On the third day of April, the army returned to Nandu.
Duan Xu joined them three days before the army arrived in Nandu. It was raining heavily in early summer, and the lush grass beside the official road was stained with mud. He waited in the rain with an umbrella. When he saw Qin Huanda riding a horse with a huge team, he raised the umbrella.
Qin Huanda saw the young man's bright eyes with a hint of sadness, and an indescribable gloomy atmosphere. However, in a flash, Duan Xu smiled, sweeping away the gloomy atmosphere.
He saluted and said, "Qin Shuai, I'm back."
General Qin looked at him coldly. If Duan Xu had not had a distinguished background and great achievements, how could he have disregarded military discipline and disappeared for such a long time before returning? He did not want to say more, but nodded to indicate that he understood. The heavy rain gradually stopped, Duan Xu put away his umbrella and walked leisurely behind the army. Qin Huanda heard the soldiers of the Tabai and Chengjie armies cheering, saying that the general was back.
Not to mention Tabai, the Chengjie Army had only been under Duan Xu's command for two or three months, and they had already become Duan Xu's personal army and were completely obedient to him.
Qin Huanda looked back and his deputy general said, "General Duan..."
He didn't say anything else, but Qin Huanda knew.
This person is a genius and will become a serious problem one day.
Meng Wan was overjoyed to see Duan Xu return, but she immediately noticed that Duan Xu didn't look very well, as if he had just recovered from a serious illness. She couldn't help but think of the stories of evil spirits taking souls and taking lives, and she became worried. Duan Xu said he was going to find his friends in the underworld, and he disappeared for a month. She had a hunch that he was going to find Seventeen.
Although the evil ghost Seventeen doesn't seem to be a bad person, he is still an evil spirit that harms people. What should Duan Xu do if he harms him
Just when Meng Wan was about to say something, Xue Chenying ran over and grabbed the corner of Duan Xu's clothes, looking up with sparkling eyes and said, "Third brother, where is Little... Seventeenth sister? Didn't she come back with you?"
Meng Wan pretended not to care and observed Duan Xu's expression. Duan Xu lowered his eyes for a moment, then raised them and smiled again. He looked a little tired, but still looked bright.
"She went home." Duan Xu replied briefly. He squatted down and pinched Chen Ying's face, saying, "I want to go home too, Chen Ying, let's go home together."
Meng Wan breathed a sigh of relief, but looking at Duan Xu's pale face, he felt a little uncomfortable.
The celebration ceremony in Nandu to welcome the triumphant return of the king's army was very grand. Duan Xu rode his horse through the streets amid the cheers of the people and the sound of drums and music. The streets were filled with a joyful atmosphere. Daliang was rich and stable, and Nandu was the most prosperous and wealthy place in Daliang. Everywhere you looked, you could see exquisite carved beams and painted buildings, pavilions and towers. It was obvious that it was a peaceful and prosperous era filled with gold and silver treasures.
A peaceful and prosperous era for half of the country.
Duan Xu narrowed his eyes slightly, but still showed a happy smile at the right time.
When he dismounted in front of Duan's house and handed the horse to the servant, he looked at the tall gate and the stone unicorns on both sides, and heard the servants shouting that the third young master was back. He felt that it was like a lifetime ago since they last saw each other for half a year. Chen Ying grabbed the corner of his clothes tightly. Duan Xu looked down at him and asked, "Do you feel strange and scared?"
Chen Ying nodded nervously and hurriedly.
He rubbed the back of Shen Ying's head and smiled: "I feel the same way. I feel strange."
As soon as Duan Xu finished speaking, he heard a clear shout, "Uncle!"
A boy of about ten years old, wearing dark green clothes, ran out of the door. The boy was tall and handsome, and his features resembled Duan Xu. He ran to Duan Xu like the wind, hugged his waist and shouted, "Uncle, you're finally back!"
The sound was so loud that it scared the sparrows on the eaves away.
Duan Xu smiled, picked up the boy with one hand, turned him around, and said, "It's a lot heavier!"
"Uncle, put me down! I... I'm ten years old! I'm an adult!" The boy blushed and struggled in Duan Xu's arms. Duan Xu put him down and said to the woman who was following behind: "Sister-in-law, I haven't seen you for a long time. Are you doing well?"
The woman had gentle and delicate features, and her gestures were elegant. She was the widow of the eldest son of the Duan family. She embraced the boy and said softly, "Everything is fine, but he always thinks of you. He has grown a lot recently, always saying that he has grown up, and he is disobedient in every way. I am having a headache. You came back at the right time, and help me to discipline him."
She looked Duan Xu up and down for a moment and sighed, "Brother-in-law, you have become much thinner. You must have suffered a lot this time."
"When the Dan tribe invaded Daliang, everyone in the border army suffered. My situation is nothing." Duan Xu smiled and said to his nephew Duan Yiqi, "Since Yiqi said he has grown up, do you want to go to the battlefield with me?"
"It's bad enough that you're living in danger yourself, but you actually want to kidnap your nephew?" The voice that spoke these words was solemn and dignified, revealing a bit of old age. It was not spoken by his gentle sister-in-law.
Duan Xu looked up and saw a thin middle-aged man wearing a dark blue robe with crane patterns standing at the door. He was very tall, and his body was a little hunched due to years of illness, but his eyes were bright and energetic. On his left stood a young girl in pink clothes with butterfly patterns. The girl held his arm, her bright eyes looking at Duan Xu with joy.
Duan Xu smiled and bowed deeply, saying, "Father, I am sorry that I have been away for several months. Are you well?"
Duan Chengzhang looked at Duan Xu for a long time. His eldest daughter-in-law could see that Duan Xu was dusty and covered with scars, so he could see it too. He originally had three sons, but now he only had this one left, and he almost lost his life on the battlefield.
He finally sighed and said, "Standing at the door? What's the matter? Come in and talk."
Duan Xu agreed and walked into the house surrounded by this group of people. His sister-in-law went to support his father, and his younger sister, who was dressed in pink and looked like a delicate flower, came to him and walked side by side with him, saying, "Third brother, you have lost weight."
"Jingyuan, you have gained a lot of weight."
"… "
Just when Duan Jingyuan's cheeks were puffed up and he was about to get angry, Duan Xu said at the right time: "The new clothes are nice, the material is shiny and warm, and the pattern is something I have never seen before."
Duan Jingyuan was no longer angry. She opened her arms and proudly showed off her dress, saying, "That's right, I tell you, there is no other dress like mine in the whole of Nandu... But how do you know that this is a new dress?"
"I am returning home in triumph. How can you not wear new clothes when you come to greet me?"
Duan Xu's younger sister loves beauty very much. She is not good at studying, but she is good at mixing perfumes, adjusting colors and designing clothes. He can imagine that if he dies on the battlefield one day, his younger sister will definitely make the most beautiful mourning clothes and become the most beautiful woman at his funeral.
If that day really comes, will she come
Duan Xu was stunned for a moment, then he shook his head and laughed, driving the thoughts about He Simu from his mind.
After some caring greetings from his family and a warm welcome for him, his father called him to his study room alone after lunch.
In the study, white smoke rose from the calming incense. His father coughed twice. Duan Xu asked, "Dad, is your cough coming back again?"
"This body is just like this, over and over again." Duan Chengzhang waved his hand indifferently. He sat on the pearwood armchair behind the desk and pointed to the chair next to him: "Sit down."
In the past, when his father talked to Duan Xu, he always asked him to stand. The other chairs in the study seemed to be just decorations. This was the first time that his father asked him to sit down.
Duan Xu smiled slightly and said, "My injuries are almost healed now, so it won't hurt to stand for a while."
Duan Chengzhang did not insist. He was silent for a while and said, "What are you going to do in the future?"
His expression did not show much joy, and he did not look like the father of a triumphant general.
Duan Xu answered fluently: "I am already the commander of the Tabai and Chengjie armies. If nothing unexpected happens, I will be given a higher rank when I return to the capital. My position may be just below that of General Qin..."
"Nonsense!" Duan Chengzhang slammed the table and started coughing again.
His reaction was within Duan Xu's expectations, so Duan Xu stopped talking, clasped his hands lightly behind his back, and waited for his father's next words.
"You still want to return to the army? Isn't this life enough for you? You have to stay in the Southern Capital. Prime Minister Du needs you. I originally paved the way for you, but it was a side road. It's time for you to return."
Duan Chengzhang's tone was unquestionable. He probably felt that he was too harsh, so he paused and then softened his tone a little, saying, "You are indeed talented in military affairs, and it will be the same if you serve as a privy councilor in the court in the future."
Duan Xu stroked his wrist buckle and said with a smile, "Okay, I'll listen to my father."
Duan Chengzhang thought that Duan Xu had always been filial and obedient, almost never disobeying his wishes, and had done everything he asked him to do very well. He felt relieved and his tone became more relaxed: "When you return to Beijing this time, there is an important matter that should be put on the agenda. Shunxi, you will be twenty years old this year, and it is time for you to get married and have children to expand the Duan family."
"Don't the Duan family have grandchildren to look forward to?"
"It's a hope, it's a hope, you? It's you?, don't confuse them!"
Duan Xu lowered his eyes and smiled nonchalantly. He said, "I am not familiar with the noble ladies in Nandu. Who do you think would be the most suitable one for me to marry, father?"
This was exactly what Duan Chengzhang wanted. He asked Duan Xu to fetch the three scrolls from the bookshelf and said to him, "These are the portraits and birth dates of Su Yi, the third daughter of Minister Wang, the fifth daughter of Lu Xue Shi, Chang Ling, and Qiu Yan, the fourth daughter of Prince Xie. Take a look and see if any of them suit your taste."
Duan Xu took the three scrolls and said with a smile, "Lord Wang, Scholar Lu, and Prince Xie."
Either he has real power, or he is the emperor's teacher, or he is a powerful noble. If Prime Minister Du's family has a female relative of marriageable age, I'm afraid he won't even have the power to choose.
Although the Duan family was a royal family with three generations of famous ministers, it had gradually declined since his elder brother and second brother died and his father resigned due to illness. Now that the glory of the Duan family has been revived in his hands, he naturally wants to take this opportunity to stabilize his position. His father has indeed prepared everything.
The scrolls turned in Duan Xu's hands. He was not in a hurry to open them and look at the wife his father had chosen for him. Instead, he looked at his father leisurely and suddenly said to him in a sincere tone: "Father, I heard that there was a girl who grew up with you and was your childhood sweetheart. Later, she left after you married my mother."
Duan Chengzhang was stunned. He obviously didn't expect his son to bring up this past.
After a pause, Duan Xu continued, "I also heard that my mother had another engagement before you, but that person was involved in a conspiracy and was executed. Many years later, you re-investigated and he was vindicated."
Duan Chengzhang frowned and asked, "What do you want to say?"
"Father, I have no experience in love affairs. You want me to get married, so I want to ask you for advice. Do you still remember what your childhood sweetheart looked like? Have you ever regretted marrying my mother?"
People in Nandu all said that Lord Duan had no concubines except his wife, and that he and his wife were a respectful and equal couple.
But Duan Xu was very clear, he had vaguely seen since he was a child that his parents had never loved each other.