The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

"Yes."

Granny Lan immediately turned around and went to invite her herself.

There are very few people in the court who can command such respect from Granny Lan.

That Grand Tutor Yan was Yan Xun, the father of the strategist Yan Ci. He held the highest rank of official and was the imperial tutor, responsible for teaching the principles of governance and classical texts.

He was a leader of the literati, with students all over the world, and was on equal footing with Shen Xiang.

He once personally taught Tangxi Night and Tangxi Snow at the Wenhua Hall.

"Grand Tutor, this way please."

Soon after, the sound of light footsteps approached.

Yan Xun walked in from outside the hall with a composed gait.

He looked very young, with skin as white as porcelain and a cool, aloof profile like snow on a mountain.

Those eyes held a calmness etched by the passage of time.

He was draped in a white feather cloak, which made him look like a fairy from a painting who had just emerged from the wind and snow.

The feathers were distinct, each one whiter than snow.

Her long, silver-gray hair cascaded down her back, with a few strands not bound by her hair ornament falling naturally over her shoulders, giving off a nonchalant air.

"Oh, it's Master Yan!"

Tang Xixue was sitting beside the Empress Dowager when she heard the sound and looked up.

A smile played on her lips, like a flower blooming in the spring breeze.

"Greetings to Your Highness."

Yan Xun's gaze was calm and detached, as if he were looking at the world from across thousands of mountains and rivers.

That wasn't a cold indifference that kept people at arm's length, but rather a quiet solitude born from seeing through everything and being too lazy to conform to the world.

"Your subject, Yan Xun, pays respects to the Empress Dowager and Her Highness the Princess."

He lowered his head slightly, his voice clear and crisp, like shattered jade falling onto an ice plate.

"Your Majesty, the military treatise and communication jade token you requested have been delivered."

Yan Xun held the military treatise in both hands and presented it respectfully.

He then took out two communication jade talismans from his sleeve and placed them side by side on the brocade box.

The book's cover was made of dark blue silk, with four characters embroidered in silver thread: "Nine Heavens Mysterious Strategy." It was a rare, long-lost copy.

A small piece of paper was tucked between the pages of the book, peeking out from the corner.

"Grand Tutor Yan, you've worked hard. It's so cold, and you still had to make this trip in person. This military treatise is for Zhizhi; she's been wanting to read it for a long time."

The Empress Dowager's voice was gentle.

"I've had people search for days but haven't found it. You're the only one with a solution."

"Your Majesty is too kind."

Yan Xun nodded slightly, his expression remaining calm.

"This is my duty."

His gaze inadvertently swept over the snow on the Tangxi River.

She was resting her chin on her hand, smiling as she looked at him.

Just like when we used to have classes in the Wenhua Hall, we waited for him to speak.

Back then, she was a lovely little dumpling, sitting in the front row.

Resting her chin on her hand, her eyes sparkling, she listened as he spoke of military strategy, tactics, and the general trend of the world.

Whenever he got to a particularly insightful point, her eyes would shine even brighter, as if someone had tossed a star into them.

Yan Xun withdrew his gaze, handed over the military treatise, and casually turned a page, revealing a small piece of paper.

"I casually made a few annotations."

His voice was very soft, as if he were just mentioning it casually, as if it were really just a small thing he did on a whim.

"If the princess has time, she might as well take a look."

"If you find this inappropriate, then I will speak further."

Even so, there was a clear sense of certainty in his tone.

He knew she would definitely see it.

She never missed any opportunity to enhance her knowledge, which was what he admired most about her.

"What annotations did Master Yan make? I want to see them now."

Tang Xixue didn't even want to eat the almond tofu in her hand anymore; she was in a hurry to flip through that military book.

Before his fingertips even touched the pages, the Empress Dowager gently patted the back of his hand.

"What's the rush? We'll see later. Eat properly; you've already lost weight."

The Empress Dowager glanced at her, her tone full of affection.

"oh."

Tang Xixue responded and obediently withdrew her hand, but her gaze still couldn't help but drift towards the military book.

It felt like it was hooked by something, and it couldn't be moved away no matter what.

Yan Xun stood in the hall, taking in the entire scene.

His lips twitched slightly, as if he wanted to laugh, or perhaps he remembered something, but in the end he didn't laugh.

Something flickered briefly in her eyes, then quickly covered them with that cool frost.

Tang Xixue was his most outstanding student.

From the time she entered the Wenhua Hall at the age of six, he knew that this child was different from others.

She is intelligent but not arrogant, studious but not rigid.

The questions she asked often required him, as a teacher, to think for a moment before he could answer them.

He always knew how outstanding she was.

Therefore, he always felt that his good-for-nothing son was not worthy of such an excellent student as him.

However, using the princess to discipline his son proved to be exceptionally effective.

His son is becoming increasingly outstanding.

"If Your Majesty has no further instructions, I shall take my leave."

"Go."

The Empress Dowager nodded, her eyes filled with respect.

"Grand Tutor Yan, please proceed with caution on the road."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

After bowing, Yan Xun turned around, his white robes resembling mountains and rivers, or mist and clouds, complementing his long silver-gray hair.

His gait was exceptionally graceful, unhurried and measured, each step seemingly measured, exuding the unique nobility and composure of a scion of a prominent family.

Tang Xixue watched his retreating figure and suddenly called out:

"Master Yan!"

Yan Xun paused, turned around, and stepped to the side.

"Is there anything else, Your Highness?"

"It's nothing."

Tang Xixue smiled, her dimples revealing a handful of the soft breeze of a spring afternoon.

"I just wanted to say that Master Yan's clothes today are very nice."

Yan Xun was stunned for a moment.

A look of bewilderment, as if both laughing and crying, appeared on his usually cool and serious face.

He then nodded slightly:

"Your Highness is too kind."

Yan Xun's footsteps gradually faded away outside the palace gates.

The white feather cloak fluttered gently in the wind, like a white crane folding its wings and slowly walking away.

Tang Xixue looked away and continued eating her almond tofu.

The Empress Dowager glanced at her, said nothing, and simply pushed the military book toward her.

"Watch it if you want."

Tang Xixue raised her head, smiled as she took the military treatise, and eagerly opened the letter.

The above is Yan Xun's handwriting, which is elegant and upright, with each stroke exuding composure.

Like a pine tree covered in snow in the depths of winter, it stands tall and has a strong character.

"Warfare is based on deception. But above deception, there is another way: to act in accordance with the prevailing trend."

"Favorable timing is not as important as advantageous location, and advantageous location is not as important as harmonious relationships."

"Beyond human harmony, there is also unity of purpose."

"Where the heart leads, nothing is impossible..."

Tang Xixue stared at it for a long time, completely absorbed.

Grand Tutor Yan was a man of profound learning and vast knowledge, and all his students were outstanding individuals.

"Mother, Master Yan looks very young. Did he get married so early?"

Tang Xixue asked casually.

"No, who said Yan Xun got married?"

The Empress Dowager shook her head and served her a bowl of plum blossom soup dumplings.

Small plum blossom-shaped flowers bloom in chicken broth.

"He only cares about the rise and fall of his family; he has no interest in romance or poetry."

"Ah, I never imagined that Master Yan, with his noble character and brilliant mind, would actually be such a scumbag?"

Tang Xixue was shocked.

"Ah Ce, could it be Master Yan's extramarital affairs? He's just as scum as Prime Minister Shen!"

Yan Ci had just reached the palace entrance when he paused.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and felt that he shouldn't have entered this hall today.

"Your Highness, please don't speak ill of my father like that. Ce was adopted by my father. He has never married, so he adopted me into his family."

Yan Ci's voice came from outside the hall, tinged with helplessness.

"By the way, the reason I came here is to say that we have found a clue about the begonia jade pendant. It was indeed stolen and is no longer in the palace."