Chapter 284 "Inviting the Wolf into the House"
"Tsk, is Jiang Ziya afraid of getting slapped by me? He didn't even come..."
Watching the four figures disappear into the night, Shen Gongbao emerged from the shadows, a hint of regret in his eyes. He shook his head, turned, and went back to his tent. "I should get some sleep. Hopefully, King Zhou won't be too angry tomorrow. Ugh, so annoying. Why don't I want to do this anymore? It's all Boyi Kao's fault. He's so lazy all day long, he's even starting to corrupt me..."
The four met up with Jiang Ziya and, after leaving the Chaoge area, to avoid danger, they rode the clouds and mist, arriving in Xiqi at the crack of dawn.
Ji Chang, the Marquis of Xibo, was already old and had been imprisoned by King Zhou for a long time. In addition, he was brought back by his eldest son. Under the dual pressure of psychological and physical stress, he soon fell ill.
Therefore, as soon as Boyi Kao returned, Ji Fa took him to see Ji Chang, who was lying on his sickbed.
"Father, I'm back."
Upon hearing the voice he had longed for day and night, Ji Chang slowly opened his eyes.
The moment he saw his son, his eyes instantly welled up with tears. His lips trembled as he reached out his withered, bony hand, trying to grasp Boyi Kao, his voice choked with emotion as he weakly called out, "Kao'er..."
Bo Yikao grasped his hand and said, "Yes, my son has returned."
Ji Chang said with deep remorse, "It is I who have wronged you, Kao'er... leaving you in Chaoge to suffer such humiliation..." As he spoke, tears streamed down his wrinkled face.
Ji Fa, standing to the side, clenched his fists tightly, thinking of King Zhou's disrespectful act of letting his elder brother play in public, and wished he could rush out and kill him right now.
Bo Yikao gently shook his head, his eyes filled with tenderness and determination, and said softly, "Father, I did it willingly. I never felt it was an insult. Compared to the opinions of others, I only hoped that Father would be safe and sound. Now that I'm back, Father doesn't need to worry about it anymore. You must take good care of yourself."
Ji Chang listened to his son's words and nodded repeatedly, saying, "Good, good... I will definitely take good care of myself, I will..."
The atmosphere inside the house gradually warmed up. Outside, Nezha, seeing Yang Jian sitting on the stone steps in a daze, curiously approached and asked, "Second Brother, what are you thinking about?"
"Huh?" Yang Jian was taken aback, then shook his head. "It's nothing, I just... miss my older brother a little. I wonder what he's doing now?"
“Yang Jiao…” Nezha pouted, it was hard to tell whether he was unhappy or jealous, “We don’t know where his destined monkey is. How could he not know about such a big event as the Investiture of the Gods? He doesn’t even come to see us.”
Yang Jian immediately retorted, "Brother, he must have something to do. It's alright. King Zhou is tyrannical, but Xiqi has a wise ruler. The Investiture of the Gods will end soon, and then we can go find you, brother."
Nezha was speechless. Yang Jiao was only good at everything with Yang Jian and Yang Chan. However, after hearing what he said next, Nezha hesitated for a moment and asked, "Second brother, you're talking about the Ming Lord. Do you think it's Ji Fa or Boyi Kao?"
Logically speaking, they knew Ji Fa first and worked with him for a period of time. Ji Fa was also a very good person. Based on their relationship with him, they should have supported Ji Fa, not Boyi Kao.
But Yang Jian hesitated for a moment and said, "Bo Yikao is the heir apparent..."
It seems reasonable, but neither Yang Jian nor Nezha are people who would follow worldly rules.
Nezha was very straightforward. He said frankly, "I don't know why, even though it's the first time I've met Boyi Kao, I sometimes find him pleasing to the eye, and sometimes I find him very irritating. It's strange. What about you, Second Brother?"
“I am not quite like you. I find him to be very approachable. He absolved his father of his sins and remained calm in the face of King Zhou’s humiliation and hardship. I truly admire him.”
Yang Jian also spoke his mind frankly. After he finished speaking, he exchanged a glance with Nezha and patted him on the shoulder, "Whether it's Boyi Kao or Ji Fa, they are both very good. I believe that whoever comes to power in the end will not make the people suffer."
“That’s true,” Nezha nodded, stood up, and said, “I’m not talking to you anymore. I’m going to find Yang Chan.”
Yang Jian immediately became alert: "What do you want with Third Sister?"
Nezha gave him a strange look. "Help me? Yang Chan has been busy arranging for the people who have come to seek refuge. You, as her second brother, don't care about your sister at all! It's me who has to help!"
With that, Nezha dashed off, waving his hand behind his back to Yang Jian, "It was my own choice, no need to thank me!"
Yang Jian laughed in exasperation: "Who doesn't care about Third Sister! You brat... just you wait!"
...
Previously, because Ji Chang was ill, the ruling power of Xiqi was in the hands of Ji Fa. After Boyi Kao returned, Ji Fa wanted to return it, since Boyi Kao was the rightful heir.
But Boyi Kao coughed repeatedly and looked pale. He said that his previous injuries had not healed and he was exhausted. He still needed his second brother to continue to help him.
Ji Fa felt very sorry for his elder brother, and with his encouragement and gentle manipulation, he worked with great enthusiasm to handle government affairs.
Jiang Ziya, who had once caught a glimpse of the rosy-cheeked Boyi Kao in Chaoge, remained silent and joined Huang Feihu, the leader of the group that had come to join him. As a thoroughly self-brainwashed member of the Crown Prince's faction, he declared that everything the Crown Prince said was true, even the falsehoods were true, and the truth was even more true.
Soon after, Xiqi officially raised the banner of rebellion against the Shang dynasty.
Ji Fa was extremely busy, while Bo Yikao was having a great time taking advantage of the situation. He would play ring toss with Nezha, chat with Yang Jian about everyday matters, and exchange tips on fishing without bait with Jiang Ziya...
"This is life!"
Having finally found some free time, Ji Fa, who knew nothing about the matter, excitedly headed to Boyi Kao's residence with his newly acquired medicinal herbs.
Just as I reached the door, I heard my elder brother call out, "Erlang."
Just as Ji Fa was about to agree, he suddenly heard a familiar voice inside give an early reply.
Ji Fa was displeased. Who! Who wants to replace him?
Pushing open the door, one sees Yang Jian sitting next to his elder brother, while Nezha and Yang Chan sit opposite him. The four of them are chatting and laughing while drinking tea.
"Second brother, what brings you here?"
Bo Yikao asked with some surprise.
The second brother is called him, but who does the second brother call?
Ji Fa squinted and sat down on the other side of Boyi Kao: "Of course I missed you, brother, so I came to see you. If I hadn't come, there wouldn't have been a place for me here."
How could that be?
Bo Yikao chuckled, "With such busy official duties, I hope you can rest more when you have time."
Upon hearing this, Ji Fa smiled happily, his eyes secretly glancing at Yang Jian and the other two.
"I know you care about me, brother, I will."
Yang Jian suddenly picked up the kettle and poured him a cup of tea, then poured some more for Boyi Kao: "Your Highness, have some water."
"Erlang, there's no need to be so polite. You have helped Xiqi a lot. If you don't mind, you can call me Big Brother, just like Fa'er did."
Ji Fa's eyes turned into knives, stabbing at Yang Jian with a sharp, menacing gaze. "So you're Erlang, huh?!"
Yang Jian seemed oblivious, nodding with a smile: "Alright, then Erlang agrees, elder brother."
Nezha and Yang Chan also called him "Big Brother," and Boyi Kao nodded with a smile, while Ji Fa, standing to the side, almost crushed his cup.
Fine, fine, I consider you all my confidants, and you're trying to steal my brother, huh?
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