Dandere General and His Lord - Chapter 64
Cheng Qianye sat behind her desk, seemingly reading through the papers in her hands thoroughly, but in fact she was secretly glancing at Mo Qiaosheng who was sitting adjacent to her at a lower desk and accompanying her in reviewing the papers.
This man, who was so outstanding on the battlefield, instantly turned back into his awkward self when he stood in front of her. His eyes had shone bright as he walked into the hall with long eager strides. When he came to her side, he just reported a few words in regards to military intelligence in a dry tone and fell silent. After being given a seat, he just sat there with his head down and in silence as usual.
Cheng Qianye hid her amused smile behind the papers.
Her general sat there motionless, without even glancing at her, staring at the blue bricks on the ground without blinking, as if flowers were blooming there. However, Cheng Qianye’s eyes could discern his colors, they changed several times, sometimes they showed panic, sometimes expectation, and other times self-blame.
Both funny and cute.
In the end, Mo Qiaosheng couldn’t help himself and secretly glanced at his lord who was ‘focusing on state affairs.’ Unexpectedly, he found that his lord was holding a scroll in one hand, leaning back in the chair, and looking at him with smiling eyes. Mo Qiaosheng was confused. How long had the lord been looking at him like this?
The corners of the Lord’s lips curled up slightly, looking at him with a knowing gaze as the Lord saw through his inner thoughts.
Slowly, the Lord stretched out that jade-white hand towards him.
Mo Qiaosheng reached out his hand in a trance, and just as his fingertips touched the smooth skin, the soft and warm palm immediately held his hand tightly. The smooth fingertips gently caressed his calloused palms, pulling him forward.
Mo Qiaosheng felt the blood rushing to his face. This is bad, my face must be really red, he thought.
There seemed to be broken stars in the Lord’s eyes, a thousand fragments of light trembling gently, reflecting his figure among them. Her lips parted slightly as she spoke.
“Qiaosheng, I missed you so much.”
Her hand caressed his tanned face from the brow to the chiseled jaw, fingertips brushing past his lips as if they didn’t. The numb feeling lingered at his lips went straight to his heart and could not be dispelled for a long time. Mo Qiaosheng’s hands that hung at his sides curled into white-knuckled fists.
“And you? Did you miss me?”
I… I think of you every night, and there is not a moment when I don’t want to return to you. Mo Qiaosheng shouted in his heart. However, his stiff lips only moved slightly but no word came out.
But the lord had heard what was in his heart.
Cheng Qianye waved her hand to sweep away the books and scrolls on the table, pressed her Cavalry General on the table, looking down at him like the rare gem he was.
Biyu came in from the side hall carrying tea, and when she looked up, she saw scrolls scattered all over the floor. On the large rosewood carved desk, the famous General Mo was being ‘bullied’ by his lord, who was pressing him down on the table.
Biyu raised her sleeve to cover her mouth in shock. In her panic, a teacup on the tray rolled off. With a thud, it fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.
Cheng Qianye raised her head from the table and shot her a glare, looking clearly displeased.
Biyu hurriedly left the hall. She closed the palace door, then leaned with her back against it as her face flushed with shame. She covered her pounding chest and thought, ‘Oh my God, it turns out that those rumors were true.’
—
Inside the imperial palace of Haojing, Mother Dowager Mo Zang of the Quanrong tribe, wearing a fur coat adorned with various stones, a gold brocade and a tall crown decorated with pearls, sat on a chair.
She looked at the young Han man in front of her who stood upright yet humble and spoke eloquently and couldn’t help feeling worried and uncertain.
They were nomadic people from the desert grasslands, accustomed to riding horses and herding sheep in the desert smoke and living a nomadic life. But she never imagined that one day they would be able to invade the Central Plains in one fell swoop, rule the imperial capital of the Central Plains, and live in this magnificent imperial palace.
Many people in the tribe were dazzled by this colorful world and began to pursue comfort and pleasure. But she was not enamored by any of it. She was the Mother Dowager of the Quanrong tribe, after all.
She was a woman who became a widow at a young age and single-handedly helped her young son sit on the throne in the prairie surrounded by wolves. She knew that the real turning point for their Quanrong clan was approaching.
They wanted to control and conquer the Han nation, one with a long history that had occupied the wealthy regions of the Central Plains for decades.
They won’t be able to defeat it through just burning, killing and looting. She was eager to learn and understand the extent of knowledge and culture of this nation.
Could this man named Zhang Fu truly be used by her?
Mother Dowager Mo Zang said, “Mr. Zhang’s knowledge is as rich as the grass on the grassland. Listening to your words, I felt like a lost traveler who saw the stars in the night sky and immediately found the direction to move forward.
“What puzzles me is that for a talent like you, how could the Lord of Jin not use the most honorable title to support you and, instead, push you to come before me?”
Zhang Fu put on his signature smile and bowed to Queen Mother Mo Zang. “If everyone had the insight to recognize talent like Mother Dowager, this humble minister would not have to wander around like this.”
Then, he revealed a dejected expression and sighed softly, “Ever since my lord, Old Jin Wei Hou, passed away, the new master has gone against the grain, favoring slaves and other lowly people. Not only did he not listen to my sincere advice, but he demoted me several times and even transferred me far away from the political center, leaving me to handle miscellaneous affairs.
“That much I could tolerate, but the nobles in the court saw that I had lost my power and excluded me in every way. They framed me and accused me of a crime they committed not long ago, forcing me to leave my homeland and flee the State of Jin.”
Mother Dowager Mo Zang exchanged glances with her sister Mo Zang Hongzhu who was sitting beside her. Mo Zang Hongzhu nodded at her with an affirmative expression. Seiing her response, Queen Mother Mo Zang became even more enthusiastic and eased her attitude towards him.
Zhang Fu was given the status of a guest official on the spot.
Mo Zang Hongzhu comforted Zhang Fu. “Mr. Zhang, don’t worry. Mother Dowager is eager to find talents. Now that Mr. Zhang has surrendered to Quanrong, Mother Dowager will treat you as a guest of honor. As long as you do your best for the Quanrong, there will be a day when you can hold your head high in front of the Lord of Jin.”
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, they saw him off.
Mother Dowager Mo Zang frowned and asked her sister Mo Zang Hongzhu, “Is this person really trustworthy? I heard that after he came to Haojing, he was very generous and spent gold and silver everywhere to make friends with your lover. You didn’t accept his money in exchange for recommending him to me, did you? ”
Mo Zang Hongzhu was shocked when she heard this. She touched the white fox fur scarf around her neck guiltily. She had indeed accepted a lot of good things from Zhang Fu, and was persuaded by his eloquent speech, so she recommended him to her sister.
But no matter what, she would not say that out loud.
“Why do you think so poorly of me, sister? How could I be so ignorant of the seriousness of this matter? Nowadays, the conflict between our Mo Zang clan and the Liang clan of Queen Liang is becoming increasingly fierce. At this critical moment, I should help my sister and recommend a truly great talent to her.”
She reached out and took hold of her sister’s sleeve, shaking it gently. Although the Mother Dowager was her biological sister, she had been afraid of this resourceful and strict sister since she was a child.
“Sister, you have just personally examined him. Isn’t this Zhang Fu an educated man? Besides, I have sent people to inquire carefully. It is true that the Marquis of Jinyue once expelled Zhang Fu from the city for a concubine. He only gave up after Zhang Fu knelt down outside the city gate and begged for mercy.
“Later, he never allowed him and audience and sent him far away to Jiangcheng to be in charge of food and fodder. Zhang Fu was indeed ostracized by many parties in Jiangcheng and had a hard time. I have found out all this, so it cannot be false.”
Mother Dowager Mo Zang relaxed her expression and said, “I am very pleased that you care so much about the family. Ever since the Marquis of Jin Yue defeated Pei Zhen our clan’s morale has been greatly weakened. I really need some talented people to help me.
“From the way he speaks, I can see that he is indeed a man of insight. If it’s really as you said, he can be of use. However, the Han people are not our people after all, so we should not trust them easily and need to investigate them carefully. ”
Mo Zang Hongzhu breathed a sigh of relief, “Don’t worry, sister, his residence is full of my people, monitoring his actions at all times. If I find out that he has evil intentions and makes any unusual moves, I will make him die a miserable death.”
Mother Dowager Mo Zang nodded as she sighed.
She was strong-willed throughout her life. Even as a widow, she used her power to eliminate dissidents and protect her son’s throne. But now that her son had grown up, he was dissatisfied with her monopolizing power and gradually became estranged from her. He supported his wife, Queen Liang, and the Queen’s family and began to oppose her in every way.
—
At this time, at Queen Liang’s residence.
Queen Liang was smashing the cup in her hand. “That old woman made our army lose face in front of the people of Jin. But she didn’t think she had done enough, it seems. She even recruited people from Jin as her staff!”
Her uncle Liang Ji advised her gently, “Your Majesty, please calm down. Pei Zhen suffered a loss in Bianzhou, which greatly damaged the reputation of the Mother Dowager. But the Mo Zang clan still holds the military power, and our Liang clan does lack a general who can truly lead the troops, which is why we are unable to compete with the Mother Dowager. It is a pity that General Wei Mingshan of Zhengzhou has been reluctant to accept our recruitment. ”
Her nephew Liang Yi said, “Reporting to the queen, uncle. I have heard of the name Zhang Fu. It is said that he is a genius and good at strategy. He has just arrived, so he may not be very loyal to the Mother Dowager. I will test him as soon as possible to know his true colors.”
—
It was snowing and Zhang Fu returned to his residence.
He got off the carriage and reached out to catch a piece of snow falling from the dim night sky. Guarding the door were several strong Quanrong warriors, who looked at him, a foreigner, with cold eyes.
Although Mo Zang Hongzhu said that these people were sent to protect his safety, it was obvious that they were also sent to monitor and control him. Xiao Xiu came out of the door, opened an umbrella, and welcomed him into the house.
“The minister is back.”
Zhang Fu nodded, and with a smile that was always on his face, walked slowly into the house. The two men entered the inner room, took off their cloaks, and gathered around the stove to keep warm. Xiao Xiu knelt respectfully and served tea, and asked in a low voice, “Sir, did everything go smoothly today?”
Zhang Fu stretched out his hand over the charcoal basin to drive away the cold and stared at the red charcoal in the basin.
Smoothly?
It was no different from trying to pull chestnuts out of the fire or walking on a tightrope over an abyss. He had to be careful at every step. Any wrong step and he would die without an intact body left. How could he expect it to be smooth?
Zhang Fu said softly, “Xiao Xiu, why did you come with me? Are you really not afraid?”
“I am here for the same reason as you, sir,” Xiao Xiu said, busying himself with his head down. “Although I am of humble origins, I also wish to contribute to the country.”
Zhang Fu looked at the young man who had accompanied him into this dangerous territory and smiled. “I found that anyone who is around him will be attracted to him unconsciously. Influenced by him, I gradually followed in his footsteps. Perhaps it is because of this quality that he has become my choice of monarch.”
—
In the West Mountain of Bianzhou, Cheng Qianye led Helan Zhen, Yu Dunsu, Xiao Jin, Mo Qiaosheng and other close confidants to hunt in the West Mountain.
As it got dark, everyone lit a bonfire and roasted a deer that they had just hunted.
On the snow, eating venison and drinking fine wine, they talked about the major issues of their country and the world. Everyone felt a sudden surge of heroic spirit and their hearts were filled with joy.
Cheng Qianye raised her glass and said, “The humble prosperity of Jin State today is all thanks to you all. In today’s world, heroes are rising up. I want to compete in the Central Plains and strengthen my Jin Dynasty. I hope you can help me!”
Everyone responded in unison and raised their glasses to celebrate. After three rounds of drinks, people gradually became less restrained and began to clink glasses and toast each other.
Yao Tianxiang held a golden cup and waved to Mo Qiaosheng, “Come here, General Mo, I’ll toast you.”
Mo Qiaosheng knelt down to receive the wine and was about to drink it all in one gulp.
Cheng Qianye stretched out her hand to stop him. “Wait a minute, what are you giving him to drink?”
Yao Tianxiang rolled her eyes at her and said, “What are you imagining? This is deer blood wine, it can dispel cold and replenish qi, it’s best to drink in winter. Come on, General Mo, you’ve worked hard, drink more.
Storyteller Kilathetranslator's Words
Hello! Translator here! Feel free to point out any errors you spot or share your opinion on the chapter. Enjoy!
kilathetranslator
Thanks to those who tried to give me ko-fi! Unfortunately, the account is not working for some reason. Many thanks though. Enjoy the chapter!