The candlelight illuminates the magnificent hall in the night.
Li Yunyu hadn't had a quiet few days. Every day, he was woken by servants at the crack of dawn, urged to go to his study to study. Though half-asleep, his body was more active than his mind. He groggily made his way to the study, where Tang Feng was already sitting at his desk. Seeing Li Yunyu enter, Tang Feng pushed the books in front of him and pointed, "One book a day, Your Highness. It's precisely because you haven't read enough that you lack strategic thinking. These books are carefully selected; they don't contain difficult material. If you encounter anything you don't understand, just ask me." Tang Feng rubbed his aching forehead. He wondered what was wrong with him lately; he hadn't been able to sleep for two days straight. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Qin Liuliu and his father. A chill ran through him. Could it be... a relapse of depression? Insomnia, anxiety, and general weakness... Tang Feng looked at Li Yunyu sitting opposite him and spoke up without warning, "Your Highness... could you please become independent soon? I may not be able to help you for much longer."
Li Yunyu looked up at Tang Feng, confused. Thinking Tang Feng meant he wanted to find Qin Liuliu's killer as soon as possible, he nodded. "Don't worry, I will grow quickly and live up to your expectations, sir." Tang Feng sighed, knowing Li Yunyu hadn't understood him. He propped his chin on his hand, staring at Li Yunyu as he read. Tang Feng hadn't slept well the night before, so naturally he was listless in the morning, his eyelids drooping. Li Yunyu, on the other hand, sat ramrod straight. Gradually, Li Yunyu heard the silence and looked up to see Tang Feng starting to doze off. He couldn't help but chuckle. In Li Yunyu's eyes, Tang Feng was quite stern. He rarely smiled at her, but was always amiable to others, though most of the time it seemed like an act, as if he always wore a mask. Seeing him so unguarded now was something Li Yunyu had never seen before. Tang Feng, who was already having trouble sleeping, felt uneasy being stared at. He opened his eyes and saw Li Yunyu staring intently at him, and his body trembled involuntarily. "Your Highness, you just promised me that you would study hard, so why are you staring at me like that now? What? Is there something written on my face?"
Li Yunyu scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed. "I saw the teacher was asleep..." "What does my sleeping have to do with Your Highness reading? Show me your hand!" Tang Feng pulled out a branch from behind his back. Seeing Li Yunyu extend his hand, he gave him a good whack. Then, seeing Li Yunyu clutching his hand and gasping for breath, he couldn't help but laugh, remembering how he'd been beaten by Master Tang after visiting a brothel years ago. "Alright, alright, that wasn't too bad! Go back to your book. There's a quiz tonight. If you don't know the answer, Your Highness, watch your hand!" Tang Feng got up and rubbed his aching back. Just as he stepped out of the room, he saw Zhang Mobai standing to the side, arms crossed, grinning mischievously at him. "Tsk tsk tsk, little brother, you're really doing a good job as tutor. Back in the day, you were last in the Li Shan Academy, and now you're teaching a prince… Hey, hey, what are you doing…?" Tang Feng pulled Zhang Mobai aside, and Tang Feng said, "You'd better watch what you say! This Ninth Prince is like a little colt on the prairie, very difficult to train. If he hears this again, how am I supposed to maintain my authority?"
"I was wondering what was wrong with the Ninth Prince, why did you care so much about him? These past few days I've figured it out. His stubbornness really is a bit like you, little brother," Tang Feng glanced at Li Yunyu in the room, and seeing no reaction, continued, "He's like me? Give me a break!" Annoyed, Tang Feng pushed Zhang Mobai out, "Go away, go away, don't get in my way, I'm busy!" Recently, Tang Feng had been supervising Li Yunyu while also gathering information in Xiling. He realized Li Yunye could easily place people around Li Yunyu. It seemed he had been negligent. Tang Feng was incredibly busy, but dared not stop. Even though he kept telling himself that Tang Zhaonan's death had nothing to do with him, the influence of Qin Liuliu meant that their departure was a persistent pain that haunted his dreams every night. But Tang Feng didn't dare let Zhou Ziliang know, so he would stay up all night until dawn and then pretend to wake up.
Tang Feng yawned, realizing this wasn't a long-term solution. Fortunately, people in ancient times didn't know what depression was. Even if they saw a doctor, they would only say he was restless and prescribe some calming medicine. "Your Highness! You're daydreaming!" Li Yunyu was staring at the candlelight, lost in thought, when Tang Feng's sudden words startled him. Turning around, he saw Tang Feng leaning against the window frame, staring at him with a smile that seemed capable of killing. Li Yunyu chuckled, then tried to change the subject, "Sir... we've been in Luohe for two months now, shouldn't we... head back?" Tang Feng reached in through the window, placing a small wooden stick against Li Yunyu's back, his teeth clenched, "The disaster relief is still in its final stages. Doesn't Your Highness know your own capabilities? How many people have to help you with everything when you go out? And you still have the nerve to ask..." Tang Feng glanced out unintentionally and saw the palace maid Li Yunye had sent in. He frowned; good heavens, she was really on her guard, afraid he'd missed something. Tang Feng knocked on the window and said to Li Yunyu, "Your Highness, please write a letter back to Consort Yun! She must be worried after being away for so long." "Ah?" This question startled Li Yunyu. "I can't figure this out. He was just yelling at me for not reading, and now he suddenly wants me to write a letter?" Li Yunyu stood up, about to ask, when she saw the maid Li Yunye had assigned to her hiding outside the courtyard. She said, "What you say is right, sir. I'll write it right away." The letter was only a few lines long, and she finished it in no time. Li Yunyu handed the letter to Tang Feng, who glanced at it and put it back. "It's not good enough. Rewrite it." Seeing that Li Yunyu didn't quite understand what she meant, Tang Feng continued to explain, "This letter is for bait. You're just writing this to let us know you're safe. What good is that? Write down everything that has happened recently. Let her pass these things on to Li Yunye, so we can kill her in front of him. It's called making an example of her."
Li Yunyu naturally followed Tang Feng's instructions and wrote another letter, handing it to him. Tang Feng took the envelope and walked outside, then seemed to remember something and said, "You...you come here." Seeing no one around, the maid stepped forward and said, "Has the Grand Tutor given any instructions?" Tang Feng looked at the maid and, seeing her lack of fear, knew she was probably carefully chosen by Li Yunye to be placed by Li Yunyu's side. "This letter is His Highness's personal letter. Send it back to Xiling immediately. It's a encrypted letter; under no circumstances should anyone see it." Tang Feng spoke earnestly, and the maid took the letter, clutching it tightly in both hands, her eyes fixed on it, unwilling to look away. "Don't worry, my lord, I'll take care of it right away." Watching the maid's hurried departure, Tang Feng clenched the small wooden stick in his hand. "Li Yunye might be a good prince, but he can't be a good king. He dares to show off his meager skills in front of me? Tch! Your Highness, please focus on your reading!" Li Yunyu was startled by Tang Feng's sudden remark, breaking out in a cold sweat. He didn't know when it had started, but Tang Feng seemed to have eyes in the back of his head.
"Xiao Feng, come here for a moment." Tang Feng looked up and saw Zhou Ziliang calling him from the backyard gate. He glanced back at Li Yunyu and followed him. "Things are almost settled. As for Qi Ming, what do you plan to do with him?"
"We'll return tomorrow. As for him... his property will be confiscated and taken back to Xiling." Tang Feng glanced back at Li Yunyu, his expression turning cold. "This matter should be handled discreetly. His Highness... it's best if he doesn't know yet. Sometimes, knowing too much too early can backfire."
"Xiao Feng, are you trying to force things this time with the disaster relief efforts?" Zhou Ziliang leaned down and whispered in Tang Feng's ear. "Then I'll instruct my subordinates to return to Xiling in two batches. Qi Ming can go back first! That way, it'll be easier for you to handle things when you get back to Xiling." "Handling it myself... isn't that a bit inappropriate?" Tang Feng smiled, then tilted his head and whispered, "Let His Majesty handle it! That's perfectly reasonable. If I interfere, His Highness will think I'm being disrespectful. He just said he was going to release him a few days ago, and now he wants to arrest him and execute him. I don't want to ruin my relationship with His Highness because of him, and then get myself all upset." Zhou Ziliang couldn't help but chuckle, but seeing Tang Feng staring at him, he quickly coughed twice to cover his embarrassment. "Then let's do as you say."
Having decided to return to Xiling the following day, Zhou Ziliang ordered people to begin packing that afternoon. Tang Feng lay in his rocking chair, tapping the armrest intermittently with a wooden stick, pondering how to report back to Emperor Yun upon their return. Li Yunyu, watching the twitching stick, felt a chill run down his spine. Ever since Tang Feng's outburst at the Mazu Temple, Li Yunyu had come to understand his temperament. Otherwise, Tang Feng's consistently calm and unhurried manner would have led him to believe he didn't care about the succession struggle. "Your Highness..."
Tang Feng's words startled Li Yunyu. She looked up and saw that Tang Feng had his eyes closed. She composed herself and asked, "Sir, is there something you need?"
"Once we return to Xiling in a few days, Your Highness, please don't mention that maid's matter. As for Prince Yu, we don't yet have the power to turn against him. I don't expect you to be two-faced, but I hope you can be discreet about what to say and what not to say." Tang Feng then stood up and said, "Let's stop here for today! Your Highness, please rest."
"Sir! What about Qi Ming?"
"His Majesty will make his own decision; it is none of your or my concern."
Tang Feng didn't attribute all the credit for the disaster relief efforts to Li Yunyu. After all, Emperor Yun wasn't stupid; he knew his son's character perfectly well. He couldn't expect him to be a reckless and impulsive man when he left, only to become a well-read and accomplished scholar a few days later! That would make Tang Feng incredibly capable. Tang Feng could also see the joy in Emperor Yun's eyes and the hint of appreciation in his gaze towards Li Yunyu. That's how it's always been in imperial families; to gain attention, one must achieve something. After court, Tang Feng and Zhou Ziliang left the palace one after the other. "This disaster relief effort has been effective; your hard work these past few days hasn't been in vain," Tang Feng said, waving his hand. "This is nothing. The road ahead is long! There will likely be more hard work in the future..."
"Grand Tutor Tang!" Tang Feng heard someone call his name from behind and turned around to see Li Yunye standing there, beckoning to him. "Grand Tutor Tang, please wait. I have something to discuss with you."
When Tang Feng heard Li Yunye call him, he turned to Zhou Ziliang and said, "Wait for me in the carriage! I'll be back in a bit, don't worry." He then stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Your Highness, what brings you here?"
"It wasn't a big deal originally, but because Ninth Prince and the late Crown Prince were too close, I couldn't say it directly." Tang Feng couldn't help but laugh inwardly after hearing this, knowing that Li Yunye was up to something, so he pretended to be ignorant and stepped forward. "Your Highness, there's no need to hide anything, just say what you have to say." Seeing that Tang Feng had taken the bait, Li Yunye continued, "The late Crown Prince's wife came from a general's mansion, did you know that?"
I know a little bit about it.
"General Lin, a veteran of countless battles, fell ill and never recovered because of the Eastern Palace case. It's just a pity for his sons, who can't hold their heads high in the court. The old general was on good terms with the Crown Prince's residence and also had many dealings with the Ninth Prince. I went to see the old general a few days ago, and the old man said he absolutely had to see the Ninth Prince at least once."
"Is that so? But why doesn't Your Highness speak directly to the Ninth Prince?" Tang Feng squinted at Li Yunye, unable to guess what he was up to, and didn't dare to continue. "I've grown distant from the Ninth Prince over the years, but it's different from you. We've been classmates for many years, and now you're the Ninth Prince's tutor. It's most appropriate for you to convey the message."
"Distant?" Tang Feng chuckled dryly. "Distant, not quite. The Prince is a dutiful brother; he even sent a maid to the Ninth Prince a couple of days ago to take care of him, didn't he?" Seeing Li Yunye's expression change, Tang Feng ignored it and continued, "What the Prince said, I will naturally pass on to the Ninth Prince. But whether the Ninth Prince is willing to go is his own business." "Of course," Li Yunye knew that explaining now would inevitably arouse Tang Feng's suspicion. The spies he had previously placed around Li Yunye had already aroused Tang Feng's suspicion.
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