Chapter 178: Brother Hong Will Take You to the Top

“Brother, Brother~”

In the afternoon, Ding Suian was returning to the West Yamen from the Chamber of Embracing Simplicity teahouse. Just as he reached the intersection of Liuhe Street, he heard a few low calls.

He turned his head and saw that it was none other than that kid, Jiang Xuan, standing sneakily at the corner.

“Why are you here, Ah Xuan?”

“Brother, what happened to your mouth?”

The two spoke almost in unison.

“Oh, my mouth?”

Ding Suian raised his hand and gently touched the wound on his lip. “I was chasing a petty thief earlier and was running a bit too fast, so I bumped into a door frame. Hehe.”

Jiang Xuan stared at him without moving. “Brother, do you think I’m stupid? That’s clearly a tooth mark!”

“Yo! You even saw that! Brother Xuan really has eyes of fire and pupils of gold!”

Ding Suian patted the head of Jiang Xuan, who was now nearly as tall as him, and praised him: “You are good at finding the truth in details, observing the finest autumn hair, and piercing through appearances to reach the essence of things! From the outside in, you observe the subtle; seeing the scar, you know its cause; observing the wound, you discern its shape. It can be said that you are clear-minded, perceptive, and sharp. Oh, right, do you know what ‘clear-mindedness’ means? ‘Clear-mindedness’ means…”

“Brother, that is a tooth mark.”

“…”

Hey! This kid, he’s not going to drop the subject, is he?

“Ahem, Brother Xuan, nothing can be hidden from you. Let me tell you the truth. Today, while chasing a thief, I tripped over a threshold. When I fell, I happened to land on a dog, and that dog just happened to be yawning with its mouth open, and my lower lip just happened to bump into it.” Ding Suian asked, somewhat unconfidently, “Does that sound believable to you?”

Jiang Xuan shook his head. “Brother, the tooth marks are smooth; they are clearly human teeth. Based on the length of the marks, the other person is a woman with a small, cherry-like mouth!”

Holy crap, that’s wild!

Ding Suian looked horrified, but Jiang Xuan pointed to a smear of crimson lip rouge remaining on the corner of his lip. “Brother, next time you lie, could you please wipe off someone else’s lip rouge first?”

“…”

His persona was cracking a bit.

Ding Suian reached out his thumb and wiped his lip corner messily, then adopted a serious expression. “Why aren’t you at home studying? Why are you running over here?”

“It’s like this. Yesterday, Prince Leyang’s heir, Han Jingru, suddenly ran to my house and asked me to invite you to a banquet at Zhangtai Willow tomorrow. My mother was present at the time, and in order to show off in front of my family, I agreed.”

The term “show off” was also learned from Ding Suian.

“Oh?”

Xu Jiuxi had just mentioned that he should get close to the Prince of Linping, and now this opportunity had come up. Ding Suian thought for a moment. “Fine, tell him I will attend the appointment tomorrow night.”

Jiang Xuan was stunned and very surprised. He then looked left and right, lowered his voice, and said, “Brother, you are currently in charge of maintaining military discipline. This is a sensitive time. Is it appropriate to meet with him?”

Ding Suian was also surprised and couldn’t help but laugh. “He asked you to be a lobbyist. If I don’t agree, wouldn’t you lose Face?”

“Brother, that you would consider my Face makes me so grateful I could offer myself to you.”

“That won’t be necessary!”

“I was just giving an example. I mean, Han Jingru’s wife is the sister of the Prince of Linping. If he is so eager to see you now, I’m afraid… I’m afraid you will be involved in the struggle between the imperial heirs. Brother, you don’t need to worry about my Face. If you don’t want to go, just find an excuse, and I will decline it myself.”

“…”

Ding Suian’s gaze toward Jiang Xuan gradually became sharp, carrying a hint of scrutiny.

Although they hadn’t had many opportunities to meet in the past six months, today, whether it was the political acuity he displayed or his clear, logical analysis, it was too different from the Jiang Xuan of the past.

Jiang Xuan’s eyes, which still retained a trace of youthful innocence, met Ding Suian’s gaze calmly. Then he said, “Brother, what’s wrong?”

Ding Suian smiled meaningfully. “Brother Xuan, not only have you grown taller, but your temperament has also changed.”

“I haven’t changed; I just view you as my true brother.”

Jiang Xuan’s tone was sincere, then he gave a self-deprecating laugh. “Brother, did you really think I was so stupid that I couldn’t even remember a few idioms?”

Ding Suian’s gaze softened again. He raised his hand and patted Jiang Xuan’s shoulder. “It’s been hard on you, too.”

Being a child of a noble family isn’t easy, and being a concubine-born son in a noble family is even harder, not to mention an illegitimate child who doesn’t even count as a concubine-born son.

An illegitimate child being stupid, unlearned, unambitious, and just waiting to die fits the stereotype, fits the expectations of the legitimate mother, fits the expectations of the legitimate brother, and even his own father might be happy to see it.

If he had ever shown any extraordinary intelligence or any ambition, he probably wouldn’t have lived this long under the noses of the Yu family.

Only by feigning incompetence can one save one’s life.

Every family has its own troubles.

A short while later, the two agreed on the details of attending the banquet and parted ways.

As soon as he turned the corner of Liuhe Street, he heard Jiang Xuan loudly telling his attendants waiting in the distance, “Quick, go to the Prince Leyang’s residence and report to the heir. Tell him my brother agreed to attend the appointment because of me. This is what you call ‘to beat a dog, one must look at its master’.”

“Young Master, that phrase doesn’t seem to be a compliment.”

The attendant carefully reminded him, but Jiang Xuan waved his hand carelessly. “Eh, it’s not important.”

“Young Master is amazing! Even the heir has to entrust you with things!”

“Don’t you know who I am? State my nickname!”

“Cold-Faced Silver Spear, Brocade Jade Youth, the handsomest in Central Heaven, second only to Brother, ranked second!”

“Haha, not bad! Here, this piece of silver is your reward.”

“Thank you, Young Master~”

The next day, at the hour of the Rooster (5 PM).

Outside the Zhangtai Willow.

Yu Bowen never expected that one day, he would become a doorman waiting for someone.

But thinking of the distinguished guest in the private room upstairs, he could endure it for now.

But the constantly chattering youth beside him made him a bit unable to stand it.

“…That Gudui was eight feet tall and his waist was also eight feet around; he looked like a ruthless character. But when my brother saw the Soldier of Great Wu being humiliated, how could he endure it? He immediately stepped out from the crowd. One slash, just one slash! My brother used only one slash to sever that Gudui’s lineage! The Prince of Nanshun, who was watching from the side—uh, that is, the current Emperor Wu—was so scared that he let out a whimper and collapsed into the arms of Master Li Qiushi. From then on, he didn’t dare to talk nonsense and directly released our seven thousand Soldiers to return to the country.”

He calls him “Brother” so affectionately; does that person have anything to do with you?

Ptooey!

Even if you are an illegitimate child, you are still a descendant of a noble family. You don’t have a shred of the refined, aloof integrity that shows one’s noble aspirations!

It’s simply a disgrace to us noble family descendants.

I am ashamed to be associated with him.

Just as he was secretly criticizing him, he saw Ding Suian walking over with unhurried steps.

Yu Bowen’s expression tightened, and he immediately trotted forward. Still three zhang away, he bowed deeply. “Oh! Brother, you’ve finally arrived!”

“…I remember, Brother Yu, you are two years older than me, right?”

“Eh! That’s not important. Brother, you severed Gudui’s lineage with one slash in Southern Zhao, bolstering our national prestige. This little brother admires you greatly!”

“Uh, small matter, small matter.”

“I heard that Gudui was eight feet tall and his waist was eight feet…”

Jiang Xuan, who had just approached, looked stunned. Hey! Those are my lines!

Why is he saying them?

Surrounded by Jiang Xuan on the left and Yu Bowen on the right, Ding Suian climbed to the third floor of the Zhangtai Willow.

“Brother Ding, trust you have been well since we last met! Haha.”

As soon as the door to the private room opened, Han Jingru let out a burst of hearty, yet intimate laughter typical of noble family descendants.

I don’t know what the hell he’s laughing at.

Ding Suian exchanged pleasantries, but his gaze fell on the fat man sitting in the main seat. He was wearing luxurious casual clothes, and his fleshy Face carried a reserved smile. He seemed to want to leave an impression of being respectful to the virtuous and condescending to the scholars, yet he couldn’t hide that attitude of looking down on others.

The Prince of Linping, Chen Hong.

The main person actually came directly.

Han Jingru stepped forward, grasped Ding Suian’s arm, and said with a smile, “Brother Ding, the Prince of Linping heard that I was going to host you today and came here specially.”

“Commander Ding, I came on a whim. I hope I haven’t ruined your refined mood?”

“When I went out this morning, I heard a magpie chirping. I waited all day but saw no happy event. It turns out this auspicious sign was meant for meeting the Prince tonight.”

Hypocritical pleasantries, I can spout them too.

“Haha, Commander Ding, please sit.”

“Thank you, Prince.”

Seeing Ding Suian sit down, Yu Bowen also sat down, but as soon as his butt touched the stool, Han Jingru gave him a look.

Yu Bowen hurriedly stood up, took the wine pot himself, and poured wine for everyone.

“Brother Ding, you are in for a treat this time. This jar is aged imperial wine brought specially by the Prince of Linping.”

Han Jingru started the conversation with a laugh, and on the other side, Chen Hong took over. “My Imperial Grandfather was fond of alcohol in his prime and treasured many fine wines in the palace, treating them like precious gems. Even when important ministers of the court asked for a jar, my Imperial Grandfather was reluctant to grant it.”

“Yes, even my father rarely gets a taste of His Majesty’s collection.”

Han Jingru expressed his deep agreement. Chen Hong nodded, then sighed sadly and continued, “Now my Imperial Grandfather is old, and his Dragon body is far from what it used to be. He should not drink too much, so these fine wines have fallen to me. Two days ago, I went to the palace to visit my Imperial Grandfather and was bestowed with this wine again, so you all have the fortune to taste it.”

Hearing this, Jiang Xuan secretly leaned over to the wine cup and sniffed it, maintaining his usual stupid persona.

“…”

Ding Suian didn’t say a word.

In just a few short sentences between Han Jingru and Chen Hong, the amount of information contained was exceptionally rich.

The ‘important ministers of the court’ couldn’t get the treasured wine, yet he, the Prince of Linping, could drink it whenever he wanted. This meant he was different in His Majesty’s eyes and the most favored by His Majesty.

Han Jingru’s remark that ‘my father rarely gets a taste’ was proof of this.

‘Dragon body is not as good as before’ meant that the struggle for the imperial succession had reached the final stage.

‘Went to the palace to visit two days ago’ showed that Chen Hong still had the power to enter and exit the palace at will.

This was a roundabout way of telling Ding Suian, “Come, bow down and submit. Brother Hong will take you to the top!”

Talking to this bunch of jerks is exhausting.