"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lord Marquis. However, I am no longer worthy of such greetings, as I am already the former Grand Tutor." Wan Suizhou stroked his beard, responding to Marquis Xining's intentional or unintentional provocation with composure and humility.
Marquis Xi Ning still bowed with his hands clasped, and laughed heartily for a while. "I respectfully address Elder Wan as Grand Tutor because I admire his talent. Since you don't like it, then I will no longer address him that way."
Wanwan huddled behind Wan Suizhou, staring at the billowing black mist around Marquis Xi Ning, her delicate brows furrowing deeper and deeper.
Her intuition told her that the folk tales she had heard a few days ago about the tragic case of Prince Xiao might be true.
While she was pondering this, Marquis Xi Ning brought up the matter again to Wan Suizhou.
“In his early years, Prince Xiao intended to rebel. The late emperor trusted me and entrusted me with the task in a time of crisis, which enabled me to handle the situation properly overnight. However, not long afterward, some unpleasant rumors began to circulate, claiming that Prince Xiao was an innocent person.”
Marquis Xi Ning wore a gentle smile, his hands clasped together. He deliberately paused to wait for Wan Suizhou's reply, his relaxed and composed demeanor truly resembling that of a gentle marquis discussing scholarship with a refined Grand Tutor.
Having spent years navigating the quagmire of conspiracies, his nerves were honed to be sensitive and vigilant, and no slightest disturbance could escape his ears. How could he possibly ignore Wan Suizhou's sudden move back to the capital?
Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, he already has suspicions about the Xiao Pingshan case. At this time, the Wan Suizhou family's move back to the capital seems highly suspicious.
Wan Suizhou's expression remained calm, his eyes clear, like a deep lake, without ripples or sorrow. "I retired from the court many years ago, and now I am nearing seventy, in my twilight years. I have not been involved in court affairs for decades and have no insight into most major cases. The Grand Tutor is dedicated to scholarship. If the Marquis wishes to discuss scholarship with me, I will certainly welcome it. As for matters of the court, it is better to seek someone else."
Upon hearing this, the dark cloud of cold threat that had been hanging over Marquis Xi Ning's eyes dissipated considerably, and he laughed heartily, "Very well, very well. If you, Mr. Wan, are so engrossed in literature, and do not wish to hear any arguments from the court, then I will not bring it up again. I wish you a safe journey this time."
The two exchanged greetings, and Marquis Xi Ning did not return until the grandfather and grandson had boarded the carriage.
Wan Suizhou was no ordinary man. Although he had said so, he could not let his guard down. The doubts in his heart could not be dispelled, and the eyes of the Marquis of Xining, who was alone in the carriage, became fierce and sinister again.
Inside the imperial study, the new emperor, looking distressed, stared at the mountain of memorials before him, holding a brush in one hand and making annotations as he did so.
He was reviewing previous case files related to Xiao Pingshan's case.
Now, the power of Marquis Xining is growing stronger and stronger. After Xiao Pingshan's family was raided, his influence spread rapidly and quickly. Taking advantage of the new emperor's ascension to the throne and the need to rebuild everything, he has gathered many followers and extracted a lot of benefits from the national treasury.
Seeing how officials in the court sided with the emperor whenever politics was mentioned, the new emperor was extremely anxious. Seeing this, Marquis Xi Ning became even more arrogant and began to openly oppose the new emperor in court from time to time.
The emperor had no choice but to try to curb the old man's arrogance from multiple angles!
This led him to think of the Xiao Pingshan rebellion case. He had long felt that the late emperor had made a mistake in his judgment, and that the Xiao Pingshan family was innocent. If the case were investigated thoroughly, it would not only help to govern the Marquis of Xining, but also to clear the Xiao family of their grievances.
So, the emperor, in a state of great distress, plunged into the ruins of history, secretly searching for the records from that year. But he was ultimately inexperienced and lacked the ability, so he had to seek help from loyal ministers.
Those with power and influence in the court were almost all people of the Marquis of Xining. These people would not only keep secrets, but also secretly pass on information. The officials who came from humble backgrounds and had no power or influence held low positions. They were already overwhelmed by the suppression from the Marquis of Xining's faction, let alone have the spare power to help him.
After much deliberation, he turned his attention to Wan Suizhou, the late emperor's teacher. Coincidentally, Wan Suizhou's grandson had become the top scholar in the imperial examination, so he quickly seized the opportunity to summon him to the palace for discussion.
The new emperor's intuition about the Xiao family's wrongful conviction was correct.
Back when the late emperor was on the throne, Xiao Pingshan was a capable general who helped the new emperor conquer the country, and his power was comparable to half of the country. However, the late emperor could not escape the historical law of "the rabbit is killed after the dog is cooked". He had his eyes on the Xiao family and turned a blind eye to the Marquis of Xining's framing of the Xiao family. In the end, he even took advantage of the situation to kill Xiao Pingshan's family.
"Your Majesty." The young eunuch knocked cautiously on the door of the imperial study, but before he could speak, the emperor became impatient. "Didn't you say not to disturb me?"
"Your Majesty, the Grand Tutor has arrived." The little eunuch, having been scolded, immediately became obsequious.
"Old Master Wan?" The Emperor was overjoyed and quickly put down the documents in his hand to greet him.
Under the midday sun, Wan Suizhou, nearing seventy, stood tall and straight, his eyes clear and bright. His completely white hair, like silver threads, was neatly styled, like a green bamboo covered in snowflakes, exuding a cool and upright air, refined and dignified. His steps were composed and unhurried, his scholarly demeanor further highlighting his elegant style.
Beside him, Wanwan, dressed in a green dress, was well-behaved and lively. Her every move exuded both the enthusiasm and innocence of a young girl and an extraordinary curiosity, making her endearing.
"Master Wan." The Emperor bowed respectfully to Wan Suizhou.
Wan Suizhou returned the greeting, "This old man greets Your Majesty. May I ask what brings Your Majesty to the palace today?"
These words struck a nerve with the Emperor, whose brows furrowed immediately and whose expression hardened. “Please come inside, Mr. Wan, so we can talk further.”
The three of them entered the study one after the other. The Emperor, with his hands behind his back, seemed much more relaxed, perhaps because Wan Suizhou's arrival had given him some confidence. He quickly explained the suspicious points of Xiao Pingshan's case to Wan Suizhou and earnestly asked Wan Suizhou to help him find out the truth.
Wan Suizhou pondered for a moment, then stroked his beard and said with a hint of regret, "If it were in the past, I would certainly have stepped forward without hesitation, but now that I am old, I am afraid I can no longer bear such a heavy responsibility."
The new emperor knew that Wan Suizhou disliked the court and was somewhat displeased with this explanation. He pleaded again, but Wan Suizhou politely declined each time.
As Wanwan watched the two engage in their roundabout and extremely tactful conversation, she grew increasingly bored, and before she knew it, her eyelids were drooping.
"Enough, enough." The Emperor finally gave up. He glanced at Wanwan, who was dozing off, and a thought struck him. "I have long heard that Mr. Wan's granddaughter is exceptionally intelligent. I respect Mr. Wan, and since he does not care for wealth, I will bestow upon your granddaughter the title of Princess and grant her a fief, as a sign of my respect."
Upon hearing this, Wanwan, who was dozing off nearby, was startled and almost fell off her chair.
I only came in and listened to the conversation for a while, how did I get the title of princess?
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