Chapter 306 – An Encounter on Jinxia Street

Stepping out of the Chengtian Gate[1], Su Yi shook his head to clear his thoughts before heading toward his residence.

Eunuch Yue's earlier words struck him like a warning bell, leaving him restless and forcing him to confront his troubling position.

What kind of crime would it be for a top-ranking official of the Ruen Dynasty to maintain close ties with the leader of an organization from the jianghu? Would his punishment be more serious since the headquarters were right here in the capital city?

Yes, the one Su Yi had in mind was none other than Ye Fan.

Su Yi mentally reviewed the laws of the Ruen Dynasty three times but couldn’t find any statute mentioning collusion with shadowy jianghu organizations.

Execution? Exile? Execution of one’s entire clan?

Su Yi shuddered and dared not think further, quickening his pace home.

The streets of the capital in the early morning were as bustling as ever, brimming with the vitality of a city used to peace. Though Su Yi had never been to the borderlands, the blood-stained words in the military reports painted a grim picture of war-torn regions far removed from the peaceful prosperity he was basking in.

The more he thought about it, the more the sight of such untroubled splendor weighed on his mind.

Turning past two streets, a familiar voice reached his ears.

"Try and push me again! Push one more time, and I’ll strike back!"

Was that Ye Fan?

Su Yi’s eyes twitched. Speak of the devil, and the devil appears. Turning his head, he realized he had arrived on Jinxia Street.

The stage belonging to the Mei family’s troupe must not

have been dismantled yet,

thought Su Yi.

Sure enough, as his gaze followed the sound, he saw a group of performers setting up a stage for southern opera at a nearby street corner. A middle-aged man was pushing Ye Fan, while Mei Qigu stood to the side, watching with a smile in her eyes.

Su Yi remembered the man doing the shoving. If he recalled correctly, that man was the leader of the opera troupe and Mei Qigu’s father.

Su Yi stood at a distance, his brows faintly furrowing. He hadn’t expected that after all this time, Ye Fan would still be persistently pursuing Mei Qigu. He was considering whether he should report this to the authorities on behalf of Mei Qigu.

"Come on, try it! Let’s see you make a move!" Mei’s father was equally agitated upon hearing that Ye Fan was about to strike. "I can slap you dead with one blow!"

"

Heh

! All by yourself?" Ye Fan laughed in anger. "I’ll even give you a handicap and only use one hand!"

"Get lost!" Mei’s father continued shoving Ye Fan out. "I don't even need to use my hands!"

Ye Fan was nearly pushed onto the street. "Fine! Then I won't use my hands and one leg!"

Mei’s father’s eyes widened in anger. "Then I won't use either of my legs!"

"

Psh

! I won't even use my third leg then!"

"You!!!" Mei Qigu’s father was stunned momentarily, looking Ye Fan up and down. His lips trembled for a long while before he finally spat out, "Vile! Get lost!" Satisfied that he had pushed Ye Fan onto the street, he turned and headed back to the opera troupe.

Ye Fan stood on the street, stomping his feet and shouting, "Come on! Try me! I won't use my arms or any of my three legs! Why are you running? Scared,

huh

?"

Mei Qigu stepped forward, her eyes glinting with amusement. She lightly smiled. "Young master, my father has already gone back."

"

Heh

," Ye Fan grinned at her. "Miss Mei, don’t doubt me. It’s not that I can’t defeat him. I’ve been holding back because he’s your father..."

Mei Qigu’s eyes were filled with laughter as she gently curtsied. "Then, I must thank you, young master."

Ye Fan awkwardly smiled, realizing that Mei Qigu didn’t believe him. "Well, looks like I won’t be able to watch the play today. I... I’ll come again tomorrow to see your performance, Miss."

Mei Qigu’s beautiful eyes stayed fixed on Ye Fan’s face for a long while in silence before she lightly responded, "Alright."

Ye Fan felt a little embarrassed under her gaze. Pretending to act casually, he lowered his head, fumbled through his chest, and murmured, "Ah... Yesterday, when you were singing, I noticed that your hairpin seemed to be broken..."

Suddenly, Ye Fan took Mei Qigu’s hand and pressed an object into her palm. "Wear this."

Mei Qigu was caught off guard. She instinctively tried to pull her hand back but found she couldn’t oppose him, so she allowed him to hold her hand. When she opened her palm, she saw a delicate hairpin. It had simple floral patterns and wasn’t adorned with any jewels or gems. It didn’t seem extravagant, yet it was undeniably beautiful.

"This isn’t appropriate." Mei Qigu tried to return the hairpin to Ye Fan. But Ye Fan swiftly took it back, stepped closer to her, and said, "It’s not something valuable. Consider it a small token of my appreciation. Please don’t refuse." With that, he raised his hand slightly and inserted the hairpin into Mei Qigu’s hair.

The sweet scent of soapberry that wafted from his presence made Mei Qigu suddenly blush deeply.

"Ahem..."

A cough came at an inopportune moment from behind them.

Mei Qigu trembled, looked past Ye Fan’s shoulder, and saw a handsome young man standing not far behind Ye Fan, dressed in a crane-patterned official robe. Flustered, she pushed Ye Fan aside, hurriedly bowed awkwardly to Su Yi, and then fled hastily.

"Ah..." Ye Fan sighed, watching as Mei Qigu ran off until she disappeared from sight. Only then did he turn around and say, "You're an official, after all. How can you lack such basic skills of perception and finesse? With this aptitude, how do you expect to serve the Emperor? You really ought to learn more from those eunuchs."

Su Yi stood with his hands behind his back, narrowing his eyes as he watched the people setting up the opera stage. "I’m the one who teaches the Emperor, not someone who serves him."

"Don’t flatter yourself." Ye Fan waved his hand dismissively. "Most of the court officials are hoping for your early death, so they can serve the Emperor properly."

"Stop the nonsense, let’s get to the point." Su Yi snorted coldly. He knew Ye Fan was right. "The tone has been set in today’s court session. If things are truly unmanageable, we’ll have to abandon Liangzhou."

Ye Fan twirled his folding fan in his hand. "Since the defeat on Qi Zongbi’s front, things have already become irreparable. As long as Qi Yanzhu isn’t foolish, he should have guessed this outcome. He’s probably already waiting for the imperial decree. Once the decree arrives, the army will retreat entirely."

Su Yi furrowed his brows deeper. "But if that happens..."

Ye Fan narrowed his eyes slightly. "The pressure on the court will be even greater."

Su Yi shook his head. "In the end, this isn’t a long-term solution. Liangzhou, Jibei, Ningye, and Liancheng are lined up in a row. Even if the Northern Qiang decides to remain there, resting and recuperating instead of rushing south, the capital will still be in imminent danger. If the Northern Qiang insists on marching south..."

"It shouldn’t happen," Ye Fan shook his head. "The Northern Qiang shouldn’t be marching south immediately unless something unexpected occurs."

Su Yi raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

Ye Fan’s expression grew even colder. "The Northern Qiang are waiting."

Su Yi looked confused. "Waiting... for what?"

Ye Fan took a deep breath. "I’m not entirely sure, but there have been too many mixed reports recently from the Storm Listening Pavilion. However, they all seem to be related to incidents in the jianghu and uprisings in various places.

"I’m not sure if these are connected to the Northern Qiang, but the timing is just too coincidental... If it is related, then it makes sense. The Northern Qiang are waiting for the chaos to build in the Central Plains. Once the Ruen Dynasty is preoccupied with internal conflicts, the Northern Qiang just needs to add the final spark. The final outcome will be decided then."

1. The name "承天" reflects the belief that the emperor rules with the "Mandate of Heaven" (天命). The gate was seen as a bridge between the mortal world and the heavens, reinforcing the emperor's divine right to rule. ☜