Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 7
Huo Fenghua fell into the water again. This time he’d also been out in the night wind. After he went back and lay down to sleep, he couldn’t get out of bed the next morning.
Qingqing didn’t know that he’d tried climbing the wall last night and run into so much trouble. She only thought his constitution was delicate, that the whip wounds on his back had just healed, and now he’d caught a chill from the wind. She had him rest in the room and told the kitchen to make more nourishing soups and tonics for him.
Fortunately, even though Huo Fenghua’s status in the General’s Manor wasn’t high, he’d never been short on food, clothing, or daily necessities. He stayed inside for several days, eating well and being well cared for. When he had nothing to do, Huo Fenghua would lie on the cushioned daybed by the window and flip through the manual Gu Guangji had left him. The thin book was full of methods for circulating qi. He read it for a long time and only understood that it taught internal cultivation, but he had no idea how to start. All he could do was sit and practice breathing exercises according to the movements depicted in the book.
After two or three days with little progress, his body gradually recovered.
Life in the General’s Manor was comfortable and carefree. Huo Fenghua’s urge to run away faded a bit, and he decided to wait a while longer. Still, being cooped up in the room day after day made him feel stifled. Once he was fully recovered, he wanted to go out of the manor and take a look around.
He slipped out of his little side courtyard, feeling uneasy along the way, afraid someone would block him and refuse to let him leave. He’d already decided in his head that he was now Su Zeyang’s sect leader junior brother. If Su Zeyang refused to give him face, people would still have to show some respect to the sect leader token. If someone really stopped him, he’d go find Su Zeyang and make a scene.
Thinking that way gave Huo Fenghua more confidence, and he walked with his back a little straighter.
This time he didn’t go through the back gate. He went straight to the front courtyard. Just as he reached the main gates of the General’s Manor, he saw the gates open. The gatekeeper turned and saw him, and shouted, “Young Master Huo, please move aside.”
The gatekeeper wasn’t polite to him at all, so Huo Fenghua stepped aside and watched a carriage drive in from outside.
Huo Fenghua had been in the General’s Manor for so long and had never heard of any visitors. He couldn’t help craning his neck to peer toward the carriage window. At that exact moment, the person inside lifted the window curtain too, and their eyes met.
Seated in the carriage was a man with fair skin and a short mustache, handsome features and a refined, scholarly air. He looked to be in his thirties. After seeing Huo Fenghua, his brows furrowed slightly. Only after the driver brought the carriage to a stop did the man lift the curtain and step down.
The man gave Huo Fenghua a small nod but didn’t address him.
Huo Fenghua could only give a short bow in greeting, not knowing how to address him. He was about to grab the gatekeeper to ask when he suddenly heard hurried footsteps coming from the inner courtyard. Turning, he saw the manor steward Lu Xi arriving together with Liu Yong, the servant who attended Su Zeyang.
Before Liu Yong had even come close, he called from afar, “Prime Minister!”
The man nodded. “Uncle Lu. It’s been a long time.”
Lu Xi quickened his steps and hurried up to him, bending at the waist. “Eldest Young Master.”
The man reached out to steady him.
Liu Yong had come close now as well. He bowed, smiling broadly. “Prime Minister, Young Master Su heard you’d arrived and already had fine tea prepared. He’s waiting for you in the main hall.”
Hearing that, the man asked, “Has everything been well at the manor?”
Liu Yong hurriedly said, “All well, all well. Prime Minister, this way, please.”
The man looked to Lu Xi again. Lu Xi said, “Eldest Young Master, Young Master Su is waiting for you. Please go ahead. I still have a few matters to handle. I’ll come after.”
The man nodded and followed Liu Yong toward the inner courtyard.
Lu Xi then turned to Huo Fenghua standing to the side and asked, “Where does Young Master Huo plan to go?”
Huo Fenghua was a little afraid of Lu Xi. With both hands gathered in front of him, he said, “I’m going out for a stroll.”
Lu Xi’s expression was stern. “Your health hasn’t fully recovered. It isn’t suitable for you to be walking outside.” Then he raised his voice and called, “Wu Tong!”
The gatekeeper immediately answered and stepped forward. “Elder Lu, your orders?”
Lu Xi said, “Before Young Master Huo has recovered, he is not to leave the manor. Guard the gates well. Don’t break the rules.”
Wu Tong bent at the waist and repeatedly agreed.
A nasty flare of anger immediately rose in Huo Fenghua’s chest. He looked up and saw the man Lu Xi had called “Eldest Young Master” stop by the screen in the inner courtyard and turn back to look this way, presumably because he’d heard Lu Xi’s words. Huo Fenghua felt even more furious.
After giving the order, Lu Xi turned and went back inside at once, respectfully accompanying that Eldest Young Master in.
Huo Fenghua watched Lu Xi’s back. In the end, he didn’t dare openly challenge him. He drew a deep breath, then called loudly, “Wu Tong!”
Wu Tong froze for a moment, then strolled over and asked, “Young Master Huo, what can I do for you?”
Huo Fenghua asked, “Who was that just now?”
Wu Tong looked surprised. “Young Master Huo, you don’t know him?”
Huo Fenghua shook his head. “Why so much nonsense? Just tell me who he is.”
Wu Tong looked utterly baffled. “That’s General Feng’s elder brother, the Left Prime Minister of the court, Feng Tiansheng.”
This time it was Huo Fenghua who froze slightly. “Feng Tiansheng? Feng Tianzong’s older brother?”
Wu Tong nodded.
Huo Fenghua stood there, scratching his lip with his index finger, suddenly curious. He turned and headed toward the inner courtyard.
Su Zeyang was receiving the guest in the main hall. Huo Fenghua went into the inner courtyard and hid behind a thick, sturdy tree in the corner to peek inward. He saw Su Zeyang and Feng Tiansheng sitting facing each other, talking.
He hid behind the tree for a while, then slipped into the bushes beside it and approached the main hall from the side. In the end he flipped over a railing, landed on the corridor outside the hall, and sat beneath the window with his back against the wall.
He heard Feng Tiansheng saying, “The Princess Consort had fetal movement a while back and miscarried. The child couldn’t be saved.”
The hall went quiet. After a while, Su Zeyang asked, “Has the Princess Consort recovered well?”
Feng Tiansheng said, “She’s still resting in bed and doesn’t dare get up, but the physician says she’s recovering fairly well.”
Su Zeyang said, “Perhaps the child simply lacked fate. Prime Minister and the Princess Consort are still young. There’s no need to worry overly much.”
Huo Fenghua listened and guessed that the “Princess Consort” they were speaking of must be Feng Tiansheng’s wife, and that she’d miscarried recently. From Feng Tiansheng’s worried tone, the two probably didn’t have any children yet. Huo Fenghua didn’t know how many brothers the Feng family had, but if it was only Feng Tiansheng and Feng Tianzong, then the elder brother being over thirty with no child, while the younger brother liked men, would indeed be a source of worry in this era.
Feng Tiansheng then let out a long sigh and said, “Tianzong is still leading troops to wipe out the remaining forces of Xichou. Prime Minister Wang keeps pressing the Feng family relentlessly in court. The more military merit Tianzong earns, the more His Majesty suspects the Feng family. I’m afraid he—”
“Enough.” Su Zeyang suddenly cut him off, stood up, and barked, “Come in!”
Huo Fenghua froze. Before he could stand, a hand reached out through the window, grabbed him by the collar, and flung him into the room.
He slammed hard into a chair. Looking up, he saw that the one who’d thrown him in was Lu Xi. The anger from earlier shot up again. “Steward Lu, I’m at least the General’s man. Isn’t it a bit too much for you to treat me like this?”
Lu Xi answered evenly, “So it was Young Master Huo. I thought it was some petty thief outside eavesdropping.”
Huo Fenghua was choked speechless.
Su Zeyang said coldly, “Why were you eavesdropping?”
Huo Fenghua glanced at Feng Tiansheng, who was frowning at him. His mind turned, and he said, “I heard eldest brother had come, so I came specifically to take a look.”
No one in the room spoke.
Huo Fenghua smiled, straightened up in the chair, and said, “Go on talking. Don’t mind me.”
Su Zeyang said abruptly, “Get out.”
Huo Fenghua froze, thinking Su Zeyang was really giving him no face at all.
Feng Tianzong’s attitude was much gentler. He said, “I heard Young Master Huo isn’t feeling well. You should go back and rest.”
Huo Fenghua didn’t answer.
Lu Xi stepped forward. His tone was still fairly polite as he held out a hand. “Please, Young Master Huo.”
At this point, no matter how thick-skinned Huo Fenghua was, he couldn’t keep shamelessly refusing to leave. He stood and walked out. At the doorway he paused, turned back, and said to Su Zeyang, “I’ve just been lonely, staying by myself. I wanted to come see you.”
After saying that, he didn’t look at Su Zeyang’s expression. He left the main hall directly.
But as he walked, he kept thinking about what Feng Tiansheng had said. “Prime Minister Wang” must mean Wang Anzhi’s father, the Right Prime Minister Wang Chu. It seemed the left and right Prime Ministers weren’t simply on bad terms. No wonder Su Zeyang had warned him not to keep associating with Wang Anzhi.
If what Gu Guangji had said that night was true—that he was a hostage from Xichou—then after Xichou was destroyed, the Donglin emperor had married him to Feng Tianzong as a male concubine. That clearly wasn’t a reward. It was practically punishment for Feng Tianzong. Most likely Feng Tianzong’s accomplishments had begun to threaten the throne, and the emperor feared the Feng family’s power had grown too great.
Huo Fenghua turned these things over in his mind, but he couldn’t get the answers he wanted inside the General’s Manor. The frustration inside him grew until, at last, he thought of one person.
He hurried back to the side courtyard and wrote a letter to Wang Anzhi, asking him to meet the next evening at Huayue Pavilion. He went out and found a servant boy he’d gotten familiar with in recent days, a cheap little opportunist, and paid him to deliver the letter to the Right Prime Minister’s residence.
The servant boy took Huo Fenghua’s five taels of silver, his eyes shining. He tucked the letter carefully into an inner pocket and swore he’d deliver it to the Wang residence.
Huo Fenghua finally felt at ease and waited in the General’s Manor until the next day. After dinner, he sent Qingqing back to her room to sleep early. When dusk had fallen but the sky wasn’t fully dark yet, he slipped alone to the back courtyard. This time he brought a clean pair of trousers and successfully climbed over the high wall and got out.
The pleasure district that was quiet in the daytime became lively at night. The moment Huo Fenghua appeared at the street corner, a woman of the trade came up to tug on his arm, inviting him to go drink at the brothel nearby.
He pushed her hand away, ending up with the scent of powder all over him, and quickened his steps toward Huayue Pavilion.
As soon as he entered Huayue Pavilion, the familiar madam greeted him. This time she didn’t act shocked at all, only said, “Young Master Huo, you’re here? The private room is already prepared. Come up with me.”
Huo Fenghua froze, then realized Wang Anzhi must have arrived first, rented a private room upstairs, and was waiting for him. He smiled and nodded. “Lead the way.”
The madam’s hips swayed left and right as she walked. She led him up to the second floor, pushed open the door to a private room, and said, “Young Master Huo, please.”
Huo Fenghua stuck his head in to look and didn’t see anyone inside, but he still went in.
The madam closed the door from outside.
In the room there was a round table, a folding screen, and a bed. The bed was behind the screen. Huo Fenghua heard a faint sound and called, “Brother Wang?”
A figure was cast behind the screen. It slowly approached the edge, revealing first a section of snow-white sleeve.
A strange feeling rose in Huo Fenghua’s heart.
Then Su Zeyang in white stepped out from behind the screen.
Huo Fenghua’s expression sank. He turned to run.
However, Su Zeyang lifted an arm, and something flew out from his hand, slicing past Huo Fenghua’s cheek. With a sharp clang, it embedded itself in the wooden door.
Huo Fenghua looked closely and realized it was the letter he’d had delivered to Wang Anzhi. The paper envelope should’ve been soft, but in Su Zeyang’s hands it had pierced wood like an iron blade. Who knew how deep his internal force had to be.
Cold sweat slid from Huo Fenghua’s temple. He gave up on fleeing. Turning back around, he put on a wide smile and said, “Senior Brother, what a coincidence. You’re visiting brothels too?”
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