Chapter 55 Candlelight Murmurs: He was burned by the burning intensity in the man's eyes.

Before he could figure it out, Zeng Ran had already looked over.

"He seems a little different now," Yao Ruyi thought to herself. The street was crowded, and many people couldn't help but turn to look at Yao Ruyi as they passed by.

"Mom, this brother is so handsome!"

"My dear child, how about we raise him to be just as handsome when he grows up?"

"good!"

Yao Ruyi didn't want to have much interaction with this person, but the next second Zeng Ran led a group of people towards them, and they were about to arrive.

He straightened his clothes and waited for the person to come over.

Now that everyone's here, what's there to be afraid of?

"Isn't this our Shadow's Nineteenth Lord?" After so long, Zeng Ran still spoke in the same tone. Yao Ruyi looked at him calmly. After what happened at Yun Temple, Zeng Ran should hate him.

"What's up?"

"Oh shit!"

Hearing him say that, Zeng Ran felt a surge of anger.

He was most annoyed by the pretty boy's idle demeanor. He had been so badly wronged by him, demoted from a deputy general of the Imperial Guard to a lowly henchman of the Capital Patrol Battalion! He was paraded naked in the street, and now he was forced to show his face in front of the entire city.

His face was grim, and his front teeth were clenched tightly. "This subordinate would never dare to cause trouble for the Nineteenth Lord."

"Don't dare?" Yao Ruyi thought he was just there to cause trouble.

"Seeing the 19th Party Congress doing things here, I, Zeng, brought my brothers to see what favors the 19th Party Congress needs from his subordinates?" He said with flattery, but his face was still unpleasant.

Several officers and soldiers behind him changed their expressions as a result.

These are people from the Shadow faction, the Emperor's personal guards.

How could they possibly afford to offend them!

The group exchanged glances, their eyes filled with fear and resentment towards Zeng Ran. They all knew that Zeng Ran had offended someone above them and had been thrown into their camp, but this man had been bossing them around ever since he arrived, and they didn't know whether to listen to him or not.

Even those people rejected by the palace have far wider connections than them, and they are equally untouchable.

"Lord Zeng, let's continue—" Before he could finish speaking, Zeng Ran glared at him and stopped him.

"The 19th Party Congress hasn't even said what kind of help they need from us, so why are you in such a hurry?"

Yao Ruyi was baffled by his seemingly helpful demeanor, but he didn't have time to waste here. The situation in the capital was chaotic, and he didn't know who was stirring up trouble behind the scenes.

The discontent among the scholars in the capital towards the emperor was entirely instigated by the rampant rumors, Yao Ruyi thought to herself, her face suddenly turning cold.

He glanced at the group of people in front of him, at Zeng Ran with a disdainful yet mocking expression, and at the group of soldiers he had brought with him behind Zeng Ran. Yao Ruyi stepped forward; being taller than Zeng Ran, it was reasonable for him to look down at him slightly. "Since you want to take this job, I won't stop you."

Since he had embarrassed him in the street, he was determined not to let the other person off easy.

The mushroom thought to itself, "If the emperor knew that Zeng Ran had bullied me again, I wonder how he would laugh at me."

Thinking of how the emperor bullied people, Yao Ruyi imitated him, squinting at the man. The imperial guards' uniforms had been torn off and never put back on. Although Zeng Ran was strong, he was broad-shouldered and thick-waisted. The flimsy uniforms of the city's patrol battalions were nowhere near as good-looking as the imperial guards' uniforms.

He casually ripped off the waist badge from his waist and held it in his hand, Yao Ruyi said sternly, "I am the nineteenth of His Majesty's secret guards, here on official business."

"Fourteen people in the alley spoke disrespectfully to His Majesty and harbored resentment towards the court. They have been subdued by me. Take them to the government office and then send someone to the palace to report back to me."

Zeng Ran was taken aback. Shouldn't he have abandoned his post here?

Yao Ruyi met the man's gaze with a cold smile, her eyes clearly saying, "You caught me leaving my post once, do you think I'll do it a second time?"

"You'll do, Zeng Ran."

Several officers and soldiers quickly responded, "Yes, sir!"

"Rest assured, sir!"

...

Ignoring the dazed Zeng Ran, the group quickly walked into the alley behind Yao Ruyi, leaving only the panting Zeng Ran and Yao Ruyi behind. Mushroom felt a surge of satisfaction, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up, but remembering that the person was still opposite him, he forcefully suppressed it.

“Zeng Ran, I now serve His Majesty, and it is your duty to obey my orders,” he said, emphasizing each word, “not to help.”

"you!"

"Sir, the person has been brought out!"

Zeng Ran was so angry that he was trembling all over, but now there was nothing he could do. Less than half a year had passed, how could this person be so sharp-tongued!

Behind them, soldiers escorted two or three people out of the alley. The people kept glancing at them. Yao Ruyi frowned slightly. "Take them to the government office. Don't forget to come to the palace to see me... to report back to me."

"yes!"

Zeng Ran stood there glaring angrily at Yao Ruyi, but he could only be forcibly dragged away by the soldiers. One of the soldiers kept trying to persuade Zeng Ran, "Lord Zeng, calm down!"

He said that, but he had long held Zeng Ran in contempt in his heart.

Now look what happened, you've lost both face and dignity.

Yao Ruyi couldn't help but smile as he watched the group's retreating figures. He pursed his lips, controlling his expression, and finally smiled through his lips. His eyes crinkled as if he had accomplished something great. However, in the blink of an eye, the sky had already darkened. Seeing this, Yao Ruyi quickly quickened his pace and turned back to the palace through the side gate.

They walked briskly from the palace gate to the imperial study. The sky was dim, but the candlelight in the imperial study was exceptionally bright. At Cui Xiangzhu's prompting, Yao Ruyi pushed open the door and went in. Inside were Xu Yi and Lan Yan.

The two said softly, "The Nineteenth Lord."

"Lord Lan, Lord Xu."

After the group finished exchanging greetings, the emperor on the high throne sneered and raised an eyebrow at Yao Ruyi, the meaning of which was obvious: what are you pretending for in front of me?

Mushroom lowered his head, but he didn't. Lost in thought, he sat to one side, listening to their conversation.

Lan Yan frowned. In the past few days, he had seen groups of two or three scholars discussing things on the streets and alleys every day after court. Their faces were serious and they did not look like the type to chat and compose poetry. "Your Majesty, the court has not been at peace since Liang Fu's death. There must be someone behind this incident who is causing trouble."

Xu Yi nodded. "Is it the Kingdom of Xiao?"

"Xiao Kingdom won't act that quickly."

Xu Yi pondered for a moment upon hearing this, "The news of Liang Fu's death should not be as important to the people of Xiao as the death of Liang He." Even if Liang He was not considered a great threat by the people of Xiao, he was at least a general.

If a general in the Xiao Kingdom's army camp were to die unexpectedly, would they be overjoyed?

Xu Yi believed that he could.

After a long while, Gu Huizhou and the two officials from humble backgrounds whom he had personally promoted exchanged a glance. Lan Yan whispered, "It's Liang Chengfeng."

The person who started the whole thing with Mr. Li Wenjing was Liang Chengfeng.

However, with Liang Fu watching over him at the time, he managed to escape by traveling to the south. He never expected that he would still resort to this method in the end.

"His Majesty……"

Gu Huizhou sneered, "I thought he could conserve his strength for a while, but I didn't expect him to come up here to die so soon."

Before his death, Liang Fu would surely have summoned Liang Chengfeng to give him some instructions. He thought Liang Chengfeng would become more restrained because of Liang Fu's death, but in just half a month, he had caused such a commotion in the capital.

Lan Yan frowned. "How could a scholar who has studied poetry and books for so many years possibly conclude that the court is corrupt and His Majesty is tyrannical based on just a few words?"

Xu Yi remained silent. "They were all people Liang Chengfeng found."

That makes sense.

However, it was inevitable that some people would follow suit and cause trouble without distinguishing right from wrong, plunging the capital into chaos.

"Why doesn't Your Majesty send someone to completely subdue Liang Chengfeng?"

Gu Huizhou shook his head. "What's the point?"

The man spoke slowly and deliberately, "I also want to see which of my generals will betray me under the lure of the Tiger Tally." The coldness in his eyes sent shivers down one's spine; a single glance felt like falling into an ice cave.

Lan Yan's pupils constricted. "Does Your Majesty mean that Liang Chengfeng will rebel?"

Yao Ruyi was also stunned. He had known about Gu Huizhou's scheme for a long time, but he hadn't expected it to happen so quickly. No wonder the market was in such chaos today...

"Well, let's wait and see. I've ordered Guan Yunshan to prepare in the camp outside the city. Let's see what kind of trouble this young master of the Liang family can cause."

Xu Yi was shocked. She and Lan Yan exchanged a silent glance, their eyes conveying the same message.

They had assumed the Emperor had summoned them to discuss the recent chaos in the capital. Little did they know, it was all part of His Majesty's plan. His presence was merely a prelude for them to prepare.

Chaos is about to break out in the capital.

This man knew exactly what Liang Chengfeng was planning to do.

Xu Yi concealed the shock in his eyes. How could His Majesty do this just for fun? What was his purpose?

Could it be... that Liang Chengfeng really possesses the other half of the Tiger Tally? But even a mere Tiger Tally shouldn't be enough.

Xu Yi was momentarily confused. He and Lan Yan rose and bowed, saying, "Your subject takes his leave."

"Your subject takes his leave."

In the dim candlelight, the small door at the back of the Imperial Study, just like the one inside the Cloud Palace, was gently pushed open and then closed, as if it had never existed.

Yao Ruyi leaned on the table, looking at the man on the dragon throne, a smile playing on her lips.

"Are the leaders of the 19th Party Congress so happy?"

The man asked.

Yao Ruyi nodded, then lowered his expression and looked at himself. "Is it that obvious?"

The man didn't speak, but Yao Ruyi could tell.

He said yes.

It was obvious, so Mushroom, having come to terms with it, didn't hide anything and immediately recounted what had happened outside the palace that day to Gu Huizhou, emphasizing how she dealt with Zeng Ran. It wasn't exactly embellishment, but she was still the imposing Nineteenth Prince.

After she finished speaking, her eyes sparkled as she waited for the man's praise.

Gu Huizhou stood up, walked to the table in front of Yao Ruyi, looked down at the person sitting there, and the smile in his eyes became more obvious. "I heard from Cui Xiangzhu that the officers and soldiers of the patrol battalion came to report to the Nineteenth Prince."

They've already been here?

That's pretty fast.

Yao Ruyi nodded, "It's good that you've come."

Gu Huizhou bent down, blocking the candlelight behind him. His deep-set eyes seemed to only see the person in front of him. He lowered his head again and kissed the person's forehead while the person was in surprise. "The Nineteenth Lord is mighty."

"Go back?"

"Um."

The two returned to the Cloud Palace together, with the head eunuch leading a group of junior eunuchs following behind. They walked back quietly hand in hand. Yao Ruyi thought the emperor had changed his mind today, but the moment she stepped into the bedchamber, the door was slammed shut.

A large hand pulled the person into an embrace, and a warm touch instantly pressed against the corner of their lips. The person didn't block Yao Ruyi's lips, but instead licked and kissed the corner of his lips, occasionally biting the lower lip of the person in their arms. "Avoiding me?"

"They can't even stay in my imperial study anymore?"

Mushroom, who had just been kissed and was still dazed, lowered her head guiltily upon hearing this, "I didn't."

"Whether or not the 19th Party Congress is involved, he knows the answer in his heart." After Gu Huizhou finished speaking, he hugged the other person tightly again, their lips pressed together, not giving the other person a chance to speak.

Yao Ruyi was led to the dragon bed by the man and lay down. He watched as the man leaned over him, blocking out much of the light. Gu Huizhou leaned against him, a smile playing on his lips. The man had vented his anger with a biting spree earlier, and now he seemed to be in a better mood, licking Yao Ruyi's lower lip again and again.

Yao Ruyi felt uncomfortable being teased by him, frowning and wanting to pull away, but she couldn't bear to. His repeated touches on her lips were like hooks tugging at her heartstrings.

Meeting the man's gaze, Yao Ruyi's heart trembled. When the man licked him again, he neither dodged nor flinched, and took the man's tongue into his mouth amidst Gu Huizhou's surprised and delighted gaze.

Use the tip of your tongue to move it back and forth.

"Oh."

Instantly, the man covering her darkened his eyes, the complex emotions in them were chilling, and his regret deepened, accompanied by heavy breathing.

Yao Ruyi felt a strange pleasure stirring within him, but when he looked up and met the lust in the emperor's eyes, his heart skipped a beat, "Gu Huizhou..."

...

Thin lips pressed down against a pale chest, while a large hand grasped and shook the hand of the person beneath him.

The candlelight flickered, and before anyone knew it, a young eunuch brought in hot water. As dawn broke, two even breaths could be heard.

The view outside the window is getting brighter and brighter.

A soft rustling of blankets sounded. Gu Huizhou looked utterly satisfied. He gazed at the person still fast asleep, a shadowy glint in his eyes. Finally, he chuckled softly, leaned down and licked the corner of the person's mouth, then buried his face in the fair neck and took a deep breath.

The emperor rose, changed into a clean robe, tidied himself up, quietly opened the door, and went to court.

The arguments at the morning court session were so noisy that even Xue Qingping, who was usually patient, couldn't help but frown. The officials who had originally followed Liang Fu had fallen silent for a few days after losing their leader, and then seemed to want to show off in front of the emperor without any regard for the consequences.

The old man sneered inwardly, "You might as well let the emperor forget about you. If he really remembers you now, you won't live long."

Gu Huizhou watched coldly; he had no time to argue with these people. After finishing his business, he turned and left, leaving a group of people chattering in the main hall. A moment later, they asked, "Where is His Majesty?"

"Your Majesty? His Majesty is gone!"

"this!"

Baili Yi and Han Dahai remained silent, as if watching a bunch of clowns putting on a show.

Seeing the various expressions on the faces of the people below the stage, Cui Xiangzhu shouted, "The court session is over!" Then he chuckled and turned to chase after the emperor.

The gloomy sky today made me feel irritable.

Outside the palace walls, Wang Qianshan sat in the carriage, his anger almost bursting forth. After taking a few deep breaths, he still couldn't contain himself and shouted, "Stop!"

The young eunuch was taken aback. "Sir?"

Wang Qianshan dismounted from the carriage. There were quite a few people on this long street. Even though the morning light had not yet fully risen, the group had already gathered here early.

Each person talked on and on, and although they all looked like scholars with books in their hands, they spoke without thinking. Even a three-year-old child couldn't say such things.

What did you just say?!

Wang Qianshan had a stern face, and his already somewhat serious appearance became even more frightening when he got angry. He stepped down from the carriage and stood in front of the group of students, startling them.

One of the scholars, dressed in a light green robe and holding a copy of the Book of Poetry, frowned and asked, "Who are you? What business is it of yours that we are discussing this?"

Wang Qianshan sneered, "Discuss matters? What matters are we discussing? The late emperor's benevolent rule and love for the people? The current emperor's incompetence and folly? Or are those few incompetent ministers capable of shouldering great responsibilities?"

"You dared to eavesdrop on our discussion! How could this be the behavior of a young master!"

As soon as the man said this, the others around him quickly echoed his words. They were all dressed in the robes that students liked to wear and holding books in their hands. But Wang Qianshan stared into their eyes and realized that more than half of them were probably ordinary people who had been dragged here to perform in a play!

"You bunch of ignorant scholars, how dare you study the teachings of Confucius and Mencius? A gentleman seeks the truth within himself, a petty person seeks it in others! What have you done by speaking ill of the emperor behind his back? The people don't understand, and neither do you!"

The man panicked, gripping the book so tightly that the edges were sharp. He stammered, "What gentleman, what pig-man? We scholars have no need for your old man's gossip! We are all disciples of sages, and we have our own way of discussing the world!"

The men behind him quickly stepped forward, saying, "That's right! What do you know? Look at how richly you're dressed, how could you possibly understand the hardships of us poor students? Does the court even see the suffering of the common people?"

This last sentence seemed to awaken the onlookers. They frowned and turned their dissatisfied gazes to Wang Qianshan, their voices incoherent, "That's right, these big shots only care about their own comfort, why don't they think about us ordinary people?"

"Look at him! He's dressed in fine clothes and has a carriage to ride in! Now, just because he heard a couple of things we said about our dissatisfaction with the emperor, he's starting to shout and kill us. Could it be that the people around the emperor are all corrupt officials who hold positions without doing their jobs?"

Wang Qianshan looked over in disbelief. He was so angry that his fingers trembled. These people didn't even understand Confucianism, yet they dared to turn around and bite him. "This is utter nonsense!"

The young eunuch tried to pull Mr. Wang back from in front of the carriage. If they didn't return to the palace soon, they might miss the Nineteenth Prince's study time. Besides, how could they reason with these people who couldn't distinguish right from wrong? "My lord..."

Wang Qianshan ignored it, but the next moment something hit the back of his head, and he quickly turned his head.

A group of old women had gathered behind him, their bodies hunched over, carrying bamboo baskets filled with rotten vegetable leaves that made his mouth water. Several of these baskets were brushing against his shoulders, and the stench of decay rendered Wang Qianshan speechless.

Several elderly women threw the vegetables away, saying, "What kind of people are these? They're wasting my vegetables."

More and more people started throwing things at him, including not only hunched-over old men, but also women carrying miscellaneous items, and a group of scholars.

A sharp pain shot through his shoulder, and Wang Qianshan instinctively caught the book in the student's hand!

They actually used books as if they were junk to hit people...

Wang Qianshan couldn't describe the feeling in his heart. As a teacher, he never imagined that he would see someone throw away books... those were books!

"Look at him! He's definitely a corrupt official working for the emperor. Everyone, don't hold back, we should take down every one of these people!"

The student who threw the book smiled smugly for a moment, but it vanished in an instant. He looked at Wang Qianshan and suddenly shouted, "This person looks very familiar. Isn't he one of Mr. Li's last few students during the late emperor's reign?"

"It seems to be... Wang Qianshan?"

"It's him!"

The scholars recognized Wang Qianshan, and their anger flared even more. "Mr. Li's students are actually speaking up for the emperor!"

"Mr. Li died under mysterious circumstances, entirely thanks to the emperor! As his students, even if we don't seek justice for him, we shouldn't side with the emperor either!"

"Wang Qianshan, how can you do this to Mr. Li!"

Wang Qianshan was stunned. He hadn't expected anyone to mention his teacher, but in an instant, anger surged within him. He shouted, "Teacher and students? Is this what your teacher taught you—to spread such hearsay?!"

He was trembling with anger, and the young eunuch quickly stepped forward to support him. "Sir, let's go quickly!"

Wang Qianshan had no choice but to be pulled into the carriage by the eunuch. The people behind him kept throwing rotten vegetable leaves at the carriage. Wang Qianshan was so angry that he trembled inside the carriage.

Before getting on the bus, he shook off the rotten vegetable leaves and tattered rags from his clothes, but he held the book tightly in his hand. As a scholar, he couldn't bear to let the book fall to the ground.

This is what his teacher taught him.

The carriage swayed and rattled along for a while, and they were almost at the palace gates. Wang Qianshan let out a long sigh, and the tightness in his chest finally eased a little. His eyes were filled with complex emotions as he reached out and opened the book in his hand.

"this--"

The book is full of blank pages!

After a long while, the carriage came to a stop. The young eunuch waited for Wang Qianshan to alight, but there was no movement. He was puzzled; his master had just been so insulted by the people, could it be that something was troubling him…?

Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine. The young eunuch hurriedly went to open the curtain, but then he heard a hearty laugh coming from inside.

"Hahahaha, great!"

"It's good that he's not a scholar, it's good that he's not!"

The gloom in Wang Qianshan's heart was swept away. Now, as long as it wasn't a scholar in the capital who couldn't distinguish right from wrong and slandered the court, he felt there was nothing to be afraid of!

They're just a bunch of rabble.

He wanted to see what else these people could do. Could the emperor really not handle these unruly commoners?

He strode out of the carriage, the empty book dangling from his hand. Wang Qianshan stood tall and proud, looking smug, which surprised the little eunuch.

He announced loudly, "Let's go, into the palace!"

He also had to go and teach the young master.

In the Cloud Palace, Yao Ruyi groggily opened his eyes. He reached out and put his arm in front of his eyes to block the white light that the window paper could not block. It took him a long time to react.

Her palms turned red as if helping him recall what had happened last night, and her mushroom-shaped face flushed again. Her body also recalled that strange sensation, and Yao Ruyi buried her face in the blanket, taking a deep breath.

His eyes, wet with tears last night, were now clear and pure. A smile played in them; though still ashamed and annoyed by the events of the previous night, he was still happy. The scent of incense on the dragon bed was very similar to that on the emperor, and he suddenly felt sleepy again as he nestled in the covers.

Last night kept replaying in my mind, vaguely—

"The 19th National Congress, the 19th National Congress?"

Xiao Dezi called out twice quietly from outside the door. Why was he knocking on the Emperor's door? Fortunately, His Majesty wasn't there, and the Nineteenth Prince was kind to them.

He stiffened under Wang Qianshan's gaze from behind, and hearing no sound from inside the hall, he turned to Wang Qianshan with a smile and called out twice, "Nineteenth Lord."

"Master Nineteen."

The door opened the next instant, and Yao Ruyi, dressed in a light blue robe, stood in the doorway with his hair neatly combed and a book in his hand. "Sir."

Xiao Dezi hurriedly withdrew.

Wang Qianshan nodded in satisfaction, "That's more like the behavior of an old scholar like myself! Come, today I'll tell you about the thoughts and ideas of the world."

"good."

The two talked for a whole day. Wang Qianshan recounted the troublemakers and Yao Ruyi he had encountered on the street that morning. The empty book in his hand was his greatest comfort.

Yao Ruyi listened attentively. He had also left the palace yesterday and knew very well what the streets looked like.

These commoners were only after a few taels of silver, but the scholar…

The integrity of scholars prevented some from being tempted by such petty gains, but countless others lived in poverty.

Wang Qianshan nodded, "Then we'll see how long these scholars can be used under that person's control."

As dusk approached, Wang Qianshan had originally planned to talk with Yao Ruyi until noon, but unexpectedly it was already evening. The two of them didn't even have lunch, but Xiao Dezi served them hot tea several times.

Wang Qianshan spoke with great enthusiasm, and the more he looked at Yao Ruyi, the more satisfied he became, as she was one of his disciples.

"I'll be leaving now, young master, please go and have your meal."

Yao Ruyi nodded and stood up to see Wang Qianshan off. After he left, he let out a long sigh, glanced at the books on the table, and stood silently for a while.

He was indeed hungry, so he turned and went out.

"ah--"

With a loud "bang!", a figure fell from the roof and landed on the open ground beside the Cloud Palace corridor. Yao Ruyi looked serious and strode forward.

That was... "Fourteen!"

Fourteen was dressed in a black robe, his face was wrinkled, and blood kept gushing from his waist and abdomen, flowing out of his body and onto the ground beneath him.

————————

[Blue Heart][Yellow Heart]