"I've asked Old Jiang, that kid's father is a Bazong in the Liaodong garrison."
"So what if he's in the Liaodong garrison? What about a Bazong? Is his future better than ours? Hmph, I don't believe it." Liu Chunfeng was dismissive, almost rolling his eyes. In the capital, which yamen could compare to their Imperial Guards? They could walk backward into any of them.
What good were those old guys, even if they held the highest positions? They still trembled when they saw him.
"We can't say that. He's still young, let's wait and see."
"Hmm, being young is a problem." He himself had only joined the Imperial Guards this year, and it was by the Emperor's special decree, otherwise he wouldn't have gotten in.
Qi He had no idea he had been noticed by Yan Yi.
...
Thus, with a few stops and starts, two days later, their peculiar convoy finally emerged from the mountains.
Seeing the flat official road ahead, Jiang Tou’er felt grateful to these "living ancestors." Without them accompanying them, they wouldn't know how many more days they would have had to travel.
However, before he could utter his words of thanks, he heard Yan Yi say, "Old Jiang, the road ahead after leaving the mountains is relatively flat and we're almost at Liaodong. Let's part ways here."
Yan Yi didn't say that his dear cousin was already impatient and wanted to experience the scenery of Liaodong sooner.
"Alright, Lord Yan, Young Lord Liu, travel safely."
"Hey? Old Jiang, why does your tone sound like you're trying to chase us away?"
"Young Lord Liu, please spare us. Ask anyone in the capital, who dares to chase you away, Young Lord Liu? Isn't that being tired of living?"
"Hahaha, Old Jiang, I was just teasing you, you took it seriously. Alright, I won't tease you anymore, we're off." Liu Chunfeng said, then spurred his horse and galloped ahead.
"Old Jiang, we're leaving," Yan Yi also said, then urged his horse and left with his men.
Listening to the sound of horse hooves gradually fading away, the Meng clan members, whose nerves had been taut all along, finally relaxed, wearing expressions of having survived a disaster, wishing they could collapse on the ground and weep.
Fu Xin Ci really wanted to ask if they were really that terrifying. But the question was too loaded with salt, she couldn't bring herself to ask.
It wasn't that she dared not ask; seeing the expressions of the Meng family children beside her, all looking as if they were standing on the edge of an abyss, made her nervous too.
The dark-faced big man looked up at the dazzling sun, let out a long sigh, and shouted, "Damn it, these living ancestors are finally gone. I didn't even dare to breathe these past two days."
"That's right. I didn't dare to look up, for fear of meeting their gaze," Nian Zi also complained.
"Look at how little backbone you have. Fortunately, Lord Yan only brought rookies this time, otherwise you'd be wetting yourselves."
"I knew it, the killing intent wasn't that strong," the dark-faced big man remembered something else. "Boss, whose son is that Young Lord Liu?"
"Zhu Zi, you haven't even found out about this? You've been wasting your time in the yamen."
"Alright, boss, stop keeping us in suspense."
Seeing that everyone was waiting to hear, Jiang Tou’er didn't want to annoy them. "Can't you use your brains? How many surnames Liu are there in the court? Who else could quietly send their son into the Imperial Guards? Do I need to say more?"
Guan Hu: "Minister of Revenue."
Dark-faced big man: "Marquis of Jinxiang."
"Damn it, you two are amazing. One says Minister of Revenue, the other says Marquis of Jinxiang."
Seeing Jiang Tou’er get anxious, Guan Hu immediately shut his mouth, daring not to speak further.
The dark-faced big man was not afraid of Jiang Tou’er. "Boss, we weren't wrong, were we? The Minister of Revenue is the Marquis of Jinxiang, and the Marquis of Jinxiang is the Minister of Revenue."
"Why don't you say the Marquis of Jinxiang is the Emperor's cousin, the Empress Dowager's nephew?"
"We hadn't finished speaking before you cut us off."
"You still have a point?"
"We didn't say it wrong."
"You!!!" Jiang Tou’er was a bit at a loss for words, and his voice inevitably became much louder.
Fu Xin Ci immediately stretched out her hands to cover her ears, and Yu'er, seeing this, imitated her sister and covered her ears.
Qi Ren and Ke Er did the same.
"What are you kids doing?"
"Grandpa Jiang, nothing."
"If nothing, why are you covering your ears?"
"Mmm, mmm." Fu Xin Ci mumbled for a long while before daring to say, "Grandpa Jiang's voice is a bit ear-piercing."
"..."
There was a moment of silence, followed by the dark-faced big man bursting into laughter. "Hahaha, I say, boss, you are still ha... that... hahahaha." The dark-faced big man himself couldn't finish speaking.
"Wang Zhu Zi, see if I don't beat you today." Jiang Tou’er pretended to take off his shoe, scaring the dark-faced big man into running away. As he ran, he shouted, "Please don't take off your shoe! Then it won't be just ear-piercing, it'll be life-threatening, life-threatening for a living person. How many living people can withstand your world-destroying stinky feet? Heavens, Earth, oh Lord, please have mercy and save us!"
"..."
Seeing the officers covering their noses and finding the leeward side as if they were not faking it, everyone laughed uncontrollably.
The gloom brought by those living Yama-kings from the Imperial Guards gradually dissipated amidst everyone's laughter.
It was indeed not easy. The dark-faced big man ran fast, and Jiang Tou’er couldn't catch up even with all his might.
Staring at the dark-faced big man who remained about thirty feet away, Jiang Tou’er had to admit that he was truly old.
If this were in the past, he could have chased Zhu Zi for several miles without getting tired, but today he really couldn't keep up.
"Zhu Zi, brother is truly old."
"Forget it, you're trying to play a trick on me again, aren't you? I won't fall for it." The dark-faced big man knew Jiang Tou’er's temper too well; he absolutely wouldn't be fooled.
Jiang Tou’er: He was telling the truth, why wouldn't this brat believe him?
Dark-faced big man: I believe you, my foot, you old rascal, you're very cunning.
Jiang Tou’er: ...
Seeing Jiang Tou’er return defeated, everyone held back their laughter.
Jiang Tou’er looked up at the sky and found a perfect excuse for himself: "Let's go, everyone move faster, we'll be out of the pass soon."
"Out of the pass?" Fu Xin Ci thought of a phrase: inside and outside the pass.
"Ci'er, what's wrong?"
"Grandfather, I'm fine."
Meng Qing Ping didn't need to look; he could tell from his granddaughter's voice that she was in low spirits. In his heart, his granddaughter was a very sensible and discreet child, and wouldn't show such behavior in front of everyone without reason.
As a grandfather who truly loved his grandchildren, he didn't want his granddaughter to frown. So, as if casually, he brought up a topic that everyone cared about.
"Once we reach the other side of the pass, it won't be as comfortable as it is now."
"Grandfather." Yu'er wanted to ask why it wouldn't be comfortable. But he was too young, and it was difficult for him to organize his thoughts. Even if he understood it himself, he couldn't express it properly.