When Zhang Zai finished speaking, silence fell over the hall for a moment.
Wei Nisheng had originally listened to him merely out of courtesy.
But the moment he heard "Zhang Zai, courtesy name Zihou,"
his expression tightened slightly, and he slipped into a daze without even realizing it.
"Brother Wei? Provincial Graduate Wei?!" Zhang Zai called softly several times.
Only then did Wei Nisheng raise his head again. They both sat back down, and Cui Fu served tea.
Yet Wei Nisheng's gaze remained fixed on the fair, clean-cut face opposite him.
He studied it carefully, as though trying to confirm something.
"You're from Xi’an Prefecture?" Wei Nisheng set down his tea cup. "Is your ancestral home in Kaifeng?"
Zhang Zai, who had just been about to take another sip of Qingqian Longjing, froze slightly.
Clearly, he had not expected simply giving his name and birthplace to provoke such a reaction from this Provincial Graduate.
He leaned forward a little, an embarrassed smile rising to his face, and cupped his hands.
"That's right. How did you know, Brother Wei?"
Wei Nisheng did not answer. He simply stared at him and asked another question.
"You just said your name was Zhang Zai, courtesy name Zihou?"
"Yes." Zhang Zai felt somewhat uncomfortable under his gaze and unconsciously straightened his collar.
"My father took the phrase 'with ample virtue, bear all things' from the Book of Changes: Kun Hexagram, hence my given name, Zai, and courtesy name, Zihou.
Brother Wei... have you heard of me?"
Wei Nisheng did not respond to that. His gaze grew intent, as though he were recalling something distant.
After a moment, he finally spoke slowly, his voice dropping a little. "Then Grand Secretary Zhang..."
A complicated expression flickered across Zhang Zai's face, carrying both pride and a measure of