Ji Changze’s military camp life was still very dull.
Because the Military Advisor was ill, some military affairs that needed to be handled by the Military Advisor were all moved to his side. He handled the military affairs in the camp every day.
And listened to the gossip next door once in a while.
Don’t blame him for listening to the gossip. Who told the General to put him next door? He had good ears.
From the gossip, he heard several important messages.
For example, this Military Advisor is not the General’s book boy, but the General’s cousin. To be precise, the General’s aunt’s child.
It was just that his aunt’s husband offended the Second Prince, so his whole family was targeted, and the whole family went to prison. The child of the Military Advisor’s nurse just happened to get a cold and passed away, and she was a loyal servant. She quietly exchanged her child with the Military Adviser, and then took him all the way to the General’s residence for shelter.
The Second Prince was powerful. He was still a Prince, and the charges given at that time were personally ordered by the Minister of Justice, and the General’s mother didn’t dare to bring her nephew along openly, so she could only give him the title of a book boy.
Ji Changze folded his clothes while thinking. No wonder General Hou had always refused to throw himself under his umbrella, no matter how the Second Prince wooed him.
The two cousins grew up together, and their relationship was naturally good. His other cousins and their whole family were killed by the Second Prince. With General Hou’s temper, it was impossible to take refuge under the Second Prince even if he died.
It’s no wonder he died so quickly.
However, the Second Prince was also odd. He killed someone’s aunt, uncle, and their whole family, but still thought of asking the other party to join him.
On second thought, it seems understandable. After all, the other party was an imperial son, and it has always been ‘You have to be grateful that I let you live. If I want you to die, you have to happily die.’
Maybe in people’s eyes, if he didn’t kill General Hou’s parents, the General shouldn’t hold a grudge.
Then the matter was clear.
General Hou and the Second Prince had a grudge.
He also has a grudge against the Second Prince.
‘The enemy of my enemy is a friend.’
There was some discussion about this matter.
Ji Changze flipped through military affairs, found a loophole, and added a sum of money to trap the Second Prince.
Sure enough, in the evening, Ji Changze was called to the General’s camp by the Military Advisor who always checked it twice.
That’s right, the Military Advisor lived in the General’s tent.
It was said that the Adviser was weak and afraid of the cold, but the inside story was that actually he was a target of assassination before. After all, if he died as an Advisor, it would be simpler to replace him.
After that, they slept in the same tent. They were cousins who grew up together anyway.
The only downside may be that the General had to put up with the heat.
Inside the camp, the two literati were dressed tightly, sat on their knees in front of a charcoal basin, and talking quietly.
At the back, General Hou was shirtless, hot, far away from the charcoal basin, holding a cattail fan to fan himself, and taking a watchful look at Ji Changze from time to time.
Ji Changze turned a deaf ear to this and only held out his hand to warm the fire with the Military Advisor while listening to him.
“Do you know that if you do this, you will offend the Second Prince?”
“I naturally know. But can’t my Lord see that it was the Second Prince who came to offend us first?”
The Military Advisor slightly raised his eyes, this time it was very serious, measuring Ji Changze. His pale face showed a smile.
“It seems that you know a lot of things.”
Ji Changze also smiled at him, “You and the General have never concealed anything.”
When the General who was fanning himself heard this sentence, his sharp line of sight immediately fell on Ji Changze, and his hand went quietly toward his spear.
Ji Changze didn’t even turn his head, “General, don’t worry. If I really had any plans for the two of you, you wouldn’t be alive right now.”
Feeling insulted, General Hou jerked his spear and threw it straight at Ji Changze.
Ji Changze didn’t move, even smiled, letting the spear pass by his hair, and viciously stabbed the ground in front of him.
The Military Advisor’s gaze on Ji Changze suddenly changed.
A person who wasn’t afraid for his life and death was very terrifying.
Especially Ji Changze’s calm attitude, most people couldn’t keep that up in front of the threat of death.
He asked, “Aren’t you afraid of death? That spear … if it was slightly off, you would have been killed.”
Ji Changze smiled and changed hands, warming the back of his hand.
“I am sitting face to face with my Lord. If the General’s spear had been directed at me, as long as I had lowered my body slightly, the spear would have landed on my Lord, and the General would never risk your life.”
The Military Advisor smiled and waved his hand at his angry cousin behind Ji Changze, and saw him reluctantly retreat before asking, “I can see that you have talents. Why didn’t you go to the imperial examination, and come to the military camp?”
Ji Changze asked, “Does my Lord want to hear the truth or the lie?”
“Why don’t you tell me both?”
“The lie is that the battle between the imperial sons at court today has become increasingly fierce. If at this time I join the imperial examinations, I’m afraid I would be forced to choose a side, choose the wrong one is a death sentence, choose the right one, I still may not be able to live.”
The Military Advisor nodded, his pale face smiled with appreciation, “Your lie sounds very true.”
“In that case, it’s better to choose the wise and powerful General Hou. He’s a sharp person, who has never lost a battle, never treats his subordinates harshly, and is loyal and patriotic to his superiors. Joining General Hou’s banner, it’s still a good place to be.”
General Hou was alert, looking at Ji Changze, ready to go up and kill this guy as soon as his cousin said so.
The cousin looked at him with a smile and said, “Although this kid looks gloomy, but is quite good at reading people, the lie sounds so true.”
Ji Changze smiled faintly, picked up the tea on the table next to him, and took a sip to moisten his throat, before continuing.
“The truth is even more true. My wife was kidnapped by the rebels, and my parents are waiting for a famous doctor to save their lives. Even if I go to the imperial examinations now, from Xucai becoming a successful Juren candidate, it would take 9 years. I would still have to mingle in court for a few years before I could have the right to speak.”
(TNote: Xucai = student candidate for a Scholar before the exam. Juren = scholar candidate to be an official after the imperial exam.)
Ji Changze looked very bitter, “I can afford to wait, but my wife and parents can’t wait. It’s better to take refuge under the nearest General who wants to clean up the rebels. And Military Advisor, you look ill, if I could get a chance to see the doctor too, it would be a benefit.”
With that, he looked back at General Hou, whose face was full of ‘this master is powerful’ look, “As for the General …”
Ji Changze regained his senses and spoke to the Military Advisor who looked at him with a smile, “Although the General has never lost a battle, he isn’t scheming, acting recklessly, not knowing how to restrain, doesn’t stand under anyone’s banner; not really the best person to take refuge under…”
Behind him, General Hou, who was listening with great pleasure to see how Ji Changze complimented himself: “…”
Ji Changze also said, “The General has force but no wisdom, if there’s no Military Advisor to look after, I’m afraid the grass on his grave would already be 3 feet high.”
(TNote: The grass would already be 3 feet high = saying; he would already be long gone and forgotten.)
General Hou’s muscles were bulging with anger. He stepped forward and angrily said, “When I die, someone will take care of my tomb. How can there be grass on the grave? “
Ji Changze raised his eyebrows slightly, twisted his head to look at General Hou, who had completely missed the point. Then he looked at the Military Advisor, who sighed and raised his cup with some admiration.
“My Lord has worked hard.”
Being able to bring up his cousin who only developed limbs but had a simple mind, and secure the position of a General, this Military Advisor was very capable.
The Military Advisor raised his cup without changing his smile, and asked him to drink with a gesture, “It’s hard work, but the General is also good to me. Please, continue.”