Chapter 39: No Choice (2)
"Feng Yan, it's rare that you discovered something so interesting. If it were anyone else, they would definitely not be able to notice it. I will not pursue this matter for now. You should just concentrate on healing your wounds for the time being—"
"Yes, thank you, Master!"
Feng Yan kowtowed to Feng Qinghan with great gratitude. It seemed that he was truly submissive to Feng Qinghan from the bottom of his heart. You must know that failure in the mission means death for Feng Lang, unless there are special circumstances, or a miracle happens. Otherwise, he will definitely die, and even if he does not die, he will be half-dead, just like the subordinate who had disturbed Feng Qinghan from appreciating paintings before. No matter what reason you give, as long as you disturb Feng Qinghan, it is almost the same capital crime. Therefore, it is rare for Feng Yan to be able to save his life like now, even though he is Feng Qinghan's personal bodyguard.
"Sir, regarding Huanling, she——"
"Let her be for now. She has the right to do so, doesn't she?"
"Yes, I am too talkative."
"It doesn't matter. As long as it doesn't affect this place, she can do whatever she wants. Have you told her that?"
"Yes!"
"That's enough. Don't worry about anything else. You know what to do, right?"
"Yes, I will follow your orders!"
No one can see what Feng Qinghan is thinking in his heart. All along, whether it is Canfeng or Feng Yan, their understanding of Feng Qinghan is just a superficial and insignificant surface. Just like until now, they don’t even know what Feng Qinghan wants. Everyone has what they want, including Canfeng and Feng Yan. Perhaps for them, being loyal to Feng Qinghan is the meaning of their existence, but they have no idea what the meaning of Feng Qinghan existence is. If it weren’t for the people who have always been by his side, in the eyes of outsiders, Feng Qinghan would definitely be just a good-looking person with a dissolute nature, doing nothing, and being idle. To put it bluntly, he is just wasting his time. Why is Feng Qinghan alive and what is the purpose of living?
The next day, on the streets of the royal city.
Walking on the bustling market streets, Zhao Ziheng seemed out of tune with the lively atmosphere. If Wang Ye hadn't invited him out, he would probably never want to hang out in the market, right?
Two grown men, although Wang Ye is not particularly conspicuous, he does not stand out when walking together with the very masculine and handsome Zhao Ziheng. They are both ordinary and extraordinary, and the two of them are favored by many women when they walk together.
This season is the harvest season. Fruits can be seen everywhere on the streets. Zhao Ziheng couldn't help thinking of the recovering Zhao State. After experiencing foreign invasions and internal strife, the harvest of crops in Zhao State in recent years is not as good as before. This year may be even more so. Thinking of many people in Zhao State who are starving due to war and Zhou State who are full of fruits in front of him, Zhao Ziheng felt sad and touched. When will Zhao State be as rich as before, or even richer than before? Even if it can't be rich, at least I hope no one will starve...
"The current situation of Zhao State cannot be compared with the current situation of Zhou State, but I believe that it won't be long before Zhao State can be reborn again. There is no need to rush."
Wang Ye saw through Zhao Ziheng's inner worries at a glance, and helped him solve his problems. Zhao Ziheng just kept silent and walked forward with heavy steps. Wang Ye knew Zhao Ziheng's mood at this time very well, and followed Zhao Ziheng's pace slowly...
The further he walked, the more familiar Zhao Ziheng felt with the road he was walking on. It turned out to be the road he took when he first met Yin Yin. At that time, he happened to be out for a walk and saw a woman standing in the direction where the long ladder fell. She hurried to save him. In fact, the reason why he noticed it was because he felt that the back of this woman, Yin Yin, overlapped with Shu'er. It seemed that it was the first time he and his beloved Shu'er met in this era. Walking on this road where they had first met in this era, and recalling the scene that happened at that time, it seemed as if he could still see that scene. When he walked to the place where Yin Yin and himself stood at that time, Zhao Ziheng couldn't help but reach out his hand to touch the figure that only existed in his memory. In a blink of an eye, the scene in front of him brought him back to reality...
"What's wrong?"
Seeing Zhao Ziheng reaching out and then stopping, Wang Ye couldn't help but feel curious.
"Shu'er——"
Even though he knew that the scene before his eyes was just an illusion, Zhao Ziheng still couldn't forget it. He withdrew his hand, holding tightly the memories that seemed to be in his palm, murmuring and calling out the familiar name. Wang Ye realized that Zhao Ziheng must be saddened by the scene. This should be the place where they had met or walked together, right?
"Brother Li, we've been walking for so long, why don't we go to this restaurant and have a seat, what do you think?"
Wang Ye pointed to the restaurant a few feet in front of them. Zhao Ziheng nodded to Wang Ye's suggestion. After the two entered the restaurant, they came to the second floor under Wang Ye's guidance. From the balcony, they could clearly see the place where Zhao Ziheng was moved by the scene just now...
"My dear guests, what would you like to eat? Our signature dishes are braised beef and spicy bamboo shoots—"
"Well, it's up to you. I want your restaurant's signature dishes, and the drinks should be the best in your restaurant."
"Yes, I will do it right away. Please wait for a moment, gentlemen..."
After Zhao Ziheng sat down, he kept looking at the place he had just been at. Wang Ye didn't want to disturb him, so he ordered a few dishes at random. The waiter happily poured tea and left...
Even when the waiter brought the food and wine, Zhao Ziheng still couldn't come back to his senses, still immersed in the memories of the past. Wang Ye also wanted to know the reason, so: "Brother Li, what are you looking at?"
Wang Ye's words immediately made Zhao Ziheng react. It seemed that even though he was immersed in the world, he could still quickly notice the real things. He turned around and sat up to face Wang Ye. His expression was very calm, but Wang Ye could still sense the faint sadness in the depths of his eyes.
"Nothing, I just remembered that I first saw Shu'er here in that place down there—"
Wang Ye had no way of knowing what the word "here" meant, but his guess was right: Zhao Ziheng was indeed saddened by the scene.
Extra: One day after Zhao Ziyin and Menghan got married
The General's Mansion in the Royal City of Zhao.
I just finished work and returned home. The housekeeper immediately came forward and led several servants to greet me...
"General, you are back——"
"Prepare the meal and bring it directly to the study!"
"yes!"
Zhao Ziyin gave orders to the housekeeper without stopping for a moment while walking towards the study, followed by a group of people. It was past lunch time but they hadn't eaten yet. It seemed that Zhao Ziyin was so busy that he didn't even have time to eat. This was all thanks to Zhao Ziheng. As a general, he was already very busy, and now he had to fill the vacancy left by Zhao Ziheng, so his workload was even heavier. Sometimes he didn't even go back to the general's mansion for several days. The time he had to eat after coming back was really rare. He was overwhelmed by the heavy workload every day, not to mention the time to eat, he didn't even have time to sleep. He only had time to squint...
After arriving at the study, we started talking about work again.
"There are reports of robbers on the caravan route between our neighboring country Jin and our country, and strange phenomena among merchants. General Wen, you will personally lead 10,000 troops to encircle and suppress them, and send spies to Jin to investigate the phenomena involving the merchants—"
"yes!"
"Also, regarding the report from Rucheng, notify the governor of Chaocheng, the neighboring city of Rucheng, to investigate the matter and report to me at any time. Rucheng is one of the key granaries in our country, and we cannot afford to make any mistakes under the current circumstances. Tell him that if there is any abnormal loss in the granary of Rucheng, I will punish him severely."
"yes!"
"General, the neighboring city [Shoucheng] located west of the royal city said that a group of special caravans had recently arrived. I want to go and take a look."
"Is there anything that concerns you? Deputy General Wu Yao——"
In response to Zhao Ziyin's question, the deputy general named Wu Yao remained silent, but from his expression it can be seen that he cared about this matter very much. Wu Yao is Zhao Ziyin's left guard deputy general and one of his capable subordinates. Although young, he is very smart, upright and down-to-earth. He climbed to his current position with his own abilities and is very trusted by Zhao Ziyin.
"Got it. If there are any unusual signs or movements, you are allowed to suppress them at all costs!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Next..."
Zhao Ziyin did not have a moment to relax after returning home. He was busy dealing with affairs until the butler brought the meal and arranged it. He then stopped to eat with his subordinates...
"How is your health lately, Madam?"
"General, my wife is in good health, but..."
In the eyes of others, Zhao Ziyin was busy with government affairs and neglected his new wife shortly after his marriage. He should have been able to enjoy his newlywed life with his new wife, but the current situation of Zhao State and the piles of affairs made it impossible for Zhao Ziyin to get away. How could he spend a good time with his new wife when he was almost never at home? When he occasionally came back, he just visited and greeted her, and it was impossible for him to even rest for a night...
"Just what?"
"Although Madam is in good health, she has eaten very little recently. I am worried—"
After hearing what the housekeeper said, Zhao Ziyin showed some worry on his face. After that, Zhao Ziyin did not rush out after dealing with the matter at hand, but went to Qingyuan Pavilion where Menghan lived...
Before Zhao Ziyin reached Qingyuan Pavilion, he ran into Menghan in the garden pavilion halfway...
"Meet the General—"
"Well, get up!"
Meng Han had no feeling at all about Zhao Ziyin's arrival. Only the maid greeted Zhao Ziyin. Zhao Ziyin knew about Meng Han's indifference not just now. Since the wedding, Meng Han has always kept a distance from him. Even on the wedding night, Zhao Ziyin respected Meng Han very much and did not touch her. However, Meng Han was very cold to him from beginning to end, which made him deeply understand that there was an insurmountable wall between them...
Zhao Ziyin gestured for everyone to leave, and then...
"I heard that you seldom eat recently?"
Menghan remained silent.
"What's wrong?"
Continue to be silent.
"Are you feeling unwell?"
Still silent, Zhao Ziyin's concern seemed insignificant in Menghan's eyes . Seeing that Menghan had not said anything, Zhao Ziyin reached out to touch Menghan's hand on the table. Just when he was about to touch it, Menghan immediately moved his hand away slightly. Zhao Ziyin reached forward again, but Menghan directly withdrew her hand from the table. Such an obvious rejection made Zhao Ziyin feel cold, but he could only bear it and withdrew his hand...
"I'm sorry. Although I'm your husband, I can't stay by your side now. I'm sorry if you feel lonely or neglected, but I really can't spare the time to make it up to you at the moment. I clearly said that I would give you what you deserve, but now I can't fulfill it-"
Even though he felt disappointed with Menghan's behavior, Zhao Ziyin, as Menghan's husband, felt that he should still apologize. Regardless of whether she accepted it or felt disdainful of such an apology, Zhao Ziyin believed that an apology could at least provide some psychological comfort for Menghan.
"You know that what you say won't make any difference to me, right?"
"Um!"
"You are so stupid—"
"Um!"
"Why me? You should know that no matter what you do you won't get any response, right?"
"Um!"
"Even so, you will still keep treating me like this, right?"
"Um!"
"I really want to know, is this what you really think in your heart, or are you just feeling a sense of responsibility towards me, and actually just wanting to compensate me on behalf of King Zhao?"
Zhao Ziyan, who had been answering Menghan's words smoothly, fell silent at this time. Menghan looked straight at him, leaving him no room to escape.
"Why? Can't you answer?"
It's not that he can't answer, but that he doesn't want to answer or doesn't know how to answer. It's a bit of both. More importantly, they have different standpoints when they meet. Even if Zhao Ziyan really wants to be good to Menghan from the bottom of his heart, it seems that he is just superficial and will be covered up by his powerful position.
"You should know the answer very well. I have something else to do, so I'll leave first. If you feel uncomfortable, call a doctor. Not eating is not good for your health—"
Zhao Ziyan left without looking back after saying a few words. It seemed like he was escaping. Looking at his departing back, Meng Han smiled bitterly. Did he really believe that she knew the answer?
