Chapter 191 The Truth Behind the Complex Power Struggles

The autumn night wind already carried a chill.

A light floral fragrance wafted through the air, gently blowing on the candlelight before Jin Shu. This caused shadows to flicker on the wall, and Yan Zhao's face to appear and disappear in the light.

Jin Shu recalled that a month ago, Song Zhen took her to the mortuary outside the capital.

At the last moment before exhuming Lin Zhongyi's body, he casually said: "If we don't leave now, Lord Yan won't be able to hold on any longer."

I see.

Glancing at Yan Zhao's solemn expression, Jin Shu pursed her lips, unsure how to respond.

Along the way, Jin Shu followed Yan Zhao with a lantern, her thoughts in turmoil.

She never doubted Yan Zhao, the teacher who devoted himself to imparting all his knowledge, the one whom Li Jin also called "Master".

He was actually one of the Crown Prince's confidants, just like Song Zhen.

After nightfall in the capital, once the curfew was lifted, only he and Jin Shu remained on the main streets, apart from the patrolling soldiers.

The lantern swayed, just like Jin Shu's wavering mood at that moment.

Yan Zhao glanced at her face out of the corner of his eye, then looked up at the white feathers that were protecting the two of them on the eaves. After a long while, he said in a deep voice, "I have told you before that there are many different forces behind the palace walls."

Jin Shu pursed her lips, her brows furrowing: "But the adults never said it was this complicated."

It's so complicated that the enemy forces are right next to us.

Yan Zhao glanced sideways at him, a rare smile on his face: "You little bean sprout, if I had told you earlier, wouldn't you have packed your bags and run away?"

Jin Shu pursed her lips.

"At least they won't obediently follow my lead."

The Yan family was loyal and virtuous for three generations, and each generation served as a meritorious minister who assisted the emperor.

Strangely enough, the princes favored by the Yan family were often the ones who were least favored.

Whether it was Li Jing six years ago, Li Jin now, or even Li Yi forty years ago, they were all transparent figures who walked on the edge of power.

“My father was the prime minister back then, and in my generation, it was originally supposed to be my eldest brother who would inherit the family business.”

Beneath the grand, century-old gate of the Yan family mansion, Yan Zhao walked up the stone steps and glanced at the plaque in the center: "But he and his brothers were murdered before they were twenty, leaving only me in the Yan family."

Holding a lamp and following beside him, listening to these stories of the past and looking at the simple courtyard inside the Yan residence, Jin Shu suddenly realized that she knew nothing about this teacher and superior who had taught her so much.

“At that time, my father did everything he could to prevent me from entering a career in government, but I took up the coroner’s knife in order to seek justice for my brother.”

He chuckled softly: "Back in the Great Wei Dynasty, when a person died, the lamp went out. They valued completeness and a peaceful burial."

"And I'm the first guy who made even the dead restless." Yan Zhao laughed self-deprecatingly, leading Jin Shu to the door of the side room.

"You can rest here for the next few days. There's no one else in my courtyard except for an old nanny who cooks and a housekeeper." He then pointed to the round table in the room, "Those books are for you to keep entertained."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Jin Shu stood in the courtyard, stunned for a moment, as if she had made up her mind. Holding the lantern, she looked at his back and said, "Master!"

She cried out, "I believe you."

She said, "So please tell me the truth!"

Yan Zhao stopped walking and slowly turned around, his face still serious.

"I've already told you."

Unexpectedly, Jin Shu stepped forward and said, "No, what I want to hear is the truth about the complex web of power struggles."

Yan Zhao paused for a moment, then sneered, "For your death, which is as insignificant as a feather?" He waved his hand mercilessly, "Save your breath."

Turning around, he instantly heard Jin Shu's incredibly firm voice behind him: "It's to lay the foundation for peace and tranquility in the world!"

The bright moon hangs high, its clear light like a curtain.

Yan Zhao took a deep breath. Without turning around, he lifted his robe and strode away from the small courtyard.

As he walked, he shouted, "Naive!"

Jin Shu stood alone in the middle of the courtyard, carrying the lantern, the word "naive" echoing in her mind.

She took a deep breath, and after a long while, gave a weak laugh.

That's really childish.

Aside from performing autopsies, she knew nothing else.

The power struggles and intrigues are beyond the reach and comprehension of Jin Shu, who comes from a humble background.

She stood alone in the courtyard, stubbornly refusing to move an inch even as the candle in the lantern burned out.

After a long while, Jin Shu took a deep breath, put the lantern aside, and ran after the direction where Yan Zhao had disappeared.

No, she can learn.

She may be immature, but she can grow.

Sitting idly by and waiting for death will not change anything.

Giving up now would surely be a lifelong regret.

She ran to Yan Zhao's courtyard, panting, and leaned against the door frame of the moon gate, wiping away her sweat.

Yan Zhao, who was enjoying a drink under the moon at the stone table, was so shocked that his eyes widened.

Jin Shu walked forward with a determined look, knelt on the ground, and touched the ground with her forehead.

Under the moonlight, before Yan Zhao, she mustered all her courage and said in the most resolute tone, "Please teach me, Master!"

Yan Zhao was stunned.

He wasn't deliberately making things difficult for her; it was just that Jin Shu was, after all, a woman, and getting too involved wouldn't do her any good.

There's a saying: the more you know, the greater the danger.

But her resolute demeanor caused cracks to appear in the wall of Yan Zhao's heart.

It was just like forty years ago when he knelt before his father, begging his father, the prime minister, to let him seek justice for his brothers.

That was the same resolute determination, the same unyielding spirit, even unto death.

For a commoner woman to have such awareness, if she had been born into a noble family, she would probably already be displaying the grace and beauty of a phoenix.

Under the moonlight, in the small courtyard, Yan Zhao remained silent for a long time, while Jin Shu simply kowtowed and refused to rise.

He finally couldn't resist her, and sighed, "Why are you doing this to yourself? Just be a coroner and live a peaceful life. Once the storm has passed, you can retire unscathed, find a good family to marry into, and live a quiet life. Wouldn't that be better?"

Jin Shu looked up at Yan Zhao: "Master is absolutely right, but that will be after I take off my Six Doors robes."

Yan Zhao paused. After a long while, he let out a cold laugh. Although his words were a complaint, they also carried a hint of softness: "Why didn't I realize earlier that you and Li Jin are both stubborn as mules, stubborn and inflexible?"

He raised his hand, pointed to the stone bench next to him, and said irritably, "Sit down and listen!"

Jin Shu, who had been kneeling for half a day, grinned when she saw this.

She was laughing for a while, then she burst into tears.

Seeing her desperately wiping away her tears, Yan Zhao pushed the pastries on the table in front of her.

"What I said just now was a bit hurtful," he said. "I'm sorry."

"It's just that there are some things that knowing them might not be a good thing," Yan Zhao sighed. "Let me think about where to begin."

He raised his hand, took a sip of tea, and moistened his throat.

"I see." He chuckled. "Have you heard of the name Li Yao? The Second Prince, Li Yao."

He dipped his finger in water and wrote the character "尭" on the table: "This is Li Jing's name before he was six years old."