Qingchen couldn't help but glance at him.
As the fireworks rose into the sky and bloomed in the night, his face was also illuminated, still smooth and radiant, as if carved and polished.
Sensing the gaze, Song Yue turned his head, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Lantern Festival.
The next day, Qingchen first went to the Hanlin Academy for a while, and then went to the Ministry of Rites.
Unfortunately, Song Yue was in a meeting with people from his department at the time.
Qingchen waited in the courtyard for nearly half an hour before he came out of the hall. The Vice Minister of Rites was talking to him incessantly.
When Song Yue stepped out the door and saw Qing Chen waiting outside, he wasn't very surprised and dismissed the others with a few words.
Upon arriving at the government office, the steward poured them hot tea, stirred the stove, and then withdrew.
"Have some tea." Song Yue looked at her slightly red nose and said, "Why didn't you wait for me in the back room?"
"I was afraid that Your Excellency was too busy and would have to go elsewhere after the meeting, so I had to wait outside the door." Qingchen felt that in the workplace, they were in a superior-subordinate relationship, and their words and actions had to be formal and serious, regardless of their relationship in private.
Song Yue saw through her thoughts and smiled slightly, "I won't go anywhere else. I knew Lord Shen would come today and was waiting for you. Since you weren't coming, I discussed some matters with them first."
"How did you know I was coming, Grand Secretary?" Qingchen asked, taking a sip of tea.
"Judging from the Crown Prince's performance yesterday, it's clear you taught him. His eagerness to race horses against the Chagatai Khanate suggests he's already devised a plan to win, hasn't he?"
Qingchen nodded. "Mm."
Song Yue took a sip of tea and continued, "Lord Shen is a thoughtful man, as can be seen from your advice to the Emperor. You don't fight unprepared battles. Although the Crown Prince performed very well last night, Harutimur might not necessarily fall for the trap. To put it bluntly, it depends on what kind of person the other party is. As a result, Harutimur quickly agreed to the bet. You had doubts, so you came to me to verify and see if there were other reasons behind it."
She watched him quietly, always looking up to his keen mind.
After a moment, Qingchen slowly said, "The tribute missions of the Ming Dynasty are all losing money. The Chagatai Khanate takes away so many gifts every year, cartloads of silk, porcelain, tea, gold and silver... all of which come from the people. It's heartbreaking to see. The reason why Harutimur dared to propose the horse race is because he knows that the Ming Dynasty values its reputation. The Crown Prince is not confident of winning, so he can't agree or not agree... The Ming Dynasty seems to be in a very difficult position, so I really want to win something back from them."
“The teacher is right. Although the prince performed very well, Harutemur responded too quickly yesterday. I wonder if it is because he felt that victory was already assured.”
What do you think might be the reason he thinks this way?
Qingchen let out a soft sigh, "Wang Lishun."
"Wang Lishun?"
"Yes. He already harbored resentment towards me, worried that I would replace his position in front of the Crown Prince. When I first came to the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince made me kneel down because of him. Chen An reminded me that he is a petty and vindictive person. I think he probably doesn't want to see me help the Crown Prince win the competition and rise in his position in front of the Crown Prince... Just a couple of days ago, he told me that it wouldn't be long before I regretted coming to the Eastern Palace."
Song Yue nodded. "Wang Lishun is jealous of you, so he will try every means to make the Ming Dynasty lose. If the Ming Dynasty loses, you lose. The more they lose, the more the Crown Prince loses face, and the more you will lose the Crown Prince's trust. The way to make you lose is to cooperate with the Chagatai Khanate from the inside. So you came here today to learn about Harutimur from me, to see if he agreed to the bet yesterday because Wang Lishun had already approached him and promised to help him win the game."
"Um."
He took a sip of tea, looked at her, and slowly said, "Harut Timur is twenty-two years old this year. He is Timur's second son. He became the heir apparent because his older brother died unexpectedly. He went to the battlefield at the age of twelve and was brave and skilled in battle, but he was hardly ever injured. This shows that he is a bold and meticulous person. Twenty thousand warhorses is not a small number for their country. Judging from his character, even if he is in a difficult situation, he would not agree to a bet over a cup of wine."
"Furthermore, there's their delegation. Those who can be sent to the Ming Dynasty must be shrewd and calculating people from their own countries. Yet, when they saw their crown prince easily accept the bet, none of them seemed to object."
Qingchen listened carefully, and after a while said, "So it seems that Wang Lishun has contacted them... If you were Wang Lishun, how would you help them win?"
"One word." He looked at her, waiting for her answer.
Qingchen looked back at him and said, "Horse."
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