The atmosphere was a little ambiguous.

The two looked at each other for a long time before Yan Mingting broke the silence first, saying with a little surprise: “Unexpectedly, a dignified fellow like you also secretly keeps these kinds of books.”

Zhao Yelan was indignant: “What nonsense are you speaking, why would I hide this away? The way I see it, you clearly have evil intentions and prepared this dirty picture book! Get your things and get out!”

Wronged, Yan Mingting said: “If you didn’t hide it away, nor did I prepare it, then where did this thing come from?”

Zhao Yelan looked at him suspiciously, then had second thoughts and said, “Call Housekeeper Qin over here.”

After a while, Housekeeper Qin walked into the room with a puzzled expression: “My lord, are you looking for me?”

“Where did this thing come from?!” Zhao Yelan threw the picture book in front of him.

Housekeeper Qin picked it up and replied: “I prepared it.”

The two looked at each other, and Yan Mingting saw that Zhao Yelan was about to blow up, so he hurried to Housekeeper Qin, pretending to be angry, “Uncle Qin, I didn’t tell you to do this. We don’t need this thing, hurry up and throw it away, go, go!”

Housekeeper Qin was pushed out the door. He considered that the General was prideful and arrogant, obviously not getting the point, and was still unwilling to learn with an open mind. Thinking about it, he still didn’t throw away the picture book. Anyway, the General would regret it sooner or later and come to him to take it back.

Although this matter was not related to Yan Mingting, while he was lying on the ground, he was unable to sleep. The two people in the painting had left an indelible impression on him.

Ai.

“Zhao Yelan, are you asleep?”

“Shut up! Don’t disturb me when I’m sleeping!” Zhao Yelan said angrily.

Yan Mingting laughed. “How about we talk? Since you already know what I’m looking for, can you help me? This matter is of great importance, and it is old business, so it’s a bit difficult to investigate. I have been on the frontier these years and have no influence in Beijing, no trusted colleagues. I need someone to help me.”

This was Yan Mingting’s plan: To test whether Zhao Yelan was the murderer first, and if not, to win him over.

No one was more suitable to be a “Military Advisor” than Zhao Yelan.

The two had become a couple in name, bound together for good or ill. Because of the stakes involved, Zhao Yelan would never let him take risks. Furthermore, Zhao Yelan had a clever mind and had been immersed in officialdom for many years. He was proficient at scheming and knew every official well, so he couldn’t be more suitable.

However, Zhao Yelan ignored him.

Thinking about it, judging by Zhao Yelan’s nature, it was really not that easy to get him to agree. He asked: “What do you want? As long as I can afford it, I will give it to you.”

“I want two elite teams,” Zhao Yelan responded immediately.

“For what?”

“To protect me.”

Zhao Yelan had completely separated the Gold Collar Guard from his camp, but with so many enemies, it was impossible to rely on Gao Tan alone when traveling, so he needed to recruit a new group of people.

But the people he recruited now may not be able to beat the Gold Collar Guard. Before Yan Mingting had returned to the capital, he had wanted to recruit some people from the commander of the Imperial army. But the Imperial army had long since been crippled, a little three-legged cat showing off its power by virtue of its status. He didn’t need these kinds of people.

What he wanted was people who were capable, well-trained, and unshakably obedient to military orders. Yan Mingting had returned to the court with an army of hundreds of thousands, and he had secretly observed them while he was at the training grounds. It was easy to pick dozens of such people from among them.

“And these people can only obey my orders in the future, not yours.”

Yang Mingting thought about it: “Hey, have you wanted someone for a long time before you told me you were innocent?”

Zhao Yelan didn’t answer, and after a while, he said: “You decide for yourself. But I have to remind you that although the Tiger Talisman[1]?is still in your hands, the current situation is stable, and the Emperor will split up your team into various places.”

“Of course I’m aware. The Emperor has told me several times that the Imperial army is short of manpower. But the battle is over. It is useless for me to keep so many people in my hands. If the soldiers can get stable jobs in Beijing, then I will not protest. I hope that the day will never come when I order them to go into battle against the enemy.”

Hearing this, Zhao Yelan’s mind moved slightly and he turned over: “You are a good general.”

“There is no choice, their lives are all at risk. To live and eat the Emperor’s food is already a great happiness.” Yan Mingting looked at him and smiled helplessly. “Okay, I’ll pick someone for you tomorrow, but you can’t treat them harshly.”

“Naturally, I will go tomorrow as well.”

“Afterward, you must help me find out the truth. Whatever you want, I can give it to you,” Yan Mingting repeated. He got up suddenly and lay down beside him on the bed, stretching out a hand. “Come shake hands as a seal of agreement, and to wish us a smooth cooperation.”

“Childish.”

“Hurry up, I won’t leave if you don’t shake it.”

Zhao Yelan frowned, looked at his shameless face, and stretched out his hand impatiently. The next moment, it was held by a big hand, full of strength. Even though he had witnessed countless life-or-death battles and knew that his father had been murdered by a traitor, he still held hands with him with the heart of a child.

The next afternoon, Zhao Yelan’s legs and feet were nimble. When he came to the training grounds with him again, his mood was completely different from the previous time. At least he wouldn’t be forced to do horse stance in front of the soldiers.

Yan Mingting led him onto the stage. There were crowds of people in the audience, and he ordered the groups to fight, then began to pick people.

There were a total of forty-eight people lined up in two rows, all looking at Yan Mingting energetically. Having been specially selected, there must be some kind of reward or task!

“What do you think?” Yan Mingting asked in a low voice.

Zhao Yelan nodded, and suddenly said to the forty-eight people: “You all, go and fight him.”

Everyone stood speechless in astonishment, because he was referring to Yan Mingting. One of the soldiers was puzzled and asked, “Why do you want us to fight the General?”

Zhao Yelan took out a gold ingot and displayed it in his palm, immediately attracting everyone’s attention: “Fight.”

Even the soldiers with no desire for gold or silver still had family members, so who wouldn’t want to add some good things to their homes? These people were very eager to move. It was simply a dream to be able to get rewards and compete against the General,?ah.

They looked at Yan Mingting one after another, and he nodded: “Let’s go.”

Immediately, someone rushed up: “General, I have offended you!”

A fight broke out instantly on the stage. Zhao Yelan took two steps back and was escorted by Zhong Yuehong outside of the stage to watch.

These forty-eight people were all good fighters, with strong bodies and nimble legs and feet, and they were not willing to give up easily. Even if they were knocked down, they would jump up again in an instant and continue the next round of fighting.

Yan Mingting was in the center. With one person against a crowd, he was better than each one. As soon as the rabbit got up, the falcon pounced down,[2]?and the group of people were knocked down one after another. He even had time to guide the defeated one by one: “Your weakness is too obvious, your arm is not strong enough, your foot isn’t stable....”

Zhao Yelan was dazzled at the sight. He had known that Yan Mingting was very skilled, but in the previous battles against the Gold Collar Guard, he either didn’t see it or had been passed out, unable to witness Yan Mingting’s strength with his own eyes.

The current contest was truly eye-opening. Even Zhao Yelan, who had always only preferred cultured things, also noticed his blood flow accelerating at this moment.

The surrounding soldiers were even more enthusiastic, and the cheers and shouts pierced the sky.

Zhong Yuehong was not her usual calm self, yelling unrestrainedly beside him, and Zhao Yelan had to move away from her.

About fifteen minutes later, after a high-intensity battle, forty-eight people were defeated one after another, but were extremely exhilarated.

Yan Mingting held his scabbard calmly, having never drawn his sword: “Not bad, you’re making progress fast.”

Zhao Yelan received Yan Mingting’s glance and nodded in affirmation.

This group of people had been able to fight against Yan Mingting for so long without using weapons. Their strength could at least compete with the Gold Collar Guard.

Zhong Yuehong stepped forward and said, “General, can we fight you?”

He Cuizhang: “That’s right, let’s try it too!”

Yan Mingting beckoned, and several lieutenants all jumped onto the stage.

This time the number of people was not as large as before, but they were a little more ruthless. They all used their weapons, and Yan Mingting’s sword was also unsheathed as they went heartily back and forth.

The soldiers were ashamed to see it, and bluntly said that they must practice more attentively in the future and not slack off.

It took a little longer this time, and at the end, the group of subordinates submitted cheerfully. They hadn’t fought like this for a long time, and it was very enjoyable. They gathered together to recount the process of the battle just now.

Yan Mingting did not join them, but came to Zhao Yelan’s side and asked: “How was it?”

Zhao Yelan looked at his sweaty face and said: “Wipe your sweat first.”

“It doesn’t matter, I’m used to it” As soon as Yan Mingting refused, he saw that the other’s face was a bit serious, and remembered that this person disliked bad smells. Just as he raised his hand to wipe it, Zhao Yelan stopped him, then took out a clean handkerchief from his pocket and stuffed it into his hand.

“Use this to wipe.”

Yan Mingting examined the handkerchief repeatedly, returning it awkwardly: “I’m not used to this.”

“I told you to wipe, so wipe.” Zhao Yelan took the handkerchief and wiped hard across his forehead.

The soft, soothing handkerchief rubbed against his skin, and with a different feeling, Yan Mingting eagerly lowered his head and pointed to the side of his face: “Here too.”

Zhao Yelan wiped the sweat off his face impatiently with a stern expression.

Unexpectedly, there was the sound of jeering nearby, and when he looked to the side, he found that the soldiers were all looking at them and laughing.

“....”

Zhao Yelan threw the handkerchief at Yan Mingting: “It stinks to death, take it and throw it away.”

Yan Mingting caught the handkerchief on his chest and turned around to gesture to everyone, signaling them not to jeer again, but the noise became louder.

Yan Mingting called the forty-eight people into a corner to instruct them. Zhao Yelan stood watching from a distance, noticing that those people wore doubt on their faces and seemed reluctant to take the job. He didn’t know what Yan Mingting told them, but the group of people suddenly looked serious, nodding in agreement.

After a short while, Yan Mingting came back and said: “Okay, these people will be yours from now on. Treat them well.”

“What did you tell them?”

Zhao Yelan knew that it would not be easy for these people to follow him wholeheartedly, especially for his orders to override Yan Mingting’s.

“It’s a secret.” Yan Mingting raised his head proudly. “This is an agreement between us men.”

“....” Zhao Yelan stopped asking, and turned to ask Gao Tan to give those forty-eight people a large sum of money.

Others were envious, and everyone was dumbfounded.

Seeing this, Zhao Yelan murmured a few words to Yan Mingting. Yan Mingting gave him a surprised look, and the corners of his mouth curled up: “Brothers, let us go to Huichun Tower for a drink tonight, Zhao-daren will be the host!”

“Zhao-daren is mighty! ! !” All the soldiers shouted in unison.

The corners of Zhao Yelan’s mouth raised slightly. He returned to his indifferent look in an instant, but Yan Mingting caught that moment without pointing it out, just looking at him with a smile.

As the sun set, everyone finished their practice and rushed to the restaurant.

Zhao Yelan was riding in the sedan chair, a step behind them. When he arrived, the restaurant was full and they were already drinking.

“Zhao-daren, this cup of wine is a toast to you,” a soldier in the hall said. The others also raised their wine cups and drank.

Zhao Yelan nodded, and walked slowly to the number one room. After a while, Yan Mingting also came in and said: “They want to come and drink with you, okay?”

“No, our lord cannot drink alcohol,” Gao Tan immediately refused. His family’s lord had a very poor capacity for alcohol, and would exhibit strange behavior after drinking, so he never indulged in front of outsiders.

“Oh, of course.” Yan Mingting thought it was because of his weak body. Looking at the food on his table again, he salivated and simply sat down to eat with him.

Zhao Yelan pointed to a certain place, and Yan Mingting saw that there was a water basin there. Understanding immediately, he walked over obediently to wash his hands. Thinking of something, he took out the handkerchief in his pocket to wash it, and set it aside to dry.

Zhao Yelan chewed and ate slowly, and glanced at Yan Mingting halfway: “Go drink with them after eating.”

“I should really go?”

“Get out, you’re an eyesore sitting here.”

After Zhao Yelan finished his meal, he opened the door and took a look downstairs. Among the forty-eight people, he picked a fellow who seemed to have a decent brain and called him into the room for questioning.

“What are you called?”

“Yu Dali!”

“Yan Mingting ordered that you will follow me from now on.”

“Yes!”

Zhao Yelan rubbed his temples: “In the future, you don’t need to speak so loud while talking to me, I’m not deaf.”

“Yes!”

Zhao Yelan looked up, his eyes cold.

Yu Dali immediately cowered: “Yes....”

“What did he tell you?”

“This....the General won’t let me tell you.”

Zhao Yelan knocked on the table: “Who do you take orders from now?”

“You....”

“Then tell me, what did he say to you?” Zhao Yelan asked.

Yu Dali glanced at him cautiously, and a subtle blush appeared on his dark face: “The General said that a man must protect his family. Zhao-daren is his wife, and the General adores him very much, so we must protect you and put you first in everything. If you are gone, my lord, he will not be able to live. So don’t worry, my lord, for the sake of the General being able to live well, we will definitely protect and listen to you.”

Zhao Yelan’s temples twitched: “....He adores me?”

Yu Dali: “En, don’t you love the General, my lord?”

“....” This really stumped Zhao Yelan.

Speaking of adoration, his conscience really gave him trouble. If he said he didn’t love him, would the group of soldiers he just recruited throw him into the moat to feed the fish?

The good thing was that Yu Dali’s brain didn’t seem to be working very well, so he directly changed the subject: “What else did he say?”

Yu Dali rubbed his hands shyly, showing an honest smile: “The General also said, my lord, that you are....very rich.”

Zhao Yelan: “....”

[1] The Tiger Talisman (虎符) was used in ancient China as proof of military authority.??

[2] A metaphor for quick movements.??