"Has the letter been delivered?" Yan Suizhi asked.
"It was delivered. Madam Xie received it personally." The young man answered respectfully.
"How's things going in the shop?"
"It's bustling, business is booming." The young man asked curiously, "Why don't you go over and take a look yourself, Master?"
Yan Suizhi looked towards Yunjianfang and sighed softly. "No."
He lowered the curtain and told the coachman, "Go back."
Yan Suizhi had come to the imperial court a few days ago and had been quietly following Xie Wanyun, fearing she might run into some unsolvable trouble. The journey from Shangjing to the imperial court was long, and how could he truly trust Xie Wanyun to go alone?
But his status did not allow him to do whatever he wanted, so he had to bring people to follow her quietly until she opened the shop smoothly.
He had met Jin Bai in secret yesterday and was relieved to see that his wife and children were safe. He had wanted to stay a few more days, but yesterday he received a secret report from the capital that Emperor Dezong had been acting strangely recently, frequently challenging the Prime Minister Huang Yanjing, something he had rarely seen before.
Huang Yanjing had always enjoyed the deep trust of Emperor Dezong. Despite numerous officials impeaching him for arbitrary decisions and factionalism, the emperor remained unfazed. In fact, Yan Suizhi himself didn't understand where the emperor's trust came from. Could it be that Huang Yanjing was backed by some power that even the emperor couldn't control?
But now the situation has changed, he must hurry back, so he wrote a letter to Xie Wanyun overnight and sent it over. He also wanted to deliver it in person, but he was afraid that he would not be able to leave after seeing Xie Wanyun.
He rushed back to Shangjing day and night, but was afraid that Huang Yanjing would find out, so he returned home to rest for a while before visiting him.
Huang Yanjing's sharp eyes scanned him from head to toe, and after a moment he said, "Suizhi, you seem quite worldly-wise. Where have you been?"
Seeing that he hadn't hidden it, Yan Suizhi smiled and said, "Teacher, you really have a keen eye. Nothing can be hidden from you. I went to the Mobei border a few days ago. Teacher, you know that ever since Prince Rui went to Mobei, I have often thought about him. Even a trip to the border makes me feel closer to him."
Huang Yanjing nodded. "It's hard for you."
After a moment of silence, Yan Suizhi asked, "I've heard that the Emperor has been quite critical of you lately. What's the reason?"
Huang Yanjing's eyes darkened slightly, and he shook his head, saying, "I'm not quite sure either. The Emperor has been getting closer to Han Cheng recently, and he's repeatedly refuted my memorials. I've been an official for many years, loyal and devoted, and never had second thoughts. But now I'm being ostracized by these villains."
"The emperor is actually on his side." Yan Suizhi continued his words quietly.
Huang Yanjing rebuked: "Suizhi, don't speak nonsense!"
Yan Suizhi immediately shut up, but his expression showed disapproval.
Huang Yanjing looked at his expression and saw that he was genuinely speaking up for him, so he added, "As a minister, as long as you uphold your duty, be true to your country and your conscience, you won't mind a little injustice."
"Having said that, it is still disheartening. The teacher has been very kind to me, and I am willing to go through fire and water for him without hesitation." Yan Suizhi said earnestly.
Huang Yanjing lowered his eyelids and drummed his fingers on the table. Yan Suizhi knew that this was his habit before making a major decision.
Although he had followed Huang Yanjing for many years, he knew that this old fox did not really trust him, and most of the time he treated him as a thug and a gun.
Huang Yanjing said, "Suizhi, the reason the emperor rejected my proposal this time was actually because of the issue on the Mobei border. General Liu Sheng, the governor of the country, wanted to increase the garrison on the border, but the court is currently on good terms with Mobei. This move would be meaningless and would waste military funds. It might also arouse suspicion from the people of Mobei. So I rejected it. Unexpectedly, Liu Sheng contacted Han Cheng, who reported it directly to the emperor. The emperor then criticized me."
Yan Suizhi listened quietly.
"So the court accepted Liu Sheng's proposal. I was going to recommend you to supervise this matter. The emperor just rejected it once, and he can't reject it again. If that's the case, then I don't have to be the prime minister anymore." Huang Yanjing stated his plan.
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