Lin Feng paused mid-pour.
Lin Chun kept his head lowered.
He continued speaking to himself. "Before I came to see you, I kept thinking about this. You have a bright future in Kang Country. For a scholar, establishing yourself at court far surpasses struggling out in the provinces. So why did you resign? Our great-grandfather and the others are all in the northwest. Could you really bear to leave them there and ignore them? Are things not going well for you at the Kang Country Royal Court? Were you framed by your colleagues, or did you come here on some kind of mission? The first possibility doesn't seem likely. When pulling up weeds, you have to get the roots, too. If your political enemies really wanted to bring you down, how could they have let you leave unscathed? Besides, I've heard about Second Brother looking for you. He didn't get the better of you, and your lord trusts you, too."
Lin Chun seemed intent on pouring out everything pent up inside him while he still had the courage. He was afraid that if he missed this moment, he would retreat into himself again, keeping everything bottled up and wasting this rare chance for the siblings to talk. "The Family Letter Great-grandfather sent you was full of praise. He said your future at court was bright, so was it—"
At last, Lin Chun raised his eyes and looked straight into Lin Feng's.
"Did Shen Sovereign send you here?"
Though he phrased it as a question, his tone was certain.
The so-called bandits were actually a force secretly supported by Kang Country.
Lin Feng didn't want him getting involved. Lin Chun wasn't one of their own, either; the more he knew, the harder it would be for him to meet a good