Time passed in the blink of an eye.
Under Pei Yuan Jin’s relentless supervision, Fu Xi Yan had become reasonably proficient with the Object-Commanding Art and was no longer limited to chicken-blood stone. Still, he had used the little chicken-blood stone swords carved by Fu Li An for the longest time and remained most comfortable with them. The copper coins and iron caltrops he experimented with afterward were somewhat inferior.
His progress with the Soft-Gentle Fist, however, remained limited.
Pei Yuan Jin had Xiao Sang and Xiao Zhang take turns sparring with him. Before every fight, Fu Xi Yan’s mind would be completely blank. Yet the instant the fight began, every path of the fist technique became extraordinarily clear in his mind.
No matter how hard he tried, he could never reach that profound state where “having no fixed form surpasses having forms.”
Pei Yuan Jin said, “The forms of the Soft-Gentle Fist cannot counter every martial art beneath Heaven.”
If Fu Xi Yan remained restricted by the existing forms, then the moment he encountered an opponent with unusually strange or exquisitely refined techniques, he would inevitably suffer.
“I understand the logic. I just can’t do it.”
Fu Xi Yan was helpless too.
As a science-minded person, his thinking was much more accustomed to applying established formulas than relying on imagination to create something out of nothing.
Pei Yuan Jin nodded. “Then practice more.”
Fu Xi Yan had once thought he was already a representative model of diligent cultivation.
Only after meeting Director Pei did he understand: this lord might not be practicing himself, but when it came to forcing other people to study, he was truly ruthless.
Just then, someone knocked on the door.
Fu Xi Yan waved one hand handsomely, and the door opened on its own.
The hand gesture was completely unnecessary. He had added it himself.
After all, when a wizard cast a spell, it looked much better if there were hand movements involved.
The visitor was Wei Li Ming.
He cupped his hands toward Fu Xi Yan, then said to Pei Yuan Jin, “We’ve reached Jingmen.”
Their destination on this leg of the journey was Jiangling. They would have to disembark at Jingmen and continue by carriage.
Looking at the forest of ship masts outside the window, Fu Xi Yan said, “No wonder there are more and more ships.”
Wei Li Ming said, “The first day of the fourth month is when the heads of the Four Directions Merchant Alliance’s seven trade routes gather. Many merchant houses come at this time to pay their respects. Over time, it has become a shared festival among the major merchant associations of both Northern Zhou and Southern Yu.”
Fu Xi Yan was surprised. “Merchants from both dynasties come? Aren’t they afraid the courts will interfere?”
Wei Li Ming said, “Unless the two countries are actually at war and everything else has to give way, anyone who tries to stir up trouble during peaceful times is making an enemy of every merchant under Heaven.”
Fu Xi Yan asked, “Will it affect our docking?”
Could there be traffic restrictions?
And did Ghostshadow’s ship even have a proper license? Was it legally allowed to enter Jingmen?
His experiences in his previous life made him instinctively worried.
Wei Li Ming said, “Nothing serious. There are simply too many ships, so docking will take longer.”
That was precisely why he had come to tell them.
Fu Xi Yan waved his hand. “That’s nothing. We’ve been living aboard ship for nearly a month. I’m starting to think I was born here and raised here.”
Unfortunately, the actual congestion was much worse than any of them had expected.
The ships entering Hanjin Ferry practically covered the entire river.
That alone would have been manageable.
The real problem was that vessels belonging to people who knew one another constantly cooperated to cut into the line. Their purple ship might be enormous, but it was alone. Among all the ships forming alliances and helping one another, it looked particularly lonely and helpless.
Several ships came charging sideways in an attempt to squeeze ahead of them.
Madam Fu and the other women, who had originally been enjoying the scenery on deck, had already returned below. There were simply too many people aboard the surrounding vessels, and the ships were so close together that people could stand on deck and shout conversations at one another.
When Fu Xi Yan emerged from the cabin and stepped onto the deck, he was immediately greeted by a chaotic wall of noise. People stood at the bows and sterns of nearby ships, cupping their hands and exchanging greetings across the water.
Compared with them, Fu Xi Yan’s solitary ship looked painfully out of place.
The vessel directly ahead belonged to a plump shipowner.
Perhaps Fu Xi Yan’s build gave him an instinctive sense of kinship. The man stood at his stern, voluntarily cupped his hands toward Fu Xi Yan, and shouted, “May I ask where your party comes from?”
Following local custom, Fu Xi Yan walked to the bow and returned the greeting. “Shiquan.”
That was not exactly a lie.
They had indeed boarded this vessel while passing through Shiquan.
The plump shipowner smiled. “Shiquan is a fine place, right along the Han River and convenient for water transport. May I ask what line of business your honored party deals in?”
“A little of everything. Depends on the opportunity.”
The shipowner’s smile faded somewhat.
He assumed their family dealt in speculative buying and reselling.
Merchants with established businesses naturally looked down on that sort of trade.
“The Four Directions Merchant Alliance operates across the realm and has always enforced fair pricing. Coming at this particular time, I’m afraid you won’t gain much advantage. You might be better off turning back.”
Fu Xi Yan said, “We’re mainly visiting relatives this time.”
“Then your timing is unfortunate.”
Assuming Fu Xi Yan simply refused to listen to advice, the plump shipowner shook his head and said nothing more. He turned toward his own bow and began exchanging pleasantries with someone else.
They waited like this for an entire day.
The ships that had originally been ahead and beside them gradually entered the harbor one after another.
Only their ship was continually squeezed outward.
Even someone with as good a temper as Fu Xi Yan finally developed road rage. “Just ram through!”
Seeing even the vessels behind them attempting to squeeze forward, Wei Li Ming finally abandoned all efforts at keeping a low profile and directly ordered his men to force their way in.
The purple ship was already enormous.
Once it stopped yielding, no ordinary vessel could obstruct it.
Unfortunately, the other ships were hardly defenseless either. Seeing what was happening, two vessels immediately moved in from both sides to trap them.
Someone shouted from one of the ships, “Friends of which route are you? How can you behave with so little respect for the rules?”
By now, Pei Yuan Jin, Fu Xi Yan, and the others had all come onto the deck to watch.
They completely ignored the challenges and curses coming from every direction.
Standing against the night wind, they simply continued forward and rammed the two ships aside.
“Ignorant brats! Take a lesson from your grandfather!”
From the ship on their left, a white-bearded old man suddenly leapt into the air. Holding a golden saber across his chest, he charged impressively toward the purple ship’s mast.
Everyone nearby looked up.
They were waiting to see this arrogant purple ship have its mast chopped down and flee in disgrace.
Yet the old man had barely approached when he abruptly fell out of the air and splashed into the river.
The sailors from his ship shouted in alarm and immediately jumped in after him.
The sudden development stunned everyone who had assumed the purple ship would be easy to bully.
Even more unsettling was the fact that until the old man hit the water, none of them had seen who aboard the purple ship attacked—or how.
Wei Li Ming, the actual attacker, said nothing.
Xiao Sang, however, could not resist muttering, “These days even someone at the Vajra Stage makes this much noise?”
Hearing this, Fu Xi Yan could not help thinking that only last year, the Vajra Stage had still seemed impossibly distant to him.
Back then, Chu Shao Yang had nearly humiliated him when he was only at the Bone Forging Stage.
Now Fu Xi Yan was already standing among other experts, listening to them criticize Vajra Stage cultivators.
I really have gotten inflated.
“Don’t let my dad or uncle hear you say that.”
Fu Xi Yan had not forgotten that his uncle was still at the Vajra Stage.
As for his father…
Fu Fu probably had not even reached Vajra.
Xiao Sang obediently nodded.
Their first challenger’s miserable defeat made everyone who had been itching to act much more cautious.
A little while later, just as Fu Xi Yan and the others could already see the shore drawing close, waves of cheers suddenly erupted.
A thin figure came toward them from behind the purple ship, stepping directly across the surface of the river.
The newcomer was known throughout the jianghu as the Old Ghost of the Yangtze.
He was a peak Mortal-Shedding Stage expert. Originally a river bandit who operated throughout the Yangtze basin, he had later been recruited by the Four Directions Merchant Alliance and become a guard serving the Dong family, one of the Alliance’s seven routes. He was also one of the more notable experts on the Martial Rankings.
Pei Yuan Jin did not need to give an order.
Wei Li Ming voluntarily went out to meet him.
The two immediately began fighting above the river.
Fu Xi Yan and the others craned their necks to watch.
The ships on both sides even helped by holding up lamps.
The lamps were like fireflies.
The river was like black ink.
Both the Old Ghost of the Yangtze and Wei Li Ming favored speed overwhelming speed. Even with people shining lights on them, once the fight began, ordinary observers could no longer distinguish the men from their afterimages.
Only the violently rippling river surface reflected how fierce their battle had become.
Other people might not have been able to see.
Fu Xi Yan and the others could.
After roughly twenty exchanges, the Old Ghost of the Yangtze had already fallen behind.
He survived only by relying on his skill fighting over water and continually moving around.
After thirty exchanges, even dodging became difficult.
He would certainly lose before the fiftieth.
Sure enough, on the forty-second exchange, Wei Li Ming flew upward, grabbed the Old Ghost of the Yangtze just as he attempted to dive into the water, and slapped him directly onto a neighboring ship.
The Old Ghost of the Yangtze spat out a mouthful of blood.
Whether the wound was to his body or his pride was difficult to determine.
The two consecutive fights firmly established the purple ship as something no one should casually provoke.
The merchant ships ahead voluntarily moved aside.
After that, entering the harbor went extremely smoothly.
Wei Li Ming’s task had only been to escort them as far as Jingmen.
From here, he would turn the ship around and head back.
Now that he had openly betrayed the Ghostshadow Organization, the Immortal Treasury Palace naturally had to arrange somewhere for him to establish himself.
Ren Fei Ying happened to be missing, leaving the Thunder Division in Haojing without a leader.
Pei Yuan Jin therefore sent Wei Li Ming there to serve as Chief Manager.
Once Wei Li Ming officially became part of the Immortal Treasury Palace, Ghostshadow would have to consider very carefully whether revenge against him was worth the consequences.
When the time came to part, Wei Li Ming seemed rather reluctant.
The object of his reluctance, however, was Fu Xuan.
“After Brother Fu leaves, high mountains and flowing water—where am I supposed to find another kindred spirit?”
Fu Xi Yan curiously looked at Fu Fu. “Those two…?”
Fu Fu said, “Perfectly matched opponents.”
Fu Xi Yan already knew Fu Xuan’s chess ability.
That meant Wei Li Ming’s chess skill could also safely be estimated at approximately zero.
Indeed.
A kindred spirit was difficult to find.
Elio’s Notes: “High mountains and flowing water” is a classical allusion to the friendship of the musician Yu Boya and Zhong Ziqi and became an expression for a rare person who truly understands you. Here the joke is that Wei Li Ming and Fu Xuan understand each other primarily because they are equally terrible at chess.
Their path into harbor had essentially consisted of fighting one obstacle after another and naturally caused an enormous commotion.
Even those who had not originally known what happened had learned most of the story through word of mouth.
So the moment the Fu family stepped off the ship and planted both feet on land, curious and probing gazes converged on them from every direction.
The Fu family were people who had seen plenty of grand occasions.
Pei Yuan Jin was himself the sort of grand occasion other people went out to see.
Naturally, none of them cared.
They continued speaking and handling their affairs as usual.
The steward and several others had disembarked earlier to hire carriages.
They returned empty-handed.
Fu Xi Yan was not surprised.
After making such a show of force aboard the river, it would have been stranger if the Merchant Alliance did not try to recover some face on its own territory.
But there was no need to worry too much.
Ever since their difficulties finding transportation in Shiquan County, Pei Yuan Jin had learned the lesson. While they were still in Xiangyang, he had already sent word to the Jingmen branch to prepare enough carriages for them.
Fu Xi Yan had only told the steward to ask around in order to test the Merchant Alliance’s attitude.
Sure enough, the Immortal Treasury Palace’s carriages arrived shortly afterward.
Their appearance, however, was somewhat different from what Fu Xi Yan had expected.
Surrounded by other carriages decorated with gold and jade, they looked particularly plain.
The person responsible for arranging them was Jiang Rui, Chief Manager of the Rain Division in Jiangling.
Knowing that he had handled the matter poorly, Jiang Rui approached Pei Yuan Jin anxiously.
“This subordinate, Jiang Rui, Chief Manager of the Immortal Treasury Palace’s Rain Division in Jiangling, greets Young Palace Master.”
Pei Yuan Jin nodded and said nothing.
There were too many eyes and ears here.
It was not an appropriate place for discussion.
Madam Fu froze when she first saw the carriages.
She probably had not expected the mighty Immortal Treasury Palace to make such a stingy showing.
Still, she was hardly someone who failed to appreciate other people’s efforts. She immediately called for the steward to begin loading their luggage.
While the Fu family bustled around moving luggage, the people who had gathered to watch began finding the sight rather boring and gradually looked elsewhere.
Just as the last of the luggage was loaded and the Fu family prepared to leave, an extremely tall swordsman in green robes hurried toward them.
Wherever he passed, pedestrians moved aside.
Jiang Rui was desperate for an opportunity to redeem his earlier failure and immediately stepped in front of him. “Who are you?”
The green-robed swordsman relied on his height and simply looked over Jiang Rui’s head, his gaze landing directly on Fu Fu.
“The head of the Xiong family of the Four Directions Merchant Alliance invites Count Yongfeng aboard his ship for a conversation!”
His voice was loud enough that everyone nearby heard clearly.
The surname was Fu.
And he was a count.
Other than Count Yongfeng, who had supposedly been forced by the emperor to flee south, who else could it be?
Fu Xi Yan immediately became alert.
He worried they might use the banner of capturing imperial fugitives as justification for acting.
Yet everyone merely watched from a distance.
Not one person moved closer.
If anything, they seemed eager to avoid being implicated.
The attitude was extremely intriguing.
Fu Xi Yan hid partly behind Pei Yuan Jin and quietly observed.
Fu Fu, meanwhile, was standing right in front of the swordsman but did not answer him directly.
Instead, he glanced at the steward.
Since the man had publicly exposed Fu Fu’s identity, the Fu family could no longer respond like common civilians.
The proper airs had to be put on.
Understanding immediately, the steward stepped forward. “Does your household have a formal visiting card?”
The green-robed swordsman said coldly, “We came in haste and had no time to prepare one.”
“Then wait until we have settled in and come visit our residence properly.”
The swordsman’s expression changed.
He seemed about to respond, then restrained himself.
His sharp gaze swept through the crowd instead.
“Which hero defeated the Old Ghost of the Yangtze within fifty moves? Might I request a few pointers?”
Jiang Rui had been ignored so completely that his face had already turned red with anger.
Only because Pei Yuan Jin had not spoken had he suppressed himself.
Now that the man was openly challenging them, Jiang Rui took a step backward and lightly rose onto his toes.
“Then allow me to give you a few pointers.”
The green-robed swordsman glanced at him and apparently recognized him. He sneered.
“Before the Jiang family declined, you might still have ranked among the top twenty on the Martial Rankings. Now that the Jiang family has been expelled from the Four Directions Merchant Alliance, I doubt you could even enter the top fifty.”
“You go too far!”
Jiang Rui attacked in fury.
Within three moves, the green-robed swordsman had already pressed his sheathed sword against Jiang Rui’s throat.
He looked coldly at the humiliated Jiang Rui, withdrew his sword sheath, then called past the crowd in Pei Yuan Jin’s direction.
“Let the person who defeated the Old Ghost of the Yangtze come out!”
The Four Directions Merchant Alliance had once established the Martial Rankings.
Anyone interested could register.
Those ranked within the top fifty received a monthly stipend. If they formally joined the Four Directions Merchant Alliance, they could receive even more generous compensation.
As a result, every fourth month in Jingmen attracted not only merchants but martial artists from throughout the realm who came to test one another’s skills.
There were two ways to gain a position on the Martial Rankings.
The first was to participate in the tournament held by the Merchant Alliance every fourth month and defeat someone already on the list, thereby taking their ranking.
The second was simply to challenge a ranked martial artist directly. If the challenger won, he replaced the loser, while the defeated fighter moved down one position.
The Old Ghost of the Yangtze had occupied ninth place for years.
By defeating him, Wei Li Ming had technically replaced him.
The green-robed swordsman was named Yuan Bing and ranked sixth.
Although he and the Old Ghost of the Yangtze served different families, they had known each other for many years and were close friends. After hearing what happened, Yuan Bing had volunteered for the errand of delivering the Xiong family’s invitation.
In truth, he wanted to avenge his friend’s humiliation.
Unfortunately, Wei Li Ming was no longer present.
Fu Xi Yan and the others therefore had no interest in entertaining him.
Seeing that no one answered his challenge, Yuan Bing simply stepped forward.
A narrow crack suddenly split the ground beneath his feet and ran all the way toward Pei Yuan Jin.
“I respectfully request your instruction!”
He had clearly decided Pei Yuan Jin was the person who defeated the Old Ghost of the Yangtze.
“Director, should I go?” Fu Xi Yan poked his head out from beside Pei Yuan Jin.
Pei Yuan Jin, who had not paid Yuan Bing the slightest attention, immediately became distracted. “Master?”
Fu Xi Yan stared at him. “Director! As in discipline director. Master? Ha. Dream on.”
For some reason, Pei Yuan Jin found the word “Master” he thought he heard strangely pleasing.
His heartbeat had even accelerated.
Out of pure curiosity, he said, “Say it again.”
…
Fu Xi Yan directly ignored him. “Should we deal with that guy or not?”
Elio’s Notes: This joke works especially well in Chinese because 主任 (zhǔrèn, “director”) and 主人 (zhǔrén, “master/owner”) differ mainly in tone. Pei Yuan Jin chooses to hear the much more suggestive version.
Pei Yuan Jin said calmly, “No need.”
The Young Palace Master of the Immortal Treasury Palace was not some wandering martial artist.
If anyone who felt like issuing a challenge was entitled to fight him, he would spend every day doing nothing else.
“Could Young Palace Master Pei perhaps be afraid?” Yuan Bing demanded after being ignored twice, directly calling him by title.
Pei Yuan Jin said, “Defeat Lu Qing first.”
Yuan Bing’s expression stiffened.
His fighting spirit instantly weakened.
At that moment, a carriage pulled up beside Fu Xi Yan and Pei Yuan Jin.
Fu Xi Yan immediately dragged Pei Yuan Jin inside, and they departed without looking back.
Having gone so long without riding in a carriage, Fu Xi Yan was no longer accustomed to it.
He changed position several times before settling down, then immediately asked curiously, “Who’s Lu Qing?”
Jiang Rui, whom Pei Yuan Jin had summoned into the same carriage, hurriedly answered, “The Chief Manager of the Thunder Division in Jiangling. He’s known as Jiangling’s strongest expert.”
He cautiously studied Pei Yuan Jin’s expression, then suddenly dropped to one knee.
“This subordinate handled matters poorly. Young Palace Master, please punish me.”
Pei Yuan Jin said nothing.
The atmosphere inside the carriage became oppressively heavy.
Fu Xi Yan watched sweat gather on Jiang Rui’s forehead and inexplicably began feeling nervous on his behalf.
He wondered whether those drops could start singing, drip-drop, drip-drop…
The silence continued.
Fu Xi Yan began shifting uncomfortably.
They could not remain frozen like this forever.
Was this the point where someone was supposed to offer both sides a way down?
If only Aunt Yu were here.
Fu Xi Yan was unfamiliar with this sort of professional duty and had no idea whether Young Palace Master currently needed someone playing supporting comic to his straight man.
So he tentatively said, “Could you… elaborate?”
Jiang Rui, whose entire body had been wound tight, immediately relaxed.
He looked gratefully at Fu Xi Yan.
“I dare not conceal anything from Young Palace Master. I am a distant relative of the Jiang family. Over the years, the Rain Division only managed to establish itself in Jiangling because of the Jiang family’s connections within the Four Directions Merchant Alliance. But ever since the Jiang family was implicated by the Jiangling Prefect and expelled from the Merchant Alliance, the Rain Division has also been suppressed. Even these carriages had to be purchased from villages outside the city.”
It was the first time Fu Xi Yan had heard of anyone daring to suppress the Immortal Treasury Palace.
“Even if they don’t respect the monk, shouldn’t they respect the Buddha? They actually dare suppress the Immortal Treasury Palace?”
Jiang Rui smiled bitterly. “The Four Directions Merchant Alliance holds enormous power throughout the Yangtze region. Jiangling and Jingmen in Northern Zhou, and Jiangcheng in Southern Yu, can all be considered their strongholds. To say something unpleasant, if I hadn’t been a distant relative of the Jiang family, I would never have become Chief Manager of the Rain Division here in the first place.”
Trying to establish an independent sphere directly beneath the Merchant Alliance’s nose would normally have been impossible.
Only because the Immortal Treasury Palace was such a massive organization with deep foundations—and because the Jiang family did not dare openly offend it, while the Rain Division’s chief manager happened to be one of their own relatives—had they permitted this small foothold.
Even then, Jiang Rui had only managed to maintain a handful of barely profitable businesses.
Fu Xi Yan asked curiously, “If the Jiang family was that powerful, how did they end up being dragged down by the Jiangling Prefect?”
The Tong family was related to the Jiangling Prefect through marriage too, yet they seemed perfectly fine.
“That’s a long story. Jiangling is the Jiang family’s main base. Rumors outside now claim they were spies planted by Southern Yu inside Northern Zhou and that they were the ones who induced the Jiangling Prefect to defect. After the incident, General of Agile Cavalry Liu Tan Du personally visited the current leader of the Four Directions Merchant Alliance, Lord Taishi. Shortly afterward, the Jiang family was expelled. Several of the Jiang family’s leading figures disappeared as well. Some say Lord Taishi purged them from the Alliance. Others say they escaped back to Southern Yu. Either way, once the great tree fell, all the monkeys scattered. The once-prosperous Jiang family collapsed just like that.”
Jiang Rui sighed sadly.
Fu Xi Yan asked, “Then what about the Tong family?”
“The Four Directions Merchant Alliance has seven routes, representing seven major trade routes. After the Jiang family fell, the Tong family took their place.”
Fu Xi Yan was shocked. “But wasn’t the Tong family related to the Jiangling Prefect by marriage? Shouldn’t their relationship have been even closer?”
Jiang Rui said, “Because the Tong family did not participate. Not only did they not participate—the reason the matter was exposed in the first place was because Old Master Tong personally reported it to General Liu.”
Fu Xi Yan was stunned.
So…
the Tong family had sacrificed their own son-in-law to the heavens in exchange for a seat on the Merchant Alliance’s board?
Yet that day Tong Fu San had beaten his chest, gnashed his teeth, and behaved like the grieving victim.
When all along, the Tong family themselves were responsible for getting the Jiangling Prefect thrown into prison?
That was—
Oscar-worthy acting!
Originally, Fu Xi Yan had believed that since the Southern Yu spy network had obviously been exposed through the Jiangling Prefect, the Prefect had to be a spy.
But after hearing Jiang Rui’s explanation, he was no longer quite so certain.
Who knew whether the Tong family had engineered everything from behind the scenes and framed him?
“So did the Jiangling Prefect and the Jiang family actually defect to Southern Yu or not?”
Jiang Rui sighed. “This subordinate would not dare speculate. However, Jiangling has always been a strategic north-south stronghold contested by armies. If Northern Zhou wishes to march south, Jiangling cannot be lost. Ever since Southern Yu was founded, it has constantly tried to take Jiangling, openly and secretly. General Liu and the Jiangling Prefect nearly became in-laws. Unless General Liu had genuine evidence, surely he would not falsely accuse him without reason.”
That was difficult to say.
The Tong family and Jiangling Prefect were not merely nearly in-laws.
They actually were.
Still, judging from Jiang Rui’s tone, Liu Tan Du seemed to have a very good reputation on the southern frontier.
Fu Xi Yan began worrying about his father and uncle.
Their family’s arrival on the southern frontier was already awkward enough. They had no idea what attitude the Liu family would take toward them.
Now the Four Directions Merchant Alliance had been added to the equation as well.
The situation was becoming increasingly murky.
Establishing a foothold would be correspondingly more difficult.
Their back-and-forth conversation gradually loosened the atmosphere.
Seeing that Jiang Rui was still half-kneeling and swaying painfully with every jolt of the carriage, Fu Xi Yan told him to sit properly.
Jiang Rui cautiously looked at Pei Yuan Jin.
Only after seeing no objection did he sit down.
Then he took a letter from his robes.
“This was entrusted to me by the Chief Manager of the Wind Division for Young Palace Master’s review.”
Seeing that Pei Yuan Jin showed absolutely no intention of extending his hand, Fu Xi Yan had no choice but to take the letter himself.
He opened it directly, read through it, then looked surprised.
“The news that the emperor gave my father a secret decree has already spread?”
Jiang Rui said, “Yes. People everywhere now say that after the Jiangling Prefect’s betrayal, the emperor grew suspicious of the southern frontier and sent Count Yongfeng here to compete with the Liu family for authority.”
Fu Xi Yan frowned.
This had advantages and disadvantages.
The advantage was that no one could easily use the Fu family’s status as fugitives against them anymore.
The disadvantage was that the moment they arrived, they had already been placed directly opposite the Liu family.
Even if the two families tried to wear the same pair of trousers, everyone would still be suspicious of them.
When the group stopped to rest midway, Jiang Rui judged that he had already said everything he needed to say and tactfully moved to another carriage.
The moment he left, Fu Xi Yan smiled without warmth. “Does Young Palace Master’s hand only know how to hold a sword?”
Pei Yuan Jin glanced at him, took his hand, and gently squeezed it.
Fu Xi Yan had already grown accustomed to being squeezed.
He simply squeezed back twice, much harder. “I meant why didn’t you take the letter Manager Jiang handed you?”
Pei Yuan Jin said, “I handle outside affairs. You handle inside affairs.”
Fu Xi Yan: “…”
Isn’t the original saying supposed to be, ‘The man handles outside affairs, the woman handles inside affairs’?
Another day of desperately wanting to beat Young Palace Master Pei but lacking the strength to do so.
Leave a Reply