A Clash of Gods - Chapter 33
Chapter 33 Comedy of Errors
The scar-faced burly man had already got up and looked back, “Our earl must be hungry. Bring some rations and water here soon.” Suddenly he thought of something, and asked Yang Ning, “Your Excellency, do you want to drink?”
Yang Ning found a second wind, and understood what had happened after thinking for a moment.
There was no doubt that this group of people must have mistaken him for somebody else. If he did not guess wrongly, the real earl should be the hostage buried in the bamboo grove.
His appearance and features were almost exactly the same as those of the hostage, and he even put on the clothes of that man. It was no wonder that they had mistaken him for that earl.
“That guy turned out to be an earl.” Yang Ning thought.
His was quite interested in history and had read many books in his previous life, so he was very familiar with the title “earl”.
Crown prince was the eldest son or the successor of an emperor or a king, and earl was the eldest son or the heir to the title of nobility in ancient times. The heir to the throne was usually called crown prince, and the heir to the title of nobility was generally called the earl.
Although Yang Ning knew that the hostage was the son of wealth, he didn’t expect that he was actually an earl. Then he thought that only if the hostage was as important as an earl, could these spies from the Northern Han State be rewarded.
“Your Excellency?” The burly man’s voice interrupted Yang Ning’s thoughts. Yang Ning looked up, and replied, “Eh.” The scar-faced burly man showed a respectful look. He seemed afraid that his tall stature would give Yang Ning a sense of oppression, so he bent slightly and said with a kind smile, “Your Excellency, do you want to drink?”
Although he was smiling, his fat face with a scar really made his smile uglier than cry.
Yang Ning smiled and asked, “Do…do you have wine?” In fact, he was thinking that if he told this group of people that they had mistaken him for their earl, they must want to find that corpse. If so, he must be unable to escape and would be forced to lead the way.
If he took them to find the corpse buried in the bamboo grove, how could this group of people believe that the death of their earl had nothing to do with him?
After all, he wore the clothes of that earl. Even if he explained everything, they wouldn’t believe his words. More importantly, all the people at the scene had died. Except for him, the only person who knew that the earl had been kidnapped was Xiao Guang. But Xiao Guang disappeared without a trace, so he couldn’t explain the whole thing clearly.
Of course, he couldn’t tell them the truth now and could only act as the occasion demanded.
He knew nothing about the background and temperament of that earl. If he gave the game away, the consequences would be unbearable.
In this case, he’d better be cautious and speak as less as he can.
The only thing he knew about the earl was that the fat man in gray robe once mentioned that he seemed to be a fool. But he still had no idea how silly the earl was.
Yang Ning believed that the earl would never be a real fool. Maybe he was just slow to respond. Otherwise, how could a fool become an earl?
If he guessed correctly, these people before him should be the servants of the earl. Seeing that the scar-faced burly man asked him with gentle tone, he knew that the earl was still capable of speaking. It seemed that the earl was fond of drinking. Otherwise, the scar-faced burly man wouldn’t ask whether he wanted to drink at the beginning.
Hearing that Yang Ning asked whether there was any wine, the scar-faced burly man was all smiles and said, “Yes, yes.” He turned his head and shouted, “Qi Feng, bring our earl the wine quickly. By the way, our earl must be tired. Bring a cushion here.”
They got busy at once. Some of them brought food, and others brought wine and water. Some people even took off the cushions from the horsebacks and put them on the ground, and then invited Yang Ning to sit down.
Since Yang Ning traveled through time to this age, he had never been treated like this. Now he only felt great enjoyment.
Almost all the cushions on the horsebacks were taken off. Except for the two cushions on the ground for loading the wine and food, the rest were placed under Yang Ning’s bottom.
After Yang Ning sat down, the food and drink had been served. In addition to some rations, there were even two roasted chickens and a large package of beef. But the food had already been cold, and was covered with a layer of frozen oil.
Yang Ning had never been able to eat meat since he traveled through time. In the present, he just grabbed a roasted chicken in his hand and devoured it regardless of the frozen oil on it.
These people were all around Yang Ning and watched him gobbling up, with excited looks on their faces. The scar-faced burly man glanced at a thin, tall man on his side, laughing, “Qi Feng, look, our earl is really hungry.” He took the wine bag, opened the stopper, and delivered it to Yang Ning with both hands, “Your Excellency, please eat slowly. There are more chickens. Take care. You might choke. Have a drink.”
Yang Ning took the wine bag and took a sip. The wine was a bit strong, but its aroma was also strong. It was not poor wine. Laying down the wine bag, he stuffed a chicken drumstick in his mouth, and said vaguely, “You… You really know how to enjoy life, and even bring roasted chickens when you are abroad.”
He said the words casually, but these people’s expressions all changed slightly. The scar-faced burly man hurriedly said, “Your Excellency, we…we immediately dispatched men to search for you when we knew that you were kidnapped. We dared not to ease up, looking for clues along the way. We can risk our life to find you and ensure your safety…”
Fuck it. Yang Ning thought. Your earl was now in the grave, and he would become a skeleton when you bums found him.
The scar-faced burly man continued to explain, “We found clues along the way and knew that you might have been brought to this area, so we searched for you day and night. But…but in order to maintain physical strength and energy, we bought these on the road. In fact…in fact, we wanted to prepare a dainty meal for you when we found you, Your Excellency.”
Qi Feng, who was on his side, immediately said, “Your Excellency, Brother Duan didn’t lie to you. After we left the capital, we kept on looking for you day and night. Brother Duan’s face was often bathed in tears, and he said that he wouldn’t return to the capital if he didn’t find you…”
When hearing the words “bathed in tears”, Yang Ning was drinking and the wine was still in his mouth. Then he couldn’t help spitting it out, which was sprayed on the face of the man with a scar.
These men were all stunned. The scar-faced burly man lifted his hand to wipe off the wine from his face with a peaceful look. He turned his head and patted Qi Feng on the shoulder, sighing lightly, “Don’t tell our earl about this. We have found our earl now and that is better than anything else.”
Qi Feng said with anger, “Brother Duan, I’m telling the truth. You are worried about our earl day and night. Why can’t we even say that? You are loyal to the earl, and the other brothers present today all know this. Your Excellency, Brother Duan actually bought these things for us to restore energy. He himself… He hasn’t eaten anything for many days.”
Yang Ning showed a suspicious look. The scar-faced burly man looked vigorous and energetic, and didn’t seem to lack sleep day and night, let alone hadn’t eaten anything for many days.
The scar-faced burly man grabbed Qi Feng’s hand, and his eyes suddenly turned red, “Qi Feng, my brother. You… I didn’t know what to say. I will live and die with you in this life!”
Qi Feng immediately showed a smiley face, and said, “Brother Duan, you owe me ten pieces of silver. When we return to the capital, can you…”
The scar-faced burly man interrupted him instantly, and said in a deep voice, “Zhao Wushang. Take two people to look around here and see if there are any other people. Be careful.”
A cold-faced man cupped his hands to take the order, and then led two people to look around.
“Your surname is Duan?” Yang Ning had eaten most of the roasted chicken in a moment. He took a sip of the wine, stared at the scar-faced burly man, and asked him.
The scar-faced burly man obviously didn’t expect Yang Ning to ask this question. He was startled, and said with depression, “Your Excellency, you… Have you forgotten me?”
Yang Ning raised his finger to point at his head, “I’m so dizzy these days that I can’t remember many things. You are familiar to me, but I can’t remember your name.”
The scar-faced burly man hurriedly said, “My name is Duan Canghai. I have been working in the mansion for many years. Can you remember me, Your Excellency?”
“Duan Canghai?” Yang Ning said, grinning, “This name is good.”
“Thank you for your praise, Your Excellency,” The scar-faced burly man smiled and said, “This name was given by general. I also think this name is very nice.”
“General?” Yang Ning wondered, “Which general?”
The smiling face of Duan Canghai was frozen, and he felt rather embarrassed, “Your Excellency, you… Do you even forget General Wei? He…he is your father.”
Yang Ning was shocked, thinking that the father of the earl turned out to be a general. “Oh!” He said, “My father’s surname is Wei!”
Duan Canghai didn’t know whether to cry or to laugh, explaining, “Your Excellency, that’s wrong. The surname of general is not Wei but Qi. General Wei is one of the Three Senior Generals. Apart from the first class Premier General, General of Chivalry, General of Vehicles and Horses, and General Wei belong to the second class generals. General Wei is your father’s title!”
Yang Ning now understood. He felt embarrassed, but was also quite surprised, thinking that the father of the earl turned out to be General Wei, one of the second class generals. The hostage really came from a wealthy and influential family.
Seeing that Yang Ning was in contemplation, Duan Canghai couldn’t help pointing to Qi Feng on his side, and asked, “Your Excellency, do you remember him? Do you know his name?”
Yang Ning said, “Isn’t he Qi Feng?”
“Your Excellency, you are so smart!” Duan Canghai breathed a sigh of relief, “You still remember him.”
Yang Ning asked, “Didn’t you call him Qi Feng just now?”
Duan Canghai was numbed for a while, and felt more embarrassed. Then Qi Feng pulled his sleeves and made a wink to him. Duan Canghai took his hint and said to Yang Ning, “Your Excellency, please enjoy your meal. Take your time!” He got up and followed Qi Feng to the side. Yang Ning continued to wine and dine, but his ears were cocked for their conversations.
Qi Feng lowered his voice and said, “Brother Duan, you know that if we tell the earl something complicated, he will be confused. We’d better not talk so much. I think these days the earl must have suffered a lot and have been frightened, so he is in a muddle now.”
“It’s no wonder that the earl can’t even recognize me,” Duan Canghai nodded slightly, “Since we have found the earl, we can take a load off our minds. We need to get back as soon as possible, so that the Dowager and the Third Lady can feel relieved.” Suddenly, he frowned and cast a sidelong glance at Yang Ning. Seeing that Yang Ning seemed to put his mind on eating and drinking, he lowered his voice, “Qi Feng, do you think how our earl escaped? How did he appear here alone?”