Chapter 359: Old Xiao

"This braised eel is acceptable, the beef tongue is also not bad, but the sea cucumber hasn't absorbed the flavor, and I don't care for it. Take it away and replace it with a roasted duck. Don't serve the shad until I've had five cups of wine; don't let it get cold..."

Wang Yang chewed calmly, eating and drinking with ease. Not only did he not look like a man facing death, but he was even ordering dishes, leaving the group of advisors stunned.

The steward in charge of the meal did not dare to make the decision himself and looked toward the Prince of Badong. Seeing the Prince nod, he ordered the mixed sea cucumber and steamed shad to be removed and hurriedly notified the kitchen to roast a duck.

Wang Yang took a sip of wine, his gaze sweeping across the seating area until it landed on Kong Zhangyu. He smiled and said:

"Mr. Kong, shouldn't we have a drink together?"

Kong Zhangyu was "flattered," repeatedly saying he dared not.

Wang Yang's voice slowed, as if warming the wine and the past together, and he smiled:

"Why wouldn't you dare? We can be considered old acquaintances. I remember the first time we met was at the Bai Hu Arena for a debate. Mr. Kong stood on the platform, reading the teaching text. The phrasing was exquisite; I suspect it was your handiwork, hmm—"

Wang Yang tilted his head slightly, eyes closed in recollection, his right hand tapping in the air a few times, reciting with cadence:

"—Clouds moisten and winds soar, the nourishment of the grass dew is thick;

Stars shine and the moon stirs, the mountain spirit's rain has long washed.

The leaning orchids and angelica must wait for the hidden grace to be fragrant;

The burning phoenix, how could it not thirst for the sweet spring?"

This time, Kong Zhangyu was truly flattered!

This text was attributed to the Prince of Badong, but it actually came from his hand. Although it was just official boilerplate and not a major performance, it was, after all, on such an occasion, in front of so many scholars and students. If it had been poorly written, wouldn't it have been a disgrace? The Prince of Badong had never cared much about these things, but for Kong Zhangyu, who had actually held the brush, he dared not be perfunctory. Every word and phrase had taken much thought. Now that Wang Yang had praised it as "exquisite in phrasing" and recited the original text on the spot, Kong Zhangyu was instantly moved and bowed to Wang Yang:

"Young Master has a photographic memory; you are truly a genius!!!"

Li Jingxuan let out a disdainful snort in a very low voice.

Wang Yang waved his hand with a smile:

"It's not that exaggerated. It's just that when you read it, I felt the phrasing was unconventional, so I remembered a few lines. I remember there was another line, it seems to be... yes, it is 'The sun wheel is about to rise, observe the astronomical changes; the foundation of the era shakes, rise and fall depend on the movement of learning!' This is the light style of the rhapsody. You used the light style but achieved a high tone; the momentum was steep yet kept to the rules. And the words returned to righteousness. Added to that, summarizing the rhetoric and initiating the events, this is truly the work of a master! If for no other reason, just for this line, we must have a drink. Come, come, pour a cup for Mr. Kong!"

The attendant looked at the Prince of Badong. The Prince waved his hand impatiently, with an expression that said, "Let him do whatever he wants."

Kong Zhangyu, however, felt his blood surging and his heart pounding! He felt that every word Wang Yang said hit the mark!

He had followed the Prince of Badong for many years, ghostwriting countless times! But the Prince only knew how to make him write and never inquired about the literary style. His colleagues either envied him, looked down on him, thought his talent wasn't worth rewarding, or felt his learning wasn't in literature, leading to a sense of loneliness where no one appreciated his writing. Today, hearing Wang Yang's words, and under the Prince's very eyes! In front of everyone! Personally pointing out his refined thoughts, it felt like a thousand-mile horse that had long been in the stable suddenly meeting its Bo Le!

With his spirit stirred, he had the attendant fill his cup to the brim, stood up, and toasted:

"My thin words and small phrases have actually entered the eyes of a master; I am deeply ashamed!

Recalling the Bai Hu gathering, Young Master's spirit was elegant and peerless; every time I look back and think about it, I consider it the pinnacle.

I did not expect that Young Master's demeanor today would be even better than in the past!

The high spirit of Ji and Ruan in the bamboo grove is nothing more than this!

How fortunate I am to have met you!

I respectfully offer this cup to express my humble feelings!"

After Kong Zhangyu finished speaking, he tilted his head and drank the full cup in one gulp.

In fact, in terms of past conversations, the two did not have a deep friendship, but this cup of wine felt like that of soulmates. As the wine went down his throat, Kong Zhangyu looked at Wang Yang lifting his cup and chopsticks, speaking and laughing without restraint, and felt his spirit was even more radiant and his demeanor peerless. He thought that if this matter were to spread, after this boy died, he might be ranked alongside Ji Kang, both having undiminished elegance and increasingly fierce courage. Before Ji Kang died, he played the Guangling San, which is still recited today, causing countless people to wring their hands in sighing. So, will Wang Yang's praise of my writing just now...

The fingers of Kong Zhangyu, holding the empty cup, tightened imperceptibly. As the wine fumes entered his lungs, a heat he couldn't control rose in his heart.

While Kong Zhangyu was lost in thought, Wang Yang had already looked at Tao Rui:

"This official's surname is... Tao? We met at the Tingyun Pavilion, at the banquet for the promotion of Registrar Zhou Qiao, right?"

Tao Rui bowed and said:

"Young Master has a good memory; we have met once."

"Meeting is fate; let's have a drink!"

Tao Rui's expression was reserved, far less enthusiastic than Kong Zhangyu's, and he said coldly and distantly:

"I have taken medicinal soup and it is inconvenient for me to drink wine."

Wang Yang nodded: "That works too."

His gaze turned away, and according to the seating order, it was Li Jingxuan's turn. Li Jingxuan sneered and said:

"We haven't met, so there's no need to drink, right?"

Wang Yang laughed:

"You are not worthy..."

Li Jingxuan said angrily:

"You—"

He only said one word before stopping, glancing at the Prince of Badong, whose face was dark at the head of the table, and turned to say:

"I am not worthy to drink with you, the Langya Wang clan, but the Prince is surely worthy, right? Don't forget, the reason you can drink this cup of wine now is because of the Prince's grace and pity! But you have treated the Prince as nothing from beginning to end! You toast others but uniquely do not toast the Prince! Being so ungrateful is truly chilling!"

Wang Yang, slightly tipsy, leaned on the table, gesturing with his cup, wine fumes brushing his collar, his eyes flashing with electricity, his demeanor wild and unrestrained:

"The Prince is naturally worthy to drink with me, but it is not I who toast him, but he who toasts me."

The hall went silent, then erupted in an uproar!

"Wang Yang, you are bold!"

"Death is at hand and you still do not know how to repent!"

"This person is ungrateful and wild, disrespectful to his superior. I request the Prince to execute him immediately!"

Wang Yang listened to the clamor of the crowd, not caring in the slightest on his face. He slowly picked up two pieces of snow-white, tender shad meat with his chopsticks, put them into his mouth, and only after enjoying them did he look at the Prince of Badong.

The Prince of Badong stared at Wang Yang, his gaze like a knife, and asked coldly:

"You want the Prince to toast you?"

Wang Yang said as a matter of course:

"Yes."

A very light sneer rolled through the Prince of Badong's throat. Suppressing his surging anger, his voice became three parts deeper than before:

"You, a person who betrayed the Prince, actually have the face to ask the Prince to toast you?"

Wang Yang's brows sank, and he slammed his wine cup onto the table with a clang:

"Old Xiao, there are some things I didn't want to mention, but if you are going to talk like that, then let's talk about it..."

Old... Old what????

Before, when Wang Yang said he wanted the Prince of Badong to toast him, the advisors were still indignant and rebuked him, but now no one made a sound, because they were all stunned!

He... he called the Prince, called him Old what????

The Prince of Badong was also experiencing being snubbed and called "Old Xiao" for the first time in his life; he was stunned on the spot. He only heard Wang Yang say:

"Back then you said you would give me a great benefit, letting me help you collect brocade, and from then on be your man—"

The Prince of Badong stared at Wang Yang, his face showing mockery:

"That was me being stupid! You are so amazing, with the Langya family background and being a pillar of support, you climbed the Crown Prince's high branch early on. How could you be the man of a small clan prince like me? That's impossible..."

Wang Yang looked at the Prince of Badong, the drunkenness in his eyes fading a little, replaced by a touch of sharpness:

"I did do this for the Crown Prince, but it wasn't to climb his high branch, but to save my life—"

Before Wang Yang could finish, he was interrupted again by the Prince of Badong's exaggerated laughter:

"Hahahaha! That is simply a huge joke! Your Langya Wang clan is so arrogant, what life are you saving?"

Wang Yang chuckled, his voice raised:

"No matter how arrogant, I am not as arrogant as you! You even dare to kill me, what use is my arrogance? Have you forgotten that when you chose me to collect the brocade, you had already decided to kill me?"

The Prince of Badong roared:

"You are the Crown Prince's man!"

Wang Yang also seemed to be moved to anger, waving his hand violently, with a bit of desperate indignation:

"Stop talking nonsense! At that time, you didn't know I was helping the Crown Prince at all! You had already moved to kill me! If it weren't to save my life, would I have helped the Donggong?!"

The Prince of Badong's anger stalled, seeming a bit weak, but he quickly realized something was wrong:

"That testimony was after the victory banquet, before riding horses in the suburbs! You were already the Crown Prince's man before I let you collect the brocade!"

Oh my!

Wang Yang performed anger, but lost the calculation of the timeline. Being pointed out on the spot by the Prince of Badong, a gap suddenly appeared in his indignant expression. Although this flaw was not big, it was enough to destroy half of the groundwork he had carefully designed. It was too late to change, whether it was the rhetoric or the expression, so Wang Yang immediately—followed the mistake!

As if he had been poked in some secret pain, his intense expression faded bit by bit, his arm slowly retracted, his shoulders slumped, as if his whole momentum had dimmed, and his voice lowered, not as loud as when he was angrily questioning just now, but deeper, more desolate, and with stronger infectious power:

"So... when the people from the Donggong told me you were going to kill me, I didn't believe it at all. I thought they were deliberately sowing discord, thinking this was just a crude trick of alienation. Even later, when they told me repeatedly, I still had doubts. I thought that even if you were testing me again, even if you were guarding against me again, you wouldn't go so far as to take my life.

So even if I wrote testimony for them, it was all about things that were irrelevant and could not be verified. This belongs to 'private talk between two people, no other evidence.' Even if I stood up and testified in person, you could deny it. Look carefully at those testimonies! Everything involving testimony was about words that were out of line; there was no real evidence at all! But like you slaughtering cattle and eating the head, like you letting me buy brocade, like you wanting to kill the maid, have I ever written a word about things that could possibly be verified?!"

"Furthermore, even the Emperor said you were as crazy as thunder. If you really said that with your bravery, if you encountered troubled times, you wouldn't lose to Sun or Liu, what big deal is that? Even if they held these few pieces of broken paper, they couldn't shake your status as a prince stationed in the clan! At most, it's just splashing dirty water! Could it be that I couldn't make up more heart-piercing words? Could it be that the Donggong was soft-hearted toward you? No! It's not! It's because I never agreed! Because I always just wanted to save myself! I never thought about dealing with you! But who would have thought..."

Wang Yang shook his head and laughed lightly. There was no joy in that laugh, only the coldness of being betrayed by a friend, self-mockery for not knowing people, and the heartache after sincere feelings were misplaced, like the ashes of a lamp in a cold night, falling down with a rustle when the wind blew, and then the last remaining light dissipated without a trace.

He raised his eyes, his complex gaze falling straight on the Prince of Badong's face, his voice as light as a needle:

"Who would have thought that you would want to kill me..."

——————

Note: To deeply understand the characters in this book, it is best to read it through. I write it through as well, even for an eighteenth-line minor character. For example, the gatekeeper Zhang who was deceived by A-Wu before, he wanted to steal Wang Yang's property in chapter 300+, but the roots were already hidden in chapter 200+. For another example, Kong Zhangyu's literary talent in this chapter and the previous one already showed its edge when writing the teaching text in chapter 80+. Of course, both the edge and the literary talent are consistent with the characters' respective levels, just like the bonus item in the second volume of the physical book, which includes a couplet from the Le family manor, and one of the contents is the preface written by Le Zhan for the couplet, which also fits Le Zhan's own level with a little help from Lady Le.

Of course, I said before that this book is free, and the content in the physical book will never exceed the scope already published on the internet. This will not change. The publisher wanted me to add extra chapters to the physical book, but I refused. The extra chapters will only be released on the internet after the whole book is finished. Only after the release can the physical book add them. Moreover, this preface was originally in the discarded draft (yes, the discarded draft has already exceeded 90,000 words), but I felt it was redundant at the time and deleted it. But since it is in the physical book, I will add it to the notes in the form of pictures before the physical book is listed, so don't buy the book just for this.

In short, my writing is all arranged. Writing certain plots is either for a purpose or to express something. Fast-tracking like looking at flowers while riding a horse is not what I want. What I want is to carve the entire classical world, to carve people who are virtuous or not, clumsy or clever, to watch them meet in the wind and clouds, to watch them fight in chaos, to watch them look up at the vast universe, to watch them pity the green grass and trees. Only in this way can the delicate and rich open world be enjoyable for Haji Yang to roam, and colorful to live in. And in this enjoyment and colorfulness, there is remote depth, so whether it is the Jin Ling volume, the Northern Dynasties volume, or other volumes, they all have their own atmosphere and things to present. In fact, the dark lines hidden in other volumes have already appeared, but they have not been ignited yet, and the through-line is everywhere.

Like Kong Zhangyu and Li Jingxuan, who have slightly more writing, Tao Rui, who has less, also has a through-line. For example, in the previous chapter, only he helped Xue Shao pass a word. Why him? Because he and Xue Shao are both from the gentry. If you read the section about the conspiracy to intercept and kill in chapter 220+, you will know the reason why he helped Xue Shao. Including his refusal to drink with Wang Yang in this chapter using the excuse of taking medicine, it is also his "old tradition." You will know if you read the chapter about eating melons in chapter 250-260+. And why he didn't drink with Wang Yang in this chapter can also be found in his previous behavioral logic.

Also, like Wang Yang participating in Zhou Qiao's promotion banquet mentioned in this chapter, there was also foreshadowing before. Why was Tao Rui at the banquet? Because Tao Rui is the Provincial Policy Research Office, which is the provincial official system, and Zhou Qiao is the Provincial Document Office, which is also the provincial official system. Including Zhou Qiao, he actually showed his face. His first meeting with Wang Yang was after the debate, although there was only one line of dialogue. Many of these echoes are far apart. For example, the line of Wang Yang writing testimony was buried in chapter 120-130, surfaced when Wang Tai met the Prince of Badong in chapter 300, and then exploded in the previous chapter. In fact, this line is not over yet.

In addition to the through-line in the plot, the character image is also the same. Some echo the same trait (deepening), some form the character together (fullness), some details are the motivation for the character to do something at the moment, some are the foreshadowing of the results of doing something later, including some characters' personalities are not baseless, but closely related to childhood experiences and growth environments. Some involve social psychology and clinical psychology. Many details will not be exhausted, and it is not easy to analyze and dismantle, for fear of being misused by smart people to do bad things.

In summary, to understand the characters deeply, it is best to have a through-line understanding of the front and back. Mi Yuanzhang has a saying, "The relief has a sequence, and the evolution is through-line." If you change it slightly, it is that human affairs have a sequence, and reading is through-line. Of course, the frequency of my updates will affect this reading through-line, but it is the same after the manuscript is finished. ===== CHAPTER 360 =====