168 A Quiet Dinner 7

"Other means? You mean ..."

The Duke sighed and waved a hand at the sword that he had set aside. "You have seen him yourself. He is so capable, to have saved Sanlang from two attacks. And by multiple practitioners at that. And he still prevailed!

"How can I look at that, and not worry?"

Jin Yuhe burst out into laughter. He could not help it. It was utterly ridiculous! How could the Duke be so blind?

"You are talking about Qin Feng back there? Did you not see the young man? He wouldn't even give you an inch! Not even a fraction of it! What makes you think that there is any duplicity in the fellow? How could someone like that break the rules, even for a friend?"

Then he smiled and pointed a finger at his own chest. "Do you think that I am capable of betraying your trust? You remember all that I did, during your struggle against your brothers, I am sure. Do you think that I would break faith with you?"

The Duke shook his head. Then stopped to stare at the man who had become his Butler. His most trusted aide. "Then ... You mean to tell me that you feel that he is like you? That he is that loyal? Are we talking about the same Qin Feng?"

Jin Yuhe continued to smile. It would too hard for him to speak if he had to suppress that as well. This was too amusing. "That young man has a spine. You should know it. He showed it to you just now. And Sanlang respects him because of it. This is a man who would throw his life away because of a promise!

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"Xie Nianxue has sent word of the battle between the Barbarians and her son's troops, in the South. But she has focused on Sanlang's action during the same. And on what that Qin Feng did, to keep him alive. I should think that it has made it rather clear, the sort of friendship that he shares with Changhai."

He sighed then, and let his smile widen. "To face someone like Luo Qingke, and his Iron Blood Hawk Claws! If I had a son like him, who would willingly perish to keep his word ... Aiee. I would die content."

"You think ... that he is like you?"

"Don't you agree?" Jin Yuhe's question was a little sharper than he thought he should be. But there was something about the boy that made him ... more protective than he should be. Perhaps he had already taken to looking at the boy as a possible successor? Like a son?

Which was, once he considered it, not at all surprising!

"He fended off Luo Qingke. There is no mistake about that. Your son had witnessed it himself, and the letters from the Feng Family state the same. That is a great accomplishment! And he is also involved in the death of Mu Yang, seizing away his Green Shadow Sabre. I do not doubt that there must be more to that tale. Perhaps he had help. But the sabre did end up in his hands.

"And from his performance earlier, you can see that he is courageous when it comes to his enemies, and he is fearless when it comes to supporting his friends. I would like to think that I was like that, when I was younger," laughed the old man.

"Doesn't he remind you of what I did, when your oldest brother challenged me, back in the day? And how I had argued back, even though my fighting prowess was less than a third of what he could summon against me?

"Isn't this Qin Feng the same way?"

Then he stopped, and fixed a grim look on his expression once more. "If Sanlang wishes to oust his brother, and has Qin Feng on his side, do you think that any of those people that you have placed at Changtian's side would last? Even if we do not throw Du Yan and Ling Liushui into the equation? If he wanted to, Sanlang would easily seize his brother's place!

"Don't tell me that you cannot see that?

"Isn't that a danger?"

Jin Yuhe smiled as he shook his head at the Duke. "Only if the family bonds between the two brothers become utterly destroyed. And you can see how Changhai still supports his elder brother, from the way that he has been avoiding the issue, and asking you for a command of his own."

The Duke sighed again. "So you are saying that I should give him one? Before anyone makes it an issue? That is why you had suggested pushing more men at him, to increase the size of that ... escort detail that his Uncle sent with him?"

"Or replace it altogether with your own men. But since Lady Xie has more or less hinted that she would like to keep some of her people to look after her grandson ..."

The Duke shook his head this time, but there was a certain petulance in his resigned expression. "I can't help but get a little annoyed at my mother-in-law at times like these. Somehow, I keep getting the feeling that she is out to make things difficult for me!" he growled.

Which had Butler Jin chuckling straightaway. "One of the reasons why I had never married, as you recall. But it is a good thing that she has put someone she trusts in charge of Changhai. That way, your wife will be satisfied. After all, she can't complain about her own mother's choice, can she? You just need to add more numbers to the detail, to fill it out to a proper size."

The Duke's gaze sharpened. "You mean ..."

Jin Yuhe nodded with a smile on his lips. Was his old friend only getting it now? "Since your mother-in-law has taken this step, isn't it a simple thing, to include our own people into the troop. You might mention that it is more for his protection, rather than any real battle role. Changhai would certainly know about it, and how he reacts to being so closely watched should give us an idea with regards to his intentions."

Then he lowered his voice, and let his smile widen. "Besides, this should give you the excuse that you need, to show your wife that you are taking steps to ensure that both your sons are properly protected. Don't you think so?"

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