Chapter 13: Beating Old Nine

  After the three of them finished paying their respects, they left the Kang Wang Fu. Yong Yi then shouted, "It's been a long time since we've all gotten together, today we must find a place to have some fun."

  "Alright, I'll take care of the arrangements locally."

  Yin Zhen whispered: "Prince Kang just left, find a hidden place."

  "I understand." Yīn Zhōu patted the 14th's shoulder nonchalantly, "You've actually learned Eighth Brother's calm and steady demeanor, it's a pity that Eighth Brother isn't here."

  In the western suburbs of Beijing, Yi Yun and his three brothers led a group of guards into a large estate. As soon as they dismounted their horses, the servants who had been waiting on the side quickly took over the reins. Yi Yun raised his hand and smiled: "This is Ninth Brother's private villa, both inside and outside are reliable people, today you can have fun however you want."

  A middle-aged man dressed as a butler quickly stepped forward, "Your humble servant Dahasu has seen the masters, tenth master, fourteenth master."

  "Alright, Dahaha Su, let's go to the west wing. Tell them to bring out the best of everything and treat the guards well too."

  Daha Su bowed and said: "I will order it now."

  As soon as Dahasu left, Lao Shixiong shouted: "Good you, Ninth Brother, you can actually bear to leave such a good place!"

  Yuan Zhen was secretly amazed at Lao Jiu's wealth. Wasn't this guy just smuggling wood and ginseng? How did he have so much leftover money? Did he bring himself to this place today to show off his strength, or was there a hidden warning meaning? As soon as he thought about it, he laughed and said: "Brother Jiu has been keeping us in the dark!"

  He stretched out his hand, made a gesture of invitation, and led the way himself, smiling: "I wouldn't deceive anyone, let alone you two. This villa was just acquired two years ago, renovated last year, and then something happened. Who would still be in the mood to come here?"

  All the way, Yin Xiang and Yin Zhen couldn't help but sigh in admiration. The pavilions and towers in this mansion were layered and magnificent, and the waterside corridors were also cleverly designed to take advantage of the terrain. Yin Xiang exclaimed: "Ninth brother really knows how to enjoy himself."

  Yin Xiang smiled and said: "If you like it, you can stay here every day." As he spoke, he glanced at Yin Zhen.

  Yuan Zhen smiled and said: "I would like to live here every day, it's just a bit far away, not very convenient."

  "Exactly, exactly."

  They entered a grand hall, and immediately, delicate maidservants brought in washing utensils. After the three men washed up, they entered the dining hall, where dishes were served one after another. Yin Zhen picked up his wine cup and said, "Come on, come on, today we have wine, today we get drunk." He downed it in one gulp, and Yin Reng and his brother accompanied him in drinking.

  After three rounds of wine, Yi Xun waved his hand and chased away the maidservants standing beside him. Only then did he smile and say: "Fourteenth brother, you're quite something. I, Ninth Brother, have rarely been impressed by anyone in my life, but you're one of them. You said you never read books on agriculture, yet you wrote such a wonderful essay like 'Encouraging Agriculture'. Now everyone in the imperial court is praising it."

  "Brother Jiu also came to make fun of me, don't you know who the good ones are?" Yin Zhen smiled calmly, "That folded paper is just something that Emperor Ama likes, but Second Brother is taking advantage of the situation to stir up trouble and push me to the forefront." Yin Zhen said as he drained his cup of wine, "He's doing this to disgust Emperor Ama a bit, and as for me, it's nothing more than pulling the ladder from under my feet."

  "This remark has confused me." Yongqi said with wide eyes; "How did it involve the Emperor?"

  Yin Zhen smiled bitterly: "Tenth brother, think about it. The emperor attaches great importance to agriculture, but he didn't expect that I, who usually don't know anything about farming, would come up with this suggestion. If it were you, wouldn't you be depressed?"

  "Unexpectedly, the 14th brother is quite perceptive about this matter." Yongzhong smiled and got up, filling Yongzhen's wine cup to the brim, then put down the wine jug and said: "I've never figured out why you knew it all along, yet still chose to take this detour?"

  Yong Zheng sighed, "I also thought of this later, actually my intention in impeaching Zhen was just to get a promotion and achieve the goal of dividing the household. Last year when Eighth Brother had his mishap, I could only speak up for him a few times in front of Father Emperor, but I couldn't help him at all, thinking about it now still makes me feel unwell."

  He shot Lao Jiu a glance and hastily said: "What's the point of bringing up unpleasant things? Come, let's drink."

  Lao Shi wanted to stir up trouble, but Yong Zheng didn't take the bait. He didn't like being too passive and even less liked Lao Jiu's condescending tone. In one gulp, he downed his wine and looked at Lao Jiu: "As soon as we meet, Ninth Brother is blaming me for not going out these days. Haven't you noticed anything unusual?"

  Lao Jiu and Lao Shi were already well-established, with silver-fed loyal followers. How could they be fooled by spies? Yin Zhen's question made Lao Jiu very embarrassed, but he was also quite bold. He stood up and said: "If it's Nine Brother's fault, Nine Brother will punish himself with a cup as an apology."

  The old tenth is secretly pleased in his heart, and you, old ninth, also have times when you're at a disadvantage.

  Yongzheng sipped a cup and said quietly, "The Emperor has always hated factionalism. At this extraordinary time, it's better for us brothers to keep a low profile."

  Lao Jiu's face suddenly sank, "What? You're afraid, Lao Shi Si?"

  Even a clay man has three points of fire, and being asked by Lao Jiu like this, Yun Zhen suddenly got angry. You really think you're the second brother? He stood up abruptly, staring at Lao Jiu: "What am I afraid of? I'm afraid that Eighth Brother will be implicated because of us. Who doesn't know that we three brothers are part of Eighth Brother's faction? If our private gathering is reported to the Emperor, will Eighth Brother get a good outcome? Also, don't blame me for not reminding you, without imperial orders, princes cannot leave the capital within fifty miles. Isn't this villa a bit far? What if Eighth Brother comes here and is reported by someone with ill intentions, wouldn't that be a serious crime at the right moment?"

  Facing this scolding from Yi Zhen, Lao Jiu Yi Yun was both shocked and angry, his face turned white then green, green then white again. In his heart, he felt like the seas were overturning, when did Lao Shi Si become so tough? He dared to scold him without leaving any face, but what he said was all reasonable, for a moment, he didn't know how to refute.

  Looking like a pair of fighting cocks, Old Ninth and Fourteenth stunned Old Tenth into silence for a moment before he burst out laughing: "Fourteenth Brother, it's not that serious, is it?"

  Yin Zhen glanced at him, but her tone was not pleasant: "Tenth brother, you have always been straightforward and magnanimous, and the emperor has always favored you. Even if the emperor finds out about this small mistake, he won't blame you."

  Is this praising me or mocking me? I was speechless at the time, I was trying to mediate, but in the end, even I got dragged into it.

  Just as they were about to clash, Old Ninth had already calmed down. Given the situation before him, if he didn't speak carefully, Old Fourteenth might just storm off in anger. When Eighth Brother returned and found out what happened, wouldn't he scold himself to death? Moreover, this matter was originally his own oversight. After thinking through the connections between them, Yunhe smiled and said: "It's Ninth Brother who spoke wrongly, I hope Fourteenth Younger Brother will forgive me. Ninth Brother will punish himself with three cups as an apology." As he spoke, he downed the three cups without hesitation.

  Yin Ruo also saw that something was amiss, and hastily came over to press Yin Zhen down into his seat, laughing as he said: "What's the point of us brothers getting angry with each other? It's just giving others something to laugh at. Come on, tenth brother will keep you company for a drink."

  Yuan Zhen was drinking at the foot of the slope, and after finishing a cup, he said solemnly: "I speak my mind, Ninth Brother don't take offense. We four brothers are like ants on a rope, sharing honor and loss together. Now, we all consider Eighth Brother to be the most important."

  "It's all about the eighth brother." Yong Yun smiled and nodded in agreement. His arrangements today were meant to give the fourteenth a boost, but he didn't expect the fourteenth to be so open-minded. He suddenly felt much more at ease, and his earlier annoyance was too lazy to bother with again.

  The atmosphere seemed to ease a bit, and he was afraid that the two would start arguing again, so he quickly changed the subject. "I say, Ninth Brother, what's the point of drinking alone? Don't you have any beauties hidden in your Golden House?"

  He naturally understood the meaning of Lao's words, and couldn't help but laugh: "Look at me, I'm all confused. This village, let's try to come less often in the future. But since we've already come today, we should make the most of it and have a good time. It wouldn't be worth making a special trip for nothing." After finishing speaking, he lightly clapped his hands together.

  The palms fell, the large gate of the hall opened wide, and a group of swallows rushed in. The solemn atmosphere in the hall disappeared instantly, and after seeing the ceremony, the silk and bamboo music echoed faintly. A group of girls sang and danced, while several snake-like figures stuck to them, eagerly offering wine.

  "With a pleased smile, he introduced them: 'These girls were all bought from Yangzhou and Suzhou, and have been taught by famous teachers since they were young. Tenth brother, fourteenth brother, if you take a liking to any of them, feel free to take them away. Haha, one should not waste their youth, and when life is going well, one should enjoy it to the fullest.'"