Chapter 76 Ming Shu, who is he?
Half a month later, the imperial army temporarily transferred the Yan region to the jurisdiction of Youzhou. After dealing with the trivial matters, the soldiers on the expedition were finally going home.
The people of Sangyang spontaneously offered fruits and vegetables to the soldiers, hung various kinds of silk ribbons in the city, and wrote words of blessing on signs.
Unable to withstand the enthusiastic onslaught of the people, He Zheng spent his last two days in Sangyang hiding in the county government courtyard and refusing to leave.
"Can't you really take me back to Chang'an?"
A sound suddenly came from the top of the wall in the middle of the night. It sounded a little scary, but He Zheng was already used to it.
He remained calm and said, "No."
Yunying retorted indignantly, "I saved your life, how can you treat me so heartlessly?"
He Zheng said, "My benefactor, don't make our purely righteous relationship sound so ambiguous."
"..."
Yunying jumped off the courtyard wall and smashed the wine jar into his arms. "I am, after all, a descendant of a loyal and valiant man! Shouldn't the court show me more consideration?"
"It will happen. Just wait patiently for the Emperor's decree of posthumous reward."
"I don't want any reward!"
He Zheng looked at her helplessly, "Then what do you want?"
Yunying choked up for a moment, and said as if in a fit of pique, "I want my parents to come back."
He Zheng was silent for a moment, then asked, "Any other wishes?"
"Let me leave Sangyang, take me to Chang'an."
He Zheng fell completely silent.
Yunying's voice gradually turned to tears, "General He, every moment I spend in Sangyang reminds me of my parents, of the horrific way they died at the hands of the Yan army! I really can't stay here any longer. I only have this one request: please take me to Chang'an!"
“I can send you to Youzhou.” He Zheng tactfully avoided her question and said solemnly, “The governor of Youzhou is an old friend of my father. I will ask him to take good care of you. No one will be able to bully you.”
Yunying looked at him stubbornly, "Why can't it be Chang'an?"
Helpless, He Zheng tried to reason with her: "My surname is He, not Liang. Chang'an is not my private residence. You have no name, no status, and no official record. Even if I bring you into Chang'an, you are just an innocent citizen, registered in Sangyang. Why should you stay in Chang'an?"
Yunying fell silent, biting her lip and refusing to speak.
He Zheng unsealed the wine jar and handed it to her, offering a curt consolation: "Have a drink to ease your worries and try to think more positively."
Yunying's gaze fell on the mouth of the jar, then slowly moved upwards, gazing at his own reflection in his clear eyes.
"Would you like to have a couple of drinks with me?"
He Zheng hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
The wine in Youzhou was stronger than that in Chang'an. The strong liquor felt like it was burning his throat as soon as it went down, and the spicy and bitter taste made him frown.
After three bowls, even a general who had swept through thousands of troops on the battlefield would collapse, his vision would go black, and he would lose consciousness.
As the moon sets and the stars shift, the first rays of morning sunlight stream through the window, seeping through the bed curtains and gauze, casting dappled light on the face of the person on the couch.
He Zheng woke up with a splitting headache. He held his head for a while, then his mind went blank for a moment. He couldn't remember where his memory of the previous night ended.
Reaching out to lift the curtain, I touched a patch of delicate skin.
No, there's someone on his bed!
He Zheng suddenly woke up, sat up abruptly, and took a closer look at the uninvited guest beside his pillow.
"Yunying! You tricked me!"
An angry shout came from inside the room. Jinghong, who was outside the courtyard, rushed in. Just as he was about to ask what had happened, he saw a woman with bare shoulders and long hair lying in his husband's bed.
Jing Hong was also shocked. "Young Master Yun! No, Miss Yun! You, you, you, what are you doing here!"
He Zheng grabbed his coat from the foot of the bed and put it on, jumping off the bed as he tied it, his anger and shock still lingering as he stared at the figure in the bed curtains.
Yunying also put on her outer robe, calmly lifted the bed curtains, her eyes showing no signs of sleepiness.
"Now I belong to General He. I beg the general to grant me a title and take me back to Chang'an."
In the end, it all comes down to going to Chang'an.
This woman is simply unreasonable.
He Zheng cursed, "Madman!"
"You're going to deny it now that you've pulled up your pants?" Yunying raised an eyebrow.
Jinghong was stunned. How could a girl from the North speak so roughly?
"Why should I admit to something I didn't do!" He Zheng's face was more gloomy than ever before. "Leave now, and I'll pretend you were never here last night."
What if I don't leave?
"I will let the world know that the Yun family was full of loyal martyrs, and none of them survived."
His voice was cold and devoid of any warmth, and Yunying's heart sank. She had probably lost her gamble.
But she didn't understand why.
These powerful men had countless beautiful wives and concubines at home. Her father was just a county magistrate, yet he still brought women into his house one after another, accepting all comers without exception.
She didn't consider herself ugly, and her figure was quite well-proportioned. He Zheng was a man full of vigor and vitality, so why could he be so heartless after she had gone to such lengths?
Yunying's eyes filled with tears, perhaps from shame, or perhaps from despair. After a moment of silence, she rushed toward the knife rack beside the bed.
"Don't touch that knife!"
He Zheng was a step too slow, and Yun Ying drew her long sword and held it to her own neck.
"I understand what you mean, General. Since I cannot return to Chang'an with you, I will go to the underworld to reunite with my parents!"
"slow!"
He Zheng shouted, drew a dagger from Jing Hong's waist, and slowly walked towards her.
Yunying's resolute expression faltered for a moment, "You..."
Before she could speak, He Zheng frowned and said, "If you are determined to kill yourself, can you put down that knife and use a dagger instead?"
A hint of confusion flashed in Yunying's tear-filled eyes.
In the instant she was stunned, He Zheng snatched the knife from her hand.
Yunying instinctively tried to grab the knife back, but her arm grazed the blade, and blood gushed out instantly.
Jinghong emitted a sharp, explosive sound behind him.
Yunying's face was pale. Instinctively, she tore a piece of cloth from the bed curtains and tightly bound the wound to stop the bleeding.
He Zheng sheathed his sword and threw the dagger at her feet.
Yunying bit her lower lip and looked at him, but he turned and left.
Jinghong looked around, then silently caught up with his husband.
"My lord, aren't you afraid that Miss Yun will really commit suicide?"
"She's trying to smear my reputation, why should I care whether she lives or dies?"
"But last night..."
He Zheng suddenly stopped, glaring at him coldly, "Are you blind or has your brain rusted?"
Putting aside whether a drunk man who has blacked out can handle serious matters, the bedding on his bed was clean and dry, and he was still wearing his undergarments. How could he look like he had just been intimate?
Jing Hong carefully recalled the scene he saw when he barged in, calmed down a bit, and said awkwardly, "This Miss Yun really will stop at nothing to get into the capital."
Thinking of that bowl of wine, He Zheng felt a lingering fear. He should be thankful that the wine only made him pass out; if Yun Ying had been more cunning and put something else in the wine, his reputation would have been ruined.
His gaze swept to a corner of the courtyard wall, and He Zheng suddenly recalled the scene from several months ago. He asked in confusion, "She can't even lift a sandbag, so how did she manage to drag me onto the bed last night?"
Little did he know that ever since he gave Yunying a lecture on how she couldn't lift the sandbags, Yunying had started exercising, especially focusing on building her strength.
In the past few months, she has been eating well and eating enough, and whenever she has free time, she uses heavy objects such as sandbags and stones to train her strength. She is no longer the thin and weak woman she was last autumn.
Jinghong lowered his head and stammered that he knew nothing about it.
"She moved me from the courtyard back to the couch without you noticing?"
"The little one goes to bed early..."
The battle was over, and everyone let their guard down. Knowing that he would be setting off back to Beijing the next day and that the journey would consume a lot of energy, Jinghong went to bed early these past two days to conserve his energy.
Who would have thought that General He, who had slain his way through Northern Yan, would be knocked out by a woman's jar of wine in the middle of the night, unable to sleep?
He Zheng was speechless and couldn't help but kick him, "Go and receive your punishment after you return to the capital."
He hadn't gone far from the county government office when he stopped, turned back to Jing Hong, and warned, "Watch your mouth. If this gets out, you'll be held responsible."
Jinghong complained bitterly. He could control his own mouth, but he couldn't control Yunying's mouth! If Yunying went out and talked nonsense, would he have to bear the blame?
Outside the city, the Liang army had assembled. Fan Qing rode up to He Zheng's side and bowed to him, saying, "General, we can set off now."
He Zheng raised his right hand, and Fan Qing understood, ordering them to set off back to the capital.
After traveling more than ten miles, Fan Qing couldn't help but glance at He Zheng's collar.
"General, who did you fight with?"
What are you fighting about?
Fan Qing pointed subtly to his crooked collar, where a suspicious mark was visible on the skin beneath the collar.
He Zheng's mind went blank for a moment, then he gradually recalled some fragmented images.
Last night, Yunying tried to pull off his shirt. He instinctively resisted, and the two shoved each other for a while, leaving only a few scratch marks around his collar. When he woke up this morning, that undergarment was still firmly attached to his body.
He was truly glad that he still had plenty of strength even after getting drunk.
He Zheng tucked his collar in and casually made up a lie, "There was no fight. I was just idly learning how to train eagles like the people of Northern Yan, and I got caught by an eagle."
Fan Qing asked with great interest, "Training eagles is great! It looks so impressive to have an eagle perched on your shoulder! Have you learned how to do it?"
He Zheng replied conservatively, "I know a little."
Fan Qing then asked, "And what about the eagle?"
He Zheng looked up at the edge of the clouds and said, "They've been released."
…
The army returned to Chang'an in early summer.
On the day of their entry into the city, the crowds lining the streets to welcome them stretched from Mingde Gate to Zhuque Gate, and only when they reached the imperial city did the streets become much quieter.
The Crown Prince, accompanied by a group of officials, greeted the triumphant soldiers at the city gate. He Zheng dismounted ahead of time and stepped forward to pay his respects to Liang Yuanjun.
Liang Yuanjun gladly grasped his wrist and told him to rise. "General He is now a meritorious official of the Great Liang. Quickly, you may dispense with the formalities and come with me to the palace to meet the Emperor and await your reward!"
An official nearby laughed and said, "His Majesty and Prime Minister Li and others have gone to great lengths to decide on the reward for General He, discussing it for nearly half a month."
He Zheng's attention was not on this. He searched among the officials around the Crown Prince but could not find Yu Mingshu.
It's understandable that I felt a little disappointed.
Most of the officials who came to greet him were of the fifth rank or above, while Yu Mingshu's rank was not high enough.
Just as he was lost in thought, a scroll of paper appeared in his hand.
He Zheng glanced at the person who had come next to him; it was his elder brother, who was serving as the Minister of War.
What do you mean?
See for yourself.
Seeing He Ting silently walk away, He Zheng had no choice but to unfold the note and glance at the writing on it.
There was only one word on the paper: Resignation.
What does that mean?
Upon arriving at the Taiji Hall, after offering words of comfort, the emperor smiled kindly and said he would bestow upon He Zheng the title of Marquis of Pingyan, asking for his opinion.
He Zhengcai understood that the word "辞" meant that he should decline.
He glanced at his composed father not far away, then looked up at the benevolent-looking emperor above, stepped forward, and bowed in gratitude: "Your subject He Zheng kowtows to express his thanks for Your Majesty's grace."
An eerie silence fell over the main hall.
The emperor's smile froze for a moment.
He Xiao and He Ting were both shocked, gasped, and stared wide-eyed at the audacious brat.
If he had used his brain, he would have known that if the emperor really wanted to grant him a marquisate, he would have simply sent someone to announce the decree. Why ask him what he thought in front of everyone?
However, due to the pressure of the emperor's word not being taken lightly, and not being able to openly contradict himself, he gave him a way out in court and told him to step down on his own.
Instead, he kicked the ladder away!
He Xiao wanted to kick him right now.
“My son is still young and inexperienced. He has been fortunate enough to display his ambitions because of His Majesty’s trust. The great victory over the Yan army in this battle was due to the concerted efforts of all the generals and soldiers. How can we let He Zheng take all the credit?” He Xiao stepped forward and bowed deeply to the emperor. “I urge Your Majesty to reconsider the matter of granting him a title.”
The emperor glanced at He Zheng, his smile fading. "He Zheng, your father wants me to think this over carefully. What do you think?"
He Zheng opened his mouth, but before he could make a sound, He Xiao secretly pinched him hard.
He said helplessly, "It was my oversight that led to this; Father's words are reasonable."
The emperor's expression was somewhat intriguing. He said no more and gestured for Yao Qingxi to read the imperial edict.
To everyone's surprise, the emperor insisted on bestowing the title of Marquis of Pingyan upon He Zheng. Not only that, he also promoted He Xiao's rank, making him a Duke of the Commandery instead of the Earl of Anyuan.
Not only was He Zheng stunned, but He Xiao and He Ting were also caught off guard.
Even after leaving the main hall, departing from the imperial city, and returning to their residence, the He family father and son were still filled with doubt and surprise.
Only He Zheng didn't think twice and quickly accepted this unexpected good fortune, sighing with delight, "It should have been like this a long time ago."
He Xiao followed the current emperor from Youzhou into Chang'an, helping him secure his throne. As the empress's brother, such a status should have placed him far beyond a mere earl in any dynasty. Given the late emperor's generous nature, the He family should have at least produced a prince.
Only He Xiao himself knew that, although the emperor had treated him with great kindness and doted on He Zheng for twenty years, there was always a thorn in the emperor's side.
He overestimated the He family's importance in the emperor's heart and underestimated the emperor's feelings for Zhang Zhuoyan.
He Ting poured his father a cup of tea and said, "Twenty years have passed. Perhaps His Majesty has long since let go of any resentment, but he has no chance to make amends to his father."
He Xiao said, "I hope so."
He Zheng looked at them both, puzzled. "What are you two talking about?"
He Xiao suddenly put down his cup, glared at him with a dark face, and said, "Can't you read?"
"Father, are you kidding me? I was the third-ranked scholar in the imperial examination in the twentieth year of Fengle."
"If you can read, then you are deliberately disobeying me."
"I have other matters to attend to at the Guard Commandery. I'll be right back."
He Zheng turned and ran away, ignoring He Xiao's curses behind him.
They said they were going to the Imperial Guard's residence, but in reality they went straight to the Zhaohua Hall of the Eastern Palace. Looking around, they saw that the Crown Prince was accompanied only by Yang Leyi.
Without looking up, Liang Yuanjun wielded her brush and chuckled, "Don't bother looking. Minister Yu has gone to Liangzhou to inspect the teaching situation at the Liangzhou Academy. I'm afraid he won't be back until the end of the year."
He Zheng felt a tightness in his chest; it was almost the end of the year, and there were still six months left.
"Your mission to investigate two major cases will offend many people."
Liang Yuanjun finished writing the last word, put down her brush, and handed him the letter. "I order you to go to Liangzhou immediately to accompany her and make sure she returns safely with the evidence."
He Zheng was taken aback, then took the letter and solemnly said, "Your subject accepts the decree and will certainly not fail in his mission."
…
Behind Liangzhou Academy, inside Weishan Hall.
Yu Mingshu borrowed Cui Hongli's caravan to send a box of letters to Chang'an. When he returned from the shop, he saw Chen Qingyue looking at him with a smile.
What good news could make you so happy?
Chen Qingyue said, "News from the capital says that General He has returned in triumph and has been enfeoffed as the Marquis of Pingyan."
"He was really granted a marquisate?" Yu Mingshu asked in surprise.
"Not only that, His Majesty also promoted him to the title of Earl of Anyuan, oh no, he should now be called the Duke of Fanyang!"
Seeing that Yu Mingshu's expression remained unchanged and he seemed to be deep in thought, Chen Qingyue asked in surprise, "You didn't react at all after listening?"
Yu Mingshu chuckled and said, "It's not like I'm being rewarded, so what kind of reaction should I have?"
Chen Qingyue paused for a moment, a hint of cunning in her eyes, "Indeed, Lord Yu has lofty ambitions, and his only lifelong pursuit is to become the Chancellor of the Secretariat and the Chancellery. He would not be interested in the position of Lady Hou."
Yu Mingshu's calm emotions finally stirred. She pursed her lips slightly and turned to leave the courtyard.
"Where are you going?" Chen Qingyue quickly suppressed her smile and followed.
"Academy".
"You don't have class today, what are you doing there?"
"Find Baili Dun."
This Baili Dun is the same person who was rescued by Yu Zhui back then. After Yu Mingshu arrived in Liangzhou, he inquired about him from various sources and finally confirmed that it was him.
When Baili Dun first saw her, he was stunned for a long time, with tears welling up in his eyes. Perhaps it was because of his shy nature, but his lips trembled for a long time before he could only stammer out a few words of greeting.
In the following days, he often asked her about the questions he had about studying. After a while, his speech returned to normal.
Just ten days ago, when Yu Mingshu subtly inquired about her father's condition before the accident, Baili Dun's attitude suddenly changed. He reverted to his initial sullen state, responding to her questions in silence and even intentionally avoiding her.
For example, at this moment, Baili Dun was reciting his lessons under the corridor. As soon as he turned around and saw the person coming, he turned around and tried to run away.
Yu Mingshu strode forward and gripped his wrist tightly. Baili Dun struggled twice but couldn't break free.
Where did she get such strength?!
Yu Mingshu forcefully pulled him into the room, slammed the door shut, and said in a low voice, "When Father had his accident, Wen Min gave him a box of ancient books, which he burned. Were you there at the time, or not?"
Baili Dun remained silent for a long time before nodding.
Did he leave any message on the day of his accident?
Baili Dun looked at her and said, "His words were sent back to Chang'an along with his belongings long ago."
Yu Mingshu was taken aback.
"You mean, the flood control manual?"
Baili Dun said no more, but then the door behind her was suddenly pushed open forcefully, and a man in brocade robes rushed in, their eyes meeting.
A moment later, a look of vigilance suddenly flashed in the other party's eyes, and the murderous aura emanating from him was chilling.
Yu Mingshu turned around upon hearing the voice and was stunned when he saw who it was.
"He Zheng? What happened to you..."
Before she could finish speaking, He Zheng pointed at Baili Dun and asked in a deep voice, "Ming Shu, who is he?"
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