Chapter 167 The Powerful Minister Returns to His Youth 21.

Emperor Tianxi ascended the throne at the age of twenty. He had no children before his ascension, but in the second year of his reign, he and his empress had their eldest son, the Crown Prince Ye Zhaowu. Emperor Tianxi was overjoyed and granted a general amnesty.

"His Highness is the Emperor's first son, and he was showered with honors from birth. He was intelligent from a young age, but he preferred activity to stillness and could not sit still while studying. By the time he started his formal education at the age of three, countless officials, whether ministers or lecturers, in the Grand Secretariat, the Imperial Academy, or the Hanlin Academy, had been driven away by him."

"His Majesty was reluctant to punish him, so he could only choose a few people to take turns being angered by the Crown Prince."

Qiu Jingsong paused, sighed, and said, "It was quite a coincidence. At that time, I had just been promoted to lecturer because of my fairly good work in compiling history. One day, when I entered the palace to lecture His Majesty on history, I happened to meet the Crown Prince..."

"You told a good story, I love listening to it!" A three or four-year-old child dressed in a royal blue brocade robe rushed in from outside like a little adult and blocked Qiu Jingsong, who was in his twenties. It was unclear how long he had been eavesdropping outside.

"Your Highness, this humble subject pays his respects!" Qiu Jingsong had heard of the Crown Prince's "prestige" from his colleagues in the Hanlin Academy more than once, so he bowed hastily.

"Wu'er, don't be silly!" At that time, Empress Liang was only twenty years old, graceful and beautiful, and unapproachable. Only when she saw her child would she look helpless and have a headache, just like an ordinary mother.

"Your Majesty, I was rude and careless, and Wu'er has barged into this place..."

She followed Ye Zhaowu in, and upon seeing this, Ye Zhaowu darted to Emperor Tianxi's side, protesting, "How is this considered impolite? Father makes me study all day, but the teacher he hires can't even tell a single story well; he makes people drowsy. If I don't listen, he scolds me for being playful. On the other hand, he himself is secretly listening to good stories here, and if I overhear him, I'm accused of impoliteness..."

The Empress, unwilling to bring her family affairs to the attention of her ministers, could only turn to Emperor Tianxi for help: "Your Majesty!"

Ye Zhaowu also clung to Emperor Tianxi's leg, gazing at him expectantly: "Father..."

Emperor Tianxi, who had been observing from the sidelines for a while, finally laughed heartily when he met those two pitiful eyes. He gave the Empress a comforting look, then placed his large hand on his son's head and said decisively, "Reading history can enlighten the mind, and understanding the past can help us learn from the present. It is a great thing that my son likes to read history. If Minister Qiu has any free time, he can tell Wu'er some stories, which can be considered his enlightenment."

"Your Majesty, please indulge this mischievous brat!" the Empress scolded.

Ye Zhaowu, grinning mischievously, came over to coax his mother. Emperor Tianxi looked at the mother and son, a genuinely gentle smile spreading across his young face. Qiu Jingsong stood to the side, delighted.

The emperor and empress are harmonious, and the princes are intelligent; this is a blessing for the Great Qi.

However, this fortunate event did not last long.

"I served as a lecturer for four or five years. In the first two years, I saw His Highness quite often, once every one or two months. But later, it became less and less frequent. It wasn't that His Highness didn't like to hear my stories anymore, but rather that he couldn't bear to hear them anymore..."

Qiu Jingsong held the wine cup, his brows furrowed with sadness. "His health is getting weaker and weaker. The imperial physician said it was due to congenital deficiency, and all that could be done was to recuperate. He can no longer study or practice martial arts. This little boy is frighteningly pale. He clutches his chest and bows his head after walking a few steps. Where is even a trace of the health he had when he was three or four years old?"

“Congenital deficiency,” Yu Shiqing frowned. “If it really is a congenital deficiency, the first three years of life must have been the most difficult, right? Back then, you were a mischievous little monkey, but later you became weak…”

"The Empress probably had the same doubts," Qiu Jingsong said. "So she asked her family to secretly invite a famous doctor from Jiangnan to the capital. After being treated by this doctor, the Crown Prince was indeed lively and energetic for a few days, but not long after, one day in the Imperial Study, the Crown Prince suddenly vomited blood and collapsed."

"It was an acute illness. The imperial physician had just arrived when the person stopped breathing. The Crown Prince died... His Majesty was furious and executed the renowned physician on the spot. He then punished the Empress and Lady Liang. The Empress drew her sword and stabbed Consort Ning, who was then enjoying great favor, accusing her of poisoning her son. Chaos broke out in the palace, flames soared into the sky, and Consort Ning's Chunque Palace was burned down."

"What happened after that...is known to everyone in the world," Qiu Jingsong said with his eyes closed. "The Empress, Consort Ning, and the remaining two princes all died. The Emperor was shocked, and the Liang family was exterminated and their clan wiped out. This is known in history as the Rebellion of the Demon Empress."

"So that's how it is... How did you know so much, teacher?" Yu Shiqing still looked curious.

"What's so much?" Qiu Jingsong's smile was tinged with bitterness. "Those officials in the capital who frequently enter and leave the palace and have sharp ears and eyes are bound to hear something about it, they just won't say it. It involves the lives of an empress, a concubine, and three princes, shaking the court and the public. How could it be completely kept secret from the palace?"

"But now, twenty or thirty years have passed in the blink of an eye. Too many old friends have passed away, and too many old stories have been forgotten. You children are curious and want to ask, but you can't get any information."

"Time is truly a wonderful thing..."

Time is a good thing, but if you want to bury certain secrets completely, you need the extraordinary means of someone with connections to the highest levels.

Today, Emperor Tianxi is still on the throne, and the chaos caused by the empress is a taboo subject in the court and among the people. The historical records also have their own interpretations. In my previous life, Yu Shi investigated many things, but never obtained a version as detailed as Qiu Jingsong described.

However, despite the detailed account, Qiu Jingsong did not mention many key points.

Firstly, Yu Shiqing is a new disciple, and trust in him is limited, so it's not advisable to reveal too much. Secondly, he probably doesn't want to implicate anyone else. And the more he does this, the more it suggests that Qiu Jingsong likely played a role in this matter as well.

Yu Shiqing sighed silently in his heart, but showed it on his face. He then asked, "Teacher, was the eldest prince really killed by Consort Ning?"

Qiu Jingsong smiled helplessly, as if dealing with a child: "How did your teacher know about such a secret?"

“But if there isn’t solid evidence, how could the Empress suddenly go mad, assassinate Consort Ning, and even dare to brandish her sword at the Emperor?” Yu Shiqing said. “This is really strange… Has Teacher ever seen Consort Ning, or her second or third son?”

Qiu Jingsong shook his head: "Consort Ning is not the Empress, she has no connection to the previous dynasty, so I have never met her. However, she has quite a reputation, after all, she was a favorite of the Emperor and was once promoted to the rank of Imperial Concubine. Arrogant and domineering, sharp-tongued and cunning, that is the impression many court officials have of her."

"As for the second and third princes, they are too young. Even if we meet them occasionally, we can't tell anything about them. However, although His Majesty dotes on Consort Ning, he seems to treat the two princes only so-so. His Majesty's most beloved son is still the eldest prince."

My beloved son... well, that's not really the case.

Yu Shiqing lowered his eyes.

If he were just a scholar or an ordinary official, he might have believed Qiu Jingsong's words.

But he once held immense power in the court, and there was an emperor who held almost no secrets from him. How could he not know how much control an emperor with great power and absolute authority had over his own capital?

If Emperor Tianxi truly loves the eldest prince and wants to protect him, who in the imperial city would dare to disobey him?

"By the way, teacher, you said that when the Liang family was raided by the Yi tribe, did they find anything valuable?"

"Good stuff?" Qiu Jingsong looked at Yu Shiqing. "The backgrounds of aristocratic families vary, but they're all essentially the same. What you're referring to is..."

Yu Shiqing said, "I once came across a miscellaneous book that mentioned the Liang family's rise to power was based on the treasure of the Prince of Pei of the previous dynasty..."

Qiu Jingsong's expression remained unchanged, but the fingers holding the wine cup suddenly trembled almost imperceptibly.

"A treasure from the previous dynasty," the old man chuckled. "Anyone who believes that is just a bookworm who's gone mad. If such a treasure truly existed, how could the Liang family have survived to the Tianxi era? Since ancient times, national treasuries have always been easily emptied."

"Alright," the old man said, setting down his wine glass. "We've had enough to drink and enough to eat. It's time to go out for a walk. I know you're curious, but what we call 'old stories' are things that have nothing to do with you young people; they're things that have long been buried. In any case, it's all set in stone. Don't dwell on it and waste your future."

"Especially if you become an official in the future, never get involved in such matters, lest you ruin your life..."

The old man finished speaking, both to satisfy his young disciple's curiosity and to offer a warning.

When the emperor bestows favor, everything is wonderful, and the family of three lives in harmony. But if he turns his back on the emperor, all that is left is utter ruin.

Yu Shiqing understood, but he didn't know if he was Empress Liang, but Ye Cangxing was definitely not Emperor Tianxi.

At dusk, Yu Shiqing left Huai Liu Residence and walked along the river towards the outskirts of the city. When he reached the vicinity of the Jade Belt Bridge, he stopped under a ginkgo tree.

A moment later, Liu Lü's hair ribbon fluttered by, and Ye Cangxing walked over.

“You chose the most beautiful ginkgo tree,” the boy leaned closer and bumped Yu Shiqing’s shoulder. “Just now, a few young ladies selling wine passed by and were so captivated by the tree that they were mesmerized.”

Yu Shiqing laughed: "It's not good if you just look at me, otherwise the Huai River will start to smell sour."

Ye Zangxing's eyebrows twitched slightly as she turned her eyes away: "Don't flatter yourself. Can you compare to Ginkgo's beauty?"

Yu Shiqing looked at the boy's rosy neck and smiled even more. "It can't compare to this," he said, and handed over the box he was carrying. "This is Yinhua Huang, which I was thinking about brewing a while ago. It hasn't been aged for long and is just a first attempt. Please taste it."

"Silver Flower Yellow?" Ye Zangxing turned his head and took the box. "Judging from the name, it sounds like it has a sweet taste?"

“Yes,” Yu Shiqing nodded, “It’s sweet yet has a spicy, alcoholic flavor; you should like it.”

In his previous life, he pondered the incomplete recipe for brewing wine for many years and finally created a pot of health-preserving ancient wine called Yinhua Huang. Ye Cangxing loved it so much that he designated it as imperial wine, and it became a popular wine throughout the capital.

Holding the wine, Ye Zangxing suddenly seemed to remember something and widened his eyes slightly: "Come to think of it, it seems that every time you see me, you're either treating me to a meal or a drink. Why is that?"

The sunset was red, the ginkgo leaves were yellow, and Yu Shiqing, dressed in a moon-white scholar's robe, stood under the tree. Upon hearing this, he chuckled softly: "I owed you from a past life, believe it or not?"

Ye Zangxing glanced at him but didn't answer.

Yu Shiqing assumed that the Sixth Prince was too lazy to pay attention to his joke, so he didn't tease him anymore. He cleared his throat, changed the subject, and whispered about the clues he had gathered in recent days.

The more Ye Zangxing listened, the more solemn his expression became: "These old stories may be known by some old ministers outside the palace, but within the palace... not a single word can be mentioned. I vaguely remember hearing someone say when I was a child that after Empress Liang turned around, that person could no longer be seen."

Yu Shiqing glanced at him and lowered his voice even further: "Even a tiger wouldn't eat its own cub. Even if that person was involved, it wouldn't be the crime of killing their own child. Don't overthink it."

Ye Zangxing did not speak.

Yu Shiqing looked at him, remained silent for a moment, then moved a step closer and, using the wide sleeves of his robe to conceal himself, gently cupped Ye Cangxing's empty hand.

Ye Cangxing's brow twitched, and he suddenly looked up, his hand instantly freezing into a block of ice.

Yu Shiqing acted as if he hadn't seen him, and only asked, "Did you come on horseback?" He held his hand, which was as cold as ice and jade, and said, "It's winter now, so you should be careful. Your hands are so cold."