The Blood Crown - Chapter 47

The two of them enjoyed a night of drinking and talked about various court matters. Since their return from Lingwu Mountain Villa, their relationship had grown closer. Subjects that Feng Ye had never mentioned before, he now discussed with Yan Sikong under the influence of alcohol and Yan Sikong’s clever prompting.

Yan Sikong was particularly interested in knowing more about Feng Jianping’s network of influence within the court. Although Feng Jianping appeared to avoid mingling with civil officials in the capital due to the taboo of the military and civil officials collaborating, he held significant military power and was regarded with suspicion by the Emperor. Yan Sikong had already uncovered some information, but he sought further confirmation.

It was clear from their conversation that Feng Jianping had a close relationship with the Minister of Personnel, Liu An, as well as various officials in the southern provinces and Jiangnan’s prominent families.

Yan Sikong thought that if Feng Jianping could support Chen He, it would solidify Chen He’s position as the Crown Prince. Xie Zhongren had been able to act recklessly for two decades because he was highly favored by Emperor Zhaowu and held a close relationship with the Emperor. To remove his influence, they needed to either sow discord between him and the Emperor or find a new Emperor.

Regardless of the path they chose, Yan Sikong was determined to try and reach his goal as soon as possible.

The two of them continued to talk through the night, and eventually, Feng Ye fell asleep in his guest room.

In the morning, Yan Sikong woke up early and prepared breakfast himself.

He went to Feng Ye’s room to wake him up, calling his name, but received no response.

“Feng Ye?” Yan Sikong walked closer. “Wake up, it’s time for breakfast.”

Feng Ye remained still and silent.

“Feng Ye?” Yan Sikong stepped even closer, reaching out to touch his shoulder.

Suddenly, his wrist was firmly grasped, and in the next moment, he was flung onto the bed, landing in Feng Ye’s strong and warm embrace.

“Haha!” Feng Ye managed to wrestle him down and laughed triumphantly.

Yan Sikong couldn’t help but say, “You truly are like a mischievous child.”

Feng Ye buried his face in Yan Sikong’s chest. “Last night, I wanted you to sleep with me. Where did you run off to?”

“I naturally went back to my own room.” Yan Sikong tried to push him away. “Get up, I’ve made breakfast.”

“You?” Feng Ye was surprised. “You can cook?”

“What’s so surprising about that?”

“Where’s your servant?”

“He developed a rash these past few days and has been resting in his room.”

Feng Ye complained, “You should have told me earlier. I could have brought you to my residence. You’re a Hanlin, and it’s one thing to travel without a carriage, but to have only one servant in your house is quite pitiful.”

“My salary is meager, and besides, it doesn’t affect anything. It’s not a problem,” Yan Sikong was pressed down by Feng Ye and felt somewhat anxious. “Hurry, let go of me.”

“No, unless you come to stay at my residence,” Feng Ye insisted.

“Nonsense, I’m fine here. Come on, get up.” Yan Sikong struggled to free himself.

Fighting with determination, Feng Ye, who was no pushover either, was pressed down by Yan Sikong’s twisting movements. The bed was not of high quality and started creaking in response to their actions. Feng Ye found himself growing restless due to Yan Sikong’s twisting, and he secured Yan Sikong’s wrists, saying in a low voice, “Don’t move.”

Yan Sikong was indeed too scared to move, as he felt something hard and warm pressing against his leg.

The eyes of the two men happened to meet inadvertently, and the atmosphere between them became quite unusual.

Feng Ye slowly lowered his head, and the tip of his nose gently touched Yan Sikong’s nose as he softly said, “I want to kiss you.”

Yan Sikong’s heart ached with tension, and he cleared his throat, speaking seriously, “Feng Ye, let go of me.”

Feng Ye’s deep and bright eyes stared unblinkingly into Yan Sikong’s eyes. His feathery eyelashes trembled slightly, and he even looked somewhat innocent.

Yan Sikong spoke more firmly, “Let go of me.”

Feng Ye pouted and let him go, getting up from the bed.

Yan Sikong turned over and got off the bed, adjusting his clothes as if nothing had happened. He said casually, “Get up, let’s have breakfast.”

Yan’s residence was simple, and the breakfast was not particularly elaborate—two bowls of plain congee, three small side dishes, and four meat buns, which were the entire spread on the table.

Feng Ye wasn’t concerned, and he happily got up and took a deep breath, “Mmm, it smells delicious.”

“Eat quickly before it gets cold.”

Feng Ye picked up one of the plump, steaming buns and took a big bite. “Mmm, these buns are really delicious. They remind me of… the ones we ate when I was a child, the ones made by Blind Zhang.”

A smile crossed Yan Sikong’s face. “You remember that.”

“I certainly do. You said your whole family loved them, so you took me to try them.”

Yan Sikong’s eyes brightened. “Yes, when I was young and had spare time, I learned a thing or two from Blind Zhang. I managed to replicate the taste quite well, and it’s got the full package of flavor, aroma, and taste.”

“I don’t remember the taste very well, but I do recall it being exceptionally delicious. Maybe one day, we can go taste them again.”

Yan Sikong’s expression turned somewhat melancholic. “I’m afraid he’s no longer around.”

Feng Ye quickly changed the subject. “Is that all? These dishes aren’t nearly enough for me to eat.”

“Feel free to eat more; there’s plenty in the kitchen.”

After having breakfast, Feng Ye wanted to invite a skilled physician for Arly but was refused by Yan Sikong. He also suggested that Yan Sikong visit his residence, which was also declined. However, Yan Sikong agreed to accompany him to the Chunyu Pavilion to listen to music the next day.

During the two or three days Feng Ye stayed in the capital, they met almost daily. Gradually, many people became aware of their friendship, but Yan Sikong didn’t neglect his other friends like Zhou Mixing and Liang Sui. He had a wide circle of acquaintances, so outsiders assumed he enjoyed socializing with young gentlemen of the city, without realizing the depth of his relationship with Feng Ye.

After Feng Ye returned to the Jing Mountains camp, Arly also came back. Seeing Arly calm and confident, Yan Sikong knew that the mission had been completed successfully. However, he couldn’t relax yet, as a storm was just beginning.

Over a month had passed since the Emperor Zhaowu’s birthday, and autumn had arrived in the capital. At the top of Jing Mountain, the scenery was breathtaking with the changing colors of the trees. The vivid display of orange, yellow, and red leaves was a testament to the beauty of the changing seasons. Feng Ye invited Yan Sikong to Lingwu Mountain Villa to enjoy the autumn scenery.

Yan Sikong had initially agreed, but on the day before the trip, he received a long-awaited message.

That day, he went to the Hanlin Academy as usual but was summoned into a room by Yan Zilian, who had a serious expression. Inside, Shen Hexuan was already waiting, his demeanor solemn.

Yan Sikong realized what was happening and asked, “Master, do you have any instructions?”

Yan Zilian looked at him sharply and inquired, “Who wrote Volume Eleven of the new history?”

Yan Sikong thought for a moment and replied, “Liu Zhaolin.”

“And the verifications, who were responsible for the second and third reviews?”

“The second review was done by a student, and the third review was…,” Yan Sikong glanced at Shen Hexuan.

This historical revision was led by Wang Shengsheng, with the accomplished Grand Academician of the Wenyuange, Huo Li, overseeing the project. Huo Li divided the Hanlin scholars into four groups, with the newly appointed Hanlin scholars making up one group led by Shen Hexuan. Huo Li was responsible for the overall structure of the new history, and each group was assigned specific years to work on. Scholars like Yan Sikong played a crucial role in reviewing and cross-checking the content. Shen Hexuan, on his own, couldn’t examine all the volumes thoroughly, so their task was to review and verify the content for accuracy.

However, if there were problems in the content, everyone involved in the process would be held accountable.

Shen Hexuan spoke, “Master, may we see the memorial submitted by Minister Cai?”

Yan Sikong urgently asked, “Master, what’s going on?”

“This is an impeachment memorial from Cai Zhongfan, the Assistant Inspector of Qingyang. It was just delivered to the Academy today, and it was supposed to be presented to the Emperor today. But I managed to delay it by one day, you can read it for yourselves.” Yan Zilian tossed the memorial to them.

Yan Sikong opened the memorial, and Shen Hexuan came closer. They both read it swiftly, and their expressions changed.

Shen Hexuan began to sweat on his forehead and knelt on the ground, his face turning pale. “I have failed in my duty.”

The memorial contained severe criticism from Cai Zhongfan, highlighting a significant error in Volume Eleven of the new history. It referred to Emperor Zhaowu as “Wu Zhao,” a potentially malicious alteration. While the memorial wasn’t a direct impeachment, its pointed criticism was aimed at Wang Shengsheng and was already quite sharp.

It was well known that Emperor Zhaowu, although not concerned with politics, cared deeply about his image. If it were another ruler with a more open-minded disposition, they might overlook a mere typographical error. However, Emperor Zhaowu wasn’t likely to let this slide. Furthermore, this was an opportunity for those in the eunuch faction to strike a blow against Wang Shengsheng, and Yan Zilian knew this.

Yan Sikong realized that the memorial was just the beginning, and more impeachments targeting Wang Shengsheng would follow. Shen Hexuan’s panicked words seemed to indicate that they were caught in a difficult situation.

Yan Zilian said, “Cai Zhongfan has a deep personal grudge against Wang Shengsheng. He was previously an official in the Ministry of Personnel but was falsely accused by Wang Shengsheng for not favoring officials recommended by Wang. He was demoted to the position of an Assistant Inspector and sent to Qingyang, a remote and harsh location.”

Yan Sikong had already investigated the enmity between Cai Zhongfan and Wang Shengsheng. The Ministry of Personnel was the most powerful of the Six Ministries and was responsible for the promotion and appointment of officials throughout the empire. The position of Assistant Inspector was indeed a critical one, and Cai Zhongfan’s demotion to this position was part of Wang Shengsheng’s plot to punish him for not bending to Wang’s wishes.

Cai Zhongfan was a capable and headstrong man, and given the opportunity, he would undoubtedly challenge Wang Shengsheng. This was the kind of person Yan Sikong needed, and he suspected that this memorial was just the beginning. More impeachment memorials targeting Wang Shengsheng would follow to add fuel to the fire.

Shen Hexuan said, “Master, we made mistakes, but we’re not guilty of any intentional insult or curse against His Majesty.”

Yan Sikong added, “Master, please save us from this situation.”

Yan Zilian sighed, “Cai Zhongfan is targeting Wang Shengsheng, but you three, along with Grand Academician Huo, will inevitably be implicated. This situation could be serious or mild… You have put me in a difficult position.”

Yan Sikong understood Yan Zilian’s dilemma. While Emperor Zhaowu was not particularly interested in politics and usually focused on leisure, he was known to be sensitive about his image. If another ruler with a broader mind were in power, they might overlook a typographical error. But Emperor Zhaowu might not be so forgiving. Yan Sikong believed that Yan Zilian wouldn’t miss an opportunity to eliminate Wang Shengsheng and gain full control of the Cabinet, but he also understood that Yan Zilian wouldn’t easily sacrifice the two students he had recently nurtured. The tricky part would be how these seasoned courtiers managed to navigate this situation.

Yan Sikong knew that he had taken a bold and somewhat impatient step, but sometimes, taking calculated risks was necessary.

I… really want to eat meat-filled buns with thin wrappers.