Chapter 44 Fan Xian: You talk a lot about propriety, righteousness, integrity and honor, but you play more extravagantly than anyone else, right?
5:50 pm (6:15 pm)
There was a brilliant sunset in the west.
As summer approaches, the nights come later.
After explaining everything to Fan Xian, Wang Qinian took two plates of snacks from Fan Xian as a consolation. He followed Ye Zheng's instructions and walked through the main door. After walking a few steps, he thought about it and turned back. He stood three or four steps away from Ye Zheng and bowed from a distance, "Master Ye, I'll take my leave."
Ye Zheng looked at him and nodded.
Wang Qinian's expression relaxed greatly, he showed a look of joy, and left.
"He's quite afraid of you. Why don't you ask about the papers Wang Qinian sent?"
Fan Xian came over.
Although he used words to tease her, it was obvious that he did not look well.
Ye Zheng glanced at this guy unhappily, "Why do I hear bad things coming out of your mind?"
Fan Xian asked him to make him laugh, and he grinned but didn't laugh out loud, and his smile was a little bitter.
"I was just thinking, how much disaster have I saved you? There is no need to talk about the deep water behind Teng Zijing's case. Now that you and Sister Wan'er have recognized each other and expressed their feelings to each other, the engagement will definitely not be changed or withdrawn, and the power of the inner treasury will definitely fall into your hands."
As he spoke, Ye Zheng stood up with a serious look on his face.
"The power of the inner treasury, my dear uncle. Without mentioning those people in the court, do you know how many important people are eyeing it? The eldest princess, the crown prince, the second prince, are there any of these three who are easy to get along with?"
"If they knew that it was me who facilitated your meeting with Sister Wan'er, and that it was me who stopped you and Sister Wan'er from breaking off your engagement, how would they view me?"
"You owe me a lot, uncle, and you are still plotting against me and trying to drag me down with you."
The momentum of pulling again and again made Fan Xian shrink his neck.
"There's still a long way to go, let's just... have some exchanges."
He could only laugh it off.
Ye Zheng walked out of the hall expressionlessly and breathed a sigh of relief.
He felt no guilt in making this calculation.
He had indeed attracted some firepower to Fan Xian, and it was not his obligation. Even if he didn't cash it in immediately, it would still be a favor.
Fan Xian was feeling somewhat awkward.
He also knew that if he asked Ye Zheng to help him, it would be equivalent to making him hated by some people.
A servant came in time to report that the master had returned home from the court and called the two of them to the study.
……
study
"Father." "Uncle."
Fan Jian looked at the two young men in front of him, each of whom had outstanding looks. He couldn't help but smile and nodded slightly, "Sit down."
"When I was at the government office, I received the poems you two wrote at the Jingwang Mansion Poetry Meeting today. I read them several times and they are really good."
Speaking of this, Fan Jian couldn't suppress the smile.
At that time, his colleagues in the Ministry of Revenue wanted to replace him!
Fan Jian stroked his beard and said twice in a serious tone, "It's so-so, it's OK," which made his colleagues so angry that they left.
Ye Zheng and Fan Xian looked at each other.
The latter's eyes flashed.
Ye Zheng is fine.
It's not that he is thick-skinned.
Even though he said he didn't write this, someone has to believe it.
So, that's what he did!
"It's nothing. Talent and fame are both fine with me." Fan Xian waved his hand. His smile suddenly had a hint of lingering meaning. He seemed to take a deep breath and said firmly to Fan Jian, "Father, I have decided not to cancel the engagement."
Fan Jian didn't know that Ye Zheng had helped arrange a meeting between Fan Xian and Lin Wan'er today. He only knew that his son, daughter and son-in-law went to attend a poetry gathering at Prince Jing's mansion.
"Oh, have you figured it out?" Fan Jian's eyes were a little complicated.
"It's not a thought, it's a dream come true, Uncle Shi."
Ye Zheng's additional sentence made him understand quickly.
"You..." Fan Jian first looked at Ye Zheng, then thought it would be better to ask the real person in person, so he asked Fan Xian, "Is Lin Wan'er the chicken leg girl you have been looking for?"
Fan Xian showed a hint of shyness and nodded with an uncontrollable smile.
Seeing this, how could Fan Jian not understand his son's thoughts.
From this perspective, this news is indeed the best thing compared to becoming famous at the poetry reading.
After feeling some emotion in his heart, he slowly turned his gaze to Ye Zheng.
Ye Zheng stood up, bowed, and said, "Uncle, it's my fault that Sizhe collected women from the entertainment industry."
"Tell me." Fan Jian didn't think Ye Zheng was a man obsessed with women, so he didn't get angry.
“It’s like this…”
He gave Fan Jian a simple introduction to the concept of "opera".
In terms of technology, at least as long as I don't continue to climb up, the way to make money has been monopolized by the mother of this guy next to me.
Then he had no choice but to find another way and start from a cultural perspective.
Qing State was originally a cultural desert, which was not unrelated to the fact that Qing State started out as a small vassal state.
He knew that the sons of nobles and wealthy men in Kyoto would go to brothels to listen to music, and they would sing poems accompanied by the pipa.
Even the Northern Qi was like this.
It’s hard not to be tempted by such a large blank market.
When it comes to business, Fan Jian is a great man.
When he heard that it was almost done, he glanced at his eldest son, and his eyes seemed to say, "This is much more reliable than your ideas."
"Well... there are some courtesans who are good at music and have great singing voices, but if we really want to make this business a success, we may have to hire some famous prostitutes on Liujing River." Fan Jian started to give advice right away.
"My uncle has already mastered the art of business. This is a very accurate statement. It has cleared the clouds and brought light to the world."
Fan Xian stared at Ye Zheng who was standing beside him.
Who is this guy who is flattering others with a righteous look on his face?
Where is Ye Zheng, the one who scolded Wang Qinian harshly in his yard?
Did someone change people?
Change it back for me!
Fan Jian accepted it calmly, stroked his beard with a smile, and said seriously, "Si Zhe is young, so it's okay to ask him to sort out the accounts, but Liu Jinghe...he can't do it!"
"Yes, young people, their qi and blood are not yet stable, so they should be careful about sex. I am not thinking fully."
The more Fan Xian listened to this man speak, the more wonderful his words seemed to him.
He never said any words of advice like "Don't blame Fan Sizhe", but just took the responsibility.
hiss~
"In that case..." Fan Jian was a little embarrassed.
Since he came down from the Flowing Crystal River, he had no more contact with those people. He only occasionally heard about which courtesans were famous in Kyoto from his colleagues.
"Let me help ask."
"Thank you, Uncle Shi."
"We are a family, why bother thanking each other? Go and call Sizhe."
"... "
……
The next day
"Why aren't there any patrol officers out today?" Fan Xian ran into Ye Zheng when he entered the Nancheng Bingmasi Yamen.
"We are coming from the West City Military Command."
Ye Zheng replied and asked Zhongli to take him to the cell. He then went back into the study to check the summary of yesterday's reports from the archer teams.
"Your master is really busy. Even the six ministries and three academies are not as busy as him." Fan Xian said with a smile.
How dare Zhongli accept it?
But he also agreed and praised, "Your Excellency has worked hard, and it is difficult for others to match you."
"You don't have to send me off. I've been here once."
"It's time to deliver it. The guards take turns every day and always give us a few words of advice."
"Thank you, Captain Zhong."
"... "
A little time
"Ah~"
"This beast!" "Bang!"
After a cry filled with grief, a curse and a muffled sound were heard at the same time.
The noise was really big.
A jailer came over immediately, his hand already grasping the hilt of the knife.
"Mr. Fan, are you okay?" He asked Fan Xian with concern.
Then he shouted at Teng Zijing, "What are you going to do? Don't go crazy!"
"Oh!"
Another muffled sound.
Teng Zijing slammed his hands hard on the wooden fence, his ten fingers tightly clasped the fence, veins bulged on his neck, and he tried hard to control his tone, "I want to see your master, I want to see your master!"
Fan Xian said helplessly, "Teng Zijing..."
After much deliberation, he finally decided to tell Teng Zijing the news.
First, he promised Teng Zijing.
Second...Teng Zijing is locked up in a cell, so if he wants to do something impulsive he has to get out first.
"It has nothing to do with you!" Teng Zijing shouted at him.
He began shaking the wooden fence with both hands and continued to shout, "I want to see your master!"
“Beep~~~”
Fan Xian had no time to stop him because the archer whistled too quickly.
In the courtyard of the yamen, Ye Zheng, who had just come out of the study and was giving instructions to Zhongli, heard a whistle and immediately rushed to the cell.
Zhongli followed closely behind.
A group of archers followed.
A group of people rushed into the cell and frightened the few thieves and escapees who were imprisoned there so much that they trembled in fear and hid in the corner.
"I want to see your parents!"
When Ye Zheng was getting closer, he heard Teng Zijing's shout.
"How dare you make a noise, you thief?" he shouted.
Unexpectedly, Teng Zijing became even more excited when he saw him, and shouted, "Sir, Sir Ye, no matter what conditions you put forward, you can even take my life, just let me go, and when I have avenged the murder of my wife and children, I will tie my hands and let you do whatever you want! Sir, Sir!"
"Shut up!" Ye Zheng shouted again, his face solemn and stern, "If you shout again, I will have someone gag you and move you to Kyoto Prefecture."
Hearing the words "Kyoto Prefecture", Teng Zijing's eyes burst into even greater anger, which then turned into a strong gray color, as if someone had pulled out his bones. He staggered and could not stand steadily. He slowly knelt on his knees, lowered his head, and begged, "I heard that you saw a noble riding a horse to trample an old man to death in the downtown area, and you couldn't bear it and spoke up for justice. Now, my wife and children have been killed. Please have mercy on me and let me go. I will not run away. Okay?"
Lao Deng has done so many evil things!
In order to invite his son to Beijing to get married and seize Li Yunrui's power over the inner treasury, he even needs to choose someone to pave the way?
Pooh!
Ye Zheng cursed inwardly, and then he said in a slightly slower tone, "The Military Affairs Department is not a place for bargaining. If you have any grievances, I can file a petition for you. If the Jingdu Prefecture doesn't care, I can file it with the Dali Temple. If the Dali Temple doesn't care, I will file it with the Ministry of Justice."
Teng Zijing laughed bitterly, "In this world, there is only high and low, no black and white!"
"Calm down first. Do you think this is reasonable? Let's not talk about the fact that Ye Zheng and I have met Guo Baokun. He is the kind of person who is bad on the outside and always talks about being well-read. Why would he use such a cruel method? Moreover, he relied on the government to deal with you before, so why did he directly send his men to silence you afterwards? The logic is obviously unreasonable!"
Only now did Fan Xian have the chance to speak.
Everything happened in a flash, and he couldn't stop either side.
Teng Zijing naturally didn't believe in Guo Baokun's character, but the second half of Fan Xian's words made sense.
A glimmer of hope rose in his gray eyes and he looked at Fan Xian.
The latter said firmly, "Don't worry, I will help you no matter what!"
Teng Zijing nodded, sat down on the ground, and looked blankly.
"Walk."
At Ye Zheng's command, the archers left the cell.
Fan Xian followed him out.
Well... follow Ye Zheng.
"What do you mean? Do you want me to help you?" Just by looking at his eyes, Ye Zheng understood what he was thinking.
"Just this once, I owe you that." Fan Xian said solemnly.
Ye Zheng asked without hesitation, "What do you want to know?"
"Where can I meet Guo Baokun?" Fan Xian asked immediately.
"If this is the problem, you don't need to owe anything. Any archer in the West City Military Department will know the answer."
"Brother Guo Shi, he is a playboy by nature, frequenting brothels every day and a frequent visitor to Liujing River."
Fan Xian slowly moved his gaze away from Ye Zheng's face and sneered, "You talk a lot about propriety, righteousness, and integrity, but you play more extravagantly than anyone else, right?"
After a moment's thought, he looked at Ye Zheng again, his smile mixed with a hint of cruelty, "It seems that you and Fan Sizhe's business still needs my help."
(End of this chapter)