Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 282 I'm the most tight-lipped
Jinzhou.

Lou Zhaojun opened the door, walked into the room, and looked at Gao Huan lying on the bed. She then pulled back his blanket.

"How long are you going to stay in bed? It's been days already!"

"I'm sick!"

Gao Huan, lying on the bed, had a rosy complexion and a clear voice, though he seemed somewhat listless.

Gao Huan glanced at Lou Zhaojun, who was standing in front of him with her hands on her hips, urging him to get up. He then wiggled his hips and turned around.

"You think I can't control you anymore?!"

Lou Zhaojun went up to make a move, but Gao Huan pulled her back and dragged her to the bed.

"What are you doing? It's still daytime!"

After a while of playing around, Lou Zhaojun stood up, straightened her clothes, and asked:

How long are you going to lie here?

"Rest until you recover!"

Lou Zhaojun smiled and asked in return:
When will you get better?

"I do not know either!"

Lou Zhaojun stepped forward and pinched Gao Huan, angrily saying:

"What exactly happened?"

Gao Huan sat up, leaned closer to Lou Zhaojun, and whispered:
"Da Ye Shuang was scammed; a batch of grain disappeared."

Lou Zhaojun frowned and pressed for an answer:
"Is that the treasury inside that fortified village?"

Gao Huan nodded, but then he heard Lou Zhaojun say:
"What does that have to do with you? If you're faking illness, does that mean you're the one who's 'black' (i.e., corrupt)?"

"I'm so full I don't need to go and eat that weird stuff!"

"Then what are you hiding from?"

"In and around Jinzhou, who dares to speak ill of Da Yeshuang? The waters here run deep!"

Just then, Gao Huan's brother-in-law, Wei Jing, came to see him from outside.

Gao Huan naturally didn't put on airs towards his sister's husband and quickly let him in.

"He Liuhun, good news!"

Gao Huan asked, without realizing it:
"What's the matter?"

Hou Jing is here!

Gao Huan was speechless for a moment, then shouted:

"Brother-in-law, are you out of your mind? What good could come of him?"

Wei Jing hadn't expected Gao Huan to react so strongly. He scratched his head and said:

"But he was already waiting at the construction site, and he even brought me a pot of fine wine."

Gao Huan looked at Wei Jing with some confusion and asked:
"You're not a heavy drinker, so why did you come all this way for just a pot of wine?"

Wei Jing explained:
"The wine itself is nothing special, but the wine jug is silver with two gemstones inlaid on it, which I like. He also said he brought you a gift too."

Wei Jing wasn't greedy for wine, but he was greedy for money. He didn't hide it from Gao Huan and honestly told him the truth.

Wei Jing was too honest, leaving Gao Huan unsure whether to be angry or not.

Just as Gao Huan was speechless with shock, Lou Zhaojun said:

"Brother-in-law, go back first and tell Hou Jing that He Liuhun is still not well!"

"But I've already told him that He Liuhun is perfectly fine!"

"..."

Gao Huan had a headache and complained:

"Just tell him I'm sick, or you can make up an excuse, but I can't see him!"

Seeing Gao Huan's appearance, Wei Jing knew he had gotten himself into trouble. He bowed and left, intending to deal with Hou Jing.

Lou Zhaojun looked at Gao Huan and asked:
"Are you just going to keep hiding like this?!"

"if not?"

"Putting aside the fact that Hou Jing and you are both from Huai Shuo, is it really okay for you to keep avoiding him like this? Besides, if you don't see him, given his temperament and methods, if he causes any trouble in Pingyang and then just walks away, wouldn't you, as the governor, be the one to bear the blame when General Tianzhu blames you?"

Gao Huan held his forehead and gently rubbed it.

Just then, another report came from outside.

"My lord, the Prince of Pingyang has invited you to a banquet at his residence."

"Who?"

“Prince Pingyang, Yuanxiu, is the one His Majesty recently appointed!”

Gao Huan couldn't help but say:

"Here comes another one!"
-
The Prince of Pingyang's Mansion.

"He Liuhun, I heard you're sick?"

Yuan Xiu was the grandson of Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei, Yuan Hong, and the son of Prince Guangping, Yuan Huai. At the age of twenty, he had just been enfeoffed as Prince Pingyang by Yuan Ziyou. Although Yuan Xiu was young, he behaved very calmly in front of Gao Huan.

"I caught a cold a few days ago and have just recovered. I'm a little weak, but since Your Majesty has summoned me, how could I not come?"

Seeing Gao Huan's submissive demeanor, Yuan Xiu couldn't help but smile.

He led Gao Huan to a small building and took him up to the second floor.

The room was very warm. The two sat down, and the maids arranged the wine and dishes. Yuan Xiu then dismissed the maids, leaving him and Gao Huan alone upstairs.

"I have not been here long. I heard that when Da Yeshuang was in charge of Pingyang, bandits ran rampant and killed many people. Even now, at night, ghosts can be seen everywhere, demanding lives, and ghostly soldiers pass through the roads. Is this true?"

Gao Huan had been cautious ever since he entered the Pingyang Prince's Mansion, and now, upon hearing Yuan Xiu's words, his heart tightened.

"There is such a rumor, but I have not seen it with my own eyes, so I do not know if it is true or not!"

Yuan Xiu listened and said:

“Da Ye Shuang is, after all, a bandit by origin. His methods are ruthless and his killings are excessive. Even if there are truly vengeful ghosts, I would believe it.”

As he spoke, he looked at Gao Huan and added:

"When I came here, I also met Erzhu Shilong, the current garrison commander of Luoyang. He asked me to give you my regards!"

"I also miss the Duke of Leping very much!"

Yuan Xiu stood up, took a box from the cabinet behind him, and placed it in front of Gao Huan.

"This is a gift that Erzhu Shilong asked me to bring to you."

When Gao Huan opened the box, he found a bright green gemstone inside.

……

The banquet ended before much food was eaten or much wine was drunk.

Gao Huan was riding his horse, intending to return to his residence, when suddenly a dark figure darted out and blocked his way.

The firelight in Gao Huan's guard shone on him, and when Gao Huan saw who it was, he was startled.

"Wan Jing, it's you?"

Hou Jing, his face beaming with smiles, teased:

"You have time to drink the wine of the Prince of Pingyang, but no time to see your brother, huh!"

Gao Huan looked around, dismounted, and pulled Hou Jing aside.

"Why are you here? The city is dangerous, fraught with danger. You should leave as soon as possible!"

Hou Jing looked at Gao Huan and said:

"You are now the governor of a prefecture, with a large number of soldiers under your command. How can you behave like this?"

"Heba Yue and his ilk are far from the emperor's reach, living a very carefree life. Jinzhou is right under Taiyuan's borders, what am I, a mere prefect, compared to all the people above me!"

Hou Jing laughed and said:

"I'm not going to argue with you anymore. Just tell your brother the truth, okay?"

In the darkness, Gao Huan's expression froze.

"I don't know anything about this either. There are rumors that ghostly soldiers are passing through and vengeful spirits are claiming lives!"

Even by the moonlight, Hou Jing could still detect the subtle expression on Gao Huan's face.

"Who told you?"

"I cannot reveal the name of that prince!"

Hou Jing exclaimed, "Ah!" and said:
"Could he possibly possess such abilities?"

"He's only in the public eye!"

"Who else?"

"I told you, I can't tell you. Let me tell you something else. Look, the emerald I just received, isn't it beautiful!"

The night was too dark for Hou Jing to see what the emerald looked like.

However, he wasn't in the mood to appreciate it; he simply nodded as if it were nothing.

"It's that guy. What does he want?"

"Isn't it obvious? If Pingyang were to descend into chaos, who would most want to see that?"

Hou Jing quickly understood after Gao Huan said that.

"There's definitely more than just that fat guy stirring things up from behind!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Huan patted Hou Jing on the shoulder.

"Now you know what's in your brother's shoes! Remember, I didn't say anything!"

Hou Jing nodded.

"Everyone knows that in the entire Huai Shuo region, you, He Liuhun, and I, Hou Jing, are the most discreet!"

……

(End of this chapter)