Compared to Fang Yingkan, who always puts on an innocent smile to maintain appearances, Pang Yu is more suited to the word "innocent."
Grand Tutor Pang had a son late in life and doted on Pang Yu. While he himself was cunning as a fox, Pang Yu was raised to be innocent and naive. After the Chenzhou case, Pang Yu matured considerably, but he was still no match for the shrewd and calculating Fang Yingkan, and was tricked into revealing much.
Fang Yingkan had investigated events from the reign of Emperor Renzong, including the Chenzhou case and the Xiangyang Prince's rebellion. Pang Yu appeared as one of those framed, while Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao appeared as Bao Zheng's capable assistants. There was no trace of Yan Liang.
Pang Yu assumed that Fang Yingkan came from the same place as him, and that the other party was friendly and approachable. With these two factors combined, Pang Yu lost all reservations after spending a few days with him, and even thought that Fang Yingkan was a good person.
In this respect, Fang Yingkan had to admit that Pang Yu and Pang Jin were too similar.
They're all... a bit simple-minded.
Even if Pang Yu is a bit simple-minded, his simplicity is worthwhile.
After all, not just anyone could make Marquis Fang Yingkan, the Divine Power Marquis, condescend to drive his carriage.
After traveling with Yan Liang, Pang Yu had managed to gain some basic life skills, but he still couldn't handle driving a car. Shortly after they set off, Pang Yu volunteered to drive but nearly drove into a ditch. Fang Yingkan then decided not to let the clumsy young marquis drive anymore.
The carriage traveled through mountains and rivers and arrived in Suzhou on a rainy day.
Pang Yu jumped off the carriage and looked up to see the inn in front of him. Fang Yingkan said to him, "The weather is bad today, let's rest here for now and go into the city tomorrow to inquire about the whereabouts of that person named Yan Liang."
Pang Yu had been taken care of by Fang Yingkan all the way and trusted him greatly, so he nodded upon hearing this, tiptoed over the puddle, and hopped into the house. The waiter led the horse and the carriage to the back for accommodation, and the shopkeeper, after receiving Fang Yingkan's deposit, watched the two go upstairs with his abacus.
The shopkeeper did not miss the name Fang Yingkan mentioned. Indeed, a fortune teller named Yan Liang had recently arrived in the city. His wife had learned from the young man that her accidentally lost earring had fallen into the gap under the bed for five coins.
Perhaps what they're looking for is that fortune teller... The shopkeeper thought for a moment and decided to tell them if the two guests asked about it tomorrow.
The rain was pouring down and it was getting dark. Pang Yu opened the window and looked out into the distance, where he saw a deep gray that was almost dark.
The houses were partially obscured by the misty rain, and occasionally a few cool raindrops drifted in with the wind and landed on his face.
Pang Yu lowered his head and closed the window.
The next day, Fang Yingkan pushed open the door and came out. Pang Yu, with dark circles under his eyes, greeted him.
Fang Yingkan remained calm and composed. He had listened to the sounds of tossing and turning next door all night and was not surprised to see Pang Yu with dark circles under his eyes.
"Let's ask the shopkeeper first."
"Okay." Pang Yu nodded, yawning.
When the shopkeeper saw the two men asking questions, he began to talk about Yan Liang. When the shopkeeper mentioned the young man holding a fortune-telling banner, Fang Yingkan and Pang Yu simultaneously concluded that the man was indeed Yan Liang, whom they knew.
"Master Yan seems to live in the east of the city. That used to be the Mu family's residence, but it changed owners later. If you two gentlemen want to find him, you might as well go there," the shopkeeper said. "However, Master Yan occasionally travels around the city to tell fortunes, so you might not be able to see him if you go there."
Fang Yingkan smiled and said, "It's alright, knowing where he is is enough."
After thanking the shopkeeper, the two immediately set off for the Mu residence. Pang Yu was filled with unease, anticipation and nervousness along the way. He was anticipating that he might see Yan Liang, but he was nervous that he would actually see Yan Liang.
—And there's Guard Zhan and Master Bai.
Fang Yingkan remained calm and told Pang Yu that he knew Yan Liang. Pang Yu then assumed that Yan Liang and Fang Yingkan had interacted before meeting him, but that was all.
After the night rain, the weather cleared up. The Mu residence was surrounded by green trees. Pang Yu took a deep breath and went to knock on the door.
Fang Yingkan stood aside, casually surveying the surrounding scenery.
The environment here is certainly not as good as the Marquis of Shentong's mansion, but it has its own unique charm.
Someone pulled the gate open from the inside. Pang Yu's heart tightened. The gate slowly opened, and the person who opened it was... a girl he didn't recognize.
The girl in yellow looked at the young man in front of her with a puzzled expression, and hesitated before asking, "...Young master?"
The two were extremely close, almost face to face. After seeing the girl in yellow's face clearly, Pang Yu blushed, took a few steps back, and stopped just in time at the top of the steps. He organized his thoughts and asked, "Excuse me... is there a fortune teller named Yan Liang here?"
The girl in yellow glanced at Pang Jin and Fang Yingkan beside him, then feigned sudden realization: "Could you two gentlemen be friends of Young Master Yan?"
...Yan Langjun?
Pang Jin was puzzled about the relationship between Yan Liang and the girl in yellow, but still nodded vigorously: "That's right, I wonder if he's at home?"
The girl in yellow's expression turned strange when Pang Yu nodded in acknowledgment that they were Yan Liang's friends; it was slightly aggrieved and even a little sad.
Fang Yingkan raised an eyebrow.
"Please follow me, gentlemen. Young Master Yan is currently in the backyard..." she said, her voice laced with a hint of gritted teeth, "He is drinking tea and admiring flowers with his friends."
Pang Yu could tell she wasn't happy, but he didn't know why. For a moment, he didn't know what to say. The girl in yellow realized that she had revealed her emotions and gave the two of them a slightly apologetic smile: "My surname is Hua, Hua Yue. May I ask what your names are, gentlemen...?"
Pang Yu breathed a sigh of relief and said, "My name is Pang Yu."
Fang Yingkan nodded slightly: "I am Fang Yingkan."
The three of them walked through the front yard, and Yan Liang and his friends were indeed drinking tea and admiring flowers, just as the flower girl had said.
But... there seem to be a lot of people?
Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao sat to one side, and Pang Yu spotted them immediately.
Beside them sat a young man in gray, leaning lazily against a chair and listening to their conversation; not far away sat a man in red, who slightly raised his head upon seeing the three enter. The young woman quickened her pace and hurried over to sit down beside the man in red.
The young woman said to the gray-clad young man, "Your friend has arrived."
The girl in yellow deliberately emphasized the word "friend," which puzzled Pang Yu.
Fang Yingkan looked at the gray-clad young man who was turned to the side with a slightly scrutinizing gaze.
The young man in gray paused for a moment after hearing what the girl in the gray clothes said, glanced at her, and then turned to look at Pang Yu and Fang Yingkan.
Zhan Zhao had stood up and walked towards Pang Yu as soon as he saw him, his brows furrowed slightly, and asked with concern, "Young Marquis, what brings you here? Has something happened?"
“Guard Zhan.” Pang Yu touched his nose and was pulled to sit down by Zhan Zhao, who answered his question, “I fell into the water and climbed out, and then I arrived at Wanmei Manor.”
"Ah, this is Fang Yingkan, he comes from the same place as us."
Fang Ying looked at the three of them and smiled.
Yan Liang took his hand out of his sleeve, sat up slightly, and looked at Pang Yu, who had grown a lot, with a smile in his eyes.
Pang Yu was fifteen years old back then... The boy who was a head shorter than him back then has grown taller now.
Yan Liang thought with satisfaction.
He turned to look at Fang Yingkan again. This young marquis seemed to have not changed much, and his face still had the same smile as always.
Their eyes met.
Even without being told, Yan Liang was certain that the other party had recognized him.
Hua and Dongfang watched the play from the sidelines, occasionally eating some snacks, their affection for each other tender. However, Hua would sometimes look at Yan Liang with a forlorn gaze, and Dongfang, noticing Hua's forlorn expression, would immediately adopt a forlorn expression himself.
Fang Ying saw everything, and although he didn't quite understand, he remained calm and composed.
Yan Liang brought him a chair from the house, and Fang Yingkan thanked him with a sincere smile.
He said nothing, which made it seem as if he and Yan Liang had only ever crossed paths.
Yan Liang glanced at him, then turned to stare at Pang Yu, who was explaining to Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao why he had come here and what had happened since he arrived. The boy was just as Yan Liang remembered, except that he had grown taller and his face had matured a bit.
Pang Yu could feel the intense gaze from the young man in gray. In between speaking, he couldn't help but turn his head to look at the man, and met his smiling, starry eyes.
A thought struck him, and he took another look.
Bai Yutang reached out and flicked his forehead, saying, "No need to look anymore, he's the one you're thinking of."
Pang Yu covered his forehead with his hand, and his eyes lit up instantly as he looked at Yan Liang.
"...Yan Liang!"
"It's me." The young man in gray, whose name was called, responded with a smile, raising an eyebrow and saying, "You've grown up, Young Master Pang."
Pang Yu grinned foolishly.
＊
To welcome the two who had come from afar, dinner was very lavish. After dinner, everyone rested. Pang Yu rolled around on the bed contentedly and fell asleep peacefully, but Fang Yingkan next to him was still awake.
As night deepens and the dew grows heavier, the moonlight becomes cool and gentle.
There was a knock on the window. Fang Yingkan got up and opened the window. Yan Liang stood there with his hands in his pockets, smiling at him.
"Young Marquis, it's been a long time."
The scene was exactly the same as it had been years ago, when the emperor also visited late at night, smiling and saying the same words under the moon.
"……haven't seen you for a long time."
Fang Yingkan chuckled lightly, but did not welcome him into the house. Instead, he looked at him through the window and asked, "Your Highness, what brings you here so late at night?"
The former crown prince reached out and touched his nose, saying helplessly, "I am no longer the crown prince, so please don't call me that."
Fang Yingkan smiled but remained silent.
Yan Liang sighed: "Of course I came to see you, to talk about life, to look at the moon and count the stars."
So the two climbed onto an empty rooftop to talk about life, watch the moon, and count the stars.
The moonlight was bright, and a brief silence fell between the two.
"...In the end, Your Highness, you only lived five more years."
Fang Yingkan broke the silence first, speaking slowly.
Yan Liang was a little puzzled: "...What? I lived for fifteen years after abdicating!"
Fang Yingkan paused, thinking to himself that His Highness had indeed forgotten about this matter.
He remembered it for many years, but the other person had long forgotten what he had said.
Yan Liang suddenly said "Oh" and touched his nose.
On the day before his abdication, Fang Yingkan told Yan Liang that he would see him alive again in ten years. Ten years later, he did see him alive again, but he only lived for another five years.
"I remember now..." the other person said apologetically, "but I've lived a long life, and I'm very content."
Is it very long?
Fang Ying smiled and stopped talking about it, asking, "Who is locked up in the house in the backyard?"
During the day, Fang Yingkan went to the inn alone again, drove the carriage to the Mu residence, entered through the back gate, and passed the room where Mu Rufeng and his guards were imprisoned.
Those who could imprison someone as heartless as Yan Liang must be extraordinary.
Yan Liang briefly recounted his encounter with Mu Rufeng here and explained their plan. Fang Yingkan listened to his slow and deliberate explanation without offering any judgment. Yan Liang then added that he would be responsible for sending them back, but now was not the right time. Fang Yingkan was not surprised and accepted the offer quite naturally.
"I already knew Your Highness was no ordinary person, so what's so surprising?"
Fang Ying saw the young marquis smile slightly, his voice extremely soft, which was carried away by the night wind in an instant, and his words disappeared into the night.
Yan Liang looked at him and suddenly asked, "Does the young marquis now consider me a friend?"
Fang Yingkan never admitted that they were friends. Although they were not friends, he had helped Yan Liang's faction in the court in the past. Therefore, Yan Liang suddenly had an idea to try to confirm the other party's opinion.
The young marquis replied, "You are the ruler, and I am the subject. There can never be friends between Your Highness and me."
Yan Liang paused, then laughed: "But I am no longer a monarch, and you are no longer my subject."
"...Yes, for me."
Fang Yingkan also laughed.
How stubborn!
Yan Liang shifted his gaze, lazily propping his chin up and looking at the full moon in the night sky.
"Whatever you want," he said, "but I consider you a friend."
"Please make yourself at home, Your Highness."
Fang Yingkan said.
The author has something to say: Something feels off...
Subtle_(:з」∠)_
The subtle nuances that cannot be described from all sides
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