Chapter 567: The King Wins, the Bandit Loses

"Mom~"

"Ah~"

Gao Yang: "......"

In the sixth year of Zhen Guan, early February.

At this time Xiao Sui An was already ten months old, his teeth were gradually coming in, he could crawl everywhere, and even stand while holding onto the wall.

More importantly, two days ago when Xiao Sui An was being held by Chen Yan, he unintentionally called out "daddy", making Gao Yang's envious eyes turn red.

So early in the morning, Gao Yang got up and, holding his daughter, kept shouting "mom".

Xiao Sui An is obedient; he always responds each time.

But that made Chen Yan beside him laugh.

Today Chang Chao is absent, so he can rest at home.

"What are you laughing at? If you can do it, then try it!"

Gao Yang, irritated, let go of his daughter.

Seeing this, Xiao Sui An immediately crawled to Chen Yan's front, and the latter happily lifted the child, "Xiao Sui An, call 'daddy'~"

Xiao Sui An blinked dazedly, stared at Chen Yan for a while, then opened his mouth, "Di Di~"

Chen Yan:!!!

Gao Yang:???

"Ah~ Hahaha, what a good little girl for daddy!"

Chen Yan was overjoyed, pressing his face against his daughter's for a while, delighted.

Xiao Sui An giggled, unintentionally babbling in his mouth.

"Tang'er, did you see? If a person can't manage, don't blame the road; how does my little girl know to call me 'daddy'?" Chen Yan slightly lifted his chin, his tone teasing.

Gao Yang, sulking, "That's not right. Clearly I spend more time with her each day; why does she call you 'daddy' first?"

"I taught her to call 'mom', how does she know?"

"That shows you aren't good to your daughter; she won't be close to you." Chen Yan laughed, pinching his daughter's chubby cheek, "Is that so, Xiao Sui An?"

"Mm~ Ya ya~"

Xiao Sui An thought his father was playing with him, instantly beaming, stretching his little hand to grab his old father's face.

Not far away, Li Lizhi smiled at the scene, a flash of envy in her eyes, her smile becoming a bit forced.

Chen Yan noticed the scene, pondered briefly, and said, "Li Lizhi, how about we wait a few months until Xiao Sui An grows a bit, then, while the weather is fine, we also have a child?"

Hearing that, Gao Yang and Li Lizhi were both stunned.

Gao Yang didn't say anything, but Li Lizhi suddenly grew nervous, "This... this year?"

"Yes, this year." Chen Yan counted on his fingers, "You see, the weather is still cold now; counting ten months of pregnancy, if we conceive now, the child will be born in winter, which is a bit cold."

"If we wait a few months to have a child, the weather will be just right then, and the birth can avoid the child being weak and catching wind‑cold. What do you think?"

"Okay... okay!"

Realizing Chen Yan was serious, Li Lizhi was stunned by the sudden surprise, then nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Gao Yang laughed, "That's perfect. Whether it's a younger brother or sister, Xiao Sui An will no longer be so lonely; he'll have a peer sibling to play with."

"But we can't let them follow Sizi, otherwise they'll be led astray."

Hearing this, Li Lizhi gave a firm nod, "Right, we must never let Xiao Sizi lead the children around."

Chen Yan's mouth twitched.

Sizi... actually, aside from gossiping a bit, there doesn't seem to be any big problem...

Fine, gossiping itself is the biggest problem.

"Dong dong!"

"Young master, a young master surnamed Cui is at the door to visit; I've arranged him in the reception hall."

At that moment, a knock sounded, accompanied by Qing'er's voice.

Chen Yan was a bit surprised; Cui Xuan arrived earlier than he expected—he thought it would be after the Imperial Examination.

But his arrival was timely; the big move he had been holding back could no longer be delayed.

Otherwise it would delay the production of silk.

"Tang'er, keep calling the little girl 'mom', I'll step out for a moment."

Gao Yang: "......"

If she's leaving, why keep stabbing her heart?

"......"

"Duke of Wei!"

As soon as Chen Yan entered, Cui Xuan rose and paid his respects.

In terms of etiquette, Cui Xuan could not be faulted at all.

Even though, in his view, Chen Yan had always seemed more like an enemy than a good partner.

"Cui young master, no need for formalities. Qing'er, what are you still doing? Bring tea for Cui young master." Chen Yan waved his hand and sat down with a thud.

"Alright, young master."

After brewing the tea, Qing'er silently stepped out, not staying any longer.

Chen Yan pinched the tea cup, a faint smile at his mouth, "So? Cui young master, regarding the deal I proposed last time, what have you considered?"

"The terms, we can agree to them."

"But the Duke of Wei's transaction is truly hard for us to accept; a reasonable deal should benefit both parties!"

"At present, the stakes you put forward are insufficient for us."

Silk cloth is indeed important, but it's still not worth us paying such a high price.

Chen Yan gave a slight nod, "Do you feel the stakes aren't enough? That's normal; last time I already told you, don't rush to refuse—if you feel the terms aren't satisfactory, we can still talk again!"

However...... let's set the transaction aside for now, we'll discuss the terms later!

Cui Xuan's heart gave a jolt; he hurriedly tried to speak up to stop it, but it was already too late—Chen Yan had already thrown out the question:

"Young Master Cui, looking across ancient and modern times, historical records are as vast as smoke and piled like mountains; having read so many of them, what principle have you grasped? Tell me in a single sentence!"

Cui Xuan's eyelid twitched; he clearly felt his initiative being gradually taken away.

Although he clearly knew this, Cui Xuan inevitably began to ponder the question Chen Yan had raised.

After a moment, he slowly said, "The strong set the rules; the weak follow them!"

In short, it's just four words—the victor is king, the vanquished is bandit!

"Well said!" Chen Yan clapped his hands, praising, "No wonder you're a representative of this generation of aristocratic families—you see issues very clearly!"

"Back then, I was with the Crown Prince and Prince Wei, and His Majesty also asked us three this question."

"Our answers differed, but in reality they were not much different."

"Since ancient times, we have liked to judge heroes by success or failure; this is right, and also wrong!"

"After all, there's a saying: 'One general's success is built on the withered bones of ten thousand.' Yet everyone under heaven wants to be that hero, and no one wishes to become the withered bones beneath the hero's feet."

"However, being a hero is not actually that easy; indeed, many people don't even qualify to be those withered bones."

"Young Master Cui, in the first year of the Zhenguan era, Sun Fugua entered officialdom via the Imperial Examination, trampling countless scholars underfoot and becoming a top scholar celebrated in folk tales."

"Now, merely six years later, Sun Fugua has already risen to the third rank, with a promising future ahead."

"Yet, who still remembers those whom Sun Fugua stepped on?"

Cui Xuan fell silent.

He didn't know what Chen Yan meant by those words, or whether there was any hint hidden within.

But Sun Fugua's deeds are indeed true; those he trampled underfoot, even if they still linger in officialdom, are now far behind him.

Chen Yan gave a faint smile, "Young Master Cui, the Imperial Examination is imminent!"

"Who do you think will again be the outstanding top scholar this year?"

"......"