Second Uncle Gu said to Yang Fan, "Young Master Shen once praised Ah Lang in front of Old Great Grandfather Cui as a talented and promising young man. Seeing you today, you truly live up to your reputation!"
When Yang Fan heard the words "Young Master Shen", he immediately dispelled the thought of leaving.
In this day and age, people with a bit of money did not have the right to be called "Young Master". There were probably no more than a hundred young people with the surname Shen who had the right to be called "Young Master". And among these hundred Young Master Shen, there was only one person in the world who had the chance to see Old Great Grandfather Cui and use an equal status to evaluate others — Shen Mu!
It had been a long time since Yang Fan had seen Shen Mu. When he and "Master Cui" had been fighting for the position of the sect leader of the Xian Sect, Shen Mu had been active in the area of Xin Luo and Goryeo. Supposedly, this was a punishment. Yang Fan had been busy fighting for power with "Young Master Cui" and did not pay attention to him.
In reality, even if there was not a series of events that took up Yang Fan's attention, he would not pay special attention to news of Young Master Shen. Because in his heart, he had never thought of Shen Mu as someone he should be wary of. Hearing Second Uncle Gu's words, Yang Fan's heart moved and he blurted out, "Second Uncle, are you talking about Young Master Shen Mu?"
Second Uncle Gu said fearfully, "But I really do not deserve Ah Lang's title. Ah Lang is right, this lowly one is talking about Young Master Shen Mu. "
Yang Fan was overjoyed when he heard this. He did not have time to argue with him about the title and hurriedly asked, "Shen Mu has returned from Silla? Where did Second Uncle see him? "
Seeing that he insisted on calling him Second Uncle, Second Uncle Gu did not continue to be humble and said, "This lowly one saw Young Master Shen at the Cui Residence. Speaking of which, it has been a while, probably … "
One of them called the other Second Uncle and the other called himself lowly one. This title was very strange, but the two people involved seemed to be very used to it. Second Uncle Gu rolled his eyes and thought for a moment, saying, "Ah! This lowly one can't remember the exact time, but this lowly one remembers that the Khitans rebelled in less than a month! "
Yang Fan was startled. He had thought that Shen Mu had just returned from Xinluo, but according to Second Uncle Gu, Shen Mu had returned a month before the Khitans rebelled. That meant that he had already been back for a year! Noticing Yang Fan's strange expression, Second Uncle Gu couldn't help but ask, "Ah Lang, what's wrong?"
Yang Fan composed himself and said, "Oh! Young Master Shen and I are old acquaintances. It's been a long time since we last met. If he had returned, she would find a time to meet him. It's just that I don't know if his visit to Cui Taigong is just an occasional trip from Xinluo, or is he returning to the Central Plains? "
Second Uncle Gu thought for a moment, then said, "He should be back soon. This lowly one's leg is crippled, so it's hard for me to move around. Thanks to the care of my grandfather, I usually trim the plants and flowers in the backyard. That day, this lowly one was busy among the flowers and plants. Young Master Shen Mu and my grandfather were sitting beside me. My grandfather congratulated him on his return to the Central Plains and warned him not to make the mistake of being young and impetuous again and do something that will shake the capital! "
"So that's how it is … …"
A bitter taste rose in Yang Fan's heart, but a smile appeared on his face, "Uncle Gu, Second Uncle Gu, you should settle down in the residence. Tomorrow, I will arrange for a thousand riders to be on duty in the palace, so things will be a little busy. After I'm done with my work for a few days, I will go with you to the yamen to get a contract to release your slave status."
The Gu brothers thanked him profusely, their gratitude evident in their words. Yang Fan smiled and nodded at them. Just as he was about to leave, Gu Zhuting suddenly took a step forward and bent both her legs, wanting to kneel in front of him.
Yang Fan hurriedly reached out to support her, rebuking her, "You're doing it again! I've already said that this is a reward for your meritorious service. You deserve it, so you don't have to be so polite. I won't arrange any tasks for you these few days. You should spend more time with your family. In addition, you can also discuss what you plan to do in the future. Once you've discussed it, just tell me. As long as I can help, I won't refuse! "
"Yes! Thank you … thank you, Ah Lang! "
Gu Zhuting choked with sobs. Her eyes were red as she withdrew her hand and wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes. Then, she glanced at Yang Fan with affection.
Gu Zhang, who was standing to the side, happened to see his daughter's eyes, and his heart suddenly moved. His daughter had always been strong-willed, and since she was young, she had made a vow that she would never marry. Even as her father, he couldn't do anything about her stubbornness. But looking at her now … She had never seen her daughter like this before.
Gu Zhang looked at Yang Fan's back as he left in a hurry, and then looked at his daughter, who was still staring at Yang Fan's back. He couldn't help but mutter in his heart, "Is Xiao Ting really just a subordinate of Ah Lang? Ah Lang promoted my family as a good family, is it really just because Xiao Ting made meritorious service for him? "
But when he looked at his daughter again, her eyebrows were knitted, her waist was straight, her neck was slender, and her back was straight. Her shoulders and chest were tucked in, and her legs were tightly closed. There were also two faint traces of virginity near her chin. If she had lost her virginity, she definitely wouldn't have such a phenomenon. He couldn't help but be puzzled.
…
When Yang Fan went out of the mansion, he suddenly whipped the horse. The horse immediately galloped out of the long alley and galloped into the main street.
It was almost dusk, and the pedestrians had returned to the square. There were few people on the street. The setting sun shone on the tall Dubhe in the distance. Yang Fan galloped his horse and galloped out of the Anxi Gate in the north of Luoyang City. Only then did he let out a long sigh of relief, and his hot face also returned to normal.
Shen Mu was back. He had actually been back for almost a year!
But Shen Mu, who had frequent contact with Yang Fan in the past and shared the same ambition of overthrowing Wu Zhou's rule and rebuilding Li Tang's empire, had never met Yang Fan. Shen Mu didn't even send him a message. What was even more strange was that Yang Fan actually didn't know about this matter!
He was now the Sovereign of the Obvious Sect, and there were many areas where he would have to interact with Shen Mu, the Sovereign of the Hidden Sect. His personal relationship with Shen Mu had always been good. Whether it was official or personal, there was no reason for Shen Mu not to meet him or not to communicate with him. Yang Fan had always regarded Shen Mu as a friend and even a brother. This made him feel a sense of humiliation and anger from being betrayed.
At the same time, he also had a kind of fear that made his hair stand on end. What role did the 'Succession Hall' play in this matter? No matter how powerful Shen Mu was, since he had returned, it was impossible for the Clan Heads and Elders of the seven sects and five families not to know about this matter. But everyone seemed to have intentionally or unintentionally ignored him. No one told him this news. What kind of situation was this?
"Ah Lang?"
Ren Wei rode his horse and caught up. When he saw Yang Fan's gloomy expression, he didn't know why Yang Fan was suddenly unhappy and couldn't help but feel a little anxious. Yang Fan raised his head and looked at the sky that was as red as blood. He said to Ren Wei, "Ride slowly. I want some peace and quiet!"
"Yes!"
Ren Wei responded and raised his hand. A few guards immediately pulled on the reins and slowed down their speed, pulling a distance away from Yang Fan. Anyway, it was a flat plain in front of them, and the weeds didn't even reach their knees. If there was any ambush, they would be able to see it from afar. There was no need to follow closely.
They were originally sent to protect Yang Fan. Now that they had a military position, and Yang Fan's private teaching and public display of power, these people were now completely loyal to him.
Of course, if Yang Fan and the seven sects and five families were in conflict, it was hard to say which side these guards from the seven big families would stand on. After all, not only were they from the seven big families, but their parents, brothers, and children were also in the seven big families. It was equivalent to having people holding them hostage. But unless Yang Fan became the Emperor himself, there was no way he could oppose the seven big families.
Yang Fan had already left the city, so there was no need to worry about the problem of the city gates being locked. As for the time when he returned to the military camp, it didn't matter if it was later or earlier. After all, he was the Commander-in-Chief of the army. General Ma Xuliang, who was in charge of military discipline, could treat his old comrade Huang Xuchang equally, but he had to turn a blind eye to him.
Yang Fan was leisurely riding on the reins. It looked as if he suddenly had the mood to enjoy the scenery of the suburbs, but his mind was no longer moved by external things. He was completely immersed in his own thoughts.
Gradually, the resentment in Yang Fan's heart dissipated. Yes, perhaps it was because he had lost his footing at a young age, or perhaps it was because he didn't have any brothers or sisters, so it was easy for him to automatically replace Shen Mu's help and appreciation with a kind of friendship and brotherly affection. But what was the original purpose of Shen Mu's appreciation and cooperation with him?
Shen Mu was close to him and valued him because of the connections and ability that he had shown, which made Shen Mu feel that he had value. No matter what means Shen Mu used, even if he was close to him wholeheartedly, it was still inseparable from this purpose. Perhaps Shen Mu had planned to cultivate him into a capable subordinate at that time.
But what happened in the end?
When Shen Mu was "banished" to Xinluo, Yang Fan and "Young Master Jiang" had a direct conflict. Moreover, because he was in charge of the allocation of officials that the Seven Great Families urgently needed, and "Young Master Jiang" began to be hated and abandoned by the Seven Great Families after a series of mistakes, this was the result of a freak combination of factors.
From that moment on, he began to become Shen Mu's opponent! Yang Fan now knew how humble Shen Mu's original identity was, and how he rose step by step until he was a subordinate of "Young Master Jiang", and gradually possessed the ability to compete with him as an equal.
Yang Fan remembered Zhao Yu and Little Fei Jiang Zhang Yi. Under Shen Mu, there was also a group of relatives and subordinates. They wept together and went through thick and thin. Their relationship was deeper than his and Shen Mu's. Now that he had replaced "Young Master Jiang" and stood on the opposite side of Shen Mu, if he was Shen Mu, what would he do?
Hand over his power? Those brothers who risked their lives and went through fire and water for him, who didn't want to stand out, who didn't want to earn a family business? Their interests, Shen Mu's own interests, were sacrificed because of Yang Fan? He and Shen Mu did not have such a deep friendship, even if he was Shen Mu's biological brother.
If the relationship between them was reversed, could Yang Fan sacrifice Chu Kuangge and Maqiao's future for the friendship between him and Shen Mu, hand over more than 20 shops that Xiao Man had painstakingly managed, hand over all his connections to Shen Mu, and willingly follow Shen Mu's orders from then on?
After thinking this through, Yang Fan immediately calmed down. Once the emotions of grief and resentment were eliminated, his mind became clear: Shen Mu did not do anything wrong from Shen Mu's point of view. Similarly, from his point of view, he should do something about it!
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