I am a prince in Zhutian Films

Chapter 389 Father and Son

Be it love at first sight or lust at first sight.

Anyway, ever since Xiang You came back from Jiangnan and fell in love with Song Yinzhang, he had found out everything about Song Yinzhang. Not to mention Zhou She, he even knew exactly why Song Yinzhang had fallen into becoming a musician.

Zhao Pan'er naturally didn't know all this. Out of trust in Zhao Wei, she also believed in the character of Zhao Wei's subordinates. However, since it was related to Song Yinzhang's lifelong happiness, she felt that she should be more careful.

So, she stared into Xiang You's eyes and asked, "You really don't care?"

Xiang You was somewhat helpless: "Madam, I really don't care. After all, everyone has encountered scumbags in their lifetime."

Zhao Pan'er believed that her judgment of people was pretty good. So far, she had only failed with Ouyang Xu.

She could see that Xiang You did not lie, but there was still a problem.

That is whether Xiang You really likes Song Yinzhang.

After all, after what happened with Ouyang Xu, she couldn't help but think more about whether Xiang You suddenly approached Song Yinzhang because Song Yinzhang was her sister and he wanted to use the relationship between Song Yinzhang and her to climb up.

"Do you really like the quotation?"

Xiang You was also a smart man. He immediately understood what Zhao Pan'er meant and said with a smile, "Madam, I am the master's retainer. We are different. I don't need to rely on your relationship with Madam Song."

Is it different?

Zhao Pan'er was stunned for a moment, then said apologetically, "I overthink it. I'll tell Yin Zhang."

"Thank you, Madam."

Zhao Pan'er smiled and nodded, watching Xiang You enter the yard next door. Then, she remembered Song Yinzhang in the yard and hurried back to the yard.

In the pavilion.

"Yinzhang, Yinzhang?"

Sun Sanniang pushed Song Yinzhang gently, but Song Yinzhang held the pipa motionless, like a puppet that had lost its soul.

Seeing Zhao Pan'er coming in, Sun Sanniang hurriedly said, "Come and take a look, she seems to be possessed by a demon."

Zhao Pan'er hurried forward to check Song Yinzhang's expression, and then she tried to pry open Song Yinzhang's fingers that were tightly clasping the pipa, but Song Yinzhang was still as stiff as a stone.

"what!"

A sudden scream rang out, startling Zhao Pan'er and Sun Sanniang in the pavilion.

Ge Zhaodi, holding a basket, appeared from behind them and said, "Don't be afraid. This is called scaring the soul back to life. Look, Sister Yinzhang is already well."

The two turned their heads to look, and sure enough, the frightened Song Yinzhang had subconsciously loosened her fingers. She looked at Zhao Pan'er, her eyes gradually reddened, and she murmured something.

"Sister Pan'er."

Sun Sanniang breathed a sigh of relief when she saw this. She knew that Song Yinzhang and Zhao Pan'er were the closest, and at this time only Zhao Pan'er could comfort Song Yinzhang. So she took Ge Zhaodi to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

In the pavilion, Song Yinzhang looked extremely aggrieved. She asked Zhao Paner pitifully, "Sister Paner, is my performance really that bad?"

Zhao Pan'er was silent for a moment, then she said gently, "You should know the answer yourself."

Song Yinzhang's tears suddenly fell.

Zhao Pan'er wiped her tears with a handkerchief and encouraged her: "The more true the words are, the more hurtful they are. But aren't we women, after being hurt time and time again, slowly becoming stronger? Don't be discouraged. In my eyes, your pipa skills are still the best in the world. General Xiang advised you to change a piece of music at the birthday banquet, but we won't listen to him. Practice hard for a few days. I believe you will be able to astound everyone that day. Then we can ask him to apologize to you, okay?"

Zhao Pan'er's words were like the warm spring breeze in April, soothing Song Yinzhang's wounded heart.

Gradually, a fire of fighting spirit ignited in Song Yinzhang's eyes.

"it is good."

Song Yinzhang nodded heavily, picked up the pipa again, and started playing it attentively.

This time, her singing was no longer like the cuddly little girl she had before, and it really had some of the atmosphere of war and iron cavalry that Xiang You had described.

Zhao Pan'er couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when she saw her look. She knew very well that for a man as proud as Song Yinzhang, the resentment in his heart could only be released through this method.

Tokyo quietly welcomed the night with the sound of Song Yinzhang's pipa, and the quiet moonlight spread all over the city.

Xiao Mansion, in the garden pavilion.

Xiao Qinyan and Gu Qianfan sat opposite each other, and on the stone table between them were countless rare and delicious dishes.

"The last time you and I got together as father and son, the moon was also full. Today we meet again in the capital, and the sky is even brighter than before." Looking at his son whom he hadn't seen for several months, Xiao Qinyan felt a lot of emotions in his heart. He put several pieces of meat into Gu Qianfan's bowl. At this moment, he didn't seem to be a powerful minister who was envied by everyone, but just a loving father.

"Come, eat more. This is Zhang Sao's beef tendon. I remember you craved this when you were a kid. How is it? Is it delicious?"

Gu Qianfan tasted it without knowing the taste and nodded silently.

Xiao Qinyan was very pleased and said with a smile: "Come often in the future. Dad specially invited our former cook back. He still remembers your favorite shrimp dumplings and fortune cakes."

Gu Qianfan shook his head and said calmly, "No need. I was seriously injured a few years ago. Whenever it rains, the wound swells and hurts. The doctor told me to eat less shrimp and crabs."

Xiao Qinyan was always in a high position, and few people dared to offend him like this. He suddenly became angry, but he did not give up the opportunity to get closer to Gu Qianfan. After a brief pause, he said, "Then let's cook something else, roast the breast, roast the duck..."

Gu Qianfan put down his chopsticks and interrupted in a distant tone, "No need for that. I know why you asked me to come here tonight. Mr. Xiao, congratulations on your return to Tokyo, your return to the emperor's favor, and your return to the position of prime minister. But this wealth and glory has nothing to do with a small deputy envoy of the Imperial City Department like me."

Xiao Qinyan was a little unhappy with Gu Qianfan's attitude of keeping people at a distance: "Why is it okay? As the saying goes, fathers and sons fight together in battle. Now that I am back in office, I will naturally arrange a good future for you."

Gu Qianfan said indifferently: "I will fight for my own future. You have other sons, and they are your personal soldiers."

Xiao Qinyan felt that Gu Qianfan's words were a little bit angry. He was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Are you still angry about Wei'er? He is young and ignorant. I have already punished him severely. As the eldest brother, you should not argue with your younger brothers."

Young and ignorant? Ha!
Gu Qianfan sneered in his heart and poured a glass of wine for Xiao Qinyan. His attitude was respectful but distant: "The court reported that my surname is Gu and their surname is Xiao. You don't want me to deceive the emperor, do you? I appreciate your concern, but please forgive me for being unable to do anything else. With this cup, I wish you a long life and a bright future."

Xiao Qinyan shook his head: "But what if it's a thorny road? Have you ever thought about it? I have more than a hundred political enemies in the court? Although Ke Zheng went to the border, his voice is still there in the court. And Qi Mu and others, who doesn't want to get rid of me as soon as possible? Your evil brothers are just a few officials with positions but no power. When the time comes, who can help me?"

Gu Qianfan's mind flashed back to the scene where Qi Mu repeatedly urged him to overthrow Xiao Qinyan. After a long silence, he spoke: "You are deeply trusted by the official saint, so why are you afraid of these people?"

"You are the deputy envoy of the Imperial City Department. You should know that the government has been deteriorating recently. Now the crown prince has not been appointed. If the queen and the king of Han are not stable...when the dynasty changes, how many prime ministers will not die?"

Xiao Qinyan picked up the wine glass and drank it all, then suddenly changed the subject: "I heard that His Royal Highness the King of Han thinks highly of you?"

Gu Qianfan did not deny it. "Yes, but before in Suzhou, didn't you say that it was not appropriate to get too close to King Han now, so I refused."

There were several political parties in the court, but the mainstream ones were three: the Hou Party, the Han Wang Party and the Qingliu Party.

Among them, the Houdang was the most powerful, followed by the Qingliu, and the Hanwangdang was the weakest. After all, Zhao Wei had only returned to Beijing for two or three years, and almost all of his men were pro-war military men in the court, so his voice in the court was far less than that of the Houdang and the Qingliu.

Logically speaking, Zhao Wei was the Queen's biological son, and the Queen's party and the King of Han's party were natural allies. But in fact, this was not the case. Instead, the two parties were competing with each other and gradually became hostile to each other.

The reason for this is the contradiction between those who advocate war and those who advocate peace.

In other words, although Xiao Qinyan was the leader of the Hou Party, he was not actually a supporter of Zhao Wei, so Gu Qianfan did not choose to tell the truth.

"Besides, a few days ago, Young Master Xiao and I ran into His Royal Highness the King of Han, and His Royal Highness the King of Han was very optimistic about him. If you want to plant a spy around His Royal Highness the King of Han, you don't need me."

"I know what you are talking about. It's just a polite remark from the King of Han. How can Wei'er's ability be worthy of the King of Han's eyes?" Xiao Qinyan shook his head and couldn't help but sighed: "The King of Han is a man with a deep mind. Even I am not sure that I can get a good result from him."

"As far as I know, the court officials don't think highly of the King of Han. They all say that he is impulsive and reckless. He killed the envoy from Xiazhou in the palace just because a few words didn't suit his mind. He is not a wise ruler."

"Heh~" Xiao Qinyan chuckled: "If you really think of him this way, then he is a fool. If he is really impulsive and reckless, how can he stand firm at the border by himself, suppress the Dingnan Army and recover the two states."

"So you support him?"

Gu Qianfan glanced at Xiao Qinyan, and before he could speak, he asked himself and answered, "That's right, you are the Queen's man, and His Royal Highness the Prince of Han is the Queen's biological son, so you naturally support him."

Xiao Qinyan knew very well that with Zhao Wei's strength and attitude towards foreigners, he would never allow any voices of peace advocacy in the court. However, the general trend in the court was for peace, and he was one of the leaders of the peace advocacy.

In other words, once Zhao Wei came to power, he would no longer have a place in the court.

So even though he is a member of the Queen's party, he will not support Zhao Wei. Now the Emperor's family has more than one prince, the King of Han.

Of course, Xiao Qinyan couldn't say these words to Gu Qianfan. He just smiled and put his hand on Gu Qianfan's shoulder: "Qianfan, Dad really needs your help. The Imperial City Division is a surprise force..."

Gu Qianfan didn't say anything, but slightly turned his body, allowing Xiao Qinyan's hand to fall empty.

Xiao Qinyan looked unhappy: "If you are so disdainful, why did you come to Suzhou to ask me for help?"

Gu Qianfan replied calmly, "You did save me, but you also got at least several hundred thousand strings of cash during the Jiangnan Purge, right? I saved my life, and you got money and the emperor's favor. We don't owe each other anything."

Xiao Qinyan stared at Gu Qianfan for a long while, and finally laughed out of anger: "Good, very good, I raised you to this age, and now you have learned to settle accounts with me!"

Gu Qianfan did not give in at all: "It was my mother who raised me."

For a moment, the gazes between the father and son almost sparked.

Finally, Gu Qianfan spoke first: "I came to the appointment today just to tell you that my last name is Gu, not Xiao, and to ask your son to stay away from me. If they come to trouble me again, I swear on my mother's spirit in heaven that you will regret it."

Xiao Qinyan didn't expect Gu Qianfan to swear by Gu Shuniang. He was struck by lightning for a moment. After a long while, he said, "Okay, I will discipline your brothers. You are not a child anymore. If Shuniang is still alive, she would like to see you get married and have children. The Gao family is interested in getting engaged to you..."

Gu Qianfan interrupted, "You seem to have forgotten that I have been engaged since I was a child."

Xiao Qinyan was stunned: "The marriage that your grandfather arranged for you? Didn't the Li family cancel the engagement with you?"

Gu Qianfan did not deny it and nodded, "Yes, when I entered the Imperial City Division, the Li family did send someone to cancel the engagement, but I just found out recently that my engaged stepmother has been keeping our engagement and has not married yet."

"The Li family has been banished from the capital. How do you know this?"

Naturally, Zhao Wei sent someone to tell Gu Qianfan about this matter in order to sever the plot relationship between Gu Qianfan and Zhao Paner.

Of course, Gu Qianfan didn’t know this and really thought that Zhao Wei cared about him.

"I found out by accident."

Xiao Qinyan did not ask further questions, but objected: "The Li family has declined and has no chance of rising again. It is of no help to you, but a burden. I do not agree to this marriage."

"So this is why you abandoned my mother back then?" Gu Qianfan sneered, "I'm not you. I still say the same thing. I will earn my own future. I have already gone to the Li family to discuss marriage. You'd better not interfere in my marriage."

"You..." Xiao Qinyan was furious, and finally sighed: "Okay, okay, it's up to you. Everything is up to you."

Seeing that he seemed to have aged and hunched over in an instant, Gu Qianfan was silent for a moment, then his attitude softened a lot and he said, "I won't help you, but I won't harm you either. If Qingliu really wants to kill you, I won't stand idly by.

I suspect that the recent hat-monster case in Tokyo is directed at you. Rumor has it that the country will be in chaos and that evil spirits will emerge. And you just arrived in Beijing to take over as prime minister, so people will inevitably suspect you. The government has always believed in ghosts and gods, so what if..."

Xiao Qinyan suddenly raised his head, his eyes full of surprise: "Are you concerned about me?"

Gu Qianfan avoided his expectant gaze and said, "I hope you can sincerely bless me and my stepmother when I get married. I also don't want me and my stepmother to visit his grandfather with our children, like I did, and only see a grave covered with rotten eggs. Farewell!"

Xiao Qinyan watched him leave and shouted anxiously, "I will have my 50th birthday party in a few days. Can you come and sit with me? Just for a while, just for a while."

Gu Qianfan paused for a long time, then nodded.

Xiao Qinyan burst into tears immediately. After Gu Qianfan completely disappeared into the night, he slowly sat down and drank by himself, saying, "Shun Niang, Qianfan is getting married. We will have a grandson soon. I wonder how much he will look like me this time..."

Unfortunately, the courtyard was deep and the only answer he got was the evening breeze.

(End of this chapter)