43 Not So Clean

"Duke Yi... Why does that name sound familiar?"

"Haaaaah." Yi Cheng Rui put the invitation down for a moment and sighed. "You don't remember? His second son is one of your future wife's cursed fiances. His noble sacrifice let the two of you be together."

The memory of a bright, handsome youth and the epithet "Golden Barley Scholar" flashed through Wei Tian Ao's mind. "Ah." He then paused for a moment before asking, "Which son is the heir?"

"Probably still this first son. Hua Yan Ting's likely to carve his own way. I wouldn't be surprised if he earns his own noble title after entering officialdom."

"Is the first son also talented?"

Yi Cheng Rui tilted his head slightly. "Compared to this brother... He's somewhat unfortunate. And this is self-praise on my part, but he and I are about the same age so we were often compared, too." He smiled, though it was somewhat lacking in warmth. "He could hardly be compared to me, let alone his younger brother."

Wei Tian Ao thought that such a circumstance was perfect for producing an extremely small-minded, bitter person, so he frowned.

"Don't make such a face," Yi Cheng Rui laughed. "I can imagine what you might be thinking, but Duke Yi's first son is rather carefree." he paused, remembering something. "He's like his good friend. He doesn't seem to mind comparisons to others and simply lives the way he wants."

"Good friend?"

"Mn. He's good friends with that brother of yours. As I recall, they often go hunting together, so it's not a surprise that this would be an invitation to go hunting."

A good friend of Wei Hong Sheng inviting them on a hunting trip? There was no way this was as simple as it seemed on the surface. Did this Duke Yi-shizi wish to play both fields by getting close to both of Prince Rui's sons? Or could it be that this entire outing was one of Wei Hong Sheng's schemes? Wei Tian Ao was only beginning to scratch the surface of how deep and twisted these noble relationships in the capital could be. The more he thought about what their plans might be, the colder he felt inside. Finally, he let out a resigned sigh.

"It's no use. I keep thinking myself into a corner. I'm tired of having to wonder if every invitation, every word said to me is someone else's scheme."

"Everything is a scheme, everything is an action done by someone else to benefit themselves. Since it is so, why bother worrying about every little thing?" Yi Cheng Rui said while yawning and stretching his arms above his head. He didn't seem very bothered by any of it.

"You're saying that we should accept this invitation."

"Why not? Do something and you might get a reward. Cower in fear at home and you'll surely gain nothing."

"It sounds so reasonable when you say it like that... But a lot of accidents can occur when one goes hunting."

"Tian Ao," Yi Cheng Rui's tone was cautionary. "Accidents can occur anywhere. So are you planning on surrounding yourself with guards and staying at home?"

Wei Tian Ao froze. He closed his eyes and thought for a long time. "Yes, fine. You're right."

"Aren't I always?" Yi Cheng Rui grinned, earning him a punch in the shoulder.

"Still... Is it common for dukes' sons to be sending invitations to royalty?" Wasn't it said that the royal family was above tens of thousands of people? Wei Tian Ao had trouble imagining the nobility of Northern Xi casually sending invitations to princes. Though he was only the son of a Prince of the First Rank, that still made him the emperor's nephew. He was still considered to be part of the royal family.

"Is it not so in Northern Xi?"

Wei Tian Ao shook his head. "There's a very clear class distinction there. Though... The royalty of Northern Xi is rather...relaxed...in other ways, those of the noble class wouldn't be so brazen as to send princes letters asking them to go and play." He wasn't sure how much Yi Cheng Rui understood about the politics of Northern Xi. When his friend responded with a rather blank look, Wei Tian Ao slowly began to explain.

While Northern Xi was a monarchy just the same as its neighbors and had a long history as a sovereign nation, the country had seen many different dynasties. There wasn't a long tradition of one family solely holding power. For instance, the current royal family of Northern Xi had only ruled for two generations and the emperor had no sons. The throne would most likely be passing to an influential minister's family in the future. This was a common occurrence throughout the history of Northern Xi. Though rare, there were even times when princes were passed over in favor of a wiser man when the emperor was choosing a successor.

That being said, once one's family was considered the ruling royal family, one was considered to be different from the common people. Chosen by the heavens, one could not simply associate with nobles. It could be seen as favoritism.

"Should I call Northern Xi liberal or...that the emperors of Northern Xi are just?" Yi Cheng Rui smiled wryly after hearing the details.

"That isn't to say that it's a perfect system. There have certainly been rebellions and such. It's just that overall, the government is rather stable. If I were a prince of Northern Xi, I wouldn't have to be worrying about whether my subject is calculating against me or plotting to have my life taken by inviting me out of the city to hunt."

"That does sound rather nice..." Why was it, Yi Cheng Rui pondered, that Northern Xi was called "barbaric"? It certainly sounded like a very nice place to live...if all this was true. "No, I'm afraid that Eastern Wei is not such a clean place."

"You were loath to admit this not so long ago," Wei Tian Ao reminded him, raising his brows. He thought back to when he had first arrived in Eastern Wei and Yi Cheng Rui had been pushed into becoming his friend. Their light discussions on politics back then had been more philosophical in nature and Yi Cheng Rui had gotten rather defensive. He'd lightly mocked Wei Tian Ao for his idealistic beliefs and spoken loftily about the "greater good". Yet that same Yi Cheng Rui was admitting now that his beloved nation was not so clean.

The events that had swirled around Wei Tian Ao, the death of Tian Ren, and the shady dealings branching out from Prince Rui's estate... It seemed that such things had affected Yi Cheng Rui, as well. Yi Cheng Rui did not reply, but smiled somewhat sadly.

After a time, he finally spoke up again. "We should attend the hunt. Such a good opportunity to lure snakes out of the grass... How can we miss it? But we need to be careful. Bring good subordinates with you and stick with me."

"This humble one is honored that Young Master Yi would be so worried about oneself~" Wei Tian Ao teased.

"You dog, you even know how to poke fun at others now!?" Yi Cheng Rui shouted, but there was no true anger in it.

The two continued joking around for a bit before going through the invitations and laying down plans well into the evening.