In the evening, Emperor Zhaoyang held a banquet in the Long’en Hall to comfort the soldiers who had returned from the expedition in triumph, accompanied by princes, ministers, and civil and military officials.
The most handsome person was He Huailing. Emperor Zhaoyang praised him so much. Despite his admiration for He Huailing, he only lamented that he did not have such a promising son himself. In the afternoon, an imperial decree was issued to reward meritorious ministers in the expeditionary army and promote their ranks. He Huailing was granted the title of Marquis of Dingyuan, given the Marquis Mansion, and awarded one thousand taels and one hundred hectares of fertile land.
Zhu Yunxuan sat next to Zhu Yunjing, drinking fruit wine and holding his chin. He looked at He Huailing who was whispering to Zhu Yunxun on the opposite side. After a moment, he chuckled and said to Zhu Yunjing: “This General He is actually a remarkable person. He may be fierce, but he is also heroic. How did those rumors spread?”
Zhu Yunjing squinted at Zhu Yunxuan and asked: “What? Are you interested in him?”
Zhu Yunxuan retorted: “Well, I am not like you, Royal Brother. In the future, I will definitely marry an imperial concubine who is unparalleled in beauty, and it must be a woman!”
Zhu Yunjing ignored him, and took a sip of his wine, glancing at He Huailing.
After a few jokes, Zhu Yunxuan approached Zhu Yunjing and reminded him in a low voice: “I’ve been watching for half a day. Those old fellows who are offering toasts to General He are also very friendly with the Second Brother. It seems like they don’t care much about you as the Crown Prince.”
If it weren’t for knowing that his little brother was tricky but loyal to him, Zhu Yunjing would have suspected him of trying to sow discord. “In your eyes, who isn’t an old man?” was his reply.
Zhu Yunxuan blinked and said: “Of course not you, my Royal Brother whose grace is flourishing.”
“Stop flattering me.”
“Royal Brother, are you really not worried at all?”
Zhu Yunjing looked at the slightly tipsy Emperor Zhaoyang sitting on the throne, and raised the corners of his lips: “No need to worry. Father Emperor only granted him the title of Marquis of Dingyuan, without mentioning any promotion. In this capital, a noble who has no actual position is the least valuable. What’s there to fear?”
“But he still has the eight thousand soldiers who followed him back to the capital.”
“Why the rush? His military power, he will have to hand it over sooner or later.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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The civilian officials who accompanied the banquet were probably not used to military commanders’ rude manners. But today, it was to welcome and help wash off the dust for the expeditionary army. Zhu Yunjing didn’t say anything. Naturally, they did not dare criticize too much. No matter how disdainful they were in their hearts, they still had to put on a smile on their faces, toasting and flattering each other.
The person with the most people surrounding him toasting and persuading him to drink was He Huailing. Huai Ling still used a small cup, drinking one cup for every cup others toasted him with. However, he was not as rude as other military commanders. His gestures were full of the elegance and calmness of a young master from an aristocratic family. He did not talk much. There was a hint of arrogance between his eyebrows, but he did not appear arrogant.
“Gu will go and toast General He.”
“Ah?” Zhu Yunxuan thought he had heard wrong.
Zhu Yunjing smiled: “General He saved Gu. Gu has to show some gratitude. Otherwise, people will say that Gu, the Crown Prince is too arrogant and doesn’t know the importance of things.”
“So what? I thought you didn’t care about these false reputations, Royal Brother?”
“Gu is not a saint.”
Zhu Yunjing got up, holding the wine glass, and walked over to He Huailing’s table. The officials who had surrounded all around stepped aside one after another, but did not take their eyes off them. He Huailing also stood up, and Zhu Yunjing toasted, smiling brightly: “Congratulations on being granted the title of Marquis of Dingyuan. Gu has not thanked General He for today’s incident. If there hadn’t been General He standing in front of Gu’s carriage, Gu is afraid wouldn’t be here congratulating General He on the victory of the Faraway Expedition Army. This glass of wine is for General He. I don’t know if General He would honour me by accepting it.”
He Huailing raised his cup with both hands, and said solemnly: “I dare not express my gratitude for fulfilling my duty.”
After he finished speaking, he raised his head and drank the wine in the cup. Zhu Yunjing looked at him with a smile, and slowly brought his own glass to his lips.
After downing the wine, Zhu Yunjing said again: “During this period of time, Gu has also heard many rumors about General He’s invincibility and divine skills. It was admired and yearned for by Gu. If I have a chance in the future, may I ask General He for a lesson or two?”
He Huailing replied cautiously: “Your Highness is too kind. The servant is unworthy, and rumors cannot be entirely trusted. The great victory in the expedition was the merit of all the soldiers, not the effort of the servant alone.”
“General He is too modest.”
The two exchanged pleasantries, talking politely, and the atmosphere was quite harmonious when an intoxicated fool approached them. That Jiang Yan drank heavily while competing with others, becoming flushed and unaware of his surroundings. The cautious and low-key advice that He Huailin had given him earlier that morning had long been forgotten. He staggered over to He Huailin’s side, squinting his eyes and sizing up Zhu Yunjing in front of him. Drunk and confused, he began to spout vulgar words, “Where did this young gentleman come from? Damn, how the hell is he prettier than those adorable girls?”
There was a sound of gasping all around. Zhu Yunxuan, who was drinking wine and eavesdropping on their conversation, choked on his drink and couldn’t stop coughing. Zhu Yunxun frowned slightly. Zhu Yunjing stared coldly at the ugly Jiang Yan in front of him, without showing too much emotion on his fair face. However, those who knew him well understood that this was a sign of his anger.
Jiang Yan, who didn’t realize that he had stepped into the gate of hell, spewed wine as he reached out to touch Zhu Yunjing. He Huailing immediately raised his hand, and slapped his palm on the back of his neck. The drunkard fell to the ground, losing consciousness.
He Huailing knelt down and pleaded guilty: “Jiang made a slip of the tongue while drunk and offended Your Highness. He is willing to be punished with a hundred strokes of the cane as an example. The servant is not strict, so l am also willing to receive the same punishment.”
Zhu Yunxun also stood up and reminded Zhu Yunjing: “Today, Father Emperor hosted a banquet to comfort the expeditionary army. All the soldiers present here are meritorious, and this General Jiang didn’t intend to offend you. Why not let him off this time, Your Highness?”
Apart from whispers, the hall was completely quiet. No one dared to make a fuss, and everyone’s gaze fell on Zhu Yunjing and He Huailing. Zhu Yunjing was really upset. He had not yet figured out how to deal with this foolish person who didn’t know any better. He Huailing had already made a decision for him. However, he couldn’t really do what He Huailing suggested. Today the army was victorious. If he were to order someone to publicly punish a meritorious general, especially He Huailin, the matter would be criticized and he didn’t know how it would be perceived. Besides, this was an embarrassing situation and he didn’t want people to keep discussing how this drunkard had offended him again and again.
It’s not that Zhu Yunjing didn’t understand these principles. There was no need for Zhu Yunxun to remind him. Zhu Yunxun’s kindness was just an opportunity to win people’s hearts.
Zhu Yunjing suppressed his anger, and ordered in a deep voice: “Wake him up with water, and throw him out of the palace.”
He Huailing immediately expressed his gratitude: “Thank you for your generosity, Your Highness.”
Zhu Yunjing had no mood to stay longer, and left in a huff. The banquet was over.
Zhu Yunxun seemed to have something to say to He Huailing in private, and personally sent him to the palace gate. He Huailing cupped his hands: “Your Highness, please don't see me out any further. I will come to the palace to greet you another day.”
“We are brothers. You don’t need to be so polite, nor pay attention to these formalities.” Zhu Yunxun smiled softly. After five years of absence, his cousin seemed to have become more alienated from him, but it didn’t matter. As long as He Huailing’s surname was He, he was naturally in the same boat as him.
He Huailing’s expression was indifferent: “It should be.”
Zhu Yunxun sighed: “Is my cousin blaming me?”
“Why did Your Highness say that?”
“Last year, you sent me a letter and asked me to take care of Xu Hanlin. I never thought that I would wait until you came back. However, something happened to him. He was imprisoned, and died in prison. I failed your trust.”
He Huailing’s black and bright pupils looked even more gloomy in the night. There seemed to be a hint of sorrow in his eyes as he replied: “It has nothing to do with you, Your Highness. There is no need for you to blame yourself.”
“…Actually, I have always been curious. Why did you have any connection with Xu Hanlin?”
He Huailing said coldly: “We had some friendship in our youth. Since he is already gone, it is useless to talk more.”
Being able to receive a personal letter from He Huailing to entrust someone to him, Zhu Yunxun thought it must be more than just a matter of childhood friendship. But since He Huailing did not want to say it, he did not ask further questions. He only pondered and said: “Because you sent me that letter, I have indeed paid much attention to Xu Hanlin in my daily life. Xu Daren is an outstanding gentleman of a bright moon and a gentle breeze. It is really hard to believe that he would have such disloyal thoughts.”
“He wouldn’t,” He Huailing frowned, “there must be something behind this.”
Zhu Yunxun nodded: “Father Emperor ordered him to be imprisoned in the Dali Temple to await trial. With Xu Hanlin’s character, he should not have committed suicide in fear of crime. I’ve always felt something strange about this matter. Before… there were many rumors about the relationship between Xu Hanlin and the Crown Prince in the capital city. It just doesn’t seem possible for Xu Hanlin to be a flattering person who serves the Crown Prince with lust and invites favours from him. It’s just that the Crown Prince who is known for his lustful and unrestrained nature, and he acts without regard for consequences. If he did something in this matter, it is not impossible.”
The more He Huailing listened, the more serious his expression became: “The Crown Prince? Is this related to him? Is there any evidence?”
“No, but someone previously saw that shortly before Xu Daren got into trouble. The Crown Prince had secretly visited the Dali Temple prison and stayed there for nearly half an hour. Moreover, after Father Emperor ordered to throw Xu Daren’s body to the mass grave outside the city, I specially sent someone over there to collect his body for a proper burial. But Xu Daren’s body could not be found anywhere.”
He Huailing’s eyes became even darker. Zhu Yunxun patted his shoulder and said: “I am somewhat responsible for this matter, and I will continue to send people to investigate. I will always give you an explanation. Seeing is believing
After a moment of silence, He Huailing cupped his fists and said: “Thank you, Your Highness.”
Zhu Yunxun smiled slightly: “I’ve already said we are brothers. Don’t be too concerned about these things.”
I’m so invested in this story, I’ll be waiting for more!!
Thank you for reading. :-D
Something tells me that xu hanlin isn’t dead…
Yes!!!!!!!! >.<
General He is in for a surprise~~~ I read the summary again, glad that the weakly scholar isn’t the ML haha
I feel the same way. If Xu Hanlin had been the main character, I would have found it difficult to continue reading. Hehe.
Oh my gosh, thank you!! I wasn’t sure if the scholar was the ML but I was going to keep reading to see if he wasn’t. Thank gosh he isn’t! Lol
Thank you for the chapter. 😘
Thank you for reading!
Thank You for the new chapter (⋈◍＞◡＜◍)。✧♡