Lu Bing’s five hundred cavalry swarmed in, scooping up nearly half the water from Goldfish Pool, quickly extinguishing the great fire.

See? We really did come to put out fires.

After extinguishing the fire, Lu Bing conveniently took Lu Ying and Wang Daxia away. “Dong Lou, it’s already late—I won’t disturb you further. Tomorrow I’ll send over a banquet table to help calm Dong Lou’s nerves.”

After all his scheming, Yan Shifan had actually capsized in the gutter, stumbling in the hands of a few juniors. He couldn’t very well scold Lu Ying, so he called out to Wang Daxia: “Hey, didn’t you say you wanted to abandon darkness for light and follow me? How are you leaving with Dong Hu?”

The danger in Yan Shifan’s eyes made Wang Daxia shudder. Wang Daxia looked at him like a man-eating monster—even ghosts weren’t as terrifying as Yan Shifan. How could he dare continue pretending to defect? He again pushed the responsibility onto Lu Ying, saying:

“I’ve always held Minister Yan in deep respect. Everything that happened tonight was forced on me by Commander Lu. I had no choice. It’s not easy for me to find work—when you take someone’s salary, you have to listen to their words, right? I’m just a nobody, not worth mentioning. Minister Yan has capable people all around him—one more like me isn’t much, one less isn’t little. I’ll just continue mixing with the Jinyiwei.”

Wang Daxia didn’t dare become Yan Shifan’s enemy. Once targeted by him, it would mean the destruction of his family!

Yan Shifan was helpless against Lu Ying, but couldn’t he deal with a Wang Daxia?

“I’m precisely short of talent like you.” Yan Shifan asked Lu Bing, “I wonder if Dong Hu would be willing to part with him?”

Having said this, Yan Shifan pointed to the shaven-headed fake Wu Mask dressed as a monk. “I’ll trade him for Wang Daxia.”

This was the man who had killed Wu Mask after failing to seduce him, then impersonated him.

Yan Shifan’s meaning was: a life for a life. To avenge Wu Mask, he’d trade Wang Daxia for the man.

Wang Daxia trembled with fear, quickly hiding behind Lu Ying.

Lu Ying shook his head at his father, saying in a low voice: “Wang Daxia lives as my subordinate, dies as my ghost.”

Lu Bing said, “No trade—everyone goes back to their own homes. Though he’s useless, I’m used to him after all.”

The scorned Wang Daxia nodded frantically. For the first time, he felt that being useless was the most wonderful praise in the world—being useless was good!

“Then…” Yan Shifan pointed to Wei Caiwei, who had set fires throughout the courtyard. “What about her? Trade or not?”

Before Lu Bing could answer, Wang Daxia, who had been cowering behind Lu Ying, jumped out and protected Wei Caiwei behind him, saying:

“I’ve heard Minister Yan’s household is full of beautiful concubines, each one a national beauty. Doctor Wei, with her plain looks, wouldn’t be worth it. Moreover, she’s a widow—she has a husband-killing fate. Whoever gets involved with her will have bad luck. Minister Yan should take care of his health.”

Plain looks, husband-killer, bad luck… Hearing this, Wei Caiwei wanted to castrate him again.

Lu Bing said, “Dong Lou, this is our business—let’s not involve these juniors. They understand nothing, naturally they do whatever I tell them to do.”

Yan Shifan really couldn’t swallow this insult. He pointed to Ziyu Pavilion. “Could Dong Hu spare a moment for private conversation?”

Lu Bing dismounted, saying, “Since Dong Lou invites, how could I refuse?”

The two entered Ziyu Pavilion together. The sound of rain covered their voices.

Yan Shifan said, “I don’t understand. You clearly fabricated charges against Ding Rukui yourself and imprisoned him. Why then do you bribe palace eunuchs every year to keep his case file at the bottom of the pile?”

With everything out in the open, Lu Bing finally understood that the leak had come from within the palace—not one of his trusted people had betrayed him.

Since Yan Shifan knew even this secret, there was no need to hide it anymore. Lu Bing said, “Ding Rukui was sentenced to death and imprisoned to take the blame for Dong Lou’s father, Grand Secretary Yan. Dong Lou, in all matters, leave a thread—it makes future meetings easier. Don’t be too absolute. For the sake of him taking the blame for Grand Secretary Yan, spare his life.”

Yan Shifan found this laughable. “You get to be the good guy, I get all the villainy. Do you think if I spare Ding Rukui, and he gets a chance to leave prison someday and make a comeback, he’ll spare us father and son? Dream on. Our Yan family has stood firm in the court for over thirty years precisely because I never build hope on others’ tolerance. I will be absolute.”

What Yan Shifan said was true. Emperor Jiajing had inherited the throne as a lateral cousin after Emperor Zhengde died without heir. His position was unstable, so to consolidate power, Emperor Jiajing often used reasons like “succession disputes” to create great purges, arresting scholar-officials with different political views. Lu Bing secretly protected many, “never framing a single person, so court scholars mostly praised him” (Note 1).

Lu Bing didn’t want to be absolute, often leaving room for maneuver. His treatment of Ding Rukui was the same—personally arresting him and sentencing him to death, but secretly protecting him and treating him with courtesy even in prison.

“Dong Lou, why do you persist in this delusion?” Lu Bing shook his head repeatedly. “Thirty years is nothing! Let me ask you—throughout all dynasties, which powerful minister, which faction, has ever stood firm for a lifetime without falling? You and I have lived this long—what wealth and honor haven’t we enjoyed? At over fifty, we’ve already lived enough. Even if we died tomorrow, so be it. But—”

Lu Bing pointed to Lu Ying beyond the rain curtain. “What about the children? If you won’t leave yourself an escape route, at least leave one for the children.”

Yan Shifan said, “How haven’t I left one? I’ve already planned everything for them. My eldest daughter married Sage’s descendant Kong Shangxian—she’s the dignified wife of the Sage’s descendant. Even if our Yan family faces confiscation and extermination, she’ll still be the wife of the Sage’s descendant. If she bears a son, the Kong family bloodline will forever carry our Yan family blood. Her younger brother married your second daughter—he’s your son-in-law. Won’t your Lu family look after this son-in-law in the future?”

“My eldest son married Miss Xu from the Duke of Dingguo’s mansion. The first Duke of Dingguo was Empress Renxiao Xu’s brother. All the main line of the Zhu Ming dynasty are descendants of Empress Xu. Even if the Yan family falls in the future, my eldest son can survive relying on his father-in-law’s family…”

Speaking of his children’s marriages, Yan Shifan was quite proud. “Not to boast, but Dong Hu, the marriages I’ve arranged for my children are a cut above those you’ve arranged for your three daughters. I’ve long since prepared escape routes for them.”

From the current perspective, Lu Bing’s children’s marriages were indeed not as prestigious as Yan Shifan’s children’s.

Lu Bing’s eldest daughter had the highest noble title—she was the wife of the heir to Duke Chengguo. His second daughter married Yan Shifan’s second son Yan Shaoting. His third daughter married the son of Grand Secretary Xu Jie. Lu Bing’s two sons, Lu Yi and Lu Cai, were still young—not yet of marriageable age.

Lu Bing said, “Dong Lou, take a longer view. Didn’t you just say you never build hope on others’ tolerance? The favors you’re saving aren’t for yourself—they’re for the children’s future. But now you’re building all your hope on your in-laws’ conscience? Isn’t this still building on others’ tolerance?”

Yan Shifan didn’t believe it. “What? You won’t look after your second son-in-law?”

Lu Bing said, “Our Lu family will naturally look after our own son-in-law, but other families—I dare not trust. For example, the Kong family of the Sage’s descendant that you consider most reliable—do you think marrying your eldest daughter to the Kong family solves everything? Are the Kong family’s dirty deeds few? The Sage’s descendant is a fence-sitter. When the Yuan people destroyed Song, the Kong family immediately surrendered and continued as Sage’s descendant. When the Yuan dynasty fell, the Kong family immediately submitted to our Great Ming, still as Sage’s descendant.”

“How can you rely on such fence-sitters? If the Yan family truly falls in the future, Kong Shangxian will naturally remain the Sage’s descendant, but whether your eldest daughter will still be the wife of the Sage’s descendant—that’s uncertain.”

“Impossible!” Yan Shifan pounded the table. “The previous Sage’s descendant Kong Zhengan was a gentleman who kept his word. When Kong Zhengan was engaged to the daughter of Marquis of Jianchang Zhang Yanling, the Zhang family fell, Zhang Yanling sat in prison for thirteen years and was executed at the western market. Kong Zhengan still married Miss Zhang according to the original marriage contract and fathered the current Sage’s descendant Kong Shangxian. With such a promise-keeping father, the son surely won’t be inferior. How could he divorce his wife and remarry just because his wife’s family has fallen?”

Marquis of Jianchang Zhang Yanling was Emperor Zhengde’s uncle, the younger brother of Grand Empress Dowager Zhang. Because Emperor Jiajing only became emperor due to Emperor Zhengde’s lack of sons, after ascending the throne, both Grand Empress Dowager Zhang and the Marquis of Jianchang tried various ways to suppress and control Emperor Jiajing, wanting him to listen to the Zhang family and become their puppet. But how could Emperor Jiajing be easily controlled?

Marquis of Jianchang Zhang Yanling was already thoroughly evil—his greed and cruelty were no less than the current Yan Shifan’s. After Emperor Jiajing secured his position, he had his milk brother Lu Bing find evidence of Zhang Yanling’s crimes, stripped him of his title, and imprisoned him—of course, Lu Bing also took good care of Zhang Yanling and didn’t let him die.

Only after Grand Empress Dowager Zhang died did Emperor Jiajing have no more concerns, ordering Zhang Yanling’s execution at the western market.

The marriage contract between Miss Zhang and Sage’s descendant Kong Zhengan was made when the Zhang family was at its peak. When Zhang Yanling was executed, everyone thought Kong Zhengan would find excuses to break the engagement and marry another, but Kong Zhengan still married Miss Zhang according to the contract, which became a celebrated story.

As Emperor Jiajing’s milk brother, Lu Bing had personally witnessed the Zhang family’s entire process from arrogance and extravagance, living high on the hog—even not taking Emperor Jiajing seriously—to family decline, losing titles and property, imprisonment, and public execution.

This could be called watching the Zhang family build their high tower, then watching their tower collapse.

Therefore, Lu Bing had seen through the vanity fair and had a strong sense of crisis. He worked hard to protect imprisoned scholar-officials to accumulate good karma and leave a way out for his children in the future.

The Yan family was certainly powerful, standing firm for over thirty years. But the Zhang family of the past had stood firm through the Hongzhi and Zhengde reigns—over forty years total! Because Emperor Hongzhi had no concubines in his harem and lived monogamously with Empress Zhang, producing only one son, Emperor Zhengde. The Zhang family, as imperial relatives spanning two reigns, was naturally much more glorious than the Yan family.

Hearing Yan Shifan’s complete trust in this generation’s Sage’s descendant, Lu Bing shook his head repeatedly. “Even good bamboo can produce bad shoots. Now that Dong Lou has power and influence, the Sage’s descendant son-in-law is naturally respectful to you, even giving you the Kong family’s Goldfish Pool estate to live in. You know people’s faces but not their hearts. Rather than betting your hope on the Sage’s descendant’s character, you’d better accumulate some favors to use for the children later. Let go. At this age, how can you not see through the simple truth that flowers don’t bloom red for a hundred days?”

Lu Bing continued, “Dong Lou just mentioned that Kong Zhengan married Miss Zhang as promised, becoming a celebrated story. Why? Because gentlemen who don’t abandon those whose families have fallen are too rare, which is why it became celebrated. If most people did this and it were common, how would it become a celebrated story? Most people in this world are social climbers. Character is the least reliable thing to bet on. Dong Lou, don’t trust the Sage’s descendant too much.”

Yan Shifan was a treacherous minister who harmed loyal officials, a genius, a minister valued by the emperor, and the son of Grand Secretary Yan Song.

But he had another identity: father.

In this role as father, he undoubtedly did very well. His sons were all educated to become talented, marrying daughters of prestigious families. His only daughter was also given the best arrangement—becoming the wife of the Sage’s descendant.

Yan Shifan gave the best of everything to his children.

But his in-law Lu Bing spoke to him bluntly: don’t trust in-laws too much. It’s better to rely on yourself than on anyone else.

Yan Shifan fell into deep conflict.

Seeing he seemed to be listening, Lu Bing said, “You are the cleverest person. Those words just now were my heartfelt words as your in-law—absolutely not a single false word. Think it over carefully. When it’s time to let go, you must let go. Don’t be too absolute in everything—do it for the children.”

Author’s Note: Yan Shifan has set up quite a large flag hahahaha. Setting up flags in stories is just to get slapped in the face later.

Note 1: From “Biography of Lu Bing in Ming History.” This was mentioned in that question before—everyone should still remember.

Also, this novel doesn’t strictly follow history. For example, Lu Bing’s fifth daughter and Yan Shifan’s second daughter respectively married two sons of Personnel Minister Wu Peng—the Lu and Yan ladies were sisters-in-law, showing Lu Bing and Yan Shifan’s relationship was quite close.

But these two daughters serve no plot purpose and couldn’t even be arranged as NPCs, so Lanzhou deleted these two daughters. Also, Lu Bing’s fourth wife Lady Zhao didn’t die in real history and lived a long time, but due to space limitations and having no plot advancement function, she was simply written as dead and given no appearance opportunity.

In short, this is basically fiction—just borrowing the shell of historical culture and social background. Everyone must not treat it as history, or it will mislead you.