Chapter 35: Heart to Heart, Only Me and You
This…
Fan Jian looked at Ye Zheng.
Having said this, he couldn't open his mouth to stop it.
My brother is also an elder brother, so there is nothing wrong with giving him a few words of advice.
"Uncle, Brother Shi really wants to give me some advice." Ye Zheng said with understanding.
"Don't worry, father. I'll be back soon."
Fan Xian hurriedly pulled him away.
Fan Jian looked at the backs of the two people and frowned.
Soon, two figures broke into a quiet and deserted corridor in the front yard of the Fan Mansion.
Fan Xian looked around, and Ye Zheng also used his perception to investigate.
When his gaze returned to Ye Zheng's face, Fan Xian once again sighed at this man's appearance in his heart, and then... he didn't know how to start.
Inexplicably, he remembered the Dark Forest Principle proposed by Liu Cixin in "The Three-Body Problem": In the dark forest of the universe where dangers are lurking everywhere and it is pitch dark, whoever makes a sound first is likely to be attacked first, become the target of public criticism, and be quickly eliminated; so whoever can hide well can survive.
Fan Xian admitted that he felt lonely, deeply lonely, for many times in Danzhou, and he had thought that one day he would have someone who understood his thoughts very well and with whom he could have a good chat.
When such a person, a fellow traveler, appears before me...
He hesitated!
This mentality, similar to that of Ye Gong who loves dragons, makes him feel funny.
But he was never a reckless person.
He had no intention of assuming the worst of others' intentions, but he also didn't want to use his own life to test others' bottom line.
All around, the candlelight dyed the peach blossom paper into balls of dim yellow halos.
The moonlight is faint and the night breeze is blowing.
Both of them could see each other's face clearly, and occasionally there was a brief moment of trance, and they felt that the other person was hiding very deeply.
"who are you?"
Fan Xian’s first sentence.
Ye Zheng had made some guesses in his mind about what he would say in the first sentence. It was something similar, but when Fan Xian really said it, he was still impressed by this man's courage and strategy. There was no preparation at all, and he took an unconventional approach and forced the emperor to abdicate.
He showed a little doubt on his face and bowed, "Hasn't Ruoruo told you about me, brother? Brother, my last name is Ye, and my given name is..."
"That's not what I'm asking?" Fan Xian interrupted, his eyes fixed on Ye Zheng's.
Ye Zheng was stunned, a little unhappy, but he still restrained himself and said, "Oh, I understand, brother, my father is the commander of the Kyoto garrison, and I am currently the deputy commander of the South City Military Department. I have an older brother, and another..."
"You are not sincere!" Fan Xian interrupted him again.
Ye Zheng was silent, as if he was "slowly suppressing his anger". After a few breaths, he said, "I really don't know why you said that, brother. Why don't you teach me what sincerity means? How can I be sincere?"
There was a hint of anger in these words.
It seems to fit the reaction of being interrupted twice.
To Fan Xian, it sounded like a secret test: Why don't you reveal the truth first?
This time, it was Fan Xian's turn to remain silent.
He is choosing.
"Did you write the song "Meeting Happily"?"
After a while, he spoke again, with a different tone and tactics, but he did not choose to be honest.
"Of course." Ye Zheng nodded.
Fan Xian smiled, "Ruoruo told me that you are a bit shameless. I didn't believe it at first, but now it seems that what she said is true."
Ye Zheng understood it in his heart, pretending to be carefree and not annoyed, and said, "In this secular world, it is better to be thick-skinned than thin-skinned."
Fan Xian nodded in approval, but asked, "Wasn't it written by Li Yu, the last ruler of the Southern Tang Dynasty?"
And then there's a sneak attack.
Ye Zheng showed a look of anger, but he restrained himself and said in a deep voice, "I felt that I was very respectful to you, but I didn't expect you to humiliate me like this. If you suspect that I asked someone to write for me or plagiarized others, you might as well show me the evidence."
As if he didn't notice that he was angry at all, Fan Xian looked at Ye Zheng calmly and said, "The adaptation of "Life is Long and Hateful, and the River Flows East" is good."
This... is a direct pitfall!
If I’m not careful and answer incorrectly, I’m afraid I’ll fall into the trap.
Ye Zheng was furious and said in a cold voice, "I thought that Brother Shi had some misunderstandings about me and that I could explain them. But now it seems..."
"Let's go, brother Shi. Don't keep Uncle Shi and Aunt Liu waiting for too long."
After saying this, he rolled up his sleeves and left angrily.
Fan Xian looked at his back, but a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. He shouted to Ye Zheng, "There is a line in Jin Dynasty's Pan Yue's "Elegy for Xiahou Changshi", 'Only you and I have a spiritual connection.'"
In short, it's a tacit understanding. Still digging holes and testing!
Ye Zheng ignored it.
If he stopped at this moment and asked "Who is Pan Yue?", "What is Jin?", etc., it would be too obvious. It is better to use this "anger" to ignore him.
Ye Zheng could probably guess that this person was confused at the moment.
Until Ye Zheng disappeared at the corner gate, Fan Xian put away all unnecessary expressions, frowned in doubt, and then gradually became firm, "Take your time, there's no rush."
……
now
Guangxin Palace
"Your Highness."
The female official handed over the latest news with both hands.
Li Yunrui withdrew his gaze from the starry sky, took the note, slowly opened it, and smiled slightly.
"Go tell the prince and arrange for someone to impeach this kid from the Ye family."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Go again..."
……
At the same time, Xining Lane
"Why does he want this real name? Did I misjudge him?" Li Chengze looked at the note in his hand, puzzled.
"It's understandable that young people are full of ambition and don't want to be controlled by others."
Li Chengze glanced at Xie Bian. He knew that this swordsman under his command had always looked up to Ye Zheng since he knew about Ye Zheng's skills.
"If you can't stand being coerced, what's the point of being an official? In this court, who is not coerced? Who doesn't compromise? I... still want to, what right does he have?"
It started shaking again.
"Then arrange someone to impeach?" Xie Bian asked.
"No rush. I can fan the flames, but I can't charge into battle. In the next period of time, I won't have enough energy to devote to this kid. There's no need to provoke an opponent for myself."
……
7:45 pm
Ye Mansion, Study
Ye Zheng had just returned home and asked the waiting servant to bring this to him.
"Father."
The old man behind the desk had a puzzled look on his face, so Ye Zheng greeted him honestly.
"How was it? Did you meet Fan Xian?" Ye Zhong put down the book but did not stop writing as he asked.
"I saw it." Ye Zheng replied while standing.
"Your old Taishan found a marriage for him, to marry your second sister's good friend Lin Wan'er, you know that?"
"I heard from my second sister that she seems to dislike Fan Xian. She is caught between Ruoruo and Lin Wan'er and feels very embarrassed." Ye Zheng smiled.
Ye Zhong stopped writing and sighed, "Your second sister is a passionate person with a fiery temper. She said she doesn't like Fan Xian, but in fact she loves him and his family. I think Lin Wan'er is not happy with this marriage."
"What my father said is true."
“Okay, let’s stop talking nonsense. Have you informed your father-in-law about the Nancheng Military Division?” Ye Zhong continued to write, not knowing what to write.
"said."
Ye Zheng recounted the conversation with Lao Taishan verbatim.
"Your Majesty, when you were still in your infancy, Zhuo Fu was always by your side. In the future, you may as well ask for his opinions and listen to his suggestions. It will be beneficial." Ye Zhong stopped writing and gave a serious reminder, and then said, "What your father-in-law said is not wrong. I'm afraid it won't be so easy to deal with this time."
As he spoke, he looked up at his youngest son and said, "Well done."
He knew that his youngest son had imprisoned the clerk in the Bingmasi Yamen, and had invited the clerk's family to the Bingmasi Yamen in the South City. He also summoned some clan members with good skills and some archers to guard the Yamen.
"I'm afraid someone will say tomorrow that the clerk's status is low and his words cannot be trusted." Ye Zheng naturally felt that it was enough to take precautions in advance.
"It's okay. Someone from the Beijing camp will make a report tomorrow and implicate Chen Chong again."
"Father took action?" Ye Zheng asked curiously.
In the Nanshi Incident and the Xiliuxiang assassination, he only borrowed his father's reputation.
"Your Majesty once said that whoever marries Lin Wan'er will be able to take over the inner treasury... The inner treasury was once the best business in the world. There were countless people watching it, including the imperial court, the royal family, and even the people in the streets."
As if he had finished writing, Ye Zhong took out a paperweight, pressed it down, stood up, stretched his back, and continued, "Logically speaking, Fan Xian will be your uncle in the future, and I should take care of him. But I can't easily touch him in such a stormy situation. I thought that his coming to Kyoto might divert most of the attention of the court, and you could move up safely. I didn't expect... you are such a troublesome person."
Although my father scolded me at the end, he didn't blame me too much.
Ye Zheng thought about it for a while and then understood.
My father probably wanted to use this incident to follow Lao Deng's wishes, to openly displease Lao Deng and show some people that there was a rift between the emperor and his subjects, but in fact, to pave the way for requesting a transfer to Dingzhou in the future.
(End of this chapter)