Jiang Shaoxing was speechless, unsure of what to say.
—Of course, he couldn't say that Wei Qinglou was arrogant and lacked self-awareness. In fact, it was already quite remarkable that he could, at such a young age, single-handedly bring down Chang Beiqiu, who had deep roots in the court.
Given time, he might even be promoted to a cabinet position.
But what happens next will have to wait and see. Right now, what stands between him and Chang Beiqiu is the network of connections that Chang Beiqiu has built up over decades in officialdom and his career.
Although it seems that the tree has fallen and the monkeys have scattered, and no one is willing to care about Chang Beiqiu's affairs anymore, lest they get themselves into trouble, the situation will be different if Chang Beiqiu gains any momentum.
Not to mention that he served as an official for decades. No one knew what he was like in private, but on the surface, he had not made a single mistake. It was precisely because he had such a flawless ability that scholars all over the world would regard him as a role model, and the upright officials of Daye would respect him as a paragon.
His clean and honest reputation is the most precious asset he has accumulated throughout his life. If one day he were to use someone else to openly declare that he has been wronged and find evidence that could distort the truth, countless scholars and intellectuals would be willing to fight for him, even at the cost of their lives.
That's how scholars are; with less on their minds, they are more likely to listen to what others say, regardless of good or bad, loyalty or treachery, right or wrong. They only believe the facts they want to believe.
Wei Qinglou's difference from Chang's melancholy in autumn lies precisely in this.
When reasoning failed to convince him, Jiang Shaoxing decided to appeal to his emotions. He raised his head and looked directly into Wei Qinglou's eyes: "If you don't care about your own life and safety, then don't you care about Zhu Jiayu? She loves you and is willing to walk with you through the thorns and knives of the world. And what about you? Are you willing to let her suffer like that?"
"What do you mean?" Wei Qinglou's expression hardened, and he asked in a cold voice.
Jiang Shaoxing then repeated what Zhu Jiayu had told him in the Zhu family garden, so that Wei Qinglou would know.
He smiled coldly and said, "If it were just Lord Wei, even if you fought Chang Beiqiu to the death, it would have nothing to do with me. But you also said that Sister Jiayu is about to become your fiancée. Given her feelings for you, if something were to happen to you in this struggle, what would you expect her to do?"
"I suppose you know without me saying it, that my sister is stubborn and incredibly resolute..."
He recalled the scenes from his dream: the rebels had first captured the princess to threaten Rong Heng, and only later did Sister Jiayu approach the rebels, proposing a life-for-life exchange. She had always been like this; once she decided to do something, she was so resolute that it was heartbreaking.
His voice trailed off, but he continued, "If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have come to see you today."
Wei Qinglou said calmly, "I understand what you mean. I also know that even a centipede with a hundred legs will not fall down when it is dead. So, without absolute certainty, I will not make a move against Chang Beiqiu. If I do make a move, he will surely die. If, as you say, I stop now out of fear of his reputation and connections over the years, and he gains power and retaliates in the future, the first to suffer will be her and the Wei family."
"But after all you've said, I still don't understand. What is the connection between you and Ayu? You've been Chang Beiqiu's student for many years, and she only arrived in the capital from Suiping this autumn. Before that, you had no interaction, right? For her sake, you're willing to abandon your teacher-student relationship with Chang Beiqiu and turn around to remind me?"
He looked at Jiang Shaoxing with a probing gaze, only to find that Jiang Shaoxing was momentarily stunned.
He was even more puzzled.
He could sense that Jiang Shaoxing's feelings for Ayu were indeed deep. However, hidden within this depth was a kind of sorrow and despair.
He had seen the way Jiang Shaoxing looked at Ayu before. In his eyes, there was a hidden affection, but also relief and sorrow.
What is he celebrating? And what is he grieving over?
Jiang Shaoxing lowered his head and took a sip of tea.
The warm tea flowed down his throat, soothing his heart and soul, just like the presence of Zhu Jiayu.
So inappropriately, he remembered what Zhu Jiayu had said to him:
"In a few years, when you meet someone you cherish, you will naturally understand my feelings."
He already met them.
But the person in his heart never gave him a chance, not even a thought.
But he truly understood her feelings for Wei Qinglou, because they were exactly the same as his feelings for her.
After a long silence, Jiang Shaoxing raised his head and said softly, "Does Lord Wei know that I was seriously ill when I was young?" Seeing Wei Qinglou nod, he continued, "After I recovered, I had nightmares every night."
He told Wei Qinglou about his dream. He described how Zhu Jiayu was treated coldly by Rong Heng in his dream, how she remained gentle and kind despite such circumstances, and how she risked her life to save the princess and beg Rong Heng to treat the Jiang family well.
Wei Qinglou remained outwardly calm, but his hand was clenched into a fist inside his sleeve.
"Do you know how happy I was when I first saw her at the Xi residence? What made me even happier was that she had not yet taken the surname Rong, nor had she been disheartened by the prosperity and wealth of the capital city."
At this point, Jiang Shaoxing gave a bitter smile: "I originally thought that this was a destiny bestowed upon us by heaven, and since that was the case, I should stay by her side. But I never expected that I would be the one who arrived too late."
In his dream, he was later than Rong Heng; and now, he is later than Wei Qinglou.
In order to protect the woman in his dreams, he studied the classics and learned ruthless methods, and even became a disciple of the Grand Tutor. All of this lost its original meaning.
Wei Qinglou was stunned, but he finally understood the meaning behind the fleeting sarcasm in Jiang Shaoxing's eyes after he asked the question.
He originally intended to protect and safeguard Zhu Jiayu, which is why he planned to enter the court as an official and vie for power. Therefore, he painstakingly planned to become a disciple of Chang Beiqiu. Now that he is doing this for Zhu Jiayu, what is wrong with abandoning the bond between teacher and student?
"In the end, I lost the initiative. I accept that she chose you, and I believe in you; you will be a good husband." Jiang Shaoxing said, then suddenly his voice became sharp and fierce. "But if you, like Rong Heng, betray her and kill her, I will make sure you suffer a terrible death!"
Wei Qinglou nodded solemnly: "I don't know how."
At this point, he finally understood why Jiang Shaoxing looked at Ayu with such a complicated expression.
But doubts gradually began to grow in his heart.
Jiang Shaoxing had such a dream, so he changed his mischievous nature and studied poetry and books diligently, hoping to enter the court as an official. What about Ayu?
Could it be because she had the same dream that she hated Rong Heng so much, wishing she could kill him completely?
Jiang Shaoxing said that Zhu Jiayu's marriage to Rong Heng in his dream was due to a bridal procession held at a decorated pavilion. So, why did Ayu vandalize the pavilion when he first met her in this life?
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