Chapter 106

Prince An wanted to explain that he was not responsible for the incident and that he truly knew nothing about it, but no one believed him.

The officials from the Ministry of Rites listened to him with polite smiles, nodding as if they believed him, but in reality, it went in one ear and out the other. They simply said, "Okay, okay, I understand. So how should this matter be resolved? Your Highness, do you have any ideas?"

Prince An: "..." He had no clue what to do and just wanted to smash the stupid head in front of him.

It was obvious that they were completely convinced that he was the mastermind behind the crime, and they treated all his words as evasive excuses, acting as if he were a prince who had the final say.

Actually, it's not entirely their fault that the people in the Ministry of Rites think this way; the group of江湖人 (jianghu people) kept in Prince An's mansion also contributed a lot to this impression.

At first, it was one thing to kick the people from the Ministry of Rites out, but after Prince An learned of the matter, he hurriedly invited them back to complete the interrogation process. This time, with his orders, his subordinates cooperated with the questioning, and thus, the unfounded suspicion against him was completely confirmed.

"So what if we really intimidate them? Even if we kill them outright, the Rongdi dogs will not be spared."

“His Highness Prince An has always been public-spirited and righteous, and never bullies others. He has his reasons for doing things. If you have any objections, you should look for the problem within yourself.”

"Your Highness is benevolent and righteous, and naturally there will be benevolent and righteous people who act in Your Highness's name."

...

Prince An, having read through all the records from the Ministry of Rites, was speechless.

Wait, could it be that I really...? Prince An racked his brains to recall.

The events that occurred in Jiutianyi Village had already spread throughout the upper echelons of the capital by the next day. Prince An had people under his command who were specifically tasked with gathering information, and they knew much faster and more completely than many court officials. For example, Prince An had a complete report of what the other party had said besides "two-legged sheep."

Prince An was also from Daqi, so he was naturally unhappy to hear those words and said some unpleasant things in return. He didn't try to hide them from others, so it was normal for them to reach the ears of other people in the mansion. He couldn't help but wonder: Could it be that at that time, someone under his command took his complaints seriously and then took action?

No, that's not right. Those people wouldn't be so clumsy and mild. There must be someone else behind this, deliberately setting a trap for him. So who is the one setting up the chessboard? Prince An's mind worked quickly, and he had already grasped the strange thing about this matter.

However, he was determined to clear his name of suspicion, but these people just thought he was acting and kept nodding in agreement with him.

There was another force stirring things up: instead of spreading rumors about him, they began spreading tales of the evil deeds committed by the Rong and Di people, intensifying public resentment towards the Rong and Di envoy. While seemingly targeting the Rong and Di envoy, the real target was Prince An. After all, with a known hero capable of punishing evil and eliminating wickedness, he would be the first person anyone seeking help to eliminate bad guys would think of.

This influence wasn't limited to the general public; even his self-proclaimed upright martial arts practitioners were convinced of it. Fortunately, there were some clever individuals among them who managed to suppress this group and prevent them from causing trouble for Prince An.

But now that things have come to this, Prince An has already stepped forward, whether he wanted to or not. There is no way to retreat. He can only stand there with his scalp tingling, ready to defend himself and fight back at any moment.

Prince An was in a terrible predicament because of a sheep.

Although Cui Zui had already seen all the possibilities in Xue Jin'an's analysis, when he saw that Prince An was really trapped and unable to extricate himself, he could not hide the smugness of a young man. His eyes and eyebrows were raised, and he couldn't help but hum a tune. If the people of Zhaoyang Palace were here to listen carefully, they would find that it was the same song from the Book of Songs that Xue Jin'an had sung for them that day.

Although Cui Zui also felt that his master's singing was a bit too Buddhist, making people want to immediately shave their heads and become monks to accompany him with wooden fish, Cui Zui still memorized the tune after only hearing it once. He didn't know how many times he had played it in his mind, so much so that he would unconsciously hum it when he was happy.

He went home happily, and when he saw Old Cui Pengfei in the yard, he greeted him and was about to leave when he heard a calm and collected question: "Have you cleaned up the mess? I'm an old man, and I don't want to have to clean up your mess later."

Cui Zui turned to look at Cui Pengfei with shock and caution. He didn't immediately start talking, but pretended not to hear and laughed, "Grandfather, what did you say? I didn't hear you clearly."

Cui Zui regretted his words as soon as he finished speaking. He shouldn't have tried to outsmart this old fox. Sure enough, Cui Pengfei picked up his teacup and glanced at him. He had only made a casual bluff, but judging from Cui Zui's attitude, he immediately knew that Cui Zui had indeed schemed against someone. Thinking about who had recently suffered misfortune, he guessed the gist of the matter.

Cui Zui dared not speak to his grandfather, knowing that if he opened his mouth, he would surely be tricked into revealing a lot of information, so he simply kept quiet.

Seeing his expression, Cui Pengfei, unusually showing some grandfatherly affection, did not press him further, but simply said, "The Rongdi people came with ill intentions, and we did the right thing in dealing with them. They should be taught a lesson. I believe His Highness Prince An knows what he's doing."

Cui Pengfei's keen political sense led him to inquire about the underlying issues of the matter, and he realized that the Rongdi people might be up to something. He said, "Neither side is easy to deal with. We must clean up our mess and clear ourselves of any suspicions. We must not leave any traces behind."

"Yes, I will absolutely not implicate others. I will bear all the consequences myself." Cui Zui thought his grandfather was reminding him not to go too far and drag others down with him, so he immediately expressed his loyalty.

Cui Pengfei calmly replied, "I'm talking about you. We all rise and fall together; it's impossible to remain unaffected."

So take good care of yourself.

Cui Zui seemed to have heard what was unspoken. He covered his eyes with emotion, hiding his true feelings, happy to be cared for, and felt that he must fulfill his filial duty to his grandfather.

Then he heard his kind grandfather say that he had set a question for the seventh prince about this matter.

"Remember to bring it when you go to the palace tomorrow," Cui Pengfei said casually.

“...Grandfather, you should deliver such a good question in person. I still need to oversee the Nine-Add-One project and I really can’t get away.” Cui Zuixin was extremely guilty and didn’t dare to hand the question to Xue Jin’an.

Cui Pengfei laughed in exasperation at his cowardly appearance, narrowing his sharp eyes and looking dangerously at his dutiful grandson: "You're afraid of your master, but not of me, huh?"

The next day, Cui Zui brought the question to the palace. The carriage stopped at the entrance of Zhaoyang Palace, and he unusually squatted in the carriage for a long time without getting off, looking very guilty. He wasn't guilty for bringing a difficult question to his master, but for revealing that he had leaked the plan to deal with Prince An.

Even if the person who leaked the information was his grandfather, and even if he didn't actually say anything and immediately shut up after realizing something was wrong, a leak is still a leak.

Cui Zui pursed his lips, trying to adjust his mindset, and decided to rush in and kneel down before his master, promising that he would never do it again.

He mentally prepared himself before entering Zhaoyang Palace with the questions, but before he could even kneel, he heard his master calmly say, "You did something to betray me? You got carried away and were tricked by Elder Cui into revealing your secrets?"

"!!!" Cui Zui was completely shocked. "Master, how did you know?"

"Just guessing." Xue Jin'an looked away.

He wasn't just making excuses; he genuinely guessed. After all, this was the first time Cui Zui had passed by Zhaoyang Palace without entering, so it was safe to assume that something trivial had happened. Xue Jin'an listed a few possibilities, picked the most likely one to ask, and then guessed correctly.

Xue Jin'an received the question set by Cui Pengfei. He guessed that the question, which Cui Zui had brought so solemnly, must be quite difficult, and it also meant that Cui Lao's teaching of him had entered the third stage.

The first step in the educational plan that Cui Pengfei devised for him was to cram in thousands of books. Xue Jin'an completed this too quickly, which directly refreshed Cui Pengfei's understanding and almost burned his brain. So he quickly and smoothly transitioned to the second step of the sea of ​​questions strategy, which allowed him to fully understand and utilize that knowledge. While integrating it, he also gained a certain understanding of the operation of the court and other aspects.

The third step involves intrigue and scheming. The factional struggles in the imperial court are never a matter of whether you have the ability or not. Xue Jin'an must also have the ability to scheme against others and resist their schemes, and be able to quickly adjust his state and fight back.

So Xue Jin'an unfolded the topic, which read: If you were Prince An, how would you resolve this predicament? Please write an article with Prince An as the protagonist, in any style and word count (the writing should be elegant and vivid).

Cui Zui looked at the last line of notes, which was written in slightly too much ink, and fell silent: "..." He finally understood why the old man hadn't come himself.

Asking my grandfather to write a beautiful and vivid article? He's really stubborn! Is he deliberately making things difficult for me?!

Even if Cui Zui were a master sycophant, he couldn't possibly boast that his master's writing was as good as it was at this moment. He wiped his face and reluctantly decided to stay and help his master with his writing. He wasn't worried that his master couldn't write it, but he was worried that his master was writing too fast and he wouldn't have time to read it.

Sure enough, Xue Jin'an quickly came up with an idea. He couldn't even grasp the beauty of sentences, so naturally he couldn't write such text. However, after adding the three words "visual imagery," he quickly locked onto an idea: writing a script.

Xue Jin'an had never written a screenplay, but he had countless novels in his mind, which he could use as a reference.

Thus, a simple English question, "Help Li Hua write a letter," was transformed into a thrilling novel titled "From Prince to Emperor."

Xue Jin'an grabbed a stack of papers with his fingers, imbued them with his magic, and square, rigid characters immediately appeared on the blank papers. After both sides were filled, the characters automatically "swished" to the side, and the speed was very fast. Several papers were produced in a short while.

"Master's speed is still so fast." In Cui Zui's eyes, the other party was writing furiously with a brush. He sighed and resignedly picked up the paper he had written and looked at it. He originally thought it would be another messy sentence that would make his head spin, but he didn't expect it to be quite... quite normal.

The opening description of the environment was even quite beautiful, which amazed him so much that he unconsciously continued reading. The sentences that followed were rather plain and even a bit too colloquial, but they were easy to understand and had a unique charm.

The main reason was that the plot, starting from the prince's rise to power, was so well-written that he unconsciously became immersed in it, ignoring some of the dryness and length of the writing. He even occasionally came across some brilliant sentences and didn't hesitate to praise them: "That fight scene where the sword is like a silver snake emerging from its hole is really good... This war analysis is also very good, but it looks a bit familiar, like I've seen it somewhere before..."

Cui Zui's voice grew softer and softer. He seemed to understand something. He carefully continued reading. After seeing the same environmental description as at the beginning, he turned back to look at the war analysis and immediately discovered that it came from a military book. It was the original text, without a single word changed.

Cui Zui fell silent. He marked the sentences in the article that he considered beautiful and asked cautiously, "Master, do these all have sources?"

"These are common templates; they're found in many storybooks." Xue Jin'an searched for these sentences in the database and found many results.

"Master, although paraphrasing is a common practice in writing, it's not the same as direct use, Master!!" Cui Zui cried out in despair.

Xue Jin'an tilted his head, puzzled, and after thinking for a moment, replied, "I don't produce words; I'm just a word transporter."