Chapter 593 Late Night Planning

Yun Ting and Zhang Heyao are both here.

Zhang Heyao's face didn't look good.

But Yun Ting looked normal.

To be honest, Zhang Heyao couldn't quite understand Yun Ting.

Before, he thought that Yun Ting was pretending to be a playboy following the emperor on the surface, but in private he was probably helping Lu Qiniang.

However, now it seems that he is a little uncertain again.

After all, people's hearts are fickle, and Zhang Heyao has also seen many changes in people.

Including himself.

The night is thick as ink.

Zhang Heyao sat alone under the lamp, his brows furrowed, a cup of cold tea in his hand reflecting his gloomy expression.

What happened during the day made him feel sick, and he still hasn't recovered from it.

If Lu Qi Niang knew this news...

Zhang Heyao didn't dare to think about it.

However, Zhang Heyao has a strong aversion to traitors in his heart.

He is a scholar, and the principles of Heaven, Earth, the Emperor, parents and teachers are deeply embedded in his bones and blood.

Moreover, the new emperor trusted him very much.

Now he has entered the cabinet and become prime minister.

The new emperor was incompetent and didn't want to take care of many things, so he pushed them directly to him and Tutor Xie.

Taifu Xie wanted to monopolize power, so he excluded and suppressed Zhang Heyao.

——The late emperor originally wanted to let Grand Tutor Xie and Grand Tutor Lu fight to maintain balance.

Unexpectedly, Master Lu retired and returned to his hometown, and now it is Zhang Heyao who is struggling to support the family.

Zhang Heyao is weak and alone, but he has been able to hold on until today because the new emperor has complete trust in him.

For both public and private reasons, Zhang Heyao didn't want to oppose the new emperor, but...

"Knock, knock, knock." There was a very light knock on the door, which was particularly clear in the silent night.

Zhang Heyao's heart trembled: "Who?"

"Sir, the prince of Yun State requests to see you." The servant replied in a low voice.

At the same time, Yun Ting's signature voice, tinged with a somewhat lazy smile, came from outside the door, "The night is long, Prime Minister Zhang, do you mind if I come and have a cup of hot tea?"

Zhang Heyao said calmly, "Come in."

The door was pushed open silently, Yun Ting slipped in, and then closed the door behind him.

He was still wearing the same luxurious clothes he wore during the day. He sat down opposite Zhang Heyao, picked up the cold teapot on the table, shook it, and curled his lips in disgust.

"The prince's late-night visit probably isn't for tea." Zhang Heyao's eyes were sharp.

The smile on Yun Ting's face faded a little, his body leaned forward slightly, and the candlelight danced in his deep eyes.

"Of course not. I'm here to recruit Zhang Xiang." He said with a half-smile, and it was unclear whether he was serious or joking.

"What gang do you want to join?" Zhang Heyao remained calm.

"Of course I'm joining the gang to do something big. How dare I disturb Prime Minister Zhang with such a small matter?"

"What's the big deal? Why don't you just tell me directly, Prince?"

"Oh, it's nothing, just regicide." Yun Ting said slowly.

Zhang Heyao's pupils shrank slightly, and his hand holding the teacup suddenly tightened. "Prince, be careful with your words! This is a heinous crime punishable by the death of nine generations of your clan!"

Yun Ting laughed softly, but there was no warmth in his laughter, only endless ridicule.

"Jiaojiao fought bloody battles at the border, earning her glorious military exploits at the cost of her life. But what did he see as anything but a woman to be played with, a plaything for him! He wanted to summon her back to the capital and take her into his harem."

"Zhang Xiang, tell me, what would Lu Qiniang do if she knew this news?"

"To be loyal to a king like this?" Yun Ting's voice suddenly turned cold. "Watching him treat the heroes of the world as playthings, watching him live a life of drunkenness and debauchery, watching him crush the dignity and lives of countless people with a single word... Prime Minister Zhang, tell me, is this the person you want to be loyal to?"

"Before, I noticed that Prime Minister Zhang was dissatisfied. That was the only time." Yun Ting recalled what happened in the Spring Examination this year.

Just because the emperor was in a good mood, he gave the top spot to his unlearned brother-in-law, the grandson of Taifu Xie, even though the other party couldn't speak clearly.

But the emperor said that he wanted to get married, and it would be prestigious if he had a top scholar.

Zhang Heyao and others have been arguing countless times about who will be the top scorer because all the students this year are exceptionally outstanding.

In the end, it all became a joke.

This was a heavy blow to Zhang Heyao.

Because he had been educated and almost took the imperial examination, he knew how much a poor student had to pay in order to enter the throne.

If even the imperial examinations can be so chaotic, what’s the point of studying hard for more than ten years?

This is something that shakes faith.

Zhang Heyao thought he had concealed it well, but he didn't expect that Yun Ting saw it all.

After all, he underestimated Yun Ting.

"What exactly do you want to do?" Zhang Heyao's voice was dry and hoarse.

Yun Ting leaned back in his chair and resumed his lazy attitude.

"Isn't the Emperor so suspicious that he rarely even leaves the palace? I prepared a 'generous gift' for him. But he's too cautious, so I never had the chance to deliver it."

Zhang Heyao's heart sank suddenly, and terrible speculations came to his mind.

"This great victory is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Isn't he very happy?"

Yun Ting leaned closer to Zhang Heyao, the candlelight casting flickering shadows on his face. "We need a reason, a reason for him to leave the palace. Prime Minister Zhang, you are the head of the civil officials. You should take the lead and unite a few loyal old ministers to submit a petition stating that there are auspicious signs from heaven outside the capital, or that the stars are strange, and that the emperor must personally go to offer sacrifices and pray for blessings in order to ensure the longevity of the country. Given his personality, coupled with the fact that he is blinded by the great victory and is eager to prove that he is the one who has been chosen by heaven, he will most likely be tempted."

"Then what?"

"Then leave the rest to me." Yun Ting said with a smile, "We can't let Zhang Xiang do everything alone."

"You are committing treason."

"No, I am, doing justice for God."

Yun Ting paused, "Think about Lu Qiniang, think about Jiaojiao, think about the people in this world ravaged by war. Think about yourself. If you follow him, all of us will be dragged down to hell by him sooner or later."

Zhang Heyao was silent for a long time, so long that Yun Ting thought he was going to refuse.

In the end, Zhang Heyao didn't say "yes" or "no".

He just slowly and extremely tiredly closed his eyes, as if he had exhausted all his strength, and then he uttered a sentence with difficulty:

"This matter requires long-term consideration. Let me think about it."

"Of course," Yun Ting's voice returned to its lazy tone. "For such a major event, careful preparation is naturally required. Prime Minister Zhang, please take your time to think about it, but time waits for no one. I'm afraid Jiaojiao's 'edict' is on the way."

The people who could move Zhang Heyao the most should be Qi Niang and... Xiao Man.

"Xiao Man stayed in Changzhou with his abandoned mother. Fortunately, he was lucky enough to survive, and Changzhou City was saved. However, his identity is always a hidden concern. Doesn't Zhang Xiang want to reunite with Xiao Man?"

"That's enough." Zhang Heyao interrupted him coldly, "There's no need to use Xiaoman to motivate me. I have my own rules for doing things."

Yun Ting smiled and said, "Then I will wait for good news."

He stood up and blended into the darkness outside the door as quietly as he had come.