Chapter 101 The Habit of Facing Each Other

A few dishes,

A few cups of wine,

The two brothers sat facing each other,

Drinking and eating,

It's easy to dream about the future,

This has been the custom since ancient times.

The last time Zheng Boye and Ji Chengjue sat facing each other like this was in Beifeng County.

This time, the two brothers are in Yanjing City.

Compared to the last time,

Zheng Fan, who was once only the Tiger Head City Escort Commandant, is now the Lord of Pingye, who has 20,000 iron cavalry under his command;

Ji Chengjue, who was once just a useless and idle prince, is now oppressing the Crown Prince to the point where he can barely breathe, forcing the Yan Emperor to personally step in to restore the balance.

Of course,

The boastful words of you castrating yourself or me treating your son well are still far from reality;

But compared to the beginning, both of them have actually made considerable progress.

Yanjing is really too far from Xuehai Pass. The two of them don't know when they will meet again, but presumably, when they meet next time, there should be huge changes again compared to now.

They drank a lot of wine, cup after cup. Neither of them urged the other to drink, but they both felt that if they didn't get drunk tonight, they would be letting down their first meeting in the past few years.

And then the result was,

They both got drunk.

He Sisi came in once, and seeing the two men passed out there, she personally took two blankets and covered them, not waking them up.

When morning came,

Ji Chengjue woke up first.

His eyes were bloodshot, obviously he hadn't rested well, but his cultivated routine made him wake up on time.

Looking at Zheng Fan, who was sleeping soundly opposite him,

A smile appeared on the corner of Ji Chengjue's mouth,

And then he suddenly felt a little disgusted with himself for showing such a smile to a man, and immediately retracted it.

Getting up,

He prepared to go to court.

Although he had said last night that he wouldn't go to court today, who told him to wake up?

Passing by Zheng Boye, Ji Chengjue was surprised to find that Zheng Boye had also opened his eyes.

"Yo, you're awake?" Ji Chengjue said.

"Having fought so many battles, it's hard to sleep like a dead pig."

"Then you sleep a little longer. I'm going to court. Today is the first day the Crown Prince is supervising the country. I have to go and show my support. Later, let Sisi arrange breakfast for you. Remember, go and see my son. I was so busy drinking last night that I forgot."

Zheng Boye waved his hand at Ji Chengjue with a look of disgust, as if he was swatting a fly.

The carriage outside was already ready. Ji Chengjue hurriedly washed up and got into the carriage. Inside the carriage, some simple breakfast was prepared as usual. He wasn't really hungry, but he still forced himself to eat some.

"Your Highness had a very happy drink with Lord Pingye last night," Zhang Gonggong said with a smile.

Ji Chengjue nodded and said, "In the past few years, it seems that everything has changed, except for him."

"Lord Pingye is indeed a wonderful person."

"Yes, there really aren't many people in this world as interesting as him."

…

Zheng Boye also didn't have the habit of sleeping in. He always woke up when he was awake.

After washing up and eating breakfast, He Sisi personally came over to lead Zheng Boye to see the child.

He Sisi came from the common people, and at the same time, she knew the relationship between her husband and Lord Pingye, so she was not bound by any airs or rules. After receiving her precious son from the wet nurse, she directly handed him to Zheng Boye.

Zheng Boye took him and hugged him.

The child was fair and tender, very cute.

He Sisi said with a smile, "Chuanye, call him godfather."

"咿呀咿呀………” (yi ya yi ya...)

The child can't speak yet.

Zheng Boye said somewhat awkwardly, "My people have all been arranged in the camp in the capital, and the things are also there. The meeting gift I prepared for him can only be sent over this afternoon."

"Lord, look what you're saying."

Zheng Boye tried to let the child's swaddling clothes touch the magic pearl (mo wan) in his clothes, but the magic pearl had no reaction.

It can be seen that the magic pearl is not interested in all children, but only favors Tiantian.

Of course,

Zheng Boye believed that the magic pearl should protect his own children in the future.

Um,

Probably,

Maybe,

That's how it is, right?

After teasing the child for a while, Zheng Boye handed the child to the wet nurse and walked to the courtyard.

In the courtyard stood a young eunuch, Zhang Gonggong's adopted son, Little Zhang Gonggong.

Little Zhang Gonggong should have been left by Ji Chengjue specifically for him.

Zheng Boye sat down on the steps and asked:

"The Town North Marquis's daughter, is she back?"

"Responding to Lord, the princess has already returned to the capital. She still lives in the back garden. A few days ago, the princess also went to Leicheng Temple in the West Mountain to burn incense."

Zheng Boye nodded.

It seems that,

The princess should have woken up after returning to the capital.

There are indeed many experts in the capital.

But this is very difficult to handle,

Actually,

Zheng Boye has no official duties in the capital these days. He just has to be prepared to be summoned into the palace by His Majesty at any time. The rest of the time, he is free to do as he pleases.

But since that woman is in the capital, Zheng Boye really doesn't dare to run around blindly.

"By the way, send someone to pick up some of my subordinates from the camp outside the city to enter the capital."

"Lord, His Highness already ordered it this morning."

Blindman and Wildman King, as Zheng Fan's personal followers, were placed in the military camp outside the city after entering the city. This has always been the rule. Whenever a general enters the capital, his guards and followers must first stay in the military camp.

It's not that there aren't some generals who arrange their former retainers in their residences, but those retainers have all left the military register.

Blindman and the others could have skipped this process, but that would have been too conspicuous. The capital is not like other places, it's best to keep a low profile as much as possible. I don't know how many eyes are staring at me.

After all, he now has the qualifications to be stared at.

"Does Lord want to go out? This servant will arrange a carriage for you."

Zheng Boye immediately shook his head and said, "No, no."

That crazy woman is in the capital, so he'd better not go out.

The capital is not like Xuehai Pass. Half of the camps outside the capital are from the Town North Army.

That crazy woman is very smart, and she must know who caused her to be unconscious for almost half a year.

"Are you going out?"

At this moment, a familiar voice came from behind Zheng Boye.

Zheng Boye turned his head to look, and it was none other than the Sword Saint!

"Yes, I'm going out."

Saying that,

Zheng Boye pointed at Little Zhang Gonggong and said:

"Prepare the carriage."

"Yes."

Little Zhang Gonggong went down to prepare, and the Sword Saint walked over.

"Are you alright yesterday?" Zheng Boye asked with concern.

"Wei Zhonghe found two people to have tea with me."

"Didn't they say anything?" Zheng Fan asked.

"What do you want them to say? Lure me to join Great Yan?"

"Shouldn't they?"

"Am I not working for you Yan people when I'm in Xuehai Pass?"

"That's true, but it's still a little different, you understand."

Zheng Boye didn't believe that the imperial court wouldn't be tempted by a master of the Sword Saint's level.

"They didn't say it, because they knew I wouldn't agree."

"That's good."

"Where are you going later?"

"To the Lake Pavilion."

"To see that prince you crippled?"

"That's a misunderstanding. It was the Jingnan Marquis who crippled him."

"Not you?"

"I'm just a tool, a tool."

"Although I have never entered the court as an official, I am really curious, what does it feel like for someone who personally crippled a prince to be an official in the court?"

Zheng Boye smiled,

And said:

"He is also a tool."

The Sword Saint was slightly stunned, then immediately understood.

Soon,

The carriage was ready.

Little Zhang Gonggong personally drove the carriage, and Zheng Boye and the Sword Saint sat in the carriage and drove towards the Lake Pavilion.

"As a Lord of Great Yan, you are actually worried about being assassinated in the capital."

The Sword Saint's words clearly carried a hint of teasing.

"It's that woman, the one who asked you to kill a pig to help scare her last time."

"The Princess?"

"Yes."

"Does she dare?"

"On the night of Sixth Prince's wedding, she dared to let Li Liangchen and that Seventh Uncle by his side assassinate Sixth Prince at the prince's mansion."

This matter,

Very few people know about it, because neither party involved publicized it, nor dared to publicize it.

But Sixth Prince mentioned this matter emphatically in his letter to Zheng Fan, constantly scolding that woman in the letter as a madman, a madman, a madman!

This is understandable,

After all, Sixth Prince's wedding day almost became the anniversary of his death.

The Sword Saint said, "That night, the Empress also passed away."

"Why can you always grasp the key to the problem?"

The Sword Saint said, "Why do I hear a hint of 'I'm actually so smart' in your tone?"

"Sorry, I'll hide it deeper next time."

"The imperial family, as expected, is truly ruthless."

"You seem to have forgotten that you are also a member of the imperial family."

The Sword Saint's surname is also Yu, which is the national surname of Great Jin.

"I don't even think I count."

"But at least you're a member of the clan, and besides, this matter doesn't necessarily involve the imperial family being ruthless or not."

"But you actually have an idea in your heart, right?"

"Hard to say."

"I'm very curious, what would you do if your child was like this in the future?"

"As long as he doesn't borrow usurious loans, I'll let him do whatever he wants."

Usurious loans, that is, borrowing high-interest loans.

"Unrestrained."

"I never thought about hoping my son would become a dragon or my daughter would become a phoenix. It's too tiring to live like that."

"Indeed, it's really too tiring for the children."

"I mean it's too tiring for me."

"Alright."

"When do you plan to have another one?"

"No hurry."

"After we go back, hurry up and have one with your wife, and I'll be the child's godfather."

"You seem to have quite a few godsons."

"Haha."

At this moment,

The Sword Saint suddenly said:

"There's sword energy."

Zheng Boye immediately changed from a sitting posture to a prone position,

And said:

"Li Liangchen?"

Damn it, that crazy woman, so fast and so crazy!

"It's a ninth-rank swordsman, in the restaurant next door."

"………” Zheng Boye.

Zheng Boye sat back again and said, "You're doing it on purpose."

The Sword Saint didn't speak.

"I don't like this place, it doesn't feel safe," Zheng Boye said with emotion.

"Do you like Xuehai Pass?"

"Actually, I don't like Xuehai Pass either, the climate there isn't very pleasant."

"You're really demanding."

"Actually, not much. If I could make the capital as safe as Xuehai Pass, I'd be satisfied."

"You call that not much demand?"

"People, always have to have dreams, don't they?"

The carriage arrived at the Lake Pavilion.

Zheng Boye showed the silver token he had been given back then, and the guards let him pass.

The Sword Saint stayed at the entrance, not going in.

Zheng Boye, led by two deaf-mutes, walked into the depths of the Lake Pavilion. After they opened the iron door, Zheng Boye continued to walk inside.

He saw a lake, and he also saw the pavilion in the lake.

Zheng Boye walked along the long corridor towards the pavilion.

Inside the pavilion, a head slowly poked out. The person should have been lying down at first, but got up when he heard the movement here.

He was wearing a white robe with ink stains, and his hair was a bit long. The whole person looked not so decadent, but rather had the ethereal quality of a mountain hermit.

The two,

Looked at each other.

"Lord Zheng?"

"Greetings, Third Prince. It seems that even residing in such beautiful scenery, Third Prince doesn't forget worldly affairs."

"Thanks to you, I can still see the gazette here, and I also know about Lord Zheng's achievements in the past few years. You are truly a pillar of my Great Yan."

Zheng Boye sighed,

And said:

"You didn't expect me to come here to see you, did you?"

The Third Prince smiled,

And said:

"Yes, I didn't expect it."

Then,

The Third Prince took out a black crossbow,

And aimed it at Zheng Boye.

"………” Zheng Fan.

———

About an hour later,

Zheng Boye walked out of the Lake Pavilion, holding a scroll in his hand.

He got into the carriage waiting outside.

Little Zhang Gonggong asked:

"Lord, where to?"

"Go back."

"Yes, Lord."

Inside the carriage,

The Sword Saint looked at Zheng Fan who had come up and said, "It took less time than I expected."

"Actually, there wasn't much to talk about."

"I originally thought you would have a lot to talk about."

"When I went in, he was waiting for me with a crossbow."

"That's not too surprising."

"That crossbow was made of paper. He used ink to color it."

"Interesting."

"He guessed I was coming, and I had to come."

"Because this is your explanation." The Sword Saint said.

"You can even guess that?"

"That tone of yours, it's back again."

Zheng Boye took out the scroll and opened it.

Inside was a painting.

The painting was of a pass, a scene of battle.

"This is what he painted, it's my Battle of Xuehai Pass."

"Mm."

"He's much smarter than he was back then. What a pity. Why do people have to experience setbacks to grow up?"

"That sounds like a good thing."

"We should learn to be grateful for setbacks, because they can make us more mature."

"So, that Third Prince still needs to thank you?"

"I said it, his matter can't be blamed on me. He just became a punching bag for His Majesty to vent his anger on the Jingnan Marquis."

"But when he has nightmares these past few years, he will definitely dream about your face."

"Hehe."

"Does he want to come out?"

"Come out to embarrass the royal family? As long as the Jingnan Marquis is still alive, he can't leave this Lake Pavilion.

But I need an explanation, and he also needs an explanation. We explained to each other, and there will also be an explanation for the Yan Emperor.

Then, his days in the Lake Pavilion can be better."

"Just for this?"

"We can't let those who are full not know the hunger of those who are hungry." (idiom)

"True."

"I want to sleep for a while. I didn't rest well yesterday. When we get back, Blindman and the others should have arrived too."

Zheng Boye was just about to lean back,

When the Sword Saint suddenly said:

"There's sword energy."

Zheng Boye suddenly changed from leaning back to crawling on the bottom of the carriage.

The Sword Saint was a little surprised,

And said:

"You're really afraid of death."

Zheng Boye turned his head to look at the Sword Saint and said, "Definitely."

The Sword Saint said, "It's the old man by that woman's side."

The carriage,

Stopped,

Seventh Uncle stood in front of the carriage,

And said:

"The princess invites Lord Pingye to her backyard for a chat."

Inside the carriage,

The Sword Saint said, "She's inviting you to her house for a sit-down."

Zheng Boye chuckled twice,

Got up,

Walked to the front,

Lifted the curtain of the carriage,

And shouted to Seventh Uncle standing in front:

"Tell Li Qian to come to the Sixth Prince's mansion to see this Lord herself!"