Chapter 172: “Changtian, Don’t Be Afraid, I’m Here.”
Jiang Feng was standing at the entrance to welcome guests. He was smiling quite foolishly today.
The impression one got was that Commander Jiang might be quite sinister, a gloomy beauty.
But Commander Jiang’s eldest son was a bit dim; he smiled in a silly way, with a look of simple honesty on his face.
Jiang Feng loved lively crowds.
Every day, aside from practicing swordplay and styling his younger sister’s hair, he loved going to watch the troops train.
Because there were many people.
He felt at ease when there were many people around.
He felt the vitality was abundant.
Whenever he saw living people, he would reveal a joyful smile.
He smiled so much that everyone thought he was a bit simple-minded.
Shouldn’t a true bigwig be someone who doesn’t show their emotions on their face?
In short, everyone’s evaluation of Commander Jiang’s eldest son was that he was a bit simple.
Including when he killed Xiao Fengxian—what a blockhead. Such a beautiful woman, and he just attacked without a word; he could have played with her first.
Many powerful figures beat their chests and stomped their feet, cursing, “Jiang Feng, you blockhead! You idiot!”
Today, they came to attend the birthday celebration of Commander Jiang’s eldest son, Jiang Feng, and saw him in person.
He really was a blockhead.
He was smiling like a big fool, wasting such a handsome face.
Jiang Feng did have features that resembled Commander Jiang—the corners of his eyes and his lips were somewhat similar—but overall, he looked more like his Mother.
Commander Jiang’s face was devastatingly beautiful, while Jiang Feng’s face was simply, artlessly honest.
Jiang Feng was very happy.
He knew others were mocking him.
But he didn’t mind.
He knew that while Father was ostensibly doing this to accumulate wealth, he was actually doing it to make him happy.
Ever since he told Father his own personal secret, Father had become much more understanding of him.
This was Father’s doting love for him.
Father knew he was afraid of loneliness.
He liked lively crowds.
The more people, the better; it looked festive.
He didn’t care that others said holding such a grand birthday celebration at a young age would shorten his lifespan.
He had died once, so he wanted to live every day brilliantly.
The days of being dead were infinitely long; the days of being alive were numbered.
He heard that Mianmian had also prepared a birthday gift for him, specifically training her Song and Dance Troupe to perform.
He didn’t understand why Mianmian wanted to call those singers and dancers a “Troupe.”
Perhaps children just liked things that were round and harmonious.
Today’s banquet was also meticulously prepared for him by Jiang Xiaoyu.
Jiang Xiaoyu truly had a talent for cooking. Before, she had constantly longed to eat out, but now that she had the chance to go out, she realized that the most delicious food was actually still at home.
Thinking about it this way, Shaoxia wasn’t losing out. Although his younger sister had a bit of a temper, was a bit lacking in the brain department, spoke harshly, and looked a bit fierce, she could cook delicious food.
He then thought that if, in a few years, Shaoxia took his younger sister back to the capital, there wouldn’t be such delicious food at home anymore, and he couldn’t bear it… If he could invite Shaoxia’s family to come and live together, it would be lively and quite nice.
This way, his younger sister wouldn’t have to leave home.
With Jiang Xiaoyu’s personality, Jiang Feng was very worried that she wouldn’t be able to survive in a large family.
Although, looking at Shaoxia’s character, his family should be alright.
Because he couldn’t bear to see his sister marry out, he suddenly wanted to have his brother-in-law’s family move over. Who could make their daughter’s husband and the husband’s family all live right in front of them? Under the heavens, only the Emperor had such power.
Jiang Feng thought for a moment and inexplicably had this thought.
Immediately, he was somewhat alarmed; this thought was a bit rebellious.
But then he felt, wasn’t he a Rebel? It was only right for a Rebel to think this way.
And so, on his birthday.
Jiang Feng, an older youth who was not yet married and had no partner, also developed a powerful ambition.
In order to be able to have his brothers-in-law live near him in the future, he had to work hard at rebelling.
The guests had mostly arrived.
Everyone who was supposed to come had arrived.
This time, Gong Qichi had also come.
He brought Commander Zi’s eldest adopted son, Zi Wenxin, over to attend the banquet.
It was Jiang Feng’s first time seeing Zi Wenxin. He had met Zi Ganjiang before and had a pretty good relationship with him.
When his younger sister got married, Brother Ganjiang had even come to attend the banquet and brought a gift.
Zi Wenxin looked refined and scholarly, with the appearance of someone with a bright future.
It was hard for people to think of him as a Rebel; he looked more like a young nobleman.
This generation of Rebels was, on the whole, a bit too outstanding in appearance.
Gong Qichi, that born-and-raised former Imperial Court top scholar, conversely looked travel-worn. He hadn’t been seen for a while, and there were several more fine lines at the corners of his eyes, his eye bags were deeper, and he looked like he was suffering from sleep deprivation.
Gong Qichi had originally thought that by adding to Brother Changtian’s burden, he would have a harder, busier life.
After all, in this rebellion, Jiang Changtian hadn’t made a move and had just stayed in Ming County.
In a normal amnesty, a County Magistrate would be impressive.
Gong Qichi had strongly recommended that he become an Official Rank, promoting him two levels in a row.
In officialdom, some officials might spend their whole lives struggling to go from County Magistrate to Official Rank.
He had also brought Brother Changtian to the Prefecture City.
With his great talent, staying in a small county town would be a waste of him.
Before coming, Gong Qichi and Jiang Changtian had talked all night by candlelight, pouring out all his efforts to analyze the complexities of the Prefecture City for Brother Changtian. Every word and every sentence was derived from experience.
He never expected that when he saw Brother Jiang again…
He was dressed in silks and satins, looking even younger and more beautiful, his skin whiter and more supple.
He looked more like an official than the local officials of the Prefecture City.
The way he spoke, his micro-expressions, and his gestures when he smiled—if you said he was a newly appointed Official Rank, people would be suspicious. How could he have such an official air without having been steeped in the officialdom for decades?
Maybe this person was born wearing an official’s cap and started training from then…
If Gong Qichi didn’t trust Brother Changtian’s character, he would have been completely misled by this luxurious mansion and beautiful maids—oh, there were no beautiful maids, just a luxurious mansion plus not-so-beautiful maids—and this magnificent, colorful scene.
He would have suspected that Brother Jiang had become corrupt and depraved.
Fortunately.
Seeing Brother Jiang again, aside from him looking a bit younger, his sincerity was still there.
Brother Jiang was still Brother Jiang; he hadn’t changed.
Thinking about it, it wasn’t easy.
In the Prefecture City, wolves were circling and tigers were eyeing them greedily; the Prefecture City was a huge whirlpool, and it certainly wasn’t as easy as Ming County.
Brother Jiang must have used his son’s birthday celebration as an excuse to invite these people in order to test the enemy’s situation.
This was a Hongmen Banquet.
But don’t worry; with Gong Qichi here, at critical moments, he would provide backup.
He presented his gift and entered.
He took a sip of tea.
“Oh, this tea is quite good, very fragrant.”
He took another sip. “Hey, it’s really good, so fragrant.”
He took another sip. “There’s even an aftertaste; it’s sweet.”
He ate some snacks.
They were chewy, salty and sweet in perfect balance, and very delicious.
He ate another piece.
Zi Wenxin was the eldest among Great Marshal Zi’s adopted sons.
He had heard Ganjiang talk about the Jiang Family.
People like Gong Qichi and they themselves were all direct descendants of the Zi Family.
While the Jiang Family belonged to those who had joined later.
On the path of rebellion, it was impossible to be enemies with everyone; the main enemy was the Imperial Court, and they still had to recruit some other forces.
Basically, everyone was just going through the motions; many were just keeping up appearances, not interfering with each other, and just using a name.
They came together because their interests were aligned.
In the end, there would still be disputes.
A snake picked up on the road—who knew if it would turn around and bite you in the coming spring?
This Commander Jiang was someone that both Zi Ganjiang and Gong Qichi spoke highly of.
But Zi Wenxin held reservations.
This Gong Qichi was actually brainless enough to leave the Young Master in someone else’s home.
It served him right for a top scholar to end up in their Rebel nest.
What kind of brain did he have?
He was also too careless.
Anyway, Zi Wenxin had never looked favorably upon Gong Qichi from beginning to end.
However, Godfather said that although Gong Qichi was sometimes a bit stubborn, he was someone who got things done and was very useful, telling him to put aside his prejudices.
He couldn’t do anything about Gong Qichi, but he had never liked Commander Jiang, whom Gong Qichi recommended.
It wasn’t that he was targeting Commander Jiang specifically, but anyone who wasn’t direct lineage, he felt, wasn’t a good person.
But this Commander Jiang must have something to him.
After the Young Master went to the Jiang Family, he spoke more when he returned; he was no longer silent, and when he did speak, he didn’t kill a whole crowd of people, he was much more normal.
Godfather said he had met Jiang Changtian and had actually said one thing: “Jiang Changtian is a very interesting person.”
He even sent an old perverted wet nurse to the Jiang Family.
He had heard of him for a long time, and finally, they met.
The moment Zi Wenxin saw Commander Jiang’s face, he finally understood Godfather’s meaning.
It was hard to comment on.
Although Godfather was a man of great talent, Godfather was a “face-con.”
It wasn’t lust or desire, just pure appreciation—appreciation for beautiful things and people.
Just like them, these adopted sons—each one had good looks—Godfather cultivated them well, taught them what they were good at, provided them with good food and drink, and took careful care of them.
Zi Wenxin suspected that if it weren’t for the age mismatch, Godfather would have wanted to adopt another son.
This Commander Jiang’s appearance was truly too outstanding.
Seeing this Commander Jiang’s appearance…
Zi Wenxin even understood why Godfather had wanted to send an old wet nurse over to teach the man’s daughter.
Could it be that he simply thought the man’s daughter was pretty and wanted a pretty daughter-in-law, and wanted to hold a pretty grandson?
Come to think of it, following Godfather’s train of thought, that should be exactly it.
Zi Wenxin felt it was hard to comment on; it was hard to put into words.
Let’s wait and see.
He had also been dragged here by Gong Qichi to help, saying he was worried his good brother would be bullied and needed someone to provide backup.
Tsk, his good brother had red lips and white teeth, fair and tender skin, and a warm smile—what part of him looked like he was being bullied? It was you, instead, who—woah!
He hadn’t looked at Gong Qichi carefully for a long time.
Zi Wenxin didn’t quite like him, so he rarely looked at him closely.
Looking again, he was suddenly startled—why had he aged so much?
He was completely different from the dashing top scholar he had first met.
He inexplicably felt a bit guilty; Mr. Gang had truly worried himself sick for them.
Watching Mr. Gang eating there diligently, looking as if he had never eaten before, Zi Wenxin felt a bit guilty again. Had they been a bit too hard on Mr. Gang?
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