Leaving behind some healing medicines and clean clothes, Yan Sikong bid farewell to Concubine Hui and went to visit Chen Yi.

Chen Yi was dressed neatly and had a dignified demeanor. He did not show any trace of evil even in prison. However, when he saw Yan Sikong, his expression of excitement and grievance at that moment betrayed him. After all, he was only a child in his teens.

"gentlemen!"

Yan Sikong knelt down and kowtowed heavily: "I am guilty."

"Sir, what crime have you committed? Get up quickly!" Chen Yu stretched out his hand in vain across the iron bars.

"I cannot share your worries, nor can I bear the blame for you. I can only watch you suffer injustice and humiliation. I..." Yan Sikong's voice choked with sobs, "I am guilty."

Chen Yu's eyes turned red: "Sir, please get up quickly and get closer to me."

Yan Sikong raised his head, knelt and crawled over. As soon as he approached the cage, Chen Yi reached out and hugged Yan Sikong, his arms still trembling.

Yan Sikong burst into tears and wiped them with his sleeves: "Your Highness, are you okay? Are you frozen? Are you hungry?"

"I'm fine, but where's my mother?" Chen Yu looked at Yan Sikong earnestly but worriedly.

Yan Sikong lowered his eyes: "My Lady..."

"What happened to my mother?"

"The queen was slightly injured."

"How dare they torture my mother!" Chen Yu's eyes widened as he said viciously, "Do they still have me, the prince, in their eyes?"

Yan Sikong said, "Your Highness was flogged ten times by the Frightened Fawei, but it was only a superficial wound. I know Your Highness feels wronged, but the situation is critical at this moment, Your Highness must not let anger cloud your mind."

Chen Yi's teeth were about to break: "How dare you torture my mother..." His eyes were red, "When I was young, my mother and I were neglected and bullied in the palace. I didn't expect that I would be the crown prince, but I still couldn't protect my mother. Sir, I... why am I so useless."

Yan Sikong tightly grasped Chen Yu's hand: "Your Highness must not belittle yourself. Your Highness is the eldest prince and the legitimate future monarch of Dasheng. It is because Your Highness is impeccable that you have been framed by villains. My teacher, Brother Shen, the Crown Prince, and many wise ministers are all working for the innocence and safety of Your Highness and the Queen. Your Highness should not lose confidence. When Your Highness ascends the throne, you will be able to uphold justice and restore order." His eyes were sharp and he whispered, "Punish those despicable villains."

Chen Yu said bitterly, "But now I am imprisoned and wronged. My father...has always wanted to depose me." He bit his lip lightly and said hoarsely, "He never wanted to make me the crown prince. Now that he has found the opportunity, he will definitely depose me."

"Deposing the crown prince involves the foundation of the country, so it is not something to be taken lightly. As long as Your Highness and the Queen are innocent, Your Majesty will definitely take the overall situation into consideration."

Chen Yu smiled sarcastically: "Sir, I'm afraid you don't even believe what you said."

Yan Sikong held Chen Yi's hand and said, "No matter what, Your Highness must be strong. The road to becoming an emperor is not an easy one, but Your Highness must not give up. No matter what happens, we are behind Your Highness and are always ready to go through fire and water for Your Highness."

Chen Yu said: "I won't give up. If I give up, my mother and I will have no place to stay."

Yan Sikong nodded heavily and whispered, "The Queen Mother will know about this tomorrow morning. Under pressure, His Majesty will definitely release you. Your Highness has been wronged for so many years, so just endure it for one more night."

Chen Yu smiled bitterly and said, "This night is just the beginning. There are still more than two years before Chen An leaves Beijing to be a vassal. They will definitely use every possible means to persecute me."

"Your Highness is not fighting alone." Yan Sikong looked at him honestly with his deep eyes, "We will not sit and wait for death."

Chen Yihui held Yan Sikong's hand, gritted his teeth, and said with a firm and resolute look: "Don't worry, sir, I will never back down."

Yan Sikong said with relief: "With your Highness' words, we will certainly be very happy."

Chen Yu was moved and said: "Teacher, you are sincere to me. I hope you can be my teacher for life. Even if I become an emperor one day, I want you to help me govern the world."

Yan Sikong clasped his hands and said, "I will not give up even if I die."

——

After leaving the prison, Yan Sikong was thinking about countermeasures all the way.

Even if Chen Yi and his mother can survive this crisis, given the Queen Mother's condition, they may not be able to survive a second time. In order to put Chen Yi on the throne, more obstacles must be removed, such as Minister Wen and the Second Prince.

I believe Yan Zilian has also thought of this. Although the two of them have not had time to discuss it yet, they will definitely try to find a way to make something of Minister Wen for next year's imperial inspection. However, this person is highly respected and is not easy to shake. So, what about the second prince?

Yan Sikong calculated the days and found that She Jun should have returned to the capital. If he simply killed the second prince, he could cut off the roots of the problem. However, firstly, the guards in the palace were very strict, and even She Jun would find it difficult to succeed. Secondly, if the second prince was really assassinated, Emperor Zhaowu would definitely suspect Chen Yi first, and Zhu Lanting would not even be able to save his head.

Is there any way to completely open up a new path for Chen Yu?

Yan Sikong returned home, thinking all the way.

As soon as he entered the house and saw Ali's eyes, he knew that Feng Ye had come. He ordered, "Prepare some wine and food."

Alibi was planning and was already prepared.

Yan Sikong nodded, motioned him to go back to the house, and walked straight to the main house.

As he pushed the door open, a warm feeling immediately rushed over him, dispelling the spring chill he brought back from outside. He saw Feng Ye sitting by the stove warming his hands, with warm wine and food still emitting fragrance and heat on the table. This scene was like many ordinary nights in the past, and it warmed his heart.

However, Feng Ye turned his head with an extremely cold expression, and Yan Sikong suddenly sobered up a little.

Feng Ye stood up, sat on the futon, and looked at the food on the low table: "Have you eaten?"

Yan Sikong shook his head: "Did you just get here?"

"Well, let's eat." Feng Ye poured two glasses of light wine.

Yan Sikong took off his shoes and sat cross-legged opposite Feng Ye: "I just went to visit the prince and the queen."

"how?"

"The queen received ten lashes, which is not good. The prince is okay, but he is still a child after all."

"Whether he can get through this depends on his luck." Feng Ye raised his eyes to look at him and emphasized, "Eat."

Yan Sikong seemed to come back to his senses. He drank a sip of wine to warm his stomach before picking up the food and eating.

"Have I never told you that Ali's cooking is delicious?" Feng Ye said.

"I seem to have said this before." Yan Sikong thought for a moment, "I was the one who asked you if the food tasted good, and you agreed."

This unfamiliar and restrained atmosphere made Yan Sikong feel a little uncomfortable. In the past, whenever Feng Ye saw him, he would express his joy beyond words even if they were separated for only one day. He knew that the gap between them was getting deeper and deeper, and they could never go back to the way they were before.

"When Xi'er gets married, it won't be his turn to cook." Feng Ye said expressionlessly, "The emperor will give you a big house and a lot of servants, and you won't have to live in this lonely and dilapidated house anymore."

Yan Sikong remained silent, not knowing how to answer.

Feng Ye continued, "By then, your house will be full of people, and I will no longer be able to climb over the wall and come to you unnoticed. In the cold winter, I will not be able to hold you for warmth, because there will be someone else lying next to you."

"Stop talking." Yan Sikong couldn't help it and blurted out.

"Why can't you tell me?" Feng Ye said softly, "You're going to do it soon, why are you afraid of me telling you?"

Yan Sikong raised his head and trembled, "What do you want me to do?"

Feng Ye's face twitched, and he was obviously holding back something. Emotions that were so complicated that they were hard to explain filled his deep eyes. He clenched and unclenched his fists. Finally, he picked up the wine cup on the table, drank it all in one gulp, and said nothing more.

A cold silence fell between the two of them. Yan Sikong ate his meal mouthful by mouthful, but the taste was like chewing wax. He suddenly understood what it meant to be so close yet so far away.

After a while, Feng Ye put down his bowl and chopsticks and changed his tone to normal: "Even if they survive this disaster, they can't rest easy. Wen Youchi and Xie Zhongren will not stop."

Yan Sikong endured the discomfort in his heart and said with spirit: "Yes."

"Unless Wen Youchi is eliminated, if Concubine Wen loses her backing, she won't be able to do anything even if she is favored."

"My teacher and I also want to cut off this poisonous root. The Imperial Examination is an opportunity, but Minister Wen is cautious and highly respected, so it is difficult to find any evidence against him."

Feng Ye said, "Wen Youchi is the Minister of War and has always had a relationship with my father. He is in charge of military expenditures. Although he dare not openly withhold my father's military expenditures, he has secretly used public funds for personal gain. In the past, when the war was intense, it was still like this. Now that Datong is peaceful, my father's military expenditures must be reduced. It is not a long-term solution for the Ministry of War to be controlled by others. If we can replace it with our people, it will kill two birds with one stone."

Yan Sikong's eyes lit up: "That's right, now that there is no war in Datong, the Ministry of War will definitely reduce the military. If Wen You is not removed, Prince Jingyuan will definitely be very passive."

In order to check and balance Prince Jingyuan, Emperor Zhaowu will certainly significantly reduce Datong's military this year, but how and how much to reduce will depend on the personnel and border situation. If it is reduced too little, it will not play the role of suppressing Prince Jingyuan, and if it is reduced too much, it may force people to rebel. Of course, the emperor himself does not know the degree, and the Ministry of War must investigate, calculate, and discuss. The final decision-making power lies with the Ministry of War. If such an important position is occupied by an outsider, it will be like having a knife across the neck.

He didn't think of this, but fortunately Feng Ye thought of it. In this way, the two of them can work together, and he can also get the help of King Jingyuan, and maybe he can really get rid of Wen Youchi.

"I have sent a secret letter to my father about this matter. I am waiting for his reply. He has been dealing with Wen Youchi for many years and must have something on Wen Youchi. However, Wen Youchi also has something on my father. We need to think carefully and cannot let him know that this matter is related to my father."

"Of course." Yan Sikong looked at Feng Ye, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Thank you."

Feng Ye opened his eyes and said, "I did this not for you, but for my Feng family and for the prince. It's not your turn to say thank you."

Yan Sikong smiled, full of helplessness.

Feng Ye stood up and said, "I came to see you just for this matter. I'm leaving now."

"Seal..." Yan Sikong opened his mouth subconsciously, but the words to keep him were stuck in his throat and he almost didn't come out.

Feng Ye stopped in his tracks, as if he was waiting for something.

"…It's windy and dark, be careful on the road."

Feng Ye's eyes turned cold and he walked away without looking back.

Yan Sikong sat for a long time in the suffocatingly quiet room, looking at the empty mat and the pair of bowls and chopsticks opposite him.