Lu Yuan straightened up and walked toward the carriage with a smile. "Foster Father."
The person inside the carriage responded with a faint "Hmm," and the coachman imdiately placed a footstool. Lu Yuan stepped onto the stool and boarded the carriage.
Dressed in a deep black robe, with a dragon-like imposing visage and streaks of white in his hair and beard, Pri Minister Xun sat on a long bench with his eyes closed, resting. Beside him was Xun Yu, the Pri Minister’s only biological son, who was one year older than Lu Yuan.
Xun Yu, with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, exuded elegance and charisma. Seeing Lu Yuan, he smiled warmly and said, "Ayuan, long ti no see. I trust you’ve been well."
Lu Yuan smiled. "Second Brother."
Xun Yu lifted the side curtain and glanced diagonally forward. "From now on, you might have to call Third Brother instead. Father has recently adopted a new foster son. He’s not much of a talker. I’ll introduce you to him so other day."
Lu Yuan followed Xun Yu’s gaze and saw a General clad in silver armor, wearing a helt and astride a tall steed. The man had a towering and imposing fra, and even the horse beneath him was sturdier than any other horse around.
From the man’s presence alone, Lu Yuan sensed an aura that was not to be trifled with.
A true master.
"Understood, Third Brother."
Lu Yuan smiled as he addressed Xun Yu.
In a warm tone, Xun Yu remarked, "I heard you got married. Congratulations are in order."
Within the city walls, the Imperial Guard had cleared the streets, forbidding any riding on the official roads. Yet while they could stop carriages and horses, they couldn’t stop the curious crowd from gathering to watch.
ng Qianqian arrived late and found it impossible to squeeze through the crowd. To prevent any assassination attempts, the second floors of shops had also been taken over by the Imperial Guard, and even rooftops were off-limits.
ng Qianqian could only stand at the back of the throng, her eyes fixed intently on the army that was about to enter through the city gates.
"Here they co! They’re entering the city!"
"The White Tiger Commander Flag! The Pri Minister’s Commander Flag!"
A stir ran through the crowd, and ng Qianqian seized the chance to push her way to the front row.
Unexpectedly, a child nearby fell to the ground, about to be trampled by the dense crowd. ng Qianqian quickly stepped out of the throng, scooped up the child, and leapt to the doorway of a shop.
"Waaah—"
The child cried out in fear, sobbing uncontrollably.
Hearing his son’s voice, the boy’s father pushed through the crowd, drenched in sweat, and hurriedly thanked ng Qianqian.
But the delay cost her the chance to push forward again. She could only hear the surging cheers of the crowd, shouting for the Pri Minister.
When Lu Yuan returned to the Capital City back then, it wasn’t this grand of a scene.
It seems the Pri Minister enjoys great favor among the people.
Thinking about it, it’s only natural. Lu Yuan was a minister whom everyone despised and wished to execute. Even if he won victories at the border, the citizens of the Capital City still believed he had stolen Great General Han’s chance to face the enemy on the battlefield.
"Young Master Xun! I saw Young Master Xun!"
"What? Young Master Xun returned to the Capital as well?"
"After winning the battle, of course, he had to return!"
ng Qianqian then overheard the crowd fervently discussing Young Master Xun. Though the people occasionally ntioned the Pri Minister’s other generals, without a doubt, Xun Yu’s na was the loudest after the Pri Minister’s.
"Who is Young Master Xun?"
ng Qianqian asked a young scholar beside her.
The young scholar looked at ng Qianqian in surprise. "Miss, are you not from the Capital City?"
ng Qianqian replied, "That’s correct. I’m from out of town."
The young scholar gave her a once-over and remarked, "Even so, you should have heard of Young Master Xun. But then, you do sound young—maybe you were too little back then. Nine years ago, at just eighteen, Young Master Xun topped the imperial examinations. Not just in this dynasty, but throughout history, there’s never been an eighteen-year-old top scorer before—and he even won the Sixfold First Place. Such an achievent is unparalleled and unlikely to ever be surpassed."
ng Qianqian nodded. "I see."
Once the young scholar began talking about Xun Yu, he couldn’t stop praising him. "Don’t mistake Young Master Xun for a bookish scholar. Seven years ago, he gave up the comforts of the Capital City and resolutely followed his father to campaign in the West. While the Pri Minister waged war at the frontlines, he stayed behind to govern the people—cultivating wasteland, building irrigation canals, and even inventing nurous tools to improve farming. In short, he’s truly remarkable!"
On the carriage.
Xun Yu handed Lu Yuan a pouch of dried fruit from the Western Regions. "I grew these myself. To prevent them from spoiling, I had them dried. Try one and see how they taste."
Lu Yuan ate one piece. "It’s sweet."
Xun Yu patted him on the shoulder. "I heard you achieved victory at Yun Pass. Your Third Brother is truly happy for you. If I’d known you had such talent, I should’ve taken you along on the Western campaign back then—we might’ve pacified the Western Regions sooner!"
Lu Yuan replied, "It was a narrow victory—I almost didn’t make it back. I heard that Third Brother also contributed advice this ti in pacifying the Western Regions. Ayuan should be the one congratulating Third Brother and Foster Father."
Xun Yu threw an arm around him and laughed heartily. "We’re brothers—no need for all this mutual flattery!"
The carriage passed through the Vermillion Bird Avenue and traveled three more miles eastward before stopping in front of a grand and imposing mansion.
The group disembarked from the carriage.
Lu Yuan pointed to the open vermillion-colored main gate. "For the past few years, I’ve had soone regularly clean this residence. The furnishings and flowers inside remain just as they were before Foster Father left the Capital."
Pri Minister Xun stepped over the threshold as the servants all bowed in greeting.
Pri Minister Xun glanced around briefly.
Following closely behind his father, Xun Yu looked at the peach tree within the gate. "Ayuan, you’re sothing else—this peach tree looks just like it did back then. I even rember this brick—didn’t I accidentally split it once? You’ve kept it all this ti?"
Pri Minister Xun addressed Lu Yuan. "I’m tired. You can leave."
Xun Yu hooked an arm around Lu Yuan’s shoulder. "Don’t be like that, Father. We brothers haven’t seen each other in so long. Let’s drink until we drop tonight!"
Lu Yuan smiled faintly. "There’s plenty of ti ahead for drinking together. Third Brother, you should recover from your journey first."
Xun Yu teased, "I bet this rascal wants to hurry back and spend ti with his wife instead, huh?"
Lu Yuan smiled but said nothing.
Xun Yu pretended to be annoyed. "Got yourself a wife and now you’ve forgotten your brother. Fine, fine—go on, get out of here!"
Lu Yuan bid farewell to the father and son pair, then turned and left the Pri Minister’s Mansion.
At the gate, he brushed past the silver-armored man. The other man’s helt obscured his face, with the visor lowered, leaving only a pair of cold, blade-like eyes visible.
The murderous aura on him was heavier than anyone Lu Yuan had ever t.
The man didn’t greet him, walking straight into the Pri Minister’s Mansion without sparing a glance his way.
Lu Yuan turned back for a mont to look at him, then got into his own carriage.
-
Upon returning to the Governor Mansion, Lu Yuan found ng Qianqian waiting for him in the study.
Seeing the tired look on his face, ng Qianqian stood up and said, "You said I could co in."
"Hmm."
Lu Yuan nodded.
The main courtyard only had one large study, with two desks—one for him and one for her. They had agreed from the start that they could share it.
Seeing that he truly didn’t seem to mind, ng Qianqian asked, "Are you upset today?"
"Just a bit tired." Lu Yuan deflected the question and, noticing her desk was empty as if she had been waiting for him, asked, "Did you need sothing from ?"
ng Qianqian hesitated.
Before leaving, Zhang Feihu had specifically told her to trust Lu Yuan no matter what.
But should she?
At the beginning, he had clearly wanted to kill her.
Then again, she had almost killed him.
By that logic, they were even, right?
Lu Yuan didn’t rush her, sitting down at his own desk instead.
After a long pause, ng Qianqian made a decision in her heart: "I went to the workshop today and found out about Chen Long’s whereabouts."
Lu Yuan’s expression shifted slightly. "You went to the West City Gate to find Chen Long?"
ng Qianqian asked suspiciously, "How does the Grand Commander know I went to the West City Gate?"
And why did it feel like this guy’s face darkened further?
Lu Yuan said lightly, "I saw you."
ng Qianqian simply responded, "Oh."
Lu Yuan’s eyes flickered with a thought. "So, that person was Chen Long."
ng Qianqian was startled. "You saw Chen Long?"
Lu Yuan mused aloud, "The Pri Minister’s newly adopted foster son is very likely the Chen Long you’re searching for."
Reviews
All reviews (0)