Chapter 120: Picking Plum Blossoms for You
He was once trapped in the Hanlin Academy and could not be promoted. He buried himself in the sea of books and classics in the Hanlin Academy every day, but his heart became more and more restless and troubled.
This time, Song Yanze was very calm. On the first day of taking office, he counted the books and organized the pens, ink, paper and inkstone. He didn't need any time to calm down.
He was wearing a blue official robe with small floral patterns, with a white egret bird on the chest, and his official belt outlined his thin waist. Song Yanze got off work much earlier than usual and sat on the couch reading a book.
Jiang Tingyuan pushed the door open and walked quietly to his side, but Song Yanze leaned on him without even raising his head.
"What are you looking at?"
"The Xuanwu Gate Incident."
Song Yanze put down the book in his hand and looked up to see Jiang Tingyuan's expression, but he only saw him looking down with greedy eyes.
"Just read the story, don't worry about anything else."
Jiang Tingyuan untied his official belt and robe, put his fingers into the clean lining of the cross-collar, rubbed his neck back and forth, and pulled him to the bed.
"Is Yanzhou not peaceful again recently?"
Song Yanze was not going to court, but how could he not know about the important events in the court? Song Yanze's robe was thrown aside, and he was only wearing a loose inner garment. Jiang Tingyuan's palm was supported on his side, and he reached out to take off the wooden hairpin on his head.
"This wooden hairpin has a corner missing from its head, and you're still wearing it? Who gave it to you?"
Jiang Tingyuan changed the subject, Song Yanze sighed lightly, and didn't say any more about it.
"I don't even know you still care about this kind of thing."
Giving a hairpin as a present was an extremely ambiguous act, especially when the recipient was a man. Jiang Tingyuan was quite vindictive, and whenever he saw the hairpin on his head, he would think of the day they met again.
He cleaned up neatly. Song Yanze sat far away under the plum tree, drinking and having fun with the boy, and he still wore the jade hairpin given by Li Jinan on his head.
Fortunately, that person later became sensible and realized that his grandfather Li Heng regarded Song Yanze as a political enemy, so he distanced himself from them...
Song Yanze didn't know what he was unhappy about again, so he reached out and touched the scar on his chest under his open shirt.
"You wrote the marriage certificate, but I have nothing to give you." Jiang Tingyuan lowered his head and kissed his eyelashes, then pinched the wooden hairpin and threw it aside.
"I'll give you one someday."
Before Song Yanze could receive the hairpin, he first received the news that the war in Yanzhou had broken out and that Jiang Tingyuan's adoptive father, the commander-in-chief of the Yanzhou army, was seriously ill.
There was an uproar inside and outside the court. Yanzhou has always been a military stronghold, defending against foreign invasions and harassment. But now the commander-in-chief has a problem...
After the Minister of Works was confiscated, the Crown Prince only had the Ministry of Works, and Li Heng only had the Ministry of Personnel. The new Minister of Works was supported by the Emperor, a neutral person, but Song Yanze understood that he was probably Prince Xuan's man.
The prince was weak and realized that the emperor intended to support Prince Xuan and suppress him. The situation changed suddenly, but at this moment, something changed in Yanzhou.
Song Yanze realized something, so he got off work early today, set up a large table of food, dismissed everyone, and sat in the yard waiting for him.
"Waiting for me?"
Jiang Tingyuan, without changing his robe, strode towards him.
Song Yanze remained silent and absent-minded, and did not come back to his senses until he walked behind him.
"You are going to Yanzhou, aren't you?"
Jiang Tingyuan put his hand on his shoulder, remained silent for a long time, and finally answered him in a low voice.
"I promise, it won't be long."
Song Yanze never thought that he would care so much about his departure without saying goodbye seven years ago, and later when he knew about his suffering, he should care even less.
But the worry is gone, but the wound is still there.
Seven years ago, when he learned that he had secretly left alone, he couldn't believe it at first. No matter who tried to persuade him, it was useless. He moved a stool and sat in the yard without sleeping, not eating or drinking for a whole day and night.
His grandmother told him that she had asked someone and found out that Tingyan had gone to Yanzhou to make achievements and earn military merit, and asked him not to be so selfish and delay his work.
Song Yanze was angry that he said nothing and that he abandoned him like that, so he threw all his things out the next day.
I was a person who never lost my temper, but when I did, it was so terrible that I made myself sick. It took me half a year to get better.
"I won't keep you... nor will I pester you to stay..."
Jiang Tingyuan realized something, squatted down to look at him, hugged him tightly in his arms, and apologized in a low voice.
"Feel sorry."
"You are right."
Song Yanze's eyes were red. He relaxed his back and leaned into his arms, then whispered the same thing to him again.
"You're right. You had no choice seven years ago, but now it's for the greater good."
He was not at all sarcastic. He was very demanding towards Jiang Tingyuan and was often the one who ordered Jiang Tingyuan around and was unreasonable when they were together.
Song Yanze was clear-headed about such a major matter, but he still felt uncomfortable. He felt that he had done something wrong and was inexplicably panicked.
Jiang Tingyuan didn't like him being so clear-headed, so he squatted in front of him, looked up at him, grabbed Song Yanze's hand, and suddenly raised it to slap him in the face.
Song Yanze shed a tear and broke free from his hand.
"What are you doing?"
Jiang Tingyuan put his arms around his waist and kept kissing the corners of his eyes, greedily pecking his cheeks all the way, and sweeping away his tears with the tip of his tongue.
"I think if you're unhappy, just get angry, don't keep it in your heart."
The sunlight was dim, the lanterns had been lit, and Song Yanze looked at him in a daze.
"But this is not your fault..."
"That's fine." Jiang Tingyuan's eyebrows drooped, and he forced himself to look pitiful. "You were always like this before. You didn't treat me as an outsider, and you didn't think too much about me."
Song Yanze thought about it for a moment and couldn't help laughing. "So I was so unreasonable to you before."
Song Yanze held his cheek and kissed him, his eyelashes trembling and half-closed. It was not a strange kiss, but an inseparable and passionate entanglement. His lips, tongue tip, and teeth all became tools of feeling.
Obviously, they often stick together to do such things, but they can easily light a fire every time. Spring has passed, but the spring night will never end.
It was the first time that Song Yanze was so proactive and passionate. Their belts were tangled and thrown in the main room. Song Yanze was so focused on holding him tightly that he didn't notice that the bead curtain was suddenly broken by them and collided in mid-air, making a crisp and cheerful sound.
The soft fabric was scattered here and there, the black brocade robe covered the green outer robe, and the red shirt was half draped over the table and then slid to the ground.
Song Yanze's black hair was loose, the candlelight was bright, illuminating his eyes and making his cheeks rosy. The black hair slid from his shoulders to the front, like a satin curtain half covering the beautiful view, waiting to be gently lifted up and caressed at will.
His skin was translucent, and his hands were clasped on Jiang Tingyuan's shoulders, creating a strong contrast between black and white. Jiang Tingyuan looked up at him, his rough fingers grasping the base of his thighs, and the soft white flesh flowed out from between his fingers.
He was holding back very hard, his brows were furrowed, his arms and shoulders were tense, and his eyes were red as he stared at him deeply.
At this moment, Song Yanze bit his lower lip in embarrassment, but his eyes turned into spring water, soft and wanton. The soft and smooth touch made him restrain his strength, allowing him to do his best, granting him pleasure and pain.
Jiang Tingyuan lifted up his long black hair and gently pushed his sweaty hair behind his ears, but his other hand suddenly attacked him and pressed him hard, causing him to fall to the ground.
He caught the trembling little Song who fell down and warmed him with the hot temperature of his chest.
"I'll be back by early spring next year at the latest, I promise."
Song Yanze closed his eyes, tears and sweat fell on him, and leaned in his arms.
"I am still waiting for you to pick plum blossoms for me. Don't break your promise."
Jiang Tingyuan touched his loose black hair and whispered: "I am afraid that I will have a sweet dream by the night window, so I quickly cut the cold hair and soak it in the jade pot."
Song Yanze opened his eyes and looked at him. Jiang Tingyuan pinched his cheek and asked, "Did you read it wrong?"
Song Yanze lay back down and smiled: "That's right, just remember it."
Jiang Tingyuan reached into the box on the bed and fumbled around for a while, then took out a jade hairpin. The head of the hairpin was carved with a few plum blossoms, and the corners were rounded. It seemed that it had taken a long time to polish it, but one could tell that his craftsmanship was not very good.
He reached out and slowly combed his black hair, tied it into a simple bun, and put the hairpin in. Song Yanze reached out and touched it, his eyes widened.
"I've been carving it for a long time, but unfortunately I'm not good enough to make a decent one now."
Song Yanze wanted to take a look, but couldn't pull it down, so he just looked up and smiled at Jiang Tingyuan, tilting his head.
“Does it look good?”
"07-04, the progress of the first phase of the task is 100%. The task progress has been transferred to the administrator for manual confirmation. Please be informed."
Song Yanze looked at Jiang Tingyuan in a trance, frowned, and fell into his arms with his head pressed down.
"What sound... did you hear it?"
Jiang Tingyuan also heard it, but couldn't remember it. After a while, he watched Song Yanze's eyes regain clarity and he looked at his nervous expression in confusion.
"What’s wrong with you?"
"You just said there was a noise."
Jiang Tingyuan clearly heard a strange voice, mechanical and stereotyped, and seemed to say something, but he couldn't remember what it was, but he still remembered that it existed.
Song Yanze seemed to have no memory of anything. He curled up in the quilt, lying sleepily beside him and hugging him tightly.
"Don't leave without saying goodbye..."
Jiang Tingyuan suppressed his doubts, hugged him and agreed in a low voice.
After the transfer order was issued, Jiang Tingyuan was gone for more than half a year, from the summer when the cicadas chirped irritatingly, to the summer when the autumn leaves were falling, and now it is the winter when snow is falling.
Song Yanze was outside the court. They were fighting fiercely and had long forgotten about him. Occasionally, someone would flatter the powerful and bully the weak and give him a cold shoulder, but the next day he would come crawling to apologize.
Song Yanze knew that it was Jiang Tingyuan who arranged the people. Whenever he met King Xuan and Yu Zhu occasionally, they would greet him one by one and occasionally talk to him about things, and they did not look down on him at all.
Prince Xuan is now at the peak of his power. The Crown Prince, who has lost a major helper, has suffered setbacks in recent months. Although Li Heng is seriously injured, he can still jump high.
The three parties have been fighting for only half a year, and the situation has become complicated.
But those all drifted away, and Song Yanze just quietly edited books in the Hanlin Academy, waiting for Jiang Tingyuan's letter.
The mountains are high and the roads are long, so it is not easy to communicate once a month, but Xuanqing can always give him a stack of letters every time.
Jiang Tingyuan's handwriting was not good, and it was hard to recognize the first part. But the latter part seemed to be much better because he wrote a lot every day. Song Yanze sat on the couch, opened the letter and arranged it, and couldn't help laughing.
"I've told you that your handwriting will look good if you practice more. Now that it's good, I'll ask you to practice your handwriting well too."
Winter has come. Song Yanze is worried about him. Yanzhou is bitterly cold, and it will be even more difficult in winter. Foreign invasions are intensifying, and the war is tense. The situation of factional struggle in the court is severe, and Song Yanze is really afraid that someone will tamper with the food and supplies.
But when I opened the letter, I found that it only reported good news and not bad news.
"Zhan Xinjia, my adoptive father also heard about your wise policies in Jiangnan Province and was very impressed. I told him that my husband has always been very smart, and he told me to get out. He was probably jealous. I just mentioned it to him last month, and he just said I was dreaming and was probably hysterical."
Song Yanze couldn't help laughing, his fingers gently stroking the paper and his handwriting.
"Don't worry about me. Wear more clothes when it's cold. Don't be picky about food. Eat more meat hotpot to warm yourself up. Be careful not to catch a cold. I wasn't by your side on the first winter day after we met again. I feel so sorry. In the summer, you always kicked me away because you thought it was too hot. Only in the winter, you held me and wouldn't let me go. Every time I think about it, I feel so sorry, so sorry."
Song Yanze let out a click of his tongue, rubbed the hot water bottle with his hands, and cursed inwardly, "The man is so useless and so dishonest."
"There is a withered plum tree in the Governor's Mansion. No matter how much we take care of it in the past few years, it won't bloom. We were about to cut it down. I asked someone to keep it and take good care of it. At that time, Xuanqing and the others said that the rough soil in Yanzhou couldn't support such a delicate thing. What do they know? They just look at whether you are doing your best. Sure enough, it bloomed early this year. I guess it's the blessing you brought to me."
Song Yanze took out a plum blossom from the paper. Its petals were wrinkled and lacked water, and its shape was not good. But Song Yanze couldn't let it go, and he chose several boxes before he could put it in.
Then spread out the paper and write to him.
"It's a relief to see you in person. I'm so grateful for your praise from Governor Jiang. I'm so ashamed to hear of your merits in guarding the border and your kindness in opening up trade caravans. I really admire you. Note: Please convey your exact words to me, and don't get jealous."
Song Yanze couldn't help but smile for a while, and gently fiddled with the little flower that was sent from thousands of miles away.
"Yanzhou is bitterly cold in winter, and I always feel uneasy when I think of it. I hope you take care of yourself. The battlefield is dangerous, and I know your ability, but I am also concerned about whether you are injured and whether you are properly treated. The situation in the court is changing rapidly, so if there is a shortage of food and supplies, please send a message back."
"No matter what time of year it is, I'm always unhappy when you're not around." After Song Yanze finished writing, he felt that Meng Lang was being reckless. He paused with his pen and wanted to cross it out, but then he thought that he would be happy, so he just drew a bracket and wrote a small comment: To be revised.
"I have carefully kept the plum blossoms you sent me. I hope you take good care of yourself. When you return triumphantly in the spring, pick a branch of plum blossom and personally send it to me."
Song Yanze sealed the envelope and half-opened the window. Snow was falling heavily, the sky and the earth were bright, and the plum trees in the yard were already showing buds.
Come back to me soon.
The war in Yanzhou was at a stalemate. During the New Year's Day, news reached the capital, saying that the two sides were in a stalemate.
During the New Year's Day, fireworks were set off in Kyoto, but Song Yanze was worried and could not rest assured. He always said good things and comforted himself.
After all, he could reply.
As the New Year was about to end, Prince Xuan came to visit in plain clothes. He didn't say anything, but just played a game of chess with him, drank a few cups of tea, and gave him some New Year gifts.
"Master Xiao Song, Kyoto is bustling today, but the weather is getting colder, so it's better not to move around too much."
Song Yanze frowned and tightened his grip on the chess piece.
"Master Xiao Song was worried and let me win again."
King Xuan smiled, and Song Yanze came back to his senses and took a look at the chess game, but he had lost completely.
"It is said that the fight of a trapped beast is futile. But often a trapped beast uses all its strength in its fight, and the slightest mistake will allow it to turn the tables."
Song Yanze lowered his eyes and reminded in a calm voice.
Prince Xuan smiled. "That's exactly what Master Xiao Song said."
During the Lantern Festival, a grand banquet was held in the palace. Song Yanze was specially selected by the emperor to attend the banquet. Everything was normal at the banquet. Just when it was about to end, the palace gate was suddenly locked, and a team of armored soldiers entered the palace with swords.
Everyone was astonished. The prince stood up slowly and bowed to his father.
"Father, please don't panic. I heard that the treacherous ministers in the court today had bad intentions, so I came here with my troops to eliminate the treacherous ministers."
The emperor's face turned pale. His health had deteriorated rapidly in the past six months, and he was so angry that he vomited blood.
Song Yanze sat at the back, surrounded by trembling court officials.
The prince picked up his sword, pulled Li Heng's son from the table, dragged him in front of Li Heng, and killed him with the sword.
"Mr. Li, if we kill the treacherous villains, do you think we will kill you?"
Prince Xuan watched coldly. There were two people behind him with knives at his neck, but he was contented, with an expression as if he was watching a banquet, singing and dancing.
The prince killed several members of Li Heng's party in succession. The smell of blood filled the air. The prince was covered in blood and looked like a madman in the Golden Palace.
He turned around and saw Song Yanze sitting upright in his seat, dragging Li Heng with one hand and walking towards him with a sword in the other.
He raised his sword and tilted his chin, his eyes frivolous and admiring.
"Master Xiao Song, you must hate this old man, right? Today, I will grant you a favor. Go and kill him with your own hands."
Song Yanze did not move, his expression indifferent and calm, and looked up at the prince whose cheek was splattered with blood.
"I am currently an editor at the Hanlin Academy and do not have the authority to deal with Lord Li."
The prince grabbed Li Heng and slit his throat with a sword. Song Yanze didn't like how he handled himself as an official, but he couldn't bear it and closed his eyes.
A legendary figure, a powerful minister, died in such an inglorious way.
"I like people like you. You look weak and scholarly, but you are actually very strong. You are loyal to the emperor and love your country. I can't control you now."
"Then when I ascend the throne, will Lord Song be loyal to me?"
The sword tip was cold and stained with warm blood, and it was pressed against his neck. Song Yanze smiled, with outstanding grace.
"A wise ruler is loyal."
As soon as these words were spoken, the hall fell silent, and all the court officials looked at each other with complicated expressions. He was truly a man who was not afraid of death.
Who doesn't become an official for the sake of money and power? I didn't expect that there are people who are so serious about it.
whoosh!
The furious prince was hit in the heart by a flying arrow and fell to the side.
Song Yanze stood up suddenly and turned to look outside the hall.
Under the countless colorful lanterns, a man was wearing armor, with a goose feather on his waist, a red tassel swaying, and a bow and arrow in his hand.
He looked straight over, past all the gazes, chuckled, and mouthed words to him silently.
“I’m back.”
The people behind Prince Xuan were also taken down. He stood up, straightened his robe, and walked to the emperor.
"Father, I discovered that the Crown Prince had evil intentions early on, so I sent General Jiang back to the capital to rescue you. Father, can you understand my thoughts?"
The emperor was so angry that he spat out another mouthful of blood and could only soften his tone.
"Prince Xuan, Jiang Tingyuan, thank you for saving me."
Song Yanze also understood that the stalemate in the war in Yanzhou was probably a deliberate trap. He must have led his troops back to the capital secretly long ago, just waiting for the prince to start a rebellion.
After the Lantern Festival, Prince Xuan ascended the throne, Jiang Tingyuan was named the Grand Marshal of the Army, and Song Yanze was appointed as the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet and the Prince's Tutor.
One is the chief of military generals, the other is the chief of civil officials.
The first thing the new emperor did after ascending the throne was to review the Sanjiang dam case.
All the officials from the three divisions were cleared out, and the blood from the beheadings dyed the three rivers red to comfort the innocent people who had died.
Because Fang Yifeng handed over the secret letter from Li Heng ordering the destruction of the dam to Jiang Tingyuan, and also made a lot of efforts, his sentence was changed to dismissal and exile, and his family was not affected.
At the beginning of the new dynasty, Jiang Tingyuan casually tied up his hair and put on a robe. His muscular back was covered with fresh scratches and a tooth mark. He lifted the gauze curtain and reached out to grab the person in the bed.
With a lazy look of satisfaction, she went into the tent and called him softly.
"Lord Song, it's time to go to the morning court."
Song Yanze was pulled up by him in a daze, and angrily pushed away the face that he was leaning towards to kiss.
"knew."
Song Yanze leaned sleepily on his shoulder, asking him to busy himself with changing into the crimson first-rank official robe. He tilted his head and saw the plum blossoms he had just picked and inserted in a jade vase. He took a deep breath and smelled the fragrance of soapberries and plum blossoms on Jiang Tingyuan's body.
"I'll give you a plum blossom as a present. Are you satisfied, Lord Song?"
"Where did you break it from?" Song Yanze looked at the frozen smile on his face and reached out to twist his ear.
"You're a jerk!"
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