Claiming the Reward

By the time they returned to the Prince's Manor, it was already evening.

"The credit isn't going anywhere. Going to see Xun Mei tomorrow will be the same." Nie Yannian had wanted to go straight back and sleep like a log, but Meng Yuan grabbed him and refused to let him leave.

"Shouldn't the first thing you do after returning from an assignment be report in?" Meng Yuan had his mind on the reward.

Nie Yannian poked Meng Yuan's nose in irritation. "Sometimes you're a pretty clever kid, and other times you're as impatient as some greenhorn!"

"I am a greenhorn," Meng Yuan said sincerely.

Nie Yannian lost his temper entirely and took Meng Yuan to find Xun Mei.

The Princess Consort's residence was called Quiet Garden, and Xun Mei lived beside it.

Though Qing Kingdom's customs were said to be fierce and valiant, the Princess Consort was still a female member of the household. Thus, most of those coming and going around Quiet Garden were maidservants.

"Quiet Garden was built by the Princess Consort in memory of her late father. It's especially elegant and tranquil, an excellent place for reading." Nie Yannian did not forget to offer guidance. "Our Princess Consort loves books and has countless volumes in her collection. Her capable maidservants have followed her example. So, kid, asking Xun Mei to lend you books really scratched her where she itched."

"Master Nie, I borrow books to seek knowledge, resolve doubts, and understand reason—not for anything else," Meng Yuan said.

"That's what I like about you, kid. Your skin is thick enough, and you've got no shame at all," Nie Yannian said.

Meng Yuan said no more. Ever since Zhang Guinian had mentioned Master Nie's daughter, the man had mocked him without stopping.

Of course, the man was not wrong. Meng Yuan really did have a thick skin and no shame to boot.

When they arrived at Xun Mei's quarters, they had a young maid announce them. To their surprise, Xun Mei came out personally to receive them.

"Uncle Nie." Xun Mei greeted Nie Yannian with the etiquette of a junior, showing that his claim of having once run with the Princess Consort's elder brother did indeed have some basis.

"Has the Princess Consort been well lately?" Nie Yannian asked casually, as though speaking to a junior.

"Everything is well." Xun Mei smiled.

Once they entered the reception hall and hot tea had been served, Nie Yannian had Meng Yuan report on their trip to the Medicine Manor.

Meng Yuan concealed nothing and recounted everything from beginning to end.

"I heard that Buddha Demons were most numerous in the west, and that every demon capable of taking human form cultivated Buddhist teachings. I never expected one to come here." Xun Mei looked at Meng Yuan and saw that he now carried a little more courage and composure. Evidently, he had truly seen bloodshed.

"This isn't something we can handle. The Buddhist sect has many branches, and plenty of them are strange and bizarre. In any case, the Demon Suppression Division is holding up the sky, so let them have the headache." Nie Yannian had no desire to investigate further. He pointed at Meng Yuan and said, "This kid rendered merit and wants to bring his family back from the Shepherd Manor. See what arrangements you can make."

"That is easy enough." Xun Mei smiled and immediately wrote Meng Yuan a note. "Once you enter the ranks, you become a guard. Your family should no longer be doing such laborious work. Even if you had not brought it up, I had intended to bring them to the Prince's Manor. Tomorrow, make a trip to the Shepherd Manor and give the note to Manor Head Sun, then bring your family back. As for lodging, there is an empty courtyard beside the Training Field. I will have someone tidy it up later, and you may live there for now. If I recall correctly, Jiang Shuan is a veterinarian. Let him take up the post of horse doctor for the time being and look after the Prince's Manor's horses."

Xun Mei smiled as she assessed Meng Yuan. She had not expected this little gelding hand to truly possess talent in the martial path. In less than two months, he had entered the ranks, and he had even experienced killing and capturing demons.

That was not all. He was simple yet steady, able to endure loneliness and train through hardship. He also had a Heart of Progress and knew that reading more books was the way to broaden his horizons.

Moreover, it was clear that Nie Yannian greatly supported this youth. He plainly cherished his talent and wanted to teach him as a successor.

If someone like this received proper guidance in the future and did not stray down crooked paths, he would surely have a promising future.

What was more, this youth had been promoted by her own hand. Therefore, Xun Mei was willing to give him a little extra consideration. Not only would his family be reunited, but she had also arranged a place for them to live.

Furthermore, the position of guard was special. It concerned the Princess Consort's safety and was close to her person, so guards had to be people whose background was known inside and out. They deserved better treatment than those in other posts.

"Thank you, Mei-jie!" Meng Yuan thanked her sincerely.

He had entered the Prince's Manor before the New Year, and it was now early February. Meng Yuan had promised Jiang Tang that he would bring her and her grandfather into the city within half a year. Yet it had been accomplished in under two months.

"You borrowed history books to read. Did you gain anything from them?" Xun Mei did not mention the reward silver, instead smiling as she made casual conversation.

"The history books are full of the deeds of ancient people—kings, lords, generals, and ministers. I only read them for the excitement. I can't understand any great principles from them. Yet, in the dead of night, amid those vast, densely packed words, I saw one sentence." Meng Yuan spoke earnestly.

"What sentence?" Xun Mei asked curiously.

Nie Yannian also pricked up his ears, intending to see how Meng Yuan would fool people.

"That sentence was: Between Heaven and Earth, a person should stand upon loyalty and filial piety."

Meng Yuan was utterly sincere. "Master Nie taught me martial arts, which is why I have the merit I do today. Naturally, I am grateful for Master Nie's kindness. But tracing things back to their source, it was still the Princess Consort who promoted me. Without her promotion, I would still be back at the Shepherd Manor, castrating pigs and gelding sheep."

At that point, Meng Yuan paused briefly before continuing, "Of course, there is nothing bad about castrating pigs and gelding sheep. It is all service for the Princess Consort. But serving as a guard in the Prince's Manor gives one a far broader sky and sea."

Of the four words propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame, Meng Yuan possessed only "loyalty."

Nie Yannian clapped his hands and said blandly, "Good, good, good."

"You have read those history books well—well enough to read the path of loyalty and filial piety from them!" Xun Mei nodded as well, praising him delightedly. "Only by not forgetting where one came from can one know where one belongs. Very good."

She immediately wrote another note, stamped it, and handed it to Meng Yuan. "The Princess Consort treats us with the greatest generosity. By the rules, Prince's Manor guards receive additional allocations for official assignments beyond their monthly silver, and compensation for recovery if they are injured. You captured two demons and killed one, so that comes to three hundred taels. Take this note to Gou Accountant and collect it."

"Thank you, Mei-jie." Meng Yuan accepted it in great satisfaction. This money would not only buy Jiang Yatou several new outfits, but would also be enough for them to eat meat every day.

After getting Xun Mei thoroughly pleased, Meng Yuan and Nie Yannian took their leave.

"If you went and became a pretty boy, you'd have gotten rich long ago!" The moment they left Xun Mei's residence, Nie Yannian sighed with feeling.

Meng Yuan pretended not to understand and simply pulled Nie Yannian along to find Gou Accountant.

They exchanged Xun Mei's note for three banknotes. Meng Yuan took out two of them and offered them to Nie Yannian.

"What do you mean by this?" Nie Yannian frowned and refused them, showing a surprising trace of righteous integrity.

"If not for Master Nie, I would not have received this reward silver. Not to mention that Master Nie taught me martial arts and repeatedly gave me support." Meng Yuan was completely sincere.

"You earned this by risking your life. How could I take it?" Nie Yannian waved his hand in refusal. "Besides, you still need to support your little wife. You need money everywhere, so I certainly cannot take it."

Meng Yuan carefully discerned Master Nie's tone. Seeing that the man was sincere, he resolved to emulate virtue when he saw it. The way you look now is no worse than how I looked before Xun Mei.

"Without Master Nie, there would be no me. You have to take this money." Meng Yuan simply offered all three banknotes.

"No, no. I will not take money from a junior," Nie Yannian refused.

"Master Nie, if you do not accept it, I won't dare go on official assignments with you in the future!"

"This is reward silver the Princess Consort gave you. What business does it have with me?"

"What is mine is Master Nie's!"

The two sluts set up their memorial archways higher than the heavens, actually shoving the money back and forth. Anyone unaware of the truth would have thought them a loving master and devoted disciple.

"Then let's go eat first. River fish in spring are not particularly plump, but the steamed fish at Drunken Moon Pavilion has a flavor all its own." Meng Yuan had forgotten the pain as soon as the wound healed. The wine scam was still fresh before his eyes, yet he invited Master Nie along anyway, planning to be fleeced by that father and daughter once more.

Though the three hundred taels had been earned by risking his life, in the final analysis it was Master Nie who had supported him. Giving some to his daughter was only proper.

Last time, he had been fleeced by accident. This time, he was willing to be fleeced.

Of course, if he could steal a little more skill from Master Nie's mouth, then he would profit yet again.

But Nie Yannian had no intention of looking after his daughter's business. He merely said, "You've made a fortune, so why not treat me to hear some songs? The two of us won't spend much!"

"Master Nie, a person must value keeping himself clean. I will absolutely never go to such a place!" Meng Yuan refused with great conviction. It was not truly because he cherished his purity, but because he feared spending too much money.

Seeing Meng Yuan put on the air of a defender of the Way, Nie Yannian chuckled and praised him. "You read a couple of lousy books, and your learning did not grow by much, but you learned every bit of that hypocritical, pedantic scholar routine! Don't let me catch you secretly visiting whores by yourself!"

Trading nonsense, the two arrived at Drunken Moon Pavilion.

When the beautiful proprietress saw Meng Yuan had come again, she smiled and gave him a courteous bow.

Meng Yuan wore an expression of righteous dignity and said nothing, merely giving a slight nod. He truly looked the part of a gentleman.

They went up to the second floor and sat by the river, looking down at the water below as Meng Yuan attentively poured wine.

"Bring Dream Lake Spring!" Nie Yannian immediately shoved his cup forward when Meng Yuan urged him to drink.

What was Dream Lake Spring? Meng Yuan was a country bumpkin and did not understand at all.

Nie Yannian clapped his hands, and a waiter hurried over, calling him Lord Nie.

"Two pots of Dream Lake Spring!" Nie Yannian held up two fingers.

So it was fine wine! This time, he really was being used as a wine mark! Master Nie, for your daughter's business, you really went to painstaking lengths!

Meng Yuan was currently asking something of the man and had already prepared himself to spend all three hundred taels, so he did not ask the price.

"The wine pots are too small. Bring two jars instead! And change these to wine bowls! Big bowls!" Meng Yuan put on the appearance of a nouveau riche.

Nie Yannian had been picking at dishes, but at those words he set down his chopsticks. He had indeed intended to repeat his old trick, yet the youth before him looked as though he had lain down and offered himself up for slaughter without the slightest resistance. It somehow made fleecing him feel less satisfying.

"Master Nie, when will you teach me something else?" After changing to large bowls and drinking three bowls with him in succession, Meng Yuan revealed his true purpose. "I have been thinking. The essence of the Gale Wind Saber Technique is speed, but it lacks ferocity and force. Could you teach me another saber technique, one that is direct and straightforward, fiercely powerful?"

Now that Meng Yuan had tasted for the first time what it felt like to hold a saber in his hand, he needed to make that saber sharper. He needed to learn more, so that he could stand more firmly!

"That you can think of this shows you are not some fool who only knows how to bury his head in bitter training!" Nie Yannian praised him, then continued, "But you have not yet mastered the Gale Wind Saber Technique, so do not greedily seek too much. When you have opened a few more acupoints, I will teach you the method of channeling force through the saber. I guarantee you will run rampant among those of the same rank!"

"There is no need to wait. Why not tell me about it now?" Seeing Master Nie's face had reddened from drink, Meng Yuan urged him to drink even more enthusiastically.

Nie Yannian stroked his chin as he watched the youth serve him with such diligence. I was only planning to fleece you for a little money, yet you want to get me drunk and steal my secrets?

"Master Nie, please tell me, please! If I go a day without hearing Master Nie's teachings, my whole body feels miserable!" Meng Yuan vigorously poured wine, then clapped his hands to summon a waiter. "Bring another two jars! Remember this: whenever Lord Nie comes here to eat in the future, put every expense on my tab!"

This is my daughter's establishment. I do not even pay to eat here, and you want them to put it on your tab? Do they know you?

Nie Yannian frowned, intending to maintain some restraint, when he saw Meng Yuan lift a wine bowl and practically shove it into his face, looking as though he were determined to drink him under the table.

"Enough, enough, I'll explain it to you!" Nie Yannian could not take it anymore and sighed repeatedly. "Fuck, I finally understand what it means when they say a fierce maiden fears a persistent man!"