Chapter 46 A Mediocre Man Must Find a Way to Beat Feng Huaihe
Zhu Qing carefully recalled every moment she had spent with Zhang Yin, but she couldn't detect anything unusual in his words, actions, or expressions.
If Zhang Yin really did return, he might be able to disguise his words and actions, but he couldn't hide his eyes. A person who was tortured to death like Feng Huaihe and then reborn would certainly not have such clear eyes as he does now.
Zhu Qing shook her head firmly: "He didn't come back. It's just Zhang Yin who knows nothing. He's only nineteen years old, practically a child compared to your and my age. Don't resort to underhanded tricks to bully a child, understand?"
Feng Huaihe lowered his eyes and remained silent.
He wasn't as kind as Zhu Qing. Even if he lived to be over 100, let alone 10,000, he still couldn't possibly see Zhang Yin as a 'child' who knew nothing.
Feng Huaihe's lowered eyelashes concealed the dark, fierce light in his eyes. Zhu Qing didn't notice and got off his lap.
The carriage creaked and stopped outside the gate. Bao Fu jumped out, brought over a small stool, opened an umbrella, and waited to the side.
Zhu Qing stepped off the carriage on a stool. The umbrella above her head provided complete protection, preventing any snow from falling on her. Feng Huaihe followed closely behind, took the umbrella from Bao Fu, held it over Zhu Qing's head, and walked into the mansion side by side with her.
No one spoke; in the silent night, the only sound was the thud of snow being trampled underfoot.
Upon reaching the outside of Xihua Hall, Zhu Qing walked inside, only to find that Feng Huaihe hadn't followed. She turned around in surprise and saw him standing outside the door, closing his umbrella. "The sun must have risen in the west! You've actually had a change of heart and aren't coming with me anymore?"
Feng Huaihe paused in closing the umbrella, then slowly looked over, lifting his eyelids. "If you want, I can come along too."
"No, go wherever you want, but you'd better not come back." Zhu Qing slammed the door of Xihuatang shut.
There were no more multiple bolts on the door like in the Secretary's courtyard. Anyway, based on her understanding of Feng Huaihe, if he wanted to come in, he would dig a tunnel to get in.
Feng Huaihe stood outside the door, looking at the tightly closed door and the lamp that was soon blown out. He stood there for a moment, then took his umbrella and walked into the side courtyard next to Xihuatang.
The lamps were still lit in the side courtyard. Feng Huaihe used the light shining through the window paper to light his way to the door and knocked.
Chen Zhong's slightly deep voice came from inside: "Come in."
Feng Huaihe pushed open the door and saw that the room was simply furnished with a bed, a table, and a bookshelf, and nothing else.
Chen Zhong sat at the square table by the bed reading a book, his slightly gray hair gleaming in the candlelight.
Feng Huaihe sat down opposite him, picked up the kettle and poured himself a bowl of water. "I need you to forge a set of weapons."
"Just one set?" Chen Zhong thought that one set of weapons was simply not enough to deal with the current chaotic situation.
Feng Huaihe, however, had his own plans: "Just one set."
Chen Zhong nodded.
How long does it take to make a set of weapons?
"I'll rush the work, it'll take about ten days to half a month."
Feng Huaihe calculated the dates and found they were almost perfect, so he said, "Find some more people and make some arrows. Use your best skills; I want the sharpest arrows."
"It's not difficult, but it costs a lot."
"If there is a shortfall, ask Bao Fu for the money."
"Yes," Chen Zhong said. "I can't kill Zhang Yin. After I finish making your weapon, I'm going back to Chang'an. I hope you'll keep your promise and take care of Sang Guo for the rest of her life."
Feng Huaihe gave a faint "hmm," got up, and went out.
-
The snow stopped the next day, and the cold wind weakened considerably, making it a good time to practice archery. Zhu Qing got up early, washed and dressed, took the arrow hanging on the wall, and went out of the Xihua Hall.
It was still early, and a hazy blue light shone from the small kitchen. Zhu Qing saw a warm red and yellow light emanating from the kitchen, which made Feng Huaihe's busy figure look cozy.
Zhu Qing tilted her head and thought for a moment, then carried Chuan Yang into the small kitchen.
Feng Huaihe stared intently at the hot soup in the pot. He didn't turn around, but he knew it was her. He said warmly, "There's some ginseng porridge on the table. Please sit down."
The rising steam from the pot made his large frame appear soft and warm, like a husband waiting at home every day for his wife to come home from get off work.
Zhu Qing withdrew her gaze and sat down at the table. On the table was a bowl of porridge, a bowl of hot medicine, and two small dishes of side dishes.
She took a sip, and Feng Huaihe then ladled out the hot soup from the boiler and placed it in front of her.
Zhu Qing smelled a fishy aroma, and upon closer inspection, saw a few green scallions floating on the milky white fish soup, which looked extremely appetizing.
"When did you get up?" Zhu Qing asked.
"I forgot."
Feng Huaihe picked up the fish meat, carefully removed the bones, placed the cleaned fish meat in a small dish, and pushed it in front of Zhu Qing: "Eat it while it's hot."
Zhu Qing picked up a piece of fish; the stewed fish was tender and smooth, melting in her mouth, and the aroma spread. She squinted her eyes and ate a few more pieces.
Feng Huaihe kept picking out fish for her, then looked at her complexion and asked, "Do you feel any better than before?"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Qing felt a subtle change in her body; she did indeed feel more energetic than before.
Zhu Qing nodded, and Feng Huaihe smiled slightly, seemingly satisfied. "No wonder your face looks much rounder."
"..." So that's what they were waiting for her here. Zhu Qing scoffed inwardly. Fortunately, she never had any body image anxiety and didn't care about being fattened up by Feng Huaihe along the way. She then asked, "Li Cunxu's men have arrived?"
"Yes, I checked this morning. They're all guarding outside the mansion. But you don't need to worry, this is a form of protection."
Zhu Qing frowned and said seriously, "Aren't you afraid they'll discard us after we've served our purpose? If a strategist is just a commander without troops, that's fine, but if he has weapons and soldiers, I'm afraid he won't let us live."
“I’ve thought it over. I’ll only give you one set of weapons to prove that I can indeed find a swordsmith. If the State of Jin wants to use me, they must spare my life.”
"So, they followed the clues and found Chen Zhong?"
“Chen Zhong will return to Chang’an after he finishes making this set of weapons. The Central Plains are in chaos right now, and they can’t find him,” Feng Huaihe said. “Afterwards, I plan to hand this matter over to Zhu Feichuan. Isn’t his ultimate goal to sell weapons?”
"And what about you? How will you gain Li Cunxu's trust?"
"Do you remember when Zhu Wen betrayed Huang Chao and surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, Li Keyong was going to face a calamity?"
Zhu Qing pondered for a moment, "I remember. You plan to start with Li Keyong?"
"Li Keyong's calamity is my best opportunity."
Zhu Qing knew about this; Zhu Wen betrayed Huang Chao and joined forces with Li Keyong to drive Huang Chao out of Chang'an.
Zhu Wen and Li Keyong had a very good relationship during this period; they were brothers on the battlefield.
After Huang Chao died in Shandong, Li Keyong and Zhu Wen held a banquet to celebrate, during which Li Keyong was assassinated in a very well-planned operation.
At that time, they were in Kaifeng, which was Zhu Wen's territory. Li Keyong thought it was a treacherous plot by Zhu Wen, who wanted to monopolize the military credit for suppressing Huang Chao. So he broke with Zhu Wen and, before his death, instructed his eldest son Li Cunxu to kill Zhu Wen to avenge him.
The rivalry between Zhu and Li thus began.
In her previous life, Zhu Qing married Zhang Yin at that time.
Zhang Yin initially sided with Li, while Zhu Qing, originally from the Central Plains, sided with Zhu. Despite their differing stances, they married and had a history of mutual suspicion.
Zhu Qing was somewhat worried, "Li Keyong had an accident in Kaifeng, which is a hundred and eight thousand miles away from here. How can you be so sure? If we fail, don't implicate me."
Feng Huaihe chuckled: "So afraid of death?"
"Aren't you afraid?"
"Don't worry, I'll make arrangements for your escape route before I set off." Feng Huaihe's tone was very calm, as if he had already taken a very detached view of life and death.
Zhu Qing couldn't help but say, "Couldn't we have stopped Li Keyong from going to Kaifeng with Zhu Wen and cut off this matter at its root?"
Feng Huaihe chuckled and said in a relaxed tone, "History cannot be changed."
Zhu Qing remained silent.
She knew perfectly well that she died in the first year of Tianfu, and did not personally experience the chaos that followed the cession of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun.
But Feng Huaihe truly lived in a chaotic world from the fall of the Tang Dynasty until Zhao Kuangyin founded the Northern Song Dynasty, enduring the suffering of the people.
In his previous life, Feng Huaihe failed; he did not help a monarch end the chaos.
He should have understood better than Zhu Qing that one cannot change history or an era by virtue of one's own efforts.
Feng Huaihe then said, "Perhaps we can stop Li Keyong and Zhu Wen from going to Kaifeng, but if we do that, Zhu Wen will lose an ally. What if he fails to kill Huang Chao?"
"Huang Chao, who should have died in Shandong, survived. History would have been completely different afterward, and the struggle for power among warlords would have only intensified. Neither you nor I have the ability to accept another sudden accident. The times are already bleeding, and we can only use the known history to try to minimize the bloodshed."
Zhu Qing nodded. She understood. In the torrent of the times, people like them could only be swept away. They shouldn't try to make any changes.
To put it simply, this is not something you should be considering if you only earn 2,000 a month.
After picking out the fish bones, Feng Huaihe pushed all the fish meat in front of Zhu Qing, saying, "I'm going out today, so you'll practice archery by yourself. If you get bored, have Zhuo Yunmeng keep you company."
Zhu Qing nodded, finished drinking the medicine, and took Chuan Yang to the backyard.
The slingshot was bulky and heavy, but it was well-made, so Zhu Qing put up with it because of its beauty.
She didn't start shooting arrows right away, but instead drew the bow empty-handed and tried to find the correct stance that Feng Huaihe had taught her last time.
After practicing for a while, Zhuo Yunmeng felt that the piercing was not as heavy as at the beginning, and she seemed to be getting used to it. After having breakfast, Zhuo Yunmeng moved a stool and sat behind her to keep her company.
Zhuo Yunmeng is a woman of few words; when she is with someone, she is truly there for them, without uttering a single word.
Zhu Qinglian was tired, so she sat down next to her to rest and took the initiative to talk to her: "Since you came to Jinyang with my second brother, do you miss your home in Qingxi Village?"
Zhuo Yunmeng remained silent for a moment, then slowly shook her head. "Uncle Yu is my home."
Her voice was soft and gentle, like the tender leaves of early spring brushing against one's heart. Zhu Qing instantly felt weak in the knees. Who wouldn't like such a gentle and sweet girl?
Zhuo Yunmeng smiled faintly, "After my mother died, my father remarried. My stepmother treated me harshly, and I was actually living a very ordinary life. If it weren't for Uncle Yu, I wouldn't know where I would go."
Zhu Qing smiled bitterly. Behind the seemingly ordinary words, she knew how much suffering lay. She casually said, "I'm just like you, I don't miss home either."
At first, Zhu Qing was a little afraid of this chaotic world and even wanted to start over. But after staying for a while, she found that although the era was dark, her world was bright.
In modern times, things appear bright, but her world is actually shrouded in darkness.
Zhuo Yunmeng said, "When I was in Chang'an before, I saw you with two other people, Tian Jiuzhu and Hua Ning. Where are they now?"
Zhu Qing shook her head.
She didn't know where Tian Jiuzhu went in the end, and she hadn't seen Hua Ning since she went to Xihuatang.
There's also Mu Zao from Qingxi Village, who once said he wanted to join the army, but they came to Jinyang in such a hurry that they didn't have time to say goodbye. I wonder what Mu Zao's situation is now.
Now that Chang'an has fallen into Huang Chao's hands, perhaps the best news is that they are alive?
Zhu Qing sighed, got up, and continued practicing archery. He only hoped to use this skill to protect himself.
-
The front courtyard of Xihuatang.
Zhang Yin carried a food box and walked into the courtyard. It was his first time here, and he was stunned for a moment when he saw the wishing tree in the center of the courtyard.
Nie Zhen waved to him from the kitchen doorway: "Zhang Yin? I'm not mistaken, am I? It really is you?"
Nie Zhen hadn't seen him for a long time. The ragged boy who used to live at home had transformed into a handsome and refined young man in the blink of an eye.
Zhang Yin snapped out of his reverie, approached Nie Zhen, and handed her the food box. "Sister-in-law Zhu, these are some hometown dishes I made at home. I said I would give them to Qingqing last time, but I never had the chance, so I made them myself and came to deliver them."
Nie Zhen accepted the gift generously and invited him inside to sit down and have some water.
Zhang Yin waved his hand politely in refusal, then looked around and asked, "Isn't Qingqing here?"
"She's practicing archery in the backyard. Shall I go and call her over for you?" Nie Zhen put down the food box and was about to go and call her.
Zhang Yin quickly called out to her, "No need."
He still remembered Zhu Qing's coldness last night; it seemed that Zhu Qing didn't want to have much interaction with him.
He was born into a noble family in Lingnan and had his own pride, so he said, "I have something to do and I have to leave soon."
Nie Zhen smiled and said okay.
Zhang Yin looked around and, not seeing anyone else, politely asked where everyone else had gone.
Nie Zhen also politely said, "Your elder brother Zhu has gone to join the army, and Uncle Yu has gone to take the exam for military doctor. I will also be going out later to help Uncle Yu prepare for his wedding."
"marriage?"
"Yes, he and Yunmeng need to get married as soon as possible, otherwise it won't be good for Yunmeng's reputation."
Zhang Yin smiled and agreed, recalling how Zhu Qing and Feng Huaihe referred to themselves in public. After a moment's thought, he tentatively asked, "What about Qingqing? Has her marriage been arranged?"
Nie Zhenxin, without any guile, replied: "No. Your brother Zhu said that no ordinary man is worthy of you, so there's no rush."
Zhang Yin responded, and suddenly heard laughter coming from not far away. He followed the sound and saw Zhu Qing and Zhuo Yunmeng walking side by side.
Looking at Zhu Qing's smile and the arrow in his hand, Zhang Yin lowered his eyes thoughtfully, hesitating whether to stay and say something. Just then, a servant came in from outside and said, "Young master, His Highness the Prince urgently summons you."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yin hurriedly took his leave and walked away.
When Zhu Qing arrived, she only saw Zhang Yin's back disappear through the gate of the house, the hem of his clothes brushing against the threshold.
-
Zhang Yin hurriedly returned to the Prince's residence and saw the other advisors leaving Li Cunxu's bedroom, including Feng Huaihe.
His gaze followed Feng Huaihe, but Feng Huaihe passed by him without giving him a single glance, leaving arrogantly as if they were complete strangers.
Zhang Yin suddenly felt a strange unease. He frowned and was about to go see Li Cunxu when he saw Zhang Chengye follow him out.
When Zhang Chengye saw him, he paused for a moment, then stepped forward and asked with a frown, "Why are you only arriving now?"
Zhang Yin said apologetically, "I had to go out to take care of some things."
As he spoke, he peeked behind Zhang Chengye and, not seeing Li Cunxu or anyone else, asked in confusion, "Have you finished discussing this? May I ask what it was about?"
Zhang Chengye said, "It was Zhu Wen who surrendered to the court and was ordered by the court to be in charge of suppressing Huang Chao. Zhu Wen wanted to join forces with the Prince of Jin, and His Highness the Successor Prince summoned his advisors to discuss whether or not to agree to Zhu Wen's offer of alliance."
Zhang Yin never expected it to be such a big event, concerning the Central Plains court, and he missed an opportunity to impress Li Cunxu because he didn't arrive in time.
Zhang Chengye then said, "Although I can recommend you based on some old friendships, whether you can stay depends on your own abilities. Now that Feng Huaihe has taken over the Prince's residence, even though he has not yet gained the Prince's complete trust, he is more cunning than you, and it is only a matter of time before he stays."
Upon hearing these words, Zhang Yin felt a strong sense of crisis.
He finally came here from Lingnan and found a place where he could settle down. If he is squeezed out by Feng Huaihe, what will become of him?
What Zhang Yin didn't expect was that Feng Huaihe had told him in Chang'an a few months ago that Zhu Wen would betray Huang Chao, and it turned out to be true.
With such wisdom and foresight, how could I possibly be his match?
Zhang Yin grew increasingly anxious. If he were to be ousted by Feng Huaihe, he would be unable to stay in Jinyang and would no longer be able to help Zhu Qing.
Today, Sister-in-law Zhu said that no ordinary man is worthy of Zhu Qing. Could it be that the only man who can be Feng Huaihe?
Zhang Yin felt a tightness in his throat, realizing he couldn't continue like this, or he would be driven out by Feng Huaihe's abilities. He had to find a way to defeat Feng Huaihe and stay.
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