Chapter Thirty-Three: Moonlit Night, Knocking on the Window

  It was almost midnight when they left the Lu Mansion, and this round of drinking had lasted for several hours. Lu Yuan's words were so touching that Lu Hong was deeply moved, saying many heartfelt words. Although he drank slowly, he drank a lot, and this wine was not as low-grade as before. In the end, Lu Hong finally fell drunk.

  Zhang Yi ate a bit in the kitchen of Lu's mansion and then waited for Gao Yuan in the gatehouse. When Gao Yuan came out, Zhang Yi was already sleeping soundly with his back against the wall, sitting on a bench. He didn't wake up until Gao Yuan knocked on his head.

  "Sorry, sir, look at me, I fell asleep!" Zhang Yi quickly got up and said with some anxiety.

  "It doesn't matter, you've waited long enough!" Gaoyuan said nonchalantly: "Let's go, go home and get a good sleep!"

  Out of Lu Fu, Zhang Yi led the horse.

  "Let's take a walk, I had a bit too much to drink today, walking will help me sober up." Gaoyuan said with a smile, from the Lu residence to the Gao residence wasn't far anyway.

  With his hands behind him, Gaoyuan walked slowly, the cold wind blowing, and the intoxication quickly began to dissipate, his mind also slowly clearing up. Gaoyuan knew that today he had passed the first test. In Fufeng County, if Lu Hong did not support him, he would not be able to do anything. Lu Hong didn't need to do anything else, just removing him from the position of Bing Cao was enough.

  There are many talented people in the world, but if there is no stage for them to shine on, they will eventually be buried by the dust of reality and spend their lives in obscurity, unknown to others and unrecorded by history. Although Fufeng and Bingsao may seem insignificant, they are my first stage.

  There is no small stage, there will be no big one.

  Lu Chao is Lu Hong's soft rib, and he himself grasped this point, which allowed him to gain Lu Hong's full support, and successfully stirred up his ambition. Next, he must begin the second phase of his plan. After the new year begins, he will set out for Juliguan, and at that time, he hopes to bring with him an army already possessing considerable combat strength. Juliguan will be another stage for him.

  Deep in thought, he walked quickly with his head down, and unexpectedly passed by his own home, until Zhang Yi called out to him, and only then did he come back to himself. It had been over ten days since he'd last returned home, and when he lifted his head to see the doorframe of his own house, a wave of warmth and familiarity washed over him.

  "Master!" As soon as he entered the house, he found that Cui'er hadn't slept either. Seeing Gao Yuan come in, Cui'er hastily came forward to greet him. "Zhang Yi said you'd be back today, so I boiled some hot water," she said, "the brazier has been lit all along. Let me bring it over for you, Master. Warm your feet up and get comfortable. Those rough men in the barracks don't know how to take care of people. You must have suffered."

  Cui'er chattered on and on, then turned around to get Gao Yuan a hot towel. Gao Yuan couldn't help but laugh awkwardly. In the barracks, he was used to fending for himself, not having anyone serve him. But back home, it was indeed a different feeling.

  Looking at Cui'er's back, Gao Yuan suddenly remembered something, "Cui'er!" he shouted.

  "Is there anything else, sir? I'm getting a bit hungry. Cui'er will go get some water, sir can soak his feet first, and I'll go prepare some supper for you."

  "No need! We've already eaten and drunk enough today. I'm asking if you told Jing'er that I'd be coming back today?" Gao Yuan asked.

  "It was this question after all, I've said it before, of course I've said it before!" Cui'er nodded repeatedly, looking at Gao Yuan, and suddenly realized: "Young master, but it's so late now, Jing'er may have already fallen asleep, let's go again early tomorrow!" She said with a smile.

  Listening to Cui Er's words, Zhang Yi was also smiling slyly on the side, with a flattering expression on his face.

  "Go to bed, you two! Don't mind me, I've had too much wine tonight and my head is still spinning. I'll go for a walk in the courtyard to sober up, don't worry about me!" He said as he walked straight out, leaving Zhang Yi and Cui Er initially stunned, then bursting into suppressed laughter.

  "Is Miss Jing still waiting for Young Master?"

  "Of course not, don't you see what time it is?"

  "I said Jing'er girl must still be waiting for Young Master."

  "Absolutely not!"

  "Or we make a bet!"

  "Bet on it then, what's the bet?"

  "If you lose, you'll be pouring out chamber pots for a month!"

  "Alright, if you lose, it's yours to begin with, that's settled then. Let's quietly follow Young Master and take a look!" Zhang said excitedly. After walking two steps, he suddenly stopped and looked at Cui'er, "Wait, this isn't right! It was yours to begin with, so even if you lose, it still belongs to you, which means you haven't lost anything at all!"

  Cui'er giggled and said "You're so silly!" then picked up her skirt and ran off quickly.

  "Ah, you little jade, daring to tease your man, just wait and see how I'll deal with you!" Zhang rushed up with a smile.

  The moon outside was full and bright, slowly walking from the house to the courtyard, slowly heading towards the ear door leading to the neighboring wall, but his footsteps were getting faster and faster. The door was tightly closed, Gaoyuan stretched out his hand, gently pushed it, and the door creaked open, indeed not locked. As soon as he stepped over the ear door, Gaoyuan immediately bent down, lifted his feet, and walked forward like a cat, in the blink of an eye, he had already reached the window of Ye Jing's boudoir.

  Zhang Yi and Cui'er walked to the edge of the door, holding onto the door frame, and poked their heads out, looking at Gao Yuan who was standing under the window, hesitating. Several times he raised his hand to knock on the window, but then put it back down.

  Gao Yuan was worried that Jing Er had really fallen asleep, and if he knocked on the window, he would scare her, which would be terrible. If she was timid and cried out, alarming Ye Shi, it would be too embarrassing, and he would have no choice but to flee in disarray.

  Hand raised, fell, and then raised again, and fell again, hesitated for a long time, but didn't see Ye Jing'er for over ten days, tomorrow early morning had to leave again, in the heart there was some nostalgia, also some unwillingness, made up one's mind, if startled Ye Jing'er by knocking on the window, immediately lifted legs and ran away, afterwards refused to admit it, anyway couldn't let Ye family discover.

  He raised his hand, bent his middle finger, and was about to strike when the tightly closed window suddenly opened, revealing Ye Jing's face under the cool moonlight, her lips pursed tight as she stared at Gao Yuan, who stood there with his hand suspended in mid-air.

  In a distant corner, Cui'er smiled triumphantly, "The master of the house, you lost! From tomorrow on, it's your turn to empty the chamber pot!"

  "It's just a small loss, what's the big deal? It's only one month anyway!" Zhang Yi, although he lost, was laughing with great joy. "Let's go, let's go, we shouldn't stay here any longer, let's go back to sleep."

  "You're here!" Jing'er only raised her head to take a glance at Gao Yuan, then quickly lowered it again, her heart racing with excitement. Meeting a lover by the window on a moonlit night was strictly forbidden in the Ye family's rules, but she hadn't seen Gao Yuan for over ten days and couldn't help thinking about him constantly. Cui'er had said that Gao Yuan would return today and come to see her, so she had been listening intently to the sounds from next door all evening. However, as the night wore on, Gao Yuan still hadn't returned, clearly held up by something. Jing'er believed that if Gao Yuan said he would come see her, he definitely would, but if she fell asleep and missed him, they wouldn't be able to meet again. Now that Gao Yuan was a military officer, his schedule was tight, and Zhang Yi had visited the barracks several times, returning with stories of how busy Gao Yuan was, saying he was so busy his feet barely touched the ground. If she didn't see him tonight, who knew when he would leave again tomorrow? So despite her exhaustion, Jing'er steeled herself and sat by the window, waiting.

  Afraid to turn on the light, fearing mother would find out.

  When Gao Yuan returned, the movement was heard by Jing Er next door, who had been paying attention to him all along. Her spirit lifted, and soon enough, Gao Yuan arrived. He stood outside the window, looking at her for a while before finally not knocking on it. She felt a bit anxious, knowing that he didn't want to disturb her rest. Afraid that he would give up, she automatically opened the window, just as Gao Yuan raised his hand at the same time.

  Jiang Er's face suddenly turned red, she said a sentence "you're here", then lowered her head, thinking to herself that she was really silly, if she had waited a bit longer it would have been fine, waiting for him like this all the time, maybe he even looked down on her.