Chapter 727: Yang Scheme

The Great King had only been back a few days; given how fast news spreads in the Great Jin, it's already good if his battlefield achievements on the grasslands have spread to You Prefecture, let alone other provinces.

These days You Prefecture feels like a festival, with street vendors and pedestrians increasing. Such joy can't be kept hidden at home; anyone with a bit of free time goes out to chat with neighbors, or if conditions are better, heads to teahouses and taverns to brag with friends, then listens to storytellers' "artistically processed" even more thrilling versions of victories.

The Guangling envoy group did not enter through Luoshui Pass; they took a shortcut straight north, and by Tongshui River they heard rumors. At first they thought the folk tales unreliable, but as the rumors grew stronger farther north, their hearts sank ever more.

For them, Baili Jing's prosperous martial fortune could only be bad news.

That day they entered the city, they immediately sent in a posting; as expected, Baili Jing did not see them.

Today Liang Bin is off duty; on his usual days off he definitely cherishes them, and won't head home until he's played enough with three or five friends. Today the Great King is also off duty—this guy, having been tricked a few times, has learned his lesson and resolutely avoids giving the Great King a chance to run into him.

He plans to stay holed up at home for a day.

Once the Great King returns to his busy court duties, he'll go out to enjoy himself without delay.

You Prefecture's summer is still much cooler than Chang'an's; after eating lunch he lies in the hallway's recliner, blowing in the breeze, "I hope this summer stays this comfortable forever~"

Just as he was happily enjoying his laid-back life, the household steward came in to report that the Guangling envoy who entered the city today had come to pay a visit.

Liang Bin didn't go to work as a beast of burden today; without thinking much, he instinctively asked, "Have the Guangling people arrived?"

That steward, a capable subordinate left by the Duke of the Eastern Capital, immediately relayed the news to the Second Young Master: the Guangling envoy entered this morning, requested an audience with His Majesty but was turned down, and has now come to their mansion.

Liang Bin slowly turned his head to glance at the steward, and in the next instant he jumped up!

"What?! That means the Guangling people have come to You Prefecture but haven't seen His Majesty yet, and they've already come to our mansion?!"

Steward: "Exactly!"

Liang Bin waved his hands frantically: "No meeting!"

"Baili Heng is truly terrible! He's afraid he won't kill me, afraid His Majesty won't remember that I used to hang out with him! He came to our mansion first thing—what does that mean?!" Our family now holds heavy troops, and we don't want to be suspected of colluding with the Guangling side.

The steward felt somewhat relieved; next time the head of the household calls the Second Young Master a "second fool," he'll surely give the Second Young Master proper recognition. It shows that serving in office truly trains a person—the Second Young Master can already think this much.

"The visitor is the maternal uncle of the King of Guangling, the Second Young Master of the Li family, saying he wants to catch up with you. And they already know you're off duty at home, so they must have inquired beforehand."

Liang Bin wanted to cry but had no tears: "The one I get along with is Li Chang; what's there to reminisce about with him? This Li Er is indeed a handful—doesn't he know what avoidance means? He's doing it on purpose!"

He spun around on the ground twice, realizing that truly avoiding him wasn't realistic, and ended up going to meet the guest up front.

Liang Bin wasn't just talking nonsense; back in Chang'an he actually wasn't that close to Li Xu, and the Second Young Master Li looked down on his playboy type, always keeping his distance. He thought this encounter would be awkward, or end hastily.

As it turned out, Li Er pulled him into nonstop warm conversation for over an hour, truly catching up; seeing the sky begin to darken, he politely offered a meal, and this person actually stayed to finish dinner before leaving.

After seeing the guest off, when he went to his grandmother's courtyard, the old lady kept asking if he missed Chang'an—running into an old acquaintance lets him talk for ages.

Liang Bin's heart jumped; that guy rushed into the palace overnight to seek an audience with the Great King.

You know, when he's resting he normally wouldn't even step near the workplace.

The Great King was quite surprised to hear Liang Bin had come; ever since he forcibly gave that guy a promotion, Liang Er has dared not approach him.

"... Today I finally got a day off, but half of it was wasted on Li Xu; I feel that this half-day, rounded off, is roughly equivalent to official duties—I don't know if I can take another day off tomorrow to make up for today." Liang Bin steeled himself, deciding to go all out, and opened with a lion's roar.

The Great King already knew the Guangling envoy had visited the Liang household; he was waiting to see how Liang Bin would shift the blame, but instead the guy came to him with this nonsense.

If You Prefecture could only have one person lounging about, that person would have to be him, Baili Jing!

"Liang Bin, you're being a bit presumptuous! You and Li Er reunited as old friends—on what grounds do you count that as official business?!"

Upon hearing "old friends reuniting," Liang Bin almost jumped up; he immediately recalled his ulterior motive and began to describe how sly Li Er was.

"... Li Er surely had no good intentions! Upon arriving in You Prefecture he immediately brought a cartload of gifts to our door, clearly just putting on a show for others. Our family holds heavy troops, yet civil officials have mistakenly accused us of colluding with them—how unjust! Fortunately His Majesty is perceptive!"

"Actually I'm not close to Li Er at all—he's older than us, we never hung out, so there's really no old friendship to recount. I'm foolish; I truly don't know what he means. Not mentioning You Prefecture, not mentioning the Jin family caravan affair, it almost seems like there's some old affection to talk about. I've only seen him a few times; during his two-hour stay at our mansion he spent half the time talking about Li Chang and half about Guangling's scenery. Do you believe me, Your Majesty?"

The Great King shook his head firmly: "I don't believe it."

Liang Bin: …?

He just asked casually.

The incessantly talking Liang Er was cut off by the Great King.

He lowered his tone, feeling guilty, and asked: "Why?"

The Great King: "I gave you a cartload of gifts, yet I didn't see you share half with me! Frankly, is your heart closer to playing with me, or with Baili Heng and Li Chang?"

Liang Bin: …

If he'd known there'd be such a blunt trap, he wouldn't have come. His father and brother aren't in You Prefecture—if Guangling comes, they come! What he says in the Liang household doesn't count.

But Liang Bin, putting on an act, said: "Of course it's Your Majesty!"

The Great King, arms akimbo, laughed heartily: "Excellent! Enough fawning, like a sycophantic minister! I don't yet have someone of your style around me—you're a rare talent! Tomorrow I'll make an exception and give you another day off!"

Liang Bin was genuinely delighted this time: "Your Majesty is wise!"

Wei Shen had had enough; he stood up and stretched. "I'm leaving, not interrupting your ruler-minister pretend-play. As I say, that Li Xu is just overthinking things, unnecessary..."

Liang Bin: …

Great King: …

Hall of Hospitality

"Young Master, Liang Bin entered the palace two quarters of an hour ago."

Li Xu snorted, "Your Highness and Li Chang are going to be disappointed."