Chapter 18: Reunion (II)

The two men were at odds, so Le Wuya couldn't just keep going.

He stopped, turned, and looked back.

Little Phoenix hadn’t aged much, his waist still slender and supple, easy to wrap one hand around.

He still remembered how, as children, they used to lie side by side on the rooftop, discussing the future. Would a potbelly make a general look more impressive?

Le Wuya said, "That's not good-looking."

Pei Mingqi: "My father has one, and so do a few of the Deputy Generals. It does give them an imposing look when they walk."

Le Wuya insisted, "You can't have one either."

Pei Mingqi lifted the hem of his shirt slightly, measuring his waist and stomach: "The most important thing for a cavalryman is core strength, so a sturdier waist is better."

Le Wuya: "If you turn ugly, I won't hang out with you anymore."

Pei Mingqi laughed despite himself: "You wouldn't dare."

Le Wuya pushed further: "I'd pretend I don't even know you on the street."

Pei Mingqi flipped over and straddled him, tickling him: "Just try!"

Le Wuya wrapped his legs around Pei Mingqi's waist, trying to reverse the hold.

Pei Mingqi resisted, and they wrestled, neither giving in, their laughter floating over the willow trees and the swing set.

Suddenly, a shout came from below: "Ali!"

Le Wuya and Pei Mingqi immediately shut up.

Le Wuya shot him a glare with his watery purple eyes: "This is all your fault."

Pei Mingqi reached out to tug his eyelashes.

His second brother Le Jue's voice came from off to the side below: "Where's Ali? I just heard him laughing."

Hands on his hips, he called out: "Ali! Big Brother's back from school and brought hot milk cake. Eat it before it gets cold!"

Le Wuya's eyes lit up. He pinched Pei Mingqi's cheek, which still had baby fat: "Wait for me."

He quickly scrambled down the tree, weaved his way to his brothers, and bowed politely: "Hi, Big Brother, Second Brother."

Le Jue: "What about Pei's Little Phoenix?"

Le Wuya said loudly: "He didn't come!"

Le Jue: "Then who were you playing with?"

Le Wuya: "A bird!"

His eldest brother, Le Hang, dressed in a blue robe, was usually quiet. He picked Le Wuya up with one arm, plucked a leaf from his hair, and carried him back to the main house.

"Did he gain weight? Did he?" Le Jue followed eagerly. "He looks taller. Let me carry him."

Le Wuya wrapped his arms around Le Hang's neck and looked up at the bird on the rooftop.

Pei Mingqi lay there, waiting obediently.

Soon, Le Wuya slipped back and handed him a bulging handkerchief.

Pei Mingqi unfolded it and saw the milk cake, the edges were nibbled off, making it look like two little flowers.

Accustomed to this, Pei Mingqi picked it up and ate it, though he couldn't help complaining: "If you can't handle sweets, why do you even eat them?"

Le Wuya said shamelessly: "I only like the edges. The middle is too sweet. Besides, I can feed it to the birds, can't I?"

Pei Mingqi: "So what kind of bird am I?"

"You're a Little Phoenix."

Pei Mingqi retorted: "And you're a little crow."

As he said it, he muttered: "In your generation of the Le family, isn't the generation character supposed to be 'Jade'? When they named you, I thought it would be Le Ya."

Le Wuya shrugged nonchalantly: "I'm a concubine's son, and my mother was a borderland foreign woman. When she died, she wasn't even recorded in the family register."

Pei Mingqi blinked, realizing he'd said the wrong thing. He pulled Le Wuya closer, comforting him: "Well, being called Le Ya wouldn't have been good either. Ya—as in moon crescent—hanging alone and lonely in the sky. What's the fun in that? Better to fly with me."

Le Wuya took advantage, pretended to cry: "It's all your fault. I'm heartbroken. From now on, I won't even recognize you on the street."

Pei Mingqi scrambled to console him: "…I'm handsome, you know? You wouldn't ignore me…"

…

Now, as Le Wuya looked at him, he was still as handsome as ever. At his age, most military officers grew long beards as a trend, but he hadn't grown one.

Pei Mingqi, on the other hand, saw a porcelain figure—beautiful but disheveled.

Having not slept for two nights, Le Wuya had a faint, unhealthy red around his eyes, contrasting with his snow-white cheeks. His dark clothes were covered in messy dog paw prints.

Pei Mingqi grabbed Wen Renyue's hand, trying to shove him aside.

But Wen Renyue was stubborn too. He placed his hand on Pei Mingqi's shoulder: "Officer, please watch yourself."

Seeing the conflict escalate, Le Wuya patted Wen Renyue's shoulder from behind: "It's fine, really."

Stepping past Wen Renyue, he stood with his hands behind his back in front of Pei Mingqi: "You…"

Before he could finish, Pei Mingqi grabbed his chin.

Le Wuya: "?" *Is he crazy?*

He hadn't seen Pei Mingqi in ages, and his most vivid memory was of him as a teenager.

He loved to laugh and play, had a temper as fierce as a real phoenix, and was blessed with a charming face—clumsy with words but sweet-talking.

Now, Pei Mingqi was covered in the dust of campaigns, his hands like sandpaper. Though he wasn't using much force, the two fingers holding Le Wuya's chin were rough enough to make him uncomfortable.

Er Ya circled around them, losing all her earlier tough demeanor, whimpering softly and coquettishly.

Pei Mingqi hadn't slept in twenty-four hours. A fire burned in his heart. Seeing this person first, who had the same picky eating habits and bad tendencies as his old acquaintance, and then meeting him face to face, the first thing he noticed was the small mole on his lip. His anxiety grew, so he reached out directly to examine it in the light.

How could there be a mole on the lip in exactly the same spot?

Le Wuya asked: "General Pei, what are you doing?"

Looking at this person, exquisite as a fine-brush painting figure, Pei Mingqi felt a tender ache in his heart, wild thoughts surged and churned within him: "...Do you know me? Who are you?"

Le Wuya: "I am Wenren Yue, the magistrate of Nanting County, styled Mingke. Harassing me in public like this doesn't seem right, does it?"

Pei Mingqi: "..."

Only then did Pei Mingqi snap out of it, as if waking from a dream, and let go.

He lowered his head in a bow. "My apologies."

Le Wuya waited for a long time, but when Pei Mingqi didn't continue, he probed: "General Pei, anything else?"

Pei Mingqi was startled, his gaze landing on the sweet cake on the ground. He understood and cracked his whip once: "Someone, pack up all the pastries from the stall and give them to him."

The vendor beside them, who had been watching the spectacle with wide eyes, was thrilled at the sudden order. He packed them swiftly, and even considered quickly frying up a fresh batch.

Le Wuya smiled faintly: "Oh, I couldn't possibly!"

Pei Mingqi lowered his head: "I was rude."

Le Wuya knew Pei Mingqi well; he understood that when his expression went cold, it was out of embarrassment.

He hadn't invited him, but he knew exactly why he'd shown up so suddenly.

He looked up and asked: "Is General Pei here on official business in Nanting?"

At this moment, the advantage of Pei Mingqi not having a beard became apparent.

With nothing to hide it, his blush was obvious: "...There's a coal mine here, involving powerful families oppressing commoners and trafficking innocent people. Is this true?"

Le Wuya nodded slightly.

It wasn't him who invited Pei Mingqi, so it had to be the two young Imperial Commissioners.

Given Pei Mingqi's status, he didn't have to come personally, but with the Imperial Commissioners stationed here, if they called, he had no choice.

Le Wuya should have thought of this earlier, but last night he failed to swap bodies back and spent the night tutoring Wenren Yue, so he had no time for this.

However, with Qingyuan so close to Nanting, meeting sooner or later was inevitable.

Le Wuya: "Then please come to the county office for a short rest, General Pei, and have a bite to eat? I can't finish all these sweet cakes by myself."

Pei Mingqi: "...Magistrate Wen, I still have other matters to attend to. Once I'm done, someone will come to the yamen to sort things out with you."

"Very well, General Pei, as you wish." Le Wuya bowed, "Also, my surname is actually Wenren."

Pei Mingqi: "...Magistrate Wenren, farewell."

His fingertips were red from the effort of holding back his temper.

After the two parted politely on the street, Er Ya whimpered and tried to chase after him, but Pei Mingqi grabbed her by the collar and pulled her back.

Once the leash was back on, her eyes still lingered reluctantly on the direction Le Wuya had gone.

Pei Mingqi got on his horse with a troubled mind. As he grasped the reins, he finally realized something.

"'Wenren'... from the Jing people?"

When he turned around, Le Wuya's smile had completely vanished.

He walked ahead, with Wenren Yue silently following behind, carrying a large bag of sweet cakes.

Le Wuya walked faster and faster, and at a corner in an empty alley, he pulled Wenren Yue inside.

He pinned him against the wall, leaning in close, and pointed to his own lip: "Look closely. Did you have this mole before?"

Wenren Yue opened his mouth, wanting to lie and say yes.

After dealing with Le Wuya for the past two days, he knew his temper; telling the truth would likely cause a scene.

But his innate sense of gentlemanliness made him tell the truth: "No."

He added: "My hair wasn't like yours before either... like a little lamb..."

Le Wuya: "..."

...Maybe he should just drop dead.

If he gradually turned this body into his former self, when he went to the capital for his performance review as Wenren Yue, any acquaintances who saw him...

Le Wuya paused.

...Actually, that might be quite interesting.

Wenren Yue didn't know that this man was cooking up more mischief. Worried he might be suicidal again, and not sure how to comfort him, he simply picked up a sweet cake: "Have another one."

Le Wuya took it: "You have quite a grip. It's good to have you everywhere I go."

Seeing him relaxed and not suicidal, Wenren Yue also relaxed a bit.

The alley was narrow, and they were too close, their breaths mingling.

Wenren Yue felt inexplicably nervous, clutching the edge of the paper bag: "Do you know that soldier?"

Le Wuya turned his head and said simply: "An old acquaintance."

"You and him..."

Le Wuya: "It's in the past."

Wenren Yue said flatly: "But he's back."

Le Wuya: "Are you worried he'll bully me? He's not a bad person."

Wenren Yue didn't find this statement very credible.

His first impression of Pei Mingqi was quite poor: letting his dog attack people and recklessly accosting people on the street.

Even if he looked like a romantic gentleman, inside he was just a crude, hot-tempered soldier.

Le Wuya gave his chest a light pat: "If you're worried, protect me."

After saying that, he looked Wenren Yue up and down: "But you're not ready yet. What good is brute strength alone? It's not like you're a

Le Wuya replied, "I'm used to being alone."

After sending Wenren Yue off, Le Wuya took out a handkerchief and cleaned the traces on himself one by one.

But halfway through wiping, his selfishness got the better of him, and he preserved a clear dog paw print on his sleeve.

She's already this grown up.

But how did she end up with Pei Mingqi?

Wasn't she entrusted to Sister Qi's care back then?

...Speaking of which, what is Sister Qi doing now?

He thought as he walked and ate, nibbling the fried cake into the shape of a flower along the edge.

Unexpectedly, back at the yamen gate, someone had already been waiting for him in the snow.

After just one night, Chen Yuanwei, Master Chen, also looked as if he had weathered frost and snow—pale with hints of blue, having clearly not slept well.

Deputy Magistrate Sun had arrived early today and was waylaid by Master Chen at the gate.

Knowing Master Chen was now a thorny figure, he dared not act on his own and let him into the yamen, so he stood at the entrance negotiating with him.

The gatekeeper on early duty was helping Deputy Magistrate Sun hold Master Chen back. Being straightforward in nature, he straightened up as he saw Le Wuya return: "Master Chen, I really wasn't lying to you. The magistrate truly isn't in the yamen."

Master Chen, who had cultivated himself for years, usually slept early if he wasn't entertaining guests.

Last night, he had been thoroughly rebuffed by Master Wenren, even splashed with wine in the magistrate's drunken tantrum. After sulking for a while, he performed the Five Animals Exercise twice when he got home before feeling somewhat relieved.

The magistrate wouldn't accept his bribes; perhaps the offer wasn't tempting enough.

Detaining Ge Erzi was just waiting for a higher price.

If the price was thick enough, everything could be negotiated.

Master Chen had been turned away and knew it was inconvenient to see the magistrate again today. Undeterred, he prepared an even more generous gift, planning to visit again the next day.

Unexpectedly, not long after he fell asleep, he was awakened by the steward.

Upon hearing that the magistrate had opened court for a night trial, Master Chen didn't react at first: "Who was tried?"

"At first, it was Su, then Chang Xiaohu's case..." The steward's face was deeply worried. "Now it seems some leads have emerged. Manager Lu and Chen Fu have all been detained. A clever one slipped out during the gap and came to our residence to report. I sent him back to the mine to get more news."

Master Chen was stunned.

The steward stared at him, waiting for his decision.

Master Chen hesitated for a moment: "Wait for news."

And then the waiting became problematic.

The first scout sent out didn't return.

Growing anxious, Master Chen sent a second group—two to the mine and two to the yamen to listen to the trial.

Those sent to the mine vanished like stones dropped into the sea, with no word.

One of those sent to listen to the trial managed to run back, dripping with sweat despite the cold winter: "Master, the manager and Fu have both been through the trial."

"Were they tortured?"

"No, no. I saw the magistrate treating our people politely."

Master Chen's heart settled a bit: "What did he ask?"

"Just questions about the mine, nothing serious, like casual chat."

This seemed like good news, but somehow Master Chen couldn't relax: "Send someone else to probe again."

His premonition came true.

The next person came back stumbling and crawling, as it had snowed and the ground was slippery.

Trembling, he said, "The magistrate caught five black donkeys and dragged them back to the yamen!"

Master Chen's face changed drastically: "What?!"

He looked at the steward: "Have the people sent to the mine returned? Why is there no news at all?!"

The steward barely concealed his panic: "We've sent a third group, and none have returned..."

Master Chen fell back into his chair, knowing that Xiaofu Coal Mine was probably doomed.

But after a night of bitter suffering, like being slowly cut by a blunt knife, he couldn't bear to let go of this enterprise.

He had cast aside the dignity of a scholar and invested countless silver to acquire that ceaseless flow of black gold.

Abandoning it now was something he truly could not accept!

He came early to the yamen to seek an audience with the magistrate. He was in the middle of negotiating with Deputy Magistrate Sun when the magistrate returned from buying breakfast.

Le Wuya smiled radiantly and took the initiative to greet him: "Master Chen, good morning."

Master Chen, reading his expression, stepped forward respectfully: "Magistrate, I'm sorry to trouble you so early. I apologize for my poor hospitality last night; please forgive me."

"Oh." Le Wuya said cheerfully, "It's nothing. I was being stubborn and unreceptive."

This joke made Chen Yuanwei's heart pound with fear: "Magistrate, please allow me to make amends. Could you spare a moment to visit my humble home?"

Le Wuya: "Unfortunately, I have another guest today. Master Chen, perhaps another day."

Chen Yuanwei assumed this was just a pretext and was about to insist, when the solemn sound of drums and music slowly filled the street.

Le Wuya peered out, his expression bright as he raised an eyebrow. With a seemingly friendly gesture, he grasped Master Chen's wrist: "My guest has arrived, Master Chen. Would you like to join me?"

Without waiting for Master Chen's reaction, Le Wuya straightened his robes and knelt down: "This humble official, Wenren Yue, Magistrate of Nanting County, presents himself before the Imperial Commissioner! I pay my respects to General Pei!"

Master Chen had no chance to run away and was forced to kneel alongside Le Wuya.

At the words "Imperial Commissioner," his blood ran cold.

How could an imperial commissioner visit a place as remote as Nanting?

Before he could finish that thought, a pleasant but cold voice came from above: "Rise."

Le Wuya stood up, intending to glance at his two troublesome nemeses, Pei Mingqi or Xiang Zhishi, but his first glance uncontrollably landed on the Sixth Prince, Xiang Zhijie.

The Sixth Prince was dressed far more formally than the day before, donning a stately black cloak adorned with fine dark-gold python patterns. It fit him exceptionally well at the waist, making his posture appear remarkably elegant and dignified.

What stood out most was his winter hat—exceptionally eye-catching: a beautiful malachite gem set at the crown, and a single peacock feather trailing from the back, hanging all the way down to his waist.

A man in black looks his best.

Le Wuya had never seen the typically low-key Xiang Zhijie dressed so strikingly, and he felt a restless urge—almost tempted to tug at his peacock feather.

When their eyes met, Xiang Zhijie gave a slight smile and nodded at him.

Xiang Zhi cast a glance at his elder brother, speechless: “…”

Could it be that his sixth brother had risen at the crack of dawn, spent time adorning himself before the mirror, just to be glanced at one more time?