Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 866 The King Who Lives on a Kept Man
Most of the imperial court was gathered at the dock.

Isn't this a silent protest?

Although the "Imperial Song Criminal Code" has been restored for several years, who wouldn't feel a sense of shared sorrow at the execution of so many officials at once?

Wei Liangchen had been in the court for many years, and his students and old friends were all over the court and the country.

It's not that they were so afraid of the Prince of Yan's steel blade that they didn't even come to see him off.

Moreover, the court treated Wei Liangchen with great respect, first granting him the title of Marquis before allowing him to retire.

When people come to see you off, you can't find any fault with them.

However, even when it's the same event of seeing someone off, different circles can form depending on the closeness or distance of the relationship.

For example, those who accompanied Wei Liangchen onto the deck at the end were only a few high-ranking officials and ministers and vice ministers of the Six Ministries.

Wei Liangchen stopped and looked at the several high-ranking officials who were seeing him off, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

He cupped his hands in greeting and said in a low voice, "Gentlemen, I take my leave now. I entrust the Song Dynasty to you all."

Huang Xu, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, said disdainfully, "Right now, Yang Yuan is in control of the knife and is ruthless. We can't win against him."

But if the world is to function in an orderly manner, do we really need to rely on those old fools?

"Governance through civil administration depends on us ministers. When the people are in dire straits and Heaven and Man are filled with resentment, then Yang Ziyue will be the target of universal condemnation."

Upon hearing this, the ministers couldn't help but show varying expressions.

Wei Liangchen sighed and said, "In all matters, we should prioritize the well-being of the nation and its people!"

At this moment, the passenger ship that had sailed from Sichuan and Chongqing also docked.

When the old prime minister wanted to return to his hometown in glory, the government sent officials to escort him.

Following the signal from the lead boat, the passenger ship began to move closer to the shore ahead of schedule.

The students of Sichuan who had been discussing philosophy in the cabin also went up to the deck. When they saw the dock, wow!
Both purple and vermilion, how magnificent!

Wei Liangchen's retirement and return to his hometown happened too late for the people on the boat to know, and their discovery inevitably led to various speculations.

However, the girl surnamed Qian was too lazy to be distracted.

As the ship approached the shore, she finally mustered the courage to ask the question that had been on her mind for so long, a question she had wanted to ask but dared not.

"Senior Brother, is Teacher really going to start lecturing at the newly built Wushan Academy on Qibao Mountain?"

Lu Jiuyuan laughed and said, "Of course it's true."

Upon hearing this, the girl surnamed Qian smiled broadly and said, "That's wonderful! Once you have the exact time for the teacher's lecture, please be sure to let me know, senior brother."

Lu Jiuyuan smiled and said, "Don't worry, I certainly won't forget you."

Lu Jiuyuan knew very well how obsessed his junior sister was with Mr. Mu Yi's scholarship.

Wherever Mr. Mu Yi appeared, she would follow.

Lu Jiuyuan was deeply moved that such a young girl was so passionate about academics.

At this moment, a student next to him suddenly said, "Hey, have you noticed that as long as the academy was built under the supervision of the Prince of Yan, once it is completed, Mr. Mu Yi will definitely go there to give lectures?"

The Prince of Yan and Mr. Mu Yi must be very familiar with each other and have a good relationship.

Another student said, "You don't need to tell me. Not only that, have you noticed that wherever the Prince of Yan is, Mr. Mu Yi will be there too?"

Whenever Mr. Mu Yi gives a lecture, the Prince of Yan will definitely be in the city.

Lu Jiuyuan had actually discovered this secret as well.

In his view, the promotion of an academic discipline is inseparable from the support of the powerful and wealthy.

It is highly likely that Prince Yang Yuan of Yan was supporting Mr. Mu Yi.

However, those who are engaged in academics often have a somewhat aloof mindset.

They cannot do without power and money to conduct academic research, especially to promote it, yet they are ashamed to associate such noble scholarship with power and money.

Lu Jiuyuan cleared his throat and said, "Sir, you study the ways of the world, so naturally you must travel the world and observe its inhabitants."

The Prince of Yan was a troublemaker.

Wherever he appears, chaos and upheaval arise; how could the gentleman possibly not be there?

"That's right, that's right. You guys don't study properly all day long, you just have all sorts of wild thoughts."

The girl surnamed Qian immediately chimed in, looking at the two talkative people with some displeasure.

Mr. Muyi, how could the god in her heart be defiled like this?

This statement could easily lead people to misunderstand and think that Mr. Muyi is currying favor with the powerful and wealthy.

One boat arrives at the shore, while the other continues on its way.

Wei Liangchen left in despair.

A group of spirited young scholars arrived at the docks of Lin'an at this time.

Once the girl surnamed Qian reached the shore, a carriage sent by her family was waiting for her.

The young woman bid farewell to her fellow disciples and boarded her family's carriage, which then headed towards the residence of Qian Duanli, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, in Renmei Ward.

At this moment, Yang Yuan had just come out of Prince Gong's Mansion.

The news that the Second King had invited the Prince of Yan to visit him reached the Third King's residence.

King Zhao Dun could no longer sit still.

It was only then that he realized his elder brother's throne was in jeopardy.

Although he had fewer advantages compared to the second child, since he was born a year later, it meant that the other child was ahead of him in the birth order.

But... it's worth a try.

Therefore, the three kings hurriedly urged the royal tutor and the chief secretary to invite the Prince of Yan as well.

The Prince of Yan now holds absolute power; even a blind man could see that clearly.

If the Prince of Yan were to support him, he would have a significant advantage over his second brother in the race for the throne.

However, like the Second King, he had no means of recruiting Yang Yuan.

The Third King is only sixteen years old and has not yet married, let alone had a concubine.

He was not as unconventional as Zhao Qu, the Goose King.

He knew perfectly well that the emperor was sending him ten virgins to test his "Daoist heart".

But he took advantage of the fact that this was a reward from your father and openly slept with them all.

Therefore, Prince Gong, Zhao Dun, was still single and had no beautiful women to use to woo Yang Yuan. The same applied to money.

Although his salary was high, it was still not enough compared to Yang Yuan's.

The Yang family ran all sorts of businesses and made a fortune every day.

Therefore, what he could promise Yang Yuan was also a vague and uncertain future.

However, because he was the third son, he adopted a more humble attitude and made more promises.

Yang Yuan's attitude towards the Third King was no longer as ambiguous as it was towards the Second King.

Yang Yuan's ambiguous words still gave the tutor and chief secretary of Prince Gong's mansion much to ponder.

Moreover, he didn't stay for a banquet at the Second Prince's residence, but he did drink wine before leaving at the Third Prince's residence.

Especially his meaningful smile at parting...

The three kings laughed so hard they started having all sorts of wild thoughts.

……

Yang Yuan's carriage entered Renmei Ward at the same time as the young woman surnamed Qian's carriage, but they entered through different gates.

Moreover, Yang Yuan's carriage bore the bright insignia of the Prince of Yan, and the girl surnamed Qian deliberately did not display any banners when she went to greet her carriage in order to avoid being noticed by her classmates.

When Yang Yuan arrived at his own residence, he encountered Li Renxiao again.

Li Renxiao and the prime minister Ren Dejing had been engaged in a power struggle for more than ten years, vying for control of the government and military.

What a grand vision that is!

But now he's just a retired gentleman, a retired gentleman who's living off his inheritance, and his vision and level of understanding have deteriorated significantly.

While Yang Yuan was waging guerrilla warfare in the Jin Kingdom, causing chaos in Shandong, and making four incursions into Qingzhou City, Li Renxiao was worrying about firewood, rice, oil, and salt.

Empress Dowager Ren Muyan and Empress Wang Yunmei had private savings, and their families often helped them, so their family status rose sharply.

But Li Renxiao is different. His identity is so sensitive, who would dare to give him money?

The guards and servants of the Marquis of Anshun's mansion were originally members of the Ren family, and they did not obey his orders.

Now, even the servants, maids, and old women know who to be mindful of when they act.

Li Renxiao was furious.

Therefore, he wants a "raise"!
He knew that Yang Yuan now wielded immense power and that he had the final say on important matters of the court.

But he ended up in this predicament because of Yang Yuan, and he harbors deep resentment towards Yang Yuan.

Therefore, his "salary increase" was not a plea in kind, but rather a plan to act shamelessly.

Yang Yuan's carriage was forced to stop at the intersection of Fangzhong Road.

Because there was a person sitting on the ground in front of him, with disheveled hair, an open robe, and a large bowl in front of him.

When Yang Yuan heard someone lamenting that they had no rice to cook, he thought it was a commoner crying out for justice.

He hurriedly lifted the sedan curtain and peeked out. Sitting on the ground was Marquis Anshun.

Yang Yuan frowned, hurriedly got out of the carriage, and stepped forward, asking with a furrowed brow, "Lord Anshun, what are you doing?"

"I have a whole family to support, but with my meager fief, how can I possibly afford to feed them all?"

You are the King of Yan, and it was you who invited me from Daxia to come here!
"This is my family matter, and you have no right to interfere. Otherwise, I'll bring my whole family to your residence for dinner!"

Li Renxiao spoke with great conviction.

It's not just that it's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. It's also very difficult to become a superior person, but to become an inferior person, you can do it immediately as long as you let go of your sense of shame.

Li Renxiao had the air of a rogue; there was no trace of his ambition to become an emperor.

Yang Yuan frowned even more upon hearing this.

He knew that Li Renxiao had no other official position, and the meager fief granted by his title was indeed insufficient to maintain the lavish lifestyle of a deposed emperor.

However, he also clearly remembered that when Li Renxiao's family was sent to Lin'an, no one withheld Li Renxiao's private funds.

The gold, silver, jewels, and other valuables filled sixteen carriages.

Even if he were to live off his savings, it would be enough for Li Renxiao to live on for three lifetimes. Was it really necessary for him to lower himself to such an extent and make himself look ugly?
That bastard probably knows about the "purging of the emperor's inner circle" and is deliberately trying to cause trouble for me.

Li Renxiao knew that Yang Yuan would never have the heart to kill him over such a trivial matter.

Don't be fooled by his ruthless treatment of those so-called "imperial advisors"; it's because those people posed a deadly threat to Yang Yuan.

He posed no threat to Yang Yuan, so even if he went further, Yang Yuan wouldn't make things too difficult for him.

His very existence serves as clear evidence of Yang Yuan's magnanimity.

Therefore, he acted shamelessly at this moment without any restraint.

Once Yang Yuan understood his purpose, he couldn't help but find it amusing.

It is unbelievable that a once-great emperor has fallen to such a state.

Of course, it cannot be ruled out that Li Renxiao deliberately tarnished his own reputation, just like Liu Shan, the Duke of Anle, who pretended to be stupid.

However, Yang Yuan didn't want to indulge him.

Li Renxiao is someone we should take good care of. If he lives happily like a pig, he can appease the Tuoba clan of Xixia Road.

However, Yang Yuan did not want him to achieve his goal so easily.

Yang Yuan curled his lips and said sarcastically, "What, the former emperor of the Great White Kingdom can't even support his own family?"

I see that your Empress Dowager and Empress are as beautiful as peach blossoms and plums, still possessing their charm. Why not send them to my residence, and I'll take care of them for you!

Just then, the carriage of the girl surnamed Qian arrived.

As she crossed the intersection, she was blocked by the Western Xia emperor, who was sitting on the ground throwing a tantrum.

The girl had just curiously parted the curtains when she heard Yang Yuan say something rather frivolous.

The girl felt a surge of disdain and looked at him with displeasure in her almond-shaped eyes.

Li Renxiao never expected that Yang Yuan could be so humble as to say such humiliating things, and he immediately stopped pretending.

He roared, grabbed the large bowl, and smashed it at Yang Yuan.

Immediately afterwards, he leaped up and punched Yang Yuan.

Liu Dazhuang stood beside the cart shaft and sighed softly.

Why doesn't this guy learn his lesson? Has he forgotten how badly my General Fu beat him last time?

What, now that my Commander-in-Chief has become a king, he can't fight anymore?
(End of this chapter)