Chapter 358: Chapter 348: Reminiscing
The torrential rain was about to cease, but the sky remained drearily overcast. The courtyard had flooded deeply, with the personal guards busy draining the water. This year’s rainy season was especially long, causing severe flooding along the Bei River.
Fang Chuning and Xie Jue were playing a game of chess when a rowdy troop arrived outside the mansion. They barged in aggressively, bypassing Zhou Buyan’s attempts to stop them. He followed them in a panic, pleading all the way.
General Chen Ming had already stormed inside. Fang Chuning squinted his eyes slightly, throwing off the cloak draped over him. The agitation triggered his chronic cough again. Xie Jue frowned and pressed him down, saying, "Let me handle this."
"Don’t even think about it!" Fang Chuning grabbed his wrist, firmly pinning him back onto the warm couch with unrelenting authority. "You hide in the secret chamber; I’ll deal with him."
"General, you cannot enter. My master is still unwell." Zhou Buyan spoke urgently while repeatedly trying to block General Chen Ming’s path. When his efforts proved futile, he suddenly shouted angrily, "General Chen, halt! This is the mansion of the Princely Heir of the Fang Family. It is not a place where you can barge in at will!"
Although General Chen Ming was Fang Chuning’s superior in Zhongzhou, Fang Chuning’s social status placed him far above Chen Ming. As the only son of the Princess and Marshal Fang, Fang Chuning held a position of nobility that could easily suppress Chen Ming. Since arriving in Zhongzhou, Fang Chuning had never used his status to pressure others—until now.
Zhou Buyan was aware that this confrontation could offend General Chen Ming, but he had no choice. If General Chen Ming forced his way into the master’s bedroom with troops in tow, it would be a dereliction of duty as the Deputy General. Fortunately, the Second Young Master should have already been hidden by now amidst the commotion.
"Is General Zhou flaunting status to oppress me?" Despite being nearly sixty, General Chen Ming, a seasoned veteran of the battlefield, remained physically imposing and robust. His weathered face was darkened by years of exposure, his sharp eyes radiating vitality. A lingering old injury caused him to limp slightly, though it wasn’t overly conspicuous.
Having guarded Zhongzhou for many years as if it were an impregnable fortress, Chen Ming and his family held an unshakable position within the Yanyang Dynasty, fiercely loyal to the Yuwen Royal Family and uninvolved in political faction conflicts. His younger brother served as the governor of Zhongzhou, while his sons and nephews held various posts across the military, practically making Zhongzhou the domain of the Chen Family.
"If the General wishes to see my master, please allow me to relay the message," Zhou Buyan persisted firmly. "Storming into his mansion so unceremoniously violates protocol. If he were to use his status against you, this would be considered insubordination. Since when could a mere regional lord storm the mansion of imperial kin and nobility with impunity?"
The invocation of "imperial kin and nobility" struck a chord with General Chen Ming, whose devotion to the tenets of loyalty and hierarchy left him momentarily speechless, his bristling beard nearly trembling with rage.
"Buyan, mind your manners!" Fang Chuning emerged from his room, the fit of coughing having subsided. He wore a black cloak, his pallor stark against the dark fabric. "General Chen braved the rain to come here; it was remiss of me not to welcome you. Please, General, allow me to escort you to the council chamber for tea, where I’ll join you shortly."
"Understood!" Zhou Buyan bowed respectfully. "General, this way, please."
Fang Chuning’s illness could not be feigned; it was evident in his frailty. General Chen Ming frowned, his expression tight as he flung his sleeve angrily and followed Zhou Buyan into the council chamber, where hot tea was promptly served.
It was General Chen Ming’s first visit to Fang Chuning’s mansion. The Princely Heir was not known for indulgence, having only purchased a modest three-courtyard estate that appeared cramped. The rear and side chambers had been converted into barracks for his personal guards, barely accommodating the personnel. Chen Gui had conducted two searches here but failed to find Xie Jue. His informants, however, insisted with certainty that Xie Jue was hiding within Fang Chuning’s mansion.
When Fang Chuning entered, General Chen Ming had already drunk two cups of tea. Fang Chuning saluted him politely. "General, what brings you to my estate?"
"Xie Jue is in your mansion. You are harboring a fugitive. Even as the son of the Princess, this crime is beyond your capacity to bear!"
Fang Chuning possessed naturally sharp, fox-like features, and even while sick, his smile carried an air of danger and allure. "What evidence does the General have to support this claim? Has Xie Tingfeng been found within my estate? If you are here solely based on hearsay, then I must ask: where are the rules and propriety in that?"
"No need for deceit, Fang Tunan. Zhongzhou has been searched thoroughly and Xie Jue cannot be found. There’s no other possibility—only you would hide him. Xie Xun’s troops will reach Zhongzhou City tomorrow. If you refuse to hand over Xie Jue, are you prepared to witness war erupt between the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry and Zhongzhou’s stationed forces?" General Chen Ming pushed back forcefully, unable to locate Xie Jue.
Xie Xun sought to trade hostages, and if Lin Helin came to harm, Zhongzhou would face unavoidable reprisal.
"Unable to locate him and coming to me—what logic is this?"
"Stop acting coy, Fang Tunan. Xie Jue’s presence at your estate has already been observed. If you persist in denial, this very day I will turn this mansion upside down and still find him," the veteran general declared sharply.
Fang Chuning sneered coldly. "And if you still fail to find him?"
"If he cannot be found, then take my command seal as compensation!" General Chen Ming said grimly, enraged. "I would never gamble with the lives of Zhongzhou’s populace. Fang Tunan, you must face reality. The court and the Xie brothers are destined for conflict. War is inevitable. Xie Jue is no longer your brother but your sworn enemy!"
The faint smile tugging at Fang Chuning’s lips vanished gradually, as flames of anger flared in his chest.
Everyone constantly reminded him that he and Ting Feng were enemies.
His father had reminded him so.
Ting Feng had discretely alluded to their enmity—their opposing positions and diverging identities.
Now General Chen Ming had also come to remind him!
Their opposing allegiances and irreconcilable standings were clearer to him than to anyone. Why did others feel the need to repeat this?
The atmosphere in the room grew tense instantly.
Suddenly, Chen Gui rushed in with urgency. "General, Xie Jue has been found!"
Fang Chuning’s pupils contracted as his hand tightened around his tea cup, the scalding liquid nearly scorching his palm.
General Chen Ming, overwhelmed with elation, shot to his feet. "Where is he?"
"He’s right outside the mansion gate, claiming he came to visit General Fang for a reunion."
Fang Chuning: "..."
General Chen Ming: "..."