Chapter 15

Parsed with an automated reader. The content accuracy is not guranteed.

<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="281" data-orig-width="500"></figure>Haha, I feel like Murong Feng is just creating more excuses to meet with Jing Wan. First he wanted to give her a welcome dinner, and now he wants to take her to an opera as an apology for the rudeness of Chang De Gui? That wily fox, Murong Feng.

In this chapter, Fei Wo Si Cun juxtaposes our Liu Shao and Xu Jian Zhang. While Liu Shao is always the gentleman and a calm but charismatic leader, Jian Zhang is portrayed as a weak, powerless ‘Shao Ye’ (young master). While Jing Wan is able to show her intelligence and feistiness in front of Si Shao, with Jian Zhang, she is reduced to a weeping girl. I hope she is able continue being such a strong young woman when her relationship with Murong Feng changes. 

I wonder who that girl at the end of this chapter is?

Encountering Love: Chapter 15

Commander Chang loudly asked: “Am I, Chang De Gui, not also leading my troops to confront the Ying army? Why does Liu Shao choose to give military provisions to those in the East China Sea but not us in Shang He?” Murong Feng did not get angry, but smiled slightly and said: “Uncle Chang, don’t be agitated. When the new shipment of military provisions come in, I will immediately allocate it to Uncle Chang.” Chang De Gui humphed and said: “Liu Shao is obviously playing favorites and taking sides with Liu Zi Shan. It is making us, your old brothers, disillusioned.” Murong Feng said mildly: “Uncle Chang, you are worrying too much. We are all fellow officers in the same army, why would I play favorites?” Chang De Gui humphed again and replied: “Liu Shao is returning from overseas and likes foreign playthings. Liu Zi Shan knows some foreign dogma, so Liu Shao looks at him differently. The things of foreigners are gaudy and are only attractive due to their novelty. There should only be a rifle and a bomb in battle, only hard work and valor can actually win a war. If Liu Shao continues to listen to their nonsense, sooner or later you will regret it!”

Murong Feng said: “Uncle Chang, is there a need to get angry? You just want the provisions, when the military provisions come in, I will ship them to you.” That Chang De Gui snorted and said: “Then I will be waiting.” After that, he said: “Eat slowly, Liu Shao. I’ll take my leave first.”

After he left. Jing Wan heard the distinct sound of Murong Feng’s knife against the silver dinner plate, but then he put his fork and knife down. He saw that she was looking at him, and said, smiling: “We are all fighting, unrefined men and usually talk like this. Miss Yin is probably ridiculing us.” Jing Wan lightly replied: “Since Liu Shao considers me a friend, why would I treat you otherwise?” Murong Feng said: “Anyways, it was a breach of etiquette. This was originally suppose to be a welcome dinner for Miss Yin, but who knew that it would be spoiled like this.” He continued: “Tonight, at the Guo Guang Theatre, Boss Wei is putting on ‘Wu Jia Po’. I don’t know if Miss Yin is willing to give me some face. Consider it me borrowing flowers to present to Buddha, as I am borrowing Boss Wei’s excellent play and presenting it to Miss as an apology.”

Since he was being so polite, Jing Wan could not refuse, so she said: “I have an unreasonable request that hopefully Liu Shao can agree to – I want to go visit Xu Jian Zhang.” Murong Feng said: “This is a common request, how can you call it unreasonable? I can arrange this.” He immediately ordered someone to bring over a pen and ink, and quickly wrote his orders, right on the dinner table. He called for someone to prepare the car and ordered: “Carefully escort Miss Yin to the eastern city prison.”

The eastern city prison was outside the actual city. Sitting on the car, zooming past the continuous line of trees on both sides, she felt as though this street would never end. It was springtime, and vast fields were on the sides of the road; it was so green it seemed almost as if it were knit, but she was not in the mood to admire the scenery. Finally, she saw the high walls of the prison, but she began to feel even worse.

When the prison warden saw Murong Feng’s written orders, he was very respectful and leading her into his own office, he personally prepared tea for her before ordering someone to bring Xu Jian Zhang there. How could Jing Wan be in the mood to drink tea? When she heard footsteps in the corridor, her heart became a mess. She heard a creaking sound and watched as two guards led Xu Jian Zhang inside. His clothes were somewhat tidy but he had not shaved in a while, his face was haggard and sallow, and his cheekbones protruded unhealthily. After only a few days, an elegant young man had become a captive. Jing Wan rushed forward and grabbed his hand, wanting to speak, but her mouth was trembling so hard that she could not make a sound, her tears streamed down her face. When the prison warden saw the circumstances, he withdrew along with the two prison guards. Jing Wan nursed a heart full of grievances, which were difficult to express, and she could not stop weeping. Xu Jiang Zhang also felt very bad and after a while, he said with some difficulty: “Please stop crying.” With this, Jing Wan slowly put an end to her tears, and wiping the corners of her eyes with her handkerchief, she said: “Endure this for a few more days, I am thinking of a way to get you out. I have already asked the prison warden to move you to a better room and to look after you.” Hearing this, Xu Jian Zhang asked: “How did you get here?” Jing Wan was afraid that he would worry, so she said: “Father came to find a connection and I demanded to come with him.” When Xu Jian Zhang heard that her father was accompanying her, he felt more relieved. Jing Wan handed him the clothes that she had brought, along with a heavy bundle of cash and said: “Here, you have a lot of times where you need to use money. If this is not enough, ask someone to send me a note and I will bring more to you.”

Xu Jian Zhang replied: “It has been difficult on you.” He was worried that she would be distressed so he forced himself to look cheerful, and said: “Actually, the people here are quite considerate. The food and living conditions aren’t too bad. Don’t worry too much, look at yourself, you’ve lost weight.” Jing Wan had already calmed down a bit, but upon hearing his words, her eyes reddened again and she replied: “Don’t worry, I will definitely think of a way to get you out of here.” Having suddenly been reunited, the two of them had so many words to say that they did not know where to begin. Jing Wan saw that the servants who had brought her and the prison guards were peeping inside so she could not tell him the words that she wanted to say. She was afraid the Xu Jian Zhang would worry needlessly, so she only said that she had found someone capable and she had begun to have some hope, to allow Xu Jian Zhang’s heart to rest easy.

By the time she left the prison and returned to the Commander’s Estate, it was already dusk, and the car continued to drive forward inside the estate before stopping. She got off the car. Before, the surroundings were full of luxuriant trees, but as it gradually became duskier, the dim glow from last rays of sunset glanced off the leaves and branches, evoking a melancholic feeling. The servants of Commander’s Estate knew that she was an honored guest of Murong Feng, so who would not curry favor with her? Keen to please, they smiled apologetically and said: “Would Miss Yin please wait in the reception area? Liu Shao is currently in a meeting and will return in a little while.”

She sat in the reception hall, drinking tea, for some time, when she suddenly heard the gentle and charming voice of a young woman call out: “Older Brother.” She turned around to look and saw a young lady in her early twenties. Even though her appearance was not extremely gorgeous, her features were delicate and it was obvious that the young woman was very intelligent. This woman saw that there was a stranger in the reception hall and halted; Jing Wan did not know who she was and could not address her properly, so she smiled and gave a vague greeting. Just as she was hesitating, she heard the sound of footsteps, signaling the approach of Murong Feng.