Yang Fan smiled faintly and said, "Haha, this little brother becoming the leader of the Obvious Sect is actually just a coincidence. For Brother Shen, this may be worthy of congratulations, but is this true? "
Shen Mu nodded solemnly and said with a serious expression, "Truly, these are words from the bottom of my heart. There is no falsehood in any of them."
Yang Fan looked at him for a long time and nodded lightly. "These three years, Brother Shen has not been in Xin Luo. If I am not wrong, Brother Shen has been back for a year. It is a pity that this little brother is not well informed and knows nothing about this. Otherwise, I would be happy to hear that Brother Shen has returned. This little brother would feel it is worthy of celebration. Now … this little brother is sick and weak. It is a pity that Brother Shen has to come and visit. "
When the two met, they started a war of words. Cui Lin felt like he was sitting on pins and needles. He would occasionally look at Shen Mu and occasionally look at Yang Fan, afraid that the leaders of the Obvious and Hidden Sects would fight again if they did not agree.
He had come today as the representative of the noble families and the mediator between the Obvious and Hidden Sects, but his status and experience were not high enough, and his power was not as great as the two. He could only tactfully remind and pacify. He did not have the right to be the judge unless the heads of the seven noble families came out.
Hearing Yang Fan's words, Shen Mu sighed deeply and said, "Erlang probably has a grudge against me. I know that with our relationship, I should have come to visit you when you returned. Erlang has become the leader of the Obvious Sect. Due to the relationship between the Obvious and Hidden Sects, I should have more discussions with Erlang. But, in the jianghu, one cannot do as one pleases. "
Yang Fan also sighed and nodded in agreement. "Yes, when one is on the jianghu, one cannot do as one wishes. This little brother originally did not understand this phrase very well. Now that I am the sect leader of Xian Sect, I finally understand the meaning of one's position being one's own. Sometimes, one cannot control one's own likes and dislikes. So, this little brother understands Brother Shen's difficulties and has no complaints. "
Shen Mu looked at Yang Fan and said wryly, "Is Erlang's words true?"
Yang Fan nodded solemnly and said with a serious expression, "It's true. These are words from the bottom of my heart. There is absolutely no falsehood in them!"
These were the words that Shen Mu had just said. When their eyes met, they suddenly laughed at the same time.
Gu Zhuting stood to the side, listening attentively to the battle of words between the leaders of the Obvious and Hidden Sects. Her eyes, however, were fixed on Yang Fan. From time to time, a strange expression flashed across her clear and bright eyes, "Ah Lang looks good when he's serious, but when he's putting on an act … he's also very good looking!"
In Cui Lin's eyes, these two people's words were full of hypocrisy. He impatiently coughed and said, "If the two of you can understand each other and stop fighting, that would be good. Both of you are Sect Masters, so it is understandable that you have a plan for the benefit of your sect. However, the battle between the two sects not only harms the interests of the Obvious and Hidden Sects, but it also harms the interests of the various aristocratic families. All the elders hope that the two of you can understand each other. If there are any problems, you can discuss and resolve them as soon as possible. There is no need for the two of you to beat around the bush. There is no harm in talking openly. "
Yang Fan and Shen Mu were talking and laughing. Those who did not know what had happened between the two of them could not understand what they were talking about. It looked like the two of them were old friends who had not seen each other for many years. However, when Cui Lin finished speaking, Yang Fan and Shen Fan's expressions changed almost at the same time.
Shen Mu sat up straight and so did Yang Fan. The faint smiles on their faces disappeared at the same time and were replaced with solemn expressions.
Shen Mu said solemnly, "In private, Erlang and I can be considered as close friends. However, you and I each have a group of brothers who follow us to make a living. It would be inappropriate for us to neglect the public for personal reasons. Therefore, for the benefit of our sects, there are some things that we have to make clear. No matter how we fight, we are still one family. It is fine for us to fight for the Succession Hall, but it is inappropriate for Erlang to borrow the power of the officials. The official path is dangerous. There are some things that can be discussed openly, but there are some things that can only be discussed behind the scenes. There are too many variables and it is easy for things to go out of control. When the time comes, you will inevitably harm others and yourself! "
Yang Fan said, "The first half of Brother Shen's words is in line with Little Brother's thoughts, but the second half is not pleasant to hear. Originally, if Brother Shen had not defeated Young Master Jiang, Little Brother would not have been able to become the Head of the Hidden Sect. I should be thanking Brother Shen. However, now that I am the Head of the Hidden Sect, I naturally cannot neglect the public for personal reasons. I should speak a few words of justice for the Hidden Sect.
When Brother Shen defeated Young Master Jiang in the battle of Chang 'an, did you not borrow the power of the officials? If you did not, then what does Little Brother's actions today have to do with Brother Shen? When the imperial court deals with the corrupt officials, it is to get rid of the vermin for the nation and a great evil for the people. It is fair and just, and the law is clear. How did it implicate Brother Shen?
If those corrupt officials embezzled the rations and didn't have anything to do with the Hidden Sect, then when did I do anything against the Hidden Sect? If there is a huge relationship between the two of you, then it is your Hidden Sect who first borrowed the power of the officials. It is you who broke the rules first. However, Brother Shen borrowed authority while I borrowed the law. Is there any difference? "
The two of them were like litigators in court. Their gazes were like eagles that were trying to intimidate the other party. The moment they opened their mouths, it was full of the smell of gunpowder. Cui Lin felt very uneasy. "With the two of them acting like this, can we really negotiate today?" He originally had rather high expectations for today's meeting, but now, he was a little uncertain.
Young Lady Gu, who had just evolved from unrequited love to a state of passionate love, was currently in the 'infatuated stage'. Her man would not only see his good points as his good points, but he would also magnify his good points. Hence, she was elated when she heard this. "Ah Lang is not only good-looking, but he is also very eloquent!"
Shen Mu spoke in a deep voice, "Of course there is a difference. My Hidden Sect borrows the authority of an official, but you borrow the law, you borrow the law of an entire nation. One person's authority only belongs to one person. A nation's law will inevitably implicate the innocent. Do you know that many of the aristocratic clans that did not provide any help to my Hidden Sect have also suffered undeserved calamities because of the Yanzhou case?
For this matter to escalate to such a stage and infuriate the various clan heads, it can be said that it was all because of your Hidden Sect's unscrupulous actions. Erlang, being a human is a lifetime thing, and being an official is only a short period of time. Don't put the cart before the horse. In the end, not only will you not be an official, you won't even be able to be a human! "
Yang Fan said, "This Little Brother does not agree with the undeserved calamities that Brother Shen spoke of. It is true that those people were implicated, but it was not an undeserved calamity. If they were innocent, why would they be implicated? Since they are guilty, why didn't today's incident or tomorrow's incident happen? Who do you think will be able to plug the huge hole that the corrupt officials in Yanzhou poked?
Once this matter is known by the imperial court, it will be a calamity sooner or later. At that time, the various aristocratic clans will rely on these officials to send many of their elite descendants into officialdom. If these descendants are implicated because of these officials, then it will be an irreversible calamity.
Now that this matter has been exposed, it may be disadvantageous to the various aristocratic clans in the short term, but in the long term, it might not be a bad thing. It will prevent a small problem from becoming a serious problem! Furthermore, your accusation of me is completely unreasonable. This matter has nothing to do with my Hidden Sect. I have already spoken to Bo Ru. This Yang just happened to be at the right time and made use of it. "
Shen Mu sneered and said, "If that is the case, Erlang, not only are you not at fault, but you are also meritorious?"
Yang Fan nodded and said, "That is exactly what Little Brother thinks."
Cui Lin couldn't help but say, "Alright, alright. I did not invite the two of you to sit together today to argue about who is right and who is wrong. No matter who is right and who is wrong, we all hope that this matter will stop immediately. Otherwise, the power that the seven aristocratic clans have nurtured in the officialdom for many years will most likely be lost in the great purge of the imperial court. "
Cui Lin said with pain and hatred, "Ten years after Empress Wu established the Empire, Luoyang's political situation has been unstable. The imperial court is in a reign of terror, and there is not a single day of peace. The power that the seven aristocratic clans have painstakingly nurtured in the officialdom is almost all in Guanzhong!"
Yang Fan and Shen Mu looked at each other and lowered their eyes at the same time. They thought quietly for a moment before suddenly looking up and saying in unison, "We …"
The two of them stopped abruptly, paused for a moment, then said in unison, "You first."
Cui Lin rubbed his forehead and said, "Brother Shen is a few years older. Brother Shen, please speak first."
Shen Mu said, "Alright! Then I will state our conditions first. Ever since the Succession Hall was established, the Obvious Clan has been in charge. But in these years, my Hidden Sect has proven that our abilities are above the Obvious Clan. If we are in charge, we can run the Succession Hall better. Those who are capable will be promoted, those who are mediocre will be relegated. The Succession Hall will be managed by my Hidden Sect in the future. "
Yang Fan sneered and said, "Ridiculous!"
He glanced at Cui Lin and said, "Chicken head and phoenix tail, if it was Bo Ru, which would you choose?"
Cui Lin didn't know why he raised this question. He stilled and then said after thinking, "Why not make your own decisions when you are behind others? You should … choose the chicken head."
Yang Fan shook his head and said, "I think you should choose the phoenix tail."
Cui Lin asked curiously, "What is Erlang's opinion?"
Yang Fan said, "If you choose the chicken head, you will be able to stand out immediately, but your vision will forever only be so far, and your status will only be so high. A chicken is a chicken, and the highest you can fly is just standing on a pile of firewood. But what about the phoenix? The phoenix soars above the nine heavens, and the world is so vast. If you want to have great accomplishments and plan for the long term, even if you are at the phoenix tail, it is thousands of times higher than the chicken head! "
Cui Lin faintly understood what Yang Fan meant and asked probingly, "Erlang's opinion is?"
Yang Fan said, "My Obvious Sect doesn't just have an innate advantage, our Obvious Sect has the greatest advantage in officialdom. The elders of the prestigious families, no matter if they want their family to continue standing for thousands or tens of thousands of years, or want their descendants to rise up, or want to manage agriculture, if they have someone to take care of them in the officialdom, it can be imagined how useful it will be.
Also, in this situation, my Obvious Sect clearly has the initiative. If we add fuel to the fire and cause the Imperial Court to continue investigating, the Hidden Sect's weak foundation in officialdom will disappear. At this time, Brother Shen still dares to make such a request. I really admire you, admire your shortsightedness! "
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