The second day after the Mid-Autumn Festival was a rainy day. When He Yan woke up, the rest of the people were still sleeping on their beds. They were probably still drunk from the previous night. However, the order to run had been blown outside. Even if it was a rainy day, they still had to train. She climbed out of bed and woke up everyone in the house one by one.
"My head is so dizzy." Xiao Mai was young and could not withstand this kind of hangover. She still felt that the aftereffects were not over yet. "A He Ge, what are you doing?"
He Yan handed her a water bag. "Quickly drink two mouthfuls and wash your face. It's time to run."
Xiao Mai took the water bag and drank in big gulps. Hong Shan saw this and laughed. "Xiao Mai, you and your brother still have to practice more. How can you drink so little? You're not even as good as A He Ge. "
Xiao Mai glanced at He Yan and said, "A He Ge, your alcohol tolerance is so good?"
"It's so-so." He Yan said perfunctorily. She did not feel a headache at the moment. Instead, she felt refreshed. However, she had already forgotten when she returned to the house. She only remembered that she was drinking with Huang Xiong in front of the bonfire. She drank a few more bowls and seemed to have opened the Eighteen Immortals … Oh right, where were the Eighteen Immortals?
"Why didn't I see the jar of wine that Military Governor Xiao rewarded?" Hong Shan also remembered. "That's a good thing. Don't lose it."
"It might be at Wang Ba's place." He Yan replied. She carefully tried to recall, but she really could not remember anything.
She used to be able to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk. However, that was not true. She could still get drunk if she drank too much. However, He Yan was different from other people when he was drunk. When he was drunk, his face did not show it. He looked especially sober. Previously, when he was drunk in the army, he even discussed the art of war with the military advisor in the tent for an entire night. He looked very energetic. The next day, the military advisor praised He Yan as a rare hero. In fact, He Yan did not remember what he did last night.
Even if he was drunk, others could not tell. He also wouldn't walk unsteadily and speak carelessly. Therefore, no one would see her lose her composure. But what exactly did she do last night?
He couldn't figure it out no matter how much he thought about it. Thus, he followed the crowd and quickly washed his face and tidied himself up. He then went outside to take the biscuits and ran away.
After the rain, the ground was wet. She couldn't run too fast in case she slipped. He Yan felt that someone was looking at her while she was running. She followed the gaze and saw Chief Instructor Shen Han standing at the end of the horse path. He was staring at her without blinking with a complicated expression.
Seeing He Yan looking over, Shen Han looked away. This was very strange. She was very sensitive to people's gazes. Shen Han seemed to be thinking about something. She looked at Shen Han again, but Shen Han had already walked away.
Probably because He Yan's gaze on Shen Han was too obvious, a recruit running next to him said, "The Chief Instructor is so fierce, but he treats you quite well. What's the relationship between you two? Why is he taking care of you like this? "
"Taking care of me?" He Yan was puzzled. "How come I didn't know?"
If Shen Han really took care of her, he wouldn't have sent Lei Hou to the Vanguard Battalion.
"Last night, when we went back, we saw Chief Instructor Shen personally carry you back to your room." The recruit seemed dissatisfied. "You are too ungrateful. If it were me, Shen Jiaotou would not be so considerate."
He Yan was stunned.
She asked, "You saw Chief Instructor Shen carry me back last night?"
"Yes," the recruit looked at her strangely. "You don't remember? Maybe you don't remember. You were drunk. " After he finished speaking, he ignored He Yan's expression and rushed ahead because his companions in front were calling him to hurry up.
He Yan was left behind alone. She couldn't hide the surprise in her heart. She was drunk? Shen Han actually carried her back?
What kind of logic was this? In the morning, she had asked Hong Shan and the others. Hong Shan and the others were drunk early in the morning. It was the recruits who dragged them back. When He Yan came back, no one was awake. No one knew when He Yan came back or how he came back.
He Yan didn't think Shen Han was a considerate person.
She thought about it, but she still couldn't figure out what had happened until the end of the run. She made up her mind. When the run was over and the drill started, she would go find Huang Xiong and the others. Maybe Huang Xiong would know. If Huang Xiong didn't know, she would directly ask Shen Han.
When the run was over, everyone ran to the straw huts or tents to take shelter from the rain and drink water. Cheng Lisu came.
This young man was holding an oil paper umbrella. There were several red and white koi painted on the umbrella. It was quite interesting. He couldn't find He Yan, so he asked around. Finally, he found him under the straw hut.
"He Dage!" He shouted.
He Yan didn't expect Cheng Lisu to come find her. She got up and walked over to him. She asked curiously, "It's raining so heavily. Why aren't you in the house?"
"This isn't the place to talk." Cheng Lisu pulled her to hide under the umbrella. After searching for a long time, they found the long frame of the training field with the flag on it. Only then did they stop and look at He Yan. "I was drunk last night. This morning, I heard my uncle talking to Fei Nu dage. Only then did I know that you went to find my uncle last night."
"I went to find your uncle?" He Yan was shocked.
"That's right."
He Yan didn't dare to believe it. She actually went to find Xiao Jue? Now, she was quite dissatisfied with Xiao Jue. It was also because of the Vanguard Battalion. She definitely didn't find Xiao Jue to talk about old times and drink tea. Then …
"Why did I find your uncle?" He Yan asked slowly.
Cheng Lisu wanted to say something but stopped. "Last night, you might have been drunk …"
He Yan, "…"
She made an effort to make herself smile. "Go ahead," she said.
"You went to find my uncle and fought. You even crushed his guqin." Cheng Lisu answered honestly.
He Yan closed his eyes.
"Who won?" She asked.
Cheng Lisu didn't expect He Yan to be concerned about the result at this time. He scratched his head and said, "It was probably my uncle. I heard that he asked Shen Jiaotou to bring you back."
He Yan, "…" Fine. She really went to find Xiao Jue when she was drunk and lost. Now, wouldn't Xiao Jue have a bad impression of her? She would be one step further from entering the Nine Flags Battalion.
He Yan suddenly felt disheartened. It was probably impossible to get close to Xiao Jue through the Nine Flags Battalion. She might as well change her path and slowly rise up the ranks like before. Although it would be slower … she didn't know what rank He Rufei would be at by the time she grew up to be able to get close to He Rufei.
Cheng Lisu looked at her sympathetically and tried her best to comfort her. "Big Brother He, you don't have to be discouraged. My uncle … Actually, my uncle isn't that calculative. I'm here to tell you that it's best if you don't go to my uncle these days. Otherwise, he'll be angry. That guqin is very expensive. He's already being very lenient by not asking you to pay for it. "
"I can't afford it either." He Yan answered dejectedly.
"Look, things aren't that bad." Cheng Lisu added, "You don't have to be too sad. I'll put in a good word for you in front of my uncle."
He Yan said listlessly, "Thank you very much."
Cheng Lisu left. He Yan looked at the red and white koi fish disappearing into the distance and felt a wave of powerlessness. Originally, her brothers in the tent had said that drinking would make things worse. She had never taken them seriously, but now it seemed that it was true. She had only gotten drunk once in Liangzhou, and now she was in trouble.
Why did Shen Han personally carry her back to her room? It was probably because he had witnessed such a chaotic moment and knew that she would never be able to get Xiao Jue's favor in the future. His official career was hopeless, so he sympathized with her and did this.
He Yan thought to himself, 'Why don't I find an opportunity to ask Xiao Jue for forgiveness and apologize sincerely? Maybe I can salvage the situation.'
At this moment, Xiao Jue was sitting in front of a table in the room of the Liangzhou Right Guard Army's Commander-In-Chief.
The invitation was sent to him by the Liangzhou County Magistrate, Sun Xiangfu. It said that in a few days, the Imperial Censor Yuan Baozhen from the capital would arrive in Liangzhou. Xiao Jue's nephew, Cheng Lisu, was also invited to a banquet in his residence.
Fei Nu stood behind Xiao Jue and said, "Young master, it's inconvenient to bring Young Master Cheng to the city. Perhaps it's a Hongmen Banquet. I'm afraid there will be threats."
"Yuan Baozhen and Xu Jingfu have secret connections. He's been working for Xu Jingfu for a long time." Xiao Jue played with the invitation in his hand and looked at the osmanthus tree by the window. He said calmly, "This time, he's coming for me. However, I also want to know what kind of chess piece Xu Jingfu has planted in Liangzhou."
"Young master, what do you mean?" Fei Nu asked hesitantly.
"If Yuan Baozhen is working for Xu Jingfu, then Sun Xiangfu might be as well." Xiao Jue curled his lips and said, "The Liangzhou County Magistrate should have been changed a long time ago."
"Young master is planning to attend the banquet. This subordinate wants to go with you. However, Young Master Cheng needs someone to protect him. If someone is plotting against him …" He didn't finish his sentence. He was referring to He Yan. Currently, He Yan was the only person in the Liangzhou Guard whose identity was unknown and who was extremely dangerous.
"Moreover, Young Master Cheng trusts He Yan very much. If young master isn't here …" If Cheng Lisu listened to He Yan and was tricked by He Yan, or even fell into He Yan's trap, it would not be worth it.
"When will the Luan Ying arrive in Liangzhou?" Xiao Jue asked.
"The Luan Ying is still in Lou County." Fei Nu answered and looked at Xiao Jue. "Young master, why don't we reject the invitation?"
"No." Xiao Jue lowered his eyes. "I must attend this banquet."
When Cheng Lisu came back, he saw Xiao Jue sitting at his desk, reading a book. The book was a messy novel that he had secretly spent money to buy from the instructor. Cheng Lisu was shocked. Without saying anything, he went forward and said, "Uncle!"
Xiao Jue was casually flipping through his book. Hearing this, his hand trembled. He looked at him and frowned. "What are you calling for?"
"I … I was wrong!" Cheng Lisu said.
"What were you wrong about?" Xiao Jue looked at him calmly.
He didn't seem angry? Cheng Lisu was surprised that Xiao Jue didn't scold him for not practicing his calligraphy and reading these messy novels. He guessed that Xiao Jue was in a good mood today, so he shamelessly went forward. "I wasn't wrong. I'm apologizing to you on behalf of my older brother. I heard that last night my older brother wanted to fight with you … no, to learn from each other. Uncle, you weren't angry, were you?"
Thinking about a certain lunatic who went crazy and beat his zither last night, Xiao Jue's eyes darkened. His tone was as indifferent as ever. "No."
"That's good! Uncle, you're still so generous! "Cheng Lisu hurriedly flattered him.
Xiao Jue glanced at him. He took out an invitation and threw it at his face. "See for yourself."
"What's this?" Cheng Lisu asked as he picked it up. "Isn't this an invitation? Someone sent you an invitation. My name is on it. Are we going to Liangzhou City? That's great! I've been in the guard station all day and I'm about to grow mushrooms. Let me see. Imperial Censor Yuan Baozhen … why does this name sound so familiar? "He looked at Xiao Jue suspiciously." Uncle, who is Yuan Baozhen? "
"You don't remember?" Xiao Jue smiled and reminded him. "The marriage between you and Miss Song was suggested by Lord Yuan to your father. Song Ci was Lord Yuan's superior. "
"The Song, the Song family?" Cheng Lisu loosened his grip on the invitation and it fell by his feet. He didn't seem to see it. He just stared blankly at Xiao Jue. "Why would the Song family come to Liangzhou?"
"It's not the Song family," Xiao Jue said calmly. "It's Yuan Baozhen."
"Isn't that the same …" Cheng Lisu muttered. "They came to Liangzhou and invited me to a banquet. It can't be that they want to kidnap me and bring me back to Shuo capital, right? I don't want to marry her … I don't want to get married … "He seemed to suddenly come back to his senses and grabbed Xiao Jue's sleeve." Uncle, you can't just watch your nephew jump into a fire pit! "
"What does that have to do with me?" Xiao Jue pulled his sleeve out of his hand and flipped through his book.
"It has a lot to do with you!" Cheng Lisu walked around the table and came to Xiao Jue's side. "Uncle, you know that I don't like Miss Song! If I marry her, I'd rather die. I'll hang myself on the day of the wedding! Uncle, you won't leave me in the lurch, right? "
Xiao Jue stopped what he was doing and looked at him indifferently. He pulled out the sword at his waist and placed it on the table.
Cheng Lisu stuttered. "What, what are you doing?"
"You can kill yourself right now and see if I'll leave you in the lurch."
Cheng Lisu stared at the sword and cried. "Uncle, I really don't want to go back to Shuo capital. I've been with you for half a year and I'm already used to life in the Liangzhou Guard Station. I really can't live without you." He hugged Xiao Jue's leg and cried.
Xiao Jue pressed his forehead as if he couldn't take it anymore. "Get up."
Cheng Lisu didn't move.
"I'll say it again. Get up."
Cheng Lisu still hugged Xiao Jue's leg and blinked at him. "Unless you promise me that you won't hand me over to the Song family."
"Didn't you say that you were tired of the Guard Station and wanted to go to Liangzhou?"
"I don't want to anymore!"
The young man's voice was calm. "That's the Imperial Censor Yuan Baozhen."
"Uncle, you're still General Fengyun Xiao Huaijin!"
"Yuan Baozhen has seen you before and knows that you're avoiding him in Liangzhou. How about he complain to the Song family that you're neglecting him?"
Cheng Lisu immediately replied, "How could he have seen me before? I've never seen him before. My parents can't even wait to hide my appearance. If he had seen me before, he wouldn't have recommended me to Official Song. I don't look like a good match for Miss Song! "
"Is that so?" Xiao Jue's eyes flickered as he looked at the grief-stricken youth. "You have to go. Since he hasn't seen you before, it's not like there's nothing we can do."
Cheng Lisu's eyes widened.
"Find someone to replace you at the banquet."
Cheng Lisu was stunned. After a while, he finally understood. This time, he stopped crying and hugging Xiao Jue's leg. He stood up and clapped his hands. "Wonderful! Uncle, you're right. Since he hasn't seen me before, we can just find someone to replace me! "
"Do you have anyone in mind?"
Cheng Lisu looked at him. "I …"
"In the Liangzhou Guards, there doesn't seem to be anyone around your age and figure," Xiao Jue said. "If you're too far apart, you'll be discovered."
Most of the soldiers in the Liangzhou Guards' barracks were burly men. Even the younger ones were mostly sturdy and tanned. Cheng Lisu was a young master from Shuo Jing. He was raised like a king and his skin was soft and tender. It was obvious that he was different from the new recruits in the barracks.
"If you can't find him, then you should go yourself," Xiao Jue said nonchalantly.
"Who said I can't find him!" Cheng Lisu panicked. He suddenly had an idea. "My big brother, my big brother is about the same size as me!"
Xiao Jue raised his eyebrows. He didn't deny it. "He Yan?"
"That's right. He's my big brother. He's about the same age and figure as me. He's also smart. He'll be able to adapt and deal with Yuan Baozhen. Yuan Baozhen can take me away, but he might not be able to take my big brother away. "
Cheng Lisu was new to He Yan. In his opinion, other than his uncle, He Yan was the most omnipotent person in the world. He Yan could do things that other people couldn't.
Seeing that Xiao Jue didn't say anything, Cheng Lisu's heart tightened. He Yan went to fight with Xiao Jue last night, so Xiao Jue must still be angry at He Yan. He might not want to see He Yan. Just as he was thinking about how to persuade Xiao Jue, he saw his young uncle close the book in his hand and say, "Okay."
Cheng Lisu's words of persuasion were stuck in his throat. He only had time to say, "Huh?"
Xiao Jue looked at him. "If you can persuade your big brother, then let him go in your place."
After the afternoon practice, He Yan sat outside the martial arts field to rest. Huang Xiong and the others came to find him. They didn't say anything else. They first gave He Yan an ingot of silver that Shen Han sent over last night. Then they asked He Yan where the jar of Eighteen Immortals went.
"I remember that you took it in the end." Huang Xiong asked, "Today, I went to find a few empty jars. Let's split a bit. What do you think?"
"I think it's good." He Yan said, "But we'll have to wait until the next flag competition."
"What do you mean?" Wang Ba was a bit impatient. Suddenly, he understood something and looked at He Yan. "You, you didn't … drink it all, did you?"
Facing everyone's burning gaze, He Yan nodded and said, "I'm really sorry. I wasn't careful and drank it all."
"He Yan!" Wang Ba said loudly, "You're too much! That's our flag. You drank it all yourself. Even bandits aren't as tyrannical as you! " He rolled up his sleeves, wanting to hit He Yan. Halfway through, he remembered that he couldn't beat this person in front of him. He couldn't hit him, but he also couldn't not hit him. For a moment, he felt very awkward.
Jiang Jiao and Shi Tou didn't think much of it. They weren't greedy for wine and weren't interested in it. Therefore, they didn't say anything. Although Huang Xiong wasn't as excited as Wang Ba, his eyes were also full of blame.
If it were any other day, He Yan would feel apologetic for his behavior. But these days, she had heard bad news one after another. She was a bit numb. She really didn't have the strength to deal with the thoughts of these people in front of her. So, she just sat there, not saying a word.
Seeing her silent and dejected appearance, the others looked at each other in dismay. Thinking about how not being able to enter the Vanguard Battalion this time was a big blow to He Yan. Last night, he had drowned his sorrows in wine, but today, he was still so dejected. But thinking about it again, his sorrows were really worth it. Other people were only willing to spend a few handfuls of rice wine, but he had spent a few hundred taels of silver. If he still couldn't get rid of his sorrows, he would have to spend a lot of money to get revenge.
Just when they didn't know what to do, someone's voice broke the silence.
"Big Brother He … Big Brother He, so you're here!" Cheng Li Su ran over, panting. There were still beads of sweat on her forehead. She must have run all the way here.
Within a day, this was the second time He Yan had seen him. But as soon as she saw him, she remembered that she had offended Xiao Jue last night. She suddenly felt a headache. He Yan raised her head and asked listlessly, "Why are you here?"
"I came to find you because I have something to discuss with you." Cheng Li Su looked at the people around her and pulled He Yan up. "This isn't the place to talk. Big Brother He, come with me."
He was Xiao Jue's nephew, so the others naturally didn't dare to say anything. Even though they had yet to settle the score with the Eighteen Immortals, they could only watch as Cheng Li Su pulled He Yan away. They stayed in place and stared at each other.
He Yan was pulled along by Cheng Li Su and jogged all the way to where Cheng Li Su lived. He Yan didn't want to go in. He knew that Cheng Li Su lived next door to Xiao Jue. If he went in and bumped into her, wouldn't it be awkward if their eyes met?
Cheng Li Su's brain was finally smart for once. Seeing that He Yan had a difficult expression and was not willing to move, she said considerately, "Don't worry, my uncle went out. There's no one here!"
Hearing this, He Yan walked in with her.
Once inside, Cheng Li Su looked around and then closed all the doors and windows. It was as if she was going to talk about murder and arson. Seeing her like this, He Yan was speechless.
"You didn't come to find me to talk about your uncle again, did you?" He Yan greeted her in advance. "Little Brother Cheng, thank you for your concern, but I really don't want to hear any news about him recently." Please leave some face for her.
Just as she finished speaking, she felt someone press her shoulder. Cheng Li Su turned her around and grabbed her hand tightly, pressing it against his chest.
He Yan almost punched this person out of reflex.
She suppressed her impulse to hit him. Although she had interacted with many men, most of them had their arms around each other's shoulders. It was very awkward to have their fingers intertwined like this.
However, the young man in front of her had a clear expression. He didn't seem to realize that his actions had caused a misunderstanding. However, in his eyes, there was nothing to hide when two men were like this.
"Big Brother, please save Little Brother!" Cheng Li Su said miserably.
"… What happened to you?" He Yan asked.
"Promise me that you'll help Little Brother. Otherwise, Big Brother, you won't be able to see Little Brother in the future!"
"It's that serious?" He Yan asked, but in his heart, he didn't think much of it. Cheng Li Su had always loved to exaggerate. Even the slightest thing could be described as shocking. Moreover, if something really happened, his uncle was a Little Jue. He would naturally help him plan. "Tell me what happened first. Only then can I help you think of a solution."
"Big Brother, do you remember that I once told you that I ran away from an arranged marriage? My family wanted to arrange a marriage for me. I really didn't want to, so I begged Uncle to bring me to Liangzhou. "Cheng Li Su said sadly," Now, my family still won't let me go. The old master's colleague that they picked for me is now in Liangzhou. He sent an invitation to my uncle, asking him to attend the banquet with me. Heavens, I'm just a boy with no official position and no reputation. Why did they specifically write my name on the invitation? It's obvious that they're plotting against me. They want to kidnap me while I'm here! "
He made it sound like he was trying to kidnap a girl. The only thing he didn't do was go to the yamen and beat the drum.
"It's not that bad," He Yan said. "If you don't want to leave, your uncle will naturally protect you. Can they forcefully take you away in front of your uncle? "
Cheng Li Su didn't know if Little Jue would really watch as he was taken away. Maybe she would even be happy to get rid of this burden. He coughed softly and said, "Big Brother, you know that my mother has always been critical of my uncle. If he comes out for me, won't he be putting himself in a bad situation? My mother will hate him to death. I don't want to bring trouble to him! "
He didn't expect Cheng Li Su to be so protective of his uncle. He Yan sighed in his heart. It seemed that this was the family relationship of blood. No matter what, it couldn't be changed.
"Then what do you want me to do?" She asked, "Do you want me to help you beat up that official? Beating up an official is against the law. "
"What are you thinking, Big Brother!" Cheng Li Su let go of his hand, "I'm not that kind of violent person. I'm thinking that that official hasn't seen me before and doesn't know what I look like. Big Brother, we're about the same age, handsome, and have similar figures. Why don't you go to the banquet in my place? If that official wants his subordinates to catch me, with your skills, you can easily escape. If they can't catch me, it's their problem. They can't blame my uncle. "
"You want me to go in your place?" He Yan said, "No, no." She turned around and wanted to leave. For some reason, she felt conflicted. Another substitute. In her previous life, she was He Rufei's substitute. Now that she could finally use her own name, why did she have to be someone else's substitute?
The heavens were purposely trying to make things difficult for her!
"Big Brother — —" Cheng Li Su cried out heartbreakingly, "You really can't leave me in the lurch! Think about it. If you go to the banquet with Uncle and stay by his side, you'll see him day and night. If you do a better job, Uncle will see how considerate you are and change his opinion of you. Moreover, you're standing up for his nephew. Uncle will be grateful to you. Maybe … maybe he'll let you go to the Nine Flags Battalion! "
He Yan was speechless.
Cheng Li Su was really willing to say anything just to avoid going to the banquet. Xiao Jue was not someone who would buy favors. If she stayed by Xiao Jue's side day and night, she might even provoke Xiao Jue's anger. If she did anything wrong, she would really be out of the game.
Seeing that she was determined not to help, Cheng Li Su collapsed on the ground. She pointed at the top of her head and shouted, "God, why are you doing this to me! Yuan Baozhen, what kind of deep hatred did I have with you in my previous life? Why do you have to push me into the fire pit again and again! "
He Yan was about to leave and was already at the door. When she heard what Cheng Li Su said, she stopped and turned around, "Did you just say … Yuan Baozhen?"
"Yes," Cheng Li Su looked at her and answered subconsciously, "The official who ruined my engagement is the current Imperial Censor Yuan Baozhen."
He Yan's eyebrows twitched. After a moment, she walked quickly to Cheng Li Su and extended a hand to the youth who was sitting on the ground.
"Stop crying. Isn't it just going to the banquet? I'll help you. "
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