Three Rules
Just as Zhang Mobai had said, Master Zhang was pleased with Tang Feng's arrival. Thinking it had been a long time since they'd seen each other, he had the servants prepare extra dishes. Although Zhang Mobai's father was a founding hero, he preferred a sinecure in the Ministry of Rites and avoided associating with high-ranking officials. Tang Feng's willingness to come with Zhang Mobai was partly self-serving; he wanted to extract information from Zhang Mobai's father. Tang Feng vaguely sensed that Su Zili was no ordinary person. If he rashly questioned Master Zhang, he would surely be scolded. Going to Zhou Ziliang's side now was also inappropriate. Therefore, he could only try to get information from Zhang Mobai's father. Tang Feng added a piece of meat to Master Zhang's bowl and said with a smile, "Uncle Zhang, thank you for your concern these past few days."
Grandpa Zhang laughed heartily, "As long as you're alright, that's good. You've always been frail, you were born weak. You seem much more energetic these past few years, but I was so worried when Mo Bai told me you were sick the other day." Listening to Grandpa Zhang's rambling, Zhang Mo Bai whispered in Tang Feng's ear, "Little brother, that's just how my dad is, he's a chatterbox. You can just deal with him."
Tang Feng smiled and shook his head, then added, "It's nothing, I'm all better now, so I went out for a stroll today and ended up at a pawn shop. The old shopkeeper was chatting with me and said I might have encountered a ghost."
"Sigh, he's a coward, he tells everyone they meet that they're ghosts," Old Master Zhang said, picking up a piece of food with his chopsticks. "He's always been unreliable, even when he was young." Tang Feng nodded. "He's definitely not very trustworthy. He told me that I encountered the spirit of... Prime Minister Su. I was really puzzled at the time, who is this Prime Minister Su? But I didn't dare to ask too much. The old shopkeeper seemed to believe it, and I got a little scared listening to him."
"Nonsense!" Old Master Zhang slammed his wine cup heavily on the table. "Ali just went to Shanghan, how could she be dead?" Tang Feng was startled by Old Master Zhang's outburst, then followed up with, "Yes, yes, that Su Zili... The old shopkeeper said he was skilled in witchcraft, had a pair of bells on his body, because... because he misled the court and colluded with the Emperor..."
"No! This is absurd! Absurd!" Even Zhang Mobai had never seen his father react so strongly. "Those two spirit-controlling beads were Ali's personal belongings, always tied to her waist. Back then, your father, Lao Zhou, Ali, and I often went out and caused a lot of trouble. Before Ali entered the Prince's mansion, she was a fortune teller, and she was very accurate. Half of Yan Yun's territory was predicted by her. The so-called 'disrupting the court' is completely fabricated. If it weren't for that person, Ali wouldn't have gotten into trouble, and she wouldn't have left Yan Yun." Tang Feng wasn't particularly concerned about Su Zili's past. What he cared about were the bells and Su Zili's life or death. Seeing that Old Master Zhang was also saddened, he comforted him, "Uncle Zhang, don't be sad. Didn't you say that Prime Minister Su is still alive? He must be happier in Shanghan than in Yanyun." But Old Master Zhang didn't listen to his advice at all, shaking his head, "No, you don't understand. You're too young. Zili is loyal and righteous. If he could really let go, none of this would have happened. Your father advised him back then, but he wouldn't listen, and in the end, he found himself in a dilemma. Zili is a fortune teller! How could he not foresee his own fate?"
Tang Feng felt a little awkward during the meal. He had only wanted to get some information out of Zhang Mobai's father, but he hadn't expected to touch on the old man's sore spot. As he left, he said somewhat embarrassedly to Zhang Mobai, "Little madman, I'm so sorry! I didn't expect Uncle Zhang to react to so many people. I should have known better." Zhang Mobai was also a bit bewildered by the old man's behavior today. "It's alright, little brother, don't take it to heart. It's just that this is the first time I've heard my father mention Prime Minister Su. I've heard others mention him before, and I know he's a very capable person. As for other things... well, I've heard that Prime Minister Su's name is quite taboo in the palace. You should ask less about him!" Tang Feng nodded in agreement. Suddenly, Zhang Mobai tugged at Tang Feng's sleeve and said, "Hey? You seem to be in a good mood today. Have you resolved things with Ziliang?"
Upon hearing this, Tang Feng's smile froze on his face. He shook his head, "No... I... haven't seen him." Zhang Mobai rolled his eyes. "My goodness! How long are you going to keep this up? Enough already! Once or twice is cute, but three or four times is just being dramatic. I know you can't let go of Zhou Ziliang, and he certainly can't let go of you. Just soften your stance and go talk to him!" Tang Feng desperately wanted to clear things up with Zhou Ziliang, but words spoken are like water spilled—they can't be taken back. Besides, he had his own unspeakable difficulties. He was afraid that if he spoke out, Zhou Ziliang wouldn't believe him; if he didn't, he was tormented by his own conscience.
"I haven't decided yet... but I'll find an opportunity to talk to him clearly." Zhang Mobai was slightly relieved to hear this. As long as Tang Feng was still willing to contact Zhou Ziliang, the situation wasn't so bad. Zhang Mobai whispered a few more instructions before sending Tang Feng back to his residence. After returning home, Tang Feng reconsidered the problem. If Su Zili was in Shanghan, then... was his bell also in Shanghan? If he investigated the bell at the pawnshop, he probably wouldn't find anything. Besides being heavily guarded, the bell was also crucial to the emperor, meaning he likely had no chance of accessing it. However... if what Old Master Zhang said was true, and Su Zili wasn't dead at all, then there was still a chance he could find him in Shanghan. Tang Feng thought for a moment, then decided to simply go to Shanghan and abandon his duties in Yanyun. After all, the Crown Prince was always looking for him with no good intentions; he might as well hide in Shanghan and find some peace and quiet. But... what about Zhou Ziliang? If he couldn't find Su Zili for a year or two, was he just going to ignore Zhou Ziliang for that long? Having finally made some progress, Tang Feng didn't want to ruin things with Zhou Ziliang over time. After much deliberation, Tang Feng decided to visit Zhou Ziliang the next day. Although he had his own difficulties this time, from Zhou Ziliang's perspective, he had indeed been unreasonable first, so it was only right for him to visit him.
The next day, Tang Feng went to the Zhou residence. Madam Zhou was overjoyed to see him. Tang Feng asked if Zhou Ziliang was home. Madam Zhou chuckled at first, then jokingly said, "You immediately looked for Ziliang as soon as you came in. He and his father went to the military camp, but... I reckon they'll be back soon. Come to the backyard and wait for them. Chat with your aunt." Madam Zhou took Tang Feng's hand and led him to the backyard, grumbling with a hint of reproach, "You know, it's been so many days since you last came to my place, and you didn't even send someone to tell me." Tang Feng, realizing his aunt was unaware of his illness, secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then smiled, "It's not that! I've been thinking of you, but... I've really been incredibly busy lately. Please don't blame me, Aunt."
"Oh dear, what could you possibly be busy with? Don't try to fob me off with some made-up excuse," Madam Zhou said with a slight frown, laughing and scolding, "You! You won't come unless I urge you, how can that be acceptable?"
"Auntie, it's really not like that. The pawnshop has been incredibly busy these past few days, and I've heard it's haunted," Tang Feng feigned some difficulty. "Auntie, have you heard of Prime Minister Su, Su Zili?" Tang Feng wasn't distrustful of Old Master Zhang, but he wanted to confirm with someone else, since it was all twenty or thirty years ago. He couldn't just go to Shanghan based on one person's word alone! Upon hearing that it was Su Zili, Madam Zhou's expression darkened. She glanced around, dismissed the servants, and then said in a low voice, "Feng'er, where did you hear all this?"
"The pawnshop!"
"Sigh, don't bring this up later. Your Uncle Zhou cares a lot about this person. I've only heard bits and pieces of what he said, that they used to have a good relationship, but that was before I married into the family. I met Su Zili twice; he was sincere and humble. It's such a pity. How could such a good person just leave like that? Your Uncle Zhou was so angry about it all the time. In the first few years after he left, he would still write here. When I was pregnant with Ziliang, he even sent us things from Shanghan. But as time went on, we gradually lost contact." After listening to Madam Zhou's words, Tang Feng felt that Su Zili was increasingly mysterious. It was quite difficult for a prime minister to be remembered by so many old ministers, but everyone seemed to have a different story. However, the only thing that was certain was that Su Zili had indeed gone to Shanghan, and he should still be alive.
"Feng'er! I don't know why you suddenly asked about him, but you can ask your aunt. Don't mention him to your Uncle Zhou, otherwise who knows what kind of epileptic seizure he might have again." Tang Feng nodded and then said, "I'm just a little curious, but if Uncle Zhou is sensitive about it, I won't ask, so as not to upset him if he sees me."
No sooner had he finished speaking than someone entered. Zhou Ziliang had just dismounted when the old steward, who was waiting at the door, rushed over to greet him, saying that Tang Feng had arrived and was waiting for him in the backyard. Upon hearing this, Zhou Ziliang was overjoyed, guessing that perhaps Tang Feng had come to his senses, and he was eager to rush inside. Zhou Wuhai, seeing this, frowned, wondering what was so attractive about Tang Feng that had bewitched his son to the point that he had abandoned his own father.
Zhou Ziliang rushed to the backyard and saw Tang Feng and Madam Zhou talking for two days. He then realized he had been somewhat impolite and bowed, saying, "Mother."
"Oh, you're back! You two have a good chat. I'll go to the kitchen and make some of your favorite dishes." After saying that, Madam Zhou patted Tang Feng's shoulder and stood up. Tang Feng turned around and saw Zhou Ziliang, somewhat unable to look him in the eye. "You...you're back?"
"Hmm," Zhou Ziliang walked over and tentatively took Tang Feng's hand. Seeing that Tang Feng didn't resist, he asked, "Xiao Feng, are you feeling better?" Tang Feng nodded and then said, "I... I went a bit too far the other day, but I really had something I couldn't explain to you. Now... I apologize for what I said a few days ago. As for our relationship... to be honest, I don't really want it to end, but I want to make a three-point agreement with you."
Although Zhou Ziliang didn't know what Tang Feng was hiding in his heart, he didn't intend to press him for the time being, even though Zhou Ziliang was particularly eager to know. "The three rules? What three rules?"
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