The He couple stood surrounded at the center of the crowd, like stars revolving around the moon.
Everyone showered them with lavish praise.
He Chunhua was in high spirits, conversing and laughing with utter ease. Where was there even a trace of stage fright or unease?
He Lingchuan took a sip of his wine. "This is truly the old man's finest hour. Look at him, his face is positively glowing."
He Chunhua had just arrived at Luming Garden and had hardly taken two sips of wine, yet his face was flushed bright red. Naturally, it was because his heart surged with surging fervor and impassioned pride.
"Vindicated at last." He Yue exhaled a long breath as well, his heart overflowing with emotion. "Our family has waited twenty years for this moment."
Twenty years ago, the entire He clan had been executed, leaving only He Chunhua to wander the frontier like a stray dog, tasting every bitter chill of worldly fickle fortunes. Twenty years later, He Chunhua returned to Shihuan with his entire household, and the prominent clans and venerable families all clustered around, offering solicitous warmth and fawning praise.
From the mire to the clouds, ascending to the heavens in a single bound—how could he not feel proud and triumphant?
It reaffirmed to him once more that his schemes, his calculations, and his sacrifices had all been worthwhile.
Just then, three youths strolled over from not far off. The one in the lead was a young master clad in white, flanked by two others who looked like his attendants.
The young master in white clasped his hands toward He Lingchuan. "Would you be the He brothers?"
He Lingchuan chuckled. "And you are?" This fellow's footing was somewhat unsteady; he was clearly not a trained martial artist.
"My surname is He. My father serves in the Censorate."
The attendant beside him hurried to introduce, "This is the third son of Lord He, the Censor-in-Chief—He Su, courtesy name Feiyang."
The He brothers both adopted looks of sudden realization.
A Censor-in-Chief did not hold the highest rank, but he oversaw impeachments and scrutiny, able to censure this person and indict that person at a moment's notice. The civil and military officials held him in deep awe.
After a few courtesies back and forth, He Su smiled. "I heard Sister Xiu'er was brought all the way back to Shihuan from the south by Lord He?"
*What a character—setting traps with his words right out of the gate.* He Yue remained outwardly placid. "Miss Zhu recognized my mother as her foster mother. Traveling by land and water over these dozen-odd days, aside from encountering the rebel troops fleeing from Woling Pass, everything went smoothly."
"Woling Pass?" He Su's attention was indeed snagged by the words 'rebel troops.' "You even ran into rebel troops?"
He said the last two words rather loudly, drawing over nearby guests. Two of them chimed in:
"I heard Lord He led troops to heavily defeat the rebels in the south."
"More than that, he saved many villagers as well."
"Of the rebel generals formerly under Hong the traitor, Lord He routed two and convinced another to surrender!"
Before long, a crowd gathered around the He brothers too, everyone clamoring for details. He Yue shared what could be said, eliciting gasps of marvel from the crowd.
He Lingchuan watched coldly from the sidelines, discovering that this younger brother of his spoke with eloquence and poise, displaying a demeanor that did not yield to their father's in the least.
Left out in the cold, He Su felt somewhat disgruntled. He coughed twice and raised his voice. "Sister Xiu'er's return to the Zhu family is a wonderful thing. It's truly pitiful how countless people searched far and wide over these years without finding any trace of her. Could Brother He satisfy our curiosity—where exactly was Sister Xiu'er abducted to, and how did you find her?"
He Yue had prepared his story long ago:
"Miss Zhu was smuggled south, just when the floods struck Hongxiang. The human traffickers and the other girls were swept into the waters, their fates unknown. She was fortunate enough to be fished from the river by the nuns of Tiangong Temple, and she was sheltered in the temple thereafter. But she suffered a blow to the head from drifting timber, leaving her unable to recall the past clearly, which was why she couldn't remember that she was a daughter of the Zhu family."
When the He couple delivered Zhu Xiu'er back, they had agreed on this cover story with Zhu Xiyan to replace the truth of her being sold to a destitute backwater to bear children for a peasant.
A daughter of the House of Zhu could not possess such a disgraceful history, nor should Zhu Xiu'er herself have such a miserable past.
How could He Su drop the matter so easily? "Then how did Lord He discover her?"
"That Tiangong Temple was raided by a small band of rebels, and the nuns were bound. We happened to be passing by and killed the bandits in passing. Perhaps the battle was too bloody and violent, which by a twist of fate jogged Miss Zhu's former memories." He Yue spread his hands. "Could this be anything other than heaven's will?"
In any case, it was lying through his teeth with eyes wide open—who could possibly go investigate?
Several noblewomen played along cooperatively, sighing repeatedly. "For Lord Zhu's precious granddaughter to be recovered after seven long years, this must truly be heaven's pity."
He Su smiled. "Disappearing, losing her memory, and finally being found again. Hearing it put this way, Sister Xiu'er's experience sounds terribly familiar. There was another person just like this! Do you all remember?"
This topic successfully steered everyone's attention back. "Who?"
"Huh, now that Young He mentions it, I seem to recall something like that."
"Mm, but the ages don't quite match. Zhu Xiu'er was already over ten when she was taken, whereas that child was only five when he vanished."
*There's actually an identical case?* He Lingchuan frowned inwardly, putting on a bewildered expression. "Who are you referring to?"
A plump noblewoman quietly rested a hand on his shoulder, covering her mouth with a chuckle. "Eldest Young Master He doesn't know, they're talking about Songyang Mansion's—"
Before she could finish, a fragrant breeze heralded an arrival, and Zhu Xiu'er appeared nearby, slightly tilting her head. "It's so lively here. What is everyone chatting about?"
With the protagonist herself having arrived, how could anyone gossip right to her face? They chimed in one after another, "Just chatting idly. The He brothers were telling us about their deeds fighting the rebels."
Zhu Xiu'er smiled. "Lord He is resourceful and wise, and the He brothers are brave and formidable. I witnessed it with my own eyes."
Just then, an announcer's herald rang out once more: "The General of Chariots and Cavalry—Ke Jihai has arrived!"
A commotion rippled through the hall at once. Guests whispered among themselves, and as He Lingchuan listened around, the central sentiment boiled down to a single question: "Why is he here?"
Not just the others—even the He brothers found the name 'Ke Jihai' thundering in their ears.
Immediately after, Zhu Xiyan and Zhu Xiu'er escorted a man inside, and the entire assembly rose to their feet.
He Lingchuan finally laid eyes on this legendary grand general.
The man wore a brocade robe and stood six chi tall. His appearance was ordinary, seemingly falling short of the standard for 'a paragon among men'—save for the sharp light glinting in his eyes.
He Lingchuan happened to catch his gaze, feeling only that the man's eyes were like a tiger's, possessing an arresting, intimidating presence.
It was precisely Generals Wu Di and Ke Jihai who had led the imperial army to suppress the rebellion at Woling Pass, bringing about the death of rebel leader Hong Xiangqian and routing the remnants of his forces into disarray, thereby preserving Shihuan City beneath their very feet. This was a monumental achievement.
When the Grand Marshal rebelled and forced the monarch's hand at Mount Xiaoxi, it was also Ke Jihai who had rushed back in time to defend the crown, forcing the Grand Marshal to retreat to Wuzhou.
Rescuing the sovereign's imperial chariot was likewise an immense merit.
If one were to name the figure riding the highest crest of prominence and unmatched acclaim throughout the court and beyond, who could it be if not Ke Jihai?
What puzzled everyone, however, was that Ke Jihai ought to have been besieging the Grand Marshal within Wuzhou at this moment. Why had he appeared in Shihuan City?
With Ke Jihai's arrival, all the guests were present. After Zhu Xiyan delivered a speech, he announced the start of the welcome banquet.
Seeing Zhu Xiu'er standing beside him the entire time with a sweet, radiant smile, the guests understood that Old Zhu's affection for this granddaughter had not been eroded by time, and he intended to use this occasion to propel her back into high society.
Delicacies and fine dishes were served to the tables like flowing water.
Hosting a banquet at Luming Garden drew its greatest appeal not from famous masters in charge, but from dishes crafted by imperial chefs. The three head chefs here were said to have been specially dispatched from the imperial palace, each possessing unique specialties.
The He family was accustomed to hearty meat and fish in Blackwater City. When Madam Ying and He Yue lifted their chopsticks here, both felt an urge to slap the table in marvel.
*So dishes can be made like this?* Fine food cannot be too finely cut. Every dish here was small and exquisite; a few small bites cleared the plate, leaving one smacking their lips and savoring the lingering flavors endlessly.
Madam Ying sighed inwardly, feeling as though all the meals she had eaten in the past had been completely wasted.
Having tasted flavors from all over the land in his previous life, He Lingchuan was not as awestruck as the other country bumpkins of the He family. Even so, two dishes thoroughly won his heart. First was a dish of quick-fried eel: using only finger-thick yellow eels slaughtered live and sliced into sections, deep-fried in hot oil, then coated in savory sauce, repeating this frying process three to five times until it was truly crisp outside and tender inside, melting on the tongue. It demonstrated profound skill.
The other dish was termite mushroom pigeon soup. Both in flavor and price, this variety of mushroom stood head and shoulders above its peers. Luming Garden produced them as well, but in the depth of winter, no fresh harvest was available, so dried termite mushrooms had to suffice. Yet once simmered into broth, the flavor remained undiminished, erasing even the slightest gaminess from the pigeon. A gentle sip was savory enough to make one's eyebrows dance.
He Lingchuan gulped down an entire cup and desperately wanted more, but unfortunately, there were no refills.
He waited around for quite a while, wanting to see if they served palace jade nectar wine, but was left rather disappointed. It seemed the King of Yuan still had no knack for pulling off grand gimmicks.
Once the pigeon soup was served, the guests went over to toast the General of Chariots and Cavalry. The center of attention shifted entirely from He Chunhua to Ke Jihai.
After all, the newly appointed Chief Administrator of Xiazhou had merely rescued an orphaned daughter of an official, whereas Ke Jihai had safeguarded the realm for the sovereign.
Whose merit was greater, and whose status was higher, was self-evident.
Although Ke Jihai had stolen all his thunder, He Chunhua showed not the slightest displeasure. Instead, he gripped his wine cup and went over to toast Ke Jihai as well.
With Zhu Xiyan introducing him, Ke Jihai's eyes brightened upon hearing He Chunhua's name. "Right, you are the Chief Administrator of Xiazhou who struck down that traitor Sun Fuping!"
He had attended the Zhu family banquet merely out of courtesy. As a commanding general of hundreds of thousands of troops, he had no interest in an orphaned girl returning home, but he paid close attention to bloody battles tied to state affairs.
He Chunhua offered a wry smile. "It seems I am."
Beside them, Zhu Xiyan said, "General Ke might not know, but the remnant rebels routed by you and General Wu fled south along the river from Woling Pass, intending to regroup and regain their momentum, only to be crushed by the troops led by Lord He!"
Ke Jihai grew even more interested. "Oh? Which rebel factions were they?"
"Wu Shaoyi, Lu Yao, and Pei Xinyong," Zhu Xiyan said with a smile. "Lu Yao fell in battle, Pei Xinyong fled in defeat, but Wu Shaoyi was pacified by Lord He and absorbed into his army along with his troops."
"Most importantly, Lord He had only three hundred elites, whereas those three rebel armies numbered over six thousand in total!"
"Good, splendid! In extraordinary times, heaven bestows a talented commander!" Ke Jihai slapped the table, rose, and pulled over a chair. "Come, Lord He, take a seat. Please recount the course of your victory over the rebels for me!"
The news of He Chunhua slaying Sun Fuping and Nian Songyu had spread through the capital long ago. Even if that battle held certain elements of chance, his Auxiliary Army crushing the Woling Pass rebels was a solid, undeniable victory. With these two proud military achievements standing side by side, Ke Jihai could not help but view this frontier-bred official with newfound respect.
After all, vast though the Yuan Kingdom was, a good general was hard to come by.
Chapter 172