Chapter 404: Good Teaching
As soon as he returned to the mansion, Yan Zhigao went to the front yard and sent the yamen runners out to look for someone. Daohua talked with Old Lady Yan, Madam Li and others for a while, then found an excuse to return to her own yard.
"Man'er, go tell Brother Xiaoliu to keep an eye on the front yard. If there's any news, come and tell me immediately."
Until dark, Yan Wentao and Yan Wenkai had not returned yet, and there was no news from Qin Wu and the Yan family guards. The yamen runners did come back, but they found nothing.
During dinner, Yan Wenxiu and Daohua were a little absent-minded, which caused Old Lady Yan and Madam Li to look at them several times.
Yan Zhigao was also anxious, but after years of service as an official, he had learned to keep his emotions hidden. Seeing that his eldest son and daughter became restless when something happened, he called them aside after dinner to lecture them.
"Look at the way you two look so sad. Are you worried that your grandmother and the others don't know about Wen Tao and Wen Kai?"
"You should stay calm and composed when encountering problems. Don't let the slightest thing make you panic."
“When you’re panicking, you’re more likely to make the wrong decision.”
"Especially you, Wen Xiu. You're going to be the leader of your own clan in the future. If you panic, your wife, children, and elders behind you will panic too. If everyone panics, won't that be chaos?"
"As for Daohua, although you don't have to go out like a man, when you get married, you will have the responsibility to maintain the inner house. If you panic when something happens, how will you manage the inner house?"
"We don't even know what's going on with Wenkai and Wentao yet, and you two are just like this. What if your grandmother and mother find out? Wouldn't that just cause more trouble?"
Seeing the two men listening attentively with their heads down, Yan Zhigao softened his tone a bit, "Don't worry too much. Wen Kai and Wen Tao are both good at martial arts. One is agile and flexible, while the other is calm and careful. Nothing should happen."
This scene was seen by Yan Wenbin and Yan Yishuang, who were standing by, and both of them had dim eyes.
My father hasn't taught them personally for a long time, but he values my eldest brother and eldest sister more and more.
Old Lady Yan and Madam Li were very happy about it and were also happy for the three of them, father and son, to keep in touch with each other.
At the same time, in a small farmyard outside Ningmen Prefecture, a fat farmer was talking to the host with a smile on his face: "Thank you, big brother, for letting us stay here. I would also like to trouble you to help us cook some food." As he said that, he took out a small piece of silver from his pocket.
The dark-skinned middle-aged man grinned when he saw the silver. "No problem, no problem." Then he shouted towards the kitchen, "Old woman, hurry up and make a few bowls of noodles for the brothers. Oh, and add a big egg to each bowl."
Eunuch An's mouth twitched at the powerful shout. When the host turned his head to look at him, he spoke again: "Is there any hot water? We want to wash our faces."
The host expressed disapproval and said, "Brother, we are all farmers who depend on the weather for our livelihood. How can you be so precious? You even need hot water to wash your face. Isn't that a waste of firewood? It's not winter yet, you really don't know how to be frugal. Use cold water, I'll get you some."
Watching the male host turn around swiftly, Eunuch An wiped his face woodenly, wiped off the saliva that was sprayed on his face, and then quickly followed.
Taking the washbasin from the man's hand, Eunuch An looked at the dark spot on the edge of the basin, and his eyelids twitched.
"What are you standing there for? Come and fetch some water! Luckily, my eldest brother filled up the house with water before going to work this morning. Otherwise, I would have to go to the village well to fetch water for you."
Seeing that Eunuch An scooped water to wash the basin and poured the water three times, the man could not help but say: "My basin is clean, don't waste water."
Looking at the still somewhat turbid water in the basin, Eunuch An took a deep breath and said with a smile, "Big Brother, just wash it this once. It will be done in no time."
The man muttered reluctantly, "Why are you so particular? No matter how clean it is, it will still be dirty the next time you wash it."
Eunuch An ignored it, cleaned the basin with quick hands and feet, then scooped a large basin of water and quickly brought it to the mud house at the innermost part of the yard.
"Fifth Master, the water is coming."
The room was not big and the lighting was not good. There were five or six people sitting or standing inside.
Eunuch An placed the wash basin on the table and looked at the middle-aged man sitting beside it with a look of self-blame: "Fifth Master, there is no hot water."
The middle-aged man called Fifth Master raised his hand to interrupt Eunuch An. They all heard the conversation in the yard: "When you are away from home, keep everything simple." As he said that, he stood up and cleaned up briefly.
After Wu Ye finished washing, the other people cleaned themselves up without caring whether the water was dirty or not.
Soon, the host came over with a few bowls of steaming noodle soup.
"Big brother, let me do it!" Eunuch An hurried to take the dishes and chopsticks.
The host enthusiastically helped set the table. Seeing that Wu Ye and the others hadn't touched their chopsticks, he couldn't help but say, "Come on, guys, eat quickly. These noodles need to be eaten while they're hot to be chewy. My wife makes delicious noodles. Look, she even put eggs in them for you."
As he said this, he stared at the egg and swallowed.
Seeing him like this, the others were reluctant to start eating. Eunuch An quickly said, "Big Brother, we'll eat soon. Go and do your thing."
The host looked at the steaming noodles, hesitated for a while, and then turned and left.
As soon as the others left, Eunuch An immediately took out a silver needle from his bosom and pretended to test the poison.
Uncle Wu reached out to stop him: "No need, just sit down and eat." Then he picked up his chopsticks and started eating.
Only two people sat down, while the others, including Eunuch An, took their bowls and squatted aside to eat.
An elegant middle-aged man with a long beard nodded as he ate: "Don't tell me, even though this noodle doesn't look very good, it tastes really good."
The burly middle-aged man on the other side said, "I'm starving. I've only eaten two dry biscuits since this morning."
The elegant middle-aged man laughed and said, "You talk as if we've eaten something else." He smiled and looked at the Fifth Master, "It's been a few years since we last met, but the young prince has improved a lot. We've only been in Zhongzhou for a few days, and he's almost discovered us twice."
Wu Ye smiled and nodded, with some relief and satisfaction on his face: "Letting Yang'er stay in Zhongzhou is the right decision."
The elegant middle-aged man laughed again and said, "That little girl before was really sharp-eyed. Our costumes were already realistic enough, and no one noticed anything unusual along the way, but she happened to notice it."
The burly middle-aged man said, "Those two young men were quite alert. I wonder if Chief Wei managed to shake them off?"
The elegant middle-aged man smiled and said, "If he had gotten rid of it, Chief Wei should have returned by now."
The burly middle-aged man's eyes flashed with brilliance: "Captain Wei is the leader of the Imperial Guard. Those two young men are quite capable to be able to deal with him."
The elegant middle-aged man smiled and said, "Why, Commander Wu has taken a fancy to those two young men?"
Wu Jingyi didn't hide it: "It's rare to come across a good seedling. If I can really use him for my own benefit, wouldn't it also help Fifth Master relieve his worries?"
The Fifth Master glanced at Wu Jingyi and said, "Don't blame me for everything."
As he was speaking, a burly middle-aged man walked in.
Wu Jingyi's eyes lit up when he saw them: "Captain Wei, you're back. Where are those two young fools?"
Wei Qi saluted Wu Ye first, then said, "Those two young men are quite capable. I left two guards to lead them around the mountain for fun."
Wu Jingyi raised his eyebrows: "Why go through so much trouble?"
Wei Qi looked at the Fifth Master and said, "Fifth Master, I have inquired and found out that those two are the son and nephew of Yan Zhigao, the prefect of Ningmen Prefecture. In order to avoid attracting attention, they are being kept under arrest."
The Fifth Master's eyes flashed, "Yan Zhigao? He's actually from his family." He paused, "My daughter is smart, and my son and nephew are also capable. They've been well-educated."
Upon hearing this, Wu Jingyi and the elegant middle-aged man exchanged a quick glance.
The elegant middle-aged man smiled and said, "Master Yan's eldest son also passed the provincial examination this year. I heard that he ranked quite well."
Wu Jingyi smiled and said, "The Prime Minister really cares about the students."
Yang Chenghua smiled faintly: "General Wu prefers Wu Zi, and I like to study."
(End of this chapter)
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