He had reported it beforehand, brought Pei Yuan Jin along during it, and as for afterward… the carriage was still on the road, so afterward had not arrived yet. Even so, Pei Yuan Jin’s expression remained poor as he turned the invitation over and over between his fingers.
Fu Xi Yan sat beside him like a meek little wife, while his mind was busy pondering why exactly he was acting like a little wife who had done something wrong.
“This invitation…”
Pei Yuan Jin had only just begun when Fu Xi Yan immediately perked up and sat straight, listening with perfect seriousness.
“Do you know who sent it?”
Fu Xi Yan held up his fingers to indicate the tiniest sliver. “I have a little guess.”
Pei Yuan Jin raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for a full confession in exchange for leniency.
Fu Xi Yan said, “I think it was…”
The carriage suddenly stopped, and the driver called from outside, “Young Master, we’re here.”
“We’re here.” Fu Xi Yan echoed with a smile, then abruptly frowned and stuck his head outside. “That fast?”
The driver said proudly, “Safe and fast.”
…I really don’t want to praise you. Fu Xi Yan looked at Pei Yuan Jin as though asking whether they should make another lap around the block.
Pei Yuan Jin brushed past him and rose to leave. Fu Xi Yan moved like lightning, suddenly lunged over, whispered a name beside his ear, then took his hand and followed him down from the carriage.
There was still some difference in their heights, but standing together, they looked perfectly matched, as harmonious as a pearl paired with fine jade.
The driver went up to knock. An elderly servant opened the door. There was no extravagant reception with the master rushing out in such haste that his shoes were on backward, just the ordinary courtesy one might expect at any private residence. But once they went farther inside, Fu Xi Yan discovered that calling the place a park would not have been an exaggeration.
Beyond the spirit wall lay a garden. They had arrived early, while the sky was not yet fully dark, and spring was warm with flowers in bloom. Blossoms competed everywhere, filling the garden with brilliant colors while also being arranged at different heights into all kinds of shapes.
The last time Fu Xi Yan had seen a spectacle on this scale was probably the Luoyang Peony Garden in his previous life.
Other guests had arrived before them. They stood in groups of three or five admiring flowers, cherishing flowers, discussing flowers, yet not a single face was familiar.
The elderly servant led them to a registration table.
The desk was simple and antique, with the Four Treasures of the Study laid out upon it, each one clearly of exceptional quality.
A graceful young woman of striking looks sat behind the table. Smiling, she gestured invitingly. “Would the honored guests care to leave a poem, a painting, an essay, or a piece of calligraphy?”
…
Fu Xi Yan silently stepped half a pace back and leaned behind Pei Yuan Jin, using action to declare that he was perfectly willing to be the man behind the man.
Pei Yuan Jin: “…” Somehow, this was entirely within expectations.
He lifted the brush and swept it across the paper. One horizontal stroke appeared, leaving behind a domineering, overbearing character: “One.”
The woman stiffened.
A place like Madam Fenfang’s private residence had naturally first become famous for the chef’s skill and the deliciousness of the food. But even the finest cooking would eventually grow tiresome if one ate it day and night. The residence had only managed to preserve its reputation later because scholars and men of letters kept spreading its name.
Everyone knew Madam Fenfang had an exceptionally discerning eye. If she approved of someone’s poetry, prose, calligraphy, or painting, that person’s reputation would soon spread far and wide. Those who received invitations were all famous literary talents already. Each guest was like one of the flowers in the garden, putting forth every ounce of effort, wishing they could lay down several sheets of paper just to display their talent to the fullest. Someone like the man before her, who left only a single stroke, was unprecedented.
But when she looked closely at that stroke, her expression grew solemn. It no longer seemed as though she was looking at a written character or even a brushstroke, but at a sword, a technique. The fierce sword intent almost seemed ready to burst through the paper and stab straight at her.
The longer she stared, the more alarmed she became. And the more alarmed she became, the less she dared look away, as though one careless lapse would result in her throat being pierced straight through.
Seeing cold sweat bead on her forehead while dizziness overtook her, Fu Xi Yan hurriedly snatched the paper away. Even then, she swayed and collapsed to the floor.
A light laugh sounded. A woman past fifty, dressed in a bright red gown patterned with peonies, approached at an unhurried pace with several attractive young maids of twelve or thirteen following behind her.
“How could ordinary mortals like us stare directly at the sword intent of the foremost Martial King under heaven? This humble woman is Fenfang. Greetings, Young Master and Mirror Master. My daughter was presumptuous. Please forgive the embarrassment.”
She accepted the paper from Fu Xi Yan with both hands, produced a jade box, carefully sealed the paper away inside it, then handed the box to a maid behind her. “Take it to the Pavilion of Astonishing Talent.”
The maid carried the box away, while another helped the young woman from earlier to her feet.
Seeing that she was still stumbling and had not recovered from what had just happened, Fu Xi Yan said, “If she could perceive the sword intent in the character, your daughter should be above the Vajra Stage, shouldn’t she?”
Madam Fenfang said, “She was already past thirty when she finally entered the Vajra Stage, yet she thought herself extraordinary. Today will teach her what it means to know there is always someone beyond you.”
Her daughter lowered her head and did not dare speak.
Pei Yuan Jin said blandly, “With your daughter’s aptitude, reaching the Vajra Stage really is impressive.”
Madam Fenfang’s smile paused slightly. She pretended not to hear and turned to lead the way.
Two rows of low tables and stools had been set up in the center of the garden, though no one had taken a seat yet.
Each table held fruit and pastries. The fruit was all out of season and therefore especially rare.
Lanterns of every shape, size, and color hung behind the tables. By day they answered the colors of the flowers; at night, they would surely create an entirely different atmosphere.
Fu Xi Yan and Pei Yuan Jin arrived hand in hand without causing much of a stir. The person everyone crowded around was Madam Fenfang. The occasional glances cast their way were merely appraising, as though people were wondering who these two strangers were.
Men of letters tended to be proud and usually kept to their own familiar circles. Unless someone was naturally as fond of gathering guests as Lord Mengchang, they were unlikely to greet outsiders with immediate warmth. The legends surrounding Pei Yuan Jin and Fu Xi Yan belonged to the jianghu and the imperial court. Even those who had heard of them would never imagine the men from those stories had appeared in front of them in person.
Elio’s Notes: Lord Mengchang was a famous Warring States noble renowned for maintaining a huge household of retainers and welcoming talented guests from many backgrounds. Here his name is shorthand for someone naturally inclined to gather and befriend people outside his own circle.
The sky darkened, and the young maids began walking throughout the garden to light the lanterns.
Fu Xi Yan had never liked the night scenery of this world. Darkness here was overwhelmingly powerful. No matter how beautiful a place looked by day, once night fell, it became a black mass that retained none of its daytime splendor. Madam Fenfang, however, clearly understood how to arrange a “night view.” The lanterns varied in size, making it seem as though one stood amid a sky full of stars, while in the distance they joined together like the Milky Way hanging upside down. The sight was breathtaking.
The twilight at the horizon, not yet completely dark, now seemed almost ordinary by comparison. Flowers swayed gently throughout the garden, and under the pinpricks of lamplight they bloomed with a hazy beauty, as though veiled in pale smoke.
Only then did everyone take their seats.
Pei Yuan Jin and Fu Xi Yan were invited to the places of honor. Madam Fenfang explained to the baffled guests, “Young Master Pei brought a dragon to life with a single character and took first place today. The foremost seat is naturally his.”
The scholars could not hide their envy and jealousy. Someone immediately asked to admire the calligraphy.
Madam Fenfang said, “It has already been placed in the Pavilion of Astonishing Talent.”
A murmur of astonishment swept through the guests. Their gazes toward the two men changed completely, and quite a few already looked eager to come over and strike up a conversation. Just then, the maids filed in one after another and began serving the cold dishes.
Fu Xi Yan had come here precisely to taste delicious food. With delicacies in front of him, he quickly forgot that the person who had invited him had still not appeared.
Because Pei Yuan Jin’s single character had taken the top spot that day, everyone else was reluctant to embarrass themselves. Very little poetry or prose was discussed during the meal, and the table remained unusually quiet.
The first cold dish was shredded bamboo shoots tossed in dressing.
Setting the plating aside, the moment the bamboo shoots entered his mouth, Fu Xi Yan silently praised them. Over the past year he had followed Pei Yuan Jin across north and south and tasted many local specialties. Each had its own charms, like spring blossoms and an autumn moon, but when it came to refinement, this place surpassed them all.
Every strand of bamboo shoot was identical in thickness and length. The flavor was crisp and refreshing, with the salt perfectly balanced. One bite gave the sensation of early spring arriving and all living things beginning to grow.
The meat dishes, river delicacies, vegetables, and everything that followed were the same. Every ingredient had been selected with exacting care, every method of preparation showed originality, and every bite was astonishing enough to linger in the memory.
Only after all the dishes had been served did Madam Fenfang finally send out a cup of wine.
Pei Yuan Jin liked tea. Fu Xi Yan liked HEYTEA. In short, neither of them cared much for alcohol. But after all the delicious food they had eaten, they could not resist taking a sip. To their surprise, it was a sweet fruit wine without bitterness, and even after they swallowed, a lingering fragrance remained in their mouths, drawing the perfect closing stroke to the feast.
Elio’s Notes: The joke is in 喜茶. Pei Yuan Jin likes ordinary tea (茶), while Fu Xi Yan likes HEYTEA (喜茶), the modern Chinese tea-drink brand from his previous life.
Fu Xi Yan said emotionally, “It really is delicious. The kind of deliciousness worth writing in a diary.”
Pei Yuan Jin said nothing, but from his expression, he was clearly satisfied as well.
Madam Fenfang appeared at the end to see her guests off. A faint trace of kitchen smoke still clung to her, and only then did Fu Xi Yan understand where her “fragrance” came from.
The guests left one after another, with Fu Xi Yan walking at the very end. He thought that after eating someone’s food, it became harder to refuse them. If they wanted to ask him for a favor or bargain over something, now would be the best time.
But even by the time he reached the gate, “Yi Zhi Mei” had not appeared. Thinking back over the guests at the banquet, they had all seemed to be attending nothing more than a spring gathering, not carrying any other purpose.
Could the “meeting” mentioned on the invitation really have meant meeting that plate of scallion-oil noodles?
Just before he left, Madam Fenfang suddenly presented him with a wooden box.
Fu Xi Yan asked, “What’s this?”
Madam Fenfang smiled. “If the Mirror Master enjoyed this humble woman’s cooking, then you must accept it.”
Fu Xi Yan blurted, “A VIP card?”
Madam Fenfang froze. “You’ll understand once you open it at home.”
Before Fu Xi Yan could ask further, Madam Fenfang had already turned back into the residence and personally shut the main gate.
Fu Xi Yan held the box beside his ear and listened carefully. “This couldn’t be a time bomb, could it?”
Pei Yuan Jin said, “Do you have to put it that close just to hear what’s inside?”
Well… no. But to be safe, Fu Xi Yan set the box on the steps before Madam Fenfang’s gate, backed away several paces, flicked out a stream of true qi, and popped it open. Inside was a stack of papers.
Fu Xi Yan stepped forward and took them out. To his astonishment, they were the deed to Madam Fenfang’s private residence, along with the indenture contracts of Madam Fenfang, her daughter, and the maids.
He turned to Pei Yuan Jin in shock. “This… I swear, I really didn’t arrange this. I genuinely had no intention of hiding a beauty away in a golden house!”
Elio’s Notes: “Hiding a beauty in a golden house” is a classical Chinese expression for keeping a beloved woman or mistress in luxurious seclusion. Fu Xi Yan is panicking because the “gift” includes not just the property, but Madam Fenfang, her daughter, and the maids’ indenture contracts.
Pei Yuan Jin: “…”
* * *
As for Pei Yuan Jin and Fu Xi Yan going out for one meal and somehow coming home with an entire restaurant, Lu Qing could only say that he was envious, not jealous. If he had encountered this sort of miraculous fortune back then, he would probably have reached the Vajra Stage long ago.
Fu Xi Yan laid the deed and indenture contracts on the table, looking baffled. “Is Lord Mei all right in the head?”
Fu Fu said, “No one curries favor for no reason. If they aren’t plotting something, they’re trying to steal something. Have you guessed who the other party is?”
Fu Xi Yan said, “I originally thought it was Mei Xia Ying. Now I’m not so sure.”
Fu Fu asked, “Why?”
Fu Xi Yan said, “He doesn’t look this rich.”
Fu Fu: “…”
Fu Xuan said, “After Tie Rong Rong died, Mei Xia Ying disappeared. Rumor had it that he was afraid of being implicated and slipped away early. But that raises the real question: how did he know in advance that something would happen to Tie Rong Rong?”
People were like that. If no one pointed something out, it did not seem strange. Once doubt took root, however, suspicious details sprang up everywhere.
Fu Xi Yan said, “Now that you mention it, I remember seeing a painting in his room back then.”
He briefly described it: a married couple stood with their backs to a vermilion gate, receiving a basket from another woman. Inside the basket, a baby was wailing loudly.
“He painted the Hundred Filial Piety Illustrations. All six young masters of Haojing were figures in his paintings. At the time, I thought he was hinting that none of the six of us were our current parents’ biological children. Looking back now… could that hint have been aimed only at me?”
Everyone else stared at him speechlessly.
Fu Xi Yan propped his chin on one hand. “Then how did he know I wasn’t biological? Even my dad didn’t know!”
Fu Fu exploded. “Your mother really was pregnant for ten months! Who could possibly have imagined you weren’t mine?!”
Fu Xi Yan hurriedly patted his chest to soothe him. “Calm down, calm down. That’s not what I meant. I mean, who exactly is Mei Xia Ying? How can he know so much?”
Fu Xuan said, “Could he be from the Puppet Path?”
If Mo Xiao Ran wanted Tie Rong Rong dead, sending Mei Xia Ying to lurk beside her and gather information made perfect sense. Once Tie Rong Rong was killed, Mei Xia Ying could withdraw after completing his mission. The logic fit neatly.
And if Mei Xia Ying belonged to Mo Xiao Ran, then there would be nothing strange about him knowing that Fu Xi Yan was Mo Xiao Ran’s son.
Thinking of how impossible Mo Xiao Ran’s Puppet Arts and Gu poisons were to guard against, Fu Xi Yan immediately activated the Spirit-Sight Art to check whether anything strange had appeared inside either his or Pei Yuan Jin’s body.
Fu Fu suddenly gave a cold snort.
Fu Xi Yan jolted, and the deed and indenture contracts instantly felt hot enough to burn his hands.
Sure enough, Fu Fu said with biting sarcasm, “Looks like your real father cares about you after all. New Year is already over, and he still specially sent you a New Year gift!”
Fu Xi Yan played dumb. “Aren’t you my real father?”
Fu Fu huffed, but did not argue.
Fu Xuan said, “If the Puppet Path has reached Jiangling too, then the situation is even more complicated.”
Everyone fell silent.
In the jianghu, the Puppet Path stood firmly on the side of evil. But its position regarding the imperial court was much more ambiguous. The only thing they could confirm was that, during the encirclement of Mo Xiao Ran at Luo Market, Jing Luo had invited Qinling Ancestor Qiu Xi Hong, who stood at Emperor Jianhong’s side, to take action.
If that was the basis, then Mo Xiao Ran should be standing opposite Emperor Jianhong.
Fu Xi Yan broke the silence. “Uh… then what do we do with the deed and the indenture contracts?”
Fu Fu swept his sleeves and left. Fu Xuan looked at him, shook his head with a sigh, and followed. Fu Xi Yan had no choice but to turn to Pei Yuan Jin for help. Pei Yuan Jin drank tea.
“Send them back?” Truthfully, once Fu Xi Yan knew the things might have come from Mo Xiao Ran, they felt hot in his hands but did not trouble his conscience. A man who could mercilessly try to kill his own biological son was no damn good, full stop. Fu Xi Yan’s attitude toward Mo Xiao Ran was very calm: eat what should be eaten, take what should be taken, and if the day came when Mo Xiao Ran should be killed, he would not show mercy.
Pei Yuan Jin said, “If you don’t want to return them, keep them.” Young Master Pei, born as a second-generation heir of the Immortal Treasury Palace, genuinely could not understand why a residence and a few servants were worth agonizing over.
Fu Xi Yan thought about it and decided he really had been making too much of it. “True. The debtor gets to act like the grandpa, while the debt collector is reduced to the grandson. The money is in my hands now, so I’m not the one who should be getting anxious.”
At worst, when the time came, he could throw a stack of banknotes at the other party and make one thing clear: not only did the debtor get to be the grandpa, the rich man did too. A rich debtor was your great-grandpa!
* * *
While they discussed the deed and indenture contracts, people inside Madam Fenfang’s private residence were discussing the same matter, though their atmosphere was clearly much more relaxed.
Madam Fenfang showed not the slightest anxiety about having been given away and having her fate placed in someone else’s hands. Methodically, she recounted everything that had happened at the banquet, even which dishes Pei Yuan Jin and Fu Xi Yan had eaten a few extra bites of and which people they had glanced at more than once. Mei Xia Ying listened intently. When he heard that neither man had paid any special attention to the young maids, he sighed softly. “Everyone says Pei Yuan Jin and Fu Xi Yan’s love is firmer than gold. I had hoped the rumors might be wrong, but after Madam’s discerning eyes examined them, I suppose there can be no mistake.”
Madam Fenfang said, “Both are exceptional men rarely seen in this age. Naturally, their standards are extraordinary. The girls at my side are attractive enough in ordinary people’s eyes, but if they are to catch the attention of those two, they still lack a certain depth.”
Mei Xia Ying shook his head. “If we are talking about beauties beneath heaven, what of Wu Xuan Yin? She still became a ghost beneath a sword.”
Madam Fenfang asked curiously, “People say Mirror Master Fu is the foremost beauty of Northern Zhou. Having seen him today, I can say his reputation is deserved. Was Sect Leader Wu even more beautiful?”
Mei Xia Ying said calmly, “Would someone my master has been unable to forget for so many years ever be ordinary.”
When Madam Fenfang heard him mention his master, she did not dare say much. She merely agreed, “No wonder that even with Mirror Master Fu’s looks, he is only Northern Zhou’s foremost beauty.”
Mentioning Northern Zhou’s beauties naturally brought Tie Rong Rong to mind. Mei Xia Ying had lain low at her side for many years and painted countless portraits of her. When she died, he happened to be visiting the Rong family and was not present. Afterward, Emperor Jianhong took the corpse away. Thinking about it now, he still felt somewhat regretful.
Madam Fenfang asked, “Now that the residence has been given away, what should we do next?”
His mood had dimmed after recalling that regret. Mei Xia Ying said, “When asking someone for a favor, how can you demand repayment the moment you hand over a benefit? Naturally, we must wait until the other party truly accepts it before bringing up what we want.”
Madam Fenfang said, “But the emperor’s envoy will arrive soon.”
Mei Xia Ying said, “Fu Xi Yan knows Puppet Arts. Perhaps he has already seen that there is another reason for Liu Huan’s unconsciousness, which is why he has been unwilling to break off the engagement. In truth, whether this marriage is called off does not depend on the Fu family. It depends on the Liu family. As long as Liu Tan Du sincerely intends to rebel, the Fu family has only two paths. They can follow Liu Tan Du and overthrow Emperor Jianhong’s rule, or they can cut ties with the Liu family. Either outcome benefits the north and harms it in no way.”
Madam Fenfang thought it through carefully and realized he was right.
If the Fu family followed the Liu family, then the north would be like a tiger given wings.
If the Fu family broke with the Liu family, then the marriage alliance would naturally collapse, and Liu Huan’s marriage to Wen Ping would follow as a matter of course.
Mei Xia Ying said, “There is only one thing I’m worried about now.”
Madam Fenfang asked, “What?”
Mei Xia Ying said, “Why did Mo Xiao Ran want to drive a wedge between Emperor Jianhong and Liu Tan Du?”
If Mo Xiao Ran had not delivered Liu Yan Sheng’s corpse intact to the Southern Border, Liu Tan Du would not have become so completely committed to following the north. After all, at the beginning Liu Tan Du did not know that Madam Liu had remained in contact with the north all these years, nor did he know Liu Huan’s true origins.
Madam Fenfang asked, “Isn’t that a good thing?”
Mei Xia Ying murmured, “When the old man at the frontier gains a horse, who knows whether it may not be a disaster? Sometimes a good thing is not necessarily good.”
Elio’s Notes: Mei Xia Ying deliberately reverses the famous proverb “When the old man at the frontier loses his horse, who knows whether it may not be a blessing?” Here the gain may instead conceal a future disaster.
* * *
Chu Shao Yang had disguised himself as an old man, but the moment he entered Jiangling territory, the Liu family, the Fu family, the Four-Way Merchant Alliance… practically all of Jiangling knew.
The Liu family politely refrained from exposing him. Fu Xi Yan had no such restraint. He teasingly sent Chu Shao Yang a slingshot, and before long, the man came knocking on his door.
When Chu Shao Yang arrived, Fu Xi Yan was sprawled across a bridge watching Fu Gui Gui chase ducks.
The ducks had short legs and could not outrun Fu Gui Gui, but they could swim. With splash after splash, they jumped into the water, leaving Fu Gui Gui stranded on the bank cursing furiously. Fu Xi Yan could not understand her, but judging by her movements, she was probably saying, “Just wait until this old lady learns to fly. Then you’re all dead.”
Chu Shao Yang still had his gray-white beard stuck to his face, and he had not removed the wrinkles pasted across his forehead and beneath his eyes. He looked thoroughly weathered. Standing beside the radiant Fu Xi Yan only made the contrast stronger.
Chu Shao Yang looked at Fu Xi Yan’s handsome profile gleaming beneath the sunlight and felt sour with envy. “I never imagined that I was still half a step ahead of you back then, yet now I can’t even see your dust.”
Fu Xi Yan turned. “Could that half-step lead have been your imagination?”
Chu Shao Yang: “…”
Fu Xi Yan asked, “Why are you still wearing that beard?”
Chu Shao Yang said, “I came under His Majesty’s orders to investigate in secret.”
“Who are you trying to hide from?”
“The Liu family, of course.”
Fu Xi Yan sighed. “Even I know you snuck into the city. Where did you get the confidence to think you could hide it from the Liu family?”
Chu Shao Yang: “…”
Seeing his dejected face, Fu Xi Yan consoled him. “It’s fine. We’re all working stiffs here. Whether your performance looks good isn’t important. What matters is whether you carried out the boss’s plan.”
Chu Shao Yang asked in confusion, “What does that mean?”
Fu Xi Yan earnestly offered advice. “It means you can keep this disguise on. Even if Liu Tan Du stands right in front of you, points at your nose, and shouts your name, you must deny everything and stubbornly hold the line!”
Chu Shao Yang: “…” If he did not need a favor from this man, he would have turned around and left on the spot.
“I heard Liu Huan has fallen unconscious.”
Fu Xi Yan said, “I heard that from Physician Ma too.”
Chu Shao Yang silently committed the name “Physician Ma” to memory. “If that’s the case, then there’s no need for Miss Fu to poison anyone on the wedding night.” The original poisoning plan had been intended to throw the Liu family into chaos so they could move against Liu Tan Du. Now poisoning Liu Huan would serve no purpose.
He continued, “You don’t want your elder sister marrying a useless man who lies unconscious, do you?”
Fu Xi Yan asked with a wicked little grin, “Why? Do you want to marry him?”
Chu Shao Yang drew a deep breath and continued. “As long as Liu Tan Du is killed before the wedding and Chiliarch Fu takes control of the Southern Border, this marriage will naturally come to nothing.”
Fu Xi Yan nodded. “With the Qinling Ancestor taking action, success is naturally assured.”
Chu Shao Yang asked in an unusually humble tone, “What would it take to persuade Young Master Pei to act?”
Fu Xi Yan said, “I can.”
Chu Shao Yang’s eyes lit up.
Fu Xi Yan said, “But you can’t persuade me.”
…
This time Chu Shao Yang genuinely could not endure it. He turned and walked away. Fu Xi Yan even waved after him with a cheerful smile. But halfway off, Chu Shao Yang turned around and came back.
He said, “I am willing to marry your elder sister. Even if we remain childless, I will never take a concubine for the rest of my life.”
In terms of looks, Chu Shao Yang at least passed the minimum standard, but Fu Xi Yan still did not think much of the idea. Fu Xia Qing genuinely liked cultured literary men. Chu Shao Yang walked the martial path, and he was not even especially good at it.
Chu Shao Yang clearly saw the disdain in his eyes and ground his teeth. “You should know that gossip has always been especially harsh toward women. If two marriage arrangements for your elder sister have already fallen through, discussing another marriage afterward may be harder still.”
Fu Xi Yan immediately grew displeased. “Today you are using your lifelong marriage as a bargaining chip to obtain help. How do I know that tomorrow you won’t use my sister to obtain something else? No matter how difficult or troubled my sister’s marriage prospects become, it must still be something both sides willingly choose. It will never be a transaction where you give and I take.”