Chapter 44: 42

A few days later, it was the grand concubine selection day, and the palace was busy from top to bottom.

Zhao Yelan stayed idle at home, tasting the newly arrived lychees.

Lychees were hard to come by. The south had only paid tribute to Beijing yesterday, and the Emperor gave these to several hard-working officials this morning, including Yan Mingting

Yan Mingting himself didn’t like to eat this thing, thinking that it was a waste of time to peel them and really troublesome to wash the juice off one’s hands.

But he sat on the sidelines and watched Zhao Yelan peel the lychees. His two slender hands peeled off the scale-like shell, revealing the plump, tender flesh. The moist juice touched his fingertips, and there was a basin of cold water beside him that he could wash his hands with if they felt sticky.

Then a mouth bit into the pulp, bright red lips becoming moist. The pit spit out was only the size of a fingernail, with a touch of sweet flavor.

He continued in this way without a care, over and over.

Yan Mingting was fascinated by the sight, and he was salivating a little. After another one was peeled, he leaned over and bit off the flesh in one bite.

Zhao Yelan was startled as the lychee meat heading towards his mouth suddenly disappeared. His face sank and he said in displeasure: “Do you not have hands?”

“Stingy, I’ll give you one back.” Yan Mingting peeled one eagerly, and fed it to his mouth. “Here.”

Zhao Yelan glanced at the lychee meat and reached out to pick it up. Unexpectedly, the other party stuffed it into his mouth without warning, so he had to open his mouth and swallow it, glancing at him angrily. 

Yan Mingting thought it was funny. The look in his eyes seemed to be smiling rather than angry, making his heart flutter.

Yan Mingting simply placed the basket in front of himself, intending to feed them to him one by one, but Zhao Yelan stopped eating after realizing his careful plan. It so happened that Gao Tan came back with a basket, which contained a big watermelon. To quench summer thirst, it was put into the well to cool down first.

There was also a bunch of grapes in the basket, which were big and plump, very attractive. If these were fed to him……Yan Mingting began to fantasize, feeling a little hot for some reason.

He reached out to grab the grapes, but was slapped away by Zhao Yelan: “Go eat your lychees, don’t come and grab my things.”

As if afraid that he would snatch it away, he carried the basket and walked towards the bedroom. As soon as he entered the door, he turned around and asked Gao Tan with his eyes: Is anyone following?

Gao Tan shook his head.

Zhao Yelan took out the note from the basket, unfolded it, and was stunned.

– There are two pieces of good news. One, the cell boss has been found and is in my hands. What do you want to do with him? Second, the medicine is finally ready. When do you plan to act?

“I just want to eat a few of your grapes, why hide so far away?” Yan Mingting’s voice sounded at the door, and he faltered imperceptibly. Pretending to be calm, he pinched the note in his palm, turned around, and changed the subject: “Is there any news about Yao Muze’s master?”

“Still searching.” Yan Mingting didn’t know why he had suddenly asked about this, but when he thought of him being so caring, he couldn’t help but be grateful. “If there is any news, I will definitely notify you as soon as possible.”

“Let’s go and eat grapes, ba. “ Zhao Yelan lowered his head, eyes dimming, and then stuffed the note into a sachet without any trace.

In the evening, after eating, the two sat in the courtyard to enjoy the moon and drink tea.

News came from the palace that the general election was over. A total of thirty-two people were selected, and Sun Muyun was named nobility.

“An idle member of nobility?” Yan Mingting laughed. “I think she is quite independent, but how can she be so in the palace from now on?”

The corner of Zhao Yelan’s mouth curved up: “Perhaps she will make great achievements in the future. Had we met in Jiangnan, she would have been a good friend.” 

“You want to go to Jiangnan to play?” Yan Mingting thought for a moment and smiled. “Why don’t I take a leave of absence from the Imperial Court, and we can go south for a trip. How about it? I also haven’t been to the south, I don’t know if it is really as great as Sun Muyun said.” 

Zhao Yelan pinched the sachet and gave it some thought: “Let’s talk about it, there are still many matters to attend to in Beijing.”

“What matters?” Yan Mingting put his arms behind his head and gazed up at the moon. “Ever since I returned to Beijing, I have had nothing to do. I go to early court every day and then it is over. I don’t have the authority to take care of any major issues, and all I can do is listen to the quarrels of those civil servants.”

“Is this not a good thing? You earn a salary with no need to work, which is a job that many people can only dream of,” Zhao Yelan said with a smile.

“But I’m idle and bored, ah.” Yan Mingting sighed. 

“If you are so idle, go and cut up the watermelon in the well.”

Yan Mingting immediately went to cut up the watermelon and returned with a large plate full of watermelon slices. As soon as Zhao Yelan reached out to take a piece, it was snatched away.

“It’s too cold, let it sit for a while before you eat,” Yan Mingting said.

“Nonsense.” Zhao Yelan reached out once more, but was stopped by him again.

“Be good, you finally stopped coughing recently, so don’t mess around and get sick again.”

Zhao Yelan sighed deeply, feeling that Yan Mingting’s nagging was also quite difficult to deal with. Wasn’t it the point of icing the watermelon to be able to cool his mouth?

Two days later, Yan Mingting reported the border news to the Emperor. Although the Mongols had surrendered, there was still a little movement from time to time recently, and they needed to send more people over to keep watch. He planned to order Zhong Yuehong to bring three thousand soldiers back to the border. 

After thinking about it for a long time, Zhao Xuan agreed. He also rewarded Zhong Yuehong with some good things and elevated her by a rank.

On the day of departure, many officials went to meet with each other before they left.

Yan Mingting rode out of the city at the head, followed by He Cuizhang and Zhong Yuehong. In the carriage was Mother Zhong and all her belongings.

To leave with this party now was to never return.

After arriving outside the city, He Cuizhang saw Zhong Yuehong looking all around. He poked her shoulder with a horsewhip and pointed to a pavilion in the distance: “Look, Zhao-daren is over there.”

In order to prevent those censors and civil officials who had nothing to do from accusing him of being close to these military officials, Zhao Yelan went out of the city first and waited in the pavilion. This way, he wouldn’t bump into other colleagues and have to come up with excuses.

“Zhao-daren!” Zhong Yuehong swung her whip and galloped to the pavilion. As soon as Zhao Yelan stood, he watched her swing off her horse. With a plop, she went down to one knee and said solemnly: “Many thanks to Zhao-daren for saving my life. This daughter will remember her benefactor for as long as she lives. From now on, the heavens will be high and the water far.[1] Please take care of your body, Zhao-daren, and live in good health for the rest of your life.”

Zhao Yelan helped her up and smiled sincerely: “It was nothing more than a little effort. Although the capital is dangerous, it is less so than the frontier with its swords and spears. Proceed with caution and never be careless.”

“Yuehong will keep this in mind.” Zhong Yuehong nodded heavily, her eyes a little red. She raised her arm and wiped away her tears vigorously, then picked up the wine cup on the table. “My lord, General, we part here.”

Yan Mingting also picked up his wine cup: “Take care, and send me a message if you need anything.”

“I will substitute the wine with tea and drink for you, ba.” Zhao Yelan poured a cup of tea.

The three of them drank together. Zhao Yelen took out another package and gave it to her, and when Zhong Yuehong opened it, she saw that it was a newly made dress.

“The material was gifted by a nobleman before, and I naturally don’t need it. If you want to wear a dress, you can wear it without fear. If you meet your perfect person in the future, you can wear it for him too. If no man can make your heart beat, then you should be your own hero and wear it for yourself,” Zhao Yelan said.

Tears welled up in Zhong Yuehong’s eyes again, and she nodded solemnly. As if afraid to be seen crying, she turned and quickly mounted her horse, waved back at them, and led the troops away without looking back.

The mighty group gradually faded from sight. Yan Mingting turned to look at Zhao Yelan and saw his distant gaze, not knowing whether he was looking at the traveling group or the sky. He said: “We can go to the border to see her in the future. Let’s go back.”

They returned to the city, because after Zhong Yuehong’s departure, someone needed to be arranged to take over her duties. Yan Mingting hired a sedan chair, told Gao Tan to protect him, and went to the training grounds with He Cuizhang. 

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Unexpectedly, the sedan chair was stopped by someone on the road. Li Yucheng opened the curtain with a smile: “Hey, I said it must be you. What a coincidence, Zhao-xiong.”

“Unfortunately.” Zhao Yelan looked at his bruised nose and swollen face and said coolly: “You fought hard.”

“That’s right.” Li Yucheng touched his black eyes. “I beat Fu Qian like this to help you save that person.”

“You and Fu Qian have been at odds for a long time,” Zhao Yelan said.

“Sure enough, I can’t hide anything from you, ah,” Li Yucheng said. “Since we’re here, it is better to take advantage of the occasion than to choose another time to meet. Do you want to listen to music with me?”

Zhao Yelan took a good look at him, recalled the conversation he had heard when they met Fu Qian in front of Hongxiu House that day, and said clearly: “Could it be that you fell in love with that beauty and wanted to marry her, but your father refused to agree, so you want me to be a lobbyist?”

Li Yucheng blushed, faltering as he said: “I’m a good-for-nothing in my twenties. If I can start a family, maybe Dad will be happier. But you also know my reputation. No woman from a good family is willing to marry me, but A-Chang is different. Not only does she sing beautifully, but she never looks down on me.”

“You are her benefactor, so of course she won’t despise you.” Zhao Yelan jabbed straight at his heart.

“She sells her art but not her body! A lot of people throw money at her, but she ignores them,” Li Yucheng said.

“Then why are you looking for me? You should go to a matchmaker, or someone else more suitable.”

“My father’s colleagues don’t want to see me at all, and they don’t understand the beauty of rhythm! And my dad actually admires you quite a bit. I used to make trouble for you all the time, and besides telling me not to provoke you, he also incidentally complimented you, which made me even more angry……” Li Yucheng smiled sheepishly.

The sedan chair happened to pass Hongxiu House. Li Yucheng continued to urge him, and as he was distracted, the sedan chair missed it.

“Zhao-xiong, I beg you, please help me! You can do anything, ah!” Li Yucheng pleaded bitterly.

Zhao Yelan changed his mind and said: “It’s getting late, let’s try another day.” After speaking, he pulled down the curtain.

“Okay, another day is fine, I will leave my life’s important affairs to you!” Li Yucheng shouted at the sedan chair, and then ran excitedly back to Hongxiu House to discuss marriage with his confidante.

In the evening, after Yan Mingting came back, he heard that Zhao Yelan and Li Yucheng were chatting on the street. This time he didn’t sulk, and said directly to Zhao Yelan: “Can you eat and drink less with those little white faces in the future?”

“I don’t drink.” Zhao Yelan was feeding the rabbit. He patted the rabbit’s head, stood, and walked to his side. “Who did you hear it from? Yu Dali?”

Yan Mingting did not answer.

“Didn’t you promise me that for them, my orders would definitely override yours? How are they different from the people sent by the Emperor to monitor me? You should remember what happened to those people, ba. If you don’t want Yu Dali and the others to die tragically, then don’t ask them about my whereabouts,” Zhao Yelan said coldly.

“No, my lord……I told the General,” Gao Tan muttered beside him.

Zhao Yelan swiftly looked at him and said: “Who the hell do you think you are? !”

“The General gave me this……” Gao Tan tremblingly took out a bunch of tanghulu and said with a very pitiful tone, “He said that he would take you out to swim in the lake tonight, so I said you might be a little tired today……”

“Swim in what lake at night?” Zhao Yelan asked.

Yan Mingting said: “I saw that you are a little bored in the mansion all day long, so I wanted to take you to relax. Do you want to go?”

Zhao Yelan’s throat choked up. He had just finished being vicious toward someone, and they turned around to invite him to go to the lake. It was really embarrassing, so he refused: “I don’t, I’m going to bed.”

“Okay then, let’s go to the lake another day,” Yan Mingting said.

After he left the courtyard, Yan Mingting asked Gao Tan in a low voice: “What’s wrong with your family’s lord? His temper came out of nowhere, was he angry outside today?”

“I don’t know, ah, his temper is really unpredictable. Don’t you know that, General?” Gao Tan ate tanghulu and said, “It seems that there are a few days every month where he is particularly quick to anger.”

“……”

Yan Mingting only felt that his reaction this time was a little too big. He was clearly fine when he saw Zhong Yuehong off in the afternoon, so could it be that Li Yucheng angered him?

At night, Yan Mingting lay on the ground and asked softly: “Are you asleep?”

“What is it?”

“What is the matter with you these days?”

“Nothing, why?”

“Are you weak and faint, emotionally unstable, with unbearable abdominal pain? Will there be any blood?”

Zhao Yelan’s brow creased: “What nonsense are you talking about? !”

Yan Mingting covered his mouth with embarrassment and said: “You haven’t promised me yet that you won’t go out with those little white faces in the future.”

“Why?”

“Because……there will be gossip, ah! And isn’t Wang Guisheng your pawn? How can anyone hang around with chess pieces all day long? Isn’t this clearly telling others that the two of you are in the same group?”

Zhao Yelan was inwardly amused, so he didn’t expose him, only saying: “All right, I won’t do it again.” There would also be no such opportunity.

Only then did Yan Mingting fall asleep satisfied.

For several days, Yan Mingting saw Li Yucheng’s figure nearby. He would make a fist at him from afar, and then Li Yucheng would run away like a mouse that had encountered a cat.

On this day, Li Yucheng had already figured out Yan Mingting’s routine, and while he was out, he came to the General’s Mansion and called: “Zhao-xiong, Zhao-xiong, are you there?”

Zhao Yelan walked out in splendor and looked at him without saying a word. 

“I brought you something good!” Li Yucheng took out a sachet. “This was my sister’s favorite kind of sachet in the past. There are dozens of floral fragrances mixed in it, which is cool and pleasant in summer. I made this, and if you like it, I will give it to you. I’ll even tell you the recipe!”

Zhao Yelan took it and sniffed it: “Let’s go.”

“Okay!”

An hour later, Yan Mingting returned from the training grounds, but hadn’t yet arrived at the General’s Mansion when he heard passers-by chattering about Zhao Yelan. He immediately reined in his horse, pulled someone aside, and asked, “Where did you say Zhao Yelan went?”

“He went to the brothel with Li Yucheng!”

Yan Mingting: “ ! ! ! ”

Very good, he only just promised him last night that he wouldn’t have dinner with the little white faces, and today he was looking for girls instead!

 

[1] This phrase describes a long journey or a vast distance. ⮐

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