Chapter 4 Frost Descent (Third Down)

  At this moment of great change, being able to find a powerful backer like Feng Changqing for the Wang family made Yunni extremely happy. Being able to find a big tree to hide under and avoid worrying about their own safety every day made Wang Xun's heart very happy as well. Being able to take care of his friend's son as a way to repay past kindness made Feng Changqing feel very comfortable in his heart. Therefore, the family banquet that night was extremely enjoyable, and it wasn't until the sound of the evening watchman's rattle could be heard outside the courtyard that the host and guests finally parted ways with great satisfaction.

  The only regret is that Yuwen's matter has not been settled yet. During the banquet, Wang Xun tried to ask Feng Changqing for help in a roundabout way, but was brushed off by the other party with very ambiguous language. "Old fox!" He secretly scolded, but did not dare to force too much, and had to put this matter aside first, waiting for the end of the banquet to think about it slowly.

  The master of the house had something important to do, and Concubine Zi Luo was the most excited. As soon as Wang Xun returned to his room, she picked up the military uniform left by Feng Changqing and compared it with her opponent's shoulder one by one. After drinking with the guests for half a night, Wang Xun was already sleepy, and he lightly patted Zi Luo's hand and protested in a low voice: "What are you messing around with in the middle of the night? You have plenty of time to pack up tomorrow, and you'll be reporting to the military camp three days later!"

  "I love watching Lang Jun wear his armor! " Zi Luo pursed her lips, her eyebrows and eyes filled with a smile. "Spirit, neatness, exuding a refreshing air!"

  "So you're saying I wasn't spirited and nimble before?" Wang Xun poked Zi Luo with his finger, smiling as he asked. Although he said so, he still took off his outer jacket and let Zi Luo lead a few little maids to help him put on the armor one by one.

  Although he said he would start from scratch, Feng Changqing couldn't really let him start from being a ordinary soldier. So he left behind a set of formal attire for an eighth-rank deputy captain: a large red cloak, a reddish-brown vest, and dark green pants. The outer garment was made of Shu brocade, lined with Lu silk, with a wolf's head embroidered on the chest in dark red thread, its body long and winged. The elbows and cuffs were reinforced with soft deerskin patches. A four-inch-wide leather belt was tied around his waist, from which hung a sword hook made of Han white jade. On his feet were a pair of high, pointed black leather boots, shaped like two swift ships that could sail across the wind and waves as soon as they hoisted their sails.

  Such clothes, with dozens of colored silk threads, are not to be worn normally, and just looking at them makes one feel awkward all over. Enduring the discomfort on his body, Wang Xun allowed Zi Luo and two small maidservants to arrange him neatly. Looking at himself in the copper mirror, he said in a low voice: "This is not what you wear into battle, standing in a teahouse chatting with people is just about right. If I really wore this into battle, those Western barbarians would probably rush up one after another as soon as they saw me!"

  "What are you rushing up for, to send yourself to death?" Little Yaotou Xueyan followed Wang Jun relatively late and didn't seem to be able to guess his thoughts like Zi Luan. She was stunned for a moment, then asked in a low voice.

  "Strip off my clothes!" Wang Xun burst out laughing, "This set of armor, on the market it's worth at least two to three thousand coins. Those barbarians may not even earn this much in a lifetime of herding cattle. So as soon as the two armies clashed, morale was greatly boosted. One by one they shouted 'Congratulations on getting rich!' and charged forward without regard for their lives!"

  As he spoke, he made a fierce and sinister face, muttering to himself. The several young maids were laughing so hard they were shaking like flowers in the wind. "Can't talk nonsense. Lang Jun is now an eighth-grade deputy captain, and as a military officer, he must have the dignity of a military officer!" Zi Luan gave a big white eye, staring back the laughter of the several young maids into their bellies, "You few don't stand there stupidly, hurry up and help take a look where it's not suitable. Wait for Grandfather to take it off later, we'll modify it overnight!"

  "What's the hurry, it's still two or three days! Wang Xun couldn't bear Zi Luo's anxious appearance, and smiled as he reached out to untie his waistband. "Take it off now, don't struggle!"

  "Lang Jun, don't move!" Zi Luo immediately pounced over and pressed down hard on his arm. "Don't move, it'll be fine soon. And the horizontal knife and waist card haven't been hung yet!"

  As he spoke, he deftly hung the horizontal sword on Wang Xuan. Then, he also hung a gold-plated waist card next to the scabbard. "Alright, this time it's perfect for collecting scrap copper and iron, no need to worry about making noise while walking!" Wang Xuan joked with a smile, but his gaze was drawn to the pattern on the waist card as he glanced at the copper mirror.

  The cloud pattern, a turtle claw faintly protruded from inside. He was slightly stunned, and reached out to untie his waist card. Zi Luo thought he found it cumbersome to hang on, and immediately softly persuaded him, "It's almost done, it's almost done, Lord Lang, don't move randomly!" Wang Xun gently pushed her away, and in a low voice commanded, "Don't be foolish. Quickly take off the waist card and let me see!"

  "Hmm" This time, Zi Luan finally found something was off, and quickly took off the waist card, holding it in front of Wang Xun's eyes. "Move the lamp over here!" Wang Xun nodded, giving a low command. His gaze stared fixedly at the pattern on the waist card.

  Indeed, it is the Flowing Cloud Pattern, the mark of the Jiaolong's claw. This is not the waist token of the Anxi Army, but the emblem of the Feilong Imperial Guard. The Feilong Imperial Guard, the dragon's claws and teeth. I don't know if Lord Feng was careless or intentional, but he took the waist token that belonged to the Emperor himself, the Feilong Imperial Guard, and left it with the Wang family as the Anxi Army's waist token! With this token, not only would the Wan Nian County government have to weigh their options carefully before making a move against Wang Sulang. Even if the head of the Jingzhao Prefecture's yamen were to personally take action, they would still need to think it through carefully beforehand. Who would dare to take on the trouble of directly clashing with the Feilong Imperial Guard just to curry favor with their superiors?

  Wang Xun's heart warmed up as he suddenly understood the trick. Old fox Feng Changqing must have anticipated that he wouldn't stay at home honestly in the few days before going to the military camp, so he deliberately left a waist card of Fei Long Forbidden Guard as An Xi Military's waist card. With this waist card, it was equivalent to having an extra protective charm in his hand. When running around for Yuwen Zhi's case again, he didn't have to worry about being randomly framed and caught along the way.

  "Second Brother, is there something wrong?" Seeing Wang Jun staring blankly at the waist card without speaking, Zi Luo looked into his eyes and asked anxiously.

  "It's nothing." Wang Xuan smiled and shook his head slightly. "I don't know if the gold pattern on this waist plate is plated or inlaid, let's find a goldsmith tomorrow to take a look, if it's inlaid, ask him if he can pry out the gold!"

  Note 1: Before the An Shi Rebellion, due to decades of no major wars in the Central Plains, military uniforms had been developing towards luxury. The Imperial Guards in the capital were particularly so. It wasn't until after the war broke out that they returned to the simple and practical style of the early Tang dynasty.