Chapter 9: 9

The person who arrived was Chen Haoyi, the deputy official from the Ministry of Appointments. Ever since Minister Yu Junliang died in prison, he had been somewhat anxious and impatient.

He had been in office for many years, and finally got a promotion opportunity. Logically speaking, he should be qualified for this vacancy, but the emperor had not issued a transfer order for a long time. He was unable to sleep, fearing that something might go wrong, so he thought of coming to Zhao Yelan to discuss it with him.

The last time he went to visit Zhao Mansion and got a positive answer, he was excited for a few days after going back, but he found that Zhao Yelan had been busy with his marriage and had no time to pay attention to his affairs. He also heard that the colleagues who visited Zhao Mansion in those few days almost broke the threshold, and he panicked again. He wasn’t the only one who wanted this great opportunity.

So taking advantage of today, he prepared another big gift and came to visit him on the grounds of congratulating him on his wedding.

“Congratulations to General Yan and congratulations to Zhao-daren. It’s really a blessing to see the two of you loving each other so much.” Chen Haoyi calmly stood up from the ground, patted the dust off his clothes, picked up the things in his hands, and walked into the main hall with a smile.

It was a pity that he used the wrong means to flatter them. Zhao Yelan glanced at him coldly, straightening up and returning to his seat without giving Yan Mingting another look.

Yan Mingting smiled and said, easy-mannered, “You are……”

“I am the deputy official of the Ministry of Appointments, Chen Haoyi.” Chen Haoyi introduced himself respectfully, not offended. This general had just returned to Beijing, and it was normal for him not to recognize most of the people in the court.

“What are you doing here?” Yan Mingting asked directly. Chen Haoyi glanced at Zhao Yelan hesitantly, and Yan Mingting understood, saying, “It seems you are not looking for me. You two talk first, I’ll go out for a while.”

After speaking, he lifted his sword and left in an easygoing way, his manner completely different from the scene of Zhao Yelan going out with great fanfare.

Zhao Yelan watched him leave before stepping back to ask, “Tell me, what is the matter?”

Chen Haoyi explained his intention again, and before leaving, carefully handed him some snacks wrapped in paper while secretly taking out a house deed from his sleeve. He said in a whisper, “This is a house in the north of the city. If my lord likes it, he can use it as a leisure house.”

Zhao Yelan gave a half smile: “Chen-daren is too polite. As I said, the final decision on this is in the Emperor’s hands, I have little say.”

“Zhao-daren is modest. How about this, you only need to say a few words in front of the Emperor, and this house is yours.” Chen Haoyi raised his eyebrows at him, affirming that as long as he was willing to whisper in the Emperor’s ear and not help others, coupled with his own qualifications, this seat would be easy to obtain.

“Well, then……it’s difficult for you to visit again and again, so it would be impolite to refuse.” Zhao Yelan took the deed and watched him leave as if bathed in a spring breeze. There was nothing else to do, so he asked Xiao Gao to pack up and go to the north of the city to have a look at the house.

It was rare that these two days had been sunny. The temperature was also on the rise, and a stick of incense was still burning in the sedan chair.

Xiao Gao put a thin blanket on his lap, opened the curtain to look at the weather outside, and said happily: “It’s warming up quickly, so my lord’s health should be better.”

Zhao Yelan closed his eyes to rest and said: “It’s not so easy as that.”

“My lord’s condition is better today, and he only coughed thirteen times in the morning,” Xiao Gao said. “Is it because you went to train with the General?”

“No.” Zhao Yelan shook his head. He would rather believe that it was because of the weather.

“When it comes to the General, I think he is a good person. He met me in the morning and asked me my name. According to Housekeeper Qin, the General knows the names of every servant in the mansion,” Xiao Gao said.

“This makes him a good person?” The corner of Zhao Yelan’s mouth twitched. “Then tell me, am I a good person?”

“Of course you are!”

Zhao Yelan glanced outside. There were common people looking over, and those who recognized him backed up a few steps in fright, for fear of being caught and taken to prison.

“Look, no one thinks I’m a good person, so your judgment is flawed,” Zhao Yelan said with a smile.

“That’s because they are blind.” Xiao Gao smacked his leg. “There are not many good people like you left who kill people and still return the corpse to their family.”

Zhao Yelan muffled his laugh. As if it had hit a nerve, he couldn’t stop laughing out loud.

“What made Furen so happy?” Yan Mingting’s face suddenly appeared outside the window.

The laughter stopped abruptly. Zhao Yelan looked at the lingering person: “Why are you here?”

“I came out to do errands and I smelled my wife’s scent from a long distance away, so I came over to see, and it really is you.” Yan Mingting followed the sedan chair for a few steps, then called a stop and got in.

“Who allowed you to come up?” Zhao Yelan said, displeased.

“Then thanking Furen for being magnanimous and letting me sit down for a while, and allowing me to experience the comfort of this sedan chair.” Yan Mingting crossed his arms and leaned back, sighing contentedly. “Hey, there’s still something to eat.”

Seeing that he was going to take plums from the plate, Zhao Yelan reached out and slapped his hand away. “Dirty hands are not allowed to touch my things.”

“So particular.” Yan Mingting clicked his tongue twice and withdrew his hand. He glanced at their route through the window and asked, “Where are we going?”

Zhao Yelan asked back, “Where are you going?”

“I have nothing to do, I can accompany you around,” Yan Mingting said leisurely, holding the sword in his arms.

Zhao Yelan stared at the sword for a while, then heard a scream outside. He glanced toward it and shouted: “Stop the sedan chair.”

The three stood in front of a store, and a man was thrown out by several burly men, rolling right in front of them.

Crying bitterly, the man grasped Zhao Yelan’s hem. Raising his head, he saw that he was a frail young man and begged, “Help me, lend me one hundred taels and I will pay you back one hundred taels when I win! No, I will pay you back one thousand taels!”

Zhao Yelan watched his clothes being crumpled by his dirty hands, and stepped on his face: “Let me go, you mere ant.”

Xiao Gao immediately dragged the man into a nearby corner. Yan Mingting couldn’t help taking a second look, and then looked at the banner hanging outside the shop. A big “gambling” character was in the middle, and there was a commotion inside from time to time.

“What do you want to do in a casino?” Yan Mingting asked.

“Gamble, what else?” Zhao Yelan lifted his foot and walked inside, leaving Yan Mingting two steps behind. 

When Xiao Gao came back, he pretended to act natural and asked, “Gao Tan,[1] did your lord plan to come to the casino?”

“No, ah.”

“Then where are you going?”

“I don’t know.” Gao Tan scratched his head. “My lord’s behavior is the most unpredictable. He often goes out to do one thing, but turns around and does several other things.”

This kid looked simple and honest, and his words were sometimes stupid and sometimes shrewd. Yan Mingting couldn’t tell if it was true or not, so he had to follow and see the situation first.

In broad daylight, people came and went in the gambling house. This was the largest gambling house in the capital. Many people had made a lot of money here, and there were even more people who lost their family fortunes and committed suicide in hatred.

But no one would have sympathy, watching the excitement before proceeding to the next gamble.

Everyone’s emotions were magnified in the casino. The seven emotions and six desires seemed to have been ransacked, and only the words “lose” and “win” were left in their minds.

As soon as Yan Mingting entered, he spotted his target at a glance. Among the noisy, boisterous crowd, Zhao Yelan sat soberly and indifferently in front of a table with valuable things all over his body, attracting attention.

These gamblers seldom cared about major affairs in the world. When they saw the children from rich families coming to the gambling house, they would unconsciously come forward to watch, so as to see what would happen in the end.

Zhao Yelan chose the simplest way, only betting big or small, but he spent extravagantly, and his first bet was an expensive jade pendant.

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“Big.”

Yan Mingting squeezed in through the crowd and stood beside him. Seeing him betting calmly, with a look of sure victory, he asked Gao Tan in a low voice: “He doesn’t come here often? Are you sure?”

Before Xiao Gao answered, he heard the dealer shout, “Small.”

Yan Mingting: “……”

The people around gave a “ooh.” After so much had been lost in the beginning, discussions gradually started and there were more and more people watching.

Zhao Yelan took out another jade pendant from his waist: “Big.”

The dealer shook the dice cup and opened it: “Small.”

For several rounds in a row, Zhao Yelan bet big, but none of them won.

Some people couldn’t help but bet against him specifically and won a lot. Others followed suit and made small bets one after another.

Not far away, another loser who was playing around heard this and squeezed over. When he saw the appearance of the person sitting there, he was shocked.

Ordinary people may not know, but he was Li Yucheng, the son of the Prime Minister, so he naturally knew Zhao Yelan a little bit. Zhao Yelan targeted his father everywhere in court, which had always caused him to hold a grudge.

He observed in secret for a while and gradually became attracted by the game. Finding that Zhao Yelan was losing every round, he inwardly ridiculed him for being taken advantage of. It was obvious that the dealer was cheating. Zhao Yelan went back to betting big, not knowing how to adapt to the circumstances. Wasn’t this giving money for nothing? He had thought that Zhao Yelan was powerful, but he was a fool, ah.

Zhao Yelan lost more than 20 rounds in a row, losing all the valuables on his body. The dealer asked him if he wanted to continue, and everyone around him jeered. The more they did this, the more they made others angry, and the easier it was to make them jump into a pit recklessly.

Yan Mingting saw that Zhao Yelan had clearly decided to take a gamble, and was a little curious about what else he would come up with to bet on. Unexpectedly, in the next moment, Zhao Yelan snatched the sword from his hand very naturally, put it on the table, and said proudly: “Big.”

Yan Mingting: “……”

“Is this sword worth money, ah?” Someone questioned.

“This sword is an item that General Yan Mingting wears all year round. Do you think it is worth money?” Zhao Yelan asked.

Hearing this, everyone was startled and looked away from the gambling table, staring at the tall and upright man next to him. The more they looked at him, the more they felt that he was imposing and majestic.

“But according to the rumors, isn’t General Yan ugly? This brother, no matter how you look at him, he doesn’t look like……”

“That’s right, I’ve heard that General Yan has a fat head and big ears.”

“You are deceiving us.”

Everyone spoke their minds and offered their opinions, but the dealer proposed to take the sword and ask the people above. Zhao Yelan nodded in agreement.

About a quarter of an hour later, the dealer returned, cupped his hands, and said, “It is indeed the General’s sword.”

Everyone gasped. For a moment, they didn’t know whether to be surprised that General Yan was so handsome or that General Yan also came to gamble.

“Wait, wait, if he is General Yan, then who are you?” Someone asked.

As soon as these words were spoken, there was a moment of silence in the noisy casino – – may they ask which man would General Yan accompany to the gambling house on the second day of his wedding, and be willing to stand by his side and offer his sword?

Everyone had an answer in their hearts, and they each looked at him differently.

Zhao Yelan smiled faintly without answering, and turned to face the dealer: “Can we start?”

Once the game began again, everyone stared at the table intently once more. Some daring people placed small bets, but more people did not dare to bet.

Everyone stared at the dice cup, and after a while, they exclaimed, “It’s small again!”

Amidst the wanton ridicule of the crowd, Zhao Yelan got up to leave dejectedly, but was bumped into by someone.

“How impressive.” Li Yucheng glanced at him arrogantly, as if he had forgotten that he had already lost everything today. He had also made two small bets secretly, and it was only thanks to Zhao Yelan that he managed to win back some pocket money. “When you are free, do you dare to gamble with this young master?”

“Anytime, I look forward to it.”

Zhao Yelan looked at him for a moment, but was blocked by Yan Mingting: “You lost my sword just like that?”

Zhao Yelan shrugged, walked out the door of the gambling house, and said without looking back: “If you make the bet, you must accept the loss. Just go to the gambling house and ask for it. Use your identity to press the issue, no one would dare to take the General’s things.”

Yan Mingting left sulkily, and Zhao Yelan went to a nearby restaurant in a good mood. There was no money to settle the bill, so he sat in a private room for a while, and a person dressed as a waiter offered the money: “My lord, take these things back.”

Zhao Yelan picked through them, took back a few ingots of silver to settle the bill, and returned the jade pendants: “The business is doing well, this is a reward for you.”

“Thank you, my lord, then this sword……”

Zhao Yelan glanced at it and said snappishly: “Just keep it at your place and don’t let me see it again. No one will be allowed to redeem it.”

“Yes.”

Zhao Yelan watched contentedly as the sword disappeared from sight. Tapping the teacup twice with his fingers, he asked, “Has Li Yucheng come to the shop often lately?”

“Yes. According to your instructions, we let him win a few hands from time to time, so that he comes frequently.” The man asked, “……Do we need to get straight to the point?”

“No need.” Remembering Li Yucheng’s arrogant attitude, Zhao Yelan smiled. “It’s not time yet.”

Now that the annoying Yan Mingting was gone, according to the original plan, he made another trip to the north of the city and saw that the house was not bad. Only then did he return to the General’s Mansion in the warm halo of dusk.

“You came back just in time, come with me to the training grounds.” Yan Mingting walked towards him, and was about to walk out while holding his arm.

“What are you going to do?” Zhao Yelan’s brain ached when he heard the words “training grounds.”

“Train.”

“I won’t go, release me!”

Being pulled and tugged at the gate, he found this feeling of being manipulated by others to be very hateful. Zhao Yelan was so annoyed that he pulled out the sword of the guard by the gate without any hesitation, but before he could lift it up, he felt a chill on his neck.

Yan Mingting had moved faster, picking up another guard’s knife and pressing it against his throat. He asked with a smile: “You want to use this trick again?”

Zhao Yelan lowered his eyes and stared at it for a while, then silently put the sword in his hand back into the scabbard. 

Yan Mingting raised his eyebrows: “Will you go to train?”

Zhao Yelan: “……Can’t training be done in the mansion?”

[1] Xiao Gao, or “little Gao” is an affectionate name that Zhao Yelan uses for him. Gao Tan is his actual name, and the author starts using it regularly at this point. ⮐

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