Chapter 37: Keeping an Appointment

  Li Zhen sank into thought for a moment, pointing to the yellow horse jacket that had fallen on the edge of the bed, and said with a smile: "Shi Hai, the yellow horse jacket bestowed by the emperor is now yours. If you want to wear it, then wear it; if not, put it away. Tomorrow morning, bring this yellow horse jacket with me to Prince Duan's mansion to rescue your sister."

  "Ah!!"

  Huang Shi Hai let out a cry of surprise, pointing at Li Zhen and then at himself.

  Surprise!

  Huang Shi Hai was extremely shocked in his heart and felt it was unbelievable.

  What great honor it is to wear the yellow jacket!

  Being able to get the yellow riding jacket is absolutely a blessing from our ancestors, an accumulation of their virtues. But Li Zhen actually gave it to him, Huang Shi Hai shook his head repeatedly and said: "Your Excellency, this was bestowed upon you by the Emperor, how dare I take it over? Besides, only you can wear the yellow riding jacket, if you wear it tomorrow when going to Prince Duan's mansion, no one will dare harm you."

  Li Zhen said: "I don't wear yellow jackets, this is a Manchu thing."

  Huang Shi Hai looked around cautiously and said in a low voice: "Sir, you mustn't speak carelessly, this is a matter of beheading."

  Li Zhen smiled and asked: "Are you going to wear it?"

  "Don't wear!"

  Huang Shi Hai resolutely shook his head and refused, saying: "The emperor gave it to you. If I wear it, not only will I be beheaded, but also the master will be beheaded. If you don't wear it, you can keep it, which will also bring benefits to your future generations."

  After all, Huang Shi Hai is a man of this era, unable to get rid of the constraints of rules and regulations, unable to get rid of his fear of the Qing emperor, and dare not wear a yellow horse jacket.

  Li Zhen walked to the bedside, picked up the yellow horse cloak, swung it and threw it directly at Huang Shi Hai, saying: "You are surnamed Huang, it is also surnamed Huang, I'll give it to you. If you don't wear it, just frame it up, tomorrow when we go to Prince Duan's mansion, you hold the yellow horse cloak and follow me, no one will dare to stop us."

  Huang Shi Hai smiled and said: "Sir, your attention is indeed wonderful, it must be unimpeded."

  At this time, Huang Shi Hai held up his yellow horse jacket and left.

  Li Zhen also came out of the house and went to Qi Shan's room, reporting what had just happened. After learning about it, Qi Shan could only secretly sigh in his heart, if he had known earlier, he should have left Beijing when Li Zhen returned to the mansion, now it was definitely impossible.

  ……

  The next morning, the sun was shining brightly.

  Li Zhen wore a brown long gown and left the post house for the Duanjun Wangfu.

  Huang Shi Hai followed beside Li Zhen, holding a square wooden frame in his hands. This wooden frame was exactly the same as the frame used to hold ancestral portraits after one's death, except that the portrait inside was replaced with Huang Ma Gui. The Huang Ma Gui bestowed by Xianfeng to Li Zhen was thus mounted on the wooden frame, held by Huang Shi Hai with great solemnity and seriousness.

  Li Zhen and Huang Shi Hai arrived at the Duan Jun Wang Fu and found that there were actually guards standing outside the main gate.

  These guards were all robust men, and when they saw Li Zhen and Huang Shi-hai approaching, they immediately blocked the road. One of them frowned and shouted: "This is the Duanwang Mansion, get out of here, you idle people!"

  Li Zhen said calmly and confidently: "I am Li Zhen, I'm here for our appointment."

  He paused, and Li Zhen pointed to the yellow horse jacket that had been dressed up, saying: "This is the yellow horse jacket bestowed by the Emperor, representing the Emperor. You saw the Emperor but didn't kneel down, do you want to deceive the monarch?"

  The guards' mouths twitched and they all knelt down with a thud.

  Li Zhen's mouth curled up with a smile, his large sleeve waved, and he swaggered into the Wang Fu with Huang Shi Hai.

  Bang! Bang!

  Li Zhen and Huang Shi Hai had just walked in when loud applause erupted from inside the mansion.

  A young man in his early twenties walked out, wearing a light blue silk brocade robe, holding a folding fan in his hand, with the demeanor of a refined and elegant young master. The young man was not the son of Prince Duan's mansion, but rather the nephew of Princess Consort Li, named Dong Cheng, who was the fourteenth child in the family and the youngest son, extremely pampered.

  After the death of the king and queen of the Duan Wang Fu, the concubine became the most respected, and Dong Cheng also became the overlord of the Duan Junwang Fu. Because he was the 14th in line, he was called the Fourteenth Young Master.

  "Brush!"

  Dong Cheng opened his folding fan, smiled and said: "My name is Dong Cheng, also known as the Fourteenth Young Master. You can just call me Fourteenth Young Master. General Li's martial arts are extraordinary, there is someone in my mansion who wants to exchange blows with General Li."

  Li Zhen said in a low voice: "Fourteenth Young Master, let him go."

  "Oh, you're talking about Maid Huang Qi? Alright, alright!"

  Dong Cheng beckoned with his hand and the guards brought out Huang Qi.

  The little girl was not very old, about 15 years old. She had a tall and slender figure, with wheat-colored skin and a stubborn expression on her face. When she saw Huang Shi Hai, she said loudly: "Brother, I didn't steal anything."

  Dong Cheng's eyes turned cold and he shouted in a low voice: "No distinction between superior and inferior, slap him!"

  "Wait!"

  Li Zhen suddenly shouted loudly, and the attendant who was about to slap him also stopped, looking at Dong Cheng with inquiring eyes.

  Li Zhen said: "Fourteen Shao, since it's a spar, why drag the little girl into it? I'm already here, Fourteen Shao, please let the little girl go. If you want to spar, Li Zhen will take it on, what do you think?"

  "Alright, refreshing!"

  "Dong Cheng waved his hand and said: 'Let him go!'"

  At this moment, the guard loosened his bonds, and Huang Qi immediately ran behind Huang Shi Hai, secretly sizing up Li Zhen.

  Dong Cheng beckoned with his hand: "General Li, please!"

  "Please have a seat!"

  Li Zhenyi waved his hand, indicating that Dong Cheng should walk ahead of him.

  At this time, Li Zhen's mood had calmed down a lot. From the situation just now, Dong Cheng was indeed overbearing, but he was only a spoiled son, and his nature was not bad. After understanding the situation, Li Zhen followed Dong Cheng in big strides, heading towards the Wang Mansion. Even if he lost this fight, there was nothing shameful about it, because what Li Zhen wanted was not fame, but his own real strength.

  After passing through courtyard after courtyard, and rounding countless corridors and pavilions, they finally arrived outside the school grounds of the Wang estate.

  "Dong Cheng beckoned with his hand: 'General Li, please enter!'"

  Li Zhen nodded and swept his eyes over the situation inside the school grounds.

  There were not many people in the training ground, only more than 20 people. These people were all guards of the government office, practicing martial arts. Among them, there was one person who stood out particularly. This person's hair was white and he was already over 50 years old, belonging to an elderly age group, yet he was still in the training ground.

  It was none other than Yang Lu-ch'an, the great master hiding in Prince Tuan's mansion.

  Beside Yang Luchan stood a young man, about eighteen years old, with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, majestic and dignified. Standing in the school field, he was like a crane among chickens, completely a sharp and revealing great gun, giving people a sense of awe-inspiring momentum.

  Dong Cheng brought Li Zhen and others to the school grounds, putting away his lazy smile, and said with a fist: "Master Yang, this is Li Zhen."

  Yang Luzhen bowed his head towards the east city and paid a courtesy, then looked at Li Zhen and said: "What a young and handsome hero."

  Li Zhen also cupped his fists and said: "I've met Elder Yang before!"

  Yang Luzhen suddenly bowed to Li Zhen and said, "General Li, I was young and ignorant, and the fourteen-year-old forced me to invite you, causing you trouble. I apologize to General Li for my mistake, please forgive me."

  The most sincere words ever spoken.

  Dong Cheng and the young man standing beside Yang Lu Chan's face were slightly flushed, somewhat embarrassed.

  This young man was none other than Yang Banhou, the son of Yang Luchan.

  PS: Three updates are completed. Temporarily, there will be three updates per day, the first update at 8 am, the second update at 11 am, and the third update at 4 pm. Xiao Dong is working hard to accumulate some drafts for a burst of updates later.