Chapter 52

(Chapter 3 completed.)

The people of the city finally saw the long-missed Young Master. This time, without the presence of the Yan family’s young master, the only remaining friend was Li Hanlin, the son of the Prefect of Fengzhou. By the Young Master’s side was Yu Youwei, who had retired from the pleasure quarters, holding the white cat Wu Meiniang. Both the woman and the pet exuded a lazy and noble air.

Li Hanlin was called by Xu Fengnian. For over a year, he had spent most of his time practicing with the Xiudong saber and on Wudang Mountain. Now, he was about to embark on a long journey with many secrets, and it would be a shame not to gather with Li Hanlin, who had repeatedly taken the blame for him over the past decade. When Li Hanlin heard that the Young Master was going on a journey, he pleaded with Fengge to take him along, but no matter how he begged, he did not get a nod. He was sulking, and during the spring outing, he whipped his horse so loudly that it echoed. Xu Fengnian saw this and smiled without a word. When they reached Luosi Lake, the preferred spot for spring outings, Xu Fengnian led his horse, noticing that Li Hanlin still looked listless. He teased, "I heard you found a pair of twin boys in Changye County a few days ago, with rosy lips and white teeth, extremely handsome. Did you tire yourself out last night?"

Yu Youwei deliberately walked a bit further, playing with the adorable Wu Meiniang in her arms. She had resigned herself to Xu Fengnian, but she could not stand Li Hanlin, a young man with a notorious reputation.

Li Hanlin, though sulking, never held a grudge against Xu Fengnian. He said pitifully, "Fengge, I’m so bored at home, why won’t you take me out to enjoy the world? Last time was fine, but if you don’t take me this time, it’s not treating me like a brother. That Yan Chiji, who went to the capital with his father and sister, deserved to have his sister chosen by the mentally ill Sixth Prince. Fengge, you’ve always been a good person, please, Fengge, will you let me serve you tea and water every day? I heard you’re going on a journey, and I’ve stolen all my father’s private money. If I go back, he might break one of my legs."

Xu Fengnian laughed, "Your father would break your leg? Who believes that? Every time he’s angry with you, he whips his favorite concubine. How many have died because of you?"

Li Hanlin looked miserable, so depressed that he wanted to drown himself in the lake.

Xu Fengnian patted his shoulder to comfort him, "To be honest, it would have been better to take you last time, but this time it’s really not suitable. Let me tell you who Father has arranged to accompany me on this trip. There are four high-level experts in the open, plus a hundred elite cavalry led by a Wu Dian General. Not to mention the assassins and counter-assassins in the shadows, and a top-tier expert closely watching me. Do you think they’re here to enjoy the spring? Last time we sneaked out, but this time it’s a public affair. Have you forgotten what happened to Kong Wuchi when he was severely injured? You’re your family’s only son, so don’t get involved in this mess. If you’re really bored, I can get Father to arrange a seventh-rank Yihui Xiaowei position for you in the Beiliang army. You can play for a couple of years, no need to charge into battle, just enjoy the scenery at the border. When you return to Fengzhou, you can lead your own troops, and your father will be relieved."

Li Hanlin remained silent.

Xu Fengnian loosened the reins and patted the neck of the divine white horse, which the Grand Pillar had captured from the border last year and tamed for half a year before bringing it back for his favorite son. Xu Fengnian sat by the lake, and when Li Hanlin sat beside him, he picked up a pebble and threw it into Luosi Lake, saying softly, "Hanlin, don’t always act like a child. Your father had you late in life and is getting old. If you don’t grow up, will you let your sister carry the burden of the family?"

Li Hanlin sighed, "Fengge, you’ve changed. My sister used to hate you the most, but if you were like this now, she might like you. But I don’t like it. Who will I play with in the future?"

Xu Fengnian threw the pebbles into the same spot in the lake and smiled, "Your sister is much prettier than Yan Dongwu, but also much dumber. I know she has someone in mind. I used to tease her, but one day she’ll realize that the one she likes is a fool, and the one she hates is slightly more ambitious. As for who you’ll play with in the future, it’s simple. Get a virtuous wife and play with her. Before you know it, you’ll have children."

Li Hanlin scratched his head, "Having children is fine, but only sons. Having daughters is just asking for trouble. When they grow up, they’ll be taken away by men. Sons are fine; I’m not afraid of retribution."

Xu Fengnian laughed, "You’re afraid of retribution?"

Li Hanlin lay on the grass, unusually serious, "How can I not be? They say there’s a god three feet above our heads. Who knows when I’ll die? I’m sure I’ll end up in the oil pot, or be punished by being reborn as a woman in my next life."

Xu Fengnian laughed, "What’s in your head, space magician?"

Li Hanlin pouted, "Fine, I’ll listen to Fengge and join the Beiliang army. Maybe I can capture a Northern Liang princess and keep her as a slave."

Xu Fengnian clicked his tongue, "What a big ambition."

Li Hanlin got up and asked quietly, "Fengge, tell me, what does that top-tier expert look like?"

Xu Fengnian turned and pointed to the old man with a missing arm, who was dozing by the carriage, his thin frame wrapped in a shabby sheepskin coat. He would pick his nose and secretly flick it away while napping. Xu Fengnian said irritably, "He’s probably like that."

Li Hanlin looked at the old man, who didn’t even qualify as a stable hand but had the nerve to ride in the same carriage as Yu Youwei, and rolled his eyes, "Fengge, are you fooling me?"

Xu Fengnian looked at the lake and smiled, "You are a kid."

Li Hanlin protested, "I’m still young? Which girl hasn’t praised my size after we’re done?"

Xu Fengnian laughed and scolded, "You’re stupid. Only kids brag about that. Besides, the compliments from the courtesans are just to make money, not to spend it. You’re still a kid."

Li Hanlin, feeling a surge of anger, said, "Damn it, I’ll throw those bitches into a cage and tear them apart when I get back."

Xu Fengnian scolded, "Stop being evil. Go to the Beiliang army. Your brain is as bad as your sister’s."

Li Hanlin obediently said, "Okay."

In the end, the notorious Li Hanlin of Fengzhou, who wanted to follow Xu Fengnian out of Beiliang, chose to join the Beiliang army, known for its strict discipline.

At the city gate, Li Hanlin cried like a teary-eyed child, and those who didn’t know the situation might have thought the Young Master was playing a cruel joke on Li Dajun.

Xu Fengnian returned to the mansion. The old man, whose name and surname were unknown, slowly got off the carriage, his thin frame wrapped in a shabby sheepskin coat. He said two sentences. The first was, "This girl is well-endowed, with a good figure for bearing sons."

Before Yu Youwei could blush, the old man’s second sentence made her face pale, "This cat is even better. Cook it, and it will nourish the body and spirit."

Xu Fengnian took a deep breath, then another.

The old man walked away, glancing at the Tingchao Pavilion from the lakeside.

Xu Fengnian went to the courtyard where Jiang Ni was, finding her squatting and drawing with a stick. He didn’t look at her as she hurriedly stood up and tried to erase the marks with her toes, and asked, "I’m leaving Beiliang, and I might die on the way. You’ll have a chance to finish me off. Do you want to come? Of course, I’ll bring a box of secret manuals. If you come, they’ll all be yours by the end of the year."

Jiang Ni hesitated for a moment and then nodded, saying firmly, "No!"

Xu Fengnian was taken aback.

He turned away, disappointed.

Jiang Ni’s face turned red, her confidence plummeting, and her voice was barely audible.

Xu Fengnian finally understood. She must have been so used to rejecting the Young Master that she blurted out "no" instead of "yes," but lacked the courage to explain.

Admitting a mistake to the Young Master, who was her sworn enemy, was more painful than death.

Xu Fengnian didn’t try to smooth things over, letting the little clay figure remain conflicted for now.

At the Empress’s tomb, Xu Fengnian picked a leaf and sat cross-legged in front of the tombstone, whistling a tune, the gentle and melodious "Spring God" folk song.

Here, Xu Fengnian’s mind was the most peaceful, and his thoughts the clearest.

The old man under the pavilion. A genuine top-tier expert, but don’t dream of making him a servant.

Jia? Where is he hiding? Far away? Or right in front of me?

Sweet Potato is a bodyguard. Should I be happy or frustrated?

Qingniao is the "Bing" in the Heavenly Stems. A predictable and annoying answer.

I went to Wudang Mountain, and Huang Manyi went to Longhu Mountain. This silent competition of Daoist traditions, is Father trying to turn the tide with one hand?

Second Sister Xu Weixiong is studying the classics of kingship and strategy at the Shangyin Academy, learning the art of diplomacy. Is she trying to suppress the invincible Chen Zhiliao, or secretly rallying a potential force in the land of scholars?

Why didn’t Father kill the Yan family when he could, just because Yan Shudai is his close friend?

Xu Fengnian threw away the leaf, placing the Xiudong and Chunlei sabers on his knees, and looked at the tombstone, saying softly, "Mother, Xu Fengnian still remembers your revenge, even if Xu Xiao doesn’t."

This year, as spring bloomed, Young Master Xu Fengnian rode a white horse out of Liangzhou.

{Piaotian Literature}