“Ah Zheng, what are you giggling about?”
The war was almost over, and Fang Jing and his party had nothing to do, so they started thinking about returning to the capital. This battle was difficult, but they killed two princes of the Hu people and disintegrated the Hu people’s alliance, which was a great achievement. Fang Jing and the others who participated in this battle, and each of them wanted to contact their fathers and brothers in the court and jointly petition the emperor to order Yuan Zheng to return to the capital.
Once Yuan Zheng returned to the capital, they, as personal attendants, would naturally be able to return to the capital with him as well. But since the end of the war, Yuan Zheng never mentioned returning to the capital and instead seemed to be reluctant to leave.
Fang Jing saw this and felt a little anxious.
The gyrfalcon stood at the window. Yuan Zheng cut raw meat with a dagger and fed it. He would smile when feeding the eagle and even laughed at the wooden sign of “General Xiao Cen” hanging around its neck. Fang Jing looked both confused and terrified.
Yuan Zheng glanced at him and said, “What giggle?”
“You ah.” Fang Jing muttered, “How can anyone laugh while feeding an eagle? You look like you’re in love!”
Yuan Zheng snorted and said leisurely, “You don’t understand.” He raised his hand and touched the words on the gyrfalcon’s wooden sign. The gyrfalcon flapped its wings and flew directly to his shoulder. He said again, “Besides, is this an eagle?”
“This is General Xiao Cen!”
Fang Jing was speechless. “What’s the difference?”
Yuan Zheng said, “Of course it’s different, General Xiao Cen is General Xiao Cen.”
Fang Jing: “……”
He looked at Yuan Zheng and couldn’t help asking, “Ah Zheng, what do you think?”
Yuan Zheng: “What?”
Fang Jing said, “Let’s go back to the capital. The war is over. We have been in the Northern Territory for so long already. It’s time to go back.”
Yuan Zheng looked at him and said, “The Northern Territory is pretty good. Why do you want to go back?”
Fang Jing couldn’t believe his ears and said, “Ah Zheng, haven’t you always wanted to go back?”
Yuan Zheng thought of Cen Yelan and thought, Cen Yelan finally softened, Yuan Zheng just saw a glimmer of hope. How could he go back to the capital now?
He said, “That was before.”
Fang Jing said, “If you don’t go back now, can you stay in the North for the rest of your life?”
Yuan Zheng smacked his lips over the three words ‘the rest of your life’ and said thoughtfully, “What do you think if I ask my father to grant me the three states in the north as my fiefdom?”
“No!” Fang Jing was anxious, talking in a clattering manner, “The northern border is an important place for garrisoning troops. The Dayan has never had the precedent of using a military stronghold as a fiefdom. Besides, even if you really want to be a leisurely king, you should also think about the other peaceful and prosperous land. Why bother about this barren and war-torn place!”
Yuan Zheng was somewhat unhappy after being scolded by him. He stared at Fang Jing with a sullen face without saying a word. Fang Jing came to his senses, panicked, and called out softly, “…Ah Zheng.”
Yuan Zheng calmly said, “If Dayan has never had such a precedent, then I will set this precedent.”
Fang Jing was silent for a moment, not knowing what to say, but Yuan Zheng didn’t want to argue with him anymore, so he just walked out.
Yuan Zheng stayed in Cen Yelan’s study.
Cen Yelan was reading an official document. He sat upright, holding the document with his long and white fingers. Yuan Zheng looked at his neck, shoulders, and even his fingers in boredom.
His eyes were like fire, and although he didn’t say anything, he had already disturbed Cen Yelan’s attention from the words on the document. His fingers curled up uncomfortably, leaving a shallow scratch.
The scar seemed to scratch Yuan Zheng’s heart. He chuckled and said, “General Cen ah.”
“You have been staring at this document for a quarter of an hour already.” He asked Cen Yelan nonchalantly with a smile on his face and his chin propped up, “If you have run into a problem. I can help you ah.”
Cen Yelan snapped the document shut and calmly said, “Your Highness will be considered as helping if you are not in the study.”
Yuan Zheng dragged his voice and said slowly, “But I obeyed the General in everything. I didn’t say anything and didn’t touch the General either.”
Cen Yelan was speechless.
Yuan Zheng said, “It’s obvious that the General is not at peace.” He moved closer and said with a smile, “What is the General thinking about? Thinking about me, huh?”
Cen Yelan’s face was calm, holding the official document between the two of them, and said, “Why would I think about you?”
Yuan Zheng hooked his finger and watched him suddenly pull his hand back. He was overjoyed and said with a smile, “The General is really the best at destroying bridges after crossing the river. You no longer recognize me after getting out of bed. It’s obvious that you are still clinging to me in bed, asking me not to leave, making me want to die on the General’s body…”
He spoke more and more recklessly, his voice was low and deep, full of teasing desire. Cen Yelan could no longer maintain his composure, and it was like a crack on the ice, “Yuan Zheng!”
“Don’t talk nonsense!”
Yuan Zheng was getting more and more impatient and coaxed him, “Alright, alright, alright, I won’t talk, don’t worry.”
As the two were talking, a maid suddenly knocked on the door and said, “General, it’s bad, the Young Master has a fever.”
Cen Yelan’s face froze, and he immediately stood up and hurried out the door. Yuan Zheng frowned and followed him.
As Cen Yelan walked, he asked the maid, “Have you invited Physician Su? Why does the Young Master have a fever?”
The maid said, “Answer the General, we have already sent someone to invite him.”
Cen Yelan felt a little relieved and heard the maid say, “The Young Master has been unhappy these days. He refused to eat and sleep well. Last night he suddenly cried and asked for…” She hesitated for a moment and whispered, “He asked for his parents. The nanny coaxed him for a long time, and the Young Master went back only when he was tired of crying…”
Cen Yelan remained silent. Cen Yi was a thorn deeply embedded in his heart. Even though Cen Yelan was decisive, he also didn’t know what to do with Cen Mo, the only orphan of his eldest brother.
Cen Mo is too young.
Cen Yelan and Cen Mo’s mother had only met a few times, and later she lived with Cen Yi in Beicang Pass. During the few times they met, she always wore a veil. She was the one chosen by Cen Yi, and Cen Yelan never thought that there was anything strange about her.
Until Cen Yi’s last words, he said that Cen Mo had Hu blood. Cen Yelan later investigated Cen Mo’s mother but found that Cen Yi had wiped out all about her past, and even the midwife who delivered Cen Mo died on the way to visit relatives.
There was no way to trace anything, but the cleaner the evidence, the more obvious it seemed.
Fortunately, Cen Mo only caught a cold.
Cen Yelan looked at Cen Mo’s rosy cheeks. The child was originally chubby, round, and cute, but now he had lost a lot of weight, and his eyelashes were wet with tears.
Cen Yelan gently touched his cheek and suddenly heard Cen Mo call out “Little Uncle” indistinctly. His fingers paused, and Cen Mo shed tears again, mumbling, “Little Uncle, don’t kill Father…”
Cen Yelan felt a pain in his heart, and he turned around and left the room, as if he was escaping. Yuan Zheng looked at his face and suddenly said, “Ah Lan, have you heard of the Meng family in Qingzhou?”
Cen Yelan was stunned and looked up at Yuan Zheng.
Yuan Zheng smiled slightly, moved closer, and kissed his lips. Cen Yelan subconsciously wanted to retreat, and Yuan Zheng said, “Send Cen Mo to the Meng family.”
“The Qinghe Academy of the Meng family is famous all over the world. I will write a letter to ask my grandfather to take Cen Mo to his side and teach him to distinguish right from wrong and understand righteousness.”
Cen Yelan’s heart was slightly moved. The Meng family was a family of scholars, and Qinghe Academy was known as a holy place for scholars all over the world. Old Lord Meng was even more famous, and many scholars called him ‘teacher’.
Cen Yelan hesitated and said, “Qingzhou is too far away, and Mo’er is still young—”
Yuan Zheng said, “Precisely because he is young, so he should be taught well.”
“In his heart, no matter what others say about his father’s collaborating with the enemy and betraying the country, he won’t believe it. He will only remember that you killed his father.” Yuan Zheng said, “Even if you keep him by your side, how are you going to get along with him?”
“Why not separate for the time being? He will have my grandfather’s guidance and will be in Qinghe Academy. When he is older and becomes more reasonable, even if he cannot accept it, he will not go astray either.”
Cen Yelan was silent for a while and said, “Mo’er may not be willing to go.”
Yuan Zheng smiled and said, “Just nod your head, and leave the rest to me.” He whispered in Cen Yelan’s ear, “Your Seventh Prince has been a devil since he was a child, specializing in dealing with all kinds of disobedience.”
Cen Yelan’s cheeks flushed, and he said vaguely, “Nonsense.”
Yuan Zheng bit his earlobe and said, “General Cen, I am just trying to help you.”
Cen Yelan lowered his eyes, whispering in his ear, he considered, “Mo’er is still a child, he’s too young. I will think about it again.”
Yuan Zheng rubbed his chin with his thumb and chuckled, “I am also a child, General Cen, Cen Gege. Why didn’t I see you care for me too?”
Cen Yelan blushed at the words “Cen Gege”. He grabbed Yuan Zheng’s fingers and said, “Don’t call.”
Yuan Zheng blinked and shamelessly called out, “Cen Gege, General Gege.”
