Chapter 48: 46

The mansion was already busy heating water and cleaning a wing of the house. Zhao Yelan stood in the courtyard watching servants hurrying to and fro. Those not in the know might have thought that a new master was about to enter.

Yan Mingting took the woman to her wing of the house and asked her to take a bath before discussing matters, then went to inform the other lieutenants and invited a doctor on the way.

This business had nothing to do with Zhao Yelan, so he picked up a fishing rod and went to fish in the back courtyard’s fish pond. After an incense stick of time passed, he hadn’t caught a single one. With his face sinking lower than the fish pond, he quickly retracted the fishing line and threw it aside angrily.

Xiao Gao picked it up for him again and began to roll up the legs of his trousers: “My lord, do you want me to go down and get you a few like the General did? Do you want to eat some?”

“No need.” Zhao Yelan spoke with a dark face, and when he heard footsteps behind him, he looked furiously at the fish pond.

“It’s getting dark, why did you come here to fish?” Yan Mingting asked.

“Who stipulated that you can’t fish when it’s dark? Do you understand the concept of night fishing?” Zhao Yelan said snappily.

“Okay, I don’t comprehend your sophistication.” Yan Mingting really thought he was delaying his business, so he warned, “Then don’t forget to have dinner later, I’ll go to the front courtyard to check on the situation first.”

Zhao Yelan turned around angrily, but found that he had already turned to leave.

The sun sank, leaving only the last bit of gray in the sky, which fell into darkness in the blink of an eye. Zhao Yelan sat quietly by the fish pond for a while, listening to the movement in the front courtyard. It wasn’t until Xiao Gao began to slap mosquitos to remind him to go back to the house that he stood up and began to walk slowly out of the back courtyard.

“Oh, my lord, have you finished fishing? Go quickly and eat, we’ve been waiting for you.” Housekeeper Qin had come to look for him, and hurriedly led him to the main hall.

As soon as he reached the door, he heard murmurs of conversation. When he stepped over, the conversation stopped. The woman regarded him vigilantly, and gave a shaky nod in a show of friendliness.

There were many good dishes on the table, but no one moved their chopsticks.

“You’re here, sit down quickly, ba.” Seeing him coming, Yan Mingting stood up and pulled out a chair for him.

Zhao Yelan took a seat and looked at the woman calmly. After taking a bath, she had changed into a maid’s clothes and her whole person looked completely refreshed. It was only that her eyes still looked a little red. Yan Mingting comforted her: “It’s all right, wait until after dinner and we will discuss it and figure out a way.”

The woman nodded, but she didn’t have any appetite. She put down the bowl and chopsticks after two mouthfuls, apologized, and hurried back to her room.

Yan Mingting gazed in the direction she had left and sighed. When he turned back, he noticed Zhao Yelan’s gloomy gaze and made introductions: “Her name is Zuo Ran, a friend I met at the border.”

Oh, a friend at the border, ah. Hurrying all the way back to the capital, there must really be deep feelings.

Yan Mingting: “She also participated in combat, and she is as good at martial arts as Zhong Yuehong. But she didn’t want fame, so she didn’t go back to Beijing with us before, concealing her credit.”

Oh, a good woman who doesn’t care about fame and is also good at martial arts. She is the perfect match for you, ah.

Yan Mingting: “We met because she went out with her friend and encountered a team delivering military rations that was trapped, so she helped them and sent them to the front lines just in time, saving all of our lives.”

Oh, there was also a life debt, so shouldn’t it be repaid with gratitude?

Yan Mingting ate two mouthfuls of food in a hurry, and suddenly heard Zhao Yelan ask: “Does she like you, or do you like her?”

“Pfft –” Yan Mingting almost spit out the contents of his mouth. Caught off guard, he choked and beat his chest heavily.

“General! Zuo Ran is here? General, what is wrong with you!” As He Cuizhang rushed in, he continued to yell.

There were several other lieutenants who came as well.

Yan Mingting: “Cough, cough, cough, cough……”

He Cuizhang quickly smacked his back and beat his chest, which seemed to stop his coughing.

Yan Mingting took several sips of water before feeling his throat relax. He pointed to the courtyard door and said: “She is in the west wing.”

“Hey, why did this girl come here without saying a word? I’ll go see what is going on.” He Cuizhang disappeared like a wisp of smoke.

Yan Mingting was worried that he would say something without thinking and poke the person’s sensitive spot, so he had no choice but to bring the others to follow. Without knowing why, he turned back and explained to Zhao Yelan: “I’ll go see them first, and then I’ll come back and explain to you that she and I are just comrades-in-arms.”

Saying this, he disappeared from sight with the others.

After dinner, Zhao Yelan went to bathe before the people who had gone to the west wing came out, and lay down in bed, falling asleep early.

It was late at night when He Cuizhang left, and Yan Mingting returned to the room. It was pitch black, and he walked lightly to the side of the bed, calling: “Mengting, are you asleep?”

Zhao Yelan closed his eyes and did not reply.

Yan Mingting called again, but there was no response, so he went to lay down the bedding and fell asleep.

The bedroom was on the east side, separated from the west wing by a considerable distance. Zhao Yelan couldn’t help thinking: when would the girl move to the east side?

Perhaps because he was about to leave, all sorts of messy things kept appearing in his mind. He couldn’t fall asleep and couldn’t turn over without waking Yan Mingting.

That night, he slept and woke without being able to distinguish between reality and dreams.

There were several dreams on and off, but only the last one made an impression.

In the dream, Yan Mingting went on to take concubines less than a month after his “death,” and a couple of children were born within the year. A few years later, his grave was already covered with grass. Yan Mingting was there among a group of wives and concubines, and had brought his family members to pay homage to him in high spirits. He told the children that it was thanks to the early death of the person in the tomb that he could have so many children, and said that in the future, he would need those beautiful concubines to spread branches and leaves for the Yan family……

Zhao Yelan opened his eyes abruptly, stunned for a moment, and then threw off the blanket and got out of bed to kick Yan Mingting: “Get up!”

Yan Mingting let out an “ouch” and then opened his eyes in a daze. He looked at the dark night outside and asked: “What’s the matter?”

“It’s time to get up, get the hell out!” Zhao Yelan snapped.

Yan Mingting rubbed his eyes, yawning as he got up, and became happy again in a flash. Could it be that he wanted to follow the example of Kan Chuan’s wife and wake up early with him?

Zhao Yelan looked at the person who was suddenly washing and dressing with excitement, and his expression became even uglier: “You’re rather happy about getting the hell out.”

“Ah?” Yan Mingting unconsciously fixed his sword in place and went out in a daze. He turned back to the door after a moment and said in a low voice, “By the way, if I come back late, you help me keep an eye on Zhuo Ran and don’t let her run around alone.”

Look at this caring appearance!

Zhao Yelan gritted his teeth and bolted the door. He couldn’t sleep in the end. As soon as he closed his eyes, there was the scene of Yan Mingting taking his wives, concubines, and children to weed his grave, and he woke up angrily. He dragged Xiao Gao up from bed and went to the back courtyard to kill two chickens.

“My lord, why are you up so early, ah?” Housekeeper Qin took the chickens from Xiao Gao’s hands and brought them to the kitchen for extra lunch that day.

After handing them over to the kitchen, he felt that there were not enough chickens to kill, so he ordered a maid to go out and buy some juvenile chickens, otherwise the coop would be empty sooner or later.

During breakfast, the woman was invited out for a meal by Housekeeper Qin. After a night’s rest, her complexion looked much better, but her legs and feet were still a little awkward and she wobbled a bit when walking. When she saw him, she knew to say in greeting: “Zhao-daren, I have been looking forward to meeting you for a long time.”

“Let’s eat first.” Zhao Yelan nodded, gave her a cold look, and then watched her movements, only to find that she was also secretly looking back at him.

Caught off guard, they stared at each other and looked away in embarrassment at the same time.

Zuo Ran forced herself to eat a few more mouthfuls, then stood looking at the gate, asking the guards beside her: “When will the General return?”

The guard said it would be soon, and she stood guard at the door like a watchman, pacing back and forth.

Zhao Yelan took a deep breath, pretended to be calm, and continued to eat.

At this time, Housekeeper Qin made a cup of tea and called: “Zuo-guniang, the doctor said that your legs and knees are worn out, and you need to rest well. You must come in and sit while you wait, the General will be back soon.”

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“What kind of tea are you making?” Zhao Yelan asked abruptly.

“My lord, have you forgotten? This is from the tree planted by the old lady herself ah,” Housekeeper Qin replied.

Very good, the tea from one’s own family, only served to distinguished guests.

Ever since Zhao Yelan set eyes on these tea leaves the second day after entering the door, he had never seen them again. Many guests had come to the General’s Mansion so far, and even Li Jinyu, the Prime Minister, had failed to drink a cup of this tea. Yet this girl of unknown origin could drink it.

He couldn’t finish his meal, so he put down his chopsticks and took Xiao Gao out to the Imperial Academy. When passing through the gate, Zuo Ran called out for Zhao-daren.

Zhao Yelan looked at her suspiciously, but she hesitated to speak, opening and closing her mouth several times before finally shaking her head and saying: “It’s nothing. Walk slowly, my lord.”

Before noon, Ruan Xian walked to Zhao Yelan’s side and wondered: “Zhao-xiong, you have been absent-minded. Is something wrong?”

Zhao Yelan stared blankly: “Nothing is wrong.”

“If nothing is wrong, what do you think you drew?” Ruan Xian pointed to the painting on his desk.

Zhao Yelan looked down, and there was a magnificent turtle on what was originally a map.

“……”

“Who are you drawing?” Ruan Xian joked. Not far away, Wang Guisheng came over at the sound, took a look, and laughed as well.

“You have nothing else to do?” Zhao Yelan cast a glance at the two of them.

“It’s time for lunch soon. If there is anything to do, it is to eat. Let’s go see what dishes are available today,” Ruan Xian said.

The Imperial Academy specially provided lunch, which was convenient for officials who lived far away and didn’t go home at noon. Those like Ruan Xian could also bring their own food. His wife cooked well, but the weather was hot these days. In order to prevent the food from spoiling, he didn’t bring a food box to flaunt in front of everyone.

There were naturally also officials who lived nearby, and they would rather go back than eat this lunch that always consisted of soup.

Zhao Yelan usually stayed, but he wouldn’t eat the food here and ordered Xiao Gao to bring some decent food from the restaurant outside. Only he could eat expensive and luxurious food. Others couldn’t envy him, and could only criticize him secretly.

“My lord, I’m here!” Xiao Gao called from where he stood outside the gate.

Zhao Yelan folded the turtle drawing and put it in his pocket, then went to pick up the food box. Seeing Xiao Gao turning to leave, he said at once: “Wait a moment.”

Xiao Gao stood there waiting for his orders, and Zhao Yelan turned around and handed the food box to Ruan Xian and Wang Guisheng: “I have to go back and do something, you can take this and eat it., ba.”

“How kind of you.” Ruan Xian took it with a smile, pressing Wang Guisheng’s head down and bowing. “Zhao-xiong, don’t worry, we will eat it all!”

Zhao Yelan left the Imperial Academy in a hurry, hired a sedan chair to go back to the General’s mansion, and shouted after a while: “Hurry up!”

The sedan chair soon arrived at the General’s Mansion, and as soon as it stopped, Zhao Yelan swiftly disembarked and straightened his clothes. Then he took Xiao Gao inside and pretended to act natural, just in time for the mansion to serve lunch.

The people who were talking stopped, and He Cuizhang called out: “Zhao-daren, you’re back.”

Yan Mingting, who was deep in discussion with Zuo Ran, paused and raised his head, saying joyfully: “Why did you suddenly come back?”

Zhao Yelan glanced at the way he and Zuo Ran were sitting together, whether it was intentional or not, and said calmly and collectedly: “I left a book in the study and came back to retrieve it.”

“So have you eaten? Do you want to stay and eat something?” Yan Mingting immediately ordered the servants to get another pair of bowls and chopsticks, and then drove He Cuizhang to the other side to make room for him.

As soon as Zhao Yelan sat down, he saw the braised rabbit head in the middle: “What is this?”

“Braised rabbit head,” He Cuizhang said. “Zuo Ran likes to eat this dish the most, she……”

Zhao Yelan stood abruptly, looked at them with a complicated expression, and then walked angrily toward the back courtyard.

“My lord, what’s wrong with him?” He Cuizhang was mystified. “Did I say the wrong thing just now?”

Yan Mingting looked at the rabbit meat on the table, seemed to have thought of something, and went to the back courtyard alone to find him. Sure enough, he saw him standing in front of the rabbit cage, staring at Hongshao, who was eating vegetable leaves.

“You didn’t think we were going to cook Hongshao, did you?” Yan Mingting asked with a laugh.

Zhao Yelan turned around and looked at him.

“How could this be? Who would dare to touch it without its father’s consent?” Yan Mingting teased, then tugged on his wrist and walked back to the main hall. “It’s hot outside, let’s eat first.”

As the two walked down the corridor, Zhao Yelan suddenly shook off his hand. Holding his arms proudly behind his back, he asked: “Who is that woman?”

“Zuo Ran, a friend I met on the battlefield……”

Zhao Yelan interrupted: “She came here specially to find you. Why is that?”

“This……involves her personal affairs, so it’s not convenient to go into detail with you,” Yan Mingting said vaguely.

“All right, I understand. The book has been found, I should go back to the Imperial Academy.” Zhao Yelan parted ways with him.

“Wait!” Yan Mingting immediately grabbed him. “I can’t tell you, but I can let her decide whether to tell you or not, okay?”

Zhao Yelan raised his eyebrows, turned around, and walked to the main hall. He wanted to see what was going on.

When the two returned to the table, Zuo Ran’s brow was practically in a knot, and she asked Yan Mingting in a low voice: “General, can you help me with this matter? If not, I must head south today.”

“If you go alone, you will die. I’ll go south with you,” Yan Mingting replied. “It just so happened that early this morning, someone reported that a large number of bandits had appeared in the Jiangnan area, and the officers and soldiers were unable to arrest them. The Emperor just ordered me to suppress the bandits and try to enlist them. When the time comes, you will go with me to meet the magistrate of Huaizhou. He is a stubborn man, after all.”

“Thank you, General.” Zuo Ran was incredibly moved.

Zhao Yelan coughed twice before Yan Mingting said: “Zuo Ran, this is the Zhao Yelan whom I mentioned to you. You came back in a hurry, and you probably don’t know that Yuehong almost had an accident a while ago, right?”

“What happened?”

“I’ll tell it, I’ll tell it.” He Cuizhang took the lead and vividly told her about Zhong Yuehong almost entering the palace as a concubine. Listening to this, Zuo Ran would frown one moment and then rejoice the next, and finally looked at Zhao Yelan a little differently.

“He is the person I trust the most now,” Yan Mingting said to Zuo Ran, and Zhao Yelan glanced at him in surprise.

“If you can trust me, you can tell him about your situation. Maybe you will need his help to mediate. You also know that after I returned to Beijing, there were many differences between officialdom and the battlefield, and he is more suitable for handling such matters……” Yan Mingting said.

Zuo Ran nodded, bit her lower lip, and then looked earnestly at Zhao Yelan: “Zhao-daren, if you help me rescue Pinglu, then I, Zuo Ran, am willing to be at your service for the rest of my life. Mountains of daggers and seas of flames will not stop me!”

“Guniang is serious. Tell me, what happened?” Zhao Yelan’s expression remained unchanged.

Zuo Ran glanced around and said: “Can we go to the study?”

A handful of people wandered into the study room. Zuo Ran took another look at Yan Mingting and He Cuizhang and saw that they both trusted Zhao Yelan very much, so she said: “I have a good friend who is the daughter of the Magistrate of Huaizhou. In the early years, her family, which I served, had a marriage contract with a wealthy businessman from the south of the Yangtze river. That is, their son. The old lady wanted me to marry him as a concubine. I didn’t know what it meant to be a concubine at that time, but fortunately, I met my friend. She didn’t dislike my humble background, and taught me to read and write. She showed me how to be my own person instead of an obedient servant. Later, some things happened. I was about to escape from Huaizhou, and learned that she also had this plan. The two of us made an agreement to go out together to travel the rivers and lakes, to see the outside world……”

“Wait.” Zhao Yelan felt that this story was familiar. “That wealthy businessman’s name was Wang, correct? The gongzi that was burned to death by the fire girl?”

“How do you know?!” Zuo Ran looked astonished.

He Cuizhang was also shocked: “As expected of Zhao-daren, he can even calculate this much?!”

“……” Zhao Yelan glanced coolly at Yan Mingting. This was the “bedtime story” that caused him to have a nightmare!

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