Chapter 1097: Chapter 264: In This Era
"Call me brother."
Even though it was said in Chu that Lord Jingnan valued Lord Pingye greatly, there were rumors that Lord Pingye was Lord Jingnan’s personal disciple, taught hand-in-hand in the art of battle formations;
There were even rumors that, in the past beneath Jade Plate City, the order given by Lord Jingnan to massacre forty thousand surrendering Blue Luan troops was merely to help Lord Pingye overcome his inner barriers and assist his martial progress.
The former could be said to have traces to follow;
The latter was somewhat too absurd.
However, this latter rumor was spread by a former envoy who accompanied Jingyang on a mission to the Yan State;
He stated that on that day, when tens of thousands of Blue Luan troops stained Wang River with blood, and corpses floated everywhere, he was astonished to see Lord Pingye walking alone along the riverbank, drifting against the tide, in a state of "enlightenment," while behind him, Lord Jingnan followed step by step, clearly acting as a protector.
When this statement was released, it was deemed that the Chu envoy had lost his mind on that day, since no matter how much one was valued, appreciated, or treated as kin, it was impossible to go to such lengths.
After returning to the country, that envoy was ostracized, and even his family treated him as if he were mad.
But now,
a single "Call me brother,"
caused the princess to suddenly recall that unrealistic rumor,
Suddenly,
she had some inclination to believe it.
This was within the commander’s tent in the military camp,
yet Lord Jingnan directly asked her to change her address, the implication here already transcended the "heart-to-heart" trust an upper ranks places in a subordinate, and exceeded the scope of "trusted inner circle."
Xiong Liqing placed her hands in front of her,
bowed down,
and called out crisply:
"Brother."
The pressure from Lord Jingnan was immense, Xiong Liqing felt that in her call of "brother," her tone was already trembling.
Tian Wujing withdrew his hand and untied a jade pendant from his waist.
Although in the military, Tian Wujing was still dressed in casual clothes today, while the gilded armor was hung on one side of the commander’s tent.
The white long robe on his body was embroidered with a majestic dragon, logically speaking, Tian Wujing was still a marquis and not a prince, wearing such attire overstepped norms, but no one cared about these matters.
"It’s not anything valuable, just keep it for now."
The jade pendant was tossed by Tian Wujing in front of the princess, the princess blinked her eyes, first glanced sideways at her "husband."
"Just take it." Lord Zheng replied calmly.
Lord Zheng was accustomed to receiving milk money from the Lord Marquis daily.
Besides,
after calling someone "brother," it is only appropriate for an elder to give a meeting gift.
"Thank you, brother."
The princess accepted the jade pendant.
The jade pendant was admittedly not high-grade jade, at the very least, for the princess of Chu, there weren’t many jades in the world that she found precious;
This jade was merely a hem accessory of Lord Jingnan’s attire, pure decoration, though Lord Jingnan hailed from the Tian Family, he never valued these things.
However,
Evaluating jade’s worth differs from gold and silver,
It’s commonly said that jade can cultivate a person, but in reality, people also nurture jade;
Gold and silver items, when melted, still retain their intrinsic value, but jade is different.
Jade, one must consider the material and color, and more importantly, who has worn it before.
In the evening,
Lord Jingnan invited them for a meal.
Jiang Hu and Gongsun Ling certainly were not eligible to dine in the commander’s tent, they were led away by guards to be accommodated.
On the small table were three dishes, one was salted vegetables, one was a meat soup, and one was a large steamer of steamed buns.
The steamed buns produced by Snow Sea Pass are considered a dish.
The three sat on the blanket, the Lord and Zheng Fan sat casually, legs spread comfortably;
The princess sat in a kneeling position.
When the Lord picked up a piece of meat, Lord Zheng and the princess also began their meal.
The two reached for the steamed buns, Lord Zheng took a bite, smacking his lips, finally tasting home flavors, feeling at ease.
The princess also took a bite, surprised to find there were fillings inside, shredded radish and meat, without feeling greasy at all.
These steamed buns, after constantly grilling on their journey from the mountains, were indeed a rare delicacy for the two.
The Lord said:
"It was coincidental, the provisioning from Snow Sea Pass just arrived recently."
Snow Sea Pass certainly didn’t need to bear the military expenses of this army, but according to tradition, whenever their lord had dealings with some significant figures, ceremonial gestures during festivals were customary.
Zheng Fan nodded, picked up some salted vegetables, and continued eating with the steamed buns.
The meals between the Lord and Lord Zheng were fast, making the princess appear more refined, once both men finished eating, the princess also put down her chopsticks.
The Lord looked at the princess and said: "You keep eating, don’t feel constrained."
"Alright."
The princess obediently picked up another steamed bun.
The Lord then looked at Zheng Fan and said: "Go ahead, speak."
The princess was slightly stunned, discussing such topics in her presence was indeed a bit surprising, but it also indirectly proved that Lord Jingnan regarded her as one of his own.
Lord Zheng recounted all his experiences since entering Chu to Lord Jingnan.
After listening,
The Lord said:
"Recite that poem for me as well."
"My hair stands angrily on end..."
In cheerful talks, thirst was quenched with Barbarian Slave blood, here the Yan slave was changed to "Barbarian Slave."
After hearing it, the Lord nodded, pointed at Zheng Fan and jokingly scolded:
"Poetry and verse when it comes to you, instead become uninteresting, there have been poets through history who stand high and look at mountains to express inner feelings; watch the sea and lament the endlessness; watch falling maple leaves and pour out endless sorrow.
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