temple fair
Following the chief eunuch's shout of "Kneel!", all the ministers kowtowed in unison.
Di Shaoze shifted his gaze away from Lin Huai'en, and in an instant, his expression became quite dignified. His phoenix eyes swept over the ranks of military officers, some familiar, some unfamiliar, and a light of unknown meaning flashed in them.
Just like the process of a military parade, Emperor Shaoze singled out the newly promoted military officers and rewarded them with land and money one by one according to their military achievements.
Because the treasury was well-stocked, the soldiers were generously rewarded. Especially Xue Dingchu, who had made outstanding military achievements, received countless lands, manors, and bounties, and was even offered a marriage by Emperor Shaoze himself.
Xue Dingchu refused and said, "I already have someone I like."
Emperor Shaoze said, "It's alright. I can give you a beauty. It might be a marriage."
Emperor Shaoze changed his tone and instead of granting the marriage, he gave the beauty.
Xue Dingchu refused, saying, "I am a coarse-minded person and unworthy of a beautiful woman."
Di Shaoze said: "Since ancient times, heroes have been paired with beauties. The rougher the person, the more delicate and beautiful he is."
Xue Dingchu couldn't match Di Shaoze's eloquence, and after being refuted a few times, he really became tongue-tied. Lin Huai'en thought about it and decided to come out to support his childhood sweetheart, "Your Majesty, since Lord Xue already has a sweetheart, no matter how beautiful the other person is, they won't catch his eye. Since Your Majesty is rewarding Lord Xue, wouldn't it be better to give him what he needs?"
Lin Huai'en rarely confronts Di Shaoze.
In the eyes of the ministers, the two of them were always united, rarely disagreeing or arguing. Today, a hint of tension suddenly arose because of Xue Dingchu, and the ministers' spirits suddenly rose. Without blinking, they circled around the two men.
Di Shaoze lowered his eyes and thought silently for a moment. Then he raised his eyes to meet Lin Huai'en, his thin lips curled up, a trace of doting overflowing, "Indeed. I also think that in the eyes of the beholder, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Once a man has his own 'Xi Shi' in his eyes, he doesn't need other beauties."
When saying this, Di Shaoze still stared at Lin Huai'en steadily, clearly saying that the 'Xi Shi' in his eyes was Lin Huai'en.
Lin Huai'en's eyes trembled. He originally wanted to have a good argument with Di Shaoze, but he didn't expect to be teased by him in public.
Lin Huai'en asked: "In that case, Your Majesty..."
Emperor Shaoze smiled and said, "It's all as you wish, my dear."
Lin Huai'en was like a slightly angry cat. He rarely stretched out his aggressive little claws towards Di Shaoze, but was immediately grabbed and pinched by him, and his sensitive claws were licked teasingly, so he shivered and retracted his little claws.
Lin Huai'en turned his face away, his ears slightly red, and shrank back into the team obediently.
After the court session.
Lin Huai'en did not return home immediately, but first went to visit the general's mansion that he had just been awarded. Mrs. Lin heard the news from the coachman and asked the servants to bring the household items and load them up one by one in the carriage.
The new official residence Xue Dingchu was awarded was located in a wealthy area, surrounded by families of similar rank, and transportation was extremely convenient. The moment Mrs. Lin saw the new residence, her eyes lit up. She wandered around the pavilions and towers, the closer she looked, the more she felt its grandeur and imposingness.
But Lin Huai'en felt that this place was not good.
It is said that "He who keeps company with vermilion becomes red, and he who keeps company with ink becomes black."
Although this place was prosperous and thriving, its neighbors and atmosphere were not good. It was surrounded by the notoriously extravagant and dissolute sons of the royal family. These sons were skilled at hooking up with bad friends, and Xue Dingchu was a dull person who was not good at saying no. Being surrounded by these people, even if he was not dragged in by them, he would probably get into trouble.
This is the second time today. Lin Huai'en is not satisfied with His Majesty's reward.
Mrs. Lin quickly took charge of the cleaning and replacement of the general's mansion. She was so busy that she urged Lin Huai'en to get out quickly and not get in the way.
Lin Huai'en and Xue Dingchu, now displaced, wandered the streets and discovered a temple fair being held at a nearby mountain temple. In their previous lives in the village, they rarely witnessed such grand events, only seeing opera troupes during festivals.
But the temple fairs in the capital city have almost everything: opera stages, diabolos, revolving lanterns...
Everything you need for eating, drinking, and having fun is available.
Lin Huai'en was hungry, so he took Xue Dingchu for a walk and ate while he was eating, and bought some fresh food that he had never seen before.
Since Xue Dingchu had already seen him at his most foolish and crazy, Lin Huai'en didn't plan to pretend to be reserved anymore. He simply gave up and ate as much as he did when he was a child. He only started chewing hard when his mouth was so full that he couldn't eat any more.
The already round face now looked like a big steamed bun, and it moved due to chewing, which made Xue Dingchu smile - the corners of his mouth, which rarely lifted, could not help but curl up.
If Xue Dingchu's subordinates in the military camp were present, they would definitely shake their heads and sigh that their general had finally made it big.
"Wyan, you're a little bit stained here."
Seeing a little juice stain on the corner of Lin Huai'en's mouth, Xue Dingchu raised his palm and was about to wipe it away...
boom--
Not far away, a crack appeared on a tall, wide wooden frame and it began to fall. It wasn't moving very fast, but it looked like it was about to crash into something. The crowd erupted in a commotion, jostling and shoving to escape. The delicate young lady in a blue shirt was trapped by the wall of people, unable to escape, and her legs gave way to her.
When Xue Dingchu saw it, he rushed over quickly, stepped on the wooden railing to gain leverage, jumped for a distance, and kicked the high wooden frame away, landing just beside the woman.
Luo Qingman, still in shock, stared at Xue Dingchu twice, her face flushing. "Thank you, sir."
"You're welcome."
Xue Dingchu didn't linger for long. After rescuing the man, he made his way through the crowded crowd back to Lin Huai'en. Luo Qingman, who had been following his figure with infatuated eyes, then saw the familiar Lin Huai'en and couldn't help but grit her teeth.
What a horrible fate! Back then, she had loved His Majesty, but His Majesty had punished her by sending her to this mountain temple for Lin Huai'en. Now, she was cultivating in the mountain temple and had finally met a man she was attracted to, but why was he involved with Lin Huai'en again?!
"Miss, hurry back to the temple. The scriptures you need to recite..."
Luo Qingman was feeling upset. She shook off the maid's hand and angrily headed towards the mountain temple.
Seeing his childhood sweetheart come back from rescuing someone, Lin Huai'en smiled with his eyes curved, happy for his romantic encounter, and jokingly said, "A hero saving a beauty! What a perfect coincidence!"
"It's just a habit for me to save people." Hearing Lin Huai'en say this, Xue Dingchu frowned slightly. "Besides, my meeting with that young lady wasn't a coincidence. I've been in the army for many years and have long been accustomed to observing my surroundings. That tall wooden frame may look old, but it's not worm-eaten, so it shouldn't collapse suddenly."
Lin Huai'en's teasing look disappeared, the corners of his mouth drooped, and he glanced at the tall wooden frame on the ground with some curiosity and caution.
Xue Dingchu continued, "So, after I realized something was amiss, I secretly scouted for suspicious individuals, and sure enough, I spotted one. While he wasn't paying attention, I brushed past him and quietly stole his badge."
Xue Dingchu raised his left hand and slowly unfolded the waist badge from his clenched palm. On the bronze waist badge, there was a big word engraved brightly - "Yu".
Only for the emperor to use.
Imperial Guards.
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