Chapter 2631 - 2564: Differences

Mr. Zhuang slowly returned to his senses, looked at him, and asked, "Who found you?"

Yao Ge shook his head, "A merchant who happened to come to our place. At first, he mentioned you, and I had no reaction. Later, he approached Chen’er, and seeing that neither of us responded, he took out money, hoping we would come to the capital."

He said, "With such a clear purpose, his identity certainly cannot be genuine."

Mr. Zhuang frowned, "What’s his name?"

"Wan Dong, supposedly a person from Luozhou, but from his accent, he seemed more like someone from the capital."

"What was his purpose?"

"To bring up the old affair, claiming that the poems and essays were Chen Fulin’s."

Mr. Zhuang smiled, "Unexpectedly, after almost thirty years, this matter is brought up again, circling back to the original point."

Yao Ge said nothing.

Mr. Zhuang sighed, stood up, and said, "I understand, I will be cautious."

Seeing him about to leave, Yao Ge said, "I did not agree with them, and I came to the capital this time to settle this matter. Did you receive the letter I sent you back then?"

Mr. Zhuang lightly replied, "Hmm."

Yao Ge exhaled, "With the letters I sent you back then, I can testify for you, let this matter be settled."

Mr. Zhuang turned back to look at him, "It’s been almost thirty years, and you’ve never mentioned settling this matter. Why mention it now?"

Yao Ge smiled bitterly, "Because now you’re strong, and he’s weak."

"I am a cowardly person with a family to care for. If he were still an official in the capital and you and I were commoners, I naturally would not want to oppose him," he said, "But now, it is you who are an official in the court, and he has retired and departed."

Mr. Zhuang said, "Clearly understanding how to seek advantage and avoid harm."

Yao Ge did not refute, saying woodenly, "Yes, I am no longer the Yao Ge of back then."

One misstep leads to another, and so does courage and character.

When they traveled and studied together back then, how carefree and ambitious they were, with such grand goals and courage.

As a result, after making one mistake, it was as if his courage had a leak, his spine bent, and it never straightened since.

He spent three years avoiding the mistake, refusing to admit it was his fault. Later, he wrote a letter to Zhuang Xun, telling himself that the matter was settled, but in his heart, he knew it wasn’t.

So, he spent another twenty years deceiving himself until someone came knocking. It took him a month to tear the past open, and only then did he begin to face himself and Zhuang Xun.

Seeing him speak so frankly about his disgrace, Mr. Zhuang was speechless for a long time.

This is why he can smile while looking at Chen Fulin. He does not resent Chen Fulin because he is not worth it. He can entirely stand on his own interests and think about how to deal with Chen Fulin, then choose the optimal method.

But with Yao Ge, Mr. Zhuang could not even manage a simple courtesy.

Because he once considered him a close friend.

Mr. Zhuang’s eyes turned slightly red, and he turned to leave. Only when he reached the door did he say, "There’s no need for this matter. Chen Fulin is not in the capital, and bringing it up has no meaning."

Yao Ge watched him leave, opened his mouth, but in the end, said nothing.

He turned to look at the untouched tea Mr. Zhuang had left on the table and sighed softly, sitting in the chair for a long time without reacting.

It was Yao Chen who came over, seeing his father sitting there dazed, he quickly approached and said, "Father, didn’t Uncle Zhuang come?"

"He came and then left."

Yao Chen was taken aback and asked, "Didn’t he forgive you?"

Yao Ge glanced at the cup of tea, sighed, and said, "What is there to forgive or not? Although he seems well, his temples are graying."

He held Yao Chen’s hand to stand up and asked, "Have you found the information?"

"No, but it’s possible we couldn’t find it since we don’t know the capital well. Did you tell Uncle Zhuang about this?"

Yao Ge nodded, recalling Zhuang Xun’s reluctance to communicate with him, he sighed, "Later, you send him a copy of the portrait. We won’t bother with it anymore."

Yao Chen was surprised, "Not bother with it?"

"We don’t have people in the capital, and it’s not easy to investigate him. It’s better to leave it to your Uncle Zhuang. He is now a government official, and his three disciples are exceptional. Our intervention is unnecessary."

Yao Chen fell silent, then nodded after a while, "So, should we return home? Or... enroll the two children to try the imperial exam?"

Yao Chen was a bit apprehensive when he said this. He said, "Father, I think Uncle Zhuang won’t hold grudges for the past, and since Chen Fulin is no longer in the capital, perhaps the children can try the exams."

"Not like me, only passing the local Ming Law exam."

Yao Ge pondered briefly but could not bear to delay his grandsons’ prospects, so he nodded.

Yao Chen sighed in relief and became happy.

At this time, Mr. Zhuang sat in the carriage, pondering who went to find Yao Ge, wanting to bring the old matter back to him.

Mr. Zhuang couldn’t help but tap his finger. He was just a small Assistant Lecturer, already at an old age with no hope of promotion, only giving a lecture to the Crown Prince every ten days. In the future, there might be some affection left, but considering his age and resume, who would target him?

Moreover, with such elaborate schemes.

Now the Crown Prince’s position has become much more stable, indeed a coveted post, causing both the Chongwen Pavilion and the Office of Palace Affairs to rise together. Yet, no matter what, he, a mere sixth-grade Assistant Lecturer, isn’t worth such elaborate efforts.

If not him, then it’s for those behind him.

Who could it be?

The Crown Prince?

Mr. Zhuang gently shook his head. If it were to use the master-disciple relationship to deal with the Crown Prince, it should have been trouble for Libationer Kong. Regardless of rank, or because Libationer Kong was the Crown Prince’s lifelong teacher, it should have been him.

That leaves only the three children.

Mr. Zhuang first excluded Bai Erlang. This child is now thriving in the Hanlin Academy, solely focused on writing stories, occasionally completing tasks assigned by the Hanlin Academy, and spending the remaining time playing house with Princess Mingda.

He has no aspirations for a political career.

Bai Shan and Zhou Man?

Mr. Zhuang went into deep thought.

"Sir, we’re home."

The servant brought over a stool to help Mr. Zhuang out of the carriage.

Mr. Zhuang asked the gatekeeper, "Did Bai Shan and Manbao return?"

"Sir, the young master and the lady did not return, nor did Daji."

So late?

Mr. Zhuang glanced at the sky and shook his head slightly, "Have they gone out drinking again?"

Bai Shan and Manbao were working overtime.

The emperor was going to the Luozhou Palace to escape the heat, bringing not only many people but also many things.

Six Hanlin Associates, the emperor left three for the Crown Prince and took three, but it wasn’t fixed, as they rotated shifts, currently set to rotate every ten days.

For the first time, the emperor named Bai Shan, so he was packing his belongings.

As for the affairs of the Central Secretariat, they could only work overtime.

Manbao was also working overtime.

The medical herbs at the Luozhou Palace were not as abundant as those at the Taiji Palace, so she was inspecting the herbs to determine which ones they needed to bring this time.