Cheng Lisu was a little bit skeptical of her ears when she suddenly got the promise. It was not until He Yan repeated it several times and swore to the heavens that she really wanted to help him that Cheng Lisu dared to believe it.

He poured He Yan a cup of tea and offered it with both hands: "Good brother, you really saved my life! If there is anything I can be of use to you in the future, I will do my best to help you, even if it means risking my life!"

He Yan was about to speak, but he immediately continued, "I know that big brother's wish is to join the Nine Banners Camp and make great achievements. Don't worry, once this matter is over, I will definitely speak well of him to my uncle every day. Even if I have to copy books every day, I will help big brother get this done!"

"...I want to say," He Yan stopped the child's ecstasy, "I have agreed to go to the banquet on your behalf, but you still have to convince your uncle."

Is Xiao Jue someone who can agree so easily? After all, this sounds quite unbelievable.

"Don't worry about that," Cheng Lisu came up happily and said, "I have already told my uncle about this. I only dared to come to you after my uncle agreed."

"Xiao Jue agreed?" He Yan was stunned.

"Maybe I feel guilty for not letting you join the Nine Banners Camp before, so I'm giving you a chance to show yourself." Cheng Li looked at He Yan sincerely, "So you see, the time is right, the place is right, and the people are right. Brother, you are going to the banquet in my place. This is God's arrangement."

He Yan had no time to pay attention to Cheng Lisu's nonsense. He was just surprised that Xiao Jue agreed so easily. This was not like his style. Was there another trap?

Seeing He Yan's silence, Cheng Lisu became anxious again: "Brother, you are not going to regret it, are you?"

"No." He Yan said helplessly: "I was just thinking about how to pretend to be you. After all, I am different from you."

"Don't worry, Yuan Baozhen has never seen my appearance, so he won't be exposed. But I still need to explain something to you, so as not to be discovered. I like to eat mushrooms and fat chicken the most, and I hate rice porridge the most. I don't like people following me, and I will get a rash on my face if I eat peanuts. I have to take a bath every day, change clothes frequently, and use incense..."

As he spoke, He Yan only saw the extravagant and licentious life of a rich kid, and shook his head unconsciously.

Cheng Lisu talked for an incense stick of time, and only stopped when his mouth was dry. He picked up the tea and quickly moistened his throat, and then he came back to life.

"Brother, did you remember what I just said?"

He Yan: “…I’ve got it in mind.” She said, “If you have anything else to say, just say it all at once.”

"Let me think about it." Cheng Lisu sat on the chair and looked at He Yan. He Yan was about the same age as him, and his appearance was already outstanding among the new recruits in Liangzhou. However, Si Fu did not look clumsy and strong, but looked a little thin and frail. But this was just right for him. If he was dressed like a rich young man...

"I almost forgot something important!" Cheng Lisu slapped his forehead, "You can't go to the banquet dressed like this. After all, I am the young master of Yousizhilang's mansion, why am I dressed so shabby? Just wait." He ran to the inner room, doing something, and soon he came out carrying a bundle.

"Here are some clothes I picked out, take them and try them on. Our figures are not too different, so you should be able to wear them. Even if they are fake, you should wear them to look good, brother. I have no other advantages except my good looks. If even this advantage is forgotten, wouldn't I be useless?"

He Yan was amazed at how he could describe the "embroidered pillow" in such a fresh and unconventional way, with such righteousness and confidence.

He turned around again and took out a box from the drawer, put some things in it and handed it to He Yan, saying, "Here are some hairpins, fans, jade pendants and so on. You have to do a good job in the play, so you can't be without these."

He Yan: "You really thought it through."

Cheng Lisu rubbed his head in embarrassment and said, "Thank you, thank you."

He Yan put away the bag and the box, and asked again, "Have you really already agreed with your uncle? You didn't lie to me, did you?"

"No, no," Cheng Lisu said, "Come here early tomorrow morning at noon, and we can probably set off."

"So urgent?" He Yan was surprised.

"Originally it was supposed to be a few days later. Yuan Baozhen hasn't arrived in Liangzhou yet, but my uncle had to go to the city to find a craftsman to repair his Wanxiangqin first, so he left earlier."

He Yan thought of the piano that he had damaged and kept silent.

Cheng Lisu patted her on the shoulder and said, "Brother He, this time it all depends on you. Thank you very much!"

…

He Yan returned to the new soldiers' bunk room with a bag full of things. Wang Ba and his men had not left yet, eating the moon cakes that He Yan brought from Cheng Lisu last night. Seeing He Yan coming back with things in his hands, Wang Ba said sourly, "Yo, are you going to accept tributes again?"

"Did Master Cheng send you food again?" Xiao Mai stared at the bag in He Yan's hand, drooling, "Such a big bag, what delicious food is in it?"

He Yan put the bundle heavily on the table. The bundle was originally tied loosely, and it fell apart, revealing the things inside. It was not the food that everyone thought, but some clothes and accessories.

This was unexpected. After a while, Hong Shan asked hesitantly, "Ah He, why did Master Cheng give you clothes? We can't wear casual clothes in the barracks."

"I will be going to the city with Governor Xiao tomorrow to handle some business," He Yan said, "Maybe Master Cheng was afraid that I would be embarrassed by my poor clothes, so he specially gave me some clothes to dress up."

"You and Commander Xiao?" Huang Xiong looked at him. "This is a good thing. Why do you look unhappy?"

If what happened last night hadn't happened, He Yan would have been very happy, after all, she could get a lot of information from Xiao Jue. But after what happened last night, Xiao Jue might be even more displeased with her. Who knows if she would do something wrong again and annoy the second young master.

I can only bite the bullet and go ahead.

"I'm so happy that I don't know what expression to make." she replied.

The crowd gathered around her and asked her more questions, and she finally managed to get rid of them all. At night, before He Yan went to bed, she was still thinking about this matter.

The reason why she agreed to help Cheng Lisu go to that useless banquet was certainly not because of her deep brotherly love for Cheng Lisu, nor was she chivalrous enough to be so brave. She just heard the name of Yuan Baozhen.

He Yan had met Yuan Baozhen before. When she was awarded the title of Feihong General, He Rufei accepted the award for her. After He Yan recovered from her daughter's death, he met this man once at the He family. Yuan Baozhen stood with He Yuansheng and his son at that time, and He Yan even saluted him.

He Yan thought that He Rufei had just received the award and had not been close to other colleagues in the Shuojing court. He did not expect that he would become a familiar friend so soon.

Now this friend of He Rufei has come to Liangzhou, and happens to have a connection with "Cheng Lisu". If she can take this opportunity to get close to him and find out some news about He Rufei, it may be helpful for her future. If she wants to stand out and get to a position where people listen to her, she must make achievements in the army. But Liangzhou is thousands of miles away from the capital, and it is too far away from the He family, so many news cannot be passed on.

Yuan Baozhen arrived in Liangzhou, which was like a pillow for someone to sleep on. But I don't know what Xiao Jue meant by agreeing to Cheng Lisu's incredible behavior. He Yan couldn't understand Xiao Jue anymore. I thought he would select me to join the Vanguard Camp, but he selected Lei Hou. I thought he would not let me pretend to be Cheng Lisu, but he agreed.

The sound of Hong Shan snoring came from the side. He Yan turned over and closed her eyes. Forget it. Since she couldn't figure out the result by thinking, why not just follow him in person? They had been facing each other day and night all this time. She had plenty of time to figure out what Xiao Jue was thinking. She, He Yan, might not be afraid.

…

Unlike He Yan's carefree attitude, Shen Han in the Liangzhou guardhouse had a look of surprise on his face. After a moment, the surprise on his face turned into anxiety.

"Commander, how can you bring He Yan into the city? His identity is still unknown, and if he follows you and attacks you..."

"I'm not threatened by him." Xiao Jue said.

"But……"

The candle in the silver lamp on the table was flickering in the wind and was about to go out. He flicked the wick and the room became bright again.

"If he is Xu Jingfu's man, he might be exposed if he accompanies me to the banquet this time. If you leave him in the guardhouse and something unexpected happens, you may not be able to handle it. It is better to keep him by my side for safety."

"Besides," he curled his lips, "He Yan boasts of his extraordinary skills, so he can be the door brick at this Hongmen Banquet."

Shen Han's heart sank. Xiao Jue was going to use He Yan as a scapegoat.

Commander Xiao is still the same Commander Xiao, not even caring about the old times. I don't know how He Yan angered Xiao Jue back then. Thinking of this, Shen Han actually felt a little sympathy for He Yan.

Xiao Jue said, "After I leave tomorrow, you must protect Cheng Lisu and don't let him run around. All matters concerning the guardhouse will be handed over to you for the time being."

Shen Han put away his thoughts and said, "Yes!"

…

The next morning, when Xiao Mai got up, he found the bed next to him was empty.

He rubbed his eyes. It was still early and the others in the room were not awake yet. On He Yan's bed, the bedding was neatly folded, but he was gone. Little Mac was curious, could it be that He Yan was gone? But didn't he say yesterday that he would leave at noon today? It was not time yet.

After a while, people got up one after another and found that He Yan was gone. Hong Shan said, "Is this kid leaving now? Without even saying hello?"

"Are you leaving because you're afraid of waking us up?" Xiao Mai asked tentatively.

"Who knows this, Shitou, have you seen him?" Hongshan asked.

Stone also shook his head: "No."

Several people looked at each other, all in a state of confusion. Even so, they couldn't just wait here for He Yan, as they still had to run later, so they all got up to wash their faces.

Xiaomai had already put on his clothes and packed up first, then he pushed the door open and ran out, intending to grab some hot dry cakes. Shitou and Hongshan were still washing their faces when they suddenly heard Xiaomai shouting outside, "Brother, Brother Shan——"

"What's wrong?" Hong Shan wiped the water drops off his face, "We are washing our faces here."

"Come out and see!" Xiao Mai's voice was filled with uncontrollable excitement.

Hong Shan looked at Shitou in confusion. Shitou said he didn't know either. He shook the water off his hands and walked out of the house, saying, "Xiaomai, can you not be so...?"

His voice suddenly stopped.

He Yan stood facing him and said with a smile, "Brother Shan, how do I look?"

Hong Shan opened his mouth but said nothing for a while. At this moment, the other recruits in the room also came out one after another. When they saw He Yan, they all surrounded him and talked at once.

"Looks good! Very good-looking, He Yan, you look like the young master of a wealthy family in the capital!"

"He is not just a young master from a rich family, I think it is not an exaggeration to say that he came from the palace."

"Come on, you're talking like someone who has seen someone in the palace."

"I've never seen it, but I imagine people coming out of the palace look like this!"

"This dress is not cheap, He Yan, can you let me wear it too?"

"Bah! Can you wear it? Don't ruin your clothes, get out of here!"

He Yan was surrounded by people, allowing them to look at him. Hong Shan and his men stood far away. Xiao Mai looked at He Yan with sparkling eyes and said, "Brother He is so handsome!"

"No wonder they say clothes make the man, saddles make the horse. Look, she is usually very low-key, but when she puts on this little dress and this little hairpin, she looks different from us." Hong Shan touched his chin and asked Shitou, "Isn't that right?"

Stone nodded: "Yes."

He Yan let them look at her enough before she adjusted the bag on her shoulders and said with a smile, "Before I leave, I'll come over to show you guys. The brothers all said I'm pretty, so I feel relieved. It won't bring shame to our Liangzhou Guards if they tell others about it." She waved her hand, "Then I'm leaving!"

Everyone waved goodbye to her.

While she was saying goodbye to the people in her room, Cheng Lisu also left early on the other side.

Shen Han was talking to Xiao Jue in the yard, while Lu Er was eating grass beside him. Cheng Lisu went to the stable last night and spent a long time choosing a group of beautiful little red horses. He thought the horses looked cute and majestic, and they were a good match for him.

"You're not going, so why are you picking horses?" Xiao Jue did not comment.

"Although I'm not going, my elder brother is going on my behalf. I can't let people say behind my back: The young master in Yousi Zhilang's house is good in martial arts, but he doesn't look good. They say that we should play to our strengths and avoid our weaknesses. This is the only strength I have, so of course I have to play it up."

Xiao Jue sneered: "What can I do? With your elder brother's appearance, it seems that he can't help you grow."

"Uncle, what you said is not right," Cheng Lisu looked at him seriously, "I have carefully observed that my eldest brother is not bad in appearance. Although he is not as good as you and me, he is also outstanding in Liangzhou Guards."

Shen Han was speechless for a moment as he listened to the idle chat between the uncle and nephew. As he was talking, he saw someone coming in front of him, so he said, "He Yan is here!"

The two people who were talking looked sideways at the same time, and their eyes suddenly brightened.

In the early morning of autumn, the air was clear and the cool autumn wind blew, refreshing the heart. The sun had not yet fully risen, only a small head appeared, and a ray of golden light fell on the young man, making her particularly outstanding.

The young man was wearing a dark red brocade robe with a cicada pattern and a belt around his waist. She usually looked too thin and frail, but in the clothes of Cheng Lisu, that frailty was completely hidden, leaving only her elegance. She was born with a delicate appearance, and tied her long hair with a carved wooden hairpin, looking clear and energetic, with a leisurely step, carrying a bag, and she didn't look like a sweaty recruit in the martial arts field at all. She looked like a handsome young man in the academy in the capital, and her every frown and smile was poetic.

The young man walked up to the group and opened the folding fan in his hand with a "pop". The fan fluttered in the wind. Her smile was more eye-catching than the landscape painting on the fan. She lowered her voice deliberately and said, "I'm sorry, I'm late."

Cheng Lisu stared at him with eyes wide open. After a while, he finally came to his senses. He circled around He Yan and said with great joy, "Brother, I didn't expect you to be such a handsome man. The Liangzhou Guards really overshadowed your charm! From what I see, you're almost as good as me!"

He Yan was very proud in his heart, but he still said humbly: "No, no, thank you very much."

She went to the river early this morning and changed her clothes when no one was around. Cheng Lisu's clothes were mostly yellow. This young man loved such bright colors, but He Yan thought they looked a bit frivolous. She finally found a color that was not so flashy, and picked out a simple hairpin from the box. She looked at the river for a long time, and in order to avoid any accidents, she showed it to Hong Shan and the others.

The new recruits of Liangzhou Guards cheered unanimously, thinking that it was not bad. In her previous life, when she was dressed as a man, she had to wear a mask. Now that she could dress like a gentleman, she felt a little strange and nervous.

Shen Han looked at He Yan and took a deep breath. He was originally thinking that He Yan was just a boy. Even if he had a past relationship with Xiao Jue, how could he catch Xiao Jue's eye? After all, there were countless beauties who admired Xiao Jue. Now that he saw He Yan like this, he understood a little. It's not common for a man to have such a good appearance, and this boy has outstanding skills and a good temper. If his identity was not suspicious, it wouldn't be strange for him to stand with Governor Xiao.

Cheng Lisu was still chattering non-stop. He Yan looked towards Xiao Jue, but saw that Xiao Jue was standing there, his eyes swept over her calmly without any admiration. She suddenly felt nervous and walked to Xiao Jue's side.

"Commander," she half-opened her folding fan, covered her face and laughed softly, like a scoundrel flirting with a decent woman, "what do you think of me like this?"

The young man looked at her indifferently. After a moment, he bent down slightly and lowered his head almost to her ear. His voice was lower and hoarse than that of ordinary teenagers when he was a teenager. Now that he is older, it has a casual magnetism.

“You actually…”

He Yan seemed to be able to feel the hot breath of the other person in his ears. He felt inexplicably embarrassed and thought that not everyone could stand hearing this face flattering others in this tone.

"...shorter than Cheng Lisu." He finished the rest of the sentence.

He Yan: “…”

He Yan took two steps back and looked at him in disbelief. Shouldn't ordinary people say "You are so eye-catching" or "You are so stunning"?

Shorter than Cheng Lisu?

As if that wasn't bad enough, the beautiful young man looked at her and sneered, "Also, you tied your belt the wrong way around."

He brushed past her and walked forward. He Yan looked down and saw that Cheng Lisu's clothes were complicated. She had never worn such clothes before and didn't know how to tie them. When she was reminded, she hurriedly tried to untie them. Cheng Lisu saw this and saw clearly. She came over to help: "Ah, I forgot to tell you, my belt is different from others. You have to tie it like this..."

He Yan looked at Xiao Jue's receding back and gritted his teeth.

There was no way Xiao Jue made her a substitute for Cheng Lisu because he felt guilty about the flag dispute. He Yan seriously suspected that he kept her by his side just to humiliate and torture her.

These are natural enemies.

…

It took about three hours of non-stop riding from Liangzhou Guard Station to the city. They set out in the morning and arrived in the afternoon. In addition to He Yan and Xiao Jue, there was also a guard named Fei Nu.

Perhaps because she was not the real Cheng Lisu, she even forgot to take a carriage. She rode all the way without even having time to eat, and finally arrived in the city in the afternoon.

The last time He Yan came to Liangzhou City, she had just come here with the new soldiers from Shuojing. However, she did not stay in the city, but went directly to the guard post at the foot of Baiyue Mountain. Now she changed into the clothes of Chang Shaoye's family and came to the bustling market. Unlike Shuojing, Liangzhou has a different style.

This place is in the east, with four distinct seasons. Although it is not as prosperous as the capital, it is still lively. People are hurrying to and fro. Once in the city, you don't have to ride that fast. He Yan walked and looked around, but he felt that he couldn't see enough.

But Xiao Jue was not here to visit the city. They arrived at an inn, which seemed to be one of the most luxurious in Liangzhou City, with three floors. The outside was magnificently decorated. When they arrived at the door of the inn, Xiao Jue got off his horse, and the waiter helped him lead the horse to the stable, and they walked into the lobby together.

To be honest, in his past and present lives, although He Yan was the eldest son of the He family, he had never stayed in a particularly expensive inn. Xiao Jue was just as extravagant and licentious as his nephew, and even paid attention to the place where he rested his feet. As He Yan thought about this, he heard Xiao Jue say to the shopkeeper, "Two guest rooms."

"Two rooms?" He Yan was surprised, "Fei Nu and I share one room?"

After finally leaving the barracks, couldn't she have her own room? Cheng Lisu also told her to take a bath every day. How could she take a bath when Fei Nu was in the room?

"Otherwise?" Xiao Jue stared at her and asked, "You want to be with me?"

"No, no, no," He Yan said, "Then I'll stay in the same room with Fei Nu." What a joke, she wasn't so ignorant of herself. After all, the Second Young Master Xiao was pure and innocent, how could he live in the same room with someone as crude as her? He Yan complained in her heart, the Second Young Master Xiao should live with the Bodhisattva in the temple, and put an incense burner and fruit offerings in front of him, and he would be worshipped.

Xiao Jue ignored him.

The shopkeeper took the money and had the guest room cleaned up. Since the three of them had not had lunch since morning, they planned to eat on the first floor of the guest room before going upstairs.

Probably seeing that Xiao Jue was either rich or noble, the shopkeeper stood at their table attentively and said, "Our signature dishes here include green bean chess noodles, steamed gluten with five flavors, spicy tripe shreds, sesame rolls, eight-treasure wild duck, shredded chicken and cucumber, five-spice pigeon... What would you like to order?"

Without waiting for Xiao Jue to speak, He Yan asked loudly, "Boss, do you have any mushroom chicken?"

"Yes, yes." The shopkeeper replied hurriedly.

Xiao Jue turned his head and looked at her calmly. He Yan blinked, "What's wrong, uncle? You know, my favorite food is mushroom chicken!"

Fei Nu: “…”

Cheng Lisu told her that she had to be thorough in her acting. Now that she had entered Liangzhou City, she was no longer He Yan. She was Cheng Lisu, the nephew of Mr. Xiao. Is it wrong for a nephew to want to eat his favorite dish?

You are absolutely right!

Xiao Jue retracted his gaze and said, "Give him a plate of mushroom and fat chicken."

So easy to talk to? He Yan's heart moved. Yes, what if I met an acquaintance here? In front of outsiders, Xiao Jue couldn't deny it. Now He Yan was bold. She had eaten dry cakes in the clinic for so many days and had never tasted meat. Since she had caught the opportunity, Xiao Jue was not short of money. If she didn't make a big profit from this fat sheep, wouldn't it be unfair to herself?

"Uncle!" He Yan called out in a crisp and sweet voice, smiling, "I also want to eat spicy tripe shreds, sesame rolls, eight-treasure wild duck, shredded chicken and cucumber, steamed gluten with five flavors, five-necked pigeon... and that thing, green bean chess noodles! I want to eat them all!"

Fei Nu moved his lips, wanting to say something but then held himself back. It had been a long time since he had seen someone so fearless of death.

The shopkeeper was surprised at first, but then he smiled happily. He looked at He Yan as if he had seen the God of Wealth. He said to Xiao Jue, "This young master has good taste. He really believes in the food of our inn!"

"Sorry," Xiao Jue chuckled, his movements were elegant, but his tone was full of sarcasm. He said calmly, "My nephew has never seen the world. I'm sorry to make you laugh."

He Yan: “…”

“I’ll have one of each.”

Young Master Xiao spent money like water, and the shopkeeper was very happy. He turned around and told the kitchen to prepare the dishes.

He Yan was just teasing him, thinking that it would be nice to have a few of the dishes, but he never expected Xiao Jue to obey him and actually ordered one of each. Could it be that Cheng Li was always so favored by his uncle? He Yan was so crazy that he could get whatever he wanted, and he was a little jealous.

She approached Xiao Jue and asked cautiously, "Commander-in-chief, why are you so easy to talk to?"

"Why?" Xiao Jue said calmly, "As an uncle, I certainly can't let my nephew go hungry."

This "uncle" is really meaningful. He Yan pondered over it, but she found something wrong. She and Xiao Jue were of the same generation, classmates, and generals. But in this life, she first became Xiao Jue's soldier and called him the governor. Now she has become Xiao Jue's nephew, and even her generation is lower than his.

Xiao Jue got a huge advantage from this!

She remained silent and decided not to call Xiao Jue anymore. Who knew that teasing Xiao Jue would end up hurting herself? She really missed the mark.

Regardless of how good the dishes were, the chef cooked them very quickly. Soon, all the dishes were served, filling up the entire table. It was so extravagant that everyone around looked at them.

He Yan felt a little embarrassed and said, "Commander-in-chief, I'm sorry to have cost you money."

"If you want to eat it, of course you should eat it." Xiao Jue said slowly, "But I taught you before that frugality leads to prosperity, while extravagance leads to destruction. Don't waste it."

He Yan sensed something was wrong and was about to speak when he heard the man in front of him say, "If there is only one grain of rice left, you won't have to eat tomorrow."

He Yan: “…”

——Digression——

Uncle's daily quarrel with his wife