The night was as dark as an unyielding blob of ink.
That night, some people rode swiftly into the Forbidden City, while others, cloaked in capes, left the palace gates, arrived on Yong'an Street, and entered the residences of high-ranking officials.
Dim lamps lit up the courtyard. Chang Beiqiu stood behind the gate, welcoming the cloaked prince into the courtyard while urgently saying, "It is truly a last resort to ask Your Highness to leave the palace so late at night. I hope Your Highness will not take offense."
The Crown Prince removed his veil: "I understand."
Ye Zhijin was a longtime friend of Chang Beiqiu, but he was not currently in Yujing. The fact that Chang Beiqiu sent someone to invite him late at night, and used Ye Zhijin's name, meant that something must have happened to him, and he was afraid that using his own name would bring trouble to the Crown Prince.
"I wonder what trouble you've encountered, my lord? What can I do for you?"
Chang Beiqiu gave a bitter smile: "The matter concerning me is of great importance, Your Highness need not trouble yourself. I have invited Your Highness here today because I know that I will not be able to stay by Your Highness's side in the future, so I would like to ask Your Highness to listen to my words."
The two walked to the eaves in front of the courtyard, whereupon the Crown Prince stopped and looked earnestly at Chang Beiqiu: "Please speak, my lord."
Chang Beiqiu bowed deeply to him and said in a cold voice, "A woman's kindness will not lead to great things!"
"Lord Chang!"
"Your Highness is born of the Empress, but unfortunately, your brothers are not fraternal. In Fengyuan, Prince Cheng is eyeing you covetously, and in Wangdu, Prince Ke has allied with the Wei family through marriage, making them extremely powerful. Your father is unkind, recruiting treacherous officials like Qi Huan and Pei Yun, and employing petty men from the Wei and Xie families..."
Chang Beiqiu lowered his head, his voice growing colder: "In less than twenty years, His Majesty will grow old, and the likes of Qi, Pei, Wei, and Xie will surely disrupt the court and bring disaster to the people. Meanwhile, Prince Cheng, Prince Ke, and others will surely lead their troops north to conquer Yujing. In at most twenty years, Daye... will be no more! Your humble servant implores the Crown Prince to make plans as soon as possible!"
The crown prince frowned as he looked at him, his delicate face filled with uncertainty and fear.
He was unsure whether the Grand Tutor's words would come true, and at the same time, he was terrified by the situation he described.
He was born as the crown prince. His brothers respected him, his sisters relied on him, and his father loved him dearly.
He never imagined that he would live in such a dangerous environment, and these were the heartfelt words of his respected teacher, so much so that he had no choice but to believe them.
But he was still his father's good son. Even though he didn't know what had happened, he still wanted to defend his father in front of his teacher.
He forced a smile and said, "Grand Tutor, have you misunderstood something? Qi Huan, Pei Yun, and the others, though greedy, will surely produce good officials under strict laws. Father Emperor employs them because he values their abilities, not because he is deceived by their sweet talk; as for the Wei and Xie families, although they are trusted by Father Emperor, but..."
Chang Beiqiu interrupted him: "Your Highness, if I were to say that the Wei family's Qinglou plotted against me, costing me my life and my reputation, would Your Highness still think that the Emperor's reliance on the Wei family is something to be praised?"
"Wei Qinglou has no respect for elders and no regard for the law. Because his father was vying with me for the position of Grand Secretary, he used a major case in the Court of Judicial Review to frame me. Such a person who abuses power and manipulates the law is the source of suffering for the people."
"Your humble servant has dedicated his life to the Great Ye, hoping for its long and prosperous reign. Now, I have passed away before my mission was fully accomplished. I do not seek a peaceful end, but only that Your Highness see through the wolfish ambitions of the Wei family brat and not let him become a pawn in someone else's scheme!"
He bent over even deeper, and the hairpin on his head had fallen off at some point, his hair falling loose and almost touching the ground.
"I have said all I have to say. Whether Your Highness listens or not, please return to the palace immediately. If the Emperor finds out, it may cause a rift between us. Whatever happens to me tomorrow, please do not run around for me. Preserving yourself is of utmost importance."
“If Your Highness has come to a decision, I have two students who can help you. One is Yan Feng, the current commander of the Divine Martial Camp, and the other is Jiang Shaoxing, the son of Imperial Censor Jiang.”
After saying this, he knelt down, pressed his body to the ground, and said in a dry voice, "Your Highness, I respectfully see you off. The road ahead is fraught with danger, please forgive me for not being able to stay by Your Highness's side for as long as possible."
The crown prince stood there dumbfounded, deeply shocked by Chang Beiqiu's words.
After a long while, he helped Chang Beiqiu up. Even through the thick robes, he could still feel the old man's thin frame.
Twenty-eight years ago, he was still young, while this old man was in his prime, full of vigor and high spirits.
That year, he passed the imperial examination with top honors, like a white crane soaring from the countryside of Qinghe to the imperial court in the capital, its clear cry ringing out. He was then appointed as the tutor of the crown prince. For twenty-eight years, he taught the most distinguished student in the land and also made many contributions to politics.
That clear, resonant cry eventually echoed throughout the court and countryside of Da Ye. He became a role model for scholars across the land and an exemplar of the upright and honest faction in Da Ye.
"teacher……"
The crown prince opened his mouth hesitantly, then paused, unsure of what to say.
He had always thought he would never grow old, but now, after so many years, he finally understood that his teacher, who was like a god in his heart, was just a mortal.
"Your Highness, return home." Chang Beiqiu lowered his head, his voice slow and deep.
...
In the thirtieth year of Chengyuan, on the thirteenth day of the eleventh month, Grand Tutor Chang Beiqiu was imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice jail for violating the law.
After that, the political group in the court, led by Chang Beiqiu, collapsed at an astonishing speed.
Wei Qinglou, who made great contributions to the whole affair, was promoted by the emperor to the position of Minister of Justice.
Such a young second-rank official is unique in the entire history of Daye over the past century.
However, the Minister himself did not take it seriously at all.
"Among those in the world who are capable of becoming ministers, one more or one less makes no difference, but Zhu Jiayu, do you know what I most want to do?"
It's heartbreaking to think that the old man of the Zhu family finally realized, belatedly, that something seemed off between his fishing buddy and his daughter, whom he cherished like a jewel.
It all started when he suddenly decided to find some books in his daughter's study to read and cultivate his temperament. By sheer coincidence, he found a letter tucked inside one of the books, containing the name of a fellow angler.
When I opened it, it was full of absurdities!
Words like "longing," "my beloved," and "missing" were written page after page as if paper and ink cost nothing.
In a fit of anger, the old man simply ordered the steward that no one with the surname Wei be allowed into the mansion from now on, lest they steal his precious cabbage!
Therefore, at this moment, even the renowned young talent and Minister of Justice, Lord Wei, could only climb over the courtyard wall to see his beloved.
However, Zhu Jiayu was afraid of being seen by his father, which would only anger the old man. Therefore, he ordered him not to go down into the yard and could only talk to her from the wall.
Hearing his words, Zhu Jiayu didn't even look up: "What?"
Wei Qinglou sighed: "I have no great ambitions. The only thing I want to do is be your subject, Miss Zhu's bedmate."
"When do you think Uncle Zhu will calm down and allow me to propose marriage?"
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