Brotherly Respect

Just past the hour of Mao, the sun hung high, and heat and dazzling light rose in its wake.

The shadows of the trees on both sides were cast upon the official road, one gray and one white, standing in sharp contrast, with the swaying of their edges dimly visible.

That was not a gentle breeze brushing the face, but rather the galloping of fast horses and carriage tracks charging from the end of the official road.

Chen Yi surveyed them from afar, murmuring under his breath, "Who's to say the Zhuangyuan's might isn't impressive?"

Armored cavalry cleared the way, flag-bearers holding banners followed closely behind, and bringing up the rear after the guards was a large crimson carriage drawn by four fine horses.

Although it was hurtling forward at a gallop, it was not hard to see that the carriage tracks remained smooth, without the slightest bit of sway.

Until they were still a li away from the post station, those fast horses, flying banners, and the carriage following them finally slowed their pace, gradually coming to a halt beside the post station.

Seeing this, officials led by Liu Si smiled and swarmed forward.

Before they even caught sight of Chen Yunfan's figure, most of them had already formed the gesture of a bow.

Chen Yi cast a glance left and right, recognizing that the banner hanging from the carriage was not some cloud banner of the Shu Provincial Administration, but rather a palm-sized seal on the roof of the carriage—a "Chen" character outlined on a background of black clouds over white.

It was strikingly the seal of the Chen Family of Jiangnan, representing that the person seated inside was from the main branch of the five-hundred-year-old heritage of the Chen Family.

Why five hundred years?

That had to be counted from the founding period of the preceding Great Liang Dynasty; as ancestors of the Chen Family of Jiangnan who were meritorious officials at the time, their lineage happened to span exactly five hundred years down to the present day.

And as for the so-called aristocratic families, brief though those four words might seem, what they represented behind the scenes was not merely power, status, and wealth, but more importantly—heritage.

The farther back a family's heritage extended, the more powerful its influence within its ancestral lands, with tentacles stretching even further in all directions, making them intricately intertwined.

To say nothing of the Chen Family of Jiangnan, even the Shu Xiao Family had a heritage of two centuries, with marriage ties extending to the Duke of Gan lineage that ran rampant across Guangyue Prefecture and Jiaozhou.

The number of other powerful clans and aristocratic families on good terms with the Xiao Family was so vast that it took half a day just to tally them up.

Therefore, at this moment, Chen Yi glanced sideways at the officials of various ranks from Shu Prefecture City, knowing in his heart that what they cared about was not merely Chen Yunfan's official status, but also the Chen Family of Jiangnan and the Qinghe Cui Clan.

At this moment, Xiao Wuge tilted his head up and peered. "Brother-in-law, the specifications for this Cloud Carriage aren't low, are they?"

Chen Yi nodded slightly. "Indeed, they aren't low."

Nanmu Wood formed the framework, the carriage body was encased in refined iron, and atop it sat a magnificent canopy with the clan seal carved in relief. Not only were the specifications high, but the taboos broken by this single carriage alone were enough for those rigid censors to submit impeachments.

Even the young Xiao Wuge could see this, let alone the others?

Yet obviously, officials like Liu Si simply acted as though they saw nothing.

At that moment, the silk curtain of the Cloud Carriage was lifted, and a sparsely dressed maid stepped down, kneeling half-gway with her thighs taut.

Then a man clad in a bright red robe and wearing a gauze hat stepped down by treading on her legs.

His appearance was exceptionally handsome, with sword-like brows, starry eyes, cherry-red lips, white teeth, and a slender figure, though his leanness was distinctly visible.

Strikingly, he was Chen Yunfan of the legitimate son of the main branch of the Chen Family of Jiangnan—now the Zhuangyuan of the Great Liang Dynasty and a subordinate fourth-rank counselor of the Shu Provincial Administration.

He looked around, his gaze passing over Liu Si and the others to spot Chen Yi and the rest far in the rear, and smiled as he raised a hand to wave twice.

Truth be told, that smile appeared exceedingly warm and amiable to anyone's eyes.

Although Liu Si felt some displeasure at being ignored along with the others, he also felt a wave of relief in his heart; at least these half-brothers appeared reasonably amicable on the surface.

"Liu Si, Prefect of Shu Prefecture, has awaited Counselor Chen for a long time."

Next came Xiao Dongchen, who held the same official rank as Chen Yunfan. He smiled and cupped his fists. "This official is Xiao Dongchen, counselor of the Shu Provincial Administration. I've come on behalf of the left and right provincial administrators to welcome younger brother Yunfan."

The remaining officials offered greetings one by one.

Chen Yunfan withdrew his gaze and smiled as he bowed. "Forgive me, Lord Liu, Lord Xiao, and everyone else. There were numerous delays along the way, causing you to wait long."

Liu Si smiled and said, "It's no trouble. The hour is still early, and Right Envoy Liu Hong has already booked a banquet at Fengchun Tower for tonight, just waiting for Lord Chen to rest a moment and wash away the dust of your journey."

"Sorry for the trouble, sorry for the trouble."

With one hand in front and the other behind his back, Chen Yunfan looked outwardly courteous and modest, yet his head was tilted slightly upward, and the expression on his face was one of effortless ease.

It was as if being treated with such deference was only natural for him.

Not only Liu Si and Xiao Dongchen could tell, but Chen Yi could naturally perceive it as well.

This elder brother of his was just as he remembered him: seemingly amiable toward others, yet filled to the brim with the arrogance of an aristocratic family deep in his bones, utterly incapable of bending his waist.

He simply wondered whether, when he ascended the Golden Treasure Hall to take part in the Metropolitan Examination in the past, he had looked just like this before the reigning emperor and chief examiner?

Just as Chen Yi was appraising Chen Yunfan and inwardly speculating how he would converse with him face-to-face, he saw the other man's right hand slightly swing aside from his chest, and paying no heed to the eager Liu Si and others standing beside him, he walked straight over.

From afar, Chen Yunfan smiled and spoke. "Yun Fan, it's been a long time."

Yun Fan?

"Yun Fan" was homophonous with "righteous brother".

Chen Yi thought to himself that this fellow intended to disown him as a brother whose name was written in the Chen family genealogy.

"Brother Yun Fan, judging by the airs you're putting on today, your flair hasn't diminished at all since your days roaming Jinling Flower Street."

Coincidentally, the "elder" part of the title had been dropped by him as well.

Chen Yunfan naturally heard it and said with displeasure, "On that day, your elder brother was entrusted by our father and mother to go and haul you back home. Why are you still holding a grudge?"

Chen Yi did not yield an inch. "The time you hauled me back was simply because I found Lady Butterfly Dance, whom you dote on, to keep me company."

"Butterfly Dance? Who is that?"

Chen Yunfan feigned ignorance, pointing toward the maid standing by the carriage behind him. "Is she as pretty as my Chunying?"

Chen Yi smiled and said, "Your reputation as a romantic talent, Elder Brother, has spread throughout Jiangnan Prefecture, so your taste is naturally beyond reproach."

Chen Yunfan laughed heartily, looked him up and down, and then beckoned to Liu Si and the others:

"Come, come, come. Let me introduce you to some friends from official circles. It just so happens that you are marrying into a family in Shu Prefecture, and they can look after you in the future."

Before Liu Si and the others could walk over, Chen Yi extended a finger and pointed at the excited-looking Xiao Wuge beside them:

"Let me introduce someone to you first."

"Xiao Wuge, grandson of Marquis Dingyuan."

Chen Yunfan's smile instantly froze. He looked at him, then lowered his gaze to glance at Xiao Wuge, his smile fading away.

Yet he showed no sign of annoyance, instead calmly tidying his garments, folding his hands, and bowing respectfully and deferentially toward Xiao Wuge while speaking in a clear voice:

"This humble official is Chen Yunfan, counselor of the Shu Provincial Administration. Greetings, Young Marquis."

The Great Liang Dynasty possessed strict laws and rituals.

aunque Chen Yunfan acted ostentatiously and the Chen Family's specifications transgressed boundary limits, he dared not slight ritual laws.

Especially upon taking up his new post while surrounded by officials of various ranks like Liu Si, he was all the more careful not to forfeit his own breeding.

"At ease."

Xiao Wuge tilted his head up to look at him, then turned his gaze to Chen Yi and said, "Brother-in-law, your elder brother is indeed more formidable than the Third Place Scholar."

Before a smile could surface on Chen Yunfan's face, he heard the boy continue: "The Third Place Scholar climbed down from his white horse himself, but this one has to step on a maid's thighs to get down."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yi could not help but smile gently.

Truth be told, only Xiao Wuge could utter such words; if it were anyone else, Chen Yunfan would likely have thrown a tantrum.

Even so, Chen Yunfan's complexion remained unsightly.

After a moment of silence, he squeezed out a sliver of a smile and said, "The Young Marquis teaches well. Yun Fan did not realize the Young Marquis was present; I have been discourteous."

Who would have thought that Xiao Wuge would simply wave a hand? "Human beings are not sages, who among us is without fault? It is good enough that you know your error and correct it."

As he spoke, he even pointed at Chen Yi: "My brother-in-law taught me all of this."

"..."

Chen Yunfan's complexion instantly grew even darker. Catching sight of the smiling Chen Yi out of the corner of his eye, he said with indifferent coldness:

"Yun Fan, I still have official business today. When I have spare time another day, I'll send someone to summon you over."

With that, he turned and walked toward the carriage, no longer paying any attention even to Liu Si and the others.

Before climbing aboard, however, Chen Yunfan refused the support of the maid beside him. Once he stepped into the carriage, he looked at Chen Yi:

"This time around, seeing that your physique is robust and your attire is neat, your elder brother is deeply gratified."

"I imagine that if Father and Mother were to see your appearance today, they would likewise feel gratified."

Before he finished speaking, he jerked the curtain open and seated himself inside the carriage.

Immediately following that, the armored cavalry once more cleared the way, the flag-bearers followed behind, and the carriage sped toward Shu Prefecture City.

With unsightly expressions on their faces, Liu Si and the others glared at Chen Yi and flicked their sleeves in departure.

Xiao Dongchen even pointed at Chen Yi with a wry smile, wearing an expression that suggested he had no idea what appropriate thing to say.

Once everyone had departed, Chen Yi stood smiling on the official road, watching from afar as the dozen-odd carriages galloped away down the thoroughfare, before finally patting Xiao Wuge on the shoulder:

Next time, don't expose someone's shortcomings to their face like that; it's an easy way to get yourself beaten.

"Who dares beat me? I'll have Uncle Lixing and Uncle Hong beat them right back."

Wang Lixing and Yan Hong exchanged helpless, wry smiles and nodded, thinking to themselves that they certainly couldn't afford to beat that young master of the Chen Family; that would require the master and several young misses to step forward.

Still, had the son-in-law stirred up trouble today, or had he not?

[Witnessed Zhuangyuan Chen Yunfan taking up his post in Shu, an aristocratic scion whose Zhuangyuan demeanor and might overawed all officials, intending to walk the grand and righteous path of soaring step. Reward: Cultivation Technique -- Mysterious Turtle Breath Concealment Art (Mystic Grade), Fortune: 40.]

[Appraisal: The person has arrived, his fame has preceded him, and his grand entrance has been witnessed. Though like the brilliance of a mere rice grain, he still contends in radiance with the Zhuangyuan. Acceptable.]

After reading it, Chen Yi paid no heed to what they might be thinking, and waved his hand in signal. "The person has been met, let's head back home too."

The group boarded the carriage, and Xiao Wuge smiled and said, "Brother-in-law, I didn't say anything wrong just now either. If Eldest Sister and Second Sister saw him acting like that, they probably wouldn't like it either."

"Yes, yes..."

Chen Yi offered a perfunctory reply, yet he inspected the Concealment Art in his mind with a trace of contemplation.

Judging from the past few instances, this reward should be related to the person or event he had "witnessed."

Viewed in this light, Chen Yunfan should have cultivated a similar breath-concealment technique.

It couldn't possibly be that he was truly the incarnation of the Mysterious Turtle, planning to execute a step-by-step lotus and soaring step right here in Shu Prefecture, could it?

Just as Chen Yi remained skeptical, inside the speeding Chen family Cloud Carriage ahead at that very moment, Chen Yunfan had already shed his previous haughtiness and lay resting on the lap of a maid named Chunying as he asked:

"Did you discern anything?"

Gently massaging his temples, Chunying spoke in a low voice, "Young Master Chen Yi ought to have practiced the martial path."

Closing his eyes to enjoy the sensation, Chen Yunfan said lazily, "This brother of mine has truly changed. The old him wouldn't have known how to hide his light under a bushel..."