By the time Wei Nisheng returned from the Spring-Viewing Tower, the sky had begun to darken.
The two parted at the mouth of the alley, and Zhang Zai cupped his hands to him.
"See you tomorrow," he said, then pushed open his black-painted wooden door and disappeared through the doorway.
Wei Nisheng pushed open his own courtyard gate.
Qu Niang poked her head out of the kitchen. Seeing him return, she told him the porridge was warming in the pot.
After finishing the porridge, Wei Nisheng did not linger in the small courtyard.
He changed into clean clothes, then had Cui Fu hitch up the carriage and headed for the Feng Residence.
A light burned in the study at the Feng Residence.
When Wei Nisheng reached the door, it stood ajar.
Feng Yan sat behind his writing desk, holding a memorial.
Wei Nisheng knocked softly. Feng Yan gave a quiet grunt of acknowledgment, and he pushed the door open and entered.
"Teacher."
Feng Yan glanced at him and set down the memorial.
Wei Nisheng sat opposite him and recounted everything that had happened at the Spring-Viewing Tower that day.
His account was even, neither embellished nor deliberately glossed over.
He spoke only of facts, not feelings.
As Feng Yan listened, his fingers tapped lightly against the edge of the desk, once, twice, then again.
Only when Wei Nisheng finished did his fingers stop.
"Wang Kan was Song Jing's student when he was in Taiyuan Prefecture. He belongs to the Upright Officials," Feng Yan said.
"His essays are solid, and he isn't a bad man. He's just a little too blunt, which makes it easy for others to wield him as a spear."
"As for Xie Lin..." Feng Yan sighed.
"In the end, Shen Duan did not choose his own