Because Yan Si was neglected in the Ministry of Personnel and had too much free time, Feng Ye tried to stay in the capital as much as possible. The two met almost every day and spent almost every night together.

After revealing himself to Feng Ye, Yan Sikong finally no longer had to pretend. Over the years, pretending had become a layer of skin and armor for him, something he relied on to protect himself. If he were to peel it off, he would be bloody, but it would also make him forget his true self. Finally, in front of Feng Ye, he could tear open the pretending a little and breathe in the real air. The joy he felt was indescribable.

Feng Ye was no longer suspicious and could let go of his grudges to accept the real Yan Sikong. When the two of them worked together, they had even more tacit understanding than before.

Although Yan Sikong was not successful in the Ministry of Personnel for the time being, he was not in a hurry. When he went to the yamen, he desperately read the official documents and files of previous years. He first glanced through all the annual case files of the Ministry of Personnel from the founding emperor of the Sheng Dynasty to the present. He had an amazing memory and he could remember at least a lot of it after reading it. Then, he focused on studying the case files from the time of Emperor Zhaowu and the previous emperor, combining them with the official documents and memorials he had read when he was in the Hanlin Academy. He had a good idea of ​​all the major and minor personnel matters that happened to the officials of the two dynasties. Who is in the same faction as whom, who has had favors or faults with whom, who may have been bribed, who may have taken revenge, who is truly impartial and selfless, who has whitewashed the situation and concealed dirt, all of which can be found clues in this pile of papers. As long as you dig deep, you can probably catch the big fish. He also quietly got hold of the handles on several people.

Yan Sikong is waiting for an opportunity. The fastest opportunity may be his arranged marriage, and the slower one may be the six-yearly imperial inspection next spring. With this opportunity, he will be able to get rid of several eunuchs in the Ministry of Personnel and truly get in touch with the power of the Ministry of Literature.

The imperial examination was originally the political feast that Yan Sikong had been looking forward to the most, but when he thought of the arranged marriage, he hoped that time would pass slower. He was like a death row prisoner waiting to be executed in the autumn. He was worried about Feng Ye's reaction after he knew about the marriage, but he couldn't open his teeth. After all, one more day of life was a day of life.

Yan Sikong thought about this and sighed softly. Suddenly, he was poked in the back. He was startled and turned around to see Feng Ye looking at him with a smile: "What are you thinking about? You didn't even notice me approaching you."

Yan Sikong raised his eyebrows: "The prince is very skilled in martial arts. If he wanted to keep it from me, how could I find out?"

Feng Ye came up to him and said, "You called me Prince again, do you want me to kiss you?"

Yan Sikong smiled and said, "Yes."

Feng Ye wrapped his arms around his waist, pressed his lips against his soft lips, and kissed him softly.

Yan Sikong leaned into the broad embrace behind him and said with a low laugh, "Didn't you just go to Jingshan Camp two days ago? How come you're back again?"

"It's cold, I always want to hug you to keep warm." Feng Ye tightened his arms, "Besides, there is still no news about my father. I can't sleep or eat well in the camp. General Zhao asked me to come back and rest."

Yan Sikong gently held Feng Ye's hand: "Don't be afraid, Prince Jingyuan will definitely win."

Feng Ye nodded and rested his chin on Yan Sikong's shoulder: "What about you? Why did you come back so early today?"

"No one cares about my coming and going." Yan Sikong smiled helplessly, "They wish I didn't show up every day."

"Keep calm."

Yan Sikong smiled and said, "Don't worry, I've been waiting for so many years, why would I be in a hurry?"

"Tomorrow spring will be the time for the imperial examination."

Yan Sikong nodded: "That's a good opportunity. The teacher is eager to place me in the Ministry of Personnel. It must be for the next year's imperial examination. By the way, where is the Concubine Xian..."

"Don't worry, I've already told her, but as an outsider, it's not convenient for me to go to the palace frequently. The next time I see her will be during the Spring Festival."

"Well, maybe..."

"What?"

"I teach for the Crown Prince, so I can often go in and out of the harem. If Concubine Hui and Concubine Xian have any contact, it will be more convenient for you to pass on messages to Concubine Xian."

"I will write a letter and ask Concubine Hui to pass it to my aunt. My aunt only gave birth to a princess. If she can bring the prince under her control, it will be beneficial to her in the future."

"Indeed."

Feng Ye rubbed Yan Sikong's cheek with his, "I heard that the prince relies on you very much."

Yan Sikong smiled and said, "I have gained the trust and reliance of the Crown Prince. I will definitely help him ascend the throne and restore the peace and prosperity of our Great Sheng."

"Oh, by then you and his wise emperor and virtuous ministers will have a great meeting, which will surely be recorded in history books and become a good story that will be passed down through the ages." Feng Ye's tone was sour.

Yan Sikong chuckled: "Why, are you jealous of this?"

Feng Ye said, "What do I have to be jealous of a child with long hair?"

Yan Sikong pinched the back of his hand and scolded him, "He is the current crown prince, you must not be rude."

"Humph, you are already defending him like this now." Feng Ye curled his lips, "As for me, I just thought that you and I were the closest people when we were alive, but thousands of years later, our names can hardly be mentioned at the same time."

"Of course not. In the war to quell the rebellion, our names will be next to each other."

"That's all there is to it." Feng Ye said disappointedly.

"Why do you care about this?" Yan Sikong turned around, held Feng Ye's face, and smiled softly, "Let's forget about what happened after death."

Feng Ye also smiled and said, "Living in a temple, cultivating the country and bringing peace, who dares to say that they don't care about what happens after they die?"

Yan Sikong joked, "What I mean is that it is enough for the history books to praise you and me for our achievements. Do we really need the historians to make our affairs public to future generations?"

Feng Ye grinned, eyes full of urgency: "I think it's good, you have a great literary talent, why don't you write it and describe the joy of love between you and me."

"Nonsense." Yan Sikong cursed with a smile.

"I've already thought of a name. How about "Spring Palace Fu"?"

Yan Sikong punched Feng Ye in the face. Feng Ye blocked it with his palm and chopped at Yan Sikong's waist and ribs with his other hand. The two exchanged several moves before looking at each other and laughing.

"Kong'er, I'm serious."

Yan Sikong couldn't help laughing: "Do you know how to be ashamed?"

“I don’t know, hahahahaha——”

——

On those seemingly peaceful days, they welcomed the first snow in the capital. The snow came much later than in previous years, but it fell heavily and thickly, as if it had been accumulating in the sky for a long time. Finally, the sky could no longer bear the heavy weight, and the snow broke through the dam and continued to snow for two days and two nights.

The temperature in the capital dropped sharply, and there were few pedestrians on the streets. Only a fast horse rushed into the city against the cold wind and stepped on the thick snow, heading straight for the palace. There was almost only one possibility for a horse to rush into the city so urgently from outside the city - the horse brought a report of the battle.

It was the last few days of the 36th year of Zhaowu, but a major news came - King Jingyuan Feng Jianping killed 100,000 enemy troops of the Oirat and won a great victory. This was Feng Jianping's greatest victory in fighting against the Oirat for more than 30 years, and it was also a victory that overturned the world situation. After this battle, the Oirat did not dare to invade the Central Plains for ten years.

This battle is known in history as the Beiyuan Pass Victory.