Chapter 198: Father and son, Confucian generals, borrowing a knife to kill.

After a few more days, the city emerged in front of them.

The red brick city was bathed in a spring sandstorm, giving it a grayish texture.

Seeing the flying cloud flag at the edge of the city from afar, Tingyun Shi stationed his horse for a moment, shouted a fierce driving, harnessed his horse through the wind, the white horse over the whistling south wind, galloping forward, in the moat drawbridge side a reins.

The horse's head rises to the hoof, a long neigh, spraying a cloud of warm hot air with the smell of sand and earth.

Yuanheng Yan frowned and looked back at Yeshu Li.

"That's the general's flag." Yeshu Li replaced Tingyun Shi and explained, "The general has come to Dingyuan for inspection."

Tingyun Shi squinted at the city gates, faintly saw a familiar figure, flew off his horse, quickly ran across the lowered drawbridge, the newly replaced red brocade cloak was slapped by the sand out of the fine sound.

At the other end of the suspension bridge stood Jinghong Shi, who had been waiting for a long time.

Jinghong Shi laughed and said, "I figured you would be here today, so ......"

Before he finished, his son, who was already vaguely higher than him, jumped straight into his arms, interrupting his words.

"...... Chang Su ?"

The person in his arms buried his whole face in his arms, arms like iron clamps holding him, shaking with force.

Jinghong Shi froze for a moment, then spoke out and ordered, "Turn around."

Several lieutenants and gatekeepers at his side followed the order, holding swords and shields, and turned around in unison.

Jinghong Shi looked down and asked, "What's wrong?"

The person in his arms did not say anything, just hugged a little tighter.

Jinghong Shi took off the helmet of the boy in his arms, and tidied up his long hair that had been blown by the sand.

He thought the boy was upset that his best friend had betrayed him.

Jinghong Shi did not add a word of blame to him.

Nearly confused years, in his body precipitated a strange tenderness: "silly boy. The joke is on you. Go and welcome the thirteenth prince with father, what you want to say, into the tent at night, father listen to you well, but also can allow you to cry for a burning incense, okay."

Tingyun Shi straightened up with all her strength, and the sandy redness surfaced around her eyes: "Yes, Father."

This is the third time Xiaochi Chi has felt the emotions of the original owner, Tingyun Shi.

But in either case, it was out of control.

Beneath the layers of suppressed gray waves, there are hidden unsettling sharp reefs and vortexes.

Strangely enough, such emotions, when he confronts Ziling Chu, are well-contained, as if he has forgotten the unpleasant memories or hidden them under a deeper, darker wave.

The thirteenth prince's trip, with the name of the king's tour, could have been full of royalty, but Yuanheng Yan himself is low-profile, in addition to the necessary courtesy, seldom talk about superfluous formalities, privately addressed Jinghong Shi as Uncle Shi, and after entering the city, said he wanted to visit the wounded General Feiru Wen, to send some condolences, as a token of appreciation.

Both father and son spoke in unison on the matter, saying that Feiru Wen was seriously injured and needed to recuperate, so he should not meet with guests.

The words were consistent, so Yuanheng Yan was not suspicious and did not insist on it, and only asked someone to send the gift to the city and leave it.

Zi Gong brought a lot of things with him on his trip, and he seems to be planning to stay here for a long time. Ziling Chu put some large items that are not easy to carry around in the house, while small items are put away in some rattan boxes, so that they can be organized and taken away easily.

When closing one of the rattan boxes, he lost control of the force, a muffled sound, he came back to his senses, one hand pressed on the rattan box, side ears listening to the movement outside, hoping that the person did not hear.

Yet he still couldn't dodge it.

Fengmian Yu's tone was that of a normal boy telling him, "Take things lightly and put them away."

He gritted his teeth once and responded, "Yes."

With these words, Ziling Chu sat down on his knees on the foot rug and slowly exhaled the foul air in his chest.

If in the past, Ziling Chu would not have been so annoyed when faced with the district's orders.

Who knows if Jinghong Shi was suspicious and found out that he had tampered with the fire-painted seal?

Is one's coming here a self-inflicted trap?

In case of emergency, he thought of quietly strangling the pigeon that delivered the message to Nan Southern for him, so as to eliminate the evidence, but every pigeon is carefully cultivated by the general's residence, and if one died for no reason, Zi Gong would certainly be traced and might even charge himself with the crime of lax management. He had been caught by the night patrol.

Dead pigeons, in turn, attract attention.

For this reason, he tossed and turned several nights not to sleep, coupled with the daily march, the wind and dust gradually heavy, within a few days, he will be thin and haggard a lot.

When Tingyun Shi saw this, he thought he was too tired and weak to wait on him, so he asked him to come and accompany Zi Gong, and to put things away in the meantime.

How can a young master know how much work is involved behind the words "gathering and placing"?

Ziling Chu held his knees and sank his breath, and only after a long time did he calm down.

Don't rush, don't panic, it's not time yet.

He had already written to Sha Ai, explaining earnestly that taking Jinghong Shi would not happen overnight, and that it would no longer be convenient for them to send letters when they were stationed inside the city, which was equipped with empty posts and watchtowers on the eight corner towers of the city gates, which were changed day and night to prevent the spies in the city from sending messages to the outside.

Luckily, he had some status in the army, so if he spoke to Zi Gong and asked him to join the patrol, he would have a way to contact the Nan Southern spies stationed in the city and find a way to get the information out of the city.

Zi Gong, who spoiled him so much, would have agreed.

One day, he will turn over to the Lord and will treat Zi Gong well.

With this in mind, Ziling Chu felt better and leaned down to straighten up the messy suitcase.

But he a thumping heart, the more sorted the colder.

The boxes of books were all Fengmian Yu's.

On the way, he took out one copy and read it, but he was a fast reader, and now the order was all messed up, so Fengmian Yu, being a picky person, gave him a table of contents and asked him to organize it in order.

It took Ziling Chu a lot of effort to pack the books alone, and it took a lot of hot sweat to get them in shape.

He wiped a sweat and raised his eyes to the twilight window.

These chores should not have been his to do.

Where did Yeshu Li go?

After Jinghong Shi and Tingyun Shi settled Yuanheng Yan down, they had a chance to catch up with their father and son.

Jinghong Shi looks like a scholar, different from Tingyun Shi's heroic spirit. His face is naturally white, like a literary explorer, and the wind and sand of the border pass have left only a trace in the corners of his eyes. When he was dressed in a long shirt, the only thing that could reveal his identity as a martial artist was a pair of surprisingly long, sinewy hands and the coarse calluses between his fingers.

Tingyun Shi looks like she is back to normal and picks up the snack from the small table and tries to bite it.

Jinghong Shi looked at him, his tone was unconcealed doting: "The agreement in front of the city, does not count?"

Tingyun Shi, holding the snack, vaguely said, "Why cry when you have maren candy."

Seeing his son pull out his handkerchief like he did when he was a child, eating while tucking, Jinghong Shi smiled helplessly: "The thirteenth prince's share father has already sent, these are all yours."

He knows that his son is good friends with the thirteenth prince, and the thirteenth prince loves this kind of sweet fruit, he brought some dessert back to Wangcheng, he the boy always eat a little half, tuck a big half, every time is sent to Yuanheng Yan.

This was still 12 or 13 years ago.

Until that Ziling Chu entered the house, Tingyun Shi was obsessed with a nightmare, everything was done in his favor, even with the thirteenth prince less.

Jinghong Shi wanted to ask something, but after thinking about it, he did not ask.

Let the child eat happily first.

At this moment, Yeshu Li came in, carrying freshly brewed rooibos tea, and poured it to both of them one by one.

The clear tea flowed slowly down the wall of the cup.

He thought the father and son were talking business, so he didn't make any extra noise, whether he was marching or pouring tea.

Jinghong Shi looked at him with interest and suddenly called out, "Yeshu Li?"

Yeshu Li, who had not heard his name from the general for a long time, looked up and said blankly, "General?"

"Drawing, literacy, I remember you know some of them."

Without waiting for his answer, Jinghong Shi threw him an old map of the distribution of grain stations: "In the last three months, the distribution of grain stations has changed so much that the old map will be scrapped. He will inform you of the new locations of the grain stations he has found, and make a new copy of the distribution of the grain stations according to this map, and you will be the author."

He looked as if he didn't consider this a big deal: "Several of my lieutenants are busy with important matters, and I can't find a more suitable candidate for a while, so it's you."

Infected by the general's relaxed look, Yeshu Li's heart just emerged a lot of fear dispersed, holding the map replied yes, respectfully retreated out.

Tingyun Shi chewed on a snack and said cheerfully, "Old Dad, you have to lift up Ah Shu."

Jinghong Shi asked rhetorically, "Isn't it Chang Su's intention to lift him up by asking him to serve here? I'm just following the trend."

Tingyun Shi arched his hand and said, "General Shi is wise."

"To receive a compliment from Chang Su, I can see that my father has really followed Chang Su's wishes." Jinghong Shi pressed his sword at his waist, "Ah Shu's business is finished, it's time for another one."

Tingyun Shi looked at him slightly suspiciously.

Jinghong Shi smiled and stood up with his head pressed.

"I know my son is pure-hearted and cannot bear to kill his long-time friend. Father is not harsh on you, this pure goodness, my father treasures very much, I only hope that you can carry this pure heart for a lifetime, never change. Since he was brought here, my father will carry out the sentence on your behalf. The northern army can tolerate poor sons, foreigners, and common slaves, but not rebels."

Jinghong Shi got up, still in the form of a literati, even the literate manners did not reduce a few points: "Sit a little, my father went to kill him."

His hand was held down by Tingyun Shi.

Jinghong Shi looked at him, and between a few crossed eyes, they each understood their own thoughts.

Tingyun Shi retracted her hand, which was still covered with syrup.

Jinghong Shi sat back down, handed over a handkerchief, soaked it with tea, and gestured for him to wipe his hands.

Tingyun Shi said, "I had reasons for not killing Ziling Chu for the time being and wanted to inform my father."

Jinghong Shi said gently, "You speak, Father is listening."

For the first time, father and son sent letters to each other, and between them, it was determined that there was a rebellion within the general's house.

But Tingyun Shi's first letter was not clear, and Jinghong Shi did not yet know who was behind it.

In his second letter, Tingyun Shi wrote about the defensive techniques and battle strategies to deal with the siege of Dingyuan, and deliberately outlined with vermilion which part of the strategy was contributed by Ziling Chu.

Tingyun Shi did not mention Yeshu Li in his letter, but took a vermilion pen and marked the word Ziling Chu heavily. Once he received the letter, Jinghong Shi knew who the traitor was and had an idea of what to expect.

When he opened the letter again, the letter to Nan Southern Sha Ai was the best proof of Ziling Chu's foreign connections that came to him.

He didn't even have to do it himself, he just had to throw the letter and Ziling Chu would have been killed by an axe, leaving his body intact.

Therefore, Jinghong Shi preempted the action, but also want to see the face of the love of the child, to give him a whole body.

He knew the nature of his child, and now Tingyun Shi was not trying to follow his personal feelings by stopping him.

So he waited quietly for an answer.

And Tingyun Shi did not disappoint.

After a pause, he said, " Ziling Chu Keep it useful. Great use."

Father and son closed their homes and talked deeply for a long time, until the night shrouded, the hall door was pushed open again.

When he opened the door again, Jinghong Shi was full of warmth, no longer mentioning that he had raised his sword to kill someone: "My father ordered the kitchen to make red-billed geese, which you love to eat, and pheasant dumplings. If you have eaten enough, you should rest early and get up early tomorrow to accompany the thirteenth prince to review the troops of Dingyuan."

Tingyun Shi seems to have let go of a preoccupation and finally regained some of his usual liveliness: "I'll go and inform Yuan Heng!"

Jinghong Shi's face changed: "How did my father teach you to call the thirteenth prince."

"Yes, yes, thirteenth prince, thirteenth prince."

Jinghong Shi watched Tingyun Shi go and sighed helplessly.

Everything is good, but this no big and small look, really annoying.

Fortunately, through this matter, the child still have the ability to believe in people, is the most gratifying.

Jinghong Shi went to the kitchen, fetched a food box, walked towards the inner courtyard, pushed open a west hall door and dodged in.

Inside the hall is Feiru Wen, who is rumored to be "recovering" from an illness.

When he saw the face of the visitor, Feiru Wen, who was about to hide behind a screen, immediately appeared and complained, "General, the last general is dying of suffocation."

"Rest in peace." Jinghong Shi smiled, "Wine and meat are ready for you."

Feiru Wen a happy: "the end general to see what it is. ...... ooh, pheasant meat dumplings. Little Zi Gong came, right."

At the mention of Tingyun Shi, Jinghong Shi's face softened: "Yes, he arrived today."

Feiru Wen chopsticks to pick up two, throwing into the mouth: "This is it, in the past this pheasant meat dumplings are expensive, which is the turn of the generals to eat a bite. We have been blessed by the young general, when we invite the young general to meet, the last general has to thank him."

Jinghong Shi Wen Wen said, "Don't say that. Today is for the thirteenth prince to receive the dust ......"

Feiru Wen chewed the dumplings: "General, there are no outsiders now, why are you telling me this? Who in the army doesn't know that you favor the young general?"

After Jinghong Shi lost his smile, he frowned a little and brought up the matter: " What is the news from Nan Southern?"

"It's really there."

Feiru Wen since the fraudulent injury, listening to the sound of fighting outside clanging and killing, but can not personally involved, idle scratching his heart, Jinghong Shi asked him to hide, in charge of the spies from all over the collection of information.

"Nan Southern has a dead officer, I heard it was a violent death." Feiru Wen said, "In addition, Sha Pa Department seems to have some movement, Sha Pa that old boy ran back to the main city of Nan Southern. ...... According to reason, the dead official was his brother-in-law, not really a close relative, he ran back to mourn, I heard Muer Tie was very upset."

When Jinghong Shi heard the news, he was slightly shocked.

That steal and replace the pillar strategy, but really by this kid made?

Chang Su has always been straightforward, when did he have such a calculating mind?

However, this hand to kill with a knife to do really beautiful.

Jinghong Shi's heart was both happy and sad when he thought that his son had grown up in a place he didn't know.

He thought for a moment and asked, "...... Am I really so partial to Chang Su?"

Feiru Wen poured down a sip of wine and nodded his head.

Jinghong Shi lost his smile, looking out the window at the white moon, thinking of his late wife.

For her sake, a little spoiled Chang Su at home, it does not matter, right?