Chapter 40 Niangui

Chapter 40: Niangui (Yearning for Home)

News of Jiang Yanzhou’s return to the capital spread like wildfire.

For the first time, countless people were intently following his every move—especially the Jiang family, whose elders urgently sought an audience with him.

Unfortunately, it was reported that the Crown Prince’s Consort had fallen gravely ill upon her return and was confined to bed, unable to receive visitors.

The “gravely ill” Crown Prince’s Consort stood now in the courtyard of Yan Gui Xuan, watching a little tit perched atop the wall.

When Xiao Yunlang arrived this time, those two pairs of beautiful eyes—one human, one avian—did not turn toward him in unison.

The little tit tilted its head, gazed at Xiao Yunlang, let out a soft chirp, then—still cocking its head—looked from Jiang Yanzhou to Xiao Yunlang again. It lowered its beak to preen its feathers and flapped its wings.

Xiao Yunlang stood beside him and heard the young master murmur softly, “It wants to leave.”

His voice carried a faint trace of reluctance—but no sadness whatsoever.

Xiao Yunlang stood shoulder-to-shoulder with him, also watching the little tit. “Do you wish to keep it?”

Jiang Yanzhou shook his head.

From the very beginning, he had prepared no cage for the bird, allowing it to live freely. If it wished to depart one day, it could only mean…

“It doesn’t consider this place home. To it, I’m merely a passerby. It has somewhere it longs to return.” Jiang Yanzhou tilted his head back slightly. “That’s good.”

The little tit cast one final glance at them, chirped twice crisply, then spread its wings, soared over the wall—and vanished beyond it in the blink of an eye, its song fading into silence, leaving no trace behind.

Amidst the fading birdsong, Xiao Yunlang nearly blurted out: *And you? Do you have a place you long to return to?*

The decline of the Jiang family was now inevitable. Jiang Yanzhou had clearly never regarded that place as home. So… what about elsewhere?

“It seems Yan Gui Xuan’s bond with it was only temporary,” Xiao Yunlang said, standing with his hands clasped behind his back. The tassel Jiang Yanzhou had given him swayed gently beneath the jade pendant at his waist. “And you? What do you think of Yan Gui Xuan?”

“I like it here.” Jiang Yanzhou stared at the tree beside the wall—but staring would not summon a little tit. Only then did he lower his gaze. Even his disappointment was restrained.

After all, from the outset, he had accepted that one day the little tit might leave him for another place. No person or thing was meant to accompany him forever.

Without excessive expectations, there would naturally be no great disappointment.

Jiang Yanzhou let out a soft sigh, as if steadying himself. “Are the Jiang family still sending requests?”

After blocking them for two days, Jiang Yanzhou had simply handed the matter over to the gatekeepers, instructing them to intercept all petitions without further inquiry.

Xiao Yunlang replied, “Yes.”

The two walked together toward the study. As they stepped inside, Xiao Yunlang suddenly halted, gazing at Jiang Yanzhou’s back. Rather than rushing to discuss official business, he asked an unexpected question: “Has Jiang Linque not yet bestowed upon you a courtesy name?”

In ordinary families, men received their courtesy names upon reaching adulthood at twenty. Yet among noble families and scholarly circles, if high hopes were placed upon a child—or if the child achieved scholarly distinction early—the courtesy name might be conferred earlier.

Jiang Yanzhou did not know whether Jiang Linque had prepared a courtesy name for his younger son—but he himself had none. He nodded. “Yes, not yet.”

Xiao Yunlang: “Shall I give you one?”

Jiang Yanzhou was momentarily stunned, his eyes slowly widening.

Let *Xiao Yunlang* bestow his courtesy name?!

In ancient times, the courtesy name held profound significance. Jiang Yanzhou had severed ties with the Jiang family and was not yet of age; no elder remained to oversee such rites. As a modern man, he had never given it a thought.

He had never imagined that one day Xiao Yunlang would raise the matter.

A sudden surge of joy—like a quiet stream—welled up in his chest, almost rising to his throat. Yet intertwined with that joy ran a thread of apprehension: *Could he… truly do it?*

The words Jiang Yanzhou could not utter aloud were all conveyed, cautiously and vividly, through his expressive eyes.

Xiao Yunlang’s heart softened at the sight. He immediately strode to the desk and picked up a brush.

He paused in thought, memories of Jiang Yanzhou since their first meeting flashing before him—moments of joy, moments of sorrow. In the end, light and shadow converged upon the night of their Lantern Festival banquet.

Not the grand, majestic spectacle of palace festivities—but within the Crown Prince’s residence, where Jiang Yanzhou held aloft that sky lantern, his heart brimming with contentment and delight as he lowered his gaze.

What Jiang Yanzhou truly needed might be simpler than anyone imagined.

Xiao Yunlang lifted the brush. Ink swept across the paper with bold abandon—strokes forceful and penetrating, vigorous and elegant—yet within each dot and line wound an ineffable tenderness, nestled deep within the strength.

Jiang Yanzhou dared not blink, watching, unblinking, as two characters took breathtaking form—

念归 (Niangui), “Yearning for Home.”

“Niangui,” Xiao Yunlang said gently. “I offer you these two characters. What do you think?”

Jiang Yanzhou reached out almost instantly—his movements swift yet careful—as he lifted the paper and murmured the two characters: “Niangui…”

Jiang Niangui.

Unlike a lone boat, rocking unsteadily, battered by wind and rain, adrift with no destination.

It sounded as though he longed for a place to return to—or as though… someone longed for *his* return home.

Jiang Yanzhou gently stroked the paper. His heart felt a sudden impact, as if some long-dormant chain had rattled within.

When he was very young—in those earliest days—watching other children led hand-in-hand back to their homes, what he had wanted most was for someone to take him home too. Any place would do—he wasn’t particular about the house.

So long as someone there could smile and say to him, “You’re back?”

So long as they wanted him—and would never drive him away again.

Jiang Yanzhou would have done anything for them.

But reality forced him to grow up—so he dared no longer hope, and ceased speaking of it.

*I actually… still want it, don’t I?*

Jiang Yanzhou’s eyes trembled slightly. His voice grew thick and raspy. “…I like this name.”

Xiao Yunlang: “Then it is yours.”

*Mine.*

Two simple words pierced Jiang Yanzhou’s heart sharply.

Jiang Yanzhou looked at him. “May I take this paper away… to practice my calligraphy from?”

Xiao Yunlang chuckled. “Since it’s yours, of course you may take it. But how can two characters serve as a copybook? I’ll write you a proper practice sheet later.”

He’d had plenty of free time lately. Indeed, despite having earned credit for solving two major cases in Congzhou—cases that had sent shockwaves through the court—Xiao Yunlang had been left idle upon returning to the capital.

Because his influence had grown too prominent. Now that the Jiang family had been dealt with, Emperor Yonghe needed to temper the edge of the Crown Prince—his blade.

The remaining aspects of the two cases were still to be handled by the Three Judicial Offices, but this time, the Crown Prince was no longer put in charge of overseeing them. The task of coordination was assigned to Sui Yedao.

Sui Yedao kept his official post, but Emperor Yonghe specifically raised his official grade, signaling that if Sui Yedao handled this matter well, his position could rise even further.

An exceptional promotion to Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard wasn't out of the question.

Having lost trust in the Imperial Army, Emperor Yonghe intended to firmly elevate the status of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Xiao Yunlang welcomed this development. With Sui Yedao, Liu Hexuan, and Wei Wuyou involved, the case was in good hands. He himself hadn't had such free time in ages.

In the past, when he had free time, he only enjoyed practicing martial arts or finding a quiet and spacious place to admire the scenery. But now—he could also watch someone.

His ink-black hair was adorned as if with pearls, his white robes reflecting a snow-like grace.

Jiang Yanzhou wore a moon-silver white robe today, resembling an immortal from Mount Gushe. He was holding the calligraphy, utterly delighted, his gaze lively and sparkling as it darted about.

Xiao Yunlang’s lips curved into a smile. He was a blade marked by dust and blood, forged with iron in his bones, yet here, he found the softness of being human.

He gazed at Jiang Yanzhou, warmth flowing in his eyes like a gentle river. After a moment, he said, “I want to go to Yizhou.”

Jiang Yanzhou was carefully folding the paper, avoiding creasing the characters. He froze for a second at the words but understood Xiao Yunlang’s meaning the moment he turned around.

With several families having their properties confiscated, all of them fabulously wealthy, the military provisions for the entire region would not be a concern for the next two years. The imperial treasury during Emperor Yonghe’s reign had never been so full.

Coupled with Wuzi’s compromise, the chance to break the mounted bandits' momentum in the northwest was now at hand.

What was originally an opportunity two or three years later had now arrived much earlier.

Jiang Yanzhou tightened his grip on the paper and quickly said, “The Emperor will definitely try to cut off the provisions. He won’t want to see you win at this time.”

This worry was well-founded, as in the history Jiang Yanzhou knew, Emperor Yonghe had indeed done just that.

Xiao Yunlang replied, “I know.”

“But the land taxes from the great families remain untouched. The Wei family and the Prince of Jin are still around. Even if he doesn’t want me to win, he won’t want me dead now. So, at the very least, he won’t poison the provisions. As for delaying the delivery, I can handle that.”

Moreover, once he left, some of the capital's demons and monsters would finally show their heads.

Don't for a second think that a prince heading to the border to earn military glory sounds like a joyous affair—that depends entirely on the situation.

First, even if Xiao Yunlang went, he could only command twenty or thirty thousand garrison troops. The several hundred thousand strong main army of Daqi was not under his control, so he couldn’t threaten the court with heavy military power.

Second, with the court rife with internal strife, the situation could change in an instant. At such a time, no one with ambition wanted to be far from the center of power in the capital. Once away, too much could slip from your control.

In an era where a single message took days to travel, the unknown meant danger and the ease of missing opportunities. Just like the fall of the Jiang family, sometimes fortunes could reverse in the blink of an eye.

But with Emperor Yonghe wanting to sideline Xiao Yunlang for now, the frontier was indeed a good place to go. Precisely because of the risks to Xiao Yunlang, if he proposed it, Emperor Yonghe might actually agree.

Once Xiao Yunlang left the capital, the Prince of Jin would surely become restless. A slippery fish flipping out of the water would be easier to strike down with a single blow.

Xiao Yunlang had already made his decision and prepared for potential risks. Jiang Yanzhou understood.

Unconsciously, he pressed the folded paper against his chest, his mind already racing along with Xiao Yunlang’s thoughts. “Then we must make the Wei family feel secure and confident of victory. Jiang Yinhan has to go.”

“I heard that yesterday, the guards, following your orders, caught two thieves,” Xiao Yunlang said. “I don’t know if they stole anything, but they'd been making quite a few deliveries to the Vice Minister of War.”

With the court in turmoil, everyone feared being implicated as accomplices of the Jiang family. So the plotters against the Pei family were ready to reel in their net, sending the Pei family down to join the Jiangs.

The guards, who had been secretly watching them for a long time, immediately arrested them. They were now detained in the mansion.

“Tomorrow, have the Vice Minister of War and Pei Jingchen come see you in private. After that, he will help us remove Jiang Yinhan.” Jiang Yanzhou might not have noticed, but from the moment he heard Xiao Yunlang was going to Yizhou, the speed of his speech had picked up.

Though still calm, it was slightly faster than usual.

Now, having quickly decided how to deal with Jiang Yinhan, he wanted to say more but suddenly realized there was nothing left to discuss about official matters.

The young master opened his mouth, holding the paper in front of him, and was suddenly left feeling adrift and at a loss. He looked at Xiao Yunlang with a wistful gaze.

Xiao Yunlang looked back at him.

“This trip to the frontier will take at least several months. The Crown Prince’s mansion in the capital needs someone to keep an eye on things,” Xiao Yunlang’s words melted into the warm breeze. “Can you stay and help me look after it?”

The frontier was desolate, and Xiao Yunlang couldn’t bear to let Jiang Yanzhou suffer there.

Jiang Yanzhou’s fair hand pressed solemnly against the calligraphy he had just received. “Yes.”

He said, “I won’t go there for now. I’ll help you keep an eye on the court's movements. I will definitely strive to have the Emperor entrust the important provisions and supplies to me for escorting and oversight, so he cannot delay military operations.”

Overseeing the provisions would mean accompanying the supply carts to Yizhou.

Xiao Yunlang said, “You…”

“This is also for the sake of the frontier people and soldiers.” Jiang Yanzhou’s fingertips trembled, his lips pressed into a tight line as he looked at him, softly calling out.

“…Your Highness.”

Your Highness.

Jiang Yanzhou was pleading with him, afraid Xiao Yunlang would refuse.

Yes, he was the Crown Prince, with duties he must fulfill. And Jiang Yanzhou, living in Daqi, also had things he wanted to do.

If he respected him, he shouldn’t restrain his wings.

Xiao Yunlang wouldn’t do that either.

Jiang Yanzhou was a jewel and a brush capable of bringing peace to the nation—these were words he himself had spoken.

Their eyes met, and Xiao Yunlang couldn’t help but raise his hand. His fingertips seemed to want to brush past the corner of Jiang Yanzhou’s eye, to touch his trembling eyelashes.

But in the end, he simply straightened a silver hair-thread with a pearl that had slipped in Jiang Yanzhou’s hair.

“Then I’ll entrust everything to you.”

Jiang Yanzhou’s tense shoulders suddenly relaxed. For a moment, he wanted to reach out and grasp the retreating sleeve of Xiao Yunlang, but he held back, still holding onto the calligraphy.

He accepted: “Yes!”

If Xiao Yunlang was willing to bet on him, he would not let him down.

Even though he was merely an ordinary person relying on historical knowledge to get by, he wanted to become someone worthy of the characters bestowed by Xiao Yunlang.

No one would look at him the way Xiao Yunlang did. No one else.

Jiang Yanzhou lowered his gaze and hugged the paper tightly to his chest.

*

The next day, Pei Jingchen was idly flipping through a storybook at home when his father, the Vice Minister of War, hurriedly dragged him up by the ear.

Pei Jingchen asked, “Go to the Crown Prince’s mansion? Specifically to see me?”

His dad was fed up. "Exactly! Tell me, what trouble have you gotten into this time?"

"I'm innocent!" Pei Jingchen was completely confused. "I've been staying home honestly lately, you saw for yourself!"

Anyone in the court connected to the Jiang family was walking on eggshells, and the Vice Minister of War was no exception. Pei Jingchen knew the seriousness of the situation and hadn't dared to go out fooling around these days.

The last time he went out was to tell A'Liang at the jewelry shop that he'd have to stay home for a while and couldn't visit him for now.

A'Liang was Pei Jingchen's new sweetheart, a fair and tidy-looking guy who had a little jewelry shop. Pei Jingchen hadn't dared to let his father know, afraid of getting a beating.

Pei Jingchen never in a million years thought that he, A'Liang, and his own father would meet at the Crown Prince's residence.

He followed his father to see the Crown Prince, when the Crown Prince waved his hand and had A'Liang and his uncle hauled in.

Xiao Yunlang told Feng Yi to show the box he was holding to the Pei father and son.

When opened, the bottom of this box was inlaid with stones. This style had become popular in the capital because Emperor Yonghe liked it. Such boxes were heavier than others even when empty, having a good weight to it in hand.

So, it wasn't easy to detect if a hidden compartment was added to conceal something.

Pei Jingchen was a regular at A'Liang's family's jewelry shop, and A'Liang would sometimes give him gifts using such boxes.

Feng Yi popped open the bottom of the box in front of them. Pei Jingchen widened his eyes and saw: there was actually another layer underneath!

"Young Master Pei, the boxes you brought home had a layer of gold underneath," Feng Yi said. "These two have already confessed everything. This hidden compartment is not easily discovered; even if accidentally dropped, the contents wouldn't fall out. But if whoever was setting you up entered your residence to inspect directly, they would certainly find what they wanted."

Xiao Yunlang took a slow sip of his tea. "Not every box Young Master Pei brought back had it, but the ones he liked the most certainly did. The people from the jewelry shop were working for the Hong family, and the Hong family listens to the Wei family. This amount of gold, if it counts as a bribe... Minister Pei, is it enough to ruin your family?"

The Vice Minister of War broke out in a cold sweat. He immediately yanked his son down to his knees. Regardless of whether Xiao Yunlang discovered this or set it up, since he had called them here in private, there was still a deal to be made.

"The Hong family framed me! I beg Your Highness to save the Pei family!"

"I know you've made some minor mistakes, but they are not unforgivable. I am willing to give you a chance to correct them. These two will not fall into others' hands," Xiao Yunlang said. "As long as you impeach Jiang Yinhan in court tomorrow. I don't need to teach you how to impeach him, do I?"

The Vice Minister of War's expression hardened. He wanted to glance at Jiang Yanzhou beside him but restrained himself.

Jiang Yanzhou hadn't spoken much, but the mere fact that he could sit comfortably alongside Xiao Yunlang in a high position said it all.

Rumors said the Crown Prince and Crown Princess didn't get along, but from the looks of it now, they had clearly long since been in cahoots!

The Ningzhou Jiang clan wasn't completely done for. If Jiang Yinhan were gone, wouldn't Jiang Yanzhou be in charge?

"By the way, Young Master Pei was far too careless this time. Since the Vice Minister has his hands too full to discipline him, let him stay in my residence, learn martial arts with the bodyguards, and later accompany me to the border."

One sentence, two key points: your son stays with me as a hostage, so you'll cooperate; I'm preparing to go to the border, the Ministry of War better keep an eye on things.

Though reluctant to part with his son, having nearly lost the entire family, they were lucky to be alive. The Vice Minister of War knocked his head heavily on the floor. "I respectfully obey Your Highness's command."

The Pei family came with two, left with one. Pei Jingchen had to stay.

He looked at the weeping A'Liang, slowly coming back to his senses as the shock wore off.

He struggled but couldn't hold back, wiping his eyes, red-faced, and asked seriously, "I used to be fickle, but after meeting you, even when drinking with others, I firmly refused to let anyone get close. I only thought of you."

A'Liang cried, kneeling and trying to crawl forward to hug his leg. "Pei Lang, Pei Lang, I had no choice either, I was wrong, save me, I was wrong..."

Pei Jingchen stepped back to avoid him. He was also heartbroken, so angry he could barely speak. "I gave you my heart and soul. You deceived my feelings and my money, fine, I could let that go. But you actually wanted to harm my whole family? You... are you even human!?"

Jiang Yanzhou saw that Pei Jingchen probably wanted to kick A'Liang a couple of times; he even got into the stance, but ultimately didn't kick out. It seemed this self-proclaimed formerly fickle Young Master Pei had the makings of a devoted lover.

A'Liang and his uncle were taken away, their cries fading into the distance. A bodyguard also led Pei Jingchen out. "Young Master Pei, this way, please."

Dejected, Pei Jingchen followed. He was here to be disciplined; he didn't even get a guest room and was quartered with the guards.

Fortunately, the guards' quarters weren't bad either. For the sake of his family and the bigger picture, Young Master Pei could endure it.

He hadn't yet emerged from his heartbreak, but living under someone else's roof, to understand the situation and avoid offending his hosts, he had to confirm some things.

"So... His Highness and the Crown Princess have real feelings? Then does the Crown Princess have a say in matters within the residence? Should I treat the Crown Princess the same way I treat His Highness the Crown Prince?"

The group of bodyguards fell into an eerie silence.

Pei Jingchen's heart sank: Why that expression? Had he said something wrong on his very first day?

After the silence, Feng Liu nodded to him. "Yes."

Pei Jingchen: "Oh... oh."

So it was fine? He was scared to death!

The latter question was easy to answer because the Crown Prince had personally told his close aides to treat Young Master Jiang as they would treat him. So Pei Jingchen's second statement wasn't problematic.

It was mainly his first question that the bodyguards couldn't answer.

Real feelings? They didn't know. Even though they took turns guarding the two every day and saw everything they should see, they couldn't casually gossip about their masters' feelings.

Did Pei Jingchen want to know? If he got the chance later, he could see for himself.