Chapter 239: King Meets King Meets King

The night is like ink, the building is like a jewel. Candlelight is bright, reflecting by the carved railings.

The rooms in the left corridor on the third floor of the Xiangxue Tower all hung vermilion plaques tonight, with the words "Guest of Xie" written on them. Only inside the carved door in the innermost room were the lights bright, the light shining through several layers of bead curtains and veils, reflecting orange-bright light and shadows on the walls of the corridor hall, setting off the gilded dark patterns on the door to be even brighter.

There were seven people in total under the corridor. Wang Tai's four guards stood straight, their expressions alert; Wang Yi only brought two servants, with no obvious weapons on his body, but his temperament was deep and steady, very much like a master. The last person was Chen Qingshan, who was leaning against the door with a sword in her arms, her expression cold, with a waist-high cabinet beside her, on which were placed small snacks and iced fruits.

After Chen Qingshan was cold for a while, she used a bamboo stick to stab the peeled lychee meat to eat, and then she was cold for a while, and then had another piece of golden milk pastry, cycling like this, eating with relish, which made the four guards and two servants very resentful...

Inside the room, the atmosphere was subtle.

The three kings each had their own secrets, their own confusion, their own requests, and their own taboos. It seemed that they all wanted to control movement with stillness, and for a time, no one spoke.

Wang Yi put down his chopsticks, preparing to open the scene.

Wang Yang raised his glass first and said:

"Two uncles—"

Wang Yi cut him off with his palm:

"Eh? Wait! Why two uncles? This generation is not right..."

Wang Tai shook his head and clicked his tongue:

"Zhiyan, you don't even have the generation of your own elders straight..."

Wang Yang's expression became solemn:

"Understood."

He bowed to Wang Yi first: "Uncle."

Wang Yi smiled with satisfaction.

He nodded to Wang Tai again: "Brother."

Wang Tai's expression stiffened:

"Wait a minute! How did a brother come out?"

Wang Yang asked puzzled:

"My uncle is your fifth uncle, so aren't you my brother?"

Wang Tai waved his hands repeatedly:

"No, no, I am your uncle, my fifth uncle is your grand-uncle."

"Brother, you are talking about the original genealogy before the branch was divided. According to the new genealogy after the branch was divided, my great-great-grandfather and your uncle's grandfather were of the same generation. Later, our branch inherited the main branch and also took over the small branch, so we were raised a generation for no reason. Right, Uncle?"

Wang Yang looked at Wang Yi, looking obedient.

Wang Tai also looked at Wang Yi, looking confused.

Wang Yi laughed:

"Whether you talk about it before or after the branch was divided, you two decide. I have no opinion either way." After speaking, he started to eat.

Wang Tai looked at Wang Yi and asked suspiciously:

"How did a branch division come out? It wasn't mentioned before!"

Wang Yi focused on drinking and eating, not responding, as if he didn't know Wang Tai was asking him at all.

Wang Tai had to look at Wang Yang, his tone slightly mocking:

"Zhiyan, you didn't say anything about before or after the branch division when you bowed to Uncle before."

Wang Yang blinked:

"I said it. Brother, don't you remember?"

Wang Tai put on the airs of an elder and smiled lightly:

"No such thing."

Wang Yang said seriously:

"I said it the first time we met. Wuqian heard it too. Brother, once you ask Wuqian, you will understand."

A flash of hidden anger crossed Wang Tai's brow. He clenched his palm, then loosened it, and smiled:

"Then I might have forgotten..."

Wang Yang raised his glass again, first to Wang Yi:

"Uncle!"

Wang Yi held his cup and responded enthusiastically:

"Nephew!"

Wang Yang turned to Wang Tai again:

"Brother!"

Little beast!

Wang Tai pulled out a smiling face:

"Bro... Brother!"

Little beast!!

Wang Yang said emotionally:

"My branch has long been in decline, and our family is scattered. Although I have the surname of Langya, I have no wealth to support it. When I first arrived in Jingzhou, I had nothing, was lonely and shadowless, and looking around, there was only one person left, feeling like I had fallen into a sea of fog. Fortunately, the two elders did not abandon me and often took care of me. Every time I think of this, I cannot help but shed tears in the wind..."

Wang Tai's mouth twitched, and he aimed at Wang Yi.

Wang Yi put down his wine glass and sighed:

"The sword comes from Kunwu, it must be hammered a thousand times to become a tool; jade is born in Jingshou, and it must be polished a hundred times to present its chapter! Although my nephew has had bumps in the road, being able to cultivate such talent is truly the family's fortune! Uncle is very comforted in his heart! But this cup of wine, Uncle cannot drink. Uncle is ashamed!"

When Wang Yi said this, he sighed:

"When Uncle first arrived in Jingzhou, how could I talk about taking care of you? It is all thanks to your brother. You should toast him first for this cup of wine."

Wang Tai immediately said: "Actually I—"

Wang Yang said loudly:

"Brother, please listen! When I first arrived in Jingzhou, although I knew Brother was here, our family was in decline, and I didn't dare to visit rashly. Because our branches were far apart and our paths were different, I was afraid of being suspected of climbing. Brother did not abandon my vulgarity, communicated with me, narrated human relations, checked the genealogy, and arranged the generation..."

"I, I didn't check the genealogy!"

Wang Tai was caught off guard.

He didn't know Wang Yang was at the banquet beforehand. It was a surprise attack by Wang Yi, who came to his door and said it was a family gathering. Wang Tai couldn't refuse, so he had to get in the carriage. Only when they arrived did Wang Yi say there was another Wang family nephew. Wang Tai asked who it was, and Wang Yi kept him in suspense, saying he would know when he saw him. Wang Tai held onto a glimmer of luck, thinking that Wang Yi might have brought some junior from the same clan. As a result, when he saw it was Wang Yang, his scalp went numb!

He wasn't afraid of seeing Wang Yang, but seeing Wang Yang in front of Wang Yi made things a bit complicated.

His grandfather had nine sons. His father was the eldest, and Wang Yi was the fifth. Although they were close uncles, the family had been divided early, so they could be said to be close in blood but not in heart. Moreover, the current political situation was gloomy, and even between brothers, their positions might not be the same. How could they dare to confide in each other between uncle and nephew? Just like he secretly invested in the Prince of Jingling, Wang Yi didn't know. Similarly, he didn't know what was going on with Wang Yi now.

This "wonderfully clever" fifth uncle of his looked carefree on the surface, but he was actually very shrewd. Not to mention anything else, just his official career was much smoother than his own. Wang Rong once made a joke: "Three truths and six grasses are the world's treasures. Seven leniencies and nine sharpnesses are not as good as five clevernesses."

The first two sentences are about calligraphy. The third uncle's true script (a variant of clerical script, also known as current clerical script, regular script at the time) and the sixth uncle's cursive script are both treasures. The seventh uncle is lenient but not sharp, and the little ninth uncle is arrogant and sharp, but they are not as good as the fifth uncle's cleverness.

So when his "clever" fifth uncle introduced Wang Yang to the banquet, he was stunned. Expose Wang Yang on the spot? That little beast would definitely drag him into the water; not expose him? Then he was proving Wang Yang's identity... Also, what is going on with the fifth uncle? What does he mean by introducing Wang Yang? Does he know Wang Yang's background? How did that little beast Wang Yang get connected with the fifth uncle?

Wang Tai was full of questions, riding a tiger and unable to get off. He didn't even have a chance to ask privately, so he had to sit at the same table and have a family banquet. Now he was pointed out by Wang Yang for "checking the genealogy." In a hurry, he blurted out a rebuttal. Even if someone asked in the future, he could push it off as not noticing for a moment and being deceived by Wang Yang. If he had checked the genealogy and recognized his relative, once Wang Yang's identity leaked, wouldn't he become an accomplice?

Wang Yang looked at Wang Tai with a strange expression: "Brother, you checked."

"I didn't check!" Wang Tai denied it categorically.

"Look, you forgot again. You said at the time that you heard about my discussion at the White Tiger Arena, 'becoming famous in one battle,' and were 'overjoyed, feeling honored.' You hurriedly asked which branch of the clan this 'young talent' came from..."

Wang Yang paused here and explained to Wang Yi:

"These are Brother's encouraging words. Your nephew doesn't dare to boast like that."

Wang Yi nodded repeatedly:

"I know, I know. You are the most humble."

Wang Tai:???

He hurriedly explained: "I said that, but I didn't really ask—"

"You asked! Brother, you once served in the Situ's office, helped the Situ's office Adjutant Jia Yuan compile the genealogy of the eighteen commanderies, and had correspondence with several clansmen in Yixing. So you wrote to them to inquire, but they hadn't heard of me. It's normal that they hadn't heard of me, like 'the orchid grows in the valley, and it is still fragrant even if there is no one.' Perhaps 'I have been hidden in my hometown for a long time, and only flew high when I arrived in Jingzhou'..."

Wang Yang paused again and explained to Wang Yi:

"These are Brother's flattering words. Your nephew doesn't dare to boast like that."

Wang Yi nodded frequently:

"I know, I know. You are the most introverted."

Wang Tai:!!!

Wang Tai was embarrassed and puzzled, and asked: "Fifth Uncle, did you know him before?"

Wang Yi answered frankly: "No."

"Then why did you say you knew..."

Wang Yi sighed and said slowly: "The so-called..."

Then,

Suddenly there was no sound.

Wang Tai listened carefully,

He didn't hear it.

Listened carefully again!

Still didn't hear it!

??????

Wang Tai fell into self-doubt for a time!

Did he say something I missed?

Wang Yang sighed and said slowly: "White heads are like new—"

Wang Yi's eyes lit up: "Meeting again is like old friends."

Wang Yang tapped the table: "Gathering and scattering are like dew—" After chanting, he finished the wine in his cup.

Wang Yi tapped the table: "Knowing each other will not fail!" After speaking, he poured out the wine in his cup.

The two showed each other their empty cups and laughed at each other.

Wang Tai was full of question marks: Who on earth are the real uncle and nephew???

——————

Note: Wang Yi and Wang Tai's father, Wang Ci, were sons of Wang Sengqian. The "Book of Southern Qi" only recorded the names of five of Wang Sengqian's sons. According to the order of the "Book of Southern Qi," the last son recorded is called "the ninth son Ji," which means he had at least nine sons. The "History of Southern Dynasties, Biography of Wang Bin" says: "Bin, courtesy name Siwen, loved literature, practiced seal and clerical scripts, and was as famous as Zhi. People of the time said: Three truths and six grasses are the world's treasures." Therefore, it is known that Wang Zhi is the third, and Wang Bin is the sixth, so Wang Yi's son, Wang Jun, once wrote a "Table for the Sixth Uncle to Resign from the Position of Minister of Personnel," which is included in the "Yiwen Leiju," written for Wang Bin.

Wang Yi is ranked after Wang Zhi and before Bin, between three and six, perhaps four or five. I set it as five, but it may not be consistent with historical facts; maybe he is the fourth.

ps. The transportation and eating of lychees originated very early: In the Eastern Han Dynasty, "The Southern Xiongnu came to court, and were given imperial food, oranges, tangerines, longans, and lychees." ("Dongguan Hanji") Wang Yi wrote a "Rhapsody on Lychees," which praised lychees, saying it "surpasses all fruits and is uniquely noble."

Emperor Wen of Wei issued an edict to his ministers: "Among the rare fruits of the south, there are longans and lychees, which should be offered annually." ("Southern Grass and Wood")

He also said: "The south has longans and lychees, how can they compare to the grapes and stone honey of the western countries? They are sour and not as good as those of China. Now that I give lychees to the generals and officials to taste, they will know that their taste is thin. As for the taste of dates, none are as good as Anyi imperial dates." ("Yiwen Leiju")

During the Southern Dynasties, Liu Ji wrote a "Poem on Lychees," which contains the line: "Because they come from afar, they contain nourishment and do not stay on the teeth." The so-called "come from afar" means the journey is long. ===== CHAPTER 240 =====