Chapter 489: - Lakeheart Pavilion

A few small dishes.

A few cups of wine.

Two men sitting face-to-face like brothers, eating and drinking.

That was the sort of setting that naturally made people imagine the future. It had been so since ancient times.

The last time Count Pingye and Ji Chengjue had sat across from one another like this was in Beifeng Commandery.

This time, the two of them were in Yanjing.

Compared with back then, the changes were enormous.

Zheng Fan, once merely the Lieutenant Commander of Merchant Protection at Tiger Head City, was now Count Pingye, with twenty thousand iron cavalry under his command.

Ji Chengjue, once an idle, useless prince, had now pressed the Eastern Palace so hard it could barely breathe, forcing Emperor Yan himself to step in and restore the balance.

Admittedly, the boasts they had once traded—“why don’t you castrate yourself” and “I’ll treat your son well”—were still a long way from becoming reality.

But compared with those days, both men had made tremendous progress.

Yanjing was simply too far from Snow Sea Pass. Neither of them knew how long they would have to wait before meeting again.

Still, when that next meeting came, they imagined things would once more be vastly different from today.

They drank a great deal.

Cup after cup.

Neither man urged the other to drink, but both felt that if they did not get thoroughly drunk tonight, it would somehow be an insult to their first reunion in several years.

The result was simple.

They both got drunk.

He Sisi came in once. Seeing both men passed out where they sat, she personally brought two blankets and covered them without waking either one.

By morning, Ji Chengjue woke first.

His eyes were bloodshot and he had plainly slept poorly, but years of habit still pulled him awake on time.

He looked at Zheng Fan, still asleep across from him.

A smile crept onto Ji Chengjue’s lips.

Then he suddenly realized that smiling like that at another man felt rather disgusting, so he immediately wiped the expression away.

He stood.

Time to attend morning court.

He had said last night that he would deliberately skip court today, but what could he do?

He was already awake.

As he passed Count Pingye, Ji Chengjue was surprised to see Zheng Fan open his eyes too.

“Oh? Awake?” Ji Chengjue asked.

“Fight enough wars and it gets hard to sleep like a dead pig.”

“Then sleep a little longer. I’m going to morning court. Today is the Crown Prince’s first day overseeing the state, so I ought to go support the occasion. I’ll have Sisi arrange breakfast for you later. And remember to go see my son. We spent all last night drinking and completely forgot.”

Count Pingye waved at Ji Chengjue with obvious disgust, as though shooing away a fly.

The carriage outside had already been prepared.

Ji Chengjue hurriedly washed and climbed aboard. As usual, a simple breakfast had been placed inside the carriage. He was not hungry, but forced himself to eat some anyway.

“Your Highness had a very enjoyable drink with Count Pingye last night,” Eunuch Zhang said with a smile.

Ji Chengjue nodded. “These past few years, it feels like everything has changed. He’s the only one who hasn’t.”

“Count Pingye truly is an interesting man.”

“Yes. There really aren’t many people in this world as interesting as he is.”

...

Count Pingye had no habit of going back to sleep either. Once he was awake, he was awake.

After washing and eating breakfast, He Sisi personally came to take him to see the child.

He Sisi had been born among the common people, and she knew perfectly well what kind of relationship her husband had with Count Pingye. There was not the slightest trace of airs or stiff etiquette about her.

She took her precious son from the wet nurse and directly handed him to Zheng Fan.

Count Pingye took the child and held him for a while.

The little fellow was fair, plump, and extremely adorable.

He Sisi smiled.

“Chuanye, call him Godfather.”

“Yiya... yiya...”

The child could not speak yet.

Count Pingye looked a little embarrassed.

“My people were all settled in the military camp outside the city, and my belongings are there too. I prepared a proper first-meeting gift for him, but I’ll have to send someone to bring it over this afternoon.”

“Count, listen to yourself. There’s no need to worry about that.”

Count Pingye tried letting the baby’s swaddling clothes touch the Demon Pill hidden inside his own clothing.

The Demon Pill gave no reaction at all.

Apparently, the Demon Pill was not interested in every child.

It had eyes only for Tian Tian.

Of course, Count Pingye believed that if he had children of his own in the future, the Demon Pill would surely protect them too.

Mm.

Probably.

Maybe.

That was how it ought to work.

After playing with the child for a while, Count Pingye returned him to the wet nurse and walked into the courtyard.

A young eunuch stood there. He was Eunuch Zhang’s godson, Little Eunuch Zhang.

Ji Chengjue had probably left him behind specifically to attend Count Pingye.

Count Pingye sat down on the steps.

“The Commandery Princess of Marquis Zhenbei Residence has returned, hasn’t she?”

Little Eunuch Zhang bowed.

“Answering the Count, the Commandery Princess returned to Yanjing some time ago. She is still living in the Rear Garden. A few days ago, she even went to Leicheng Temple on West Mountain to offer incense.”

Count Pingye nodded.

It seemed the Commandery Princess had awakened after returning to the capital.

Yanjing truly did have plenty of experts.

That made things troublesome.

In truth, Count Pingye had no official duties during these few days in Yanjing. He merely needed to remain available in case His Majesty summoned him into the palace. The rest of his time was his own.

But with that crazy woman in the capital, Count Pingye genuinely did not dare wander around carelessly.

“Oh, right. Send someone to bring a few of my subordinates in from the camp outside the city.”

“Count, His Highness already gave that order this morning.”

The Blind Man, the Savage King, and the others were Zheng Fan’s personal retinue. After entering Yanjing, they had been settled in the military camp outside the city.

That had always been the rule.

Whenever a commanding officer entered the capital, any guards or attendants still registered in the military rolls had to remain in the military camp.

Some generals did keep former troops in their city residences, but those men had already been removed from the military rolls.

The Blind Man and the others could technically have skipped the process, but doing so would have attracted far too much attention.

Yanjing was different from anywhere else.

Better to keep a low profile here.

Who knew how many pairs of eyes were staring at him?

After all, he had finally reached the level where he was worth watching.

“Does the Count wish to go out? This slave can arrange a carriage for you.”

Count Pingye immediately shook his head.

“No, no.”

That crazy woman was in Yanjing.

Better not go out.

The capital was not Snow Sea Pass.

Half the troops in the camps outside Yanjing belonged to the Zhenbei Army.

That crazy woman was intelligent. She had surely figured out who had caused her to spend nearly half a year unconscious.

“Planning to go out?”

A familiar voice came from behind Count Pingye.

He turned.

Who else could it be but the Sword Saint?

“Yes. I’m going out.”

Then Count Pingye pointed at Little Eunuch Zhang.

“Prepare the carriage.”

“Yes.”

Little Eunuch Zhang went to make the arrangements while the Sword Saint walked over.

“You were all right yesterday?” Count Pingye asked with concern.

“Wei Zhonghe found two people to drink tea with me.”

“They didn’t say anything?”

“What would they say? Try to recruit me into serving the Great Yan Dynasty?”

“Would that be strange?”

“I’m at Snow Sea Pass. Am I not already doing work for you Yan people?”

“That’s true, but it’s still a little different. You know what I mean.”

Count Pingye did not believe the imperial court could possibly be unmoved by an expert of the Sword Saint’s level.

“They said nothing because they knew I would refuse.”

“Good.”

“Where are you going?”

“Lakeheart Pavilion.”

“To see the imperial prince you crippled?”

“That’s a misunderstanding. The Marquis of Jingnan crippled him.”

“It wasn’t you?”

“I was just a tool. A tool.”

“I’ve never entered the court as an official, but I’m genuinely curious. What does it feel like to serve in the government after personally crippling an imperial prince?”

Count Pingye smiled.

“He was a tool too.”

The Sword Saint paused, then understood.

Soon, the carriage was ready.

Little Eunuch Zhang personally drove while Count Pingye and the Sword Saint sat inside as they headed toward Lakeheart Pavilion.

“You’re a Count of the Great Yan Dynasty, yet even in Yanjing you’re worried someone might assassinate you.”

There was obvious mockery in the Sword Saint’s voice.

“That woman. The one I had you scare last time by slaughtering pigs.”

“The Commandery Princess?”

“Yes.”

“She would dare?”

“On the night of Little Sixth’s wedding, she dared send Li Liangshen and that Seventh Uncle beside her into an imperial prince’s residence to assassinate Little Sixth.”

Very, very few people knew about that incident.

Neither side involved had publicized it.

Neither dared.

But Little Sixth had emphasized the matter in his letters to Zheng Fan, repeatedly calling that woman a lunatic.

A lunatic.

A lunatic!

It was understandable.

The night of Little Sixth’s wedding had nearly become the anniversary of his death.

The Sword Saint said, “The Empress also died that night.”

“Why do you always manage to grab the crucial point?”

The Sword Saint looked at him.

“Why do I hear something in your tone suggesting you’re astonished I could possibly be this intelligent?”

“Sorry. Next time I’ll hide it better.”

“The imperial house truly is heartless.”

“You seem to have forgotten that you’re from an imperial house too.”

The Sword Saint also bore the surname Yu.

It had been the imperial surname of Jin.

“I don’t consider myself one of them.”

“You still count as a member of the imperial clan, at least. Besides, this matter hasn’t reached the point where we need to start talking about whether imperial families are heartless.”

“But you already have thoughts about it yourself, don’t you?”

“Hard to say.”

“I’m curious. If your children act like this someday, what will you do?”

“As long as they never get themselves into loan-shark debt, I’ll let them live however they like.”

Loan-shark debt meant borrowing money at brutally high interest.

“Carefree.”

“I’ve never dreamed of my son becoming a dragon or my daughter a phoenix. Living like that is too exhausting.”

“True. It would be exhausting for the children.”

“I meant exhausting for me.”

“Fine.”

“What about you? When are you planning to have another child?”

“No hurry.”

“When we get back, hurry up and have one with Sister-in-law. I’ll be the child’s godfather.”

“You seem to have quite a lot of godchildren.”

“Hahaha.”

At that moment, the Sword Saint suddenly said:

“There’s sword qi.”

Count Pingye instantly went from sitting upright to lying flat on his belly.

“Li Liangshen?”

Fuck.

Was that crazy woman really moving this quickly?

And this insanely?

“It’s a Ninth Grade swordsman in the restaurant next door.”

“...” Count Pingye.

Count Pingye sat back up.

“You did that on purpose.”

The Sword Saint said nothing.

“I don’t like this place,” Count Pingye lamented. “I don’t feel safe.”

“You like Snow Sea Pass?”

“I don’t actually like Snow Sea Pass either. The climate there isn’t very pleasant.”

“You ask for too much.”

“Not really. If Yanjing could become as safe as Snow Sea Pass, I’d be satisfied.”

“And you call that not asking for much?”

“A man needs dreams, doesn’t he?”

The carriage arrived at Lakeheart Pavilion.

Count Pingye showed the silver token he had been given years ago.

The guards let him pass.

The Sword Saint remained outside and did not enter.

Count Pingye followed two deaf-mute attendants deeper into the grounds. Once they opened an iron gate, he continued inward alone.

He saw a lake.

And in the center of that lake, he saw the pavilion.

Count Pingye followed the long covered walkway toward it.

A head slowly poked out from inside the pavilion.

The man had apparently been lying down and had gotten up after hearing the commotion.

He wore white robes stained with ink. His hair had grown somewhat long.

He did not look particularly dispirited.

If anything, he had the airy bearing of a recluse living among the mountains.

The two men looked at each other.

“Count Pingye?”

“Greetings, Third Highness. It seems that even while living amid scenery like this, Third Highness has not forgotten the affairs of the world.”

“Thanks to you, Count. I can still read the court gazettes in here. I know of the achievements you’ve made over the past few years. You truly are a pillar of our Great Yan Dynasty.”

Count Pingye sighed.

“You didn’t expect me to come see you, did you?”

The Third Prince smiled.

“No. I didn’t.”

Then the Third Prince produced a black crossbow.

And aimed it directly at Count Pingye.

“...” Zheng Fan.

...

About two hours later, Count Pingye emerged from Lakeheart Pavilion carrying a painting scroll and climbed into the carriage waiting outside.

Little Eunuch Zhang asked, “Count, where to?”

“Back.”

“Yes, Count.”

Inside the carriage, the Sword Saint looked at Zheng Fan as he climbed aboard.

“That took considerably less time than I expected.”

“There wasn’t actually much to talk about.”

“I thought the two of you would have quite a lot to say to each other.”

“When I went in, he was waiting for me with a crossbow.”

“That isn’t especially surprising.”

“The crossbow was made of paper. He colored it with ink.”

“That is a little interesting.”

“He guessed I would come. And I had to come.”

“Because you owed him an accounting,” the Sword Saint said.

“You can even guess that?”

“That tone of yours again.”

Count Pingye took out the painting scroll and opened it.

Inside was a painting.

It depicted a strategic pass in the midst of battle.

“He painted this. It’s my Battle of Snow Sea Pass.”

“Mm.”

“He’s much smarter than he was back then. What a pity. Tell me, why do people always seem to need setbacks before they grow up?”

“That sounds like a good thing.”

“We should learn to be grateful for adversity, because adversity makes us more mature.”

“So Third Highness should be grateful to you?”

“I told you already, what happened to him can’t be blamed on me. He was just the punching bag His Majesty handed to the Marquis of Jingnan so the Marquis could vent his anger.”

“But whenever he’s had nightmares these past few years, I imagine your face appeared rather often.”

“Heh.”

“Does he want to leave?”

“Leave and disgrace the imperial family? As long as the Marquis of Jingnan is alive, he can never leave Lakeheart Pavilion. But I needed an accounting, and so did he. We gave each other what we needed. That gives Emperor Yan an accounting too. And after this, his life inside Lakeheart Pavilion should become somewhat easier.”

“That’s all?”

“A man with a full belly shouldn’t pretend he understands the hunger of a starving man.”

“True.”

“I want to sleep for a while. I didn’t rest well last night. By the time we get back, the Blind Man and the others should have arrived too.”

Count Pingye had just begun leaning backward when the Sword Saint suddenly said:

“There’s sword qi.”

Count Pingye instantly threw himself flat on the floor of the carriage.

The Sword Saint looked genuinely surprised.

“You really are afraid of dying.”

Count Pingye turned his head toward him.

“Absolutely.”

The Sword Saint said, “It’s the old man who stays beside that woman.”

The carriage stopped.

Seventh Uncle stood in front of it.

“The Commandery Princess invites Count Pingye to the Rear Garden for a conversation.”

Inside the carriage, the Sword Saint said, “She’s inviting you over to her house for a visit.”

Count Pingye gave two dry chuckles.

Then he climbed to his feet, walked to the front of the carriage, and lifted the curtain.

He shouted at Seventh Uncle standing ahead:

“Tell Li Qian to come to the Sixth Prince’s residence herself if she wants to see this Count!”

[End of Chapter 489]