Chapter 6, Hiding and Seeking

Ye Zhao patiently explained: "He left home on his own. Since my marriage, I have only spoken to him twice, a total of four words. How could I have forced him?"

Lao Gao poured him another drink and said: "How would one know if they haven't spent time together?"

"What a wonderful relationship! I am almost worried to death about her marriage," said Lao Gao, his eyes shining with excitement. "This time, is she being sold to the home of Huang Yushi or Zhang Shangshu? Liu Taiwei would also be a good match! I have inquired, and they are all respectable families. If she can settle in well for a few years, she can have a servant to manage her affairs, and she won't have to worry about food and clothing. When she returns home to marry, it will also be a source of pride for her family."

"You just want to toast with my wine," Xia Yujin said, pouting. After taking a few swigs of the strong liquor and listening to the silent sound of snow outside, she, feeling bored and restless, asked, "Lao Gao, shall we play a few more rounds?"

Xia Yujin smiled and said, "Ha, are you afraid of losing a few hundred taels more?"

Ye Zhao was flustered by her unreasonable behavior and helplessly said, "Alright, I will look for him. But what if he doesn't respond?"

Well said, the Prince of Nanping is indeed quite a man

"Talkative!" Xia Yujin put down her chopsticks and shot him a glance, "Do you still think I would eat you out of house and home? The fact that I enjoy your family's lamb means I hold you in high regard! Don't forget that you still owe me seven hundred eighty-seven taels of silver. In these past few days, I've only consumed five taels of your lamb, while you have drunk twenty taels of my fine wine!"

Xia Yujin spat at him in anger.

"No need, I know where he is." Ye Zhao personally donned the black fox-trimmed cloak and walked to the door. She recalled something, "Where has the fox gone? I haven't seen him around lately."

Old Gao: "Duke... you have lost face many times, so this one does not matter."

On Xi Street in the capital, there is a small, dirty shop tucked away in a remote alley. A greasy sign has been hanging there for an unknown number of years, and a lazy old dog lies sprawled on the moss-covered stone steps. Inside, a brazier burns warmly, and a pot of lamb stew simmers on a small red clay stove, emanating a rich and enticing aroma. Time seems to leisurely pause at this moment

Once they were determined to become the heads of the family, their speed in betraying others was swift, and they immediately sold out Xia Yujin to curry favor

Lao Gao put down the bowl and chopsticks in his hands and said with a smile, "That sounds great"

"Same, same," Lao Gao pretended not to see and kindly said, "Come, come, have a couple more pieces of lamb to calm your nerves."

Xia Yujin glared at him and said angrily: "Go! It is to relieve his shock!"

Xia Yujin let out a cold snort

Ye Zhao frowned and commanded, "Tell him to rest enough, then come back to report."

With a resounding applause, the bamboo curtain was lifted, and a chill rushed in. The man who entered was tall and slender, dressed in simple blue attire, wearing a silver marten fur coat, stepping in long boots, and draped in a snowproof cloak. His face was frostbitten and appeared bluish, with features that seemed ordinary yet captivating, especially his pair of slender eyes, which were half-squinted, resembling a cunning fox toying with a hunter.

After she walked away, Meiniang, who had been standing by her side, leaned closer, pressed against Ye Zhao's arm, and whispered in her ear: "General, do not worry. The Empress Dowager only regards the Prince as her child. She often cries and wails, threatening to hang herself, crash into a wall, or go on a hunger strike at least four or five times a year over the Prince's matters. However, I have never seen her truly come to harm; it is merely a way to frighten people."

Xia Yujin firmly stated: "I won't go back! I don't want to see that woman; I am almost too ashamed to face anyone."

Before he could finish speaking, Lao Gao immediately interjected: "I will first thank the prince on behalf of Cuihua for the makeup!"

Lao Gao spoke politely, yet there was not a trace of fear in his demeanor. With a cheerful expression, he said: "I wouldn't dare to complain, I wouldn't dare to complain. The presence of the prince brings glory to this humble abode. Even if we were to entertain for another one hundred or eighty days, we would still extend our hospitality."

I don't care! I don't care! An Tai Fei's tears flowed like a flood, her cries almost capable of toppling the city walls, unbearable for anyone. She recklessly grabbed Ye Zhao and shook her repeatedly, "You heartless woman, forcing my child to wander outside, in such heavy snow, enduring the elements, who knows what suffering they have faced? What if something happens? Quickly bring my child back to me."

Old Gao sighed and refilled his wine cup once more: "Little Prince... no, now you are the Duke of Nanping. It is not a solution for you to stay here and not return during your joyous wedding. You cannot hide away for a lifetime, can you"

Ye Zhao was maintaining his weapons when he heard the words and couldn't help but frown, saying: "It is a marriage bestowed by His Majesty"

Ye Zhao has already stepped outside

Xia Yujin shook his head and said: "I am a man, and if I say no, then it is no! I will never be subdued by a woman"

"Bah!" Xia Yujin said with a stern face, banging on the table, half-seriously threatening, "You audacious scoundrel! How dare you mock this prince! If you cannot repay the debt, I will take your daughter and sell her!"

Upon seeing this, Lao Gao advised: "Your Highness, the matter is already settled, you should accept it. After venting your frustrations, it is time to return."

Xuan'er whispered from the other side: "The prince sometimes cannot bear it either, and it is common for him to hide away for ten days or half a month without returning home. After all, he is quite skilled at gambling and knows many unscrupulous characters. Even if he doesn't come home for half a year, he won't starve to death... If the general is looking for the prince, he should check the brothels, taverns, gambling houses, and dilapidated temples; he is most likely hiding inside."

The Princess Consort looked at the person in front of her, who was wielding a meteor hammer with no awareness of his actions. Her eyes twitched slightly, and after wiping away her tears, she decided to speak more tactfully: "No matter his shortcomings, he is still your husband. It is one thing to be unkind and ungracious, another to be indifferent to warmth and cold, and yet another to lack filial piety. But how can he dance with weapons every day?"

An Tai Fei rushed into Ye Zhao's room, crying and sniffling as she pulled her and said: "It is all your fault, causing my child to be afraid to come home."

Xia Yujin was almost choked to the point of spitting out her lamb, and taking advantage of her slight inebriation, she said in a mocking tone: "Forget it, with your family's notoriously fierce and ugly daughter? You still want to marry her off to ruin someone? If anyone dares to marry her, risking their life, I will add twenty taels of silver to that unfortunate soul..."

It feels quite strange for absolutely unsuitable people to be in absolutely unsuitable places. However, from his natural demeanor, it does not seem all that strange after all

Absurd! Ye Zhao was furious, "It is he who does not wish to see me, not the other way around. Moreover, as a dignified official of the second rank, guarding the capital, how can I allow my subordinates to make a mockery of me"

The Prince of Nanping has been out for a full seven days without returning home, even ignoring the return home ritual.

Xia Yujin coldly laughed and said: "Will she treat me well? The sun might as well rise from the west"

Autumn Hua spoke quickly: "Does the general need to send someone to help? We can adjust the secret guards to ensure we capture him."

Hu Qing

The autumn waters restlessly quivered their lips, as if they still wished to say something

Ye Zhao: "My job is to wield weapons and perform with them"

Xia Yujin, infuriated and embarrassed, said: "Willingly embarrassing oneself and being forced by others to be embarrassed are two different matters! I am happy to bark like a dog when I am drunk, but if someone forces me to bark like a dog, that is a disgrace!"

Old Gao sighed and said: "Having lived for sixty years, I have come to understand that the most important thing about a woman is her ability to genuinely care for you with all her heart and soul. Everything else, such as appearance and temperament, is all superficial."

The general finally lost his temper. Although his tone and demeanor were somewhat restrained, he still exuded the commanding presence of leading thousands of troops and beheading enemies on the battlefield, appearing extremely imposing. This frightened Lady An to the point where her heart nearly stopped, and the momentum she had so painstakingly built up softened by half. After hesitating for a moment and thinking of her beloved son, she mustered her courage and stammered a threat, "Regardless... regardless, if you do not find my child within three days, I will go to the Empress Dowager and crash my head against her! I will accuse you of being unfilial!" After saying this, her hard-won bravado diminished further, and she hesitated again, recalling her son. Still steeling herself, she stammered the threat once more, "Regardless... regardless, if you do not find my child within three days, I will go to the Empress Dowager and crash my head against her! I will accuse you of being unfilial!" After finishing, she did not dare to look at Ye Zhao's expression and hurriedly left.

As the wine entered his sorrowful heart, he thought of the more formidable woman at home, feeling even more unfortunate, and could not help but sigh in despair

In the wind and snow, her footsteps did not falter as she decisively walked towards the west

The shopkeeper, known as Old Gao, is indeed old, with a face full of wrinkles, dressed in a tattered sheepskin coat, sitting cross-legged on the kang. Opposite him, in the dim light, sits a young nobleman, clad in a luxurious mink fur coat, holding a small heater adorned with lotus patterns. His long, dark hair is gathered up and casually tied at the back with a loose purple pearl ribbon. His flawless skin rivals that of jade, and his finely chiseled features are complemented by almond-shaped eyes that are as dark as the deepest night, sparkling with the brightest starlight, while a carefree smile lingers at the corners of his mouth

Lao Gao: "I am not afraid, regardless of whether I owe seven hundred taels or seventy thousand taels, I cannot repay any of it."

Lady An was reminded of her precious son and this unfortunate arranged marriage, her nose tinged with bitterness, and she cried again, "Do not think you can bully us, a widow and her orphan! If you do not bring him back, I... I will not live any longer!"

Qiu Hua hurriedly said: "The strategist has recently taken leave, probably off wandering somewhere."

"The person who scolded you, that blind fool, wasn't he nearly driven to death by your cunning scheme? His anger should have subsided by now; after all, one cannot hide forever. " Old Gao spoke earnestly, "Moreover, the great general, a remarkable woman, though she appears somewhat masculine, upon closer inspection is not lacking in charm. Just compare her to my thieving wife, who is one-eyed, black, and stout, fierce and domineering. If I so much as glance at a woman on the street, she would pick up a wooden mallet and chase me down the street to beat me up. Yet, she has also managed to survive all these years."

Where is Xia Yujin hidden

The Empress Dowager hurriedly said: "Then you should go and apologize, humble yourself, and properly invite him back!"

Qiu Shui looked up at the general with anticipation and cautiously added: "He has not been in a good mood lately and needs to take a break."