The three of them went back to the residence.

The banquet was already laid on at home.

Ning Chen had forgotten his own birthday, but Pan Yucheng remembered it perfectly well.

He had given Zhang Youcai his orders well in advance.

Mu Anbang came too, and brought Wu Tiezhu with him.

Wu Tiezhu was also in the musket battalion now.

Yuan Long and Lei An finished their work and hurried over.

At the table, Pan Yucheng handed Ning Chen a long, narrow box.

Ning Chen brightened. “There are presents too?”

Pan Yucheng smiled. “Open it and see.”

Ning Chen opened it. Inside was a long blade with a cold glint running along it.

This was not like the standard issue sword. The blade was narrower and straighter than the standard, a little like a Tang-era straight blade, and beautifully made.

Pan Yucheng said, “Your sword got hacked till the edge curled in that last battle. I meant to have a new one forged for you, and then I came across this in a smithy.”

“It was that smithy’s prize piece.”

Feng Qizheng could not keep himself out of it. “The smith didn’t want to part with it either. In the end it was me who—”

Pan Yucheng coughed and cut him off. “In the end it was Feng Qizheng appealing to his feelings and reasoning with him that got him to agree to sell it to us.”

Ning Chen glanced at Feng Qizheng. Him, appealing to feelings and reasoning with people? Not a chance.

“Thank you. I like it very much!”

Pan Yucheng smiled. “As long as you like it!”

Yuan Long was open-handed about it and simply gave a thousand-tael silver note.

He had come away with tens of thousands of taels from cutting through the North Royal Court with Ning Chen and taking the King of the Left Court alive.

Mu Anbang was a little awkward about it. “General Ning, I didn’t know. I hunted up a few jars of good wine in the city — I hope you won’t think poorly of it.”

Wu Tiezhu said, “The game on the table is all mine. I shot it.”

Ning Chen laughed out loud. “Thank you, all of you! Sit down, sit down. Tonight we’re going to drink properly. Zhang Youcai, sit and drink with us.”

Zhang Youcai shook his head. “This small man had better wait on you from the side.”

Ning Chen did not press him.

Pan Yucheng raised his cup. “Come on. It’s a plain enough setting, but Ning Chen comes of age today, and we’re all going to drink to him.”

For a moment it pulled them all up short.

Ning Chen’s ability and his record made them forget his age half the time.

Thinking it over, this young man in fine clothes on a spirited horse had only turned sixteen today.

And what he had achieved was more than most men manage in a lifetime.

The capital. The palace!

The Xuan Emperor watched Eunuch Quan come in on tiptoe, set down the memorial he was holding and asked, “Is it all ready?”

“Reporting to Your Majesty! A thousand taels of gold, a thousand bolts of silk, and the gold, silver and jade pieces are all made ready according to Your Majesty’s command.”

The Xuan Emperor gave a slight nod. “If it’s ready, send someone to take it to the Ning residence.”

“Ah — and tell the imperial kitchen that this emperor is eating vegetarian today.”

Eunuch Quan bowed. “Yes, this servant obeys!”

“Wait a moment!”

Eunuch Quan was on his way out when the Xuan Emperor called him back.

“Make it another thousand taels of gold.”

“Ning Chen is out there shouldering this emperor’s burden. This emperor can’t be too stingy either.”

“Today is his birthday. I wonder whether he’s kept it properly?”

Eunuch Quan said quickly, “Yes, this servant will go at once!”

The Xuan Emperor waved a hand, and Eunuch Quan withdrew.

At the same hour, the courtesans’ quarter.

Yudie’s small face was bright and lovely in the candlelight.

She was sewing a garment, stitch by careful stitch.

After a while, Yudie handed the needle and thread to Xiaoxing, delighted. “It’s finished at last!”

She held it up to show Xiaoxing.

It was a black patterned brocade robe, with a black belt worked in gold, and it looked steady and richly made.

“Xiaoxing, how is it? My needlework hasn’t gotten worse, has it?”

Xiaoxing laughed prettily. “It’s lovely! Miss’s needlework is the best there is, of course. Young Master Ning will look very fine in it.”

“You and your sweet mouth. A pity I can’t send it to Ning, dear, right away. Today is his birthday — I wonder how he’s spending it?”

Xiaoxing smiled. “Young Master Ning can wear it when he comes back. Miss sewed every stitch of it herself. He’s sure to be very happy.”

Yudie smiled, bright and sweet.

She folded the robe and put it away, thinking that Ning Chen could wear it when he got back, and her heart lifted with the thought of it.

Then she went to find Nanzhi.

These past few days she had been learning mouthwork from Nanzhi, so that when Ning Chen came back she could give him a very large surprise.

Far away in Mangzhou, Ning Chen was already well past drunk.

On an ordinary day he would certainly have found an excuse and slipped away, but not today. Today he was the birthday boy.

The drinking went on until well past midnight.

Zhang Youcai carried Ning Chen back to his room on his shoulder.

The next day, early morning!

Ning Chen woke from the hangover with his head splitting.

He ate something and felt a little better, but his head was still heavy and his legs unsteady, so he went back to sleep.

When he woke the second time it was mid-afternoon.

Luckily there was not much going on these few days. The quiet was a rare thing.

Ning Chen rode out and made a circuit of the camp outside the city.

After that he went up onto the wall for a while. It was dark by the time he got back to the Mei residence.

Neither Pan Yucheng nor Feng Qizheng was there. They had most likely gone off to fool around in the courtesans’ quarter.

Once the Xuan Emperor’s reinforcements arrived, they would be attacking the frontier passes.

There was nothing to be said against relaxing a little in the meantime.

The next few days passed very quietly.

Ning Chen got up every day, practiced with the blade, then rode a circuit of the camp outside the city, and after that there was nothing to do.

Then one morning, Ning Chen was practicing with the blade in the courtyard.

Lei An came hurrying in, made his salute and said, “General Ning, the reinforcements have arrived!”

Ning Chen’s face lit up. He put up the blade and said with a smile, “They’re finally here. Where are they now?”

“They are outside the city already.”

“Who is leading them?”

Lei An said, “Qi Yuanzhong, Old General Chen’s senior officer.”

Ning Chen’s eyes brightened. He had not expected Qi Yuanzhong of all people to be leading them.

It seemed the Xuan Emperor and Old General Chen had talked this over.

Qi Yuanzhong knew him well; they would work together easily, and there would be no clash over how a thing ought to be done.

On campaign, nothing is worse than commanders who do not see a thing the same way.

“Come on, let’s go and see!”

Lei An said, “General Qi is waiting in the front hall.”

“Why didn’t you say so sooner?”

Ning Chen went hurrying to the front hall and found Qi Yuanzhong there.

“Brother Qi?”

Ning Chen came forward smiling.

Qi Yuanzhong bowed with a smile. “This officer greets General Ning!”

“Brother Qi, surely there’s no need for such ceremony between us?”

Qi Yuanzhong smiled. “We can’t let the proprieties slide. His Majesty gave an order before I came — you are the principal and I am the support.”

“Brother Qi, sit down, sit down!”

When they were seated, Ning Chen said with a smile, “I never expected it would be you leading them.”

“Is Old General Chen well?”

Qi Yuanzhong said, “The old general is perfectly well!”

That said, Qi Yuanzhong glanced at Lei An.

Lei An was no fool either. He bowed and said, “The two generals should talk. This officer has business to see to and will withdraw.”

Ning Chen waved a hand. “Brother Qi, Lei An is a man worth trusting. Say whatever you have to say. There’s no need to keep it from him.”

Lei An was deeply moved.

Qi Yuanzhong gave Lei An an apologetic nod, then said, “I’ve brought cannon.”

Ning Chen’s eyes lit up on the instant.

“Brother Qi, how many cannon did you bring?”

Qi Yuanzhong shook his head. “They’re all in parts. There’s no counting them.”

Ning Chen was surprised into a smile. He had forgotten that he had never taught the Ministry of War’s craftsmen how to assemble a cannon.

“Brother Qi, where are the things?”

“At the camp. I brought a thousand men of the firearms battalion with me this time, and they’re guarding all of it.”

Ning Chen could hardly wait. He got to his feet. “Come on, let’s go and look.”

(End of Chapter 270)