Chen Yunfan made a pointed remark, then said with a half-smile, "Back when Father was ordered to travel west, officials great and small from Jinling Prefecture scrambled to give him a farewell."
"It was lively enough, but it was nothing more than an ordinary occasion."
"Receiving and seeing off guests, all that bustle and fuss—Father had long since grown accustomed to it. He exchanged a few pleasantries and left it at that."
"Who knew which screw had come loose in Younger Brother Yi's head? Right in front of so many elders, he wrote Father that poem, Farewell to Jinling."
"Though it was a fine poem, I knew Father certainly would not like it. Most of the other guests probably praised his extraordinary talent aloud while laughing at his lack of manners in their hearts."
At this point, Chen Yunfan seemed to see that day's scene once more. Smiling, he asked:
"Tell me, how did someone so full of himself, so arrogantly proud of his talent, learn to endure?"
"Could Mother's five years of confinement truly have worn away his nature?"
Chunying did not answer, merely kneading his temples in silence.
Chen Yunfan had not expected her to give him any sort of answer. He went on by himself, "Perhaps."
"But seeing him again this time, I was happy in the end."
Yet as he spoke, his smile vanished, and he complained, "But that fellow truly has no sense."
"I had finally earned the title of Zhuangyuan and received His Majesty's favor, arriving in all my boundless glory. I had wanted to catch up with him properly and show a little brotherly affection."
"But what did he do? It was merely a contest of currying favor and comparing ourselves among peers—how could he drag out the Young Marquis to embarrass me,