saddlebag and then climb onto his horse, Mo Qi was dumbfounded. He barked rapidly, retreating towards the pavilion, and kept turning his head to ask Shen Changfeng to follow him, almost speaking in human language.
Shen Changfeng's mind was not here. He glanced at the attendants behind the King of Chu who clearly exceeded the regulations for vassal kings, and felt worried.
Listening to the continuous whining, he obviously misunderstood its meaning and said, "Okay, I'll go back and play with you."
Qingsong and the others finished their great deeds and quickly caught up with the team. Lin Yue'e immediately grabbed one of them by the sleeve and asked in a low voice: "Did you see anyone familiar just now?"
Several people shook their heads. Lin Yue'e was not sure if she had seen it wrong, so she had to quickly follow them.
The army set out quickly. After a few days of travel, Shen Changfeng finally arrived in Nanyang and met Qin Yan.
Qin Yan was the prefect of Nanyang Prefecture. He had received an imperial edict earlier and learned that the Fu Bo Army was coming. He forced himself to requisition official residences for them, recruit civilians, and prepare files on banditry in various states and counties. He originally wanted to hold a welcoming banquet for Shen Changfeng, but his body could no longer support it. When he saw Shen Changfeng coming to the gate of the government office, he was so excited that he fainted.
After Qin Yan woke up from being pinched on his Ren Zhong, he calmly discussed the matter of suppressing the bandits with Shen Changfeng and others.
Shen Changfeng flipped through the files and said, "Repeated wars have cost the people money and resources, and the harvests have been poor over the past two years. Many people have been forced into banditry, or instigated by bandit leaders who previously escaped. This has led to a resurgence of banditry. In my opinion, we should not act hastily. We must investigate the ringleaders before we can discuss sending troops. Lord Qin, what are your thoughts?"
Qin Yan glanced at Shen Changfeng and saw him tap the table twice with his fingertips.
Qin Yan understood and said, "In this case, we can submit a petition to the court together to let the leaders know that the court has no intention of killing them. If they want to surrender, they can withdraw the defending troops, disarm and recuperate, and wait for an opportunity to attack."
The Nanyang prefecture wasn't an easy position. Long before Qin Yan, the previous prefects had either drowned or died suddenly of acute illness—in short, none had a good ending. Soon after Qin Yan took office, the King of Chu sent envoys bearing generous gifts to greet him. Qin Yan, unwilling to get involved in the murky waters of accepting bribes, politely declined the King's offer. He knew that his tactlessness and continued survival were due to his father-in-law being the Prince of Changping. However, there were some matters he found it difficult to intervene in.
The imperial edict issued to Shen Changfeng didn't include any military deployment; it simply aimed to deter the enemy. Shen Changfeng brought only a small force of six hundred guards. He had previously suspected collusion between officials and bandits, and this was clearly an attempt to spread false information through the mouths of certain individuals, so as to lure people into complacency and facilitate subsequent investigations.
After the irrelevant people left, the two brothers started talking about private matters.
Poor Qin Yan, barely thirty, already had white hair on his temples. He looked calm, but just like when he said goodbye to Shen Changfeng in the capital, he was drunk again, and after getting drunk, he couldn't stop crying.
Shen Changfeng was good at solving problems, but not at comforting others. He pretended to be a little drunk, not noticing Qin Yan's embarrassment, and said, "There are many brothers in the Fubo Army who are good at finding people. I brought them all here..."
Qin Yan shook his head and said, "No need." He unfolded a wrinkled letter soaked by water. "She admitted it."
Shen Changfeng had some suspicions when he arrived, and now they had become reality. Xiao Man'er's disappearance was related to Su Qinxue.
Shen Changfeng hadn't read the letter, but from Qin Yan's disjointed words, he guessed the child had been adopted. He didn't know by whom, when, or where the child was now. The only thing he knew for sure was that the child was not in danger of death.
At the end of his speech, Qin Yan covered his face and cried bitterly. He was so angry that he fainted again.
By the time the back hall of the government office returned to calm, it was already midnight.
Outside the camp, a figure looked quietly at the moonlight and sighed softly.
A dark figure was about to turn into the military tent when he paused, took out the bamboo cane from his mouth, and slapped the Moon Watcher on the head, saying, "What's wrong with you, kid? Is it because Qingsong is bullying you again while I'm away?"
Suo Zhu looked up and said helplessly, "You are only a few months older than me."
Jiang Jin laughed: "That's your brother too."
Suo Zhu smelled the aroma of food and wine on him and said enviously, "I want to go home too."
Jiang Jin raised his eyebrows, Suozhu sat down cross-legged, and said with his chin in his hand: "My family is not originally from Henan, but my family came here to make a living two years ago."
Jiang Jin also sat down and gave him some advice, "Or you can ask the general for leave and return home to worship your ancestors..."
Suozhu glanced at him and said, "Have you forgotten? My brother Tiezhu is lame, but he is not dead."
Jiang Jin exclaimed, "Ah!" "That's such a pity..."
Suozhu nodded.
Jiang Jin was silent for a moment, then said, "I mean, it's a pity that you can't go home."
Suozhu nodded again, "Yes, what else?" He sighed and continued, "Master Lin said I wasn't cut out for studying, and Yue Niang laughed at me for being a donkey-headed. My brother told me not to believe him, saying that I was the only one in the family who had studied in the camp and was the smartest one. He also said that my sister-in-law had given birth to a baby and asked me to name it..."
Jiang Jin thought to himself that this witch had a really vicious tongue. No wonder no one in the camp dared to provoke her. He wondered who could conquer her with such a sharp tongue. He was about to cry after hearing her talk. Jiang Jin was about to say a few words of comfort when he heard a light cough behind him. It seemed to be Chen Yue's voice.
The two men turned together, saw the person standing in the darkness, stood up straight, and shouted in unison: "General!"
Shen Changfeng's face was sullen, and his scrutinizing eyes fell on Jiang Jin. He scolded: "You forgot the military rule of not making noise at night. Your bones are loose after being out for a day, right?"
Jiang Jin hesitated and didn't dare to reply. Shen Changfeng looked at the lock pillar again, lowering his brows and said, "You are on duty at the hour of Yin, but you don't go to the guard room to rest and wait. You are slacking off on your duties. If you miss your post, how many heads will you lose?!"
Both men could see that Shen Changfeng was angry, and they lowered their heads, waiting for his punishment. Then they heard the leader say, "Jiang Jin, go and train for an hour, and then return to the barracks after you've drunk the alcohol! Suo Zhu, go to the training ground and receive the fifteenth military stick!"
The two of them responded in unison and walked towards the training ground. After a few steps, they found that Shen Changfeng was still following them, and they couldn't help but swallow lightly.
Seeing Shen Changfeng was there, the supervising officer in the training ground did not dare to show favoritism and beat Suo Zhu until he cried out.
Halfway through the execution of the military law, Shen Changfeng left with one sentence, "Don't stay in the camp for the next two days and get paid for nothing. Go home and recuperate."
Suozhu's eyes lit up instantly. He raised his head like a gecko, and howled with tears in his eyes: "General——!"
Shen Changfeng paused, and Chen Yue made a gesture to Suo Zhu to keep quiet. Suo Zhu quickly covered his mouth. The two looked at each other, smiled knowingly, and then watched the ruthless man walk away.
Suozhu was so happy that he forgot the pain. He lay on the bed and imagined the scene of returning home at dawn. He said, "The general will go on a mountain patrol in a few days. He will pass by my house on his way back. What do you think, would he be willing to have dinner with us? My brother hasn't seen the general in almost three years. If the general can come, my brother will be very happy!"
Qingsong applied medicine to him, thought for a moment, and offered him a suggestion: "When the general passes by, stop him in the middle of the road and tell him you have a banquet at the restaurant and invite him to come over for a chat."
Suozhu blushed and said, "My family doesn't have money to prepare a feast."
Qingsong smiled: "The general will definitely tell you to get out after hearing this. Then you can call your brother out. Your brother will ask the general to come home for some tea before leaving. When the general sees your brother, he will definitely dismount and refuse. Then you can call your elderly mother, your lame brother, your enthusiastic sister-in-law, and your brother who likes to watch the fun and not mind getting involved, to block his way from the east, south, west, and north..."
Suo Zhu was stunned when he heard this and asked, "I don't have a brother, can a sister do it?"
Qingsong sighed and said, "Okay, okay."
Suozhu asked again: "Where did you learn such a wild trick? Will it work?" Why does it sound like a scoundrel trying to blackmail someone?
The pine trees are proud of themselves, this is called learning by observation and hearing, and surpassing their teachers.
"Is it really possible?"
“Yes!”
"That's great, Eleventh Lady, you are really capable!"
In the small courtyard, Lin Meizhu stepped on a long ladder, hung a banner with auspicious words on it, and asked the people below, "Is it straightened?"
The long-faced woman holding the ladder nodded and said, "So neat! So sharp! Thanks so much to you. Hey, my husband and brother-in-law are out hunting, so we're staying out here, and I'm not feeling well. I really appreciate you being here!"
There was a little girl nearby catching ants. Upon hearing this, she looked up, smiled slyly, and said, "They went hunting yesterday, and today they're going to catch people..."
The woman laughed dryly twice, interrupted the little girl, and said to Lin Meizhu: "Don't listen to Chunya's nonsense, they are just out hunting. They hide during the day and come out at night. You haven't seen them before. You will see them later. They have been to Jiangling before..."
As they were talking, they suddenly heard a few dogs barking outside, and the streets became noisy for some reason.
An old lady, leaning on a crutch, hurried towards the gate, walking very fast, saying, "Hurry up! Liu Niang! Chunya! They're here!"
Liu Niang subconsciously looked into the room, her face showing a hint of anxiety and nervousness. Lin Meiwang then realized that there must be a visitor, so she said, "I'll look after the baby, you go ahead."
Liu Niang hurriedly pulled the two children and helped the old man go.
Lin Meiju walked into the room. The baby in the room had been woken up. Seeing that there was no one around, he pouted and started crying.
Lin Meiju picked him up and coaxed him gently.
Soon, a commotion reached the courtyard, and many people entered the main hall. Chunya came running over and said, "My grandmother asked me to take Shuan'er away."
Seeing that a guest had arrived, Lin Meizhu thought it would be inconvenient to bother them any further and decided to leave, so she carried the baby out of the room.
Suozhu was busy washing vegetables and cooking in the kitchen when he saw a young woman coming out of the room holding a baby. He asked Liuniang, "Why did Second Sister come back?" As he spoke, he wiped his hands on his waist and walked quickly towards her. When he saw the woman's face clearly, he froze in place.
Tiezhu, who had just slaughtered a chicken, saw his brother standing stupidly in the yard. He frowned, followed his brother's gaze, and was also stunned.
In the main hall, the old lady was talking in a rambling manner. Her words lacked any logic and she could break down one thing into pieces and tell the details and conversations many times. Shen Changfeng listened attentively and did not notice anything unusual in the courtyard.
Tiezhu was injured before the imperial edict of amnesty was issued and he was not formally recruited. It was Shen Changfeng who insisted on submitting a petition to seek special care for brothers like Tiezhu who had similar experiences. The imperial court was very annoyed and finally made an exception and included Tiezhu and others in the local volunteer army. Their lives gradually improved.
Not long after, Tiezhu also received his pension. While the amount wasn't substantial, it was enough to cover the immediate financial needs of Tiezhu's family of five. On the tenth day of every month, Tiezhu and his brothers would go to the county government office to collect their allowance. Last winter, the snow fell heavily, and the pension didn't arrive as promised. As usual, Tiezhu squatted at the county government gate, waiting for someone to come. After waiting for a long time, no one showed up. He knocked on the door and learned that the imperial court's grant of relief didn't even include a pension.
They tied up the clerk who was late and pretended to be a court official and tortured him. Only then did they find out that Shen Changfeng had paid for the pension out of his own pocket and withdrew silver from his salary. He had sent someone to deliver the silver once a month for the past three years. He was late that time because the road was blocked by heavy snow.
When the old lady finished talking, Shen Changfeng asked whether the government had reduced taxes as agreed and by how much, asked about Tiezhu's foot injury, asked about the old lady's health, asked about the harvest in the past two years and whether it was affected by the drought, asked about Chunya's schooling, and asked if the children were well-behaved.
The old lady was thinking of his kindness, and she couldn't help being moved and bursting into tears as she spoke.
Shen Changfeng paused.
Tiezhu suffered a leg injury in his prime, a devastating blow to the Wei family. Furthermore, they had migrated from Jingzhou to Henan, and must have experienced hardships in their native land before deciding to seek refuge with relatives and friends in a new place. Although Tiezhu had picked up his old skills of hunting and fishing, his skills were undoubtedly far inferior to his former self. With so many people in his family, he often had to work as a helper and find other jobs to supplement the family income, while the two women struggled to raise the children.
Seeing the old woman crying so hard, Shen Changfeng thought she was just thinking about the hardships she had gone through in her life, or maybe someone was bullying them because of Tiezhu's past status. He comforted her gently, "If you have any difficulties, don't hesitate to hide them. Tell me everything and I'll help you."
The courtyard was not big, and the door to the main room was open. His voice was soft and slow, and it carried into the courtyard, and even the noisy cicadas gradually died down.
This statement successfully stopped Lin Meizhu from turning around. After a pause, as if curious about who had said this, she lightly raised her eyelids and cast a scrutinizing gaze back into the room.
Shen Changfeng looked up inadvertently and met a pair of eyes as clear as water.
In an instant, the crying sounds in his ears, the footsteps in the courtyard, the crackling of the charcoal fire in the kitchen, the noisy hawking in the streets... all the sounds receded like a rapidly spinning vortex, and then suddenly converged into a white light, penetrating straight into his pupils.
His world became quiet, with only Lin Meiju remaining in front of him.
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