At the Immortal Inn, Emperor Feng Zhao felt annoyed, thinking of the troublesome Prince Kang.
Ever since reading his approved memorial, he hadn't had a single good day. He never imagined that his son, whom he had carefully nurtured since childhood, would be so muddle-headed when it came to matters of state.
After several such incidents, he revoked Feng Jingchi's authority to approve memorials and gave him a good scolding.
Recently, the store manager has finally stopped showing palace intrigue dramas, and he's quite interested in the newly released "The Long Ballad of Zhenguan." He considers himself a wise ruler, but compared to the Li emperor in the drama, he seems to fall short in some ways.
Therefore, when he discovered that King Kang was not suitable to inherit the throne, he decisively withdrew the power he had given him, leaving him with no hope, and even began to wonder if he had made a mistake in granting his sons fiefdoms.
"If only I had the chance to speak with this emperor," Emperor Fengzhao sighed.
Limited by the times, even though Emperor Feng Zhao was a wise ruler, many of his ideas were still somewhat outdated. He often found the actions of the emperors in the drama perplexing, but under that emperor's rule, the Tang Dynasty did indeed enter a period of prosperity.
Because of these things, Emperor Fengzhao hasn't even gone to his favorite chess and card room these past few days. Lost in thought as he walked, he unknowingly arrived at the school.
It was the end of the school term, and students were leaving the school one after another. Seeing their happy smiles, Emperor Feng Zhao felt a little relieved.
I heard from Prince Duan that paper production is now in full swing under the supervision of the magistrate of Yang County. I believe that the price will soon come down, and scholars will no longer have to worry about books. Studying will no longer be a privilege reserved for aristocratic families.
If books became widely available, it would undoubtedly be a good thing for the royal family. Thinking of the intricate relationships among the powerful families in the court, Emperor Fengzhao's eyes narrowed dangerously.
He spent most of his life fighting against those powerful families, but in the end, he still couldn't weaken their power. However, he believed that his son would do even better than him.
"Hello, Principal Chi!" The students' neat greetings pulled Emperor Feng Zhao from his reverie. He looked up and saw a handsome, somewhat thin young man walking out of the school.
Emperor Fengzhao found the scholar somewhat familiar, and after trying hard to recall where he had seen him before, he couldn't remember. He had initially been puzzled by Principal Chi's educational philosophy, but during his stay at the inn, he gradually came to understand him.
For this reason, Emperor Fengzhao held the principal in high esteem. Although the Immortal Affinity School had immortals as its backers, he knew that the principal was in charge of all the school's affairs.
Chi Mu was just about to go to the library to deal with this matter when he saw Emperor Feng Zhao looking at him with his hands behind his back, seemingly lost in thought.
Chi Mu's heart skipped a beat. Although he wasn't a core employee, he knew more information than the average employee.
Ever since he learned that Feng Jingchi had also come to the inn, he has basically stayed at the school and only goes out when necessary.
It wasn't that he was afraid of the other party, but he was extremely content with his current life and didn't want to cause any more trouble.
Over time, his resentment towards the royal family had gradually faded. The grievances had their source, and the harm he suffered was inflicted by Prince Kang, and had nothing to do with anyone else. Therefore, upon seeing Emperor Feng Zhao, Chi Mu felt nothing but shock, and no resentment whatsoever.
"This humble subject, Chi Mu, greets Your Majesty." Chi Mu bowed slightly to Emperor Feng Zhao, guessing that the emperor did not want others to know his identity, so he did not perform a full bow.
Emperor Feng Zhao was about to greet him when he heard Chi Mu's words and raised an eyebrow. "You know me?"
"This humble subject had the honor of seeing Your Majesty's countenance in the Golden Palace." Seeing Emperor Feng Zhao's furrowed brows, Chi Mu continued to explain, "This humble subject was the top scholar in the 22nd year of Zhaoming's reign."
Emperor Feng Zhao suddenly realized, "You are the top scholar who achieved the highest rank in the imperial examination?"
Emperor Fengzhao was naturally deeply impressed by this man who had achieved the highest rank in the imperial examinations. He had initially intended to give him an important position, but at the time there was a war on the border, so at the request of Prince Kang, he agreed to let him serve as a military advisor in the Qian family's army.
Later, he received news of his death. He regretted it for a long time and even regretted his hasty decision to put this talented statesman in the army.
Emperor Fengzhao was unaware of Chi Mu's ordeal. "Since you are unharmed, why don't you take up an official post and instead choose to be the headmaster here?"
Chi Mu gave a wry smile. "I am very satisfied with my current life. Even if I do not serve in the government, I can still cultivate talents for the Great Ye Kingdom, and that is enough."
In the past, Chi Mu would not have dared to speak to the emperor like that. Perhaps it was because he still harbored some resentment, or perhaps it was because he knew that Emperor Feng Zhao would not do anything to him in the immortal realm, which emboldened him.
Emperor Fengzhao frowned, and seeing that Chi Mu was unwilling to elaborate, he didn't press the matter further. Emperor Taizong of Tang could tolerate Wei Zheng's eccentricities, so Chi Mu's behavior was nothing to him. "I understand. You've run the Immortal Affinity School very well; you truly are a talent I've chosen."
"This humble subject thanks Your Majesty for the praise. I will certainly do my best to cultivate more talents for the Great Ye Kingdom in the future." Chi Mu was overjoyed to receive such praise from Emperor Feng Zhao.
A scholar will die for one who understands him. Although he was unwilling to serve in the government, as a citizen of the Great Ye Kingdom, he was willing to do his best to make the country better. And when his efforts were recognized by the Emperor of the Great Ye Kingdom, everything he had done before was worthwhile.
After Chi Mu left, Emperor Feng Zhao's originally gentle face immediately turned serious.
Although Chi Mu was intelligent, he was still too young. When asked about the past, his momentary hesitation made Emperor Feng Zhao realize that there must be a hidden story.
"Send someone to investigate what's going on with Chi Mu."
Li De bowed and replied, "Yes."
Soon, Feng Jinghan received news that His Majesty was investigating Chi Mu.
“Chi Mu’s matter is not a secret. What we can find out, Father Emperor will find out in more detail than we can. Find an opportunity to tell Li De that unless it is a very serious matter, we don’t need to send messages anymore.”
Chief Steward Li De had already surrendered to him before entering Huaixi City, and Feng Jinghan was naturally happy to accept this.
Li De had served his father, the emperor, for decades and enjoyed his deep trust. He had hoped that with this assistance, his great cause would be accomplished. However, since arriving at the inn, his father seemed to have become a different person, even showing signs of relinquishing power.
Furthermore, since the father and son had reconciled, Feng Jinghan gave up monitoring Emperor Feng Zhao's whereabouts.
When the emperor issues an order, even the most secretive matters can be uncovered. Moreover, Chi Mu's affair is hardly a secret.
After reading the memorial presented by the Dark Dragon Guard, Emperor Fengzhao was so angry that he slammed it onto the table.
"Go and bring Prince Kang to me!"
Emperor Fengzhao hadn't been this angry in a long time. The servants were trembling with fear, but Chief Steward Li was the first to react and hurriedly sent someone to invite Feng Jingchi.
Feng Jingchi was unaware that because of a lowly commoner he looked down upon, he would not only be completely barred from the throne, but would also lose his own fiefdom in the future.
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