Chapter 67

Edited and Proofread by KitKat

The letters were sent out one after the other but investigating century old events like this was bound to take some time. On the contrary, it was Lady Yu who sent a reply to An Chang Qing first.

After arriving in Yanzhou, An Chang Qing would write a letter to his mother back in Yejing at the end of each month. But since he needed more information on the child in his womb, he had sent out the letter earlier. Worried that the contents might be not secured, he did not explicitly explain the situation and only asked if she knew anything about the mermaid tribe. If she did, she definitely would mention it in the letter.

An Chang Qing opened the letter. Lady Yu’s reply was as usual. First, she let him know that she and Xian Yu were all doing fine back at the house followed by a few sentences of small talk. Finally, she asked him in subtlety where he had heard of the mermaid tribe and if he was doing alright.

After delivering the letter, An Chang Qing remembered a particular moment. It was right after he had brought Lady Yu and An Xian Yu back to the Wang Manor. His mother had once asked him with great concern if there was anything out of the ordinary after spending the night with Xiao Zhige. He had thought that her question was quite odd and attributed it to her being overly worried about him. But now that he thought about it, there must’ve been something that his mother had not told him.

He showed Xiao Zhige the letter and said, “It’s impossible to get a clear explanation from a letter. It’s better to talk to mother in person.”

Xiao Zhige agreed. He thought over briefly and said, “You are currently with child, it’s inconvenient for you to travel. I’ll have someone escort mother and Xian Yu to Yanzhou. And once they’re here, we’ll have them stay in Yanzhou for the time being.”

An Chang Qing seemed to have understood his intention immediately, “So His Majesty is…”

Xiao Zhige nodded, “I’ve received news that His Majesty had recently fallen seriously ill. Even after he was cured, his health continued to deteriorate.”

To be precise, it was the ‘Youth Restoring Pill’ from Master Liao that had gone wrong. Ever since Master Liao had offered the pills to him, Emperor An Qing had held him in high regard. 

Consequently, his favoritism in Master Liao also increased his trust in Shu Guifei and the Third Prince. This time, the Third Prince was sent to stomp out the rebellion and although he did not contribute much to the current outcome, Emperor An Qing still rewarded him handsomely upon his return. Even officials from Shu Guifei’s party were promoted, causing a great shift in power within the court. 

Needless to say, the Empress and Crown Prince couldn’t possibly sit still.

Xiao Zhige only needed to have someone leak a subtle hint and the both of them were able to easily understand the song by just listening to the tune¹ and used it to pull Master Liao through the mud.

Emperor An Qing was distraught upon learning the harmful side effects of the Youth Restoring Pill. After coughing up a mouthful of blood, he laid bedridden for six days before waking up. But by then, his spirit had weakened significantly. He now looked ten years older than before he took the pills.

Luckily for him, there were still some talents among the royal physicians and with the precious herbs readily available, they had managed to keep him alive.

At this point, Shu Guifei and the Third Prince who had been implicated by Master Liao had fallen out of grace and were under confinement. The Empress’s party took advantage of this situation and regained power. With the ailing Emperor too weak to pay heed to the affairs of the court, the Crown Prince had smoothly established his position in ruling the country.

Xiao Zhige’s eyes turned cold thinking about how back in Yejing, the Crown Prince had repeatedly made advances towards An Chang Qing. It was lucky that he could safeguard An Chang Qing in his territory and keep the Crown Prince from having any chance in getting a hold of his Achilles’ heel. And with the current chaos in Yejing, secretly transporting two people from the city outskirts shouldn’t be too difficult.

An Chang Qing also agreed that during this period of unrest, two women living in the outskirts was too dangerous even with guards. Although the living standard in Yanzhou wasn’t as good as Yejing, it was still safer to keep them far away from the eye of the storm.

Since An Chang Qing had no objection, Xiao Zhige immediately sent someone to make the arrangements for Lady Yu and An Xian Yu to be escorted out of Yejing to Yanzhou.

After they had discussed the matter at hand, Xiao Zhige put the letter away. He freed his hand to hold An Chang Qing’s waist to support him while they slowly walked. “Anfu said you didn’t have much appetite this morning. Is it the kitchen’s cooking that’s not to your liking or you’re having some discomfort?”

These few days, Xiao Zhige seemed to have come to terms that he was about to become a father and treated An Chang Qing like he was fragile like porcelain. As long as they were in the mansion, he had to keep An Chang Qing within sight for concern that he would be knocked over by this and that. At night, he dared not move his limbs and would stay still as a log, only getting up at times to put the blanket back on for An Chang Qing for fear that he would get cold.

And just last night, An Chang Qing happened to wake up in a daze and found Xiao Zhige staring at him. If they hadn’t slept together for so long, An Chang Qing would’ve been quite disturbed by his behavior.

Seeing how nervous he had gotten, An Chang Qing smiled helplessly and tried to reassure him, “There’s nothing wrong with my appetite. I just couldn’t finish the whole bowl of porridge.”

Xiao Zhige frowned, “But before, you were eating two bowls of porridge accompanied by several side dishes. This morning, you only had half a bowl of porridge.”

It was true that An Chang Qing had been having a big appetite in recent days. In the morning, he could eat two bowls of porridge together with two or three side dishes. For lunch, he would gobble up at least two main dishes with vegetables and soup, sometimes even an additional serving of ba bao fan (eight treasure rice). As if that wasn’t enough, he could still stuff himself with snacks and pastries before dinner. 

In the beginning, Xiao Zhige was worried that his voracious appetite would cause distress to his stomach. But after Hu Shifei explained that it was natural to have an increased appetite during pregnancy, he was in turn worried that An Chang Qing was not eating enough whenever he could not finish his food. 

An Chang Qing was about to have a headache. He grabbed Xiao Zhige’s hand on his waist, placed it over his belly, and told him to have a touch, “My stomach is not even showing, isn’t Wangye’s concern a little too premature?”

Xiao Zhige frowned while gently touching An Chang Qing’s abdomen, “But Hu Shifei said to be extra careful during the first few months.” 

An Chang Qing corrected him, “What Dr. Hu said is to be careful during the first three months because the fetus is still unstable.” And they had already passed this critical period by the time they discovered that An Chang Qing was pregnant. In any case, Hu Shifei had been taking his pulse regularly and said that his pulse was strong and his body was healthy. It was still early to detect the fetus’s progress but seeing that An Chang Qing was in good health, the baby should also be in good condition. 

Clearly Xiao Zhige only heard half of it and since then, he only wished for An Chang Qing to stay in one place and do nothing. It’s just that during this time, there were many things waiting for An Chang Qing to do and he couldn’t stay idle.

The newcomers had been resettled outside the city and had also begun the construction work to develop this area. From the start, a judicial system had been meticulously drawn up but during the execution process, there were bound to be some issues. And since it was An Chang Qing who drafted the bills, the senior officials had naturally come to him whenever they couldn’t make a decision. An Chang Qing was very passionate and would visit the magistrate’s office to discuss with them and often, he would travel out to the city outskirts to check on the citizens and boost their morale. 

When Xiao Zhige returned to the manor and found out that An Chang Qing had left, his expression couldn’t be any more grim.

Because they could not let the public know that An Chang Qing was pregnant and he couldn’t keep An Chang Qing locked up in the manor all the time, Xiao Zhige could only point his dagger-like glare at the old men that came knocking on their door. But much to his dismay, these weathered officials were ignorant in reading the mood. Or rather, even if they could tell, they would still feign ignorance. They were now highly reliant on An Chang Qing and would need to consult his opinion on everything. As for the Northern Warlord? Well, they thought he was a little useless now that there’s no more war.

Just as the two were talking, a report came from the front gate announcing that the foreman of the crafting workshop had requested to meet An Chang Qing.

The crafting workshop that was recently established was also one of An Chang Qing’s proposals. It worked in conjunction with the ordnance department of the military. While the ordnance department developed and distributed weaponry for the military, the crafting workshop gathered talented craftsmen to develop tools and equipment that benefited the people. This decision stemmed from An Chang Qing witnessing the people having a laborious time using the ox cart to transport water for irrigation due to the high terrain. He had then remembered during the years he spent wandering the earth as a ghost, he had once floated outside Yejing and witnessed a type of irrigation system which did not require any manpower, instead it used a large wheel and hydraulic power to irrigate the field.

Xiao Zhige listened to his proposal and also felt that this would be immensely beneficial to Yanzhou. He gave An Chang Qing his full support and from then onwards, the crafting workshop was established. They had also gathered seasoned artisans of different fields to work there.

An Chang Qing was particularly interested in the water wheel. After recruiting the craftsmen, he relayed his thoughts to them and had them construct a prototype as soon as possible. Luckily, the craftsmen were inventive enough and had created the first version of the water wheel after only a few meetings with An Chang Qing. The foreman had come today to invite An Chang Qing to the crating workshop to see the water wheel.

Once he heard that the water wheel was completed, in his excitement, An Chang Qing couldn’t be bothered about Xiao Zhige and left to follow the foreman. 

Xiao Zhige, who had been left behind, pulled a black face and objected, “Wangfei is not well today and will stay in the manor. He will go see it after he’s feeling better.”

The foreman heard this and looked at An Chang Qing with hesitance, not daring to take another step.

An Chang Qing knew Xiao Zhige was about to preach to him again. He had hoped to get away with it but was unsuccessful in the end. At this point, his only option was to coax the man. He turned and gave Xiao Zhige a sweet smile, “I’m perfectly fine, there’s no discomfort anywhere.”

After speaking, he even took a few brisk steps to show him. It wasn’t that An Chang Qing was being careless, it was just that his belly was still flat. Other than his improved appetite, he really did not have any discomfort. On the contrary, he felt that he had more energy than before. He believed he was about to grow mold if he continued to be cooped up in the manor all day.

Xiao Zhige, on the other hand, almost had a heart attack when he took those big fleeting steps. He did not want to argue with An Chang Qing in front of outsiders so after thinking it through, he calmed himself and said, “I’ll come along with Wangfei.”

---

1.  闻弦歌而知雅意(wén xiángē ér zhī yǎyi)-  An excerpt from Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The direct translation is when one hears a beautiful performance, they can understand its elegance. Meaning, the Empress and Crown Prince were able to figure out many things just based on the few hints that Xiao Zhige had revealed on purpose.

Chapter 66

Edited and Proofread by KitKat

What Hu Shifei brought was a crumbling old book. It was unknown where he got it from but, its cover had long been torn off and the pages had turned yellow.

He pointed excitedly to one particular paragraph and read out loud, “Beyond the Southern sea, there lived a tribe of people of mermaid descent. They were not classified by genders and were all physically attractive. The ones who bore the red marks were fertile. Those people were also skilled in weaving mermaid silk. Mermaid silk is impenetrable by any weapons. One foot is worth a thousand gold.”

Physically attractive, red marks, fertility, these were all congruent with An Chang Qing’s current situation.

Xiao Zhige re-read the passage several times. “Southern Sea mermaid tribe? I have never heard of it?”

He had heard of mermaids in folk tales being passed down from ancient times but legend had it that these creatures had a fish tail and repulsive appearance. They were also violent creatures that fed on humans. Although the stories might have been distorted over thousands of years, there had never been a single mention of a tribe that carried mermaid blood. 

“I have never heard of it either,” Hu Shifei’s expression turned heavy, “Do you remember I once requested a portrait of Wangfei?”

At the time, An Chang Qing had gone to Hu Shifei’s clinic in search of a cure for his mother’s illness. Instead of monetary payment, Hu Shifei had demanded that he let him draw his portrait. Back then, he did not know that An Chang Qing was the Northern Warlord’s Wangfei.

“I remember.” Xiao Zhige nodded. He still had the portrait and was being properly stored.

Hu Shifei stroked his beard and said, “Actually, I wanted Wangfei’s portrait because a friend in Yu Ze had asked me to find a person in a painting. That person has at least six to seven points similar to Wangfei. I did not know Wangfei’s identity at that time and wanted to draw his portrait and send it to him.”

Hu Shifei did not expect that An Chang Qing was the Northern Warlord’s Wangfei and the portrait had also been taken away by Xiao Zhige. Furthermore, his friend was from the Yu Ze Empire, so it was highly inappropriate to send him the portrait of Da Ye Empire’s Wangfei. Afraid of courting death, he just ignored the matter like it had never happened. 

He had eventually forgotten all that but the recent events had reignited his curiosity about his friend’s painting. He dug out the painting and upon close examination, found that the person in the painting also had a fish scale mark on their forehead.

“This is the painting. Wangye, please have a look.” Hu Shifei took out the small scroll and laid it flat on the table.

The painting depicted a roughly sketched male figure with features very similar to An Chang Qing’s, down to the mole under his eye.

The only difference was the position of the red marking. It was on the man’s forehead which was partially covered by his hair while An Chang Qing’s was behind his ear.

Xiao Zhige and An Chang Qing exchanged glances. They both thought of the portrait that Xue Wuyi had ordered his men to deliver to them. The person in the painting had hair covering his forehead and most likely, it was hiding the red mark as well. 

The Xi Wei Empire, and now followed by the Yu Zer Empire, they all seemed to be searching for the person in the painting. Xiao Zhige’s eyes darkened, “This absolutely has to stay a secret. I’ll send more people to investigate.”

Hu Shifei saw Xiao Zhige’s gloominess and quickly agreed. He added, “Would you like me to inquire about the identity of the person in the painting? That friend of mine is a traveling doctor and loves to collect strange tales from around the world. Perhaps he might know more about the mermaid tribe.”

“Go ahead. But you must not disclose anything about Wangfei.”

Hu Shifei agreed. He then looked at An Chang Qing’s belly and asked, “So Wangfei… about the pregnancy…”

As soon as this was spoken, a long silence followed.

An Chang Qing looked at his belly, partly wanting to touch and partly afraid to do so. It took him some time to find his voice, “There’s really… a baby?” 

At this moment, he wasn’t sure what to feel. Of course there was joy as this was a child that bore his and Xiao Zhige’s blood but he just could not calm down thinking that a child was to be born from him. After all, that meant that not only was he a man who could give birth, it also indicated that he might not be human.

“Prescribe something for Wangfei first. We’ll deal with the rest once we have more information on the mermaid tribe. If it’s dangerous to Wangfei’s health…” 

He did not have to finish his sentence for Hu Shifei to understand.

Since Xiao Zhige had decided to marry An Chang Qing, he had resolved that he would not have children of his own. Hearing that An Chang Qing might be pregnant, his first reaction was not of joy but deep concern. 

A man giving birth was unprecedented since times unknown. Moreover, childbirth had always been a matter of life and death even for women, not to mention someone with a weak constitution like An Chang Qing. 

And on top of that, the person in the painting was connected to both the Xi Wei and Yu Ze empires. He could not be sure if An Chang Qing’s similarity to him was a blessing or simply a curse.

Seeing Xiao Zhige’s concerns leaking from his expression, An Chang Qing grabbed his hand and comforted, “It’s no use worrying at this point. Let’s have nature take its course.”

After the initial shock and anxiety had passed, An Chang Qing was actually at ease. The child was already brought into existence by them, they would not give him up so easily. And since this child will carry Xiao Zhige’s bloodline, it’s actually a blessing.

In his previous life, Xiao Zhige did not take in a concubine. Later, to make him Empress, he had gone against the courtiers and until his death, he did not have an heir to carry his bloodline. In this life, Xiao Zhige will undoubtedly ascend to the throne once again. Although he could adopt a child from within the royal bloodline, having a child of his own would lessen the friction from his courtiers.

An Chang Qing subconsciously touched his belly which was still flat. It was quite hard to believe that it was nurturing a small life inside. In hindsight, An Chang Qing concluded that this was a godsend. He grabbed Xiao Zhige’s hand and placed it over his lower abdomen and said, “The arrival of a child is a joyous event, why is Wangye unhappy? What you said just now, don’t say it anymore in the future. If the baby were to hear it, he might get upset.”

Xiao Zhige broke into a smile at his words. “He’s at most three months old, what can he possibly understand?”

Seeing that they had reconciled with this matter, Hu Shifei cleared his throat and said, “Then I’ll first prescribe maternity pills for Wangfei and also note down foods to avoid, please tell the kitchen to pay attention,” he then added sternly, “Other than that… Please refrain from bedroom activities that are too intense.”

An Chang Qing: “…”

An Chang Qing blushed instantly. He withdrew his hand from Xiao Zhige’s and nodded. 

After writing the prescription, Hu Shifei called for Yu Xiao. Yu Xiao had been learning from him for some time and was now able to recognize and decoct commonly used medicinal herbs. And since he said that his father had been pregnant before, it would be best if he looked after An Chang Qing at this point.

The next morning, Yu Xiao happily brought the medicine to An Chang Qing. He greeted him then stared at his belly with twinkling eyes.

Remembering that last time he had wanted to say hello to the baby, An Chang Qing told him to come closer and asked curiously, “You can really feel the child inside?”

“Yes!” Yu Xiao nodded and tried to describe the sensation to him, “It’s like a tiny fish swimming in your belly!”

An Chang Qing was stunned, “A fish?”

Yu Xiao tilted his head and contemplated, “Not entirely. Just a little similar. It’s small and very lively.” It was a mystical feeling he couldn’t fully describe with words.

Hearing that it was not a fish, An Chang Qing was quite relieved. He may have accepted that he might be from a non-human race that’s capable of giving birth but telling him that he’s carrying a fish in his tummy was simply too inconceivable.

Yu Xiao seemed really fond of his baby. He chirped away happily and after getting An Chang Qing’s approval, gently touched his stomach. 

An Chang Qing couldn’t help but smile as he watched him move with excitement. 

When Yu Xiao was done, An Chang Qing sat him by his side and asked about his parents in detail.

Because Yu Xiao’s fathers had passed away when he was only six, much of his memories had become foggy. According to him, his family had lived in the mountains. His big daddy was a hunter while his small daddy taught in a small village at the foot of the mountain. They were a family of three and despite being impoverished, they were happy.

It’s just that his small daddy had a weak body and after being pregnant, his health deteriorated. During that time, the family was always in a dreary mood. Later, when his small daddy was in labor, he was not allowed to see it. After that, he could only remember his big daddy coming out of the room and telling him that neither his small daddy or the baby could make it.

Since then, the father and son could only rely on each other to live on but two years later, his big daddy was suddenly afflicted with a fatal illness. Before his death, he told Yu Xiao to take all the silver and leave the mountain to seek refuge with an old acquaintance. Sadly, on his way to find this person, Yu Xiao was abducted and sold off.

“That’s all I remember.” Talking about the past had dampened Yu Xiao’s spirit but as children’s emotions come and go quickly, he was cheerful again in no time. He said to An Chang Qing, “The baby in Wangfei’s tummy is very powerful, I can feel it!”

An Chang Qing was appreciative of his praise. He touched his head and smiled. Speaking of which, Yu Xiao and his small daddy are probably the same race as him, that would explain how Yu Xiao was able to sense the child inside him.

He then thought of his own mother. From youth, Lady Yu had never mentioned anything of this sort. He wasn’t sure if she was unaware of it or she had known but was keeping it from him.

An Chang Qing considered for a moment before asking Anfu to bring him a brush and ink, he had decided to write a letter to Yejing to enquire.

By the time An Chang Qing was done with the letter, Xiao Zhige had returned. In his hand was An Chang Qing’s favorite pastry. Yu Xiao was still a little frightened by him. He excused himself under the pretext of preparing medicine and quickly ran away.

An Chang Qing saw that and teased Xiao Zhige, “If you keep having that black face, our child is going to be frightened by it.”

Xiao Zhige felt helpless and couldn’t argue with him. He unwrapped the paper bag and placed the pastry on the table. “How are you today? Do you feel discomfort anywhere?”

Xiao Zhige had been like this ever since Hu Shifei left yesterday. He was more anxious than An Chang Qing and had been asking about his body over twenty times a day.

An Chang Qing was tired of answering his questions and simply nodded. He quickly shifted the topic, “Did Wangye send the letter to Xi Wei?”

After their trip to Liangzhou, Xiao Zhige and Xue Wuyi had reached a tacit understanding. Xiao Zhige needed his help escorting the two leaders of the Common Men’s Army to Liangzhou and had been in touch with him ever since. Furthermore, since the portrait was originally from Xi Wei, Xiao Zhige had sent another letter trying to find out if Xue Wuyi knew anything about the mermaid tribe. At the same time, Xiao Zhige had also sent out his scouts to conduct a covert investigation in Yu Ze.

“I already had someone deliver the letter. It’ll probably take a few days to get a response.” Xiao Zhige replied, “I’ve also sent a letter back to Yejing to have someone look through the books in the palace. Let’s see if we can find any records related to the mermaids.”

If the person in the painting, together with Yu Xiao’s father and An Chang Qing, were really descendents of the mermaid tribe, it was improbable that after all these years, there was no information of their existence. Unless they never came into contact with outsiders, it was impossible for them to stay undiscovered.

Moreover, with the looks of the person in the painting and the involvement of Yu Ze and Xi Wei, he couldn’t possibly be an ordinary person. Such an eye-catching person with such an incredible connection, yet there were no records after centuries… 

There could only be one possibility – the relevant records had been deliberately destroyed.

What was certain for now was that the person in the painting was connected to Xi Wei’s founding Emperor, Xue Chang. Long ago, Xue Chang and Huai Shu An had decided to break off with Da Ye at the same time. Xiao Zhige had always thought that that was because the two were ambitious and had wanted to be kings with their own territories, but seeing how this portrait had nothing to do with Da Ye, Xiao Zhige couldn’t help but ponder if there was another connection.

Chapter 65

Edited and Proofread by KitKat

During the mid-month of June, Shen Tu Xu had finally escorted the ten thousand “prisoners” to Yanzhou.

Although they managed to keep their lives, they were nevertheless convicted and exiled. The treatment they received along the way was largely cruel. By the time they reached Yanzhou, they were malnourished and dressed in rags.

After both sides had tallied the prisoner count and exchanged documents, Shen Tu Xu’s task was completed. And since there were matters to take care of back in Suzhou, he took his leave thereafter.

Xiao Zhige then assigned officers to make arrangements for these civilians.

Yanzhou’s expansion had not begun while the newcomers were fairly populous. They had not figured out where to allocate them and it was not advisable to abruptly introduce them into the city. It was a good thing that they had prepared a temporary shelter at the city outskirts with residents ready to guide them.

Although the exiled people were unhappy about leaving their home, they dared not step out of line in front of the Northern Warlord. Everyone had resigned to their fate. They complied with the soldiers’ instructions, leading them towards the city’s border.

They thought that they would have to live without a shelter over their heads and labor away day and night. But when they arrived, they saw that a massive stretch of land had been filled with rows of well-made thatched huts. Furthermore, over ninety giant pots of boiling porridge were spread evenly across the whole area.

The people’s despondent expression soon began to change. They looked eagerly at the thatched huts and hot porridge and wondered if those were prepared for them. 

Since this group of people consisted of civilians from different provinces around Kangyong County, Xiao Zhige believed that instead of appointing his men to take charge, it was best to let them manage themselves.

After the group had quietened down, the people at the front, who were mostly elderly men, cautiously stepped forward. They looked at Xiao Zhige with the eyes of a prisoner waiting to be executed.

It was at this point that An Chang Qing’s role became prominent. He gathered the village chiefs and others who had gained considerable reputation during the rebellion and discussed the arrangements with them. After which, they would return and relay to their respective groups.

Having heard An Chang Qing’s speech, these people were all surprised. They had thought that after being exiled, they would just have to wait for their death and there was little hope for a better future. They had never thought that when they reached Yanzhou, not only had they not been treated as criminals, they were also given a path to continue their livelihood!

The village chiefs and leaders were so touched that they were speechless. They bowed appreciatively and said, “Thank you Wangye and Wangfei for your benevolence. We will never forget your kindness!”

An Chang Qing let them leave to relay the details to their people which they did so with enthusiasm. 

Upon hearing about the plans An Chang Qing had for them, the general masses were filled with joy. They had thought that they were doomed, having turned into convicts and exiled, but after arriving at Yanzhou, their hopeless situation had turned for the better.

An Chang Qing and Xiao Zhige stood side by side watching the people queuing up for food with smiles on their faces. They couldn’t help but feel deeply moved. It had taken An Chang Qing many days to formulate and organize the arrangements for these civilians. But the happiness he felt having convinced the senior officials to accept his proposals was nowhere as satisfying as witnessing this scene.

Seeing the plans he worked so hard to develop being carried out to serve the people and filling their eyes with hope again, no amount of praise could give a higher sense of achievement.

Although An Chang Qing was silent, Xiao Zhige could see the shine in his eyes. He looked at the civilians receiving their food and patted him on the shoulder, “Nuo Nuo did great this time. In the future, I’ll leave them in your hands.”

An Chang Qing regained his composure and turned to look at him. He raised his lips and said, “I’ll do my best.”

…..

When the newcomers had settled down, and taken a few days’ rest, they commenced work on building Yanzhou’s outer city and reinforcing the city walls.

The reinforcement of the city walls had been put on hold for many years due to the shortage of manpower. Now that many young and robust individuals had come to Yanzhou, they could provide the labor and in turn, receive pay and food.

And because the outer city would provide settlement for them in the future, this gave them even more motivation than the apportioned food and wages. The earlier they could complete the construction, the sooner they would have a stable home. As such, everyone was diligent in their work. And even if someone dared to misbehave, they would be put in place by the others.

As the construction of the outer city progressed without a hitch, they also received news from Chang Zai Cang that the first batch of raw jade had been mined and was ready to be delivered to the south. This first shipment was meant to open up a path for them to do business with the southern merchants, therefore, it was imperative to send someone proficient. Xiao Zhige had many talented individuals under his command but their talents were for leading troops into battles. The only probable candidate was Xie Ling. However, Xie Ling was a high commanding officer, it would draw too much attention to send him all the way from the North to the South.

Xiao Zhige, who was now accustomed to discussing Yanzhou’s affairs with An Chang Qing, would naturally tell him about this predicament. An Chang Qing pondered briefly and said with a little hesitation, “Actually, there is someone suitable for this job.”

“Who?” Xiao Zhige raised his eyebrows, not expecting An Chang Qing to have someone suitable in mind.

“Zhou He Lan.” An Chang Qing replied.

Zhou He Lan had come to Yanzhou with him but An Chang Qing had no businesses to run in Yanzhou. There was nothing for him to do and hence, he had been taking care of the general management of the manor.

An Chang Qing felt that keeping Zhou He Lan by his side was a waste of his talents. After coming to Yanzhou, An Chang Qing had asked if he wanted a position in the government or the army. After all, in his previous life, Zhou He Lan was honored by Yu Ze’s Emperor as the national teacher. Rather than being a caretaker for the General’s manor, his ability would be put to better use working under Xiao Zhige.

However, Zhou He Lan refused.

In the past few months, Zhou He Lan had grown up considerably. Although he was younger than An Chang Qing, his tall build and lack of expression caused him to seem rather mature. He was still skinny and quiet but a lot more composed, certainly a big difference compared to when An Chang Qing had seen him in his previous life.

Since he did not want to, An Chang Qing did not force him either. The Zhou He Lan of this life was different and although he was leading another path, he still should have the right to choose. An Chang Qing also believed that with Zhou He Lan’s personality, he would not lay low forever. 

And now the opportunity had come.

Xiao Zhige listened to An Chang Qing’s proposal and carefully considered it. Zhou He Lan was still young but he was serious in his work. The General’s Manor had been well-maintained under his supervision. He had also assisted An Chang Qing with managing the shops back in Yejing. And most importantly, he was undoubtedly loyal to An Chang Qing.

After some deliberation, Xiao Zhige made his choice and said, “Let’s pick him.”

An Chang Qing called Zhou He Lan and the three of them discussed the matters that would follow in secret. This time, Zhou He Lan did not refuse.

Other than picking the person in charge, they would also need a few helpers. Since it was nothing urgent, Xiao Zhige let Zhou He Lan evaluate and pick out his team.

When preparations were done, it was the beginning of July. Zhou He Lan gathered his team and bid farewell to An Chang Qing and Xiao Zhige, departing for Liangzhou with a seal from Xiao Zhige.

Having sent Zhou He Lan off, An Chang Qing dragged Xiao Zhige to the fields outside the city for a walk. The weather in July was hot and sunny, allowing the sweet potato vines to grow rapidly. The greenery spreading across the fields and the half-built outer city were pleasant sights to behold. The smile on An Chang Qing’s face could not be erased.

By the time they returned to the manor, it was already noon. An Chang Qing only had two bowls of rice before he left and his stomach was now growling.

Anfu was asked to bring snacks to the pavilion where An Chang Qing was resting. Xiao Zhige was free this afternoon and was accompanying him. He observed An Chang Qing gulping down two plates of snacks and frowned, “Eat less, careful not to get indigestion.”

An Chang Qing did not seem to realize how much he had eaten and mumbled, “I didn’t eat that much. I’m still a little hungry.”

Xiao Zhige had been with him for so long, naturally he would know of An Chang Qing’s regular appetite. His frown deepened and he said, “Have you not noticed that lately your appetite has increased considerably? And also your sleep.”

An Chang Qing thought back and agreed. He hesitated and said, “It does seem like I’m eating a little more than before. I also don’t feel restless and could sleep a lot better.”

Isn’t this a good thing though?

An Chang Qing looked at Xiao Zhige with a confused look, not knowing what he was worried about.

Xiao Zhige sighed inwardly. After Hu Shifei’s diagnosis back in May, he had dug up mountains of medical records but could not find any clues. When they went to speak to  Yu Xiao, he was not able to explain many things due to his age. He insisted that he could feel the baby inside Wangfei because his father was also pregnant before. But when they asked about his father’s origin and how he could become pregnant, Yu Xiao was unable to give a clear explanation.

A man being pregnant was simply inconceivable. Hu Shifei had since taken An Chang Qing’s pulse many times and they all turned out to be smooth pulses. However, it had been two months and An Chang Qing’s belly did not grow any bigger and hence, they were at a loss again.

Because they have not found out the root cause yet, Xiao Zhige still had not told An Chang Qing about the red mark behind his ear. Telling him would just make him worry. Xiao Zhige wanted to wait till they had more information before letting him know.

Xiao Zhige was still in deep thought when he heard someone calling him. 

“Wangye! I’ve found it!” Hu Shifei’s voice had reached them before the man himself could be seen.

Chapter 64

Edited and Proofread by KitKat

After having dinner, the couple went for a stroll to digest the food before turning in.

It was already June and the weather was getting warmer. Although this heat was nowhere as strong as the summer’s, An Chang Qing was still incredibly uncomfortable with it. Wearing a light gown and covering himself with a thin quilt was not enough to alleviate his body heat. As such, Xiao Zhige was banned from hugging him at night due to his high body temperature. 

Feeling frustrated, Xiao Zhige ordered a set of silk short sleeves gown and pants to be made especially for An Chang Qing. With the light fabric and his skin exposed, An Chang Qing finally stopped complaining about the heat.

This night, after washing up, An Chang Qing was sitting by the bed, contemplating over how to improve the land legislation. When Xiao Zhige entered the room and saw him dressed in skimpy clothes, he felt a fire ignited from within.

He came forward and released the bed curtain, then kissed An Chang Qing lightly on the mouth. He nimbly pulled out a jar of ointment from the bedside cabinet and said, “Should we try this tonight? Hu Shifei said that it can enhance pleasure and also help your body…” 

An Chang Qing was not too eager as he had been feeling listless lately. On top of that, he was badly affected by the temperature. Simply lying down was enough to accumulate heat, not to mention doing it. However, Xiao Zhige’s scorching gaze caused his heart to tremble and several parts of his body to itch. 

After the times that they have bonded, Xiao Zhige was now familiar with all the pleasure points on his body. Before An Chang Qing was able to say no, a powerful palm was already pressing against his behind and a soft kiss was planted on his ear.

Xiao Zhige was always fond of kissing An Chang Qing’s white and soft earlobes but this time, he felt a peculiar sensation after kissing him for a while. He pulled back and lifted the curtain to get some light. Turning back to take a closer look, he saw that behind his ears was a red patch of what seemed to be fish scales. The area of redness was small and had around four pieces of scales glowing red, looking quite enchanting. 

Xiao Zhige gently rubbed the red spot but there was no change. If he weren’t kissing An Chang Qing this frequently, he would’ve thought it was a birthmark. 

An Chang Qing was a little itchy and aroused as Xiao Zhige touched his ear. He shyly looked at him with some anticipation. 

However, Xiao Zhige’s desires had died down. Instead, he was more concerned about the appearance of the strange spot. Seeing that An Chang Qing was unaware of this as well, he kept it to himself and decided to summon Hu Shifei early tomorrow.

An Chang Qing: “???”

An Chang Qing was coaxed to sleep with his head full of questions. He was a little disappointed but seeing that Xiao Zhige had no intention of continuing and him being too embarrassed to ask, he slumped back and let himself fall asleep.

On the other hand, Xiao Zhige was getting worried the more he thought about the appearance of the red mark and An Chang Qing’s incongruent mood of late. 

Before dawn the next day, Xiao Zhige left to find Hu Shifei without even having breakfast with An Chang Qing.

Hu Shifei was already practicing Wu Qin Xi (five-animals exercises). Yu Xiao whom An Chang Qing had brought back with him to Yanzhou had been following Hu Shifei around in the beginning as his helper. Now, he was studying under him as his student.

Xiao Zhige entered the yard and saw the pair of teacher and student. He looked at Yu Xiao briefly and said to Hu Shifei, “I need to talk to you in private. Let’s go somewhere else.”

Hu Shifei sensed the gloom in his tone and had to stop and immediately led him to the study. Yu Xiao brought them tea and sensibly retreated.

Xiao Zhige then told Hu Shifei his discovery and also of An Chang Qing’s abnormal mood in recent days.

Hu Shifei pondered over and confirmed, “But I checked Wangfei’s pulse just a few days ago. Wangfei’s health is perfectly fine and there’s definitely not underlying illness.”

“Then what about the red mark behind his ear?”

Hu Shifei touched his mustache and said after some thinking, “I can’t tell. I have to see it with my own eyes.”

“Then do it now,” Xiao Zhige said, but he added after, “I haven’t told him. If… if it’s really some strange illness, don’t tell him first.”

Hu Shifei had never seen Xiao Zhige with such a nervous and hesitant expression before. He shook his head and told Yu Xiao to come with them to the General’s Manor with his medicine case.

Recently, An Chang Qing had become accustomed to seeing Hu Shifei. He smiled helplessly as he saw the two people behind Xiao Zhige walk in. “Why did you invite Dr Hu here again? I told you I’m fine.”

Ever since the time he was losing sleep to vomiting after drinking some soup, Xiao Zhige had been asking Hu Shifei to give him a checkup every few days.

Before Xiao Zhige could respond, Hu Shifei helped him out by saying, “It’s no problem. I’m just checking your pulse.”

Yu Xiao stepped up to greet An Chang Qing before aptly opening the medicine box and placing it in a convenient position for Hu Shifei. He then stepped back for Hu Shifei to do his work.

First, Hu Shifei checked An Chang Qing’s pulse which was steady and spry without any abnormalities. He frowned and went on to check his eyes, tongue, and eventually behind his ears; there was indeed a small scarlet scale shaped mark.

Hu Shifei rubbed the mark with his fingers but it did not seem like it was a stain, more like a birthmark. Momentarily, he was not able to discern what it was. He withdrew his hand and reported, “There is nothing wrong with Wangfei’s health. Only a slight elevation in temperature which requires a light diet.”

An Chang Qing gave Xiao Zhige a ‘I told you so’ look at which Xiao Zhige could only return with a smile. He sent Hu Shifei out and took the opportunity to inquire further.

Hu Shifei really did not find anything out of the ordinary and could only reply, “Wangfei’s pulse is healthy. I cannot explain the mark behind his ear but I’ve also never heard of any illness with such symptoms. I’d have to do some more research but Wangfei is doing fine, Wangye does not have to worry.”

Xiao Zhige did not want to worry too much but when it came to An Chang Qing, he simply could not afford to be careless.

Inside, Yu Xiao had finished packing up the medicinal box when he was held back by An Chang Qing to ask about his tutelage with Hu Shifei.

After he brought Yu Xiao back from Liangzhou, due to his small age, An Chang Qing did not give him any work. Later, when Hu Shifei happened to be short of a medicine boy, seeing how bright Yu Xiao was and how he could learn something from Hu Shifei, An Chang Qing had sent him over.

Since then, Yu Xiao had grown quite a bit. Previously, due to the lack of food and clothes, he had been like a malnourished little girl. Now that he had a stable life and Hu Shifei had taught him a few exercise routines, he was now showing a lot more flesh. Although the birthmark on his face was still prominent, his appearance had become sturdy and he was no longer mistaken for a girl.

Other than his teacher, Hu Shifei, the person Yu Xiao trusted the most was An Chang Qing. He smiled and zealously talked about his studies and life with Hu Shifei. An Chang Qing happily chatted with him for a while before ordering Anfu to share with Yu Xiao some pine nut candies and snacks that Xiao Zhige had bought for him.

Yu Xiao received the snacks with glee. Upon leaving, he glanced back at An Chang Qing’s stomach. After some hesitation, approached and asked softly, “Can I touch the baby in your tummy?”

An Chang Qing’s smile was frozen on his face. He asked as though he could not ask the question, “What?”

Yu Xiao noticed the change in his expression. He thought he was unwilling and whispered timidly, “I, I just want to say hello to the baby… Before, I almost had a baby brother or sister.”

After speaking, Yu Xiao seemed to realize something and his face turned pale with anxiety.

An Chang Qing clearly heard his words this time. He was befuddled as he asked in a daze, “Where’s the baby?”

As Yu Xiao was still a child, he did not understand the complicated affairs of the adults. He innocently answered, “Inside Wangfei’s belly. I can feel it.”

“It was the same for father…” Yu Xiao remembered something and did not continue. His flustered face turned to look at An Chang Qing.

Before, his father had always taught him not to tell anyone. If the wrong people knew about this, it would bring disaster to the family. Yu Xiao looked at An Chang Qing and felt that he was not a bad person. He was also someone close to him so it should be alright to tell him…

An Chang Qing was still confused with what he heard. He looked at his belly and then back at Yu Xiao but could only conclude that it was just a silly misunderstanding of a child. He smiled and said, “I’m a man, I can’t have a baby. If you let Dr. Hu hear this, he’s going to laugh at you.”

Yu Xiao bit his lips. He was sure that what he felt was a baby inside Wangfei’s belly. Back when his father was pregnant, he could also sense it. He had hoped to see his brother or sister, but then…

His eyes turned gloomy as he persisted, “It’s really there.”

An Chang Qing saw his dejected look and couldn’t bear to upset a child. He coaxed him and agreed, “Alright, alright, I have a baby.”

Yu Xiao really thought that An Chang Qing had believed him and was happy again. His eyes lit up and he asked again, “So can I touch it?”

Xiao Zhige sent Hu Shifei out but after the two had finished speaking, they waited and did not see Yu Xiao coming out. They returned to find him and as soon as they reached the door, Xiao Zhige could hear An Chang Qing say something about a baby. He casually asked, “What baby?”

Hu Shifei was there so An Chang Qing did not want to reveal what Yu Xiao had said to spare him from embarrassment but who knew the jolly child naively spilled everything, “We’re talking about the baby inside of Wangfei.”

An Chang Qing: “…”

Xiao Zhige: “…”

Hu Shifei: “Hm?”

An Chang Qing and Xiao Zhige were at a loss but Hu Shifei had turned pensive. He was lost in thought for a long time before facing Yu Xiao and asked, “Why would you say so?”

Yu Xiao retold everything that he had said to An Chang Qing. He really liked the baby inside of Wangfei.

Hu Shifei contemplated even longer. He shook his head but still turned to An Chang Qing and said, “Let me check Wangfei’s pulse again.”

An Chang Qing was all the more baffled. He thought that it was just some childish words of a kid but who knew Hu Shifei would follow up with his claim. Even so, he did not object and put his hand on the table once again.

Hu Shifei closed his eyes and carefully felt his pulse. 

“Wangfei’s pulse is slippery, like beads on a jade plate.”

This type of pulse usually means the body is having excess heat and water retention. An Chang Qing was recently exposed to a different climate so Hu Shifei had assumed that that was the case. However, just now, Yu Xiao’s words reminded him of another possibility.

This pulse is also associated with pregnancy. Combined with the appearance of the red mark…

Hu Shifei’s face went through many changes in expression. He scanned An Chang Qing up and down, shocked to learn that a man can be pregnant. He was unsure and also at a loss.

Xiao Zhige on the other hand was getting impatient. He urged Hu Shifei to explain, “Just tell us what you learned!”

An Chang Qing had some knowledge in medicine and knew about the slippery pulse. It did not necessarily point to pregnancy but after hearing what Yu Xiao said, he also had some doubts.

His eyes were particularly tense as he looked at Hu Shifei.

Hu Shifei was still in disbelief and did not report his guess. “Wangfei is afflicted by the heat and simply needs to take more cooling foods.” After a pause, he added, “Please restrict the bedroom activities as much as possible.”

For now, things’ll have to wait till he does more research.

An Chang Qing sighed with relief. He was also a bit embarrassed and laughed at himself for taking Yu Xiao’s childish talk seriously.

In the end, Yu Xiao was not able to touch the baby and was dragged away by Hu Shifei.

Chapter 63

Edited and Proofread by KitKat

After the Third Prince’s report had reached Yejing, a heated debate erupted in court on how to deal with the rebels.

Most courtiers felt that joining an uprising was a serious crime and had to be severely dealt with to discourage future attempts.

Emperor An Qing was in concurrence but how to deal with them was the problem. They were too large a number to kill and their crimes were not serious enough to warrant a death sentence. On the other hand, to lock them up would require expending resources and they lacked a prison large enough to do so. 

The court seemed like a wet market as the officers presented their bids regarding how to deal with the situation.

As Emperor An Qing was getting impatient, Minister Li An Min came forward with his solution:

Firstly, the leaders of the Common Man’s Army couldn’t be spared. Although they had escaped, the court should still issue an arrest warrant. Secondly, the people who had joined the rebellion were simply misled by cajolery. And, as far as the law went, punishing the majority was out of the question. Even if the court wanted to make an example out of this rebellion to ward off future riots, they would not have to enforce severe punishments on the commoners.

Emperor An Qing was getting a headache, “Then what does Minster Li suggest we do?”

“Why don’t we exile these rebels to guard the border?”

Minister Li went on to elaborate and justify his plan, “Yanzhou is the closest to Suzhou. It has a huge territory heavily armed with troops. If we send the rebels there, they will not dare to make trouble. And to serve as a warning, the rebels will be punished to reclaim land at the border.”

To be exiled for committing the serious crime of rebelling was considered a light punishment. However, to appease the public and demonstrate his benevolence, Emperor An Qing agreed that this method was reasonable. He ordered for the decree to be drafted and sent to Suzhou and Yanzhou.

The Third prince currently residing in Suzhou was bummed out upon receiving this news. He and Master Liao had collaborated to create this opportunity to earn merits but everything had been resolved by the time he got to Suzhou. No matter how biased Emperor An Qing was, he still couldn’t give him all the credit.

He cast a cold glance at Shen Tu Xu and said, “Since this matter is over, General Tu Xu can arrange for these rebels to be escorted to Yanzhou. I’ll be heading back to Yejing first.”

By now, Shen Tu Xu had been somewhat perturbed by him. He bowed respectfully and heaved a sigh of relief as he watched him leave.

The decree only reached Yanzhou after the Third Prince had departed for Yejing.

Hearing that almost ten thousand people would be joining Yanzhou, the lieutenants were simply overjoyed. They couldn’t believe that Yejing would actually send these rebels to them.

Yanzhou covered a large area but over the years, families were dying out due to the Beidi war. This had left many houses vacant and uninhabited, perfectly suitable for the thousands of rebels to live in. 

The Lieutenants had delegated for the arrangements to be made, with An Chang Qing supervising.

Xiao Zhige had always wanted to expand Yanzhou since the time he was appointed its General. However, there was never enough manpower, which at that time, was mainly focused on the war. Now that there were more people and the war was won, there were many ideas he planned to put forward.

In addition to building the outer city walls, he had plans to cultivate a large area of land within the city for growing crops. But how to cultivate the land, distribute the work, irrigate the field, tax implementations, etc, all these would require careful planning and development step by step.

The associate officials advised him to follow the long-established charter used by the nearby provinces but Xiao Zhige was not happy with it. Instead, a conversation he had had with An Chang Qing in the manor had captured his heart.

An Chang Qing had suggested to him: “Rather than ordering the people to cultivate the land, it’s better to let them take the initiative. The people who are arriving in Yanzhou would need a means to support their family but they do not own the land. The existing fields in Yanzhou are not able to provide enough work for them. As such, we can encourage them to cultivate their own land. Each household will register a portion of land to reform and it has to be done by October. Whatever that they had managed to reform would be theirs to use for two years with tax exemption.”

That way, the people would be much more motivated to work in comparison to being forced to do so.

Xiao Zhige believed that An Chang Qing’s plan had great potential. However, none of his underlings were suitable to handle this matter and hence, decided that An Chang Qing should be the one to actualize this project. An Chang Qing was a little hesitant at first. After all, he had not been incharge of anything significant in his two lifetimes. Although he had a bellyful of knowledge, it was all just texts that he had read. Now that he had to put it into action, An Chang Qing was concerned about failure but at the same time, he was also filled with passion and eagerness to see it come to fruition.

After all, every man would want to make a name for himself. Before marrying Xiao Zhige, he had wanted to have an official position, not for money or fame, but simply to accomplish something meaningful.

 Xiao Zhige was not at all worried. He told him to draft out the charter, then have the relevant officers review and discuss. After considering it from all sides, they could then officially enact this legislation.

An Chang Qing was reassured by Xiao Zhige’s encouragement. He dug up Yanzhou’s records from earlier years to research and, after integrating some of his own ideas, carefully drafted a detailed charter. 

In no time, An Chang Qing was a lot busier than Xiao Zhige. The study was often occupied by him from sunrise till late into the evening. 

At first, Xiao Zhige only wanted to help An Chang Qing take his mind off as he had not been  in a good mood. Unexpectedly, An Chang Qing had really put his heart into this project. Each legislation was drafted to benefit the livelihood of the people. His dedication and thoughtfulness made Xiao Zhige both surprised and proud.

Ever since he came to deliver the rations and contributed to guarding Yanzhou, Xiao Zhige had already known that An Chang Qing was not weak. Under the delicate and beautiful visage was a body of steel and heart of gold. It was only because he had stayed silent that no one had realized these precious traits.

Xiao Zhige was the only one to notice. He partly wanted to keep him hidden but seeing the excitement in his eyes, he also wanted to show off An Chang Qing’s admirable qualities to everyone.

…

An Chang Qing spent half a month drafting the legislation and by June, he had almost everything ready. He was about to look for Xiao Zhige to show him the draft and ask for his opinion on several small details that he was unsure of.

By now, the guards at the city hall were already familiar with him. They bowed and let him enter without questions.

Shen Tu Xu was currently sending the ten thousand ‘exilees’ to Yanzhou and would arrive soon. Xiao Zhige was discussing the details of settling them in. Although it was favorable to increase the population, proper planning in advance was imperative to help them settle in easily.

When An Chang Qing arrived, Xiao Zhige was still in discussion. He planned to wait outside but was invited to join.

The officers in the room saw An Chang Qing come in and gave Xiao Zhige a baffled look. These officers were not of Xiao Zhige’s inner circle so it was inevitable that they had some misgivings with An Chang Qing’s presence during a magisterial meeting.

Xiao Zhige paid no heed. He beckoned An Chang Qing to sit next to him and said, “Wangfei has been drafting the land legislation I mentioned a few days ago. Everyone, please take a look.”

He then looked at An Chang Qing and gave him a soothing smile. An Chang Qing was able to gain confidence under his support.

He was, after all, the Wangfei of the Northern Warlord. He shouldn’t let them look down on him by being timid. He put on a serious expression and began presenting his ideas.

The group of officials listened to him speak and had an inexplicable feeling that Wangfei had an air that bore resemblance to the Northern Warlord.

To draft this document, An Chang Qing had done extensive research using old records and literature. He combined ideas from different sources and integrated them with his own insights. Not only did he tackle the current issue of land reformation but also the development of this land for the future. Everything was detailed and well thought out.

The officers who were initially skeptical of his involvement were put to shame after reading his draft.

The draft was finally handed over to Xiao Zhige. By now, Xiao Zhige was already familiar with this draft but still carefully read it over. He then asked, “Does anyone want to change any part of this draft?”

The officers looked at each other but did not speak up. After some time, it was a senior officer who took the lead stating their views on the matter. However, their tone was of utmost respect towards An Chang Qing.

An Chang Qing was delighted but did not show it on his face. He patiently discussed it over with the officers to improve and polish the draft. Eventually, the officers opened up to him and, compared to the Northern Warlord who was silent and serious, they preferred to work with the amiable and good-tempered Wangfei.

By the time they were able to finalize the documents, night had fallen.

Before leaving, an elderly officer who was very content with An Chang Qing grabbed him and said excitedly, “When will Wangfei come for the next meeting? There are still many issues that we don’t know how to deal with. We would like to ask Wangfei to give us some advice.”

An Chang Qing was still unsure how to respond when Xiao Zhige freed his hand from the elderly officer and grumbled, “There will be plenty of opportunities in the future. You should go back and rest for now.”

The elderly officer happily complied and bid them farewell.

After the officers had left, An Chang Qing’s shoulders relaxed. He couldn’t hide the joy in his eyes and said to Xiao Zhige, “I didn’t embarrass Wangye just now, did I?”

Xiao Zhige held his hand, smiled and said, “Thanks to you, those old men are willing to give me some face.”

The civil officers were all stubborn and Xiao Zhige was also not a patient individual. Whenever there was a disagreement between them, Xiao Zhige would always win thanks to his position and notorious temper. These officers felt that they had no choice but to obey.

Today, with An Chang Qing leading the discussion, even though there were diverging opinions, he had eloquently defended his position and had a patient discourse with them to find common ground. And so, the atmosphere in the conference hall was as harmonious as it had never been before.

“Why doesn’t Nuo Nuo help me to handle these officers in the future?” Xiao Zhige shook his head and complained, “Dealing with them is quite frustrating and laborious.”

The officers in Yanzhou were all diligent and hardheaded, unlike those from Yejing. They were fearless and preferred long winding discussions. For Xiao Zhige, who came from a military background, debating with them was a vexing task. At times, he had wished he could get through to them with his fists instead. If Qi Wei dared to oppose that way, he would’ve long received a kick from him.

An Chang Qing laughed and said, “It can’t be that difficult.”

Xiao Zhige nodded, “So it’s decided then.”

An Chang Qing smiled as he thought to himself. He understood that Xiao Zhige was trying to get him involved with the development of Yanzhou and since he did not dislike this job either, An Chang Qing decided not to be coy and accepted the task.

Seeing that he had agreed, Xiao Zhige changed the focus to his health, “You’ve been busy these few days. It’s good that you’re able to sleep well at night but why do I find that you’re getting thinner?”

“How’s that possible?” An Chang Qing touched his face and said, “Lately, my appetite is really good. I think I should be putting on weight instead.”

Xiao Zhige said with certainty, “You do look thinner. Eat more later for dinner, I’ll get the kitchen to add tonic soup to your meal.”

An Chang Qing stared at him and thought ‘who is it that should drink tonic soup instead’ but kept it to himself or else he would suffer in the bedroom tonight. As such, he responded  “Alright, let’s drink it together.”

Chapter 62

Edited and Proofread by KitKat

Xie Ling left Suzhou’s General’s Manor and traveled for half a day before arriving at Kangyong County.

Kangyong County was now occupied by the Common Man’s Army. Because it was surrounded by mountains and rivers, there were only three traversable paths, all of which were heavily guarded by the people who had joined the rebellion. Members of the rebellion identified themselves using a piece of blue cloth tied around their waist. Most of them either carried a hoe or ax as weapons. Although they all seemed amped up, to Xie Ling who had been fighting the Beidi Army for many years, they looked rather foolhardy.

The might of this Common Man’s Army solely depended on numbers. But the larger the army, the more weapons and armor they’d need. It was impossible to fight all of Da Ye’s troops with the sole mentality of not fearing death. That was simply a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

No wonder Xiao Zhige had sent him here.

Not to mention the Third Prince, if Shen Tu Xu hadn’t been merciful towards them, the Suzhou army could easily disassemble this gathering. 

Xie Ling stopped his horse at a junction towards the main road. He scanned the area and not long after, was approached by a watchman holding two axes.

“Who are you? You can’t stay here! Hurry up and leave!”

Xie Ling was relieved to see that although the watchman bore a menacing attitude, he had no intention of attacking innocent people. He dismounted and introduced himself, “I am Xie Ling, I’ve come to take refuge. Please take me to meet the leader.”

The man was suspicious at first but seeing that he was alone, decided to let him in after some deliberation. He notified his colleague and motioned to Xie Ling, “Wait here. I’ll go to consult our leader.”

The two brothers who led the rebellion had been motherless from a young age. When they got older, their father fell ill and needed medication to stay alive. To earn money, the elder brother had learned butchery to support the family while the more intelligent younger brother had studied from the village professor. 

Initially, the family was looking forward to sending the younger brother off for the Imperial Exams when the snow storm hit. It took a lot from them to pull through the disaster but unfortunately, shortly after, the county magistrate came and demanded payment. On top of that, each family was forced to send one person to work on the construction of the pagoda.

Within their family, only the elder brother was fit for such strenuous labor but he was also the breadwinner of the family and, without him, their livelihood would be lost. 

With no other choice, their sickly father had begged the officials to let his eldest son stay in exchange for money. But the officials had been merciless. They had kicked him aside and caused him to hit his head against the wall. The father had then died on the spot. 

The elder brother heard the news of his father’s death and immediately ran home. After he had buried his father, he gathered the villagers and went to find the officials who had killed his father. He took his revenge by hanging their corpses at the village gate. Seeing this, the quick-witted younger brother proposed that they might as well band together and revolt since that seemed to be the only way to survive. 

And so, as the hatred for the local officials increased, more and more people had come to join their cause.

Because the elder brother was powerful and the younger brother was persuasive, the villagers had unanimously established them as their leaders. 

When they heard that someone named Xie Ling was requesting an audience, the brothers looked at each other in befuddlement. Even among the flow of people wanting to join their cause, only a handful had wanted to meet them. Furthermore, with the news that the Third Prince had been sent to subjugate the rebellion, they couldn’t help but raise their guard.

…..

The younger brother considered briefly and said, “Let him in. There’s only one of him, we don’t have to fear.”

Xie Ling led his horse along as he followed the guide into Kangyong county’s courthouse which the two brothers had taken over.

He entered the hall and saw two young men in their twenties sitting next to each other. One with a strong and frightening appearance and the other rather delicate and mellow. They must be the pair of siblings leading the rebellion.

Xie Ling stepped forward and introduced himself, “I am Yanzhou’s Lieutenant, Xie Ling. Greetings to the two leaders.”

Once the younger brother heard his words, he looked at him with surprise and panic, “Yanzhou? You’re under the Northern Warlord’s command?”

Xie Ling nodded, “That is correct. The General has sent me to discuss matters of great importance with you both if you would hear me out.”

The elder brother was uneducated but the Northern Warlord’s reputation was not alien to him: the God of War who could not be defeated by any means. 

He tried to put on an expression of indifference but couldn’t help turning to look at his younger brother. The younger brother coughed lightly and sent the guard away. He then led Xie Ling to the study.

After knowing Xie Ling’s identity, the brothers were much more respectful. Although Xiao Zhige had a bad reputation, many people in the northern parts looked up to him for his years of effort in driving away the Beidi people and keeping them safe. 

During their talk, Xie Ling checked them out and believed that they were not power-hungry individuals who had used the people’s suffering for their own gain. And thus, he told them about the Third Prince’s plot and Xiao Zhige’s plan for them.

After listening to his words, the elder brother swore loudly but was stopped by his younger brother. As a learned person, the second brother showed a better temperament, “How do we know that what Lieutenant Xie speaks of is the truth? You do serve the court after all.”

Xie Ling responded, “If you refuse to believe me, I can only have my people spread this news. By right, this should have nothing to do with Yanzhou. However, the General could not bear to see the people of Da Ye die in vain so he had sent me to warn you. Furthermore, do you two really think that the troops of this county are incapable of stomping out this poorly equipped army?”

Xie Ling’s words were hard to hear. The elder brother was disgruntled but the younger brother was not perturbed. This was an issue he had been worrying about since the beginning.

“General Shen Tu Xu is benevolent and cares for his troops. He did not want his soldiers to have to fight their relatives which is why he had been staying on the defensive. It was not that he dared not fight but because he did not want to.”  Xie Ling continued, “But when push comes to shove, if the Third Prince arrives and gives the order to attack, he will have no choice but to fight. When that time comes, Kangyong County will fall and countless lives will be lost. Is this what the two of you want?”

The younger brother contemplated and sadly, had to agree with Xie Ling, “Lieutenant Xie is right. But if we agree to withdraw peacefully, how can we ensure the safety of these villagers? They are really at their wits end, that’s why they have joined us.”

Xie Ling replied, “If you two are willing to cooperate with us, the General will fight to ensure the safety of these people.”

The elder brother was swayed by Xie Ling’s words. Seeing that his brother was still hesitant, he said, “We brothers have no families or relatives. If we die, then so be it! However, we cannot implicate the young and old who have come under us.”

The younger brother agreed, “We are willing to cooperate with you. Please do not break your promise.”

Seeing that they actually cared for their countrymen, Xie Ling was beginning to feel some respect towards them. He handed them a token and some identification prepared by Xiao Zhige and explained, “If everything goes according to plan, once you hear the rumors being spread that the Third Prince is planning to poison the river, seek refuge with General Shen Tu Xu under the guise of surrendering. After that, we will have made arrangements for you and your people to be transported along the borders of Xi Wei heading to Liangzhou where you will enter as immigrants.”

By the time Xie Ling had finished relaying the plan, the sky had turned dark. The Third Prince could arrive any time; It was best that he did not stay in Suzhou any longer. He quickly sent a letter to Xiao Zhige and left in the cover of night.

…..

When the Third Prince arrogantly brought his troops to Suzhou, Shen Tu Xu personally brought his men to welcome him.

The Third Prince greeted him with a kind expression and friendly attitude. Having seen his courtesy, Shen Tu Xu did not want to believe that he was capable of coming up with the idea to poison the river.

He led the Third Prince’s group into the manor and held a brief meeting. The Third Prince sat in the head seat sipping his tea while the people in the room took turns to voice their opinions. After everyone had spoken, the Third Prince calmly interjected, “Your ideas are not bad but I have a better way to solve this.”

Shen Tu Xu heard this and felt a sense of dread. He listened in consternation as the Third Prince spoke with a straight face on killing thousands with poison. 

The other generals looked unsure but none were ready to refute. Shen Tu Xu clenched his fists. After a short hesitation, he stood up and said, “Your Highness’s strategy is indeed clever … however…”

The Third Prince raised his brows and beckoned for him to continue.

“The day before, there was a Taoist Priest in the rebellion’s army who foretold that Your Highness will be using this strategy. By now, not only the rebels but almost everyone in Suzhou is aware of this. If we insist on carrying out this plan, I’m afraid they’d already found ways to counter…”

“That’s impossible!” The Third Prince glared at him. He then narrowed his eyes and put on a misgiving expression. Other than Father and Master Liao, he did not disclose this to anyone else. How could it possibly leak?

Shen Tu Xu continued to persuade, “This has spread to all corners of the city. You can even ask  the children and they will tell you.

The Third Prince had now lost his composure. He sat back and declared, “If you can’t poison them then simply take them by force! It’s only a bunch of villagers, nothing to be afraid of!”

“This…” Shen Tu Xu hesitated and said, “But the two leaders of the Common Man’s Army heard of Your Highness’s deployment and have already fled. Last night, someone from their camp came to announce their surrender.”

The Third Prince was speechless.

The Third Prince gritted his teeth and snapped at Shen Tu Xu, “Anything else? Why don’t you just say it all at once!” 

This time, Shen Tu Xu answered with speed, “I have nothing else to report.”

The Third Prince gnashed his teeth in anger. His plan to poison them couldn’t be carried out and now, he couldn’t even attack them if he wanted to. He lashed out, “I’ll write back to seek father’s advice. Since they dared to revolt, even if they surrender, we can’t let them off this easily!”

…..

Yanzhou.

After Xie Ling rushed back to Yanzhou, he immediately went to the General’s Manor to report to Xiao Zhige. 

Xiao Zhige heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing the news and smiled, “Next is all up to Minister Li’s abilities.”

Xie Ling thought of the last step in the plan and couldn’t help but feel happy, “The General is truly brilliant. If those people can arrive in Yanzhou safely, it’ll be perfect.”

Yanzhou had always had a sparse population with all the death tolls due to the years of war. If Xiao Zhige’s plan was carried out smoothly, the rebels who had no place to go could help to repopulate the city.

“Let’s wait for the response from Yejing. It shouldn’t be long.” Xiao Zhige looked at Xie Ling’s sooty appearance and said, “Go back and rest up. I have to tell Wangfei the news, he’s been worried about this for several days now.”

Xie Ling understood that that was his cue to leave. He saluted and left promptly.

Xiao Zhige went off to find An Chang Qing.

In the past few days, An Chang Qing had not been sleeping well. An Fu had tried to help him sleep by cooking some somniferous soup but An Chang Qing had vomited it out after taking a small sip. Hu Shifei was asked to take his pulse but found that nothing was wrong. For him to get some shut eye, Xiao Zhige had to soothe him until late into the night.

When Xiao Zhige found him, An Chang Qing was reading under a pavilion in the courtyard.

Since he was neither able to sleep at night nor day, An Chang Qing went through the books he had read before to find if there was anything that could be useful to Xiao Zhige.

“Reading again?”

Xiao Zhige sat down beside him and filled up the teacup on the table.

An Chang Qing let out an “en”. Although he was looking slightly pale, he pointed in high spirit to Xiao Zhige a paragraph in the book he was reading, “I was about to go find you. Wangye, have a look at this.”

Xiao Zhige took over the book from An Chang Qing and found that it was an exploration journal. The part An Chang Qing was pointing out was an interesting story that the author had happened to witness: 

One day, I met a street performer who placed serpentine and stones into a bamboo tube and was able to shoot it five steps away. He repeated the act but accidentally added too much serpentine. It ended up injuring many passersby and he was arrested.

When An Chang Qing read this before, he only felt amusement. Now that he read it again, he found that it held great prospects.

If a little serpentine in a small bamboo tube could easily hurt people, then what about a larger quantity of serpentine and the stones changed to something else? Couldn’t they create a weapon which could help them defend the city?

It’s just that An Chang Qing was not familiar with weaponry so he sought Xiao Zhige to have a look.

Xiao Zhige mulled over this passage for a long time. He laughed suddenly and grabbed An Chang Qing’s hand. “Nuo Nuo is really my lucky star.”

An Chang Qing was a little embarrassed. He pulled away his hand, took back the book and pretended to flip through it, “What nonsense are you talking about again?”

Xiao Zhige shook his head and spoke in earnest, “Nuo Nuo doesn’t know this but according to some of the First Emperor’s records, there were several mentions of weapons made of serpentine.” 

Unfortunately, the First Emperor had not managed to develop it during his reign and the subsequent emperors had failed to inherit his insight. Now that An Chang Qing was able to discover this, Xiao Zhige believed it would warrant great results. If successful, Yanzhou would gain a formidable weapon.

Not expecting that he was of some help, An Chang Qing’s face lit up with excitement, “Really?”

Xiao Zhige nodded, “Tomorrow I will gather the military’s craftsmen and have them prepare the experiments.”

After speaking, Xiao Zhige was pleased to report to An Chang Qing, “There’s another good news. The poisoning incident has been resolved. If everything goes according to plan, the ten thousand rebels from Suzhou will be sent to Yanzhou.”

Xiao Zhige rubbed An Chang Qing’s head and comforted him in a warm voice, “Nuo Nuo can sleep in peace now.”

An Chang Qing muttered in refute, “It wasn’t entirely because I was worried about this. I simply can’t fall asleep.”

Xiao Zhige did not want to disagree with him and sensibly dropped the topic. He whispered softly to An Chang Qing, “It’s ok. Hu Shifei has concocted a special lubricant. I’m sure I’ll be able to help Nuo Nuo sleep well tonight.”

An Chang Qing glared at him with red ears and silently scolded the hooligan in his heart!