Feng Ye ordered Xiaoliu to send Yan Sikong back to the city, and he hurried to the Jingshan camp.

As Yan Sikong was swaying in the carriage, he suddenly felt that what had happened in the past two days was like a dream. It was not until the magnificent imperial city was reflected in his pupils, becoming clearer and more magnificent, that he finally woke up.

Under the feet of the emperor, in the majestic palaces, there are so many shadows hidden beneath the flashy appearance. They are like monsters shuttling underground, gnawing at the foundations of this dynasty.

After returning home, Yan Sikong did not rest for a moment. He called Ali to the study, prepared paper and ink, wrote a few words, and then handed the pen to Ali: "Write these words again."

Ali waved his hands.

"It doesn't matter. Just write it down."

Ali had no choice but to take the pen and write down the words in the same way. Although his handwriting was crooked, it was not difficult to recognize.

Yan Sikong picked up the paper and stared at the handwriting on it, which was like spring worms and autumn snakes: New History, Volume 11, Chapter 9

Then he folded the paper, but paused, then unfolded it again, roughly crumpled it into a ball, handed it to Ali, and said seriously: "Ali, I need you to do something now. You have to do it yourself, and you can't let others do it."

Ali nodded.

"You need to disguise yourself and go to Qingyang to make sure that this piece of paper will be seen by Lord Cai Zhongfan. This must be done without anyone noticing." Yan Sikong stared deeply into Ali's eyes, "Can you do it?"

Ali nodded again and punched his chest hard with his fist.

"Take more silver with you, and come back quickly. If..." Yan Sikong breathed a sigh of relief, "If you are discovered, take the silver and run away, and don't come back."

A trace of sadness flashed across Ali's ugly face, and his facial features tightened. He stuffed the ball of paper into his arms, knelt on the ground, kowtowed heavily to Yan Sikong, then stood up and left.

Yan Sikong sat motionless in the chair, his eyes fixed on the void, revealing an unfathomable chill.

——

The day before the birthday ceremony, Yan Sikong went to the palace as usual to give lectures to Crown Prince Mi.

As soon as he arrived at the East Palace, he saw several large red sandalwood boxes placed outside the palace. Crown Prince Yu was discussing something with his mother, and the eunuchs and palace maids were serving them.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness." Yan Sikong stepped forward to pay his respects.

"Sir." Seeing Yan Sikong was very happy, Prince Wu came up and grabbed him, "You came at the right time. Please help me with the gift. What kind of gift should I present to my father tomorrow?"

Yan Sikong went to take a look and found that each box contained a rare treasure: "Your Highness, where did these come from?"

Before Chen Yi was canonized as the crown prince, he was neglected in the palace. Even the annual gifts given to each prince were withheld and delayed. His mother was never favored by the emperor. Although she gave birth to the eldest prince, she was only a Zhaoyi for many years. It was only after the crown prince was canonized that she was reluctantly named Huifei because of her son's status. It was impossible for them to receive such a reward.

There is only one possibility, it was given by the minister.

As expected, Chen Yu said, "This Hepu pearl belt was given by Lord Wang, the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture, and this pair of Yaobian Tianmu tea bowls were given by Grand Tutor Chen. This piece of Taihu stone was transported from Suzhou by Lord Song. It is naturally shaped like a 'longevity' and is a rare treasure..."

"Your Highness." Yan Sikong interrupted him, "Your Highness, do you plan to choose one of these to give to the Emperor?"

Chen Yu nodded: "I don't know what my father likes. I am discussing it with my mother."

Concubine Hui came over and said, "Yes, Lord Yan, you are a smart person. Please help Yan'er choose one."

Concubine Hui was just a little palace maid, quite pretty, but like a wild flower by the roadside, bright and beautiful, but scattered all over the mountains and valleys, not very noticeable. Emperor Zhaowu got drunk and had a sudden impulse to marry her, but it was not clear whether she was lucky or unlucky, as she gave birth to the eldest prince. For more than ten years, she was bullied in the palace and lived a cautious life, so she was submissive and had no strong opinions.

Yan Sikong bowed to Concubine Hui, and then said to Chen Yu, "Your Highness, in my humble opinion, none of these are good."

Chen Yu suddenly felt disappointed: "It's really not valuable enough, but there is nothing more valuable in this East Palace..."

"No, that's not what I meant." Yan Sikong said, "These gifts are from our humble servants. You should remember them, but don't take them to heart. Just remember them."

Chen Yu blinked his eyes: "What do you mean, sir?"

"Your Highness, let's go inside and talk."

Chen Yi understood, knelt down to greet Concubine Hui, and dismissed all the servants.

The two walked into the palace and sat in the place where they usually had lectures. Yan Sikong looked around to see if there was anyone around, then he looked into Chen Yi's eyes and said, "I know that Your Highness has suffered injustice for many years, and now he wants to win the favor of His Majesty, but no matter how expensive the gift you give is, you will not get what you want."

Chen Yu sat up straight and looked at Yan Sikong with some vigilance and trepidation.

Yan Sikong sometimes feels that Chen Yi is a bit like himself when he was a child, smart, sensitive, and thoughtful, but because he is too young, he still cannot hide his emotions well.

Chen Yu said expressionlessly: "As a subject, it is only natural to please the emperor and father, isn't it?"

"Of course, we can't do it this way."

"Why?"

"Your Highness, just because you have become the Crown Prince, does not mean that the suffering you have endured in the past has ended. Everything has just begun from the moment you were crowned."

Chen Yu took a deep breath and looked at Yan Sikong intently.

"Your Majesty is only in your forties and in good health. The princes are not yet adults and are far from the age to leave the palace. As long as they are still in the capital, your position as the crown prince will be unstable."

Chen Yu pursed his lips and nodded silently.

"Your Majesty favors the Second Prince the most. The power of the other princes and relatives cannot be underestimated. Your Highness... Please forgive me for being blunt, but Your Highness has no advantages other than being the eldest son."

Chen Yu clenched his fists: "Why did Lord Yan suddenly tell me this today?"

The change in the address made Yan Sikong immediately realize that he was pressing too hard, and he straightened his body which had been leaning forward: "Your Highness asked me to participate in the celebration ceremony. Perhaps I have overstepped my authority. I apologize. Today I am only here to give a lecture." As he spoke, he took out a scroll from his bag and spread it out in front of him.

Chen Yu grabbed his wrist and looked at him sharply: "Go on."

Yan Sikong smiled faintly, coughed lightly, and said: "Your Highness has only this one advantage, but it outweighs all others. What Your Highness needs to do now is, first, not to make mistakes, and second, to be on guard against villains. If Your Highness gives any of those gifts to the Emperor tomorrow, you will have violated the first rule."

"Why?"

"The emperor will know that you have begun to win over court officials and build up power. This move may seem like a gift to the emperor, but it will actually backfire."

"But I didn't..."

Yan Sikong grabbed Chen Yu's hand, his eyes stern, "It doesn't matter whether you have it or not. If His Majesty thinks you have it, then you have it. Do you know how many years the ministers have been arguing with His Majesty to get you canonized? His Majesty has always wanted to support the second prince, you must never let him have such an idea again, or give him such an opportunity."

Chen Yu sucked in a breath, and looking at his expression, he looked like he had survived a disaster, and he was unable to recover for a long time.

Yan Sikong patted Chen Yu's hand and slowed down his voice: "Your Highness, don't panic. I am here to protect you."

Chen Yu suddenly stood up, bowed to Yan Sikong and said, "Thank you, Mr.

Yan Sikong knelt down hurriedly: "Your Highness, please forgive me for my humble behavior."

Chen Yu helped Yan Sikong up and said, "Then according to your opinion, what should I give to my father?"

"Just send a pair of odes. His Majesty won't notice it, but it won't make him suspicious. It will also let him see that Your Highness is diligent in learning and has achieved success. Then someone will speak well of Your Highness."

"Okay, I'll listen to you, sir."

Under Yan Sikong's guidance, Chen Yi wrote a long poem with gorgeous words and full of praise. Yan Sikong revised it all night, trying to make the writing match Chen Yi's level, but without missing a single word.

People love to use history to satirize the present, so there must be many people waiting to find fault with Chen Yi. Even an unintentional word could be twisted into a fatal meaning. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many people who suffered from literary inquisition in history. Therefore, only those who are well-versed in ancient and modern times would dare to take on such a job, and Yan Sikong just happened to have that talent.

Not only can he help Chen Yu write a perfect poem praising his merits, he will also take advantage of the feud between Qingyang's inspector Cai Zhongfan and the cabinet's second assistant Wang Shengsheng to launch the first wave of attacks on Xie Zhongren.

In fact, he had no intention of coaxing Chen Yi so early. As he expected, the kid was very vigilant. However, although he was not the main author of the new history, he was the reviewer. This matter would definitely involve him and many other people, big or small. He needed a strong ally to help him get out of this crisis. Chen Yi could not help him, but the conservative court officials behind Chen Yi, led by Yan Zilian, would help him for Chen Yi's sake.

Even if these people are useless, he still has someone he can count on.