I am the villain in the book

Disappointment?

What does that mean?

Playing the game of suppressing before praising, praising first?

Gui Peian's words made Wei Changtian not understand what this old man wanted to say for a moment.

However, he didn't ask, just chuckled:

“Prime Minister Gui, I am just a playboy. The rumors in the market are not credible.”

“Innocent?”

Wei Changtian curled his lips: “I don’t know if the people I killed were innocent or not. Killing is just a means for me to achieve my goals. I believe you can understand what I mean.”

“Oh, Prime Minister Gui, let’s sit down and talk.”

“...”

After saying this, Wei Changtian turned around and sat down in the seat to the right of Ning Yuke, while Gui Peian, supported by Shen Ran, returned to his seat.

In just a few dozen breaths, a dozen sentences.

The first meeting between Wei Changtian and the Second Rank Great Confucian Gui Peian kicked off in this slightly strange atmosphere.

The golden color of the sunset gradually faded from the horizon, and a thin twilight floated up.

Phoenix Cry Palace lit up hundreds of bright lamps, and the palace maids changed the tea for everyone.

In the following period, both sides were chatting, but they didn't say anything of practical significance.

The Dali envoy presented the letter of credence, the content of which was the Dali Emperor's congratulations to Ning Yuke on his proclamation as king.

As a vassal state of Da Ning, they congratulated the rebel king of the suzerain state.

Dali's operation undoubtedly expressed an attitude, that is—

I want to rebel too!

Of course, although the attitude is this attitude, it is hard to say when Dali will take concrete actions.

At least from the current situation, this is more of a “spiritual support”, otherwise the Dali envoy would not have come secretly.

Ning Yuke naturally knew this, so he didn't show too much enthusiasm for this kind of "written support", just said a few polite words, and at most wrote a reply to finish the matter.

But no matter what, the Dali envoy had completed his mission.

And next was the highlight of Gui Peian and Shen Ran.

“Prime Minister Gui.”

Seeing that the time was almost right, Wei Changtian seized an opportunity and asked directly: “His Majesty said you have something to tell me, but I don’t know what it is?”

“Haha, actually, there is nothing important.”

Taking a sip of hot tea, Gui Peian replied with a smile: “Previously, at the Chunlong Poetry Conference in Shu Prefecture, Shen Ran almost made a big mistake. Fortunately, Young Master Wei took action, and he was able to escape.”

“This old man specifically brought him here to thank you.”

Huh? Thank you?

Wei Changtian couldn't help being stunned when he heard this.

Yes, last time a member of the Inner Guard did want to kill Shen Ran, but he stopped him, thus giving Shen Ran a chance to escape.

However, at the Chunlong Poetry Conference, he did indeed plunder Shen Ran's Heavenly Dao luck.

Shen Ran clearly watched the "Luck Cloud Goose" being snatched away by him, but why does he seem to not resent him at all now?

Is he so generous?

Wei Changtian quickly calculated in his heart, but a wry smile appeared on his face.

“Prime Minister Gui is too polite. Brother Shen's talent is obvious to all. At that time, someone in Da Ning was jealous and did such a narrow-minded thing.”

“I just couldn’t stand this kind of thing, so I helped, it’s nothing.”

“Young Master, you are wrong.”

Gui Peian sighed softly and shook his head: “Alas, Shen Ran ran to Shu Prefecture alone, wanting to defeat Mr. Su to prove his literary heart, which was wrong of him in the first place.”

“Of course, it’s also because the old man didn’t discipline him strictly.”

“At that time, he had already aroused public anger. Being able to retreat completely was all thanks to Young Master’s righteous rescue.”

“Therefore, this thank you must be said no matter what.”

“...”

If most people like to blame others when they encounter problems, then Gui Peian is completely the opposite, always looking for reasons in himself.

After he finished speaking, he didn't wait for Wei Changtian to answer. Immediately, he slowly stood up, and then bowed to Wei Changtian together with Shen Ran, who also stood up beside him.

“Prime Minister Gui, Young Master Shen, you must not do this!”

No matter what, he is also a Second Rank Great Confucian, and he was so polite just now, so Wei Changtian certainly cannot accept this bow now.

He hurriedly got up to avoid it, and while bowing in return, his impression of Gui Peian also changed.

Although he was a bit strange when they first met, the latter's words and deeds this time really deserve the name “Sage”.

Back and forth, both sides were inevitably polite again.

Only after dozens of breaths did the three of them sit down again, and this time it was finally Shen Ran's turn to speak.

“Young Master Wei, to be honest.”

“My teacher and I actually have something else we want to ask you in person this time in Shu Prefecture.”

“...”

Sure enough!

Wei Changtian sighed in his heart, thinking that he still couldn't escape.

Ever since he “became famous in one battle” at the Chunlong Poetry Conference, he has been chased by these literary giants wherever he goes to ask questions.

For example, Abbot Huian of the Lotus Temple, for example, Grand Secretary Ye Guangyi of the Dafeng Cabinet.

These people seem to think that since he can write “Spring River Flower Moon Night”, he must have a very thorough understanding of everything in the world, so they eagerly want to get answers to certain “metaphysical” questions from him.

But Wei Changtian doesn’t understand the philosophical questions they ask, and he may not even be able to understand what these people are asking.

Therefore, he always has a headache when he encounters this kind of situation.

But sometimes he can't escape, so he can only bite the bullet and perfunctorily say a few words and be done with it.

“Uh, I wonder what Prime Minister Gui and Young Master Shen want to ask?”

Forcing a smile, Wei Changtian took a deep breath: “As long as I know, I will tell you the truth.”

“Thank you, Young Master Wei, for clearing up our confusion.”

Shen Ran exchanged glances with Gui Peian, and his expression slowly became serious.

Then, he leaned forward, placed his hands properly on his knees, and asked solemnly in the manner of a student waiting for the teacher to answer his questions:

“Young Master Wei, in 'Spring River Flower Moon Night', you used the sentence 'Who first saw the moon by the river' to sigh at the brevity of life, but then you used the sentence 'Life goes on generation after generation without end' to sigh at the infinity of life.”

“So, is man in this world short or infinite? What exactly is the Way of Man?”

“My teacher and I have repeatedly thought about these two sighs, but we have not been able to understand the true meaning from the poem.”

“What Taoism seeks is to comprehend the Tao heart and ascend to immortality.”

“What Buddhism seeks is to liberate all living beings from suffering and escape the cycle of the six realms.”

“What my literary path seeks is to follow the destiny and seek the unification of the world with one’s own ability.”

“There are three thousand great Daos in the world, but each has its own saying.”

“The teacher feels that 'Dao' and 'Reason' should not be so complicated, so he wants to ask Young Master Wei, I wonder if there is a true Way of Man under this heaven?”

“...”

The candlelight in the hall flickered gently, and the bright and soft light was silent.

After Shen Ran asked the question, he stopped talking, and everyone focused their attention on Wei Changtian, who had a calm expression.

“Well, this question...”

In the nervous or expectant gazes, the latter nodded slightly, and then uttered six words.

“What the hell does it mean?”