Chapter 38: Omen
Everyone had indeed stayed up all night. Wen Ning’an had been living a comfortable and lazy life for some time and hadn’t engaged in such strenuous exercise, especially a continuous night of sparring with the high-ranking officers in the army. So now, he was a little unaccustomed to it, his whole body aching slightly. After returning to his tent in the early morning, he had fallen asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. However, he had not even rested for an hour before he was woken up by Ren Feiyang.
“General! General!”
A man who had been on campaigns for years could never truly sleep deeply, no matter how tired he was. So, after just a few calls from Ren Feiyang, Wen Ning’an woke up.
“What’s wrong?”
Ren Feiyang was standing outside the tent, his face unclear, but his voice seemed a little off.
“General, Adjutant Bai… he’s gone.”
Wen Ning’an frowned. What does… gone mean?
It was only after Ren Feiyang led him to Adjutant Bai Daneng’s tent that Wen Ning’an confirmed the meaning of “gone.”
Bai Daneng was dead.
He had died a horrible death.
The army physician, Fang Qingqing, was a pretty and lovely girl, one of the few women in the army. At this moment, she was leaning against the bedpost, vomiting into a bag she had prepared herself. Ren Feiyang was both grieving for Bai Daneng and very worried about Fang Qingqing, casting concerned glances at her from time to time.
Speaking of which, Ren Feiyang’s little crush on Fang Qingqing was known to the entire Left Army.
Bai Daneng was lying on his back on his bed, his eyes wide open, his already stiff and cold body pale and purplish. And his body was covered in dense holes, with a large centipede wriggling in each one, making an almost imperceptible chirping and rubbing sound. The already dried blood and fluid stuck to the surface of his riddled skin. A thousand centipedes were thus wrapped around Bai Daneng’s body, their dark, shiny bodies crawling everywhere.
After watching for a while, Ren Feiyang’s eyes couldn’t help but moisten. A man does not shed tears lightly, but the eyes of several burly men in the tent were red.
“Old Bai was the oldest among us. Whenever we were fooling around, it was always him who would scold us, and we would even tease him for being an old fossil…” Ren Feiyang sniffled.
Another adjutant also said, “Whenever we got into trouble, it was also Old Bai who would clean up our mess while scolding us.”
Wen Ning’an was speechless. Bai Daneng was his first adjutant and also the mentor and friend who had been with him the longest. In every battle he had experienced, Bai Daneng had been by his side, offering advice, working diligently and selflessly.
“What… happened?” A layer of frost seemed to have formed on Wen Ning’an’s face, his expression terrifying. Ren Feiyang, standing beside him, couldn’t help but shiver.
Ren Feiyang said, “Old Bai and I sleep in the same tent. We were both drunk when we came back last night. I remember Old Bai seemed to have gone out to relieve himself. I fell asleep before he came back. And when I woke up this morning, Old Bai… was like this…”
Fang Qingqing’s face was pale. “It must have been that when Old Bai went out, he was either ambushed or provoked something, which led to him being entangled by these centipedes… Otherwise, since Old Bai and Feiyang were in the same tent, why is Feiyang fine?”
Ren Feiyang couldn’t help but shiver again, feeling his legs go weak.
“Investigate! Have the shadows investigate thoroughly!” Wen Ning’an said, taking a few steps forward towards Fang Qingqing. “Miss Fang, could you get me a basin of boiling hot water?”
Fang Qingqing nodded and immediately rushed out. She had followed the Left Army on campaigns for many years and was already used to military life. She was quick and efficient, and with her good personality, everyone doted on her. So, one of the adjutants immediately stopped her and went to get the water for her.
The hot water was brought over quickly. Wen Ning’an walked to Old Bai’s bed and reached out to pick out one of the centipedes with his index and middle fingers.
“General!”
Wen Ning’an said with a straight face, “Old Bai shouldn’t be like this after he’s dead.”
After throwing the centipede in his hand into the hot water, Wen Ning’an reached out and continued to pick them out without fear. The centipedes made a creepy “hissing” sound as they were pulled from the flesh, and bits of flesh were still attached to them, but Wen Ning’an’s expression did not change, not even lifting an eyelid.
Ren Feiyang silently watched Wen Ning’an cleaning Old Bai’s body for a while, then also walked over to his side and joined him in picking out these creepy insects.
“How can a man of the Left Army be afraid of a mere insect? It would be too shameful if word got out!”
And so, a group of soldiers gathered around the bed, doing the last thing they could for Old Bai.
In the capital, it was already the autumn equinox. With each autumn rain, it grew colder, the temperature dropping day by day.
At this moment, Feng Qi was sitting at his desk in the Imperial Study, wearing a slightly thick outer robe, going through stack after stack of memorials that seemed never-ending.
Feng Qi’s eyes were devoid of color, his face expressionless as he repeated the motion of wielding his brush, looking incredibly serious.
Fu Che stood at the side and thought to himself, His Majesty seems to have… changed recently. He slept early, woke up early, ate at fixed times, practiced martial arts diligently, and occasionally read military books. He was neither late nor absent for morning court and was even focused on state affairs, clearing more than half of the memorials every day. The old prime minister’s gaze towards him was different now.
Fu Che frowned and shook his head slightly. Such a silent emperor, on the contrary, made him feel uneasy.
The memorial Feng Qi was looking at now was a report on the construction of the Star Picking Tower, which he had previously ordered the Ministry of Works to build for night-gazing and entertainment. After looking at it for a while, he wrote a line at the bottom to cancel the project.
The money for the project could be given to Fengzhou, which was recently facing a flood, and Muhang Village, which had encountered a locust plague…
“Your Majesty, Prince Jun requests an audience.”
Prince Jun, Feng Jun, was Feng Qi’s half-brother. Because of his dissolute and romantic nature, he frequented flower houses and indulged in poetry and wine almost daily, so Feng Qi was not wary of him and gave him many rewards every year.
“Greetings, Imperial Brother. Long live and good health to Imperial Brother.”
Feng Jun’s words and actions were all tinged with frivolity. He had a straight nose, thin lips, held a jade-boned folding fan, and his eyes were slightly upturned. He was indeed a dashing and romantic young master.
“You came without notice. I could have had someone pick you up.”
Just barging in on horseback like this…
“It’s alright,” Feng Jun blinked. “Your Majesty is busy with a myriad of state affairs. There’s no need to trouble yourself for your younger brother.”
Feng Qi shook his head, put down his brush, and asked, “Why did you come to the palace in such a hurry?”
Feng Jun took out a wax pill and a letter from his robes and respectfully handed them to Feng Qi with both hands. “Your Majesty, please have a look.”
After a glance, Feng Qi’s eyes immediately darkened.
The wax pill contained a piece of intelligence, saying that Yu Qianzu of Quanzhou had secretly moved into the King of Youzhou’s residence. Yu Qianzu and Yu Qianshou of Quanzhou were fellow disciples, having learned from the same master, and were equally feared. And the letter was a greeting from the King of Youzhou to Feng Jun, with an invitation in its lines, as if he wanted to cooperate with him.
“Your younger brother dares to speculate that the King of Youzhou suddenly sent a letter to me probably for the Southwest Army in my hands. After all, besides the Southwest Army, I have nothing else of value. And as for why he is suddenly interested in my troops, it should be because…”
It was not appropriate for Feng Jun to say the rest, so he did not spell it out.
“I know.” Feng Qi threw the wax pill and the letter into the brazier beside him.
Feng Jun had come all the way from the southwest. Although he had toured the capital countless times in the past, he was still in a hurry to leave now. The flower houses and poetry and painting pavilions of the capital never grew old, no matter how many times he visited, especially that Zhaoyue Tower. The experience was simply indescribable! Only one word: wonderful!
Just as Feng Jun was about to take his leave, Feng Qi waved his hand to stop him.
“You’ve had a long and hard journey. Why not sit down and have some tea and pastries first?”
Feng Jun was puzzled. This was the first time Feng Qi had asked him to stay and chat.
A servant brought up plate after plate of exquisite pastries. Feng Jun leaned back on a soft couch and happily ate the pastries.
“Prince Jun,” Feng Qi said, twirling his brush. “You have passed through a thousand flowers for many years, yet not a single leaf has clung to you. You must be very adept at pleasing people, right?”
“Replying to Your Majesty, that is natural!” Feng Jun said proudly. “I’m not afraid of Your Majesty laughing, but as long as it’s someone your younger brother wants, there is no one I can’t win over.”
“Then…” Feng Qi coughed dryly and asked as if he didn’t care, “I’m just asking casually. If it’s someone who is easygoing and gentle on the surface, but actually proud and stubborn in temperament, how should one pursue them?”
Ah, General Wen.
Feng Jun pretended not to know and smiled. “No matter what kind of person, just cater to their likes.”
Feng Qi added, “What if this person originally liked someone, but that person did some excessive things and hurt them, causing them to leave? How should one win them back?”
Feng Jun thought for a moment and said cautiously, “Your Majesty is overthinking it. Since you said they originally liked them, then they should still like them now. As long as you treat them gently, they will get back together sooner or later.”
“Is it really that simple?” Feng Qi raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, treat them gently.” Feng Jun knew what kind of person his imperial brother was, so he emphasized, “Treating them gently is not about giving what you think is good, but giving what the other person likes. That is what your younger brother means by catering to their likes. In the long run, that person will definitely be unable to resist.”
Feng Qi rubbed his chin slightly.
Treat them gently, cater to their likes…
After the soldiers had properly buried Bai Daneng’s body, the surroundings had already grown dark, and the sun had set.
Wen Ning’an was lying on the comfortable large bed in his commander’s tent. He was alone, and he couldn’t help but show a weary expression. His eyes gradually filled with moisture.
That was a person who was like a father to me.
Before he had left, the wind had suddenly picked up a little, and Feng Qi had taken off his outer robe and draped it over him. This coat had accompanied Wen Ning’an all the way to Fengzhou and was now neatly folded at the head of the bed.
Wen Ning’an took it and covered himself with it, even pulling it over his head, his whole body almost curled up inside.
The bright yellow, dragon-embroidered coat still had the faint scent of the dragon’s saliva incense that Feng Qi usually wore. After a few days, there was still a faint smell. Although it was hard to detect, but…
The night grew deeper, and a cold wind blew into the tent. The sound of the patrol’s neat footsteps and the dull clanking of armor could be faintly heard from outside. Wen Ning’an held the coat and fell into a deep sleep…
