“Of course, I want to hear the truth. Please speak frankly!”
Li Bangyan paused for a moment, then said directly.
“If my guess is correct, that person must be holding something over the Prime Minister. I’m just not sure, Scholar, whether with your methods and schemes, you can contend with the Prime Minister?”
This question truly put Li Bangyan in a bit of an awkward spot. If he admitted he was inferior to Wang Fu, it seemed rather embarrassing. But if he insisted he could defeat Wang Fu, did he have any confidence in his heart…
“If I were to face him directly, the outcome would be between forty and sixty percent. He has a slight advantage!”
After a period of silence, Li Bangyan finally said with a hint of embarrassment.
Although saying this was indeed a bit of self-flattery, Yuan Xingchi didn’t expose him. He merely smiled and nodded.
“Since you, Scholar, do not have a guaranteed victory, why then should you get involved in this mess? Their feud has already begun. You only need to sit tight, and someone will naturally step forward to act on your behalf!”
“You mean Bai…”
Li Bangyan stopped short here, though he didn't directly state the name.
However, the implication was already very clear.
Yuan Xingchi silently nodded, then took a sip of tea.
“Sir, you indeed have profound insight. Li has known what to do!”
“If that’s the case, then I shall not disturb you further, Scholar. I only ask that when you rise to prominence, you do not forget today’s agreement!”
Since everything that needed to be said had been said, Yuan Xingchi saw no reason to linger. He stood up and prepared to take his leave.
“Please convey to Minister Xu upon your return that Li remembers this guidance and will surely repay him handsomely in the future!”
Li Bangyan saw no reason to detain him further, as there were others waiting.
After a few pleasantries, the two men walked out of the study, one after the other.
Of course, before leaving, Yuan Xingchi tucked the blank memorial written by Xu Churen back into his sleeve.
Li Bangyan’s lips moved, but ultimately, he said nothing.
The night in Bianliang was always so enchanting. Li Bangyan’s residence was near Xiaotianshui Lane.
Even the air carried a faint scent of rouge.
Although it was deep into the night, countless vendors were still moving along the streets.
“Sir, may I offer you some freshly made Zisu drink? It’s been chilling in the cool well water all day. Have a bowl!”
Just as Yuan Xingchi was about to wander around for a bit, a vendor approached him with a smile.
“Since you say so, I’ll have a bowl to try. How much copper?”
Such street vendors worked diligently every day just to feed their families. Since he encountered one, Yuan Xingchi smiled and replied.
“Eight copper coins a bowl. Sir, you can pay after you finish!”
The vendor spoke while enthusiastically taking a stool from his cart, wiping it with his sleeve, and then offering it to him, inviting him to sit.
With nimble movements, he took a coarse porcelain bowl from a wooden bucket, filled it to the brim with the drink, and handed it to Yuan Xingchi.
“Move aside, move aside! Are you all blind? Can’t you see whose carriage this is?”
Just as Yuan Xingchi accepted the drink, several burly men approached and shoved him to the side.
His leg was already not good, and this shove truly sent him reeling.
“Sir, sir, are you alright?”
Seeing Yuan Xingchi fall, the nearby vendor quickly came over.
“I’m fine, it’s just a shame about this bowl of drink!”
Yuan Xingchi didn’t get angry. He just watched the retreating carriage convoy.
“I’m glad you’re alright. This bowl is on me. I’ll pour you another! We can’t afford to offend those people,”
Glancing in the direction Yuan Xingchi was looking, the nearby vendor said with a wry smile.
“Who is in that carriage? They can be so arrogant and overbearing even in Bianliang?”
After all, this was Bianliang. Even ordinary noblemen wouldn’t deliberately disturb the nearby populace when they went out.
After all, in this place, no one could guarantee that the old man sitting by the corner cooling himself wouldn’t be some high-ranking official in court. Causing trouble for oneself over such a small matter was hardly worth it.
“That is the carriage of Prince Yun. We should not provoke them, otherwise, being sent to Kaifeng Prefecture prison would be a terrible injustice!”
“Prince Yun?”
Yuan Xingchi merely smiled and said no more. He took out a few copper coins from his怀 and handed them to the vendor, then turned and walked back into the night.
To be riding around in a carriage at this hour suggested that Prince Yun was truly anxious this time.
But then again, it was understandable. That was the Prime Minister of a nation!
In the past, those who held this position were all unapproachable, and none were willing to be controlled by others.
If one could replace the current Prime Minister with one of their own confidants at this juncture, the temptation would be irresistible for an ambitious prince.
However, this Prince Yun seemed to have forgotten one thing: the same matter, viewed from different angles, could yield completely different results.
The Emperor indeed doted on Prince Yun, but to directly grant him the position of Prime Minister? How many times would his head need to be kicked by a donkey for that to happen?
Although no prince had ever ascended the throne through a coup since the founding of the Great Song Dynasty, if Zhao Ji wasn’t brain-dead, he would absolutely not place such an opportunity before his son!
After realizing this, Yuan Xingchi suddenly didn't feel angry anymore.
In any case, this Prince Yun was destined to work in vain. Letting him vent his anger seemed like no big deal.
“Sir, why have you returned so late? We just received a carrier pigeon from the son-in-law. There’s something we need to handle!”
After a tour of Bianliang, it was almost midnight when Yuan Xingchi returned to the manor outside the city.
As soon as he entered the gate, the coachman, who should have been enjoying a night of pleasure in Xiaotianshui Lane, immediately stepped forward.
“Didn’t I give you three days off? Why are you back already?”
Yuan Xingchi asked him with some surprise.
“Those women found me to be a crude fellow…”
The coachman’s face showed embarrassment as he said this.
“Hahahaha! Hahahaha!”
Looking at his embarrassed expression, even Yuan Xingchi burst into laughter.
Xiaotianshui Lane indeed gathered the most famous courtesans in Bianliang, but the problem was that these women’s standards were exceptionally high.
Here, money alone couldn’t buy everything.
Without literary talent and with a rough face, even vast wealth would earn disdain…
What made it even more difficult was that it was easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. After becoming accustomed to these enchanting women, how could one look favorably upon the less discerning courtesans who didn't pick their clients?