Minglong

Chapter 278 It's easy to know a person's face but hard to know their heart.

Hoof-tapping hoof-tapping...

Dozens of soldiers escorted the carriage into the main street, attracting countless curious onlookers who lined both sides of the street to watch. Some ladies and young women were even shouting from the windows of second-floor shops.

"Xie Lang~ Look here..."

"Don't be shy..."

Xie Jinhuan served as his personal bodyguard, riding a spirited horse alongside the carriage. Facing the sea of ​​onlookers, even with his thick skin honed since childhood, he felt a bit of pressure. Meiqiu, on the other hand, was an eye-catching figure, perched on his shoulder with his head held high, looking like a triumphant little boy returning home to receive an inspection.

Princess Changning and Linghu Qingmo sat in the carriage and noticed that the street was full of onlookers. They sighed:

"Becoming a Super Rank member makes a big difference; my reputation has increased significantly compared to before."

"Of course! The common people don't know how many first-rank cultivators there are in the Great Qian Dynasty, but there are dozens of super-rank cultivators. Who wouldn't want to come and admire their splendor? Actually, your master's appearances are even more exaggerated. I remember a few years ago when he came to the capital to participate in a gathering, the rooftops were packed with people, and even six- or seven-year-old kids were perched on trees shouting things like 'Fairy Nangong~'. Since then, your master has never dared to show his face in public again..."

"No wonder Master always wore a veil and black clothes, covering himself up completely. He was probably scared by those little brats..."

……

Xie Jinhuan's eyes were slightly strange when he heard this conversation. He didn't go over to interrupt, but simply acted as a guard and escorted the carriage to the Princess's residence near the capital.

Naiduo was still alone in her empty room in Yanjing. Naturally, there was no sweet little girl from the mansion to come out and hug her arm, but there were still people to greet her.

Xie Jinhuan hadn't even gotten out of the car when he heard a sarcastic greeting:
"Well, you've really risen to prominence after just one trip. With that air of confidence, you're truly worthy of the saying, 'If someone can resemble me even a fraction, the heroes of this world will be thrown into a panic.'"

?

Upon hearing this, Xie Jinhuan thought it was Corpse Ancestor or Ye Sheng speaking, but when he turned around, he saw a head steward with a pointed mouth and monkey-like cheeks, holding a folding fan...

Depend on!
Xie Jinhuan, upon suddenly seeing this astonishingly beautiful appearance, reacted exactly as he had upon their first meeting. Faced with the head steward's disparaging remarks, he humbly bowed.
"Steward Hou, you flatter me. I would never dare to compare myself to you..."

Although Zhao De was already the Crown Prince of the Great Qian Dynasty, he would still have to personally greet his sister upon her return. At this moment, he was dressed in a well-fitting brocade robe, holding a jade-framed fan, his demeanor both noble and refined.

"Brother Xie is too modest..."

Can I call this humility?

Xie Jinhuan felt that these two oddballs hadn't changed at all, but given their current status, he still had to accept the offer.
"Not at all, Your Highness is as witty as ever..."

"Oh? What do you mean by that, Brother Xie?"

"..."

Xie Jinhuan was speechless for a moment.

The maids waiting nearby couldn't hold back any longer when they heard this. Even the usually cold and stoic Da Sha Zhang covered his mouth with his hand and his shoulders twitched, clearly feeling extremely uncomfortable.

Princess Changning stepped out of the carriage and saw her personal bodyguard being belittled by her trusted lackeys and foolish younger brother. Her expression immediately darkened. However, since there were elders present, it was inappropriate to boil water and slaughter a pig on the spot. She got out of the carriage first and looked at an elder in a scholar's robe standing on the steps:
"Second Grandfather, why did you come here in person?"

Xu Tong, with one hand behind her back, was a little annoyed by Zhao De's seemingly proper but completely unserious behavior. Hearing the greeting, she smiled and said:

“His Highness the Crown Prince has been studying literature and history at Chongwen Academy recently, and I am his tutor. I happened to hear that you and Young Master Xie had returned, so I came along to visit you.”

Zhao Ling asked with slight confusion, "Wasn't it Mr. Fan from the Imperial Academy who was lecturing to the Crown Prince? Why was it Second Grandfather instead?"

Behind Xu Tong were several other noble young men from the capital who accompanied the Crown Prince in his studies, including Zhang Huaiyu, Fan Li's prized disciple. Because the truth was best left unsaid, Zhang Huaiyu offered only a tactful explanation:
“My master caught a cold at the beginning of winter and has been ill at home recently, so this matter has been entrusted to Mr. Xu.”

"Oh……"

……

Hearing this conversation, Xie Jinhuan felt that changing teachers was probably more than just a simple matter of Fan Liran catching a cold.

Although he was not a student of Confucianism, he studied the calligraphy of Ye Shengfanli from a young age and had a good understanding of the Confucian framework.

During the Great Qian Dynasty, Confucianism was divided into three branches: the Xu family of Jiangzhou, the Li family of Hualin, and the lineage of Ye Sheng. These can be roughly understood as three schools of thought under Confucianism, similar to alchemy and divination under Taoism. However, the distinction within Confucianism lies not in the methods of practice, but in the doctrines of each school.

The person in charge of the Xu family in Jiangzhou is Xu Tong, who is standing in front of me.

The leader of Ye Sheng's lineage is Fan Li.

Ye Sheng was a Confucian disciple who established his own school. His historical background was far inferior to that of the Xu and Li families. However, Ye Sheng's achievements were too great. He not only quelled the rebellion of the Witchcraft Sect, but also gathered the best talents of the Southern Dynasty in Qingmiao Lane to protect them in order to preserve the flame of civilization during the great calamity. The Four No Ones Ancestor was one of the top students among them, and there were many other talented young people.

After the war, these hundred or so students scattered to various places to rebuild the wasteland. Some became high-ranking officials, while others became sect leaders, which allowed the Southern Dynasty to recover its vitality in just ten years.

Although Ye Sheng's true disciples are only Fan Li, Mu Yunling, and Wu Zheng, the others, including Wei Wuyi and Sikong Laozu, have only studied at the school under Ye Sheng's tutelage, and their relationship is probably similar to that of Lin Zisu and Mu Yunling.

However, to receive even a single word of guidance from Ye Sheng would be something an ordinary person could boast about for a lifetime. These people had received a few years of education under Ye Sheng's protection and would certainly consider themselves his students. This resulted in the Great Qian Dynasty being filled with Ye Sheng's disciples at the founding of the dynasty, holding absolute dominance in both the court and the countryside, leaving the Xu and Li families with no chance of competing.

Now, a century later, most of the students from that time have passed away, and only a few, such as the Four No Ones Ancestor, remain active on the stage. Naturally, the influence of Ye Sheng's lineage is gradually fading.

The two families, the "Southern Xu and Northern Li," have accumulated a wealth of influence over a thousand years, securing numerous seats in the imperial court. Among them, the Hualin Li family has the greatest influence, as evidenced by the fact that even Li Gongpu has to embellish his own reputation.

But no one expected that the former crown prince, whom Ye Sheng had carefully nurtured, would run into trouble, and then the Pill King, with the Xu family as his backing, would ascend the throne.

This led to the Xu family of Jiangzhou rising to prominence overnight. Without exception, all the important officials promoted by the King of Dan after he ascended the throne were direct descendants of the Xu family.

Given this background, how could the Xu family of Jiangzhou possibly allow someone from the Ye Sheng lineage or the Li family of Hualin to hold such an important position as the Crown Prince's tutor?

Therefore, the reason why Fan Li resigned due to illness is very likely that he was not able to compete and was taken over by Xu Tong.

Of course, it's also possible that Zhao De's behavior was so outrageous that he genuinely angered Old Master Fan to the point of quitting...

……

As a cultivator, Xie Jinhuan was not very familiar with the intrigues and backstabbing in the court, nor did he care much about them. He simply chatted idly with Zhao De.

Zhao De clearly didn't care who the teacher was; he treated everyone equally. After a few polite words, he got down to business:

“A few days ago, Brother Xie was murdered by villains in the Western Rong. When Father heard about it, he was furious and wanted to go and settle accounts with the bandits himself. Fortunately, I persuaded him with reason and emotion and stopped him…”

Xie Jinhuan was skeptical: "Is that so? His Majesty and His Highness show such favoritism, I am truly terrified."

"Ah, we're all family, no need for such formalities. Father is worried about Brother Xie and Sister's safety, so he wants you to come to the palace for an audience as soon as you return to the capital. As for a welcome feast, I'll host an Eight Immortals Banquet at the Zijing Pavilion tonight to properly reward Brother Xie..."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ling immediately rolled up her sleeves, while Linghu Qingmo quickly pulled her best friend back, her meaning clear: they were both crown princes, and fighting in the street would be beneath the dignity of the Great Qian Dynasty; they should talk about it later...

Xie Jinhuan felt helpless in the face of Zhao De's eagerness to use her, and politely declined:

"Let's go to the palace to see His Majesty first, and then talk about it when we get back. There are undercurrents in the Great Qian Dynasty right now, and His Majesty may have some plans..."

"Hey, food is essential for life. No matter how important the matter, you have to eat before you can set off. How about this, Brother Xie, when you go to the palace to meet the Emperor, I'll go and reserve a table at the Zijing Pavilion and wait for you. You can come over as soon as you're done..."

Seeing that Zhao De was not going to enter the palace with them, Xu Tong calmly comforted him:

"Your Highness is now the Crown Prince. Young Master Xie is discussing important national affairs with His Majesty. Your Highness should also listen in and offer advice..."

Zhao De waved his hand: "With my appearance, standing next to Brother Xie would only make Father Emperor angry, wouldn't it? The books say that 'a handsome friend who brings sorrow will steal the fun,' so I have to be discerning..."

"?"

And you know what? These words left everyone speechless.

After all, the original meaning of this saying is that if you go to a brothel with a handsome friend to meet girls, the beauty will inevitably be attracted to your friend, causing her to lose interest and even be neglected and disliked.

Although using the allusion here is a bit disrespectful, the meaning is quite apt. Even Xie Jinhuan couldn't help but sigh, "Looks like he's not stupid after all, just a bit cheeky..."

Xu Tong wanted to say a few more words of advice, but Zhao Ling couldn't stand her useless younger brother anymore and interrupted:
"I will take Xie Jinhuan to the palace to meet the Emperor. There's no need for a welcoming feast. Let's just send the Crown Prince back to the Eastern Palace to study."

"Huh? This isn't appropriate..."

Zhao De's expression changed slightly. He wanted to negotiate, but his older sister wasn't so easy to talk to. She was immediately taken down and put into the carriage.

Xie Jinhuan and the others did not linger. After saying goodbye to the others, they boarded the carriage again and headed to the capital to pay homage to the emperor.

Xu Tong watched the procession leave from outside the mansion gate, and after the convoy disappeared, he frowned secretly.

Huangfu Qi, who had been hiding to the side under various pretexts, finally dared to show himself and approach, whispering:

"Xie Jinhuan's purpose in returning from this trip is still unclear. Why don't you go to the palace with him and hear what he has to say?"

Xu Tong brought Zhao De to pick him up, her initial intention being to find a reasonable excuse to enter the palace with Zhao De for a family banquet.

But Zhao De, that ancestor, was a complete idiot when he should have been clever, and incredibly shrewd when he shouldn't have been, and he simply didn't follow his repeated instructions before he left.

With things having come to this point, Xu Tong could only sigh inwardly:

"Since the Crown Prince isn't coming to the palace, I'll just sit down here uninvited. Even if Xie Jinhuan is stupid, he'll understand. I'll head back home first, and later I'll find some time to go to the palace and secretly sound out the Emperor."

Huangfu Qi sensed something was wrong, but he didn't say anything more...

(End of this chapter)