Chapter 329 Brilliant as a Galaxy! (Seeking monthly votes)
The momentous matter Chen Yunfan spoke of was none other than the fact that Chen Xuanji had returned to the Great Wei.
“A few days ago, my father traveled day and night back to the capital. On that day, the emperor appointed him as Minister of War, in charge of the military and weaponry deployment throughout the country.”
"Minister of War?"
During this time, Chen Yi read many books and gained a better understanding of the situation in the imperial court.
The Nine Ministers were Heaven, Earth, Rites, Military, Justice, Works, Supervisor, Policy Advisor, and Ceremonial.
Among them, the Tianqing General Supervisor is responsible for the appointment, removal, and performance evaluation of officials.
The Minister of the Land was in charge of the national treasury and grain, and was in charge of salt, iron, and tax administration throughout the country.
The Minister of Rites was responsible for handling matters related to the imperial examinations, sacrifices, ceremonies, education, the Imperial Academy, and the Court of State Ceremonies.
The Minister of War was the head of the military officers, in charge of their promotion and the allocation of military equipment. He also oversaw the Arsenal Office and the Postal Service Office.
The Minister of Justice was in charge of the judicial system, and under him were the Chief Justice and the Prison Administration.
The Minister of Works was in charge of craftsmanship; the Minister of Supervision oversaw the provincial judicial commissioners of each prefecture; the Minister of Strategy had the Observatory for Stargazing to determine national policies based on celestial phenomena; and the Minister of Ceremonies was in charge of royal affairs...
The Nine Ministers were not ranked in order of seniority; each performed his own duties and held the rank of First Grade.
In addition to these, there were dukes, marquises, princes and nobles, as well as the four departments of the Privy Council—the White Tiger Guard being one of them.
Chen Yunfan nodded and took a letter from his sleeve. "My mother wrote a letter. Do you want to read it?"
Seeing his mischievous smile, Chen Yi knew he was testing him, so he smiled and shook his head, saying:
I won't read the letter to my brother.
Lin Zhong was testing the waters earlier, and Chen Yunfan was also testing the waters. They both wanted to know his attitude towards Cui Yu, the matriarch of the Chen family.
hehe.
Who would have any obvious emotions towards a stranger?
Chen Yunfan was slightly taken aback, then laughed and scolded him for being cunning, "My mother didn't say anything in the letter, she just told me to behave myself in Shuzhou."
Chen Yi casually agreed, "That's how it should be."
"Besides that, there's something else, can you guess?"
"Brother, please speak frankly."
"Boring."
Chen Yunfan put away the letter and stopped keeping him in suspense. "After Father becomes Minister of War, according to custom, he will first inspect the border towns of Kyushu."
"In other words, he will arrive in Shu Prefecture soon."
Chen Yi raised an eyebrow, his hand holding the teacup paused, "Father... is coming to Shu Prefecture?"
Chen Yunfan raised his head and chuckled, "I just told you to look, but you didn't. Now you regret it, don't you?"
Seeing that Chen Yi took a sip of tea without changing his expression, he snorted in boredom and said:
"Shuzhou is the southern gateway of the Great Wei Dynasty, and the three towns of Dingyuan Army are the most important towns. For both public and private reasons, Father should come here to understand the situation."
"Besides, you and I are both in Shu Prefecture."
While lost in thought, Chen Yi replied calmly, "It has little to do with me."
"What? After marrying into the Xiao family, you plan to sever all ties with your family?"
"According to the customs of our dynasty, after a man marries into another family, his family will usually remove him from the family genealogy."
“Even if I am not removed from the list, I will be ‘married off’ and my descendants will have no connection with the Chen family.”
Upon hearing this, Chen Yunfan and Lin Zhong exchanged a glance and fell silent.
Chen Yi glanced at the two men's expressions, put down his teacup, and asked with a light laugh, "Brother, please speak frankly."
"Is there something your family asked me to do?"
Seeing that he couldn't hide it from him, Chen Yunfan shook his head helplessly and said, "Mother wants you and me to go see Father and see if he needs us to serve him."
"Serve?"
Chen Yi chuckled, “My father is one of the Nine Ministers of the Great Wei, surrounded by attendants. Why would he need me to serve him?”
Chen Yunfan hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
Seeing this, Lin Zhong stood up, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "Young Master Yi, there's no need to belittle yourself."
"Now that you are the renowned Mr. Qingzhou, I imagine the master would also like to meet you."
Chen Yi glanced at him, then turned his head to signal Xiao Die to pour tea.
Whether he can ignore it or not, how could he not know?
When Chen Xuanji replied to Chen Yunfan earlier, he also wrote him a letter, saying that he had already punished Cui Yu and so on.
His words conveyed deep care and concern.
Although Chen Yi did not reject the Chen family of Jiangnan Prefecture, he was somewhat wary of them.
Especially after learning that Chen Xuanji had been appointed Minister of War, his suspicions became even more certain.
—The fact that he and Chen Yunfan were being targeted by the White Tiger Guards should be known to the Chen family of Jiangnan Prefecture, at least Chen Xuanji and Chen Xuan were aware of it.
Chen Yi even suspected that the person who orchestrated his marriage into the Xiao family was not the matriarch of the Chen family, Cui Yu, but the head of the family—his father, Chen Xuanji.
Otherwise, given his talent and learning, even if he didn't become a king or prime minister, obtaining a degree or official rank wouldn't have been difficult.
There is another point of doubt.
After Chen Xuanji left, when he was imprisoned by Cui Yu, none of the elders of the Chen family showed up.
This contradicts Chen Yi's memories and is illogical.
With this in mind, Chen Yi made a decision.
"Now that my father has come, it is only right and proper that I go to pay my respects."
Upon hearing this, Chen Yunfan smiled again and said with a laugh, "Brother Yi, after saying so much, I thought you didn't want to see Father."
Chen Yi glanced at Lin Zhong, who had sat down again, and smiled imperceptibly.
"It would be good to see him. Let my father see that I am living a good life in the Xiao family now. I believe he will be pleased."
If it really was Chen Xuanji's idea, then his idleness in the Xiao family for more than half a year has probably already deviated from Chen Xuanji's original intention.
But what does this have to do with him?
He is now merely a son-in-law of the Xiao family, Xiao Jinghong's husband, and a calligraphy instructor, nothing more.
If the Chen family wants to use him to plot against the Xiao family, they're dreaming!
Chen Yunfan, unaware of the intricacies involved, picked up his teacup to moisten his throat and said:
"Neither of us has seen our father in a long time, and we don't know if his temper has improved."
"Is my brother afraid?"
"Afraid? Brother Yi is joking."
“My brother is a top scholar in the imperial examination and a councilor in the provincial administration. He is a role model for all scholars in the country. When my father sees me, he will surely praise me.”
Chen Yi replied, "Really?" with a hint of doubt, "Brother, I wonder what Father will praise you for?"
"Of course, it's to praise you as my brother..."
Chen Yunfan was taken aback. The absurd things he had done in Shuzhou in recent days flashed through his mind, and his heart tightened for no reason.
But despite his thoughts, he remained defiant: "...He is exceptionally talented and diligent in his duties... In any case, this time Father will certainly not scold him."
It's probably unlikely.
Chunying handles all the political affairs; he doesn't do much.
There were some mishaps on the few times they went out.
In addition to this...
Chen Yunfan seemed to have thought of something, and a smile returned to his face as he said confidently:
"If Brother Yi doesn't believe me, how about we make a bet?"
Seeing the smile on his face, Chen Yi shook his head and refused without even thinking.
Chen Yunfan's face darkened, and he snorted, "Are you scared?"
"I'm scared."
"Aren't you afraid of me... huh?"
"Brother Yi, you really are, really are..."
Chen Yunfan wanted to hit someone.
Chen Yi ignored him and took a sip of tea.
Based on his understanding of Chen Yunfan, he knew that Chen Yunfan would never be so arrogant unless he was absolutely certain of success.
He guessed that the clues given to him by the White Tiger Guard had yielded results.
Zhu Hao has been arrested?
If that's the case, Madam should return to the manor tomorrow.
Seeing Chen Yi remain silent, Chen Yunfan was furious, especially when he thought about what Chen Yi had done while hiding his identity. He almost couldn't help but reveal it.
After holding back for a while, he finally took a deep breath and forced a smile: "The annual examination is approaching, how are you preparing, Yi-di?"
Chen Yi casually replied, "Not the best, but not the worst either."
"Oh? You don't want to get an A grade?"
"There's no need..."
Chen Yunfan found him unresponsive and grew increasingly bored.
Lin Zhong, who was standing to the side, listened very carefully, his eyes scanning back and forth between the two of them.
He understood the meaning of what Chunying had told him earlier—the young master did indeed treat Young Master Yi differently.
They were generally friendly and respectful to each other.
Judging from the looks of it, Young Master Yi still harbors resentment about marrying into the Xiao family.
On this point, Lin Zhong was powerless to offer any comfort, but he silently noted it down so that he could send the message back to the Chen family.
Let's chat for a bit.
Chen Yunfan's good mood was mostly gone, and he was holding back his anger, planning to settle things with Chen Yi properly once he had achieved mastery of swordsmanship.
Chen Yi was unaware of his thoughts, but even if he had, he probably wouldn't have taken them too seriously.
Now that he has achieved perfection in two paths and mastery in several others, his cultivation level is comparable to Chen Yunfan's, so he is truly not afraid.
Seeing that it was getting late, Chen Yi instructed Xiao Die to go to Jiaxing Garden to inquire about lunch.
After Xiaodie left, Chen Yi invited Chen Yunfan and Lin Zhong to sit in the study for a while.
Lin Zhong declined, saying he was just a military man.
Chen Yi then went to the study with Chen Yunfan.
Chen Yunfan immediately noticed the painting "Prelude to Water Melody: Mid-Autumn Festival" hanging behind the desk and the flying apsaras illusion under the beam of the study, and couldn't help but move closer.
"Is this the celestial palace that appeared by the Quchi Pond on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival?"
Before Chen Yi could reply, Chen Yunfan took down the calligraphy scroll.
As he examined the calligraphy above, he gazed at the wondrous scenes of the celestial palace, marveling at them.
"Brother Yi, your calligraphy is truly exceptional. No wonder Baicaotang's business was so booming after they acquired your calligraphy."
"Qingwu told me about it several times, but I didn't go see it. Today..."
Before he could finish speaking, Chen Yunfan's eyes darted around, and he immediately rolled up the calligraphy scroll and put it into his sleeve.
The celestial palace illusion has vanished.
Chen Yunfan smiled and looked at Chen Yi, "I'll take the calligraphy copybook back and study it. Brother Yi, you don't mind, do you?"
Chen Yi glared at him, annoyed. "You're acting innocent after getting the benefit."
What's the point of asking him again now that he's already been put away?
However, Chen Yi didn't care about a single calligraphy copybook. With his martial arts skills, he could write hundreds of copybooks at any time.
Chen Yunfan was in a great mood. After looking around, his gaze suddenly sharpened and he fixed his eyes on several paintings hanging on another wall.
Its mountains, rivers, lakes and seas are magnificent and as dazzling as the Milky Way, clearly demonstrating that the artist's painting skills have reached a high level.
But all of that was secondary. Chen Yunfan's gaze was fixed on the signature in the lower left corner of those paintings—Chen Yi, Chen Qingzhou.
The Way of Painting... a minor achievement?
Chen Yunfan's good mood vanished instantly.
Damn, how many techniques has Yi-di mastered?
Calligraphy, painting, medicine, and martial arts (spear, fist, and footwork)—Chen Yunfan knows at least six of them.
Is it a person?
Chen Yunfan inwardly grumbled, but outwardly feigned calmness and asked, "Brother Yi, your painting has also achieved some success?"
Seeing that he had figured it out, Chen Yi didn't try to hide it anymore, saying, "Calligraphy and painting are interconnected, it's not difficult."
That's a lie.
It is true that calligraphy and painting share a common origin, but Chen Yunfan has rarely met a scholar who has achieved success in both.
However, he didn't show it, but instead pointed to the guqin in the corner and asked:
"How is your piano playing?"
"Playing less means limited achievements."
"Really? What about the way of Go?"
Chen Yi smiled and replied that he usually plays chess with Xiao Wuge, so his chess skills haven't improved much.
Chen Yunfan didn't believe him and dragged him into a game.
Unable to refuse, Chen Yi played a game of chess with him.
Of course, he couldn't use his full strength; to be precise, he didn't even use one-tenth of his skill.
Even so, after a hundred or so moves, Chen Yunfan still resigned.
"Let's play one more round."
"Brother Yi, how could you get down here?"
"No, no..."
As he went down, Chen Yunfan's face turned red and blue, and he hesitated, clutching a black piece.
"Brother Yi, have you made any progress in your chess skills?"
Even if he wasn't particularly skilled at chess, his chess ability was still far superior to that of other scholars.
But no matter how brilliant his moves were, he would always lose by two points in the end.
No more, no less, just two eyes.
It's okay once or twice, but it happens every time.
Even if Chen Yunfan was stupid, he knew that Chen Yi hadn't used his full strength.
Chen Yi smiled and shook his head, then put down the chess piece and said, "Chess skill does not represent the way of chess, but rather..."
He pointed to his head: "Here."
"There, there..."
Chen Yunfan realized what was happening, his face darkened, and he cursed a few times: "I'll show you what I'm capable of sooner or later!"
Chen Yi gathered up the chess pieces and board, stood up and said with a smile, "Brother, it's time for lunch."
Xiao Die had already informed them that Xiao Wan'er had prepared lunch at Jiaxing Garden and asked them to go there.
Chen Yunfan remained indignant, muttering to himself about things like music, chess, calligraphy, painting, martial arts, medicine, and not being human, which inevitably made him somewhat unhappy.
Although he has one foot in the perfect realm of swordsmanship, he is still some time away from achieving it.
Compared to Chen Yi, this level of progress is worlds apart.
Thinking about it, Chen Yunfan said with a hint of jealousy, "Brother Yi, if Father knew about your achievements now, he would be very pleased."
Chen Yi nodded noncommittally, led him out of the study, called out to Lin Zhong, and headed towards Jiaxing Garden with an oil-paper umbrella.
Chen Yunfan let Lin Zhong hold the umbrella and followed behind Chen Yi, chattering on and on.
"Did someone instruct you at home back then, Yi Di? It must have been. Those uncles and elders in the clan thought so highly of you, how could they possibly let Mother imprison you?"
Chen Yi chuckled, "Couldn't it be because I have exceptional talent?"
Chen Yunfan wanted to say no, but when he thought of Chen Yi's advanced techniques, he couldn't say anything.
My thoughts are somewhat complicated.
After a moment of silence, upon arriving at Jiaxingyuan, Chen Yunfan let out a breath and then began to speak of other things:
"My mother said in her letter that the fourth and sixth sons have already set off for here. You will come with me to welcome them."
The fourth son is Chen He, and the sixth son is Chen Yu?
Chen Yi didn't stop walking. He glanced at him and said with a smile, "Of course."
I reckon this was the idea of the eldest wife of the Chen family, who wanted her brothers to see Chen Xuanji as soon as possible.
When will Father come to Shu Prefecture?
"The exact date is unknown, but it is known that he should have finished inspecting all the border towns before the end of the year."
"I see..."
Chen Yi silently made a note of it, then composed himself and had a meal with Xiao Wan'er, Chen Yunfan, Cui Qingwu, and others.
During the meal, they mostly talked about the Medical Academy and the recent situation in Shu Prefecture, which was nothing new.
On the other side, Lin Zhong, Xie Tingyun, Shen Huatang, and others were much more lively.
Perhaps because they were all skilled in martial arts, their casual conversation revolved around the major events that had recently occurred in the martial arts world.
However, it was mostly Lin Zhong who was talking. Xie Tingyun and Shen Huatang had been staying in the Xiao family for a long time and had not left Shuzhou, so they did not know much about the affairs of the martial arts world.
"Recently, rumors have been circulating in the martial arts world that the Great Immortal Bai has come to Shu Prefecture. I heard that someone knows the reason."
"Has he really come to Shu Prefecture?"
What's the reason?
"It is said that Master Bai..."
Lin Zhong said mysteriously, "He had a duel with a top master in Shuzhou."
"hiss!"
Xie Tingyun gasped first, then asked excitedly, "Really?"
"It's still uncertain, but quite a few experts of the third rank have arrived in Shu Prefecture in the past two days, so it's highly likely..."
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com