Chapter 195: Preparing For A Long Journey

In the Weiyuan Prefecture of Gan Province, the Gan Provincial Governor, Lei Sitong, had led a troop to besiege the Ye Fortress. This sent shockwaves in all directions, and the entire Gan Province was akin to a roaring sea. When the storm in Weiyuan Prefecture reached Pingxi City, which Sun Bingchen was currently overseeing, it instantly became the topic of idle conversation in the city’s restaurants and teahouses.

In just a short few days, news about the Ye Clan of Gan Province colluding with the Shatu people to commit treason had spread like wildfire. The once influential Ye Clan in Gan Province was reduced to nothing but a clan spurned by others overnight.

To the citizens of the Great Han Empire, traitors were deeply abhorred. As soon as the Ye Clan’s crime in colluding with the Shatu people was exposed and a few important figures from the Ye Clan were captured, the reputation of the Ye Clan became notorious. Their so-called influence instantly melted away like snow.

On the ninth of the first lunar month in the 13th year of the Yuanping reign, news from Weiyuan Prefecture revealed that during Gan Provincial Governor Lei Sitong’s siege at the Ye Fortress, other than the hundred plus people who died while stubbornly resisting the official army, the remainder of the 267 Ye Clan members were taken as prisoners. Half of the Ye Clan’s armed forces, which was made up of their guards, were annihilated. With that, the final nail was driven into the coffin and the Ye Clan incident came to an end.

Two days after Gan Provincial Governor Lei Sitong’s siege on the Ye Fortress, a few dozen males from the Wang Clan of Huanglong County were beheaded among the angry curses of countless commoners at the public square outside Pingxi City’s western gates. Their blood was spilt on the white snow mantle around them. In the end, the entire Wang Clan of Huanglong County vanished like smoke in thin air without even making the dust fly.

While the severed heads of the Wang Clan’s members tumbled on the ground, Yan Liqiang was treating Shi Dafeng, Shen Teng, and Shi Changfeng to one of the finest restaurants in Pingxi City’s Plum Gardens.

……

“Here, this is a toast to Liqiang — wishing you meteoric success and rapid advancement in your future career at the Imperial Capital…!”

“Right, right, right! Shen Teng and I will also be basking in the glory once you become awesome in the future! I’ll be proud to tell others that you are my brother too, Liqiang! Who knows, I may even need to seek you for your protection someday too, hahaha…”

Shi Dafeng was still as casual as always, and Shen Teng seemed to have also readjusted his attitude. When he met Yan Liqiang this time, he had already reverted to his usual optimistic and cool self.

The banquet this time was a farewell banquet. After everything had settled down in Pingxi City, Sun Bingchen decided they’d be leaving Pingxi City tomorrow. They would make their way to Gan Provincial City first, then return to the Imperial Capital from there. As Sun Bingchen’s personal attendant, it was inevitable for Yan Liqiang to leave Pingxi City also and return to the Imperial Capital with Sun Bingchen. For this reason, Yan Liqiang reunited with Shi Dafeng and Shen Teng again today to bid farewell.

“Despite the talks of achieving meteoric success and rapid advancement in my career, those weren’t my original intentions!” Yan Liqiang held his wine and looked at Shi Dafeng and Shen Teng with his earnest gaze. “To be honest, all I thought of was that it would be a rare opportunity to serve Lord Sun by his side. Since I was offered such an opportunity, I might as well take this chance to see the different sceneries in this world and leave home to make my way in the world. So by the time I grow old, I’ll have memories to reminisce about with some wine or I can brag to my grandchildren. At that time, I really didn’t expect Lord Sun to have come to Pingxi City for serious business!”

Hearing the sincerity in Yan Liqiang’s words, both of them stared at Yan Liqiang in silence with wine in their hands.

“Although I didn’t manage to do much when Lord Sun captured Ye Tiancheng, the commoners on street would gaze at me with admiration and respect every time I came out from the Prefectural Governor’s Office because they knew that I worked for Lord Sun from the way I dress. Even when I went to buy a steamed bun from the roadside, the auntie wouldn’t accept my money no matter what, saying something like I had done a good deed for the citizens of Pingxi City and she was willing to let me eat her steamed buns for free for the rest of my life. I have never experienced such treatment in my life before. From then on, I realized that you only get to live once with the same face. So I was thinking that if I am capable enough in the future, aside from just exploring the world to experience all sorts of things, if I can make a contribution for my fellow countrymen, I won’t be living my life in vain nor will I let the auntie who offered me free steamed buns down. As humans, we will inevitably be contaminated by fame and fortune when we come to this world. However, we may be showered with fame and fortune which is as bright as the brilliant sun or as dim as the glow of a firefly. It can be as light as a goose feather or as heavy as Mount Tai, and it can last a long time or it can be fleeting. As a man, we should remember that the interests to be considered should be the interests of all and the fame to be sought should be an everlasting fame. And that is what I would like to share with Brother Shi and Brother Shen here today. I wish that when we meet again next time, we will have no regrets in ourselves and our words.”

As soon as Yan Liqiang finished speaking, he tilted his head back and downed all the wine in his cup before he smashed the cup on the ground into pieces.

Shi Dafeng and Shen Teng were both visibly moved.

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“‘The interests to be considered should be the interests of all and the fame to be sought should be an everlasting fame’— no phrases from any classic can ever rival this one!” Shen Teng sighed in amazement.

“It sure gets one fired up…!” Shi Dafeng’s cheeks were flushing and his eyes were shining.

When they saw that Yan Liqiang had completely drained the wine in his cup, both of them tilted their head back too as they downed the content of their cups in a single gulp, then smashed the wine cups onto the floor. The three of them exchanged looks with each other, then roared in laughter.

“Shen Teng and I bought something for you as a farewell gift because we know you are leaving tomorrow, Liqiang…”

“What is it?”

“Your present is downstairs, we can go have a look now!”

“Great!”

The three of them directly went downstairs and made their way toward the restaurant’s stable. There, Yan Liqiang saw an extremely fine rhinodrake steed with a body as dark as fine silk. It stood conspicuously in the stable, like a crane in a flock of chicken.

The rhinodrake steed was half a head taller than an ordinary rhinodrake steed. Its eyes were shimmering like crystals and brimming with radiating vigor. Its most distinctive features were the rings of white fur above its hooves which were akin to snow-covered peaks. Watching the steed from afar, it was definitely an extremely fine steed.

As half an expert in taking care of steeds, Yan Liqiang could tell from the appearance of this rhinodrake steed alone that it was a standard Snowstorm Cloud [1]. Such a breed was the finest among all rhinodrake steeds, and their speed and endurance far exceeded that of any ordinary rhinodrake steed. Since they were very rare, each of them was worth more than ten ordinary rhinodrake steeds.

Shi Dafeng laughed embarrassingly while scratching his head. “Shen Teng and I didn’t have much money in our hands. Besides, it’s kind of awkward to ask for money from family for this kind of thing and it would be pointless too. So both of us spent all the savings we accumulated over the past few years on this rhinodrake steed. For the sake of pooling enough money, Shen Teng even sold his jade pendant which was a gift from his grandmother…”

“Don’t just keep talking about me, didn’t you pawn off quite a number of your own belongings too…?”

“Those are mere worldly possessions which hardly amount to anything!” Shi Dafeng casually waved his hand. “Both of us hope that this steed will carry you safely to the Imperial Capital, Liqiang. At the very least, if you run into any danger during your journey, you can outrun the rest…”

Yan Liqiang was secretly moved. He didn’t say anything as he only gave two heavy shoulder pats to both Shi Dafeng and Shen Teng.

……

Yan Liqiang rode on Snowstorm Cloud on his way back to the Prefectural Governor’s Office.

However, his heart wasn’t filled with complete excitement toward the journey he was about to embark on and the unknown prospects ahead of him.

Serving Sun Bingchen by his side was equivalent to antagonizing the Ye Clan and their supporters. As an insignificant character, Yan Liqiang had no choice and he could not withdraw under such circumstances. He could only clench his teeth and continue walking down this path. The only thing which comforted Yan Liqiang was the fact that the Ye Clan and their supporters were indeed just a bunch of trash in his eyes. Hence, he wouldn’t feel even an ounce of guilt in his heart to antagonize trash like them.