A serving of basic sour cabbage fish.
A pack of old-soaked pig's head meat.
Yang Ge and Shen Fa sat opposite each other.
Yang Ge stared at the pig's head meat.
Shen Fa stared at the sour cabbage fish.
Yang Ge, "You don't usually eat such coarse food, do you? It must be difficult for you."
Shen Fa, "What are you thinking? I've eaten worse!"
Yang Ge picked up a piece of pig's head meat with his chopsticks, stuffed it into his mouth, and shook his head, "This isn't bad at all!"
Shen Fa also picked up a bit of sour cabbage and fish with his chopsticks and fed it into his mouth, disdainfully saying, "You're so boring. I genuinely want to be your friend, and here you are, putting on airs."
Yang Ge shook his head, "The truth is, the waters you swim in are too deep. Just glancing inside makes my head spin and bulge, it's unimaginable. If I got involved, I would live such a tiring life, ending up who knows where..."
Shen Fa ate his sour cabbage fish, casually said, "About last night's mission, is there anything you want to know? I'm usually tight-lipped, but today, ask away, and I'll answer truthfully without lying!"
Yang Ge, smiling, put down his chopsticks, "And then? After I ask, I either go with you to the Embroidered Guard or you throw me in prison, right? I may not have read many books, but I understand that 'the more you know, the quicker you die'!"
Shen Fa looked up at him, "Really nothing you want to ask?"
Yang Ge firmly shook his head, "Nothing!"
Shen Fa put down his chopsticks as well, "Well then, I'll just say what I need to say!"
Under Yang Ge's puzzled gaze, he gently clapped his hands.
The next moment, several sturdy men in shorts flipped over the wall and jumped into the courtyard; upon seeing Yang Ge, they wordlessly knelt on the ground.
Yang Ge: ...
Shen Fa, without turning his head, pointed at those sturdy men, "Look familiar?"
Yang Ge glanced over these unknown men, bewildered, and shook his head.
Shen Fa, "They were the merchant ship's guards you saved last night."
Yang Ge's eyelids twitched, and he hastily forced a smile, "What do you mean 'I saved'? Clearly, it was you and the distinguished officers of the Embroidered Guard who spared them, not me. I was just there for the spectacle, what does it have to do with me?"
Shen Fa picked up a piece of fish with his chopsticks, chewed it thoughtfully, and casually said, "If not for your shout last night, at least half of them wouldn't have seen today's sun, and the rest might have been better off dying last night... Because of you, they, and their families, are alive!"
Finally, he suddenly laughed, "You don't actually think that the 'exterminate three clans' threat from the Embroidered Guard was an empty scare, do you?"
Confronted with Shen Fa's smiling face, Yang Ge couldn't smile anymore.
There's a saying: out of sight, out of mind.
Now that he had seen those lively men, he couldn't lightly claim 'it has nothing to do with me' anymore.
Seeing Yang Ge's increasingly stiff cheeks, the amusement in Shen Fa's eyes intensified.
He sat up straight, reached across the dinner table to pat Yang Ge's shoulder, and laughingly said, "See, I told you that you are more valuable than you think. A mere word from you saved hundreds of lives. Brother, I've traveled far and wide for many years, yet I'm no match for your boundless merit!"
Yang Ge could only bow his head and focus on his food, concealing his complex feelings.
Shen Fa, also taking his time, continued eating a few bites, then gently laid down his chopsticks, folded his arms, and leisurely said, "Now, the guard has two ways to handle them, and it's up to you to choose!"
Yang Ge had to put down his chopsticks again and puzzledly said, "What does this have to do with me now?"
Shen Fa, "Of course it has to do with you. You saved them, if you don't stand up for them, who will? If nobody stands up for them, then they will just have to be dealt with according to the law!"
Yang Ge opened his mouth, then shut it tightly again.
Seeing that he didn't play along, Shen Fa didn't mind and continued on his own, "As for the nefarious activities of the Xie family, even if they all had a history of turning from darkness to light, I could look the other way and give them a lighter sentence. The best outcome would still be degrading them to the status of lowly citizens and exiling their entire family to Lingnan!"
Yang Ge, feeling overwhelmed, said, "According to what you're saying, did I make a mistake by trying to earn merit?"
Shen Fa seemed indifferent, "Unsatisfied with my decision? Then why don't you teach me how to deal with them?"
Yang Ge glanced at several strong men kneeling in the courtyard and said, "When you're out in the world, you must admit your mistakes and stand straight when beaten. They did wrong, and if they should be demoted or exiled, then that's what should happen; no one can argue with that. But could you, considering their confession, extend your mercy and spare their families? Misfortune should not extend to the family..."
Shen Fa scoffed irritably, "Do you think the 'Laws of Wei' were set by me? That I can judge as I please? They were involved in treason and rebellion, crimes that are unforgivable! Managing to get them exiled, I already have to shamelessly beg around. What more do you want?"
Hearing Shen Fa's words, the men kneeling in the courtyard bowed even lower, nearly prostrating themselves completely.
Yang Ge: "But it's not fair to blame me, I'm just working to make a living myself; how can I afford to take care of them?"
Shen Fa patiently explained, "As long as you're willing to lead, I can still think of a way for you!"
Yang Ge: "What way?"
Shen Fa: "Just like you are doing now, create a roster in the guard and earn a salary, pretend they were spies for the Xie family installed in advance by the guard."
Yang Ge: "You do have a method, don't you? What does this have to do with me?"
Shen Fa clapped his hands, "There is a method, but no one is willing to take the responsibility. Have you forgotten? They were involved in crimes unforgivable by all three clans. Who would risk their own fortune and life to vouch for them?"
Yang Ge: "You won't take the risk?"
Shen Fa: "Of course not!"
Yang Ge: "Then who will?"
Shen Fa: "You will!"
Yang Ge: "When did I say I would?"
Shen Fa: "You're not afraid of death; why fear taking this responsibility?"
Yang Ge finally burst out, "Fine, fine, fine, so it's just me you're bullying, a lonely man, right?"
"You can't say it like that!"
Shen Fa softened his tone, speaking earnestly, "Think about it from another perspective, this could actually be a remedy to pull you out of the mire... You're young, you don't really want to rot here, do you?"
Yang Ge, not willing to be fooled twice by the same trick, replied, "How am I rotting? I have a house, a dog, and a job. I diligently go to work, and happily come home every day. Isn't that how most people live?"
Shen Fa stared at him, his lips twitching as if he wanted to say something but then he closed his mouth.
After a while, he blatantly adopted an unscrupulous attitude, "Well, it's just the way things are. If you won't stand up for them, there's nothing I can do. After all, it's nothing more than an exile to Lingnan, the days might be harder, longer, not so easy to die. You've saved them once, surely you don't have to always worry about their fate, if they must blame, they should blame themselves for failing to recognize people, for choosing the wrong master... they can't blame you or me..."
Yang Ge burst out again, "This is moral coercion, moral coercion, do you understand?"
Shen Fa took out an iron badge engraved with "Chief Banner" from his waist and slapped it on the table, "It's your choice how you decide!"
Yang Ge in despair, "What huge sin did I commit in my past life to encounter you in this one!"
"Thud."
Another muffled sound.
Turning his head, Yang Ge saw those strong men in the courtyard heavily banging their heads on the ground again, blood flowing out.
Yang Ge covered his face.
Shen Fa: "Caught you!"