Chapter 34

Yan Zilian finally chose Shen Hexuan and Yan Sikong as the royal tutors for the crown prince, which was not surprising.

Crown Prince Mu had just turned 13. As he had just been conferred this year, he was already a few years late to start schooling. Although Chen Mu was the eldest prince of the emperor, his mother was only a palace maid and was not allowed to get the emperor’s favor, so both mother and son had been neglected in the palace for many years. The empress had no children, and the emperor always wanted to confer the son of his favorite imperial concubine, but he was opposed by the ministers, so the emperor and his ministers had been quarreling for several years. Xie Zhongren came in between them, and Yan Zilian fought with his life. The dispute over the conferment of a crown prince had once burned all levels of society. Many people lost their careers and even their lives to preserve Dasheng’s tradition of "conferring the legitimate wife’s son or conferring the imperial concubine’s eldest son otherwise".

All of this happened before Yan Sikong became an official. He didn't have the chance to see the dispute over the conferment of a crown prince with his own eyes.

However, the conferment of the crown prince did not mean that he could succeed to the throne steadily. The current emperor had ascended the throne when he was a child. Right now, he is not yet 40 years old. This long time was by no means a smooth road, and he still had a young crown prince to walk on it properly.

Now, Crown Prince Mu had a total of five lecturers: Yan Zilian, the senior grand secretary, Wang Shengsheng, the vice senior secretary, Huo Li, the Left assistant minister and the Grand Academician of Longtu Pavilion, and finally the two royal tutors, Shen Hexuan and Yan Sikong.

As the senior grand secretary, Yan Zilian had heavy official duties and was mostly nominal. Wang Shengsheng was under Xie Zhongren’s faction. He had been placed by Xie Zhongren to monitor the crown prince. In fact, only Huo Li, Shen Hexuan, and Yan Sikong were the real lecturers.

Everyone in the court knew this.

Before becoming an official, Yan Sikong spent two to three years investigating the resumes, hometowns, family members, and political parties of significant and insignificant officials in the court, not only the officials in the capital but also expatriate governors and important officials in various prefectures and counties. Although it couldn’t be considered as detailed, he already knew the general pattern of the imperial government. After entering the Hanlin Academy, he spent a lot of time looking up all the past official documents, plus more than a year's on-the-spot observation. He had a relatively clear understanding of Dasheng's bureaucratic situation. He could get Yan Zilian's appreciation in such a short amount of time because he had figured out Yan Zilian's likes, dislikes, expectations, and concerns. Being able to stand outside the Eastern Palace now was only the first step of his plan, and this step was under control.

After standing for a short while, he heard the eunuch inside calling them.

Yan Zilian led the two into the Eastern Palace and knelt down to greet him: "Greetings, Your Highness."

"Greetings, Your Highness."

A clear young voice came from a distance over his head: "Teacher, please rise." He paused and said, "The two of you, please rise."

Only then did Yan Sikong stand and look up. There was a handsome young man with porcelain white skin and inky black eyes on the throne. Even if he received the court councilors in his palace, he would keep his back straight. He had already shown the impressive and dignified manner of a king at a young age.

"Give my teacher a seat." Crown Prince Mu said.

The two eunuchs quickly brought a stool to Yan Zilian. After Yan Zilian thanked them, he sat down.

"I heard that Your Highness caught a cold a few days ago. Please take care of your health, Your Highness.”

"Thank you, teacher. I'm all right now."

Only then did Yan Zilian get to the point after the two exchanged conventional greetings. He said, "These two are the royal tutors selected by me for Your Highness. Both are new jinshis of last year. They are very talented. One of the two..." He looked at Shen Hexuan. "Your Highness should have heard of Shen Hexuan."

Crown Prince Mu nodded: "I heard that you are a rare talent who consecutively got first place in the civil service examinations at three levels. As soon as I saw you today, you indeed have an extraordinary presence."

Shen Hexuan bowed and said, "I'm not talented. Thank you, Your Highness."

"This is Yan Sikong, who gained praise from the emperor at the jingyan. His lectures are profound and interesting."

Crown Prince Mu’s eyes fell on Yan Sikong and he sized him up curiously: "I knew that. I heard you would tell some anecdotes and unofficial histories."

Yan Sikong smiled: "I’ve humored Your Highness."

"I chose these two people because they indeed have true skills and genuine knowledge. Also, they are still young. Compared to me and Lord Huo, Your Highness may feel more relaxed." Although Yan Zilian didn't say some things in detail, they knew very well in their hearts. The crown prince’s foundation was unsteady, so he must foster his own influence early. Therefore, Shen Hexuan and Yan Sikong, who had clean backgrounds and promising futures, were perfectly suitable for him.

Crown Prince Mu nodded: "From now on, I’ll thank you both for your trouble."

The two arched their hands and said in unison, "I’ll live up to Your Highness's expectations."

Yan Zilian stroked his beard and smiled.

Yan Sikong was calm and composed when he saw that Crown Prince Mu was secretly sizing him up from time to time. He had an outstanding appearance since he was young, so he was used to others paying too much attention to him. He was sizing up Crown Prince Mu too. He must take good control of this young prince in the forbidden palace*, who might be his biggest chip in the future.

-----

The emperor's birthday was coming, and the editing work was also coming to an end. Finally, Yan Sikong could go home early for one day and have more rest.

However, he didn’t go home. Instead, he bought two pots of good wine and went directly to Feng’s residence.

The gatekeeper didn't know who Yan Sikong was. According to the custom, he directly refused and said: "My Lord, I have offended you. Our Shizi is in poor health and is not accepting visitors. I hope you will forgive me."

Yan Sikong said with a smile, "I'm not here to ask him to see me." He raised the wine pots in his hand, "It’s just that when I passed by, I remembered that His Highness had invited me to drink a pot of good wine. I wanted to send His Highness a present in return. Just give him these two pots of wine."

"Our Shizi declines valuable gifts too."

"How can these insignificant two pots of wine be considered a gift?" Yan Sikong laughed and said, "Nevermind. I'll put the wine at the door. If His Highness doesn't like it, just don’t hesitate to throw them away." He walked away naturally after speaking.

The gatekeeper looked at Yan Sikong hesitantly and then looked at the wine pots at the door. He couldn't make up his mind for a moment.

When Yan Sikong came home, a man of about 40 years old with an ugly and frightening face came out to welcome him. Yan Sikong said, "Ah Li, prepare a table of wine and food in the evening."

The man called Ah Li nodded and gestured with his hand. It turned out that he couldn't speak.

Yan Sikong smiled faintly and said firmly, "Yes, a guest is coming."

He had made up his mind.

When treating Feng Ye, he should not take the initiative to curry favor with him nor alienate him too much. They were not young and ignorant anymore. If Feng Ye felt that he had an ulterior motive, their old friendship, that had been worn out by time, would disappear in a flash.

 

 

SQC’s note: I’m sorry. I’m a little stuck in these 2 days. There's a plot that hasn't been polished and refined well. 

 

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forbidden palace* [深宫]---where the emperor lives

 

Edited on 14 Aug. 21 (Emzie)

 

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