Chapter 39: Three Thousand Two

  Yang Yun left the dock, first went to the market for a trip, stayed in a shop selling Wen Fang Si Bao for a while, then hired a horse-drawn carriage and said to the driver: "Go to the Guo Gong Fu."

  The Fengming Mansion had only one Duke, so the coachman naturally knew the address. With a crack of his whip in mid-air, the carriage began to move.

  All the way, Yang Yun closed his eyes and thought about this matter.

  Changfu was sealed off, which was absolutely not a coincidence. Yang Yun could almost confirm that the Four Seas Alliance had made a move. When talking to the officer at the dock, the seven-emotion bead on Heishi's wristband, representing hatred and resentment, was slightly hot, indicating that the officer had malicious intentions towards them.

  When Yang Yun mentioned the Four Seas Alliance, although the officer on duty remained calm on the surface, the bead representing "surprise" among the seven emotions heated up slightly.

  Why is the Four Seas Alliance going to such great lengths to deal with people like Lian Pingyuan? They are just ordinary islanders, and for a long time they have not set foot on the mainland. It should be that they have nothing to do with the Four Seas Alliance. Is it really just because of some verbal disputes?

  Unexpectedly, I didn't think about the reason, anyway, it's not important, what matters is to solve the problem.

  At this time, the carriage had already arrived, Yang Yun paid the fare and walked towards the gatehouse of the Guo Gong Fu.

  "What's up?" The porter looked at Yang Yun and asked casually.

  "I was fortunate enough to receive the Duke's praise at the Haitian Academy a few days ago, and today I came specifically to visit and thank him." Yang Yun said, handing over a visiting card.

  Guan Shi heard that Yang Yun had met the Duke, and didn't dare to be too negligent. Everyone knew that the master of the mansion liked to promote young talents, especially those with talent and youth. Who knows if this person in front of him was one of them?

  Inside the package was a receipt with only one line of writing: "Three thousand taels of silver...with respect"

  The steward looked at Yang Yun in surprise, three thousand taels of silver was nothing to the entire Guo Gong Fu, but as a gift it was already very generous, a xiucai who came to visit for the first time and gave such a lavish gift, had never been seen before.

  On the paste was Yang Yun's name, and the housekeeper said: "Please wait a moment, Mr. Yang, I'll go ask the manager."

  Yang Yun nodded and began to wait in the gatehouse with an air of nonchalance.

  The butler took the visiting card and listened to the steward's description. After a moment of hesitation, he still brought the visiting card to Duke Fuguo.

  Beforehand, he had heard from his attendants that the Duke's mood was not bad and there were no special matters, so the butler handed Yang Yun's letter up.

  "Yang Yun Yang Meng Huan? Is that the little boy who wrote the 'Fu Feng Ting' poem? How did he think of visiting me? Three thousand two hundred silver, not a small sum. Well, I'll see him in the Banyue Pavilion." said Zhao Han Guang, Duke of Fuguo.

  "Yes." The butler let out a sigh of relief and backed out respectfully.

  Yang Yun waited for a short while before seeing the manager go and come back.

  "Master Yang, my master is inviting you."

  Yang Yun nodded and followed the steward through the corner gate, passing through the long corridor across the front yard. Along the way, the halls and pavilions were majestic, with servants and maids in groups, all bowing their heads and being polite. The person leading the way changed twice, and it took a good while to arrive at a pavilion nestled among mountains and water.

  "Ban Yue Xuan" Yang Yun raised his head and took a glance at the plaque above the door, softly reciting it out loud.

  "Please go in yourself, young master," said the guide before leaving.

  Yang Yun adjusted his clothes and hat, and stepped into the pavilion. As he crossed the threshold, Yang Yun felt several sharp gazes sweeping back and forth across him, likely from hidden expert guards.

  Fu Guogong Zhao Hangguang sat on a high platform, saw Yang Yun coming in, and beckoned with his hand, smiling: "Yang Xiuzai is here?"

  Yang Yun made a long bow and said, "I am Yang Yun, born late in life; I pay my respects to Duke Fu of the State."

  "No need for formalities, take a seat."

  Next to the stone pedestal was a bamboo chair, and Yang Yun sat down in it with a relaxed air.

  "What brings you here, scholar?" Zhao Hanguang asked casually, without even offering him a cup of tea.

  Yang Yun simply stated the matter and hinted that Fu Guo Gong should come forward to lift the seal on Changfu Number.

  Zhao Hanguang listened and pondered silently in his heart.

  Lifting the seizure on the Changfu ship was a trivial matter for him, but Yang Yun's behavior seemed strange. After all, Yang Yun wasn't even his close friend, they had only met once at Xinfeng Pavilion and exchanged a few words. How did he have the nerve to come straight to him? And what's more, he handed over 3,000 taels of silver right away, enough to buy a new ship.

  He had sent someone to investigate Yang Yun's background. How could he possibly come up with 3,000 taels of silver? Was this a person who didn't know his own limitations and liked to boast emptily?

  "How dare you! This is a matter of official business, and the authorities will make their own judgment. What are you doing here, jumping up and down? And you, a poor scholar, where did you get three thousand taels of silver from? Are you colluding with bandits, or have you committed some other crime? Or are you just trying to deceive me with empty words?" Zhao Hanguang's face turned stern as he questioned him, with a hint of the arrogance of those in power.

  Yang Yun, however, remained calm and composed. Although Zhao Hanguang's face was filled with anger, the "anger" bead in the Seven Emotions Pearl did not react at all, only the "curiosity" bead slightly heated up.

  At the time of Xifeng Pavilion, when this Duke Fuguo heard his style name, he was shocked for a moment, and then paid extra attention to himself. Although he concealed it very well, he couldn't escape the detection of the Qiqing Pearl.

  Yang Yun cupped his hands in response: "I report to the Duke, I am indeed unable to produce three thousand taels of silver at present, but it is not an empty promise."

  "What's this? How can you say that?"

  "Is there a magnifying glass available in the mansion? Can I take a look?"

  Fu Guo Gong clapped his hands and said, "Go get one from Wenyuan Hall."

  Someone answered and went, Fu Guo Gong Zhao Hanguang turned to examine Yang Yun's learning.

  After a conversation, both of them secretly admired each other. Zhao Hanguang thought to himself: "I didn't expect that this Yang Yun, although young in age, is actually a talented and learned person. It seems that he will surely pass the exam this year."

  Yang Yun did not expect that Zhao Hanguang, the noble Duke of State, would have such uncommon knowledge. If it weren't for his own foundation in the Jingluan Hall of the Sea of Recognition, he might have even shown some timidity. No wonder this Duke of State has a great reputation for wisdom in Southern Wu.

  At this time, someone brought the magnifying glass back and Yang Yun said: "Please ask Guo Gong to use this magnifying glass to take another look at the gift list."

  Zhao Hanguang used a magnifying glass to compare it with the receipt, and behind the words "three thousand two", what was originally thought to be three ink dots revealed its true appearance.

  "Good you Yang Yun Yang Meng Huan, the mechanism was originally here!" Zhao Han Guang burst out laughing, and what he saw through the lens were actually the three words "Three Years Later".

  "What? You're still using Zhong Ding Wen? Great font, the strokes are subtle yet full of flavor, and such a small font size has managed to convey the grandeur of Zhong Ding Wen. Rarely seen!"

  "The Duke is indeed wise, I spent a lot of effort writing these few words. If it weren't for the Duke's reputation for being kind and generous, I wouldn't have dared to make such a reckless move."

  "Haha, just because of these few words, I'll settle this matter for you."

  "Thank you, Lord Guo," Yang Yunxi said.

  "Three years later, I don't care if you want silver. These few words are worth it. Just remember that you owe me a favor." Zhao Hanguang held the gift list, looking at it left and right, reluctant to put it down.

  "The elder has spoken, how dare I disobey?" Yang Yun said with a faint smile.

  After finishing his business, Yang Yun bid farewell and left the mansion.

  After walking out of the national government's grand gate, he turned his head and took a deep look back. The courtyard was deep and rich with an aura of wealth rising up, but suddenly before his eyes appeared a scene of broken beams and crumbling walls, desolate magpies and solitary swallows.

  In a chaotic world, the wealth and nobility of this place will eventually disappear like flowing water and falling flowers.

  Forget it, since we've formed a bond today, I'll help you out if our paths cross again someday. Yang Yun let out a soft sigh before turning around and leaving.

  At this time, inside Fuguo Gongfu.

  "Great Uncle - Great Uncle, what are you doing staying here?" A red-clad young girl, Zhao Jia, rushed into the Companion Moon Pavilion.

  "Rewarding words." Zhao Hanguang waved the letter of apology from Yang Yun in his hand.

  Zhao Jia glanced over and lost interest, shifting her gaze away.

  "I'm telling you, Jiajia, since you've already left the sect after your training, why don't you go back to Dongwu City for a visit? Your parents haven't seen you in over a year."

  "No need to go back, there are so many rules and regulations, it's more comfortable living with Uncle." Zhao Jia replied coquettishly, she had been close to this easy-going uncle since childhood, compared to him, her parents who were strict about everything seemed like outsiders.

  As expected, when Zhao Jia said that, Zhao Hang just smiled and didn't mention letting her go home again.

  Since being tricked by Yang Yun, Zhao Jia has been gritting her teeth with hatred. For over a dozen days, she has been lurking in the streets and alleys of Fengming Prefecture, hoping to find that shameless scoundrel and teach him a lesson. Little did she know, Yang Yun had been studying at Haitian Academy all along and couldn't be found on the streets.

  For some reason, she never asked Fukuo for help, even though she knew that her uncle could easily find the little man named Yang Yun.

  "Just you wait, I can find you even without Uncle's help. When the time comes... humph!" Zhao Jia cursed and vowed, thinking of hundreds of ways to torture Yang Yun in her heart.