Yan Sikong wanted to discuss Feng Jianping's assessment with Yan Zilian, but this time Yan Zilian acted out of character and said he was busy with official duties and had no time to see him.

At first he thought Yan Zilian was really busy, but after it happened two or three times, he realized that Yan Zilian was deliberately avoiding him.

Yan Sikong pondered for a day and vaguely guessed Yan Zilian's intention, but he did not dare to make a conclusion, so he simply went to Wenyuan Pavilion to visit Yan Zilian in the morning when Yan Zilian had just finished the morning court.

In order to avoid suspicion, Yan Sikong has not come to Wenyuan Pavilion to look for Yan Zilian for a long time, but if he does not do so, he is afraid that he will never meet Yan Zilian.

Yan Zilian was not surprised to see him, he just nodded and said, "Come in with me."

As soon as he entered the room, Yan Sikong acted anxious: "Is the teacher avoiding the students? Did the students do something wrong?"

"You really can't guess why I'm avoiding you?" Yan Zilian stared at Yan Sikong without blinking.

Yan Sikong took a deep breath and said, "But...are you afraid that I will come to you for help regarding Prince Jingyuan's matter?"

"Just so you know."

"teacher……"

"No need to say more." Yan Zilian waved his hands. "This imperial examination is a national priority. It has been in place since Emperor Taizu and has been in place for more than 200 years. Now that there is no war in Datong, if the generals do not return to the capital to report, it is a violation of the imperial order. All the civil and military officials in the court have seen it. What do you want me to do?"

Yan Sikong bowed and spoke in a calmer tone: "Teacher, there are dozens of tribes in the Mongolian region. In the past, with the great Oirat, they could still restrain each other. Now that the Oirat has declined, these tribes are likely to regroup and continue to invade the border. Datong is free of war, but it is still full of crises."

"Thinking of the void..."

"That's the first point." Yan Sikong interrupted Yan Zilian, "Teacher, please listen to what I have to say. Second, you and I know very well that Prince Jingyuan will not return to the capital. If we force him to return to the capital, or even issue an imperial decree to urge him to do so, it might backfire, which is what you least want to see."

Yan Zilian said in a deep voice: "Are you trying to say that General Feng will rebel?"

"I dare not say anything." Yan Sikong said, "I also don't know how King Jingyuan will respond."

Yan Zilian stroked his beard and asked, "Did Feng Ye tell you that General Feng would never return to the capital?"

"Your Highness, why should I ask you that? The fact that Prince Jingyuan has not set out yet is already the answer."

Yan Zilian narrowed his eyes.

"Third..." Yan Sikong stared at Yan Zilian. He guessed that the following words were what Yan Zilian wanted to hear, "With Prince Jingyuan here, we can still control the eunuchs from a distance and make them cautious. Otherwise, the world would have been in chaos long ago."

Yan Zilian slowly picked up the cup at hand and took a sip of tea: "That makes sense, but the general is appointed as both the commander-in-chief and the governor-general, and is in charge of the military and political affairs of Datong. With 300,000 troops, and only 600 miles away from the capital, how long do you think Your Majesty can tolerate him? If he refuses to return to the capital to report on his duties this time, wouldn't it make us feel uneasy?"

"What would happen if he returned to Beijing to report on his work?" Yan Sikong looked directly into Yan Zilian's eyes, his gaze burning.

Yan Zilian pursed his lips and said nothing.

"The Feng family has been loyal for three generations. Their patriotism is known to all. Could it be that the teacher doesn't trust Prince Jingyuan either?"

Yan Zilian said earnestly, "Sikong, I am the prime minister of a country. How can I make decisions based on my personal likes and dislikes? General Feng has a large army, but he only thinks about protecting himself. For many years, the eunuch party has disrupted the government and oppressed the people, but he has turned a blind eye to it. Of course, the Wala was powerful in the past, and he was far away in Datong. Even if he wanted to do something, he would be powerless. But now that the Wala has been defeated, how can General Feng sit back and watch it happen?"

Yan Sikong thought, he guessed right, Yan Zilian wanted Feng Jianping to serve him! He said in a deep voice: "I think that King Jingyuan is not sitting idly by. Just as the teacher said, he has the will but not the power. For example, the prince was wrongly imprisoned this time. Although I asked the prince, the prince would not have agreed to me without King Jingyuan's secret instructions. The Feng family must assist the prince."

"Secretly instructing?" Yan Zilian said slowly, "Secretly instructing, how can we let the public know that the prince has the support of 300,000 soldiers from Datong? Although Wen Youchi has temporarily retired, Xie Zhongren is still in the court, and Concubine Wen is still favored. The position of the crown prince is still a mirage, which may be broken at any time. The prince's power is weak. I am afraid that if this continues, more people will defect to the eunuch party."

Yan Sikong took a deep breath and whispered, "What the teacher said... makes sense." The last time he had a secret conversation with Yan Zilian, he had heard Yan Zilian's dissatisfaction with Feng Jianping's self-protection, but he was helpless in the past. Now that Yan Zilian has seized the opportunity of the imperial inspection, he, as the chief minister of the inner cabinet, is the only one who can make a big deal out of a small matter, or a small matter out of nothing. But he also gave his own condition - Feng Jianping must stand on the side of the aristocratic family.

Yan Sikong had never dared to underestimate his teacher. Forty years ago, Yan Zilian was also a top scholar in the imperial examination. With his eagle-like sharpness and extraordinary skills, he overcame all obstacles and entered the inner cabinet, squeezing out all the ministers in front of him. He sat firmly on the position of Prime Minister for more than ten years, fighting against the eunuchs' party with great success, and at the same time managed the country in a remarkable manner. However, he pretended for several years in front of Yan Zilian, but there was always a loophole, and Yan Zilian saw through his attitude towards Feng Ye and the Feng family.

Yan Zilian took advantage of this and played an extremely sharp move. He recalled everything that had happened since the Beijing Inspection and couldn't even tell when Yan Zilian started planning to use the Beijing Inspection to force Feng Jianping to take sides. The old man still got the upper hand, and he just felt a chill down his spine.

Yan Zilian glanced at Yan Sikong and saw that his face was pale, so he softened his tone: "Sikong, I am old and I don't know when my end will come. Whether I die or retire, I can't leave the eunuch party behind to continue to corrupt my Dasheng country. I just want to eliminate the harm for the country and let the prince sit on the throne steadily. This matter is serious and can only be accomplished with the help of the generals."

Yan Sikong gritted his teeth secretly: "The students understand, and they will convey it truthfully."

Yan Zilian nodded with satisfaction.

When Yan Sikong left Wenyuan Pavilion, he saw the sun was shining brightly outside, but he was still shivering from the cold.

Feng Jianping did not want to get involved in party struggles because his military power was too eye-catching and he had to keep a low profile in order to protect himself. However, the tide of the situation was pulling everyone forward. As Yan Zilian said, it was impossible for Feng Jianping to stay out of it.

Yan Sikong also does not want the Feng family to get involved in the party struggle because it is too dangerous. Originally, the Feng family was trying to protect themselves. No matter who ascends the throne in the future, the Feng family will continue to guard the border for the new emperor. But once they go into the water, they must fight to the death to drown the opponent before they can get ashore safely.

What Yan Zilian wanted was to drag Feng Jianping into the fight against the eunuch party with him. It must be said that this move was an extremely good one, but it was what he least wanted to see.

Yan Sikong stopped in his tracks and couldn't help but raise his head. The glaring sun made him squint his eyes. He felt dizzy. The chill brought with it fear and worry kept drilling upwards from the soles of his feet, as if it would not stop until it penetrated every limb and bone.

——

"This old fox!" Feng Ye's face was filled with anger. He stretched out his arms and swept all the tea sets on the table to the ground.

Yan Sikong also looked unhappy: "I have been asking for a meeting with him many times these days, but he refused to see me, so I vaguely guessed..."

"What else did he say?"

"That's all. His intention is very clear. Only if His Highness makes a statement, he will intervene in the matter of the imperial inspection."

Feng Ye gritted his teeth and said, "Damn it, he is the only one who can help my dad now."

"That's right. Liu An has already come to him for help. His Majesty will soon find out about this. If your Highness's memorial reaches the capital, it will be exactly what he wants. Everything will be under his control."

The memorials from local officials, after being delivered through layers of post stations, must first enter the inner cabinet after arriving in the capital, where the cabinet ministers will give their opinions. Although the cabinet ministers cannot suppress the memorials and not submit them to the emperor for review, it is the cabinet ministers, especially the prime minister, who can decide when to release them. What would be the harm in delaying it for a few days? But these few days were enough time for rumors to flood the Jingyuan Palace.

Feng Jianping was reluctant to return to the capital, and the censors must have been watching him covetously. Every day of delay would become very dangerous. Yan Zilian saw this clearly, so he delayed meeting Yan Sikong until they had no other choice.

"Asshole..." Feng Ye said fiercely, "Teacher, you are even more sinister than the eunuchs! You were plotting with us a few days ago, but after just a few days, you are now destroying our family and are planning to take advantage of us."

Yan Sikong said in a deep voice: "I have said that he is the chief minister of the inner cabinet, and his family and country are the most important in everything. He is forcing Your Highness with this, which is indeed insidious, but it is also understandable."

"What should we do now?" Feng Ye clenched his fists. "My father hates to get involved in party disputes."

Yan Sikong sighed, "Feng Ye, you should draft a letter now, send it to His Highness at an expedited rate of 800 miles, and let him decide."

"Don't you have any solution?" Feng Ye gritted his teeth and said, "Aren't you the smartest?"

Yan Sikong shook his head wearily: "I'm just a small official in the Ministry of Personnel, and Yan Zilian is my teacher. I really can't think of any other way." Before meeting Feng Ye, he had thought hard for a long time and had no good plan. If Feng Jianping didn't want to be charged with "treason" and "intending to rebel", he must let the matter of returning to the capital to report on his work go smoothly, and now only Yan Zilian can do it.

Feng Ye held his forehead. He knew that there seemed to be no other way. He couldn't risk refusing to return to the court. He was still in the capital. If something happened, the consequences would be disastrous. He was silent for a long time before he said, "Prepare some writing materials for me."

Yan Sikong personally prepared the grinding mill for Feng Ye and laid out the paper.

Feng Ye sat down in front of his desk and paused for a long time before he began to write the letter.

Yan Sikong watched him quietly from the side, looking at his furrowed brows and worried eyes, his heart was filled with uneasiness.

After writing, Feng Ye put the letter in his arms. He looked at Yan Sikong and said, "What do you think will happen if my father refuses to return to the court?"

Yan Sikong's eyes darkened: "Feng Ye, I don't want to make this guess."

Feng Ye did not ask any further questions. He stood up with a determined look in his eyes: "What is coming cannot be avoided. Let my father take it for sure."