Li Zhaoyi changed his clothes and came out of the inner room. When he saw Yun Yin, he froze in place.
He hadn’t expected Yun Yin to come. Though deep down, he had hoped Yun Yin would enter the palace today, even if it was just to continue probing or questioning him. As long as Yun Yin was by his side while he faced the new unknown.
He knew this line of thinking was somewhat problematic.
Yun Yin was the one who had pushed him into the spotlight, the perpetrator who had held a blade to his neck just the day before yesterday.
He ought to feel resentment, or be as wary of Yun Yin as Yun Yin was of him. But Yun Yin had found him a good teacher and kept his promise to take him out of the palace, so he felt like it was nothing again.
Those fears and grievances easily vanished like smoke.
He asked quietly, “Why did you come?”
Yun Yin replied, “Elder Lin was also this minister’s teacher. I haven’t heard him lecture in a long time and felt somewhat nostalgic.”
Li Zhaoyi suddenly understood.
He thought to himself that although Yun Yin and Lin Ping seemed to have conflicting philosophies, Yun Yin was unexpectedly respectful of his teachers.
In any case, with Yun Yin here, he felt much more at ease.
After breakfast, at the appointed time, the two went together to the Hall of Civil Governance. But when he actually sat down inside, Li Zhaoyi took a deep breath and found his gaze wandering toward Yun Yin, his mind drifting.
–
Yesterday, Li Zhaoyi had unexpectedly learned a piece of news from De Quan: one of his two teachers, Lin Ping, had once been the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince—the teacher of the former Crown Prince, Li Zhaoyu.
Li Zhaoyi was very surprised when he found out. After all, when Yun Yin told him about it, he had been very forthright, saying that letting him engage in political affairs was to reduce the court officials’ dissatisfaction. But now, of his two teachers, one was the current Vice Grand Secretary, and the other was the former Crown Prince’s mentor. This hardly seemed like a random choice just to silence critics. Li Zhaoyi felt uncertain about Yun Yin’s words once more.
So he pestered De Quan with many more questions.
“What would Your Majesty like to know?” De Quan asked. “If it’s about matters from the previous court, this servant might not be entirely clear.”
Li Zhaoyi thought for a moment. “Grand Tutor Lin… is he strict?”
He had changed into soft sleeping attire, his long hair loose. Freshly bathed, his eyes were steamed and glistening, a sight that softened any heart that looked upon him.
“That…” De Quan couldn’t bear to deceive him. He said, “Grand Tutor Lin is famously rigorous. His Highness the Crown Prince was exceptionally intelligent, and the Grand Tutor praised him highly. But from time to time, he would still reprimand him.”
By the time of Emperor Ruide’s reign in the Yan Dynasty, valuing civil over military had become the prevailing trend. In recent years, with unrest at the borders, the status of military officers had seen a slight rise. But even the Yun Clan, with their incomparable military achievements, could only be dismissed as “uncouth brutes” by some sharp-tongued scholars among the common folk.
The extreme emphasis on civil pursuits meant that everyone, from commoners to aristocratic families to the imperial house, placed immense importance on the education of their juniors.
Especially the imperial house.
Li Zhaoyi shrank his neck slightly. “Why?”
“The reasons were many,” De Quan said, thinking back. “No matter what, His Highness the Crown Prince was still a child then, and children will be children. But by sixteen or seventeen, His Highness began attending court and participating in governance. After that, there were no more words of reprimand.”
“Before that, though.” He paused, cleared his throat. “It was mainly because of the Heir.”
Li Zhaoyi was taken aback.
“That is, the current Prince of Pingnan,” De Quan said with a smile. He patiently explained to Li Zhaoyi, “As this servant mentioned before, the Yun family also produced a Noble Consort and was very close to the imperial family. The Prince was the legitimate eldest son. The Empress Dowager was extremely fond of him and often summoned him to the palace. When he came of age, she made him His Highness’s Study Companion. His Highness had a gentle temperament and was extremely self-disciplined. The rare times he was reprimanded by the Grand Tutor were because the Heir goaded him into sneaking out of the palace.”
~
Li Zhaoyi had no idea that De Quan and Yun Yin had emphasized the thing he was nervous about. He had indeed slept late yesterday, but the main reason was listening to De Quan tell stories about the Eastern Palace’s old affairs. As he listened, the focus shifted to Yun Yin.
The Yun Yin in De Quan’s stories was very different from the man now.
He would take the reigning Crown Prince to skip lessons and argued with Lin Ping for Li Zhaoyu’s sake. De Quan said that Li Zhaoyu had lost his mother at a young age and regarded Yun Yin as an elder brother. Yun Yin protected him fiercely, even more so than he did his own blood brother.
Li Zhaoyi said, “He has a brother?”
“Yes,” De Quan said. “The Second Young Master of the Yun Manor should be around Your Majesty’s age now.”
He paused. “But in his youth, the Prince rarely returned to the manor and mostly lived in the palace. Probably because the Old Prince of Pingnan was too strict. If we’re talking about closeness, that was with His Highness the Crown Prince.”
Some things were hard to say directly, so he hinted at them subtly.
For instance, the complicated old affairs of the Yun Manor. For instance, the loneliness the young Li Zhaoyu felt as Crown Prince despite being overlooked.
Li Zhaoyi didn’t pick up on it.
He just said, “That’s nice.”
Though both had lost their mothers in childhood, their personalities harmonized, and they kept each other company. Their loneliness must have been lessened greatly.
It was just a pity that fate was so fickle and such a bond so brief.
If he were Yun Yin, he would probably feel unresigned too.
Perhaps he stared for too long, because Yun Yin couldn’t help but speak up: “Your Majesty, what is it?”
Li Zhaoyi hastily averted his gaze.
“Nothing,” he said.
He paused, then added hesitantly, “You… probably don’t have any expectations of me, do you?”
No matter how much Li Zhaoyu had been scolded, his natural intelligence and youthful wisdom were renowned.
And he was just a useless fool who knew nothing.
Although Yun Yin had seen him review memorials and knew his level, he was still worried. Worried that Yun Yin harbored unnecessary expectations of him, wasting not only his own time but also Lin Ping’s.
Yun Yin’s expression paused.
Li Zhaoyi’s words were filled with trepidation; he could see the other was genuinely nervous.
But…
How to put it.
He thought.
Li Zhaoyi didn’t realize that the more he acted like this, exposing such defenseless fear, the more it stirred a desire to bully him.
He withdrew his gaze.
He wasn’t in the mood to bully Li Zhaoyi today, so he simply said:
“Your Majesty, there is no need to worry.”
Li Zhaoyi pursed his lips.
He wanted to say something more, but just then, Lin Ping and Gu Qingdai walked in from outside.
–
Almost the instant Lin Ping entered, Li Zhaoyi subconsciously straightened his back.
Though he was the Emperor, by the Yan Dynasty’s rules, he still had to bow to the Imperial Tutor.
After completing the respectful ceremonial bow, he sat in the lower seat to Lin Ping. On the other side, Yun Yin had already casually taken a seat off to the side, resting his forehead on his hand with an air of indifference, not looking at anyone.
Li Zhaoyi raised his head and met Lin Ping’s somewhat clouded eyes.
This Great Confucian Scholar, already seventy years old, still held his frame ramrod straight, his face grave and stern.
The first question he asked Li Zhaoyi was: “Your Majesty, in your view, what is the Way of the Sovereign?”
As his words fell, the hall fell into complete silence.
Li Zhaoyi looked at him, pausing for a fleeting second.
This was a very broad question.
Li Zhaoyi had crammed last night, memorizing mountains and rivers, reading up on some current political affairs.
But it had never occurred to him that Lin Ping would ask him this.
His fingers tightened nervously, and his instinct was to glance at Yun Yin, only to see a flicker of interest in the other man’s eyes, also waiting for his answer.
He bit his lip.
A moment later, he said quietly, “I…”
Yun Yin coughed.
Li Zhaoyi froze, immediately realized his mistake, and stumbled over his words: “This Sovereign believes that as a ruler, one must be diligent and earnest, to be… a good emperor praised by all.”
This answer was perfectly conventional.
But for Li Zhaoyi, he had already scraped the bottom of his vocabulary.
Yun Yin lowered his eyes, casually playing with the teacup in his hand.
Lin Ping pondered for a moment, then continued, “Then, Your Majesty, how do you think one achieves that universal praise?”
As if seeing his embarrassment, Lin Ping paused. “Your Majesty need not fret over your choice of words. Just answer as your heart tells you.”
Finally, Li Zhaoyi’s face showed a look of pure difficulty.
He really had never thought about this question.
After a moment, he took a deep breath and looked at Lin Ping.
Lin Ping’s expression was still very stern, but Li Zhaoyi’s intuition told him this was not someone who would deliberately make things difficult for him or look down on him. So he gathered his courage and spoke: “Full bellies, warm clothes, and happiness.”
He looked at Lin Ping and said quietly, “If the common people can all eat their fill, wear warm clothes, and be happy every day, then everyone… would probably like him very much.”
As soon as he finished, he instantly regretted it.
He said uneasily, “…Was what I said too simple?”
He thought Yun Yin would laugh at him, but he heard no sound.
He looked up. Yun Yin still held that teacup, but his expression was thoughtful. Lin Ping maintained his upright, severe demeanor, but his expression had softened slightly.
He nodded and said, “What Your Majesty says is perfectly correct.”
“‘The way of a ruler must begin with the well-being of the people. To bring peace to the world, one must first rectify oneself.’” He looked at Li Zhaoyi and said slowly, “For the people, and to correct oneself. These two are the keys to the Way of the Sovereign. I implore Your Majesty, from this day forward, no matter how the court situation changes, to always keep these two phrases firmly in your heart.”
–
Li Zhaoyi had originally thought today would be an utterly humiliating day for him.
He knew his own level all too well. His literacy was barely at the standard, and he was completely ignorant of everything else. But to his surprise, apart from a small stumble right at the beginning, he didn’t feel the chaotic sensation of it all sounding like gibberish.
Lin Ping and Gu Qingdai—the former taught classics, history, and literature, while the latter taught statecraft.
But no matter which one lectured, they explained profound things in simple terms. The content wasn’t complicated and was quite easy to understand.
Li Zhaoyi certainly didn’t arrogantly think this was because he himself was so capable. He had asked De Quan before: imperial children began their formal schooling at six, and their curriculum was all-encompassing. Even Li Zhaoyu had to study from morning till night.
As the Son of Heaven, what he had to learn would only be more, not less.
The current situation had only one explanation—
“You spoke to the Grand Tutor beforehand,” he asked quietly, “didn’t you?”
The room was silent. Lin Ping and Gu Qingdai had already moved to the next room to rest.
A test paper was laid out before Li Zhaoyi. It was meant to gauge his current level. From now on, every month, he would undergo this type of small exam.
The exam content was also included in this break time.
Yun Yin, for some reason, hadn’t gone out but was just reading a book.
He seemed unusually patient today.
Hearing Li Zhaoyi’s words, he didn’t elaborate, simply saying, “This minister told you, Your Majesty need not worry.”
Because suspecting, guarding against, and probing Li Zhaoyi was one thing. But since he had decided not to move against Li Zhaoyi for now, there was no need to make things difficult at every turn. To have been an imperial prince yet never receive the most basic education—those who should reflect on that were others entirely. In no way was it Li Zhaoyi’s own fault.
He didn’t consider this a favor, so naturally, he didn’t need Li Zhaoyi to express thanks.
But Li Zhaoyi looked at him and said, very earnestly, “Thank you.”
After saying this, he didn’t get a reply from Yun Yin. Of course, Yun Yin didn’t always answer him.
He lowered his head and began quietly working on his test paper.
To the side, Yun Yin lowered his gaze.
He appeared to be reading a book, but hadn’t turned a single page.
After a long time, he looked up, glanced at Li Zhaoyi with an unreadable expression, and stood up.
