Chapter 31 The old friend refused.

Yue Yining was not being modest; she genuinely believed that her strategy played only a small part in the smooth progress of events.

She had long suspected the identity of the mastermind, which is why she asked the Third Prince to wait a little while.

Sure enough, within a few days, Yue Yining received a message from the Eldest Princess and the Third Prince, saying that many scions of prominent families in the court had jointly submitted a memorial impeaching Censor-in-Chief Lin, and that these people had already sided with the Fourth Prince.

Yue Yining then reviewed the memorials copied by the Eldest Princess. The Fourth Prince's scheme was a desperate attempt to force Censor-in-Chief Lin Yuan to see the situation clearly. Unfortunately, Lin Yuan was stubborn, and the Fourth Prince's actions only infuriated him. Not only did Lin Yuan refuse to back down and engage in illicit relations, but he also wrote a lengthy petition, fully displaying his character as a censor.

At this point, even if Yue Yining did nothing, Lin Yuan would no longer be able to support the Fourth Prince. However, Yue Yining wasn't one to quit while she was ahead; she liked to take advantage of others. So, she subtly hinted to the Third Prince that he should find a way to provide some assistance to the Censor-in-Chief, hoping to win over people's hearts in the process. As for how the Third Prince should proceed, she didn't interfere, leaving him to his own discretion.

Wei Ye has done a decent job. Now, the Imperial Censor's open siding with the Third Prince has opened a significant gap in the already one-sided situation.

The brilliance of this strategy lies in its accurate assessment of the decision-maker's temperament. If the mastermind behind it was not the Fourth Prince Wei Jing, but someone else, then this plan would be nothing more than a hollow shot, failing to produce any impact whatsoever.

Therefore, the all-powerful thing is not a specific strategy, but the strategist's insight into and exploitation of human nature behind the strategy.

Yue Yining: "While clever ideas are useful, intelligence is of paramount importance. If I hadn't met the Fourth Prince beforehand and known his character and style of doing things, I wouldn't have been able to devise this plan."

"Your Highness the Eldest Princess said earlier that she would find a reason to recommend me for entry into the court, but has she already made up her mind?"

Wei Yihua nodded: "It's all taken care of. It's just a sinecure. With an official position, you'll have more legitimate grounds to travel or visit others."

At this point in their conversation, Su Yue stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, Lord Shen requests an audience."

Wei Yihua: "Announce."

Shen Liude hurriedly entered the hall, still wearing her official robes, indicating she had just finished court. She handed the rubbing to Wei Yihua: "Your Highness, please take a look at this."

After reading the contents, Wei Yihua's expression hardened, and Yue Yining asked, "What's wrong?"

Wei Yihua pursed her lips: "...The Right Grand Counselor Xu recommended a Jianghu figure yesterday to serve as the Chief Clerk of the Astronomical Bureau."

When Yue Yining had nothing to do, she would look at the dossier that Wei Yihua had compiled for her. Now, she had sorted out all kinds of official positions in the capital of Dongxi, marked the background and name of the current officials, and attached more detailed information about the deputy officials. In addition, there were rubbings and transcribed copies of various important political events in the past few years. Together with all the scrolls and books, they filled an entire wall of bookshelves.

Yue Yining had never been to school. She only began to learn to read and write after becoming an apprentice at the age of eight, as it was necessary for her spiritual practice. She didn't like reading, so she found it both difficult and slow. Fortunately, more than a month of hard study had brought her considerable progress, and her reading speed had improved.

She remembered that the Right Grand Counselor was also one of the Fourth Prince's men.

Shen Liude nodded, then said something surprising: "I received the news yesterday and sent people to investigate. This martial arts figure is also a Taoist master, twenty-two years old, named Ye Miheng."

Yue Yining paused when she heard the familiar name.

She slowly lowered her hand that was supporting her head and looked up. Shen Liude continued, "Coincidentally, he was a disciple of Venerable Deliang Hua Siren of Qingyun Temple. Like Master Yue, he was a disciple of a living Venerable. The difference is that before entering the court, Ye Miheng stayed in Qingyun Temple in Jinling to cultivate. The people investigating said that he came directly to Yanjing after going down the mountain a few days ago."

Wei Yihua frowned deeply. She was both surprised and bewildered.

In her previous life, she chose the side of the fourth prince. She was one of the top strategists under the fourth prince and was very familiar with the changes in the situation, the distribution of various forces and personnel.

She was certain she had never heard of this name in her previous life. She remembered clearly that Yue Yining was the only Celestial Master in the imperial court who came from the lineage of a Venerable One.

At the time, Wei Yihua loathed the Celestial Masters. If any other powerful Celestial Masters appeared, she would definitely remember them.

So, where did this person come from?

Or was fate changed once again because of her?

Wei Yihua's mind was in a daze. She subconsciously turned her head to look at Yue Yining, only to find her staring at Shen Liude with a look of astonishment.

Yue Yining couldn't believe what she had just heard: "Lord Shen, what did you say was that person's name?"

Shen Liude repeated: "Ye Miheng, Mi as in 'dim' and Heng as in 'eternal'."

Wei Yihua looked at her: "Yining, do you know him?"

Yue Yining's face showed a hint of helplessness: "...It's hard not to know him. He is a disciple of the Venerable One, and I am also a disciple of the Venerable One. Our masters have close ties, so we have naturally met a few times. There is always some connection between disciples."

But she left the mountain to make her way in the world when she was fifteen, and had not seen Ye Miheng for five years.

Her personal relationship with Ye Miheng wasn't great; they only saw each other when their masters met. And the older Yue Yining got, the more she sensed Ye Miheng's distance and rejection towards her. Ye Miheng was quite cute as a child, but who isn't cute when they're little?

Wei Yihua frowned so deeply it could trap a fly: "Now that a great general has joined the Fourth Prince's side, many plans will have to be reconsidered."

Wei Jing's decisions were almost entirely influenced by two factors: his emotions and his advisors. When he was rational, his decision-making ability depended almost entirely on the latter; when he was emotional, he was mostly controlled by the former.

Shen Liude: "I wonder what Master Yue knows about him? Why would he suddenly get involved in the struggle for the throne?"

Yue Yining shook her head: "I haven't seen him for several years and don't know anything about his current situation."

"But based on my impression of him from many years ago, he was not a power-hungry or insatiable person. On the contrary, he was more interested in studying the Five Arts. I think that his decision to leave the monastic life and enter the court may have had other unknown reasons."

After thinking for a moment, Yue Yining said to Wei Yihua, "Your Highness, could you help me draft a visiting card to send to the Fourth Prince's residence? I would like to find an opportunity to go out and talk to him."

Wei Yihua replied, "Of course, I'll send someone to draft it and send it over once it's ready."

"Thank you for your trouble, Your Highness."

The three discussed state affairs for a while, when a maid came forward to ask for permission. She said that someone from the palace had come to invite Wei Yihua, so Wei Yihua had no choice but to leave first.

The three of them walked out of the palace gate together. The north wind had just stopped, and the ground was covered with jade-like snow, the entire Princess's residence was immersed in endless white mist.

Wei Yihua explained to Yue Yining, "I have to stay in the palace these few days to accompany my father to the Imperial Ancestral Temple for sacrifices, and afterwards I will go to the Heavenly Temple to pray for the people. If there are any important matters, you can pass them on to the chief eunuch of the palace, and he will send someone to the palace to tell me."

Yue Yining nodded, and was about to tell her not to worry when Wei Yihua gestured for Su Yue, who was holding the box, to step forward: "This is a rock-rhyme Mao Feng tea that was presented as tribute at a palace banquet. I don't know much about tea, but I heard it is an extremely precious variety, so I accepted it and am now giving it to you."

Yue Yining paused for a moment, then took the box. The small sandalwood box exuded a faint fragrance, and it felt heavy in her hand. Wei Yihua smiled and said, "Then I'll be going now."

Yue Yining quickly said, "Your Highness, please be careful on the road."

The maids lined up in order, half of them bowing and standing still, while the rest moved gracefully to follow the emperor. Wei Yihua's robes trailed on the jade steps, and her crimson cloak with gold embroidery was gradually covered with fine snow.

The princess's silhouette against the vast, tranquil white snow resembled a cluster of sparks, vibrant yet warm.

Outside the corridor lay a world of ice and snow, yet Yue Yining felt less cold. The lotus scroll pattern on the box seemed to come alive, bringing a vibrant spring feeling as it touched her slightly frozen fingers.

Yue Yining exhaled a breath, and white smoke rose in front of her eyes, slowly touching the tip of her nose.

She walked briskly back into the house, leaving a trail of footprints in the snow.

The invitation was drafted the next day and sent over by someone. When Fu Yao told her about it, Yue Yining was drinking the new tea sent by the Princess while flipping through piles of documents. She nodded casually to indicate that she understood.

She hadn't expected to receive a reply quickly, given that hundreds, even thousands, of visiting cards were sent to the Fourth Prince's residence every day. Since she had sent the card in her own name, she naturally wouldn't receive any special treatment. It would likely be mixed in with a pile of visiting cards and wouldn't be sorted, read, or delivered to the appropriate person until several days later. The person who received the card would then have to draft a reply and return it to her... In short, it was a very long process.

But on the fourth day, Yue Yining received a reply.

The morning she received the reply, the gatekeeper sent a maid to inform Yue Yining. Yue Yining was quite surprised; she hadn't expected that despite the Fourth Prince's generally unpleasant demeanor, the mansion's efficiency was surprisingly good. She had just gotten up and, feeling cold, didn't want to go out, so she asked the maid to go find Fu Yao. Fu Yao, who had just finished her morning exercises, went to get breakfast and, on her way back to her room, stopped by the gatekeeper to retrieve the reply.

All letters delivered to the Princess's residence were opened and inspected, and their contents were reviewed by a designated person to rule out any possibility of secret transmission. Yue Yining already knew this, so she didn't care that the letter in Fu Yao's hand had been opened.

Feeling drowsy from reading in the morning, and now letting out a huge yawn, she finally mustered the courage to ask, "Yaoyao, what should we say in the reply?"

Fu Yao's expression was as if she had just swallowed a large dagger: "He refused."

Yue Yining froze in her yawn. She was somewhat surprised: "Huh?"

Did he explain why he refused in his reply?

Fu Yao handed the reply to Yue Yining, who was sitting behind Shan Zu's desk: "Miss, please take a look..."

Because her expression was so complex, Yue Yining became somewhat curious. She took the letter and unfolded her reply.

The reply was surprisingly concise, with only two words remaining after removing the beginning and end.

Not allowed.

Yue Yining: "...?"