Return journey
"You traded it for me? But it was just a case of one of you being willing to give and the other willing to take." Zhang Mobai pushed the teacup in front of Yang Fei, gesturing for him to pour him a cup of tea. "It's not as serious as you make it out to be." Zhou Ziliang shook his head. "Xiao Feng isn't stupid; he subtly probed a bit. I don't think Prince Duan gained any advantage."
Zhang Mobai laughed, "He's even trying to subtly probe? That's impressive, young man! I was a little worried about him before, but it seems I was completely overthinking it."
The final exam at Lishan Academy was scheduled for early March. Tang Feng didn't care much; after all, Li Yunrui had already arranged where he would go in the future, so who cared about the exam? Tang Feng sat under the tassel tree, fiddling with the waist token Li Yunrui had given him, lost in thought. Zhou Ziliang waved his hand in front of him. "Snap out of it! What's wrong? You were so happy just now, why are you so absent-minded?"
Tang Feng scratched his head. "Hmm... what exactly do pawnshops do? They seem quite mysterious."
"You're worried about this!" Zhou Ziliang lifted his shirt and sat down next to Tang Feng. "The Pawnshop manages all tribute and export, as well as trade with neighboring countries. It's an affiliated department of the Ministry of Rites. Hmm... The Pawnshop is divided into four departments: the Tribute Office, the Tribute Observation Office, the Tribute Cleaning Office, and the Tribute Protection Office. These four departments are responsible for welcoming and sending tribute, classifying and delivering tribute to the Pawnshop, counting the tribute, escorting the tribute from our dynasty to other countries, and then... Xiao Feng?" Zhou Ziliang rambled on for a while, then turned his head and saw that Tang Feng had already fallen asleep leaning against him. Zhou Ziliang sighed. This guy really can't keep things to himself! He was frowning just now, and now he's asleep like this.
"Hey! Junior brother, what are you doing? You two are standing so close together." Yang Fei moved a small stool over, intending to sit down and chat.
"Shh! Keep your voice down, Xiaofeng's asleep," Zhou Ziliang whispered. "What brings you to see me today?"
"Bai Bai went to take the exam, and I'm bored by myself anyway. Hey, you know, when Tang Feng is asleep and doesn't say anything, he actually looks quite like a schoolteacher. It's just a pity, considering how good he is at writing poetry and lyrics, how come studying is such a nightmare for him?"
"You have the nerve to talk about others? You're no better than me," Zhou Ziliang glared at Yang Fei.
Yang Fei quickly waved his hand, "Okay, okay, you're great, you're so good at spoiling him. Oh dear, once we leave the academy, we have to go back to Xiling. I finally had a few days of peace and quiet, but now I have to go back again."
"It's alright! Three years have been wasted in the back and forth, and the outside world has probably changed a lot by now. I heard that things have been quite turbulent in Xiling recently!"
"The crown prince has already been decided, so what's all the fuss about?" Yang Fei chuckled. "There aren't really a few reckless fools who don't value their lives, are there?"
“It’s different,” Zhou Ziliang shook his head. “It seems calm on the surface, but it’s actually fraught with danger. Shen Qinghang returned to Xiling a few days ago, I heard he went to reorganize the pawnshop. It seems someone is getting impatient.”
"Isn't that little crybaby in danger? Prince Duan just gave him the pawnshop's license, and now he's sending Shen Qinghang to handle the pawnshop's affairs."
Zhou Ziliang smiled as he looked at Tang Feng lying in his arms. "No, Xiao Feng is very important to Li Yunrui. The pawnshop is probably the safest and least likely place for trouble that Li Yunrui can think of so far! Li Yunrui has been in charge of the pawnshop for so many years and there has never been any trouble. Moreover, many of his trusted confidants have come from there."
"You mean... it's hard to say whether sending the little crybaby to the pawnshop is a blessing or a curse. If things go wrong, no one will be able to help him."
Tang Feng hadn't actually fallen asleep; he'd just rested for a while, leaning on Zhou Ziliang's shoulder. Zhou Ziliang's rambling had given him a headache, and when Yang Fei came over, Zhou Ziliang claimed to be asleep, so Tang Feng decided to pretend it was real. Listening to Yang Fei and Zhou Ziliang's conversation, Tang Feng couldn't help but scoff inwardly. Sure enough, Li Yunrui had ulterior motives for placing him in the pawnshop. But he was someone who knew nothing; why was he being targeted so relentlessly? If it were for Zhou Ziliang's military power, he could believe it, but why should he serve him? Tang Feng slowly opened his eyes, looking at Yang Fei opposite him. "Whether it's a blessing or a curse is up to fate. Now you're already worrying about my future? Be careful, or you'll lose your hair."
"My God! You're not asleep?! You're eavesdropping!" Yang Fei was so startled that he leaned back and fell to the ground. Tang Feng covered his mouth and laughed, "Who said I was asleep? I was just resting with my eyes closed. And you were right next to me when you said it. Why are you saying I'm eavesdropping? You little rascal, you're slandering me!"
"Who slandered you! If you're so capable, let go of Zhou Ziliang and come fight me one-on-one!" Yang Fei got up from the ground, angrily dusting himself off, his eyes glaring as if he could see right through Tang Feng.
Just then, Zhang Mobai pushed the door open and entered. Seeing Yang Fei grabbing Tang Feng's wrist, he frowned and said, "What are you doing?!" Tang Feng, as if seeing a lifeline, threw himself at Zhang Mobai and began wiping away tears, "Little madman, control him! He's going to hit me! Even Ziliang can't control him, waaaaah!"
"Yang Fei, are you trying to get yourself killed! Let go of my hand right now!" Zhang Mobai slapped Yang Fei's hand away. "Go away, go away, stay somewhere else."
"Bai Bai!" Yang Fei covered her hands, looking extremely aggrieved. "It really wasn't me who bullied him!"
"Little crazy girl, how did your exam go?"
"It's alright," Zhang Mobai shrugged. "If nothing goes wrong, I should be able to get into the Sixth Department."
"Six Ministries?" Tang Feng looked at Zhou Ziliang. "So, is it a good thing or a bad thing?"
“Of course it’s good,” Zhou Ziliang smiled. “Don’t you trust Brother Mo Bai’s abilities?” Then Zhou Ziliang looked at Zhang Mo Bai. “Now that the exam is over, after we perform the thanksgiving ceremony tomorrow, we can go back. I sent a message to the post station down below early this morning to reserve a carriage. They should be here to pick us up around noon tomorrow.”
"Finally going back!" Tang Feng stretched and yawned, tugging at Zhang Mobai's arm. "I've really missed Sister's cooking for so long, you little madman. When we get back to Xiling, bring two jugs of good wine and come to my house for dinner!"
"You're not at a disadvantage at all. You invited me to dinner, and now I have to pay for the drinks," Zhang Mobai tapped Tang Feng's head, smiling indulgently. "Alright, alright, whatever you say. I want to eat Miss Jiu's 'Hibiscus Fish' and 'Fried Pork Knuckle with Fermented Rice Wine'." Then Zhang Mobai pulled Tang Feng behind him and whispered in his ear, "Little brother, shouldn't you talk to your uncle about Ziliang? You should at least take Ziliang to meet him! As the old saying goes, even an ugly daughter-in-law has to meet her in-laws."
"This..." Tang Feng didn't mind taking Zhou Ziliang back, but he was worried that his father and Zhou Ziliang's father would bring up the marriage again. He'd only been with Zhou Ziliang for about half a year, and he wasn't ready for marriage at all. Seeing Tang Feng's hesitation, Zhang Mobai shook his head. "This dragging on isn't a good thing. If it goes on too long, you'll hurt Ziliang's feelings, and you won't be able to escape facing those who have to."
Tang Feng felt a little wronged. "I...I understand! But...I'm not ready to get married yet. I'm afraid that if my father and the others see that I brought Ziliang back, they'll start arranging our wedding."
Zhang Mobai sighed, "We can't keep hiding like this, can we? You and Ziliang should talk to him, that way the two of you can face this together." Tang Feng turned to look at Zhou Ziliang, who was chatting with Yang Fei, frowning. He didn't know how to talk to Zhou Ziliang. "I know I need to talk to him, but right now... I don't really want to."
"You! You!" Zhang Mobai looked at Tang Feng with a hint of helplessness. "I'm not going to get involved in this anymore. You pack your things yourself! I'm going back to my room to pack. We have to leave tomorrow at noon."
"I'll handle it myself. Can't we live without someone else?"
While chatting with Yang Fei, Zhou Ziliang noticed Tang Feng standing there with his hands on his hips, sulking. He patted Yang Fei on the shoulder and said, "Senior brother, you're leaving tomorrow. Why don't you pack your things?"
Yang Fei rolled her eyes at Zhou Ziliang. "Stop it already! If you don't want to talk to me, just say so. Why bother making up some lame excuse?"
Zhou Ziliang nudged Yang Fei, signaling him to leave. Seeing Yang Fei reluctantly leave, Zhou Ziliang walked over to Tang Feng and asked, "Why are you suddenly so sullen? Who upset you?"
"Nobody provoked me; I'm just struggling with myself."
Zhou Ziliang chuckled upon hearing this, "Why are you arguing with yourself again! Tell me what's wrong, of course! If you don't want to, that's fine too. I see Brother Mo Bai has already gone inside, aren't you going in yet!"
"Go...go inside!" Tang Feng said, walking into the house. Then he suddenly turned around and saw Zhou Ziliang watching him from behind. "Zi...Ziliang, you'll support me with any decision I make...right?"
"Of course, I believe all your decisions are well-considered."
"That's good"
The next day at noon, Tang Feng and Zhang Mobai placed their belongings on the carriage as it arrived. Since there was no road within the academy that allowed carriages to travel, they had to take a longer route down the mountain. Tang Feng and the others planned to wait for the carriage at the Jingdu Long Staircase. Three years wasn't a long time, but it wasn't short either. Tang Feng felt he had done what he should and shouldn't have done during those three years, and he had a clear conscience. Although he felt somewhat reluctant to leave, the thought of returning to Xiling made him quite happy. He had come slowly and leisurely, unfamiliar with the layout of the place, taking more than two hours to ascend the mountain. However, he was familiar with the route down, and eager to return, he arrived at the Jingdu Long Staircase in less than an hour. Looking at the large characters at the academy's entrance, "If there are many books, there will be a bountiful harvest," Tang Feng smiled and turned to leave.
Tang Feng
Tang Feng turned around and saw Dean Yan standing at the academy entrance, looking at him. "Dean!" Tang Feng held Dean Yan in the highest esteem, and upon hearing him call out, Tang Feng respectfully bowed and performed a full kneeling salute.
"Get up, child. I can't forget the time you spent playing the 'Flying Flowers' game with the students at Dongting Villa back then. I've come here today to see you off." Dean Yan, leaning on his cane and dressed in a splashed-ink white robe, stood at the door and looked at Tang Feng.
"Then... I wish that everything and everyone would remain, and that it would be the same every year."
"Next year on this day, I will soar to great heights, and laugh at the busy scholars of the mortal world."
"Thank you, Master." Tang Feng bowed deeply, slowly rose, and walked down the long, quiet steps. Looking back, he could no longer see the Dean; only two rows of sycamore trees remained, their tender branches just beginning to sprout.
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