Yan Sikong drove the carriage through the city. It was already dusk and there were fewer and fewer pedestrians on the street, but there were still many people who saw this abnormal scene.

The servants of the Yan Mansion followed behind.

When they arrived at Prince Jingyuan's mansion, the carriage stopped. Yan Sikong was frozen stiff, and he said with a trembling tongue, "Prince, we're here."

Feng Ye came out of the carriage, looked at his pale face, knitted his brows, and said in a low voice, "You don't even have clothes on, are you stupid?"

Yan Sikong smiled bitterly and whispered, "You should have held back a bit." Although they had discussed it beforehand, Feng Ye's kick was not something that ordinary people could withstand, and he was a little worried about Ali.

"Don't worry." Feng Ye jumped off the carriage and said sarcastically, "Prince Consort Yan drives this carriage very steadily. It would be a waste of his talent to be just a prince consort."

Yan Sikong also got out of the car and turned away without looking back.

The servants rushed over and covered him with thick clothes, and he pretended to stagger, which was half genuine - he was so frozen that he could hardly feel his legs.

He was helped onto a carriage with a warm charcoal fire burning inside. He huddled beside the brazier and let out a slow breath when he felt his hands and feet gradually regain feeling.

Could this move today fool Ye Li, could it fool Xie Zhongren? Time was so short, they could only do this. He expected that Xie Zhongren was also anxious, wanting to find a "reason" to punish Feng Jianping. Otherwise, with Feng Jianping's world-renowned achievements, even the emperor would not dare to act rashly, and the imperial inspection was the only feasible pretext at the moment.

Yan Zilian was also making a desperate attempt. If he could take this opportunity to get rid of the wavering Liu An, he could not only destroy Xie Zhongren's prestige, but also foil their plot to use the imperial examination to frame Feng Jianping. Perhaps the reduction of military armaments would not have to involve resorting to force.

Although Yan Sikong's blood was almost frozen, his brain was unusually clear. He kept thinking over and over about all the possible consequences. He had to be clear-headed, because in this court full of crises, the slightest confusion could cost him his life.

——

When Yan Sikong returned to the mansion, it was already late at night. Most of the guests had left, and only Zhou Mixing, Ye Li and Liang Sui were still waiting for him.

Yan Sikong looked dejected and frustrated. When he saw them, he bowed with guilt: "Not only did I fail to fulfill my duty as a host, I also ruined everyone's fun. I am so ashamed, so ashamed."

"Hey, Sikong, please don't be so polite." Zhou Mixing pulled him to sit down and was frightened by his cold hands. "Look at yourself, don't freeze yourself."

Ye Li quickly poured a cup of hot tea, asked Yan Sikong to hold it in his hands, and said softly: "Master Yan, please take care of yourself."

Yan Sikong waved his hands, his voice full of humiliation: "Today, I have made a fool of myself in front of you all."

"This Prince Jingyuan is going too far." Liang Sui was so angry that he jumped up and down. "You two were friends in the past. You even fought together in Jingzhou. He was so ruthless to you just because of your family background!"

Zhou Mixing also frowned and said, "The prince... is he that concerned? A hero is not judged by his origins, and you are a person with a promising future, so why would he care so much about your family background?"

Yan Sikong sighed: "Actually...it's more than that."

Ye Li's eyebrows twitched slightly.

"I said there must be something hidden!" Liang Sui's eyes rolled, his expression slightly embarrassed, "It's not really like what the outside world is saying, you and he are..."

Yan Sikong smiled bitterly and waved his hands: "That's pure nonsense. The conflict between him and me was mainly about the battle against King Liang."

"Oh? Could it be because of merit?" Zhou Mixing reacted immediately. On the battlefield, soldiers would fight secretly for a head. After all, that was hard-earned money. It was not uncommon for generals to quarrel with each other over promotion and rewards since ancient times.

Yan Sikong nodded heavily and said, "I, Yan, regard you as my close friends, so I am telling you what I have been holding back for a long time. I hope you will keep it a secret for me."

"Don't worry, Sikong."

Ye Li said with emotion: "Lord Yan did not despise my humbleness. I am very grateful and will not reveal a single word."

"Miss Yeli is Brother Zhou's beloved, so in my heart, she is not an outsider." Yan Sikong finally said, "In fact, it's not a big deal, and it's been a long time, but I don't want it to reach General Zhao Fuyi's ears."

"oh?"

Yan Sikong said with emotion: "At that time, Feng Ye and I followed General Zhao to the battle. I was sent to Kuizhou to persuade the rebels to surrender, and I also planned to attack Qingxu Valley and bypass the rear of King Liang. I dare not claim that I have made great contributions, but General Zhao praised me highly and respected me. It seems... it seems that I am more respected than the prince."

"That's reasonable." Liang Sui said, "If it weren't for you, Sikong, who persuaded the rebels to surrender with just a few words, the outcome of this battle would still be uncertain. Your contribution to the battle to quell the rebellion is beyond the reach of Feng Ye."

"Yes." Zhou Mixing agreed, "Although there is no difference between civil and military fighting on the battlefield, if you hadn't taken Kuizhou, if you hadn't come up with a surprise move, no matter how brave the Little Wolf King was, he wouldn't have been able to kill the rebels alone."

Ye Li said quietly, "Your Highness is too narrow-minded."

"From then on, he treated me differently than before." Yan Sikong shook his head. "After His Majesty granted me the marriage, he became even more aggressive. I tolerated it again and again, but he..." At the end, his tone was filled with obvious resentment.

"This is too much." Zhou Mixing frowned and said, "He thinks too highly of himself and doesn't care about anyone's accounts in the capital. If he wasn't the son of King Jingyuan, how could he be so arrogant?"

Liang Sui said angrily, "Yes, last time, Brother Zhou had good intentions to set up a meeting for you two to make up for your differences, but he actually humiliated Sikong in public and didn't even give Brother Zhou face."

Thinking of what happened last time, Zhou Mixing also felt a little embarrassed. Although he did not hold any official position, as the eldest son of the prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, he was respected by everyone in the capital. No one had ever humiliated him like this. Since then, he had said a lot of bad things about Feng Ye in private.

At this point, several people angrily criticized Feng Ye's many bad deeds, but in the end, Yan Sikong couldn't help but sigh: "But no matter how unwilling I am, I can only swallow my anger. After all, he is the prince of King Jingyuan, and I can't offend him."

The room was silent for a moment.

"I heard that His Majesty wants to reduce Datong's military equipment." Liang Sui looked at Yan Sikong and said tentatively, "Sikong, the teacher values ​​you the most, you should know something about this."

Yan Sikong's eyes widened, and he waved his hands quickly: "This matter cannot be discussed, cannot be discussed."

Ye Li narrowed his eyes slightly.

Several people tried to comfort Yan Sikong again, but after all, the other party was the Prince of Jingyuan. Just as Yan Sikong said, after venting their anger by cursing him a few times, they could only swallow their anger.

After finally sending Zhou Mixing and the others away, Yan Sikong was already exhausted. He forced himself to go and see Ali, who was fine, except for a purple bruise on his chest, and the blood he vomited was fake, but he had to pretend to stay in bed for a while.

Yan Sikong finally felt relieved, went back to his bedroom, and fell asleep immediately.

——

This farce in front of the Yan Mansion soon spread throughout the capital. When Yan Sikong went to the government office, his colleagues all expressed sympathy for him. He could only smile bitterly, saying that he dared not complain about the prince, but at the same time, he made people see that he was actually deeply humiliated and filled with resentment.

The game has officially begun, just waiting for Xie Zhongren to take the bait.

A few days later, Yan Sikong had just finished teaching Chen Yu and was about to go home when he was stopped by an eunuch who asked him to go with him.

The eunuch who led Yan Sikong was a little hesitant: "Master Yan has finished his lesson, and I should escort you out of the palace immediately."

The eunuch glared and whispered, "I am following the orders of Eunuch Xie. It is not your turn to interfere. Just do what you are supposed to do."

When the young eunuch heard the word "Thank Eunuch", he showed a look of fear and left without saying a word.

The eunuch smiled and said, "Master Yan, please come in."

Yan Sikong refused to move: "Eunuch, without an imperial decree, an outsider cannot walk around the harem without permission. This is not appropriate."

"Oh, thanks to the order from eunuch Xie. What else do you need? Let's go."

Yan Sikong was hesitant.

"Lord Yan, let's go." The eunuch said in a stern tone.

Yan Sikong followed him helplessly.

The place where he met Xie Zhongren this time was different from the last time. Yan Sikong didn't know where it was, but it was very remote and he saw almost no one along the way.

But the leader of the eunuchs' party was still as gloomy and smiling but not smiling.

"Thank you, eunuch." Yan Sikong bowed, "Thank you for the gift of Qiao Qian."

Xie Zhongren chuckled twice: "Whether it is early or late, it is still the same. You scholars are just being hypocritical."

Yan Sikong did not respond and looked very uneasy.

Xie Zhongren glanced at him and said, "Why, are you afraid of our family?"

"The younger generation...respects the father-in-law."

Xie Zhongren laughed sinisterly: "You respect our family, but you don't want to have anything to do with us, right?"

Yan Sikong swallowed his words and said, "I thought I had made it clear to you last time. After all, I am Master Yan's student. Although I respect you, Master, but...but you are very kind to me, so I should avoid any suspicion."

"We understand," Xie Zhongren mocked, "You are stubborn and stubborn. We are just talking to you, not asking you to betray your teacher. Why are you so nervous?"

"…I wonder why the father-in-law is looking for me?"

"We are in the palace, so it is inevitable that we are somewhat isolated from the news. I just heard yesterday that the Prince of Jingyuan made a scene in front of your new mansion?"

Yan Sikong's expression changed slightly: "The rumor is exaggerated. The prince was just a little unhappy because the carriage blocked his way. He has already passed away."

"Haha." Xie Zhongren sneered, "But what I heard is more than that. I heard that the young master almost kicked to death the loyal servant who had followed you for many years, and even made you wear thin clothes and drive the horse and carriage for him in the moonlight. Is it true?"

Yan Sikong pursed his lips and said nothing.

Xie Zhongren's eyes sparkled: "It seems to be true."

"I don't know, sir..."

"That young master really went too far!" Xie Zhongren suddenly became indignant. "This matter has spread all over the capital, and many people are standing up for you. You have suffered such a great humiliation, are you just going to swallow your anger?"

Yan Sikong said cautiously, "That day, I was entertaining guests and it happened to be snowing heavily. The doorman was not well-groomed and blocked the carriage of the prince. I was at fault first, so I dare not blame the prince."

"Well, you really don't dare." Xie Zhongren said sarcastically, "Even if the young master rode on your neck and peed, you wouldn't dare to fart."

Yan Sikong's face changed, and he trembled slightly with anger: "Eunuch, why do you have to humiliate me like this? If I have offended you, just tell me directly."

"Did our family humiliate you?" Xie Zhongren raised his voice, "The one who provoked and humiliated you one after another was Feng Ye, right?"

Yan Sikong was a little angry and said, "Even if it is true, so what? I think we should be lenient to others. Only those who can tolerate villains can become gentlemen."

"Lord Yan, you are at least familiar with the sages. Although I haven't read many books, I know Confucius said, 'If you repay evil with kindness, how can you repay kindness?'"

Yan Sikong was speechless.

"What's underneath?" Xie Zhongren raised his eyebrows and looked at Yan Sikong.

"…'Repay evil with justice, repay kindness with kindness'." Yan Sikong said in a deep voice, "What exactly does the eunuch want to say to me?"

"We..." Xie Zhongren sneered twice, "We want to give you a chance to 'repay evil with evil'."