Being a sycophant was definitely not an easy job. Your superior had to find you both competent and amusing at the same time, which made the whole endeavor quite difficult. To put it simply, you needed to strike just the right balance between seriousness and liveliness—an exceedingly difficult task. Every time, it felt like dancing on the edge of a knife.
Zheng Fan didn’t particularly feeling of having to "perform" in front of important figures. But sometimes, when you were under someone else’s roof, if you didn’t bow your head, you couldn’t even find shelter from the rain. So, his only hope was to one day build a house of his own.
Halfway through their journey, Zheng Fan received permission to return to Green Willow Fortress. Lord Jingnan offered no reward, nor any other explanation. However, sometimes, not being punished and being allowed to go home as if nothing had happened was, in itself, a statement.
As a soldier, to cross the national border without orders, cause trouble in a foreign country, and return to face no consequences—what was this if not encouragement? Most importantly, Zheng Fan felt he had deepened his impression in Lord Jingnan’s mind. Sometimes, all the gold, silver, and treasures in the world couldn’t compare to having the Emperor’s attention.
Zheng Fan had no intention of earning money for retirement. In a sense, he was like an entrepreneur in the struggling phase in this world.
If, in modern times, you gave an entrepreneur two choices:
"A million dollars in startup capital" or "getting to know Ma Yun,"
which would he choose?
When Green Willow Fortress came into view, it was already mid-afternoon. The walls of Green Willow Fortress were now being erected. Although it would take many more man-days to further complete and reinforce them, it was finally starting to have the feel of a proper fortress.
Zheng Fan took a deep breath. After his escapades abroad for several days, he found himself missing home deeply.
Blind Bei and the others were already waiting on the road outside. Warm smiles adorned everyone’s faces, as if they were family welcoming a long-lost son home.
Zheng Fan was first taken by Siniang to bathe and change clothes. His wounds also needed further treatment.
Once Zheng Fan had left, Blind Bei, A Ming, Xue Three, and Fanli’s expressions immediately turned grim.
Liang Cheng tied his horse, seemingly mentally prepared. He stood with his hands respectfully clasped, as if waiting to... face the storm!
Xue Three squinted and asked, "Did you have fun?"
Liang Cheng replied very honestly, "I had a great time."
"Oh, you had a great time, did you?" Xue Three jumped up, clapped Liang Cheng on the shoulder, and said, "So, you had your fun and forgot all about your brothers, huh!"
Liang Cheng still responded calmly, "It was My lord’s decision."
Liang Cheng wasn’t lying. It had indeed been Zheng Fan’s decision. Liang Cheng had initially thought that on that day, he was merely accompanying My lord to the academy to arrest someone. However, after the academy matter concluded, My lord decided on the spot to take a tour of Qian State. Liang Cheng hadn’t known beforehand, though, admittedly, he had also been eager to go.
At this, Fanli, standing to the side, adopted a deliberately stern expression, like a teacher about to scold an errant student, and said, "If My lord is being thoughtless, are you being thoughtless too?"
The entire group suddenly fell silent.
"Ah Li, did you eat enough for lunch?" Blind Bei asked.
"I’m full. The steamed buns at noon were delicious."
"Oh, if you’re full, then go move bricks over there. The sooner we get the fortress built, the sooner we can all move in."
"Alright, I’ll go right now."
Fanli turned around and went to move the bricks.
The remaining men—Blind Bei, Xue Three, A Ming, and Liang Cheng—all sighed in relief almost simultaneously.
"A Cheng, do you know what it is about this incident that dissatisfies us the most?" Blind Bei began, facing Liang Cheng.
"I shouldn’t have gone without taking you all."
"That’s part of it, but not the most important point. Truthfully, none of us living in this world can guarantee we won’t encounter danger, and we’re not afraid of it. However, My lord’s safety is of paramount importance. We don’t intend to keep My lord sheltered in a nest forever. He actually needs to experience trials and tribulations; otherwise, he cannot grow. And if My lord cannot grow, then neither can we.
Our only condition is this: if My lord were to truly encounter some misfortune, it’s highly probable that all seven of us would also..." Blind Bei paused for a moment before continuing, "Therefore, what we must ensure is that if My lord is genuinely in danger, we die before he does. That way, even in death, we would die willingly, with no regrets, at least.
But look at what happened now. You and My lord went out gallivanting, risking your lives in battle, while the five of us were left here. What could we do, stuck here? Wait to just drop dead?"
Liang Cheng shook his head. "I was wrong."
Blind Bei reached out, patted Liang Cheng’s shoulder, and said, "Do you know what I was most afraid of?"
"You’re rather unique; I can’t guess."
"What I was retrospectively afraid of is this: we do possess the courage to face death. A cup of tea, an erhu, a stick of incense lit—to depart this world in such a way has a certain aesthetic, and it’s not unacceptable. But those few days ago, when you all went off on your jaunt, if something truly unexpected had happened and I had been implicated and perished as a result, I would have found that very hard to accept. Because, before dying, I would have been drawing up construction blueprints, acting as a foreman!" The source of this content ɪs 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✶𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✶𝕟𝕖𝕥
Liang Cheng understood and nodded. Death itself is acceptable, but a death devoid of any sense of ceremony? That would be unforgivable.