His Highness the Crown Prince's stance has become increasingly clear since that morning court session.
Although His Highness the Crown Prince repeatedly refuted the arguments of Cai Jing's faction, and although he did not succeed every time, he remained very firm. Moreover, from all aspects of consideration, His Highness the Crown Prince's opinions were all beneficial to the Song Dynasty.
However, what was beneficial to the Song Dynasty was detrimental to most people. His actions infringed upon the interests of many, but His Highness the Crown Prince still went his own way, using the most sincere words to deceive the emperor into listening to him. He was also watertight and did not reveal the slightest clue when faced with the probing of others.
The person who was thought to be a bad apple turned out to be a wolf in sheep's clothing, which is heartbreaking for some people.
The cunning and shrewd Yan Liang was a master of officialdom. Back in the day, he and Li Xunle had a great working relationship in court, able to wittyly refute others while always having Yu Huatian backing them up. He was adept at discerning people's thoughts and knew how to outmaneuver the cunning old foxes while simultaneously winning the emperor's favor.
Before the crown prince was established, princes and nobles who were unwilling to align themselves with Cai Jing's faction formed a group called the "Youqiao Group," led by Marquis Fang Yingkan, who was known for his supernatural abilities. This group was showing signs of challenging Cai Jing's faction.
Now that the Crown Prince is showing his talent, some people are inclined to support him, while others remain steadfastly aligned with Cai Jing's party, or perhaps the Youqiao Group.
Yan Liang didn't care who stood or didn't. As long as he was still the Crown Prince, he could stand in the court and no one could control him.
Because he was busy arguing with the old foxes, Yan Liang hadn't been able to visit Pang Jin for a long time. One day, when he had some free time, he took Da Xue to see Pang Jin.
Over the course of a few months, Da Xue has grown from a tiny cub into a large creature, and it seems to be showing a real tendency to grow even bigger.
When Pang Jin saw Yan Liang, the first thing she noticed was not his face, but the white, unidentified object above his head.
"...Is this the heavy snow you were talking about?"
Pang Jin's eye twitched.
"Mmm." Yan Liang lifted Da Xue off his head, and Da Xue meowed.
"I'm a bit free today, so I brought it to play with you. Would you like to hold it?"
Pang Jin reached out and took it, and Da Xue gently rubbed against his hand. He decided not to pursue the matter of Yan Liang taking so long to come to see him, and hugged Da Xue, saying, "While you were busy, I had already explored most of the capital."
Yan Liang raised an eyebrow: "I'm useless now?"
Pang Jin nodded: "You're useless now."
Yan Liang feigned sadness, turned to leave, but after taking three steps, he turned back and asked, "Aren't you going to call me back?"
“You stopped even though I didn’t call you?” Pang Jin gave him a smug smile.
The two reconnected and decided to go out for another stroll.
During Yan Liang's absence, Pang Jin and his servant wandered aimlessly around the capital, but they ended up going so far that no one knew how to get home.
“People in the capital are very helpful,” Pang Jin exclaimed. “Many people have given us directions.”
Just as Yan Liang was about to laugh at him, he heard Pang Jin continue, "Lord Su pointed out the way for us, and so did Marquis Shentong."
Yan Liang was silent for a moment, then asked, "Marquis of Divine Power?"
“Yes, I didn’t expect Marquis Shentong to be so approachable,” Pang Jin said. “Young Marquis Shenqiang Xuejian is quite different from what I imagined.”
As a friend of the Crown Prince from the common people, Pang Jin received some attention from various factions. However, through observing Pang Jin these past few days, they gained nothing.
Aside from his great-grandfather being Emperor Renzong's father-in-law, the Pang family of yesteryear is now the Divine Power Marquis's mansion, and the sword in his hand being the famous sword Juque, the young man named Pang Jin has no outstanding qualities whatsoever.
If I had to find one redeeming quality, it would probably be that this person has absolutely no sense of direction.
Young Marquis Fang Yingkan, who had encountered Pang Jin several times without having to go to great lengths, said that he had never seen such a directionally challenged person.
Su Louzhu, who has visited the city several times because of his concern for the Crown Prince and has also encountered Pang Jin several times, said that now every time he comes to Bianjing, he can't help but wonder where he will run into Pang Jin.
When Su Mengzhen saw Pang Jin today, she also saw the gray-clad boy holding a white cat beside him. The two of them had straw hats around their necks and were carrying fishing gear, so it seemed they were going fishing.
His Highness the Crown Prince was chatting and laughing with a young man named Pang Jin. His relaxed demeanor made Su Mengzhen, who wanted to step forward and strike up a conversation, hesitate for a moment.
These days, His Highness the Crown Prince has made his stance clear through his actions, and Su Mengzhen feels sorry for having once arbitrarily judged him as lacking the talent to govern the country.
After that, Zhuge Shenhou told Su Mengzhen that the Crown Prince acted that way because he was not very clear about the affairs of the court and dared not speak rashly.
Su Mengzhen was hesitating when a piercing meow echoed through the sky, followed by the barking of dogs.
From Su Mengzhen's perspective, the Crown Prince's white cat was clinging tightly to his clothes, perched on the Crown Prince's shoulder, howling at the yellow-haired dog by the roadside.
"Woof woof woof—!"
"Meow—!!!"
Yan Liang and Pang Jin stared at the yellow dog for a while, then tentatively took a few steps—the two little guys raised their voices, and the yellow dog even followed Yan Liang a few steps.
Yan Liang: "They... fell in love at first sight?"
Pang Jin: "...Maybe?"
—No matter how you look at it, that doesn't seem like the behavior one would expect after falling in love at first sight.
Su Mengzhen overheard their conversation and was speechless for a moment.
After the two boys calmed down the frightened snow and the yellow dog, Su Mengzhen appeared in front of them.
"Master Su, it's nice to see you again!"
Pang Jin called to him.
Yan Liang met Su Mengzhen's gaze calmly, pretending that he didn't know Su Mengzhen knew his identity.
Since the Crown Prince was unwilling to reveal his identity, Su Mengzhen treated him as he wished, and followed his instructions to call him by his name directly.
Yan Liang's behavior was casual, yet not at all impolite; on the contrary, it made him approachable.
Su Mengzhen realized that Yan Liang treated him and Pang Jin in no special way, and he gladly accepted the kindness. The three chatted casually, like old friends.
Pang Jin raised his fishing rod: "Yan Liang and I are going fishing outside the city. Would you like to come with us?"
Yan Liang shook the wooden bucket in his hand and looked at Su Mengzhen with a questioning gaze.
Su Mengzhen's eyes widened slightly, unsure whether to be surprised that a crown prince was going fishing with his friends, or surprised that she had been invited to go along.
In short, it was very unexpected.
Personally, Su Mengzhen wanted to talk more with Yan Liang, but the conflict between Jin Feng Xi Yu Lou and Liu Fen Ban Tang had intensified recently, and he needed to attend to various matters within the building. Su Mengzhen could only politely decline, and after a brief conversation, he parted ways with the two young men.
Pang Jin watched Su Mengzhen's retreating figure and said in a puzzled tone, "It's strange, I wanted to see Master Su in the capital before, but I could never find him. But after meeting him at the teahouse outside the city, I can run into Master Su everywhere."
Yan Liang thought for a moment and said, "It's probably because you wandered around aimlessly after I stopped leading the way."
Pang Jin: "But when you were leading the way for me, we were just wandering around aimlessly."
Yan Liang thought about it and realized that it was indeed true.
So he said, "It seems you have a better chance of meeting famous figures in the martial arts world when I'm not around."
Pang Jin nodded in agreement: "Yes, so you can go now."
Yan Liang smiled and handed the wooden bucket to him, saying, "Then you take it."
Pang Jin hurriedly grabbed the wooden tub and looked up at Yan Liang, only to see the man empty-handed, a white cat perched on his shoulder, smiling at him with an air of refined elegance. In comparison, Pang Jin appeared rather...rustic.
"for you!"
Pang Jin angrily tossed the two fishing rods to him, and Yan Liang caught them with a light smile: "The wooden bucket is heavy, but the fishing rods are lighter. Thank you."
Pang Jin discovered that when Yan Liang got angry, he could really leave people speechless.
The Bian River flows through the city. Yan Liang and Pang Jin went to the section of the river located on the outskirts of the city, where there were fewer people and no one would disturb them while they fished.
—That's how it should be.
When they arrived there, a young man in white was already sitting cross-legged on the shore, holding a fishing rod, his head bowed and motionless.
The two sat down some distance from the young man. Yan Liang patiently taught Pang Jin how to cast the rod, while Da Xue explored the lawn. Yan Liang glanced back at it, knowing there was no danger, and left it alone.
As the first snow fell in the countryside, it witnessed such a vast world for the first time and was extremely interested in everything. It fluttered about on the grass, catching butterflies and chasing mantises, and in the blink of an eye, some shallow pits appeared on the lawn.
Yan Liang and Pang Jin were busy casting their fishing rods and didn't pay attention to it. When everything was ready except for the fish taking the bait, the two looked into the distance and saw Da Xue peeking out from beside the man in white, eager to try her luck.
The man in white kept his head down, seemingly unaware that he was being watched by a cat.
Seeing that Da Xue was having a good time, Yan Liang decided not to call it back. Pang Jin stared at that spot for a while, then suddenly said, "I feel like I've seen that person somewhere before."
Yan Liang squinted in the sun and asked, "Could it be that he also gave you directions?"
He swore he only asked the question to tease Pang Jin, but Pang Jin suddenly realized and exclaimed, "Yes!"
Yan Liang said earnestly, "It's a miracle that I was able to meet you in Bianjing."
Pang Jin: "...Go fishing."
Despite the man's serious expression, Pang Jin still felt that he was being mocked.
When Pang Jin met the young man, he had just gotten separated from his servant and was lost, not knowing how to get home. He asked the young man in white who was squatting nearby, and the young man kindly pointed out the right way for him. However, after walking in the direction the young man pointed out for a while, he got lost again.
"You have let them down."
Yan Liang's evaluation.
Pang Jin grumbled and remained silent, staring blankly at the white-clad figure in the distance.
—When he squatted down to talk to the young man in white, the man never turned his head to look at him and spoke very softly.
The snowflakes stared at the young man in white for a while, then tentatively placed a paw on his thigh. The young man opened his eyes and looked at it, meeting its gaze.
"Meow?"
"..."
"Meow!"
Yan Liang heard the commotion in the distance, lazily opened his eyes and looked over. Snowflakes were perched on the shoulders of the young man in white, almost blending into him.
Under the sunlight, the person and the cat shimmered.
Pang Jin looked over there, then at Yan Liang: "Your Daxue is going to abandon you."
Yan Liang glanced at him, called out Da Xue's name, and saw Da Xue jump off the young man's shoulder and hop and skip towards Yan Liang.
"Meow--!"
As it turns out, the heavy snow would not abandon Yan Liang.
Author's Note: The young man in white is none other than Di Feijing, the head of the Di family! Hahahaha!
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[Di Feijing]
Young, lonely, dashing, and with an air of otherworldly elegance, Di Feijing is so handsome that you can recognize him at a glance.
This boy, who could never lift his head, was the powerful head of the "Six and a Half Hall" in the capital, and everyone called him "The Bowing Dragon".
Dressed in white, head bowed. That was his mark.
"Looking back with white hair, no one knows; only Di Feijing in the world understands him." Di Feijing may be the confidant of the world, but the world may not necessarily understand Di Feijing.
—The above is excerpted from Baidu Encyclopedia.
Many of the characters in Mr. Wen's works are incredibly charming, each with their own unique traits, and none of them are similar to others.
Moreover, his novels are full of people, swords, guns, and everyone; there is a plot, but it always feels a bit padded.
And then I messed things up... Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2020-03-14 10:16:40 and 2020-03-15 13:51:18!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Zhaidu (5 bottles); Shine (2 bottles); and Time Ferryman (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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