“But he has never aged.” Wang Shuren was no one, but Xun Shaoshi understood him very well.
After a long silence, Xun Shaoshi sighed first. "I didn't expect you to still be alive."
"That's what I wanted to say too."
After Emperor Shengde ascended the throne, not only the Five Masters who had been dead for several years, but even Junior Tutor Xun could not escape the backstabbing in the court. In the middle of the night, he was stripped of his titles of Junior Tutor, First-Class Nobleman, and General of Zhenguo, and was thus exiled from the court to retire to his hometown.
"I originally thought that since I had made meritorious contributions in assisting the current emperor in ruling the country, Dao'er's return to the capital would be just around the corner, but I never expected..." Xun Shaoshi's throat tightened slightly.
“Zhonghua, I’m sorry.” Wang Shuren lowered his head.
Xun Shaoshi shook his head, pointed to Wang Shuren's old eyes, then to his own. "It's all because of those two old eyes, mistaking a poisonous snake for a fine horse, and painstakingly training it..."
“Zhonghua hit the nail on the head.” Wang Shuren also shook his head with a wry smile. “Back then, the Crown Prince asked me to tutor the Third Prince. I thought that since this child was the Crown Prince’s closest younger brother, he would have inherited some of the Crown Prince’s kindness and would not go astray. Who knew… who knew… alas!”
"I told you long ago that the Third Prince's eyesight is impaired, but you didn't believe me. A good teacher requires tireless effort and long-term results. If the Third Prince is properly trained, he will surely be of great help to the Crown Prince."
"It's my fault, it's my fault!" Faced with Xun Shaoshi's accusations, Wang Shuren bowed his head and admitted his guilt.
With annoyance, Xun Shaoshi poured out the tea and skillfully retrieved a jar of wine from under the couch, filling the man's cup to the brim.
"Looking back now, it seems the Third Prince had little brotherly affection for His Highness the Crown Prince, but rather harbored much jealousy. From the massacre of the Five Greats to the decline of the General's Mansion, and then to the abolition of the late Emperor's decrees. Yuanbao also knows that in the later years of the late Emperor's reign, the Crown Prince mostly served as regent. Whether it was the refugee camps that sheltered disaster victims, the almshouses that cared for widows, widowers, and military dependents, or the established practice of peaceful coexistence with Jianghu people, these were all benevolent policies aimed at allowing the people to rest and recuperate. And what was the result?" Xun Shaoshi tilted his head back and downed his wine cup in one gulp.
"All of that is overturned! The so-called refugee quarters are like raising tigers to cause trouble, the charity halls are squandering the imperial rations, and the self-proclaimed leader of the martial arts world intends to overthrow the dynasty—what utter nonsense from their ancestors!"
"Don't include His Highness the Crown Prince in this." Wang Shuren glanced at him.
Xun Shaoshi paused for a moment before continuing, "And what about the saying 'to pacify the internal before resisting the external,' 'half a year to conquer Shu and three years to destroy Di,' and it's already the New Year, yet the army that entered Sichuan is still wandering around in the mountains, spending military funds in large sums. They ignore the disaster victims in the two rivers and instead go against that fat-headed Prince Mu."
He downed the wine in one gulp, and Master Xun patted Wang Shuren's thin shoulder with a pained expression. "Yuanbao, you don't know after all these years away, the foundation left by His Highness the Crown Prince when he was regent was almost entirely squandered by the late emperor, and what was left was also used up in just a few years."
He symbolically turned the wine cup upside down.
“Now the capital is just an empty shell. Nine out of ten wealthy merchants’ houses are empty. Of the silver confiscated from their homes, three-thirds went into the emperor’s private treasury, three-thirds went into the cabinet, and three-thirds were divided among the officials.” Xun Shaoshi held up his little finger, “Only one-third went into the Ministry of Revenue.”
"Foolish!" Wang Shuren angrily smashed his cup. "How could a ruler allow such a short-sighted and destructive move as killing the goose that lays the golden eggs?"
"Him?" Xun Shaoshi sneered. "Yuanbao, you know you like this child, otherwise you wouldn't have left him in court and then faked your death to escape. But people can change."
"When the Emperor ascended the throne, he proposed to destroy the Di in three years. I was the first to oppose it. Even though I am a military man, I heard you and the Crown Prince discuss the ten-year plan back then. I know that with the great Wei today, it would be difficult to destroy the Northern Di even if we mobilized the entire nation's strength. It would be better to let the people rest first, and wait until the army is strong and the national treasury is full before we can turn our weapons north. It's just a pity that the Emperor hates everything and everyone related to the Crown Prince. He insisted on calling such a good plan a fallacy of appeasement and exile, and used this crime to banish me from the court."
With the smell of alcohol emanating from his nose, Xun Shaoshi stood up. "Actually, before I proposed the ten-year plan, I invited Ji Junze to my residence to discuss it. That night, he readily agreed that he would work with me to persuade the emperor in the main hall. However, after sensing the wind, he didn't say a word."
Wang Shuren trembled, spilling some wine from his cup.
“Yuanbao, your disciple has the makings of a powerful minister but lacks the heart of an upright one. If you gave him a dynasty in dire need of rebuilding and made him start from scratch, he might not be able to succeed. But now, hmph,” Xun Shaoshi sneered, “he has encountered an even more formidable figure, and I fear he may not even be able to protect himself.”
"Zhonghua".
Xun Shaoshi turned around and saw Wang Shuren put down his wine cup, looking at him with clear eyes. "Beating around the bush is really not your style. Just say what you want to say."
Master Xun's old eyes trembled. "A gold ingot..."
“Don’t tell me that you invited me here today just to catch up with an old friend. That would be too fake—” Wang Shuren paused, “…”
"So even I have become hypocritical." Xun Shaoshi chuckled self-deprecatingly, then cleared his eyes. "Yuanbao, can you see the dragon flag clearly today?"
"This time, the Yellow Dragon Flag."
“Indeed, the Holy Virtue is nearing its end,” said Xun Shaoshi succinctly. “It is time to return power to the Imperial Grandson.”
Upon hearing this, Wang Shuren's eyes widened.
"Yuanbao, we rescued the imperial grandson together on the winter solstice. Have you forgotten?"
How can I forget? How can I possibly forget?
He still remembers taking out the little imperial grandson who was hiding in the secret compartment of the carriage; he was the child of his most beloved disciple.
Small, like a kitten.
"Big brother, where is this?"
The Crown Prince, being respectful, asked his young grandson to address him as "Master," but the grandson, being lazy, called him "Grandpa."
His once handsome face was now weathered by time. He stroked his grandson's head. "Good boy, you must not call me 'Grandpa' anymore."
"So, what should Junlin call 'Big Brother'?"
“Just call him Master. Also, the imperial grandson cannot call himself the Emperor.”
"But it was the name that my grandfather gave to Junlin."
Yes, it was the nickname Emperor Yuan Ning gave to his most beloved grandson. "Jun Lin Jun Lin" is full of holy intentions but also has a fatal connotation. How could a little child understand such a complex and dark court?
Looking into his pure and clear eyes, Wang Shuren felt a pang of sadness.
"From now on, let it be called the 11th, and there will be no more Kings of the Land."
————————————————————————————————————————
My bad habit is that I like to revise at the very end, but since VIP chapters don't allow a second revision to be less than the first chapter's word count, there's a paragraph (to make sure the revised version gets published, just to reach the word count -).
-), I was wrong, I was wrong, I'll definitely fix it before updating next time.
Hey everyone, if you write a lot, I'll give you points as compensation.
Insert bookmark
Author's Note:
Because I love these two once-succulent old cucumbers so much, this chapter has two subtitles.
You wouldn't believe it, Master, you used to be such a handsome guy, right? Even though you're old and wrinkled, you still have a glorious past.
Wahahahahaha
This chapter was written very quickly. I'm definitely suited to writing this type of story. I really am a patriotic nun! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rolling down 1
0
Chapter Fifteen
Shiyongfang once flourished because it was the location of the Crown Prince's residence, but declined after the death of Crown Prince Minhuai, which can be said to be the best interpretation of the changing fortunes of the capital at that time. Now, there are very few wealthy people in the neighborhood, and only the residences of a few disgraced officials remain, one of which is the mansion of the former Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, Lord Xun.
"Thank you, sir."
Yu Zigui bowed slightly to the gatekeeper of the Xun residence and walked down the stone steps.
"How is he? Is Master alright?" Before even getting close, Eleven went to greet him.
"My master got into a drinking contest with someone and ended up completely drunk."
The baby-faced man stared blankly for a moment. "I've never seen my master drunk before."
Not only her senior brother, but she had never even met him.
Her master occasionally enjoyed a drink, but never allowed himself to drink too much. If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she probably would never have believed that the crazy old man reciting poetry and grinning foolishly was her master.
Since Master can indulge himself to such an extent that he is drunk, the Xun residence must be safe.
"Let's pick him up after he wakes up."
He glanced at Shangguan Yi, who had been silent for a long time.
Although this person was cunning, he was genuinely kind to her, and she knew it. So much so that whenever she had something on her mind, she couldn't help but look for those warm eyes. Although her habit of reading people's expressions was a bit bad, she didn't mind at all; on the contrary, she felt a warm sense of security.
"It's getting late, let's find a temple first," Shangguan suggested.
She nodded.
During the Winter Solstice, people from the Great Wei Dynasty often choose to return to their hometowns to pay respects to their ancestors. If they cannot return home in time, they will seek out a proper temple, light candles and burn paper money in front of the Buddha, and offer sacrifices to their ancestors from afar.
In the past, she had never burned paper money for her deceased parents because she refused to accept their passing. She wondered if her parents, now in the afterlife, ever secretly cursed her when they were penniless.
Thinking of this, she smiled slightly and was about to enter the incense shop on the street when she saw Eleven's eyes flicker, as if being pulled by something, and she stood there blankly forward.
"Senior brother!"
Eleven quickened his pace as if flying, and then stopped in front of an abandoned mansion.
“Master…” She stopped as well.
An imperial edict ordered the construction of the Crown Prince's residence.
The plaque was covered in dust, with five characters faintly visible. Eleven's figure trembled slightly as he slowly walked past the imposing stone guardian in front of the door. He reached out to remove the seal on the door.
"Don't touch it." The voice was so deep it sent chills down your spine.
Ziyu.
He stood there, stunned.
"If you don't want to take that responsibility, then don't touch it."
After a moment's hesitation, he finally lowered his hand. He turned around, his eyes filled with boundless sorrow.
Knowing that he must be extremely confused and helpless at this moment, just like himself last night, Yu Zigui walked to the door and led him down.
“Junior brother… I didn’t expect I would still remember… I remembered as soon as we got to the front… But… why seal the gate? Uncle clearly said that as long as… as long as there are people in the world who remember Father, the gate will always be open, forever…”
Shiyi's eyes reddened slightly, and she gripped Zigui's hand tighter and tighter, until the corners of her sleeves were crumpled up, and she could feel the heart-wrenching emotion through her skin.
"Even if the people of the world do not forget, as long as that person in the highest heavens lives, no one will dare to remember him."
Shangguan stepped forward, pried open Eleven's tightly clenched right hand, and said calmly.
"You've been protected too well by those around you all these years. Now it's time to decide whether to continue as Eleven or become the Emperor." Shangguan Yi's words hit the bullseye, her dark eyes cold and ruthless.
"Ziyu." I find it hard to agree with his bluntness.