Chapter 179 — Confrontation

Ji Yong's mouth curved faintly, a trace of amusement in it, and he turned to pluck a few tender leaves, lifting them to his nose to sniff.

Meanwhile he cursed inwardly: *When heaven leaves a road open you will not take it; when hell has no gate you barge right in.* He had only meant to pin the name of a degenerate upon Wei Fan through Zhao Zishu. Since you have flung yourself in without a thought for your life, then do not blame me for dragging you in as well. Let them all be made to say: *At North Chan Temple he dallies with an actor, and for Jining's sake they quarrel in jealousy!*

Aloud he said, "How could I compare with the earnest heart and deep feeling the heir of the Duke of Yingbing bears toward the Marquis of Jining! Only I wonder how Zhao Zishu fares now? We must hope the Marquis of Jining's waters do not run east and leave him grieving for life!"

"Is that so?" Song Yan smiled and, gazing afar at He Yu, asked gently, "Young Master He, what did you see?"

He Yu's face at once turned somewhat ugly.

By every measure of closeness or distance, he ought to have stood unhesitatingly at Ji Yong's side.

But what Ji Yong had done... planting false evidence and framing a man was one thing, but he had dragged Song Yan into it as well.

What sort of man was Song Yan?

When his temper came up, he would kill even his own household guards, and once he had killed them he stacked the bodies neatly in the middle of the courtyard, and even his father could do nothing about it; when the Emperor asked, the matter still had to be covered up... To vent a moment's spite, was it worth dragging a man like Song Yan down into the mire? And moreover, he vaguely felt that Ji Yong's conduct had gone too far—as though it were not simply a matter of venting spite.

He Yu hesitated for a moment.

But Gu Yu's lips curved in the faintest hint of mockery, and he said loudly, "I hear the worthy Lord Ji introduced a lover from the men's brothel to his own brother-in-law. I wonder what the old scholars of the Hanlin Academy, who do nothing all day but drone of 'the Master said' and 'the Ancients held', would make of that?"

Ji Yong looked at Gu Yu and said with contempt, "That would depend on who is doing the saying."

A jeer at Gu Yu for having no standing to speak.

Gu Yu was so angry the veins stood out on his forehead. Yet he knew this was no occasion where a blow could settle matters.

His hand clenched into a fist and unclenched, unclenched and clenched again; several times thus before he felt his temper ease somewhat, and he laughed. "Lord Ji speaks reason—it does indeed depend on who is doing the saying. Were it another, those worthy lords would of course not believe it; but if it were I..." He grinned broadly. "Only a few days ago my aunt was telling me I should keep less company with those fine young gentlemen who know nothing but fine food, drink, and women. Come to think of it, Lord Ji and I drank together at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, and went together to North Chan Temple to hear singing... We might be said to be old acquaintances, might we not?"

Ji Yong looked up at the sky with measureless disdain.

Yet from the corner of his eye he caught sight of Song Yan smiling.

His heart turned cold.

How had he forgotten the true master of this scene and fallen to bickering with Gu Yu?

Gu Yu was no more than a capering clown beside Song Yan; to cross swords with him was a victory not worth the winning.

He narrowed his eyes.

There came the sound of disordered footsteps drawing nearer.

Every gaze turned toward it.

Wang Yu came hurrying over with two young servants, his face anxious.

"Heir," he first bowed with clasped hands toward Song Yan, then saluted Ji Yong, "Lord Ji," and said, "It is all a misunderstanding. Zhao Zishu merely saw that Tingyu was drunk and feared he would take a chill, and so helped him to rest in his own room—it is not as everyone imagines... This is a misunderstanding!"

Ji Yong sneered coldly.

Song Yan had already smiled and returned Wang Yu's salute. "Since it is a misunderstanding, then we shall take our leave. I had asked the Marquis of Jining to ride with me along the moat outside Xuanwu Gate, and who would have thought he would fail the appointment... and so I came looking."

Wang Yu made a show of glancing at the sky and smiled. "The sun has not yet risen. If the heir sets out for Xuanwu Gate now, he will still be in time."

"I thank the heir for his kind words." Song Yan exchanged a few pleasantries with Wang Yu, then departed grandly with Gu Yu and Wei Fan.

Afterwards Wang Yu's personal attendant asked him, "Are you not afraid of offending Lord Ji?"

Wang Yu smiled bitterly. "Offend Lord Ji, and I need only smile a little more. But if Song Yan should bear a grudge against me, who knows how he might deal with the Marquis of Yan'an's household."

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Sisters, brothers—the bonus update for the twenty-ninth!

o(n_n)o~

ps: Pink votes double during the May Day holiday, and the April pink-vote rankings hang on a single thought of my sisters and brothers!

Your support is begged!

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