“I said it’s not allowed, and it’s not allowed. How can official and personal matters be mixed?” Yan Xiaojing frowned.
Lady Wen spoke softly but resolutely, “Master, how can your daughter-in-law bear to let Tiantian leave her side? But just like my mother-in-law, I also worry about my husband. That’s why I asked Brother in law to take Tiantian to the northwest, hoping that my husband will always remember he has his family no matter what he encounters. With the Emperor on the tour, he will surely bring skilled guards, so we don’t need to worry about Tiantian’s safety. Moreover, Tiantian is easy to handle and is close to Brother in law. He won’t cause any trouble for the Emperor and Brother in law.”
“That’s right, Master.” Madam Yan nodded repeatedly, “I think it’s a good idea.”
Yan Xiaojing still frowned, “That’s from a woman’s perspective!”
Yan Ge interjected, “Father, Mother, Sister-in-law, there’s no inconvenience for Yuchen and me. If you all feel at ease, then I’ll take Tiantian with us.”
Madam Yan and Lady Wen were overjoyed.
Yan Xiaojing also thought Lady Wen’s reasoning made sense, as a father, he was also concerned about Yan Su but he didn’t want to inconvenience the Emperor. But since Yan Ge said there’s no problem, he didn’t oppose further.
Tiantian may be young, but he was in good health, and there was no need to worry about him enduring a long journey. So, the decision was settled.
Huangfu Yuchen learned about this matter and had no objections. Can he oppose the decision of his beloved’s family? It was just a matter of arranging additional manpower. When Yan Ge and he were unavailable, they could take care of Yan Xiangtian on their behalf.
Five days later, Yan Ge, Huangfu Yuchen, Gao Feng, and Gao Yun dressed in special forces attire and headed to the west gate of the city to meet with other members of the special forces.
The special forces wore camouflage uniform. Yan Ge was already handsome, and wearing the camouflage uniform made him even more heroic and charismatic. Huangfu Yuchen could hardly take his eyes off him.
Huangfu Yuchen, on the other hand, was also imposing in his camouflage attire. His cold and majestic aura was now mixed with determination and ruggedness, making him extremely charming. Yan Ge stared at him for a long time, feeling more satisfied the more he looked.
On this journey, they attracted attention wherever they went.
The idea of the special forces was, of course, Yan Ge’s. The members of the special forces were carefully selected from soldiers all over the Kingdom, and their training methods were almost the same as those of the modern special forces that Yan Ge knew, if not more rigorous.
This time, there were a total of twenty people heading to the northwest to carry out their mission, all carefully chosen experts. Yan Ge and his companions were added later, but even with their impressive backgrounds, they couldn’t take up the spots of other soldiers. So, the total number of this team was twenty-four.
The captain, Wei Hao, had encountered Yan Ge and Huangfu Yuchen before. However, they were in disguise and it had been quite some time, so Wei Hao didn’t recognize them.
Traveling together with their cavalry was another group, apparently heading to the northwest to visit relatives. This group seemed to have official background, and before departing, Wei Hao received orders to take care of this group along the way.
It was evident that the other team was the one arranged by Huangfu Yuchen to take care of Yan Xiangtian. The convoy consisted of a total of eight people, including Yan Jin, Yan Xiangtian, Yan Jin’s wet nurse, Auntie Zhai, the maid Qing Xue, and four skilled guards. Except for Yan Xiangtian and Auntie Zhai, the other six were all skilled experts. This arrangement provided better security for Yan Xiangtian’s safety.
The two teams continued their rapid pace, stopping only for a nearly half-hour lunch break. They hardly paused until the sun began to set. Wei Hao finally halted the horses and glanced back at the forest.
“Halt—”
Yan Ge and Huangfu Yuchen also signaled for Bai Guan and Yunyi(their horses) to stop.
“It’s getting late. We will camp here for the night and continue our journey early tomorrow morning,” Wei Hao said.
“Yes!”
Twenty special forces soldiers dismounted without leaving any traces and observed Yan Ge and the others. They couldn’t detect any signs of fatigue on their faces and were somewhat surprised. These four people managed to join their team through the backdoor, and unexpectedly, two of them possessed genuine skills.
To avoid attracting attention, the two teams kept a distance between them but maintained visual contact with each other.
Yan Ge and Huangfu Yuchen found a place to sit down casually, with Gao Feng and Gao Yun naturally staying by their side.
Wei Hao’s group also sat down, resting and taking out the food they carried with them. Though the weather was hot, the fruits and cakes they brought from the capital were still fresh enough, thanks to the short journey. In the future, if they couldn’t find a town, they’d have to eat dry rations or hunt for food. Dry rations were simply dehydrated food, such as dried steam bums, bread, or biscuits, which could be preserved for a long time and were easy to carry. They’d chew on them dry or soak them in water before eating.
Based solely on their seating positions, Yan Ge noticed that his group of four of was somewhat excluded. This exclusion wasn’t necessarily intentional but rather an unconscious and natural reaction from the others towards outsiders.
He glanced at Huangfu Yuchen.
Huangfu Yuchen was a reserved person. As long as Yan Ge cared for him, that was enough for him, and he didn’t care much about others. He was sipping water with indifference.
Yan Ge leaned close to his ear and said seriously, “If you were born in an ordinary family and had to study or work with others, your social skills would definitely be poor.”
Huangfu Yuchen shrugged, “It doesn’t matter. As long as your social skills are good.”
Yan Ge shook his head and took out a fragrant egg pancake from his bag, then walked over to Wei Hao.
The other special forces members looked up at him.
“Captain, brothers. This is a scallion and egg pancake prepared for me by my family. If you don’t mind, feel free to try some.” Yan Ge said with a smile.
Wei Hao took the pancake, somewhat surprised, “This egg pancake seems to have a faint cold aura.”
Yan Ge said, “The weather is too hot. I’m afraid the egg pancake might spoil, so I brought some ice with me.”
“I see.”
Wei Hao distributed the egg pancakes to the others, and they all took a bite. The pancakes were soft and flavorful.
“Did you notice? There seems to be a hint of chicken flavor in this egg pancake.” One of the special forces members said to another.
“Yes, it’s true. It’s quite delicious.”
As the saying goes, a soft mouth and a hard heart. The atmosphere became slightly more relaxed.
A tall and sturdy special forces member asked Yan Ge, “The four of you seem to know each other. Are you from the same place?”
Yan Ge replied, “Yes, we were all in the same military camp before. I’m Qin Xiaosa, he’s Yu Xiaoyao, and the other two are Liu Tian and Liu Di. How should I address you, Big Brother?”
“Meng Gang.”
Yan Ge greeted him with a salute, “So you’re Big Brother Meng. Please take care of us on this journey.”
“No problem.” Meng Gang was also straightforward.
Yan Ge smiled at everyone and returned to Huangfu Yuchen’s side.
Huangfu Yuchen handed him a water pouch and an egg pancake, “Eat up.”
“Okay.” Yan Ge secretly used his spiritual sense to check on Yan Xiangtian inside the carriage. Although he was separated from his mother, with his familiar nursemaid by his side, the little guy seemed to be adapting well and was sleeping soundly in her arms.
They would have to eat dry rations from tomorrow onwards.
Yan Ge suddenly thought of compressed biscuits, and both of his eyes curved into a smile.
“What are you thinking about again?” Huangfu Yuchen found it amusing.
“It’s a secret.” Yan Ge smirked.
Huangfu Yuchen touched the back of his neck.
Seeing the intimate gesture between the two, the other special forces members realized their relationship and their impression of the two worsened a bit. They were here for a mission in the northwest, not for romantic affairs. Even if they were in a relationship, they should be more restrained.
Yan Ge pushed Huangfu Yuchen’s hand away, signaling him to look at the others.
Huangfu Yuchen could only shake his head helplessly.
“We caught a deer!” Gao Feng and Gao Yun came out of the woods with excitement. Gao Feng was carrying a deer weighing about thirty to forty kilograms, while Gao Yun had a bundle of firewood. Although their masters seemed uninterested in food, as their subordinates, they couldn’t just watch the two masters eat dry rations. So, after getting Wei Hao’s permission, they looked around and managed to hunt something.
The two didn’t know how to address Yan Ge and Huangfu Yuchen appropriately, so they refrained from using any titles.
“It’s quite big,” Yan Ge walked over, “I happen to have some seasonings. Xiao Yao, you come and roast it.”
Huangfu Yuchen nodded, looking at the pile of firewood, and said to Gao Feng and Gao Yun, “The deer is too big; this wood is not enough. Go and collect some more.”
“We’ll do that right away.” Gao Feng and Gao Yun were eager to taste Huangfu Yuchen’s cooking skills, so they quickly went to collect more firewood.
Yan Ge took out the seasonings and handed them to Huangfu Yuchen, but suddenly, his legs were wrapped in a small force. He looked down and saw it was Yan Xiangtian.
Yan Xiangtian’s maid, Qing Xue, was following closely behind.
Yan Ge smiled and lifted Yan Xiangtian. He was a bit surprised. He had changed his appearance, so could it be that the little guy still recognized him by his scent?
Yan Xiangtian glanced at him but didn’t make a sound, curiously watching the ignited bonfire.
“Little brother!” Yan Jin took the opportunity to run over. He then smiled at Yan Ge.
“Want to eat.” Yan Xiangtian pointed to the prey in Huangfu Yuchen’s hand, his voice tender and adorable.
Yan Ge chuckled, “You only have a few teeth.”
Yan Xiangtian grinned and opened his small mouth, “I have many.”
Yan Ge put him down and handed him a piece of beef jerky.
Yan Xiangtian was easy to please, sitting obediently on the ground and happily biting the jerky. His chubby cheeks swelled as he chewed, and droplets of saliva occasionally dripped from the corners of his mouth.
Yan Ge and Yan Jin watched, laughing heartily beside him.
“I said it’s not allowed, and it’s not allowed. How can official and personal matters be mixed?” Yan Xiaojing frowned.
Lady Wen spoke softly but resolutely, “Master, how can your daughter-in-law bear to let Tiantian leave her side? But just like my mother-in-law, I also worry about my husband. That’s why I asked Brother in law to take Tiantian to the northwest, hoping that my husband will always remember he has his family no matter what he encounters. With the Emperor on the tour, he will surely bring skilled guards, so we don’t need to worry about Tiantian’s safety. Moreover, Tiantian is easy to handle and is close to Brother in law. He won’t cause any trouble for the Emperor and Brother in law.”
“That’s right, Master.” Madam Yan nodded repeatedly, “I think it’s a good idea.”
Yan Xiaojing still frowned, “That’s from a woman’s perspective!”
Yan Ge interjected, “Father, Mother, Sister-in-law, there’s no inconvenience for Yuchen and me. If you all feel at ease, then I’ll take Tiantian with us.”
Madam Yan and Lady Wen were overjoyed.
Yan Xiaojing also thought Lady Wen’s reasoning made sense, as a father, he was also concerned about Yan Su but he didn’t want to inconvenience the Emperor. But since Yan Ge said there’s no problem, he didn’t oppose further.
Tiantian may be young, but he was in good health, and there was no need to worry about him enduring a long journey. So, the decision was settled.
Huangfu Yuchen learned about this matter and had no objections. Can he oppose the decision of his beloved’s family? It was just a matter of arranging additional manpower. When Yan Ge and he were unavailable, they could take care of Yan Xiangtian on their behalf.
Five days later, Yan Ge, Huangfu Yuchen, Gao Feng, and Gao Yun dressed in special forces attire and headed to the west gate of the city to meet with other members of the special forces.
The special forces wore camouflage uniform. Yan Ge was already handsome, and wearing the camouflage uniform made him even more heroic and charismatic. Huangfu Yuchen could hardly take his eyes off him.
Huangfu Yuchen, on the other hand, was also imposing in his camouflage attire. His cold and majestic aura was now mixed with determination and ruggedness, making him extremely charming. Yan Ge stared at him for a long time, feeling more satisfied the more he looked.
On this journey, they attracted attention wherever they went.
The idea of the special forces was, of course, Yan Ge’s. The members of the special forces were carefully selected from soldiers all over the Kingdom, and their training methods were almost the same as those of the modern special forces that Yan Ge knew, if not more rigorous.
This time, there were a total of twenty people heading to the northwest to carry out their mission, all carefully chosen experts. Yan Ge and his companions were added later, but even with their impressive backgrounds, they couldn’t take up the spots of other soldiers. So, the total number of this team was twenty-four.
The captain, Wei Hao, had encountered Yan Ge and Huangfu Yuchen before. However, they were in disguise and it had been quite some time, so Wei Hao didn’t recognize them.
Traveling together with their cavalry was another group, apparently heading to the northwest to visit relatives. This group seemed to have official background, and before departing, Wei Hao received orders to take care of this group along the way.
It was evident that the other team was the one arranged by Huangfu Yuchen to take care of Yan Xiangtian. The convoy consisted of a total of eight people, including Yan Jin, Yan Xiangtian, Yan Jin’s wet nurse, Auntie Zhai, the maid Qing Xue, and four skilled guards. Except for Yan Xiangtian and Auntie Zhai, the other six were all skilled experts. This arrangement provided better security for Yan Xiangtian’s safety.
The two teams continued their rapid pace, stopping only for a nearly half-hour lunch break. They hardly paused until the sun began to set. Wei Hao finally halted the horses and glanced back at the forest.
“Halt—”
Yan Ge and Huangfu Yuchen also signaled for Bai Guan and Yunyi(their horses) to stop.
“It’s getting late. We will camp here for the night and continue our journey early tomorrow morning,” Wei Hao said.
“Yes!”
Twenty special forces soldiers dismounted without leaving any traces and observed Yan Ge and the others. They couldn’t detect any signs of fatigue on their faces and were somewhat surprised. These four people managed to join their team through the backdoor, and unexpectedly, two of them possessed genuine skills.
To avoid attracting attention, the two teams kept a distance between them but maintained visual contact with each other.
Yan Ge and Huangfu Yuchen found a place to sit down casually, with Gao Feng and Gao Yun naturally staying by their side.
Wei Hao’s group also sat down, resting and taking out the food they carried with them. Though the weather was hot, the fruits and cakes they brought from the capital were still fresh enough, thanks to the short journey. In the future, if they couldn’t find a town, they’d have to eat dry rations or hunt for food. Dry rations were simply dehydrated food, such as dried steam bums, bread, or biscuits, which could be preserved for a long time and were easy to carry. They’d chew on them dry or soak them in water before eating.
Based solely on their seating positions, Yan Ge noticed that his group of four of was somewhat excluded. This exclusion wasn’t necessarily intentional but rather an unconscious and natural reaction from the others towards outsiders.
He glanced at Huangfu Yuchen.
Huangfu Yuchen was a reserved person. As long as Yan Ge cared for him, that was enough for him, and he didn’t care much about others. He was sipping water with indifference.
Yan Ge leaned close to his ear and said seriously, “If you were born in an ordinary family and had to study or work with others, your social skills would definitely be poor.”
Huangfu Yuchen shrugged, “It doesn’t matter. As long as your social skills are good.”
Yan Ge shook his head and took out a fragrant egg pancake from his bag, then walked over to Wei Hao.
The other special forces members looked up at him.
“Captain, brothers. This is a scallion and egg pancake prepared for me by my family. If you don’t mind, feel free to try some.” Yan Ge said with a smile.
Wei Hao took the pancake, somewhat surprised, “This egg pancake seems to have a faint cold aura.”
Yan Ge said, “The weather is too hot. I’m afraid the egg pancake might spoil, so I brought some ice with me.”
“I see.”
Wei Hao distributed the egg pancakes to the others, and they all took a bite. The pancakes were soft and flavorful.
“Did you notice? There seems to be a hint of chicken flavor in this egg pancake.” One of the special forces members said to another.
“Yes, it’s true. It’s quite delicious.”
As the saying goes, a soft mouth and a hard heart. The atmosphere became slightly more relaxed.
A tall and sturdy special forces member asked Yan Ge, “The four of you seem to know each other. Are you from the same place?”
Yan Ge replied, “Yes, we were all in the same military camp before. I’m Qin Xiaosa, he’s Yu Xiaoyao, and the other two are Liu Tian and Liu Di. How should I address you, Big Brother?”
“Meng Gang.”
Yan Ge greeted him with a salute, “So you’re Big Brother Meng. Please take care of us on this journey.”
“No problem.” Meng Gang was also straightforward.
Yan Ge smiled at everyone and returned to Huangfu Yuchen’s side.
Huangfu Yuchen handed him a water pouch and an egg pancake, “Eat up.”
“Okay.” Yan Ge secretly used his spiritual sense to check on Yan Xiangtian inside the carriage. Although he was separated from his mother, with his familiar nursemaid by his side, the little guy seemed to be adapting well and was sleeping soundly in her arms.
They would have to eat dry rations from tomorrow onwards.
Yan Ge suddenly thought of compressed biscuits, and both of his eyes curved into a smile.
“What are you thinking about again?” Huangfu Yuchen found it amusing.
“It’s a secret.” Yan Ge smirked.
Huangfu Yuchen touched the back of his neck.
Seeing the intimate gesture between the two, the other special forces members realized their relationship and their impression of the two worsened a bit. They were here for a mission in the northwest, not for romantic affairs. Even if they were in a relationship, they should be more restrained.
Yan Ge pushed Huangfu Yuchen’s hand away, signaling him to look at the others.
Huangfu Yuchen could only shake his head helplessly.
“We caught a deer!” Gao Feng and Gao Yun came out of the woods with excitement. Gao Feng was carrying a deer weighing about thirty to forty kilograms, while Gao Yun had a bundle of firewood. Although their masters seemed uninterested in food, as their subordinates, they couldn’t just watch the two masters eat dry rations. So, after getting Wei Hao’s permission, they looked around and managed to hunt something.
The two didn’t know how to address Yan Ge and Huangfu Yuchen appropriately, so they refrained from using any titles.
“It’s quite big,” Yan Ge walked over, “I happen to have some seasonings. Xiao Yao, you come and roast it.”
Huangfu Yuchen nodded, looking at the pile of firewood, and said to Gao Feng and Gao Yun, “The deer is too big; this wood is not enough. Go and collect some more.”
“We’ll do that right away.” Gao Feng and Gao Yun were eager to taste Huangfu Yuchen’s cooking skills, so they quickly went to collect more firewood.
Yan Ge took out the seasonings and handed them to Huangfu Yuchen, but suddenly, his legs were wrapped in a small force. He looked down and saw it was Yan Xiangtian.
Yan Xiangtian’s maid, Qing Xue, was following closely behind.
Yan Ge smiled and lifted Yan Xiangtian. He was a bit surprised. He had changed his appearance, so could it be that the little guy still recognized him by his scent?
Yan Xiangtian glanced at him but didn’t make a sound, curiously watching the ignited bonfire.
“Little brother!” Yan Jin took the opportunity to run over. He then smiled at Yan Ge.
“Want to eat.” Yan Xiangtian pointed to the prey in Huangfu Yuchen’s hand, his voice tender and adorable.
Yan Ge chuckled, “You only have a few teeth.”
Yan Xiangtian grinned and opened his small mouth, “I have many.”
Yan Ge put him down and handed him a piece of beef jerky.
Yan Xiangtian was easy to please, sitting obediently on the ground and happily biting the jerky. His chubby cheeks swelled as he chewed, and droplets of saliva occasionally dripped from the corners of his mouth.
Yan Ge and Yan Jin watched, laughing heartily beside him.
