333 In the Presence of the General
Beili had three armies.
The Upper Army, the Lower Army and the Central Army.
The commander of the Upper Army was called the General of the Upper Army, and that of the Lower Army was called the General of the Lower Army. Only the Central Army was different. The commander of the Central Army was called the General-in-Chief.
General-in-Chief Ye Xiaoying.
In the past, when the Beili Grand Protector Langya Prince defended the country against Nanjue, he had two generals following him. One was dressed in white with silver armour, his movements as graceful as the wind and he was invincible on the battlefield. He commanded his troops well and wherever he went, he was respected and admired by all, whether it was the enemy generals who were defeated into retreat or the civilians on the battlefield. The other was decked in golden armour and armed with heavy swords. He was savage and arrogant, and the soldiers under him were all tigers and wolves. He rewarded merits by the number of beheaded enemies, he did not accept surrender nor did he capture enemy soldiers. Whenever he marched into an enemy camp, he would trample it flat and behead all the enemy soldiers. The people of Nanjue hated him but also feared him.
At that time, Langya Prince commanded the three armies of Beili and the Pillar of State General Lei Mengsha was second in command. Then, third in line was that savage tyrant, the golden armoured General Ye Xiaoying. But now, the first two were dead, and nobody in the three armies of Beili could suppress this general of tigers and wolves. All these years, among the three armies, as long as Ye Xiaoying opened his mouth, the other two generals had no room for negotiation.
Except for Mingde Emperor. Since the death of Langya Prince, the relationship between the two became more and more subtle.
The Heavenly Revelations City lockdown order had been lifted, but Ye Xiaoying still harboured no intention to leave his Residence. He did not seem to be in a hurry to meet with Xiao Se. From the point of view of outsiders, Ye Xiaoying allowed his daughter, Ye Ruoyi, to take his place while he hid behind the scenes, never revealing himself. However, there were always people who had different ideas.
"General. You have a guest." The house steward entered Ye Xiaoying's study.
Although Ye Xiaoying had an uncouth appearance, he was actually very good at troop formations and had read and understood many military books. In addition, his late wife was born from a family of poets and scholars, so there was a huge study in the Genreal’s Residence. Ye Xiaoying was reading quietly at this moment, and he didn't even lift his eyelids. "Not meeting."
The house steward hesitated. "The guest this time may not be so easily refused."
"Oh? Which Minister is it now, or which general of which battalion? Even if Grand Preceptor Dong comes himself, if I don’t want to, I will not meet him," Ye Xiaoying said indifferently.
"He’s from the palace, Grand Eunuch of Seal, Jin Yan Gonggong," said the steward. "I'm afraid that His Majesty may have an edict."
"Not listening." Ye Xiaoying put down his book.
"Greetings, General." A laugh sounded, bringing with it a hint of flattery. The house steward whipped his head around and admonished furiously, "Gonggong, you!"
"You’re excused." Ye Xiaoying waved his hand.
"Yes, sir." The steward was the house steward of the General’s Residence, after all. All these years, no one would dare to barge into the General’s Residence without being summoned. At this moment, he was quite angry, but when he saw the General’s calm expression, he retreated silently.
"General, I have caused offense." Jin Yan Gonggong bowed his head.
Ye Xiaoying smiled and stepped forward. "Among the five eunuchs, you’re actually the only one who is tolerable. The other four, they either look like scholars or some noble son of a big family. As for that Jin Xian, he looks prettier than a woman. Deplorable."
"What about Jin Yan?" Jin Yan Gonggong kept his brows lowered.
"Low eyebrows please the eye, the smile is too flattering, the face of a treacherous official." Ye Xiaoying patted Jin Yan Gonggong’s shoulder. "You look exactly like a eunuch should."
Jin Yan Gonggong bowed his head, the smile still on his face. "The General jests."
"When it comes to eunuchs, the item you’ve lost is so important, so you always want to get back something even more important. Compared to you lot, the former Five Grand Eunuchs were thoroughly more insidious." Ye Xiaoying turned his back and his right hand tapped lightly on the wrist of his left hand. "Perhaps the mask of the former Zhuo Qing Gonggong was worn too tightly, so the disciples they taught all became so sanctimonious."
Jin Yan Gonggong nodded. "I’m the only one who was Zhuo Xin Gonggong’s disciple."
"That old fellow who refuses to die." Ye Xiaoying scoffed. "Talk, then. Why has Gonggong come looking for me? If it’s not something highly important, trespassing on the General’s Residence is not a trivial matter."
"Jin Yan is here, naturally for something important." Jin Yan Gonggong waved his hand gently and closed the doors of the study. "Now that Mingde Emperor is seriously ill and the three Princes have returned to Heavenly Revelations, it’s only a matter of time before the Dragon-Sealed Scrolls are written. Like a fine bird which chooses a tree to nest in, the various parties in Heavenly Revelations City have chosen their patron. Then, I would like to ask the General if he has made a choice?"
"You’re blatantly provoking a dispute between factions." Ye Xiaoying frowned slightly and looked at Jin Yan Gonggong, speaking pointedly, "That’s a capital offense."
"Only the losing side will die. Back then, didn't His Majesty seize the throne by taking advantage of the disputes between factions?" Jin Yan Gonggong’s expression remained calm and composed.
"My daughter has already made my choice for me. Yong'an Prince, Xiao Chuhe. The whole of Heavenly Revelations know my choice and not even His Majesty would doubt it. In my life, I only had two closest friends, one was Xiao Ruofeng, Langya Prince and Xiao Chuhe was the prince closest to him. My other closest friend was Lei Mengsha. He has a son named Lei Wujie, who is now Xiao Chuhe’s closest friend. I also have a daughter who was Xiao Chuhe’s childhood sweetheart. What other choice should I make?" Ye Xiaoying retorted.
"The General has made a choice between White Prince, Red Prince and Yong'an Prince. If these were the only three, then indeed, the General has no other choice." Jin Yan Gonggong’s eyes sharpened with a gleam.
"Go on." Ye Xiaoying looked serious.
"But, what if I gave the General another choice." Jin Yan Gonggong’s eyebrows were no longer lowered, and a smile gradually curved up. "A much better choice."
"Do you know what you’re saying?" Ye Xiaoying clenched his fists.
"My shifu named me Jin Yan, because he wanted me to be cautious in my words and actions. That’s why I don’t like talking, especially when I’m speaking the truth." Jin Yan Gonggong faced Ye Xiaoying without backing down. "But what I just said were words from the bottom of my heart."
"What have you gotten your hands on?" Ye Xiaoying seemed to have guessed something.
"As the General has surmised, I have a scroll. The name on the scroll is also the one the General is thinking of." Jin Yan Gonggong smiled.
"Where is the scroll?" Ye Xiaoying frowned.
Jin Yan Gonggong shook his head and smiled. "The General has underestimated Jin Yan. How could I carry such an important item with me?"
"Even if you have the scroll, it can't change everything," Ye Xiaoying interjected.
"The General joined the army at the age of sixteen and rose from a street patrol commandant to the General-in-Chief of Beili. However, your two best friends are dead. One died on the battlefield, and you couldn’t even bring his corpse home. The other died on the execution ground still besmirched by a heinous charge. Doesn’t the General want to do something for them?" Jin Yan Gonggong said slowly.
"I'm not a very patient person," Ye Xiaoying yelled angrily. "If Gonggong has something to say, tell me everything now!"
Jin Yan Gonggong hurriedly bowed his head. "I have found the most ideal choice for the General. Right now, he’s wandering at sea, but once the General gives the order, the day you shall bring your army to Heavenly Revelations is imminent!"