The Fellowship of the Wicked
Cheng Lisu couldn’t believe his ears when he heard the promise. It was only after making He Yan to repeat it several times, and swore to heaven that she would help him, did he dare to believe.
He poured a cup of tea and offered it to He Yan with both hands, “Brother, you have really saved this brother’s life! If there is anything I can do for you in the future, even if I must climb the Mountain of the swords or dive into the sea of fire, this little brother will not hesitate to do so!”
He Yan just wanted to speak, but he immediately interrupted, “I know that your wish is to enter the Nine Banners Battalion and build a career. Don’t worry, once this is over, I will definitely be in front of my uncle every day. Even if I had to copy books every day, I will help my eldest brother get this done!”
“…I just wanted to say,” He Yan stopped the child’s ecstasy, “I will go to the banquet for you. Even though I’ve agreed, you still have to convince your uncle.”
Was Xiao Jue someone who would agree so easily? After all, this thing sounded weird.
“Don’t worry about it,” Cheng Lisu said cheerfully, “I have already talked to my uncle and I dared to come to you only after my uncle agreed.”
“Xiao Jue agreed?” He Yan was taken aback.
“Perhaps he felt guilty for not allowing you to enter the Nine Banners Battalion and wanted to give you a chance to express yourself.” Cheng Lisu looked at He Yan sincerely, “So you see, the time and place are right and the people are also in harmony. Big brother, you just have to go to the banquet instead of me. This is all heaven’s arrangements.”
He Yan didn’t have time to pay attention to Cheng Lisu’s nonsense. She was only surprised at the fact that Xiao Jue agreed so easily, which didn’t seem to be like him. Could there be some kind of trap again?
Seeing He Yan’s silence, Cheng Lisu became anxious again, “Brother, You’re not thinking of backing out, right?”
“No.” He Yan said helplessly, “I’m just thinking about how to pretend to be you. After all, I’m different from you.”
“Don’t worry, that Yuan Baozhen has never seen my appearance, so there is no chance of you getting exposed. But I still need to explain to you a little bit so as not to be found out. I like to eat chicken with mushrooms and what I hate the most is terry rice porridge. I don’t like following people. I always get a rash on my face after eating peanuts. I have to take a bath every day, clothes should also be frequent, and incense [perfume] is a must…”
As he said all these one by one, He Yan couldn’t help but only see the extravagant and prosperous life of a rich kid, and shook her head unconsciously.
Cheng Lisu talked about almost the time of burning an incense stick, and after that he felt his throat dry so he picked up the tea hurriedly to moisten his throat, feeling like he came back to life.
“Big brother, do you remember what I just said?”
He Yan, “…remember.” She said, “Is there anything else to explain? Let’s talk about it together.”
“Let me think about it.” Cheng Lisu sat on the chair and looked at He Yan. He Yan was about the same age as him and his appearance was already outstanding amongst the Liangzhou recruits. He was neither clumsy nor robust, instead appeared thin and frail. But this was exactly the same as him, if he was dressed as a young master…
“Almost forgot the important thing!” Cheng Lisu patted his forehead, “You can’t go to the banquet dressing like this. Anyway, I’m also the young master of an Honourable House. How could I dress so shabby? You wait. He ran to the back room while stomping, not knowing what he was trying to fiddle with, but not long after, he came out with baggage.
“Here are some clothes I picked. You take it and wear them. The difference in our figures is not much, you should be able to wear them. Even if you are fake, brother, you have to dress well. I have no other merits except being good-looking like an embroidered pillow. If even this advantage is obliterated, wouldn’t I become useless?”
He Yan was surprised that he could say “embroidered pillow” so righteously and confidently, it was refreshing.
He turned around again and went to the drawer to get a box, filled with something and handed it to He Yan, saying, “Here are some hairpins, fans, jade pendants, and so on. These are enough for the trip. You can’t forget them too “
He Yan, “You are really thoughtful.”
Cheng Lisu scratched his head in embarrassment, “Thank you, thank you.”
He Yan put the baggage and the box away, after that she asked, “Have you really talked about this with your uncle? You’re not lying to me, right?”
“No,” Cheng Lisu said, “If you come here tomorrow morning, you will probably be able to set off.”
“So fast?” He Yan was startled.
“It was originally supposed to be a few days later. Yuan Baozhen hasn’t arrived in Liangzhou yet, but my uncle has to go to the city to find a craftsman to repair his Qin [zither], so he’s going earlier.”
He Yan thought of the zither that she had crushed and stopped making a sound.
Cheng Lisu patted her on the shoulder, “Brother He, it’s all on you this time, thank you!”
…
He Yan returned to the recruit’s general bunk with a bundle of luggage. Wang Ba and the others hadn’t left yet. They were eating the dumplings that He Yan had brought from Cheng Lisu last night. Seeing He Yan came back with something in his hand, Wang Ba said sourly, “Oh, you were gone to receive filial piety again?”
“Did Master Cheng give you something to eat again?” Mak stared at the baggage in He Yan’s hand, his saliva flowed out, “Such a big bag, what delicacy could be there?”
He Yan put the baggage on the table heavily. The baggage was loosely tied, and with a light hit, it opened, revealing the contents inside. It’s not the food that everyone thought it was, but instead some clothes and accessories.
This was unexpected. After a long while, Hong Shan asked hesitantly, “Ahe, what did Mr. Cheng give you clothes for? We are in the military camp, and we can’t wear regular clothes either.”
“Tomorrow, I am going to the city with General Xiao to do things,” He Yan said, “Probably he was afraid that my clothes would be too shabby and I would lose the face of General Xiao, that’s why Master Cheng specially sent me a few clothes to decorate the facade.”
“You and General Xiao?” Huang Xiong looked at him, “This is a good thing. Why don’t you look happy.”
If nothing had happened last night, He Yan would have been very happy too. After all, she could have listened to a lot of news by Xiao Jue’s side. It’s just that after what happened last night, she was afraid that Xiao Jue would become even more displeased with her. Who knows if something goes wrong, she might annoy the second son of the Xiao family again.
Now, she could only first bite the bullet.
“I’m so happy I don’t know what to make of it.” She replied.
The crowd asked her a little more, and after that they finally went all away. At night, He Yan was still thinking about this before she went to sleep.
The reason she agreed to help Cheng Lisu to the banquet, of course, was not because she had a deep brotherhood with Cheng Lisu, nor was she chivalrous to such an extent, but only because she heard the name of Yuan Baozhen.
Yuan Baozhen was a person that He Yan had met before. When she was appointed as General Feihong, He Rufei received the reward for her, and after He Yan recovered her place as the daughter, she had once met this person in the He family. Yuan Baozhen was standing together with He Yuansheng and his son at that time, and she had even greeted him.
Remembering He Rufei’s tone of speaking with him, they must have been very familiar. He Yan thought at the time that He Rufei just “received the reward”. In fact, in the court of Shuojing, he had never gotten close to other colleagues. She didn’t expect him to have close friends so soon.
Now this friend of He Rufei has come to Liangzhou, and happened to have a little relationship with “Cheng Lisu”. If she could take this opportunity to get close and get some news about He Rufei, it might be helpful for her in the future. If she wants to stand out and reach a position where someone would listen to her words, she must make a contribution in the military. But Liangzhou was thousands of miles away from the capital, and also too far away from the He family. A lot of news couldn’t come.
The arrival of Yuan Baozhen in Liangzhou was like giving a sleepy person a pillow. She just didn’t know what Xiao Jue’s intentions were and why he would actually agree with Cheng Lisu’s unbelievable approach. He Yan now couldn’t understand Xiao Jue more and more. She thought he would order her to enter into the Forward Camp, but instead he chose Lei Hou. Now, she thought he would not let her pretend to be Cheng Lisu, but he actually agreed.
There was the sound of Hong Shan snoring nearby. He Yan turned over, closed her eyes. Since she couldn’t think of the result, she just had to follow him personally. This journey is quite long, and there would be enough time to study what Xiao Jue is thinking. Soldiers are always up to block the water and cover the earth. She, He Yan, is also not afraid of anything.
…
Unlike He Yan’s chicness, Shen Han looked surprised in the Liangzhou guardhouse, and after a while, the surprise on his face turned into anxiety.
“General, how can you take He Yan to the city? His identity is still unknown, and he will be by your side. If he makes a move against you…”
“I won’t be threatened by him yet.” Xiao Jue said.
“But…”
The candle flame in the silver lamp on the table was flickered by the wind and almost went out. He tweaked the wick, and the room became bright again.
“If he is one of Xu Jingfu’s person, he might show his feet when he comes to the banquet with me this time. Putting him in the guardhouse would be dangerous. If there is any movement, it would be difficult to handle, so it is better to put him by my side for safety.”
“Besides,” he curled his lips, “He Yan prides himself on his extraordinary skills. This Hongmen banquet can be used as an opportunity.”
Shen Han’s heart was stunned, Xiao Jue was going to use He Yan as a scapegoat.
General Xiao was really the same as before, he didn’t even remember his old feelings, and he didn’t know how He Yan had angered Xiao Jue in the first place. Thinking of this, Shen Han felt a trace of sympathy for He Yan in his heart.
Xiao Jue said, “After I leave tomorrow, you will protect Cheng Lisu and don’t let him run around. The matters of the guardhouse will be left to you for the time being.”
Shen Han put away the reverie in his heart, and said, “Yes!”
…
Early the next morning, when Mak got up, he found that the bed beside him was empty.
He rubbed his eyes. It was still early, and everyone else in the room was still asleep. On He Yan’s bed, the bedding was neatly folded, and the person has disappeared. Mak wondered, is He Yan already gone? But yesterday, didn’t he say that he would only set off at the hour of the day. It is not time yet.
After a while, everyone got up one after another, only to find that He Yan was missing. Hong Shan said, “This kid shouldn’t have left, right? He didn’t even bid goodbye.”
“Did he leave because he was afraid of waking us up?” Mak tentatively asked.
“Who knows. Shi, have you seen him?” Hong Shan asked.
Shi also shook his head, “No.”
Several people looked at each other, all at a loss. Having said that, they couldn’t just wait for He Yan here. They had to run later. So they got up and washed their faces one after another.
Mak has already put on his clothes, and took the lead to pack up first. He pushed the door and ran out, planning to grab the hot dry breads. Shi and Hongshan were still washing their faces, and suddenly heard Mak shouting outside, “Big Brother, Brother Shan——”
“What’s wrong?” Hong Shan wiped the drops of water on his face. “We are washing our faces.”
“You guys come out and see!” Mak’s voice couldn’t contain his excitement.
Hong Shan glanced at Shi in wonder. Shi said he didn’t know what happened either. He shook off the water in his hand and walked out of the house, saying, “Mak, can you not do this next time…”
His voice stopped abruptly.
He Yan stood facing him and said with a smile, “Brother Shan, how do I look?”
Hong Shan opened his mouth and didn’t speak for a while. The other recruits in the room also came out one after another at this moment. Seeing He Yan, they all surrounded him and said in a rush.
“Good-looking! Very good-looking, He Yan, you look like a young master of a wealthy family in the capital!”
“It’s not just the young master of the wealthy family. I think it’s not an exaggeration to say he’s from the palace.”
“Don’t exaggerate. It’s not like you have actually seen someone coming out of the palace.”
“I haven’t seen it before. But I imagined the people who come out of the palace must look like this!”
“These clothes do not look cheap. He Yan, can I wear them too?”
“Bah! Can you wear it out? Don’t think of ruining the clothes and go to the side!”
He Yan was surrounded by everyone and let them look at her. Hongshan and others were standing far away. Mak looked at He Yan with bright eyes, and said, “Brother Ahe is so beautiful!”
“It’s no wonder that people rely on clothes, and horses on saddles. You see, just like the mountains and dews don’t show up every day. With only these little clothes and hairpins, a person can look so different from us.” Hong Shan touched his chin and asked Shi, “Isn’t it?”
Shi nodded, “Yes.”
He Yan allowed them to look enough before she could adjust the bag on her shoulder. She smiled and said, “Before leaving, I wanted to come over to show you. The brothers said I look good, so I don’t have anything left to worry about. I didn’t want to make our Liangzhou lose face.” She waved her hand. “Then, I’m leaving!”
Everyone waved goodbye to her.
On the otherside, Cheng Lisu has also left the house early.
Shen Han was talking to Xiao Jue in the yard, and Green ears [Lu Er] had his head bowed to eat forage next to it. Cheng Lisu went to the stable last night to pick for a long time before picking up a group of beautiful little red horses. He felt these horses looked cute and airy, and they matched him well.
“Why are you picking horses if you’re not going?” Xiao Jue was noncommittal.
“Although I won’t be going, my eldest brother is going on my behalf. I can’t let people say from behind that the young master aoft Minister’s mansion looks good but is not as good overall. I always talk about exploiting strengths and avoiding weaknesses. Strengths, of course, must be promoted.”
Xiao Jue sneered, “What should I do? With your elder brother’s appearance, it seems that he can’t help but promote your strengths.”
“Uncle, what you said is wrong,” Cheng Lisu looked at him earnestly, “I have seen carefully. My eldest brother, his birth should be considered not bad. Although not comparable to you and me, in Liangzhou Wei, he is outstanding.”
Listening to the chat between the uncle and nephew, Shen Han was speechless for a while and saw someone coming in front of him and said, “He Yan is here!”
The two speaking people looked sideways together, and their eyes suddenly lit up.
In the early morning of autumn, the air was clear as the cool autumn wind blew, refreshing the heart and mind. The sun hasn’t fully emerged, only a small portion appeared, as a ray of golden light fell on the young man, making him exceptionally outstanding.
The boy was wearing a dark red cicada-patterned brocade robe with a belt around his waist. It was obvious that he was too thin and frail, but wearing Cheng Lisu’s clothes, the fragility was completely concealed, leaving only elegance. She was born beautiful, and long hair was tied with a carved wooden hairpin, looking clean and energetic, with a leisurely pace, carrying a baggage, not like some sweaty recruits on the martial arts field instead like a young man off from the capital’s academy even a smile looked poetic.
The young man walked up to a few people and opened the folding fan in his hands with a “pop” sound. The folding fan was floating. Her smile was more eye-catching than the landscape painting on the folding fan, and her voice was deliberately lowered, “Sorry, I’m late.”
Cheng Lisu stared at her with wide eyes. After a long while, he finally came back to his senses. He circled He Yan and said with joy, “Brother, I didn’t expect you to be such a beautiful man, Liangzhou Wei really had such a beautiful man. You have buried your grace! Looking like this, you are almost catching up with me!”
He Yan was pleased with herself, while humbly said, “No, I’m flattered. I’m not good to that extent.”
She went to the riverside early this morning and changed her clothes when there was no one. Cheng Lisu’s clothes were mostly yellow. This boy loved such bright colors so much that He Yan felt a little frivolous wearing them. She finally found a color that was not so ridiculous and picked up a simple hairpin in the box. After examining the riverside for a long time, in order to avoid accidents, she deliberately showed off to Hongshan and the others.
She even got unanimous applause from the new recruits, though it was not such an unpleasant experience. She was used to wearing a mask when she was dressed as a man in her previous life. Now that she can be so free while impersonating as a man, it gave birth to a strange nervousness.
On the other side, Shen Han looked at He Yan and took a breath of cold air in his heart. He was originally wondering that He Yan was just a teenager, even if he had an old relationship with Xiao Jue in the past, why did he fall into Xiao Jue’s eyes? After all, there are countless people admiring Xiao Jue’s stunning beauty, and now seeing He Yan looking like this, he seemed to understand a little bit in his heart. A woman is just a woman. It’s not common for a man to have such an appearance. Besides, this young man has outstanding skills and good temperament. If not for his suspicious identity, in fact… it would not be surprising even if he stood beside General Xiao.
Cheng Lisu was still talking non-stop, He Yan looked at Xiao Jue, but saw Xiao Jue standing in place as his eyes swept over her calmly, with no appreciation at all. So she felt a sense of urgency and walked towards Xiao Jue’s side.
“General,” she folded her fan half open, hiding her face and smiling, like a molester trying to molest a virtuous woman, “how do you think I look?”
The young man looked at her indifferently. After a while, he bent slightly and bowed his head almost to her ear. His voice was a little lower and muffled than the time when he was a teenager. Now he was getting older, so the voice was also matured with a trace of stray magnetism.
“You are actually…”
He Yan seemed to be able to feel the heat exhaled by the other party and had a bashful expression inexplicably. She wanted to listen to him compliment her in such a tone. It was really not something everyone can withstand.
“…shorter than Cheng Lisu.” He finished the rest of the sentence.
He Yan, “…”
He Yan took two steps back and looked at him incredulously. Shouldn’t ordinary people say “You are so eye-catching” or “You are looking stunning”?
Shorter than Cheng Lisu?
The beautiful and jaded young man looked at her as if he hadn’t said enough as he curled his lips and said, “Also, your belt is tied backwards.”
After that, he brushed his body and went forward. He Yan lowered her head to see that Cheng Lisu’s clothes were complicated to style. She had never worn these before, and didn’t know how to tie them. Hearing the reminder at this moment, she hurried to solve it. When Cheng Lisu saw this, he also realized the anomaly and came to help, “Ah, I forgot to tell you that my belt is different from the others, you have to tie it like this…”
He Yan grinded her teeth while looking at Xiao Jue’s back.
It was absolutely impossible for Xiao Jue to let her be Cheng Lisu’s stand-in because he felt guilty about the fight for the flag. He Yan seriously suspected that he brought himself by his side just to facilitate the humiliation and torture.
He was really a natural born enemy.
…
From Liangzhou guardhouse to the city, they rode endlessly, which took about three hours. They started in the morning and it was already afternoon. Apart from He Yan and Xiao Jue, there was also a guard named Fei Nu.
Probably because she was not really Cheng Lisu, so even the carriage was omitted. Riding all the way, not even caring about eating, and by the afternoon, they finally arrived in the city.
The last time He Yan came to Liangzhou city was when she had just come here from Shuojing with the new recruits. But she didn’t stay in the city and went directly to the guardhouse under the Baiyue Mountain. And in the present, she was wearing the clothes of an ordinary young master’s house and came to the bustling market. Unlike Shuojing, Liangzhou had a different style.
The place could be regarded as the eastern part of the country, with four distinct seasons. Although it was not as bustling as the capital, it could be considered as lively. When they arrived in the city, they couldn’t ride the horse as the people were going to and fro, so she walked as she watched, but felt that she didn’t see enough.
But Xiao Jue didn’t come to play in the city. So they went to an inn, which could be regarded as an extremely luxurious one in Liangzhou City, with a total of three floors. The exterior was magnificently made and when they arrived at the entrance of the inn. Xiao Jue got off his horse and then a man helped lead the horse to the stable, as they all walked into the lobby together.
To be honest, in her previous life, although He Yan was the young lady of the He family, she had never stayed in a particularly expensive inn. Xiao Jue was as extravagant as his nephew. Even the place he rests has to be this extravagant. As He Yan thought of this, she heard Xiao Jue say to the innkeeper, “Two rooms.”
“Two rooms?” He Yan was surprised, “Fei Nu and I are going to be in the same room?”
After getting out of the barracks, can’t he let her be alone? Cheng Lisu also told her to take a bath every day. If Fei Nu is going to be in the room, how was she going to wash herself?
“Otherwise?” Xiao Jue stared at her, and asked, “Do you want to share a room with me?”
“No, no,” He Yan said: “Then I’d rather stay with Fei Nu.” It could only be a joke, there was no need for her to be self-aware. After all, as the second son of Xiao, how could he live with someone as crude as her. He Yan was so smug thinking that the second son of Xiao should be put to live with the Bodhisattva in the temple with an incense in front of him to offer fruit, so that he could be worshipped.
Xiao Jue ignored her.
The innkeeper accepted the money and made people clean up the guest rooms. Since the three of them have eaten nothing since morning and the first floor of the inn was used for meals, they decided to eat there before going upstairs.
Probably noticing that Xiao Jue’s identity was either rich or a noble. The innkeeper was standing at their table eagerly, saying, “Our signature dishes here are mung bean noodles, five-flavored steamed gluten, spicy tripe shreds, sesame rolls, eight treasures wild duck, and shredded chicken with cucumbers, spiced pigeons… What would you like?”
Without waiting for Xiao Jue to speak, He Yan first asked loudly, “Boss, is there mushroom chicken?”
“Yes, yes.” The shopkeeper hurriedly replied.
Xiao Jue turned his head and looked at her calmly. He Yan blinked, “What’s wrong, uncle? Don’t you know, my favorite is the mushroom chicken!”
Fei Nu, “…”
You have to be thorough in your acting, was what Cheng Lisu told her. Now that she has entered Liangzhou City, she was no longer He Yan; she was Cheng Lisu, the nephew of the second son of Xiao. Was it wrong for a nephew to want to eat his favorite dish?
There was nothing wrong with it at all!
Xiao Jue retracted his gaze and said, “Give him a plate of chicken with mushrooms.”
How could he be so kind? He Yan’s heart moved. Yes, what if he met someone he knew here? In front of outsiders, Xiao Jue could not deny it. Now, He Yan was being so courageous, as she had been only eating dry breads for so many days in the guardhouse and hadn’t tasted the meat more than a few times. Since an opportunity was here, and Xiao Jue has no shortage of silver, wouldn’t it be a shame if she didn’t kill this fat sheep ruthlessly?
“Uncle!” He Yan yelled crisply and sweetly while saying with a smile, “I also want to eat spicy tripe shreds, sesame rolls, eight-treasure wild duck, shredded chicken with cucumber, steamed gluten with five flavors, five pigeons… What else? Mung Bean Noodles! I want to eat them all!”
Fei Nu moved his lips and then held back what he wanted to say. It’s been a long time since he had seen such a person who was not afraid of death.
The innkeeper was surprised at first, then he smiled and looked at He Yan’s appearance as if he saw a God of Wealth, and said to Xiao Jue, “This little boy really has a vision, he believes in our inn’s dishes!”
“Sorry,” Xiao Jue chuckled lightly, with an elegant gesture, but with a mean tone of sarcasm. He said indifferently, “My nephew has never seen the world, and has made an embarrassment out of himself.”
He Yan, “…”
“Let’s have one of everything.”
The second young master of the Xiao family spent money like dirt. The innkeeper was overjoyed as he turned around and ordered the kitchen to cook.
He Yan wanted to make fun of him, thinking that it would be good to eat a few of them, but she never thought that Xiao Jue would be so obedient, and he really ordered one portion of each. Was it really possible that Cheng Lisu was so favored by his uncle? It’s like the wind and rain seemed to drive her mad, and she even felt a little jealous.
She approached Xiao Jue and asked cautiously, “General, why are you so nice?”
“What?” Xiao Jue said calmly, “As an uncle, of course I can’t let my nephew go hungry.”
This “uncle” was very meaningful. He Yan pondered, feeling something wrong with the word. She and Xiao Jue were from the same generation anyway. They were both classmates once and later became generals who were equally famous. As a result, in this life, she first became Xiao Jue’s soldier and called him a General. Now, she has simply become Xiao Jue’s nephew, and was even lower in seniority.
This was cheap so Xiao Jue had taken advantage of this!
She remained silent and didn’t plan to call Xiao Jue anymore. Who knew that trying to tease Xiao Jue would make her suffer? It’s really a bad move.
Regardless of how the innkeeper’s dishes were, they were prepared very quickly. After a while, the dishes were ready, filling the entire table. It was so extravagant, that the people next to them were all looking at their table.
He Yan felt a little embarrassed, and said, “General, it must have cost a lot of money.”
“Since you wanted to eat it, of course you should have it.” Xiao Jue said slowly, “But as I taught you before. One will prosper if they are simple and wastefulness will lead to their death.”
He Yan noticed something wrong, and was about to speak, only to hear the person in front of her say, “If there is even a single grain of rice left, you can forget about eating tomorrow.”
He Yan, “…”
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