After running for about the time it takes half an incense stick to burn, Eunuch Wei suddenly halted. Zheng Fan naturally stopped as well, beginning to catch his breath.
"Lord Zheng, take a moment to catch your breath. We wouldn’t want you to accidentally offend His Majesty when you meet him."
"Thank you, Eunuch Wei."
The two began to walk at a steady pace. They passed by a small garden, similar in size to the imperial garden in the Forbidden City. In any case, it was far too small for consorts to play games like hide-and-seek or orchestrate "accidental" encounters.
The Imperial Study was situated behind the garden, with a small pond separating them. After they crossed a covered walkway over the pond, Eunuch Wei signaled Zheng Fan to wait outside while he entered first.
A palace with a master felt entirely different from one without. Standing at the entrance, Zheng Fan felt a distinct chill.
It was like back in elementary school when you beat up your chubby deskmate, and now his father was waiting for you in the teacher’s office. Well, perhaps a more apt analogy would be: back in elementary school, you castrated your chubby deskmate, and now his father was waiting for you...
「A short while later,」
Eunuch Wei came out and said to Zheng Fan, "Please come in, Lord Zheng."
Inside the Imperial Study, the lighting was subdued; it seemed the Emperor preferred this slightly dim ambiance. After entering and turning right, Zheng Fan saw a man sitting behind a large desk. He was dressed in traditional Yan robes with gold trim. However, the specific details of his attire weren’t clearly discernible, and besides, Zheng Fan didn’t have much time for a close look.
"Commander Zheng Fan of Green Willow Fortress pays his respects to Your Majesty!"
After more than half a year since awakening, a period spent drifting between north and south, Zheng Fan had finally, albeit somewhat haphazardly, come to meet the supreme leader of Yan.
During the evening bonfires back at Green Willow Fortress, he and the blind man often used to smoke and shoot the breeze. He and the blind man had long figured out that the Yan Emperor and the Earl of North Border were clearly putting on an act together. And now, it seemed Lord Jingnan had joined their performance. Zheng Fan wondered what kind of charisma and personal magnetism this Yan Emperor possessed to make both the Southern Marquis and Lord North trust him so completely, willing to stand with him on the same battlefront.
The Yan Emperor murmured, as if slowly savoring the name.
Kneeling on the ground, the anxiety Zheng Fan had felt earlier suddenly gave way to a profound calm.
It was like being a nervous wreck before an exam; once the paper was handed out, however, there was no longer any mental space left for panic.
The Emperor’s tone was casual. He sounded less like a monarch and more like a weary man, naturally irked at having to deal with state affairs so late into the night.
"Your Majesty, Lord Jingnan sent me."
Zheng Fan wasn’t entirely sure about the proper etiquette for an audience with the Emperor. Before today, he was merely a commander of a border fortress—and, in truth, he still was.
"Lord Jingnan asked me to deliver a message to Your Majesty."
"The opening has been successfully made."
From that single "Oh," Zheng Fan couldn’t deduce much.
"How is the Empress?"
The Yan Emperor asked, his tone as casual as a familiar neighbor passing by your doorstep while you were eating, inquiring, "How are your folks?"
"Your Majesty, Her Majesty the Empress is safe and sound."
If not for his timely intervention, the Empress might have been cut down by the bloodthirsty Jingnan troops. But Zheng Fan didn’t dare take credit for this, nor did he even dare mention it. Who knew if the Emperor would be relieved or displeased to learn his Empress was unharmed? There was a precedent, after all. That governor from the Qian State must have been quite pleased to hear of the death of his wife, the one who came from their Silver Armored Guard, right?
"Chief Zheng, do you have a courtesy name?"
"Your Majesty, I come from a humble background and do not have one."
"That’s fine. We Yan people don’t need to follow the overly refined customs of the Qian State. Chief Zheng, in the past six months, your name has appeared on my desk several times."
"This subject is deeply apprehensive, Your Majesty."
"You rescued the prince outside the Earl of North Border’s residence. In Yinlang County, you stormed Huaiya Academy and captured a Qian State spy. With only four hundred cavalry, you ventured deep into Qian State territory and breached Mianzhou city. Alas, I am growing old. The future of this world belongs to you young people."
"Your Majesty is in your prime, and Great Yan is enjoying a period of flourishing National Destiny. The great carriage of Yan still needs a helmsman like Your Majesty to guide its course."
The Yan Emperor chuckled, then said, "Isn’t Chief Zheng from the northern frontier? How is it that you speak of such things? Have you seen the sea?"
"Your Majesty, I heard it from merchants from the Western Region. Their traders often cross the sea to conduct business."
"Oh, a pity. We in Yan cannot yet see the sea. By the way, Chief Zheng, you are from the North, yet you are highly regarded by Lord Jingnan. I am curious, are you a man of the Earl of North Border, or of Lord Jingnan?"
"I am a man of Yan! I am Your Majesty’s subject!"
"Haha. A convenient falsehood, but a comforting one to hear."
Zheng Fan remained silent.
"Isn’t that so, Your Majesty? Although this servant has only met Chief Zheng today, I can affirm that he is an intelligent man."
"A pity indeed, Wei Zhonghe. He was picked by Lord Jingnan. You’ll have no chance to take him as your godson."
"How would I dare? How could I dare compete with Lord Jingnan for talent? All I can say is, it’s a pity I didn’t encounter Chief Zheng sooner."
"You old eunuch, harboring thoughts of recruiting a military talent like Chief Zheng? Are you thinking of emulating Grand Commandant Yang of the Qian State and leading troops into battle yourself?"
"Goodness me! Even if this servant had the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard, I wouldn’t dare entertain such treasonous thoughts! Your Majesty, please see my loyalty clearly!"
The Emperor and the Grand Eunuch chatted, while Zheng Fan, still kneeling below, was drenched in a cold sweat.
Just then, a silver token was thrown down before Zheng Fan.
Zheng Fan, somewhat startled, reached out and picked up the token.
The Yan Emperor’s voice sounded, "This token grants free access to the Lake Heart Pavilion."
"Hmm?" Zheng Fan was puzzled.
"I hear you and Cheng Yue share a certain affinity. When you have time, you may visit him more often on my behalf." Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⟡𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕥⟡𝕟𝕖𝕥