Chapter 8: 8

For the joy of the newly married couple, the Emperor spared Zhao Yelan and Yan Mingting from going to court for three days as a show of empathy.

It was just that the three-day rest period was nothing special to these two people. The former often missed morning court due to physical reasons, while the latter hardly ever went to morning court.

But it was not completely indistinguishable from the days before.

After all, the two were nominally husband and wife now, and there were many things that needed to be adjusted in daily life with one more person around.

After Zhao Yelan took a bath, he changed into a purple robe with intricate patterns embroidered on the bottom of the lapel, gold thread at the cuffs and white lining at the hem, walking like the clouds in the sky parting. It was very difficult for anyone to present such a rich and indifferent temperament properly.

Yan Mingting took a few more glances, thinking that if he were to wear this outfit, it would have the effect of Guan Gong[1] wearing a floral dress, out of place and incongruous.

The two sat down in the main hall. According to tradition, they would serve tea to their parents-in-law this morning. Yan Mingting taking him to the memorial tablet to burn a stick of incense for the two elders could be regarded as a visit.

“Since we will be together morning and night in the future, let’s clarify some things first.”

“What do you mean?” Yan Mingting felt that from his serious expression and the servants of the Zhao Mansion standing in the center of the hall that what he was about to say was probably very serious.

Zhao Yelan picked up the teacup, skimmed the tea foam from the top, and said, “For example, your living habits.”

“Oh, living habits. Mine are very simple. Start at Maoshi, train, have breakfast, lunch, dinner, and sleep at midnight,” Yan Mingting said.

Zhao Yelan gave him a sidelong glance: “What about other times?”

“Training.”

How very boring.

Zhao Yelan took a sip of tea, frowned slightly, put down the cup, and said, “Change the cup of tea.”

“What’s wrong?” Yan Mingting asked, not sure whether there was a problem with his answer or the tea. He looked down at the tea in his hand. “Don’t you like this tea?”

Xiao Gao received a look from Zhao Yelan and stepped forward to explain stridently, “Our lord only likes to drink Longjing tea. The Longjing needs to be the Mingqian tea produced in Xihu. As the name suggests, it is a crop that is to be picked before Tomb-sweeping day.”

Yan Mingting was stunned when he heard this.

Zhao Yelan: “What kind of tea is this?”

“It’s picked from the camellia tree out back,” Yan Mingting said.

“I won’t drink it.” Zhao Yelan looked at his people. “Go and change the tea.”

Housekeeper Qin saw the maidservant of the Zhao Mansion across the street hurrying to change the tea leaves, and couldn’t help but feel sorry for the general: “Zhao……furen, you don’t know, but the tea leaves in the General’s Mansion were all grown by the old lady herself. That’s why the general has been ordering people to pick it every year, and he is only willing to make two cups for distinguished guests.”

“Is that so?”

Seeing Housekeeper Qin’s anxious look, Yan Mingting sighed heavily under Zhao Yelan’s questioning eyes: “Ai, yes. This is all my mother’s wish. If you don’t drink it, I’m afraid that the elders will remember you and come to give you dreams in the middle of the night.”

Zhao Yelan: “……”

Housekeeper Qin was shocked. Seeing Yan Mingting secretly and solemnly winking at him, he quickly lowered his head and pretended not to see it.

“Since it is for distinguished guests, it is even more necessary to save it. It is not suitable for me to drink.” Zhao Yelan gave a calm smile and then looked at Yan Mingting fixedly. “After all, I am not a guest, but a host.”

“Yes, yes, yes, you are right.” Yan Mingting couldn’t refute it, so he ordered people to put away all the tea leaves and not brew them for this master in the future. Hmph, ignorant fellow.

While waiting for the new tea, Housekeeper Qin proposed to take Zhao Yelan to tour the mansion. Although the General’s Mansion was old and simple, it was not small, so it was good to take advantage of these two days to get familiar with the environment.

Zhao Yelan had no objection, and got up to follow behind them. A sachet at his waist swung with his steps, and a pair of eyes swung with it.

Zhao Yelan turned his head to look at Yan Mingting expressionlessly: “What are you looking at?”

Yan Mingting pointed at the sachet curiously: “This scent is different from the previous ones.”

He used to sneeze when he smelled it, but this scent was faint, indistinct, and just right, suitable for this weather and for this owner.

“Of course it’s different. I have all kinds of sachets, and they have all kinds of scents.” Zhao Yelan proudly raised his head, put some distance between them, and observed every corner of the mansion.

There were many wings and side rooms, but because they were not occupied all year round, they had a stale smell, and even after some repairs, they had not been fully restored.

“From now on, you should always be living in the capital. Why don’t you fix it up?” Zhao Yelan asked.

“There are not many people in the mansion, so why bother to spend time on it? No one will live in it after it is repaired.”

“Not many people?” Zhao Yelan turned his head to look at the old man from the Zhao family he had brought. “Then go recruit a group of servant girls tomorrow.”

Yan Mingting hastily stopped him: “We only have two masters in total, so it’s inconvenient to ask so many people to do whatever.” 

“It’s inconvenient for me if there are fewer people, these people in your house don’t know how to serve others at all. They slack off and can’t even make Furong Tofu soup well, just chatting around in the kitchen,” Zhao Yelan said.

Yan Mingting: “They have been used to staying in the mansion since they were young, so they are definitely not as good as the people in your house, or as refined.”

The two started arguing over this matter again, and Housekeeper Qin persuaded, “Why don’t we go to the study first?”

Zhao Yelan flicked his sleeves and strode into the study room. As soon as he entered the door, he raised his hand to cover his nose with his sleeve, waving the other hand: “How long has it been since anyone was in here?”

Housekeeper Qin explained: “The General’s Mansion has never liked to use the study.”

Zhao Yelan walked in with a frown and ordered: “Pack this up and go back home tomorrow to move all the things in my study. The house is too musty, clean it well and smoke some incense in it……There, set up a seat for me and a table, and prepare pen, ink, paper, and inkstone. Remember, it must be the inkstone from Jinming Pavilion.”

The people in the General’s Mansion were dumbfounded – – taking notes, several people rushed to make arrangements at this moment.

After only visiting a few rooms, there were not enough servants, and Yan Mingting finally understood why he wanted to recruit more.

Thinking that there were still so many rooms to visit in the back, and not knowing how many orders were still in that mouth, he saw Zhao Yelan walk to the door of his armory and quickly grabbed his arm to pull him back.

Zhao Yelan was caught off guard and turned around. Before he could see what happened, his eyes went dark and he bumped into a broad and powerful chest.

A faint fragrance lingered in front of him, and when Yan Mingting lowered his head to look, he happened to bump into Zhao Yelan’s raised head. Those eyes that seemed to be quenched with cold light gave him a hard look.

Yan Mingting forgot what to say for a moment and just thought it was funny, so he laughed.

“Let go.” Zhao Yelan shook off his hand angrily and subconsciously touched the dagger hidden in his sleeve.

“Uh……what I mean is, do you want to take a look in the back courtyard? This room is full of knives and spears, it would be bad if you accidentally hurt yourself,” Yan Mingting said.

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Zhao Yelan looked at him for a while, then turned and walked in another direction: “Lead the way!”

Yan Mingting breathed a sigh of relief and secretly told Housekeeper Qin, “Don’t let him in this room from now on.”

On the one hand, it was true that he was afraid that swords and spears would hurt unwary people, and on the other hand, he was worried that if Zhao Yelan got interested, he would come here to burn some incense. If these babies smelled so strongly, could he still live?

The General’s Mansion had been languishing for many years. Zhao Yelan knew about this situation, so he ordered some changes, but when he came to the back courtyard, he found that he had still underestimated the situation in the General’s Mansion.

He saw a piece of land specially set up in the back courtyard, surrounded by fences. There was a group of chickens within it, and a rooster was walking around the circle with its cockscomb in high spirits. A hen was foraging for food, and there were two eggs in the nest.

The maid in charge of raising chickens ran over skillfully, picked up the two eggs from the nest, and placed them in her arms.

Those who didn’t know would think they had entered a farm. Zhao Yelan looked at the lively place, pointed at the chicken coop, and asked in disbelief: “You actually raise these things in the mansion?”

“En.” Yan Mingting didn’t find it strange at all, and enthusiastically led him to the small fish pond in the rear. “Look at these.”

Zhao Yelan pressed his forehead.

High-ranking dignitaries and officials were very particular, and would build small bridges and flowing water landscapes in their courtyards, which were beautiful and unique, with good feng shui. The General’s Mansion was just fine, with a small bridge over flowing water, but the fish inside were not the common red and yellow koi that were used for ornamental purposes. It was a school of commonly eaten fish such as perch and carp, which hid at the bottom of the water and only surfaced occasionally.

“What are you doing raising these in the mansion?”

“Don’t you think it is very energetic?” Yan Mingting raised his eyebrows, pleased with himself, pointing at the chicken coop and fish pond with a proud expression that seemed to say that this was the country he had laid down. “Who says that my General’s Mansion is lifeless, look how lively it is.”

“Other people generally don’t say that the General’s Mansion is lifeless.” Zhao Yelan met Yan Mingting’s questioning eyes and said slowly, “They talk about you being so cursed that even the dog is dead.”

Yan Mingting rubbed his chin and pondered: “Unexpectedly, they know quite a lot. Most of these living creatures are going to be killed by me.”

Soon, Zhao Yelan knew what he meant by “going to be killed.”

The food on the table was freshly served and steaming. Steamed sea bass, boiled fish filets, fish head with chopped peppers, hot and sour chicken giblets, ginseng chicken soup……there were also a few side dishes, using chicken and fish to the extreme.

“……This is what you killed them for?” Zhao Yelan asked.

“This is me sending them to be reincarnated earlier. Don’t worry, I’ve recited the mantra for them, and they won’t fall into the animal world again in the next life.” Yan Mingting picked up a piece of fish and ate it with relish.

“…….”

These were all the specialty dishes cooked by his own chef, so they were naturally not as good as the delicacies that Zhao Yelan had eaten, but after this morning’s tossing, his appetite had been roused. After a few bites, the taste was acceptable, and after a leisurely meal, he was quite satisfied.

However, it was impossible for him to eat this every day.

After several hours of gathering knowledge, the living habits of Zhao Yelan and Yan Mingting could be said to be worlds apart.

One luxurious and ostentatious, one simple and convenient.

If they wanted to live in harmony, they would have to make concessions to each other. But Zhao Yelan didn’t want to live in harmony, let alone give in.

“If you can change, that would be best. If you can’t, let’s divide the house. Aren’t there so many rooms in the back courtyard? You take your people to live with your chickens and fish,” Zhao Yelan said.

“No, you’re asking me to change, so what exactly should I change?” Yan Mingting didn’t understand.

“First of all, when you go back home, you have to wash your hands first. Especially after going to the training grounds and back, the whole body smells bad,” Zhao Yelan said in annoyance.

Xiao Gao on the side added honestly: “My lord is fond of fragrances, we all want our bodies to smell good.”

These words fell into Housekeeper Qin’s ears, and it was not a pleasant feeling – – for a general who practiced martial arts, what was wrong with the smell of sweat! That was the majesty of masculinity! Unlike some people who were fond of their fragrance of cosmetics and powder.

He snorted and was unexpectedly heard by others. Zhao Yelan gave him a sideways glance: “Housekeeper Qin seems to have something to say?”

Housekeeper Qin was startled, bowed his head, and confessed, “This old slave has nothing to say.”

“Is there anything else?” Yan Mingting asked.

Zhao Yelan: “Also, there are too few servants, the food is too much, the tables and chairs are too old, the wardrobe is too small, the bed board is too hard, and the chicken coop is too smelly……Think of these for the time being, and take care of them all first.”

Yan Mingting pondered for a while, but Housekeeper Qin became anxious first: “General, don’t agree, we can’t bear this grievance!”

Zhao Yelan leisurely played with the jade pendant at his waist, the crystal clear jade shuttling between his fingers. He smiled slightly: “If you can’t stand it, then let’s separate. The accounts will also be separated, Zhao Mansion will belong to Zhao Mansion, and the General’s Mansion will belong to the General’s Mansion. Let’s not interfere with each other, how about being friendly neighbors?”

Housekeeper Qin thought this proposal was very good!

Although there was no news in Beijing of newlyweds who split houses on the second day of their marriage, this was a special situation for the General. For two big men, it was better to sleep in different rooms, and more spacious!

Housekeeper Qin sent a silent, meaningful glance at Yan Mingting, but surprisingly, Yan Mingting said, “That’s fine, I’ll change all of these, and I’ll arrange for you to replace all the things you want to change immediately.”

Zhao Yelan paused and looked up at him: “Really?”

“En.”

“Why did you agree so readily?” Zhao Yelan asked suspiciously.

“It’s nothing, I just don’t want to split houses with you.” Yan Mingting stretched comfortably in his chair. “It’s rare to marry such a beauty, how can I leave you in the cold?”

Knowing that he said that on purpose to irritate him, Zhao Yelan couldn’t help but get angry. His expression changed several times and he smiled suddenly. Suppressing the anger between his brows, he got up and walked in front of him, raised his chin, and said elegantly and virtuously, “Is the General telling the truth?”

Yan Mingting held in his amusement, waiting for his reaction: “Yes.”

The person in front of him tilted his head, leaned close to his ear, and slightly hooked his lips: “My sachet contains not only incense, but also poison. It depends on whether you have the ability to steal it from me.”

His warm breath landed lightly and intimately on Yan Minging’s skin, stirring up a slight shudder. This was different from the excitement and apprehension of leading troops into battle. It was the breath of another person that easily made him freeze in this way, an unknown and novel experience that he had never had before.

With a shua sound, his sword revealed a bit of light, extremely sharp. Yan Mingting asked with a low laugh: “I wonder if your poison will be faster than my sword?”

The two pairs of eyes confronted each other for a long time.

However, outsiders could not hear what they muttered, and didn’t even feel the tense atmosphere. The servants only saw that the two masters were arguing about splitting the houses a moment ago, and then started speaking words of endearment in an instant, whispering with their heads close together and smiles on their faces. It was truly shocking.

“Zhao-daren, someone wants to see you!”

As soon as the gatekeeper’s voice fell, an extra figure appeared at the door. From a distance, he saw the terrifying Zhao Yelan leaning on Yan Mingting’s chair, lowering his head as if he were about to forcefully kiss General Yan. He was so frightened by this scene that he tripped directly through the door.

In broad daylight, under the bright sky! General Yan, you have been molested so miserably!

[1] Guan Gong: Lord Guan, a decorated military general in the historical novel, ‘Romance of the Three Kingdoms.’ ⮐

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