The Trick to Teasing a Noble Family’s Son - Chapter 8-2

Don’t be sad, Ah Lan,” Xie Jie patted her shoulder. He was a little surprised by the delicate shoulder of the man beneath his hand. He couldn’t help but think that both Wei siblings’ gender really couldn’t be distinguished, the younger sister is tough like a man, while the older brother is skinny like a lady. However these miscellaneous matters were of little importance, so he immediately put them behind him and comforted Wei Lan,” You and I are brothers, how can I bear to see you so miserable.”

“My relationship with Xie Si,” Xie Jie was aware that the other person was playing dumb, so he made it clear: “It’s not so much a brother as it is an opponent. I am from the third branch, and he is from the second. I am a Di son whereas he’s a Shu. Between me and him, to say a bit more, I am the master and he the servant. But occasionally he will come out to grab some of the master’s things.”

Wei Lan remained silent, waiting for Xie Jie to speak. Xie Jie, who was already drunk, was now trying to maintain his sobriety, but his guard was down, and he then said, “For example, this time, the palace is going to select a companion for the crown prince and the third prince, does Ah Lan know about that?”

“I know,” Wei Lan nodded and poured Xie Jie a drink. Xie Jie sighed, picked up the wine glass, and said, “It’s frustrating, to say the least. The Wang family has many children, so His Majesty was kind enough to give them two places, and our Xie family has only two of the right age, so His Majesty gave them one place. Between me and Xie Si, we can only choose one to go.”

“You’re the Di son, and he’s a Shu.” If you have to choose between the two, it will undoubtedly be you and not him. Ah Jie has nothing to worry about.”

Wei Lan continued to pour wine for Xie Jie, Xie Jie shook his head in distress: “Ah Lan you don’t know, the direct descendant is important in your Houfu, but in our family, the ability is more important. Although the direct descendent is more distinguished, it is also based on the ability within the same generation. I am afraid I’ll make a fool of myself [1] when I say this but when it comes to Knowledge, I fear no one in Shengjin city can be on par with Xie Si[2]. A few days ago, the head of the (Xie) family deliberately praised him in front of everyone. If I don’t use some extraordinary means, (T/N: you mean underhanded) I’m afraid this position of reading companion will not be mine.”

After saying that, Xie Jie tilted his head and downed another cup as if the taste of wine could dispel his sorrows. When Wei Lan saw that he was high, he didn’t bother to pretend anymore, he just poured the wine one cup at a time and said lightly, “Then what does it mean when Ah Jie calls me here?” When Wei Lan saw that he was high, she was too lazy to act. So she poured him wine, one cup at a time, and said lightly,” Then what does Ah Jie mean by calling me here?”

This matter is also good for you,” Xie Jie hiccupped and said seriously, “Ah Lan, don’t you like him? I’ll give you a chance. You…you have a good relationship[3] with him, I will let the Patriarch know…that’s it. “

Hearing this, Wei Lan couldn’t help laughing, and said with a cold look in his eyes: “Are you making me use force against Fourth Young Master Xie?”

     “Ah Lan, don’t think like that,” Xie Jie advised her:” You could call this a heart-to-heart conversation with Xie Si…… this gongzi [4]) will figure out a way to lure him in uninformed and then, willingly …. go to Wushan [5] with Ah Lan ……”

Listening to Xie Jie’s words, Wei Lan’s eyes became icier and icier.

What willingly to go to the Wu Shan [6], isn’t it just tying people up and using drugs to force them? This kind of underhanded tactic, Wei Lan has also not seen in a long time.

Although she doesn’t mind schemes, she minds the indiscriminate use of means. Xie Jie didn’t know that he has stepped on her bottom line and kept telling her how simple the matter was, how much it would benefit her, and how there would never be any problems.

Doesn’t Wei Lan know what’s on Xie Jie’s mind? First, if she dared to use force on Xie Zichen, Xie Jie would immediately bring people to the scene and arrest Xie Zichen on the spot. Then she would have to bite the bullet and admit that both of them were consensual. Then, who would dare to send people who have such weird fetishes to the palace to be the prince’s study companion? What if he accidentally turns the prince into a broken sleeve?

Xie Jie brought her to such a remote location, One is to cover up and the other is to demonstrate to her that he already knows her secret.

It doesn’t matter, though, because Wei Lan wanted him to know this, so he followed Xie Jie’s words and said,”

“Ah Jie has thought a lot for me, but I have an idea,”

“Ah Lan you say, as long as you want it, even if I have to go through fire and water,[7] I will do it!” Xie Jie said with great pride. Wei Lan smiled and turned to look out the window and said,” Since Xie Si is Ah Jie’s opponent, I believe it is better to cut the weeds and eliminate the roots rather than face the opponent.”[8]

Hearing this, Xie Jie suddenly raised his head and looked at the other party in surprise.

It’s not that he didn’t think of ways to cut the weeds and eliminate the roots, but it is impossible for him to do it without leaving any traces. He and Xie Zichen are in a hostile relationship. If the other party has an accident, he would be the first one to be doubted. As such where can he get the courage to cut the weeds and eradicate the roots?

Now, if he really wants to destroy Xie Zichen, he will have to rely on external forces. There is no one in his hands who can kill. Moreover, his father was determined not to let him hurt any of his brothers. Apart from looking for suitable allies, he really wasn’t able to think of any other way.

Looking at Xie Jie’s surprised and excited expression, she took a sip of her wine and sighed, “If only I can keep Fourth Master Xie by my side forever.”

 Listening to Wei Lan’s words, Xie Jie quickly thought about what she meant. Fearing that he might not understand, Wei Lan continued,” I won’t hide it from Ah Jie, I am not really a Nanfeng [9] person. I just like beautiful things.”

Playing with the wine glass in her hand, she said with an obsessed face,” The more beautiful things are, the more I want to get them, and then destroy them. The first time I saw the Fourth Master Xie, I was filled with thoughts of how good it would be if this man was mine.”

Dizaster

References

(曾經滄海難為水，除卻巫山不是雲)

Definition: there are no rivers to one who has crossed the ocean, and no clouds to one who has passed Mount Wu (idiom) / one who has seen the world doesn’t stop at small things.

EXPLANATION:

The original poem uses the water of the Canghai Sea and the clouds of the Wushan Mountain as a metaphor for the depth and breadth of love, for having seen the sea and the Wushan Mountain, it is difficult to look at the water and clouds elsewhere. The poet’s “beloved” is said to be Shuang Wen, the Ying Ying in the legendary “The Legend of Ying Ying” written by the poet. After the poet abandoned Shuang Wen because she was from a poor family, he “did not look back at the flowers” for eight or nine years (Seventy Rhymes from Dreaming of Spring). It is also said that the purple poem was written as a tribute to his late wife Wei Cong, who came from a high family, was beautiful and wise, and after her early death at the age of 27, the poet vowed not to marry again (“To Dispel Grief – No. 3”). The two stanzas of the poem use allusions in a very high way. The first line is taken from “Mencius – The Heart of the World”: “It is difficult for those who observe the sea to be water”; the second line is taken from Song Yu’s “Preface to Gao Tang Fu”: “Jiang is in the sun of Wushan Mountain, the obstacle of the high hill, the morning clouds and the evening rain. These two verses were quoted by later generations as a metaphor for loyalty to love, stating that it is not I who belongs, and love is not another. These two verses are also shortened to the idiom of “once upon a time in the sea”, which can also be compared to having experienced great scenes, having an open mind, having seen a lot of things, and not taking into account the more ordinary things.