Back to the Beginning of Ming to do Charity

Chapter 155: How Fortunate

"It's time to deal with Haozhou and Anfeng." Lin Yuan said to Chen Baisong.

After separating last time, the two hadn't seen each other for a while. After sobering up, Lin Yuan didn't forget what he said. He only felt that his skin was getting thicker and thicker, and actually didn't feel embarrassed at all. Only Chen Baisong avoided him and stayed in the military camp every day training in the army and not coming out very often.

Now summoned by Lin Yuan, Chen Baisong's face was like still water, his muscles tense, his lips pursed into a line, and he didn't look at Lin Yuan, just stared at the teacup in front of him.

The tea leaves were floating in the cup, just like his mood at this time, like rootless duckweed, neither up nor down.

He couldn't guess what Lin Yuan was thinking, and he didn't know what Lin Yuan was going to do.

That night he left like he was dreamwalking, as if stepping on the clouds, he even forgot how he left.

He went back to his room and stayed up all night.

But Lin Yuan did not summon him again.

It seemed that those were just unintentional remarks made by Lin Yuan after being drunk.

The listener had a heart, but the speaker had no intention.

Seeing that Chen Baisong didn't answer for a long time, Lin Yuan asked curiously, "What's wrong? There are flowers in the cup?"

Only then did Chen Baisong come back to his senses and calmly said, "I will lead the troops to Anfeng."

"Just in time to cooperate with An Laosi and the others."

"Go during these few days." Lin Yuan took a sip of tea, "The sooner the better."

Chen Baisong's lips pursed more and more.

It was as if Lin Yuan couldn't wait to send him away, making him bitter.

Lin Yuan looked at his face and asked with concern: "What's wrong? You haven't slept well these days? Now you are also a general, and there is always someone to share in your duties, so don't tire yourself."

Chen Baisong suddenly said: "It's good to be tired, that way I think less."

Lin Yuan was stunned for a moment, only to realize that Chen Baisong's words had an underlying meaning.

He smiled and said, "Are you blaming me? Or do you resent me?"

Chen Baisong's breathing stopped for a second and he was about to kneel down to apologize when Lin Yuan grabbed his wrist and he couldn't move for a while.

He looked at Lin Yuan deeply, this person affected his mind and heart, but he couldn't do the same to the other.

"Let's eat something." Lin Yuan said, "I asked someone to cook beef noodles."

He did not call himself "Zhen" in front of Chen Baisong.

The beef noodles were served hot, with thinly sliced beef in sauce on top. The ancients paid attention to health preservation. One serving would not be too much, and only ate 70% full. Chen Baisong had a bigger appetite than Lin Yuan, but he couldn't eat at all now. He just wanted to excuse himself after only two bites.

Lin Yuan chewed and ate slowly, and drank two mouthfuls of soup.

Since he ascended the throne, if nothing else, the quality of life had improved.

Although he was busy with government affairs, he was well taken care of by others.

"Your Majesty, it's getting late, this official should.." Chen Baisong just said half a sentence, when he heard Lin Yuan say, "What's the hurry, we haven't had a talk tjat last the night for a long time."

Chen Baisong didn't know whether it was because he didn't dare to resist the decree or whether he just didn't want to leave, but he actually stayed.

When he came back to his senses, he actually found himself sitting on the dragon bed.

Chen Baisong was a little dazed, thinking that this was probably a dream of his.

This dream was so real that it made him extremely terrified.

Before Lin Yuan ascended the throne, when he just realized his feelings, he also had absurd thoughts, snatching Lin Yuan away, locking Lin Yuan up, forcing Lin Yuan's eyes to only look at him, and only think of him in his heart. If Lin Yuan wanted to escape, he would lock Lin Yuan in the house, he would treat Lin Yuan well and let Lin Yuan live a life without worry for food or clothing.

But he just thought about it.

Chen Baisong looked at the bed curtains.

He didn't do that, he knew that even if he did, he would eventually be persuaded by Lin Yuan.

No one was Lin Yuan's opponent. His young master was so powerful and smart. What the young master could achieve, he could not.

He also knew that the young master enjoyed all this.

Enjoying power, but also chasing power, saying one thing and acting on it, ascending the throne of the Nine Heavens.

Unlike him, he was satisfied as long as he had food to eat, clothes to wear, and a good home for his brothers.

He was not born to be like the person his young master was.

But he was always worried that his young master would be deceived and harmed, so he must become stronger and be able to stay by his young master's side.

He didn't like fighting, but forced himself to lead armies.

He didn't like scheming, but forced himself to learn to carry out manipulations.

After a long time, Chen Baisong himself was at a loss, what did he want? What had he been working towards in his whole life?

Now that his young master had become His Majesty and Emperor, no one could hurt him or bully him.

So what was he still holding on to?

His young master saw clearly his little thoughts, did he think he was ridiculous?

Chen Baisong's eyes were dazed, without focus, and stared blankly at the ceiling.

Lin Yuan was lying on the bed in his under robes. The bed was big enough for three or four big men to lie side by side.

"Aren't you going to sleep?" Lin Yuan asked, "What are you wearing your outer robes for?"

"Forget it, go wash your feet first before coming in."

Lin Yuan thought of brother Dao's foot odor, and frowned for a while.

In his memory, Chen Baisong's feet didn't stink, but after so many years of marching, his feet always stuffed in boots, it was estimated that even if it didn't stink before, it was likely not much better off now.

The eunuch brought water in and Chen Baisong sat aside to soak his feet.

His feet were very big, much bigger than Lin Yuan's, there was not much flesh on the top, and there were thick calluses on the soles of the feet, scars on the ankles.

This injury forced him to recuperate for a whole month, and it almost turned him into a crippled man.

What was he thinking at the time?

Not what would happen to him if he became a cripple.

But that without him, what would become of his young master?

He couldn't trust his young master's sworn brothers.

He couldn't trust Zhu Yuanzhang and the others.

He felt that there were wolves in front of his young master and tigers in the back, and when he fell, his young master would have no one to protect him.

Chen Baisong even thought about the ending for himself.

Either he died on the battlefield, or retired and returned home after the war, leave far away from his young master, and find a remote place to spend the rest of his days.

Lin Yuan sat on the bed and suddenly said, "Do you remember the time when the three of us came out of our hometown and were scattered by refugees on the road?"

After a long time had passed after transmigrating over, Lin Yuan's memory became confused with the original owner's memory, and he couldn't tell who was who.

Chen Baisong soaked his feet and said, "Remember."

Lin Yuan asked again: "You were only sixteen at the time, were you afraid?"

The sixteen-year-old boy, before he left the Lin family, his days were just spent herding cattle and chopping wood. He had never done any heavy work, nor had he seen much of the world.

Chen Baisong recalled that time, he nodded and said, "Afraid."

Lin Yuan: "Afraid of death?"

Chen Baisong suddenly turned his head and smiled at Lin Yuan: "I'm afraid I die too early and be unable to support my mother."

Now Chen Bosong's mother had become a lady attendant by Yang shi's side, and her food and clothing were not bad at all.

Chen Baisong himself was also strange.

If referring to his feelings for his young master, it developed only after they reunited.

But to elaborate, since they grew up together since childhood, he should have developed these feelings when they were young.

Looking back now, when he was a teenager, he only felt that his young master was too soft-hearted and too easy to be deceived and bullied.

He only saw his young master as his younger brother.

Who knew what changed later.

It changed into something that caused even him to be caught off guard and he didn't dare to think about it closely.

Lin Yuan suddenly said, "The days go by too fast."

Chen Baisong said in his heart: That's right, we've all become old, and everyone of the same age already has grandsons. As for him, he didn't even have a son, let alone grandsons.

Lin Yuan asked: "Do you have a girl you like?"

Chen Baisong said again in his heart: Don't you know if I have one or not?

Seeing that Chen Baisong didn't answer, Lin Yuan knew that his stubbornness was acting up again, and sighed: "The older you are, the more awkward your temper has become. Not liking to speak, making others guess what you are thinking."

Chen Baisong looked at him.

Lin Yuan waved at him: "Come here, let me take a closer look at you."

Chen Baisong didn't want to go over.

The mind didn't want to go over, but the body moved on its own.

He sat down on the edge of the bed, clenching his hands into fists.

Lin Yuan reached out and stroked his face.

He really hadn't looked at Chen Baisong for a long time, and Chen Baisong had changed a lot.

In the past, Chen Baisong still had the vigor and vitality of a young man, but now there was only a bloody and murderous aura left. Even if he had no expression on his face, it caused people to think that he would draw his sword in the next moment.

His eyes had gotten deeper and deeper, his cheeks thinned, and his facial lines had also become more sculpted than before.

Lin Yuan's fingers swept over Chen Baisong's eyes, the corners of his eyes already had lines, and the nasolabial lines had also deepened.

But he was still very handsome, not the youthfulness of a teen, not the handsome beauty of a young man.

He had a mountain-like aura, steady and murderous.

Lin Yuan asked him softly, "When?"

Chen Baisong raised his eyebrows, his gaze sharp.

Lin Yuan asked with a smile, "When did your feelings change?"

Lin Yuan had discovered Chen Baisong's feelings long ago. Chen Baisong was not good at concealing it. His eyes were always fiery, and Song Shizhao probably noticed it too, but no one pointed it out.

But if Lin Yuan was asked to recall when the look in Chen Bausong's eyes changed, he couldn't remember.

Time was like water, and memory would eventually and gradually blur.

Chen Baisong's face was cold, but his fists were shaking slightly: "The year that Gaoyou was captured."

He and Zhu Yuanzhang were both the main generals that year. When he saw Zhu Yuanzhang standing beside Lin Yuan, a huge anger surged in his heart.

That was his place.

When the anger subsided, he realized that that was not his place.

By the side of his young master, there would always be someone who kept pace with him, not Zhu Yuanzhang, nor him.

But a woman.

Did that woman know what his young master liked to eat? What he liked to drink? What he was interested in?

Know how many moles his young master had on his body, know what injuries his young master suffered when he was a child?

He went crazy with jealousy for a woman who didn't exist.

He was also scared to the core by his own thoughts.

It couldn't be discovered by anyone, especially not by his young master.

Chen Baisong endured it for more than ten years.

In the end, his efforts failed, and was finally discovered by his young master.

Chen Baisong closed his eyes, blue veins popping on his forehead, he gritted his teeth and said, "Young master, you can punish me however you want."

Lin Yuan said softly, "You know I won't kill you."

Chen Baisong thought to himself, yes, he was a meritorious official, the world had just been settled, his young master would not cool the hearts of his meritorious officials.

Chen Baisong actually felt the ridiculousness of it all.

Lin Yuan said again: "I will take care of your mother for you."

"I will definitely let her enjoy her old age. If she wants to remarry, I will also prepare a dowry for her."

Chen Baisong had a dead expression on his face, but his tone was calm: "I'll leave it to you, young master."

"Come, drink this cup of wine." Lin Yuan took the wine cup and held it up to Chen Baisong's lips.

Young master wanted to poison him?

Chen Baisong opened his eyes, picked up the cup of wine, and drank it.

Probably having put everything down, Chen Baisong looked at Lin Yuan with gloomy and greedy eyes.

He said, "Young master, I have had many dreams."

Lin Yuan raised his eyebrows: "Really? What did you dream about?"

Chen Baisong's lips were dry, he licked the corners of his lips.

"I dreamt that I pressed you down on the bed, you asked me to go harder in one moment and then lighter in the next."

Chen Baisong laughed, with tears in the corners of his eyes: "In my dream, I felt that it would be best if I died at this time. How fortunate would I be if I died at the happiest time of my life?"