After Being Forced to Marry the Evil Star General

Ever since he became Zhao Yelan, he had no habit of celebrating birthdays. The only person who knew his birthday was Zhao Xuan, but the other party was busy pursuing a great cause, so how could he have time to celebrate the birthdays of his staff members? It was thoughtful enough to send some small things once in a while.

In addition, he didn’t think about celebrating his birthday at all. Birthdays were to be spent with family, and he was alone, so he just wanted to keep himself busy on this day.

But this year was different from previous years. He wanted to tell Yan Mingting what day it was today. He didn’t need rare and expensive gifts or a grand occasion. He just wanted to have a meal with his family as he had done when he was young, and hear a few words of blessing with his own ears.

Unexpectedly, Yan Mingting had already noted this in advance. He thought about the bowl of noodles just now. No wonder he was asked to eat some at such a late hour, and everyone’s eyes were full of anticipation…..

Just as he was lost in thought, a ball of snow hit him again.

He reacted and glanced at Li Yucheng, who was giggling and showing off his mightiness. Zhao Yelan took the snowball from Yan Mingting’s hand and threw it at Li Yucheng.

“Hey, hey, you can’t hit me, you can’t hit me!” Li Yucheng quickly moved away and dug up a large handful of snow, turning to look at the others. “What are you all doing in a daze, why don’t you hurry up and attack together?”

The status of the other people was lower, after all, so they dared not keep throwing. Unexpectedly, Zhao Yelan missed and hit Yin Pinglu. She smiled and hid beside Zuo Ran, who also smiled and threw a snowball at Zhao Yelan.

Seeing that it was about to hit Zhao Yelan in the face, a fist suddenly stretched out from the side and scattered the snowball to land in front of him in fluttering pieces.

“Take note of how I do it.” After Yan Mingting spoke, he picked up a snowball and looked around with a smile on his face. Everyone was frightened into running away, looking for opportunities to fight back as they fled.

Yan Mingting and Zhao Yelan gave pointers, and then everyone else gave pointers.

Housekeeper Qin was passing by with Xiao Gao. Seeing the people in the courtyard jumping up and down and making a mess with snowflakes flying everywhere, he couldn’t see the movements of these people at all, and only felt that his old eyes were blurry.

Xiao Gao was excited to see this, and flew in to join them. He Cuizhang’s team added another strong general, and everyone besieged Yan Mingting together, which gave Zhao Yelan the opportunity to throw snowballs from the side. It turned into a scuffle. Nobody could see each other at all, and just targeted people at random.

“Ah! Zhao Yelan, you smashed Yan Mingting hahaha!” Li Yucheng laughed until he was rolling on the ground.

Zhao Yelan was taken aback and stopped to take a closer look. The person standing in front of him was indeed Yan Minting. He stepped forward and wiped the snow off Yan Mingting’s face, then burst out laughing. The others also laughed out loud one after another.

At last, the group of people were tired from their playing and didn’t want to move anymore, so they lay down in the snow without a care.

Zhao Yelan was panting as he looked up at the sky. His eyes were completely relaxed, and his mind and body were both very happy.

At this time, Yan Mingting held his hand and brought it to his mouth, breathing onto it and holding it in both hands. He asked, “Is it cold?”

“It’s not cold.” Zhao Yelan said, “You made me play in the snow, and now you ask me if it’s cold?”

“Snow is for playing. It’s good to move your body around, you can’t stay still.” After Yan Mingting spoke, he pulled him up and patted the snow from his body. “But you must not catch a cold. Go change your clothes first.”

“Did you all often have snowball fights?” Zhao Yelan was led by him back to the bedroom.

“Not often. It rarely snows at the border. There is only a strong wind that can crack your face open.” Yan Mingting unbuttoned his cloak and poured a basin of hot water for him to soak his hands. They were already completely red from the snow, and he couldn’t help but feel a little worried. “You probably won’t catch a cold, right?”

“It’s fine.” Zhao Yelan comforted him, “Even if I catch a hold this time, I’m willing.”

“You’re not allowed to talk nonsense, how inauspicious.”

Zhao Yelan smiled and gazed down at his hands soaking in the hot water, fiddling with the water again and again: “How do you know what today is?”

“Don’t be angry.”

“Did you investigate?”

Yan Mingting nodded guiltily. “Yes, after you said those things, I went to investigate the matter of Zhao Mengting myself, but I only looked for the birth date.”

“It’s all right, if you want to investigate other things, you can.” Zhao Yelan gave a light smile. When he heard the noise outside, he asked, “You told them too?”

“En, I asked them over to discuss your birthday, and they even prepared gifts for you.” Yan Mingting said furtively, “What do you think? Are you looking forward to it?”

“I can probably guess what they’ll give me.” Zhao Yelan paused, and suddenly smiled. “But there are still some expectations.”

Yan Mingting patted him on the shoulder with a grin: “Yes, ah, Zhao-daren, you are much more honest than before.”

After Zhao Yelan changed his clothes, the two went back to the front hall. The group of people were cooking around the charcoal brazier. The food was ready, and the servants began to serve it.

Everyone sat down together, and one or two couldn’t help it anymore and wanted to present the gifts.

“I started the fire to boil water for your bowl of noodles in the morning,” Li Yucheng said gallantly.

“You?” Zhao Yelan hadn’t expected this, and couldn’t help revealing a surprised expression.

“And me, I put in the seasonings!” He Cuizhang said.

Zuo Ran: “I did the noodles, and chopped the green onions.”

Xiao Gao also interjected: “I did the dishes.”

Zhao Yelan’s face was calm and unruffled, but his heart was like a calm sea without waves until it was lightly stirred up by them, causing layers of ripples to spread out.

He looked at Yan Mingting, pretending to be calm: “What about you?”

“I was in charge of calling them to work and supervising them, ah,” Yan Mingting said confidently.

“Look at how lazy he is, why don’t you kick him out and be with me, ba,” Li Yucheng joked.

“Eat your meal.” Yan Mingting pressed his head into the bowl.

Zhao Yelan couldn’t help but laugh. He knew that Yan Mingting wasn’t lazy. Lazy people wouldn’t just go to the kitchen and make stuffed steamed buns, even though they hadn’t been successful yet. Yan Mingting gave up such a good performance opportunity to others, likely to let him know that he still had a group of friends.

Friends. He had never had them before.

He didn’t even dare to say that he was Zhao Xuan’s friend. The relationship between two people who helped each other and took advantage of each other could not be considered sincere.

Kan Chuan and Gu Niaoniao were people he was able to let down his guard around, but because of their identities, they couldn’t communicate in public.

Contrary to expectations, after entering the General’s Mansion, he first met a group of simple-minded but passionate lieutenants. Then he was inexplicably regarded as a friend by Li Yucheng, and also became acquainted with two girls with very different personalities. Everyone had different identities, but they could sit at the same table now and celebrate his birthday together. This scene was something he had never imagined.

“Thank you, the noodles this morning were delicious,” Zhao Yelan said sincerely.

Li Yucheng patted the table: “I just said that I boiled the water well! This young master had never even entered his own kitchen!”

“Obviously I put in the seasoning well!” He Cuizhang said, “The seasoning is the soul!”

“If it weren’t for me and Pinglu, could the noodles be so soft but firm?” Zuo Ran said, unconvinced.

Xiao Gao: “I’m……I’m good at washing dishes!”

Zhao Yelan lowered his head and smiled. He turned his head and found that Yan Mingting was watching him with a smile. He quietly stretched out his hand, and the two held hands under the table.

“I say, why don’t you eat first,” Housekeeper Qin said. “It is cold out, and the dishes will cool down quickly.”

“Uncle Qin, don’t be so busy, sit down and eat with Xiao Gao,” Yan Mingting said.

“Ah? I can too?”

“You can.” Zhao Yelan nodded.

“Aiyo, then I won’t be polite.” Housekeeper Qin sat down with a smile on his face.

There was a large table of good dishes, all of them Zhao Yelan’s favorite foods. Today, no one said that he was extravagant or wasteful, and they kept adding vegetables to his bowl as if they were afraid he would not be full.

Li Yucheng finished eating quickly, and then began to present gifts in a serious manner. He took out a sachet and ten ingots of gold, blinding everyone’s eyes.

“I made this sachet according to the recipe my sister used before, and there are more than a dozen kinds of spices in it. As for the gold, I know you promised before that as long as I persuaded my uncle to help with the disaster, I would be free of debt. But both my father and I feel that we should return it to you. A real man is willing to gamble and admit defeat, and it should be taken as a lesson. In any case, I really have quit gambling since then. This is not enough to pay you back. I will pay back the rest when I earn some money in the future. Moreover, our joint shop with the Jiangnan merchants has already opened, and the business has been really good recently. I’ll be able to pay it off soon!” Li Yucheng said.

He Cuizhang took out a short, sharp blade. According to Zhao Yelan’s preferences, three gemstones that had been rewarded by the Emperor were specially inlaid into it. He said: “Although mine is not as satisfactory as the crossbow made by Zhong Yuehong, it can still be used somewhat. Alas, it is mainly because I can’t do anything else.”

Zuo Ran and Yin Pinglu were not as wealthy as the rest, so they could only do some manual work. They had sewn two small dolls with needle and thread. At first glance, they looked like Zhao Yelan and Yan Mingting. Yan Mingting liked them very much, and hugged them fondly after taking them.

“Thank you all.” Zhao Yelan accepted these things, and although he guessed what they would give, there were still some surprises. For example, he didn’t expect that Li Yucheng would give gold, or that He Cuizhang would specially set gems into the knife…..

Wait, was it possible that his love for money was so deeply rooted in people’s hearts?

After lunch, Zhao Yelan went to catch up on sleep again, and when he awoke, he didn’t see Yan Mingting. The others had also dispersed.

“Where did they go?” Zhao Yelan asked Housekeeper Qin.

“They seem to have gone out, ba.” 

Zhao Yelan put on a big cloak and took Xiao Gao with him to go out, but as soon as he reached the door, he saw Jinxuan’s proprietress coming along with a string of maids, all holding brand new clothes in their hands.

“What is this?” Zhao Yelan regarded them blankly. “Wasn’t the clothing for this month already delivered?”

“Yes, but these are congratulatory gifts for you from the General.” The proprietress covered her mouth with a smile. “There are a total of twelve pieces, each a different color. Spring, summer, autumn, and winter are all available.”

Zhao Yelan was astonished, and asked the maids in the mansion to come and pick up these things.

“Then we will take our leave first. By the way, Zhao-daren, I wish you a happy birthday and open avenues of wealth.” The proprietress smiled. “Please take care of our business in the future.”

Zhao Yelan nodded. He didn’t expect the proprietress to know his date of birth, but with Yan Mingting buying so much clothing in one go, it was understandable to give a reason.

“Did you see him?” Zhao Yelan asked casually.

“He asked for you to find him yourself.” Smiling mysteriously, the proprietress led the people away.

Zhao Yelan glanced at Xiao Gao, who shook his head: “I don’t know, ah, the General didn’t tell me anything, he said I was a big colander.”

The snow had stopped, and although there were fewer pedestrians on the street, some people were still out and about. Zhao Yelan walked across the snow, which made creaking noises step by step, but he couldn’t find Yan Mingting’s footprints.

After being out for so long, the footprints had been covered up by others.

He wandered around mindlessly, and when he passed the gambling house, the guards at the door called him in to play a few games. After a moment of thought, he went in.

Even in the twelfth lunar month of winter, the gambling house was still booming. Many people had seen him there before, and they all called for him to play together.

Zhao Yelan located a table and randomly guessed amounts, winning every time. 

He intentionally made unreasonable bets and still won.

“Congratulations, Zhao-daren, you have won our biggest bet, which is —” The dealer paused, and suddenly raised his hands up, “Blessings from everyone!”

There was an orderly shout in the gambling house: “Happy birthday, Zhao-daren! Every bet is guaranteed to win!”

It was ear-splitting.

The combined voices of so many big men almost caused Zhao Yelan to go deaf. He pressed his ears, and a small smile escaped from the corners of his mouth: “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, you’re welcome!” Everyone laughed.

“Where is he?” Zhao Yelan asked the dealer.

The dealer: “He’s not here.”

Zhao Yelan immediately became interested and searched for other places. When he came to Huichun Tower, he stopped in his tracks but did not go inside.

All the envoys and vassals resided there now, and they didn’t accept outsiders in it, so he shouldn’t be hiding inside.

At this moment, a waiter came out and handed over a dozen packaged meals to him: “Zhao-daren, remember to patronize our business more in the future, ah. We wish you a happy birthday, delicious food, and good health!”

Xiao Gao continued to follow him with the things in his hands, and asked: “My lord, where are we going, ah?”

“I don’t know.” Zhao Yelan’s tone was buoyant. When he passed Hongxiu House, he didn’t expect that the other party had arrangements there. 

Plum blossoms suddenly fell profusely on top of his head. He looked up and saw Gu Niaoniao with Qingyan and a group of girls, leaning against the window and smiling happily.

“Zhao-daren, happy birthday, ah. The General says for you to stop looking for girls in the future, otherwise my small establishment will be shut down,” Gu Niaoniao said. The girls all giggled, and people passing by all around laughed.

Zhao Yelan gave them a helpless and amused look, and continued on his way. He met Ruan Xian’s family, who were buying Jiangnan tea. After seeing him, Ruan Xian handed all the tea to him abruptly: “All right, you, don’t tell me about such an important day. I wish you a happy birthday and a prosperous official career.”

Zhao Yelan smiled, and just as he passed them, he turned a corner and saw Li Niang holding the child.

“This is the peace talisman I asked for last time when I went to Lingyun Temple. I specially asked for one for you, my lord. I wish you a happy birthday and a long life.”

“Thank you.” Zhao Yelan took it and looked down at the smiling child.

“Kan Chuan asked me to give this to you, and said you should like it.” Li Niang handed him another calligraphy painting, which was the posthumous work of a master of calligraphy in the previous dynasty. It was very precious.

Zhao Yelan looked at the calligraphy painting, then at Li Niang and the child, and said: “If you have time, let’s have a meal together, ba. Aboveboard.”

“Really?” Li Niang’s eyes were filled with a smile. “Okay, I’ll tell him when I get back.”

After Zhao Yelan walked along the street for a certain distance, he had received countless words of congratulations and various gifts. Xiao Gao couldn’t handle it anymore, so he had to call Yu Dali and others to carry the things.

Suddenly, he thought of the training grounds and strode over there.

Even though it was a snowy day, the soldiers were still training. When they saw him coming, they shouted in unison: “Zhao-daren, happy birthday!”

Zhao Yelan searched around inside carefully, but not only did he fail to find anyone, he started to answer the soldiers’ questions.

“My lord, is your birthday today happy?”

“Happy.”

“My lord, how old are you this year?”

“Twenty-five.”

“My lord, do you think it’s cold today?”

“It’s not bad.”

“My lord, are you looking for the General, ah?” 

“Nonsense.” Zhao Yelan turned more than half a circle and looked everyone over carefully, but Yan Mingting was nowhere to be seen. It seemed that he wasn’t here.

The sky had already darkened, and in the blink of an eye, the streets were lit up with candlelight.

Xiao Gao was worried about his physical strength and suggested: “My lord, are you tired? Why don’t we take a rest.”

“Not tired.”

How could Zhao Yelan be tired? So many familiar and unfamiliar people wished him a happy birthday. Although he didn’t show it on the surface, this was like a tsunami that shook the world.

It was only that he wanted to share this joy and gratitude with Yan Mingting in person.

So, where could he be?

Having traversed most of the city, when he glimpsed a vendor selling tanghulu, Zhao Yelan couldn’t help but stop and buy a few bunches. He didn’t even know when he had developed the habit.

“Zhao-daren, come back to buy tanghulu again, ah.” The vendor already knew him, and smiled. “I heard that today is your birthday, so I won’t charge you. I wish you a happy birthday. May you have today’s glory forever.”

The words were very familiar. He immediately raised his head and asked: “Where is he?”

The vendor smiled and said: “You are amazing, but if you are so clever, you should be able to guess where the General will be waiting for you, right?”

Zhao Yelan stood by the river, staring at the water in a daze. Bits and pieces of the relationship between the two of them unconsciously appeared in his mind. Suddenly, he smiled and said to Xiao Gao: “Come, let’s go home.

“Aren’t you looking for the General?”

“Not looking, let’s go home.”

Go home. What a simple sentence. However, he had no home before. It was only that after getting acquainted with Yan Mingting, the other party always seemed to be saying “let’s go home” to him.

A birthday must be celebrated at home.

The General’s Mansion was brightly lit, and as soon as they saw him returning, the servants rushed to get the food.

“Where is Yan Mingting?” Zhao Yelan asked Housekeeper Qin again.

“Ah? He didn’t come back, ah, isn’t he with you?” Housekeeper Qin asked blankly.

Zhao Yelan frowned slightly, thinking of something. He stood in the courtyard without moving, and after a while, Yan Mingting appeared at the gate.

“What are you doing standing there, be careful of catching a cold.” Yan Mingting headed straight towards him.

Zhao Yelan frowned and raised his head to look at him: “I know where you went.”

“Where did I go?” Yan Mingting smiled and waited for his answer.

“You never left at all, you were always right behind me, right?”

Yan Mingting raised his eyebrows, but finally couldn’t hold back, and smiled: “Right.”

“Then what if I didn’t go home, and went to other places, such as the city gate?” Zhao Yelan asked.

“Then I would appear at the city gate. Wherever you stopped, I would appear there. I don’t need you to look for me. I’ll just follow you, always.”

Zhao Yelan reached out his arms to hug him, and after a long silence, he said in a low voice: “Thank you, Fangli.”

“As long as you like it.” Yan Mingting hugged him back. “Actually, I was a little nervous. I didn’t know what gift to get at all.”

“It’s enough. This is enough.” Zhao Yelan’s voice was slightly hoarse.

He had received blessings and gifts from friends and other people. These were already generous gifts that he could have never even imagined.

“No, there is another gift,” Yan Mingting said. He let go of his hand and lifted a fire paper into the air.

“Okay, okay, get ready!” He Cuizhang shouted. Li Yucheng cautiously approached the fire wire, and finally He Cuizhang stepped forward to light it.

With a “bang,” huge fireworks exploded in the sky, and the dark night was dotted with fiery trees and silver flowers, attracting everyone’s attention. They all looked up to admire the sudden beautiful scenery. The children cheered, the adults talked and laughed, and everyone seemed to know who the fireworks were for.

Even the people in the palace heard the commotion. Zhao Xuan walked to the door of the hall and looked around: “Who is setting off fireworks?”

“Answering Your Majesty, it is General Yan,” Eunuch Gao said.

“What day is it today?” Zhao Xuan had just finished asking when he realized. He sighed heavily. “I was actually so busy that I forgot, today is his birthday, ah……”

Zhao Yelan raised his head with his lips slightly parted, unable to speak. The bright, colorful fireworks were clearly reflected in his eyes, vivid and charming. When he turned his head, his eyes sparkled: “You prepared this too?”

“En, do you like it?” Yan Mingting asked with a smile.

Zhao Yelan nodded: “I like it.”

He thought he didn’t like grand and complicated ceremonies, but at the end of this day, no matter if it was ordinary and warm or grand and magnificent, he experienced it all and joy came again and again. He would definitely remember this birthday for a long, long time.

Zhao Yelan’s eyes reddened inexplicably, and he suddenly felt a trace of regret. He used to think that meeting now was the best moment for the two of them, but now he felt that it would be great if they had met earlier, and it would be best if they met in a previous life.

The fireworks in the night sky vanished, and just when everyone thought it was over, new ones rose into the sky again. Cheers echoed one after another outside, and even the servants in the mansion quickly put down their work and ran to the front hall to watch.

Zhao Yelan leaned his head on the other’s shoulder, the smile at the corners of his mouth never disappearing. Then, in an impassioned voice, he heard Yan Mingting say in his ear: “In fact, there is one more gift. I will give you the rest of my life, and I hope you will take responsibility. I wonder if you dare to accept it?”

Zhao Yelan immediately stood up straight and turned around, putting his arms around his neck and leaning in to kiss him: “How could I not dare?”