Putting aside Grand mandant Zheng’s status, just talking about him personally, he’s incredibly witty, knowledgeable, and very down-to-earth, without any airs at all. If he weren’t Grand mandant Zheng, Zhao Yao would really like to befriend him despite their age difference. What a pity.
Tong Xi noticed the look of regret on Zhao Yao’s face and asked with concern, "Your Highness, what’s wrong?"
"Nothing, just feeling it’s a pity." To be honest, the chat with Grand mandant Zheng this afternoon was quite enjoyable.
"Your Highness, what do you find a pity? Is it that you didn’t catch enough fish?" Tong Xi patted the fish basket hanging by his horse, which was filled with fish of various sizes. "Your Highness, you’ve caught so many fish, and you still think it’s not enough? Didn’t you see Uncle Lin’s envious look?" Uncle Lin hadn’t caught a single fish all afternoon. Fortunately, his passionate Highness gave Uncle Lin a few fish before they left, otherwise Uncle Lin wouldn’t have been able to explain when he got home.
Thinking of Grand mandant Zheng’s envious and jealous expression, Zhao Yao couldn’t help but laugh: who would’ve thought the famous Grand mandant Zheng couldn’t catch a single fish.
"Your Highness, that Uncle Lin isn’t an ordinary person, is he?" Uncle Lin looked distinguished, emanated an ethereal aura, and spoke with great depth, unlike an ordinary old man.
"You noticed?"
"Yes, I did." Tong Xi asked curiously, "Your Highness, who is he?"
"Grand mandant Zheng."
"Oh, Zheng..." At that moment, Tong Xi’s expression turned to shock, exclaiming, "What, he’s Grand mandant Zheng?!" His exclamation startled the birds hidden in the trees along the road into flight.
"Keep your voice down." Fortunately, they were on the road, and there was no one else nearby.
Tong Xi quickly covered his mouth, and after a moment, lowered his hands and asked in a hushed tone, "Your Highness, is Uncle Lin really Grand mandant Zheng?" Grand mandant Zheng was the one who helped the late emperor and the current emperor to establish the Great Zhou, the number one strategist in the world.
Seeing Tong Xi’s incredulous expression, Zhao Yao asked with amusement, "Doesn’t he look like it?"
"He does look like it." Just Uncle Lin’s appearance and bearing, it’s clear he’s a distinguished person. But who would’ve thought the elder himself is Grand mandant Zheng. "Your Highness, didn’t Grand mandant Zheng leave?" He remembered Mr. Zheng saying his father went back home.
Bringing up this matter, Zhao Yao frowned: "It’s obvious, he didn’t leave."
"Your Highness, Grand mandant Zheng staying is a good thing, right? He can help you..." Before Tong Xi could finish, Zhao Yao gave his head a hard knock.
Zhao Yao tapped Tong Xi’s head with the horsewhip and said irritably, "Are you wishing me an early death? If Grand mandant Zheng stays to help me, I’ll die very quickly." This Grand mandant Zheng is a time bomb, keeping him around will only lead to disaster.
Tong Xi, holding the spot Zhao Yao had knocked with a puzzled and aggrieved look, asked, "Your Highness, why is that?"
"Do you not know Grand mandant Zheng’s status? Even my father asked him to return, and he refused. If I were to keep him, I’d bee the target of public criticism." Zhao Yao glanced at the naive and foolish Tong Xi, "Can you imagine my brothers letting me go? Will I have any peace then?"
Upon hearing Zhao Yao’s explanation, Tong Xi finally understood.
"Your Highness, isn’t it dangerous for Grand mandant Zheng to stay in Swamp Prefecture?"
"Extremely dangerous, we must get him to leave quickly, otherwise those people in the capital will eventually find out." Zhao Yao raised his whip and said, "We should hurry back to find Zheng Qian, and have him send his father away tonight."
"Your Highness, wait for me."
Besides the reason Zhao Yao just mentioned, there was another reason to rush Grand mandant Zheng away; he knew about the matter of the emperor selecting him. This afternoon while fishing at the Wild Pond, Grand mandant Zheng asked him many questions about people’s livelihood, though he managed to muddle through them.
Grand mandant Zheng couldn’t have asked those questions for no reason, and this elder had traveled throughout Lingnan in the past few months, discussing various people’s livelihood issues of other prefectures with him, also asking how he would solve them. Of course, he dodged those questions too.
Seeing that talking about livelihood issues was not working, Grand mandant Zheng then began discussing historical matters with him. He claimed not to have studied much, not knowing these historical matters. Unexpectedly, Grand mandant Zheng did not intend to let him go and continued to talk about history.
It has to be said, Grand mandant Zheng’s insights into historical matters were unique; chatting with the elder truly allowed him to learn a lot.
Just chatting with the elder for an afternoon made him feel enlightened for a lifetime.
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