Chapter 109: Two Liangs
Fang Jie sat in the tea house for a long while, and Qi Lin who was standing outside didn’t speak to Tie Nu and Ye Xiao at all. When Mo Ningzhi left, Tie Nu and Ye Xiao followed her. Before they left, they cupped their hands toward Qi Lin and said, “Farewell.”
They showed no emotions when they left, but Mo Ningzhi looked at Qi Lin meaningfully.
Qi Lin was still silent.
From the start to the end, Tie Nu and Ye Xiao didn’t speak to Fang Jie at all and didn’t even look at him. Fang Jie could only sigh in his mind after seeing this. It seemed like the grudge that these two were holding in their minds was more intense compared to the grudge that Mo Ningzhi had toward Fang Jie.
However, Fang Jie didn’t blame them for anything.
Regardless of who it was, this person would be resentful after being forced to dance on the verge of death for 15 years. Mu Xiaoyao, Da Quan, Qi Lin, and Chen Qingshan perhaps held resentment in their minds as well, but they valued their relationships with Fang Jie more.
Of course, Fang Jie felt like Chen Qingshan was perhaps different from others.
Qi Lin walked into the tea house and looked at Fang Jie. He wanted to say something, but he didn’t know what to say.
“It is alright.” Fang Jie got up, paid the bill, and walked out of the building. “Tie Nu and Ye Xiao chose a different path, and it is within their rights. After living in fear for many years, it is a great opportunity for them to live in peace. I’m still thankful toward them for the protection that they offered me in the past, even though we will be on different paths from now on.”
Qi Lin was frustrated, so he followed Fang Jie in silence.
The good mood that Fang Jie had earlier was all gone. Fang Jie had to admit that it was the wrong decision to wander on the street today.
But again, even if he didn’t come out today, perhaps Mo Ningzhi would go to his shop. This girl was probably waiting for today to say those things to him, messing with his mind before the entrance exam of the Martial Arts Academy.
Fang Jie took a deep breath and said to Qi Lin with a smile, “I suddenly realized that she is a child who hasn’t grown up. After experiencing hardship for me for three years, this is her childish way of getting back at me.”
Qi Lin who was frustrated laughed, and he scratched his head and said, “She is actually a quiet girl. In the last three years, even though she knew she was only a decoy, she never cried or made a fuss. She didn’t even say that she missed home. Most of the time, she would sit around quietly; she even liked sitting with Chen Qingshan. You know… Chen Qingshan never showed good temper toward anyone but you.”
“Her life back home must be unpleasant,” Fang Jie said after thinking for a bit, “There are only two types of people who could calmly accept this reality. There are idiots and people who desperately wanted to escape their situations.”
“She definitely isn’t an idiot,” Qi Lin replied earnestly.
Fang Jie laughed and said, “However, she isn’t that smart as well. Brother Qi Lin, let’s go somewhere.”
“Where?”
“Gold-Sharing Duke’s residence.”
…
Wu Yidao said that he would be making money in his sleep, but he always looked calm and relaxed in Fang Jie’s eyes. At least he didn’t appear busy.
When Fang Jie and Qi Lin got to Gold-Sharing Duke’s residence, this wealthy merchant was fishing at that small lotus pond.
“Fishing the fish that you bought? How come it looks strange to me?” Fang Jie said as he smiled and walked to Wu Yidao. “You bought koi fish to put in the lotus pond, and now you are fishing them up to eat. Isn’t it wasteful?”
Wu Yidao stared at the float and replied without turning his head, “This is an elegant activity; how come it turns boring when you say it? Fish have two uses in my opinion. First, I put them in the pond for fun. Second, after I get bored with them, I will fish them up and eat them. Don’t you think that I wasted nothing?”
Fang Jie sat down beside the lotus pond and said with a smile, “Sir, can I ask you for a favor?”
“Speak.”
“I’m going into the Martial Arts Academy tomorrow for the entrance exam. You know that this is an important thing for me.”
“I wish you all the best.”
“Eh, thanks. I’m wondering if you will allow the people close to me to stay in your residence when I go to the exam tomorrow. If I make it into the academy, I will need to live there, and the people close to me couldn’t go. However, you know that they aren’t safe in Chang’an. There are four of them in total; two males and two females.”
“Ok.” Wu Yidao nodded without hesitation.
Fang Jie cupped his hands and thanked Wu Yidao seriously.
“Don’t sweat it. They can live here, but they need to pay rent. Four of them, right? Just pay for six people. Each person’s rent is five taels of silver a month. Don’t even try to negotiate; I wouldn’t allow it if it is a cash coin less.”
“How come?” Fang Jie retorted, “There are only four people; why do I need to pay for six people?”
Wu Yidao glanced at Qi Lin who was standing not far away and said, “That guy you brought over will need double the area to sleep and eat three people’s portions. In business, I deal fairly. You can deny my claim if you truly feel another way. Even if you say that he eats less than my cat, I will believe you.”
Fang Jie froze for a second before adding, “There is a thin one; he will only need half the area to sleep!”
“Don’t joke around.” Wu Yidao rolled his eyes and said, “Da Quan, right? He is indeed thin and needs less area to sleep, but he must eat meat in every meal, so he would eat two people’s portions at least. I’m already giving you a discount to charge for only six people. If you don’t want to pay, you can go somewhere else.”
“You are the wealthiest merchant in Great Sui; do you have to argue over only 30 taels of silver a month?”
“I earned my money little by little like this. I can’t just charge less because I’m rich; I will lose my riches that way.”
Fang Jie was at a loss for words. Then, he thought about it and said, “You must have heard about something. Recently, many people are buying questions that will be on the entrance exam of the Martial Arts Academy. A friend of mine bought a copy for 1,000 silver taels before making a copy overnight and giving it to me. What do you think about this?”
Wu Yidao nodded and said, “This person is indeed a good friend.”
Fang Jie replied with slight anger, “You know I’m not asking about that!”
“You seem anxious today.” Wu Yidao’s reply still didn’t fit the question.
Fang Jie froze for a bit before nodding. “Yeah, you are right. I’m being annoyed by someone’s childish tactic. I know that it is probably like a fight between kids, but I’m still not feeling confident.”
“Do you need help?” Wu Yidao asked.
“No, I already paid,” Fang Jie said with a smile, “Let’s talk about these questions. What do you think?”
“Even you know about it; how could I not know? Since even I know, how could the government not know? You shouldn’t ask what I think; you should ask what the government thinks. Since you are going to pay me six people’s rent from now on, I will tell you a piece of information for free.”
“What is it?”
“Those questions are fake.”
“I know!” Fang Jie said, “If I can’t even guess that, I would be a fool.”
“There are many fools; your friend who bought a copy and made a copy for you overnight for example. To my knowledge, hundreds of copies had been sold. Each copy is 1,000 silver taels. Hundreds of thousands of silver taels had been made. This business is lucrative. If I’m not afraid of death, I would have done it as well. Creating fake questions will make hundreds of people from big families show their idiotic nature and earn a ton of money. This is perfect.”
Fang Jie sighed, “I want to know who is so brave, risking life for money. This person should be the most idiotic. Does this person think that the government couldn’t figure it out? Are the Intelligence Department, the Ministry of Justice, and the Court of Judicial Review useless?”
Wu Yidao looked at Fang Jie with an interesting expression and said, “In fact, the agencies that you just mentioned haven’t figured out who is doing this. I heard that the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review seemed useless in the last few cases, so they sent out many masters to investigate, wanting to redeem themselves. His Majesty also knows about this, and he ordered Hou Wenji to arrest the person behind this scheme. I knew about this case three days earlier than you, but some people still bought copies in the last three days, and the person behind it still isn’t arrested. In order not to alert this criminal, nothing has been said about these fake questions, so more idiots are being tricked.”
Fang Jie heaved a long sigh and said, “Fortunately, His Majesty isn’t trying to see if the real questions have been leaked. If His Majesty pursues this case, many people in the government will be prosecuted. Those big figures who are responsible for creating questions must be anxious by now.”
Wu Yidao rolled his eyes at Fang Jie as if the latter was an idiot as well.
“You and the person who created these fake questions are all smart, but you all seem idiotic since your level isn’t high enough,” Wu Yidao said, “The person who created these fake questions want to mess up the government, trying to make His Majesty angry and get many officials killed. The more officials died, the happier this criminal would be. However, His Majesty wouldn’t do this.”
“Why?”
“There is only one person who makes the questions, and he is Principal Zhou of the Martial Arts Academy,” Wu Yidao said with a smile, “The person who made these fake questions doesn’t know much but want to cause destruction. Every high-ranking official knows that Principal Zhou is the only person creating questions this year. Would the Emperor blame Principal Zhou for these fake questions? The person behind all this could only make hundreds of thousands of silver taels and achieve nothing else.”
After freezing for a moment, Fang Jie couldn’t help but laugh.
Wu Yidao added, “Right now, everyone in the government wants to know who this person is. This person could think of such a vicious yet idiotic tactic. I also want to know who this person is.”
…
-Smooth Spring Garden-
Seeing the Emperor talking with Hou Wenji, Su Buwei hesitated for a moment and reminded in a soft voice, “Your Majesty, the King of Xu State and others have been here for a while, and they are waiting outside.”
The Emperor froze for a second and said to Hou Wenji, “You can go and take care of this. This can’t be delayed any longer. Although every copy is handwritten and not printed, and it is hard to trace it, you should be able to find something by tracing the rice paper used. I will wait for your news.”
Hou Wenji quickly nodded and backed out of the room with a bent back.
When he got to the door, he saw Yang Kai, the King of Xu State, and two people standing by the door. He cupped his hands and greeted, “Hello, Your Highness.”
Yang Kai exchanged some greetings with Hou Wenji before he was summoned.
Before leaving, Hou Wenji couldn’t help but look back at the two people behind Yang Kai. He frowned slightly since he was surprised to see these two people who had been locked up in the Heavenly Dungeon for close to 12 years.
Hou Wenji sighed, “After about 12 years, these two finally get to see sunlight, and they probably are going to soar into the sky.”
Yang Kai and the other two walked into the room. Yang Kai raised the hem of his robe and knelt before greeting the Emperor. Although the two people behind him appeared a little unwilling, they knelt with him.
“Greetings from your subordinate Yang Kai, Your Majesty.”
“Greetings from peasant Mou Liangbi, peasant Zong Lianghu, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor looked to the side and said, “Please all get up. Twelfth Brother, sit down beside me. You two, find spots to sit. There is tea on the table and snacks in the plate.”
According to the grand royal ranking for the Emperor’s generation, Yang Kai ranked 12th.
The Emperor looked at Yang Kai and said, “Yu Donglai, the Deputy of the Ministry of War, had disappointed me repeatedly, and I already accepted his letter of resignation. However, the Ministry of War would be useless without a manager. Some people nominated you to manage the Ministry of War. Twelfth Brother, are you willing to accept this task?”
“Huh?” Yang Kai froze for a second before quickly getting up and saying, “I’m not suitable for the job!”
“Huh?” The Emperor smiled; he liked the straightforwardness of this cousin of his. “Then, who should I appoint in your opinion?”
Yang Kai turned around and pointed at the two people who were silent. “Mou Liangbi can be the head of the ministry, and Zong Lianghu can be the deputy!”
They showed no emotions when they left, but Mo Ningzhi looked at Qi Lin meaningfully.
Qi Lin was still silent.
From the start to the end, Tie Nu and Ye Xiao didn’t speak to Fang Jie at all and didn’t even look at him. Fang Jie could only sigh in his mind after seeing this. It seemed like the grudge that these two were holding in their minds was more intense compared to the grudge that Mo Ningzhi had toward Fang Jie.
However, Fang Jie didn’t blame them for anything.
Regardless of who it was, this person would be resentful after being forced to dance on the verge of death for 15 years. Mu Xiaoyao, Da Quan, Qi Lin, and Chen Qingshan perhaps held resentment in their minds as well, but they valued their relationships with Fang Jie more.
Of course, Fang Jie felt like Chen Qingshan was perhaps different from others.
Qi Lin walked into the tea house and looked at Fang Jie. He wanted to say something, but he didn’t know what to say.
“It is alright.” Fang Jie got up, paid the bill, and walked out of the building. “Tie Nu and Ye Xiao chose a different path, and it is within their rights. After living in fear for many years, it is a great opportunity for them to live in peace. I’m still thankful toward them for the protection that they offered me in the past, even though we will be on different paths from now on.”
Qi Lin was frustrated, so he followed Fang Jie in silence.
The good mood that Fang Jie had earlier was all gone. Fang Jie had to admit that it was the wrong decision to wander on the street today.
But again, even if he didn’t come out today, perhaps Mo Ningzhi would go to his shop. This girl was probably waiting for today to say those things to him, messing with his mind before the entrance exam of the Martial Arts Academy.
Fang Jie took a deep breath and said to Qi Lin with a smile, “I suddenly realized that she is a child who hasn’t grown up. After experiencing hardship for me for three years, this is her childish way of getting back at me.”
Qi Lin who was frustrated laughed, and he scratched his head and said, “She is actually a quiet girl. In the last three years, even though she knew she was only a decoy, she never cried or made a fuss. She didn’t even say that she missed home. Most of the time, she would sit around quietly; she even liked sitting with Chen Qingshan. You know… Chen Qingshan never showed good temper toward anyone but you.”
“Her life back home must be unpleasant,” Fang Jie said after thinking for a bit, “There are only two types of people who could calmly accept this reality. There are idiots and people who desperately wanted to escape their situations.”
“She definitely isn’t an idiot,” Qi Lin replied earnestly.
Fang Jie laughed and said, “However, she isn’t that smart as well. Brother Qi Lin, let’s go somewhere.”
“Where?”
“Gold-Sharing Duke’s residence.”
…
Wu Yidao said that he would be making money in his sleep, but he always looked calm and relaxed in Fang Jie’s eyes. At least he didn’t appear busy.
When Fang Jie and Qi Lin got to Gold-Sharing Duke’s residence, this wealthy merchant was fishing at that small lotus pond.
“Fishing the fish that you bought? How come it looks strange to me?” Fang Jie said as he smiled and walked to Wu Yidao. “You bought koi fish to put in the lotus pond, and now you are fishing them up to eat. Isn’t it wasteful?”
Wu Yidao stared at the float and replied without turning his head, “This is an elegant activity; how come it turns boring when you say it? Fish have two uses in my opinion. First, I put them in the pond for fun. Second, after I get bored with them, I will fish them up and eat them. Don’t you think that I wasted nothing?”
Fang Jie sat down beside the lotus pond and said with a smile, “Sir, can I ask you for a favor?”
“Speak.”
“I’m going into the Martial Arts Academy tomorrow for the entrance exam. You know that this is an important thing for me.”
“I wish you all the best.”
“Eh, thanks. I’m wondering if you will allow the people close to me to stay in your residence when I go to the exam tomorrow. If I make it into the academy, I will need to live there, and the people close to me couldn’t go. However, you know that they aren’t safe in Chang’an. There are four of them in total; two males and two females.”
“Ok.” Wu Yidao nodded without hesitation.
Fang Jie cupped his hands and thanked Wu Yidao seriously.
“Don’t sweat it. They can live here, but they need to pay rent. Four of them, right? Just pay for six people. Each person’s rent is five taels of silver a month. Don’t even try to negotiate; I wouldn’t allow it if it is a cash coin less.”
“How come?” Fang Jie retorted, “There are only four people; why do I need to pay for six people?”
Wu Yidao glanced at Qi Lin who was standing not far away and said, “That guy you brought over will need double the area to sleep and eat three people’s portions. In business, I deal fairly. You can deny my claim if you truly feel another way. Even if you say that he eats less than my cat, I will believe you.”
Fang Jie froze for a second before adding, “There is a thin one; he will only need half the area to sleep!”
“Don’t joke around.” Wu Yidao rolled his eyes and said, “Da Quan, right? He is indeed thin and needs less area to sleep, but he must eat meat in every meal, so he would eat two people’s portions at least. I’m already giving you a discount to charge for only six people. If you don’t want to pay, you can go somewhere else.”
“You are the wealthiest merchant in Great Sui; do you have to argue over only 30 taels of silver a month?”
“I earned my money little by little like this. I can’t just charge less because I’m rich; I will lose my riches that way.”
Fang Jie was at a loss for words. Then, he thought about it and said, “You must have heard about something. Recently, many people are buying questions that will be on the entrance exam of the Martial Arts Academy. A friend of mine bought a copy for 1,000 silver taels before making a copy overnight and giving it to me. What do you think about this?”
Wu Yidao nodded and said, “This person is indeed a good friend.”
Fang Jie replied with slight anger, “You know I’m not asking about that!”
“You seem anxious today.” Wu Yidao’s reply still didn’t fit the question.
Fang Jie froze for a bit before nodding. “Yeah, you are right. I’m being annoyed by someone’s childish tactic. I know that it is probably like a fight between kids, but I’m still not feeling confident.”
“Do you need help?” Wu Yidao asked.
“No, I already paid,” Fang Jie said with a smile, “Let’s talk about these questions. What do you think?”
“Even you know about it; how could I not know? Since even I know, how could the government not know? You shouldn’t ask what I think; you should ask what the government thinks. Since you are going to pay me six people’s rent from now on, I will tell you a piece of information for free.”
“What is it?”
“Those questions are fake.”
“I know!” Fang Jie said, “If I can’t even guess that, I would be a fool.”
“There are many fools; your friend who bought a copy and made a copy for you overnight for example. To my knowledge, hundreds of copies had been sold. Each copy is 1,000 silver taels. Hundreds of thousands of silver taels had been made. This business is lucrative. If I’m not afraid of death, I would have done it as well. Creating fake questions will make hundreds of people from big families show their idiotic nature and earn a ton of money. This is perfect.”
Fang Jie sighed, “I want to know who is so brave, risking life for money. This person should be the most idiotic. Does this person think that the government couldn’t figure it out? Are the Intelligence Department, the Ministry of Justice, and the Court of Judicial Review useless?”
Wu Yidao looked at Fang Jie with an interesting expression and said, “In fact, the agencies that you just mentioned haven’t figured out who is doing this. I heard that the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review seemed useless in the last few cases, so they sent out many masters to investigate, wanting to redeem themselves. His Majesty also knows about this, and he ordered Hou Wenji to arrest the person behind this scheme. I knew about this case three days earlier than you, but some people still bought copies in the last three days, and the person behind it still isn’t arrested. In order not to alert this criminal, nothing has been said about these fake questions, so more idiots are being tricked.”
Fang Jie heaved a long sigh and said, “Fortunately, His Majesty isn’t trying to see if the real questions have been leaked. If His Majesty pursues this case, many people in the government will be prosecuted. Those big figures who are responsible for creating questions must be anxious by now.”
Wu Yidao rolled his eyes at Fang Jie as if the latter was an idiot as well.
“You and the person who created these fake questions are all smart, but you all seem idiotic since your level isn’t high enough,” Wu Yidao said, “The person who created these fake questions want to mess up the government, trying to make His Majesty angry and get many officials killed. The more officials died, the happier this criminal would be. However, His Majesty wouldn’t do this.”
“Why?”
“There is only one person who makes the questions, and he is Principal Zhou of the Martial Arts Academy,” Wu Yidao said with a smile, “The person who made these fake questions doesn’t know much but want to cause destruction. Every high-ranking official knows that Principal Zhou is the only person creating questions this year. Would the Emperor blame Principal Zhou for these fake questions? The person behind all this could only make hundreds of thousands of silver taels and achieve nothing else.”
After freezing for a moment, Fang Jie couldn’t help but laugh.
Wu Yidao added, “Right now, everyone in the government wants to know who this person is. This person could think of such a vicious yet idiotic tactic. I also want to know who this person is.”
…
-Smooth Spring Garden-
Seeing the Emperor talking with Hou Wenji, Su Buwei hesitated for a moment and reminded in a soft voice, “Your Majesty, the King of Xu State and others have been here for a while, and they are waiting outside.”
The Emperor froze for a second and said to Hou Wenji, “You can go and take care of this. This can’t be delayed any longer. Although every copy is handwritten and not printed, and it is hard to trace it, you should be able to find something by tracing the rice paper used. I will wait for your news.”
Hou Wenji quickly nodded and backed out of the room with a bent back.
When he got to the door, he saw Yang Kai, the King of Xu State, and two people standing by the door. He cupped his hands and greeted, “Hello, Your Highness.”
Yang Kai exchanged some greetings with Hou Wenji before he was summoned.
Before leaving, Hou Wenji couldn’t help but look back at the two people behind Yang Kai. He frowned slightly since he was surprised to see these two people who had been locked up in the Heavenly Dungeon for close to 12 years.
Hou Wenji sighed, “After about 12 years, these two finally get to see sunlight, and they probably are going to soar into the sky.”
Yang Kai and the other two walked into the room. Yang Kai raised the hem of his robe and knelt before greeting the Emperor. Although the two people behind him appeared a little unwilling, they knelt with him.
“Greetings from your subordinate Yang Kai, Your Majesty.”
“Greetings from peasant Mou Liangbi, peasant Zong Lianghu, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor looked to the side and said, “Please all get up. Twelfth Brother, sit down beside me. You two, find spots to sit. There is tea on the table and snacks in the plate.”
According to the grand royal ranking for the Emperor’s generation, Yang Kai ranked 12th.
The Emperor looked at Yang Kai and said, “Yu Donglai, the Deputy of the Ministry of War, had disappointed me repeatedly, and I already accepted his letter of resignation. However, the Ministry of War would be useless without a manager. Some people nominated you to manage the Ministry of War. Twelfth Brother, are you willing to accept this task?”
“Huh?” Yang Kai froze for a second before quickly getting up and saying, “I’m not suitable for the job!”
“Huh?” The Emperor smiled; he liked the straightforwardness of this cousin of his. “Then, who should I appoint in your opinion?”
Yang Kai turned around and pointed at the two people who were silent. “Mou Liangbi can be the head of the ministry, and Zong Lianghu can be the deputy!”
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