Chapter 59

In the first year of the Wénmíng era, Chén Zǐ'áng passed the imperial examination for the third time and became a Jinshi.

It was also in this year that Yáng Chéngliè left Jūnzhōu with his motherless and mentally challenged son, Yáng Shǒuwén, and came to Chāngpíng.

Calculating the time, the two had not seen each other for eighteen years.

The last time they met was at the Youzhou Governor's Office in Jìxiàn.

However, at that time, everything was too rushed. The newly appointed Youzhou Governor, Zhāng Rényuàn, had just taken office, and Chén Zǐ'áng, as the Right Censor and military supervisor, was assisting him in stabilizing the situation. Yáng Chéngliè was also busy with official duties, so their reunion was brief and they parted ways quickly.

After that, Yáng Chéngliè and Chén Zǐ'áng never met again.

More than half a year passed, and at the beginning of the month, Chén Zǐ'áng suddenly sent a messenger to invite Yáng Chéngliè to admire the moon.

Meeting an old friend in a foreign land after a long drought is like encountering a sweet rain. This reunion between Yáng Chéngliè and Chén Zǐ'áng could be considered one of the four great joys in life.

However, for some reason, Yáng Shǒuwén felt that Chén Zǐ'áng was a bit strange.

Since they were old friends, why had there been no contact for half a year, and then suddenly he came to Chāngpíng for a gathering?

Moreover, this period was a time of many events in Chāngpíng, which seemed too coincidental.

Although Chén Zǐ'áng said he would soon leave Youzhou and return to his hometown in Shèhóng, Zīzhōu, to mourn his father and resign from his post, Yáng Shǒuwén still could not feel at ease. His intuition told him that Chén Zǐ'áng must have another purpose for coming to Chāngpíng.

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On the 14th day of the eighth month, a bright moon hung in the sky.

Although it was not yet the Mid-Autumn Festival, the atmosphere of a full moon seemed to permeate the Hu Valley Mountain.

Yáng Chéngliè was probably too happy; he drank a lot of wine in the afternoon and ended up passing out on the bed without eating dinner.

Chén Zǐ'áng, on the other hand, was in better shape and showed up for dinner.

"Big Brother, this Mr. Chén seems a bit strange."

After dinner, Yáng Ruì secretly found Yáng Shǒuwén and pulled him to a secluded place.

Yáng Shǒuwén said, "Mr. Chén is Father's good friend. Why do you say that?"

"It's not that I think he's bad, but... Big Brother, you don't know. Earlier, Mr. Chén kept asking me about what happened that night here. He also inquired about the Liáozi, asking about his situation here and whether I noticed anything unusual... Anyway, I feel he's a bit off."

Yáng Ruì seemed to dislike Chén Zǐ'áng from the beginning.

He was a proud person, but after meeting Chén Zǐ'áng, Yáng Ruì realized what true arrogance was.

It was an arrogance that, even when speaking to you with a smile, still conveyed a sense of disdain in his words.

Yáng Ruì didn't know how to deal with such a person.

In terms of fame, Chén Zǐ'áng was renowned throughout the land, with his poem "Ascending the Youzhou Platform" spreading far and wide. How could a young man like Yáng Ruì compare? In terms of background, although Chén Zǐ'áng was not from a noble family, even the aristocracy would not treat him with disrespect.

In terms of position, Chén Zǐ'áng was a Right Censor and military supervisor in Youzhou.

As for himself...

Faced with such a man who surpassed him in every way, Yáng Ruì, despite his many grievances, did not dare to show them easily.

Yáng Shǒuwén smiled and patted his shoulder.

"Don't worry too much, Second Brother. Tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and we have many things to do. Let's get some rest early."

"Okay!"

Yáng Ruì was just venting to Yáng Shǒuwén. In fact, he had no one else to confide in. Although Yáng Shǒuwén was not much older, Yáng Ruì sometimes felt that his elder brother was more reliable than his own father.

The night grew darker.

After nightfall, the mountain was shrouded in mist, enveloping the entire Little Maitreya Temple.

Perhaps everyone was tired, and they all went to bed early. Snoring could be heard from the direction of the meditation rooms, and the temple was silent.

Yáng Shǒuwén, lying on the meditation bed, suddenly opened his eyes and got up.

Bodhi, who was lying by the door, was startled awake and stood up quickly.

Yáng Shǒuwén hushed him, signaling him to stay still, then quietly walked to the window and opened it.

It had started raining outside.

The rain was not heavy, but it was persistent and silent.

Yáng Shǒuwén jumped out of the window, and Bodhi lay down again, his eyes glowing faintly in the darkness.

The meditation courtyard was empty.

The temperature dropped again after nightfall, and the drizzle made Yáng Shǒuwén feel a chill.

He looked around, making sure no one was there, then moved like a cat through the courtyard and hid under a shed where firewood was stored.

"Who's there!"

A low voice came from the darkness, followed by a flash of cold light, as if a weapon was being drawn.

Without a word, Yáng Shǒuwén reached for his knife.

Before he could answer, a figure emerged from the darkness and sighed, "Nízi, why aren't you sleeping?"

"Father?"

Yáng Shǒuwén was surprised when he saw the person clearly.

It turned out that the person hiding in the shed was his father, Yáng Chéngliè.

Yáng Chéngliè pulled Yáng Shǒuwén behind the firewood pile and asked fiercely, "What are you doing out here in the middle of the night?"

But Yáng Shǒuwén couldn't help but chuckle.

"Whatever Father is doing, I'm doing."

"What am I doing?"

"Hehe!"

Yáng Shǒuwén's mysterious smile left Yáng Chéngliè speechless.

He sheathed his short knife and whispered, "Do you think I really drank too much? Hmph, I'll tell you, I may not be as talented as that guy, but I'm not lacking in wit. If not, how could your mother have chosen me back then?"

Saying this, Yáng Chéngliè chuckled and turned away, saying no more.

Looking at his father's back, Yáng Shǒuwén's eyes narrowed.

Who said Yáng Chéngliè was a rough man?

Despite his usual boisterousness, which made him seem simple, in reality, he was far from it.

An outsider who had been the county magistrate in Chāngpíng for ten years and remained stable was no easy feat. The regionalism in the Tang Dynasty was strong, even more so than in later times. Yet, the people of Chāngpíng seemed to have no prejudice against Yáng Chéngliè, which was not something a simple man could achieve.

Yáng Chéngliè's accent, almost indistinguishable from the locals, was not a matter of linguistic talent.

One could imagine the effort he must have put in when he first came to Chāngpíng. It was precisely because of this that the people of Chāngpíng accepted him as they do now.

A slight smile appeared on Yáng Shǒuwén's face, and a thought came to his mind: Life is all about acting!

This phrase was not at all out of place when applied to Yáng Chéngliè, even someone as great as Chén Zǐ'áng had been deceived by him.

It seemed that in the future, he couldn't underestimate his father.

"Father!"

"Hmm?"

"There's something I want to ask you."

Yáng Chéngliè, hiding behind the firewood pile, stared at the meditation courtyard.

He whispered, "Nízi, there are some things that I will tell you when the time is right. But now, it's not the right time. No matter how much you ask, I won't tell you. Telling you now would be harmful to you."

He didn't turn around, paused, and then added, "Go ahead, ask."

Yáng Shǒuwén suddenly didn't know what to say and, after a moment, asked, "Father, I just want to know, why did you come to Chāngpíng?"

"Do you think I wanted to come to this godforsaken place?"

Yáng Chéngliè pulled back and gestured for Yáng Shǒuwén to keep watch.

He sat down in a comfortable position on the ground and said, "At first, I planned to take you back to our hometown, Hóngnóng, but your grandfather disagreed. He found your uncle, and the clan managed to secure a county magistrate position through their influence. However, since Chāngpíng was far from the capital, my cousin didn't want to come, so your grandfather asked me to take his place.

Chāngpíng is cold and remote, but being far from the capital means that even our greatest enemies can't find us..."

Hearing this, Yáng Shǒuwén's expression changed.

Yáng Chéngliè came from the Hóngnóng Yáng clan, one of the prominent families in Guanzhong.

In terms of history, they were no less illustrious than the Five Surnames and Seven Clans, and perhaps even more ancient.

To mention a recent example, one of the nine founding elders of the Sui Dynasty, Yáng Sù, was from the Hóngnóng Yáng clan. The clan also included many royal relatives and nobles. For instance, Yáng Sù's granddaughter later married Lǐ Yuān, though she was not well-known.

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