What does this mean?
The seemingly unremarkable old man in front of him, just one among the crowd, yet Yu Chihai did not dare to underestimate him.
This old man had served three emperors, and although he did not stand out in either literary talent or politics, while numerous officials rose and fell, he alone stood firm, his position ever higher and his trust ever deeper.
This was his greatest skill.
Yu Chihai paid his respects earnestly.
"I am slow-witted and ask for Lord Huang's guidance," he said.
Huang Cheng slowly twirled his teacup in his hand.
"Lord Yu, you were originally a fugitive from Yan, and in your youth, you read the saint's books and even took the scholars' examinations; it is said that due to the school supervisor's difficulty, you failed to pass, thus in anger, you defected to the Jurchen people, acknowledged a godfather, changed your name, and became one of them," he said.
Having his origin and less-than-glorious past exposed, Yu Chihai did not show the slightest shame.
"Indeed, it's as you say," he replied.
"Then have you ever heard a saying of the saint?" Huang Cheng continued.
"Though I have read a few books, I wouldn't dare to show off in front of Lord Huang," Yu Chihai answered respectfully.
Huang Cheng laughed, put down his teacup, and leaned forward, casting a shadow over the area like a mountain, making Yu Chihai's vision grow dim.
"The saint said, 'Disdain the fragrant, desire the foul,'" he said.
Yu Chihai was startled.
What sort of saint's saying is this?
Huang Cheng already sat back up with a smile, and Yu Chihai's vision brightened once more.
"Your current plea for peace is all thanks to the Duke of Chengguo," said Huang Cheng while pouring tea, "The Duke is someone who enjoys kicking a man when he's down. Now that you are begging for mercy, doesn't it just prove how formidable he is?"
Yu Chihai gave a wry smile.
"Indeed, he is formidable," he said.
Huang Cheng raised his teacup.
"Thus, with the Duke alone in the north, it would seem that he's the only one in the great Zhou," he said.
Yu Chihai understood something, his eyes flickering.
"Then what you mean, Lord Huang, is..." he leaned in and asked.
Huang Cheng swirled his teacup.
"So, what I mean is that it all depends on your sincerity," he said, "Offer a county."
Then he tapped the list of gifts beside him.
"Gold and silver. These are fine, but they are just external possessions after all. To express sincerity with these external possessions is quite simple and doesn't really entail any loss."
No real loss?
Yu Chihai looked at him.
"Would you dare to fight to the death, to express your sincerity with the flesh and blood of your Jurchen soldiers?" Huang Cheng asked with a smirk that was not quite a smile.
What?
Yu Chihai was stunned.
"Lord, what are you…" he blurted out, but as he spoke, he saw the murky eyes of the aging Huang Cheng turn icy cold.
Yu Chihai prided himself on being cold-hearted in the face of life and death, but at that moment, seeing that gaze, he felt as if a bucket of bone-chilling cold water had been poured over his head, making him shiver all over.
"...Are you serious?" the rest of his words came out rough.
Huang Cheng's gaze had already dropped as he blew on his teacup and took a sip of his tea.
"Would I be up in the middle of the night, not sleeping or resting, just to come here and tell you a joke?" he said.
.........
.........
Even as he stood outside the door, looking into the inky darkness of the night, Yu Chihai still felt a chill.
"Oh right, there's another thing." He paused for a moment, then seemed to recall something and turned to speak to the servant who had shown him out. "When I was on my way here, I saw Lord Lu from the Jinyiwei on the street," he said.
In the darkness, the servant's expression was not visible.
"Lord Lu, you say?" the servant replied, his voice very calm, "No need to worry, Lord Lu did not see you."
It seems Lord Huang had already made known his visit to the infamous Thousand-Man Commander Lu.
Although he knew the other party could not see his expression, Yu Chihai still paid his respects with utmost reverence.
"Thank you for your effort, my lord." he said.
The servant grunted from his nose and turned to go inside.
Yu Chihai adjusted to the darkness before walking out. When he reached the entrance of the alley, the light from the street cast over, allowing him to see the path clearly and for others to see his expression.
There was not a hint of submissive flattery on his face, and he stood tall, no longer showing the servility he had displayed before.
"Studying the teachings of the saints," he muttered to himself with a trace of mockery, "it's also the teachings of the saints."
After his words, the mockery faded, and his expression turned gentle again. He wandered slowly along the street, and soon arrived at the night market. Observing the bustling streets in the deep autumn night, one could imagine the splendor of daytime.
Yu Chihai stood on the street with amazement and admiration in his eyes.
The laughing and chattering crowd passed by him without any particular attention, at most responding with a knowing smile.
It's the same expression on foreigners who see the capital's night market for the first time.
This great and prosperous land is like a paradisiacal realm on earth. Yu Chihai followed the crowd slowly through the night market, unable to conceal the greed in his eyes.
...…..
"How could he have encountered Lu Yunqi?"
Meanwhile, on the other side, Huang Cheng asked a servant.
"I went to ask; Thousand-Man Commander Lu has just left the city," the servant replied with his head bowed.
Huang Cheng furrowed his brows.
"What is he doing going out of the city late at night?" he said, "Does he not know how many people want his flesh and drink his blood?"
At that moment, in front of a graveyard outside the Lu Family Manor, several torches were lit, illuminating the graveyard as if it were daylight. However, there was only Lu Yunqi standing alone in the graveyard.
He looked at the tombstone in front of him, slowly reaching out to touch it. Without a word or any other movement, he just kept caressing the characters for 'gongzhu' over and over again.
How painful it is.
How painful it is.
...
.....
At this time of deep night, when many are not asleep, a troop swiftly passes through the quiet streets of Yangcheng devoid of the bustling night market. The young man leading the troop shines brightly under the torchlight, thanks to the night pearl embedded atop his jade binding.
The young man gallops through the street, the Fang Family's residence swiftly coming into view. Before they drew near, the gates were already pushed open.
Fang Chengyu rushed in without stopping.
"What were you doing out so late at night? It's so dangerous." Old Lady Fang scolded without a hint of cheer.
Both Fang Yunxiao and Fang Yuxiu were also inside the hall.
"If grandmother knew, she wouldn't be able to sleep all night," Fang Yunxiao also said.
Fang Chengyu smiled apologetically at them and performed a respectful gesture, then raised a letter in his hand.
"I've gone to fetch gongzhu's letter," he said beamingly, "I simply couldn't wait until tomorrow."
Old Lady Fang exhaled and gave a helpless look, knowing that only matters concerning gongzhu could make this child so reckless.
"You don't understand; gongzhu has met with trouble," Fang Chengyu said seriously, flicking the opened letter.
Fang Yunxiao gasped in shock.
"What happened?" she quickly asked.
"She was kidnapped by bandits," Fang Chengyu replied.
Fang Yunxiao covered her mouth with a gasp, while Old Lady Fang and Fang Yuxiu remained composed.
Fang Yuxiu even yawned.
"Alright, alright, everything's fine now that she's back; everyone disperse," she said, linking arms with Fang Yunxiao.
Disperse? At this time?
"But Zhenzhen, she..." Fang Yunxiao said, puzzled.
"Zhenzhen is definitely fine," Fang Yuxiu reassured, "Big sister, instead of worrying about her, you might as well worry for the bandits."
Fang Yunxiao couldn't help but laugh out loud.