A deathly silence fell over the city gate.
Everyone was completely baffled by Meng Wei's sudden "family reunion" maneuver.
Especially those unlucky soldiers who had been whipped; they covered their burning faces, their eyes filled with grievance and confusion.
General...aren't your relatives from the capital a little too...down-to-earth? They don't look like merchant uncles and aunts at all; they look like a refugee couple who just fled from some remote mountain village!
However, Meng Wei didn't care what they were thinking.
All he wanted to do now was to get these two ancestors into the city as soon as possible, and get them away from these ignorant fools!
As he continued to brandish his whip and curse, he subtly gave Xiao Che and Lin Wanwan a look that said, "Come with me now."
Xiao Che suppressed his laughter, but his face perfectly displayed a "spineless" expression, as if he had been wronged but couldn't vent his anger because of their family ties.
He pulled Lin Wanwan along, and amidst the soldiers' ghost-like stares, followed Meng Wei, swaggering into Zhenbeiguan.
Only after the three figures completely disappeared into the city gate did the group of stunned soldiers finally react.
"What...just happened?"
"The general... he slapped us, and then said those two refugees... oh no, they were merchants, his cousins?"
"My goodness... the general's taste is truly... unique..."
The farcical "family reunion at the city gate," a spectacle worthy of being recorded in the history of Zhenbeiguan, has thus come to an end.
...
General's Mansion.
In contrast to the rugged and austere style of Zhenbeiguan, Meng Wei's General's Mansion appears quite simple and grand. Without excessive ornate decorations, it exudes the iron-bloodedness and rigor of a military career.
Upon entering the mansion and confirming that there were no outsiders around, Meng Wei's forced, angry face instantly crumbled.
With a "thump," he knelt down on one knee, his movement so swift that it was as if he wasn't the one who had almost knelt down at the city gate just moments before.
"This humble general, Meng Wei, has arrived too late to save Your Majesty and deserves to die! Please forgive me, Your Majesty!"
His voice trembled slightly, a mixture of excitement and lingering fear.
Seeing his expression, Xiao Che finally couldn't help but laugh.
"Alright, get up." He personally stepped forward and helped Meng-Wei up. "If you had arrived any later, your 'cousin' would probably have been mistaken for a spy and brought to you."
Meng Wei stood up. His burly frame, over 1.9 meters tall, looked like a child who had made a mistake in front of Xiao Che, not daring to raise his head.
"Your Majesty, how...how did you...come here?" he stammered, still feeling as if everything before him was a dream.
"What? My empire, can't I even touch it?" Xiao Che raised an eyebrow, regaining some of his imperial majesty.
"No, no, no! That's not what I meant!" Meng Wei waved his hands repeatedly in fright. "What I meant was that this place is dangerous. Your Majesty's body is of utmost importance. How can you lightly venture into such a dangerous place? If... if anything were to happen to you, I would be guilty beyond redemption!"
“It is precisely because of the danger that I must come and see for myself.” Xiao Che patted his shoulder, his tone becoming calmer. “Alright, this is a long story. First, arrange accommodation for me and your ‘aunt’. Remember, our identities are those of distant relatives from the capital; do not reveal them.”
"Yes! This subordinate understands!" Meng Wei nodded heavily, immediately straightening his back, as if he had transformed back into the majestic one-eyed general.
He personally led Xiao Che and Lin Wanwan to the quietest and most elegant courtyard in the backyard, and ordered his personal guards that no one was allowed to approach.
After arranging everything, Meng Wei returned to the front hall.
At this moment, several generals and a middle-aged man who looked like a civil official had been waiting in the front hall for a long time.
"General, you're finally back!" a lieutenant said, rising to his feet. "I heard there was some trouble at the city gate?"
Meng Wei waved his hand, sat down in the main seat with an air of authority, and his face had regained its usual dignified appearance.
"A few ignorant fools disturbed my two distinguished guests, but they have been dealt with," he said casually, then turned his gaze to the middle-aged civil official who had been sitting calmly and looked very refined.
"Commander Qian, where were we?"
The middle-aged man known as "Military Advisor Qian" was in his early forties. He had a shrewd appearance, and his small eyes always gleamed with calculation. Unlike the other generals, he was not physically imposing; instead, he appeared somewhat frail and wore a neat civil official's robe, which seemed out of place in the room filled with an atmosphere of iron-bloodedness.
He was Qian Ming, the military advisor in charge of logistics and provisions at Zhenbeiguan.
Qian Canjun put down his teacup and put on a respectful smile: "General, we were just talking about how the new batch of military pay allocated by the court has arrived in full. I am preparing to distribute it to all the brothers tomorrow."
"Good!" Upon hearing this, Meng Wei's face showed genuine joy. "You must handle this matter well! There must be absolutely no mistakes!"
"Don't worry, General, I understand." Qian Canjun nodded and bowed in response, but his eyes inadvertently glanced towards the backyard.
...
That night, the General's Mansion hosted a grand banquet to welcome the two "distinguished guests from afar."
Xiao Che and Lin Wanwan changed into clean clothes prepared for them by Meng Wei. Although they were still dressed as ordinary businessmen, their innate nobility could no longer be concealed.
During the banquet, Meng Wei introduced several key deputy generals in the manor to Xiao Che and Lin Wanwan.
"Uncle, Aunt, these are some of my brothers who have risked their lives for me!" he said, pointing to the generals.
Although the lieutenants were filled with curiosity and doubt about the origins of these two "poor relatives," they dared not reveal it in front of Meng Wei. One by one, they raised their wine bowls and enthusiastically toasted Xiao Che and Lin Wanwan.
Xiao Che welcomed all who came, drinking and chatting with these men who had risked their lives on the line.
From their conversation, he heard about the peace and stability of the border, the morale of the soldiers, and their...respect for him.
"Uncle, you don't know this!" A bearded lieutenant, his face flushed from drinking, slurred, "Our lives are so much better now than they were a few years ago! It's all thanks to His Majesty's divine power that he has purged the treacherous officials in the court, allowing our provisions and military pay to be delivered to our brothers on time and in full!"
“That’s right!” another lieutenant chimed in. “Back in the day, damn it, we stuffed our cotton-padded coats with cattail fluff and ate stale rice! Now, we have meat every meal! The brothers have so much more energy when we train!”
Hearing these heartfelt praises, Xiao Che felt an indescribable warmth and pride welling up in his heart.
This was more pleasing to him than hearing thousands of praises from officials in the imperial court.
He picked up the wine bowl, drank it all in one gulp, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
However, Lin Wanwan, sitting to the side, keenly noticed a discordant note.
She noticed that whenever Meng Wei and his deputies mentioned "sufficient provisions and adequate pay," Qian, the military advisor who always sat at the end of the table with a humble smile on his face, would have his eyes flicker unnaturally.
When Meng Wei uttered the words "It's all thanks to His Majesty's divine might," his gaze swept across the entire room. In the instant his eyes swept over Qian Canjun, a fleeting, cold...disgust flashed in his bright single eye!
Although it was only for a moment, Lin Wanwan captured it precisely.
A slight thought crossed her mind.
It seems that the "Feast at Hongmen" at the General's Mansion was not as harmonious as it appeared on the surface.
The atmosphere at the banquet, fueled by alcohol, became even more lively.
After several rounds of drinks and five courses of food,
Qian Canjun, holding a wine glass, swayed as he walked over to Lin Wanwan's side.
His face was slightly drunk, but his smile appeared exceptionally shrewd.
"Auntie, you are so lucky to be so highly regarded by General Meng," he complimented.
Lin Wanwan simply smiled faintly and did not reply.
Qian Canjun seemed unconcerned; he continued, seemingly casually, asking:
"I've heard that my uncle and aunt are from the capital? I wonder... what kind of business do they do there?"
His voice wasn't loud, but it sounded like a probe, trying to get some kind of information.
"We roughnecks on the frontier aren't very worldly. Aunt, you've seen the world, so if... if you have any connections in the capital, please don't forget to help me out!"
As he spoke, he winked at Lin Wanwan with his bright, piercing eyes.
Lin Wanwan paused slightly in the hand holding the teacup.
While sitting in the main seat, Xiao Che appeared to be having a lively discussion with his lieutenants, but his eyes never left this side.
When Qian Canjun uttered the words "Take me with you, brother," a brand new emoji quietly appeared above Xiao Che's head—
It was a cartoonish, sneaky fox, cautiously peeking out half its head.
Behind it, a huge, furry tail could no longer be hidden and was already showing.
Next to the emoji, there was a line of small text:
[The fox's tail is showing.gif]
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