Chapter 57 Chapter 57 After the March Grand Court Meeting, the Emperor...
The next morning, Ji Yanlang went to the cavalry camp in high spirits. Fang Ying looked at his proudly striding back and thought of the phrase "the greatest joy in the world", and she felt so angry that her teeth were itching.
Last night he had the greatest joy in the world, but he had also tortured her quite a bit. He returned to the inner room listlessly, and Fang Ying fell asleep on the couch again.
Ji Yanlang didn't return until early noon. "I went to sit with my uncle. My second brother said that when he went to pay New Year's greetings to my uncle during the Lunar New Year, my uncle's attitude had become much more relaxed than before. He even sent my cousins to pay New Year's greetings to my mother. He told me to go there first if I have time."
"Have you come back to see your mother?" Fang Ying asked.
"Yeah." Ji Yanlang nodded. "I said I also visited my aunt this time, and she invited Mom to come over when she's free. Mom just smiled."
Fang Ying also smiled and said, "Mother understands the reasoning behind this better than anyone else, so she's naturally unmoved."
Ji Yanlang said with interest, "Oh? It seems that my wife also knows the reason for my uncle's change. Could you explain this to me?"
Fang Ying glanced at him and said, "Stop pretending."
"How am I pretending?" Ji Yanlang approached her, grinning, "I haven't been home for a few months. How would I know about these things about my relatives if you don't tell me?"
"Are they just ordinary relatives? Second uncle said his attitude softened when he went to pay New Year's greetings." Fang Ying stepped back, looked at him, and asked, "Didn't my uncle ask you about the expedition against Northern Zhao?"
"He did," Ji Yanlang smiled and leaned back in his chair. "He also asked me if I had met the Duke of Pengcheng. I said no, but that sooner or later my uncle would meet him at the emperor's banquet."
The Duke of Pengcheng was the former ruler of Northern Zhao. Ji Yanlang's words were extremely wicked. Even Fang Ying felt hurt when he heard them, let alone the later ruler?
"Didn't your uncle kick you out?" she asked.
Ji Yanlang chuckled, "How could that be? My uncle even praised your majesty's extraordinary bravery and power, saying that he was feared throughout the world and that the barbarians would be subdued sooner or later!"
"Then why are you asking me why my uncle changed?" Why else could he? Seeing that Northern Zhao had been conquered, he was convinced.
Ji Yanlang smiled first, then shook his head with a hint of sarcasm: "He changed his mind a little too late. In the past few years, the emperor's military force has been directed at us, and the rulers of Nanliang and Wuyue have surrendered one after another. The Nanyue in Fujian has also submitted. Yet, he still acts like the last ruler of Shu to our family, treating us father and son as traitors. He has never considered what the emperor would think..."
Seeing his sneer, Fang Ying decided it was best not to discuss the topic, so she chimed in, "Yeah, that's why Mom also finds it boring." Then she glanced out the window and said, "Let's go. Let's go see Aunt Deng and Sister Hehua. The sooner we go, the sooner we can come back."
Ji Yanlang just wanted to tease Fang Ying, so he talked a few more words. He didn't have much affection for his uncle, so he agreed and took Fang Ying out to Deng's house.
Aunt Deng and her daughter were very happy to see Ji Yanlang return safely. Aunt Deng even pulled him aside to ask him about his life and talked to him for a long time.
She was old, and although she had learned some Beijing Mandarin, when she was anxious, she still spoke in a gibberish of her local dialect. Deng Hehua knew that Fang Ying couldn't understand her, so she pulled her into the inner room to talk alone.
A few months passed in a flash. Deng Hehua became whiter, gained some weight, and grew a little taller. Her accent was not as heavy as before.
Fang Ying chatted with her for a while about family matters. She heard that she had gone out for a stroll along the Bian River with Aunt Deng and the maid. Now that spring was in full bloom, the banks of the Bian River were extremely lively. She felt a little envious and felt that this small inner room was dark and stuffy, so she suggested that they go for a walk in the yard.
Deng Hehua hurriedly led her out, but there was no one outside. When she reached the door, she saw Ji Yanlang and Aunt Deng standing in the yard talking. She couldn't help but smile: "It's getting warmer, and we can't stay here anymore."
The two of them went out hand in hand. Ji Yanlang heard the noise and turned back to explain, "Auntie said she wanted to build a shed in the yard."
"We should get one," Fang Ying agreed. "It's the hottest time of the year in Beijing, and it's unbearable."
Several people discussed how to build it, and finally Ji Yanlang said, "Okay, I have an idea. When I have some free time, I will find a craftsman to build it."
He just got home yesterday and didn't want to stay outside for too long, so he said goodbye to Fang Ying and returned to Ji's house.
After getting in the car, Ji Yanlang thought, "Did mother tell you? The house is almost ready. Let's go back to the Fang family on the day off and ask father-in-law to choose an auspicious day for us to move in, right?"
"Yes, mother told me. Originally, I was thinking of waiting for you to come back and then choosing an auspicious day to move there."
Ji Yanlang felt relieved when he heard this and whispered, "I have done a great service in saving the emperor this time. No matter what others have done, the emperor will definitely reward me. When the time comes, we will prepare a generous gift to congratulate my father-in-law on his new home."
With the move to a bigger house and more servants, the expenses naturally increased, but Fang Ying's father did not receive a promotion or salary increase. It was obvious that he wanted to use gifts to support her family. Fang Ying appreciated this and whispered, "Then I'll thank my father and mother first..."
Ji Yanlang held her hand before she could finish, and teased with a smile: "It's obviously us husband and wife who gave the gift together, so why should you thank your father-in-law and mother-in-law on their behalf? Are you thanking yourself?"
"..." Fang Ying could only smile and said, "Isn't it enough for me to thank you for your kindness?"
"It's just a small thing, not worth a thank you." Ji Yanlang said, and suddenly sighed, "Before I left, I promised to fight for your life."
Fang Ying raised her free right hand and gently placed it on the hand he was holding, saying softly, "Have you forgotten what I said? Your safe return is a blessing for our family."
"But I want to give you a greater blessing."
"There's a lot of time to come."
Ji Yanlang was stunned for a moment. Instead of being relieved, his eyes dimmed. "Do you still remember that I once said I wanted to find a reliable son-in-law for Aunt Deng in the camp?"
Fang Ying nodded: "Yes, I remember."
"Actually, before I set out, I had already noticed two candidates..."
Seeing his expression becoming more and more sad, Fang Ying remembered how he forced a smile after asking about Aunt Deng and her daughter yesterday, and couldn't bear to hear the words "there is a long way to go". Knowing that something might have happened to the two of them, she turned her left hand over, clasped Ji Yanlang's thick and rough palm with both hands, and listened to him quietly.
"Those two brothers were orphans without parents. They were reliable, hardworking, and able to endure hardships..." Ji Yanlang's voice trailed off, "But I failed to bring them back safely."
"This is not your fault. Swords and knives are merciless on the battlefield, and you are injured too." Fang Ying comforted him.
Ji Yanlang was silent for a moment, then sighed again: "Yes, the sword has no eyes, you are right, I shouldn't find a son-in-law who is a soldier for my sister. They can't bear this pain anymore."
Youzhou suffered a great defeat, with more than 10,000 soldiers killed or wounded, and countless orphans and widows were left in the world.
Fang Ying didn't know what to say for a moment. It wasn't until they were almost back at the Ji residence that she forced a smile and said, "It's not too late for us to start paying attention to Sister Hehua again from now on."
When he got home, he had to go see Li first. Ji Yanlang didn't want his mother to find out, so he nodded, told her "Don't tell mom", and then let the matter go.
After they got home, they chatted with Li for a while, had dinner together, and then returned to their rooms.
Ji Yanlang was very honest that night and did not pester Fang Ying for sex. Fang Ying thought she could have a good sleep, but this man behaved out of character and did not lie down on the pillow as usual. Instead, he tossed and turned beside her, disturbing her sleep.
"Can't sleep?" Fang Ying didn't sleep well last night and didn't want to waste time with him, so she just asked.
"Well, did I disturb you?" Ji Yanlang turned over and asked.
Fang Ying replied in her heart, "Nonsense," but she remained patient and said, "No. What's wrong with you? Is there something bothering you?"
"No, I just..." Ji Yanlang paused and exhaled, "When I think of those brothers who died in battle, I lose sleep. Do you think that after death, people really go to the underworld and are reborn?"
"Maybe. I heard that some people, if they don't drink enough Meng Po soup when they are reincarnated, will still remember their past lives."
"Really? Is there such a thing?"
It was the end of the month, there was no moon in the sky, and the lights in the inner room were off. It was so dark that one could not see one's hand in front of one's face. Fang Ying heard Ji Yanlang rustling closer, but turned around and could only make out his rough outline. "Well, I've heard from the elders before that he seems to be a distant relative of my maternal grandfather..."
Fang Ying made up a story out of strange stories he'd heard as a child. "He said he was a woman in his previous life, originally from a certain family in a certain place. When he grew up, he married into a family in the same hometown. He died during childbirth. No one believed him at first, thinking he was talking nonsense. But then someone actually went to the place he described and found out there were two families there, and everything matched up perfectly. And the person who told this story had never traveled far, so everyone believed him. Isn't that amazing?"
Ji Yanlang couldn't see Fang Ying's expression clearly, but he believed her words so confidently, "That's really strange..."
"Yes, so I still believe in the underworld and reincarnation. If you can't let go of those brothers, why not go to Xiangguo Temple and perform a ritual to pray for their souls to be reborn."
Ji Yanlang originally did not believe in gods and Buddhas. It was difficult for him to persuade his mother to do so because she worshipped Buddha so devoutly for him. In fact, he was a little disapproving in his heart. But when he heard what Fang Ying said, he was immediately moved.
"That's a good idea. I'll go to Xiangguo Temple tomorrow."
Fang Ying had originally wanted to comfort him and get him to sleep early, so she smiled and said, "Why do you need to go in person? Our steward Qi goes to Xiangguo Temple. Call him tomorrow and let him handle it. Xiangguo Temple is very popular, and rituals have to be scheduled. Once everything is set, you can go and burn a stick of incense on the day, and it will be considered as your sincere intention."
"So that's how it is. Thank you for your guidance." Ji Yanlang felt relieved instantly. He leaned over and gave Fang Ying a kiss on the face, then lay back and quickly fell asleep.
On the second day, he returned home from the cavalry camp and first went to find Manager Qi to explain the matter. In the evening, Manager Qi came back and said that the monks of Xiangguo Temple could arrange rituals from the 8th to the 14th in the first half of the month and after the 20th in the second half of the month.
Ji Yanlang scheduled a seven-day ritual from March 8th to 14th to pray for the souls of the soldiers under his command who unfortunately died in battle.
On their day off, the young couple went back to the Fang family, told them about the house, and invited Fang Chengxun to take a look at the new house inside and out. The house was very tidy, not to mention the walls and tiles, even the flowers and trees had been neatly trimmed, and people could move in directly.
Fang Chengxun said several times that he felt unworthy of the offer before he agreed, saying that he would choose a good day and send someone to tell Ji Yanlang.
The day after the holiday was the first day of March. After the grand court meeting, the emperor awarded rewards and punishments for the two battles. Ji Yanlang was indeed promoted one level for his contribution in saving the emperor, and he also received various rewards for the battle of Taiyuan.
The King of Qin, who had rescued the emperor from the chaotic army with him, was given the position of the prefect of Kaifeng. According to the old rules, only the crown prince could serve as the prefect of Kaifeng. Therefore, when the decree was issued, everyone knew that the King of Qin would enter the Eastern Palace.
The King of Qin was in the limelight, and the older King of Yan was immediately put in an awkward situation. What was even more embarrassing was that because of the Battle of Youzhou, he ran to Jintai without waiting for his father, the emperor, to come. The government punished him and stripped him of his previously conferred titles such as Jianxu Taifu and Tongpingzhangshi, and changed his title from King of Yan to King of Wei.
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