Chapter 15

Yun Yin went next door.

It was said they were resting, but Lin Ping and Gu Qingdai were old acquaintances and naturally weren’t just sitting around idly.

When Yun Yin entered, the two were chatting about everyday matters. As Lin Ping spoke, there wasn’t much of a smile on his face, but his expression was fairly amiable. However, upon seeing Yun Yin, he paused for two seconds, gave a cold snort, and said in a strange tone, “What brings the Prince here?”

When his temper flared, he acknowledged no one.

Never mind that Yun Yin was now the Regent. Back when Emperor Ruide wanted to launch a massive construction project to build a new hall within the palace, Lin Ping had berated him openly in court. If Emperor Ruide had been not just fatuous but also cruel, and if Lin Ping hadn’t had so many supporters in the court, he would have long ago lost his life because of that mouth of his.

Yun Yin didn’t take issue with him, simply saying, “While His Majesty is taking his small test, this student has come to pay respects to his teacher and uncle.”

His attitude at this moment couldn’t be called overly reverent, but it was proper enough and hard to fault. Lin Ping, in the end, didn’t truly nitpick, though the look in his eyes as he watched Yun Yin remained complicated.

He stood up. “You two talk. This room is stuffy; I’ll go out for a walk.”

He stiffened his back and headed for the door, opting for the principle of “out of sight, out of mind.”

Yun Yin naturally understood his meaning.

He retracted his gaze, lowered his eyes, and sat down in the lower seat beside Gu Qingdai.

Silence hung in the air for a moment before Gu Qingdai spoke first.

He said, “Elder Lin likes His Majesty very much.”

Yun Yin said, “Mm.”

Gu Qingdai looked at him, carefully choosing his tone. “You don’t seem… very surprised?”

Yun Yin was his junior, but nobody dared to actually treat him as a junior. Even though the Gu and Yun families were related by marriage, and Yun Yin had to call him Uncle, Gu Qingdai didn’t dare speak carelessly.

Yun Yin’s attitude was quite gentle, and he smiled. “Because when Elder Lin takes on a student, what he values has never been how smart they are, but their attitude.”

Lin Ping didn’t care how intelligent a student was. Li Zhaoyi had a proper attitude, appeared pure and well-behaved, and had a personality that easily pleased elders.

That Lin Ping would like Li Zhaoyi didn’t surprise him in the slightest.

His words were always pointed, stopping just at the right place. With just this one sentence, Gu Qingdai understood.

He thoughtfully fiddled with the bead bracelet in his hand.

Yun Yin said calmly, “Uncle can speak frankly.”

Gu Qingdai gazed at him steadily for a moment, seeming to wrestle with himself internally, but finally spoke.

“Since we’re family, I’ll be direct,” he said. “Lin Ping is upright and unyielding. If someone catches his eye, he will devote himself fully to assisting them. Knowing he would like His Majesty, why did you still specifically invite him out of retirement? Or… did I misinterpret your intentions when you first asked me?”

Yun Yin looked at him, his gaze frank. “What did Uncle think I meant when I originally asked you to be Imperial Tutor?”

Gu Qingdai looked at him, unsure of his true meaning, and for a moment didn’t speak.

There was a moment of silence in the air.

After a pause, Yun Yin spoke first.

He said, “Uncle did not misinterpret. It’s just that going too far is as bad as not going far enough.”

He paused. “You’ve seen His Majesty’s situation.”

Gu Qingdai said slowly, “Pure-hearted, hardworking beyond measure. It’s just… after all, there are seventeen missing years in between.”

Yun Yin lowered his eyes.

“I understand,” Gu Qingdai sighed, then explained, “You should know, I’m just asking you for a definitive stance. No other meaning. After all, the Gu and Yun families share a common fate, unlike outsiders. It’s better to ask clearly for the sake of how we act.”

Yun Yin nodded. “I know. Thank you for your trouble, Uncle.”

Tacitly, the two dropped the subject and talked about court matters for a while longer.

The atmosphere relaxed.

“Actually, if we’re truly speaking of nature and heart,” Gu Qingdai sighed, “having a sovereign with His Majesty’s disposition is a good thing for the realm. It’s just… the selection for the Central Palace will require more careful deliberation.”

Yun Yin’s hand, holding his tea, paused slightly.

Gu Qingdai didn’t notice the change in Yun Yin.

Regarding the matter of the empress, he had only mentioned it in passing. After all, Li Zhaoyi had just ascended the throne, and everything was still unclear. Even if a consort selection were to occur, it wouldn’t be at this moment.

His mind turned to another matter. “Wanling came to see me a few days ago. She said she wants you to consider marriage prospects. What are your thoughts? Has any young lady from any family caught your eye?”

This was concern voiced from an elder’s perspective, setting aside official positions and court affairs.

Yun Yin’s marriage now held an importance no less than that of the imperial family.

Gu Qingdai actually had a few suitable candidates in mind, but from what he knew of Yun Yin, the man wasn’t one to be pushed around. He wanted to suggest strengthening ties between their families through marriage, but after hesitating, he didn’t dare voice it.

What he hadn’t expected was that even such purely caring concern wouldn’t necessarily be appreciated by Yun Yin.

“I already told my mother I have no intention of marrying for the time being,” he said succinctly. “Thank you for your concern, Uncle.”

Gu Qingdai raised his eyes in surprise.

Yun Yin stood up. “As for the matter of the Central Palace, I understand Uncle’s meaning. However, His Majesty is still young, and has only just come out of his mourning period. Rushing to a decision will only breed more trouble. I don’t think there’s any need to hurry.”

Gu Qingdai came back to his senses. “Naturally.”

“Then let’s discuss this matter another time,” Yun Yin said flatly. “Uncle, I’ll be going back now.”

With that, he left the Side Hall.

~

When Yun Yin returned to the Side Hall, Li Zhaoyi was staring blankly at his test paper.

Hearing the footsteps, he looked up and was taken aback.

“What’s wrong with you?” he asked.

Yun Yin stopped in his tracks.

He realized Li Zhaoyi could detect his mood with almost microscopic precision.

Everyone in the court, including Chang Zixuan, only noticed Li Zhaoyi’s appearance, thinking he was a pretty vase with nothing behind it. But in truth, Li Zhaoyi was sometimes very clever.

Clever, and also well-behaved.

He said, “Nothing.”

Li Zhaoyi knew that meant he didn’t want to talk and responded, “…Oh.”

Then he lowered his head again.

Yun Yin didn’t move. He watched Li Zhaoyi for a while and saw him hesitating before a question, unable to put pen to paper.

Yun Yin spoke up. “If you can’t do it, leave it blank.”

He had seen the test paper.

Even with his prior instructions to them, Lin Ping and Gu Qingdai—especially Lin Ping—always harbored some expectations they probably shouldn’t have. If his eyes weren’t deceiving him, the question Li Zhaoyi was agonizing over now must be a policy essay question.

If his estimate of Li Zhaoyi’s level was accurate, he probably couldn’t even understand the question prompt.

Li Zhaoyi, however, shook his head.

“Leaving it blank,” he said quietly, “isn’t very polite.”

Yun Yin gave a faint, sardonic smile.

It was a question that should have appeared anyway. He scanned the prompt and said concisely, “This is part of a memorial submitted by a local official to the court a few days ago. A severe drought in the Southwest. It asks for Your Majesty’s countermeasures.”

Li Zhaoyi covered his ears.

Yun Yin: …

He said slowly, “I’ll count to three.”

“Three.”

“Two.”

At the last count, Li Zhaoyi took his hands down and shot Yun Yin a completely harmless glare.

The corner of Yun Yin’s mouth finally quirked upward.

He said, “Be good.”

“Won’t tell you the answer,” he stated. “I’ll just explain the question for you.”

~

Li Zhaoyi’s small test didn’t receive much feedback.

No matter how earnest he was, he had absolutely no foundation. Gu Qingdai’s face didn’t reveal anything, but Lin Ping couldn’t conceal the worry in his brow. Only when he met Li Zhaoyi’s pure, secretly hopeful eyes could he force himself to hide his emotions.

The two each took the papers they were responsible for, bowed, and took their leave.

Li Zhaoyi didn’t get a definitive score and was a little disappointed.

But he also knew that if he had received a score, he might be even more dejected. So he obediently watched his two teachers leave.

Once they were gone, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Turning around, he saw Yun Yin was still there.

Li Zhaoyi: ???

Yun Yin: ???

He said slowly, “Is Your Majesty hoping I’ll leave?”

Li Zhaoyi thought the question was very strange. If there was nothing going on, why would Yun Yin stay in his Bedchamber?

Clearly, before this, the man might not show up for three or four days at a time.

But Yun Yin was truly very strange today.

Li Zhaoyi said, “Then do you have some other business?”

He really wanted to review what he had learned today. Although Lin Ping and Gu Qingdai had both been very considerate of him, he was just barely keeping up and still needed to do some revision.

Yun Yin said, “Yes.”

“This minister needs to review memorials,” he stated.

Li Zhaoyi looked bewildered.

The surrounding palace maids and eunuchs kept their eyes fixed on their noses and their noses on their hearts, not daring to breathe loudly.

Then they heard Yun Yin say, “Your Majesty will accompany this minister.”

Li Zhaoyi: “…”

?

–

Li Zhaoyi was bundled out of the palace, complete with memorials and all. He only managed to bring along his revision materials.

Yun Yin—the man could be described as refined, and also as domineering.

As Li Zhaoyi was forced to change clothes and bundled into the carriage, his head was still spinning. De Quan wanted to protest but didn’t dare, instead helping pack Li Zhaoyi’s things off to the side. Clinging to the carriage’s edge, Li Zhaoyi made one last-ditch effort to struggle:

“Um, you know you’ve been impeached quite a few times, right…”

It was strange. Yesterday when Li Zhaoyi and Yun Yin entered the carriage, there were clearly no onlookers nearby. But today, everyone seemed to know that Yun Yin had brought a “woman” back to his manor yesterday.

The daily memorials were all delivered to the Hall of Civil Governance.

To distract himself from his nervousness, Li Zhaoyi had flipped through a few, and his ears turned red from reading them.

It wasn’t just impeachment; it was spreading rumors.

Officials of the Yan Dynasty were forbidden from visiting courtesans. Someone, somehow, had spread the rumor that the “woman” was the capital’s top beauty, the current Top Courtesan of the Immortal Pavilion, Shen Chu. Thus, impeachment memorials fluttered down onto Li Zhaoyi’s desk like snowflakes. They accused Yun Yin of wanton behavior, not only summoning a courtesan but carousing with her all night long.

Li Zhaoyi… Li Zhaoyi wanted to say, he clearly came back to the palace, okay!

These people’s surveillance skills seemed to be good one moment and terrible the next.

He was worrying himself sick over Yun Yin’s reputation, thinking Yun Yin probably hadn’t seen the memorials yet and might not know the rumor had spread so convincingly, with every detail seemingly confirmed.

Yun Yin, surprisingly, stopped with patience and listened seriously as Li Zhaoyi recounted the contents of the memorials, his expression very attentive. Li Zhaoyi thought he had taken it to heart.

Then, Yun Yin opened his mouth, his confusion sounding completely genuine:

“Number one beauty in the capital? Who conferred that title?”

Li Zhaoyi: “…”

Is that the main point?

He didn’t even know what to say and refuted weakly, “What if she really is?”

Yun Yin said, “Impossible.”

As he said this, he looked at Li Zhaoyi, his expression careless. Li Zhaoyi felt his cheeks burn under that gaze, his heart inexplicably racing. For a moment, he forgot what he had been about to say.

It was at that exact moment that he suddenly spotted a figure not far away.

His expression froze for an instant. He almost subconsciously tightened his grip on the carriage curtain, his breathing suddenly becoming rapid.