Late Ming Dynasty: From the Defeated Soldiers at Daling River to Ascending the Throne

After Chen Feng finished speaking, silence fell over the dinner table.

Chen Feng was still holding the empty cup in his hand, the candlelight flickering, casting a half-light and half-shadow on his face.

He Kegang lowered his head, slowly picked up a fried soybean, put it in his mouth, and chewed it with a crunching sound.

Zhang Lan stared at the wine glass in front of her, glancing at the people beside her from the corner of her eye from time to time.

Gao Qiqian still had a smile on his face, but there was no smile in his eyes.

Li Ruolian's gaze swept back and forth across the faces of the group, round and round.

The atmosphere was so eerie it sent chills down my spine.

Chen Feng slowly put down his wine glass and sat back in his seat.

Just then, a crisp "snap" sounded.

Gao Qiqian's sleeve swept across the edge of the table, and a celadon wine cup fell to the ground and shattered.

Almost simultaneously, a loud "bang" came from outside, like some metal object hitting a rock.

The three people in the room all changed their expressions at the same time.

Li Ruolian reacted the fastest, her hand already on the hilt of her knife at her waist. She stood up halfway, her eyes fixed on Chen Feng and He Kegang.

Zhang Lan leaned back, and the cold glint of half a short blade slid out from his sleeve.

Gao Qiqian's chubby face instantly lost all color, and his smile turned into terror.

He Kegang didn't move; he only raised his eyelids to glance at Chen Feng.

Chen Feng didn't move. He sat there, his face calm as if nothing had happened.

Then he spoke, shouting towards the door, "Get in here!"

There was a moment of silence outside the door.

Then came a rustling sound, and the door was pushed open a crack, revealing a bald man with a head covered in downy hair—it was Meng Changgeng.

He carried a copper kettle in one hand, a smile plastered on his face, "This humble...this lowly servant has come to refill the wine for you gentlemen..."

He jogged in, his steps quick and light, and poured wine into the wine jugs in front of each of the people present.

First give it to He Kegang, then to Zhang Lan, then to Gao Qiqian, and finally to Li Ruolian.

With each serving, he would bow and nod, muttering "Enjoy your meal, sir" or "Please, sir."

After pouring the last cup, he glanced in Chen Feng's direction. Seeing that Chen Feng didn't say anything, he quickly picked up the pot and left.

The door closed gently, and the room fell silent again.

Li Ruolian's hand was still on the hilt of the knife. She stared at the door for several breaths before slowly letting go.

Zhang Lan retracted the short blade from his sleeve, but his sitting posture remained tense.

Gao Qiqian took out a handkerchief and kept wiping the sweat from his forehead.

He Kegang picked up another fried soybean.

Zhang Lan suddenly laughed. He picked up his wine glass and raised it to Chen Feng, "Commander Chen, I thought you had eight hundred axemen hiding in this courtyard, just waiting to smash the glass as a signal."

Chen Feng smiled, raised his glass and clinked it with Zhang Lan's, "Uncle Zhang, you're too kind."

He took a sip. "You arranged this courtyard; you know better than your nephew how many people are here."

Gao Qiqian and Li Ruolian couldn't laugh at the joke.

Li Ruolian looked at Chen Feng: "Commander Chen, there's something I don't quite understand."

Chen Feng adopted a respectful listening posture.

"One minute you're with the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the next you're with General Song, and then you're with Eunuch Wang. Whose side are you really on?"

Zhang Lan raised an eyebrow slightly but remained silent.

Gao Qiqian's smile faltered for a moment, then froze.

"Oh, Li Baihu, what a question." Chen Feng was about to speak when Gao Qiqian interrupted, "Chen Qianzong's ancestors were Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards), that's his background. Serving as a Qianzong under General Song is his job. Eunuch Wang sending him out is a temporary assignment. These three things don't conflict."

As he spoke, he raised his glass, "General Manager Chen, am I right?"

Chen Feng also raised his glass and clinked it with Gao Qiqian's, saying, "Your insight is truly remarkable, Eunuch Gao."

Li Ruolian didn't pick up her cup. "So what did Eunuch Wang send you there for?"

Chen Feng put down his wine glass, his expression calm.

"It's a long story," he clicked his tongue and slowly said, "At that time, General Song ordered me to wait in Jinzhou and be ready to be dispatched at any time. Just then, Eunuch Wang was worried about the situation at the front and wanted to know what was going on with the Tartars, so he appointed me as his general and sent me to gather intelligence."

"Gathering intelligence," Zhang Lan narrowed his eyes, "how did it turn into bombing the supply camp?"

Chen Feng looked at Zhang Lan, the candlelight flickering on his face. "Uncle Zhang has hit the nail on the head."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "I took a few brothers to the north of Xiaoling River, where we happened to run into Commander Wang, one of General Wu's men, fighting with the Tartars. When the Tartars saw that reinforcements had arrived, they were no match for them and fled, firing cannons as they did so."

Everyone looked at each other.

He Kegang nodded and spoke up at the right moment: "This matter is reported in the military report. The Tartar scouts did indeed fire cannons that night."

Chen Feng continued, "Then Commander Wang said he had discovered the location of the Tartar gunpowder depot and was about to go back to find reinforcements."

He lowered his voice, "At the time, I thought, we were between our army camp and the gunpowder depot. Running back and forth like this would not only waste time, but also easily alert the Tartars. Why not take a few dozen night scouts and blow up the Tartars' gunpowder depot, and burn their grain supplies as well?"

He picked up his wine cup and slowly took a sip. "After that, I and Commander Wang infiltrated the Tartars' grain supply camp and pulled off this heist."

The others exchanged glances, which barely matched the contents of the military report.

Zhang Lan was silent for a moment, then looked at He Kegang, "General He, in your opinion, who exactly sent Commander Chen on this mission?"

He Kegang put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and said, "He is under the command of General Song, receives the salary of Shanhaiwei, and was left in Jinzhou by General Song."

He paused for a moment, then said, "But it was Eunuch Wang who sent him to gather intelligence, so he must have been involved with both sides."

Zhang Lan lowered her eyelids and did not reply.

He Kegang specifically mentioned Song Wei twice, implying that Song Wei should take the lion's share of the credit.

Having figured this out, a satisfied expression appeared on his face.

He picked up his wine glass and raised it to Chen Feng.

Chen Feng quickly filled the glass and returned the toast with both hands.

Zhang Lan took a sip, and her expression softened considerably.

Gao Qiqian's smile faded slightly.

He glanced at Zhang Lan, then at Chen Feng, picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and his expression was not good.

He pondered for a moment, then his expression gradually softened.

Well, since He Kegang is here, it's hopeless for him to try and take it all for himself. Having a share is better than having no share at all.

He put down his glass, and a smile returned to his face.

Li Ruolian didn't laugh. He looked at Chen Feng with a gaze so deep it could melt water.

"Commander Chen," he said in a low voice, "General Wu has a share, Eunuch Wang has a share, and General Song has a share. That's all."

He paused, then asked, "What about the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

The question made the atmosphere in the room even more tense.

Zhang Lan didn't even lift his eyelids, staring at the wine glass in front of him as if admiring a rare bone artifact.

Gao Qiqian looked at Chen Feng with a smile, as if he were watching a good show.

Chen Feng looked at Li Ruolian with a broad smile, "Commander Li, how could the Embroidered Uniform Guard not have contributed?"

Li Ruolian's gaze sharpened.

Chen Feng continued, "What is my background? I'm a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Where did I get these skills? They're a family tradition of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

He said, enunciating each word clearly, "The Embroidered Uniform Guard is the root."

Li Ruolian's complexion visibly softened.

He didn't say anything, but simply picked up his wine glass and raised it to Chen Feng.

Seeing this, Gao Qiqian smiled so broadly his eyes narrowed into slits, and he quickly picked up his cup as well. "Ah, that's more like it! The Embroidered Uniform Guard is the foundation, General Song is the job, and Eunuch Wang is the errand boy. Everyone's here, everyone's here! Come, come, let me toast you all!"

Zhang Lan smiled and raised her glass, Li Ruolian followed suit, and He Kegang was the last to raise his glass.

The five wine glasses clinked together, making a crisp sound.