Three-way stand
Liu Xuanchun's death was suspicious. Even if he couldn't accept being expelled from Lishan Academy, there was no need to hang himself! But at least Zhou Ziliang was released. Now that things were settled, Tang Feng, being the person he was, didn't want to meddle anymore and get into trouble again. Afterwards, Zhang Mobai repeatedly questioned him, but Tang Feng didn't mention that he had already gone to see Liu Xuanchun that day. Xu Chang'an's side also quieted down for a while because of Liu Xuanchun's death. Tang Feng counted on his fingers; he had been at Lishan Academy for about five or six months. The fringe trees in the courtyard had long since withered, and with the first snow a few days ago, the last few autumn leaves had fallen from the branches. Tang Feng's attitude towards Zhou Ziliang was still lukewarm as before, while Zhou Ziliang, although still as good to Tang Feng as ever, had a hint of ambiguity in Zhang Mobai's eyes.
"Hey! Do you think Brother Ziliang has already fallen for the young man? I feel like he's a little different from before!" Zhang Mobai leaned against the door frame, cracking sunflower seeds, watching Zhou Ziliang feeding red beans in the yard, and Tang Feng squatting to the side watching Zhou Ziliang feed red beans. He couldn't help but speculate, just like an old woman at the village entrance listening to gossip.
"Bai Bai, have you become addicted to matchmaking lately, or are you obsessed? This is exactly the same as before!" Yang Fei stood next to Zhang Mobai, craning her neck to look out.
"What do you know! The couple hasn't even officially started dating yet! Besides, with your oblivious nature, what could you possibly figure out? Luckily, your brother is going to marry Ziliang. If he were to marry someone like you, I would be a hundred and eighty percent against it."
"What do you mean by 'like me'? On the contrary, I have you, so what am I afraid of! I don't even like your little brother." Yang Fei was amused and exasperated by Zhang Mobai's words.
"You like her? You're the only one I could reluctantly accept! Look at them, they're a perfect match, the envy of everyone." Zhang Mobai pointed to Tang Feng and Zhou Ziliang in the courtyard. "I didn't think so before, but now they seem more and more like a perfect couple."
"Come on, they're not even that close yet, how can they be talking about a perfect marriage?" Yang Fei scoffed. "Oh, by the way, in a few days, Prince Duan and the others will be entering the academy. You'd better keep an eye on your little brother then, make sure he doesn't cause any more trouble, or we might lose a dozen heads."
Zhang Mobai rolled his eyes and said nothing more. Although he didn't want to admit it, Yang Fei was right. Once Prince Duan and the other princes arrived, the situation would change.
Tang Feng poked Hongdou's belly with a stalk of grass. "You don't need to feed him so much! Look how fat he is, with such a big belly, how will he run away in the future?"
Zhou Ziliang snatched the straw from Tang Feng's hand. "Hongdou is a Ferghana horse, capable of traveling a thousand miles a day, and needs to be fed fine grains every day."
Tang Feng curled his lip. "A Ferghana horse... eaten like this." Hongdou raised its hoof at Tang Feng, sneezing, seemingly about to kick him again. Tang Feng stepped behind Zhou Ziliang. "Hey! You're upset about what I said! You're always being violent towards me. I think you shouldn't be called Hongdou anymore, you should be called Big Sizzle! You're easily ignited."
"Big, big what?" Zhou Ziliang didn't hear clearly and quickly asked.
"Smash!" Tang Feng said, then tapped Hongdou's head with a stick. "Don't you dare throw a tantrum, or I might cut off your food supply one day."
'Knock knock knock'
Tang Feng heard someone knocking on the door, glanced at Hongdou who was sneezing and digging in the dirt, threw down the stick, clapped the dirt off his hands, and shouted outside, "Who is it!"
"Young master, I am a servant from the academy. The academy has issued a notice, and I have been sent to deliver it door-to-door."
Zhou Ziliang stepped forward and opened the door. The servant bowed to Zhou Ziliang and said, "Young master, the headmaster said that Prince Duan, Prince Yu, Prince Cheng, and the eldest princess will be coming to the academy to study tomorrow morning. Please prepare yourselves and dress appropriately so that you can pay your respects at the Jingdu Long Steps tomorrow."
Zhou Ziliang glanced at Tang Feng and Zhang Mobai and the others standing behind him, then nodded. "I understand. We'll definitely be there on time tomorrow."
"You arrived early," Zhang Mobai sneered, watching the servant's departing figure. "I was hoping to enjoy my leisure a little longer!"
"What's meant to happen will happen eventually. You'd better give your little brother a good talking to," Yang Fei said nonchalantly. He hadn't wasted his years in the Protectorate; he'd spent countless years mingling with high-ranking officials and nobles, and had long since become adept at navigating social situations.
Zhang Mobai glanced at Yang Fei, then pulled Tang Feng aside and whispered, "Little brother, don't pay him any attention. Don't worry too much either. Although he's a prince, this is Lishan Academy. Respect is inevitable, but the formalities have been reduced by more than half."
Tang Feng readily found a stool and sat down, resting his chin on his hands and obediently nodding. On the surface, it seemed he was listening, but who was Tang Feng? What did he have to fear? Even if the King of Heaven himself came, he could still hurl a few insults at him.
The next morning, Tang Feng, Zhang Mobai, and the others dressed neatly and prepared to go out to greet Prince Duan and his entourage of princes. Before leaving, Zhang Mobai pulled Tang Feng aside and repeatedly emphasized, "Little brother, don't think I'm being long-winded. Just do what you're supposed to do, but think before you speak. Don't say anything that breaks the rules."
"Oh, I know, I know, don't worry about me," Tang Feng patted Zhang Mobai on the shoulder. "You know me too well!"
Seeing Tang Feng leave, Zhang Mobai rolled his eyes, thinking to himself, "It's precisely because I know you that I specifically gave you this instruction." When Tang Feng and the others reached the long, quiet staircase, a dense row of people was already kneeling below. Zhou Ziliang pulled Tang Feng to a secluded spot to kneel, and Zhang Mobai followed suit.
Tang Feng stared at the sedan chair in the distance, which stopped at the bottom of the quiet, long steps. The first person to alight seemed to be... a girl? Tang Feng squinted, trying to get a better look, but Zhang Mobai pressed him to the ground. "Little brother, what are you daydreaming about! Didn't I tell you to do what you're supposed to do?"
Tang Feng was pinned down by Zhang Mobai, unable to move. He lay on the ground, muttering under his breath, "You little madman, take it easy!" Tang Feng turned his head to look at the center. He saw the girl in the lead holding a jade-handled, embroidered pear blossom fan, half-covering her face. Her hair was half-up, secured only by a jade hairpin. She wore a light blue jacket over a blue gauze long robe. Tang Feng raised his head, trying to see the woman's face clearly, but Zhang Mobai pulled him down, yelling, "Are you kidding me?! That's the Princess! How could we possibly look at her?"
"Whether we watch or not, we'll have to keep an eye on them at the academy. We can't keep our heads down forever!" Tang Feng muttered under his breath, but fortunately Zhang Mobai didn't hear him. Only after the prince and princess entered the academy did everyone finally stand up. Tang Feng rubbed his knees, which were sore from kneeling, and muttered, "Why is it taking so long to go up the stairs?"
Zhou Ziliang supported him with one hand, patted his own clothes with the other, and chuckled, "I didn't see you climb this Jingdu Long Staircase that fast either! And you're complaining about others being slow?" Tang Feng glared back, wanting to retort, but remembering how he had scrambled up the stairs while holding onto tree branches, he shut up. He shook off Zhou Ziliang's hand and took two quick steps to Zhang Mobai's side.
"Young Master Zhou"
Just as Tang Feng and his companions were about to leave, Shen Qinghang blocked their way. "Young Master Zhou, if you have time today, why don't we go to the Crane-Releasing Pavilion together?"
"Brother Qinghang," Zhou Ziliang stepped forward and bowed. "I can't do it today, thank you for your kind offer."
"What if I were to invite you?" A man stepped out from behind Shen Qinghang, wearing a golden crown, a dark red robe with wide sleeves, a black tiger and Hetian jade at his waist, and a belt embroidered with purple-gold python patterns. His eyes and brows exuded a heroic air yet retained a touch of gentleness. "Ziliang, it's been a long time. Don't you want to catch up?"
"I don't want to!" Zhou Ziliang's words were resolute, but his body language betrayed him. He knelt down and performed a deep bow to the man. Zhang Mobai and Yang Fei beside him also knelt down, leaving only Tang Feng standing there looking bewildered. Tang Feng looked down at Zhang Mobai and asked, "Why are you kneeling down?"
Zhang Mobai tugged at Tang Feng's sleeve, "Kneel down quickly, this is Prince Duan!"
"I kneel to my teachers and elders, and to my parents and elders. Why should I kneel to him?" Tang Feng muttered softly, but Prince Duan heard him. Prince Duan chuckled and said, "As a seven-bead prince, who else should you kneel to if not me?"
Tang Feng stepped forward, unafraid, and bowed, saying, "I kneel before my teachers because they imparted knowledge to me, and I kneel before my parents because they gave me life. What have you given me?" These words sent a chill down Zhou Ziliang's spine, not to mention Zhang Mobai and Yang Fei.
"As a leader, your responsibility is naturally to devise strategies to protect the people. Don't you think that's a valid reason?" Prince Duan, Li Yunrui, narrowed his eyes. He found Tang Feng quite interesting. Having been raised in the palace since childhood, he felt isolated and lonely at the top. Everyone in the palace, from court officials to eunuchs and maids, treated him with utmost respect and obedience. He had never seen anyone who didn't kneel before him and even dared to retort.
"Protect? Protect what! Did you go to disaster relief? Did you go to fight on the frontier? Or did you go to deal with the spread of the plague? Anyone can talk the talk!" After saying that, Tang Feng lifted his robe, knelt down, and continued, "I bow because of etiquette, not because I am willing."
"What's your name?" Li Yunrui squatted down and asked Tang Feng at eye level.
Tang Feng
"So you're Tang Feng!" Li Yunrui stood up and patted Zhou Ziliang on the shoulder. "Ziliang, it seems you've found a good wife! Would you like to come with me to the Crane-Releasing Pavilion tonight to enjoy the moon?"
Unable to fathom Li Yunrui's intentions, Zhou Ziliang could only agree, "Since Your Highness has invited me repeatedly, I naturally won't refuse." Seeing Li Yunrui turn and walk away, Zhou Ziliang grabbed Tang Feng and pulled him up, exclaiming, "Are you crazy! Do you even know who he is?!"
"He's just a prince! What's the big deal?" Tang Feng bent down and patted the dust off his clothes. "I don't think he did anything to me! He seems like a decent person, someone you can trust." Tang Feng knew that Li Yunrui had repeatedly invited Zhou Ziliang not for anything else, but for those hundreds of thousands of border troops, so he decided to probe his background.
"You're just lucky to have met Prince Duan. If it were Prince Cheng, a hundred of your heads wouldn't be enough to chop them off," Zhou Ziliang frowned. Earlier, the others had repeatedly warned Tang Feng not to speak so rashly. But in the end, they couldn't stop him. "Do you know how worried I am about you?"
Tang Feng looked up at Zhou Ziliang, feeling that there was nothing wrong with what he said, but still finding it amusing and strange. "I know, I know, you guys won't tell me who he is, how am I supposed to know he's a prince? By the time I find out, it'll be too late. Besides, it's not like anything's wrong."
"Qinghang, you've been at the academy for so many days, what do you think of Tang Feng?" After speaking with Tang Feng and the others, Li Yunrui went up the mountain and into his room. Once everything was settled, he knelt before the table, opened the books he had brought, but had no interest in reading them. He then called Shen Qinghang over to chat and pass the time.
"It's hard to say. You could say he's accomplished something, but judging from his words and actions, he seems unambitious. You could say he's mediocre, but he seems to be full of talent." After saying this, Shen Qinghang took out the Flying Flower Order game that Master Chen had copied for Tang Feng some time ago from the cabinet and handed it to Li Yunrui.
"Are these all poems he wrote?" Li Yunrui picked up the scroll and carefully flipped through it.
Shen Qinghang nodded. "If I hadn't been there and seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it either."
"Then tell me, what if he were a subject?"
"It's hard to say. Tang Feng is a very malleable person. If he is a wise ruler, he will speak frankly and have lofty ambitions, making him a virtuous minister; if he is a foolish ruler, he will aid and abet the tyranny and turn a blind eye, making him a treacherous minister." Shen Qinghang pondered for a long time before speaking, not knowing why Prince Duan suddenly inquired about Tang Feng. "Your Highness, if I may be so bold as to ask, why are you suddenly inquiring about Tang Feng?"
"It's nothing, it's just that seeing him today, he looks a bit different from what I've heard in the rumors," Li Yunrui smiled. "I've heard that Tang Feng is incompetent and wicked, forcing Zhou Ziliang to go to the border, but now it seems that the two of them have a good relationship!"
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