And so, with Wang De's renewed shout, the first morning court session came to an end.
Amidst the kneeling and kowtow of his ministers, Emperor Ganwu alighted from his dragon throne and walked directly towards a side hall.
Sun Jian stood there, still trying to figure out what Emperor Ganwu's purpose was in doing this.
As the officials walked out of the palace, many of them bowed and congratulated Sun Jian as they passed by.
To be promoted to Deputy Commandant of the Tiger Warriors in such a short time is an unprecedented honor, demonstrating the emperor's high regard for Sun Jian.
It's clear to anyone with eyes that as long as Sun Jian can overcome these hurdles, his future achievements in the imperial court are limitless.
When the Second Prince, accompanied by the powerful minister Lin Xuanfu and Wei Xian, passed by Sun Jian, he only left behind a cold snort.
Soon, only Xiong Juzheng, Governor Yao, and Crown Prince Li Gancheng remained in the imperial court.
Xiong Juzheng naturally didn't say much. The events in the court had changed too quickly today, and it would be embarrassing if he couldn't find out who was behind it.
He could only congratulate Sun Jian on his promotion to Deputy Commandant of the Tiger Warrior Battalion, exchange a few pleasantries, and then leave.
Seeing Xiong Juzheng leave, Li Gancheng and Governor Yao slowly followed.
Governor Yao strode forward and patted Sun Jian on the shoulder: "I have received your letter. I would like to invite you and His Highness the Crown Prince to my old residence in the capital for a chat at noon tomorrow."
After saying this, Governor Yao turned and left without looking back, leaving Li Gancheng and Sun Jian staring at each other, speechless for a long time.
The two walked out of the palace together, and remained deep in thought until the moment they stepped out of the palace gates.
Li Gancheng couldn't help but ask first, "Brother Sun, what do you think Father Emperor really means?"
Sun Jian rolled his eyes at him helplessly. "You're asking me? Who the hell am I supposed to ask? That's your father, not mine."
You don't understand, and neither do I! I've been thinking about this all the way here, and I'm still completely baffled.
Sun Jian thought he had always been quite smart, until he met Emperor Ganwu, and he realized that his intelligence was still insufficient.
Seeing that Sun Jian remained silent, Li Gancheng continued, "In front of all the civil and military officials, Father Emperor said he trusted Wei Xian and believed that Liu San and Wei Xian had no relation. But if that's the case, then what was the meaning of what he said to Xiong Juzheng at the end?"
"Father said he trusted you, but then said the case was full of doubts, and in the end, he just dropped it. Instead, he made up some excuse to make you the deputy captain of the Tiger Guard! It's so inconsistent..."
Sun Jian grew increasingly annoyed. The Crown Prince had been making a racket in the court all morning, and now, after the court session, he was being nagged by the Crown Prince again.
"Your Highness, please stop muttering."
"Didn't Governor Yao say that we should go to his old residence for a chat at noon tomorrow? He should know what His Majesty is thinking, right? It would be better to let that old fox analyze it than for us to waste our brain cells here."
Sun Jian pointed helplessly to his head.
"A seasoned veteran? Brain cells?"
Li Gancheng looked bewildered, as Sun Jian always managed to utter words he couldn't understand.
Sun Jian explained: "Youtiao is a long, hollow, deep-fried dough snack with a crispy texture. 'Old youtiao' simply means it's been fried in oil for a long time, and it can also be used to describe a smooth, worldly-wise, and experienced person."
"As for brain cells, to put it bluntly, they require a lot of brainpower."
Upon hearing Sun Jian's explanation, Li Gancheng laughed heartily and pointed at Sun Jian, "Well done, you even dare to make fun of Governor Yao."
Fortunately, he understood Sun Jian's temperament and personality; otherwise, no one would dare to say that the Crown Prince's tutor, Yao Tianzheng, was a cunning old fox in front of the Crown Prince.
"Hahaha."
Seeing Li Gancheng laugh, Sun Jian also burst into laughter.
The two instantly dispelled their gloomy mood.
After his smile faded, Li Gancheng nodded, agreeing with Sun Jian's point of view: "Yes, since Lord Yao has proposed a meeting tomorrow, it seems he can answer our questions and point us in the right direction."
"Um."
Sun Jian nodded as well.
At that moment, Sun Jian felt some sympathy for Li Gancheng.
Being the crown prince was indeed not easy; he lost his mother at a young age and had no one to protect him.
He was designated as the crown prince at a young age and had no childhood to speak of.
Being in this position, under the watchful eyes of countless people, one wrong move could drag you into an endless abyss.
Fortunately, Emperor Ganwu trusted him, but this trust could not completely allow him to stand firm in the court's factional struggles. This was not a unified dynasty like those of later generations, but an era of collapse and war everywhere.
Although Da Gan was the strongest of the four kingdoms, it was beset by internal and external troubles and was on the verge of collapse.
When even the imperial court is on the verge of collapse, how can a mere crown prince be considered safe?
Not to mention that at this moment, Emperor Ganwu's health is deteriorating, and the court is fraught with danger.
Li Gancheng must proceed with extreme caution and cannot afford to be careless in any of his next steps...
Sun Jian followed behind Li Gancheng, gazing at his somewhat thin back, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
But this sympathy lasted less than a minute before Li Gancheng broke it himself.
The further they went, the faster Li Gancheng walked, especially after they left the east gate. Sun Jian could only describe his pace and appearance as "sleazy".
Looking east and west, he acted like a thief, and finally ran straight towards the direction where Old Jiang's carriage was.
"Hey, Your Highness, where are you going? That's not your carriage!"
Sun Jian was speechless. Looking at the boy's sneaky appearance, he probably wanted to sneak out of the palace again and didn't want to go to class in the afternoon.
Old Jiang, who was waiting in the carriage at the east gate, was stunned. When he heard Sun Jian address him as "Your Highness the Crown Prince," he was so frightened that he immediately knelt down and paid his respects.
Li Gancheng seized this opportunity and immediately climbed into the carriage.
Sun Jian walked forward with a helpless expression, first helping Old Jiang up, then making a "shh" gesture to Old Jiang before sitting down in the carriage.
Li Gancheng looked excited, but Sun Jian looked worried.
"Your Highness, I have no way to explain this to you."
"Brother Sun, are we friends?"
"yes!"
Sun Jian nodded helplessly, "We are friends, but more importantly, we are ruler and subject."
"Then stop talking nonsense and have your subordinate drive the car," Li Gancheng said.
"The key question is, where are we driving to?"
Li Gancheng said impatiently, "Ugh, anywhere is fine, but I don't want to go to class this afternoon. Take me around Kyoto."
Sun Jian said helplessly, "Your Highness, I have other matters to attend to this afternoon. Wang De might come to my residence to deliver an imperial edict, so I can't take you with me."
"If you disappear, the entire capital will likely be thrown into turmoil. I cannot bear such a sin."
Li Gancheng retorted, "Brother Sun, stop talking nonsense. I went to Hongnong County for three days last time and nothing happened, didn't I? Do you remember Xiao Jinzi? He will arrange everything for me in the Eastern Palace. I guarantee nothing will happen!"
"Can……"
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