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

Chen Feng tossed and turned all night without sleeping. When he got up, his eyes were bloodshot.

His mind was still in a mess; the 230,000 taels of silver felt like a branding iron stuck in his heart, burning him and making him restless.

How can I spend the money without revealing my identity?

I thought about it all night, but couldn't come up with a solution.

He rubbed his face, deciding to stop thinking about it and focus on getting things done first.

He pushed open the door and found Zhao Sheng leading everyone in their morning exercise.

Chen Feng pulled Zhao Sheng aside and whispered instructions, telling him to send someone to keep an eye on Mule and Horse Market.

After listening, Zhao Sheng nodded, feeling that this was the only way for the time being, and then went to find Yang Shuo and Luo Zheng.

A short while later, Yang Shuo changed into coarse cloth clothes, carried a bundle on his shoulder, and left Longfu Temple.

Luo Zheng changed into another outfit and slipped out through the side door.

Just after breakfast, the guest monk of Longfu Temple approached Chen Feng, saying that someone was looking for him.

Chen Feng's courtyard was right next to a side gate of Longfu Temple. When he arrived at the side gate, a middle-aged man was standing in front of a carriage with an uncontrollable smile on his face.

It was the Tian family steward who came to deliver the invitation yesterday; his name was Tian Gui.

"General Chen!" Tian Gui cupped his hands, his eyes narrowing into slits with a smile. "You've come to bother me again."

Chen Feng's heart skipped a beat, but he remained outwardly calm, cupping his hands in return: "Steward Tian, ​​you're too kind. Please come in."

Before entering, Tian Gui noticed the weariness on Chen Feng's face and his smile deepened. "General Chen, didn't you sleep well last night?"

Chen Feng subconsciously raised his hand and touched his eye socket; it seemed he had developed panda eyes.

Chen Feng smiled awkwardly and said, "I have something on my mind, and I'm sorry to have troubled you, Steward Tian."

Tian Gui laughed and said, "General, there's no need to hide it. You clearly had a sleepless night. Next time, don't come back so late at night. Just stay at Yixiang Courtyard. Isn't it more comfortable there than this temple?"

Chen Feng shook his head: "Steward Tian is joking. I am a general, and it is only right that I eat and live with my soldiers."

Tian Gui waved his hand: "General Chen is a man who cherishes his troops, and my master also admires this about the general. However, it is fine if General Chen does not wish to live in Yixiang Courtyard..."

As he spoke, he glanced back.

Chen Feng followed his gaze and looked at the carriage behind him. The blue cloth curtains were completely covered, suggesting that there were people inside.

"General Chen, my master knows you might not be sleeping well at night, so he specially sent you something." As he spoke, Tian Gui clapped his hands.

The carriage curtain was lifted, and a slender hand reached out, followed by a red dress, and then a beautiful woman appeared before them—it was Mei Xian.

Mei Xian, supported by a maid, stepped down from the carriage and gave Chen Feng a deep bow, saying, "This humble servant greets the General."

Chen Feng was stunned for a moment. "Butler Tian, ​​this..."

Chen Feng looked at Mei Xian, then at Tian Gui, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.

Sending...sending a beautiful woman?

Is this a challenge to one's own weakness?

Or should we plant spies around ourselves?

He opened his mouth, then refused, saying, "This...how can this be? Longfu Temple is a pure Buddhist place, where one does not associate with women..."

Before he could finish speaking, the voice of the guest monk came from behind him, "Benefactor Chen, you may not know this, but our temple is a Tantric Buddhist monastery, different from the Zen monasteries in the Central Plains. We do not follow these rules."

Chen Feng turned around and saw the monk who was in charge of receiving guests standing under the eaves, with an expression that showed he was used to it.

He wished he could beat the lama to death.

Tian Gui laughed out loud, "General Chen, please don't refuse. This is all my master's kind gesture. How can a young hero be without a beautiful woman by his side?"

He then turned to Mei Xian and said loudly, "Miss Mei Xian, from today onwards, you belong to General Chen. Serve her well."

Mei Xian lowered her head slightly, a faint blush rising on her cheeks.

She glanced at Chen Feng, then quickly lowered her eyes again.

That gaze was soft and alluring, like a hook that almost stole Chen Feng's soul.

Chen Feng's heart skipped a beat.

Chen Feng carefully examined Mei Xian. At this moment, Mei Xian had completely lost the enthusiasm she had at the dinner table yesterday, and instead exuded a gentle and bright temperament.

Seeing Chen Feng's reaction, Tian Gui's smile widened.

The servant beside Tian Gui had already moved the boxes from the carriage into the courtyard.

He then took out a brocade box from his sleeve and stuffed it into Chen Feng's hand. "This is the indenture between Miss Meixian and Chunlan. From now on, Miss Meixian is at General Chen's disposal."

Having said that, without waiting for Chen Feng's reaction, he turned around, got into the carriage, and drove away.

Chen Feng stood there, holding the brocade box in his hands, looking at the woman in the red dress and her maid in front of him, unsure of what to say.

Mei Xian stood there, her hands clasped in front of her, her head bowed, her eyelashes trembling slightly.

The morning light shone on her face, revealing a layer of fine downy hair.

The maid named Chunlan beside him looked Chen Feng up and down, her face full of anger.

Chunlan was not old, not yet of marriageable age, and wore her hair in two buns. Her eyes were very bright and lively.

After a long pause, Chen Feng sighed, "Come in."

Mei Xian and the other woman followed him into the courtyard.

Hao Dadao was practicing his swordplay in the courtyard when he saw Chen Feng bring a woman in. He almost dropped his sword.

Old Pu was smoking in the corner when he saw Mei Xian and froze.

Zhao Sheng was also taken aback when he saw Mei Xian, then smiled and whistled at Chen Feng.

Meng Changgeng was teaching Aji, Sun Ergou, and Yan Guishan to read under the eaves, and the four of them were so surprised that they couldn't speak.

Sun Ergou exclaimed in surprise, "Lord Qianhu has a wife!"

Mei Xian feigned shyness, pursed her lips slightly, and blushed slightly on her face.

Chen Feng's face flushed slightly, and he snapped at Sun Ergou, "Gouzi, focus on your studies!"

Then he turned to Hao Dadao, "Dadao! Didn't I tell you to learn to read?!"

Hearing Chen Feng shouting and cursing in the courtyard, Xie Liu crawled out of the house. Seeing the beautiful woman beside Chen Feng, he stammered, "This is... the mistress?"

"Get out of here! Go do what you're supposed to do!"

Chen Feng dispersed the crowd, led Mei Xian across the courtyard, and arrived at the door of the west wing. After thinking for a moment, he led the two to the front of the main house.

"Miss Meixian, please stay here for now and unpack my things." Chen Feng said somewhat hastily.

Mei Xian smiled faintly, "This servant will obey General Chen's orders."

As she spoke, she led Chunlan into the house to pack their things.

Chen Feng turned around and met several pairs of staring eyes in the courtyard.

Meng Changgeng stood up, leaned closer, and lowered his voice, "Commander, who...who is this?"

Chen Feng glanced at him but didn't answer.

........................

Mule and Horse Market.

Yang Shuo set up a small stall at the entrance of the alley and started selling melon seeds.

He was dressed in coarse cloth clothes, squatting behind the stall, cracking sunflower seeds while observing the passersby.

The melon seeds on the stall were piled up like a small mountain, and next to it stood a wooden board that read "Ten taels per catty".

The alley was diagonally opposite him; it was narrow and dark, and you couldn't see inside from the outside.

He squatted there for half a day, but no one came in or went out.

Yang Shuo's gaze would occasionally sweep over there and then return, like a real melon seed vendor.

Luo Zheng had wandered around the mule and horse market four or five times.

He would look at the horses for a while, then go to the hay yard to ask about the price of hay, and then sit at the tea stall for a while.

After each round of browsing, he would stroll over to Yang Shuo's stall, fiddling with the melon seeds and picking and choosing.

"Are these sunflower seeds made of gold or silver? They're so expensive!" Luo Zheng asked loudly.

Yang Shuo glared at him: "If you think it's too expensive, then don't buy it."

Luo Zheng leaned closer and lowered his voice, "What exactly are we here for? We've been watching that all day, and there hasn't been a sound from that alley."

Yang Shuo didn't look up, but said in a low voice, "Zhao ordered that alley might be a secret base for the Tartars."

"A spy?" Luo Zheng curled his lip. "Spies should go find the Embroidered Uniform Guard, right? Why are we here to keep an eye on them? It's so boring."

Yang Shuo looked up and said, "If you find it boring, go back and learn to read. You can become a schoolteacher."

Luo Zheng thought of Meng Changgeng's constipated expression when he was teaching him to read, and shook his head like a rattle drum. "I'm not going back. It's better to stay here."

He picked out a few more sunflower seeds, popped them into his mouth, and strolled away.

At 2 AM, Yang Shuo and Luo Zheng returned to Longfu Temple.

Pushing open the courtyard gate, the two of them froze in shock.

In the courtyard, a woman in a red dress was sitting on the veranda, holding a book in her hand, reading something to Sun Ergou and Aji.

The candlelight illuminated her face, revealing her gentle features and soft, sweet voice.

Sun Ergou listened intently, and Aji, unusually, didn't lose focus either.

Meng Changgeng squatted to the side, his face full of bewilderment, wondering "Who am I and where am I?"

Hao Dadao sat on the other side, holding a book upside down in his hands, reading it with great concentration.

Yang Shuo and Luo Zheng exchanged a glance.

"This..." Luo Zheng stammered, "Who is this?"

Yang Shuo didn't speak, he just stared at the woman in the red dress.

The candlelight flickered, and the woman's voice flowed like a spring, "...Is it not the mark of a gentleman to remain unperturbed when others do not understand him?"

Luo Zheng leaned close to Yang Shuo's ear and whispered, "With looks like that, in Jinzhou City, she'd probably fetch ten taels of silver for hunting."

Yang Shuo rolled his eyes at him. "Don't talk nonsense. How dare someone like you discuss such a beauty?"

Luo Zheng continued, "Tomorrow...you go and keep watch by yourself tomorrow. I'll come back and learn to read."

........................

As night fell, Meng Changgeng, Hao Dadao, and Yan Guishan were just about to lock the door when, with a "bang," the door was pushed open from the outside.

The commotion startled Meng Changgeng so much that he almost dropped the basin of water in his hand.

The three looked over at the sound and saw Chen Feng standing at the door with bedding in his arms.

Chen Feng didn't say anything, stepped into the house and closed the door behind him.

He glanced around at the three people in the room, and finally his gaze fell on the empty kang (a heated brick bed).

"Hey, hey!" Meng Changgeng saw Chen Feng carrying bedding and heading straight for his kang (heated brick bed), and quickly reached out to stop him. "Commander, what are you doing?"

"I'll sleep here tonight," Chen Feng said, throwing the bedding onto the kang (a heated brick bed).

Hao Dadao, who was already on the kang (heated brick bed), asked in confusion, "Boss, why are you in our room instead of sleeping next to the madam?"

Yan Guishan added, "That's right, Madam is so beautiful, how can Commander Qianhu bear to leave her alone in her empty room?"

Chen Feng glared at the group, "Enough nonsense! I have an audience with the Emperor tomorrow. If you keep me up, you'll all be beheaded by His Majesty!"

After saying that, he jumped onto Meng Changgeng's kang (heated brick bed), covered himself with the quilt, and added, "Also, don't call Miss Meixian 'Madam,' she is not my wife."

After saying that, Chen Feng closed his eyes.

Of course he was tempted. Mei Xian's beauty and her eyes were irresistible to any man.

But he dared not.

This woman was given to him by Tian Wan; he knew nothing about her background or purpose.

What if I talk in my sleep in the middle of the night and accidentally blurt out some crazy stuff like "future times" or "time travel"...

His eyes were closed, and his eyelashes trembled slightly.

This night was even harder to endure than the night before.