Gu Xichao and Qi Shaoshang were overjoyed to meet and became close friends, enjoying a pleasant mood for many days.
He was a little surprised when he received the letter from the Crown Prince. Then he thought that something might have happened in the court. He opened it with a little urgency and after reading the contents, he just wanted to throw the letter on the ground. The unserious Crown Prince had drawn a fish and written about him and a few others eating grilled fish. He also encouraged him to return to the capital as soon as possible and work hard.
Gu Xichao was both amused and annoyed. He wondered how idle this person must be to send him such a letter. He also disapproved of the Crown Prince's invitation to Di Feijing and Fang Yingkan. When replying, he pondered for a long time and wrote down all the things that had happened on his side recently. At the end, he expressed his speechlessness at the Crown Prince writing about such trivial matters and earnestly advised him to study hard.
The Crown Prince was unruly and wrote letters very casually. Gu Xichao corresponded with him many times, and even though it was just sending letters, he gradually became less restrained.
Before meeting the Crown Prince, Gu Xichao had a life of hardship and had to be subservient to him. Even though Fu Zongshu took him in as a retainer out of kindness, he was still looked down upon because of Gu Xichao's humble origins. Even though he had achieved the third-highest rank in the imperial examinations, he was not given important positions because of his background.
The Crown Prince didn't ask about Gu Xichao's identity and immediately asked him to do things for him. At that time, Gu Xichao thought that he was also unknown to Fu Zongshu and would not benefit from the failed assassination attempt on the Crown Prince. Since the Crown Prince had reached out to him, he might as well try his luck.
—He had a rare stroke of good luck this time.
No matter how powerful Fu Zongshu is, as long as the Crown Prince is still the one personally chosen by the Emperor, Gu Xichao, as the Crown Prince's advisor, will have enough power.
Regardless of background, only talent matters. Without arrogance, Gu Xichao had always dreamed of meeting a mentor, and the Crown Prince was exactly the mentor he had been looking for, even better than him. He had never been more satisfied with his choice than before.
"So this is what the Crown Prince is like?" Qi Shaoshang said with great interest. "If I go to the capital, I will definitely go and meet him."
Gu Xichao mentioned to Qi Shaoshang that the Crown Prince had written a letter, which made Qi Shaoshang a little curious about the Crown Prince. Gu Xichao then talked about some unimportant but interesting things, which made Qi Shaoshang even more curious about the Crown Prince. He said that if he went to the capital, he would like to meet the Crown Prince.
Qi Shaoshang is the leader of Lianyun Village and is quite famous in the martial arts world. From the perspective of the Crown Prince, Gu Xichao naturally tries his best to bring this person into the Crown Prince's camp. However, from a personal perspective, he considers Qi Shaoshang a friend and they have become confidants to each other. Therefore, he has already succeeded in bringing Qi Shaoshang into the Crown Prince's camp.
After receiving Gu Xichao's letter, Yan Liang happily told Su Mengzhen about it. Su Mengzhen was very surprised. He had long admired Qi Shaoshang for leading the troops to repel the Jin army, but he never expected that Gu Xichao could get along with Qi Shaoshang.
He had never met Gu Xichao, but he knew that the other party was decisive and efficient in his work on the frontier, which suited him well. He could also get along well with Qi Shaoshang, so he must be an outstanding talent.
Su Mengzhen reconsidered and changed his mind—it would be better to say that those favored by the Crown Prince all have their own outstanding qualities. For example, Bai Choufei and Wang Xiaoshi each have their own strengths, and it is very pleasant to cooperate with them.
Yan Liang's joy was obvious, and Su Mengzhen, feeling puzzled, asked him, "Why are you so happy?"
"Because Gu Xichao found a good helper."
Yan Liang smiled.
Su Mengzhen, however, felt that the Crown Prince's happiness was not solely due to Gu Xichao finding a good helper.
When he saw Yan Liang walking out and encountered Bai Choufei and Wang Xiaoshi carrying books on the way, he cheered them on loudly. Only then did Su Mengzhen realize that the Crown Prince was happy because he had recruited a talented person and had someone who could help him.
"Where are you going?" Bai Choufei asked him unhappily. "Don't tell me you're going to see Pang Jin again."
Yan Liang said innocently, "I'm going to take care of important business. Don't make it sound like I'm someone who plays around all day."
Upon hearing Yan Liang say that he had to take care of important business, everyone in the courtyard fell silent.
Previously, these individuals had gathered at the Crown Prince's residence to eat fish, which Cai Jing's faction used as an excuse to petition the Emperor, accusing the Crown Prince of unauthorized association with江湖人士 (jianghu figures) and subtly criticizing him for forming cliques and engaging in corrupt practices. Cai Jing and his group originally intended to use the Emperor to strike at the Crown Prince, but the Emperor's focus was different—he said nothing during the morning court session, but afterwards summoned the Crown Prince to the inner palace to grill fish for him.
According to the Crown Prince's account after returning from grilling fish in the palace, Emperor Huizong expressed surprise at being able to invite several renowned figures from the martial arts world, but showed no dissatisfaction.
Ever since he tasted Yan Liang's grilled fish, Emperor Huizong of Zhao would often have Yan Liang come to the palace to show off his skills whenever he had free time.
This is what Yan Liang meant by "the important matter".
Su Baiwang and the other two watched the Crown Prince leave with cheerful steps, and they roughly figured out why Yan Liang was so happy—he was probably so happy because he was thinking that he could slack off again.
＊
Yan Liang was happy to grill fish for Zhao Ji. Everything in the palace was of the highest quality, even the fish was carefully selected before being sent to the palace. By grilling fish for Zhao Ji, he could also enjoy a delicious meal himself.
Zhao Ji had already prepared everything and was waiting for him at the usual spot. Yan Liang carried a stool and sat down to grill fish, while Zhao Ji also carried a low stool and sat down beside him, staring at the sizzling fish.
"well."
Zhao Ji sighed.
Yan Liang wanted to pretend he hadn't heard, but Zhao Ji was already used to confiding in him, and this time, before Yan Liang could ask any further questions, he revealed the content of his inner turmoil.
"I have been very troubled lately."
Emperor Huizong of Song said this.
Yan Liang thought to himself, "Even if you don't say it, I can tell just by the number of times you sigh."
He knew what Zhao Ji was troubled about. It was nothing more than some court officials advising Zhao Ji to focus on his work and not waste his energy on painting and playing with birds. These people were on his side, but they had not given up on getting Zhao Ji back on track. They enjoyed doing this every morning court session, and recently, due to the contrast with the crown prince, their advice had become even more intense.
When Zhao Ji first became emperor, he wanted to be a good emperor, but as time went on, he felt that being an emperor was mentally and physically exhausting and took up his time.
The flattery of Cai Jing and others led Emperor Huizong (Zhao Ji) astray, a path he could never return to. With the Song Dynasty flourishing, Zhao Ji believed he no longer needed to concern himself with its affairs; this was partly due to being misled by others, and partly due to his own unwillingness to observe.
Nowadays, the praise for the Crown Prince in the court is increasing day by day. Zhao Ji sees that the Crown Prince is young and handsome and does things in an orderly manner. Today, he summoned the Crown Prince not only to have him grill fish for him, but also to have a talk with him.
He looked at the prince beside him. The warm yellow firelight reflected on the prince's face. The young man stared at the fire in the furnace, looking languid.
Since their encounter at the brothel, Yan Liang has become more casual in his interactions with Zhao Ji, which was exactly what Zhao Ji had requested.
"Crown Prince..."
Zhao Ji opened his mouth, but hesitated to speak. Yan Liang glanced at him sideways, a sense of unease creeping into his heart.
"What do you think of my performance as emperor?"
Yan Liang: ...
This is a life-or-death question; whether you answer it or not, it's going to be very difficult.
Emperor Father, this question is way beyond the scope of the curriculum.
Zhao Ji looked at Yan Liang, waiting earnestly for the Crown Prince's answer.
"Your subject is not qualified to judge you."
Yan Liang gave an ambiguous answer.
"Then who does the Crown Prince believe is qualified to judge me?"
Emperor Huizong pressed for an answer.
Yan Liang replied, "People of later generations."
Emperor Huizong stared at him for a while, then looked away and sighed deeply, "Alas—"
Yan Liang really wanted to pretend he hadn't heard.
After that, Zhao Ji did not mention the matter again. He patiently waited for Yan Liang to finish grilling the fish, then held the grilled fish and ate it with gusto, his mouth full of oil and his lips and teeth lingering with fragrance. He praised the Crown Prince's skills once again, saying that the Crown Prince had mastered the secret method of grilling fish from the ancient book in no time, and was indeed a gifted person.
He subtly praised himself while praising Yan Liang, but then he saw the Crown Prince eating grilled fish with a serious expression. He felt inferior to the Crown Prince in his attitude towards food. Zhao Ji wondered why he hadn't known before that the Crown Prince was a person who craved food. Thinking of this, he suddenly realized that he had known very little about the Crown Prince's preferences in the past, and only disliked him because of his dullness and taciturnity.
So Zhao Ji sighed again.
Yan Liang looked up helplessly, thinking to himself, "Why is my emperor father so sentimental? Could it be because he has a love for art?"
Seeing the Crown Prince raise his head, Zhao Ji solemnly uttered the thought that had been brewing in his heart for many days—
"Your Highness, I wish to emulate the sage kings Yao, Shun, and Yu, and abdicate the throne to you. What are your thoughts, Your Highness?"
With his mouth covered in grease, Zhao Ji asked a deep question.
Mi Youqiao, who was attending to Zhao Ji not far away, was greatly alarmed upon hearing this. Zhao Ji's actions were erratic but always had a traceable pattern. However, this time, he had never mentioned the matter of abdication before.
Yan Liang glanced at Mi Youqiao without leaving a trace, then looked back at the middle-aged man in front of him and remained silent.
The man asked the crown prince what his opinion was...
—The Crown Prince is not very good.
He opened his mouth, wanting to speak, but didn't know what to say.
Emperor Huizong stared intently at Yan Liang, awaiting his reply.
"...Please think it over."
Yan Liang managed to utter this sentence.
He was speechless. Although he had initially hoped to raise Zhao Ji's favorability in order to get him to abdicate the throne earlier, Zhao Ji did not play by the rules. In Yan Liang's mind, if Zhao Ji were to abdicate, it would probably be several years later. Before that, he could continue to be the crown prince and have fun while handling political affairs.
Zhao Ji spoke these words too soon, leaving Yan Liang, unusually, at a loss for words.
—He hasn't had enough fun yet.
"These words are the result of my careful consideration," Zhao Ji said solemnly.
"...If your mind is made up, I have no objection." Yan Liang also became serious. "I will certainly not let you down."
Mi Youqiao glanced out of the corner of his eye at the two guys who were holding grilled fish and had finalized the abdication under these circumstances, and felt a strange sense of unease.
The father and son, who were both quite unserious, were extremely unserious even when discussing such a serious matter.
After bidding farewell to Zhao Ji, Yan Liang returned to the Crown Prince's residence with a heavy heart.
In the Crown Prince's residence, Zhuge Zhengzheng was discussing the recent movements of Cai Jing and others in the court with Su Mengzhen. Seeing that he was in a bad mood after returning from the palace, he became worried. Wang Xiaoshi stepped forward and asked him what was wrong. Yan Liang sighed and said, "My father wants to abdicate in my favor."
The group was astonished, but also somewhat puzzled by Yan Liang's performance.
Bai Choufei asked, puzzled, "...Shouldn't you be happy?"
Yan Liang said sadly, "I haven't had enough fun yet, how can I have time to be happy?"
Everyone: "..."
Author's Note: Hello everyone—
I was chatting with a friend today, and one particular emoji played a huge role in the conversation. Let me show you, hahaha!
[It's your day today.jpg]
Happy April Fool's Day, everyone! (doge) Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants between 12:59:53 on March 31, 2020 and 22:17:05 on April 1, 2020!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmines: 41926198 (2 landmines);
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Qingyang Wanxi 115 bottles; Chaiwuzi 50 bottles; Ziling and Xiaolou Wangduan 30 bottles; Caught a live little angel 29 bottles; Wei Nuan Bu Sheng Bing, Liu Nian, and Lin Shi 10 bottles; Lily 5 bottles; Bi Yu Zhuang and shine 1 bottle;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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