Yan Ge, Huangfu Yuchen, and a few others sat in the hall for about two to three quarters of an hour when a palace attendant rushed in to report, “Announcement to Your Majesty, Guards Gao Feng and Gao Yun are outside the hall and request an audience.”
Huangfu Yuchen said, “Let them in.”
“Yes.”
After a moment, Gao Feng and Gao Yun strode in and knelt heavily on the steps, indicating their excitement. “We pay our respects to Your Majesty, long live Your Majesty! Respectful greetings to Yan Guiqing!”
“Rise.” Huangfu Yuchen raised his hand.
“Thank you, Your Majesty!”
Yan Ge looked at Gao Feng and Gao Yun, then smiled and teased them, “It’s over, Master Gao and Madam Gao will want to scold me. You both have gotten so tanned, how are you going to propose marriage like this?”
Gao Feng and Gao Yun smiled with embarrassment.
“You’re exaggerating, Yan Guiqing.”
Huangfu Yuchen asked, “You’ve been gone for over a year, you’ve worked hard. What are your findings?”
Gao Feng said, “For Your Majesty and the Kingdom, we were willing and didn’t dare to complain. We were fortunate enough to find large areas of Maifan in the rivers and mountains in the south and southwest. However, due to limited manpower, transporting these stones on a large scale to the capital would undoubtedly attract attention. Secondly, we were eager to report the news to Your Majesty, so we only brought back a dozen or so carriages of the Maifan stone.”
Huangfu Yuchen looked at them with admiration and nodded. “You’ve thought it through well and haven’t disappointed me. Come, have a seat.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty!”
After they sat down, Yan Ge asked, “Tell us in detail how you found the Maifan stone.”
Gao Feng began, “It goes like this. When we first arrived in the south, we followed Yan Guiqing’s instructions and asked the locals in each town if there had been any volcanic eruptions in the area. Initially, we asked anyone we saw, but later, we realized we should ask the elderly, who might know about such things. So, we focused on asking the elderly. At first, we only found some scattered stones, and it was only over two months ago when we dug up a large area of Maifan stones at the foot of a mountain near a river.”
Huangfu Yuchen asked, “Did you record the locations of all the Maifan stones you found?”
Gao Feng said, “We wrote them all down on paper.”
As he spoke, he took out a short flute from his pocket and broke it, revealing a small rolled-up piece of paper.
Huangfu Yuchen and Yan Ge both nodded in satisfaction. Gao Feng was very meticulous; even during such a long and tiring journey, he maintained his vigilance.
Gao Feng handed the paper scroll to Deng Mande, who passed it to Huangfu Yuchen.
“Gao Yun, how about your side?” Yan Ge asked.
Gao Yun replied, “Regarding Yan Guiqing’s inquiry, my situation was similar to Gao Feng’s. However, the southwestern region is more mountainous, so the search process was more complicated. It was over four months ago when we found a large area of Maifan stone distribution, but on the way back, we encountered a group of bandits. We attacked the small bandit stronghold, and that’s why we were delayed.”
Then he handed over the locations he recorded to Deng Mande as well. The two brothers were quite interesting – Gao Feng hid the paper inside the broken flute, and Gao Yun concealed it in his hairpin. They were both very cautious.
“Did any of the teams suffer casualties?” Huangfu Yuchen asked.
Gao Feng replied, “There were no casualties in my team.”
Gao Yun said with remorse, “After we entered the deep forest, one soldier in my team was bitten by a venomous snake and died. Please forgive me, Your Majesty!”
Huangfu Yuchen said, “There’s no need to blame yourself. It was an unexpected situation, and it wasn’t something you desired. Deng Mande, issue an order to give the family of that soldier 500 taels of silver as compensation.”
“Yes.”
“On behalf of that brother, thank you, Your Majesty!” Gao Yun stood up and knelt down.
“Rise.”
Yan Ge said, “Yuchen, let’s go and see the Maifan stone now.”
“Alright, let’s go.”
Everyone arrived at the heavily guarded Wuying Hall, and the carriages loaded with Maifan stones were parked here.
Gao Feng and Gao Yun felt somewhat nervous; if what they found was not Maifan stone, His Majesty and Yan Guiqing would be disappointed.
Deng Mande stepped forward and uncovered the black cloth on the carriages.
Yan Ge had seen many Maifan stones before and was now sure after seeing the stones inside the carriage. “Yes, these are Maifan stones.”
“Are you certain?” Huangfu Yuchen asked.
“Certain.” Yan Ge smiled, picking up a smaller stone. “See the many small holes on it? And these white spots look like grains of rice. It is undoubtedly Maifan stone.”
Gao Yun said, “When we first found stones that looked like the Maifan stone you described, we didn’t dare to be presumptuous. We had to test it with water mixed with ink. But later, after finding more, we gained experience, and we could tell whether it was Maifan stone at a glance.”
Yan Ge asked Deng Mande to uncover the other carriages, and after a quick look at the stones stacked on top, he was basically certain that they were all Maifan stones.
Huangfu Yuchen said, “Good! Gao Feng, Gao Yun, you’ve made significant contributions. Each of you will be rewarded with a thousand taels of silver, and the other soldiers in your teams will be rewarded with two hundred taels of silver each!”
Gao Feng and Gao Yun were already quite well off, and now they received another thousand taels of silver each. They thanked gratefully.
Yan Jin and the Little Crown Prince had already started selecting the more aesthetically pleasing stones on the side, preparing to have them made into tea sets.
Huangfu Yuchen said, “You two have been away from the capital for over a year, and Master Gao and Madam Gao must be very concerned. Go offer greetings.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty!”
Huangfu Yuchen asked Yan Ge, “Xiao Ge, do you have any other instructions?”
Yan Ge laughed, “I’ll give you both a month off to rest properly after you return.”
“Thank you, Yan Guiqing!”
Gao Feng and Gao Yun walked out of the hall. Unintentionally, they both stretched their arms, letting out a yawn. For the first time in over a year, they felt an unprecedented sense of relaxation.
“Let’s go home, take a bath and have a good sleep!” Gao Yun said.
When they returned to the Gao residence, the servants who had also received the news were waiting anxiously at the door. When they saw the two familiar figures approaching on horseback, they were incredibly excited.
“Quick, go and tell the master and madam that the young master and second young master are back!”
The two brothers entered the residence and first paid their respects to their father in the main hall.
Gao Jingwei and Madam Gao had eager expressions, their eyes fixed on the door. In a short while, they saw the two young men walking in together and kneeling in front of them, giving a solid kowtow.
“Father, Mother.”
“Good, good. My good boys. Get up quickly, get up quickly.” Madam Gao said while wiping her tears, “Let Mother have a good look.”
Gao Feng and Gao Yun stood up and walked in front of Madam Gao.
“It’s good that you’re back, it’s good that you’re back.”
Gao Jingwei looked at his two sons with satisfaction. “Everything went well, right?” The matter of the Maifan stone was kept a secret, and even he didn’t know the details, only that his two sons had received a secret decree from the Emperor and went on a trip.
Gao Yun hurriedly said, “Very smoothly. As soon as we entered the palace, we reported to the Emperor, and he rewarded each of us with a thousand taels of silver.”
“Oh,” Gao Jingwei listened and roughly guessed. Needing to be on a trip for a whole year indicated it was an extremely important matter. However, the Emperor only rewarded them with silver without any other official recognition, which meant the details of the mission were confidential. He didn’t ask about it and only inquired how they had spent the past year.
Gao Feng and Gao Yun answered one by one.
After learning all the details, Madam Gao suddenly said, “Feng’er, Yun’er, both of you are not young anymore. This time, the Emperor and Yan Guiqing have granted you a month off. It’s a perfect opportunity to handle your marriage affairs.”
“What?!” Gao Feng and Gao Yun looked at each other in surprise.
Gao Jingwei nodded, “Your mother is right. Feng’er, you are already twenty-three, and Yun’er, you are twenty-one. Even the children of our colleagues’ friends are getting married by now.”
“Father, Mother, this is too sudden,” Gao Yun hesitated. “One month is too short to both propose and get married. Isn’t it too rushed?”
Gao Feng also said, “Yes, Father, Mother, we are still young. It’s a good time to serve by the Emperor’s and Yan Guiqing’s side. Let’s talk about marriage later.”
A faint smile appeared on Madam Gao’s face. “Who told you that getting married means you can’t serve by the Emperor’s and Yan Guiqing’s side?”
Gao Feng was at a loss for words.
Gao Yun pulled Gao Feng along and said, “Father, Mother, we are very tired from just returning. Let’s rest first, and we can discuss this later.”
“Stop!” Gao Jingwei put down his teacup and spoke sternly.
Gao Feng and Gao Yun had to stop.
“Father, do you have any other instructions?”
Gao Jingwei said slowly, “According to the Emperor’s intention, there may be major movements from him and Yan Guiqing in the near future. At that time, you may be called upon to join them. If you don’t mind that our arrangements for your marriage may clash with that time, you can go.”
Gao Feng asked curiously, “Father, what kind of major movements?”
Gao Jingwei glanced at him and calmly sipped his tea.
Gao Feng and Gao Yun exchanged glances helplessly. As officials, their father was experienced while they were still inexperienced.
“We will get married, but the candidates must be agreed upon by both of us,” Gao Feng said.
Madam Gao had a pleased expression. “Of course. I will invite the matchmaker right away.”
After the two brothers left the main hall, they couldn’t help but sigh again.
“Big brother, why haven’t we encountered any thing like ‘the hero rescues the beauty’ or ‘martial arts competitions to win the beauty’ while in the outside world during this past year?” Gao Yun said.
Gao Feng also regretted, “If only we had chosen someone during the Hundred Flowers Festival.”
“Forget it,” Gao Yun said, “We can only hope for Mother’s discerning eye.”
Yan Ge, Huangfu Yuchen, and a few others sat in the hall for about two to three quarters of an hour when a palace attendant rushed in to report, “Announcement to Your Majesty, Guards Gao Feng and Gao Yun are outside the hall and request an audience.”
Huangfu Yuchen said, “Let them in.”
“Yes.”
After a moment, Gao Feng and Gao Yun strode in and knelt heavily on the steps, indicating their excitement. “We pay our respects to Your Majesty, long live Your Majesty! Respectful greetings to Yan Guiqing!”
“Rise.” Huangfu Yuchen raised his hand.
“Thank you, Your Majesty!”
Yan Ge looked at Gao Feng and Gao Yun, then smiled and teased them, “It’s over, Master Gao and Madam Gao will want to scold me. You both have gotten so tanned, how are you going to propose marriage like this?”
Gao Feng and Gao Yun smiled with embarrassment.
“You’re exaggerating, Yan Guiqing.”
Huangfu Yuchen asked, “You’ve been gone for over a year, you’ve worked hard. What are your findings?”
Gao Feng said, “For Your Majesty and the Kingdom, we were willing and didn’t dare to complain. We were fortunate enough to find large areas of Maifan in the rivers and mountains in the south and southwest. However, due to limited manpower, transporting these stones on a large scale to the capital would undoubtedly attract attention. Secondly, we were eager to report the news to Your Majesty, so we only brought back a dozen or so carriages of the Maifan stone.”
Huangfu Yuchen looked at them with admiration and nodded. “You’ve thought it through well and haven’t disappointed me. Come, have a seat.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty!”
After they sat down, Yan Ge asked, “Tell us in detail how you found the Maifan stone.”
Gao Feng began, “It goes like this. When we first arrived in the south, we followed Yan Guiqing’s instructions and asked the locals in each town if there had been any volcanic eruptions in the area. Initially, we asked anyone we saw, but later, we realized we should ask the elderly, who might know about such things. So, we focused on asking the elderly. At first, we only found some scattered stones, and it was only over two months ago when we dug up a large area of Maifan stones at the foot of a mountain near a river.”
Huangfu Yuchen asked, “Did you record the locations of all the Maifan stones you found?”
Gao Feng said, “We wrote them all down on paper.”
As he spoke, he took out a short flute from his pocket and broke it, revealing a small rolled-up piece of paper.
Huangfu Yuchen and Yan Ge both nodded in satisfaction. Gao Feng was very meticulous; even during such a long and tiring journey, he maintained his vigilance.
Gao Feng handed the paper scroll to Deng Mande, who passed it to Huangfu Yuchen.
“Gao Yun, how about your side?” Yan Ge asked.
Gao Yun replied, “Regarding Yan Guiqing’s inquiry, my situation was similar to Gao Feng’s. However, the southwestern region is more mountainous, so the search process was more complicated. It was over four months ago when we found a large area of Maifan stone distribution, but on the way back, we encountered a group of bandits. We attacked the small bandit stronghold, and that’s why we were delayed.”
Then he handed over the locations he recorded to Deng Mande as well. The two brothers were quite interesting – Gao Feng hid the paper inside the broken flute, and Gao Yun concealed it in his hairpin. They were both very cautious.
“Did any of the teams suffer casualties?” Huangfu Yuchen asked.
Gao Feng replied, “There were no casualties in my team.”
Gao Yun said with remorse, “After we entered the deep forest, one soldier in my team was bitten by a venomous snake and died. Please forgive me, Your Majesty!”
Huangfu Yuchen said, “There’s no need to blame yourself. It was an unexpected situation, and it wasn’t something you desired. Deng Mande, issue an order to give the family of that soldier 500 taels of silver as compensation.”
“Yes.”
“On behalf of that brother, thank you, Your Majesty!” Gao Yun stood up and knelt down.
“Rise.”
Yan Ge said, “Yuchen, let’s go and see the Maifan stone now.”
“Alright, let’s go.”
Everyone arrived at the heavily guarded Wuying Hall, and the carriages loaded with Maifan stones were parked here.
Gao Feng and Gao Yun felt somewhat nervous; if what they found was not Maifan stone, His Majesty and Yan Guiqing would be disappointed.
Deng Mande stepped forward and uncovered the black cloth on the carriages.
Yan Ge had seen many Maifan stones before and was now sure after seeing the stones inside the carriage. “Yes, these are Maifan stones.”
“Are you certain?” Huangfu Yuchen asked.
“Certain.” Yan Ge smiled, picking up a smaller stone. “See the many small holes on it? And these white spots look like grains of rice. It is undoubtedly Maifan stone.”
Gao Yun said, “When we first found stones that looked like the Maifan stone you described, we didn’t dare to be presumptuous. We had to test it with water mixed with ink. But later, after finding more, we gained experience, and we could tell whether it was Maifan stone at a glance.”
Yan Ge asked Deng Mande to uncover the other carriages, and after a quick look at the stones stacked on top, he was basically certain that they were all Maifan stones.
Huangfu Yuchen said, “Good! Gao Feng, Gao Yun, you’ve made significant contributions. Each of you will be rewarded with a thousand taels of silver, and the other soldiers in your teams will be rewarded with two hundred taels of silver each!”
Gao Feng and Gao Yun were already quite well off, and now they received another thousand taels of silver each. They thanked gratefully.
Yan Jin and the Little Crown Prince had already started selecting the more aesthetically pleasing stones on the side, preparing to have them made into tea sets.
Huangfu Yuchen said, “You two have been away from the capital for over a year, and Master Gao and Madam Gao must be very concerned. Go offer greetings.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty!”
Huangfu Yuchen asked Yan Ge, “Xiao Ge, do you have any other instructions?”
Yan Ge laughed, “I’ll give you both a month off to rest properly after you return.”
“Thank you, Yan Guiqing!”
Gao Feng and Gao Yun walked out of the hall. Unintentionally, they both stretched their arms, letting out a yawn. For the first time in over a year, they felt an unprecedented sense of relaxation.
“Let’s go home, take a bath and have a good sleep!” Gao Yun said.
When they returned to the Gao residence, the servants who had also received the news were waiting anxiously at the door. When they saw the two familiar figures approaching on horseback, they were incredibly excited.
“Quick, go and tell the master and madam that the young master and second young master are back!”
The two brothers entered the residence and first paid their respects to their father in the main hall.
Gao Jingwei and Madam Gao had eager expressions, their eyes fixed on the door. In a short while, they saw the two young men walking in together and kneeling in front of them, giving a solid kowtow.
“Father, Mother.”
“Good, good. My good boys. Get up quickly, get up quickly.” Madam Gao said while wiping her tears, “Let Mother have a good look.”
Gao Feng and Gao Yun stood up and walked in front of Madam Gao.
“It’s good that you’re back, it’s good that you’re back.”
Gao Jingwei looked at his two sons with satisfaction. “Everything went well, right?” The matter of the Maifan stone was kept a secret, and even he didn’t know the details, only that his two sons had received a secret decree from the Emperor and went on a trip.
Gao Yun hurriedly said, “Very smoothly. As soon as we entered the palace, we reported to the Emperor, and he rewarded each of us with a thousand taels of silver.”
“Oh,” Gao Jingwei listened and roughly guessed. Needing to be on a trip for a whole year indicated it was an extremely important matter. However, the Emperor only rewarded them with silver without any other official recognition, which meant the details of the mission were confidential. He didn’t ask about it and only inquired how they had spent the past year.
Gao Feng and Gao Yun answered one by one.
After learning all the details, Madam Gao suddenly said, “Feng’er, Yun’er, both of you are not young anymore. This time, the Emperor and Yan Guiqing have granted you a month off. It’s a perfect opportunity to handle your marriage affairs.”
“What?!” Gao Feng and Gao Yun looked at each other in surprise.
Gao Jingwei nodded, “Your mother is right. Feng’er, you are already twenty-three, and Yun’er, you are twenty-one. Even the children of our colleagues’ friends are getting married by now.”
“Father, Mother, this is too sudden,” Gao Yun hesitated. “One month is too short to both propose and get married. Isn’t it too rushed?”
Gao Feng also said, “Yes, Father, Mother, we are still young. It’s a good time to serve by the Emperor’s and Yan Guiqing’s side. Let’s talk about marriage later.”
A faint smile appeared on Madam Gao’s face. “Who told you that getting married means you can’t serve by the Emperor’s and Yan Guiqing’s side?”
Gao Feng was at a loss for words.
Gao Yun pulled Gao Feng along and said, “Father, Mother, we are very tired from just returning. Let’s rest first, and we can discuss this later.”
“Stop!” Gao Jingwei put down his teacup and spoke sternly.
Gao Feng and Gao Yun had to stop.
“Father, do you have any other instructions?”
Gao Jingwei said slowly, “According to the Emperor’s intention, there may be major movements from him and Yan Guiqing in the near future. At that time, you may be called upon to join them. If you don’t mind that our arrangements for your marriage may clash with that time, you can go.”
Gao Feng asked curiously, “Father, what kind of major movements?”
Gao Jingwei glanced at him and calmly sipped his tea.
Gao Feng and Gao Yun exchanged glances helplessly. As officials, their father was experienced while they were still inexperienced.
“We will get married, but the candidates must be agreed upon by both of us,” Gao Feng said.
Madam Gao had a pleased expression. “Of course. I will invite the matchmaker right away.”
After the two brothers left the main hall, they couldn’t help but sigh again.
“Big brother, why haven’t we encountered any thing like ‘the hero rescues the beauty’ or ‘martial arts competitions to win the beauty’ while in the outside world during this past year?” Gao Yun said.
Gao Feng also regretted, “If only we had chosen someone during the Hundred Flowers Festival.”
“Forget it,” Gao Yun said, “We can only hope for Mother’s discerning eye.”
