The old duke was momentarily speechless. Did he not want his son to enter the officialdom?
It was just that Wei Yuan was too soft - hearted and not as smart as the Chen family's boy. If he were to enter the current court, he would probably be deceived and muddled within a few days.
He glared irritably at the smug Chen Xuan and said, "Do you think everyone is as indifferent to their son as you are?"
If there was one person who mattered most to Chen Xuan, it was undoubtedly his wife from the Bai family. Even his intelligent son, Chen Tingfeng, had to take a back - seat.
The old duke shook his head in puzzlement. If it were him, with a son as incredibly intelligent as Chen Tingfeng, he would have cherished him in the palm of his hand, making others back off.
It was a pity that Chen Xuan didn't understand this sentiment, or perhaps he did but simply didn't care.
He helped Lord Zhang into the Zhang family's carriage, then shook his hands. Without even glancing at the old duke who had just retorted to him, he leisurely hummed a song and walked away.
His horse was tied on the west side. When he reached the stable, he looked at his precious horse, which he had raised at home with good food and care for a long time. It was fat, strong, and shiny. He patted its head in disgust and said, "Eat, eat, all you know is to eat. If you can't run on the battlefield when the time comes, I'll slaughter you!"
Precious horses were more intelligent than ordinary ones. Hearing this, it seemed to be indignant and snorted out a puff of air, spraying Chen Xuan's head and face.
Chen Xuan angrily hit its head hard again.
He had originally planned to wait for his son to come out and go home together, but instead of his son, he waited for an uninvited guest.
"Marquis? What a coincidence," Lord Liu walked over with a smile from behind him.
Chen Xuan sized him up with his eyes and a faint smile appeared on his face. "So it's Lord Liu. It's been a long time."
Liu Zhengze was a third - rank official with a reputation of being hen - pecked. He was not a well - known figure in the court. However, he was extremely good at socializing. Through his smooth dealings, he did have quite a few officials who were on good terms with him.
Of course, Chen Xuan was not one of them.
Liu Zhengze put his hands in his sleeves and shifted his gaze to the precious horse beside them. A flash of admiration passed through his eyes. "This must be the precious horse the marquis tamed on the border before. I've heard that it could gallop over 200 kilometers a day, leaving other horses far behind. Now that I see it, it's really different from ordinary horses."
Chen Xuan said indifferently, "Lord Liu, you're overpraising. It's just a horse. It's not that precious."
The horse seemed to understand their conversation. It leaned its head over and rubbed against Chen Xuan. If Chen Xuan hadn't had a stable stance, he would have been knocked off - balance. Then, it suddenly snorted at Liu Zhengze. There even seemed to be a hint of disdain in its small eyes.
Chen Xuan held back a laugh in his throat, but on the surface, he slapped the horse and scolded, "You ill - behaved brute. Who are you scolding?"
Liu Zhengze felt as if he had been scolded but also wasn't sure.
The smile on his face faded a bit, but being a smooth - talking man, he still said, "Precious horses are always a bit temperamental. It's understandable."
Chen Xuan forced a smile. "I'm really sorry, Lord Liu."
"It's okay, it's okay," Liu Zhengze raised his sleeve to wipe his face and then resumed his smiling, fox - like expression. "The marquis has been recuperating for a long time. I wonder how your health is?"
Chen Xuan lifted his arm and a look of regret appeared on his face. "I injured my tendons. I can no longer hold a spear."
Liu Zhengze was shocked. The spear was Chen Xuan's most proficient weapon. He only knew that Chen Xuan was seriously injured before, but he didn't expect that this injury had completely incapacitated him!
"How could this happen?" He frowned and said painfully, "These bandits are really hateful!"
Those bandits had really... done a great job.
Chen Xuan smiled faintly. "It's all in the past. I'm a useless man. Living at home, growing flowers and teasing birds like this, my days are not bad."
As he said this, there was a hint of melancholy in his eyes.
Liu Zhengze's eyes flashed, and he sighed. "The marquis has made great military achievements. Don't say such things."
"However..." He looked at the heavy snow floating in the sky and said worriedly, "There might be a snow disaster next year. Not only will our common people have a hard time, but those Huns..."
He seemed to be hesitant to speak further. How could Chen Xuan, who had fought all the way from the border to now, not understand what he meant.
He looked up. Occasionally, snowflakes blew onto his eyebrows. He frowned, and a hint of killing intent appeared on his face. "General Mao is still on the border. He has plenty of experience in dealing with the enemy. I'm sure he'll come up with a countermeasure."
"You're right," Liu Zhengze showed a relaxed smile on his face. "Back then, General Mao was still the marquis's adjutant. Now he can handle things independently. Truly, the waves behind drive on those before!"
At first glance, his words seemed to be praising General Mao, but somehow they made people feel a bit uncomfortable.
Chen Xuan frowned tightly, and the look in his eyes was unclear.
Liu Zhengze said with a smile, "If General Mao can defend the border after the snow disaster and one day return to the capital, he will surely receive titles and rewards. It will be a wonderful story when the marquis and General Mao, old friends, meet again."
As he said this, he even clicked his tongue twice, as if he was really happy for them.
Chen Xuan remained silent.
"Father," a voice suddenly came from behind.
Liu Zhengze looked over and saw Chen Tingfeng walking forward slowly, wrapped in a cloak. His expression was as cold as ice and snow, as if he was about to merge with the flying snow between heaven and earth.
Seeing this, Liu Zhengze sensibly offered to take his leave.
Chen Tingfeng nodded slightly and watched him leave with a smile.
After the man had completely disappeared from sight, Chen Xuan, who had just looked gloomy, suddenly raised his eyebrows and instantly looked more amiable. "Stinky boy, you're so late. You made me listen to a bunch of words meant to sow discord."
Chen Tingfeng glanced at him indifferently. "I think father enjoyed it."
Chen Xuan put his hands in his sleeves. "Don't push me to beat you during the New Year."
Chen Tingfeng ignored him. He walked over to his own horse, untied the reins, and mounted it. Looking down at Chen Xuan from above, he said, "Mother told me to go back early. If father still wants to play outside, I'll go back and see mother first."
The implication was that he was going home to tattle.
After saying that, he whipped the reins, and the horse galloped away like an arrow.
Chen Xuan pointed at his back for a long time and said angrily, "This brat. I think he really deserves a beating!"
As for the pride he had shown in front of the old duke when showing off his son, it had now turned into anger towards this unruly son, Chen Tingfeng.
This son was surely here to collect a debt from his past life!
They galloped home one after the other. On New Year's Eve last year, the streets were crowded with people, and there were bustling hawking sounds everywhere. But this year, because of the heavy snow, many vendors had gone home early. Now there were only a few people on the street, and it was obvious that they were also about to pack up and go home.
When they stopped their horses at the entrance of the marquis's mansion, their temples were already completely wet from the snow and wind.
Chen Xuan took three steps in two and entered the main courtyard before his son.
Chen Tingfeng smiled faintly, then turned and walked towards the back courtyard.
Yuanbao trotted after him, carrying a food box in his hand. "Young master, I've bought everything."
Chen Tingfeng glanced at it and replied indifferently, "Okay, send it to Zhuqing Courtyard."