Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 558 Happy Encounter

Hou Shilu's mood didn't ease much at all, despite Yuan Keli's explanation. After all, the idea of ​​the Jinyiwei escorting the military governor to his new post was truly bizarre. Furthermore, why would the newly appointed Zhenjiang military governor go to Shenyang? Without clarifying these matters, Hou Shilu couldn't truly let go.

But at this moment, Hou Shilu didn't ask any further questions. Instead, he changed the subject and took a step back. "Haha, it seems I misunderstood. I thought Captain Lu came to Weining specifically to look for old friends."

"Marshal Hou," Yuan Keli followed up the conversation by asking, "Is the 'Ding Baiying' who reported the beheading of the general really a fellow disciple of Captain Lu?" Lu Wenzhao also stared at Hou Shilu.

Yuan Keli and Lu Wenzhao stayed in Shenyang for two days, during which time they happened to meet Ma Xianglin, the current Sichuan Shiqu Xuanfu Envoy, who was in Shenyang on business, and had a meal with him.

During the meal, Lu Wenzhao questioned Ma Xianglin about this matter. Ma Xianglin assured them with absolute certainty that no woman from the south had ever volunteered to join the Shiqian Division. Up to that point, the Shiqian Division had employed only night guards assigned by Shenyang or local guides familiar with the area.

So Lu Wenzhao could only hope with some trepidation that the "Ding Baiying" in Weining was really Ding Baiying, and not some strong man with the same name.

"It's my junior sister, right?" Hou Shilu asked Lu Wenzhao with a smile.

"Yes, junior sister. Is she in Weining now?" Lu Wenzhao raised the corners of his mouth in a relatively restrained arc, but the relaxation in his tone and the urgency in his eyes were still caught by Hou Shilu.

"He almost died." Hou Shilu kept it a secret.

"Did something happen to her?" Lu Wenzhao was shocked.

"Captain Lu, you misunderstood. That's not what I meant. Miss Ding is doing very well now," Hou Shilu said with a smile. "Her group went out hunting yesterday, and she was supposed to follow. Fortunately, the letter from the Governor's Office arrived just in time. Otherwise, even I would have found it difficult to recall her."

"Hunting?" Lu Wenzhao didn't react for a moment.

"They go out and cut off the heads of the Jurchen barbarians for money. Hunters are hunters, after all." Hou Shilu smiled. "Their heads are much more valuable than wild boars' heads."

"So," Lu Wenzhao nodded, then asked, "Junior sister, have you surrendered to the Youyang Tusi?"

"No, I organized a separate hunting camp. We each do our own thing," Hou Shilu said. "Besides, it's not my turn to manage the Tusi of the southwest. If Junior Sister Ding had joined the Tusi of Youyang, the Governor's Office wouldn't have sent the inquiry to my headquarters."

"Then why did she come to Weining?" Lu Wenzhao asked puzzledly.

"I don't know about that," Hou Shilu shrugged. "Captain Lu should ask Junior Sister Ding herself. I'll take you to see her after the welcoming banquet."

"Then I'll have to trouble Marshal Hou!" Lu Wenzhao said with a bow.

"Captain Lu, there's no need to be so polite. It's just a small favor." Hou Shilu then looked at Yuan Keli and gently asked, "By the way, how many days do Yuan Bingxian and Captain Lu plan to stay in Weining? I can then arrange for their hospitality."

"If possible, we'll head south to Lianshan Pass tomorrow morning." Yuan Keli glanced back at Lu Wenzhao. Lu Wenzhao, naturally prioritizing the important matter, nodded silently, indicating that he would follow Yuan Keli's arrangements.

"Tomorrow? You two are only staying in Weining for one night?" Hou Shilu felt a little relieved. With such a short time, even if they really wanted to investigate a case, they wouldn't be able to find out.

"We were only passing through Weining. Just to disturb them for one night is already such a huge effort," Yuan Keli said, waving his hand towards the cavalrymen from the Weining Battalion who were escorting him. "How dare I stay and interfere for any longer?"

"Yuan Bingxian's words are really embarrassing to me. I originally planned to take these guys out to stretch their muscles, and now we have just moved the location from the training ground to the mountain pass." Hou Shilu's doubts were gone by 60%, and the fake smile on his face also had a bit of real relief.

"Why don't Yuan Bingxian and Lu Qianhu stay for a few more days? I can also take them to give the guys from the Beijing camp a good scolding." Hou Shilu added.

Yuan Keli didn't think too much about it and just made up an excuse. "General Xiong said that since the enemy has abandoned their plan to attack Shen, they will definitely try to conquer Korea to survive. I'd better go south as soon as possible to hand over to Gao Bingxian."

Hou Shilu then asked, "If Yuan Bingxian is so eager to take up his post, why is he traveling all the way to Shenyang? Wouldn't it be faster for you and Captain Lu to go directly south from Liaoyang via Tianshui Station?"

Yuan Keli's heart trembled, and he keenly sensed Hou Shilu's temptation.

He hesitated for a moment and lied, "The area around Zhenjiang has been separated, divided up to guard the Liaohai Dongning Road, leaving only the two important cities of Liao and Shen. General Xiong and Governor Yuan are stationed in Liaoyang, so I thought Gao Bingxian would move to Shenyang after leaving Zhenjiang to plan the recovery. So I wanted to understand the current situation in Shenyang so I could report it to Gao Bingxian after arriving in Zhenjiang."

Hou Shilu immediately recognized the far-fetchedness of this excuse. Gao Bangzuo had participated in all the battles around Shenyang as a military supervisor. As far as Hou Shilu knew, Gao Bangzuo had even spent several days in Shenyang after the rebels withdrew. Furthermore, according to this logic, Yuan Keli should have gone to Zhenjiang two days earlier to take over, which would have allowed Gao Bangzuo to arrive in Shenyang two days earlier.

Yuan Keli is lying! He is just wasting his time.

But a lie itself is also an explanation. Since Yuan Keli had already given his "explanation" and cut off the conversation, Hou Shilu had no way to continue to ask questions along the way.

"Yuan Bingxian is really thoughtful." Hou Shilu grinned, pretending to be deceived. However, when he smiled, a few lines of worry appeared at the corners of his eyes:

What on earth are these two people trying to do that they are hiding it from the general level? Or is it that they are hiding it from only themselves?
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The setting sun shone through the cracks in the bamboo curtains, casting streaks of gold on the square elm table. The street-facing windows let in the hawkers' calls, and Ding Baiying, leaning against the window, tucked her drooping hair behind her ears in response.

This morning, someone from the General's Mansion came and dragged her out of the empty barracks. Ding Baiying guessed that her senior brother was going to Weining, but what Ding Baiying didn't expect was that Hou Shilu's arrangements were so thorough. Not only did he arrange a place for this reunion, he even prepared a bath for her, a new set of women's clothing, and a pair of gold and silver jewelry. Ding Baiying accepted the bath and women's clothing, but refused the jewelry, which was obviously expensive just by looking at the materials. She only wore a wooden hairpin with a carved bamboo leaf pattern on her hair. It was a gift specially given to her by Senior Brother Lu on the day of her marriage.

Ding Baiying waited for a long time, even eating and sleeping. Time calmed her agitated mood and even added a touch of boredom. As she leaned against the window frame, fiddling with the tassels of the bamboo curtain, the wine flags below suddenly swirled westward. Then, a thunderous sound of horse hooves rolled across the bluestone pavement. She leaned over the bamboo curtain to see five chestnut horses galloping past the street corner, their hooves pacing in the distinctive staggered rhythm of the commander's personal guards.

The bamboo strips at her fingertips suddenly pierced her flesh. As Ding Baiying pulled her hand back, she knocked over the remaining tea leaves drying on the windowsill. The white porcelain cup plummeted, but she didn't immediately reach out to retrieve it. The porcelain and wood collided, making a crisp ding-dong sound. The moment she grabbed the white porcelain cup, Ding Baiying felt as if she could hear the vibrations of a drum in her chest.

In the bronze mirror, a flush crept across her unpainted cheeks. Ding Baiying hurriedly loosened the overly tight collar buckle, but then felt it was inappropriate. She buttoned it, leaned forward, grabbed the cold tea on the table, and guzzled it. Her hands trembled, and the water spread half an inch along the embroidery on her collar.

coming!

The trembling sound of the stairs approached the second floor. She stood up suddenly, and the tip of her embroidered shoes accidentally kicked over the wooden stool she was leaning on.

Hou Shilu's signature laugh masked the fleeting panic. When the sound of chaotic footsteps seeped through the crack in the door, Ding Baiying had already frantically packed up everything. Like a delicate porcelain doll, she stood by the window with her hands drooping, a vague smile on her face. The slanting sunlight filtering through the diamond-shaped window panes cast a shadow over half of her face, and her sunburned earlobes were so red they looked as if they were about to bleed.

The door was pushed open, and the first person to enter was a young servant with empty hands and a lowered head. Immediately afterwards, Hou Shilu, with his armor removed and a rosy face, followed into the specially prepared room.

Hou Shilu's face was even redder than Ding Baiying's. This was the price to pay for getting Yuan Keli half drunk!
Unfortunately, Yuan Keli's mouth was tighter than a city gate. Even when he was drunk, he kept playing Tai Chi with Hou Shilu and refused to reveal any of his true intentions.

Lu Wenzhao had also drunk, but his face showed no sign of being drunk. The moment he crossed the threshold, Ding Baiying's nails, which had been specially shortened for battle, dug deep into his palm.

She involuntarily lowered her head and saw the dust on the hem of Lu Wenzhao's cotton robe. For a moment, Ding Baiying suddenly recalled the days when she and her senior brother swept fallen leaves in the Wuzhai. At that time, the hem of her senior brother's robe was also covered with dust.

The empty-handed servant quickly ran to the table and collected the cold teapot and used tea utensils. Soon, another servant carrying a tray also walked in with small steps. The few personal guards who had entered the restaurant with Hou Shilu stood at the staircase, blocking the way to the second floor.

"Miss Ding," Hou Shilu tapped his knuckles lightly on the doorframe. The three crisp sounds startled the two servants at the back and stopped what they were doing. "What are you still standing there for? Look who's coming."

"Your humble servant greets Marshal Hou." Ding Baiying took a deep breath and saluted Hou Shilu first.

"What are you going to see?" Hou Shilu smiled and walked over to Ding Baiying. Seeing Ding Baiying in women's clothing, Hou Shilu was suddenly stunned. Such a fierce and courageous girl could unexpectedly become more charming in women's clothing.

Hou Shilu retracted his right hand that was about to pat Ding Baiying's back and moved it to an empty seat in front of him. "Come, come, sit here."

"Greetings, Captain Lu." Ding Baiying didn't move immediately, but stayed where she was, giving Lu Wenzhao a fairly formal salute. As she bowed, the bamboo-leaf tip of the wooden hairpin on her head met Lu Wenzhao's gaze.

The perceptive Jinyiwei sensed Ding Baiying's unusual emotions, but didn't recognize the hairpin. He had even forgotten about the hairpin given to her at the age of 15. And unlike Hou Shilu, Lu Wenzhao didn't even think Ding Baiying had changed. After all, the last time Lu Wenzhao saw her, she was wearing women's clothing.

Because Hou Shilu was also present, Lu Wenzhao didn't show excessive intimacy. He even returned the greeting politely. "No need to be so polite, Junior Sister."

Lu Wenzhao's gesture of returning the greeting was very straight, even straighter than Ding Baiying's. If it weren't for a hint of joking in his tone, Hou Shilu would have doubted whether the two men knew each other.

"Hey, this is not a military camp, so let's not talk about those rules." Hou Shilu waved away the servant who was about to pour tea and took the handle of the teapot from his hand.

The servant lowered his head and brushed past Lu Wenzhao. When the door was closed, Hou Shilu had already poured the first cup of tea.

Seeing Hou Shilu was about to pour a second cup of tea, Lu Wenzhao quickly stepped forward, approached Hou Shilu, took an upside-down empty tea bowl, and gestured to stop him. "How dare you trouble Marshal Hou to pour tea for us? Isn't this disrupting the order? Marshal, please let me do it myself."

"Don't call me Marshal, Marshal." Hou Shilu poured out the second cup of tea. "I think Captain Lu is only a few years younger than my good-for-nothing son. You might as well just call me Uncle."

"I wouldn't dare!" Lu Wenzhao was startled, then quickly replied, "Marshal Hou and Marshal Qi hold the same rank. Even if I insist on forcing a connection, you're still of my master's generation." At the welcoming banquet, Hou Shilu had not only forced Yuan Keli into drinking but also teased Lu Wenzhao about his affairs. Lu Wenzhao, responding with a deftness, quickly revealed the relationship between him and Ding Baiying, and even between his master and the uncle and nephew of the Qi family.

"I'm not young anymore, but I'm not that old. Qi Shaotang is still a few years older than me." Hou Shilu's smile widened. "How about this, Captain Lu calls Qi Shaotang the same way you call me."

"Nothing special, just a general." Lu Wenzhao said with a smile.

"Then General," Hou Shilu pretended to frown and took the third teacup and filled it. "General Hou's tea is ready. Do you want some?"

"This..." Lu Wenzhao hesitated a little, "Ah, I can only respectfully obey your command."

"It's good that Captain Lu is willing to give me this favor," Hou Shilu stretched out two rough fingers to stop Lu Wenzhao's hand. Then, he pushed the cup of tea to a chair. "The tea is scalding now, Captain Lu, please sit down for a while."

"Okay." Lu Wenzhao sat down with a smile, but his heart began to beat fast.

Hou Shilu was so enthusiastic, almost abnormally so. This abnormal feeling even made Lu Wenzhao unconsciously ignore the real protagonist of this reunion.

Ding Baiying stood there with his head down, not knowing what he was thinking.

(End of this chapter)