Chapter 067: Meeting Uncle

Chapter 067: Meeting Uncle

Scholar Wang was the first to see Jian He.

Originally, he had just bought some pastries to share with everyone, but upon seeing Jian He, he immediately approached him, "General Jian."

Scholar Wang ran over and bowed to Jian He.

Jian He said, "This Scholar, I came to the Imperial Academy to find some books."

"Please, please, please. My name is Wang," Scholar Wang said with a smile, "As long as they aren't banned books, you can directly go to the storage room. If you want to borrow them, you need the approval of Manager Tan or Manager Pei."

Jian He's expression was somewhat strange.

"Is management this lax? I can just go there myself? I'm an old acquaintance of Manager Pei; his style of work shouldn't be like this."

Scholar Wang felt quite embarrassed. By then, they had already entered the Imperial Academy, and others had noticed their group. Some people sneered and mocked Scholar Wang in private.

Scholar Li stood up, "I'll go find Manager Pei."

Scholar Wang lost face and returned to his seat, covering his face.

These scholars were not used to physical exercise. The firepot in the room burned brightly, making Jian He feel quite warm. He took off his fur coat, and someone hung it up for him.

Even so, Jian He still felt hot and loosened the ties of his official robe.

The embroidered phoenix on his bright red court robe looked lifelike. The badge of a first-class military official made the other scholars envious.

Some people older than General Jian were merely old scholars, often criticized by their families for only knowing how to read, while Jian He was already a war god whose name would be recorded in history.

Pei Jin walked over.

Jian He stood up and punched his arm, "Do you have a private study?"

"Yes," Pei Jin replied, "This way."

Everyone couldn't help but look at Pei Jin and Jian He's backs. No one knew that these two, one a scholar and the other a general, were actually good friends.

Pei Jin and Jian He were not just acquaintances; they had a close relationship. They met when they were young, but due to Jian He's frequent battles and long absences from the capital, they became slightly distant.

Pei Jin's wife, whom Jian He knew well, always suspected him of fooling around outside. Her questioning scared Jian He, making him afraid of marriage.

After experiencing the pain of losing a child and his eldest daughter marrying into the royal family, the elders of the Jian family no longer pressured their youngest son to marry.

Thus, Jian He remained single despite being a great general for a long time.

/

In the private study, the eunuch sat in the adjacent room, while Jian He talked with Pei Jin.

Pei Jin smiled after hearing Jian He's purpose, "No wonder you didn't even acknowledge me after the court session. It turns out you were looking for a book for your dog named Xiao Bai. You should have asked someone directly instead of rushing like this."

"Indeed," Jian He said, "It's not doing well now, so I don't dare to ask just anyone. That dog, if you saw it, you'd know how adorable it is. When it pleases people, it looks like it's smiling."

Pei Jin thought that if the dog were kept in the Empress's palace, he wouldn't be able to see it.

Then Pei Jin said, "My disciple organized the storage room. If there are such books, he would know best. I'll send someone to fetch him."

There was a servant outside, and Pei Jin gave instructions before sitting back down opposite Jian He.

Jian He raised an eyebrow, surprised by something new, "I didn't expect you to take a disciple."

Pei Jin's lips curved slightly, "He has some talent, and I don't want to waste it."

Jian He asked, "If you say he has talent, he must be exceptional. What's his background?"

Pei Jin said, "He's from Feng City. He was orphaned since childhood and adopted. His adoptive uncle is someone you wouldn't guess."

"Surname Fu, so he's Fu Bin's nephew?"

Pei Jin laughed, "You heard my instructions, so that doesn't count."

While they were talking, Fu Jiaze walked in against the light.

The snow outside had not melted, and the reflected light illuminated the room, allowing Jian He to clearly see Fu Jiaze's appearance.

A gentleman as pure as jade, as upright as pine and cypress.

Jian He's heart skipped a beat, feeling a sense of familiarity, yet he couldn't recall ever meeting him.

After Fu Jiaze bowed, Jian He casually took out a jade pendant and tossed it into Fu Jiaze's arms.

Despite his good reflexes, Fu Jiaze was startled by Jian He's action and clumsily caught the jade pendant.

"You keep it," Pei Jin said with a smile, "Consider it a gift from an elder."

"Yes, Jinyuan thanks the general."

Jian He sized up Fu Jiaze, "Are you married?"

"When will you stop this habit?" Pei Jin said irritably, "Take care of yourself first. You're not married, yet you keep trying to matchmake others."

Fu Jiaze smiled, "Your student is already married, so I cannot accept the general's kindness."

Jian He looked at Fu Jiaze's smile and suddenly thought of someone. Back then, Jian Ming, or Jian Yunyao in male attire, had a similar demeanor—scholarly grace combined with a straight posture.

Thinking of his brother and sister brought a tinge of sadness to Jian He's heart. He suppressed his emotions and said, "Old Pei said you reorganized the storage room. I have a dog that looks like this..." Jian He gestured, "Do you know if there are any books here that can treat dogs or identify its breed?"

The Imperial Academy had many books, including a few medical texts. Fu Jiaze recalled a couple of books and told them to wait while he went to the storage room with the eunuch to find them.

When Fu Jiaze left, Pei Jin saw Jian He still looking at his disciple and waved his hand, "I already said he's married. Are you still thinking about matchmaking?"

"Not exactly." Jian He's hand rubbed his chin. "It's probably what my sister mentioned before, about hitting it off. At the time, she..." Jian He was about to say that when his sister, dressed as a man, first met Zhuang Hesheng, they hit it off immediately, and he himself had just met Fu Jiaze and felt an instinctive desire to get closer.

Pei Jin didn't let him finish. "My good disciple truly benefits from his looks."

Jian He said with interest, "How so?"

"Back then, when Mrs. Fu adopted him, it was because she found him kind-faced and somewhat similar to Fu Bin. Do you know who else has been quite friendly towards him recently?"

"Who?"

"Concubine Chen."

The mention of Concubine Chen made Jian He's face turn cold. How could he like such a woman who had the Emperor's favor all to herself?

"What's the deal with Concubine Chen? Tell me."

Pei Jin quickly explained He Lanting's original identity, her child, and her slight fondness for Fu Jiaze because he resembled her son.

Pei Jin specifically mentioned Yan Ji, and Jian He immediately guessed that person's identity, sneering, "Similar to Jinyuan? He deserves it?"

When Fu Jiaze re-entered the room, he overheard this sentence.

Despite meeting General Jian He for the first time, the general showed such a bias towards him, making Fu Jiaze feel as if a gentle breeze had brushed past him.

Perhaps it was because the general he admired had a good impression of him, which made him subconsciously want to get closer to this general.

Fu Jiaze thought to himself.