Chapter 82 — How to Prove This?
Edited by DancingDolphinYo
Having been an adviser for half his life, Wu Xingzi was definitely not a scholar who knew little of the world. Although Qingcheng County was a small place, as long as there were people, there would be various forms of complications in their relationships. A new magistrate would replace the previous one every six years, and he had worked for four of them. If one was to search through the entire Great Xia, there would probably be no one else who knew more about the matters of Qingcheng County than Wu Xingzi.
An adviser was not an official position established by the court, and it was often a teacher hired by the magistrate himself to assist him in dealing with general affairs. Without an adviser, the magistrate would be hindered in many areas when trying to work, so the true power of an adviser was not small in the least.
To be able to peacefully remain as the one and only adviser of Qingcheng County, it was enough to prove that Wu Xingzi was not a muddle-headed man. In contrast, he was a lot more capable and intelligent than his appearance portrayed. It was just that his disposition was very soft, and normally, he was like a pot of water that would never boil despite the flames. Gentle and placid, shy and bashful, it seemed as though anyone could bully him.
Wu Xingzi was very distracted throughout lunch. The food from the newly opened roast duck shop was truly tasty, and customers had been swarming it over the past few days. During meal times, it was not easy to get a table, and it was unclear how Ping Yifan had managed to get the best seat, right next to the window. Ping Yifan himself did not eat much, his attention fully on feeding Wu Xingzi.
The pancake was fluffy, the sauce a perfect balance of sweet and salty, and the skin of the duck was crisp and not greasy. According to Wu Xingzi’s appetite, it would not be a problem for him to finish the entire duck, and he did finish up more than half the dishes on the table. Ping Yifan then invited him to sail across the lake for a mood lifter, but Wu Xingzi rejected him, saying that he was feeling unwell. He returned home, with Ping Yifan feeling concerned over him, and his farewell was a little perfunctory.
In a daze, he sat in his room, carefully going through every single detail of his interactions with Ping Yifan.
To put it down bluntly, he had fallen for Ping Yifan too quickly. Even with regards to the Yan Wenxin of the past, he had only watched him, admiring him as a beauty. Although the man had left an indelible mark on his heart, there was still a span of a few months before Wu Xingzi truly fell for him.
However, that was not the case for Ping Yifan. During their first meeting, he clearly still had yet to get over Guan Shanjin, and he was still pining after him. Even if he had a change of affection, it would need some time, right? Who could have guessed that upon his first glance at Ping Yifan, he would have an uncontrollable desire to get closer to him? Wu Xingzi had originally believed that the reasons why he liked Ping Yifan were because he was talented, yet not showy, and how his disposition was warm and kind, so comfortable like a breeze in spring. Like a moth to flames, he did not even pause to think about it, and he latched himself onto him without any hesitation.
Till now, they had only met a total of three times, no?
One was during the gathering of the Peng Society, one was the trip to Chongxu Guan a few days ago, and the last time was today… Would liking a person be such a quick matter?
The scent on Ping Yifan, it was identical to Guan Shanjin; Ping Yifan’s hands, after some careful consideration, were no different from Guan Shanjin’s as well — dry, warm and rough, looking as though they were carved from jade, stirring a desire within one’s heart and causing them to like them very much; moreover those little actions of his — Guan Shanjin too liked to pinch his nose and fiddle with his hands, and the strength he used along with the doting expression on his face… Listing them all like this, every detail was so familiar that it frightened Wu Xingzi…
So, did he like Ping Yifan, just because this seemingly inconspicuous man was similar to Guan Shanjin?
No… Covering his face, Wu Xingzi gave a bitter, self-mocking laugh. Perhaps, right from the start, he had already recognised exactly who it was underneath Ping Yifan’s face. That familiar, faint fragrance, how could he ever forget it?
Laughing and laughing, he tasted an acrid saltiness on his tongue. Wu Xingzi wiped his face, only to realise that it was covered with tears. In a trance, he stared at his damp palm. Not too long ago, Ping Yifan was still fiddling with his hand intimately, intertwining their fingers together. The man had made him feel that there was no hurry in deciding if he should return to Qingcheng County, and that the capital was a nice place. If they were to continue spending time with each other, they might really walk down the path of becoming life partners.
Wu Xingzi had been alone for more than half his life, and he now finally had someone he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
Someone knocked on his door. Hurriedly, Wu Xingzi wiped away the traces of tears on his face. With a faint smile, Rancui stood at the door and asked, “May I come in? I heard from the girls that you’re back early today, and you seemed to be troubled.”
“Come in…” Wu Xingzi nodded. A minute hoarseness could be detected in his voice. Rancui carefully observed him from head to toe, his gaze finally stopping at Wu Xingzi’s reddened eyes, and he sighed lightly.
“I’ve brought along some pine nut candy, would you like to share them?” Rancui sat down next to Wu Xingzi, retrieving a bulging package wrapped in a handkerchief from his wide sleeves. Unwrapping the package, a sweet smell filled their noses. Each piece of candy glittered like crystals, and looked indescribably tempting.
However, Wu Xingzi did not move. He still could not calm himself. Staring at Rancui for a moment, who had a piece of candy in his mouth, he quietly asked, “Rancui, does Ping Yifan really exist?”
“Hmm?” Rancui raised a brow, his reply a little muffled. “Why would you suddenly ask this? Is there something wrong with him?”
“Umm…” Wu Xingzi scratched his nose. His posture, which had finally straightened up after all this time, again hunched over, and he looked like a withered stalk of grass.
In his heart, he already had a guess, and all he lacked was concrete evidence. However, it was this concrete evidence that would be hard to obtain.
After all, during today’s meeting, “Guan Shanjin” had attended it along with Mr. Lu. From start until the end, Ping Yifan had been seated next to him. If these two people were the same, then was Ping Yifan fake, or was it Guan Shanjin? No matter how one thought about it, this was a complicated and difficult thing to do. What reason was there for him to do this?
However, if Ping Yifan was real, and Guan Shanjin was also real, how could there be two people who were so similar in this world? And how did Ping Yifan know about Guan Shanjin’s secrets?
Wu Xingzi thought that he had seen through the whole matter, but after some careful thinking, he seemed to have again twisted himself into confusion.
“With my identity as the manager of the Peng Society alone, and not as a friend, I can guarantee that Ping Yifan exists.” Rancui shoved a piece of pine nut candy into Wu Xingzi’s mouth. Although he did not know what had happened over at the Bai’s residence, and how Guan Shanjin, the fool, had slipped up, now that Wu Xingzi was starting to suspect something, he must quickly think about how much he should reveal.
“He really exists…” Biting into the candy, Wu Xingzi eyed Rancui. Not only did his heart not settle in peace, but his thoughts were in an even bigger muddle now.
“Yes, there’s a Ping Yifan in the capital. He lives along Winding Liantang Path in the south of the city. He’s twenty-five this year, and he owns a store selling a variety of goods.” Rancui took out a copy of the Pengornisseur, flipping to Ping Yifan’s page with much familiarity. Pointing at the man on it, he said, “He’s also a long-time client of the Peng Society. When he just reached adulthood, he had dropped by our office. His character is decent, and he has never delayed paying the membership fee either. Although born from a poor family, he has never tried to cheat out of making any payments. His ancestors were scholars, but unfortunately, his family’s status declined. He did not walk down the path of a scholar, seeking an official rank, and his store can be considered to be doing very well.”
And his pengornis is excellent too, Wu Xingzi secretly added. He stared at the Pengornisseur, lost in his thoughts. On the page, the drawing of Ping Yifan was a little blurry. There was a slight decline in quality compared to the drawings of the other members, as though they were trying to hide something.
Wu Xingzi carefully reached out and covered the upper half of Ping Yifan’s face, but he could not say exactly how similar the drawing was to the person in real life.
“I saw Haiwang today.”
“Oh?” Rancui rested his elbows on the table, supporting his chin in his hands. A glimmer of schadenfreude could be faintly detected in his eyes. “He received Bai-gongzi’s invitation as well? How interesting.”
“Interesting?” Confusion appeared on Wu Xingzi’s face. Today, he was entirely not in the mood to listen to the qin, nor did he pay much attention to Young Master Bai. He only remembered that Young Master Bai had broken one of the strings of his qin.
“Lu Zezhi was there too, right?” Rancui asked, smiling. Without waiting for Wu Xingzi’s response, he continued on, “There’s no doubt that he was there. Although the private matters of Lord Protector’s residence will never escape its doors, my boss has his connections, and I’ve heard some things as well. They say that the son of the Lord Protector insists on marrying Lu Zezhi and no one else, but the Lord Protector and his wife refuse to agree. I heard that they disdain Lu Zezhi for his dastardly behaviour. A teacher for a day, a father for life. He’s basically committing incest.”
As Rancui spoke, he laughed until he was nearly breathless. He quickly poured himself a cup of tea, sipping at it and catching his breath.
“But since Haiwang likes him, he’d definitely not let Mr. Lu feel wronged.” When Wu Xingzi recalled how Guan Shanjin had doted on Mr. Lu today, he felt a little agonised.
Yes, that Guan Shanjin had to be the real one. How else could he display such pampering and doting? Mr. Lu had also been with Guan Shanjin for so many years already, and it did not make sense that he could not tell whether the person next to him was real or fake. Despite the suspicions remaining in his heart, for now, Wu Xingzi believed that he was thinking too much about it. He was not Guan Shanjin’s beloved, so why would the man spend so much effort and thoughts into getting close to him?
Thinking like this, his emotions steadied a lot, and his appetite too improved. He picked up a few pieces of the pine nut candy and started eating.
“In any case, no matter whether Lu Zezhi feels that he’s been wronged or not, it’s not the only thing he has to worry about.” Rancui pursed his lips. “The Lord Protector’s wife is Guan Shanjin’s mother, and she has no reason to allow her son to destroy his own future. They can accept that their future daughter-in-law would be a son-in-law, and his age or family background would not matter. However, this person must have a good character, and it doesn’t matter if he cannot help improve the family’s standing, but he needs to not drag them down. In her eyes, Lu Zezhi is doing worse than dragging their family down. After all, Lu Zezhi is from the same hometown as the Lord Protector’s wife, and she is well aware of his background and his character.”
“Aren’t the Lord Protector and his wife rather satisfied with Mr. Lu? Before Mr. Lu, there haven’t been any teachers who were able to manage and teach Haiwang, no?” This was something Guan Shanjin had said himself. Ever since then, Wu Xingzi had understood that to Guan Shanjin, Mr. Lu was special, and he was not simply only his teacher.
“A ten year old child is different from a twenty-seven year old man,” Rancui replied enigmatically, while smiling. “Guan Shanjin likes people who are clean and honest, and it would be best if they’re not too intelligent. He himself is overly intelligent, and if it’s another intelligent person sleeping next to him, he’d long be tired of him. However, it doesn’t mean that he likes a fool.”
With Rancui’s eyes on him, Wu Xingzi suddenly felt a little restless. He decided to just look down and stuff himself, and he did not speak up.
Rancui had no intention of forcing him, and breezily continued. “The Lord Protector’s wife prefers Bai-gongzi.”
A cough, and Wu Xingzi spat the crumbs of candy and tea out of his mouth. Thanks to Rancui’s nimbleness, he avoided the misery of getting sprayed all over his face. As for Wu Xingzi, he was choking and coughing forcefully, and both tears and snot were all over his face. After some time, he finally caught his breath. Hastily using his sleeve to wipe his face, his reddened eyes were round, and he could not believe what he heard. “The Lord Protector’s wife plans to matchmake Bai-gongzi and Haiwang?”
“Mn-hm.” Rancui sprawled across his chaise lounge, waving his hand lazily. “I feel that they’re quite compatible. Look at Bai-gongzi, how the both of them are both matching in looks and talent! Compared to Lu Zezhi, he’s even more innocent and pure, like a lotus rising up from the mud, resting upon the surface of the lake, like a true immortal that has never been caught up in worldly desires. At the very most, Lu Zezhi can only be considered to be the mud.”
“But… Haiwang…” It was impossible that his affections would change so easily! After all, Lu Zezhi was someone he had adored for so many years! In his heart, Wu Xingzi felt that the two men had gone through so many things to be together, and so they were the most compatible.
“One may know a person for a long time without knowing his true nature,” Rancui laughed.
One may know a person for a long time without knowing his true nature… Wu Xingzi could not help but think of Ping Yifan again.
They had only met three times, so why did he like him so quickly? Was the person he liked actually Ping Yifan, or Guan Shanjin’s shadow? How did they meet each other so coincidentally?
“However, people can sometimes do foolish things. The deeper one’s feelings are, the more foolish they become. Sometimes, we can see how deep one’s affections are by looking at how much they are willing to pretend to be a fool.”
Pretending to be a fool… Wu Xingzi refilled his own cup of tea, moodily emptying it down his throat.
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