A piece of Japanese incense

Chapter 144 General Yan

"So much money..." Zhi Yihe said with emotion.

Yu Nian continued, "After listening to what you said about Ah Ban, I didn't believe it at first. However, some of Master's actions in recent years have made me feel that he is more unfathomable."

The air between the two of them froze for a moment, and Zhi Yihe spoke in a difficult tone, "Have you ever thought about why he wants so much money?"

"If your dream is true, do you think... that the master is... secretly gathering forces and recruiting soldiers?"

"What?!" Zhi Yihe exclaimed, realizing that her voice was a little loud, she quickly covered her mouth, fearing that it would disturb the tranquility of the night. She whispered in amazement, "He really dares to be so bold?"

"I have one more thing to tell you this time."

Zhi Yihe turned to Yu Nian, leaned against the tree trunk, put his ear close, and asked curiously, "What's the matter?"

"The reason I left Beijing this time is actually because my master mentioned..."

Zhi Yihe asked anxiously: "What did you say?"

"Master said that my father might still be alive."

"Ah? How did he know? Has he seen your father's portrait and knows what he looks like? Has he seen him in person?"

"I'm afraid my mother can't even remember what my father looks like."

"Then how can you say your father is still alive?"

"According to a scholar who came back from a dream to Beijing to take the imperial examination, he saw me by chance and was surprised to find that I looked very similar to General Yan."

"Menghui City? Is it the Menghui City that borders the Northern Frontier? Are there any generals with the surname Yan in our dynasty? Which Yan?"

"Yes, it is the city that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has been guarding. The 'Yan' who knows everything."

"Oh~ You're not really going to Dream City to find your father, are you? Yan? In the court, the only one with the surname Yan that I know of... seems to be the Empress' family, right?——"

"Master said that my father's birth date and horoscope are exactly the same as General Yan's. Plus, I look so much like him, maybe General Yan is really my biological father. He heard that General Yan will personally lead a team to escort the Duke of Zhenguo back to the capital after his retirement, so he suggested that I go outside the city in person to find out what's going on."

"Did you see it?"

"No... I just heard that they were going to pass through Yongkang. I waited there for two days, but I didn't see any signs of a large group of people entering the city."

"Oh! It doesn't matter! They will come to Beijing sooner or later!" Zhi Yihe groped in the dark, reached out to Yu Nian's head, and patted him gently to comfort him.

Yu Nian sighed, "If General Yan is really my father, I really have to doubt why Master accepted me as his apprentice and brought me back to Beijing. He wouldn't have been planning this move against me since then."

"Ah... he's not that great. Who would have thought that Aunt Hong's husband is a famous general~"

"Yes, my family is poor. Apart from the bed, all we have is an altar for the ancestral tablet..."

"Tablet!" they both shouted at the same time.

"So my father saw the spirit tablet with the same name and surname as General Yan?"

"Ask my mother's date of birth later?"

The two were greatly shocked. Zhi Yihe lay on the tree trunk and spread his hands: "Oh my God, your master is really shrewd and calculating~"

"He is still your father! Now I hope that I am not that man's offspring..."

Zhi Yihe suddenly sat up and said, "Brother Nian! You only need to know one thing: no matter whether my father agrees to take you as his disciple or not, my mother and I will take you and Aunt Hong home!"

Yu Nian smiled happily, also lying on the tree trunk, holding Zhi Yihe's hand, and said calmly: "I know."