"Stalling for time?" Fang Yeyu clearly did not fully understand the issue Pang Ban had already grasped. "They coordinated this performance to stall for time, but what exactly are they plotting?"
Pang Ban smiled faintly. "I did not understand it at first either, so while you were discussing poetry and songs, I naturally was not idle. Later, I thought of Jiumozhi, then of our earlier hypothesis. If that hypothesis holds true, then everything seems to make sense."
Fang Yeyu's expression turned solemn. "Please enlighten me, Master."
Pang Ban nodded approvingly. "If the matter of the Tibetan delegation truly was Ye Weiming's doing, then what was his purpose in doing so?"
Fang Yeyu immediately made a guess. "For Yinchuan? Just as you said, Yinchuan and Ye Weiming have long been in cahoots. Naturally, he would not allow anyone else to lay a hand on her."
As they spoke, the two had already left the imperial garden. A group of patrolling guards happened to approach from ahead, so Pang Ban paused his explanation. Only after the guards had passed did he continue, "It is true that Yinchuan likes Ye Weiming, but I do not believe Ye Weiming is the sort of man who would let romantic feelings bind his hands and feet."
"And his feelings for Yinchuan may not be the same as hers for him."
"Now that we have ruled that out, what else have you thought of?"
Fang Yeyu pondered bitterly for a long while before finally shaking his head. "This disciple is dull-witted. Please enlighten me, Master."
Pang Ban continued to guide him patiently. "We have been in the Western Xia Imperial Palace for so long. Ye Weiming even went out of his way to make a scene at our lodgings. We have met Helian Tieshu, and we have