Chapter 301
Chapter 301: Three Years in Langye (I) Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
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The moon was bright and there were very little stars . All was quiet .
Wei Ci walked silently through the corridor, holding a faintly-lit oil lamp in his right hand . The moonlight elongated his shadow and reflected it on the door .
“Master?” Seeing a figure sitting in front of him, Wei Ci stopped in his tracks .
Master Yuan Jing tilted his head and waved towards Wei Ci . “Zixiao, come here . ”
Looking at the coat that Master Yuan Jing had on his shoulders, Wei Ci stepped forward, sat next to Master Yuan Jing, and put the lamp beside him .
“How long have you been waiting here?” Wei Ci did not need to ask to know that Master Yuan Jing was waiting for him .
“It doesn’t matter,” Master Yuan Jing replied calmly with a vague smile . “You’re not a reckless person . I heard about what happened during the assessment from Youmo and Shaoyin . You wouldn’t even have hit someone with a desk when you were three or four years old . ”
Wei Ci’s face was slightly flushed and he admitted his mistake with his head hung low . “I know that I was wrong . Please punish me . ”
Master Yuan Jing shook his head and asked him rhetorically, “Why do I have to punish you? I don’t think you’ve done something wrong . You did a good job . ”
It was not like the scholar was killed . The scholar’s actions were indeed too much . Who would not be angry at that?
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Master Yuan Jing continued, “I didn’t come here today to scold you . I just want to tell you that it’s okay to be a little carefree . You’re too serious and you’re an overthinker . You like to keep things to yourself and hide the truth from everyone else . To be honest, other people aren’t the roundworms in your stomach . How will they know what you’re thinking?”
Wei Ci remained silent with his head hung low . It was not known if he took it in .
Master Yuan Jing pounded his legs, which were somewhat numb, with his hands and said casually, “Say something if you want to . ”
“I… don’t dare to say it . ” Wei Ci had a lot to say, but his words were stuck in his mouth .
Master Yuan Jing smiled . “Zixiao, strategists have many taboos . One of them is to not judge others by oneself . I know the reason why you don’t dare to say it… In your opinion, you have an answer already, so there’s no need to say it out . Am I right?”
Wei Ci remained silent .
Master Yuan Jing smiled helplessly . “I don’t deny your ability to read others’ minds, but if you do it all by yourself, you may be injudicious . ”
Although Master Yuan Jing did not point out who the person was, Wei Ci had some tacit understanding . He knew very well in his heart about who he was talking about .
“We can only plan very carefully with every conceivable possibility taken in account––but only if we have a thorough understanding . ” Yuan Jing pouted his lips at Wei Ci and teased him, “You’ll meet her frequently in the future . If you treat her with your past prejudice towards her, I’m afraid that you’ll be exposed even sooner . Past events have faded like a puff of smoke . You should observe everything around you with a whole new attitude . Don’t be blinded by the past . If you can’t do this, you’ll still have to lose, and lose even more . ”
There was finally a change in Wei Ci’s facial expression . He looked at Master Yuan Jing with some shock and dodged his gaze .
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Master Yuan Jing smiled and replied, “I’m old, but I’m not blind yet . ”
After a long time, Wei Ci broke the silence . “Master, I want to leave for a few days . ”
Master Yuan Jing responded, “Is it because you want to escape?”
Wei Ci shook his head and smiled bitterly . “If I’m cowardly and can’t face the reality, I would’ve followed my clan and moved to Zhongzhao . Why would I bother to stay in Langye and come to Shangjing? It’s really unexpected for me to run into her . It’s not that I can’t accept it… It’s just that when I see her in her teens, not only am I not determined, but I’m somewhat confused . It’s as if… I never knew her . ”
As he began to talk, Wei Ci, who had always been reticent, poured out what he had suppressed in his mind for a long time like a child .
Master Yuan Jing had always played the role of a listener . He vaguely guessed Wei Ci’s experience, but he never thought that there was so much conflict and pain in the child’s heart . “If you feel uncomfortable, it’s good to be away for some time too to sort out your thoughts,” Master Yuan Jing said .
Wei Ci shook his head and replied, “With Master’s enlightenment, I’m… now fine . You don’t have to worry . A lot of things are different now . People are different too––especially her… You’re right . If I’m still dwelling in my past memories, I’ll probably live a worse life than before . ”
His goal was to have a niche in history as a dignified strategist, not a person who had an unspeakable identity .
Not only would he be taunted and criticized by the later generations, but he would even become a stain on her body .
He once felt that the former made him suffer, but when the blade pierced her throat, he suddenly realized that the latter was even more unacceptable for him .
Master Yuan Jing looked at Wei Ci for a long time and sighed . “It’s best if you can think this way . Get to know each other again . An old friend has a new look, too . ”
Wei Ci clenched his fists tightly in secret . “I understand . ”
In another place, Liu She sat in the carriage and returned to the Feng residence with fatigue .
The rankings for the assessment had been listed out . He transcribed a copy of the list, put it in an envelope, stamped a wax seal on it, and presented it to the emperor . As for whether the emperor would see it was not something that he could control .
The results would be released three days later, then the Qionglin Banquet would be held after that . As a head examiner, he had to show up at the banquet . He would basically be free after that .
The courtyard of the guest room was brightly lit . Liu She saw that his daughter’s servant, Taxue, was holding a lamp and waiting at the door .
“Did Lanting not come back tonight?” He gathered his coat to block the cold wind from outside .
Seeing that Liu She had returned, Taxue was delighted and went forward . “To answer your question, I’m waiting for you here under Langjun’s order . ”
Liu She frowned and replied sternly, “Why is she looking for me?” Liu She had always valued his daughter . She must have had something important to say that could not be delayed .
“Langjun didn’t say anything . She only asked me to inform you that she is waiting for you in your room . ”
Liu She nodded as he walked . He guessed the reason why his daughter was looking for him . He arrived at the door . A lamp was lit in the room . Jiang Pengji was reading a book attentively under the light .
“Father . ” Upon hearing the noise, Jiang Pengji lifted her head .
“I heard from Taxue that you’re looking for me?” Liu She quickly shut the door to avoid the cold wind from taking away the heat in the room .
“You haven’t handed in your resignation letter, right?” Jiang Pengji asked .
“Of course I haven’t . I plan to hand it in after the Qionglin Banquet . ” Liu She sat across Jiang Pengji and saw that she was actually holding the Great Universal Geographical Map in her hands . “What good advice do you have?”
“You want to become a rich man, but I’m unfilial . Please work hard for a while more . ”
Liu She raised his eyebrows . “Am I not resigning?”
Jiang Pengji shook her head and muttered, “That’s not the case . I want you to try your best to conquer Chongzhou . ”
Chongzhou? Liu She pondered until he had a better understanding . “To seize the opportunity to station troops?”
Jiang Pengji replied, “Not only that… There are a few other reasons . ”